Yahoo: where good websites go to die

Once upon a time I was a big fan of Flickr.  It was one of the best photo sharing websites around.  The content was good and people who were into photography were really into the site.  There were problems with the site, but we used it anyways.

Then, like all Yahoo owned things, they focused on building things people didn't want and ignoring things that people wanted.  Uploading video clips was added instead of view on black settings.  No easy interface with facebook.  No good iPhone uploader app.  Then giving view on black but stripping EXIF.  No photo slideshow queuing.  Basically the only reason people still use it is that facebook is a closed network, tumblr too bloggy, and Google hasn't tried to get into the game.  Flickr sucks but no one has tried to make a better Flickr.  The online photo community I was once networked into dissolved because no one cares anymore because there are so many better online networking sites.

Basically I wish Google or someone would make a better Flickr, because everything Yahoo touches turns to poop.

Miami Fever is back!

So for a while my favorite photographer, Miami Fever, was missing on the internet. I thought he might be dead or something. But he's back, and some of my favorite pictures are back online too. Or maybe they never left and I am only finding them this time. Or I already posted them and forgot. Have a look:



Canon 200mm f1.8? That's crazy. Shot wide open in broad daylight? Crazy!



Oh Miami!



His photostream is still short a few thousand from the glory days, but definitely worth the trip.

I wanted to love you

I wanted to love you from the moment I first laid eyes on you. You looked so perfect. You completed me. And then I came to learn you were tragically flawed. Could I overlook your defects? Was it in me?

It was not.

The Sony NEX-5 could have been the one camera for me. All the versatility and power of an interchangeable lens system. Like a digital rangefinder, but smaller and possibly a better focusing system. The ability to use just about any lens imaginable. The sheer power of the DSLR's APS-C image sensor. 1080p video. I could ditch the camera bag forever and take pictures just as well. Maybe even better.

But it doesn't have manual controls. I can't whirl through aperture, ISO, and shutter settings like a dervish. Feverishly my hands can take my 20d from low-light to day-light settings and back in seconds. Like some nerd working on a rubik's cube.



Insert Rubik's cube snark here.

I can't give that up. Not even for this:



...sigh!

Heat

Some people hate the heat. I don't. When it is sultry and the sun is beating mercilessly and the air seems to suck the life out of you, beads of sweat turn to rivulets under your arms. You hope to God that Old Spice holds out for a few more hours. Some people hate that. When you lie awake at night with a thin layer of sweat glistening under the oppressive red glow of the alarm clock and every fabric you touch is stuck to your skin like glue, some people hate that too.

I ask: if you never get so hot that you sweat, and never get so cold that you need a coat...how do you know you're still alive? Seriously, maybe you are stuck in the Matrix? Maybe you are some cyborg or clone? Maybe this is all just a dream? Have you ever had a dream where you felt each hair on your arm collecting a tiny bead of moisture at it's base on a sultry afternoon? I haven't.

And when I think of heat I think of Miami. I've never been there, but I've wanted to visit for years. It was the art of Carlos Ramos, aka Miami Fever that drew me there.

Miami Fever had a profound affect on my own style as a photographer. He was very unorthodox from what I'd read in books and magazines. Every shot was wide open, using fast and exotic lenses, even in the brightest of summer days. It had a dreamy, almost impressionist feel. His subject matter was insanely fascinating. Sure, there are a lot of hot girls and hot cars in his photostream. But often it was more than that. Here are some good primers:



Almost painterly



Sadly there used to be so much more. At one point his photostream was over 1,000 pictures. All my favorites were taken down, so I can't even show you what I loved and influenced me most. He used to have the full resolution pictures up too, but so many thieves stole his art and sold it as their own. So now all we have are a few small resolution pictures.







I wish I had saved my favorites so I could share them with you. His website hasn't been updated since he moved to the Dominican Republic.

Still, I hope you find yourself lusting for Miami after viewing what's left of his pictures. If so remember the craving involves merciless sun and sultry nights. Maybe turn the AC off tonight and try to imagine what it must be like to see women wearing bikinis to the grocery store. Imagine what it would be like if you were still young and cool and burned like gods of the sun.

20 Eyes

When your girlfriend alerts you to the giant spider on the bedroom wall, what should be your first response? Obviously grab the camera, mount the macro lens, and fire up the flashgun.







And yes, now I have 20 eyes stuck in my head. And now hopefully you do too.

Night air

The wind was brisk. My jacket was warm and I didn't mind the cold air. But the metal tripod in my hand was starting to get cold, and my hand was starting to get cold so I wouldn't stay out too long.



The nighttime is the right time. Places are empty. A new world of light and shadow, and even color appears. Though often the color is the ghastly orange-yellow of streetlamps.



There is nobody here except me and the ducks.



Sometimes it is useful to get out in the clear night air to clear your mind.

Diversions

Instead of going bughunting I was distracted by some portrait work. I modeled my friend in an homage to the classic slasher flick Psycho.



I couldn't find anything to kill other than Cheerios. So it became a Cereal Killer photoshoot, and thus a reference to Green Jellÿ (né Jellö).









This was a challenging shoot from the beginning. Mixing the blood to just the right hue was time consuming and was like some Martha Stewart cake recipe. Corn syrup, food coloring, molasses, and chocolate. The bathroom afforded little room to maneuver. Getting the light right was trial and error. I used some high key light in the beginning, and by the end I had the shoot through umbrella out. Turns out my model looks best in diffuse lighting, while the shoot itself looks best with really hard light. If I had a second flash I could balance it out, I think.

And then it rained

It rained and the buds burst open and the trees were covered in a green haze. The peepers are mating and the birds are calling and life seems to convect through the air.





I'm practicing with my gear and studying up on insects, for my newest project is to shoot bugs. The fireflies will emerge soon, and I will be ready. But first, I will attempt to recreate the amazing pictures you'll find here.

Doing Stuff

A few weeks ago I did a photo shoot. It was a free gig, sort of a charity case. Cats and dogs for adoption. I wondered if there is any money in photographing pets? I'm sure there is, but man I hate that hustle of trying to be a salesman and pleasing clients.

Sometimes I wonder if I could have been a good porn photographer, or if there is really any money in it. Do you get paid more for shooting porn photos, or less? I'm guessing less because, let's be real; most people who pay for porn photos aren't appreciating the lighting and angles.

These days most everyone I see has an SLR. When I went to the botanical gardens 4 years ago almost no one had one. Today almost every other person has one. And they all want to do weddings and portraits. That leads me to believe that the market will soon be saturated with wedding and portrait semi-pros. Good for consumers, but that means I will forget about moonlighting as a wedding photographer. Not that I really wanted to anyways, but it was always in the back of my head. Let me tell you it is stressful shooting that sort of gig. If you miss a photo or something gets screwed up, there is no re-shooting. Also, without hard deadlines I procrastinate.

I suspect being profitable is all about finding your niche, and being lucky enough that it is something people are willing to purchase. I mean if your niche is taking pictures of poop then that is good for you but I doubt you will make any money selling those prints. When I first started getting into photography I had this idea to do a coffee table book of artsy pictures of guitars. All different guitars - Fender, Ibanez, Jackson, Gibson, you name it. I don't know if it has been done, but similar things have been tried. Maybe I should make a coffee table book of things collectors are into, like model trains or old Star Wars action figures. You know collectors would have to buy that book. Or maybe a book of 40s; all different ones like King Cobra and Colt 45. All the college kids would buy that, I'm sure. What do you think?