http://jpgmag.com/photonews JPG Photography News Fri, 24 May 2013 14:05:11 PST Fri, 24 May 2013 14:05:11 PST http://jpgmag.com/ http://jpgmag.com/images/JPG-logo-red.gif http://jpgmag.com/about http://jpgmag.com/photonews http://jpgmag.com/photonews/display/2118 Yesterday, at a press conference after an “acquisition” meeting of Tumblr, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer was quoted with the following statement: “There’s no such thing as Flickr Pro today because [with so many people taking photographs] there’s really no such thing as professional photographers anymore.” by Jim Colton Wed, 22 May 2013 05:58:15 PST Yesterday, at a press conference after an “acquisition” meeting of Tumblr, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer was quoted with the following statement: “There’s no such thing as Flickr Pro today because [with so many people taking photographs] there’s really no such thing as professional photographers anymore.” by Jim Colton Cathaleen Curtiss http://jpgmag.com/photonews http://jpgmag.com/photonews/display/2116 In Oklahoma, tornados are a common thing. Every spring they occur and every Oklahoman grows up knowing what they are and the damage they can cause. As Wed, 22 May 2013 05:49:27 PST In Oklahoma, tornados are a common thing. Every spring they occur and every Oklahoman grows up knowing what they are and the damage they can cause. As Cathaleen Curtiss http://jpgmag.com/photonews http://jpgmag.com/photonews/display/2114 Pro commercial and celebrity photographer Michael Grecco takes us on the set of his 2-day shoot for Men’s Health and Procter & Gamble in this high end behind the scenes video. The parts of the video you want to watch move pretty quickly so there will be a lot of pausing if you want to see the lighting setups in any sort of detail. The consistent theme with light here is balance. One of my favorite things about Grecco is how he balances strobe and ambient light.<br /> <br /> There are tons of different kinds of moods you can get with this lighting technique and it’s unfortunate but too often it’s done poorly. If balancing strobe and ambient light is something you are unfamiliar with, we have several articles like this one here on Fstoppers to help you along the way. Once you get the hang of setting your exposure up in layers it’s really pretty easy. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:37:33 PST Pro commercial and celebrity photographer Michael Grecco takes us on the set of his 2-day shoot for Men’s Health and Procter & Gamble in this high end behind the scenes video. The parts of the video you want to watch move pretty quickly so there will be a lot of pausing if you want to see the lighting setups in any sort of detail. The consistent theme with light here is balance. One of my favorite things about Grecco is how he balances strobe and ambient light.<br /> <br /> There are tons of different kinds of moods you can get with this lighting technique and it’s unfortunate but too often it’s done poorly. If balancing strobe and ambient light is something you are unfamiliar with, we have several articles like this one here on Fstoppers to help you along the way. Once you get the hang of setting your exposure up in layers it’s really pretty easy. Justin Case http://jpgmag.com/photonews http://jpgmag.com/photonews/display/2109 Photographer Nicolas Reusens has always been interested in insects, so when he purchased his first DSLR three years ago, he immediately dove into the art of macro photography. By using the technique known as focus stacking — combining several images taken at different depths of field — he’s generated some truly eye-popping photos of creepy crawlies from all over the world.<br /> <br /> When we say all over the world, we’re not exaggerating. Reusens is half Swedish by birth and lives in Spain, but over the past three years, he has travelled to Costa Rica three times, Malaysia twice, South Africa twice, the Peruvian Amazon, Ecuador, Mexico and more to find and photograph his subjects.<br /> <br /> His choice to user focus stacking arose from a need to increase his depth of field without stopping down his aperture. Stopping down the aperture requires longer exposure times, and in some cases leads to diffraction and reduced sharpness.<br /> <br /> By combining anywhere from 2 to 200 exposures (no, we didn’t add an extra zero, Reusens actually uses that many exposures for some of his more extreme macro shots) using Zerene Stacker, he creates images that he tells us would be “physically impossible with normal imaging equipment”: Mon, 20 May 2013 09:55:42 PST Photographer Nicolas Reusens has always been interested in insects, so when he purchased his first DSLR three years ago, he immediately dove into the art of macro photography. By using the technique known as focus stacking — combining several images taken at different depths of field — he’s generated some truly eye-popping photos of creepy crawlies from all over the world.<br /> <br /> When we say all over the world, we’re not exaggerating. Reusens is half Swedish by birth and lives in Spain, but over the past three years, he has travelled to Costa Rica three times, Malaysia twice, South Africa twice, the Peruvian Amazon, Ecuador, Mexico and more to find and photograph his subjects.<br /> <br /> His choice to user focus stacking arose from a need to increase his depth of field without stopping down his aperture. Stopping down the aperture requires longer exposure times, and in some cases leads to diffraction and reduced sharpness.<br /> <br /> By combining anywhere from 2 to 200 exposures (no, we didn’t add an extra zero, Reusens actually uses that many exposures for some of his more extreme macro shots) using Zerene Stacker, he creates images that he tells us would be “physically impossible with normal imaging equipment”: Justin Case http://jpgmag.com/photonews http://jpgmag.com/photonews/display/2108 Are you ready for the imagery war -- the war against personal photography and capturing of video? You'd better be. The title of this piece actually Mon, 20 May 2013 09:13:51 PST Are you ready for the imagery war -- the war against personal photography and capturing of video? You'd better be. The title of this piece actually Cathaleen Curtiss http://jpgmag.com/photonews http://jpgmag.com/photonews/display/2107 In the past few months, photojournalists have had to make some complicated and difficult decisions regarding digital manipulation of images. While editors have been making such decisions since the dawn of photography, what editors find acceptable continues to differ widely. Mon, 20 May 2013 08:36:28 PST In the past few months, photojournalists have had to make some complicated and difficult decisions regarding digital manipulation of images. While editors have been making such decisions since the dawn of photography, what editors find acceptable continues to differ widely. Cathaleen Curtiss http://jpgmag.com/photonews http://jpgmag.com/photonews/display/2104 "I’m heading to Vietnam for six weeks to work on a couple long-term photo stories (and hang out with my family on the side). This is my standard bag o’ tricks for when I’m traveling and shooting personal work..."-Daniella Zalcman Sun, 19 May 2013 05:03:21 PST "I’m heading to Vietnam for six weeks to work on a couple long-term photo stories (and hang out with my family on the side). This is my standard bag o’ tricks for when I’m traveling and shooting personal work..."-Daniella Zalcman Cathaleen Curtiss http://jpgmag.com/photonews http://jpgmag.com/photonews/display/2103 For those who believe that a robust public-affairs journalism is essential for a society striving to be democratic, the 21st century has been characterized by bad news that keeps getting worse. Sun, 19 May 2013 04:46:44 PST For those who believe that a robust public-affairs journalism is essential for a society striving to be democratic, the 21st century has been characterized by bad news that keeps getting worse. Cathaleen Curtiss http://jpgmag.com/photonews http://jpgmag.com/photonews/display/2101 Residents of a luxury Tribeca building are furious over a new photo exhibit in a Chelsea art gallery — because they had no idea they were the subjects on display.From his second-floor apartment... Fri, 17 May 2013 15:25:36 PST Residents of a luxury Tribeca building are furious over a new photo exhibit in a Chelsea art gallery — because they had no idea they were the subjects on display.From his second-floor apartment... Cathaleen Curtiss http://jpgmag.com/photonews http://jpgmag.com/photonews/display/2100 Stacy Pearsall never wanted to stop being a combat photographer.<br /> <br /> When her job ended, she wondered whether life was worth living.<br /> <br /> Ms. Pearsall joined the Air Force at age 17 and soon grew eager to photograph American military efforts around the world. But the odds of covering combat were slim, and she knew it. “Somebody had to either die or retire,” she recalled. When a position opened up, it changed her whole world.<br /> <br /> The Air Force staff sergeant began training in a program for war photography at Syracuse University. She traveled to more than 40 countries, including places like South Korea and the Horn of Africa. But it was her two rotations in Iraq where she made her deepest mark. Among her many honors include twice being named the National Press Photographers Association’s military photographer of the year. The Pentagon handed out her work documenting the military efforts in Iraq to the media and public on a daily basis. They were republished online, and in newspapers and magazines.<br /> <br /> During her first stint, which began in September 2003, assignments varied widely. “One day we were on a raid hunting down one of the face cards,” she recalled, referring to the deck of cards identifying the most wanted officials of Saddam Hussein’s government. “The next day we were shooting a school opening.”<br /> <br /> Her second stint centered on 2007’s battle of Baquba. “The fighting I experienced was very extreme,” she said. “In my last deployment, it was an everyday occurrence.”<br /> U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway After hunting down known bombmakers, Ms. Pearsall prepared to document a raid with members of the United States Army in Khalis. Feb. 21, 2007.<br /> <br /> She had started her military photo career inspired by noted war photographers like James Nachtwey, Carolyn Cole and Eddie Adams. Ms. Pearsall worked to get into the right spot, take a moment and plan the shot.<br /> <br /> “I’m definitely as deliberate as I can be in the circumstances,” she said. “Instead of chasing the action, I’m kind of anticipating where that action is going to happen, taking risks and getting in front of the action so you can be there when it happens.” She tells more about her craft in her newly published second book, “A Photojournalist’s Field Guide.”<br /> <br /> Her work took her to the front lines, not common for female soldiers, and where the United States only recently lifted its ban on women in combat despite 20 percent of its ranks being female. “Being a woman, it was a really unique opportunity,” she said.<br /> <br /> Not everyone understood. Sometimes soldiers would yell at her. But she felt, “If you don’t take those pictures, then how will anybody know what sacrifices were made?”<br /> <br /> Sometimes Ms. Pearsall was capturing images of soldiers she barely knew. Other times it was of her closest friends. She recalled the death of Capt. Donnie R. Belser, killed by sniper fire mere hours after she had heard him singing “Happy Birthday” to his son.<br /> <br /> And at times she set down her cameras to help her fellow soldiers in battle. While riding along with a unit caught in an ambush, she picked up an M240 machine gun and provided cover fire as others brought back wounded soldiers. Amid flying bullets, she hauled the wounded into the armored vehicle, including a soldier almost twice her size, placing her hand on his neck to stop the blood pumping out of his carotid artery.<br /> Stacy L. Pearsall Members of the Iraqi Army shared lunch with a local family during a four-day operation in New Baquba. March 4, 2007.<br /> <br /> But her two rotations in Iraq exacted an enormous physical toll. During her first tour, she suffered injuries from a roadside bomb that tore through her Humvee, and a similar I.E.D. blast occurred during her second tour. She suffered concussions, traumatic brain injuries, and a ruptured disc in her neck.<br /> <br /> By February 2007, Ms. Pearsall began to feel tremors in her hands and it was difficult to hold her head up straight. One morning she could not get out bed. Her bunkmate, Kathryn Robinson, a videographer, got her to go to the doctor, where she learned the injuries were worse than she suspected. About three months later she was flown out of Iraq for medical care in Charleston, S.C.<br /> <br /> Her job prospects dimmed. She was awarded a Bronze Star, but photojournalism was no longer an option in the military. She felt the Air Force did not take her injuries seriously, including her post-traumatic stress, and they questioned why she did not report her problems sooner. But she knew that if she had reported them, should would lose the job she loved so much. “The military had trained me this way — to suck it up,” she said.<br /> <br /> Ms. Pearsall reluctantly took a medical discharge in one of the most difficult times in her life.<br /> <br /> Even worse, she said, was the psychological toll. She was reluctant to say anything about PTSD, fearful that few of her colleagues would take her seriously.<br /> <br /> “The one thing about PTSD is it’s the war that never ends” she said. “Suicide might seem like a viable option. It’s a permanent solution to a temporary problem.”<br /> <br /> Driving in South Carolina one day, she wondered whether she should just steer her car into an overpass. Nearly a thousand active duty military personnel have attempted suicide in 2011, the most recent year for which there are official statistics. While Ms. Pearsall did not, she is among an untold number who engage in what is termed suicidal ideation, contemplating how they might kill themselves.<br /> <br /> Ms. Pearsall sought help from a local Department of Veterans Affairs clinic. Now she is active in a variety of efforts to help veterans, including photography workshops and her work as a spokeswoman for the Real Warriors Campaign. She’s spoken about her path on Oprah’s television show, and the role of women in combat.<br /> <br /> But photography still remains her passion. She runs a photo studio in Charleston with her husband, who was also a military photographer, and highlights work by her students on her studio’s walls. Her military experience has led to commercial assignments for products like body armor.<br /> <br /> Ms. Pearsall continues to ensure that the sacrifices made by veterans are not forgotten. She started the Veterans Portrait Project Foundation, capturing images of those who served in conflicts stretching back to World War II, which hang on the walls of the local Department of Veterans Affairs hospital. She is currently at work on several photo essays about the lives of veterans.<br /> <br /> She worries about the plight of veterans and sees her work as a continuation of her job in the military. “That story isn’t over for them,” she said. “I just don’t want people to forget that.” Fri, 17 May 2013 09:57:36 PST Stacy Pearsall never wanted to stop being a combat photographer.<br /> <br /> When her job ended, she wondered whether life was worth living.<br /> <br /> Ms. Pearsall joined the Air Force at age 17 and soon grew eager to photograph American military efforts around the world. But the odds of covering combat were slim, and she knew it. “Somebody had to either die or retire,” she recalled. When a position opened up, it changed her whole world.<br /> <br /> The Air Force staff sergeant began training in a program for war photography at Syracuse University. She traveled to more than 40 countries, including places like South Korea and the Horn of Africa. But it was her two rotations in Iraq where she made her deepest mark. Among her many honors include twice being named the National Press Photographers Association’s military photographer of the year. The Pentagon handed out her work documenting the military efforts in Iraq to the media and public on a daily basis. They were republished online, and in newspapers and magazines.<br /> <br /> During her first stint, which began in September 2003, assignments varied widely. “One day we were on a raid hunting down one of the face cards,” she recalled, referring to the deck of cards identifying the most wanted officials of Saddam Hussein’s government. “The next day we were shooting a school opening.”<br /> <br /> Her second stint centered on 2007’s battle of Baquba. “The fighting I experienced was very extreme,” she said. “In my last deployment, it was an everyday occurrence.”<br /> U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway After hunting down known bombmakers, Ms. Pearsall prepared to document a raid with members of the United States Army in Khalis. Feb. 21, 2007.<br /> <br /> She had started her military photo career inspired by noted war photographers like James Nachtwey, Carolyn Cole and Eddie Adams. Ms. Pearsall worked to get into the right spot, take a moment and plan the shot.<br /> <br /> “I’m definitely as deliberate as I can be in the circumstances,” she said. “Instead of chasing the action, I’m kind of anticipating where that action is going to happen, taking risks and getting in front of the action so you can be there when it happens.” She tells more about her craft in her newly published second book, “A Photojournalist’s Field Guide.”<br /> <br /> Her work took her to the front lines, not common for female soldiers, and where the United States only recently lifted its ban on women in combat despite 20 percent of its ranks being female. “Being a woman, it was a really unique opportunity,” she said.<br /> <br /> Not everyone understood. Sometimes soldiers would yell at her. But she felt, “If you don’t take those pictures, then how will anybody know what sacrifices were made?”<br /> <br /> Sometimes Ms. Pearsall was capturing images of soldiers she barely knew. Other times it was of her closest friends. She recalled the death of Capt. Donnie R. Belser, killed by sniper fire mere hours after she had heard him singing “Happy Birthday” to his son.<br /> <br /> And at times she set down her cameras to help her fellow soldiers in battle. While riding along with a unit caught in an ambush, she picked up an M240 machine gun and provided cover fire as others brought back wounded soldiers. Amid flying bullets, she hauled the wounded into the armored vehicle, including a soldier almost twice her size, placing her hand on his neck to stop the blood pumping out of his carotid artery.<br /> Stacy L. Pearsall Members of the Iraqi Army shared lunch with a local family during a four-day operation in New Baquba. March 4, 2007.<br /> <br /> But her two rotations in Iraq exacted an enormous physical toll. During her first tour, she suffered injuries from a roadside bomb that tore through her Humvee, and a similar I.E.D. blast occurred during her second tour. She suffered concussions, traumatic brain injuries, and a ruptured disc in her neck.<br /> <br /> By February 2007, Ms. Pearsall began to feel tremors in her hands and it was difficult to hold her head up straight. One morning she could not get out bed. Her bunkmate, Kathryn Robinson, a videographer, got her to go to the doctor, where she learned the injuries were worse than she suspected. About three months later she was flown out of Iraq for medical care in Charleston, S.C.<br /> <br /> Her job prospects dimmed. She was awarded a Bronze Star, but photojournalism was no longer an option in the military. She felt the Air Force did not take her injuries seriously, including her post-traumatic stress, and they questioned why she did not report her problems sooner. But she knew that if she had reported them, should would lose the job she loved so much. “The military had trained me this way — to suck it up,” she said.<br /> <br /> Ms. Pearsall reluctantly took a medical discharge in one of the most difficult times in her life.<br /> <br /> Even worse, she said, was the psychological toll. She was reluctant to say anything about PTSD, fearful that few of her colleagues would take her seriously.<br /> <br /> “The one thing about PTSD is it’s the war that never ends” she said. “Suicide might seem like a viable option. It’s a permanent solution to a temporary problem.”<br /> <br /> Driving in South Carolina one day, she wondered whether she should just steer her car into an overpass. Nearly a thousand active duty military personnel have attempted suicide in 2011, the most recent year for which there are official statistics. While Ms. Pearsall did not, she is among an untold number who engage in what is termed suicidal ideation, contemplating how they might kill themselves.<br /> <br /> Ms. Pearsall sought help from a local Department of Veterans Affairs clinic. Now she is active in a variety of efforts to help veterans, including photography workshops and her work as a spokeswoman for the Real Warriors Campaign. She’s spoken about her path on Oprah’s television show, and the role of women in combat.<br /> <br /> But photography still remains her passion. She runs a photo studio in Charleston with her husband, who was also a military photographer, and highlights work by her students on her studio’s walls. Her military experience has led to commercial assignments for products like body armor.<br /> <br /> Ms. Pearsall continues to ensure that the sacrifices made by veterans are not forgotten. She started the Veterans Portrait Project Foundation, capturing images of those who served in conflicts stretching back to World War II, which hang on the walls of the local Department of Veterans Affairs hospital. She is currently at work on several photo essays about the lives of veterans.<br /> <br /> She worries about the plight of veterans and sees her work as a continuation of her job in the military. “That story isn’t over for them,” she said. “I just don’t want people to forget that.” Justin Case