Q&A Online with Four of Kingston’s ‘Icons of Photography’

Kingston Technology recently announced it has posted questions submitted by visitors from around the world to its ‘Icons of Photography’ microsite as part of its Ask the Icon interactive feature. Four renowned photographers–Harry Benson, Colin Finlay, Gerd Ludwig and Peter Read Miller answered a variety of questions about photography technique, what equipment they use, and what inspires them.

The Kingston Icons of Photography microsite. Visitors are encouraged to submit questions and images through the “Ask the Icon” and “Critique My Image” sections (circled in red above).

“The ‘Icons of Photography’ program is a great outlet for the exchange of thoughts and ideas between photographers,” said Colin Finlay. “Speaking on behalf of myself and other Kingston Icons, this program gives us the freedom and flexibility to interact with other photographers simply for the love of photography,” added Finlay. After reading Finlay’s comments about the fact that, if he were not a photographer, he would like to be a triage doctor “saving fragile lives caught on the edge,” was very moving.

The “Critique my Image” interface on the website.

I highly recommend taking a look into the archives, which can be found on the lower right section of the site. In June, Kingston will publish selected images submitted by visitors, along with individual critiques from the Icons of those images, and there is a very intuitive interface that allows you to do that. By the way, the images across the bottom by the four featured Kingston Icons are fantastic. Hover over the thumbnail on the right side to see more. To see much larger images, just click on any image, and you can then choose the yellow forward and back arrows to scroll through the large images.

The Icons of Photography microsite can be found here: www.kingston.com/iop.

ASMP Arnold Newman Award Presented to Photographer Chris Buck

The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) recently presented the first annual Arnold Newman Award to Photographer Chris Buck. Supported by Canon USA, Getty Images and Photo District News, the prize is awarded to recognize work that is “grounded in the traditions and values of Arnold Newman’s portrait photography.”

I feel very fortunate to have seen Arnold Newman speak about his long career in photography, and I’ll always remember what he displayed during that presentation as some of his most important work–photographs of his grandchildren. I’ve also had the opportunity to see Chris Buck speak about his work, and I was very impressed by his down-to-earth nature, his humor, and captivating images.

Arnold Newman. Photograph ©Chris Buck, All Rights Reserved

The press release is printed below, and I highly recommend reading the interviews that are linked to from within the release. Here’s just one of many wonderful quotes by Arnold Newman from this interview on ASMP’s website:

“By the way, my best-known picture was commissioned by Alexi Brodovitch for Harper’s Bazaar and then turned down as a reject… . Everybody has that same reaction; nobody believes me.” -Arnold Newman

———————————————————————

On May 17, 2007, the American Society of Media Photographers
(ASMP) presented the first annual ASMP Arnold Newman
Prize to photographer Chris Buck. The prize is awarded each
year to recognize work that is grounded in the traditions
and values of Arnold Newman’s portrait photography.

The prize is being generously supported by Canon USA, Getty
Images and Photo District News. The recipient is selected
from among the top-scoring portrait submissions in PDN’s
Photography Annual Competition. This year’s prize includes
$2,500 cash donated by Getty and a Canon EOS 30D camera.

Chris Buck is a longtime admirer of Newman’s work. While
based in Toronto, he attended a Newman lecture at Ryerson
University, then asked the master if he could make a quick
portrait. This image, and a subsequent phone interview
between Newman and Buck, can be viewed on the ASMP Web site
at .

Buck moved to New York in 1990 and quickly established
himself in editorial and commercial circles for
environmental portraits of leading personalities. His images
are renown for an offbeat sense of humor and seeming ease of
approach. Buck’s clients include Microsoft, Citibank,
Moviefone, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, Esquire and New York
Magazine. He is represented by Julian Richards.

“Photography, as we all know, is not real at all.
It is an illusion of reality with which we create
our own private world.”
–Arnold Newman

Arnold Newman (1918-2006) was a unique and visionary master
of the art of photography, who created and took to its
highest form the genre of the environmental portrait — that
is, a portrait executed in the subject’s usual environment,
such as the home or workplace.

Additional information about Newman is available on the ASMP
web site at

About ASMP

Founded in 1944, the American Society of Media Photographers
(ASMP) is the leading trade association for photographers
who photograph primarily for publication. ASMP promotes
photographers’ rights, educates photographers in better
business practices, produces business publications for
photographers, and helps buyers find professional
photographers. It has more than 5,500 members, including
many of the world’s greatest photographers, in 39 chapters
nationwide.

Upcoming Photo Shoot by Douglas Dubler to be held in Santa Barbara, CA on May 18

On Friday, May 18 a day-long “Live Shoot” by New York beauty and fashion photographer Douglas Dubler will be held at Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theatre. The event will start at 9am and is free and open to the public. I’ve had an opportunity to see Douglas Dubler do a cover photo shoot on stage a few years ago and it was very impressive. At that event, there were many things I learned about lighting, high-end digital camera backs and working with models that I would never have experienced just by reading an article about the shoot or seeing the photographs from the event.

Seeing huge, sharp images appear on vertical 65 inch plasma screens seconds after capture was also eye opening. For this event, multiple Panasonic plasma displays will be used, including a Panasonic 103 inch flat screen. To get a small sampling of what you might expect to see if you attend the event, check out the CNN video segment highlighting a shoot Douglas Dubler did for a jewelry client on Dubler’s website at www.douglasdubler3.com.

Photograph © Douglas Dubler 3, all rights reserved.

The press release for the event has all the details and is reproduced in its entirety below:

Santa Barbara, Calif. – (May 2, 2007) — New York-based photographer, Douglas Dubler, will conduct a “live-shoot” on the stage of Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theatre on Friday, May 18 beginning at 9 am. This event is free and open to the public.

The live shoot is sponsored by Brooks Institute of Photography, Panasonic, Epson, Mamiya/Leaf, X-Rite and Samy’s Camera. The presentation presents a rare chance to see how a leading beauty and fashion photographer takes an assignment from concept to completion.

The public is welcome to come and go throughout the day to engage in watching this process come alive. For those who have often wondered what happens during an editorial or advertising photo shoot, this will be a chance to watch a production unfold live, complete with logistics and attendant production problems.

Doors open at 9 am when the photographer and his staff arrive on the scene. They will immediately begin pre-production, setting up lights and doing hair and make-up work on the models.

“We’ll do this exactly as I do it for a real shoot,” says Dubler.

The photographer hopes to be shooting pictures by 1 pm. However, the start time is somewhat uncertain since, like a movie set, this is an unscripted scene.

“This is not an accounting exercise,” says Dubler. “I can’t tell exactly how long pre-production will take,” he adds. “I shoot when all of the elements are in place.”

Panasonic will provide their new 103” and 65” Plasma screens so the audience can view the images as they are being produced. The shoot will include digital retouching on the scene provided by well known author/retoucher, Lee Varis. By the end of the day, Dubler will have printed out stunning color prints on the Epson Stylus Pro 3800 showing the final product of the day’s work.

Dubler works with the latest equipment and technology which includes the Leaf Aptus 75S digital camera, Broncolor lighting, X-Rite color management software and the Colorburst X-Photo RIP. Observers will see cutting edge technology being applied to the creative photographic process to produce results that are nothing short of spectacular.

An advance look at Dubler’s photography can be seen on his website at www.douglasdubler3.com. Both his commercial fashion and beauty work and his abstract fine art work are displayed.

During his career Dubler has based himself in the Caribbean Islands, South America, Los Angeles and for the last twenty years New York City. He has worked for such clients as Revlon, Max Factor, Redken, Lancome, Avon and Clairol. Editorial clients include Vogue, Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and Town & Country. Celebrities he has photographed include Sharon Stone, Andie MacDowell, Dolly Parton, Brooke Shields, Jacqueline Bisset, and Elizabeth Taylor.

The Lobero Theatre is located in downtown Santa Barbara at 33 East Canon Perdido Street.

About Brooks Institute
Brooks Institute of Photography celebrates more than 60 years of educating students in the visual and media arts. With campuses in Santa Barbara and Ventura, California, the school offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in fields including Professional Photography, Visual Journalism, Film and Video Production and Visual Communication, and a Master of Science degree in Photography. Brooks’ graduates are visible nationally and internationally, working for distinguished organizations including National Geographic, Smithsonian, Los Angeles Times and other national media outlets, including Hallmark Publishing, Cousteau Society, HBO, Kodak and other industry leaders in the visual media arts fields. For more information about Brooks Institute and the school’s programs, visit www.brooks.edu, or call 805-966-3888.

Related Links:

Douglas Dubler’s website
Lee Varis’ book, Skin