The weirdest camera at the show, the GFAE, wasn’t even recognizable as a camera, not least because it was a view camera with the bellows left out in order to show its construction more clearly. We’ll come back to it later, but first, let’s look at some more conventional offerings.
Our show report this year is an amalgam of product news and trend spotting, which pretty much reflects what photokina has stood for in our minds. The sense of a United Nations of photography still prevails at this increasingly European-directed show, but the image and its uses is still the universal tie that binds.
Ten years ago, when I was primarily a fashion photographer, I did a shoot in Cuba. Normally I’d have used medium and long telephoto lenses, but because the narrow streets I was shooting on featured colorfully painted walls, I switched to a 35mm lens. With that lens I was able to show not only the models but also the background, which revealed a bit about the location. Equally important, I...
“You just say the words and we’ll beat the birds down to Acapulco Bay…”—Sammy Cahn & Jimmy Van Heusen
One suggestion that I often make to workshop attendees is that they can always improve the impact of their photographs by simply changing their point of view. When space and conditions permit, I suggest using a ladder because it gives you the ability to...
This proud and calmly self-assured coyote posed for me on his log throne set amid the tall pine trees in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. And what a beautiful animal he is, showing off his gray, white, and reddish coat and silky white-tipped tail as he gazed intently in my direction. I was pleased to observe that tourists in the area—there are many—respect the animals in the...
Our Picture This! assignment this month was for images made at flea markets and antique stores, where the sellers act as impromptu art directors and assemble their wares in often interesting ways. The assignment was to go on a kind of treasure hunt for those found still life photo ops, and to make framing and compositional decisions that created a cultural mix through juxtaposition of objects and...
Countless things appear at photokina that are not cameras, lenses, tripods, bags, materials, or lighting and studio. It’s part of the magic of the place. Calling this category “accessories” won’t do, because for most of us, “accessories” consist mostly of small things in blister packs: cable releases, lens caps, that sort of thing. At photokina, it can...
There’s a new kid on the block when it comes to tripods, and they’re impressive, both in design and philosophy. Redged was founded in Holland by a nature photographer (Ed Dorrestein) and a sports and reportage photographer (Bart Bel) in order to get the kinds of tripods they personally wanted.
We weren’t the only ones who were impressed. This was...
Perhaps the hardest thing to convey about photokina is just how wide-ranging it is. Where else are you going to get an opinion, from a factory representative, about how much longer film coating is going to survive in Iran? The answer, incidentally, was “maybe two to three years.” Did you even know there was a coating line in Iran? Then there are Romanian photo-book machines, Turkish...
From 2nd – 4th September 2011, the Haus der Photographie, Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Germany celebrates the premiere of the PHOTO+ART BOOK HAMBURG. This new fair focuses on the printed publication as an autonomous form of artistic expression. It accommodates not just a variety of exciting stalls but also offers exhibitions, workshops, lectures and booksignings. The PHOTO+ART BOOK HAMBURG addresses professionals, artists, creative individuals, printers, interested amateurs as well as book and art lovers.