Commentary about Carnival since 2009

Exhausted by the relentless stupidity of the preparations and execution of Carnival 2015, I offered instead a round up of recent stories, columns and blog posts on the subject which remain depressingly relevant. Read More...
Comments

Wake up call

MWL_20130905_2288
Berlin energy plant, September, 2013.

Sometimes a photograph demands your attention.
I was struggling to sleep in a room in Berlin, squeezing in winks between the tight schedule set up by Samsung for its launch of the new
Gear SmartWatches.

So a brilliant shaft of light reflecting off the mirror into my eyes was definitely not part of the plan. Finally, I gave in, hauled off that delightfully warm coverlet and planted reluctant feet on the ground.
Stomping over to the window, I glared out to see what could possibly be stealing my precious and desperately awaited sleep from me.

And saw the amazing scene above. I found out later from our driver that I'd photographed a steam driven energy plant, a gift from the US after World War II when supplies were delivered via airlift to the population of the city.
So when things come calling, make the time to find out who's ringing the bell.
Comments

Why I have nothing to say about your Facebook Carnival gallery

Socadrome_Media
A consideration of what Carnival photography is today and how it may be changing the very nature of playing mas on the stage on Carnival Tuesday. Read More...
Comments

Carnival's Axis of copyright

A first response to the attempt by Carnival's special interest groups to increase their draconian grip on the very public festival of Carnival.

Other links on this subject are here…
BitDepth#875: CarnivalTV, 2013
BitDepth#874:
Copyright and Cacada
BitDepth#873:
Dear Allison
BitDepth#872:
Tradition and Commerce
Photoblog:
The Images of Carnival (Video)
Photoblog:
Morning Edition on Carnival copyright (Video) Read More...
Comments

The Andros Factor

Andros_Web
Andros Belfonte and I have very different views about what constitutes a career in photography. This post and the comments and Facebook threads that are linked to it offer some insight into what we both think about the way photography should be done today. Read More...
Comments

Photography as a vocation

Why do we photograph? It's not a question that seems to come up very often, but it's one that's worth asking ourselves constantly.
Some thoughts about my own motivations and considerations on the matter are here... Read More...
Comments

Suddenly, ten years later...

Ten years ago, I was head down buried in work and stress launching The Wire, an ill-fated picture paper that's now chiefly notable as the first all digital photodesk in Trinidad and Tobago. Read More...
Comments

Digital storage, 1994

16MB
Remember these? There was a time that this card was capable of storing many photographs from the new fangled digital cameras.
Now all those photos are essentially useless, hopelessly crushed JPEGS from marginal sensors mangled by overly aggressive algorithms in the early cameras we trusted with our work.

Back then, this was a top of the line model, offering whopping 8X speeds, so much faster than the CDs of the day.
Now it's just a reminder that technology marches on, briskly and inexorably and today's hot new technology is tomorrow's head-scratching curiosity. An artifact of a digital history that seems far more archaic than mere years would seem to indicate.
Comments

What makes a photographer?

Thoughts on how my career and the influences I encoutered shaped the photographs I've taken over the last 30 years. Read More...
Comments

Newspaper photodesks will feel the web's sting first

We've been looking at the diminishing quality of newsrooms but it's beginning to looks like local photodesks lost the capacity to attract talent long ago. Read More...
Comments

Photographing Carnival

The photography of Carnival is becoming dangerously homogenous. Read More...
Comments

An amateur's perspective

An interview with the author of Trinidad Dreamscape that puts the amor into amateur photography. Read More...
Comments

Young photographers lament younger photographers

Here's an interesting little discussion on Facebook that I took part in which examined the ways that photography is being undermined in the local market. Read More...
Comments

The TDC and me

My experiences with the Tourism Development Company and its predecessors haven't been particularly enjoyable or beneficial. Read More...
Comments

Responses to the TDC Post

Responses posted to the Facebook note, e-mail and web comments on the TDC Divali competition issue. Read More...
Comments

TDC Divali Competition is intellectual property rape

My original e-mail and Facebook post about the terms of competition for the TDC Divali Competition, 2009. Read More...
Comments

Why I hate shooting tethered

Tethering camera to computer works for some photographers, but not for me. Read More...
Comments