richardvanle

"Generation Kill" is a great book. Definitely pick it up if you have a chance.

I'm surprised people don't get angry or confront him. But then again, in the clip Gilden is photographing on 57th St and Times Square ﾗ lots of tourists and out-of-towners. So maybe the subjects just consider his behavior as part of a "New York" experience.

A local radio station here in NYC is doing a project on street photography.

There are galleries, videos, and audio pieces. The actual radio piece is airing

Friday, May 23 at 10, 93.9 FM and 820 AM on The Brian Lehrer Show. Only part of

the website is up, but it looks like it will be interesting: <a href =

"http://www.wnyc.org/streetshots/">http://www.wnyc.org/streetshots/</a><p>

 

There is a video of Bruce Gilden working, which is always fascinating to watch.

I saw the book when it first came out. It's very nicely done.

I went to U of C and I can attest to that motto....

The zone system and zone focusing are two different things.

<center>

<img src="http://www.vanle.com/photonet/gay1.jpg"><br>

Gay Pride Parade, NYC (2007), copyright Richard Van Le<p>

<img src="http://www.vanle.com/photonet/gay2.jpg"><br>

Gay Pride Parade, NYC (2007), copyright Richard Van Le<p>

<img src="http://www.vanle.com/photonet/mermaid.jpg"><br>

Mermaid Parade, NYC (2007), copyright Richard Van Le<p>

</center>

If you're in Boston, you should also visit the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). They've got a retrospective of photographer Philip-Lorca diCorcia which starts on Friday and looks like it's going to be great: <a href="http://www.icaboston.org"> ICA Website </a>.

Forgot the M8, I love what David Burnett is doing with a Speed Graphic (look at page 1 of the linked article).

Vinay, I'm still on the fence but with every passing day, it looks like I might be waiting for the next version of the M8...

Using IR filters and marking our lenses with Sharpies to get optimal image quality on the M8? Have this what we've come to?

Ouch. So Leica knew about the problems and shipped anway. This seems to be getting worse and worse everyday. I'm afraid the next thing I'll find out is that M8s explode randomly...

Vinay's right. Fixing this in Photoshop is not an easy fix. If the magenta color cast were in the overall image, then a simple curves adjustment will do the trick and you could write a Photoshop Action. But look carefully at Marc's (and other's) photos. The color cast is selective. To fix it, you'll have to individually mask/select the affected regions, which will take some skill, and then color correct. And if you shoot in high volume on assignments, you're looking at an unacceptably high increase in post-production work.

Marc Williams started this thread and posted samples on the Leica Users Forum (you'll have to register to see the photos):

 

http://www.leica-camera-user.com/digital-forum/8890-back-into-box-goes.html

Sorry, I meant to say the Leica Users Forum, not rangefinder forum....

I'm on a waiting list and was scheduled to take delivery in a month. I haven't canceled my order, but am monitoring events closely. This IR problem is a big issue, in my opinion. Take a look at Marc's sample photos at the rangefinder forum. This isn't simply a WB issue, and Leica's response that you should use a IR filter isn't a great solution. This is disappointing for a $5,000 camera. But hopefully, things will get resolved soon.

When I'm photographing an event that has dancing I take photos at a much faster pace than during the rest of the event. I find it harder to get keepers, so I try to increase my odds by really snapping away. It can turn into a flash session, but at the same time people start to ignore you and you get less posing.<p>

<a href="http://www.vanlephoto.com/"><img src="http://www.vanlephoto.com/photonet/27.jpg"></a><p>

<a href="http://www.vanlephoto.com/"><img src="http://www.vanlephoto.com/photonet/07.jpg"></a><p>

I've got my name on a waiting list and the dealer expects that I'll get it in early January. When I went mainly digital four years ago, I switched to Canon SLRs, so I had to get used to digital and SLRs. Everytime I picked up that big 1D and 16-35 zoom, I cursed Leica for not having a digital option. So personally I'm glad Leica didn't venture too far in terms of handling and ergonomics. It will be nice to use a small, high quality camera again.

 

But Leica users will always complain, so I'm sure there will be a flood of posts about how the M8 is too thick or why a certain button isn't or is there or how the "Leica glow" is missing....

I have to agree 110% with everything that Preston says. Speaking about the type of photography I do -- documentary -- I've learned some things over the years. You need to treat your subjects with respect and dignity, and open yourself up and really listen and observe. If you do that, people will treat you the same and allow you to do your work. My subjects give me an amazing gift when they let me into their lives -- and I respect it as such.

 

If you show your subjects (no matter what socio-economic class or nationality) that you're not treating them like some sort of object to "shoot" then -- most of the time -- they will have no problem with your photographing. In fact, when on assignment or working on a personal project, most of my time is spent not photographing -- drinking coffee or beer, smoking cigarettes, talking, sharing a meal, etc. It takes many, many hours to get those few precious photographs.

 

In terms of safety, though I've never been in a war zone, my work has taken me to in some dangerous subcultures. In cases like that, besides what I wrote above and just being smart about what you're doing, I've found it necessary to have a good fixer who knows the environment and the people there. And the value of my equipment is always the last thing on my mind. I have insurance. They're just tools and can be replaced.

You might be refering to the

 

Arlington Hotel

18 W 25th Street

(212) 645-3990

 

Located in Chelsea. I think this is pretty cheap. I've seen prices as low as $100/night.

The photos look much better in print (I recommend picking up the magazine if possible). The

JPGs are bit clipped and weren't properly optimized for the web. But, yes, the photos are

excellent and the story behind them is incredibly sad. Mother Jones consistently runs some

great photo essays and is always a source of inspiration.

I always find it interesting when several photographers tackle the same project (in this

case, Muay Thai boxing). Spirer posted some a few weeks ago and I have an essay on my

website (but mine were taken at the other big stadium in Bangkok - Rajademmern).

Because of scheduling conflicts (I was basically in Bangkok between jobs), I was only able

to photograph one night at Lumpinee. It's a great place to photography, intimate.

 

Here are my completely subjective comments, so take them with a grain of salt. Faces -- I

like to see faces and reactions and expressions. It's what draws the viewer into the photos.

Obviously from where you were (2nd/3rd class section), it's hard to get close to the actual

match, but there are ways to get around this. For example, the shot with the guy counting

money is nice. It would have been even better if you had been in front of him or somehow

captured his facial expression. The betting does get pretty intense and it would have been

great to see this intensity (esp. since you mentioned it in the introduction).

 

As for the boxers, at Lumpinee, you're basically free to wander around to the backstage

and locker areas. You could have gone down there and photographed boxers getting ready

or waiting to go into the ring. As a farang, it's kind of easier to walk around and take

photos (esp if you've got a big SLR and look like you're know what you're doing).

 

Overall, some good photos, but I feel you could push yourself more. If you're trying to tell

a story or really give a sense of place and draw the viewer into the experience, then you

needed to really work the event. These nine photos were basically taken from just a couple

points. Move around. Then move around some more. Then turn around (often something

interesting is happening behind you). Really look for the rhythm of the event and try to

capture that. Look for striking visuals, different angles. There are some really great

moments that occur at these fights and most of the really good action is outside the ring

(the betting, the live band, backstage).

I've seen photo editors close a web browser if the site takes too long to load, so shaving

off every kb counts. I'm working on preloading as many images behind the scenes as

possible as per Brad's suggestion.

 

There is some duplication in galleries. The General Portfolio is meant as sort of a "Best Of".

If someone's going to look at only one gallery, I want it to be that one. The idea is that it

will entice them to look at the individual galleries.

 

Doris, where do you think the edit is weak? I'm not trying to be snarky. As with all

photographers, I can get too attached to my images, and it's always good to get second

opinions. Email me privately if you wish.

Good point, Brad. I'll fix the Flash so they load faster.

As they say, rules are meant to be broken.

 

When I designed the site, I looked at other Flash-based photo sites and made a list of things I

hated about them -- introductions, music, long and useless animations, etc. I wanted the site

to be as bare bones as possible since the photographs should take center stage, not

gimmicky Flash stuff. The site is geared toward photo editors, so I've really only got a few

minutes to hook them in, otherwise they're on to the next photographer's website.