Amie first thought is may be a Leica commercial (she didn't see this long version on TV).

Makes my work seem like such small potatoes.

It's hard not to be charmed by an Australian accent. I wonder if the opposite is true?

I received a phone call from Tim Healy that his delightful wife, the painter Annie Fraser, needed a bit of photography right away. I'd like to think I'm not frightening to call directly so I'm guessing Tim just wanted to make himself useful after being out of commission with the flu for most of the week. Plans were made and the day arrived (this past Friday) lickity split.

I've not actually shot a painting before so it was back to the fundamentals. Some basic considerations -

- is the painting flush when mounted on the wall
- what kind of lighting is in the room
- what kind of lighting was the painting created in (in other words did the artist paint outdoors or with artificial light thus modifying the color spectrum)
- what lens produces minimal distortion
- how important is texture to the painting

Depending on the answers the lighting scenario would change, but certain things would remain the same. We used the new xrite color checker passport to get our colors in sync. One thing to be aware of in color sensitive situations is that varying the power of your lights will generally produce different color temperatures. So, it is best to measure twice and shoot twice.

In the end I took advantage of a makeup mirror (kindly provided by Annie) to just confirm that I was looking dead-on with the image (f you can see the lens in the mirror, through the camera, you're good).

If you get a chance visit her studio down at Shady Lea Mills in North Kingstown and see some more of her work here: Annie Fraser Art

My thanks to the lovely Amie for being my assistant.

Every day, if you're looking, you can come across an image that is exceptional. Some time back I ran across a photo that really struck me. I am a Robert Redford fan, so when I saw this image of Redford with a horse out on his ranch I was really impressed.

I was curious who the photographer was; assuming that he was an old master given the B&W format and apparent use of a field camera.

To my surprise it was taken by a relatively young guy who's work I was already familiar with from movie commercials.

So, take a look at Art Streiber's work, you may recognize some of it.

The photographer's holiday buyers guide (and maybe some cheap dates).

Beginner:
By Beginnner I mean someone who is into photography and has a camera already but is interested in more.

1) If they don't have a DSLR already: Nikon D3000 with lens ( $450 http://amzn.com/B002JCSV5I )
1b) If they have a DSLR and they want to experiment with film - Holga camera + 120 color negative film ( http://amzn.com/B000AL8JKW )
2) 2 Tickets to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston ($40)
3) 2 Tickets to the RISD museum ($20)

NOTE: The MFA is free after 4PM on wednesdays, and $5 passes are available from Rochambeau Library (Providence Public Library). RISD museum free passes are also available at Rochambeau.

4) Hoya Polarizing filter (~$50) - size depends on the lens (ask At Hunts Camera - http://www.huntsphotoandvideo.com/
5) Galen Rowell "Mountain Light" (~$25) ( http://amzn.com/0871563673 )
6) Manfrotto Monopod (681b) + ball head (Manfrotto 486RC2) (~$120) Beginners may not feel dedicated enough to cary a tripod even though they should. A monopod is the next best thing.
7) Flickr Pro Account - $25 ( http://www.flickr.com/gift )
8) Lunch with James. (~ $ depends... I like hamburgers and sushi)

Intermediate:

1) Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 for APC format DLSR (Make sure you choose the right camera mount Nikon/Canon ~$480) http://amzn.com/B000EXR0SI
2) Galen Rowell's Inner Game of Outdoor Photography (~$20 http://amzn.com/0393338088 )
3) Cokin P Filter Holder (you buy an adapter ring to put the holder on each lens - adapters can be purchases separately: they come with one adapter) (~20 http://amzn.com/B00111TVZ2 )
4) Cokin P Graduated Neutral Density Filters - You can buy Cokin original, Singh-Ray, Lee, or Hi-Tech. (~ $25-$120) Cokin's original are cheap but not the best. ( http://www.adorama.com/CKP120.html )
5) Flickr Pro Account - $25 ( http://www.flickr.com/gift )
6) Kelby Training (Photography & Photoshop) 1 Year - $150 (this weekend only special) ( http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2009/archives/7668 )
7) Scan Cafe Gift Card - For people with film to scan ( http://www.scancafe.com/services/gift-card )
8) Lunch with James (see above)
9) Adobe Photoshop CS4 ($578 standard / $200 student)
10) Joe McNally "the moment it clicks" ( http://amzn.com/0321544080 )

Advanced

1) DXO Optics Pro ($150-$300 depending on the camera they use) http://www.dxo.com/intl/photo
2) Nik Software Color Efex Pro (~100-$150 depending on edition) http://www.niksoftware.com/colorefexpro/usa/entry.php
3) xrite ColorChecker Passport ($100) http://amzn.com/B002NU5UW8
4) 2 Tickets to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston ($40)
5) 2 Tickets to the RISD museum ($20)
6) Noiseware Plug-in ($70) http://www.imagenomic.com/nwpg.aspx
7) Genuine Fractals 6 Pro ($160-300 depending on Stardard or Pro edition)
8) Canon G11 Camera (the pro point&shoot) ($499)
9) Canon S90IS Camera (the pro point&shoot) ($399) same sensor as G11, less controls... more like a traditional point and shoot
10) Lunch with James - though maybe I should be buying
11) Vincent Versace - Welcome to Oz - seems to be out of print, but maybe you can find it used. May be a bit dated (circa 2007) but I believe the concepts are sound. ( http://amzn.com/0735714002 )
12) Wacom Intuis4 (~ $420) http://amzn.com/B001TUYU06
13) James Nachtwey - War Photographer DVD - ($25 http://amzn.com/B0000C825I )
14) Dan Winters: Periodical Photographs ($35 http://amzn.com/1597110922 )

Pro

1) Give them a hug and a few bags of coffee.
2) Magnum: Fifty Years at the Front Line of History: The Story of the Legendary Photo Agency ($11 http://amzn.com/0802136532 )
3) If you have a lot of money to burn maybe give them a Wacom Cintiq 21UX ($2000) ( http://amzn.com/B000P32M3U )
4) Yousuh Karsh - Regarding Heros - ($50 http://amzn.com/1567923593 )
5) Dan Winters: Periodical Photographs ($35 http://amzn.com/1597110922 )
6) Time in Brazil with Sebastiao Salgado - saw this on Ebay a while back (~$2500+)
7) I'll buy the first beer.

I started this post an hour ago on a lark and now it's massive. hmm... google it if you don't know it. A lot of other ideas out there I'm sure.