I got lazy this year. A lot of these appeared last year - but books don't go out of style. It's updated for the new year.

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: Canon Rebel XS with lens ( $500 http://amzn.com/B001CBKJGG )
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 "Inner Game of Outdoor Photography" (~$20) ( http://amzn.com/0393338088 )
6) Manfrotto Monopod (681b http://amzn.com/B0000WKYU4 ) + ball head (Manfrotto 496RC2 http://amzn.com/B002WN212I ) (~$140) 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 - $199 ( https://www.kelbytraining.com/online/subscribe.html )
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 Lightroom 3 ($285 standard / $80 student)
10) Joe McNally "the moment it clicks" ( http://amzn.com/0321544080 )

Advanced

1) DXO Optics Pro ($100-$199 (ON SALE) depending on the camera they use) http://www.dxo.com/intl/photo
2) Nik Software Color Efex Pro (~100-$300 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) Canon G12 Camera (the pro point&shoot) ($499)
7) Canon S95IS Camera (the pro point&shoot) ($369) more like a traditional point and shoot
8) Lunch with James - though maybe I should be buying
9) Wacom Intuis4 (~ $339) http://amzn.com/B001TUYTZW
10) James Nachtwey - War Photographer DVD - ($15 http://amzn.com/B0000C825I )
11) 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 DTK2100 ($2000) ( http://amzn.com/B0038PQCQK )
4) Erwin Olaf ($40 http://amzn.com/1597110612 )
5) Dan Winters: Periodical Photographs ($35 http://amzn.com/1597110922 )
6) Hang out with James. I'll buy the first beer (supplies are limited).

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.

My brother's name is John. He has always been sensitive (as we all are) to the spelling of his name. So, this goes out to Jo(h)n who may or may not be reading this. (in this case John is the guy in the first pic - not my brother and I'm not sure how he spells his name).

This is just some light, laughter, and a classic Nikon lens.

as always: *note to climbers: technically when you upload a pic to facebook you are giving facebook the license to the image... so officially I discourage the practice. But, that said, if you happen to post something on the facebook give me some link love in the captions. Arigato!*

After shooting "The Great International Beer Festival" (which is touted to be the largest in the US) I went out to the woods (no not to drink Whiskey) but to get some climbing shooting in on a beautiful day. Much to my surprise the woods were largely empty when I got there. But, such is the way sometimes. (Edit: I didn't actually have any beer at the festival - maybe if I'm not working it next year).

I ended up going back on Sunday afternoon (~2ish) to try out a new lens. I avoid getting into too much technical stuff with this blog, but for this lens I will wax a bit poetic. I am a Zeiss fan but I just don't have the level of interest to want to spend what it takes to get a set of Zeiss ZF (or ZE) lenses. But Zeiss C/Y... now that is a different matter. Similar if not the same optical formulas as the Z series, less aperture blade, but historically good quality.

*note to climbers: technically when you upload a pic to facebook you are giving facebook the license to the image... so officially I discourage the practice. But, that said, if you happen to post something on the facebook give me some link love in the captions. Arigato!*

When Albert at Hunt's mentioned a Zeiss zoom was in the back I was only slightly interested. Afterall, I like Zeiss primes. The 35-70mm F3.4 he brought out is an unassuming lens. Not very fast. Not very big. Push-pull zoom. Short zoom range. I decided to sleep on it.

A bit of nighttime reading (internet research) and phone call to Bill (my uncle and longtime Contax user) later and I was convinced. This was not an ordinary lens. Not only had I not noticed that it was a macro lens, but according to its marketing literature it was extraordinarily sharp at all focal lengths. Rumor had it that it was better than L zoom glass and many primes. It was a short bet to to try it out for myself.

There are a lot of downsides to using this lens. It is a push-pull zoom (like a little vacuum stuck on the camera as it sucks away from the sensor). It isn't sealed. I had to use an adapter that has a touch of wiggle. Stop-down metering is required. Judging focus is fairly difficult with the stock viewfinder. No autofocus - no focus confirm. No super shallow depth of field (I vacillate between liking shallow and super deep depth of field).

What was immediately apparent was this: this lens is sharp. It is bitingly sharp. It's like having a scalpel as your pocket knife. Not the tool for every job but really really sharp. Plus it is built to last. No noticeable zoom creep.

I missed shallow depth of field at times, but when I zoomed in the pictures I was a happy camper. It has been some time since I put a lens on that just clicked for me. From a mounting standpoint this is a lens of compromises. But from a picture taking standpoint this lens was just fun.

I have to admit that shallow depth of field feels like a cop-out at times. You can be lazy and ignore your backgrounds. You can let flare blow out your images for "warmth." Shooting a 3.4 zoom really isn't different (by the numbers) from shooting a el-cheapo kit lens.

Yet, it is different. It is a long time since I even worried about sharpness as a metric. Who cares about sharp as long as the content is good enough. It has to be sharp enough for the intended use, but beyond that does it matter? Heck when shooting portraits I'm often working against sharpness.

So, this lens brings out the worst in me. The gear-head admiration of a cool old piece of technology that still kicks butt when used appropriately.

___________
Except for the last 2 or 3 pictures which were shot with a 50/1.4 due to lack of light all the images are with the 35-70. The last image is lit by headlamps from the other climbers trying to assist the guy on the rock. Before grabbing photos please read the *note above.

As a photographer I am often asked what I would recommend for a new photographer. Then a rather narrow budget is provided. So, with $500 what would you get?

*note to climbers: technically when you upload a pic to facebook you are giving facebook the license to the image... so officially I discourage the practice. But, that said, if you happen to post something on the facebook give me some link love in the captions. Arigato!*

It's a challenge. I remember when I first bought a DSLR and it seemed like a HUGE cost. I suppose it is a bit bizarre to spend enough to get a decent computer for something that just takes still images. What's worse, even $1000 only gets you in the door. It turns out lenses cost far more than cameras. But everyone starts to realize... oh if I just had that lens.

I was very lucky. I discovered very early on in my photo life that the limitation wasn't the camera. I sucked. My uncle bill lent me his Hasselblad - the world beater - the king of cameras - the people who made the ruler by which all else was measured (or so it felt at the time). With this magnificent camera I managed to get the same crappy photos I had taken with much lesser cameras. Where was the color? Where was that POP?! It was a very insightful event. I couldn't get more fired up.

So, why did the 5x5" prints just look kinda blah. Well, it turns out I lacked many things. I lacked the knowledge to judge the quality of photographs, I lacked the skill to make better ones, and I thought that better equipment would equate to better pictures.

Sure, I had a leg up. I studied visual design. I studied visual narrative. I remember the days before photoshop (sort of... I think Photoshop 2 was my first foray). But, it didn't mean I could find a decent photo in Venice.

Photography is 90% equipment + enthusiasm if you read the marketing collateral. Of course this is crap. It's 75% equipment + enthusiam and 25% a beautiful girl to photograph right?

The simple reality is that most people can take better photographs than they are right now - with no more training. They need only take 4 more seconds before they shoot their next photo and look at everything besides the central subject of the photo. I bet that you will take a much more interesting photo if you give equal weight to what is not the focus of the picture. Where is the sky? Is that a telephone pole coming out of her ear? Should I be shooting toward the sun... I can't see the screen but maybe the photo will be ok...

So, back to Nikon and Canon. You should buy a Canon. My friend Ryo works for Canon and he has a little baby so your money goes to a nice guy. (ed. note: this is not the baby - this is Wyatt)

Or Pentax. Pentax gives you more features for the same cost.

Or Panasonic. For around $399 you can get a 12MP camera system that shoots HD video too.

Or Olympus. The only camera company that put their pro cameras under a waterfall to show how water resistant they are.

Or Nikon. Just 'cause. Oh and you can mount the last 50 years worth of lenses on most of the cameras so you can get some cool lenses used for cheap.

But back to Canon; Ryo is an old friend.

On a related note. I spent the last two weeks fooling around with a Canon FF + 50mm lens. It was like shooting with my Nikon F but with more buttons that never seemed to be in the right place. I'll figure it out.

I want to end with a catchy tag line like Clay Enos "make pictures."

Zoom with your feet.