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contents

Volume XX Number 4 July/August 2009

27

LIFE ’s Lost Treasures

4 Inside American Photo Telling the story of adventure photographer Bobby Model.

6 Editor’s Note Why LIFE magazine’s photography still matters in a post-print world.

11 Inside Photography

12 On the cover: The Sony Alpha 900, Nikon D3X, and Canon EOS 5D Mark II

57

35

A historic look at legs from the ground up, and much more.

12 New Books The lure of legs, according to Taschen’s special “sexy book” editor Dian Hanson.

16 Flickr Artist

RUSSELL HART

Spotlighting talent from the world’s biggest photo community.

18 See It Now The newest photo exhibitions.

Subscriptions If you have a problem or question about a subscription, call (386) 597-4375; fax (303) 604-7644; or write American Photo, Box 52616, Boulder, CO 80321-2616. One-year subscription rate (6 issues) for U.S. and possessions, $15; Canada (includes 5% GST) and Foreign, $29; cash orders only, payable in U.S. currency. Two years: U.S., $30; Canada and Foreign, $53. Three years: U.S., $45; Canada and Foreign, $76.

never been published. Here’s an exclusive look at what we found.

78 The Photographers A snapshot of 22 LIFE photographers who helped define photography in the 20th century, and beyond.

departments

© BUNNY YEAGER/COURTESY TASCHEN BOOKS

© LESLIE THOMSON

16

portfolio When a new website, LIFE.com, launched this spring, the world began to get a glimpse of the vast, grand archive of the late, great LIFE magazine. We went searching for images from the likes of Margaret Bourke-White and Alfred Eisenstaedt that had

© BOBBY MODEL

© GEORGE STROCK/LIFE

57

American Photo (ISSN 1046-8986) (USPS 526-930), July/August 2009, volume XX, issue 4, is published bimonthly by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc., 1633 Broadway, 43rd Floor, New York, NY 10019. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY 10001 and at additional mailing offices. Authorized periodicals postage by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, Canada, and for payment in cash. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to American Photo, P.O. Box 52616, Boulder, CO 80322-2616; (386) 597-4375; Fax (303) 604-7644. If the postal services alert us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year.

20 In Print Shooting a billionaire and a naked model in shark-infested waters.

22 AP Interview South African photographer Roger Ballen talks about capturing his dark dreams.

27 Witness Bobby Model’s photo career was ended with a terrible injury, but don’t count him out.

35 State of the Art Our 11th annual Editor’s Choice awards for the best new photo products… including the AP Cameras of the Year.

88 Skills Photographer Joe McNally tells how to create sophisticated illumination with a single light source.

Publications Mail Agreement Number: 40052054. Canadian Registration Number: 126018209RT0001. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: P.O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill ON L4B 4R6 Canada.

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A M E R I C A N

P H O T O

© RICH CLARKSON

I N S I D E

Vice President/Editor in Chief Art Director Executive Editor Associate Editor Copy Editor Assistant Art Director Editor at Large

David Schonauer Deborah Mauro Russell Hart Lindsay Sakraida Judy Myers Andy Kropa Jean-Jacques Naudet

Contributing Editors: Jonathan Barkey, Vicki Goldberg,

Dirck Halstead, Eliane Laffont, Jack Crager

Vice President/Publisher Jeffrey Roberts Associate Publisher Anthony M. Ruotolo Senior Account Executive Business Development Manager West Coast Ad Director Account Executive Classified Ad Sales Group Billing Director Director of Special Events Senior Promotion Designer Senior Promotion Designer Special Events Producer Special Events Coordinator Workshop Coordinator Editorial Director, PopPhoto.com Editor, PopPhoto.com Assistant Editor, PopPhoto.com Web Producer Assistant to the Publisher Sales Assistant Vice President of Operations Production Director Production Manager Prepress Technician General Manager VP, Director of Corp. Marketing VP, Consumer Marketing Group Circulation Director VP, Retail Sales & Marketing Newsstand Sales Director

Bobby Model by Rich Clarkson

T

he news about Bobby Model spread over the Internet quickly. It was June 2007 when Model, a man who enjoyed the risk and rewards of climbing mountains and taking pictures, sustained severe head injuries after a chunk of concrete was thrown through the windshield of a pickup truck he was riding in while visiting South Africa. His friends read blogs, e-mailed each other, hoped for the best, and prepared for the worst. One of those friends was Rich Clarkson, the former director of photography at National Geographic, who had met Model a few years earlier when the young photographer interned at his Denver-based production company. In October of 2007, Model was taken to an acute care hospital in Denver, to be nearer to his family in Wyoming, and later

transferred to Craig Hospital, a renowned center for brain trauma treatment. Clarkson visited him there and saw that Model’s spirit was fully intact, despite his pain and difficulties in moving and speaking. Our story about Model on page 27 features a photo that Clarkson made in late February when Model visited his mother’s home in Wyoming. The piece was written by Stephen Singular, a Denver-based author of 17 books, including When Men Become Gods, the story of Mormon polygamist Warren Jeffs. Singular says that during his reporting he came to understand how profoundly Model always needed to prove himself, whether the challenge was scaling a cliff or shooting Third World slums. “He overcame everything,” says Singular, “and that’s why we can’t count him out now, either.”

MODEL’S SPIRIT WAS FULLY INTACT, DESPITE HIS PAIN AND DIFFICULTIES 4

popphoto.com

John Owens, Senior VP, Group Editorial Director

© MARK DAILY

CONTRIBUTORS

Author Stephen Singular

Sara Schiano Flynn Phil Mistry Bob Meth Tara Weedfald Chip Parham Irene Reyes Coles Michelle Cast Lindsay Krist Erin Friedmann Erica Johnson Vanessa Vazquez Athos Kyriakides Gene Newman Stan Horaczek Krista Soriano Adam Christie Karen Persaud Lauren Brewer Michael Esposito Diane Arlotta Vicki Feinmel Annie Andres Bill Frank Al Silvestri Philip Ketonis William Carter William Michalopoulos John Kayser

Advertising Inquiries: Anthony Ruotolo, 1633 Broadway, 43rd Floor, New York, NY 10019; (212) 767-6397. Classified Ad Sales: (800) 445-6066. Detroit Ad Representative: Melissa Homant, 1585 Eisenhower Place, Ann Arbor, MI 48108; (734) 205-1104. Corporate Direct Response Sales Manager: Peter Brevett, (212) 767-5702. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations COPYRIGHT © 2009, HACHETTE FILIPACCHI MEDIA U.S., INC. AMERICAN PHOTO® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF HACHETTE FILIPACCHI MEDIA U.S., INC., PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES. Alain Lemarchand, President and Chief Executive Officer; Philippe Guelton, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer; Catherine R. Flickinger, Executive Vice President and General Counsel; Deborah Burns, Senior Vice President, Chief Brand Officer, Luxury Design Group; Carlos Lamadrid, Senior Vice President, Chief Brand Officer, Woman’s Day Group; Carol A. Smith, Senior Vice President, Chief Brand Officer, ELLE Group; Philippe Perthuis, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer; Tom Donohue, Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer; Bennett Theimann, Senior Vice President, Chief Procurement Officer; Thomas Masterson, Senior Vice President, Consumer Marketing & Manufacturing; Todd Anderman, Senior Vice President, Digital Media; Anne Lattimore Janas, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications; Eileen F. Mullins, Vice President, Human Resources. HFM U.S. is part of Lagardère Active, a division of Lagardère SCA (www.lagardere.com) Didier Quillot, CEO, Lagardère Active; Jean de Boisdeffre, CEO International of Magazine Division, Lagardère Active.

Editorial contributions should be sent to American Photo, 1633 Broadway, 43rd Floor, New York, NY 10019. Submissions must be accompanied by return postage and will be handled with reasonable care; however, publisher assumes no responsibility for the safety of unsolicited original artwork, photographs, slides, or manuscripts. Subscriber address changes should be sent to American Photo, P.O. Box 52616, Boulder, CO 80321-2616. Customer service: (386) 597-4375; fax (303) 604-7644. Back issues are $8.95 each ($10.95 in Canada; $15.95 other countries) in U.S. funds. Send check or money order to: American Photo Back Issues, P.O. Box 50191, Boulder, CO 80322-0191; (800) 333-8546. For information on reprints and eprints contact Brian Kolb at Wright’s Reprints, (877) 652-5295 or [email protected]. American Photo, July/August 2009, Vol. XX, No. 4. Entire contents © 2009 Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc.

Occasionally we share our information with other reputable companies whose products and services might interest you. If you prefer not to participate in this opportunity, please call the following number and indicate that to the operator: (386) 597-4375.

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NIKON® AND D3X X™ ARE ©20 2009 09 NIKON RE ER REG RE EG E GISTE IS RED IST R TRADEMAR E EMAR KS OF OF NIKON IKON CORPORAT O ATION ON. ©20 KON N INC N .

After revolutionizing action photography, what do you

© FRANCIS MILLER/LIFE

E D I T O R ’ S

THE CLASSICS OLD AND NEW

Above: From the LIFE.com archive, Francis Miller’s 1951 shot of a family at a drive-in movie

O

ur big portfolio in this issue of American Photo comes from a new website that is in large part based on an old magazine. LIFE.com launched in April and has already become a locus for photography enthusiasts. It features new and archival images from Getty Images, as well as work from the grand LIFE magazine archive. On page 57 you’ll find a sampling of that LIFE material—images that were never printed in the magazine but are now being made available through the wonder of digitization. It’s not every day that we get to run unseen pictures by Margaret Bourke-White, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Carl Mydans, Cornell Capa, George Silk,

N O T E

and others, so we’re pretty excited. (On pages 67 and 71 you will also find rarely seen contact sheets—oldtimers will remember what those are—featuring a couple of iconic LIFE images.) The history of LIFE represents much of the history of American photography in the 20th century. No one has told that story better than John Loengard, a former LIFE director of photography who has published a number of books about the magazine and its photographers. (Much of our research for our portfolio was based on those volumes.) John told us he is happy to see that well-crafted, well-edited still images can hold up in the modern YouTube world; LIFE photos were built to last, and they continue to impress and inspire photographers today. LIFE may have been your father’s photo magazine (or your grandfather’s, or even great-grandfather’s), but it has a lot to teach us all today. The original editor of this magazine, Sean Callahan, was once a photo editor at LIFE, and when he started American Photographer in 1978 he said he wanted to continue to write the literature of photography, as LIFE had done before it folded as a weekly in 1972. Today, the story of photography is being told in ways unimaginable then. As you’ll see in our annual Editor’s Choice product guide (page 35), the evolution of the digital SLR continues at a blistering pace. These cameras have transformed the art and business of photography, blurring the lines between pros and amateurs. (We added a new category this year to highlight what we call “Semi-Pro” D-SLRs.) Along these same lines we single out another talented photographer whose work can be found on Flickr, and we’re happy to announce that our Flickr showcase will be a regular American Photo feature. As usual, we also go behind the scenes with several top pros to see how they make their remarkable pictures. Some things don’t change, no matter what technology is being employed to create photographs. American Photo has always focused on telling the stories of the people behind the cameras, and on page 27 you will find the compelling tale of Bobby Model, a passionate young photographer whose career was ended by a tragedy. If you want to understand what inspires people to be photographers, read this story.

David Schonauer, EDITOR IN CHIEF 6

popphoto.com

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PETER GOWLAND/COURTESY TASCHEN BOOKS

I NS I DE P H O T O G R A P H Y

I

t used to be that when newspaper editors wanted to boost circulation, they would assign a photographer to shoot some “leg art.” That’s all it took. But consider the leg: Ladies aren’t supposed to keep theirs hidden, as they used to, yet the erotic appeal of great gams remains a constant. It’s all discussed in Taschen’s new The Big Book of Legs, a sequel to the publisher’s immensely popular The Big Book of Breasts and The Big Penis Book. In all those years of making leg art, photographers have managed to perfect the art of the leg, as you see in this undated image of model Joan Webb by famed glamour photographer Peter Gowland. You’ll find an exclusive interview with the book’s author, Dian Hanson, on page 12.

Model Joan Webb, by Peter Gowland, date unknown popphoto.com

11

Models Charlotte Stewart and Margot Sweet, photographer unknown

F

NEW BOOKS LEG ART

12

COURTESY TASCHEN BOOKS

or those who value artful, well-produced erotica, Dian Hanson is a celebrity. As the socalled “sexy book” editor of Taschen Books, she has produced two best-selling volumes, The Big Book of Breasts (2006) and The Big Penis Book (2008). Her newest entry in the series, The Big Book of Legs ($60) examines a subject whose appeal is more complicated. “There was a study done in England that showed that men who like breasts tend to be outgoing and sporty,” says Hanson. “Men who like legs and butts tend to be more bookish and shy and intelligent. They were more obsessive and successful.” Pop wisdom aside, the insights are typical of Hanson, who approaches her subjects with scholarship and enthusiasm. Her previous work, as editor of magazines such as Juggs and Leg Show, provided her with first-hand knowledge of her

I N S I D E

P H O T O G R A P H Y

© FRANK POWOLNY/COURTESY TASCHEN BOOKS COURTESY TASCHEN BOOKS

Left: Betty Grable by Frank Powolny. Below: Photographer and date unknown.

readers’ desires. (She also edited a magazine called Big Butt, so there may be another sexy book on the way soon.) Hanson says there was never a plan to do a series of books on body parts—it just sort of happened. “I knew the breast book would do well, just based on men’s reactions to the photos,” she says. “I showed them to guys around the office, and they blushed and became giggly and turned into 12-year-old boys. We’re now into our seventh printing, and Benedict [Taschen] said we should do all kinds of body parts. Penises are popular—but they have to be big, like breasts.” Legs are different, Hanson notes. You might say they’re more of a specialty item that attracts a more fetish-friendly crowd. “It all started with Elmer Batters,” says Hanson. Batters first experienced the lure of pinup photography while serving on a U.S. Navy submarine. His first magazine, Man’s Favorite Pastime, was launched in 1957. “Elmer told me that men who love legs had cold mothers,” says Hanson. “They were left on the floor and they clung to their mothers’ legs.” The leg has been a staple of erotic photography dating from the turn of the century. Hanson says the loosening morals of the 1960s made that decade the heyday of the leg. By the 1970s, it was all over. “Once magazines started showing [women’s private parts], everyone focused on the crotch. Legs are the only female body part that is more erotic when it’s dressed up.” —MICHAEL KAPLAN For the full interview with Dian Hanson, go to PopPhoto.com.

popphoto.com

13

IMAGES OF THE YEAR COMPETITION

O9

TO E N T E R VI S I T:

W W W.IOT Y C O N T E S T. C O M CATEGORIES: Photojournalism/Documentary Commercial Work: Advertising/Editorial Personal Work Student Work Portraiture Nature Extreme

NEW CATEGORY: EXTREME This category highlights the passion of photographers who are active participants in life’s adventures. We’re looking for extreme art; extreme sports; extreme travel; extreme people... It’s a new kind of photography and a new kind of lifestyle in which every moment is a memory.

ABOUT The annual American PHOTO Images of the Year event is an DEADLINE international competition that is a definitive showcase of the very Sept. 12, 2009 best of contemporary photography. This juried photo contest offers unmatched exposure to both established and emerging photographers in a wide range of fields, from documentary/ photojournalism to cutting-edge commercial work and will provide an unprecedented opportunity for peer review of your work by professional photographers, museum curators, art critics and influential editors. Winners will be selected on the basis of originality and the overall quality of concept execution.

ONLINE SUBMISSIONS You can enter all of your images online. Please visit www.iotycontest.com and follow the easy upload instructions. If you prefer to mail in your entry please visit www.iotycontest.com for detailed instructions. Note all payments must be made online.

DEADLINE

Entries must be postmarked no later than midnight, September 12th, 2009.

PRIZES

Enter now and you just might win an incredible prize package from our sponsors. One Grand Prize winner and 7 category winners will be selected. The winning imagery will be featured in a special January/February 2010 issue of American PHOTO magazine, as well as on www.PopPhoto.com. Visit www.iotycontest.com for more information.

ENTRY FEE

Single Entry: $25 | Series: $40 | Student Work: $10 Extended Entry (September 17th): $50

An entry can be either a single image or a series of images. A series includes multiple images or pages that make up a cohesive related story. A series is limited to a maximum of 10 images. To enter the student work category you must currently be enrolled in classes.

JUDGING/WINNERS

The judging will be done in two stages: The initial stage will be done by the American PHOTO staff. The second stage will be done by a jury of outside experts. The criteria for judging will be threefold: 1. Originality of concept 2. How well the concept fits the category 3. How well the concept is executed

Winners will be notified via email or mail. Winners will be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility, grant of rights, and a publicity and liability release within 14 days of notification, or alternate winners will be selected (alternate will be next highest entrant). ROW 1: DAMON WINTER, MONA KUHN, CIG HARVEY; ROW 2: JIM SHOEMAKER, ASH LAROSE; ROW 3: SIMONE SBARAGLIA, MARK ZIBERT; ROW 4: JIM REED, ART STREIBER, CHANG KYUN KIM

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© LESLIE THOMSON

“Snow Day,” Thomson’s photo of tobogganers in her Toronto backyard

FLICKR ARTIST ICE, AGED 16

popphoto.com

F

lickr photographer Leslie Thomson was enjoying a snow day with her daughters when she noticed a “rosy, ethereal glow” in the ravine of her backyard in Toronto. Thomson quickly snapped the scene and created a photograph that—after some deft postproduction—resembled an

aged print. “I’m strongly influenced by the Italian Renaissance and 17th-century Dutch painting,” Thomson explains. “Part of my fascination with these eras is the patina created by time.” Thomson’s desire to apply a tranquil, antiqued finish to her photographs is both symptomatic of her

I N S I D E

hectic life and inspired by other Flickr artists. “Especially the ones who specialize in taking the everyday and finding the beautiful in the mundane,” she explains. “My life is often chaotic and cluttered, so photography allows me to create the world I daydream about.” —LINDSAY SAKRAIDA

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© CHUCK CLOSE

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PORTRAITS, PUNKS, AND PANORAMAS

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Chuck Close’s portrait, “Lorna Simpson,” 2006

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AWARDED EVERY MONTH! 1st Prize: $10,000 2nd Prize: $5,000 3rd Prize: 3 winners of $1,000 4th Prize: 70 runners-up of $100

Close Up From August 22 until November 8, the Austin Museum of Art will display daguerreotype portraits by Chuck Close in the exhibit A Couple of Ways of Doing Something. The ultrasharp detail of early photography’s daguerreotype is in line with Close’s hyperrealist approach in his painting, and the exhibit’s name specifically refers to the various media that Close then used to duplicate the daguerreotype images—including photogravures (one of the first instruments for image reproduction) and tapestries.

THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE WORLD. That’s what we specialize in, and that’s why we want your opinion. Join the American Photo Preferred Reader Survey Panel, and share your thoughts on a range of topics. As our way of saying “Thank you!” we are giving away $25,000 in cash. And each time you participate in an online survey, you increase your chances of winning additional prizes.

God Save Photography From June 17 until November 30, the Museum of Modern Art in New York explores the relationship between art and underground music during the 1970s, and photography with a punk, DIY sensibility is prominently displayed. Looking at Music: Part 2 exhibits both documentary and fine-art photos—some of which are found in their original “zine” and flyer layouts—from the likes of Nan Goldin, Dan Graham, Richard Prince, and Cindy Sherman.

To enter visit: www.popphoto.com/dreams

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Los Angeles is delving into its collection to present an expansive exhibit on photography’s history of creating staged, fictional events with a medium that is traditionally accepted to be truthful. Running from June 30 until October 18, In Focus: Making a Scene presents both early-day and contem-

Nan Goldin’s “Nan and Brian in Bed, New York City,” 1983

© NAN GOLDIN

ANDREW ECCLES

JERRY WYSZATYCKI

KEVIN OU

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Road Trip What began as a query about the construction of our nation turned into a full-blown photography project as Bruce Myren traveled along the 40th Parallel, the baseline for developing towns across the United States. Myren explored this arbitrary division of our country, which has fascinated him for years, by photographing its longitudinal points of intersection. The resulting large-format, panoramic photographs will be on display, in all their highly detailed glory, at the Hallmark Museum of Contemporary Photography in Turners Falls, Massachusetts from July 2 until September 20.

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P H O T O G R A P H Y

© BRUCE MYREN

Bruce Myren’s photos from Meeker, Colorado

porary photographers, including Man Ray, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Lucas Samaras, and Henry Peach Robinson.

All in the Family On July 4 the Portland Museum of Art will debut For My Best Beloved Sister Mia, a series of intimate family photos taken by Julia Margaret Cameron. Perhaps England’s most famous 19th-century amateur photographer, Cameron helped set the style for modern portraiture. In addition to family photos, the museum will feature some of Cameron’s celebrated pictures of Victorianera intellectuals, the historical value of which has solidified the importance of Cameron’s photography through the years. The exhibit runs until September 7. —LINDSAY SAKRAIDA

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© LUCAS SAMARAS

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Julia Margaret Cameron’s “Divine Love,” 1865

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© JULIA MARGARET CAMERON

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Model Denni Parkinson catches a ride with kitesurfing tycoon Sir Richard Branson.

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P H O T O G R A P H Y

IN PRINT

CAPTURING THE GOOD LIFE OF SIR RICHARD BRANSON A

s you can see from the picture at left, Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways, is not sitting around waiting for the end of the global economic downturn. The picture, shot by French photographer Stephane Gautronneau, has appeared in several European magazines, such as Vanity Fair in Italy, Stern in Germany, and Paris Match in France. This marks its first publication in the United States. Now we too can be envious of Branson’s action-packed lifestyle. Gautronneau, who shoots regularly for French Vogue and other magazines, did not have an assignment when he approached Branson about doing a portrait session on the millionaire’s private Caribbean getaway, Necker Island. He brought along South African model Denni Parkinson to add some flair to the images. It was Branson who came up with the idea of kite-surfing. At first, Parkinson refused to do the photo nude. She later changed her mind, though she remained concerned about sharks. Gautronneau shot from a dinghy, using a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III with an EF 85mm f/1.2 lens.

PHOTOGRAPH BY STEPHANE GAUTRONNEAU popphoto.com

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© ROGER BALLEN (3)

This page: “Concealed,” 2003. Opposite page, top: “Predators,” 2007; bottom: “Bite,” 2007.

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROGER BALLEN

O

ver the past two decades, Roger Ballen has developed a style of image making that is firmly rooted in the documentary tradition of the great midcentury storytellers. But Ballen consistently takes the notion of a photographic “document” as a mere starting point for an ever-deepening exploration into the human subconscious. His images come from the realm of dreams. Ballen grew up in New York under the influence of the Magnum circle of photographers; his mother ran the New York office of the famous agency for many years when he was a child, and as a youngster Ballen considered Henri Cartier-Bresson, Bruce Davidson, and Elliott Erwitt as uncles and tutors. He later studied geology and settled in South Africa, where he continued to make photographs, especially in the backcountry around Johannesburg. His well-received 2001 book, Outland, documented the underprivileged residents of rural South Africa. His follow-up book, Shadow Chamber (2005), wandered into an imaginative middle ground. He began photographing complex, fictional scenes filled with symbolism. In his introductory essay for Shadow Chamber, the late Robert Sobieszek wrote that Ballen’s “art tests our very conception of the reporting photographer creating tableaux that speak to, and not just about, our human condition.” Ballen’s new book, Boarding House (Phaidon, $70) continues this rich, penetrating vision. Mark-making, sculpture, theater, and photography are all deftly woven together to create a cast

AP IN TERVIEW

BEHIND THE MYSTERY OF ROGER BALLEN’S ART popphoto.com

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© ROGER BALLEN (2)

Left: “Eulogy,” 2004. Below: “Vase and Skull,” 2005.

companion volume or a natural outgrowth of that earlier work? RB Well, I think that if you’re an attuned person and artist, you’re writing your own diary all the time. Your work is growing as you grow. The images in Boarding House are in many ways much more complex visions of reality than the images in Shadow Chamber. Likewise, Shadow Chamber was a more complex vision of reality than Outland. In Boarding House, in some way at least, I’ve come into my own style. AP Kathy Ryan, the picture editor of the New York Times Magazine, has commented that you’re

a one-man school of photography. One is hard-pressed to find somebody doing what you’re doing, which is such a fascinating combination of photography, drawing, and sculpture. What do you consider as your breakthrough stylistic changes? RB The most important stylistic change was adding the drawings and sculptural pieces during the period at the beginning of Shadow Chamber. Those sculptural pieces and drawings, I think, add a very particular and peculiar level of meaning and complexity to the work. I’m looking into my own psyche and delivering that in a very formalistic and (continued on page 82) clear

“ I LOOK INTO MY OWN PSYCHE.” of characters—animals as often as humans—that stand firmly before the camera, in real space and time, and yet somehow shimmer on the edge of immateriality, leaping out from fantasy for a brief moment, only to recede into the unconscious the next. He has transformed a technical vocabulary and drafted a dark poem infused with all of the struggles and turmoil of our modern lives. As Sobieszek mused, “little more can be expected of art.” Recently, American Photo contributor Darius Himes spoke with Ballen about the evolution of his work. AP Roger, does Boarding House pick up from where Shadow Chamber left off? Do you see this as a

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P H O T O G R A P H Y

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9 2009

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NATURE’S BEST PHOTOGRAPHY Parlay your passion for birds into a dream trip to Peru, Australia, or Honduras, or win professional photo gear, in Audubon’s first photography awards. Each participant can submit up to 10 bird images, so you have 10 chances to win. Your winning entry will appear in the January-February issue of Audubon and in Nature’s Best Photography. Here’s your chance to see your images soar to the top. Enter now! Enter: May 15 to July 15, 2009 Categories: Professional, Amateur, Youth (ages 13-17) Details: www.audubonmagazinephotoawards.org

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© BOBBY MODEL

WITNESS THE EXTREME JOURNEY OF

BOBBY MODEL

A TRUE STORY OF RISK AND REWARD Model’s famous shot of photographer Bill Hatcher on Trango Tower in 1995 popphoto.com

27

Climber Ty Mack bouldering in the Fitz Roy range in Argentina, 2000

F

AP EXCLUSIVE

HE WAS ONE OF THE FINEST ADVENTURE PHOTOGRAPHERS OF HIS TIME. A TWIST OF FATE ENDED HIS CAREER, BUT NOT HIS SPIRIT. BY STEPHEN SINGULAR 28

W I T N E S S

rom the start, Bobby Model tested his limits. When he was eight years old and living on Mooncrest Ranch outside Cody, Wyoming, he built an elaborate, two-story tree house with glass windows, indoor plumbing, and a shower. As a teenager, he was constantly in motion: hiking in the backcountry, alpine skiing at 70 miles an hour, or spending the night alone at a cow camp while grizzlies roamed outside the bunkhouse and pawed at the walls. He once made a parachute out of bedsheets and jumped off the roof of his house. Scott Bragonier, a Cody friend, called Model “Wild Man” because he was “always pushing the edge in everything he did, beyond what I was comfortable with.”

PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOBBY MODEL Model’s eagerness to test himself was natural, given the context of his life. Like other young men and women who are drawn to extreme adventures on the far edges of the world, he wanted to know who he was and how he would act under great pressure. Would he falter and let others down or find a reservoir of physical and emotional strength? Was he capable of more than he’d imagined? He answered all these questions with uncommon persistence, focus, and passion, no

© BOBBY MODEL (4)

Nomadic yak herder boy, Bhutan, 1998

Winter camping in the Wind River Mountains, Wyoming, 1998

Steve Bechtel descending Mount Poi in Kenya, 1999

and busting loose in the moonlight, but he was usually the first one up at dawn, Leica in hand. When Model was 22, Todd Skinner put together a team of four Wyoming “cowboys” to climb the sheer 20,469-foot face of northern Pakistan’s Trango Tower. The ascent is nearly impossible

Bobby Model in Burundi, 2004

even in good weather, but Model’s group faced deadly conditions; wind blew 30-pound chunks of ice off the summit—chunks that fell on the climbers as they clung to the side of the mountain. For the last six weeks of the two-month ordeal on Trango, Model carried on with bruised

© MICHAEL MCRAE

matter where they led him. Though dyslexic, he graduated with honors in environmental economics from the University of Wyoming in Laramie. That’s where he hooked up with a group of young men who loved freestyle rock climbing. Their guru was Todd Skinner of Lander, Wyoming, and Model became a regular at “Todd Skinner’s Lucky Lane Hangout,” where climbers from all over the country would meet for informal conclaves. He also took up photography about that time, and he never stopped shooting. He took pictures as other climbers were just waking up in their sleeping bags in the Grand Canyon, or partying late into the night in the Wyoming hills. Bobby liked Scotch, cigars, irreverent humor,

ribs and a bad cough. He lost 25 pounds, but he was, as Skinner later put it, “un-killable.” Model made the final pitches to the summit as the group completed its mission, and all the while he kept taking pictures. “About halfway up the Tower,” says Steve Bechtel, who went to Pakistan with Model, “our original photographer, who was shooting the expedition for National Geographic, left, and Bobby finished the story. Before this trip, Bobby was basically an amateur, but he was about to become one of the most sought-after adventure photographers in the world.”

M

ountain climbers and photographers both rely on a kind of luck applied within a framework of talent

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© BOBBY MODEL

A Balti porter faces Mecca above the Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram Range, northern Pakistan, in 2004. Model hung this photo in his bedroom in Denver as he recovered from his injury.

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and discipline. Sometimes they get the good luck they deserve. A photograph of Model climbing Trango appeared on the April 1996 cover of National Geographic, while his own pictures were published inside the magazine. One image, taken with a point-and-shoot camera, shows climber Bill Hatcher snapping a photo while dangling 18,000 feet in the air. The picture was later featured on the cover of the publication’s first image-sales catalog and on the National Geographic Society credit card, becoming an icon of adventure photography.

M

odel moved to Colorado and interned for several months at the Denver-based photo-production company of Rich Clarkson, a former director of photography at National Geographic. He made the decision to become a professional photographer, and Clarkson encouraged him. “He had it all,” says Clarkson. “He was organized, serious about his work, and he had a great eye.” To find his niche in the photo world, Model focused on what he knew best: High Adventure. As the popularity of extreme sports and exotic travel grew throughout the 1980s and 1990s, adventure photography became a thriving sub-genre of image making that combined aspects of sports photography, documentary photography, and commercial travel photography. Successful adventure photographers have very specialized skill sets. Model was a natural. He began organizing and photographing complex expedi-

“HE WAS SERIOUS AND HAD A GREAT EYE.” popphoto.com

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tions that took him around the globe—South America, Libya, Greenland, and Southeast Asia— but he was particularly drawn to Africa. He shared a house in Kenya with his younger sister, Faith, who was working on sustainable development issues in central Africa. During this period he traveled again and again to

“ I NEED A HUG. I MAY NOT COME BACK.” 32

popphoto.com

© RICH CLARKSON

Model, photographed in February by Rich Clarkson, has begun spending more time visiting his mother in Wyoming.

northern Pakistan to photograph the people of Baltistan. “He was very patient as a photographer, especially in Pakistan,” says Peter Mallamo, a North Carolina documentary filmmaker who traveled and climbed with Model. “I watched him one time as he just stood on a street corner, waiting for this honest expression to come into the eyes of the old man he wanted to shoot, and when it did, Bobby was ready. Just one shot.” The adventure photographer was heading into something he’d never planned on back in Wyoming—shooting refugee camps, scenes of Third World poverty, and quiet moments in places he once couldn’t have

imagined seeing. “He was very affected by the suffering he encountered in other cultures,” says his sister Faith. “Bobby had turned away from the early phase of his career and was becoming a human rights advocate with a camera.” He was also increasingly aware that his work abroad was risky. “Before leaving for somewhere on the other side of the world, Bobby would say to me, ‘I need a hug, because I may not be coming back,’” recalls Sharon Miller, his assistant in Cody. Amid all this—amid the passion and the travel and the danger—he also fell in love. He met a young woman in Kenya, and they were soon spending as

W I T N E S S

much time together as his busy life would allow. In 2004 he needed to leave Kenya briefly and fly home to Cody on business. His girlfriend drove him to the Nairobi airport, and they kissed good-bye. When he touched down in Wyoming, his mother, Anne Young, told him that shortly after he’d departed, the girlfriend had been run over by a car and killed.

R

isk in all its forms offers the possibility of great satisfaction or great sorrow. Following his loss, Model engaged in some quiet soulsearching, and that led him to a deeper appreciation of what he (continued on page 84) could

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S TATE ART OF THE

E DITO R’S C HO IC E J U LY / A U G U S T

E

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very year, the task of narrowing down photography’s newest tools to the relatively small number that appear in the Editor’s Choice issue is a bigger challenge—one that forces us to exclude many deserving products. (Fortunately we’re able to cover a wider range of products at our website, PopPhoto. com.) Even in a time of PRO D-SLRs 36 economic woe, the introduction of new equipment SEMI-PRO D-SLRs 38 continues unabated. Photographers don’t consider their craft a ADVANCED D-SLRs 40 luxury, nor the money they spend on it ENTRY-LEVEL disposable income. D-SLRs 44 For them, photograLENSES 48 phy and its tools are one of life’s necessiCOMPACT ties—something it CAMERAS 50 would be impossible to live without.

CAMERA PHONES

Nikon D5000

Sony Ericsson C905a Cyber-shot

52

IMAGING SOFTWARE

54

FINE-ART PRINTERS

55

Panasonic Lumix TZ50

Pentax SMCA DA* 55mm f/1.4 SDM macro

popphoto.com

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PRO D-SLRs

CAMERA OF THE YEAR

NIKON D3X • 24.4 MEGAPIXELS/CMOS IMAGE SENSOR • 1.0 X FOV CROP (full frame) • 3.0-INCH LCD SCREEN (920K dots) • IMAGE STABILIZATION: IN-LENS • 5 FPS (7FPS in DX mode) • TOP ISO: 6,400 • LIVE VIEW: YES • VIDEO: NO • ABOUT $8,000 • mong new digital SLRs, the 24.4-megapixel Nikon D3X is simply in a class by itself—and it costs at least $5,000 more than the full-frame cameras in our new semi-pro D-SLR category. So what do you get for its breathtaking premium? At the moment, the best D-SLR money can buy.

A

Essentially a higher-megapixel twin of the fast D3, the D3X offers nearly infinite configurability, not to mention the best autofocus and overall responsiveness of any full-frame D-SLR. Its built-in vertical grip makes it larger and heavier than other full-frame models this year, but that weight

is offset by superb ergonomics. The D3X’s traditional control logic, distilled from three generations of Nikon pro D-SLRs, easily bests any competitors’. Dozens of gaskets seal it against the dust and moisture that threaten sophisticated electronics out in the real world of photography. At 100 percent magnification in Lightroom, the Nikon’s RAW files appeared only slightly sharper than those we shot with the 21.1-megapixel Canon EOS 5D Mark II, despite its threemegapixel advantage. (See D-SLR Shootout, May/June.) But the D3X’s superb JPEGs were nearly identical in fine detail to its RAW files, while the Canon’s were slightly soft. And while compari-

The Nikon D3X is more camera than most of us need, but its phenomenal image quality, robust construction, and nearly infinite configurability—not to mention its lofty price—make it this year’s ultimate professional digital SLR.

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sons also showed no significant differences in noise up to ISO 400 among our full-frame sensor D-SLRs, the Nikon exhibited superior shadow detail that could be further brightened with much cleaner results than the others. At higher ISOs, the D3X is no match for the Nikon D3, which owes its low-light performance in part to fewer and therefore bigger pixels. The EOS 5D Mark II also bests the D3X in that respect. But we found D3X’s tighter, filmlike “grain” more pleasing than the blotchier noise and linear banding sometimes visible in the EOS 5D Mark II’s deep shadow areas. Current full-frame D-SLRs are less than ideal for action photography, trading off speed for a massive file size. That said, the Nikon D3X can move its RAW files more quickly than any of its fullframe competitors—about 23 RAW frames at 12 bits-per-color. To keep pace, the D3X has lightning-fast, supersmart AF, with 51 points and 3D focus tracking that uses subject color information. —JONATHAN BARKEY AND RUSSELL HART

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SEMI-PRO D-SLRs CAMERA OF THE YEAR

CANON EOS 5D MARK II • 21.1 MEGAPIXELS/CMOS IMAGE SENSOR • 1.0 X FOV CROP (full frame) • 3.0-INCH LCD (920K dots) • IMAGE STABILIZATION: IN-LENS • TOP ISO: 25,600 • 3.9FPS • LIVE VIEW: YES • VIDEO: 1080p HD • ABOUT $2,700 •

istory will remember this 21.1-megapixel model as the first still camera capable of capturing full 1080p, 30fps high-definition video, with stereo sound. The hybrid camera has arrived, yes? Even better, shooting video with a full-frame D-SLR and lens lets you create much shallower depth of field, and nicer-looking out-of-focus areas, than you can get with standard camcorders. A near-twin of its 12.7-megapixel, midsized predecessor in

H

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shape, size, and weight, the new model features a weatherprotected magnesium-alloy body, updated controls, and a new three-inch LCD that’s super sharp. Onscreen we found a more stylish menu system and the new joystick-adjusted Quick Control interface. The Mark II’s 24x36-millimeter CMOS image sensor achieves the same ultrahigh 21.1-megapixel resolution as Canon’s much bigger EOS-1Ds Mark III flagship, and at 40 percent of that model’s

So many full-frame D-SLRs now sell for under $3,000 that we had to give them their own new category. But Canon’s successor to the EOS 5D would break new ground in any class—as the first still camera to shoot broadcastquality HD video.

price. In our estimation its image quality rivals the clarity of 6x4.5cm medium-format film, allowing huge prints and, if necessary, considerable cropping

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without sacrificing sharpness— assuming your optics and technique are up to the task. The camera is also supremely lightsensitive: It let us capture beautiful noise-free images under virtually any illumination, with less noise than either its predecessor or the EOS-1Ds Mark III. Unlike the first EOS 5D, the EOS 5D Mark II incorporates Live View mode, allowing you to compose shots on the back-ofcamera LCD. It’s also Canon’s first full-frame model with Live View autofocus. Its Live View is simpler to activate, ready quicker, and quieter in operation than any of its full-frame competitors. All that said, we wish the Mark II would follow-focus in video mode. Once you’ve locked in the AF, you have to refocus manually if you or your subject changes distance during the clip. But at 2.1 million pixels per frame, our “footage” was visibly sharper than the 720p of the earlier Nikon D90, with more fluid motion and smoother realtime autoexposure response.

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T

ransplant the 12.1-megapixel, full-frame CMOS image sensor used in last year’s heavyweight Nikon D3 into a medium-sized chassis nearly identical to that of the Nikon D300, and the result is the lessobtrusive Nikon D700. Eliminating the D3’s built-in vertical grip slims the D700 by 1.4 inches in height and 8.5 ounces in weight, but its rubberclad magnesium-alloy body felt like an indestructible solid block in our hands. Extensive O-rings and seals provide protection from dust and moisture on par with the new Nikon D3X. The super-bright, razor-sharp view through the D700’s eyepiece is at least 20 percent larger than the D300’s, though it doesn’t offer the D3’s 100 percent subject coverage. It’s perfect for manual focus with nearly any Nikkor lens back to 1959—and you get the lens’s full, intended angle of view.

N IKON D700 • 12.1 MEGAPIXELS/ CMOS IMAGE SENSOR • 1.0X FOV CROP (full frame) • 3.0-INCH LCD SCREEN (920K dots) • IMAGE STABILIZATION: IN-LENS • TOP ISO: 25,600 • 5FPS • LIVE VIEW: YES • VIDEO: NO • UNDER $3,000 •

Although the D300 has essentially equivalent resolving power at low ISOs, the D700’s larger pixels gather light much more efficiently. As a result, ISO 3200 on the D700 looked nearly the same to us, in terms of noise, clarity, and tonality,

SEMI-PRO D-SLRs W

hen it arrived earlier this year, the Sony Alpha 900 boasted more megapixels than any other 35mm-style digital SLR before it. It now shares that distinction with the Nikon D3X. But it is still the first fullframe D-SLR to stabilize images by shifting its sensor rather than lens elements—an in-camera system that lets you handhold the camera at shutter speeds up to four stops slower using any Alpha-mount lens, including old Minoltas.

Though the Alpha 900’s squared-off magnesium-alloy body is comfortably shaped and solidly constructed, it lacks the extensive weatherproofing found in some competitors. However, the Alpha 900’s viewfinder, which takes user-interchangeable screens and shows 100 percent of subject coverage, is the biggest, brightest, and clearest in its class. It

as ISO 800 on the D300. Even ISO 6400 is perfectly usable on the D700, and a staggering top speed of ISO 25,600 allows available-light shooting essentially anywhere, anytime. None of the foregoing exacts a compromise in start-up time, shutter lag, or framing rate, the latter a brisk 5fps in all modes, including 14-bit RAW.

OTHER TOP MODELS

is enhanced by a unique mechanism that slides the reflex mirror in as it swings it up, which shortens blackout and allows a downsized mirror box. The Alpha 900’s 24x36-millimeter chip beats the like-sized sensor in Canon’s EOS-1Ds Mark III by 3.5 megapixels. The A900’s pixels are slightly bigger than those in the 12.2megapixel Sony Alpha 700, and so, with the help of image-processing improvements, produce less noise. The level of detail we saw in our A900 images was dazzling, equalling that of the $8,000 Nikon D3X

and edging into medium format territory. Fortunately, Sony keeps introducing more high-resolution Zeiss lenses to keep pace with that resolving power, and their AF is swift and sure, ably supporting the Alpha 900’s 5fps framing rate (as fast as the way costlier Nikon D3X) and ample burst depth (up to 12 RAW files or 285 JPEGs). —J.B. AND R.H.

SONY ALPHA 900 • 24.6 MEGAPIXELS/CMOS IMAGE SENSOR • 1.0X FOV CROP (full frame) • 3.0-INCH LCD SCREEN (922K dots) • IMAGE STABILIZATION: IN-CAMERA • TOP ISO: 6,400 • 5FPS • LIVE VIEW: NO • VIDEO: NO • ABOUT $2,700 •

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ADVANCED D-SLRs CAMERA OF THE YEAR

PENTAX K-7 • 14.6 MEGAPIXELS/CMOS IMAGE SENSOR • 1.5X FOV CROP • 3.0-INCH LCD (921K dots) • IMAGE STABILIZATION: IN-BODY • TOP ISO: 6,400 • 5.2FPS • LIVE VIEW: YES • VIDEO: 720p HD • ABOUT $1,200 •

he brand-new K-7 retains the 14.6-megapixel resolution of Pentax’s top-of-the-line K20D, but overhauls nearly everything else. Its tough, magnesium-alloyover-stainless-steel body is smaller, more squared off, and more professional looking, with an excellent contoured grip. Like the K20D it is massively

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weatherproofed, with 77 seals and improved cold resistance. The K-7’s viewfinder is certainly the biggest in this class, and it’s also the only one to offer prolevel 100 percent subject coverage. The three-inch LCD is sharpened by 921,000-dot resolution and has a snazzier menu display, which rotates automatically

for vertical composition. The CMOS sensor and 14-bit A/D conversion (up from 12 in the K20D) are all new, as is a four-channel processor that reduces shadow noise and raises shooting speed to a swift 5.2fps. (Burst rate is 40 best-quality JPEGs or 15 RAW/PEF frames.) The K-7 shakes dust off its sensor with quieter piezo-ceramic vibrations, while the camera’s sensor-shifting Shake Reduction (which steadies the image with any K-mount lens) now corrects for unintended rotational movement. And get this: You can manually shift the sensor sideways or up and down, to fine-tune composition (and avoid upsetting your tripod) or to make small corrections in perspective! There’s even a level gauge on the top-deck status panel.

The K-7’s 11-point AF system gets a dedicated assist lamp and now uses color data to improve its accuracy. And the exposure meter gains 61 segments, for an ample total of 77. Also new are the higher capacity (980-shot) battery and weatherproof vertical grip. The K-7 comes packed with postprocessing options, including new digital effects filters. The coolest of these, in our opinion, automatically combines three bracketed exposures into one high–dynamic range JPEG. As you might expect, the new camera shoots video (30fps) at a standard 720p or a unique, notquite-1080p 1536x1024 (4GB limit per clip), and allows manual aperture control. There’s no continuous focus, but you can reset one-shot AF while you’re shooting simply by pressing the shutter button. There’s even an external microphone jack.

We couldn’t decide whether the Nikon D90 or Pentax K-7 should win Advanced D-SLR of the year, so we chose them both. Yet each has different strengths: The Nikon is a low-light champ, the Pentax an affordable pro-spec workhorse.

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CAMERA OF THE YEAR

t looks a lot like Nikon’s longrunning D80 digital SLR, but this groundbreaking successor to that model adopts most of the new technologies found in Nikon’s more expensive D-SLRs. Its 12.3-megapixel CMOS chip is lifted straight from the advanced-level Nikon D300, upping resolution and shifting technology from the D80’s 10.2megapixel CCD. At low ISO settings, our comparisons showed that the D90 delivers image quality essentially identical to that of the 12.1-megapixel full-frame sensors in Nikon’s professional D3 and D700. Though it’s understandably noisier than those two models at high ISOs, its output looked excellent to us all the way up to ISO 3200. That, plus a usable top ISO of 6400 and adjustable noise reduction, make the D90 best for lowlight work among D-SLRs with APS-C–sized sensors. The camera’s LCD display, much better than its predecessors’, is in fact identical to the super-sharp LCDs on the D300, D700, D3, and new D3X. At three inches (diagonal) and 922,000 dots, it offers double the resolution of the D80’s 2.5inch, 230,000-dot version,

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NIKON D90 • 12.3 MEGAPIXELS/CMOS IMAGE SENSOR • 1.5X FOV CROP • 3.0-INCH LCD SCREEN • IMAGE STABILIZATION: IN-LENS • TOP ISO: 6,400 • LIVE VIEW: YES • VIDEO: 720p HD • 4.5FPS • ABOUT $1,000 •

along with a very wide (170 degree) viewing angle. The screen provides ultra-detailed playback (with up to 27X zoom-

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ing) and superb legibility with the D90’s menu system and shooting information display. The D90 is the first Nikon

model under $1,000 to offer Live View. It’s a dream to use, in part because of the big LCD screen but also because it’s quickly activated with a dedicated button, not hidden in the release mode dial. And its 24fps refresh rate is smoother than in Nikon’s more expensive models. You may find yourself sticking with the optical viewfinder, though: With 96 percent coverage and 0.94X magnification, it’s one of the biggest in its class, and a pleasure to see. The D90’s headline feature is its 720p high-definition movie mode—the first to appear in a D-SLR. Top resolution is 1280x720 at 24fps; sound is mono-only. Our biggest gripe is that autofocus doesn’t operate when you’re shooting video— too bad given the impressive still-image performance of the D90’s 11-point, 3D-tracking AF system. But this important new camera is certainly a step on the way to our hybrid future.

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CANON EOS 50D • 15.1 MEGAPIXELS/ CMOS IMAGE SENSOR • 1.6X FOV CROP • 3.0-INCH LCD (920K dots) • IMAGE STABILIZATION: IN-LENS • TOP ISO: 12,800 • LIVE VIEW: YES • VIDEO: NO • 6.3 FPS • ABOUT $1,200 •

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his new model boosts the short-lived EOS 40D’s pixel count by 50 percent, to 15.1 megapixels, for roughly 25 percent higher resolution. Higher pixel density usually means more noise, but in our tests the 50D’s JPEGs delivered about

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he Four Thirds–format Olympus E-3 tied for 2008 Camera of the Year in this category, an honor it earned for its solidly built weatherproof body; its huge, best-in-class viewfinder; its fast 11-point biaxial autofocus; its swift 5fps capture speed; and its fully articulated live view LCD screen, a D-SLR first. You get the better part of all that in the smaller, lighter, and more affordable Olympus E-30. You

one stop less noise than the 40D’s. The improvement is the result of both bigger microlenses (which focus more photons on each pixel) and smarter DIGIC 4 processing. The new camera even quadruples the 40D’s top sensitivity, from ISO 3200 to ISO 12,800, and offers four JPEG high-ISO noise-reduction settings, for more control of sharpness vs. smoothness.

ADVANCED D-SLRs

give up a certain amount of ruggedness and weatherizing, and the E-30’s pentaprism finder provides a somewhat smaller view (98 percent coverage and 1.02X magnification, versus the E-3’s 100 percent and 1.15X). But that viewfinder still trumps the tunnel-vision pentamirror finders in most Four Thirds D-SLRs. And the E-30

is actually superior to its big brother in its sensor resolution (12.3 megapixels vs. the E-3’s 10.1) and the size of its versatile tilt-swivel LCD (2.7 vs. 2.5 inches). It even adds new features such as a dedicated mode dial; contrast-detection AF (with face detection) that we found to be a third faster than that in the Canon EOS 50D; a new image stabilizer mode that disengages vertical sensor shift, for panning up or down; and in-camera Art Filters, including Grainy Film and Pinhole effects, among many others. The Olympus E-30 offers seemingly

infinite custom configurability, one of the E-3’s best qualities; an external white balance sensor; the ability to control strobes wirelessly, straight from its LCD panel; and best of all, access to superb Zuiko Digital lenses, many of which have no equal in competing full-frame systems. —J.B. AND R.H.

OLYMPUS E-30 • 12.3 MEGAPIXELS/ LIVE MOS IMAGE SENSOR • 2.0X FOV CROP (four thirds format) • 2.7-INCH TILT/SWIVEL LCD • IMAGE STABILIZATION: IN-BODY • TOP ISO: 3200 • LIVE VIEW: YES • VIDEO: NO • ABOUT $1,050 •

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The faster imaging engine also means the EOS 50D can shoot at 6.3fps, virtually the same as the 40D, despite its larger files. And it captures more continuous JPEGs with a fast UDMA CompactFlash card. The new camera also offers two smaller RAW sizes, which let you make spacesaving files with the wider tonal and color range of 14-bit postprocessing. The 50D inherits the 40D’s large viewfinder and super-swift diamondpattern AF system, which we judge top in its class for both low-light focus acquisition and continuous tracking. The 50D’s live view is also superior to competitors’ because the mirror stays up when you’re shooting, allowing for much faster, quieter operation. And the view on its 920,000-dot, three-inch LCD is dazzling—twice as sharp as the 40D’s. That makes it easy to check minute details and critical focus and adds clarity to the 50D’s more elegant menu system and new joystickoperated Quick Control interface.

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ENTRY-LEVEL D-SLRs Live-view screens are the norm on these models because they attract compact camera users, and because they can double for video. The Lumix GH1 is the class standout.

CAMERA OF THE YEAR

PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-GH1 • 12.1 MEGAPIXELS/ LIVE MOS IMAGE SENSOR • 2.0X FOV CROP (Micro Four Thirds) • 3.0-INCH TILT/SWIVEL LCD (460K dots) • IMAGE STABILIZATION: IN-LENS • TOP ISO: 3,200 • 3FPS • LIVE VIEW: YES • VIDEO: 1080p HD • ABOUT $1,300 (with 14-140mm kit lens) •

t looks like the smallest D-SLR ever, but Panasonic’s elegant Lumix GH1 is really an entirely new breed of digital camera. Based on the Micro Four Thirds standard, it substitutes a highquality electronic viewfinder (EVF) for the optical viewfinder used by SLRs—that “pentaprism” you see is just for show, since there’s no need for a reflex mirror. Losing the mirror makes the GH1 considerably quieter than a D-SLR, and because it allows a reduced distance between lens and image sensor lenses can be more compact and much lighter.

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The GH1’s color EVF is exceptionally good, which it has to be to compete with D-SLRs. It has 1.44 million-dot resolution (sharp enough for manual focusing) and a 60fps refresh rate (fast enough to keep most moving subjects from smearing). In low light it’s brighter than an optical screen, though you get some motion smear and pixel noise. What’s more, the viewfinder offers 100 percent coverage— something ordinarily found only in pro D-SLRs. It is also nearly as big as viewfinders in fullframe D-SLRs. Also rivaling com-

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peting D-SLRs are the speed and precision of the GH1’s contrastdetection autofocus, with its uncanny focus tracking of moving subjects across the frame. Perhaps the first successful hybrid camera, the Lumix GH1 is just as adept at capturing high-definition video (at broadcast-quality 24fps 1080p or ultrasmooth 60fps 720p) with Dolby stereo sound. And unlike all other video-capable D-SLRs, it can focus continuously and silently while you’re shooting, just like a regular camcorder—a huge advantage that gives you

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or your subject the freedom to move in and out without the worry of manual refocusing. In video mode, the GH1 offers useful manual control of aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and more, and unlike “clip”-based D-SLRs the recording duration is limited only by the size of your memory card. The GH1’s video finesse makes its horizontally unfolding, swiveling LCD all the more valuable. OK, so it isn’t technically a D-SLR. Depending on your needs, it might be something even better.

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his newly minted model raises Nikon’s entry-level prowess by adopting the same 12.3-megapixel CMOS sensor found in the Nikon D90 along with that camera’s ability to capture 24fps, 720p HD video. Aided by advanced image processing, its chip produces moderate-ISO output indistinguishable from that of Nikon’s full-frame D3, which costs six times as much. And images shot at higher speeds (up to ISO 6400) are less noisy than from Canon’s entry-level and advanced models. Though it’s hardy, the D5000 is lighter and more compact than the D90, with a smaller pentamirror viewfinder and no top-deck status panel. Also trimmed are the D90’s depth-of-field preview and wireless strobe control from its pop-up flash. The D5000 has a slightly smaller LCD too—but that’s a good thing, because it makes room for a flipand-swivel design that’s great for

N IKON D5000 • 12.3 MEGAPIXELS/ CMOS IMAGE SENSOR • 1.5X FOV CROP • 2.7-INCH TILT/ SWIVEL LCD • IMAGE STABILIZATION: IN-LENS • TOP ISO: 6,400 • 4 FPS • LIVE VIEW: YES • VIDEO: 720p HD • ABOUT $730 •

low- and high-angle live-view shooting. The D5000 inherits the D90’s superb, color-tracking 11-point auto-

focus, the most advanced in this class. And its 4fps shooting speed is almost as fast as the D90’s 4.5fps. The new model offers many features that are unique to this category. Our favorite: the ability to correct perspective distortion in-camera by tweaking the displayed image with the four-way controller until everything is neatly squared up.

ENTRY-LEVEL D-SLRs

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eave it to Olympus to create the smallest-ever D-SLR with inbody image stabilization. At just over a pound, the E-620 is lighter than any competitor except for the mirrorless Panasonic GH1, yet it fits in most of the features and the same 12.3-megapixel sensor found in the advanced E-30.

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OLYMPUS E-620 • 12.3 MEGAPIXELS/ LIVE MOS IMAGE SENSOR • 2.0X FOV CROP (Four Thirds format) • 2.7-INCH TILT/SWIVEL LCD • IMAGE STABILIZATION: IN-BODY • TOP ISO: 3,200 • 24FPS • LIVE VIEW: YES • VIDEO: NO • ABOUT $700 •

There is a bright 2.7-inch, 230,000-pixel articulated screen, which unfolds horizontally and swivels 270 degrees and is fully usable on a tripod. The body has a deeper grip than on previous entry-level E-series models, plus a slightly bigger viewfinder, though it is still small compared with competitors’.

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It can shoot five RAW frames at 4fps. TTL autofocus is quick, relying on seven points (five of them crosstype); Live View has three AF modes, including 11-point contrast detection that is faster than most competitors’. It also offers a Face Detection mode. Like the bigger Olympus E-30, this new model gives you a lot for your money: direct-access control panel,

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SSW dust reduction, shadow optimization, vignetting compensation, multiple aspect ratios, and special-effects Art Filters. It can even command three groups of wireless strobes from its built-in pop-up flash. Customization options are extensive. And, in a first for an entry-level Olympus, the E-620 gets its very own accessory grip, for extra power and more comfortable vertical shooting.

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SONY ALPHA 330

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ith this entry-level D-SLR, one of three new models, Sony shows that it is paying close attention to the wants and needs of beginning and budget-minded amateurs. Rather than increasing megapixel count over previous models, the

company has focused on size, ease of use, and system affordability. The new models are indeed smaller, lighter, and less complicated. In rethinking and restyling them (handsomely we must say) Sony has moved nearly all the control buttons to the right of the LCD screen. Every one of them is in reach of the right thumb. To further simplify matters, the screen in the Alpha 330 (and new Alpha 380) can be tilted more than

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anon’s new top-tier Digital Rebel looks just like the 12.2-megapixel Rebel XSi, last year’s EntryLevel D-SLR of the Year. But the T1i borrows the 15.1-megapixel image sensor found in the more advanced EOS 50D, which gives it the highest resolution in this class.

• 10.2 MEGAPIXELS/ CCD IMAGE SENSOR • 1.5X FOV CROP • 2.7-INCH TILTING LCD • IMAGE STABILIZATION: IN-BODY • TOP ISO: 3,200 • LIVE VIEW: YES (from secondary sensor) • VIDEO: NO • ABOUT $650 (with 18-55mm kit lens) •

before, for higher and lower angles in Live View mode. The screens display scaled sliders to clarify the effect of

changes in f-stop and shutter speed— the f-stop slider has a sharp mountain icon on its small end and a blurry one on the wide end, while the shutter speed slider has a static figure on its slower end and a running figure on the faster. The screen is brighter, too, and adjusts to ambient light for better image readability. (You can make the menu’s background pink or brown if black or white don’t suit, and the camera itself is available in copper brown.) We choose the 10.2-megapixel Alpha 330 rather than the less-expensive companion Alpha 230 or the Alpha 380 because the former has no tilting screen and the latter has higher (14.2-megapixel) resolution that costs more but may not make much visible difference to the typical user. The savings can be spent on a second lens from these cameras’ new companion optics, which are based on the same user-friendly agenda as the bodies. The 30mm f/2.8 macro, for example, accesses the fun-loving world of closeup photography for less than $200, far cheaper than other good macros.

ENTRY-LEVEL D-SLRs

The camera is also tops for low-light shooting because of better microlenses and DIGIC 4 processing—a one-two that gives it a three-stop boost in sensitivity over the XSi, to a night-loving ISO 12,800. The new

processor even lets you set three levels of high-ISO noise reduction. At 3.4fps the T1i is slightly slower than the XSi, but it ups bursts to nine RAW frames. Its nine-point AF, same as in the XSi, remains the fastest among its peers in achieving focus lock, though its focus tracking is less savvy than the Nikon D5000’s. What’s new are a super-sharp 920,000-dot LCD screen and fully interactive Quick Control interface, a Rebel first. But the most significant new feature on the Rebel T1i, similar

to that in the semi-pro EOS 5D Mark II, is its ability to shoot high-definition video. In its 30fps, 720p (1280x720-pixel) mode we judged it to be smoother than the 24fps Nikon D5000. (It also does 1080p at 20fps.) There’s no manual exposure or focus tracking, but as with other video-capable D-SLRs the T1i offers big advantages over conventional camcorders—including better low-light quality and the ability to achieve beautifully shallow depth of field. —J.B. AND R.H.

CANON EOS REBEL T1i • 15.1 MEGAPIXELS/CMOS IMAGE SENSOR • 1.6X FOV CROP • 3.0-INCH LCD (920K dots) • IMAGE STABILIZATION: IN-LENS • TOP ISO: 12,800 • 3.4FPS • LIVE VIEW: YES • VIDEO: 1080p HD • ABOUT $800 •

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{Point &} shoot that breathtaking sunrise through the early morning light. High Sensitivity and Low Noise

High Resolution

Wide Dynamic Range

Didn’t think you could point ‘n’ shoot successfully in those impossible low light situations? Think again. The Super CCD EXR sensor features unique 3-way capture technology that gives you high sensitivity with low noise as well as extended dynamic range and high resolution. For details, {point &} click fujifilmusa.com/exr

The Genius Behind the Image.TM

LENSES

TAM RON 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di-II VC LD

LENS OF THE YEAR

Lenses get more hits on PopPhoto.com than just about any other category in our annual Editor’s Choice feature. Pixels notwithstanding, photography is still about making light perform tricks—and t justifies its long name by squeezing more focal lengths than ever before into an all the new interchangeable lens for still photography. Starting at a true wide-angle 27mm (35mm optics we’ve equivalent for Nikon D-SLRs), the digital-only Tamron zooms to a supertele 405mm. Yet its compactness and light weight invite handheld shooting, which is in turn made practical chosen by Tamron’s built-in Vibration Reduction (VR) system. VR maintains the 15X zoom’s surprising optical quality not only with slower shutter speeds, but also with higher speeds at do just that.

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which shake combined with high magnification can still reduce sharpness. About $630.

Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH For the moment this impressive zoom comes only as part of the “kit” for Panasonic’s Micro Four Thirds-format Lumix GH1. But what a kit lens it is!

In addition to putting an unusually wide 28-280mm (35mm equivalent) range into a very small package, the metal-bodied optic’s fit and finish are exceptional.

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There’s no wobble when it’s extended, and zoom and focus rings are nicely damped. AF is extremely smooth, quick, and quiet. (That’s especially noticeable when its followfocusing in the GH1’s 1080p HD video mode.) Sharpness is maintained throughout the 10X range by two ED and four aspheric elements, backed up by built-in optical image stabilization. Owners of the older Lumix G1 should soon be able to buy the lens separately.

Tokina AT-X 16.5-135mm f/3.5-5.6 DX Its unusual range of 25-200mm (35mm equivalent) bests Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 ASPH

Tokina AT-X 16.5-135mm f/3.5-5.6 DX 48

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Lensbaby Composer

Sigma 50-200mm f/4-5.6 DC OS HSM

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the competition’s typical 28mmequivalent wide-angle limit by roughly five degrees of coverage. While the new Tokina’s 200mm long end may not offer enough magnification for wildlife or sideline sports, its intervening focal lengths suit everything from tight portraits to still lifes. In fact, its closest focusing distance is under 20 inches, for a maximum reproduction ratio of almost 1:5. Yet the lens stays small (three inches long by 3.5 inches in girth) and light (21.5 ounces) even with 15 elements, two of them super-low dispersion and three of them aspherical.

Lensbaby Composer Though it’s optically old-fashioned, the manualfocus Lensbaby is one of photography’s most interesting recent innovations, bringing to 35mm and digital SLRs the graduated-blur effects that could once only be obtained with a view camera. The expanded line now includes several versions and dedicated accessories, including an Optic Swap System that turns any model into an interchangeable-lens Lensbaby. The newest of these, the Lensbaby Composer, is a brilliant departure from the previous models’ bendable, flexing-tube lens barrel

Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L

Sony 70400mm f/4-5.6G

design. It substitutes a ball-andsocket system that eliminates the need for physical bending of the barrel. The design also keeps the lens in the desired position without holding or locking. (You can even vary the resistance of the lens’s movement.) Focus is adjusted not by manually extending or compressing the barrel but with a helical collar. About $270.

Sigma 50-200mm f/4-5.6 DC OS HSM Sigma’s own optical image stabilization makes this next-generation digital zoom a much more versatile optic—especially at the long end, where blur due to hand movement is more likely. Unlike sensor-based stabilization, the in-lens system takes jiggle out of the viewfinder image as well, and it supports the new lens’s other image-sharpening qualities. These include internal focusing (which also keeps the lens front from rotating, a plus with polarizing filters); a 14element, laser-coated formula that focuses to 1:4.5; and super low dispersion (SLD) glass. There are also both hypersonic motor AF and internal focusing, making this a good buy for small-sensor Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Sigma D-SLRs. About $300.

Sony 70-400mm f/4-5.6G Sony’s growing line of Zeiss optics has set a very high standard of image quality. But this beautifully-made G-series lens, which has a focal-length range Zeiss would never attempt, maintains top performance throughout— even when used wide-open. Distortion is well-controlled even on the fullframe Alpha 900 and better still with small-sensor models such as the new Alpha 330, on which the 18-element ED zoom delivers the equivalent of a remarkable 105600mm—with no loss of speed. (Take note, sports and wildlife photographers who are always moving forward and backward to frame a distant subject.) SSM autofocus is quiet, smooth, and almost inaudible, and there’s a focus limiter to speed things up further (a good thing given the five-foot closest focusing distance). Variously-placed focushold buttons let you lock in AF at any time. About $1,600. Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L Users of perspective-control optics are often cramped by these lenses’ shortest focal lengths, either 28mm or 24mm, which can be insufficiently wide to

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take in a very large structure even from the farthest practical camera position. The problem is much worse with small-chip D-SLRs, which turn a 24mm focal length into the equivalent of a barely-wide 36mm or 38mm lens. The good news: Canon’s impressive TS-E 17mm perspectivecontrol lens produces a 104-degree angle of view on 35mm or full-frame D-SLRs, but can be mounted on

Pentax SMC DA* 55mm f/1.4 SDM

Canon’s APS-C-sensor models to produce a still-wide 28mm. An improved mechanical system allows tilt and shift to be adjusted in parallel or at right angles. About $2,500.

Pentax SMC DA* 55mm f/1.4 SDM Prime lenses are good discipline for photographers spoiled by zooms, which is why we like the Pentax 55mm f/1.4. (We were tempted to single out the new Pentax 60-250mm f/4 ED for its 35mmequivalent range of 90-375mm, not to mention its constant f/4 aperture, but no matter.) The nine-element, weatherproofed 55mm f/1.4 features a moderate-tele focal length that’s about equal to 35mm’s classic 85mm portrait length—and it brings an unusually fast maximum aperture to the world of APS-C D-SLRs, in which shallow depth of field can be hard to achieve. Used at wide apertures, this ultrasonic-focusing lens produces lovely out-of-focus backgrounds, especially at close distances (CFD is 1.5 feet), while the main subject is sharpened by extralow dispersion glass. It’s a natural for portraits, but don’t stop there. About $730. (continued on page 85)

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Nikon PC-E Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D

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Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED

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COMPACT CAMERAS SONY Cyber-shot DSC-G3

COMPACT CAMERAS OF THE YEAR

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We’ve merged compacts into a single category this year—and just as well. These new models blur the boundaries of digital technology, offering features from Wi-Fi to high-speed video.

SAM SU NG HZ15W

Nikon Coolpix P90 Nikon came late to EFV superzooms, but the 12.1-megapixel P90 is hardly a me-too model. Its 24X zoom is one of the

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amsung brings a rare view to the superzoom compact—and we mean that literally. The starting focal length on this 10X, 12-megapixel model is equivalent, in the 35mm format, to 24mm. That’s wider than the 28mm on other wide-angle models, and better for both big views and cramped interiors. And it seems to suit the HZ15W’s HD video, which is, after all, a wide-screen format. You can output video directly to an HDTV by plugging in an HDMI cable. Another rare feature for a compact: manual control of both f-stop and shutter speed. About $330.

longest in still photography, ranging from a commendably wide 26mm (35mm equivalent) to a supertele 624mm. Burst rates scorch along at 15fps if you’ll accept a three-megapixel image —fully adequate,

let’s not forget, for a photo-quality 8x10 print. Worried about jiggling the camera at such long focal lengths? The P90’s Motion Detection mode automatically senses your level of shake and optimizes settings to keep pictures sharp. About $400.

his 10.1-megapixel model is, for now, the ultimate Wi-Fi compact. In addition to providing AT&T hotspot access and home hub connectivity, it has an onboard Web browser that lets you visit YouTube, Photobucket, and Dailymotion, among other sites. You can also use it to upload photos and videos, then e-mail referrals to friends and family. Whether shot with the DSCG3, browsed, or downloaded, pictures are a pleasure to behold on the exquisitely sharp 3.5-inch touchscreen. And speaking of shooting, the new Cyber-shot has a 35-140mm (equivalent) zoom, lens-based stabilization, and four gigs of built-in storage. About $500.

Panasonic Lumix TZ50 Panasonic elevates the concept of the “travel zoom” with this nine-megapixel model, adding built-in wireless LAN capability that lets you connect to the Internet via a T-Mobile hotspot or home wireless hub. Once connected,

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Panasonic Lumix TZ50

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Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR

Canon PowerShot SX200 IS

Pentax Optio P70

you can upload photos to Google’s Picasa Web Album, as well as browse and delete photos already there. Basically a Wi-Fi-enhanced Lumix TZ5, it has the same long-range, optically-stabilized wide-angle zoom (28-280mm equivalent), HD video, and more. About $330.

Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR As with previous Fuji chips, high-sensitivity and low-sensitivity pixels are sprinkled evenly across the surface of this 12-megapixel model’s new Super CCD EXR image sensor. That unique design improves dynamic range in Fuji cameras. But the FinePix F200EXR repurposes the technology to capture two different exposures simultaneously—then combines them in-camera into a single, six-megapixel high–dynamic range image. The F200’s zoom is a satisfyingly wide-angle 28-140mm (equivalent), the screen an ample three inches. About $400. Pentax Optio P70 At less than an inch thick, this new Optio shows that thin is still in. We like it for its wide-totele 27.5-110mm (equivalent) zoom, which retracts flat into the camera; its generous 12-megapixel resolution; and its very cool aluminum body

(available in white, red, and silver). The P70 has smile capture and blink detection to improve your photographic odds, and while it lacks optical image stabilization it has Pixel Track Shake Reduction, which uses resampling to reduce blur. About $200.

Canon PowerShot SX200 IS The OTHER SX200 IS is a new take on superzooms for Canon, which until now has put electronic viewfinders (EVFs) into these high-magnification models. With this 12.1-megapixel, 12X camera, you view and compose strictly on the LCD monitor—and the absence of an EVF has allowed Canon to scale it down to fit a medium pocket. Shooting with the SX200’s threeinch screen can make for unsteady handholding, so it’s good there’s optical image stabilization in the lens, especially for the SX200’s blur-prone long focal lengths (which reach the equivalent of 336mm). HD video

fans will like the convenience of the mini-HDMI output, for direct screening on an HDTV. About $350.

Olympus Stylus Tough-8000 Tough is an understatement. You can safely drop this 12-megapixel, sensorstabilized Stylus from over six feet. You can dunk it to TOP 33 feet deep. You can freeze it down to 14 degrees F. And you can squash it with up to 220 pounds of pressure, important when you forget you’ve stashed the camera in your back pocket and sit on it. Zooming is limited because the lens must be totally encased within the camera body, but the 28-102mm (equivalent) range provides the best focal lengths for most photo purposes. About $400.

COMPACT CAMERAS

Ricoh CX1 It’s not much larger than an ultrathin, but the CX1 accommodates a near-superzoom focal-length range of 28-200mm (equivalent).

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Casio Exilim EX-FC100 Casio stunned us with its high-speed EX-F1 and EX-FH20, which can fire at phenomenally fast capture rates for both stills and video—the latter perfect for super slo-mo. Those Exilim models are the size of D-SLRs though, so forget about pocketing one. Enter the Exilim EX-FC100: At less than an inch thick, it puts high-speed capture and super slo-mo—not to mention HD video and a respectable 37-185mm (equivalent) zoom—into your shirt pocket. Full-res still capture goes up to a remarkable 30fps at six megapixels, while one second’s worth of 1,000fps video stretches (at normal playback speed) to an ultrasmooth 33 seconds. About $350. —DAN RICHARDS

Casio Exilim EX-FC100

Ricoh CX1

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Composition is a special pleasure with the camera’s 920,000-dot LCD—one of the best monitors we’ve seen on a compact. All the better for viewing pictures made in its HDR mode, which merges shadows and highlights from two separate shots made in rapid sequence. Sophisticated multipattern auto white balance can make localized color adjustments in an image. There’s an electronic level, sensor-shift image stabilization, and selectable aspect ratios—including square, for erstwhile TLR users. About $370.

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CAMERA PHONE OF THE YEAR

CAMERA PHONES Along with ample resolutions, autofocus lenses, and built-in flash units, this year’s camera phones offer improved camera interfaces and photo-sharing tools. And of course they’re more affordable.

SONY ERICSSON C905A Cyber-shot

exposure and image optimization abilMotorola Motozine ZN5 ities work well, and it also offers Motorola designed this five-megaburst, macro, and panorama modes. pixel bar phone with the help of About $100 (with T-Mobile contract). Kodak—a great idea, since Kodak’s longstanding emphasis on ease of use, automatic image enhancement, Nokia N97 Combining a 3.5-inch and integration with other devices touchscreen, a full swing-out keyhas been sorely needed in the world board, and a five-megapixel camera of camera phones. The Motozine with a Zeiss lens, this model amounts ZN5 combines those to a powerful device virtues with an intuitive for mobile image OTHER TOP camera interface, discapture, viewing, played on its 2.4-inch LCD, and preinstalled photo sharing tools. The T new model’s automatic ES

CAMERA PHONES

B UY B

E

quipped with a 2.4-inch LCD and useful photographic features such as face-detection autofocus and digital image stabilization, this 8.1megapixel slider phone also comes loaded with photo and video blogging software. Its BestPic mode takes seven shots in one second so that you can save the one you like, while its Smart Contrast and Photo Fix features optimize image brightness, contrast, and color. All that makes the C905a an able substitute for a good compact. Meanwhile, built-in GPS and geotagging tools let you attach location data to your shots, and Wi-Fi allows wireless display on a DLNA-capable TV. Under $250 (with contract).

and sharing. The N97 supports Nokia’s versatile new Photo Browser, as well as Nokia Photos for managing your mobile photo and video collection on a PC and syncing it with the phone. Installed memory offers an ample 32GB of storage for media files, and there are built-in tools for geotagging images and easily uploading and broadcasting them online. About $800 (unlocked).

LG KC910 Renoir An eight-megapixel bar phone with a Schneider lens, the Renoir incorporates advanced camera technologies such as face-,

smile-, and blink detection, a top light-sensitivity setting of ISO 1600, digital image stabilization, and burst and panorama modes. Its video mode shoots 120 frames-per-second for slow-motion playback or 5fps for a time-lapse effect. You can even select an AF point by touching its three-inch LCD screen. And here’s something camera makers might want to note: The shutter fires when you remove your finger from the touch screen, eliminating the blurinducing shake that pressing down can cause. About $350 (unlocked).

Samsung SGH-T929 Memoir Samsung has lept forward with the Memoir, endowing it with a 3.1-inch touchscreen LCD that lets you control everything through an intuitive, widget-based TouchWiz interface. The eight-megapixel bar phone also offers advanced features such as face-, smile-, and blink detection; spot metering; and ISO settings to 1600. Modes include burst, macro, panorama, and Wide Dynamic Range. About $250 (with T-Mobile contract). —AIMEE BALDRIDGE

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LG KC910 Renoir

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S T A T E

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CHECK OUT THE NEW &

DiRECT

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IMAGING SOFTWARE

IMAGING SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS4

O

Photoshop CS4’s capabilities far exceed what was possible with million-dollar workstations just a few years ago. And these other programs? They brilliantly simplify what once took arduous work.

Imagenomic Portraiture 2 This speedy retouching plug-in for Photoshop and Aperture puts a mask on your subject’s face—not the Halloween kind, but an automatic selection that isolates skin tones from the rest of your photograph. The standard setting minimizes blemishes and imparts a pleasing glow to your subject’s complexion. You can further fine-tune smoothness relative to detail size or final print dimensions, and the mask itself can be refined using various tools. About $200. Nik Silver Efex Pro A brilliant black-and-white plug-in for Photoshop and Apple’s Aperture, Silver Efex Pro was recently made

compatible with Adobe Lightroom. It gives you sophisticated yet easy-touse tools for converting your RGB files into monochrome, plus an intuitive alternative to complex masks and selections called U Point: You simply drag pop-up, on-image sliders to adjust brightness, contrast, and local contrast, both in amount and in the size of the area affected. The program’s “grain engine” convincingly mimics silver halide film by essentially rebuilding image detail with an intelligent algorithm. About $200. Alien Skin Blow Up 2 This Photoshop plug-in became our resizing tool of choice after we used it to up-res a 12-megapixel D-SLR file for a 17x22-

n the eve of its 20th anniversary, the world’s most powerful digital imaging program gets a radical new interface that’s easier and faster to use. Adjustment tools that were menu-bound in previous versions are now centralized on an Adjustments panel. With these tools—Levels, Curves, Hue/Saturation, and others—you now actually create or change non-destructive adjustment layers that never affect original pixels. Shown in the Layers panel, they can be stacked, turned on and off, or modified using layer masks. Designers borrowed that idea from the workflow-oriented Lightroom, as they did with CS4’s on-image “click-and-drag” color and tone control and its brush-based local correction of RAW files. There is also a Vibrance adjustment that intensifies hues without distortion. The Dodge and Burn tools are smarter too, altering brightness without affecting color. CS4’s autoblending even lets you increase apparent depth of field by combining pictures taken with different focus settings, while Content-Based Scaling lets you alter a photo’s aspect ratio while preserving the dimensions of important elements—including human figures! About $700.

inch fine-art inkjet print. Compared with Photoshop’s standard bicubic sharpening, Blow Up’s results were cleaner and sharper. Credit that to its vector-based processing algorithm, which rendered smooth edges and no “jaggies.” Blow Up 2 can also remove JPEG artifacts from low-quality originals and add natural-looking texture and grain to really big “enlargements.” There are 100-plus print-size presets, with adjustable sharpening actually based on paper type, as well a Batch tool for resizing dozens of images in a single step. About $250. Apple iPhoto 09 A souped-up version of iPhoto, it has dedicated buttons for upload-

ing pictures to Flickr, Facebook, and Apple MobileMe accounts. Its new Places feature automatically imports data from a GPS-enabled camera or an iPhone so that your library is searchable by place names or an interactive map. Cooler still is Faces, which uses face-detection and face-recognition technology to scan your iPhoto library for pictures of a particular person. You highlight a photo containing the person, click the Name button, and type a name into a pop-up text field. A crop box zeros in on the face, which is saved so that in the future you just click on it to retrieve pictures of that person. About $60 (in iLife 09 suite). —J.B. AND R.H.

OTHER TOP

IMAGING SOFTWARE T BES Y BU

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FINE-ART PRINTERS

FINE-ART PRINTER OF THE YEAR

EPSON STYLUS PRO 7900 he most annoying thing about Epson pro printers has been the need to manually swap out black cartridges whenever you wanted to switch from glossy to matte paper, and back again. That task wasted time and expensive ink. The company’s latest pro printers solve the problem with an extra ink channel. Epson calls it “auto sharing black ink channel technology,” a complicated way of saying that the 24-inch Stylus Pro 7900 (and companion 44-inch SP9900) can simultaneously accommodate photo (glossy) and matte black ink cartridges—and that the printer switches between them on the fly, from sheet to sheet. The ability to switch blacks automatically actually first appeared in the Stylus Pro (continued on page 86)

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HP Designjet Z3200 The nextgeneration HP Designjet Z3200 offers better paper handling, faster print speed, and a larger internal hard drive than its groundbreaking predecessor, HP’s Designjet Z3100. Most notably, though, it introduces a new HP Chromatic Red ink that substantially extends the color gamut of its pigment-based prints. In our tests we found that bright colors printed with excellent saturation and detail, and that skin tones were very natural. Black-and-white output from the Z3200 is outstanding, whether made with a standard profile or the driver’s grayscale option. Either way, or in color, our images were superbly sharp and detailed on all the HP-branded and third-party media we tried. What could be improved? We’d like an extension for the single-sheet paper

feed tray, for better support of large printer if loading paper from the rear. sheets. We’d also like a roll-feeding All in all, though, this is an impressive procedure that’s as simple as the one machine. About $3,500 (24-inch). Canon Pixma for sheet media. Pro9500 Mark II The Z-series roll This secondfeed on either the OTHER TOP generation version 24- or 44-inch of Canon’s first model is not as pigment-based user-friendly as in 13x19-inch printer Epson’s competing is a fairly modest 24- and 44-inch upgrade of the printers, because original, but that it requires a backmeans it’s a terrific bending reachprinter. It uses the over if you try to same archival load the paper Lucia pigment inkfrom the front. (We set, which features were also asked to three grays—light re-feed the roll gray but no light paper a few times.) light gray, with autoAnd you will need matic switching to get behind the

FINE-ART PRINTERS

Canon Pixma Pro9500 Mark II

S T A T E

Can photo-quality inkjet printers really get any better? Epson’s artful new model says yes—and it might just be perfect.

HP Designjet Z3200

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between photo (glossy) and matte black—plus the colors, including red and green, that made its predecessor stand out. While the Pro9500 Mark II does an excellent job with color images, even the color inks contribute to the exceptionally rich, smooth tonality of its black-and-white output. Thousands of nozzles in its replaceable printhead, plus a three-picoliter droplet size and 4800x2800dpi resolution, make prints breathtakingly sharp as well. With front and rear slots, the Mark II is able to handle very heavy papers— over a millimeter thick (front) and/or up to 300gsm (rear). Paper feeding is not the easiest or quickest in its class. And for some reason the new model is slightly slower than the original, though we don’t think that’s a big deal when you’re (continued on page 86)

Epson Stylus Photo R2880

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FefF^eje$YecD[mib[jj[h WdZ:_iYel[hj^[MehbZe\F^eje]hWf^o

Newsletter Features: Don’t miss the Photo Tip of the Week, an exclusive feature for our newsletter subscribers.

Check out our feature, Daily Photo Critique, where PopPhoto.com editors will critique photos that you submit. You can read full critiques here.

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ONLINE HOME OF POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY AND AMERICAN PHOTO

© GJON MILI/LIFE

PORT FOL IO ARCHIVE OF INSPIRATION

J U LY / A U G U S T

2009

With the help of LIFE.com, a new website featuring classic imagery from LIFE magazine, American Photo has uncovered a number of images from many of the greatest photographers of the 20th century, none of which has been published before. We invite you to browse through a stunning piece of photographic history.

Models wearing hats, New York, circa 1947, by Gjon Mili

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© GEORGE STROCK/LIFE

Satchel Paige, 1941, by George Strock

Max Kalish working on a statue of Senator Harry S. Truman, 1944, by George Skadding

I

t started as a humor magazine founded by Harvard alumni, but in the mid-1930s Henry Luce acquired the name for $92,000. When it was launched as a weekly photography magazine on November 23, 1936, it changed the way people saw the world. LIFE magazine was born at a time when photographers equipped with small, portable cameras were able to present to Americans the great leaders and great events of their time, as well as the everyday world populated with common people, who were revealed as anything but common in the magazine’s pages. The photographers who shot for the magazine—Margaret Bourke-White, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Peter Stackpole, and Carl Mydans in the early

© GEORGE SKADDING/LIFE

P O R T F O L I O

© ALFRED EISENSTAEDT/LIFE

“Ladies Outside” rule, Garden City Golf Club, New York, 1936, by Alfred Eisenstaedt

Even as the age of print fades, it is thrilling to view work that defined photography in the 20th century. Text by David Schonauer

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© HANS WILD/LIFE

P O R T F O L I O

Gas-attack preparations test in London, 1941, by Hans Wild

Cowboy at the Matador Ranch, Texas, 1940, by Hansel Mieth

days, Hansel Mieth, Gjon Mili, Leonard McCombe, George Silk, Andreas Feininger, Loomis Dean, Gordon Parks, and so many others over the years—continually redrew the boundaries of image making. The magazine ceased publication as a weekly in 1972, a victim of television and the economics of mass publication. From 1978 until 2000 it was published as a monthly, never with its original cultural vitality. Throughout much of that time, the magazine’s archive languished in metal file cabinets in the basement of the Time-Life Building in Manhattan. Later they were moved to safer storage facilities, and since 2006 some seven million of the images have been digitized. And that brings us to the latest chapter in the long life of LIFE. On March 31, much of that material, long buried, became available to viewers once again on a new website, LIFE.com. The site will be a deep and satisfying resource for both photo historians and photographers. It may ultimately be even more important for younger generations of photographers: An understanding of photography today—from documentary to portraiture to fine-art—would be incomplete without an understanding of how LIFE shaped the art. For everyone, the new site offers some wonderful surprises. About 97 percent of the images in the LIFE archive were never published and essentially never seen. In this exclusive portfolio we highlight some of those treasures. It’s a legacy we can now all share.

G

rafting the DNA of the quintessential 20th-century American magazine onto a 21st-century medium is something of a genetic experiment. The new website is more than a trip down memory lane: It is being produced in partnership with Getty Images, which supplies a steady stream of up-to-the- (continued on page 65)

© HANSEL MIETH/LIFE

97 percent of the images in the LIFE archive were never published.

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Margot Fonteyn at the Covent Garden Royal Opera House, London, 1946, by David E. Scherman

© DAVID E. SCHERMAN/LIFE

Swimming pool in Las Vegas, 1955, by Loomis Dean

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© LOOMIS DEAN/LIFE

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© MARGARET BOURKE-WHITE/LIFE

A wealthy Indian moneylender at home, 1946, by Margaret Bourke-White

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he magazine itself became an icon, the ultimate symbol of media power, its reporters and photographers demanding and getting access to the high and mighty. The still photograph never had a more profound platform than the one LIFE provided by applying ink to paper. Now its images are available in the form of electrons. It is worth noting that the magazine itself was born as a result of technological changes akin to the evolution we are seeing today. The halftone printing process, which came into use in the 1890s, allowed illustrated magazines of the era to easily publish photographs. In her World History of Photography, Naomi Rosenblum finds a turning point after the turn of the century, when editors began to send out photographers with smaller, lighter cameras than those used during the American Civil War and the Crimean War to cover stories of national interest—what The Illustrated American called “the picturesque chronicling of contemporaneous history.” European publications like Berliner Illustri(continued on page 73) erte Zeitung often popphoto.com

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New York “browns out” as defense against enemy attack, 1943, by Andreas Feininger

© ANDREAS FEININGER/LIFE

(continued from page 60) minute imagery from photographers around the globe, along with archival material of its own. A slick interface allows viewers to search for contemporary images in a number of categories, from news and sports to celebrities and pets. For viewers of a certain age, however, the main attraction will be the ability to sift through the grandeur of LIFE. The archive serves as a visual reminder of the particular way LIFE looked at the world. LIFE photographers and editors had an uncanny ability to humanize the world’s big and little issues. The world they captured was big, sometimes exotic and sometimes corny, but always rationally composed and emotionally vibrant. It was a world that could be understood as a narrative—an encompassing and reassuring story told in words but mostly with pictures. Above all, LIFE’s perspective was immutable: The magazine was unmistakably American in its values at a time when America’s values seemed unmistakable.

A circus vet treats an orangutan, 1951, by Francis Miller

© FRANCIS MILLER/LIFE

The magazine humanized big and little issues.

66 © ALFRED EISENSTAEDT/LIFE

were thousands of “ There people milling around, in side streets and everywhere,” recalled Alfred Eisenstaedt of his most famous image. “Everybody was kissing each other…And there was also a Navy man running, grabbing

anybody, you know, kissing…I had Leica cameras… focused from 10 feet to infinity…I didn’t even know what was going on, until he grabbed something in white. And I stood there, and they kissed. I snapped five times.”

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© CORNELL CAPA/LIFE

A poster at Madison Square Garden, 1953, by Cornell Capa

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© CARL MYDANS/LIFE

The Dublin Horse Show, 1954, by Carl Mydans

U.S. Marine Jesse Goin at Kwajalein Atoll, the Marshall Islands, 1944, by George Strock

© GEORGE STROCK/LIFE

A nursery for children of factory workers in France, 1949, by Nat Farbman

© NAT FARBMAN/LIFE

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© LISA LARSEN/LIFE

isa Larsen was one of the overlooked masters of LIFE magazine—the first American journalist to report from Outer Mongolia during the Cold War; the vice president of the United States, Alben Barkley, posed for her in his pajamas; and Ho Chi Minh, whom she was photographing, told her, “If I were a young man, I’d be in love with you.” Larsen proved she wasn’t

L ICON

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a bad wedding photographer, either, when she covered the nuptuals of Jacqueline Lee Bouvier and Congressman John F. Kennedy. The wedding took place at St. Mary’s Church in Newport, Rhode Island, with a reception following at Hammersmith Farm, the childhood home of the bride. Larsen worked her way through the lavish event, from lun-

cheon through cake, but in one instant she caught new Mrs. Kennedy in perfect composition—not just a bride, but the princess bride. A little more than 10 years later, President Kennedy would be assassinated. Larsen did not live to see that tragedy. In 1957 she was treated for breast cancer. Her cancer later returned, however, and in 1959 she died, at age 34.

© MARGARET BOURKE-WHITE/LIFE

“Famine,” 1946, by George Silk

A pro-French sign in Algeria, 1958, by Loomis Dean

© LOOMIS DEAN/LIFE

© GEORGE SILK/LIFE

A Spanish Loyalist girl whose home was bombed, Barcelona, 1939, by Margaret Bourke-White

Here: “Heff’s” drive-in, Corpus Christi, Texas, 1940, by John Phillips. Below: Rolls-Royce Owners Club, Montreal, 1958, by Walker Evans.

© JOHN PHILLIPS/LIFE

W © WALKER EVANS/LIFE

(continued from page 65) led the way. At first little thought was given to layout or pacing. Later, editors like Stefan Lorant of the Muncher Illustrierte Presse (MIP) injected dynamic pacing and picture selection. By 1928 a 42-year-old German lawyerturned-businessman-turned-photographer named Erich Salomon began using a small plate camera with a fast lens, the Ermanox, to photograph scenes in low-light conditions. Often, his subjects were unaware he was shooting. The Leica, introduced in 1925, allowed photographers to shoot with convenient 35mm roll film. These technologies unleashed the creativity of a new generation of photographers such as Alfred Eisenstaedt—then a photojournalist with Associated Press in Germany.

hen Henry Luce launched LIFE, after the success of his earlier publications, Time and Fortune, the magazine could be seen as the culmination of all these earlier developments. Its success led to other American photo magazines, such as Look and Holiday, as well as European magazines like Paris Match. The golden age of all these publications encompassed the most important stories of the 20th century—the Great Depression and World War II—and LIFE’s photographers met the challenge with profound imagery. The cultural impact of still photography was unmatchable. By the 1950s, however, television was bringing the living, moving world into living rooms. TV spoke loudly, while print journals lay quietly on coffee tables.

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© DMITRI KESSEL/LIFE

Jaguar in Brazil, 1959, by Dmitri Kessel

The social upheaval of the 1960s seemed to stand the Americanism of LIFE on its head. (Ironically, the magazine reached a journalistic high point in its coverage of the Vietnam War, featuring work by photographers like Larry Burrows, whose 1965 “Yankee Papa 13” essay about the mission of one American helicopter crew on a dangerous mission remains a touchstone of photography.) New magazines like Twen in Germany and Playboy in America captured the cultural and sexual revolutions of the time. The glamour of Margaret Bourke-White, a globe-trotting photojournalist, gave way to the glamour of Thomas, the swinging fashion photographer of the movie Blow-Up.

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Rainy day in France, 1948, by Yale Joel

© YALE JOEL/LIFE

IFE’s demise as a weekly in 1972 had as much to do with economic factors of mass circulation as it did with culture issues. Photography of the kind that LIFE invented continued to thrive throughout the 1980s and 1990s in magazines like Vanity Fair, the New York Times Magazine, and eventually even the New Yorker.

© LEONARD MCCOMBE/LIFE

An artist painting in Central Park, 1961, by Leonard McCombe

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© GJON MILI/LIFE

Sammy Davis, Jr. in the film Porgy and Bess, 1959, by Gjon Mili

Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, 1951, by Margaret Bourke-White

© MARGARET BOURKE-WHITE/LIFE

These days, of course, it seems that all print is being threatened by economic, technological, and cultural change. Newspapers have fared the worst, so far, with closings and bankruptcies becoming more and more common. A number of magazines have also disappeared, while disheartened publishers wonder if there is a role for print in the future.

© GORDON PARKS/LIFE

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ertainly there are those who lament the passing of print and what it represented to photography—meaningful graphic design, careful editing and pacing, thoughtful perspective—just as there were those who once lamented the passing of LIFE as a weekly, and then a monthly. The virtues of new media—timeliness, archival

Alberto Giacometti in his Paris studio, 1952, by Gordon Parks

P O R T F O L I O

searchability, easy distribution—are stunning. Perhaps, given the pace of technological change, it isn’t even worth considering what has been and will be lost for photography in a world without print. But it is worth exploring LIFE’s new online archive, especially for those who never held the magazine in their hands. John Loengard, a former director of photography of LIFE and perhaps the preeminent historian of the magazine, says simply, “What surprises me about LIFE. com is that a well-edited still photograph accompanied by well-chosen words can still be telling about contemporary events and revealing about the past. You contemplate for a moment what you see. In a day of whizzing film clips, it stands out.” N popphoto.com

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© CARL MYDANS/LIFE

Lisa Larsen

Yale Joel 1919–2006 He began his photo career at age 19, covered the fighting in Italy during World War II, then came back to the U.S. and spent the next 25 years shooting for LIFE around the world.

Nat Farbman 1907–1988 He came from Poland at age four and took up photography while studying electrical engineering in college. During his 15-year career at LIFE he was known for his versatility.

Dmitri Kessel 1902–1995 Arriving in America in 1923 after having served in the Russian army in World War I, he eventually roamed the globe shooting news stories and essays.

Andreas Feininger 1906–1999 A former architecture student, he was noted for his interest in photographing things, not people. His work was incisive: “Realism and surrealism is what I am after,” he said.

Lisa Larsen 1925–1959 The German-born photographer once received flowers from Soviet ruler Nikita Khrushchev—no wonder she was known as the “Glamour Girl” of press photography.

BEHIND THE CAMERA

22 Legends of LIFE 78

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Nat Farbman

Yale Joel

© LIFE

© EDWARD FORMAN/COURTESY OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Loomis Dean 1917–2005 Before starting at LIFE in 1947, he sold Bibles and worked for Ringling Bros. circus. “[We] set off to con people into all sorts of things Walker Evans they didn’t want to do,” he said of his LIFE work.

Walker Evans 1903–1975 The product of a wealthy East Coast family, he earned fame shooting sharecroppers in the South. He worked frequently for Henry Luce’s magazines.

Leonard McCombe 1923Born in England, McCombe grabbed the attention of LIFE editors with his war coverage and started at the magazine in 1945, at age 22.

Andreas Feininger

Hansel Mieth 1909–1998 As a teenager, she and boyfriend Otto Hagel fled to America when Hitler rose to © LIFE

Cornell Capa 1918–2008 Kornel Friedmann followed his older brother, Robert, by changing his name and becoming a photographer. He later changed the art forever by founding the International Center of Photography.

Dmitri Kessel

© HARRY REDL/LIFE

Loomis Dean

Margaret Bourke-White 1904–1971 Shot the first cover of LIFE; first woman photographer in World War II; first woman authorized to fly on a combat mission; last person to interview Mahatma Gandhi.

Alfred Eisenstaedt 1898–1995 He gave up selling buttons to become a photographer and ended up as one of LIFE’s original staffers. “I see pictures all the time,” he said. “I could stay for hours and watch a raindrop.”

© NAT FARBMAN/LIFE

© ALFRED EISENSTAEDT/ LIFE

Cornell Capa

Margaret Bourke-White

© LIFE

© ALFRED EISENSTAEDT/LIFE

Alfred Eisenstaedt

© RODNEY WILLIAMS/LIFE

THE PHOTOGRAPHERS

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© LIFE

Leonard McCombe

Hans Wild

© HANK WALKER/ LIFE

Francis Miller

power, and both became famous LIFE photographers, marrying only to appease the magazine’s editors.

© GEORGE SILK/ LIFE

Gordon Parks 1912–2006 The youngest of 15 children, he overcame poverty and racism to become a noted photographer, writer, musician, and film director. He shot street gangs and the streets of Paris with grace.

George Silk 1916–2004 Born in New Zealand, he served in World War II with the Australian army, which tried to suppress a photo he shot of a blinded soldier. LIFE printed it, and he stayed on with the magazine.

John Phillips 1914–1996 Born in Algeria, he was best known for his coverage of World War II for LIFE. He once rented a car and put swastikas on the side to enter Nazi-occupied Austria. © LIFE

George Silk Gjon Mili

Hans Wild 1914–1969 A onetime bookkeeper, he started by working in the darkroom of LIFE’s London office, but during the devastating Nazi bombing of the city he took to the streets to document the destruction.

P O R T F O L I O

© ALFRED EISENSTAEDT/ LIFE

© LIFE

popphoto.com

George Strock

George Skadding 1905–1976 Covering the White House, he often shot Harry Truman in casual moments. In 1944 he was kicked off an official tour for publishing a photo that made Franklin D. Roosevelt look haggard. George Strock 1911–1977 His photo of three dead American soldiers in the South Pacific ran afoul of censors. FDR himself allowed the picture to be published.

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David E. Scherman

© LIFE

© LIFE

John Phillips

Hansel Mieth

David E. Scherman 1916–1997 Traveling with his lover, the model and photographer Lee Miller, he traipsed through Europe in World War II, famously photographing Miller in Hitler’s bathtub. He later became a LIFE editor.

© CARL MYDANS

Gjon Mili 1904–1984 Raised in Romania, he studied at MIT and in 1937 met Dr. Harold Edgerton, who introduced him to the stroboscopic lighting technique he would use so creatively. George Skadding Francis Miller 1905–1973 Best known for his utterly clandestine photography, Miller often concealed cameras in cigarette cases, neckties, and hollowed-out books.

Carl Mydans 1907–2004 He and his wife, Shelley, a LIFE reporter, were captured by Japanese forces in the Philippines. Both were freed in a prisoner exchange; Mydans continued his war work in Italy and the Pacific.

© HANSEL MIETH/ LIFE

Carl Mydans

© DENNIS SCANLAN/ LIFE

© ALFRED EISENSTAEDT/ LIFE

Gordon Parks

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ROGER BALL EN (continued from page 24) way. I don’t see any point in being introspective and not being able to express it. AP You seem extremely concerned with mark-making. Not only the marks in front of you on the walls and windows and doors of the photographs, but the photographs themselves. The camera-mounted flash flattens everything in front of the camera— hands and feet, kittens and birds, branches, wire, mattresses and scribbles on the wall— to a highly potent and outlined gesture. There also seems to be an element of collaboration going on between you and the people in your photographs. RB There is a small measure of collaboration with the people. But don’t ever underestimate the animals. They play a large role in my photography, and even I am not quite sure what they represent. The metaphor or symbolism of an animal is quite different from that of a human being. Animals have endless mythology and metaphor wrapped up with them. There are probably more animals than humans in my photographs. AP It doesn’t seem like you’re working with any particular cultural mythology in your work. Are you creating your own mythology? RB The pictures are of a psychological culture, a Jungian culture, if you will. It is difficult trying to define my work because I feel like I’m trying to define myself. Perhaps a poetic way of putting it is that I’m trying to define and place where one’s dreams are coming from. It’s a hard place to get to, honestly. It has taken me many years to get to that place and to define it visually. AP You allow the imagination to play in an unguided way, yet the structure of the images is so refined. It’s a nice balance between structure and total freedom. RB I feel that I’ve got to provide the road for the viewer to travel. That’s why I don’t like

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I N S I D E

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www.adorama.com www.adorama.com most photography I see—because it’s compositionally chaotic. My job is to get you on the right road. I want to put you in that particular place, the one I was in when I was photographing. I want to immerse you in that photograph. I’m not going to let you sort of sit outside the photograph and figure out what it’s about. I’m going to put it right in your stomach for you. AP What about the humor in the work? RB All my work over the last 10 to 15 years has black humor to it. It’s funny, but there is an element of tragedy and disturbance mixed in with the comedy. There are a lot of opposites in the work. For example, the places that I’ve been photographing in, from a content point of view, are extremely chaotic but, as you mentioned, the photographs are well managed and well composed. This creates a tension that I like. AP There’s also a certain stability that comes about through the square format. You provide a very stable place for all of the chaos. RB Nothing is a more stable form than a square or cube. AP Let’s talk specifically about the work in Boarding House. Are you shooting in the same physical locales as in the previous work, or are you in new locations? RB Boarding House is mostly from another location, another place entirely. This new place inspired me and partly led me to create these images. I guess I was ready to be led there. AP And tell me about your relationship to black and white. Have you ever done some of this work in color? RB I can’t separate this work from black and white because I don’t think in color. I’m 58 years old, and I’ve been doing black and white since I was five years old. I don’t really like color. I like color paintings, but color pictures give you a wrong impression about reality. Most people think the camera is a factual instrument to duplicate reality, or objectify reality in some way, which is completely wrong! A color photograph leads you to believe that whatever you’re seeing is the real color, when in reality it’s photographic color. In very few cases, artists can manipulate color to create meaning the way a painter does. But with painting we never start with the assumption that reality is being duplicated. What worries me about color is that there is something artificial about it, but it won’t admit to its artificiality. ■

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BOBBY MODEL do to help (continued from page 32) people with his camera. He had an eye for the aesthetics of extreme human conditions and was getting an increasing number of magazine assignments. In 2006, the National Geographic Society named him one of seven Emerging Explorers, a prestigious award. But there were always reminders of how delicately balanced life is. In 2006, Model learned that his rock-climbing mentor, Todd Skinner, had been killed in a fall in Yosemite National Park. In June 2007, Model returned to Africa with ideas for new projects. He intended to go into the bleakest parts of Nairobi and take pictures of people who were surviving against great odds—not the kind of survival that he knew from mountaineering but the kind that comes from persevering against poverty and misfortune. He was inspired by people who triumphed through inventiveness—those in Nairobi ghettoes who could, for example, turn leftover pieces of wire into lightbulbs. That month he met up with Faith in South Africa. One afternoon they were riding in a Nissan twin-cab pickup truck, going from the picturesque city of Stellenbosch to Scarborough, a suburb of Cape Town. This stretch of beach road is officially called Baden Powell Drive, but locals have dubbed it “N2 Hell Run” because it passes by some of the region’s most notorious and dangerous slums. Faith was driving through a hard rain when a melon-sized piece of concrete crashed through the windshield. The untempered glass in the vehicle blew apart, and the concrete slammed into the right side of Model’s skull. The road was known for such random attacks, after which the victims were often robbed of anything of value; the year before, a driver had been killed on the N2 Hell Run, but the culprits were never found. Within a few hours of the attack, Model was on an operating table at Vergelegen

“A LESSER PERSON WOULD HAVE GIVEN UP.” 84

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Medi-Clinic in Somerset West, east of Cape Town. He was in a coma, and doctors gave him virtually no chance of surviving. The greatest threat was the buildup of fluids inside his skull, but what saved him was the nature of his injury: The concrete had broken open a hole in Model’s head when it had hit him, relieving the pressure on his brain.

T

he doctors kept Model alive, but he emerged from several operations with severe brain trauma and no prognosis for any kind of significant recovery. Faith refused to accept this. As a youngster, she’d watched her brother build complicated dogsleds and sit in a library for 12 hours straight, despite his dyslexia, pursuing one of his interests. She’d heard what he’d gone through on Trango Tower. On July 4, Model was transported to New York City’s Mount Sinai Hospital. He had one major surgery for a brain infection and another to transfer a piece of his skull from the left side of his head to the hole that had been made in the right side. He remained semi-comatose for months, but he showed small signs of progress. In October 2007, Model was taken to an acute care hospital in Denver, and two months later he was transferred to the city’s Craig Hospital, a world-renowned rehabilitation facility specializing in spinal cord injuries and brain trauma. A bedsore he’d developed flying from Africa to New York City now put him into septic shock and he was again near death, but, after another surgery, he pulled through. In March 2008, he nearly died after a shunt designed to drain fluid from his brain stopped working. Recovering, he wrote a note to his family: “Bobby is here.” It was a turning point, and by April he was strong enough to start rehab. Last July, he left Craig and moved into a Denver home fitted for disabled people. His sister, mother, and father rotated coming to Denver, staying with him and charting his progress, as he began to form words with his lips and whisper or nod yes or no. Parts of his memory were returning. He started writing on a pad and drawing images, and then began swimming in a pool at Craig. By the fall of 2008, he was taking a step or two out of his wheelchair with the help of a walker. “When Bobby used to talk about getting seriously injured on one of his adventures,” says his photo assistant Sharon Miller, “he said that he’d want somebody to pull the plug on him so he could die, but this isn’t at all what’s occurred now. He could have checked

out at any time in the past 18 months, but he’s kept fighting tooth and nail to stay alive. I really think he’s in control of what’s happening to him and what will happen next.”

I

n June 2008, a selection of Model’s photography was presented at Look3 Festival of the Photograph in Charlottesville, Virginia. Bobby said he was honored, but wished he’d been able to attend. In the past, he’d never gone anywhere without a camera or two. Rehabbing in Denver, he began gravitating toward his equipment, holding his cameras and feeling their familiar surfaces. His shooting eye, the left, was undamaged, and by mid-2008 he was starting to take pictures again from the back porch of his home. “Photography is like a muscle memory,” says Faith. “His fingers know exactly how to find the shutter button on each camera.”

B

obby Model sleeps in a room off the back porch of his Denver home on an expensive, mechanized mattress. Years ago, he’d prepared himself for a medical disaster by having an excellent health insurance policy. (His mother says she now realizes how troublesome the American health care system is for those with major problems and how few resources are devoted to people with disabilities.) In his Denver bedroom, Model displays only one of his pictures, an enlarged 2004 black-and-white image of a Baltistan porter alone on the Baltoro Glacier, facing Mecca as he starts his evening prayers. Hands at his sides, the man has slipped out of his tennis shoes and stands on a prayer rug, gazing out toward the jagged, cloudcovered mountains. The solitary figure dominates this harsh landscape, looking lonely and almost overwhelmed, yet determined and prepared as he stares out into the unknown. The photo captures an individual ready to engage in a sincere act of humility and faith. “A very important part of Bobby is revealed in that photograph,” says his mother, as she walks into her son’s bedroom and studies the image of the porter. “What I find amazing is that Bobby isn’t unhappy with the situation he’s now in, or at least he doesn’t express that unhappiness to us.” “A lesser person,” says his father, Bob Model, senior, “would have given up long ago. Bobby was always looking for the next challenge, and now his challenge is to live and discover what will define the next part of his life.” N

LENSES (continued from page 49) Nikon PC-E Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D Perspective-control lenses are more useful than ever: Mount one on a high-res D-SLR and you access not just view camera-style image-control movements but also a good measure of the big camera’s image quality, with much greater ease of use. This manual-focus PC lens is optically and mechanically similar to the 85mm PC Micro-Nikkor released a few years ago, but it offers one very important improvement: automatic diaphragm control. If you’re shooting with Nikon D3X, D3, D700, or D300 D-SLRs, you no longer have to manually stop the lens down before shooting. (That step was easy to forget, and its omission could result in serious overexposure.) As before, this lens combines its tilts and shifts with macro focusing. Aside from exacting control over sharpness and linear perspective, that combination lends itself to interesting out-of-focus effects not just with architectural subjects but in still lifes too. Sort of like a very expensive Lensbaby! About $1,750.

Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4-5.6 Last year’s top lens honors went to the Olympus 7-14mm f/4, a gorgeous but costly chunk of glass. This wide-angle ED zoom could be the next best thing for Four Thirds-format photographers, and is even a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than the less-wide (though faster) Zuiko 11-22mm f/2.8-3.5. It is the equivalent, in 35mm, of 1836mm, more or less the classic wide-angle zoom range. While that’s not quite as wide as the 16mm or 17mm starting focal lengths of current 35mm zooms, it is several degrees wider than the angular coverage produced by the 10mm or 11mm starting focal lengths of competing Four Thirds lenses. The 9-18mm is light and compact, with a relatively small variable maximum aperture—yet is sharp from corner to corner, with minimal vignetting. Fortunately, sensor-based image stabilization lets you safely compensate for the smaller f-stop by setting slower shutter speeds. About $540. Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED In a world of 10X, 12X, and now 15X zooms for interchangeable-lens D-SLRs, a 2.4X magnification range seems paltry. Yet in wide-angle territory a mere millimeter makes a real difference in angle of view. Nikon’s digitalonly 10-24mm offers focal lengths that are equivalent, in 35mm terms, to 15-36mm—six or seven degrees wider than the company’s 1735mm for 35mm and full-frame D-SLRs. And while even the best pro-level wide zooms can be softer than you’d expect, the new Nikon is crisp throughout, due in part to two ED and three aspherical elements among its total of 14. A variable aperture and internal focusing keep the 1024mm compact, SWM autofocus keeps it quiet, and its closest focusing distance of under ten inches allows you to create dramatic near-far effects. About $900. — R.H.

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FINE-ART PRINTERS EPSON STYLUS PRO 7900 (continued from page 55) 3800, a scaleddown 17-inch model, and in the massive 64-inch SP11880. Those models use an inkset called Ultrachrome K3 with Vivid Magenta, which required eight and nine channels respectively. But the two newest pro models use an inkset dubbed Ultrachrome HDR, for high dynamic range, which features new orange and green inks, for a total of ten channels. (There’s an eleventh cartridge slot for the black not in use.) The green and orange inks are designed to further expand the color gamut of prints, and on paper (so to speak) they do. Whether the overall improvement is visible or not, the green and orange inks can make a real difference in the rendition of skin tones because both contain a measure of yellow, an inkjet nemesis. There are other improvements: New heads and better dithering algorithms deliver even greater dot consistency, though only the most practiced eye will notice. Print speed has essentially doubled. Paper loading is greatly simplified—made painless compared to the competition’s with a new, spindle-free system. The printers’ front panel now has a color LCD that makes ink information easier to read, and controls are less confusing. You can even get an add-on X-Rite spectrophotometer, an option aimed at the built-in one on HP’s Z-series printers. Last but certainly not least, you can mix and match cartridge sizes, including new high-capacity 350ml and 700ml ones, for better ink economy—and serious sticker shock! About $4,000.

OTHER TOP FINE-ART PRINTERS (continued from page 55) printing at this level of quality. Besides, if you’re using Windows Vista, the Canon software even has an ambientlight adjustment feature that fine-tunes color to suit your anticipated illumination. About $800. Epson Stylus Photo R2880 We loved the 13-inch Epson Stylus Photo R2400, but it drank ink like water and never seemed as well-built as Epson’s pro models (though lots of pros were and still are using it). The SP R2880 addresses those issues, and then some. It uses Epson’s UltraChrome K3 inkset—yes, the one with Vivid Magentas—and as a result improves the rendition of purplish colors and smooths transitions in hue. The R2880 still requires wasteful manual swapping of matte and photo black inks, a problem fixed in at least four of Epson’s newer printers. It seems a shame to burden a 13x19 printer—one likely to be used as much by serious amateurs as pros— with this shortcoming. A printer this size is in fact the perfect tool with which to experiment with different media, from so-called baryta paper to heavy, raggy stocks, some of which will require matte black and others glossy black. The Stylus Photo R2880 invites that kind of experimentation with its ability to handle both thick sheets and roll paper. Bitching aside, though, the R2880 makes gorgeous prints. About $700. —MARVIN GOOD AND ANDREW DARLOW

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McNally’s evocative portrait was shot with a Nikon D3, 14-24mm zoom, and SB-900 strobe, as shown in his sketch below.

ON E LIGHT STAND HOW TO SHOOT WITH A SINGLE FLASH

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hotographers love seedy motels. Lots of character, usually a bit of neon, rooms with an if-these-walls-could-talk kind of disrepute. Great photographic fodder. And there are always rooms on the ground floor. Perfect for the light-in-the-parking-lot approach. This is simple stuff nowadays. I moved a Nikon Speedlight SB-900 about 30 feet away from the window and gelled it warm, so it would not be screamin’ white light in the midst of a bunch of fairly warm sources, all of which I’m blending into the exposure. The D3 (with a 1424mm lens set to 24mm) is doing the heavy lifting for me here. It is looking both inside and outside the window, seeking exposure zones. It reads (no surprise here) the world as being dark, so I countermand the impulse to go bright by programming in –1.3 EV. I don’t want daylight here, or medium gray. I want dark. I also want a wet parking lot. The SB-900 is comfortably

ensconced inside a Ziploc baggie, as it is pouring outside. I couldn’t have ordered this up better from Noir Films central casting. In the movies, the streets in night scenes are often glistening and wet, which increases reflections and light pickup off

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Excerpted from The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes (New Riders, $40), by Joe McNally.

© JOE MCNALLY

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the pavement. I didn’t have a water truck in my budget on this shoot, so I left it to fate and got lucky with rain. The raindrops on the window give that scattering of light and shadow over Risa’s face, which is not something I thought about up front, but which I loved instantly when I saw it—and, of course, I would tell any editor who asked that I planned it that way. The neon burns its way into the exposure, being the brightest thing in the frame, and I told Risa to look out the window like she was hidin’ from a no-good man. The light catches her face and, being pretty punchy, throws a really clean, hard cheek shadow, and gives her face some drama and edge. The lesson: On a rainy night in a cheap motel, umbrellas are just for the rain. —JOE MCNALLY

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