My current camera, the new full-frame Nikon D3, is quite simply amazing. Since it is virtually noise-free up to ISO 800, and acceptable for many types of shooting at ISO 1600 and even beyond, it truly changes the way you approach your image-making. Combining it with the new 14-24mm F2.8, and the 24-70mm F2.8, I can now do most of my assignments with just 3 lenses (the third lens is a 70-200mm F2.8, plus I also carry a TC-14). For certain assignments, I also bring my long glass– 300mm and 500mm f4, my 200mm f4 micro, extra pods and ancillary mounts.

Shortly after I wrote the paragraphs that follow, I had the opportunity to shoot a digital assignment, and time passes so quickly that only recently have I realized I have not shot film of any size in about 4 years. I was going to remove the following paragraphs, but thought better of it. I was one of the last converts to digital, and now can't imagine shooting film again. I love having control over the entire process, and going digital has forced me to understand my craft more thoroughly than I ever did, or needed to, in the analog world.

(The following paragraphs were written almost 5 years ago, when I was fairly certain I would not be a full-time convert to digital!)

In the 35mm analog world I have used Leica, Exacta, Petri, Pentax, Canon, Minolta, Contax and Olympus, but my system of choice since 1967 has been Nikon. I started with the F body, and have followed it through all of its permutations to today’s superb F5, arguably the most reliable, accurate, and durable camera body made. Could it be improved on? You win the bet again. The body is designed for right-eyed folks with small hands. Yours truly is left-eyed with big paws. Over the years, I’ve become very adept at changing auto-focus zones with my nose, and AE and AF locks are all but useless to me. Perhaps a transplant to a smaller right thumb would be in order, when medical science catches up. My 23 lenses start at 14mm and end at 600mm, include 4 tel-extenders and 4 zooms: 17-35mm, 28-70mm, 70-200 VR, and the DX12-24mm.

Why so many extenders? The image in the "People" gallery entitled “Coming Home” was shot with a 600mm lens and 3 extenders combined (TC-14, TC-200, and TC-300) making the effective final focal length 3,360mm. The three hikers are almost one mile away from me. Lots of glass, and still very sharp. If you try this kind of image, promise me you will not look directly at the sun. It is hard to resist, but if you do happen to look directly at the sun, you will have little or no vision in part of your eye for quite a while, perhaps permanently. Be extremely careful. It also helps if you use 2 tripods, as you can see here.

Two Tripods		Coming Home

In the 6 x 7cm world, I have two favorite systems: the Mamiya RZ and the Pentax 67II. I use the RZ when using lights and need a higher sync speed (love the glass and rotating backs, wish the rectilinear lenses went wider than 50mm), and for my outdoor landscape-type work I love the Pentax. It takes a good week of practice to learn to load it quickly (especially in a helicopter with the door off in the wintertime), but once mastered the camera system is terrific. The Pentax glass is sharp (I use 7 lenses regularly, 45mm to 300mm, and rent longer up to 800mm) and not so contrasty that shadow detail disappears. I use a custom-made 4” filter system that permits 5 filters (grads, warming, cooling, polarizers, etc.) to be used on a 45mm lens with no vignetting. The same system works on 4x5 with lenses as wide as 58mm.

An Arca Swiss F-metric anchors the large format system, with 8 lenses from 58mm-500mm (all Nikon, except the 58mm Schneider). The camera is precise, durable, quick to set up and breakdown, and, in combination with a Reis tripod, a joy to use. While I use Fuji Quickloads and Kodak Readyloads as much as possible, a Horseman 612 back is still one of my favorite film formats. 2:1 is a most satisfying aspect ratio.

		While so much of our industry is going digital, I still love, and will for a long while, certain aspects of film. Fuji’s RDP-III is amazingly sharp. So is Kodak’s Tmax of all speeds, and I believe I will always love Tri-X. First loves are hard to forget. I recently shot a skyline (see Scapes – Rosslyn) for a client on 6x7cm RDP-III, planning on making a 60” print as final use. Last week I hung a 42” x 120” print. Scanned on my Imacon 848 and up-resed in Photoshop CS to 120” at 150ppi. Looks great, even at a viewing distance of 4 feet.
Rosslyn, VA Skyline

Another image in the Scapes gallery has gone even larger. “The Way We Were” was used as a background for Malcolm Forbes Toy Boat exhibit while I was at the National Geographic, and the final print size was 10 feet by 50 feet! The sailboat in the photograph was almost 5 feet high in the final print. 8 x 10 in. Internegs, 7 of them, were made lengthwise from the original (35mm Kodachrome 64), and the final print panelized and seamed. To my knowledge, it is still the longest print made at the Geographic from a 35mm original. More to come. Check back.
		The Way We Were

Links | Photography Resouces

Education | Professional
The DAM Book - How to think about your Digital Assets (files) and their Management. This book is my bible– it'll be yours, too.
DAM Useful - Great script that saves Photoshop CS2/CS3 Bridge ratings for use by your DAM software (e.g., iView), and much more.
Lynda.com - Extraordinary online learning library for use anytime, anywhere. For your questions at midnight, and all other hours, too.
NAPP - National Association of Photoshop Professionals.
One Look Dictionary - The best dictionary/ies on the web.
ASMP - American Society of Media Photographers.
Washington DC Chapter - My chapter of the above.
APA - Advertising Photographers of America.

Weather | Astronomy | Maps
US Weather - Lots of data, quickly, including twilight, sunrise and sunset times, even if stuck on a slow dial-up. Just enter the Zip and go.
Accuweather - I recommend the paid site for the 15-day forecast tools, the ability to look hour by hour, and tons more.
Visual Satellite Imagery - Great visual satellite imagery.
Aviation Digital Data service - Great visual satellite imagery as well, alternate site to the above.
SunPath - THE best program for all sun location planning information! Great printout.
Planetarium Software for the PALM OS - Sun/moon position, plus lots more.
Topozone - Incredibly useful topographic maps of the entire US.

Workshops
Blue Ridge Workshops - A new venture by great teacher Elliott Stern, long-time Nikon rep and friend to many of us in the mid-Atlantic. Learn from the guy who taught me digital! I'll be giving a series of three lectures at the Workshop this fall and next winter. Come on down!

Labs
Capital Color - Was simply... the best E-6 lab. Period.
Black and White - Gary Putnam is a master printer.

Camera Gear | Misc. stuff you use all the time
Really Right Stuff - The best tripod plates (particularly the L-plates), panorama and specialty gear.
Wimberly Tripod Heads - Gimbal-type tripod head for long lenses and lots more.
Singh-Ray Filters - Filters of all kinds, including custom.
Suunto Watches and Compasses - The best you can use and wear.
Little Giant Ladders - The best, strongest, safest, most flexible ladder anywhere, with the most useful accessories.

Printing Supplies
Shipping Tubes - Tubes for shipping large prints.

Computer | Digital
Mac Business Solutions - All things Macintosh.
Other World Computing - Memory, pocket drives, specialty cards for the Mac.
My Digital Discount - Flash memory and more.
Gretag-MacBeth - Great profiling hardware and software (for monitor, scanner, printer, paper AND projector).

Lots more to come. Check Back.