Please come by and share in the knowledge. If you would like to send a link to AF100 footage for inclusion, send an email with  your link to AF100Central (at) gmail (daht) com.

AF100 Central

Click here to download the firmware update from Panasonic:

This WordPress blog was my first “real” attempt at maintaining a legitimate online journal presence, although chronologically, there was a livejournal page before this one. That was ten years ago, though, before I really hit my stride as a professional photographer, and I didn’t really have a lot of interesting photo posts — something this blog is centered around. So, I just won’t count the livejournal page. It was just a bunch of whining anyway, I’m pretty sure. I don’t remember.

In my absence from regular WordPress posts, I’ve tried other platforms like Uber (awesome, but now defunct), deviantART (useful but over-run with bad anime artists and amateur photogs who are addicted to their own page view count), Facebook (useful for keeping up with friends, but the worst blogging platform imaginable), Myspace (a vicious lie; I never tried keeping an active blog on myspace — I’m not in a band, or sixteen years old, or both), Blogspot and TypePad (suck and suck), and who knows what else.

Of all the blogging platforms I’ve tried, I’ve yet to find one that can match WordPress in the amount of great tools available, ease-of-use, and awesome PageRank when it comes to getting my blog entries seen in relevant Google searches. WP wins, and I’m back. This blog is once again active as the main outlet for my net-based wisdom, which I’m sure you’re all clamoring for right about now. Please try to contain yourselves; I’ll be posting soon.

We were given a reprieve from our week of Rain, and enjoyed a brisk sunny day; the weather was perfect for a memorial. Today, we celebrated the life of Robert “Mac” McLeroy, master photographer and friend and inspiration to many, myself included. Mac passed just before Christmas, due to complications from a stroke. Today, friends, colleagues, and family gathered to remember him.

J. Michael Short spoke, and spoke well:

Photographer and friend, J. Michael Short, speaks during the memorial service for photographer Robert "Mac" McLeroy, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

Kevin Geil sang, beautifully:

Kevin Geil sings during the memorial service for photographer Robert "Mac" McLeroy, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

Many friends and colleagues came to the service.

Atmosphere as seen during the memorial service for photographer Robert "Mac" McLeroy, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

Atmosphere as seen during the memorial service for photographer Robert "Mac" McLeroy, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

Guests view a slideshow featuring photos of Mac during the memorial service for photographer Robert "Mac" McLeroy, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

Atmosphere as seen during the memorial service for photographer Robert "Mac" McLeroy, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

A therapy dog who visited Mac in the hospital was a special guest at the memorial service for photographer Robert "Mac" McLeroy, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

Mac’s gear rested on the sign-in table. This made me sad; he had it around his neck the last time I saw him, when we ran into each other in Alamo Plaza as we were covering Luminaria last year.

Mac's gear rests on the sign-in table during the memorial service for photographer Robert "Mac" McLeroy, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

A portrait of Mac adorned the cover of the service program. It’s a fantastic image.

A portrait of Mac is printed on the program of the memorial service for photographer Robert "Mac" McLeroy, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

Rest in Peace, Mac. Your influence will live on.

CES attendees read daily news about the convention in the foyer of the Las Vegas convention center. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

Ed (@elozano on Twitter) and I were at CES for only two days, which simply wasn’t enough. To really take in what CES has to offer, you need to go for all four days. Bring a good pair of walking shoes and eat a good breakfast, because even if you rush it, I’m not sure if four days is enough time to see everything. It probably isn’t.

This was our view leaving CES on the first night. Not bad, I don't think. The taxis even add character. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

Another really cool thing about covering a tech convention like CES is that they realize how important blogging and other types of social media are to the industry. Technology is really one area where citizen journalists can make a big difference. Manufacturers and designers have learned that the voice of the People is the best way to let them know what they should be doing, and the new social media has made it easier than ever for them to hear us. And they do listen.

Sign outside the blogger lounge at CES in Las Vegas. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

I was impressed with the fact that the organizers established a blogger lounge, with free WiFi, charging stations, fast LAN access, public terminals with a printer, couches, TVs, and free coffee and snacks to boot. Nice touch! I hope that next year they make the room a little larger though because once the show started that place was packed. It looked like a squatters’ rally, with people camped out on every flat surface available. Needless to say this really choked up the WiFi as well which wasn’t a big deal for writers but when one is trying to move video stories across the net like we were, things got a bit frustrating at times. It didn’t help that Ed’s 4G Sprint service was a joke, and my AT&T iPhone access was even worse. Yes, AT&T, even though the iPhone is the best thing ever, you still suck.

I managed to get my focus right as I snapped this self portrait as the sun set through the window of the Las Vegas convention center

The big theme for this year – and I mean big – seemed to be new technologies in television. All the big manufacturers, and a lot I’d never heard of, were seriously representing with their dazzling new screens. There were hundreds of awesome flat panel units on display and the quality of all of them was amazing. The Samsung display was just crazy. I had to document it with the iPhone video because the lens on my GF1 wasn’t wide enough to get it all in one shot.

Television was definitely the top buzz once you were in the show. Outside the show, it was probably tablets, but inside, there were awesome TVs everywhere. Yes, television, and now, 3D Television. New 3D systems and their corresponding goggles were all the rage on the display floor. I’m sorry, but not even the best models look good wearing these things.

A model at the Panasonic booth models 3D glasses for use with new 3D TV displays. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

Here are some more TVs:

Attendees at CES 2010 look at the latest in television technology on the show floor. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

I think my favorite display was the Intel Infoscape cube, which was, essentially, a seven-foot glass wall that displays 500 real-time streams of just about anything you like, mapped onto cubes that one can interact with. Here’s a short video I shot on my way out of the hall, which will explain it much better than I can:

The very nice lady who helped us register. She made me promise not to post her on America's Most Wanted... As if I have that kind of power.

After geting our press credentials in order, and picking up the very nice canvas shoulder bag (gotta love press swag) they gave us, we headed up to the blogger lounge, which is where we are now.

View from our table in the blogger lounge at CES in Las Vegas (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

We’re about the head back downstairs to get some more b-roll of the convention floor as they’re setting up for the opening of the show tomorrow. Then it’s time for a quick lunch before we go to the Panasonic presser, which we should be streaming live on Ustream. We will tweet the URL when we go live. Be sure to follow @peakaction @elozano @newmediascoop for all the latest tweets from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas!

Ed (@elozano) works on his computer at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport

We finally made it to Vegas and after a thirty-five-dollar cab ride, checked into our room at Circus Circus. I’ve never stayed at Circus Circus before, but the rooms were dirt cheap, so how could we say no? After checking in, however, I know exactly how we should have said no. N-O. No. I will only mention the jet engine living in the air conditioner and the pre-existing stain on my bed sheet, and leave it at that.

Riding the tram to pick up our bags at McCarran International

After dropping our crap in the room, we headed downstairs to eat at a cafe that Ed said was good, but they ended up being closed. So, we ate at the buffet. How was it? If you want to recreate the experience of the Circus Circus buffet, you simply need to go to your local supermarket and buy every low quality frozen food item in their freezers. Then microwave them for about half the required time and serve on chipped cafeteria plates.

And throw in one dish that features a completely unidentifiable meat product. At first, I thought I was eating chicken. Then, after I had eaten most of it (I was hungry, dammit), I decided that it was in fact some variety of red meat. I actually did not know what kind of meat I was consuming. Regardless, I’d eaten worse-tasting things in my life, and like I said, I was hungry. I stopped eating, however, when what looked like a small knuckle assembly surfaced next to the obviously-instant mashed potatoes. This is not food for eating; it is food for laying down and avoiding.

If I survive my next trek through the lobby, I’ll tell you more about the hotel itself.

Tomorrow morning, we may actually make it to the actual show.

Sunrise at San Antonio International, waiting for our flight to Vegas. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

I ate a chili dog to kill some time, which as it turned out, only took about five minutes. I was hungrier than I thought. Now I’m resisting the urge for a waffle cone.

With any luck at all, we’ll land in Vegas by 9 p.m. local time and get to our hotel. Circus Circus. Not the best, but once again, cheap. You gotta do what you gotta do. We had hoped to attend the CES Unveiled presentation tonight, but there is no way we’ll make it there in time. Hopefully we won’t miss too much.

If you want to follow our CES adventures, follow @newmediascoop on Twitter, as well as myself, @peakaction and Ed, @elozano We’ll be tweeting everything that happens, and you can expect one or two blog posts per day. We’ll be reporting on all the best gadgets and announcements.

Folk rock musicians Crosby, Stills and Nash perform during their 2009 tour, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, at Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio, Texas. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

Classic and familiar sounds filled the Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio tonight as folk rock supergroup Crosby, Stills and Nash played live for a packed house. The trio made a stop in the Alamo City as part of their 2009 US tour.

I was invited to come photograph the show by a client of mine, who was handling PR for the event. I was only allowed to shoot the first two songs, as is the norm, and then I had to put the cameras down. I could have stayed to catch the rest of the show, but I didn’t want to sit there with two bodies, a 300/2.8 and a 70-200/2.8 in my lap the whole time. Plus, I was starving, so after the second song, it was dinner time.

Folk rock musicians Crosby, Stills and Nash perform during their 2009 tour, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, at Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio, Texas. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

I have to say, they weren’t sounding too strong in the pipes. The tunes seemed a little thin in intensity, but it’s not like I could do any better. But then again, I’m not on stage trying to do so. My friend Dave saw them somewhere up north a couple weeks ago, and he said it was the same there. I guess the years really do take their toll on a singer. Dave told me that the first set was all acoustic, and then they come back and play a rock set. I do wish I could have seen that, just to see what the difference was. I hear they have lasers, which would explain the non-marijuana-generated-fog that filled the venue.

Truth be told, I wanted to get some more exciting photos, but in retrospect, I was in the wrong place for that. The first two songs, they stood and sang. I don’t know why I was expecting more than that; it’s Crosby Stills and Nash, not Rush. I was pretty sure there would be no Rocking. Regardless, it was a cool experience to see them on stage, which was the first time I’d seen them live.

But, then again, I didn’t see the second set.

The “rumored” specs on the “7D”, however, seem to be distinctly 1D flavored. The cropped sensor and the inclusion of a second DiG!C processor being the two main red flags that hint at the new cam being a 1D body. IMO there is no way that Canon would grant a second processing chip to a body that is technically supposed to fall below the 5D Mark II in the product line. ONLY the 1D models have ever had two image processing chips. Plus, the fact that the new body is supposed to have video features that trump those of the 5D Mark II is another clue.

Anyone heard anything more?

There is also talk of the EOS 60D being released, but who really cares?

editorial photographer in san antonio
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Here is an updated list of all the Leica gear I have for sale, with asking prices. Anyone interested in any of this EX++ to Mint- gear should contact me directly. Thanks!

All lenses are latest versions except for the Noctilux (E60 Canada).

Leica M6 TTL Chrome Body – 1400.00 – SOLD

Noctilux-M 50/1.0 – 4900.00 - SOLD

Summilux-M 75/1.4 – 2800.00 - SOLD

Summicron-M ASPH. 35/2 – 1900.00

Summicron-M 50/2 – 995.00 – SOLD

Summicron-M ASPH. 90/2 – 1800.00 - SOLD

Elmarit-M ASPH. 24/2.8 – 2600.00 (w/hood)

Tri-Elmar-M ASPH. 16/18/21 f/4 – 4200.00 (w/hood)

Tri-Elmar-M ASPH. 28/35/50 f/4 – 4200.00 (w/metal vented hood) - SOLD

APO-Telyt-M 135/3.4 – 1700.00

APO-Extender 2X – 1400.00 - SOLD

Universal Wide-Angle Viewfinder for M System – 16/18/21/24/28 Brightline – 800.00 (w/leather case)

Wide-Angle Viewfinder Variable 21/24/28 – 360.00 (w/leather case)

Leica Universal Circular Polarizer w/adapter rings for E39 E46 E49 lenses – 440.00 (w/case)

Leica E67 Circular Polarizer w/E49 to E67 Adapter Ring – 340.00

Leica IR/UV Filters: E46 E55 E67 – 100 ea. – SOLD

Leica UV Filter E67 – 80.00

Assorted E67 B+W Filters

Heliopan E39 Filters: Cir. Pol.; UV; 81A; 81B; Red; Green; Orange; Yellow (B+W) Set With Caps – 240.00

Similar Filter Sets for E46 E49 E55 & E67

Leica E49 UVa Filter with case – 40.00

Leica 5X Hand-held ambient light slide viewer with Velvet Bag – 180.00 – SOLD

Rodenstock 6×6 5X Loupe – 100.00 - SOLD

I’m sitting in an Austin coffee shop waiting to start a meeting with an artist I met recently through a mutual film connection. We were to meet at 1 p.m. but he spaced and forgot — I’m not being insulting, that was his own term — so now I have some time to kill while he drives down here. I don’t mind, I like the rare instances when I have time to myself to do whatever I like.

So of course, I get the idea that I’m going to write something while I’m waiting. I don’t know what, but dammit, something’s going to get written, and it’s going to be fucking brilliant.

You see, that’s how it starts every time. I have some free time, a computer and a WiFi connection, and suddenly I’m empowered to change the world mit mein words. The creative juices are flowing, the battery is fully charged, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark, and we’re wearing sunglasses. Hit it.

Stall. Don’t dump the clutch, you moron. Give it more gas, and maybe also a little thought.

Inspiration is great until it comes time to produce, then the couch starts looking mighty inviting. Maybe tomorrow.

No, this time I am my own captive audience. I have nothing else to do right now besides write my masterpiece. I don’t know what it’s about yet, but if they can make a hit TV program about nothing, I can certainly do the same on the internet. Everyone’s important on the internet. I read that on the internet. So, here goes:

If I were a tree,

Nevermind, Rolf just showed up. Maybe tomorrow.

Darren Abate is a professional photographer, cinemantographer, and is sometimes an asshole, but his dogs love him just the same. His favorite candies are Junior Mints (chilled).

It was Venda, telling me to get to the scene of the accident she had just been involved in, because she didn’t have her license and she wasn’t sure what was going to happen. Great.

She was obviously uninjured, so I wasn’t worried about that. She didn’t have time to give me the details then and there, so my mind was left to ponder on the drive over.

I jumped into my GTI and sped to the scene, which was on Loop 410 near McCullough. Venda being Venda, who, if she’s going to do something bad, does it very well, lived up to expectation. She hit a semi. She didn’t just simply hit it, mind you, she hit it well.

She had been traveling in heavy traffic on the loop when the truck in front of her slammmed on its brakes, which made her do the same. This caused the Trooper she was driving to fishtail, which she made valiant efforts to correct. However, eventually, the tail end of the Trooper veered into an adjacent lane and struck the nose of a tractor-trailer rig, cracking it all up.

After I arrived and checked out the hit, I was surprised she didn’t roll. The spare tire on the back of my Trooper is what made first contact with the rig, and there were rubber marks all over the side of the semi. I don’t know how the Trooper kept from rolling, save the fact that Isuzu made a very stable little 4×4 in 1991.

After hitting the semi at highway speed, the only damage to the Trooper was a slightly bent rear door and a dented bumper. The rear window wasn’t even broken. The entire front-right of the semi was cracked up where the fibreglass had taken the hit, and the running gear was bent up. My little Isuzu won that round, very very luckily. If she had hit at a different angle, it’s likely the semi would have rolled over her.

The accident wasn’t really anyone’s fault, and the fact that the cop didn’t issue any citations verifies that for me, at least. Whew. Insurace information was exchanged with the driver of the rig, who was a very nice fellow, and we all went on our way.

So now I’m back at home wondering if it’s worth it to try to get back into the swing of work. Yeah, I guess so. I have a lot of editing to do on the film, and also Spurs photos to edit and post. Back to it…

Don’t get me wrong, yes, the death of Michael Jackson is indeed huge news, but when it gets to the point that I’m watching a CNN anchor telling me that heart attacks are “bad” then maybe it’s time to move on to another story until you have some information on Jacko that has a little more meat to it.

Now for the meat of this post. I don’t have a whole lot to say, but dammit, I have to get on the Jackson blogging bandwagon. I never really considered myself a fan, but I will admit that Jackson’s impact on the music world was immense. Personally, I stopped liking Michael Jackson’s music in the late 1980s. Everything after that just seemed to me to be a cry for attention. But that’s just me.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen the death of a celebrity that has brought about such a duality in response from the public. When the news of Jackson’s death first became public yesterday, I was preparing to shoot a scene on the set of The Powderkids — well, we were having lunch — and immediately everyone began diving for their iPhones to check the accuracy of the report (at the time, the LA Times was reporting his death, but other sources were reporting that he was in a coma).

I hit some of the higher page-ranked forums, where the split public opinion of Michael Jackson was immediately evident. One post started out with “Michael was the greatest” and the next with “Burn in hell, Wacko!” and then they would inevitably trail off into how he was the best thing ever, OR the worst thing ever, his record in music or pedophilia being brought forth as evidence accordingly.

What does the death of Michael Jackson mean to me? Not much, really. Yes, he was one of the most important figures to ever hit the music scene, and his influence will be felt for generations of musicians to come, but in my opinion, if he was going to die an early death, it should have come in 1989, before he got really freaky, became a joke to a lot of people, and began firing off scandals faster than that insane vending machine from Maximum Overdrive.

I dare you to find anyone else who will give you Maximum Overdrive references in their Jacko-death-blog-post.

Darren Abate is a professional photojournalist and cinematographer based in San Antonio, Texas. He also likes to write, and his favorite candies are Junior Mints. He is represented by PressPhoto International.

Glenn Beck is one of those figures, like your Rush Limbaughs and your Bill O’Reillys, who will usually draw immediate unsolicited opinions from whomever is around when you speak their names, whether they be liberal or conservative.

Television and radio host Glenn Beck pauses in his hotel room before a public appearance at a tax day tea party, Wednesday, Spril 15, 2009, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

I’m going to leave my personal political views out of this post, however, simply because there’s no point in my getting into that in this entry. Readers are welcome to fight it out in the comments section though, if they so desire.

Fox News commentator and radio host Glenn Beck walks to a public appearance at a tax day tea party, Wednesday, Spril 15, 2009, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

People who know me know that I’m a fairly liberal person, which means that I don’t agree with a lot of what Glenn Beck has to say, but I also don’t disagree with some of what he has to say, either. After spending all day in close proximity with him, though — sometimes only the two of us in a room — I can say that, politics aside, he is a very nice and genuine person. He’s probably the nicest celeb I’ve ever met.

Fox News commentator and radio host Glenn Beck, right, speaks with his staff in his hotel room before a public appearance at a tax day tea party, Wednesday, Spril 15, 2009, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

I was also impressed with the fact that, even behind closed doors, he doesn’t limit his criticism to one side. Republicans as well as Democrats, conservatives as well as liberals, all were slammed or praised depending on the topic. Objectivity is a respectable trait, whether or not one agrees with the original statement.

Fox News commentator and radio host Glenn Beck, middle right, autographs copies of his book with members of his staff before a public appearance at a tax day tea party, Wednesday, Spril 15, 2009, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

I was surprised to see how many people had turned out at Alamo Plaza to attend this tea party thing. Apparently these national tea parties had been in the news a lot, but I hadn’t even heard of them, but it’s no secret that I rarely watch the news. I usually get my information from the BBC or my USA Today iPhone app, but Ive been so busy lately I was pretty much in the dark about everything because I hadn’t had a chance to catch up on the rest of the world.

Fox News commentator and radio host Glenn Beck, seated, autographs copies of his book for fans before a public appearance, April 15, 2009, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

There were some “interesting” people at this thing, let me tell you. Most were normal people you’d see in everyday life, but as always, there were those “special” few who couldn’t resist making some sort of scene in public to put themselves in the limelight. Some woman dressed up like Betsy Ross, there was a guy who had a bunch of slogans scribbled all over himself and a fake snake pinned to his shirt, and my favorite, a guy who was dressed like Davy Crocket and had made a costume that made it look like he was carrying himself in a tea crate. You know, the old fake legs and arms costume gag. At least his scraggly bushy mountain man beard was real.

Fox News commentator and radio host Glenn Beck, middle, poses with two fans during a public appearance for a tax day tea party, Wednesday, April 15, 2009, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

Ted Nugent was there too, resplendent in his hilarious, venison-fueled craziness. I spent a lot of my time laughing aloud from behind my camera at his freaky expressions and off-color comments. I walked away very relieved and thankful that Ted is not my roommate because a little of him goes a very long way. Insane? Yes, but also a very nice guy in person.

He signed a wounded veteran’s amputee stump, too. I had to make a photo of that. I asked his permission for this one.

A tax day tea party spectator displays his bandaged leg, which was autographed by musician Ted Nugent, Wednesday, April 15, 2009, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

Le called early this morning – well, early for me, anyway – and asked if I’d like to go to the Scottish Highland Games in Helotes. It’s an annual fair, and I’ve always meant to check it out but have never gotten around to it. I decided it was about time. Two bucks to park, ten to get in, not bad. At first all I could see were vendor booths, but once we got a little farther in to the grounds, there was more variety. Vendors, food, a lot of artists performing their crafts, and clan booths, which I thought was interesting. I guess once can stop by these booths to find out about their heritage? I didn’t feel much like talking today, so I didn’t ask. Just wanted to push the little black button. So I did.

I don’t think I was shooting very well today; my timing seemed off and I was being lazy. I think I got a couple of at-least decent shots though. Here are a few of them. The funny one is at the end. I count at least three easy dirty jokes in the shot.

All photos made with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and a Carl Zeiss 85/1.4 ZE or Zeiss 50/1.4 ZE lens. Click the photo for full size view (recommended).

Traditional dress was a theme of the day.

Spectators watch as a man participates in the hammer throw.

The Monk and the Bear

A lone piper plays on top of the Lion & Rose double decker bus

Pipers tune their instruments at the Scottish Highland Games

Pipers play a tune at the Scottish Highland Games in Helotes, Texas.

I don't know how heavy it was, but judging from the grunts coming out of these guys, it was heavy enough.

Great costumes were on display at the Games

An American Civil War enthusiast explains a period firearm to a young man at the Scottish Highland Games fair.

Detail of an American Civil War era musket

I can't remember what this guy was selling, but he had an interesting face... So I shot him.

There were helms-a-plenty

Traditional eats were to be had... For a price.

The very nice lady who sold me a shepherd's pie.

This is what a twelve dollar lunch looks like at a fair.

Two men converse in front of the Clan Henderson booth at the Scottish Highland Games fair in Helotes, Texas.

This nice lady gave me a tee shirt. She also had great-looking jewelry.

A young man practices his caber tossing in a field at the Scottish Highland Games in Helotes, Texas.

Winner of the Poorest Sign Placement Award. Clan Cumming – putting up with your dirty jokes since 1326.

Copyright ©Darren Abate. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission. Copyright infringement will be prosecuted.

editorial photographer in san antonio
editorial stock photos

It was postulated that still photography can now be considered to be a thing of the past. Okay, now you have my attention. You can’t ignore the severe troubles that American newspapers are having, and likewise you can’t ignore or deny the fact that the internet is the primary cause of this. With the ease and speed that information is now available, it’s inevitable that the death knell is tolling for printed news as we now know it.

As a professional stills shooter, as well as a video shooter, I can say with confidence that the future of still photography is just as bright as ever. Even though the usefulness of video as a journalistic tool to the common citizen has indeed become vastly more convenient in recent years, with the emergence of smaller, cheaper video cameras, and more importantly, the creation and increase in popularity of free and simple avenues to get your media seen, such as the ubiquitous YouTube and many others, it does not mean that video is always applicable, needed, or desired in a reporting situation.

Video is great, don’t get me wrong. I welcome the spike in popularity of grassroots video journalism, and I hope more and more people take to the streets, if you will, to bring the truth of the world to others. I just don’t want them all throwing video clips at me. I don’t have the time or the desire to watch them all. When I fire up my iPhone to get my daily news — which is how I get my news now — I don’t want to watch a bunch of video clips. I usually peruse the USA Today headlines and quickly decide which stories I am interested in. I read them, check out the photos, and move on. Video in this application is usually superfluous. It’s a tool to bring information to people, just like still photos are, and they are each useful in their own ways.

Just because you can show video of a story doesn’t mean you should. If I can get the same information, with the same impact, from a still photo that tells the same story (and a good photojournalist can tell a story in a single photo, trust me — that’s what we’re trained to do) then that’s the way I want to get it. Depending on the content, a good still photo, in my opinion, will have more impact than a video clip.

“Depending on the content” is the key here. If I’m reading* a story about a refinery explosion and I have the option of seeing a still photo or a video clip of the thing going up, then yeah — I want to see video of that, you better believe it. Point: video. But let’s say I’m reading a story about a community cleanup effort, or maybe a story covering the rising unemployment rate. In this instance a good still photo will deliver much more impact than a video clip. Yes, I could watch video of people picking up trash, or standing in line at the unemployment office, but you know what? I don’t want to. In this case video is superfluous.

So, if the story warrants motion, please show it to me. If it doesn’t, I would like some nice stills please. The right tool for the right job. It saves me time while still making the appropriate impact.

The emergence of high-end SLRs that also record video has led a lot of people to assume that stills are dead because they’re on the video bandwagon thanks to these new, awesome, devices (I make use of the new Canon EOS 5D Mark II myself). Wait until the novelty wears off. When you’re on deadline and you have to get your story transmitted pronto, you’re not going to want to spend the extra time to injest, edit, and export video for the web if you don’t have to. It may be easier to capture, but you still have to edit.  If no extra impact is going to be realized from a video, then you should opt for some old-fashioned and still-delicious photos.

Personally, my favorite new thing is the still photo slideshow. It’s much easier to produce than a video piece, and it can usually deliver the same impact. All you need to do is take an MP3 recorder with you into the field, get some sound bites to compliment your story, and you’re good to go. Apps like Soundslides Plus are a dream. Just tell it where your folder of images is, and where the mp3 file is, and in seconds it spits out a Flash-based slideshow that you can upload to the web. This took me no time at all to make: http://darrenabate.com/slideshows/090125/

I wasn’t even there to shoot a story; I was just having a nice day out with my family and decided to whip out a slide show as long as I was there.

In conclusion, I am of the belief that stills and video should be placed into a competition with one another, but isntead used to compliment each other. Like I said earlier, the right tool for the right job, please.

What are your opinions?

* Yes, reading. No matter what, you will always start with reading. It’s still the fastest and most efficient way to begin your daily information gathering. Most of the photos and videos you ingest daily will come after a textual introduction.

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Copyright (c) Darren Abate Photography. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission. Copyright infringement will be prosecuted.

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My latest assignment was to cover the ExxonMobil Texas Science & Engineering Fair, which was held in San Antonio last weekend. Before you get excited and start building images in your mind of some awesome super-science tradeshow that would attract the likes of Doctors Manhattan and Venture, don’t bother. I’m talking about the kind that is populated by middle and high school students from all over the state, the winners of their respective regional science fairs.

My client was the PR firm handling the show for ExxonMobil. Very nice people, and to tell you the truth, I quite enjoyed the fair, being a huge science geek myself. My job was to follow around the VIPs from ExxonMobil and the University of Texas to document their presence to market the event. However, I found myself wanting to hang out at the booths to talk about experiments with some of the students, who were very very smart kids who had done some really hard work on their projects (The study of copepods for the purpose of curing cancer? What? Yes.). But I didn’t do that, because I was there to shoot. And, I managed to find a few rather interesting frames as well.

They all involve chairs.

A man makes a call on his mobile phone prior to the 2009 ExxonMobil Texas Science & Engineering Fair awards ceremony, Monday, March 30, 2009, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com) Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Carl Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 ZE

A student catnaps before the 2009 ExxonMobil Texas Science & Engineering Fair awards ceremony, Monday, March 30, 2009, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com) Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Canon EF 70-200/2.8 L IS

A man walks into the exhibtion hall during the 2009 ExxonMobil Texas Science & Engineering Fair, Monday, March 30, 2009, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com) Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Carl Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 ZE

©Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission. Copyright infringement will be prosecuted.

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There isn’t much method to this entry. It’s complete randomness. Don’t get your hopes up in any way.

I had written a couple of paragraphs that started everything off by talking about how I heard that aspartame causes ADD, but halfway through my point I forgot what I was trying to say and scrapped it all (not joking*). Consequently, I have decided to cut aspartame from my diet altogether. No more diet sodas, which is fine with me. They taste like medicine anyway. Good news, sugar, I now have reason again to reach for you over the fake stuff when I sweeten my Bill Miller iced tea. Actually, now I have an excuse to just order the sweet tea to begin with, which is how it should be anyway.

I read in USA Today (iPhone app version, not the paper edition) that as a condition of the automotive bailout, the White House has asked General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner to step down. What an ego check. I’ve been asked to leave jobs before, but it was never over a gig that I actually wanted to keep, and I certainly have never been asked to leave by the President of the United States himself.

I think if it were to happen to me I would be very ashamed — at first. But then I think I would cheer up, for two reasons: primarily, because I’m sure I’d be collecting a fat CEO-style severance package at the front desk on my way out, and secondly, you have to admit, that is one hell of a story to tell at parties.

“Wow, Bill, it really sucks the way your company just laid you off like that. By the way, did I mention that I was dismissed by the PRESIDENT?!”

You know you’re a really important screw-up when the most powerful man in the world is the one telling you to please fuck off.

Speaking of USA Today and papers in general, don’t blame the internet, or computers, for the seemingly-pending death of printed newspapers. Blame the iPhone directly. Since I got the iPhone, and since Apple released version 2.0 and the app store, I have not even picked up a single printed newspaper. If you don’t think it matters, think again. In the short time that the iPhone has been out, Apple has sold thirty million iPhones and iPod Touches, and I’m pretty sure that most of said iPhone OS users feel the same as I do about their apps. I get all of my news on my phone, and I like it better. Sorry guys, but it’s true. Yes, I still love the smell of newsprint in the morning, but I think the tradeoff (environmentally-speaking, mostly) is worth it. I am all for becoming a paperless society as soon as possible.

Don’t get me wrong, I love newspapers. The tactile experience of reading a paper is great and very comforting in many ways, but the way things are going, it’s obvious that the newsprint death knell that technophiles have been screaming about for ten years is really about to toll. It sounds the same as the one that’s about to ring for 35mm film. Donggggg. Sad, but true. It’s coming. Stock your freezer now.

By far the worst part about the problems that newspapers are having is the huge loss of jobs that will inevitably get far worse than it has already been. The San Antonio Express-News recently eliminated 75 positions from its newsroom alone, and the other foot is about to fall. Some of my close friends have lost their jobs, and I’m sure that the suffering isn’t going to end with them.

I have overheard a few people saying that the switch to a semi-paperless method shouldn’t hurt so bad because newspapers will still have to employ a substantial editorial staff for online content. True to a point, but it’s still going to mean the loss of a lot of newsroom jobs.

What is also really going to hurt people is the escalated loss of the newsprint infrastructure jobs. Even when I was still in prepress, several years ago, a pressman had a fairly difficult time finding a good gig. Imagine what it’s going to be like when the job market is saturated with experienced press workers looking for ever-dwindling work. Press room, delivery, warehouse, supply, page layout… Lots and lots of jobs affected. It’s yet another domino effect waiting in the wings, along with the automotive and financial stack.

But, who knows if I even know what I’m talking about. It’s 1 a.m. and I should be asleep because I have a shoot early in the morning. I’m lucky I can even form a complete sentence right now. I just wanted to hear the clack of the keys for a while. It’s a comforting sound, in that newsprint-smell kind of way.

*That would have been a totally hacky joke anyway.