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 word around the camp fire is that Canon is going to announce at least one new DSLR body on Sept. 1. A lot of people are whispering about a new EOS 7D, which would be the “little brother” of the EOS 5D Mark II.

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?

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EDIT: Sold items are marked.

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

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 – 3700.00 (w/hood)

Tri-Elmar-M ASPH. 28/35/50 f/4 – 2800.00 (w/metal vented hood)

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

Whenever I’m inspired to write something meaningful (and trust me, every time I’m inspired it’s about something meaningful), more often than not, it’s going to be when I don’t have the time or means to actually write.

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).

I was just beginning to enter the second phase of my Very Productive Day — after an early morning shoot for the Spurs, which was Phase One — when the phone rang. It came at the last bite of my sandwich, which is never a good sign. Just in time to interrupt a meal.

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…

First, I’d like to say that I never realized that there was a difference between cardiac arrest and a heart attack, but apparently, there is. I don’t know why I’m only just now finding out about that. Oh, I know… It’s because the cable news networks had to find every bit of information even remotely relevant to the death of Michael Jackson to cram into the airwaves, so they could pre-empt all the “other” world news with something that would get them higher ratings.

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.

The Associated Press assigned me to spend the day with Fox News commentator and radio host Glenn Beck last Wednesday, when he was in San Antonio for the local tax day tea party. It was a long day (I was with him for about 8.5 hours) but of course I was happy to have the work. Got some decent images as well.

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)

Yes, Texas. I didn’t go to Scotland, although I would welcome that trip. This was a less expensive excursion.

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.

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Yesterday I received a group e-mail from a producer friend of mine concerning the future of journalism in America, in which he referenced a recent discussion broadcast from American University centered around the same subject.

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.

Darren on Twitter:
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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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[Note the new Twitter widget in the right column. After months of wondering what the hell was up with this Twitter thing, I decided to try it and discovered that it does possess a particular usefulness. Follow peakaction if you really can't go until my next blog post before hearing what I have to say.]

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.

I’m finding it very difficult dealing with little Boogie’s death. At only eight weeks old, we had to let him go in the early morning hours on Monday, after the emergency vet had spent all night trying to get him to respond to treatment. At 2:30 a.m. she called me to let me know that things looked bad, and that she recommended letting him go. I had been on edge all night, and this news sent me over. I felt like I was choking as I gave her permission to euthanize Boogie.

Boogie rests in my son's lap.

Boogie was my son’s puppy. Will brought him along when he came to stay with me last weekend. Boogie had been under the weather for a couple days, but we didn’t think it was anything serious. He was eating and drinking on Saturday, but by Sunday afternoon, he suddenly could not even hold himself up, and I realized that what was ailing him was more than a typical illness. Will and I took him immediately to the emergency vet, where we waited for nearly six hours after turning him over to the nurse. Finally, the doctor came out and told us they were keeping him overnight to try to get him to respond to treatment for dehydration, toxidia, hypoglycemia, and possibly parvo. It was only then we learned how ill he really was.

Little Boogie with his human, Will.

Will’s mom got Boogie from a breeder who guaranteed good health. Since Will had only had him for a week, it was painfully obvious that Boogie came to us already suffering from these ailments. It was also immediately obvious to us that if he was this sick then it was likely that the breeder had not raised him in the best of conditions. Needless to say, we have plans for this guy. If more puppies are being kept in conditions that would leave them open for the same fate, the situation must be corrected.

For the record, I advocate adopting your pets from the pound or from animal shelters instead of from breeders or – god forbid – puppy mills. There are already plenty of loving animals who need good homes.

I was so upset on Monday that I decided to get out of town and go see Venda in Shreveport. The night I got there, though, she discovered that she had a last minute audition in Los Angeles for a movie role, and had to fly out the next day. So, I had to cut my sabbatical a couple days short.

During my drive up there I was trying to figure out what exactly had me so upset that I couldn’t cope. Finally it dawned on me that the most horrible thing about it all was that I would never be able to let him know how important he really was, and how much he was – and still is – loved. Can anyone show me something more loyal, pure and innocent than a dog’s friendship? That little pup did more for me in the few days I knew him than anyone could have foretold, and all he had to do was be his doggy self.

Another thing that has me the really upset is that I blame myself for not getting him to the vet in time. I knew on Saturday that he should probably go to the vet, but I didn’t think it was as serious as it was. I thought he was just under the weather. I keep torturing myself with the unanswerable question of whether or not he could have been saved if I had taken him on Saturday instead of Sunday. I will never truly know, but in my own mind, I have condemned myself. So now, the last memories I have of him are of his little blue eyes looking out the window of my car as we drove him to the vet. He was obviously still aware of his surroundings, looking around at the trees and sky as they passed by. I could see him looking around and my heart broke over and over again. By the time we got to the clinic, he was completely limp. I knew in my heart that it was too late for him.

So now I’m trying to figure out how to make his little life count for even more. He made a huge difference in my life and I want to spread that around.

It’s getting to the point where I have to ask… Are any of the other working photographers out there starting to feel the effects of this so-called economic meltdown? Business is so bad right now I’m considering going back to school for computer programming so I can have something to fall back on, because unless things get better for my clients, it won’t be long after their next round of layoffs that the photo budget is next on the chopping block. Things must be worse than I thought, because even some of my most-established clients are having serious problems.

So… Any programmers out there have advice on where to get started? Keep in mind that the last time I learned to code, it was with BASIC. heh.

The programming thing isn’t just some random idea. I’ve been a computer geek since I was eleven years old, and I’ve always wanted to learn to code. I just never got around to getting started because I always had other things on my plate.

In the mid-nineties, I spent some time as a web designer for a local internet firm, and lately I’ve had a lot of good ideas for sites that I want to start. The only problem is that designing websites now is nothing like it was in 1996. It isn’t good enough to just know HTML, and the entire process is a lot more complicated.

I’m thinking that if I go back to school to satiate my geeky knowledge needs, I may be able to launch some of my visualized business ideas by doing them myself without having to spend a fortune on custom code.

Oh, and I’d also like to make some iPhone apps.

I had a great time today making photos at a Vietnamese New Year celebration at Lien Hoa Buddhist temple in San Antonio. My friend, Le, called this morning to see if I wanted to shoot it, and I couldn’t pass it up.

The four of us – me, Le, Venda, and my son Will – drove to the temple around noon to see what was going on. It was a great time. There was music, traditional performances, tons of fantastic Vietnamese food, and a bunch of smiling faces. I was able to get some pretty good shots – at least enough to make a good slideshow. I also happened to  have my little Flip video camera that I used to record audio, that I then exported to MP3 from the original video using Final Cut Pro. It was an impromptu fix, but it worked out great, and made me realize that I don’t need to buy a pocket audio recorder in addition to the pocket video.

Here is a link to my young slideshow index page: http://darrenabate.com/slideshows/

And some stills for preview:

Atmosphere as seen at the Vietnamese New Year festival, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009, at Lien Hoa Buddhist temple in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com) – Canon EOS 5D; Zeiss Planar T* 50/1.4 ZE

Atmosphere as seen at the Vietnamese New Year festival, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009, at Lien Hoa Buddhist temple in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com) – Canon EOS 5D; Zeiss Planar T* 50/1.4 ZE

Atmosphere as seen at the Vietnamese New Year festival, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009, at Lien Hoa Buddhist temple in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com) – Canon EOS 5D; Zeiss Planar T* 50/1.4 ZE

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This morning, I got a call from my old photo advisor at San Antonio College. She wanted to let me know that the Canon rep was coming by the school today, with a bunch of the new gear for some hands-on feelies. She knows how much I like the new gadgets.

I’m glad I went, because not only did the rep, Jerry, have a new 5D Mark II with him, but also had the new EF 24mm f/1.4 L, a 35mm f/1.4 L, and the delicious EF 200mm f/2 L IS. I’ve been wanting to check out all of these.

The 5D Mark II is very nice in the  hands. The menu system has quite a bit more visual flair to it, but it seems a little less “snappy” than the menu systems on previous EOS bodies. Quite cool looking, though.

I found that the shutter action had a bit more lag to it than I would like. It feels slow compared to even the 40D. It’s a lot faster than the first 5D, but still slower than I would like. However, it is very quiet. Super-high ISO shots look great, but I did see evidence of banding. IMO this needs to be addressed.

Will it do? Yes. I didn’t have as much time with it as I would have liked, and I didn’t want to tunnel through and change all of Jerry’s menu settings, so I can’t say much more about it. I sure want one, though.

The 35/1.4 and 24/1.4 lenses are awesome. DOF is great wide open. Not much else to say that would surprise you. Even though these lenses focused great, I still found myself anxious to mount my MF Zeiss primes back onto my camera. I’ve gotten used to the Old Ways again, and now I’m re-hooked.

The 200/2 L IS is a hunk of creamy goodness – a very expensive one (c. 4900 US). Once again, there are no surprises except for the fact that it isn’t nearly as heavy as I thought it was going to be. It’s as fast, sharp and accurate as one would expect. I’m really having to talk myself out of selling my 300/2.8 to get one. However, I’m still waiting for an explanation as to why it’s 1000.00 US more than Nikon’s 200/2.

It seems as though no dot-com is safe from the dragon of economic revenge. JPG Magazine just sent out an email announcing their imminent demise. Of all the entities that I expected to go down, JPG wasn’t one of them. But, neither was Uber.com, or Digital Railroad, for that matter, so what do I know anyway? Not much.

I enjoyed JPG, even if I didn’t always agree with the opinions of their editors as to what made a worthy photo. I always meant to write an article for them. I wish i would have.

Anyone want to start a dead pool? Who do you think is next on the chopping block?

I live in a suburban neighborhood that features a significant number of older folks, so it stands to reason that there are a lot of decorated homes during Christmas time. You know, because they have the time.

On the main road, there are two homes across from each other that always have it out proper with their decorations. Every year there are more lights, and more lawn ornaments, and more – stuff. Well, this year, the guy on the east side of the street pulled out all the stops. I don’t think the other guy even bothered. You can’t top perfection. On my way home from shooting the Spurs game, I had to document it, so I pulled the Flip out of my pocket and pulled over:

Show me your crazy Xmas light-addicted neighbors.

On my last full day in Shreveport, Venda and I ate at a little greasy-spoon lunch counter called the Cotton Boll, which has been in the same spot since the 1930’s. The food was really good, actually, and I ate way too much of it. The coffee was good, too.

But the food wasn’t the main attraction on this day. Just as we were finishing our meal, this older black lady starts some shit with another older black lady – who happens to own the place – about how she wasn’t going to pay for her food because it was cold (yet she ate it anyway). At one point, it looked like they might actually start swinging at each other, so of course I started to prep my camera. After several runs, the bitchy woman finally gave up on trying to get free food and actually insisted on paying for her meal, because she wanted to come back. Evidently, as the manager told me afterward, she does this every time she comes in, but ends up paying for her food because she wants to come back. I know, I know… This was a logic-free morning.

So, while there was no fight to photograph, I did a great quote for the day, which was uttered by the owner’s daughter, as she was being restrained by another employee: “Don’t you put your hand up in my momma’s face!” It was a thing of beauty. Yes, I will be eating there next time – and every time – I am in Shreveport.

And yes, I did end up making a frame of these wonderful ladies, who can not only make some delicious food, but can also provide a quality show with the meal. Click to view full size.

The ladies of the Cotton Boll restaurant in Shreveport

All photos made with a Canon EOS-40D and a Zeiss 85/1.4 ZE lens.

I was also able to make some decent shots in the Actor’s Cafe during the open mic actors’ showcase. While eating my burger, I looked up to see a pleasant rendering of Venda in the mirror behind the bar.

Venda hard at work behind the bar

I rather liked this shot of a bearded gentleman conversing at the bar.

I was skulking in the corner of the bar, in the dark and invisible, which is just how I like it.

I’m taking a work sabbatical in Shreveport for a few days, so I can clear my head and try to catch up on some editing work. Last night, I was working on hockey photos at the Actor’s Cafe, a bar/restaurant that Venda manages, when I learned that it was open mic night.

Of course, after the first few characters started singing, I could resist putting down the mouse and picking up my camera. Before I knew it, I had shot a bunch of frames, recorded a riff in Garage Band, and made a slide show in SoundSlides. By the end of the night, I had a neat little presentation to show them. All images were made with a Canon EOS 40D and a Carl Zeiss T* Planar 85/1.4 ZE lens.

Open Mic Night at the Actor’s Cafe

Does anyone know how to embed these slide shows in a web page? Is it even possible?

I took the new Zeiss ZE 85/1.4 to shoot the hockey game tonight, and ended up using it the entire time. You see, many of us who started with film still remember how to focus manually.

I have to confess that I did better with it than I thought I would. I guess digital and AF hasn’t made me too rusty.

Contrast and sharpness with the ZE 85/1.4 is just nuts. The images are perfectly crisp. I have to admit that at times I was wishing I had the ease of AF to fall back on when feeling lazy, but I blame years of AF complacency for that fault.

Yes, before there was AF, there was sports photography. Granted, shooters weren’t always able to get the amazing shots they can today with such frequency, but shooting action manually is possible, as long as you practice and don’t succumb to laziness.

Of course, these look better if you click on them to see them full size.

After this, a hockey game broke out.

San Antonio

San Antonio

San Antonio

San Antonio goalie Josh Tordjman makes a save on Tigers center Jeremy Colliton. (Darren Abate/pressphotointl.com)

These shots are all of net action because there is only one semi-usable hole (it’s way too small) in the glass at the AT&T Center (unlike every other hockey rink in the league, which have proper photo ports), and I didn’t want to waste my time shooting through glass.