You do the math

Digital photography is more expensive than film photography. There it is. I said it. It's shocking to me but it's true. The PhotoPlus Expo at the Javits Center revealed the dirty little secret that has been nagging me since I bought my latest 500 gigabyte drive. Call it digital workflow. It's how I do my work and how lots of us do our work and it's expensive to do right. Issues of secure backup are about to start haunting lots of folks who have never heard of RAIDs or thought about owning Apple's XServe. Just becasue you don't have to pay for film doesn't mean your expenses are deminished.

I'm not talking about amateur photography here. I am talking about working professional photographers. Dont' kid yourself into thinking that eliminating film from your purchase orders means you'll have fewer line items. If you go digital, you are going to add half a dozen more.

I can go on, but as a primer, I give you EP's Digital Manifesto. It breaks it down nicely.

Take pictures digitally.

DC is NYC

Dan Connor circa 2002

I had a whirlwind day of riding around the city taking care of errands before my trip to New Orleans via Nashville. One of the more enjoyable stops was to return a lens that my friend Dan Connor has been kind enough to let me borrow for the past year. To say nothing of his new look, Dan is one prolific photographer and I admire that. Even injured as he is, the guy makes and shares images at an enviable rate. There is the sense as you scroll through his work that he's always on, always looking, and when you combine that with how quick he is on the draw, you get yourself some solid images. He's not a perfectionist, he's a collector, a humorist and fully engaged in the process of imagemaking. I love the way he forces us to see the seemingly trivial or insignificant that so often zips past. With Dan on the case, we can linger a while and see the world anew.

It's one thing to never leave home without a camera, it's another to be ready to use it. Check out his work at danconnortown.com.

Take pictures all the time.

Keith Urban Fans

Quite a few Keith Urban fans have found my blog and website since I originally posted I got lucky with Keith Urban. It's been fun to see my work get such an enthusiastic response.

Allow me to elaborate a bit. I made this photo for Sessions@AOL and to be honest, it shouldn't really be as public as it has become. Anyone with AOL for Broadband will soon be able to see more of Keith performing and a few more of my photos by checking out Keyword: Sessions@AOL. I don't know exactly when the video will be ready but I suspect it will be within a few weeks.

There may even be a few smiling photos ;-)

Also, my photos are meant to be AOL Exclusives so please try keep them off any other websites until AOL has their scoop. Thanks for understanding. I don't need to upset one of my better clients.

Take pictures and maybe check out some of my other photos.

Richard Avedon is Dead

I was listening to the radio. The man they were talking about was familiar to me. It didn't make any sense that he should be making the headlines today. Sure enough they said it. At 81, one of the greatest and most inspiring photographers has died too soon.

Richard Avedon is dead and the world is darker for it. His work has influenced me and countless others. I encourage you to explore his legacy. Read the obituaries. Be inspired.

Take pictures sad.