News & Ramblings.

Thursday, April 01, 2010

New Weekend Creede Workshop, July 24 & 25

Several people have requested a shorter, more intensive photo class in Creede, than the week-long Creede Photo Workshop held in September. So, I have put something together that I think will interest quite a few of you.

There will be three classes offered on Saturday and Sunday, July 24 & 25: a beginning digital photo class, an advanced digital photo class and a digital management class.

Each class will last three hours with time for questions. Using an instructional photo presentation, I'll demystify some of the secrets of good digital photography.

Beginners (Or "What the Heck Does this Button Do?"): We will make the point and shoot photographer better by discussing some of the technical reasons for success and failure. How to recognize when you are doing right and doing wrong- and to know the difference! For photographers making the jump from P&S to a digital SLR, I'll explain a few technical secrets that will start you down the road to happy photography.

Advanced (Or "I've been doing this for Years and Still Don't Get It!"): If you have been doing this for one year or ten years with a digital SLR or an advanced P&S this class is for you. We'll talk about RAW, depth of field, those mysterious numbers in the window and why you should never, ever, ever use the "P" setting. The advanced class will be able to bring three photos to the session for a critique.

Digital Management (Or "I've got all these digital photos, NOW WHAT?"): We'll talk about how to download, edit, process, store, make web galleries, photo shows and prints. Now that's what you got into this for, wasn't it?

The beginning class will be held Saturday from 9:00 AM until Noon. The advanced class will meet from 2:00 - 5:00 PM. The digital management class will be on Sunday 9:00 AM - Noon.

COST:

Beginning - $45

Advanced - $55

Digital Management - $55

Any two classes - $5 discount

Take all Three for the amazing Weekend Price of: $145

SPACE IS LIMITED ! ! ! Sign up today - or soon.

For those of you who want to know more, the week long 4th Annual Creede Photo Workshop is still accepting applications. Cost is $950

Friday, January 15, 2010

Bolivia

Bolivia was amazing and tiring. We left Puno, Peru around 8:00 AM and pulled into La Paz, Bolivia around 6:00 PM on New Year's Eve (check an earlier FB post for the night's menu). The border hassles were minimal, other than the teeth-grinding that came with the $135 visa (US citizens only, thanks George) - but, hey, it's good for five years.

A day of rest, then off to the airport for Sucre, the lovely colonial capital city in the lower highlands (only 9800'). Breathing thicker air, we checked in to a fine hotel, formerly a colonial mansion. We agreed to shoot a video for them in exchange for lodging and we got to work. First we visited the Sunday market in Tarabuco, known for the fine textiles/weavings and the traditional dress of the local Andeans. Indigenous pride was on display in the plaza with a sculpture of a native warrior holding a severed hand and a bloody heart standing over a prone Spanish conquistador. Not looking so much the conqueror with a missing hand and a gaping hole in his chest. Pretty much set the tone for the village. Glad I'm not Spanish.

After five restful days with plenty of oxygen, visits to the supermarket and a $2 prime time viewing of "Avatar" at the cineplex, we boarded a bus for Uyuni and the beginning of our tour through the salt flats and altiplano, our real reason for visiting Bolivia (other than it was in the way of traveling from Peru to Argentina).

After a 10-hour bus ride (with a safe, sober driver) on mostly gravel roads, through one of the most grim mining towns I've seen (Potosi), we pulled into a wide valley with no trees (12,000'), a howling wind and plastic bag art adorning every inch of the endless strands of barbed wire fence. Welcome to Uyuni.

After meeting our driver and his wife, the cook, we headed out into some of the most starkly beautiful country I have seen: salt flats, volcanos, cacti, valleys at 14,000', mountain passes at 16,500', flamingos in nutrient rich lakes, geysers, hot springs, llamas and vicunas galore.

On the other hand, we were in the Land Cruiser for 32 hours during four days, inhaled our annual adult requirement of dust, got sick from the food, and endured the driest of all possible nasal passages. But, I don't regret a minute. In fact, I only wish I had brought a GPS, so I could have plotted the course, so I could return with my own 4x4 and spend a couple of weeks doing the same trip. Because much of this spectacular country was seen during harsh or flat light. Maybe all I'll have to do is hire a guide? I'll drive.

Hope you enjoy the photos. You find them by pasting this link into your browser.

Stay tuned for Argentina wine country, followed by the Lake District.

http://www.michaellewisfoto.com/lewis.bolivia/

Sunday, January 03, 2010

Adios Peru

We returned to Cusco on the 22nd after some good days in the Sacred Valley. Christmas was upon us and there was some shopping to do, some photos to take for the hotel chain where we were staying and to try and relax before heading to Lake Titicaca on the 26th.

The weather turned rainy, and we didn't shoot much, but there are a few photos posted of the traditional Christmas Eve market on the main plaza. I love the one of the little girls playing volleyball. They are every where in Cusco, carrying their lambs or leading their alpacas, coming up to you with a smile and a curtsey, "One picture"? This was a nicer moment.

The train trip to Puno was on restored or replica Pullman cars. Nice surroundings and, due to the less than Eurostar tracks, a slow journey which allowed for some photos from the observation car. It was comfortable and there were interesting people on the train. It was interesting to go through a town, where the markets were set up on and around the tracks. People moved their products, or not, as we approached and resumed business as passed. We arrived a bit late, but started making plans for the next few days.

Jennifer read about a family (Lonely Planet forum) who lived on the floating reed islands in Lake Titicaca and took in overnight guests. While we had read that the islands are very touristy, we thought maybe we could avoid that by staying overnight. Well, yes and no. As, you'll see from the photos, we mostly photographed the family going about their daily business. However, one of their main daily businesses is hosting tourists. It's mostly real, and the people would still probably live on these artificial islands even if the tourists didn't come. But, they built them and the tourists will come. Judge for yourself.

After a few uninteresting days in La Paz (but more interesting than Lima), we arrived in Sucre, the constitutional capitol (don't ask). The town is a lovely, peaceful UNESCO World Heritage Site. We are working on a video for the hotel where we are staying, walking the town, visited an interesting Sunday market an hour away and are looking into buying a car for the rest of the journey. Obviously, not a vacation.

You can see the photos from the last days of our Peru visit by clicking on the link (or copying and pasting into your browser):

http://www.michaellewisfoto.com/lewis.peru2/

Stay tuned and stay in touch.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Peru

It has been a bit more than three weeks since we arrived in Peru. Much of the first week in Cusco was spent getting acclimated to the 11,200' elevation and trying to set up a photo/video shoot for our new business venture (still, video and audio will travel). During that first week, Jennifer showed me the city she loves, and I was immediately taken by the lovely architecture, the beautiful plaza and the energy of the Cusco. It is the rainy season, which means that, unlike Colorado, a rain shower occurs at any time, not just in the afternoon.

While searching for a non-profit to profile, we were fortunate to find Foundacion HoPe (http://www.stichtinghope.org/en/), which builds schools for Quechua communities high in the Andes. The foundation is everything you could hope to find in an NGO: they ask the village to contribute to every school building, usually in the form of labor, and eventually have them run the school. It's a good model for lending a hand, then getting out of the way and letting the people take control. They create opportunity, not dependents.

One of the founders, Walter Meekes, took us to several communities, usually at 12,000'. We visited a high school, a kindergarden and, on our last of three days driving through the high Andes on two track roads, a village celebrating the completion of a pre-school for their children. There is a video of gringos and a gringa dancing a traditional dance on my Facebook site.

In addition to those trips, we managed to visit some of the Inca sites around Pisac, Moray and Ollantaytambo. Last, but not least, we visited Machu Picchu. A truly magnificent and magical place.

Arriving around 6:30 in the morning, the entire site was shrouded in clouds, keeping the grandeur of the site and the surrounding mountains hidden. Slowly, the sun burned the clouds away and the ancient city and its superb location came into view. A stunning moment beyond words.

The trip has also included a lot of hotel visits for the 2011 Peru Photo Workshop. We are solidifying the details over the next few weeks. It should take place during 10 days in March 2011.

I hope you enjoy some of the images from the first three weeks in Peru. Click on the link below. I would love to hear any comments directly by email or through the Facebook fan page.

The next post will include: holiday images from Cusco, Lake Titicaca, La Paz, Bolivia and the Salar di Uyuni (the worlds largest salt flats). The posting will depend on internet connections on the road.

http://www.michaellewisfoto.com/lewis.peru

Saturday, November 21, 2009

The Joys of Online Shopping

As we prepare to travel to South America for three months of video and photo work, it was obvious we needed a fair amount of new equipment. Head for the 'net, right?

Although most of the purchases went well. A couple of lulus occurred. First was ordering the video camera. The web site jzool.com had a good price and looked like a good choice. After placing the order and waiting for about 10 days the camera had not arrived. We took a closer look at the order, since we were leaving California within days. Although the site is is in English and prices are in dollars and euros, jzool is in Japan. After 10 days, the item had not even shipped! Masato was probably running around Tokyo checking the stores look for the best price. Since they considered the order as "processed", they would not cancel the order. What a pain. Oh yeah, the instruction manual was in Japanese, as were all of the words in the camera menu. They did give us an online link to the English manual.

The second order was for a Victorinox wheeled travel backpack. A luggage cart arrived. At least the return was smooth. The proper item eventually arrived.

The current snafu is an order through newegg.com for two Footprint Guides guidebooks on Peru and Argentina. Important, since we are going to Peru and Argentina.

A decent company, newegg, but the books are coming from A-1 Books, a newegg partner. They are in India. Ten days after placing the order, one book might be at the PO in Denver, the second one is somewhere. I think Arup is running around the bookstores in Mumbai looking for a copy. newegg customer service responds with form letters. Maddening.

The best experiences have been with B&H Photo in New York. Not in stock? It says so on the site when you order. During check out your shipping date and arrival date are posted. The package arrives on or before the appointed day.

Order an item through Amazon and need to return it? Easy. Go online and they give you a form, and credit you the day the receive the item.

So, be careful with your online shopping. Your next package could be coming from New Caledonia. And the instructions might be in Sanscrit.

Thursday, November 05, 2009

Canon 5D for Video

This is the first of many attempts to shed light on the use of the Canon 5D MkII for video. While there is no denying that this camera creates extraordinary still files, at ISOs as high as 6400 (many say higher), we are trying to outfit the camera with a few light accessories that will make it usable for video.

There are a few companies making accessories for the 5D that make it look as bulky as a 35mm Panavision camera. Since we will be traveling in South America, often by bus, we are looking for a few things that will be effective. We have no intention of spending up to $2000 and ending up with something more bulky than an HD video camera.

We have purchased a Hoodman loupe ($79) that is supposed to help with focusing. It is supposed to be helpful for outdoor use, when bright light will make critical focus difficult. The loupe fits against the Live View screen.

After some field testing, we have decided that the loupe isn't very helpful. I think it is just as easy to use the Live View screen for focusing and composing.

We will also use a tripod when possible. We purchased a lightweight, simple Manfotto fluid head to go on our regular tripod (128 RC Micro Fluid Head $90). We have also purchased a small Manfrotto monopod (Manfrotto by Bogen Imaging MA790B Modo Mono 5-Section Monopod) $32. We will can mount a regular ball head on the monopod and place the monopod into a LowePro F&S belt which has loops to hold accessory bags that will contain sound equipment. We can then simulate a steady cam apparatus without the bulk and expense of one.

After receiving advice from Nathan at Havey Productions and from Dave Barry, we have decided to bypass recording audio with the 5D and will use our shotgun mic and wireless lavalier on an Olympus Digital Recorder. We'll sync the audio with the video in post.

More details next week. I'll look forward to answering any questions.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

New Business, New Partner, New Workshops ! !

It has been a busy fall with photo shoots, the 3rd Annual Creede Photo Workshop and travel.

The exciting news is the formation of a new business with Jennifer Homsher, a talented photographer and visual journalist. We are going to offer photography, audio and video to commercial, editorial and non-profit clients. Our new company is called Newsprout Productions. Watch this space and the Facebook page for updates.

We are preparing to spend three months in South America working on multi-media projects, shooting stock and scouting hotels and locations for a Photo Workshop in Peru near Machu Pichu. Our main itinerary will include Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. There might be a stop or two in Paraguay and Uruguay.

The details of a Africa Photo Workshop for October 2010 are very close. We are looking at a 9-day Serengeti trip. Here are the details of the camp and area. The Workshop will allow for photos of the Serengeti, the migration and Maasai. We will have power for editing photos.

Buffalo Luxury Camp is a premier permanent tented camp consisting of 15 grand canvas tents uniquely designed to embrace the beauty of the Serengeti and crate an intimacy with the surrounding environment and wildlife. The captivating Loliondo location allows for a unique safari living and wildlife experience.

Being located just outside of Serengeti National Park allows for activities that are not permitted inside of Tanzania’s park system. Clients can enjoy unrestricted off-road driving, night drives, guided game walking and interaction with Maasai tribes that are not impacted by mass tourism.

The grand permanent tents have en suite bathrooms, hot and cold running water and comfortable lofted beds which offer exceptional views. All tents have a private terrace equipped with a spotting scope to further enhance the wildlife experience.

The finest cuisine is served in the main lodge, with an option of private dining or dinner service in your personal tent.

I hope to have prices available sometime during the first of November. While the camp will accommodate 16 participants in this Workshop, we will consider 10 participants ideal.

Please contact me for more information.

There is now a fan page for Michael Lewis Photography on Facebook. Please use this link to go to Facebook and become a fan. It will be an easy way to stay informed about our South American travels and upcoming Workshops.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-S-Lewis-Photography/161921611518?v=info