Photography Exhibition: The Getty Museum - In Focus: Still Life

The Getty Museum in Los Angeles has one of the great photographic collections in the world. This exhibition of still life prints of  include a range of works from André Kertész to Charles Aubry to Sharon Core. This exhibition, In Focus: Still Life is one of the Getty’s most interesting.

This exhibition will run through January 23, 2011

Five photography gear carry-on myths busted!

Travelers have told me TSA says photographers are allowed an extra carry-on if it's filled with nothing but photographic equipment. Others have said putting your photo gear in your checked-in luggage is no big deal, as the airlines will reimburse its loss in case it's lost or damaged.

A wildlife photography enthusiast I know told me just a few months ago, he was told air travelers could carry their tripod on the outside of their photography bag on the plane with no problem.

Another traveler told me that the weight limits on carry-on luggage doesn't apply if it's all photography gear.

Each of those statements are myths. Some may have some truth in them, but generally, none are true.

Photography Exhibition: The National Gallery of Art - The Pre-Raphaelite Lens

The National Gallery of Art has an extensive collection of photographic images, however, most are not regularly on display. This exhibition, The Pre-Raphaelite Lens: British Photography and Painting, 1848–1875, will take 100 photographs and 20 paintings and watercolors from its permanent collection and that of the Musée d'Orsay, Paris. It will be treat to see them.

This exhibition will run from October 31st through January 30, 2011

Identifying your travel photos when you return home - Part III

The Photo Identification series, discusses one of the most classic problems of the vacation photographer, identifying one's photographs after returning home. When people look at their photos weeks after making them, it can be difficult, if not impossible to remember where each one was made, and what each images' subject is.

In Part I, low-tech identification methods were discussed, such as written journals, marking maps with photo locations, and using identifier photographs. In Part II,  hi-tech identification methods which are automatic or close to it, such as using GPS technology was discussed.

In Part III, I conclude the series with a discussion of software to input missing GPS data, correct already embedded data, and locate GPS coordinates for input into image exif data, and using only manually collected information about one's photo locations.

Photography Exhibition: Philadelphia Museum of Art - Mark Cohen: Strange Evidence

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has become one of the foremost exhibitors of fine art photography in the nation. Mark Cohen: Strange Evidence looks to be a wonderful exhibition worthy of this great institution.

This exhibition will run from October 23, 2010 through February 28, 2011

Mark Cohen (born 1943) appeared on the American photography scene in the early 1970s and, in the ensuing decades, distinguished himself as one of the most original American street photographers. Working primarily in the small Rust Belt cities of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he lives, Cohen photographs people and places encountered at random.

Identifying your travel photos when you return home - Part II

As discussed in Part I of this Photo Identification series, one of the most classic problems of the vacation photographer is identifying one's photographs after returning home. Often when you look at your photos weeks after making them, it can be difficult to remember where you took them, and what each image's subject is.

The low-tech identification methods discussed in Part I, such as written journals, marking maps with photo locations, and using identifier photographs work, but many photographers consider them too tedious and time consuming. There are some hi-tech identification methods which are automatic or close to it, but I caution anyone who thinks they are foolproof, to think again.

Each of these hi-tech methods involve GPS (global-positioning system) technology. GPS devices typically identify their position by longitude, latitude, altitude and compass heading, plus date and time.

Today, some digital cameras have built-in GPS units, some cameras are GPS ready, and other cameras can have GPS information added to their photos' exif data, but don't have the capability to embed the information directly themselves. It must be added later, via a computer.

Photography Exhibition: Philadelphia Museum of Art - Philadelphia Museum of Art Photography Portfolio 2010

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has become one of the foremost exhibitors of fine art photography in the nation, especially since the completion of its Perelman Building. The Women’s Committee, Philadelphia Museum of Art 2010 Photography Portfolio Competition is a wonderful exhibition worthy of this great institution.

This exhibition will run from September 4, 2010 through September 19, 2010

Identifying your travel photos when you return home - Part I

It's the classic problem of the vacation traveler. After two weeks away, you begin to review your travel photos, a few days or weeks later, and you can't remember where you took many of them, and what the buildings and scenes in them are.

While traveling, you can ensure you will be able to identify your photographs through easy to use, inexpensive, low-tech techniques. While high-tech methods, can also help handle image identification, even these can sometimes get a needed boost from more down to earth methods.

High-tech identification methods, while great, can sometimes fail, so every photographer, even a casual vacation photographer, should be familiar with the low-tech, failsafe photo identification methods I discuss below. During my recent trip to the Baltic region of Europe, my GPS, attached to my DSLR, died in Stockholm. I reverted to the low-tech techniques, which worked beautifully for me.

Photography Exhibition: The Museum of Modern Art - The Original Copy

The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), in New York, NY has some of the most amazing exhibitions of contemporary photography in the US. The Original Copy: Photography of Sculpture, 1839 to Today is another in their series of wonderful exhibitions at the Museum. If you’re in the New York City area, don’t miss this exhibition. I plan to go myself, if at all possible.

The exhibition will run through November 1, 2010.