Photography Exhibition: Philadelphia Museum of Art - Unsettled:Photography and Politics in Contemporary Art

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. Unsettled: Photography and Politics in Contemporary Art is a very special photography exhibit I strongly recommend to anyone who lives or is traveling to the Greater Philadelphia Region.

This exhibition will run throughout the summer of 2011

Choosing photography equipment bags for travel - Epilogue

I've been getting many queries about choosing bags for travel, for photography gear. The two major domains in which photographers carry their gear on trips are “in-transit,” and during shooting.

In Part I, I discussed the problems of “in-transit” travel, which also affects how you pack for your trip.

In Part II, I discussed the specifications for bags for carrying your gear while “in-transit” which must be considered when choosing bags for that purpose.

In Part III, I discussed bags for carrying your gear while shooting.

I created this blog to offer helpful information for travel photographers; general tourists capturing beautiful memories, through advanced amateurs intent on sophisticated travel photography. I'm not writing articles to induce readers to use the same equipment I prefer, merely because I use them.

So, with reluctance, due to many emailed requests, I will reveal below which bags I currently use for my travel photography, and why. I hope everyone will concentrate on the why, and not the particular bags themselves.

Smartphone Apps for Photography: Depth of Field Calculator

Have you ever taken a portrait, or a close-up of a flower or insect and wished that either more of it had been in focus, or the exact reverse, that less had been in focus?

I sure have. When shooting wildlife, such as birds, I normally want the entire bird in focus, but sometimes I don't close down my aperture quite enough to ensure that that my depth of field enables me to accomplish that.

In order to know what will be in and out of focus, you'll need to know what your “depth of field” is.

Choosing photography equipment bags for travel - Part III

I've been getting many queries about choosing bags for travel, for photography gear. The two major domains in which photographers carry their gear on trips are “in-transit,” and during shooting.

In Part I, I discussed the problems of “in-transit” travel, which also affects how you pack for your trip.

In Part II, I discussed the specifications for bags for carrying your gear while “in-transit” which must be considered when choosing bags for that purpose.

In Part III below, I'll discuss bags for carrying your gear while shooting.

The decision when purchasing a bag for carrying photographic gear while “in-transit” is dominated by the stowage options of transit companies, the physical size of their stowage areas, their bag restrictions on the physical size and weight of bags, plus the transit companies' limits on liability.

On the other hand, the decision when purchasing bags for carrying your photographic gear when working or shooting is dominated by bag characteristics which affect their use, protection for your gear, comfort of the photographer, and issues of quality and purpose.

TSA sends letter to NPPA assuring photographers' rights at airports

If you've been following the problems of tourists and professional photographers with TSA (Transportation Security Administration) at airports, you already know that there have been reports that travelers have been harassed, and intimidated by TSA TSOs, when trying to photograph at TSA checkpoints in airports.

Ryan Miklus found out about getting into trouble if you try to take a photo, or make video at a TSA checkpoint when he flew from Phoenix to Reno with his parents earlier this year.

Choosing photography equipment bags for travel - Part II

I've been getting many queries about choosing bags for travel for photography gear. The two major domains in which photographers carry their gear on trips are “in-transit,” and during shooting.

In Part I, I discussed the problems of “in-transit” travel, which also affects how you pack for your trip.

In Part II, below, I'll discuss specifications for bags for carrying your gear while “in-transit.”

In Part III, I'll discuss carrying your gear while shooting.

As already discussed in Part I, whether traveling by bus, train, ship or plane, the issues of “in-transit” travel are similar. When traveling solely by car, the traveler is restrained only by the car's capacity and the traveler's personal convenience, so whatever works for other transportation modes, will work for automobile travel.

In Part I you learned it's essential to stow photography equipment in “carry-on” bags while traveling, due to breakage, and liability issues, and the ability to take photos, even while “in-transit.”

There are three general constraints for any “carry-on” bag, including photography gear bags; size, number and weight.

Fort Lauderdale bans public photography, then agrees to lift the ban after judge orders it!

I've written about the craziness directed at photographers in Florida before. Well they're at it again. In Ft. Lauderdale Florida, they decided it was alright to ban all photography, filming and video by everyone on public property in part of the city. According to Ft. Lauderdale officials, it's all spelled out in City Ordinance Sec. 16-1.

It seems as though to many government officials, taking photographs in public, from public property such as streets and sidewalks, is a criminal offense. I guess these same government officials haven't read the laws they have sworn to enforce, or perhaps they are just incapable of understanding them.

I'm certain they haven't yet read the US Constitution, or if they have, the believe it doesn't apply to them, or the American public.

Choosing photography equipment bags for travel - Part I

Lately I've been getting many queries about choosing bags for travel for photography gear.

There are two major domains in which photographers, much like all travelers, carry their gear on trips; “in-transit,” and during shooting. In Part I, below, I discuss the problems of “in-transit” travel, which affects how you pack for your trip. In Part II, I'll discuss bags for carrying your gear while “in-transit.” In Part III, I'll discuss carrying your gear while shooting.

Whether traveling by bus, train, ship or plane the issues of “in-transit” travel are similar. When traveling solely by car, the traveler is restrained only by the car's capacity and the traveler's personal convenience, so I'm won't concern myself with auto “in-transit” issues.

By “in-transit” I mean when you are traveling from home to a destination, between destinations, or returning home at the end of a trip.

Protect your photographs: Read your gallery and online storage companies' terms of service!

Do you use Twitter, the real-time information network which can permit you to connect to others to offer them timely information, news and data they might find useful?

Do you share photos or videos via your Twitter feed? Where do you store your photos and videos in order to share them via Twitter? Do you use TwitPic in order to share those photos and videos?

If you've answered yes, my advice to you is simply, dump TwitPic, and immediately delete your photos and videos from the storage service!