Get it here! We released the free version of the Android app. It’s got all the same features as the paid one, just with 50-100 photos instead of hundreds and hundreds. Enjoy!
Daily Photo – The Deep Blue Morning at Cerro Torre
I’d love to return to this place, but I’m afraid the weather would not be as clear and perfect. Many locals told me there is a 90% chance that these mighty peaks would be covered with clouds, so I felt very lucky to have everything so perfect. Surely, a return here would not be nearly as good… but maybe… just maybe… a return would have clouds, but in an awesome dramatic way.
You probably also know I’m not a fan of plain blue skies. But way up in the mountains, sometimes the sky on the opposite side of the sun is a deep atmospheric blue. I see it from planes a lot when dawn breaks. Maybe you have seen that color of blue too… and here it is again.
What’s Going On with The Professional Photographers of America?
I just now received the a rather rediculous email from the PPA that I will post below.
It’s basically a bunch of horse-poop. Did you know the PPA is actively spending money to lobby Congress for these and bills of this nature in the future?
Consider these condescending bits from their statement:
“So when a behemoth corporate money-maker like Google attempts to stand on the backs of photographers to increase its profits, we as your association take exception.”
“Each of us must work to be more enlightened about the real issues, and encourage our friends and neighbors not to be led astray by the fear-mongering of Internet bullies.”
Infuriating! How does the PPA get off saying something so incendiary and foolish?
This photo has been used without my permission tens of thousands of times. My video tutorials have been pirated tens of thousands of times. It hasn't hurt my business -- it has done quite the contrary.
Look at me, PPA. Your association of pencil-pushing middlemen haven’t done anything for me. Google, Yahoo, Facebook, and hundreds more companies have been helping bring in the inevitable future of media. I share everything openly and freely through Creative Commons Noncommercial. This technique has enabled StuckInCustoms.com to grow to a point where we are quite profitable and about a dozen employees. Having these bills passed a long time ago would have hurt my business rather than helped it.
Creating new, innovative business models around the internet is the future (and present, I say).
Anyway, here is the email:
SOPA and PIPA – don’t be fooled
Dear Photographer,
We know that many of you have been following the developments with the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA). There has been some confusion over the proposed legislation, which frankly is the intent of the bills’ opponents. We wanted to take a moment to correct some of the bad information, and to let you know where we stand.
We were disappointed by some of the heavy-handed tactics used by opponents of the bills. The objective of those tactics was obviously to create fear and hysteria, while at the same time spreading false information about what the bills would actually accomplish. We want you to know the following:
Both pieces of legislation (SOPA in the Senate and PIPA in the House) targeted off-shore pirating of works produced in the U.S.
We do not feel that the measures were perfect—no legislation is. But the greater good demands that measures be taken to protect the rights of creators like you.
It is true that those mega-corporations opposed to the bill could possibly have been inconvenienced by the legislation. It is their job to make money, and their actions merely represented those purposes.
It is not true that the public would have been deprived of works to which it has rights, but rather, only those works that are copyrighted and being sold illegally by rogue off-shore websites.
Particularly disturbing to every photographer should be the attempts by Google, Wikipedia and others to define copyright as censorship. The tact is both offensive and intentionally false. Of course, the word “censorship” was chosen by opponents of the legislation for its obvious emotional value. Americans in particular are born with a deep-seated aversion to anything that loosely resembles censorship. Those feelings are amplified in photographers and other creators. After all, you earn a living by SHARING your work, not depriving people of it. So when a behemoth corporate money-maker like Google attempts to stand on the backs of photographers to increase its profits, we as your association take exception. (As a side note, we appreciate all of the words of support you regularly extend to us as we defend those rights.)
It is important to recognize that Google, while it claims to be a friend to copyright, is anything but. PPA is one of several associations joined together in a lawsuit against the search engine giant for illegally scanning and posting copyrighted photographs on the Internet. A similar lawsuit filed by publishers and authors is also underway. It is our opinion that following Google’s lead in defending intellectual property is something like depending on the fox to defend the hen house.
That Americans have bought into the false and misleading rhetoric issued over the past few weeks by opponents of the bills is unfortunate. We were surprised that a few creators were swayed by last week’s Internet blackout. And we were disappointed that some members of Congress, who are typically more reasoned in their consideration of copyright issues, crumbled in front of the scare tactics used by the bills’ opponents.
We will continue our Capitol Hill work on your behalf to educate members of Congress. Copyright is not a “Hollywood issue.” The vast majority of copyright holders in the U.S. are small businesses. While Hollywood makes an easy target, the tactic is little more than a smoke screen designed to draw attention away from the true issue—online companies wanting to increase profits at the expense of mom-and-pop creators.
Americans have always valued and defended small-business rights. Each of us must work to be more enlightened about the real issues, and encourage our friends and neighbors not to be led astray by the fear-mongering of Internet bullies. In the meantime, PPA will continue its efforts to defend the rights of photographers now and in the future.
Best wishes for a successful 2012,
David Trust,
Chief Executive Officer
Professional Photographers of America
SOPA / PIPA (and their future iterations in Congress) – Why I’m Against It
I think that we, the architects of the internet, are able to create bottom-up solutions for current and future problems. A good example of this is Creative Commons, and here I am at Google talking about how it affects “piracy” in my world of digital photography. Jump ahead to the 7:30 min mark, when I start talking about this subject in particular.
Visit FlatBooks.com to check out Jim’s latest eBook! Here’s a little sample page… really awesome stuff. Thanks for supporting the authors over there!
Daily Photo – The Mariposa Woods
While we were at Yosemite for the big PhotoWalk, we took an evening to visit the Mariposa Woods. They were very close to our hotel, and it was an easier drive than going all the way to the main park at Yosemite. Plus, I had a feeling the sunset would be quite stunning through the trees. My feelings don’t always work out, but this time it did.
My methods still haven’t changed for these kinds of shots. Seven exposures: from +3 to -3 seems to get the job done. I end up with more than enough light for the post-processing.
The new version (iTunes Link) was released yesterday. We have 755 reviews at a 4.5 star average – that is incredible, so thank you very much. Now, what is new? We fixed many issues with Flickr and Dropbox, added memory fixes, and integrated the new Twitter for 5.0. Enjoy!
That link is to the iPad version, even though we also have one for the iPhone. I recommend the iPad version if you have a choice — it has many more features than the iPhone version… you will see what I mean!
Daily Photo – Deep into the Jungle Mists
I was many kilometers down this river away from the town. I got off my little boat to do some hiking up through the hills through the jungle. It was dense. Even when there was a little opening, it still felt like leaves and vines were pressing in on me. On occasion, I would see a wider break that let me see into the mysterious beyond.
Art is a Switzerland of sorts… a neutral ground where many vectors of interest can come together. And so it was that Sergey Brin (founder of Google, in case his name rings a bell) , Thomas Hawk, Gordon Laing, Karen Hutton, Kelli Seeger Kim, and Chee Chew all came together to talk about the joy of photography and share a few discoveries we have made.
This is the photo I discussed in the video above when we got around to the bit where we shared our own photos.
This remote lake was so icy cold. You would think it’s about 33 degrees or something, right? It felt like absolute zero. I dropped a little piece of my tripod in here and my hand almost froze off trying to retrieve it.
In the distance you can see where the glacier comes into contact with the glassy lake; it gives a sense of the epic scale here.
Art is sort of a peaceful Switzerland where people from all walks of life can come together. And I think this Switzerland of sorts is why Sergey Brin, who is also quite an enthusiastic photographer, joined the hangout last night. We had a great time talking with Sergey and Gordon Laing, Thomas Hawk, Karen Hutton, Kelli-Seeger Kim, and Chee Chew.
Watch YouTube.com/stuckincustoms for the video when it comes online! You may have to click on “Uploads” to see the most recent things. I have a number of playlists on there too.
Daily Photo – Google Doodle
The new Google offices in Los Angeles are right in the heart of Venice. After passing through some hardcore security, you walk down this hallway, which I guess is a bit like dying and going to Google heaven.
You probably know about all the various Google doodles that decorate the home page. I heard the first one was of Burning Man. I didn’t see that one on the walls… but maybe you can!
Our Regular Weekly Time: Monday (Tonight!) at 7 PM PT - Your World Time
Location to Watch:Live.TWIT.tv (There is Live Chat there too)
#20 will be a fun one! We have great guests, all of whom will be sharing some great photographer discoveries we’ve made on Google+. There’s so many inspiring photographers on here, and we’re just getting started.
While in Argentina, the mountain of Fitz Roy acted as the center of most of my hiking. It was always there in the distance, towering above all else. Even when it was enshrouded in clouds, I could still feel its heaviness beyond.
I think about 90% of my shots are landscape-orientation. I only end up with about 10% in this portrait-orientation. I don’t know why this is… I can’t figure out if I am just a creature of habit or if that is the way I am wired. But, if you ever do see one in portrait orientation like this, you can probably just assume that it required a little extra thought.
I’m excited and honored to be taking our show to Leo Laporte’s TWIT Network! I’ve always been a fan of Leo ever since the days of the Screen Savers. So, this is all totally surreal for me. His new venture has been a smashing success, and his team has built proto-network of the future.
What is TWIT Live? The network now has over 40 hours of live streaming video per week that is viewed by over 4 million people every month. And maybe we can add a little more steam to that engine with your help.
Our Regular Weekly Time: Monday at 7 PM PT – Your World Time
Location to Watch:Live.TWIT.tv (There is Live Chat there too)
Trey’s Variety Hour #19
Did you miss Hangout #19 where we took a look at the the future of DSLRs and mirror-less cameras? It was a great one… You can also surf around my YouTube channel there to see all the previous ones. And now that we’re going to TWIT, I’ll have to make these even better I think!
Show #19 had Zack Arias, Frederick Van Johnson from This Week in Photo, Gordon Laing from CameraLabs.com , RC Concepcion from Kelby Media, Kelli Seeger Kim from Life Through The Lens, and James Brandon from Digital Photography School.
Thanks again to Dave Veffer for producing and Keith Barrett for sharing the broadcast!
Daily Photo – TWIT Studio
Several weeks ago I went to Petaluma to visit Leo to be on his show with Catherine Hall. We all had a great time together, as usual. I arrived beforehand to take a few photos of the studio while he was filming MacBreak Weekly with Alex Lindsey and Andy Ihnatko (another show worthy of a podcast subscription). Here’s the first one I wanted to share with you all.
And get ready for an amazing show for Trey’s Variety Hour #20 tomorrow night… I’m planning something special!
I notice that my Facebook page has really taken off lately with a lot of subscribers. So, I’ve been putting a bunch of my old favorites there on FB. I think most people there have never seen them! Of course, they are all from the blog here… maybe even a few years ago… but it has been kind of fun to dredge up some of the old favorites!
So if you’re new here to the blog, you may enjoy visiting my timeline there too!
Daily Photo – Mountains Forever
During the Yosemite PhotoWalk, the sky was beyond belief for the first few nights. The second half of the trip had fairly mundane skies. So, I was happy I went out there and got a lot of shots in the beginning!
I’m often optimistic about the “future” of the trip, assuming that the sunsets will always get better and better. This rarely is the case, so I don’t know why I’m consistently optimistic about the prospects.
This is Hangout #16 (an older one that just got uploaded — we are on Hangout #19 already!). This one is about the business of photography, and I invited various people that make money in photography in different ways. Enjoy!
People involved included Gordon Laing, James Brandon, Cliff Baise, Dave Veffer, Keith Barrett, RC Concepcion, Anna Rumiantseva, and Jacob Lucas.
Daily Photo - Gentle Hills and Summer Storm in New Zealand
While driving from Nelson to the south, we went through an area with many vineyards and pastoral scenes. I mean, it doesn’t get any more pastoral than this. In fact, it’s so pastoral, it’s almost a time-warp and everything is in slow motion.
I stopped the car and jumped over a fence to walk out into a field to frame this shot. I thought it might work from the road, and I was in a bit of a hurry to get this weather system before it moved along too far.
Pop over to Art.com and check out the front page – does that guy look familiar?
SOPA / PIPA – Why I’m Against It
I think that we, the architects of the internet, are able to create bottom-up solutions for current and future problems. A good example of this is Creative Commons, and here I am at Google talking about how it affects “piracy” in my world of digital photography. Jump ahead to the 11 min mark, when I start talking about this subject in particular.
Daily Photo – Entering the Chunnel
I remember the day as a kid I first heard about the Chunnel (the famous tunnel that connects England and France). I wanted to go through it as soon as I could! Well, it took a long time but eventually it happened.
I bought the tickets ahead of time and was sure to get to the station in London to take photos ahead of time. I love all train stations – old and new. Even the new train stations in London have sort of an old feel… it’s hard to explain.
When I was on the train and we left the station, I decided to turn on the GPS on my Android. I’ll never forget it. I saw my little dot ripping across the English countryside. It was so awesome. And then it disappeared when we hit the water.
We had a great hangout to talk about Stuck On Earth (iTunes Link), the community, and more. Here is a recording. Enjoy!
Daily Photo – Darkness in the City
Sometimes the art gets a little bit dark, yes? These moods are kind of good and kind of fun… and productive in a few different ways.
I found this location through Stuck on Earth. We have a Top 50 Secret Spots list in the app from my friend Thomas Hawk. It got me a great shot looking in the other direction. But then, I very simply turned around and saw this out the other window!
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