Image & Word

Photographer's Peripatetic Life Is a Family Affair : NPR

Mon, 05 May 2008 03:54:24 GMT

A lovely story from Annie Griffiths Belt on her amazing career as a Nat Geo photographer and traveling with her kids. I have just ordered her book.

Photographer's Peripatetic Life Is a Family Affair

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Annie Griffiths Belt was one of the first female photographers to be hired at National Geographic. Courtesy of Annie Griffiths Belt

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Annie Griffiths Belt
Belt's husband, Don, poses with their children, Lily (left) and Charlie, in Jordan. ©2008 National Geographic

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Annie Griffiths Belt
An opera star applies makeup in Hong Kong. ©2008 National Geographic

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Annie Griffiths Belt
A model poses on South Beach in Miami. ©2008 National Geographic

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Annie Griffiths Belt
A man wades into a swimming hole at the top of Victoria Falls in Zambia. ©2008 National Geographic
Weekend Edition Sunday, April 27, 2008 · For National Geographic photographer Annie Griffiths Belt, the perfect packing material for cameras is — diapers.
The award-winning photojournalist and mother of two says even after her children were toilet-trained, she still made use of diapers because they fit around her camera lenses like a glove. And she has carried them to places around the globe during her 30-year career at the magazine.
One of the first female photographers hired at National Geographic, Belt documents her peripatetic life as a photographer and mother in a new book, A Camera, Two Kids, and a Camel: My Journey in Photographs.
Belt, who was hired in 1978, and her husband, Don, a writer at the magazine, decided that their children should accompany Belt on most of her photo assignments. With the help of dedicated nannies and a hefty sense of adventure, Belt took Lily and Charlie around the world in their younger years. She found that even in the most remote parts of the planet, her role as a mother opened doors.
"People wonder if I would have access in the Middle East, and whenever I've been in a culture that's divided by gender, to me it's a huge advantage." Belt says during a conversation with Liane Hansen. "There are so many male photographers out there covering the guys, but let me tell you, the girls are having a good time."
From Jordan to the Galapagos Islands and beyond, Belt's children joined in her adventures, sometimes missing school for weeks at a time. The family experienced joyful moments — and dangerous ones — along the way. There were bear encounters at Yellowstone National Park and brushes with sharks in the Galapagos, and Belt says she and her husband routinely weighed the risks of exposing their children to exotic locales.
Eventually, academic demands made it impossible for her children to go globetrotting, and Belt eventually found her career taking off in new directions. Today, in addition to her work as a National Geographic photographer, she is an author and speaker. And Lily and Charlie are now 18 and 15, respectively.
Belt says A Camera, Two Kids, and a Camel is testament to the fact that mothers, especially, can fulfill their dreams.

Photographer's Peripatetic Life Is a Family Affair : NPR

Journeys | Yosemite National Park - What Adams Saw Through His Lens - Travel - New York Times

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:23:59 GMT

A simply lovely write and slide show in the NYT on the master photographer and printer. Worth a read for sure. Click on the link at the bottom for the details.

Journeys | Yosemite National Park
What Adams Saw Through His Lens

Courtesy of the Cedric Wright Family
Ansel Adams, photographing in Yosemite National Park from atop his car in about 1942. Many come to the park to try to take the same photos he did.

By LOUISE STORY

Journeys | Yosemite National Park - What Adams Saw Through His Lens - Travel - New York Times

Landscapes I've Dreamed: Photographs by Trevin Chow | the fine art photography studio blog

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 17:39:01 GMT

Landscapes I’ve Dreamed: Photographs by Trevin Chow

Tonight my good friend Trevin has his opening reception at Trabant Coffee & Chai Lounge. It’s a collection of his work from around the world. I might be wrong but I think this is Trevin’s first show and I’m really excited for him and I’ll be there later tonight to support him and check out his latest art.
Folks in Seattle who are free should for sure pop by, either tonight or later this month. Address is 1309 NE 45th Street, Seattle, 98105.

So it begins

Landscapes I've Dreamed: Photographs by Trevin Chow | the fine art photography studio blog

Easy like a Sunday morning Cat

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 19:31:48 GMT

So you have

been feed because it must have been at least a couple hours since you last feed
been brushed which feels really good because you are loosing your winter coat
played with your furry toy that's your favorite
even drank the remaining milk from your Dad's cereal bowl

What else is there left to do but lay on your back as the sun streams through the window and sleep the rest of the morning away. Not a bad life. Enough said, back to work.

Technorati Tags: Photography, Phil Holden, Seattle, Sun, Cats

Time for a spot of tea

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:10:59 GMT

Having given up coffee quite a few years ago and switching to tea I'm always interested in reading and viewing about my new favorite hot drink. Reuters recently posted a lovely photography spread of a number of shots of tea that is quite wonderful. I would have never ever thought I would have anything in common with both the Queen of England and Paris Hilton - go figure. Click on the picture or link for the full slide show.

A tea vendor holds an umbrella at a roadside in Mumbai July 5, 2007.
REUTERS/Sima Dubey

http://www.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?collectionId=1603&galleryName=All%20Collections#a=13

Technorati tags: Photography, Tea

Crazy dynamic skyline over Seattle

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:36:49 GMT

I'm far from an expert on clouds and have no way to explain this dynamic cloud formation over the city of Seattle earlier today. It was extremely windy, but that's not usual these days. The clouds literally looked like wave's rolling in over the city, but of course in the sky. There was some sunlight coming through the clouds and the windows on the tall buildings had some lovely color in them.

All in all - simple beautiful.

Technorati Tags: Photography, Seattle, Phil Holden, Clouds, Sky

RACHEL PAPO : Serial No. 3817131

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 02:43:05 GMT

I was catching up on my photo blog reading and came across this fascinating collection of photographs by Rachel Papo of the young women of Israel who are placed into military service at the tender age of 18. Taken many years after her own service its a very insightful view of the life that these women lead for 2 years. The collection is superb as it highlights their young yet their seriousness of their world. Worth a few moments of your time to check it out. Linked below.

RACHEL PAPO : Serial No. 3817131

RACHEL PAPO : Serial No. 3817131

Full moon sunrise over the Olympic Mountains

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:28:34 GMT

This week in Seattle has been very cold for us, but simply beautiful with bright sunny days. This week has also been a full moon week and this time, rather than try and shoot the exclusive moon at night I thought I would try first thing in the morning.

What is obviously different is that not only do you get the full moon, but you also get the sunrise and that lovely orange glow that last for a few minutes. For us that means that as the sun rises over the city it lights up the snow on the Olympic Mountains in the West and a perfect spot with the moon as it sets for the day. And then some kind captain also moored their large grain ship in a perfect place on the Puget Sound to add some depth to the photograph.

A lovely morning for sure and a great way to start the day.

Technorati Tags: Photography, Phil Holden, Seattle, Full Moon, Sunrise, Olympics Mountains

The Harmonious Hippos & Crocs

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:10:03 GMT

One of my favorite animals from my trip to the Zambia's Luangwa Valley has to be the hippopotamus. There is something special to me about their eyes and the way these magnificent creatures constantly watch you, their moaning and groaning as they mark their territory and their cute waddle of a walk. Indeed I didn’t realize how much they do walk and it was quite common for us to literally bump into one of them just wandering around the bush, quite a long way away from the river. Now this video is something pretty special!

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Harmonious Hippos & Crocs

They're ferocious predators, but these crocs don't give hippos a second thought.

handy reminder tool for your photography gear

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:54:44 GMT

For those photographers that use Microsoft Outlook there is a very nice little tool that has just been released that allows you to select which camera gear that you need for a shoot and enter it into your calendar item. I've been playing around with it and it looks like its going to be really helpful for preparing for a trip as you can simply enter the items that you will need by selecting them and then view them on screen or print them out while you pack. Much more details here and then the download here.

Microsoft Pro Photo: Never Forget a Lens Again

Technorati Tags: Photography Gear, Outlook

Rob Galbraith DPI: A Roundup of the 2007 pictures of the year

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:50:01 GMT

A nice list of the various 'photographs of the year from Mike. Enjoy.

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A Roundup of the 2007 pictures of the year
Monday, December 31, 2007 | by Mike Sturk

It's that time of year when many news gathering sites are posting their versions of the year 2007 in pictures. It's no surprise that MSNBC, which always has a strong weekly offering, has a great 2007 Year in Pictures. Others include the International Herald Tribune which can be found here; AOL has two very strong offerings in a People's Choice gallery and an Editor's Choice gallery; Time has a fine gallery of the Year in Images; Reuters presents more than 100 of its best photos here; some of the best photos from the European Pressphoto Agency (epa) can be found in its Yearender 2007; Sports Illustrated has amassed 43 of its best photos; USA TODAY uses a drop-down menu for various categories in its 2007: The year in pictures; National Geographic has a five-photo gallery of its best wildlife photos; The New York Times highlights 2007: The Year in Pictures; The Washington Post's Best of Post 2007 features several favourite multimedia projects; the Los Angeles Times features Best of 2007: Photography; The San Francisco Chronicle has its own Year in Pictures which features 12 galleries of the best Day in Pictures from the SFGate site; appropriate to the season, Canada's National Post has two very interesting photo galleries on Faith and Mirth and Joy.

Rob Galbraith DPI: A Roundup of the 2007 pictures of the year

New Years Eve's fireworks over Seattle's Space Needle

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 10:17:14 GMT

Tonight saw the usual fire works display over Seattle's iconic Space Needle. This was the 14th year of the event which was meant to last for some eight minutes or so and was supposed to be the largest New Years event in the US.

This years theme was a tribute to Hollywood with music from classic movies such as Jaws and Star Wars being piped to those that could hear. I was way too far away to hear and all I could hear was the drunken yells from the folks close to me.

Apparently they used some 1500 fireworks this year with fancy devices coming from all over the world to create the huge display. The fireworks had been installed over the last few days all over the tall structure with the highest ones being from the 540 foot rim that you can see in these shots. Personally I found this years show underrated, it didn't seem to have the same length or wow effect of previous years. Anyway, some shots from me tonight.

Happy New Year! Welcome 2008.

Technorati Tags: Photography, Phil Holden, Seattle, New Years, Space Needle, Fire works

Another Paw!

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 03:09:33 GMT

This initially started out as a quick paw shot, this time with Mr Jester. However as soon as the big guy started to see me with the camera he started to play around, almost modeling for me.

He was rolling around upside down and playfully swiping at my camera as I climbed up on a chair so that I was at his level. It was very entertaining and I had to take 15 minutes to play with him. These were all shot with my 50mm lens that was on the camera - I do so love that lens!

Happy last day of 2007 everyone!

Technorati Tags: Photography, Phil Holden, Cats

Sunset Cat

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:40:36 GMT

This last week in Seattle we had some lovely weather days, especially the evenings. I will add, that the lovely weather left us this weekend as we had snow and rain which had people running for their snow chains! Anyway, back to last week as I'm still catching up on things - as usual. I wish I knew the reason why, but for whatever reason the sunsets last week were incredibly bright with lots of yellow and orange evenings as the sun left for the day. Way more than usual, sorta reminds me of those Africa sunsets. Unfortunately I wasn't in a position to be able to get out and explore, but I did grab this shot of Jester as he was taking in the sun at the top of the stairs.

Technorati Tags: Photography, Phil Holden, Seattle, Cats, Sunset

winter is here

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 17:51:20 GMT

Was it me, or did winter arrive really quick? I guess seeing as its now Thanksgiving here in the US and in much of the country snow is already falling the obvious answer is yes, but boy was that quick! I only got around to looking at this shot of a Japanese Maple taken a few weeks ago in its full fall color. Long live winter I guess!

Technorati Tags: Photography, Phil Holden, Seattle, Fall Color, Winter, Maple

A thanksgiving visual and audio treat

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 16:55:09 GMT

I was catching up reading various blogs this morning and came across this story of Photojournalist Richard Hernandez, from the the San Jose Mercury News. He has created a really cool photostory that uses an interactive photo's and audio clips to create an interactive story. This time he has created a panorama of Willow Glen, a small community in the vast San Jose city that is very unique for the area.

The photo story can be found here http://www.mercurynewsphoto.com/blog/2007/11/16/where-we-live-5/ scroll left to right and then click on the little bubbles to see the cool photo or story pop-ups.

If you want to see how it was created see the video below from the ScoblesShow. A very pleasant break on this ThanksGiving holiday here in the US.

San Jose Mercury News photojournalist uses VuVox to tell photostory | ScobleShow: Videoblog about geeks, technology, and developers

Technorati Tags: Richard Hernandez, San Jose Mercury News, VuVox, Photography

together ~ for a while

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 05:39:28 GMT

Jones, well Miss Georgia Jones if you want her full name and Jester have an interesting relationship to say the least. In the morning he is all feisty and his favorite game is to attack Jones. She often puts up a good fight, but at other times he gets her and fur goes everywhere. This is especially problematic when he attacks her when she is going potty. I mean, now of all the times when we want a bit of privacy it has to be bathroom time! It got the stage where today I had to go to the store to buy a separate litter setup to see if they can have one each. Time will tell!

And then at other times they will appear to be content to hang out together and almost like each other. The other day Amy and I were walking into the studio to find them both sleeping, all be it one up and one down, on one of their perches together. We were watching them for a while and then Jones saw us looking and its if she felt all embarrassed and had to leave and come see us. Relationships ~~~ ahh!

Technorati Tags: Photography, Seattle Art, Phil Holden, Cats

a new photography site and logo

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 20:53:07 GMT

I've not been up on this blog as much as I would like recently. Truth is that I've been working on a whole bunch of business stuff that has kept me busy in addition to client photo sessions with hardly enough time to get everything done. It's all good, I'm not complaining, its just different! Besides, my cats like me more when I'm home to entertain them!

One of the projects that I'm excited about is a bunch of work done on my identity as a photographer. I've spent a bunch of time with the designer Rebecca Jones to develop a new logo which you can see below. The logo has been designed to try and mix the traditional side of my work with the modern. Sorta of a Yin-Yang as it were. As I have started to use this in various different executions I have found that's its incredibly versatile. You can see the logo here and then at the end of this post a few of the many other designs that didn't make the cut.

The second big project and its directly related to the logo is that my new web site has just been launched. This has been way too long coming, but I finally got my act together and its ready here - www.philholden.com I'm still in the process of uploading content as I have heaps of photographs that need to get developed, but now I finally have a platform to display my work. The site was designed by Rebecca Jones in co-operation with the great folks at Fuse IQ here in Seattle who built it. Its built for fast broadband connections and large screens. Its been tested with IE and Firefox, it works ok with Apple's Safari but I have noticed some funny behavior in places. Some additional details on some of the features can be found here http://philholden.com/about_the_site

I already have a list of changes and additional features that I want to add early into next year, but feel to drop me emails or comments on anything you would like to see changed.

Cheers, Phil.

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Technorati Tags: Photography, Logos, Phil Holden

Seattle city Halloween face

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 07:47:41 GMT

I was out and about earlier and caught site of this amusing Halloween face that was 'painted' on one of the large buildings downtown this evening. I had to double take at first and then laughed at the how the WAMU tower had arranged the lights to look like a happy Halloween face. A quick capture here

Technorati Tags: Photography, Phil Holden, Halloween photography, WAMU Tower, Seattle

Kuhlman surrounds Veil

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:46:12 GMT

Last night saw the Kuhlman fashion show here in Seattle. The event happened in the restaurant Veil and the Kuhlman team has carried up the large 'K' sign that normally lives center of the hip clothing store and parked it right next to the Veil sign. With the darkness of the evening it lit up street corner glowing all red. I liked how the 'scissors' of the K surround the Veil sign not only with the size but the color contrasts. A fun night, I should have time to look at the photographs of the various models and guests this weekend.

Kuhlman fashion show

Technorati Tags: Seattle, Seattle Art, Fashion, Kuhlman

Blog list: Updates and stuff

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:18:31 GMT

Updates and stuff

Copyright and all
now for the legal copyright stuff.
My other photo blog
The main web site
Lots more photography, writing and such at my main web site. Come on by and tell me what you think.
The Guestbook
Come on in! A very brief piece of history about myself but moreimportantly the Guest Book for you to sign and leave your mark

Custom List: Portrait photography

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 15:35:03 GMT

Portrait photography

Custom List: Storage Solutions

Mon, 02 Oct 2006 04:02:44 GMT

Storage Solutions

LaCie 500 GB d2 Extreme External Hard Drive with Triple Interface
Low noise, runs warm but not hot. Nice options for connectivitywith 3 interfaces including super fast Firewire 800. There are a number of reports with reliability problems but to date in the year I have been using Lacie disks I've had none.
LaCie 1 TB Big Disk Extreme External Hard Drive with Triple Interface
Low noise, runs warm but not hot. Nice options for connectivitywith 3 interfaces including super fast Firewire 800. There are a number of reports with reliability problems but to date in the year I have been using Lacie disks I've had none.
EMC® Retrospect® for Windows
Excellent backup software with more features than most will use.Simple to use and a great solution.
Buffalo TeraStation Home Server - 1 TB
USB print server, remote FTP server for uploads while you are onthe road, Raid support. This baby has a lot of going for it.

Book List: Learning digital camera's

Mon, 22 May 2006 04:07:48 GMT

Learning digital camera's

David D. Busch: Digital SLR Cameras & Photography For Dummies
If you are moving from film to digital this is a great book canhelp with the transition. Don’t think of this book teaching you photography but think of this book as introducing you to the digital world.
David D. Busch: Digital SLR Pro Secrets
Another book by David that focuses’s his attention on the more advanced user. This one is packed with tips and tricks and focuses one attention on use of the histogram and EV settings amongst other things

Book List: Photography teachings

Mon, 15 May 2006 06:58:15 GMT

Photography teachings

Barbara London & John Upton: Photography - 8th Edition
Although somewhat expensive compared to other introduction booksthis is a very comprehensive guide for the beginner. Heaps of images & illustrations help focus you on the step-by-step instructions. Just recently updated for the digital world.
Lee Frost: Teach Yourself Photography
A great overview of the basics of helping you to link together the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and film speed to create good exposures amongst other things. Perfect for both SLR and Point and Shoot shooters. Great 101 book.
Ansel Adams: The Camera - Ansel Adams Photography, Book 1
Even in this digital world that is growing rapidly, these superbbook by Ansel Adams one of the old masters is a great additional for someone that wants to learn how to take great images. As the name suggests this one focus’s on the core tool - the camera
Lee Frost: The Complete Guide to Night and Low-Light Photography
A nice overview of the basic’s of dealing with low light and night time photography. A nice section on equipment and techniques and some lovely images to illustrate the key points.
Ansel Adams: The Negative - Ansel Adams Photography, Book 2
The second in series, The Negative focuses its attention on thezone system (less important in the digital world) and his seminal concept of visualization that gets the image maker to try and visual the print before closing the shutter.
Ansel Adams: The Print - Ansel Adams Photography, Book 3
The third & final book that was revised by Ansel just before hisdeath in 1984. Although many of us use the digital darkroom this is a great book to understand styles that we now try and reproduce on our computers with the core goal of producing prints
Bryan Peterson: Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera
Equal only to composition, exposure is the key element to makinga great image. But it’s easy to mess it up especially when you are beginning. Well this book could be the answer with 100’s of images used as examples to the core principles.

Blog list: Lensbaby

Fri, 12 May 2006 21:50:41 GMT

Lensbaby

Custom List: Phili's standard lens

Thu, 11 May 2006 05:48:11 GMT

Phili's standard lens

Nikon 105mm f2.8 macro
A beauty - for folks that love close up macro work this might bethe perfect lens. The additional length compared to the 60 means you don't have to get too close
Nikon 50mm f1.4 normal
An old classic’s & if I could only have one this would be it. Fast, light & small this lens looks almost silly on my large D2x but it works wonders. Considered a ‘normal’ lens in 35mm film speak, this does get extended to 75mm.
Medium Zoom. Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VR
It’s the work horse. It provides a great range in zoom, yet a consistent f2.8 throughout, and then its fast and quick to focus with a wonderful Bokeh. Add the vibration reduction and you can handhold would great sharpness in almost all conditions.
Small general zoom. Nikon 28-200mm f3.5-5.6
In no way the fastest lens, but for sure one of the smallest fora zoom. Great when I'm traveling light and I only want 1 or 2 lens!! Perfect for the smaller bodies, D200 to the D50. On loan to Hilary right now.
WideAngle Zoom. Nikon 12-24mm f4
Not the F2.8, but for most of my work I don’t need that extra stop of light and this is great wide angle lens for Nikon’s digital line up because of the 1.5x factor, making this an effective 18-36mm F4. Having the consistent aperture is really nice too.
Standard Zoom. Nikon 24-85mm f2.8-f4
The mid length zoom. Often you need something in-between your wide angle lens and your longer zoom and this is that lens. Not the fastest at all, but saying that good value for money. Have been thinking about the f2.8 – we will see.
Nikon TC 1.4x II teleconverter
Tele-converters extend the effective distance of your lens. This one means that you multiple the lens by another 1.4, but you do loose one stop of light. It’s small and light and worth adding especially if are shooting wildlife. Note, it’s not compatib
Nikon TC 1.7x II teleconverter
Another teleconverter, this one extends by 1.7, although you dolose a little more light on this one, basically 1.5 stops. My experience on this is that it works best with f2.8 lens, above that and the light loss too much.

Custom List: Some additional lens

Thu, 11 May 2006 04:57:19 GMT

Some additional lens

Nikon 60mm f2.8 macro
Superb macro lens. Although it’s not a lens that I use often because I tend to use the longer 105mm version this one is wonderfully sharp and gives true 1-1 life size images. Some folks also use this lens for portrait work.
Nikon 16mm f2.8 fisheye
This is a fun one. A wide 180 fisheye with a fast f2.8 aperturethat makes it ideal for dim light as well as quick focusing should you need it. My good friend Todd Peterson loaned me this a while ago and I'm lucky enough to still have it.
Nikon 180mm f2.8 telefoto
This fast & light lens is a wonderful lens for street photography. The smallish size makes it less obvious when you are working out in the field, especially if you are using it with a smaller body like the D200. On loan to Christian.

Custom List: Phili's main camera's

Thu, 11 May 2006 04:52:34 GMT

Phili's main camera's

Nikon D2x
A well needed upgrade, the D2x was totally worth waiting. An absolutely fantastic piece of equipment; built with the strength of a tank, yet has the accuracy of a laser. 12 mega pixels, 5 frames a second and continuous 15 nefs - WOW.
Nikon D200
Everything tells me that this is going to be my next camera andwill serve as a smaller travel body when I want to travel lite and also as a back-up body for the D2x. If you read the reviews it looks like this baby shares many of the features of the D2x.
Nikon D100
Just like what I’m hoping the D200 will become, the D100 was initially my travel camera when I didn’t want to carry much weight and then a backup to my D1x in case that failed (never did). I will most likely sell this one soon.
Nikon D1x
My first professional camera body; purchased on an extended roadtrip in California many years ago. Although its getting old now it has been a great camera to me, enabling me to make some wonderful images over the years. Likewise, going to be sold soon.