FUJI X-Pro 1 In Store And In Hand

The Fuji X-Pro 1 is in-store right now. We have the camera bodies, the three lenses ( 18, 35, 60 Macro) and also the fitted leather cases and hand grips. The whole concern -  ready to go.

I've got one in front of me on the editorial desk. It's fitted with the normal lens - the 35mm. I think it is the best starting point as a representation of the camera and what it will be for many photographers. Bear with me while I give a personalized view of it. Bear in mind this is a sales feature as well.

It is a good size - my hand is medium and the grip round the right hand side is thick enough to give a good hold; my last finger is the only one not resting on the actual camera body. The lens on the other side gives a natural point of rest for the left hand - bear in mind that this is not one of those lenses that telescope out in several sections - it is a proper interchangeable lens with a focusing ring wide enough to rest thumb and forefinger on, even when the lens is on autofocus. It makes for a steady hold.

The camera controls are smoothed over in comparison with the Fuji X-100, and while accessible, do not catch the thumb and slip out of adjustment. The Fuji feature of a quick external exposure adjustment wheel at the upper right corner is retained. In practical terms it means that, while you can specify a spot pattern from the light meter, most times all you need to cope with back light is a spin of the wheel.

The exposure controls are the classics: aperture ring on the lens and shutter speed dial on the top plate of the camera. Each of these has an "A" marking for automatic so you can get full auto, aperture priority, shutter priority, or full manual with the simplest means.The lens ring is effectively detented and the shutter dial has a central lock if you decide to leave it on "A". The only other top button is a discrete Fn under the right forefinger - I've programmed mine for ISO changes.

The viewfinder has either clear sight or projected frame line and if you need to switch off the LCD screen while viewing there are two eye sensors that watch for the approach of your face. There is provision to flash up an electronic repeat of the image you have just taken into the viewfinder so that you don't have to lower the camera to check it out.

Hot shoe on top and wonder of wonders - a PC socket down on the lower left side. Dedicated TTL flashes available.

Menu is extensive but the really nice feature for me is provision of a "Q" button under the right thumb. One press displays all the settings on a very simple basis on the LCD screen. Changes are easily done - a far better experience than my normal DSLR or those of the other major brands here in the shop. Admittedly it is nice not to have to change horses in mid-stream, but when you do need to alter a setting, ease and logic like this are wonderful.

Samm Blake used one of these as a travel camera and as a second camera at a wedding. I plan to try it in a studio doing tabletops and products. I am willing to bet that the images will be every bit as good as my standard DSLR and it may be that this will be the camera that helps bring portability and facility to regular event and wedding work. More reports as they are available.

Easing Into The Fast Lane

Have a look on your computer at the version of Photoshop that you are running. If the code letter is in roman numerals, you could be due for an update. Here is your chance.

Adobe are going to bring us CS6 shortly. It will have more speed and a cleaner interface and the pre-advertising mentions the following:

1. Content Aware Patch and Content Aware Move tools to shift selected elements around the image easily.
2. A Blur Gallery with additional bokeh and tilt-shift effects.
3. Adaptive Wide Angle Tool to deal with correction of distortion when the image angle is not straight-on.
4. Re-engineered Camera Raw section - and you can even bypass this if you want to for direct entry of RAW images.

You might love some of these - but you might need to use Photoshop right now. So if you purchase Photoshop CS 5.5 as a full license or an upgrade between March 26th and May 7th, you will receive a free upgrade to CS 6. This upgrade must be claimed before July 31st, 2012.

There is no need to continue editing your images with  a Stanley knife and a builder's crayon - you can get the very best Adobe product right now and keep up with the pack. Come in and see us.

AIPP Has Sold Out

Before you accuse me of indulging in sensationalism, let me hasten to add that I am referring to the No. 2 Sue Bryce Master Class in July of this year. 25 seats gone just like that. AIPP members and visitors scrambled for all available seats and that was that. They will be attending the Scarborough Surf Lifesaving Club in The Esplanade, Scarborough on the 12th of July between 9:00 and 5:00 to hear Sue.

Sue has been very successful in speaking to other professionals about her own artistry and business. She says that she is a natural light glamour portrait photographer and that she always strives to make sure that her work is not merely contemporary, but reaches ahead to what might be done and what clients will really desire. She has quite a professional practice in Victoria based upon simple light techniques and a keen eye to exploit them. Her business is successful because she has embraced the need for and the techniques of branding, and she can explain how this can be adapted for any photographer.

Of course it is not just dry lecturing - every point is illustrated by art, and it is not hard to see why the clients pay well for it. And it is all sold out on the 12th.

BUT.

With demand running hot and Sue kind enough to extend her teaching commitment, there will be a No.3 Sue Bryce Master Class on the 13th of July at the Surf Lifesaving Club. Same venue, same timing, just a day later. 25 more seats available at $ 250 for AIPP members and $ 395 for non-AIPP attendees.

Booking is best done by googling over to the AIPP of Western Australia's blog page and pressing the appropriate button. Hurry - if they've booked out 25 seats they will be pressing on to book out 50 seats pretty soon and you don't want to miss out twice!

Canon Speedlite Gets Heavier

Well, not really heavier as in weight - think more advanced - more features - more state-of-the-art. Like, Heavy, Man...

The big advance for the 600 EX-RT over the 580 EX II is 20 more. And the fact that it has wireless radio transmission capability already in-built. This means you can use it as master or slave and you are not restricted to line-of-sight infrared control like other systems.

You can combine it with a Canon ST-E3-RT Speedlite Transmitter for control from the camera or use it on the camera itself to control other 600 EX-RT's. You can work backwards with some cameras and a Canon Release Cable SR-N3 to fire the camera body from the remote slave unit.

Good news is that it has been engineered to be reverse-compatible so that the previous optical transmission capabilities are also preserved.

In simple terms, radio-frequency control for TTL shooting and multiple flash setups is the way of the future. We see other manufacturers making add-on units that allow previous Canon flashes to make use of this idea, but now Canon themselves have a sleek integrated unit that will do it in one. This means the portable studio look is even more portable and easier to achieve in the field. Even photographers who shy away from flash can now get little bursts of easily controlled light to aid their natural light compositions. It is never too late to flash!

Note to all those older photographers who remember distance charts, guide numbers, reflector sizes, synch cords, battery boosters, and remote relay switches: Slide the 600 EX-RT on the hot shoe, put the diffuser on the front, and tilt it to the ceiling. Turn it on and put it on ETTL. Press the shutter button as many times as you want and they all look good. Don't growl at the young people who don't have to do what we did. One day they too will be horrified by how easy it will all become....

Paradise Harbour

I must remember not to forget:

David Sargeant has an exhibition of Antarctic photographs entitled " Paradise Harbour " currently on view at 232 Stirling Street, Perth. This is, of course, Shoot Photography Workshops - just next door to our shop. You can't miss it as David has placed a large toned monochrome image on the front poster.

The exhibition is running from the 25th of March until the 13th of April and is open Tuesday to Friday in that period. Opening times are 10:00AM to 4:00PM.

It is an exhibition run as a part of the Foto Freo 2012 festival.

As you can imagine, images taken in Antartica are bound to be a good antidote to sweltering weather - but David has done more than just document the ice and snow - there is real artistry in the framing and processing. The exhibition is well worth a visit.

Samm and Her Fuji

Well, we saw it.

Samm Blake and the Fuji representatives - and Camera Electronic - put on a demonstration night at the Kulcha Multicultural Center in Fremantle on Monday of this week. It proved to be an excellent choice of venue - there was food and drink - and it was just the right size for the crowd that attended. Note: there was an additional exhibition of photographs mounted upon the center walls done by Alma Sarhan that was well worth examining.

But back to the main event - Samm Blake is a wedding and event photographer from Melbourne who gets to work all over the world. She said she works with two big DSLR cameras during the weddings and admits that the weight and bulk of them can be daunting by the end of the event. Hear, hear, Ms. Blake - that is absolutely true. She has just had a chance to experiment with the Fuji X100 and the Fuji X-Pro1 cameras on these jobs - and to take a Fuji camera off to Japan on a business trip - and is delighted with the results. Professional, paying, artistic results.

No wonder she's happy - she showed some of her wedding work and it was magic. She characterizes her  wedding style as " rainbows, butterflies, and unicorns" and works with natural light. She found the Fuji X-Pro1 camera to be silent, secure, and extremely sharp in focusing. This was demonstrated on the screen with a dive into the image file through the editing program and she wasn't mislead - it was pin sharp and that in a quick-focus situation.

The Fuji chaps had several of the cameras there for the audience to play with - the body of the X-Pro1 has been based upon the shape of the X100 with a few changes to the control placement and a subsequent streamlining of the feel. Of course the X-Pro1 is an interchangeable-lens camera; that is the point of it. They put on the 18mm and the 35mm so we had a wide and a normal to look through - the viewfinder lines and view changes to suit the glass. We boosted the ISO up with the menu to the level of crazy and blazed away in the darkness.

The camera feel is excellent - very solid indeed. The viewfinder as well - one small unique feature is the setting that gives you a momentary repeat of an image that you have just snapped up in that viewfinder - sort of a quick check before you go onto the next one. You don't have to chimp down to the screen between shots.

Lens results? Well even with the ISO up to the rafters the images on the screen were world-class sharp and clean. It is not surprising that Samm found them capable of professional results. Quite simply they are. Currently there is an 18, a 35, and a 60. When this system reaches its full potential who knows what great glass Fuji will introduce. I bet - personally - on a 50 macro and a big long old 180 or maybe a fisheye.

Price of the complete camera and a lens is comparable to a medium enthusiast's DSLR body alone.

One final thought - Samm mentioned that one of her trips was to Burma, and that use of her big DSLR cameras there sometimes attracted unwanted attention from security forces ( ! ) but that the X-Pro1 was never challenged. I suppose it looks like an amateur's camera and the militia don't realize that the lady operating it is a thoroughgoing professional - Score one for Samm and her Fuji.

When are we getting them? Saul sez some arrive this next week. Come in and see.

New Nikon Now Known

It is pretty daunting to see an entire room full of West Australian professional photographers staring intently at a screen and not complaining about the images...you see in this case it was a sales presentation by Julie Kimpton  from Nikon Australia for the new D4 and D800 camera bodies. There they all stood, in the darkness, and watched and listened politely. Oh, that it should be this way all the time.

Julie brought demonstrator bodies, so people weren't allowed to take files away, but that didn't stop the troops from firing them off like machine guns when it came to hands-on time. And they were greatly impressed by the results - Nikon have really changed the rules of great resolution with the new D800 and the low-light performance of the D4 is legendary. Both cameras, of course, have full professional build quality.

Julie had a great presentation about the improved professional performance of the camera bodies in video work - apparently the electronics processing lifts the image quality and removes distortion caused by movement. Combine this with the best Nikon glass and you are in the Hollywood class.

Ready for my close-up now, Mr. De Mille....

When do we see the cameras? Sauls sez the D800 next week, the D4 in about a month's time, and the D800E in late April. We shall trumpet and holler when they reach the shop, never fear.

Here Come the Cameras....

I missed this one in the confusion of last Friday - time to remedy that.

Our management says that the new Canon 5D Mk III cameras will be arriving this week - didn't say what time this week though.

That means you still have an opportunity to sit there with your mobile phone on speed dial and your thumb on the button ringing us up and demanding the latest rumour. Digital desperation.

 If you would rather relax a little and get on with the rest of life, just keep checking back on this blog site later in the week - as soon as I see the first box come out of a shipping carton I'll blog it. Promise, Honest Injun.

Fuji X-Pro 1 and X 100 Night

If you are coming to participate in the Fuji night and all the fun of the X-Pro 1 and X 100 cameras - remember that it is at Kulcha in Fremantle tonight at 6:30. A long time ago we thought it might be at 5:00 but that isn't the case....6:30 is your time.

Kulcha is at 13 South Terrace in Fremantle. Follow the signs when you get there.

Going to be interesting seeing the new gear. I'm a Fuji user so I know just how good they are. Very good.

Epson Light Up Your Life

Epson Australia have just announced a rather attractive promotion for photographers who are thinking about large-format inkjet printers. Of course anyone considering this sort of equipment naturally thinks of Epson first - their K3 inks and superb heads ensure the best image making in the business. Believe me - I use Epson myself and I see the quality difference. If you're thinking printer, now is the time to put those thoughts into action.

For the month of March, 2012  -that's a little over a fortnight left - Epson Australia are offering a free digital projector to purchasers of one of the large-format printers on this list:

Epson Stylus Pro 7890
Epson Stylus Pro 7900
Epson Stylus Pro WT 7900
Epson Stylus Pro 7900 CTP
Epson Stylus Pro 9890
Epson Stylus Pro 9900

The digital projector that they are giving away for free normally costs $ 1199 so you can do some mental calculations and subtract that cost from the printer price - but better even than that is the thought of having a top-notch portable projector to show images to your clients, friends, and yourself.

They are offering the Megaplex MG 850HD. This seems to be a super-integrated projector and sound system that has been configured to take input from all sorts of sources - iPod, iPhone, iPad, iMac, Windows PC, HDMI input though USB ports, etc. It pumps out 20 watts of sound from integral speakers. You can have computer-free slide shows by just popping a thumb drive into the port. It's light enough to lug around to your client's office and sophisticated enough to make your images look good - and that makes YOU look good.

Epson Australia mentioned that you have to buy the printer in March 2012, and you must apply through their website for the free projector.

Heck, my birthday is coming up and I want one....  

Leica Essentials Announcement

We have just received news that Leica will be making significant product announcements over a wide range of items on 10-11 May 2012 - invitations and intriguing hints have been sent to a number of people.

The venue will be the Exhibition House in Berlin - in their words a culturally and photographically significant venue. It is expected that there will be products launched, though no hint of what these might be is given....or is it?

The title of the event is " Leica Essentials ". As Leica has always pared the experience of 35mm photography to the finest and most successful point, will this mean a similar approach to digital work? Or will there be more features and new lenses? Will there be new styles exhibited? We're curious here at the shop and we'll be reporting the news as fast as we learn it

One thing for certain - the invitation we have seen bears the name of Alfred Schopf, CEO of Leica - upon this authority, and taking into account the prestigious venue, the product unveiling will be important.

Stay tuned.

Rewriting the Numbers

Business is hotting up - have you stepped outside today? Well, anyway, we have worked closely with Nikon and Canon to decrease pricing and increase value wherever we can. That way you can come in and still get the same great service with the same great smile... you just pay less for it :).  We want to make more people into real photographers.

So come into the shop or check out our new pricing at http://shop.cameraelectronic.com.au/

It will be well worth your while to look at the new prices for our Canon and Nikon equipment - for the cameras, lenses, flashes, and kits that are so popular. Prices have been lowered - so there are sound financial reasons for you to get that new piece of equipment that you need - now.

I think there will be a lot of popping in the next couple of months as the newest of the new gear comes on-stream. Of course the manufacturers are falling over themselves to beat their competition to the draw with the new equipment, and we'll be doing our best to get this into the store as fast as we can.

If it is too hot to pop this week, look at our on-line listings. You're sure to find something that fits your wallet or camera bag.

HDSLR Videography

Would you like to learn how to be George Lucas or Steven Spielberg in three days? Well have we got the course for you! Actually, there might be a - little - more involved, but we can start you on your way.

At least Alan Bachelli can - he's going to present an HDSLR videography course over three days - Friday 16 March, Saturday 17 March, and Friday 23 March at the SHOOT photography Center. He's been lecturing on digital filmmaking in film schools all over the world and has worked for a raft of high-profile commercial clients like EMI/Warner and Sony Music. He's an award-winning documentary maker.

Alan will be explaining the different techniques of DSLR and conventional video work, audio recording, editing in Final Cut Pro, and delivering your finished product. It won't just be lectures - an assignment will be pursued and assessed.

This is a must-do course for serious videographers.

It'll cost you - real time technology and fresh information is a valuable property. $ 398 inc GST, and you may consider it a very sound investment for your professional career.

Contact  Simon at SHOOT by phone:   9228 8232   or hop over to:

enquiries@shootworkshops.com.au

Don't delay - Friday the 16th is rapidly approaching.

WA Press Photographer Awards

It is awards time for WAPPY - the West Australian Press Photographer of the Year 2012 - and here are the results hot off the press...err screen...err phone. Well here they are anyway:

Category 1     West Australian Press Photographer of the Year

                       1st         Theo Fakos                  $ 1200     The Sunday Times
                       2nd        Matthew Poon              $ 300       Community Newspaper Group
                       3rd         Lee Griffith                   $ 160       The West Australian


Category 2      Best Spot News Photograph


                       1st          Lincoln Baker               $ 500        The West Australian
                       2nd         Ian Munro                    $ 220        The West Australian
                       3rd         Michael Wilson             $ 110         The West Australian


Category 3      Best News Feature Photograph


                       1st          Nic Ellis                       $ 500          The West Australian
                       2nd         Nic Ellis                       $ 220          The West Australian
                       3rd         Theo Fakos                  $ 110          The Sunday Times


Category 4      Best Portrait Photograph


                       1st         Karin Calvert                $ 500           The Sunday Times
                       2nd       Sharon Smith                 $ 220           The West Australian
                       3rd        Lee Griffith                    $ 110           The West Australian


Category 5      Best Sport Photograph

  
                       1st        Daniel Wilkins                $ 500           The Sunday Times
                       2nd       Paul Kane                     $ 220            Getty Images
                       3rd       Lee Griffith                    $ 110            The West Australian


Category 6      Best Feature Photograph


                        1st       Robert Duncan              $ 500              The West Australian
                        2nd      Tony McDonough         $ 220              Freelance
                        3rd       Matthew Poon             $ 110               Community Newspaper Group


Category 7        Best Picture Essay


                         1st       Michael Wilson             $ 500              The West Australian
                         2nd      Nathan Dyer                 $ 220              The West Australian
                         3rd      Lincoln Baker               $ 110               The West Australian


Category 8        Best Suburban Newspaper Photographer


                         1st       Bruce Hunt                    $ 600               Community Newspaper Group
                         2nd      Elle Borgward                $ 220               Community Newspaper Group
                         3rd      Jon Hewson                   $ 110               Community Newspaper Group


Category 9        Best Country Newspaper Photographer


                         1st       Nathan Dyer                   $ 600              The Kimberley Echo
                         2nd      Clare Alcock                  $ 220              The Kimberley Echo
                         3rd       David Bailey                   $ 110              The Kimberley Echo


Congratulations to all the winners from Camera Electronic.



   
 

PocketWizard Plus III

We're just about to take delivery of the new PocketWizard Plus III radio transceivers. Those of you who have used the PW Plus II and the PW MultiMAX know that they are the very flexible and reliable. The PW III adds new features to extend this even further. Of course they are reverse-compatible with these other two fine products.

The 32 channels of the MultiMax have been retained and the photographer can now trigger 4 independent zones from one position, turning groups of lights on and off. The range of the units can be increased readily with the Long Range option and even further with the ability of the units to combine and relay a signal.

The units are very clever, being able to distinguish whether they are expected to be transmitters or receivers at any one time. Indeed, if you wish to give  remote camera firing instructions , the PW Plus III on it will do so but then automatically shift up one frequency to pass on the command to a remote flash unit.

The units have a two-stage trigger so that the normal operations of auto-focusing and auto-exposure sensing may take place and then a further pressure will fire the camera. If you are shooting a motor drive camera ( do we still call them that?) it can cycle at 14.5 frames per second.

Best of all the casing for the PW Plus III has a back-lit LCD screen on the side of the unit - the profile the photographer sees has been slimmed down.

We'll blog you when they arrive.

Nikon D4/D800 In-Store

You can register at the following link:

http://www.cameraelectronic.com.au/ce-nikon.php

Kodak Slide Film Slides Away

Well, if you want it, come and get it
Better get it while it's cold.
If you want it, why not try it
Get it 'fore it's all sold.
Kodak slide film running out
That's why we all scream and shout
If you want it, come and get it
Come and get it while it's cold.

Now if you like it, come and get it
Better get it while it's sold.
If you need it, come and grab it
Kodak slide film set to fold.
No more trannies, that's for certain
Whole damn deal is gone for a Burton.
If you want it, come and get it
Better get it while it's cold.

When it's gone, well we'll all miss it
Better get it while you can.
Once we sell out you can kiss it
Bye bye, not happy Jan.
Kodak drops a line of goods
Wandering like an orphan in the woods.
But if you rush in, you can buy it,
Better get it while you can.

Lightroom 4

Hold on tight, folks - Adobe Lightroom 4 is about to hit us. Get out the big mouse and the pot of coffee and be prepared to spend a lot of time on the computer.

Or not - if you make use of some of the new features of Lightroom 4 to speed up your workflow. Looks like the new package contains:

Highlight and shadow recovery
Photo book creation linkage
Location-based organization
Extended video support
New camera RAW linkages
Intuitive slider controls
Enhanced online sharing links
Developmental preset regimes
Tight Photoshop integration

I want some of this action - I want to investigate the photo book idea with the Blurb organization and the 180 or so pre-made templates in this program promise a good choice to start from. Looks like there will also be a 20% discount on the first book I make with Blurb.

The developmental preset feature is good too - I want to make a sub-program that allows me to turn ordinary studio photos taken with flash into woodburytypes - this is for the 1880's dance hall gals that visit. You go off and take landscape pictures and surfing and I'll stay right here, thank you.

The ability to bounce back and forth seamlessly into Photoshop is also what I need - the pixel-edge cutouts and pasting in PSE6 and then back to LR4 for overall tones and levels. Magic.

Not too sure about the social-network posting. Lightroom 4 will make it very easy to send good quality images to Facebook and Flickr, but will this just mean that we get to see drunks at parties with greater clarity and good skin tones?

Intuos 5

Remember the computer you tried with the joystick control built onto the base of the housing? Then the one with the rolling ball - then the wired mouse - then the wireless mouse? Then the tablet that you tried out in the shop? And you didn't buy any of them because you were waiting for the best thing to evolve?  Time to loosen your wallet - the Wacom Intuos 5 has hit the market.

The Intuos 5 has all the capability of their earlier product - the Intuos 4 - and has added additional features that speed up your workflow and bring a more natural feel to what becomes a real artistic tool. The ability to control your operations through touch scrolling and zooming is added - of course there are even more controls built into the Express Keys and Touch Ring at the side of the tablet. The great thing about these side controls is that the tablet is ambidextrous - you can expand your ability to rotate, pan, and apply custom operations so that both your hands are comfortable - no more cross over fiddling.

If you want to know what you are doing - as opposed to why...- the tablet can send a heads-up display to your screen detailing current settings.

A simple addition of an accessory also means that this tablet can be wireless - one less electrical hose snaking across your desk. Fortunately the tablet uses the same excellent electronic brush as previous models - no need to retrain your hand.

Three sizes will be available - Small                ( 6" x 4")   at $ 255
                                             Medium           ( 9" x 6")   at $ 385
                                             Large               ( 12" x 8") at $ 529

As a long-time Intuos user I can readily testify that this is the best way to employ the retouching and compositional features of major image editing programs. The conversion from a mouse hold to a pen hold takes about 4 seconds to feel better. The effect on the arm and wrist are also magic - you don't realize how unnatural it is to try to draw with a bar of soap as opposed to a pencil until you try it! Different of course in the shower....

New Canon EOS 5D Mk III Announced

The Man From Canon has just visited our shop with a powerpoint presentation about the new Canon EOS 5D Mk III. We're impressed - you will be too - and we are already opening the books to take orders.

The body has the familiar Canon shape and ergonomics but there are new features:

1. New DiGiC 5+ image processor
2. ISO 100-25600 straight up expandable to 50-102400
3. Full HD Movie at ISO 100-12800

They have expanded the number of AF points to 61 and the coverage of the viewfinder to 100% - this means an improved capture view to complement the display view on the 1,040,000 dot LCD screen. If you are a fast shooter you can run at 6 fps.

The card slots are now dual - SD and CF - and this been engineered so that there is no compromise with the high level of sealing for water and dust resistance.

Shooting versatility has been augmented with an integral HDR mode as well as a multiple exposure mode - you can build up an exposure over a number of shots.

Of course the camera has the full-frame sensor that the 5D series is known for and the CMOS sensor has a 22.3 megapixel division. This is the perfect Canon studio and portrait camera.

Just a note: The powerpoint demonstration mentioned a number of accessories that are to be made available with the 5D Mk III: You'll be able to take advantage of a GPS receiver and new battery grip,  new EX-series speedlite,wireless controller, and wireless file transmitter. Canon know what professionals and enthusiasts need for their success.

Just in from Sam - apparently there is a headphone connection so you can monitor your sound as you record video. A mystery but it sounds useful.

Canon have decided to make the camera available in two kits as well as body alone. Prudence on the part of dedicated Canon users would suggest ordering pretty soon - these cameras are going to be in high demand - we are already taking deposits with first orders. 

order now
http://shop.cameraelectronic.com.au/Products/5DIIIB.html

Large Format Workshop for Foto Freo

FotoFreo this year has a special workshop in planning - Alexander Bond and Peter Kovacsy will present a hands-on and eyes-open workshop dealing with using large format cameras in the field. In these days of small digital everything, Alex has pursued a different route - large chemical work - and has garnered awards and sold myriads of postcards and books upon the strength of it.

He'll be presenting the workshop at Point Walter Reserve, Bicton, on Saturday afternoon, the 24th of March. The start time is 1:00 and it will run until 4:30...but I'll bet that is the light stays good there will be a lot of good photo opportunities afterward as well.

Alex and Peter will bring some of their 4 x 5 cameras and there will be some from Camera Electronic as well, but if you have large format gear of your own, bring that too. Expertise in camera operation and optical knowledge is pretty portable - once you see things happen, you will be able to visualize it with your camera. There will be a good chance to find out about film choice, development, and printing methods too, though this is a field demonstration rather than a darkroom one.

To book for this workshop, contact Alex at:

Alex Bond Gallery, PO Box 397, Applecross 6953 or online at alexbond.com.au

If you'd also like to see the " Changing Places" exhibition that Alex and Peter are presenting you can find this at the Barracuda Studio Gallery, Unit 3/4 56 Pakenham St., Fremantle and it is on between March 17-31.

Remember - digital cameras are all very well, but with a big large format camera you can crawl inside the focussing cloth and have a sleep on a warm day....