National Geographic digital/film workshops

07/21/2004 04:14:38 PM · #1

There is going to be a workshop by the National Geographic next July (2005) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I cannot attend as I have to travel that month to Florida for a trade show but there are two sessions. Cost is $2550 and more details can be found here: //nationalgeographic.com/ngexpeditions/expeditions_trip_1642.html

I really really wish I could attend this because who better to learn photography from than National Geographic photographers? Space is limited to 25 people.

joanns

Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro

07/21/2004 04:24:09 PM · #2

I found it interesting that it said the workshops were for amateur or serious photographers. They're mutually exclusive? :)

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS for Canon

07/21/2004 05:46:24 PM · #3

You know, these "expeditions" are pretty expensive. I wonder what the ages of participants are. I'm sure they don't have any poor Navy E-3s on their list!

June

ElGordo

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

07/21/2004 06:37:25 PM · #4

I live only 40 miles from Santa Fe, can't imagine why it should cost so much!
Maybe the instructors make their living this way.
And, Chiqui74, I remember being a Navy E-3, making $68 a month. But room and board were covered and the entertainment was endless!

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

07/22/2004 04:12:29 AM · #5

Originally posted by ElGordo:

Well, it's not quite THAT bad now, thank God. Can you imagine making $68 a month nowadays? You wouldn't even be able to feed yourself!

June

TechnoShroom

Canon EOS-30D

07/22/2004 04:22:46 AM · #6

Originally posted by chiqui74:

Well, it's not quite THAT bad now, thank God. Can you imagine making $68 a month nowadays? You wouldn't even be able to feed yourself!

How much is a 50 lb bag of rice and a fishing pole? You can live like a king with the bag of rice and a daily trip to the pond at the local public golf course. ;)

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

07/22/2004 04:32:24 AM · #7

50 LBS????? I think I've been getting ripped off! About the golf course, it's for officers.

June

strongheart

Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z2

07/22/2004 06:02:09 AM · #8

[quote=ElGordo] I live only 40 miles from Santa Fe, can't imagine why it should cost so much!
Maybe the instructors make their living this way.

I know an underwater photographer for the magazine and it is how he makes his living besides selling prints to other publications.

Bran-O-Rama

Canon EOS-5D

07/22/2004 06:12:07 AM · #9

Originally posted by strongheart:

I know an underwater photographer for the magazine and it is how he makes his living besides selling prints to other publications.

That's pretty badass. It's like saying, "Pay me and I'll teach you how to shoot like me but I'll also still charge you for my prints." ;)

thatcloudthere

Canon EOS-1D

08/06/2004 12:51:12 PM · #10

Sort of on and off topic:

Does anybody know the NG's feelings on digital photography in the magazine's future? I know they did the 'Flight' story with digital, have they done anymore since?

The reason I ask is that I would love to get into this type of work at a publication and I'm wondering if I should even bother with film photograhpy at this point (which is all I've known up until a few weeks ago). I may be asking this at the wrong website!

Thanks!

thatcloudthere

Canon EOS-1D

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

08/06/2004 01:48:03 PM · #11

Nobody?

Gordon

RIM BlackBerry Curve

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

08/06/2004 02:06:50 PM · #12

Originally posted by ElGordo:

I live only 40 miles from Santa Fe, can't imagine why it should cost so much!
Maybe the instructors make their living this way.

What a crazy notion! Imaging giving your time & skills in return for payment, so that you can live! I can't imagine why anyone would do that!!! It is outrageous.

DarkRider

Nikon D300

08/06/2004 05:15:31 PM · #13

National geographic actually has series of feild guides for photography. Great books, I have two of the series. "Secrets to making great pictures" and "Digital"

This is taken off of.Chapters.ca

National Geographic--the worldâ��s leading authority in photography--presents the definitive guide to the digital revolution that is quickly taking images out of the darkroom and onto the desktop. The world of photography has been transformed by the digital realm; both professionals and amateurs alike are abandoning traditional film cameras for new technology. Now, in the fifth of the acclaimed Photography Field Guide series, National Geographic presents an easy-to-understand, step-by-step guide to this new media with tips on everything from picking the right camera to producing exotic infrared images. This reference provides all the information necessary to get the most out of new digital technology, including the background and development of digital technology, the ethics of when a photographer should and should not alter images, differences in various file types (JPEG, TIFF, etc.), and tips for producing excellent panoramic images. Featuring information from one of the fieldâ��s most revered experts, this guide is the quintessential tool for photographers of all levels of experience who wish to be on the cutting edge of photographyâ��s exciting new frontier

Azrifel

Fujifilm X100VI

08/06/2004 06:16:43 PM · #14

Originally posted by thatcloudthere:

Nobody?

I think that you primarily need to think about photography and not about the equipment. You need to know your equipment, but in the end the most important is that you see what makes a great pic and act instantly whatever gear you have in your hands.

Even with a 3mp smallCCD S602 you can get published in books, newspapers and magazines. It is more about how you shoot it, the quality of your work. The medium is not that important. Is digital suitable for your subject, use digital. Do you need a rangefinder to get the best pics (because of its low profile), use a Leica 35mm or the new Epson RD-1 digital rangefinder.
Is detail very important? Use a 1Ds, 1D mk2, digital back (Leaf, Kodak, Fuji, Capture One), 6x4 film medium format or even larger film camera.
Is dynamic range very important? Shoot B&W or color film or try the Fuji S3. Etc.
It doesn't matter if you use film or digital. If you create rubbish it doesn't make any difference if it is on a piece of celluloid or in a binary file on your pc.
By the time you get up to NGC standards you will know what you need and get what you need.

Just shoot it!

thatcloudthere

Canon EOS-1D

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

08/06/2004 06:30:53 PM · #15

Thanks Azrifel...what about the other questions?

Okay, let me rephrase a little bit.

Are many publications like National Geographic using digital images yet?

Why or why not?

If they are, at what point did they decide to go this route and why?

How about newspapers?

I'm trying to get a general feel for what the print media world thinks about digital and why they prefer the medium they use.

Azrifel

Fujifilm X100VI

08/06/2004 07:05:46 PM · #16

Originally posted by thatcloudthere:

Are many publications like National Geographic using digital images yet?
Why or why not?
If they are, at what point did they decide to go this route and why?
How about newspapers?
I'm trying to get a general feel for what the print media world thinks about digital and why they prefer the medium they use.

I "think" that NGC still primarily uses film, because their photographers prefer it. Most of the time speed is not that important (in case of the Airplane story it was). Potraiture in the NGC way favours the use of rangefinders and there weren't any digital ones up to now.
NGC decided to use digital for an "entire" article because of speed. For the airplane article they needed approval from the airforce. Their schedule was too tight to include developing time, shipping/transport time etc. Sometimes a photographer gets several months to years to get what they want.
NGC also stands for high quality and one aspect of that is good dynamic range. That is an area where film still is better compared to digital. It is a matter of years before digital equals and even surpasses film in that aspect. First of all you've got the Fuji S3 comming this fall and Canon has a patent on exposure control of induvidual pixel sites (the pixel stops receiving light in certain conditions to prevent a blowout).

Newspapers, I can only speak about what I know about the situation in Holland;
Dutch newspapers now primarily use digital. I met several photojournalists and they all used Nikon D1x, D2H or Canon EOS 1D digital cameras. Speed is very important for them.
Dutch tabloid magazines also use digital. Their most famous supplier was one of the first users of digital mirror reflex cameras in Holland. Again, speed is important.
Sport magazines about football, Formula 1 and such are also dominated by digitally created photos. I read at Robgalbraith.com that the Super Bowl was also shot mainly digital. The photos were selected on the spot, and used right away.

For the papers and magazines that don't rely on speed so much I believe that it is a mix of both film and digital, but digital is gaining. Many newspapers all around the world are only buying digital bodies nowadays.

doctornick

Apple iPhone 13 Pro

08/06/2004 10:29:48 PM · #17

Originally posted by Azrifel:

...NGC also stands for high quality and one aspect of that is good dynamic range. That is an area where film still is better compared to digital. It is a matter of years before digital equals and even surpasses film in that aspect...

Uh the Canon 1Ds has long surpassed 35mm film and some say even better than medium format...Now I can only speculate what the 1Ds Mark 2 will be...we'll see in September...we sure live in exciting times...

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

08/06/2004 10:57:39 PM · #18

This is a picture of S.F. Chronicle photographer Carlos Gonzales taking my picture in January, 2003 ... with a digital camera ...