Do pro photogs use R-D1?
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Al Kaplan
Veteran
There's a shot of me shaking hands with Bill Clinton on the May 16, 2007 post on http://thepriceofsilver.blogspot.com as well as some other political people I've shot over the years on adjacent posts.
A good interesting "Google friendly" blog is a good way to get your name out there.
A good interesting "Google friendly" blog is a good way to get your name out there.
superernie
Newbie
Dutch photo journalist using the R-D1
Dutch photo journalist using the R-D1
Dutch professional photo journalist Eddy van Wessel uses the R-D1. He is very experienced and very talented in my opinion. At a recent workshop in Amsterdam he showed the two R-D1 bodies he works with.
He needs to travel light and be inconspicuous as a journalist, he said. When traveling to dangerous places, he prefers them to the M8, which he owns as well.
You can see his photos at his web site http://www.eddyvanwessel.com/
Dutch photo journalist using the R-D1
Dutch professional photo journalist Eddy van Wessel uses the R-D1. He is very experienced and very talented in my opinion. At a recent workshop in Amsterdam he showed the two R-D1 bodies he works with.
He needs to travel light and be inconspicuous as a journalist, he said. When traveling to dangerous places, he prefers them to the M8, which he owns as well.
You can see his photos at his web site http://www.eddyvanwessel.com/
sooner
Well-known
Thinkfloyd, the point above about using an R-D1 to be inconspicuous seemed to apply to you in the Philippines. I used to live there in the early 1990's (lived in Makati), and although I had a great experience, I wouldn't want to lug a big, heavy, and clearly expensive dSLR around, given the general crime threat. Your posts also remind me that, in my travels around Asia, Filipinos are some of the most amazing musicians. I once heard a Filipino band on the "floating hotel" in Ho Chi Minh City that you would swear was the Rolling Stones....John.
Jason808
Established
This person does/did. http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0907/the-leica-m8-2-experience.html
The whole Leica/two lenses/Tri-X journalism was cast to a niche long ago and a smaller niche with the growth of digital. There are some Pros using M8's, but there are other reasons the CaNikon (it's becoming NiCanon actually) crowd use their cameras, other than frame rates - low light and AF performance being a huge factor.
But, that business of visual storytelling, even in the non journalistic realm, is changing. If you aren't shooting video, you're being left behind. We're seeing a convergence and the new tools are being designed with that in mind.
For the record however, I hate shooting video and I hunt for the text/stills depictions of the news.
The whole Leica/two lenses/Tri-X journalism was cast to a niche long ago and a smaller niche with the growth of digital. There are some Pros using M8's, but there are other reasons the CaNikon (it's becoming NiCanon actually) crowd use their cameras, other than frame rates - low light and AF performance being a huge factor.
But, that business of visual storytelling, even in the non journalistic realm, is changing. If you aren't shooting video, you're being left behind. We're seeing a convergence and the new tools are being designed with that in mind.
For the record however, I hate shooting video and I hunt for the text/stills depictions of the news.
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sevo
Fokutorendaburando
Being the kit camera supplied by the employing newspaper or agency is and always has been a even more huge factor...
Jason808
Established
Won't argue with that! On the sporting events I still shoot, I will occasionally see "the guy from the paper" toting D1's and 1D's (first generation) -and still out shooting me! 😀
nzeeman
Well-known
maybe if you want to use rd1 and also not to be in big disadvantage you can take 2 rd1 cameras - one with wide and one with long lens. of course it is not so cheap but it may work...
DGA
Well-known
Inspiring, indeed.
He has some excellent shots there.
A web site to bookmark, that's for sure.
Thank you.
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rogue_designer
Reciprocity Failure
Why not - that's what we did with teh D1 and D1x for years... those things were pigs.
capitalK
Warrior Poet :P
I haven't read through this whole thread, so sorry if this point has been brought up. I know many photojournalists (some personally, international award-winning) that carry Holgas with them. They don't carry them as their main camera but they take up valuable space in their bag. In fact I was just looking at a video today of a photographer "unembedded" in Afghanistan with two Canon 5D's, a miniDV video camera and a Holga.
So if pros can take a Holga with them on assignment I certainly think you can take an R-D1 with you... I just wouldn't do it as my main camera.
So if pros can take a Holga with them on assignment I certainly think you can take an R-D1 with you... I just wouldn't do it as my main camera.
Dave Wilkinson
Veteran
As well as his guitars - George Harrison used to take a cheap little ukulele around everywhere...but only for amusement🙂
Dave.
emraphoto
Veteran
here, here.
it's a passion first and if you're lucky, a way to make $ second
it's a passion first and if you're lucky, a way to make $ second
Mephiloco
Well-known
I've never sold a single print, never tried to, never shown anything, and have never tried to get anything I've done published; this is a hobby for me, I work in moving pictures. However, I will agree with what you said.. about giving prints at least, the rest I have no experience.
I go to a lot of shows and events that interest me and almost always have a camera with me (usually my big bulky t90) and get some good shots every now and then. Whenever I get a really good shot, I'll print it on some fiber or make a nice print on an HP/Epson and give them one of the prints. Now whenever I see them they're always happy to see me, wave me in and bring me backstage to hang out. This, of course, leads to even better pictures, as I'm not shooting from the crowd, but from the side of the stage, or in the pit if I want, or, depending on the band, I could walk on stage to get a shot (though I never do, I'm there to see a show, not 'work').
One time I went to see this band I really like from Montreal/Berlin and shot two rolls of film. One roll came out terrible due to the actual film itself (never had good luck with neopan 1600) but on the second roll I got several real gems. I printed out the print I thought would lend itself to the paper the best (printed on metallic paper) at 12x18 and brought it to their show the next time they were in town, several months later. I got it signed, the subject (the singer and namesake of the band) loved the shot, drew all over the print in the negative space, and on the back put his home address both in berlin and montreal and his email, insisting I send him that pic, and the others from the set.
I email him and get an email back from Vice Records, they want to buy the rights to the picture. They offered me just under $1k for full rights to the photo--publishing, advertising, however they wanted to use it. I turned them down and just let them have the rights. The band is relatively unknown, the label relatively small time, and I like the band and the label. On top of that, very few bands have come back to New Orleans after the hurricane (even still), yet they come on nearly every tour of theirs, and the singer/guitarist's other band comes here on his tours as well. He and his mostly European band are also huge supporters of the the city and our music--The singer even cites Ernie K-Doe as one of his major influences. I consider that an act of goodwill and in retrospect look at it as rewarding goodwill with goodwill.
I completely lost track of the point I was trying to make. Sorry, I got good news today and I've had a couple quarts of beer. I apologize if I have made you all dumber from reading this post 🙁
Basically, giving prints of your good shots is a good thing to do. Between my girlfriend doing A&R for a music label (and producing their huuuuuuge radio show) and the musicians I know/have photographed in this city, we got to nearly all shows/events free--which is good enough for me.
pachuco
El ****
I've never seen a news photographer using a RD-1 but I know a bunch of pro photogs that shoot documentary projects with whatever camera they feel like using. As for me, my agency does not care what I use for a camera (film or digital) as long as I meet the resolution they need. Just out of curiosity, what difference does it make if other pro photogs use the RD-1?
nahlene
Member
Yeah i totally agree with someone above, that we meet the definition of "pro-photographers". If it is measured by how much a person live on photography in economical scale, then it certainly can, but any other camera too. Moriyama Daido did most of his shots with p&s cameras. Who cares...
To me R-D1 is more suitable for doing social-science-related projects, which can be a pro-tool for non-photographers. It is not sneaky enough to be a perfect snap-tool, yet it is non-aggressive enough to get the subject being shot most of the time. The resolution and img quality is good enough for most of the purpose in this field.
To me R-D1 is more suitable for doing social-science-related projects, which can be a pro-tool for non-photographers. It is not sneaky enough to be a perfect snap-tool, yet it is non-aggressive enough to get the subject being shot most of the time. The resolution and img quality is good enough for most of the purpose in this field.
thinkfloyd
Flippy Nose
John, Makati is probably the tamest in terms of crime rate haha. And probably the strictest city when it comes to shooting (it's a city now, in case you left before it was made into one). But then, with my RD-1, I get to shoot anywhere, since the security guards "feel" it's not pro enough. I also get to sneak my camera in concerts, events, etc., where photography is not allowed. They peek at the viewfinder, see that my lens is not a telephoto lens because of the 1:1 viewfinder, even though a 75mm was on the camera at the time, see that it's a "film" camera, then let me in. In my opinion, the RD-1 is the sneakiest "pro" digital camera around (I use the term "pro" loosely, meaning I can change lenses). And yeah, Filipino musicians are world-class, look at Journey's current vocalist, and have you ever wondered why a Broadway play featuring a Vietnamese lead was played by a Tony award winning Filipina thespian (Miss Saigon) 🙂
edit: sorry for the OT 🙂
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DGA
Well-known
In short - Reliability.
As I see it, most pros use reliable tools for their main activities.
They simply cannot afford other stuff.
payasam
a.k.a. Mukul Dube
I think I know what you mean, JSU. But would anyone be able to begin the same kind of career today, with or without an R-D1?
Al Kaplan
Veteran
Well, I'm off to shoot some pix for an actress's portfolio, then cover a party at her house. A brace of still mostly chrome M2 bodies, 35/2 'cron (second version, black), 85/2 Nikkor (chrome), black 15/4.5 Heliar on a chrome (plastic) Bessa L, all jammed together with lots of film helter-skelter in my ORIGINAL mid-seventies Leica "Classic" bag, threadbare at the corners, and dirt rubbed so deeply into the fibers that the cloth will never get clean again. Actually, it's just possible that there are no cloth fibers left anymore. The bag might consist of nothing but random dirt and grease in combination with coffee stained cigarette ashes. Still though, it's a cool looking bag!
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