Rob Galbraith Site Signs Off

Log time blogger/digital pioneer, Rob Galbraith has stopped updating his website because of some life changes.

I've followed his website for a long time.

He was a lone voice in a world of digital technology when the AP/Kodak NC2000 digital camera was new. In 1994 when I went digital, there was a less than helpful manual and even less technical service available for the $15,000 handed to me by my boss Woody Marshall. 

Galbraith, a staff photographer at the Calgary Herald and had the mental capacity and visual acuity to not only explain the technology but still make great images from a camera that had a lot of issues.


I wish him well as he moves onto academic and thank him for all of the knowledge he has shared over the years.

Hipstamatic isn't Hip on this one.

I just finished the British Journal of Photography and am a bit disturbed by what I read. It looks like Hipstamatic is coming up with the plans to create a Foundation for Photojournalism. Not a bad idea but after reading the story I see many problems.

I see legions of people becoming "photojournalists" because they have a camera phone and Hipstamatic software. According to the article CEO Buick states, "create an educational platform, where professionals will be able give some of their time to educate up-and-coming photographers on how to go into Libya, for example, and not get shot."

And if something else goes wrong then who do they call? The bigger problem I see is the local community guy who decides he is a photojournalist simply because he has an iPhone and the "photojournalism Goodpack" and thinks that makes him or her part of the 4th estate.

Covering spot news is dangerous and not for everyone. A photographer can be seriously hurt of killed if they are in the wrong spot. And if you are not there as a member of the real press then you are just in the way of police and firefighters who have a real, and more important, job to do.

Photojournalism, as I practiced it for many years, needs some CPR if it is going to survive but I'm not sure the foundation knows the correct technique.

Here is the link: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2193262/hipstamatic-plans-launch-of-foundation-for-photojournalism#ixzz21jV1kEzm

How many photos do we need?

If you take a look at sites like Photo Weekly Online you'll see that sites like Facebook have over 100 billion photos on their site and around 6 billion photos are uploaded each month.

My question is do we really need those images? Are we just snapping pictures of things instead of enjoying the experience of the the people and places? As a photographer my interaction with people changes. I wonder if it's the same with all of these cell phone grabs. Do we really need a day to day, moment to moment documentation of our lives? Can't we just experience a moment?

Time to Change up the Blog

A Gum Bichromate print I recently created.

I've been away from this blog for a long time and many things have changed in my career as well as my personal life. I have started my final year in the MFA program at Radford University.

I don't do digital archiving anymore but, I still have a deep knowledge of Digital Asset Management. I've decided to use this blog to cover some of my projects and I continue to work on my degree.


The image of apples I've put up with this post is a Gum Bichromate print.
It is a non-silver process and it should outlast most images printed today.