rant

Artificially Intelligent Mayor

A photo from the published campaign platform of Toronto mayoral candidate Anthony Furey. Uhhhh, do you notice anything wrong? If you do then maybe you should run for mayor. I see at least six things wrong, ten if you want to get picky (see the comment section below).

But maybe nothing is wrong with the photo. Maybe Furey is saying that having a third arm will make you more prosperous. Vote for him and get another arm!

Note: The link to the original version of the campaign platform no longer works because it has been updated. Care to guess why it was updated?

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A Good Example Of Bad Public Relations

A 1950s public relations photo to publicize Dairy Queen’s banana drink in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. This Main Street ice cream shop still exists today but it’s no longer a Dairy Queen franchise. (US Library of Congress)

Public relations photography is, or at least should be, much more advanced today.

Today I received an unwanted press release from a Toronto public relations company. It was a good example of what not to do especially if you’re claiming to be a professional communications company.
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Window or Mirror?

Some selfies can work out very well. This woman got a good experience being close up with actor Ryan Reynolds, a nice photo of the two of them together and, because of the first two, she undoubtedly has a good memory of the event. But many selfies turn out to be duds.

The purpose of a selfie with a celebrity is the brief(?) illusion that you and the celebrity are connected. You can bask in the reflected glory of the celebrity and the selfie is a trophy you can show others.
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Happiness And Photography

People record a live event with their cellphones in Toronto, 2018. Instead of watching a real person right in front of them, many of these folks watched a one-and-a-half-inch digital version on their cellphone screen.

Back in the 1980s and 1990s, I occasionally crossed paths with a certain other newspaper photographer when I photographed dress rehearsals for ballet and opera. After shooting a suitable number of pictures of a rehearsal, I would leave the theatre. But this other photographer always stayed behind. He put his cameras on the floor and watched the remaining rehearsal. I thought he was being lazy, just sitting there and not taking pictures.
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Yellow Brick Road Photography

Queen Elizabeth II watches the 151st running of The Queen’s Plate horse race in Toronto, Canada, 04 July 2010. With the passing of the Queen and the accession of Prince Charles to the throne, the race will become The King’s Plate.

This is another view-from-my-office photo.

Most photography web sites are about equipment. I’m referring to photography web sites not photographer web sites. Such photography sites write about gear because it’s quick and easy.

There are some web sites that offer photography advice and instruction. But these “nuts and bolts” sites are superficial and intended for beginners. Quick bites of junk food. Tastes good for the few minutes you’re consuming it.

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Low Expectations

Canadian goalkeeper Milan Borjan celebrates Canada’s win over Jamaica in their men’s soccer match in the final rounds of the Concacaf FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Toronto, Canada, 27 March 2022.

This is a view-from-my-office photo from a cold, rainy-snowy soccer game.

From the past two weeks:

 

A Toronto professional photographer does family portraits for $500 according to his web site. The price includes a 45-minute session and 50 “fully retouched” pictures.

Fifty images in 45 minutes? Fully retouched? Ten dollars per photo?

At that price, who should have low expectations, the customer or the photographer?

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Photo Gear Purchases 2020

The ongoing pandemic has meant that there’s been little work and few purchases. The items listed below were bought before the pandemic shut everything down.

Sirui K-40X Ball Head

My old Manfrotto ball head wasn’t as smooth as I wanted and it struggled with heavy lenses. Also, my new L-bracket (below) requires an Arca-Swiss head and there’s no easy way to convert a Manfrotto clamp to Arca-Swiss.

The Sirui K-40X was reasonably priced ($240) compared to similar ball heads. It’s smooth, solid and a joy to use.
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