Online photography magazine, similar format to 28MM, slightly more professional contributors: http://www.ak47.tv/

I'm happy to announce that the Chicagoland Photobloggers site is now online at this fancy new address, chicago.photobloggers.org. It's still in the development stages, but I'm sure it will be in full force very soon (at least, once we let Bob leave Toronto to head back to Chicago.) So if you are in the Chicago area, hit Bob up with an email so he can add you to the site and give you more details on how you can help out.

In related news, I have spoken with many photobloggers over the last couple of days and many other Photobloggers.org sites are in the works. I'm really happy to see this taking off, and I'd like to Thanks Brandon for providing us with this opportunity and I would also like to thank the various people who are stepping up to the plate to take charge in their areas. That, my friends, is dedication.

PS: Last night we Toronto folk had a impromptu meet and greet with Bob. You can view some pictures here. Definitely more to come.

Cheers
Rannie

This one is for all the toy camera fans out there
The folks at toycamera.com has declared this Saturday, October 23rd 2004 as World Toy Camera Day so on that day dust off your toy cameras, load it with film and go take lots of pictures. Afterwards select the best picture from that day and submit it to toycamera@gmail.com by November 6th, 2004. Prizes include a new holgamod that hasn't even been released yet!

More info on rules, submissions and prizes can be found here.

TONIGHT!
Paul Shambroom Photographs Democracy at Work
Wednesday, October 20th, 6:30 - 8pm. Apple Store SoHo: 103 Prince St at Greene, NYC.

To coincide with the publication of Paul Shambroom's new book, Meetings, documenting his four years photographing the participants and the rituals of civic power with a large-format panoramic camera, Paul Shambroom will convene a Virtual Town Meeting at the Apple Store in SoHo tonight.

Political photobloggers will share their photographs and postings of democracy at work in the virtual community -- an exercise of civil liberties during this politically charged time. Photobloggers presenting will include: Jake Dobkin, Mike Epstein, Rion Nakaya, and Eliot Shepard. Shambroom and the NYC photobloggers will discuss their photographs before the event is opened into a Q&A session.

visit: gothamist.com/shambroom/...

Autumn is a wonderful time for photographing one of the great cities of the world, New York. There is something magical about falling leaves in Central Park, the crisp chill in the air, the rain, the noise, bundled up families on the Upper East Side and of course the spectacular sights that are only New York – The New York Public Library, The Subways, Gramercy Park, The Empire State Building… the list is endless.

This past weekend I embarked on a visit to New York for the purpose of shooting a retrospective entitled, Reflections on Manhattan.

One place that I always like to visit for shooting in New York is the famed Grand Central Station. Grand Central Station’s architecture is stunning and there are few other places in the world to catch the hurried pace of human traveling with such stunning natural streaming light

So imagine my disappointment when, as I began assembling my small tripod in Grand Central Station, I was accosted almost immediately by one of New York’s finest. “Who you with?” were his curt initial words. I fumbled for what to say as he asked again, “Who you with?... or are you just a tourist here takin’ pictures.”

I began to explain to the officer that I was a photo artist and was in New York doing a series on the images of Manhattan at autumn time, that I had a blog and posted art on the internet. “A what,” he said. “Put the tripod away, tourists can’t use tripods, only professionals can use tripods and you have to have a permit.”

“So how do I get a permit?” I asked. “It takes a long time,” he said. “You have to apply for it in advance.”

“Now put the tripod away.”

I thought about trying to explain how beautiful the natural light could make photographs in Grand Central Station, but that in a low lighting environment it could be difficult to get the right shots without the steady and trusty companion of a tripod… but decided against it.

I packed up my tripod, bit my lip and went on with my business.

One of the beautiful things in New York since 9-11 is the canopy of American Flags that cover and adorn the City. You can’t go 10 feet without running into one. They are beautiful as they blow in the wind and remind us of the sacrifice that our Nation has made in the war on terror. They are extremely photogenic.

At the same time, since 9-11 a new assault has taken place on the rights of the photographer as an artist. Recently the New York Times ran a piece on a proposed ban by the MTA on all cameras in the New York subway system. To lose the amazing art that has been created by photo artists like Bruce Davidson would be a tragedy. We would lose a little piece of New York culture by losing this important right.

As I finished my visit through Grand Central Station I stopped off at the fine exhibit currently on display chronicling the history of the subway in New York and reflected on what had just happened to me.

Although I understand the position that the City of New York has taken in regards to using tripods in Grand Central Station, I don’t think that it would be unreasonable for an artist or journalist to be able to apply for an on the spot permit.

Certainly terrorists would be unlikely to request an on the spot permit and I would even be willing to give up certain of my privacy rights in order to get one. I’m sorry that as my weekend in New York was short I did not get to take all of the photographs that I would have liked of Grand Central Station.

Leafing through the latest outstanding issue of Esquire magazine – its first photo issue in its history – on the flight back home to San Francisco, I was struck by the impact of the images of photographer Martin Parr of tourists at Ground Zero. Parr chronicles the new Ground Zero as tourist site and the commerce that has followed our tragedy through the kitsch and the tacky. I was reminded that all tragedy has unintended and unfortunate consequences. It’s noteworthy that so much of Esquire’s first foray into photography is centered on New York.

Although I can understand the significance and importance of public safety in light of the 9-11 terrorist attack, I also believe that a balance must be maintained between safety and art and journalism in our country. To not maintain this balance would mean that the terrorists had indeed won – not won the war itself – but won by taking away a little piece of our joy and life and culture and art.

I would like to finally announce the permanent URL for the Toronto Area Photoblogs site.

http://toronto.photobloggers.org

I would like to thank Brandon from photoblogs.org for providing the subdomain for the site. Brandon will be offering other cities subdomains off of photoblogging.org in the near future for other metro photoblogging communities. I'm happy to say that we are the first.

I would also like to thank Joey and Ross from Blogware for the generosity and help. They provided the initial blogware account which we are using for TAP and are my support system with all thing technical on the site.

Feel free to start linking to the site. http://photojunkie.blogware.com will still work, but please start using the new url.

Cheers
Rannie

PS: On a personal note, I published my 900th post today.

FILE's Widescreen Contest kicks off its new Widescreen feature, a section that will display panoramic photography from contributors. All amateur and professional photographers are encouraged to enter this contest. You may enter as often as you wish. There are prizes and there are rules.

I have just stumbled across the New York Times Photography Store. As one whose CafePress and Zazzle stores are home to families of crickets, I was especially depressed by the knowledge that they will most likely manage to sell framed 16 x 20 prints at $340...ten times "my" going rate.

I'd love to find whoever is willing to spend that much and have them look at my junk

One of my favorite things about one of my favorite photographers, Bob over at NoTraces is that he can quote "The Wizard of Oz" as though he were Ray Bolger (or Frank Morgan) (or Bert Lahr) (or Jack Haley) himself. =)

Tonight I challenged him to photographically interpret the following 12 words.

HOME
JOURNEY
INTELLIGENCE
DOG
FAMILY
HEART
FLYING
MINIATURE
ROAD
COURAGE
EMERALD
FOREST

He's game. And I'm going to do it too. Want to join us? Leave your link in the comments when you're done.

{Please note, there are no prizes, no rules, no deadlines, this is just about creativity sparking. We are in no way associated with MGM Studios. Hopefully that covers all the potentially cornfusing legal mumbo jumbo.}

Hope you'll join in the fun!

When Samuel Johnson wrote his Dictionary of the English Language and had it published in 1755, he defined a "lexicographer" (writers of dictionaries) as harmless drudges... In the endeavor of writing a dictionary, there's some art, but there's also the persistence associated with defining what we take for granted.

Every time I read about a time capsule, I wonder: does it include the mundane details of daily living, such as grocery lists and monthly budgets?

Some photobloggers fill this role, and I have my own list of those who record the mundane, but who are yours?