1st Place

Hot Summers Night © Tristan Jud

2nd Place

Ice Roads © zPrime

3rd Place

The Butterfly © ZAN1980

3rd Place

Egg Assembly © John Strohmeyer

Honorable Mention

Portrait © Christian Eberly

Late last year, I had a client with an unusual request: natural portraiture on the streets here in China. It was an unusual but refreshing request from clients who usually want simple white background portraits.

Amaran to the rescue

We had just released a few new Amaran LEDs, one including color temperature control (AL-198C). I thought it would be the perfect complement to help light under the ever-changing street lights I knew I would encounter. Sometimes you’re faced with orange or blue or red-tinted street lights, and this light would theoretically give me some ability to correct for that without having to go crazy in post.

For most of the shots, I used a Trigmaster Plus to fire my flash, but there were many occasions where I made use of the Amaran LED. I even found that the light was so bright, I was usually shooting on a very low light-level. And indeed I was able to compensate for off-color street light by adjusting the color temperature wheel as needed.

Also a first for me this time was shooting with a 50mm 1.2L. It’s was an absolute joy to use, and I’m sure it’ll be a fixture on my camera in the future.

Here are a few examples from the shoot. See if you can figure out which ones used the Amaran, and which ones didn’t…

—

Jesse Warren is a night-street-portrait-loving photographer, based in Shenzhen, China.

Chinese New Year, also called Spring Festival, is the largest holiday in China, and much of the far east. It is celebrated in much the same way that Christmas is in the West – eating good food while spending plenty of time with family. But of course there are many differences.

The holiday is associated with red pockets (money for children), red lanterns, red clothing, flower markets, mandarin trees, crowded trains and buses, discarding your grudges, cleaning the house to make way for good luck, and of course…FIREWORKS. You can learn a lot more by reading this article.

We’ve rounded up a few photos from around Flickr and some of our own to show you what Chinese New Year is all about…

Fireworks © Noah Stevens

Good Luck & Happiness © Hobo

Red Lanterns © Laurence & Annie

Faith. Love. Devotion. © Nathan Hayag

Trafalgar Square © Uggboy & Ugggirl

Dawn Yeoh © LH Wong

Street Fireworks © Vincent

Wishing Tree © Laurance & Annie

Firworks in Dalian © Graeme Nichol

Min Min in Yangshuo © Jesse Warren

Note: this interview was conducted via Skype, so while its not 100% verbatim, it should come pretty close.

Karl Grobl © Scot Sargeant

Where are you now and what are you shooting?

I’m in Bangkok, Thailand. I’ve got several photography workshops that I’m leading, as well as jobs for humanitarian aid organizations. Starting this afternoon I’m leading a tour through Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. I’ll be staying until April.

How did you get into photography? 

A long time ago while working for an orthopedic company, I was selling total joint replacement, standing around with doctors in surgery. I was at a trade show, and next to our booth was an NGO booth called Health Volunteers Overseas. Their booth was severely lacking in visuals that would attract people to them. I offered to photograph indigenous cultures for them, which was already my hobby. I started to provide them with images to promote their NGO. After a while I thought to myself – there could be a job in this. This was more than 10 years ago, and there weren’t a lot of people doing it, especially as a freelance thing. I got an agreement with them, and I got a grant from an orthopedic company to do that. I pulled the plug on my full time job, took a year to create a portfolio of images, and used them to promote myself.  During this time, I was also doing freelance work, shooting the occasional wedding and newspaper story. But then I caught a few breaks. After 3 or 4 years of working hard, I got to a point where I could support myself doing this type of photography.

(On running a business) It takes 50% taking good pictures, and 50% being a good business person. Knowing how to promote yourself, knowing how to price yourself, refusing to give things away. The business side of things helped me a lot. I had a fairly strict business plan. I don’t sell photographs, I sell services. At this point, I guess I sell less than 50 images a year, and those are to people who come to me. I find that my time is better spent selling my services to my clients. I like the process of creating the images and getting the story, so much more than sitting at a desk emailing back and forth about selling images. curriculum.

Take us through one of your typical workshops. 

For this one, I’ll be leading them through some of the highlights of SE Asia, including touristic spots and street scenes around Bangkok, up to northern Thailand for indigenous hill tribes. Then trek into Burma for a foray into a border town. Then a two day boat trip down the Mekong River to Laos where we photograph the monks that go out every morning to get their alms. We’ll do some nature photography. And ultimately to Siem Reap for the highlights of the Angkor Wat complex and finish up at Phnom Penh.

We don’t have any classroom type of instruction on this particular tour although I do offer a workshop for serious amateur and professionals who want to get to the next level of their photojournalistic storytelling. This tour is more casual. We do day activities and on the spot training. Its pretty much non-stop instruction and help, although without any rigid

How do you deal with being away from your family on the road? 

It’s not the easiest thing, but I certainly manage. I try to be back for the Christmas holidays so I can be with my family. My wife is fairly independent and used to the fact that I’m gone a lot. I have a week here or there where she can fly out with something touristic to do. I’m on the road so much, and I just seem to be getting busier and busier. I’ve chosen this  lifestyle, I guess that’s what it is.

Why do you never shoot with light, fast primes such as a 50 1.4? (Karl shoots with a 17-35 f/2.8 and 70-200 f/2.8)

I am perfectly happy with the setup that I’ve got, because I’m so used to it. Between 35-70mm I have nothing other than my feet to move forward or backward. About 6 months ago I got online and ordered the Nikon 50 1.4G with the intention of taking it to Haiti for an assignment to make some low light, shallow DOF shots. When I got there, I never took it out of the bag, and returned it to B&H when I got back. Although that lens has beautiful bokeh and makes fantastic images, I consider it a specialty lens. I rarely take the time to change lenses in the midst of something. I don’t want to carry something around that I’m only going to use once or twice a year.

If you don’t have a lens, you make due with what you have in your hand, and pay more attention to the subject matter. It’s limiting in one respect, and really frees you in another way. After a while, I don’t have to look through the lens any more. I know my 17-35 will get X, Y or Z. I’ll shoot kickboxing tomorrow, and won’t even need to stick the camera to my face as I shoot from below.

What is your favorite country to shoot in?

I would say Burma, India, and Cambodia are my top three. I love those countries because of the diversity and the genuine sort of cultural aspects that are still in place. Burma is really just an amazing place for photography because its sort of been closed off to the rest of the world for quite some time. It’s strikingly different than other locations that are very homogenized.

India is a no holds barred, no personal space kind of personal immersion, and that’s why I love it. You can photography anything from any distance. The reaction from you being there is more often than not very welcoming. Folks are used to doing everything in public: defecating, having weddings, burning their dead, etc. They think nothing of having a photographer amidst them – they take no exception to that. You have to also understand that since they have no personal space, neither do you. You’ll be doing something and people will be inches away staring at you. Sometimes I lead tours there and people are besides themselves with anxiety. You have to also agree to let that non personal space apply to you as well, in order to enjoy India.

What’s the most dangerous experience you’ve had on the road? 

I was in Haiti one time and I got behind schedule and was trying to get back into the city. Shouldn’t have been on the road. Came into a road block by people with guns. There was discussion going on and I knew it wasn’t good. I think some money changed hands, but my driver was able to talk us out of it. Disaster was averted and I continued along.

The most dangerous situations are when there is not a stable government and some sort of rule of law. Whether its crowd gatherings in Haiti or where there is no one in charge. I was in southern Sudan before the elections and it was very tense there. The last thing you wanna do is end up in a prison in Sudan. It’s always good to have a fixer or someone who can help you through things, or else you’ll have problems. It’s things like that that are nerve wracking and stressful, and that kinda wears on you.

I spent a few weeks in Afghanistan. The experience of being on edge all the time completely wears you out. You’re always looking over your shoulder, and its hard to stay focused on your work. I think of our troops that are constantly under the threat of attack or roadside bombs while we are sleeping on a Saturday morning. But thank goodness I’ve never had any really nasty encounters with anybody.

Have you been to China before? What are your impressions? 

I have been several times. Been to Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Taiwan, but I haven’t really done any of the touristic spots. I’ve been working for NGOs and going to places that are typically lower on socio-economic ladder, such as villages where people are being infected with HIV and such. What I’ve seen of China is not typically what other people see, and I’ve seen some excellent work from other photographers. I just haven’t been given the time to explore it, other than at work.

What do you do with your down time on the road? 

I usually do preparation for upcoming jobs and blogging for the website. That mostly fills the free time that I have. Occasionally you’ll find me swinging on a hammock drinking a beer on a beach somewhere. It’s nice to be completely and totally disconnected from technology occasionally. But I’ve got enough things on my to-do list that I don’t have a lot of free time. I’ve got all these ideas for projects, and you know how ideas are.

How do you know Ken Rockwell? 

(Laughs) I can tell you stories about Kenny. He’s a friend of mine from, oh my god, from like 1985. We lived in the same apartment complex in San Diego. He’s the ultimate geek.  He had a handlebar mustache, worked for some hi-tech company, and he was a nerd. We were both into photography and got to know each other because of that. We were both members of the Sierra Camera Club. After meetings in the parking lot, we’d talk about how great it would be to make a business out of photography. Long story short, look at Ken Rockwell now, and he’s one of the biggest names in photography.

Funny guy, he’s like a savant. In one respect he’s a genius, but you wouldn’t necessarily want to have dinner with him. He’ll come up with some crazy stuff. You kind of have to understand him.

(On his controversial nature) He’s getting so popular and it can make a big difference for people who are trying to sell stuff. He sort of protects himself by saying that his website is a joke. He also wants to keep people guessing. He knows that if he goes against the tide that he will create a lot of buzz. For example, while everybody is about digital, he’ll go on and on about film. He will say something and then message boards and chat rooms will light up. The bottom line is that all of that drives more traffic to his website.

He really tries to show people that “you don’t need stuff that costs 10x as this” – in this way he does a good service for people helping them to choose equipment. But the pros tend to dump on him for what he says. I don’t disagree with him most of the time, but I do know that the consumer cameras, as good as they are, don’t cut it. If you’re really trying to make a business out of them, you have to go the extra mile to get the extra quality and durability.

How was the switch from the Canon 1D series to the Nikon D series? 

I started digital photography back in the days of the D1. I was a D1X person back in 2000 or 2001. So I shot with Nikon for quite some time. Then I had a little mishap in South America and I was relieved of all my gear by two very friendly gentlemen. At the time that occurred Canon had just come out with the 1Dmk2, with a CMOS sensor and 1.3x crop. It seemed to me with the way technology was leapfrogging, that Canon had a significant advantage. From the standpoint of getting the best equipment, I switched from Nikon to Canon. Used them for 6 years until they were beat to death. After an evaluation of what was available, I wanted to get into a full frame sensor. Canon only had the 1DsMKIII, and the 5D2, which wouldn’t stand up to the kind of abuse I would give it. The Nikon D3s had a high ISO capability that was the most significant advancement in digital photography in my opinion. It made sense for me to move back to Nikon. I’ve enjoyed learning both systems and I like both systems. The one thing that drives me nuts is that the NIkons have a toggle wheel on the back for moving the focus sensor around. The Canon has a wheel and you can just spin it very quickly. It’s probably just a quirky thing for me – I got so good at it with the Canons, that I could spin the wheel without even looking through the viewfinder.

Does traveling the world ever get old? Do you ever wish you had a studio back home? 

No, not at all. Traveling the world does not get old. Being at home gets old. I would much prefer to be living out of a suitcase. There’s a sense of freedom in being able to pack everything in a 24” roll-on and move on to another location. I’ll continue to do this until I can’t stand anymore. It’s the worlds best job, a dream job, and I get emails that remind me of that every time. I am privileged and pleased that I’ve been able to pull it off.

Do you ever work with off-camera flash?

Not really. I use an SB-400. It’s a tiny flash that I use to get myself out of binds. When I need to get some light on a subject I’ll bounce it off of something. I’m intrigued by these banks of LED lights that you can slap on top of a camera. Many years ago, videographers were using them, and I would use them as a source of light – so I can see it being used in dark environments. I am very much amazed that people do such wonderful lighting with artificial light. It’s a lot of work. I tend to get blessed by whatever light I’m able to find. And I look for the light. Phil Borges does amazing stuff with light though.

If you were not a photographer, what would you be doing? 

I don’t know what I’d be if i wasn’t a photographer. It’s my passion, I love it. I derive a tremendous amount of satisfaction shooting for NGOs and leading workshops. If I couldn’t do that I’d probably be a mess. I feel fortunate that I’m able to do it. A lot of people are doing jobs that they don’t like because they need to survive. I feel lucky. It’s the ultimate win. If I had enough money that I didn’t have to charge clients, I’d still do it, with or without pay. It’s not about what I earn, its about what I get out of doing it. It’s like winning the lottery. I’ve got the best job in the world.

There was one time that I was driving across Sudan with a couple of reps for an NGO, the dust was blowing, it was like a National Geographic moment. They were talking in the back and they were asking “what would you do if you won the lottery?” and saying they’d do this and do that. I said, you know what, Id be doing the same thing I’m doing right here and right now. So I’d essentially already won the lottery as far as I’m concerned.

What have you learned by traveling the world? 

What I have learned is that there are more similarities than there are differences between people. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from. If you strip everything else away, we are similar. The guy working on the stock market in NYC is very similar to the guy cleaning gutters in Calcutta. They’re trying to make the best of themselves, to support a family, to put food on the table, etc. They really don’t want to fight with anybody, don’t want to be in conflict. They just want to do those things that we derive enjoyment from. Some of us have different opportunities and different things. Another thing I am constantly reminded of is that you really don’t need a lot of stuff to be happy. You basically need time to enjoy that which you have. Sometimes all of the stuff makes it harder to enjoy what we have. Sometimes I’ll come back and go into my closet/garage/office and stare at everything in there and figure, what can I get rid of. I’ve been liquidating and giving away stuff because I’m finding that its not the stuff that we have but the satisfaction that our jobs and family give us.

Some of Karl’s photojournalism work: 

The Pink City © Karl Grobl

Senegal © Karl Grobl

Jaipur Railway Station © Karl Grobl

Guatemala © Karl Grobl

Burma © Karl Grobl

Come Along For The Ride from Karl Grobl on Vimeo.

One of the great things about the new 2.4G triggers is that they work together, whether it’s an original or a plus unit. Choose the upgrade path of your choice.

The video is in Israeli but even if you don’t speak the language you can get a pretty good overview of the products. Enjoy!

Canon Powershot G1 X

Although many were waiting on Canon to produce mirrorless ILC  camera, they got a fixed lens update to the G series instead. But with one important distinction – a massively bigger sensor: 6x the size of the original G-series, bigger than the micro 4/3rd sensor, and nearly as big as an APS-C sensor. Otherwise, it’s pretty much carries on with the G-series tradition and its plethora of external controls. However, despite the larger sensor, it obtains DOF at telephoto no shallower than a compact Olympus XZ-1. However, we’re pretty sure that image quality and ISO performance will be outstanding, especially if these sample shots are anything to go by. Check the preview here.

Fujifilm X-Pro 1

While most of the mirrorless market is focusing on the mass market, Fujifilm is going after a different segment; the X-Pro 1 is arguably the first mirrorless camera aimed at the working professional. After the success of the X100, you know they’ve got something special up their sleeve. With a new 16mp sensor, a hybrid viewfinder, plenty of analog dials, and 3 large aperture prime lenses for the new mount, the X-Pro 1 looks like a force to be reckoned with, but carrying a hefty price tag at around $1700 for the body alone. We think this bodes well for mirrorless cameras making an entry into the pro market, just waiting on a full frame besides the Leica M9. Click here for a preview.

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GX1

This camera has been out for a while now but it was the star of the Panasonic photography booth. While everyone lamented the demise of the GF series, it made a resurrection in this new GX series. Panasonic is back in the prosumer market with this one, upping the resolution to 16mp, adding a few function buttons, touch screen, and a whopping 20fps (indicating one of the strengths of mirrorless systems vs conventional DSLRs). it’s a beautiful camera and will no doubt entice many an upgrade from GF1 users, DSLR shooters, and even new photographers at a palatable price taga fo $699 for the body. Click here for a preview.

Nikon D4

The Nikon D4, widely expected, was more or less a direct answer to Canon’s first announced 1DX. On the It’s the first camera ever to use XQD cards, which might not even be taking off. Nevertheless, the camera packs an impressive punch with a new 16mp sensor (won’t be surprised if it is the new ISO king surpassing the D3s), a new metering sensor, does 10/11fps, and has a vastly improved video mode over the D3s (indeed Nikon calls this a “multimedia” camera). We’re just waiting to see what Nikon does with the D800. Click here for a preview.

Canon EOS-1D X

Canon’s flagship tank has undergone a major overhaul,condensing the 1D and 1Ds lines into one. The 1DX includes a reduction in pixels to a modest 18mp (we think that’s a good thing – ISO performance should be stellar). It can shoot at an astounding 14fps (12 with autofocus), has dual Digic 5 processors, 2 CF card slots instead of one CF + one SD, and a new bracketing +  HDR processing option. Overall, incremental upgrades but adding up to one very enticing package. We’d sure love to have one, and are anxiously awaiting the 5D3. Click here for a preview.

Our winning photo by  Iko R. Kyle took home the prize by just one vote. I had a hunch it might win, as the Aputure team tends to have a soft spot for cute and candid moments in their voting tendencies. The team also thought the girl in the photo looks like Grace, one of our employees! Either way it’s a great picture. Iko will take home a set of new Trigmasters for his effort.

As always, click through for larger images, and good luck in 2012!

First Place

Untitled © Iko R Kyle

2nd Place

Untitled © Christian Eberle

3rd Place

Kloudy © kaperskyphoto

Honorable Mention

William © Stewart Hazzell

Honorable Mention

Yeng © Beans Lim

The Rise of Mirrorless Cameras

As a sign of where photography is heading, we saw mirrorless cameras multiply like mad. Bringing higher image quality to compact cameras with the ability to swap lenses, they appeal to a broad spectrum of photographers. Showing up fashionably late, Fujifilm and Canon have just announced new models for 2012.

Photo-sharing Site of the Year: Google+

Soon after the launch of Google+, it was baffling how quickly the community became a social media force – particularly with photographers. After having failed with Wave, Buzz, etc, Google apparently did something right this time. Flickr beware, lest they continue to lose ground to your favorite search engine.

Photographers of the Year: Tim Hetherington & Oscar Hondros

While most of us enjoy our photography while capturing sunsets, flowers, kids, and other such pretty things, others risk their safety to document events in dangerous places. These two award winning photographers lost their lives while covering the conflict in Libya this year. Just a reminder that our knowledge of world events sometimes comes at a high cost.

Blogger of the Year: Trey Ratcliff

Whether he’s leading photo-walks with Google or Amish kids, shooting space shuttles, meeting Mark Zuckerberg, or trekking around China, you can be sure Trey Ratcliff over at Stuck in Customs will have something interesting to say on his blog (and incredibly, one new photo each and every day!) HDR has taken the photographic world by storm, thanks in large part to Trey.

Compact of the Year: Canon Powershot S100

Canon had a hit with the S90 and S95. Then came the S100, adding a wider and longer lens, better noise performance, closer macro focusing, 1080p HD video, geo-tagging, and a more comfortable body. Canon took good thing and made it even better. The Olympus SZ-1 and Fuji X10 came close, but nothing is as well rounded as the S100.

DSLR of the Year: Sony Alpha A-65

Why not the A77? Because the Sony A65 packs most of the same punch in a much cheaper body. Sony’s 2nd generation hybrid SLT system has matured impressively. Giving instant autofocus in live-view, a blazing fast 10fps, class leading 1080/60fps video & 24mp still resolution, what’s not to marvel at? We expect more great things to come from Sony in 2012.

Overall Camera of the Year: Fujifilm X100

There were many good cameras released this year, but we think the Fuji X100 stands out above the rest. Why? Excellent image quality and fast lens in a compact body with old school manual controls and little fuss. Sure there are some operational quirks, but overall its hard not to love the X100 – a camera lover’s camera.

Happy New Year! Or 新年快乐 as we say in the Middle Kingdom!

This is the first of a two-part New Year Series. 2011 was very eventful so we’re going to take a look back at our product releases, milestones, travels, etc.

Blog traffic steadily grew from 10,000 visitors/month at the beginning of the year to 21,000 by the end of the year. We averaged 517 hits per day, and had a steady growth rate through the year!

Milestones

• January - Produced our 2nd video
• February - Celebrated Chinese New Year in style
• March - Released MagicRig and Trigmaster Plus 2.4G
• April - Had a blast at the Beijing Trade Show
• May –  Released Trigmaster 2.4G
• June – Interviewed Trey Ratcliff of Stuck in Customs
• July - Rocked Interphoto in Shanghai
• August - Amaran LED Video Light Released
• September - Launched our first poll (vote!)
• October - Shot the Iraqi football team in China
• November – Launched our Google+ Page
• December - Released Amaran 198A & 198C and Gigtube Wireless II

Most Popular Blog Posts

Apparently people like camera comparisons…

1. Olympus XZ-1 vs Canon S95 - 58,000 views
2. Canon 60D vs Nikon D7000 – 52,000 views
3. Canon 600D vs Nikon D5100 – 48,000 views
4. Camera & Lens Shopping in Hong Kong – 32,000 views (steadily moving up…)
5. Canon G12 vs Nikon P7000 – 30,000 views

Hope you all had as great a year as we did.

Happy 2012!

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday season.

People often ask me – do they celebrate Christmas in China? The answer…yes. But in a different way.

Most Chinese people see Christmas as an opportunity to go out, meet friends, socialize, and have a good time. I once shot a Christmas Eve event at a bar, and they had a countdown at midnight!

In big cities, Christmas trees and decorations are everywhere. Christmas songs are playing from loudspeakers in nearly all stores. And just about every cashier is wearing a Santa hat. Sometimes the decor can be really quirky/odd. Regardless, the holiday is certainly growing over the years.

I’ve celebrate at least six Christmases in China. Here are a few of my images, as well as others from Flickr. Have a look, and get a glimpse into Christmas in China! (and as always, click through for a larger image)

From Jesse Warren

Christmas "Sweater" - with a Chinese Twist © Jesse Warren

Young Skinny Chinese Santa © Jesse Warren

Hong Kong always gets decked out for Christmas © Jesse Warren

Halloween vs Christmas in Shenzhen © Jesse Warren

An ape with red blinking eyes in a blue santa suit riding a dragon...yep. © Jesse Warren

In China, Christmas means...party! © Jesse Warren

From others on Flickr:

Christmas Love © Jimmie

I can say with certainty that Hong Kong is like this on Christmas Eve! Everybody is out to celebrate and see fireworks…

Christmas in Hong Kong © Liang Jinjian

Shopping for Christmas © Chris

Here’s one of those cashiers in a Santa hat that I mentioned…

Santa Girl © DC Master

And finally a shot from Aputure group member Steev:

Obviously ... have a great one and a safe New Year... © Steev