© 2024 William Karl Valentine - Fatal Collision, Chino, California (CPD DSC 1344 1-9-24) Nikon Z6ii with a 24-120mm Lens. ISO 16,000 f/4 1/320 at 24mm

The Best Camera for Low Light Photography - Nikon Z6ii / Nikon Z6 iii rumors

June 2, 2024

My photographs documenting the Pasadena Police Department in the 1980’s are some of my best-known images. I spent over a thousand hours riding in police cars documenting the officers working for that portfolio. I started off photographing with a Nikon F and finished up with a couple Nikon FM2 bodies. I used Kodak Plus-X film mostly, and later on I used some T-Max 400. Since I was photographing mostly at night, I used a Sunpak 522 Thyristor off camera flash which paired up great. The exposures were good, and the high contrast of the flash added to the images. Throughout my law enforcement career when I photographed at night, I had to use a flash although I did experiment pushing Kodak T-Max 3200 to an ISO of 25,000 one night. I actually got images using just streetlights, but they were very grainy.

A couple years ago I was asked to come back out and start documenting the Chino Police Department, where I had worked for 20 years, and I immediately agreed. I had been looking for an opportunity to photograph law enforcement in today’s world to compare the new images with my work from the 1980’s. I started off using a Nikon D850 with a flash and I tried photographing some without a flash since today’s sensors are so improved. I wasn’t getting great exposures in low light with the D850, the grain was too much, and the camera struggled with focusing. The D850 can produce some beautiful images in perfect conditions, but I have never loved the camera, especially the auto focus. I eventually went and talked to my friends at Samy’s Camera in Pasadena, some of them I have known for 40 years, and I asked which cameras performed best in low light conditions. I expected they would suggest a Sony A7IV or A1 or A9. Sony’s are amazing cameras and I had rented several different models recently when I was considering switching over to their brand. I liked the Sony’s I rented but none were perfect. Several of my contacts told me the Nikon Z6ii as the best low light still camera on the market. They explained that the smaller, 24 MB, full frame sensor handled noise better than most the 45MB sensors. I had no interest in the original release of Nikon Z series camera bodies because they did not have an SD card slot option and I was skeptical that the new lens mount adaptor would work well with my older lenses. I had recently read that Nikon had their Z line to now have SD card slot options and my friends explained how well the lens mount adapter was designed. I had wrongly expected that the adaptor would change the focal length of my older lenses, but learned the adaptor doesn’t because the sensor in the mirrorless Z series cameras had been moved forward to accommodate the adapter while maintaining the original focal length of the older lenses and the new lenses are designed with the new sensor position in mind (the lack of a mirror allowed this design to work).

Everything sounded right so I bought a Nikon Z6ii as a kit with the 24-120mm f/4 lens, along with an adaptor for my older lenses. The camera performance has been outstanding, and the 24-120mm lens is one of the sharpest lenses I have ever owned. I am not going to get into a detailed tech review here because there are other people that do tech reviews for a living and have access to everything to compare. Links to some of those sites are listed at the bottom of this blog post. What I will talk about is how the camera is performing me.

In low light conditions, the images I am getting with the Z6ii are amazing. I took the camera to Chicago in March for a weekend as my primary camera and the images were great. I specifically went to photograph my daughter play in an ice hockey tournament and this lens and camera combination were the best I have every used in a rink before. I also took the adapter and an F mount 100-400mm lens and that worked well. The adapter handled the auto focus well and ergonomically was good. I ended up using the camera more for my street photography than I expected. Lately I have been using a Sony RX100 VII for my street photography because I use it from the hip and most people don’t realize I am photographing. In Chicago I started using the Z6ii some for my street images and I was getting better images with that the Sony, so I went with it. Most days were overcast so the light wasn’t fantastic but that was fine for the Z6ii. The auto focus was solid, and the lens was so sharp I got detail like I never have before. Here are a few examples of the camera from Chicago:

f/4 1/500 ISO 900

f/4.5 1/1000 ISO 400 @ 24mm

f/4 1/800 ISO 2200 @100MM

f/5.6 1/800 ISO 5000 @400mm

f/4 1/250 ISO 16000

f/4 1/400 ISO 16000

The experiences in Chicago inspired me to photograph on the street more with a Z body. I need to also share with you that earlier this year, after having success with the Z6ii, and after becoming more and more frustrated with the focus ability of my D850, I bought a Z8. The Nikon Z8 is one of the most incredible cameras I have ever owned, and I am just scratching the surface with learning all it is capable of. The sensor captures outstanding images and the camera focusing is such a huge upgrade. I also got a 24-120mm lens for the Z8 which pairs perfectly. In recent months I have also added the following Z lenses: a 26mm, a 40mm, and a 105mm macro. All three of these fixed length lenses are super sharp. I bought the 105mm, which is capable of a 1:1 magnification like the old 60mm F mount Nikkor lens, primarily to do copy stand work of my old negatives so I can digitize the images (I have a process where I upload image files in Bridge to crop, open them in Photoshop to Invert the image, then return to Bridge to finetune it). I bought the 26mm and 40mm as walk around lenses and incase I wanted to take the camera into certain venues with camera restrictions. Both those lenses are sharp, super-fast, and lightweight. The 40mm is a little hard to use walking through crowds but the extra length has been great in certain situations. The 26mm is ideal for walking on the street and photographing from the hip, I have been able to use it somewhat like a range finder, and it is so small people don’t notice it. It also has a great balance when photographing with one hand a waist level. The 40mm and 26mm lenses are also very reasonably priced.

Example Images with Technical Information:

f/4 1/1000 ISO 16000 @120mm

f/7.1 1/1000 ISO 8000 @104mm

f/4 1/1000 ISO 5600 @30mm

f/4 1/250 ISO 16000 @50mm

f/4 1/320 ISO 16000 @24mm

f/4 1/25000 ISO 4500 @120mm

f/5 1/320 ISO 16000 40mm

f/4 1/320 ISO 8000 26mm

f/3.2 1/1000 ISO 500 40mm

f/4 1/200 ISO 16000 @24mm

f/5.6 1/250 ISO 12800 @78mm

f/4 1/125 ISO 16000 @120mm

Camera lens and strap options for Street Photography

Nikkor Z 40mm and 26mm lenses

Z6ii with 24-120mm compared to 26mm lens

Nikon Z6ii with the 26mm f/2.8

I know it is late notice, but Nikon has all their Z camera bodies and lenses on sale through the end of this week. Camera bodies are discounted about 25% and lenses are about 20%. My daughter purchased a Z6ii with a 24-120mm lens, and the 26mm lens online from Nikon last week for approximately $2,400. She found an online coupon that coupled with Nikon’s Z discounts, and she utilized Nikon’s two-year interest free purchase plan (I purchased my Z8 with their 0% interest plan as well). Nikon is being very aggressive in the market now so I would expect the sales to continue or be brought back with some frequency this year.

I have a Peak Camera strap system on my Z6ii. I love the design of the locking disc. It makes it easy to go from a traditional camera strap position to a solo wrist strap position. The wrist strap pairs great when the 26mm lens is on for street images.

There are lots of amazing cameras and lenses on the market today, I have always used Nikon, I have friends that swear by Canon, and I know lots of people have gone all in with Sony. Because of all the variables I don’t think it is possible to have a camera that does every task perfectly, especially since cameras are now as much about video as still images. But I am convinced that right now the Z6ii is the best camera for photographing in low light conditions. I researched it online, talked to people with expertise, tested several different bodies and nothing came close to the Z6ii in low light. I am sure technology with continue to evolve and there will be better cameras in the future, but right now the Z6ii is my suggestion. (I also want to acknowledge that many cellphones like the iPhone 14 & 15 also create amazing low light images but obviously don’t have the same capabilities of real camera body)

Nikon Z6iii - Now Pre-Ordering $2,496.95 Delivery estimated 6/25/24

As I was wrapping up this post, I checked Nikon Rumors and saw there was talk that Nikon might be announcing a Z6iii in a couple weeks which could explain all the recent sales. Well, it has been announced and I wanted to update this. Samy’s has a great video review of the camera already on their order page for the camera. Link below.

The Z6iii has been announced and pre-orders are now being taken by Samys and B&H

Links to Reviews:

DP Review December 15, 2020

DP Review on You Tube December 2020

Nikon Website Z6ii

SLR Lounge 2021

Controversy over Garry Winogrand's Photograph of a couple at the Central Park Zoo

March 9, 2024

In authoring a blog post on the book Winogrand Color I came across a review of the book online by New York Times writer Arthur Lubow. I think it was a really accurate review about the images in the book. The only thing I didn’t agree with that Lubow wrote were part of his comments on the very famous Winogrand photograph on the left above. Lubow wrote “Even less successful is the color version of one of his most famous photographs, “Central Park Zoo, New York City” (1967), which shows a Black man and blonde woman, seemingly affluent, each carrying a fully clad chimpanzee. It is a biting and unsettling comment on the era’s prevailing slurs about interracial marriage. In the color image, probably taken an instant later, the man is looking at the camera, the woman’s expression has changed, and the impact is diffused by the photographer’s own obscuring shadow and a distracting crowd of passers-by.” As I stated in my other blog post I saw the Winogrand documentary film, “All Things are Photographable” where Papageorge discussed this image and shared his own photograph of Winogrand with the couple. Tod Papageorge explained he was with Garry Winogrand that day and he disputed the assumption that Winogrand was making a statement about interracial relationships with this photograph. Tod and Garry were close friends and I think Tod would have understanding of Garry’s beliefs and opinions. I researched this subject matter further and found an in-depth article, with photograph illustrations, that Papageorge had authored about the photograph for Transatlantica in 2014 on MoMA’s website.

I know I have shared this information in the body of another blog post, but I think the subject is important enough to highlight in a separate post specifically dealing with the perceived controversy with this image because it applies to other works by other people. It is wrong to apply current day feelings or cultural standards with things from the past. I am not saying we need to condone outdated beliefs or past behavior that would be wrong in our world today. I am saying things needs to be evaluated with perspective of the time of the event and without any attempt to cancel it because of the current values and opinions of a segment of society. Here is a good non-photo example of my point:

My son is a graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall, a well-known prep school in Connecticut. On one of my many visits back there I got to sit in on his English class during the events of a “parents’ weekend”. My son’s teacher was Ed McCatty who is an outstanding educator, now retired. McCatty, who is black, had the class reading Mark Twain’s 1884 classic book “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” at the time. In the classroom, with all these other parents visiting, McCatty called on a student to read the book out loud and the student became nervous because of the book uses the “N-word” a fair amount to describe Huck’s friend Jim who was a fugitive slave. Finally, McCatty took over reading and projected Twain’s words eloquently. Parents squirmed uncomfortably as McCatty read “that word” again and again. I had already met Ed on a previous visit, he was one of the faculty residents in my son’s dorm, I knew where he was going with the reading, so I sat back and enjoyed seeing a number of parents getting completely stressed over words written in the 19th century. McCatty eventually explained how it was important to interpret Twain’s writing based on the time it was written. He pointed out that even though Huck was using the term for Jim that it wasn’t being used in a derogatory manner for the time, and the fact that Twain wrote about a young white youth befriending a black fugitive slave it showed Twain had a progressive viewpoint. McCatty took the topic further, using examples in his own life, and ended up giving everyone a lesson that day which went far beyond literature.

Interpretations of images (and other things) can change quickly, we don’t need a hundred plus years to pass for feelings to change. The best example of this with my own work is this photograph below which is in the permanent collection at the Center for Creative Photography.

PPD-177 #23 March 1987 - William Karl Valentine

Officer Ware and Craddolph at search warrant related to a narcotics sales investigation.

When I displayed this photograph in the first couple decades after making the exposure most every viewer was compassionate for the child being raised in dangerous conditions and anger towards the parents for putting the child in the situation. Some people went on to acknowledge gratefulness for law enforcement for trying to protect the child and do something about the drug epidemic of the times. These are accurate opinions about what my image is about. But in the last decade plus a portion of our society has altered its perspective on law enforcement and I have been confronted about this image. I had an anonymous Instagram viewer question my ethics for taking the photograph when the woman was unable to defend herself. In 2020 the photograph was in a simple exhibition in Pasadena and several people demanded to have it taken down because they found it offensive, so that image was pulled from the wall by staff. I am fine with someone not liking my work or disagreeing with my interpretation of the world, but to censor me is outlandish. The First Amendment gives me as much right to express myself opinion as anyone else in this country. The fact that some people thing their feeling give them the authority to remove that right is infuriating. Most photographs are an accurate account of a fraction of a second of time, how we interpret them is another thing.

One final thing I want to get back to, the majority of Arthur Lubow’s opinion on Winogran’s color photograph of the couple at the Central Park Zoo is spot on. The image is not as good as the famous black and white image and for all the reasons Lubow points out in his description of the image. Lubow obviously knows how to look at photographs. The positioning of the subjects in the frame and Winogrand’s shadow make the color image way less impactful. If Winogrand had been using a digital camera, which obviously did not exist then, and decided to share this famous image in color I think it may have been impactful, but I can see how the bright colors could have been distracting from what was going on in the frame. I know in my own work sometimes bright colors in a color image distract the viewer from the shapes, forms, layers of meaning, and textures in the image which drew my eye. That was a big consideration I had with my Santa Anita book, I didn’t want the viewer to focus on the bright colors of the silks, the horses, and the grass, I wanted them to see the details and layers of information that came out in a black and white image. It is natural that our eyes are drawn to bright colors and when color is removed a photographer can direct the focus in an image. There are times that colors matter and for that I am thankful for the digital age where the decision can be made after the shutter was released. Knowing how many rolls of film that Winogrand exposed I can only imagine how many hard drives he would have filled and the thousands of more images he would have made.

Ave Pildas visit in Santa Monica

February 19, 2024

I was finally able to get up to Ave Pildas’s home, and studio, in Santa Monica a few weeks ago for a long overdue visit to talk about photography and some potential collaborations we are considering.

Ave designed their house and the garage (studio space) he shares with his wife Phyllis Green. It is an incredible property, perfect for a creative couple. Hopefully one day Ave does a documentary film or some reels where he showcases his space, I know a lot of people would enjoy seeing it as I did.

It was good for me to compare Ave’s studio and workspace to my own. For people who are not creative an artist’s world is a hard thing to understand, especially how artists organize things to allow for free-flowing creativity (in my case it is how I navigate my clutter). Ave’s studio design is a unique space well designed for him and Phyllis. While we were upstairs in his office looking at prints and talking, Phyllis was on her side utilizing her large worktables to create a three-dimensional project involving hats. It was fantastic how the space was both separate and connected at the same time.

Ave shared prints from his Circles Squares and Triangles portfolio and explained that photographing three-dimensional items in his studio to create images was how he kept being creative through the lockdown part of the pandemic.

Ave also gave me copies of his Nude(s) and Circles Squares and Triangles books. I have several other titles from his Small Books titles which I first discovered at Arcana Books in Culver City. These small self-published projects are fantastic. He uses El Sereno Graphics in Los Angeles to print them, and they are some of the nicest looking books I have seen in this size and unit cost. I had wanted to get this post done last week to showcase the photograph the image “Valentine” below from his Nude(s) book for Valentine’s Day, but unfortunately, I am way behind on things right now.

I encourage everyone to check out Ave’s books and his work. I am jealous of the volume of material he has photographed in his lifetime and the fact he is still out there travelling the world looking for new images. I am really enjoying our friendship and I will continue showcasing his work whenever I can.

Photographing with Ave Pildas - September 22, 2023

October 8, 2023

On Friday September 22nd I spent the afternoon photographing and hanging out with legendary Los Angeles street photographer Ave Pildas.

I discovered Ave’s work, when I found a copy of his book Street People at Arcana Books in Culver City five years ago. I liked his work so much I bought a copy of the book. I authored a blog post about Street People and how his photograph “Cop Salute” really stood out to me. I loved the fact Ave was apparently self-publishing small edition books, promoting his work, making his own opportunities. Los Angeles is a hard town to photograph in and it was obvious Ave has been out there documenting Los Angeles for a long time. I followed Ave on social media and when Deadbeat Club Press released Ave’s Star Struck book last year, I went back over to Arcana for the signing to meet him; I also authored a blog post about that. We had a great talk and I suggested going out photographing on the street together.

Ave and I had talked a few times this year trying coordinate our schedules to go out and photograph. When we figured out September would be good for both of us, Ave specifically told me he wanted to find new areas in LA to photograph. The light in September is also usually better than the summer months which I thought would be a plus, but of course the day we went out it was oddly overcast for September here. Ave lives in Santa Monica and is probably best-known for his Hollywood street photography. When we were planning the day Ave told me he was interested in exploring two Los Angeles neighborhoods: Liemert Park and York Boulevard in Highland Park. Because I knew I would be coming from a morning meeting with Photography Curator Linde Lehtinen at the Huntington Library I chose York Boulevard which was closer. I also liked how he described York Boulevard as a gentrified neighborhood with plenty of foot traffic and people out and about to photograph. I love an image rich environment.

We met at Avenue 50 and York which was perfect. There is also a bench there which allowed us to talk for half an hour before we started walking and photographing. I also got a good feel for the area watching the people pass us.

Ave and I are very different in a lot of ways, first and foremost I am 6’5”, Ave is not. I was born in the 1960’s, Ave was “living life” in the 1960’s and 70’s; and he still attacks life today. But I quickly discovered we are very similar when it comes to photography even though we work in different styles. We both constantly look for images in our travels, framing things in our mind when we don’t have a camera in hand, and we both have a strong desire to document our world. We also both feel the pressure of fleeting time and its impact on our efforts to preserve our work, so our images live on long after we are gone. We also have a similar geek side, like where we both got excited with the visit to Galco’s Soda Pop Stop. I bought some PEZ and Ave asked for a handful of eclectic bottle caps. I also loved listening to Ave and Ernestine at Leaf & Spine talk about succulents for ten minutes. We discovered her shop while adventuring around York Boulevard.

Street Photography Styles:

When it comes to photographing people on the street, Ave talks to people more, and likes to engage with his subjects. I like to move anonymously through crowds while photographing. I don’t want people to be aware that I am photographing them because I want to document the world as it is, without interfering with it; but I always do get incredibly powerful images when I get suspicious stares directly into my lens. We talked about our different approaches and during the conversation I referenced Bruce Gilden who photographs in a very confrontational style, on the street of NYC with a wide-angle lens and a flash. There is never a doubt when Bruce has taken your picture, he’s in your face. The confrontation Bruce creates is an important part of the image. Ave and I both like Bruce’s photographs but agreed we would never want to work in that style; we also agreed that style would not go over well in Los Angeles.

I think Ave photographs in a more methodical manner. Granted he is 84 years old, but he is in great shape still and could move along the street faster. He just really likes to examine everything around him and often photographs details from multiple angels to get exactly what he wants. I like to do that as well with static subjects but when I am photographing on the street I am usually moving and reacting to the people I see. I often “Shoot from the hip” literally, with a Sony RX100 vii with the rear screen tiled up so I can glance down and see it. I miss some things in the frame with this approach but with it I can move about better, and people are more natural. Missing an image is just part of the process, some things aren’t meant to be. When I see something that is amazing I will frame it regardless of whether people will notice. Often I have a Nikon D850 around my neck and will transition to that for those images. I also use the DSLR camera for all the static subjects. A DSLR camera body around the neck often helps me photograph surreptitiously with my Sony RX 100 vii. Suspicious people focus on the DSLR body, and they don’t even look at my hands. Good Life Lesson from my Law Enforcement days, always look to see what’s in people’s hands.

William Karl Valentine - York Boulevard Portfolio

The Experience of Photographing with Ave

The afternoon photographing with Ave was one of the coolest times I have had in a while. I almost always photograph alone or if I am with other people I am the only photographer. After leaving ASU I have never really had a mentor photographer. I have had outstanding advisors like Mary Virginia Swanson but no one I went out photographing with. Ave and I photographed well together, each discovering different things to photograph and moving at a pace that didn’t hinder either of us. The pace was also good because it gave us the opportunity to discuss so many different things. We meshed well, I did not set the day up looking for a mentor, I was looking to exchange ideas with an experienced peer, and I got that. I know we both got something out of the day and developed a good friendship. Ave even called me last week to tell me about photographing Liemert Park the weekend after we were on York Boulevard.

We discussed so many things there is no way to list everything here, and some things were just between us. Ave life has been an adventure. He was a successful designer in Cincinnati and when he wanted to get to the next level he followed the advice of his mentors and went to study design in Switzerland. He met his first wife in Switzerland and has two granddaughters who are Swiss. He taught in Philadelphia and ended up in Los Angeles because one of his former students worked at Capitol Records and introduced him to management when he had been in town on a road trip. He had to fly back to Philadelphia to get a portfolio to show them and was hired. We talked about some of the legendary photographers of our time, and it was interesting learning how Ave had met Danny Lyon in Milwaukee once and had seen Garry Winogrand photographing around Los Angeles on several occasions.

I look forward to getting back on the street again soon with Ave and could see somehow collaborating with him one day. His schedule is crazy, with pending trips to New York and Morocco coming up soon, but that also means I get to see more new images from him. I encourage everyone who reads this post to check out Ave’s website and follow him on Instagram, you won’t be disappointed. There is also a recently completed documentary film about Ave called Ave’s America that I am looking forward to watching once the release is complete.

William Kart Valentine on York Blvd – photograph © 2023 Ave Pildas

Ave’s Bio from his website:

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Ave Pildas worked early in his career as a photo stringer for Downbeat Magazine in the Ohio Valley and Pennsylvania in the 1960's.

In 1971 Pildas began working as the Art Director at Capitol Records in Hollywood and designed and photographed album covers for the label's recording artists. He launched a career as a freelance photographer and designer soon after, specializing in architectural and corporate photography. His photographs have been exhibited in one man shows at the: Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Photographers Gallery, London, Janus Gallery, Los Angeles, Gallerie Diaframma, Milan, Cannon Gallery, Amsterdam, Gallerie 38, Zurich and numerous group shows. His photographs are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Bibliotheca National, Paris; the University of Arizona as well as numerous other public and private collections. He is a Professor Emeritus at Otis College of Design.

“Manos Arriba” CA DSC - 08450 9-22-23 Ave Pildas

Clint Woodside, Taylor Galloway, and William Karl Valentine - LAABF 2023 at The Geffen Contemporary at MoCA

"I Can Feel You Dreaming" - Taylor Galloway

September 9, 2023

The Deadbeat Club publishers have been crushing it lately with some amazing titles. I have a few of their books in my collection so when I went to Printed Matter’s Los Angeles Art Book Fair one of my top priorities was to find their booth, introduce myself to Clint Woodside - the founder, and see what new titles they had out.

Once I got to their booth, I was immediately drawn to Taylor Galloway’s book “I Can Feel You Dreaming” (Deadbeat Club publication #85). The book looks simple at first, but it so well printed and has a handcrafted feel to it. The images are wonderful, they allow the viewer to have their own interpretations of them, and they allow for unique experiences every time you revisit the book. The copy on display was a special edition with a small print from one of the images in the book which I loved. I like trains to begin with but the way the image is framed is absolutely perfect, I dig it. Taylor’s book gave me the opportunity to introduce myself to Clint.

Clint made a solid first impression, he knows his craft and is passionate about it. I told him how much I enjoyed owning a copy of Ave Pildas’s book Star Struck and I told him how I met Ave and Ian Bates at their book signing at Arcana Books. We started talking about Taylor’s book and how the Special Edition version was editioned to only 30 copies. Clint was showing me an artist proof and the other person in their booth said that AP copy was all they had left, that the edition had sold out. I guess I made a good impression on Clint because when I said I would still buy an AP copy because I liked it that much, he turned around and pulled out #30 of 30 which he had apparently set aside. I like to think Clint wanted to find a good home for the last copy of the special edition. If that’s the case, I am thankful I struck up that conversation. I am still pumped up about adding this book to my collection.

I have had a number of conversations with publishers over the last few years, Clint definitely stands out. I know I will be adding more of Deadbeat’s titles to my collection over time and I understand why Ave decided to publish one of his most important books with Clint.

The Archival Pigment Print included with the Limited Edition book.

APG - 2023 Portfolio Exhibition Installation Photographs

July 29, 2023

I authored a blog post in May about my inclusion in the Atlanta Photography Group’s Portfolio 2023 exhibition. I recently received the photographs of the installation, and this post is just to share them. I again want to mention how honored I was that Shana Lopes selected my photographs for this exhibition and to have my photographs exhibited with the other outstanding featured artists.

Juror Shana Lopes and the other Photographers in the exhibition:

Artists Names and Links:

I am pleased that my work was exhibited with the other photographers and lens-based artists listed below. Collectively their accomplishments include a Pulitzer Prize, multiple Photo Lucida Critical Mass Finalists, and photographs in many prestigious permanent collections. Four of us live in Los Angeles, two in New York City, and the rest live in the following: San Francisco, Indiana, Mississippi, and Jason is in the Midwest. Hopefully you will take a moment to follow these links and learn more about their work:

Aline Smithson Instagram Web Site Linktree

I first met Aline ten years ago at the Medium Festival in San Diego and she interviewed me for Lenscratch about my Santa Anita portfolio and book. Aline has also featured Justin Carney’s work twice in Lenscrach as an emerging artist.

Ashleigh Coleman Instagram Web Site

Denise Laurinaitis Instagram Web Site

Justin Carney Instagram Web Site Linktree

Preston Gannaway Instagram Web Site Linktree

Michael Young Instagram Web Site Linktree

Simone Lueck Instagram Web Site

& Alternate Artists: Diane Meyer and Jason Lindsey

BLM Protest - Newport Beach, California (NB DSC 6686 6-06-20)

Picturing Resistance Exhibition at Art Intersection Gallery - Gilbert, Arizona

July 13, 2023

I am proud to announce that legendary photojournalist, and educator, Ken Light has selected three of my photographs for inclusion in the Picturing Resistance Exhibition at Art Intersection Gallery in Gilbert, Arizona. The exhibition runs August 12th through September 30th and includes 59 photographs.

Protest against Governor Newsom’s orders to close the beaches during the Covid Pandemic - Huntington Beach, California (HB DSC 9916 5-01-20)

BLM Protest - Hollywood, California (CA DSC 5652 6-02-20)

I have enjoyed Ken Light’s work for some time, and his books “Texas Death Row” and “Course of the Empire” are in my library. Ken is a great photographer to follow on social media. Not only has he been documenting America, and other parts of the world, for 50 years, but he is also the Reva and David Logan Professor of Photojournalism and curator of the Center for Photography at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California Berkeley, so he has knowledge of most all current trends in photography today. Ken posted about this exhibition call on social media and I took the opportunity to get my work in front of his eyes. I didn’t know about Art Intersection before the call but in researching it some it looks like Alan Fitzgerald, the Executive Director, is overseeing a good space with a great photography community. I’m glad to have discovered Art Intersection.

With Ken selecting these images for the exhibition it gives me some validation for my pandemic portfolio which makes me very happy. I think mu pandemic era photographs will become an important documentation of what occurred during the pandemic, especially here in Southern California.

Art Intersection Gallery

207 N. Gilbert Road, Suite 201 - Gilbert, Arizona, 85234 480-361-1118

Gallery Hours: Wednesday - Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM

Owl in my Star Pine - Newport Beach, California (NB DSC 5929 11-6-22)

Small Works Exhibition - South x Southeast Gallery - August 2023

July 13, 2023

I am pleased to announce that curator Donna Garcia selected the above photograph, “Owl in my Star Pine” for inclusion in the South x Southeast Gallery’s upcoming “Small Works” Exhibition. The work will be displayed online and in the South x Southeast’ gallery space in Molena, Georgia this August through September. I am also excited that exhibition will hang during “Slow Exposures” Photography Festival: Celebrating Photography in the Rural South, in neighboring Concord, Georgia.

This exhibition call was a chance for me to showcase one of my lesser-known images, in this case a photograph I have never exhibited before. I really like this photograph, but I knew when I made the exposure that the image would not fit in to any of my primary portfolios. Didn’t matter, this is an example why you should make the exposure when you see an image that interests you even if you don’t know how you would ever use it. Like that old paraphrased Winogrand quote says: “You photograph something to see what it looks like photographed”. I also liked the technical challenge of photographing an owl at night that far away.

Background about this Image. If you are familiar with Newport Beach you might not expect to find a home here with two pine trees and a 100’ tall Star Pine on the property, but my house does. I have lived here for 29 years and a couple of years ago I started hearing owls in the neighborhood, eventually they started sitting on the top of my Star Pine. The owls come and go, sometimes I hear them every night for two or three months straight and then they will be gone for several months. I have heard them on a couple times in the last week and not in my tree. I have used a 400mm lens with a flash on my D850 to photograph the owl before and was lucky to have been able to photograph two owls in the tree at the same time. With most of my owl photographs I am standing within 6 feet of my front door. For this submitted image I used my D500 with a 300mm zoom lens because I was in a hurry to get the image of the owl with the alignment of the rising moon. This image lent itself to be cropped square so for this exhibition I had it printed and framed so it was 12” x 12” with no matting (Price $375, no edition set but limited up to 27).

More photographs of the Owls

NB DSC 0854 12-21-22

NB DSC 0869 12-21-22

NB DSC 0872 12-21-22

NB DSC 0873 12-21-22

And a few photographs from last September when the crows were going after a Cooper’s Hawk in the pine tree 20’ away from my Star Pine. I didn’t see the owl at first, he looked like he was just hanging out, but I assume that he and the hawk were both going after the young in a nearby crow’s nest.

Cooper's Hawk - NB DSC 5521 9-26-22

Cooper's Hawk - NB DSC 5522 9-26-22

NB DSC 5548 9-26-22

NB DSC 5565 9-26-22

I am not a nature photographer, but I appreciate God’s creations and find all the birds in my yard interesting (although I hate the crows, they are annoying), so as a photographer, I photograph them, it is just a compulsion I guess at this point.

Mark Cáceres’s "Brass Band"

Mark Cáceres’s "Woman with Braided Hair"

Mark Cáceres - Atlanta based Photographer

July 12, 2023

I have had the opportunity to exhibit my photographs with Mark Cáceres’s photographs three times over the last two years. I respect Mark and his work. Mark is based in Atlanta, and I had the chance to meet him, and some other Atlanta Photography Group members, last October when I went to Atlanta for an opening. The Photography scene in Atlanta is really good, and Mark is a big part of that.

When I was preparing my blog post about getting a photograph into South x Southeast’s Small Works Exhibition I referenced the “Slow Exposures” Photography Festival which will be happening concurrently at a nearby gallery. Their website showcased last years participants and I saw that Mark’s Photograph “Brass Band” won the People’s Choice Award and that his “Woman with Braided hair”, which I think is outstanding, earned an Honorable Mention.

Being reminded of Mark’s work again, I decided to do a quick blog post to showcase it. His Instagram has the best examples of recent work, he just posted more images from his trip to Italy today, while his website showcases the breadth of his work. Mark is a photographer worth following, he is capturing some great images and he does amazing things with available light.

Photographer Julian Wasser passes away at 89 →

February 16, 2023

One of my closest photography friends, and former classmate, sent me the New York Times article about the Los Angelea based photographer Julian Wasser who passed away on February 8th. It is an outstanding read about a photographer who had incredible access to document an epic period of Hollywood and Los Angeles history.

Penelope Green wrote the New York Times article on Wasser and its one of the best photographer obituaries I have read in a while. I didn’t know as much about Julian Wasser as I should have, especially since we have photographed similar topics in Los Angeles, although during different time periods. I found it interesting to learn that Wasser accompanied Weegee when he photographed crime scenes in Washington DC but what I loved most was the quote from a 2019 TV interview that Green found. Wasser told this story about his childhood: “Every night I would climb out my bedroom window and steal my father’s car when I was 12 and take pictures, and they’d be on the front page of The Washington Post, my father would say, ‘Look, there’s another Julian Wasser in Washington.’ I said, ‘Yeah, Dad.’” This is beyond epic and something I can’t ever see happening again, those days are gone.

I really focused on how much access Wasser had back then and how much things have changed even though almost everyone carries a cell phone with the capability to capture amazing images and video in almost any lighting condition. Even when I started photographing seriously in the 1980’s I was able to get places with my cameras that I would have a hard time getting permission to photograph today, especially if I was starting out. I recognized a lot of Wasser’s photographs once I started researching for this post, sorry I did not get a chance to meet him, would love to see my prints on a gallery wall with his work one day (Along with a few of my other favorite LA Photographers).

The links below are a few other resources to learn more about Wasser’s work:

Julian Wasser’s Website

Los Angeles Times Obituary article

Alexi Celine Wasser’s Instagram - Julian’s daughter made a wonderful post about her dad after he passed away. A great read.

Craig Krull Gallery - Santa Monica

Hilton - Asmus Contemporary - Chicago

ABC TV Chicago 2019 Coverage of Opening

Tod Papageorge at Danziger Los Angeles

July 23, 2022

I was able to get up to Danzinger yesterday afternoon and it was absolutely worth the drive. Danzinger is a great space, in Bergamot Station which has so many cool gallery spaces and is actually pretty easy to get to considering how hectic summer traffic can be in Santa Monica. The staff at Danzinger is also outstanding, they know the exhibition well and were actively engaging visitors to explain interesting facts about the work. The staff obviously has a passion for art and are motivated, I wish every gallery was like that.

Doug Rickard 1968-2021

February 21, 2022

I heard a week ago or so that California artist Doug Rickard had died last November 30th at the age of the age of 53. My fear, and speculation, is he may have taken his own life, but I don’t know that for sure. He was relatively young, there has been no cause of death given, and in reading his bio information he made no secret that he had struggled with some things in life. I only mention this for anyone else out there who might be hurting and reads this post. I know of a couple people who have their lives in the last couple years, we are living in some ugly times right now but there should always hope, and I encourage anyone who might be struggling to tell someone, to ask for help.

Rickard became known in the art world for his series A New American Picture which he began in 2008. Using a Nikon D40 on a tripod, Rickard projected Google Street View images on to a large screen in his office then photographed them. Over a three-year period, he made 10,000 to 15,000 exposures which he eventually edited down to 80 for the final product. Aperture published the monograph of this work in 2012.

If I remember correctly, I first became aware of A New American Picture when I heard Rickard speak at the Medium Festival in 2014. To be completely honest I didn’t like the images aesthetically and I still don’t. In theory, his goal of documenting the areas of our country where opportunities to chase the American Dream are non-existent and impossible to achieve is a fantastic subject to be explored and documented. I just didn’t like his approach, sitting in a safe office using the images captured by some poor Google driver who had to drive through some of the roughest cities in the country to capture those images. Those drivers were the ones putting their asses on the line to get the images. I can only imagine how many rocks and bottles (or worse) have been hurled at those drivers in those areas. Another thing that bothered me was Rickard’s use of a low-end digital camera. Not that the 6.1 MP Nikon D40 was a bad camera for what it was, there were just better models out by then and he was printing 21” x 33”. I remember seeing a video of him working on the project and I was surprised he had two assistants helping him for something so simple. I am old school, the process of photographing is actually going to those places myself to witness firsthand, to experience the situation then capture the images to accurately document my subject.

But with all that said above, I am thankful for Doug Rickard’s work. I am happy the photography world accepted his unique approach and that so many people have seen his images. His body of work is very important. I want diversity in images and new approaches to the medium. I think Photography has had a habit of following trends, where a certain image style becomes popular, and that style dominates what is being shown. The Internet has obviously impacted that, but I still see the trends in the galleries. I wonder at times if my own work isn’t paying the price for past trends. We have all seen the 1920-1970’s images from masters of documentary photography so much over the years that I think some recent documentary work gets ignored or discounted because gallerists and curators are looking for new product to share. From a business perspective it makes perfect sense.

While researching for this post I learned more about Doug Rickard, and I developed a greater appreciation for him. I discovered Rickard was influenced by some of the photobooks that I love: American Photographs by Walker Evans, The Americans by Robert Frank, and Uncommon Places by Steven Shore. He had a strong knowledge of the history of the medium and he seemed to respect those who came before him. I also discovered the primary reason for using Google Street View was because he had a demanding job in the software industry and couldn’t take enough time to travel to all the places he wanted to document, he realized Google Street View allowed him to explore more places than he ever could have traveled to. In watching interviews of him online for this post I reevaluated my opinion and I understand better now that image quality didn’t matter to Rickard, in fact the poorer resolution was a desired look for his images. I also discovered Rickard’s influential website American Suburb X. Seeing the content on the site, it was immediately apparent that Rickard had an outstanding understanding of the documentary photography world, showcasing many of my favorite image makers. Looking at the site I think it may have been impacted by his passing and appears there wasn’t much activity on it over the last year which is unfortunate because much of the content on the site is outstanding.

I encourage you to follow some of the links in the post to get a better understanding of Doug Rickard’s work and its importance to the medium of Photography.

New York Photographs - January 2019

November 13, 2021

I just uploaded over 30 photographs from January 17th 2019 to my New York portfolio on my website. This blog post is to announce that and mention a few of the images which are standing out to me.

I was in Connecticut for a week and took the train in to New York City photograph that day. The light was good that day with no clouds. The windchill had the temperature down to about 18 degrees which did not feel that cold to me. My Nikon D500 though didn’t like the cold and shut down, luckily, I usually carry multiple cameras on trips like this do I was fine.

I am hopeful this blog post and update to my New York Portfolio with give view some insights to how I photograph. So often when I am in New York I will pick a few museums or galleries (Howard Greenburg in the Fuller Building is a favorite) I want to see that day and map out a straight-line route to start from. From there I walk and usually only stop to make camera adjustments or review images. Back in the day I would stop to change film and make notations on the canister but even with a Leica if needed I could walk and change film at the same time. Walking five miles in a day happens often, depends on the stops and what I come across. It is rare I stay in one location too long; the city moves and so I to as well. I also try and blend into the scene as I photograph so moving with the flow helps accomplish that. Moving also reduces becoming a victim since I am usually alone when I photograph. I am mindful of the sun when choosing my routes and which side of the street I am on. Back in the day T-Max 400 film at f/8 and 1/500th was probably my most common setting and I used a Sekonic hand meter. Today I am often on shutter priority at 1/800th. I appreciate the ability digital images give me to proof instantly, especially in tough lighting conditions.

I am drawn to these images above because there is a perceived sense of tension between the people in the images. Our world today is full of tension, and the weight of those tensions have been relentless on us for years. Relationships between people, and individuals to society are not as good as they should be today.

This grouping of Warhol paintings at the Whitney is probably the most epic grouping of art pieces I have ever seen in a museum. The grouping sums up so much about our world and life for me. Senior Curator Donna De Salvo, Senior Curatorial Assistant Christie Mitchell, and Curatorial Research Associate Mark Loiacono organized the exhibition, so I assume one or all of them deserve credit for it. When I saw the person with the support dog and the other man facing the cross in front of Warhol’s work, I had my image. I know I have written about it before but I will say it again, the Warhol retrospective was amazing, incredible how much work they gathered for it and the presentation in the space was perfect.

I know some people might think it is odd for me to photograph in galleries and museums where other art is on the walls. I often find myself with the desire to photograph as a means to experience something. I like to document moments and retain memories; the camera allows me to do that. Over time I have often found the juxtaposition viewers have with the artwork on the walls cab create new images of value. Plus, I am always aware of potential images, it is just how I see the world.

When I first went to photograph in New York in 1988 one of the things I was drawn to were the banks of payphones throughout the city and how many people congregated there. Over the years we have seen pay phones fade away as cell phones have made them obsolete. That transition changed the images I was finding in the city. Before many people I photographed walked with their heads up, looking straight ahead to avoid interaction. Now people seem to use their cell phones for this. Their phones give them a false sense of protection and a means to distance themselves from others. I now look for images specifically with people and their cellphones when I photograph, I think those images can make strong statements about the world we live in today.

I like the graphic element of this image above and the style of these two women who I assume are mother and daughter. This image can be unpacked so many ways depending on the viewer. Some may see it as a statement about wealth and privilege in the world today. I see it as a documentation of the mother daughter relationship and how it evolves while also staying the same in many ways. I envision the daughter loving ice cream and getting excited every time her mom took her for some when she was young. They probably have a special bond with all the times they have gotten ice cream over the years. I imagine this is an especially strong bond considering the day I photographed them it was well below freezing outside and that they are sharing the same scoop. In comparing the fashion and style of both I can also imagine that the mom has groomed her daughter to be a mirror image of her. Obviously, I am presenting a fair amount of speculation and interpretation of the image but don’t we all do some amount with every image we see. The girl being on her phone adds to the image as does the fact she apparently has seen me photographing them and my blurred reflection is visible on the granite wall. Those last two facts bring some self-portrait elements into the image. The Rolex store background is another important component of the image too obviously.

New York is Mecca for Street Photographers. I know Winogrand hated the term “Street Photography”, adamantly pointing out he was photographing people not the streets. I also know many images I see today which are described to be “Street Photography” are not. I think there are quite a few photographers out there that are enamored by the title of being a Street Photographer so they call any of their contrasty and saturated images street photography because it makes them hip. I have recently seen drone photographs and ocean photographs listed as Street Photography…No

I identify as a documentary photographer, it is the most accurate description of my work because I have so many varied portfolios, documentation is the prominent element in all my work. Stylistically when I photograph in cities, my work is Street Photography. I am moving amongst people looking to capture split second moments of interaction which can have deeper meaning when examined as an image. Street Photography is a process. My movement through the people walking in the opposite direction while I try to blend into the crowd. There is interaction in being there but usually I do not want that to influence my images.

When I am in New York photographing I look for my own images, I am not trying to mimic the work of icons. But I do feel a unique energy from the city and knowing the legendary photographers who have also walked those streets with a camera. Some of my favorite photographers are: Garry Winogrand, Bruce Davidson, Tod Papageorge, Helen Levitt, Joel Meyerowitz, Jill Freedman, Lee Friedlander, Danny Lyon, and Wee Gee. I also like Bruce Gilden’s work but I could never photograph in his style too much confrontation for me but that is what sets his images apart.

Photographer Ted Pushinsky

November 13, 2021

While working on another post today I came across the work of documentary photographer Ted Pushinsky which I was not familiar with before. It caused me to take a detour and explore some of his images. I enjoyed his photographs and related well to most of his subject matter. The fact he photographed with Garry Winogrand on the street and photographed Andre the Giant in the ring definitely makes me a fan.

This is a quick post to give some links to his work so others can also discover his work.

It started with this Mother Jones article on Garry Winogrand with a Pushinsky photograph of Winogrand on the street photographing.

From there I went to his website which is a little rough in design but showed the range of his work.

I also found this KQED article which is memorialized his passing in 2018.

PPD-134 #21 (8/7/86) 525 Rio Grande, "Buy Bust" operation for Rock Cocaine sale — **PPD-134 #21** (8/7/86) 525 Rio Grande, "Buy Bust" operation for Rock Cocaine sale

Recent Discoveries on the Web - Unauthorized Image Use

July 12, 2021

I make it a habit to Google search my name from time to time to see what is out there, especially everytime I see a traffic spike to my web site. Here are a couple interesting recent finds which occureed in 2020.

The first images were used in a paper titled “White/Black: A tale of two epidemics Historical Trauma and Addiction in the Black Community” by JOSEPH PHIPPS, BA & IAN MCLOONE, LPCC, LADC (ST. PAUL, MN SEPTEMBER 11, 2020) who are students at The University of Minnesota.

The paper is professional although I do not agree with every opinion the authors have. I will say they have good taste in images and I loved the pairing of my images with photographs by Mary Ellen Mark and Eugene Richards. Also props to them for a photo credit linking back to my website. Normally I would expect someone using my photographs to reach out to me before doing so, especially since I have a tab for “Licensing” on my header, but given the nature of their project I think I understand why they didn’t take the time to do that.

PPD-031 #31A (7/6/85) Officer Gary Capuano with subject giving Denver Blood's gang signs. — **PPD-031 #31A** (7/6/85) Officer Gary Capuano with subject giving Denver Blood's gang signs.

The second image used was this one above in a blog post titled Valentine Bloods. After reading the blog I have no idea how the image really ties in to the post other that a Valentine was the photographer and the subjects were a couple of Denver Lane Bloods. To be completely truthful I couldn’t figure out anything in that blog post. Jihan Pink was good enough to again give me an image credit and for that I am thankful. Absolutely no idea how Jennifer Esposito figured in to that blog post either, but at least I could see some tie in with Melissa del la Cruz’s “Bloody Valentine” book covers. Sadly this blog post will be the only time I will ever be linked to Jennifer Esposito.

I get licensing requests somewhat often, lately mostly for use in documentary film projects. If there is ever any a question as to whether you can use an image, please refer to the licensing page on my site and reach out to me. I retain the copyright on all my photographs, and I always consider the integrity of the image compared to how it will be used when reviewing a licensing request.