Monochrom

Black & White.

These two words sum up the majority of photography for the past two hundred years. Not that there was no color photography around nearly as long, but the simplicity and refinement of the black & white photography process dominated the field until the mid-1930s with the release of the original Kodachrome. (A moment of silence for our fallen comrade)

Even with the advent of popularized color photography the pure form of black and white has held this niche of photography to a higher standard. Although it always ruffled some feathers, black & white was considered the “artist’s medium” in photography. While this was subjective (just look at William Eggleston’s work or anything in recent color art photography for counter-examples), black and white photography has held a certain hold on the photographer and viewers’ heart for generations. Even contemporary digital photography has it’s champions of black and white. The medium format manufacturer Phase One has the Achromatic+ digital back that has been on the market for a few years now and there is also Nik’s Silver EFEX to fine tune our B&W masterpieces like in the olden-days darkrooms – just to name a few contemporary advances in black and white photography. In short, black and white photography is going no where but further forward.

Who better to push it to the next step than the legendary camera company Leica?
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Eleven Simple Tips for Great Action Shots

Whether you’re shooting at a youth soccer game or a professional tennis match, these tips will improve your action photography results.

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The Official X-Pro1 Review (Finally.)

Before we get started, I need to get one thing straight with you folks: I am no fanboy of Fujifilm. They didn’t help me with a demo camera (I had to use our floor demo), nor did they give me freebies just for touting this review out onto the blog. I personally thought the X100 was an interesting camera but also that it was slightly premature in a few key ways. However, I really do like what Fuji has done post-release of the X100 with their firmware support updates and how well they have listened to their users feedback. I guess you might be able to call me a fan in a way, but only because I can appreciate a company stepping up to supporting a camera that they release and make it last a hell of a lot longer than just until the next model’s release. I honestly think more companies should be doing this with their products, it would mean a whole lot to all of us who use the cameras beyond their remarkably short lifecycles.

Another quick tidbit for you is that this is not a pixel-peeping spec sheet rundown review. I am fully going by what this camera felt like and how well it responded in the field. There are plenty of technical sites to get those kinds of reviews and I have even linked a few in the article here if you feel so inclined.

Ok, now that we got that out of the way, on to the actual review:
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ACP Presents: Icons of Photography No. 14 – Joel-Peter Witkin

Thursday, May 24th, 7pm – An Evening with Joel-Peter Witkin – Will be held in the Blanton Museum of Art Auditorium on the UT campus.

Join us as for an intimate look at the mind and work of provocative photographer, Joel-Peter Witkin. Enjoy a slideshow, lecture and book signing! 

Photographer  pushes boundaries with his powerful and exploratory photographs of the human condition. He has long pursued his interest in spirituality and morality and how it impacts the physical world. Finding beauty in the grotesque, Witkin focuses on subjects cast aside by society — human spectacles and “any living myth…bearing the wounds of Christ.” Heavily influenced by art history and literature, Witkin’s expressive photographs question established notions of beauty and normality.

ACP Members get in free, just RSVP.

Non-members can buy tickets online or at the door, $15 advance, $20 door. 

RSVP or Purchase Tickets

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Firmware Update Version 1.01 for the Fuji X-Pro1 is Now Available!

Following closely on the heels of the camera’s release last month, Fuji has already produced the first firmware update to pair with the new camera body and the three XF lenses that have been produced. Seeking to address concerns over the widely reported and documented “aperture chatter” among various other nuanced issues, Fuji has release individual updates for the body and each of the lenses. You can find the downloads here:
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