Next month, we will have the honor of hosting Trey Ratcliff as my special guest and the show’s topic will be traveling for photography – not on travel photography – but on the things road warriors who travel with cameras need to know.

And now it’s time for the photo news…

May Podcast News

Images of Migrants and Famine Win 2019 Pulitzers
The Pulitzer Prizes
Reuters’ photography staff has won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for what the prize committee calls “a vivid and startling visual narrative of the urgency, desperation and sadness of migrants as they journeyed to the U.S. from Central and South America.” The Pulitzer for Feature Photography goes to Lorenzo Tugnoli of The Washington Post for “brilliant photo storytelling of the tragic famine in Yemen, shown through images in which beauty and composure are intertwined with devastation.” Read the full story >>

According to the latest reports, the camera industry has gone from decline to freefall, with 34.7 percent fewer camera systems shipping in February 2019 than February 2018, notes Digital Camera World. The figures come from a new report by the Camera & Imaging Products Association. The report found that shipments of interchangeable lens cameras was down to just 521,217 – over a quarter of a million fewer cameras than were shipped (798,014) in the same period last year.

It was bound to happen. Adobe seems to be raising the price of the basic Photoshop and Lightroom plan from $10 to $20 a month. Doubling the cost. The move was made with little fanfare and social media exploded with photographers complaining about the move. Some sources at Adobe say that you can still buy the plan by phone (1-800-585-0774) but soon it will be impossible to get, unless the move creates enough blowback that Adobe backs down. Skylum Luminar, Apple Photos, and Capture One are all alternatives to the Adobe products.

Speaking of Luminar…

Skylum Software has launched Luminar 3.1.0, an update that focuses on enhancing the Accent A.I. filter, which now is able to recognize people and some objects, creating better results from the streamlined tool. By recognizing people in the image, the tool can better preserve skin tones instead of applying adjustments indiscriminately to both people, objects, and scenery.

Ken Hansen, legendary Leica dealer and friend to almost any photographer who needed his help, has passed away in New Jersey. If you are a Leica user or fan, chances are very good that you heard of Ken. He started his business in the 1970s. In his later years, he ran his store from his home via phone or e-mail. Ken had few peers in the business and with his passing, an era of super friendly, hometown, small, niche players in photo retail comes to an end.

A promotional video put together by an ad agency based in Brazil celebrating journalists (using Leica cameras) has generated controversy in China. The video included footage from the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Following the publication of the video, users on China’s social media network Weibo were banned from using the word “Leica.” Unfortunately, freedom of expression in mainland China is not guaranteed and that trend is growing worldwide.

For those considering photography as an occupation, the U.S> Bureau of Labor Statistics says you might want to think again. While it didn’t top the list, photography did make the list of bad jobs, coming in at number 25. “Photographers earn a median wage of $34,000 per year, slightly below the median wage for all U.S. jobs of $37,690,” according to 24/7 Wall St. “The average U.S. job is projected to have employment growth of 7% from 2016 to 2026, but photographers employment is projected to decline more than 5% in that same time frame.”

If you have photography related news that you think might be fit to share with the Picture Methods Podcast audience, send an email to: [email protected] along with news release. We can’t guarantee we will use every submission, but we will read them all.

Also – by way of disclosure I am a past president of Skylum Software.

If you missed it last month don’t worry, my interview with concert photographer Steve Brazil is available online in the archives for all to enjoy…https://picturemethods.com/2019/04/07/picture-methods-podcast-3/

Visit the PODCAST category to see all shows, current and past and take advantage of our free subscription to the show via RSS on iTunes or whatever your favorite podcast podcatcher may be.

On today’s show, I have an interview with Canon Explorer of Light, Rick Sammon. He’s going to discuss taking the new Canon mirrorless camera to Antarctica. You can find all of Rick’s may projects at http://ricksammon.com.

My thanks to Rick for joining me. If there’s a photographer you’d like me to consider interviewing on the show, send me an email – [email protected]. In June I will have a visit with Trey Ratcliff, so stay tuned.

Sponsor – Picture Methods Tours & Workshops

Insights for May – Lenses

I want to start this segment by addressing the biggest misconceptions about camera lenses and just riff on some general thoughts regarding glass.

I would refer you to a couple of articles on the Picture Methods site – one is about DXO ratings and why I don’t think they should be much of a factor in selecting a lens. https://picturemethods.com/2019/04/19/why-i-dont-care-about-what-dxo-says-about-your-lens-or-mine/

The next post is about primes v. zoom lenses https://picturemethods.com/2019/01/23/prime-v-zoom-lenses/

The last is about Micro Four Thirds so if you don’t shoot M43 disregard, but I know that about half of my audience at least owns one M43 camera so for you – check out – https://picturemethods.com/2019/03/04/new-micro-four-thirds-lens-roundup/.

Let me tell you the most important thing about camera lenses. 98% of all camera lenses are better than 99% of all photographers.

Next month I will discuss the eternal question – when should I upgrade my camera or my lenses and why…

Now it’s time for everyone’s favorite Picture Methods Podcast segment – Q&A – we have three questions again this month. And remember, without the Q – there can be no Q&A so send in those questions – more on that after we answer this month’s crop.

May QA

From George Holt in Atlanta, GA

I would like to know how hard it was for Scott to switch from a flagship DSLR in the Canon 1DX MK II – to a Micro Four Thirds camera. Like Scott, I am getting older and hate lugging all this stuff around but am concerned I won’t have as much success with Micro Four Thirds.

From Tina Thompson in San Diego, CA

When you photograph in a park or on a city street or even in a national wildlife refuge – do you need a permit? I was hassled the other day in downtown San Diego by a security guard who said I needed a permit to be a professional photographer.

From Alice Smith in Little Rock, AR

Is there a “best time of the year” to photograph birds? How about other wildlife in North America?

If you have questions for the show, please send them (one question per email) to [email protected]. We can’t guarantee we will put your question on the air, but we will read every question internally and if we do use your question, you will be eligible to win a prize – one prize per quarter. Our next prize will be a Platypod.

It’s time for my word of encouragement. On this month’s show I want to address self-doubt. Self-doubt is one of the biggest problems facing creatives. Most of us – at one time or another – experience a case of imposter syndrome. This is real. It happens to the most famous people. It happens to regular people too who are trying to do something to make their life better. Imposter syndrome is a psychological term referring to a pattern of behavior where people doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent, often internalized fear of being exposed as a failure or not deserving. Don’t give in to it.

Remember next month, I have an interview with my pal Trey Ratcliff and we’ll discuss his new book, among other things. I’ll cover when to upgrade your camera and lens. I’ll have more photo news, some more Q&A and some more inspiration and encouragement.

Please do me a huge favor if you like the show. Please subscribe (for free) to the iTunes version of the show – even if you listen somewhere else. It helps us gain traction. Please consider subscribing (for free) to the blog – you can use the little black box that appears in the sidebar of every post to do that. It will give you updates every time there’s ANYTHING new at Picture Methods. And lastly, please consider signing up for my free quarterly newsletter – you can do so at http://bit.ly/picturemethodsnewsletter

If you do sign up for either blog updates or the newsletter you are automatically eligible to win cool prizes during the regular giveaways I do for the show and the blog. You must be 18 years old to participate. Open worldwide except where prohibited by law.

I really hope you enjoyed episode number four of the Picture Methods podcast – see you next month.

Show notes by: Jeff Sweet.

Website: PictureMethods

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