Thinking of Buying a Camera?

People often ask me what camera to buy.  The answer is pretty simple right now... buy a phone.  The iPhone 4s.  I'm serious.

Last week I was in Arizona and because of time and mediocre light, I only made a handful of images with my DSLR.  But, I frequently shot with my iPhone.  It's easy, high quality and as Chase Jarvis says, "the best camera is the one that's with you".   You take your phone everywhere.  The iPhone isn't just a great camera, it's a great ecosystem for people interested in photography with all sorts of applications that feature different cameras with various cool effects and photo processing tools.  Software you find for the iPhone costing from  $.99 to $4.99 would be $100's of dollars for a computer.  It's amazing really.

So, unless your going to make the leap to a $500 camera like the Canon G12 or indulge the joy of changeable lenses with a full blown DSLR or one of the nifty micro four thirds rigs like the Olympus EP's, save your dough.  You need a new cell phone anyway.


iPhone 4s, Pano camera app processed with Nik Snapseed for iPhone



iPhone 4s, ProHDR camera app processed with Nik Snapseed for iPhone

iPhone 4s, ProHDR camera app processed with Nik Snapseed for iPhone

Solo Saloon II

A little over a year ago, I worked with Christian Essex and Jacob Quimby to make images for Solo Saloon's first CD.  You might recall a blog post I did with images from that shoot.  Over the weekend, Christian and I got together to try out a couple of cover art concepts for the next Solo Saloon release. They're starting to mix their second CD now, so look for new music in the coming months.  In the mean time go take a liking to their facebook page or check out their first release on iTunes.  It's too early to tell what the final cover art will be, but here are a couple of images from the shoot.

2011 Retrospective

2011.  It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.  But mostly I'm thinking about the best of times.  And when I do, it all somehow comes back to the camera.  Certainly because photography is something I love and the images bring back good memories, but that's not the whole story.  Let me share a few of my favorite images of 2011 and maybe you'll understand what I mean. 

In 2011, my kids occasionally actually stopped and looked at the camera.  Mostly no smiles, but that probably makes both of these images.  In all seriousness, my boys are young but photography has really become a thing we share.  They are always excited about the pictures and even are making a few of their own.

Evans Notch, Maine

Portsmouth, NH

Thanks to a good friend, I took pictures at my first sporting event late in 2010 and enjoyed shooting several showshoe and mountain running races last year.  The photography was exciting and fun, I found paid opportunities for the images and, best of all, I met wonderful people and amazing athletes. In many ways, this work brought dreams to reality in 2011.  Thank you to everyone who encouraged and supported me at these shoots. 

Kevin Tilton at the Sandwich Sidehiller Snowshoe Race  Sandwich, New Hampshire

US Mountain Running Championships   North Conway, New Hampshire


Inov-8 Evoskin Photo Shoot

Speaking of friends, last year I met several other NH photographers and they have become great new friends.  I owe some of my favorite images of the year to their companionship, guidance and tolerance for random explorations to look for locations.

Sugar Hill, NH

Sandwich Notch, NH

Jefferson, NH

Sedona, Arizona

And sometimes friends asked me to take pictures of remarkable things.  I'm indebted to them for the opportunity and so much more.

The Stanley Cup at Krista's Restaurant  Cornish, Maine

Old Theatre  Kezar Falls, Maine

For a long time, photography has been a zen escape for me.  When I pick up the camera and start to focus on framing images, everything else slips away.  The  noise of day to day life disappears and things fall into place.  The natural order of the world is restored.  This year I really needed that.  As always, I met amazing people, saw beautiful, inspiring things and every time I walked away with a new perspective. 

Shelburne, New Hampshire

Berlin, New Hampshire

Leonard Knight   Salvation Mountain, California

Joshua Tree, California


Duluth, Minnesota

When I reflect on the last year, photography nourished and sustained me when I needed it most. Making images also connected me to people and places in ways I never imagined.  I don't think it's an exaggeration to say it's changed me and my life in many, many positive ways.  I'm so grateful for the amazing people that surround me... my kids, extended family, friends and collegues.  Their support, feedback and encouragement have made a huge difference in my life.  I wish us all a fantastic 2012! 

The Lesson of Tag and You're It!

This blog typically isn't about photography advice or instruction, but today I sold an image and it was a great lesson to not be a lazy photographer.  You see we all love to go to interesting locations, make beautiful pictures and play with cool gear.  Some of the geekier among us even like to spend hours in the software that has become the bane of the digital photographer.  After all that, it's awfully easy to forget about an important housekeeping task... tagging your images with captions and keywords. 

Captioning and keywording is electronically assigning descriptive words to your image.  The who, what, where of an image as well as the attribute, emotion or feeling it evokes are all keyword examples.  It isn't exciting, it doesn't make you say "wow" or give you that rush you get when you've made an image you love.  But, if you're putting your images on the web, tagging is one of the strongest tools you have to get your photos seen because keywords are part of the secret sauce that make the Google world go round.  I've sold two images in the last couple of months thanks to keywords, captions and good old Google images.  Check your website and your blog and make sure you're doing everything you can to help people can find your good work!

Merry Christmas!

These ornaments have been in my family for as long as I can remember.  I hope you all enjoy special holiday traditions this season.  Merry Christmas!

Projects

I just created a new set of Galleries at www.joeviger.com called "Projects", including a full gallery of images from the amazing abandoned Redstone Quarry. Here's the link to the Gallery.

Home for the Holidays

Last week I took a drive north of the notches to Stark, NH, a small village in Northern New Hampshire on the edge of the Nash Stream Wilderness. The Upper Ammonoosuc River flows through town and is spanned by the Stark Covered Bridge. The bridge and Stark Union Church are both part of the National Register of Historic Places. At the opposite end of the bridge, The Stark Village Inn bookends the scene. Even the most jaded among us can tune in to the Holiday spirit with the right inspiration. If you're stuck in neutral with the holidays, maybe this helps. Stark is a beautiful and peaceful place and sets the right tone for the season. Barely 20 miles from where I grew up, it felt like I was home for the holidays.





Check out the Stark Village Inn. Support local business in Northern NH and enjoy hiking the Percy Peaks, the Kilkenny Range or the Cohas Trail as well as swimming in my favorite childhood spot at Christine Lake. The Stark Village Inn doesn't have a website, but here's their Facebook page...
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stark-Village-Inn/449012015401