Interesting Development for Sony’s F5… Will We Ever See One???

Just got sent this link from one of our viewers… Say it ain’t so!  Bummer news for Sony.

This really just pisses me off.  Almost three years ago, I few out to CA for a visit at RED.   We were all set and ready to buy a body, but wanted to just ask some questions in person and get the real skinny on things like their post production workflow.  The story’s now old hat and water under the bridge, but the long and the short of it was that I felt they weren’t very pleasant to us and pretty much wasted our time out there treating us like small potatoes.

After that wasted airline ticket, I vowed not to shoot RED and was tickled pink when Sony came out with the F3.  We bought one right away, and have felt the same way when Sony announced the F5.

In my opinion, RED made the choice to forgo consumers like us.  Sony saw the need, and worked hard to fill the space.  Shame on RED for crying to the courts.  For us, the Sony platform has been so easy.  We consider them a partner in our film work and are oh so glad we never bought a RED.

Stock Photography… Image Used By Boat U.S.

Years ago, when I first got into this game, lots of the photographers I used to assist for were in the stock photo biz.  I remember one in particular who used to talk about $100k years in stock sales alone.  It was a really good gig, and those who knew how to play it certainly benefited.

Alas, like everything, times changed.  The onslaught of the internet and the digital revolution quickly torpedoed how stock was handled.  An image that used to sell for $10,000, soon was selling for $100.  The cheapening of the image is something that all older photographers lament, and have come to grips with the understanding that the “good old days” are gone forever.

That said, I am starting to see a respect and proper valuation of the image slowly returning to the landscape.  It will still take a couple of years to fully resolve, but the market is beginning to come to grips with the fact that regardless of how images are captured, (digital or not) there still needs to be good photographer behind the camera.

Even though I have been shooting for twenty years, it is still a secret thrill to see my images in print.  I thought I’d share one of my favorite images that was purchased by Boat U.S. for one of their campaigns.