How to React to (and Defuse) Confrontations in Street Photography

Confrontations rarely occur in street photography. As long as you smile and say “thank you” after taking photos of people, 95% of people smile and say “thank you” back or just ignore you.

However 5% of the time, people typically will react in a negative manner. It is usually one of these below (I will add rough estimates in my experience):

1. Ask what you are doing: 90%
2. Ask you to delete the photo 9.95%
3. Lunge at you: .05% (This has happened only once to me by an old man in Paris. This rarely (if ever) happens).

When people confront you and ask you what you are doing, be prepared to make the right answer and react calmly and speak truthfully about what you are doing. [read]

A deeper look into Depth of Field

A shallow depth of field is highly sought after due to it’s ability to separate the subject from it’s background and is found in many professional photographs. By now your probably know that larger apertures (f/2.8 and below) correlate to a shallower depth of field whereas small apertures (f/16 and above) will render almost the entire frame in focus. In this tutorial I will explain further factors into controlling depth of field, how much is too much and why different sensor and film sizes give different depths of field. [read]

————- 3 Penguins Photography

Google soon launching “fantastic” native Gmail iPhone application?

MG Siegler reports that Google is “on the verge” of releasing a native Gmail client for the iPhone through the App Store. Gmail users have long complained over the lack of push Gmail for the iPhone, which this native application is said to bring. Siegler says the application will likely also bring Priority Inbox and one click starring. Of course, nobody says that this application has been approved or will be approved by Apple, so until then, don’t get too excited. [via 9to5.com]

Paul McCartney’s 12 greatest Beatles bass performances

It’s a strange world indeed when even Paul McCartney can’t get the respect he deserves. Sure, he’s half of the greatest songwriting team that ever existed. And yes, his little band The Beatles did alter the face of popular music, becoming the biggest-selling and best-loved act since the invention of the phonograph. Oh, and he’s won just about every award a human possibly can without single-handedly winning a war or something. In short, he’s done it all.

But hey, what about his nifty bass playing? Who talks about that? In truth, many people do – and have in the nearly 50 years since The Beatles became an unparalleled cultural force. It’s simply that, when viewed against his other myriad talents and accomplishments, the importance of Paul McCartney as a bass player can be easy to overlook. [read]

Australia bans logos on cigarette packaging

New Australian legislation, due to be phased-in over six months from January 2012, will force tobacco companies to use plain packaging.

IMAGES: How packets will look under 2012 regulations (photo: Reuters).

The tobacco giant Philip Morris has launched legal action against the Australian Government, arguing the move illegally diminishes the value of their trademarks.

“We would anticipate that the compensation would amount to billions.”
— ANNE EDWARDS, PHILIP MORRIS SPOKESWOMAN

Imperial Tobacco, a global company that produces brands like Davidoff and Gauloises, has created a large advertising campaign against the plain packaging law that features a stern, matronly figure who asks: “Do you really like living in a nanny state?” [read]

The World’s Smartest Companies Take Risks

When taking risks, the smartest companies turn to a “risk, survive, repeat” strategy. But can they get it right?

People weren’t buying much during the Great Depression. This we know. But from 1929 to 1933, refrigerator sales went up 30%–because it was a “highly innovative product” at the time, says the Boston Consulting Group. Even more important: It was produced by an industry willing to hire people, invest in research and development, and market itself when others weren’t. Which is to say, it was an industry willing to take some risks. Eighty years later, not much has changed: The economy is sour, and it’s time to be contrarian. [read]

Teaser: FL Studio Mobile Coming to Android, with Low-Latency Engine

Image-Line are quick to attach lots of disclaimers about when the work will be ready, but a teaser video demonstrates they have builds of their FL Studio Mobile software running on Android devices. It looks like a particularly good match for tablets, and is the latest indication that their may finally be a horse race in tablets for music. (Insert more disclaimers here.)

The phrase “low latency” is likely to make prick up some ears. No computer is “zero latency”; digital systems introduce some delay from recording to playback. The quality of the user experience, therefore, is having things happen without too much latency, whether it’s when sounds from a microphone or line input are processed or when a touch event or MIDI input results in a sound. iOS at least puts that latency in the acceptable range. Android devices, meanwhile, have earned complaints. Some of these issues appear to have to do with the way the platform itself works, in scheduling and the hardware abstraction layer, whereas other challenges arise from the variety (and, let’s face it, inconsistent quality) of Android’s various devices. [read]

Nikon Cool Pix Digital Camera with built-in Projector

For all you gadget lovers out there. Haven’t seen it in action so can’t vouch for the projector.  It’s only 20 lumens.

From the manufacturer:

If you’re the gadget guru of your friends, get ready to blow them away with your latest high-tech device—the Nikon COOLPIX S1200pj. Featuring a powerful built-in projector that can project photos and movies up to 60 inches diagonally onto any flat surface, the 14.1-MP S1200pj is sure to be the center of attention at your next gathering. Its versatile 5x zoom lens provides wide and close-up options. Plus, the S1200pj can connect to an iPhone®, iPad®, iPod touch®, iPod nano® and iPod® photo and project images, movies and web content from the device. Simply shoot, project and instantly bring the wow factor to any party.

Nikon COOLPIX S1200pj 14.1 MP Digital Camera with Built-In 20 Lumens iPhone/iPad/iPod Compatible Projector (Black)

New Massey plugins coming

It’s been a while since we last heard from Massey but now he’s back with some big news: a new version of DRT, an expanded CT4 called CT5 and a new EQ called MTQ.

Starting with the new DRT, the drum replacement plugin:

Version 2 adds integrated audio track generation in addition to its pre-existing MIDI track export option. A variable noise gate now supplements the trigger detection algorithm to improve accuracy on tracks with excessive noise bleed.

DRT v2 has an expected release in December 2011 with a new price of $96. The upgrade from version 1 will be free for existing customers. [read]

The 25 best basslines of all time

This week has been all about bass on MusicRadar. In celebration, we asked you to nominate your favourite basslines of all time in an effort to crown the greatest bass performance in history. With approximately 10,000 of you voting in our poll, we can now present the top 25 rundown in full.

The rules were simple – as long as the part in question was played by human hands on an electric or acoustic bass guitar or an upright bass then it counted. Electronic or synthesized basslines weren’t eligible; we’ll be looking at those at a later date. [read]