It seems the practice of competitive edge seeking may benefit cash-strapped shutterbugs with the creation of a new stock market aimed at advanced amateurs and amateurs. Photographers of all levels that already showcase their work on Flickr now have the opportunity to get into the online stock game. Getty and Flickr joined forces on March 11th.

What’s beautiful, is their gain doesn’t seem to (as of yet) jeopardize the pros who sometimes make their living through stock. Getty, as a rule serves professional photographers. As we know, the last thing pros need is the digital weekend warriors encroaching into their income pools. The alliance was announced in July 2008 and is centered around images from non-pros offered to smaller companies and agencies, who can’t afford conventional stock services, at cheaper prices. Shooters get paid from $200 to $500 a photo.

According to Getty Images CEO Jonathan Klien, the reason for the alliance is that his clients were asking for access to Flickr’s vast trough of images–most of which were not yet cleared for commercial use. Over the past few months, Getty editors have been busily trolling through Flickr images and inviting those with stock-quality images to supplement their income.

Here’s how it works: When a photographer posts an image on Flickr they must allow public access, rather than choosing password-protected sharing. If a Getty editor tags the photographer with an invite, the selected image will show up in a special Flickr collection on the Getty Images site. If the image is used, the shooter gets paid. Take a look at some of the images here: www.gettyimages.com/Creative/Frontdoor/Flickr?isource=usa_nav_images_whatsnew_flickr.
Getty says they will continue to add thousands more every month. Wow, Getty editors are single-handedly buoying Flickr’s SEO rating at the same time.

“And to a whole new creative universe, chock full of images that capture the passion and personality of a global community of photographers – and of the places they call home,” reads the section on Getty’s website. Images are available exclusively on Getty’s site and have both rights-managed and royalty-free options. It’s all no so easy though. The rub is to know not only what makes a great image, but what makes a great stock image. And that’s not just about art, but about science.

Within the next few days a very difficult decision will be made regarding our fallen soldiers. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is reviewing on the ban on press photographs of flag-draped coffins of soldiers returning to Dover Air Force Base and other military facilities.

The ban was installed by President George H.W. Bush for the 1991 Gulf War; he had been embarrassed in 1989 at a news conference in which he joked with reporters as split-screen television showed the first US casualties of the invasion of Panama returning to Dover. It was continued by his son.

But President Obama said on Feb. 9 that he had ordered the review, which the Pentagon said it would complete in a few days. Removing the ban will allow the American people to see the sacrifices made by the troops first hand.

We all hear stories on television and radio, read articles in the newspapers and magazines and hear speeches made by politicians. But as photographers, we KNOW the power of the image. The public should see these coffins, not only to have a heavier heart when they debate the war, but it may delete the apathy and ignorance of some.

These images are a form of accountability as well. Photos of our fallen, lend more transparency to the Pentagon. Coffins can be counted by more than a few pairs of eyes. With images we bear witness to the effects of atrocities going on in the world. Removing this ban will also give honor to the fallen as their sacrifices will be seen by the public. In fact, many families of these troops have requested a removal of the ban for this purpose.

Of course, there are families, and rightfully so, who want privacy during this time. Can’t those families be given their privacy by preventing photographing and the others be public? As different as each and every soldiers is, are the wishes they may have in case of death.

Likewise, families all have different identities. Why not respect the wishes of families nationwide by showing the flagged draped coffins of those who wish to honor their children in public and not allowing access for those who wish to grieve in private.

While all you northerners were suffering an apparent ice storm last week, Panasonic was smart enough to organize a Winter shooting tour in Miami for journalists to test drive some of their new Lumix cameras slated for Spring ‘09. The sights and sounds of this southern beach playground definately relieved the Winter Blues in a major way. It was through the lens of these two Lumix cameras that many of us there experienced the seductive city of Miami Beach.

For the shooting tour, Panasonic hosted stations on the beach - South Beach - for us to test out the Lumix TS1 and ZS3. These “stations” were set up on right on the beach sand and at the walkway near the beach. Snake charmers, rollerbladers, volleyball players and even Miami Dolphin cheerleaders provided for great action-packed scenes to capture. The most anticipated feature of these new releases: HD video capability.

The ZS3 with HD recording in AVCHD LITE will be the flagship of the new ZS series which replaces the TZ series. This technology, as compared with conventional Motion JPEG format, allows for longer recordings and has the benefits of HD video and auto quality in compact.

This feature was pretty cool when the we (especially the guys) wanted to record the energetic cheers of the Miami cheerleaders to take home the experience ..um ..for their wives (ha! ha! ) or vice versa. I admit, I took a great recording of them for my husband. At that exact time, he must have been sitting in his artifically-heated office in Washington, D.C. as freezing rain hit the building’s roof. Earlier in the day, I recorded the quick moves of some very tan and fit volleyball players as well.

In both instances, I felt like I had great control of the recordings and was able to zoom, pan and create a short video with ease. The fact that the record button is positioned right on the camera’s back panel, insures you don’t miss the spontaniety that a beach day offers. Basically there’s no searching to get out of a still mode. For this reason, Panasonic calls the ZS3 its Hybrid model, appropriately named because it makes you want to be an amateur filmmaker as well as photographer. The popular Intelligent Auto (iA) is expanded to include Face Recognition technology (which exists on some other brands already) and could be a good addition for novices. It allows you to register certain faces for the camera to remember. How does it remember? It has something to do with the exact measurement between a person’s eyes. When a registered face appears in the frame, the camera will prioritize focus and exposure for that certain programmed face. You can also select an order of each’s priority in a shot. (Warning not to take to heart: This could create problems in families with many children and people with more than one best friend.)

The real beauty of Face Recognition may be back in the home office. It allows the photographer to streamline the function into a computer and pick out all of the priority faces you are looking for. And while the technology has some limitions, such as only being able to concentrate on one person per shot, it will surely evolve. In additon, the dial of the model still needs some tweaking as it slipped into a different modes as I went along the busy day–but this it easy enough to fix.

Panasonic execs embraced the salt water and sandy surroundings when it came to capturing the day with the TS1. This model Panasonic touts as the world’s first waterproof, shockproof, dustproof camera. It also has the cool HD video capability and Face Recognition. To me, this seemed quite unbelieveable that you can stick this one 10 feet below water and drop it on ground from a distance of 5 feet. But as I was up in my hotel room running late for the beginning of our first shoot, my colleagues were downstairs by the hotel pool busily shooting Lumix mermaids underwater. Chlorine and all, the cameras managed to make it onto the bus and to the beach in one piece.

Personally, I have never felt comfortable bringing any camera, except a film throwaway, to the beach–so this could be a perfect solution for those worries. I couldn’t believe that I could be in a sandstorm and this camera would come out of it better than me.

The real test here- the ocean. This thing can be underwater and still snap photos as well as take video. This is no throwaway…but rather a very slick looking point and shoot. Egged on my friends, I bent down on the beautiful sand and got my blindingly white toes wet. I kneeled further towards the sea and outstretched my arm to lower the camera but ….I just couldn’t do it. Putting a camera in the ocean just seemed unnatural to me.

Eventually, after being called “ridiculous,” I fought my instinct and dipped it into the water and got some very good underwater shots of the sand. Mind you, I was on the land, fully clothed at the same time, so I couldn’t get the proper shots this camera deserves- like schools of glowing fish or sunken treasures. Still, the TS1 was a little treasure that did not shipwreck. I expect when it comes out in April, it will be very popular with beachcombing parents and even their kids.

Below are some of the visuals I captured on South Beach with these cameras. Since I felt more comfortable with the Lumix ZS3, most are taken with that one. For captions, simply roll your cursor over the images.

Happy New Year all!

Thanks to you guys, our loyal readers, ii.com just keeps getting better and better. As editor of the site, in 2008 I had the opportunity to monitor what you all like, what you don’t and am happy to report our online family continues to grow and grow.

And, the more our audience grows, the more opportunities it allows us to bring you the latest in breaking photo news, the most educational photo techniques around and an even larger selection of inspirational and informational online exclusives you won’t find anywhere else.

By all means, keep commenting on our stories and in our forums. As many of you have probably discovered, whenever we can we try to answer your questions and/or change copy/add photos to reflect what you tell us may be missing. Because of your comments, I know I continue to learn new things every day.

Two of the most important items I learned from our viewer comments in 2008?

1. Always post photos with articles on photo award winners (duh)

2. Always post prices with a product review (duh ditto).

I’m going to extend the same offer as I did in January 2008. Since this is your site, tell us what you want more of, what you want less of, and inform us of any questions you may have. This goes for any section of the website and for our three newsletters. BTW, if you haven’t already, you should sign up for them. They’re free and pretty cool. A lot of thought goes into them each week.

We have alot of new ii.com greatness in store for 2009. This year we will be adding many new sections, including a photo-of-the-day item where the photos we post are submitted by you. You’ll probably be seeing a new newsletter or two. And more.

Again, my sincere thanks for making ii.com your source for photography. And I know the other editors (Diane Berkenfeld, Jen Gidman and Tara Popper) of the imaging group, which includes Studio Photography magazine and Photo Trade News, feel the same way.

Feel free to drop me a line at alysha.sideman@cygnusb2b.com with the subject line: “New Year” with any comments or just leave your comments below. We actually DO love to hear from you.

On a side note, I want to congratulate Pete Souza for being selected by President-Elect Obama as the new Chief White House Photographer. Obviously a job of a lifetime. To check out a story we did on him in late 2008 and some of his work visit http://www.imaginginfo.com/web/online/Online-Exclusives/emThe-Rise-of-Barack-Obamaem-in-Pictures/49$4504.

Here’s to a great 2009 full of photography bliss! best, Alysha

At an event where talent and superstars are ubiquitous, there was a clear star of the show today–the one and only Bill Eppridge. In an amazing event held at the PhotoPlus theater hosted by pulitzer prize-winning journalist formerly of CNN Peter Arnett (now teaching in China), 50 years of a storied photojournalism career was honored in stories and images.

For those who don’t know, Bill took many iconic photographs including the pics of the Beatles’ first trip to America and the poignant and iconic photo of a Los Angeles busboy cradling a dying Robert Kennedy in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel, just seconds after he was shot.

These legendary photos are the result of a three-day assignment for Life to follow a “little known” band called the Beatles, including their visit to the Ed Sullivan show and another assignment to cover Robert Kennedy’s entire presidential candidacy.

While it was thrilling and spine-tingling to see these photos up close on a huge screen while the two men chatted about the experience like they were in their own living room–a third project captivated me immensely. It was Bill’s compelling photo series of Needle Stick Park.

In 1965, he followed around and lived with a white, middle class couple addicted to shooting up heroin. This experience seemed to really resonate within the silence of the 300 people gathered. The series demonstrated the absolute beauty of photography’s realism and the talent of man who could have only taken such intimate pictures if he were able to blend in or almost become part of the dangerous circle he was capturing.

“You become part of it,” said Bill. “You dress the way they dress, you talk the way they talk…”

Added Arnett: “The best photographers have the ability to blend in.”

We saw the whole stream of 20-plus photographs that told their harrowing story of the love between and man and a woman competing for the love of a fix.- Only about five in the series made it onto Life magazine.

The son of a judge from New Jersey and the daughter of an upper middle class Long Island family, Karen and John, allowed Bill into their lives of petty theft, prostitution, hospitalization and desperation.

It was Bill that talked the couple into doing the shoot-convincing them to do something good for someone else for a change. They did that as well as shatter the stereotype of who a “druggie” was. The photo series was the inspiration for Al Pacino’s first movie “Panic in Needle Park.” Arnett said the series was like a “beautifully written novel.” I’d have to agree. It was visual poetry. One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

But one of the scariest.

“His list of assignments are unbelievable in breath and would test any photographer,” said Arnett.

Some of Bill’s mottos include: “They pay you one day’s work for three days–one to worry, one to shoot and one to recover.” “You only get one perfect shot and you need to be ready.” “‘You have to do your research so when you go in you are ready for anything.” “I never want to shoot the same thing twice,” said Bill to his editors at Life.

Another compelling part of the talk was the fact that Bill got so close to Robert Kennedy because he spent so much time on the road with him. He believes that he would have been an amazing president–that he had a talent that was probably more incredible than his brother John.

If you’d like to hear more stories about the Robert Kennedy, Bill has a book out called “A Time it Was.”

In other PhotoPlus news, there are some new guys exhibiting at the expo for the first time. At least one is extremely notable.

Microsoft.

Why are they here?

Well, that is a question that 20-year veteran photographer Jeff Greene, now a technical evangelist for Microsoft can answer. He is part of the company’s Icons of Imaging program.

It seems the company is throwing its hat into the ring to compete against the likes of Adobe, Apple and others by taking charge in marketing the upgrades to Microsoft Pro Photo Tools, Microsoft Expressions Media (2) and Phase One’s Capture One- Media Pro- is an already released product that is an image management/editing/archiving software that’s compatible with Apple/Mac.

Pumping up the marketing by talks like Greene’s I think shows their belief in the product that is billed as NOT being “cool and sexy” like other products are today, but something you will thank your lucky stars about in several years when you’re looking for that photograph that you took today.

“It’s an extra insurance policy,” said Greene.

The strategic partnership with Capture One was due to realization that the Phase One product had “great processing software.” The software has a guided, logical workflow and has a strength in skin tonality.

The pro fashion and commercial photographers loves this,” says Greene. But it is easy enough for a mom to organize her family photos on. It provides lots of areas to embed text.

Greene added that audiences are “wowed” that it takes only 90 seconds for him to load his 4,000 image collection.

Microsoft is offering a special show price of $199. See their web site for more information. Meanwhile, other newbie exhibitors to the show include: Hasselblad and Casio.

The show began Thursday as people were travelling into the city by bus, train and plane.

As soon as I boarded the LIRR line and took my seat on the train, the conversation about photography began. Two women sitting across from me discussed their photos the entire hour it took to get into the city. Mostly they debated on which works better for them–Bibble or Aperture.

The brisk cold hit my face as I walked out into the sunlight in the 30 degree weather for my 10 minute walk to the Jacob Javits Center. I was thinking–this is my third or fourth PhotoPlus–and it never gets old.

The conversation about photography never ends like how the technology for it is always evolving.

These challenges are what make the craft so exciting. Evidence of this is embodied by a more intimate show like PhotoPlus–where you can easily listen to the conversations people are having without being distracted by too much information–and where the focus is not always on what’s new (as a lot of products are introduced a month before at photokina) but what photographers are doing with the new products.

Greg Gorman talked about his love affair with the Canon EoS 5D Mark II. He uses it especially for his personal work. He used it on a recent project for Homeland Security-travelling around the country shooting images of “ordinary people.”

Hanson Fong recently discovered Canon’s EoS 50D for his wedding work. After decades if shooting weddings he passionately shared with an audience of more than 100 his intimate secrets to shooting weddings.

The most important?

“Making the bride look good. It’s all about the bride.” Fong explained that the secret to this is positioning–having the bride stand a few inches behind the groom to appear smaller and shooting at various angles.

“The secret to posing is creating uneven height,” he told the crowd.

The beauty of the Canon workflow said Fong is the ability to take pictures at a wedding and showcase them at the reception.

Meanwhile, the conversation at Nikon was all about the new D3-a camera so advanced, especially for shooting action like sports-that it is causing some non-Nikon pros to make the switch. At the booth, a D3 was displayed cut in half, exposing all the insides. People were standing around in awe of the guts. Shooters were then able to try out the D3 at various stations with varying lenses.

Recently, I interviewed Ron Wyatt who covered the Olympics for Kodak with the D3. He was amazed at the results he got with it shooting historical moments in China.

Lighting magician Joe McNally was sharing his tips at the Nikon booth.

A passionate Matthew Jordan Smith praised the new Sony A900. “It’s sharp, quick and light,” he said. His ability to be able to depend on his equipment allows him to focus full-heartedly on his of celebrity photography and magazine work. He lit up as he shared his insights with the other shooters.

“I always do research before a celebrity shoot,” he said. “I always have the right drinks, know what they like to listen to, maybe light candles and give all the (female) celebrity clients flowers at the end of the shoot. Every time she walks out, she is carrying flowers. This never gets old.”

Smith relayed a story of the great talent Aretha Franklin.

“I was told she was difficult to shoot, so I sent her yellow roses-her favorite- before the shoot.” This small act, he explained, set the stage for the whole job. She arrived and commented on the gift. “We talked about food the whole time.”

She was so happy with Smith, she even began singing at the shoot. The shooter was stunned when she recently called him to run by a name for her new album. “She called to ask me what I think.” As soon as Smith hung up with the singer he called his mother in awe of what just happened.

“That is what happens when you create an atmosphere,” said Smith. “You are creating trust. They trust you with their image.”

Software is a big draw at the show this year and the competition between like companies is heating up. In this economy shooters, now more than ever, are looking for more bang for their buck. Imagenomic will release a photoshop/aperture plug-in Portraiture 2 in mid-November as they complete the compatibility with the newly launched Photoshop CS4. Their biggest competition is Anthropics’ Portrait Professional– recently released.

The founder and CEO has big plans for the company. “Down the road we will stay compatible with the big guys, but not be dependent on them,” he said. The upgrade works wonders on skin retouching and is stuffed with wonderful “workflow centric” new tools like the default latitude option and the ability to save settings in presets of groups as well as the ability to add notes to the prints.

It’s a free upgrade or $170-$200 depending on the version.

At an evening Adobe event at NYC’s Daniel’s Restaurant, the new launch of CS4 and Lightroom 2.0 were the big topics. One of Adobe’s Photoshop technology guru’s explained that never before has the Photoshop conversation been hotter at a show-”Probably because we just released it before PhotoPlus,” he said.

People want to know how all the cool new features can affect their workflow, he said.

The coolest new feature: the abilty to expand and compress a photo by choosing the visual noise you want to remove-like the wall or the floor-giving the shooter the ability to have everything they do want in a photograph. The practical applications?

Well, that’s all part of the conversation.

Stayed tuned for more blog updates from PhotoPlus 2008!

So I’ve been doing alot of driving back and forth from my home in Arlington, Virginia to my folks hometown in Lancaster, Pa. The reason is, unfortunately, because my mom was in the hospital and later, at home, but recuperating. On one of the trips when she was first in the hospital, it was the beginning of September.

Just two hours north and more provincial, in Pennsylvania the leaves were already changing color, the nights were brisk, and the air smelled like burning leaves. This first trip was pretty draining, my mom had invasive surgery and was still in ICU when I had to leave for home.

In the car driving home, I felt unstable, unbalanced and unwell. So I began the first leg of the journey home with just enough gas so I’d have to stop about 1/2 into the trip. I got off at an exit with a name I’ve never paid attention to before that day–something like Shrewsbury, Pa.–it was near a Kmart.

It was dusk when I got out of the car. I filled up and ran into the attached convenience store for some cheese puffs for some organized emotional eating. It was when I went to get back in the car with the cheese puff bag that I noticed something extraordinary. Around the back of this gas station sat a farm vacant except for thousands of harvested corn husks sitting still on the cold ground. Next to that was a single, spectacular tree that looked like a fireworks display in all autumn’s glory. It stood proud but silent. No wind blew. It was quiet. No soul in sight. The sun was setting on the whole scene. It was just about the most beautiful thing I had ever witnessed. I didn’t have any proper camera with me, but I had to capture this view.

I took out my cell phone and began snapping away behind the gas station until day turned into night. After the whole photographing process was over, a strange thing happened. I felt better and complete again. It didn’t matter that the images were taken on a hot pink motorola camera phone with an At&t wireless plan. (Even though the photos came out pretty good.) The creative act of photography had the immense power to lift me from my depressed state to one of hope and pleasure.

That scene is something my own mother would have appreciated and stopped for. That was the “her” in “me.” I felt like it was going to be OK. And a month later, it really was.

One of the photos still serves as my phone’s desktop picture.

With all the problems going in today’s world, do me a favor. Try to stop and notice the views behind the 7-11 store or the view on your drive to the bank or the gas station. Carry a camera in your back seat or trunk. It just might make you feel better.

Last week we reported that Zoomr CEO Thomas Hawk was thrown out of a San Francisco art museum because a guard thought his expensive camera could be used to spy on female employees (www.imaginginfo.com/web/online/News/Photographers-Face-Ejection-Over-Lenses-/3$4097).

Really.

For the record, Hawk is an extremely talented PROFESSIONAL photographer and the top dog at a company that many say is better that its counterpoint-Flickr.

Well, thousands of you read the story. A surprisingly large amount for such a short blog story. And those who commented about their own similar experiences were from Puerto Rico, California, Denver, New York City and Tennessee.

In the past I have written about how UK photographers risk getting their public rights jeopardized as well as a case in NYC that has officials trying to get pros to fill out permits before shooting there. I have resisted getting on the bandwagon as of late, but I am steamed. Pros shooters and even amateurs are really facing a crossroads here, where these types of stories are becoming the norm. As one commenter put it: “now we have camera profiling.”

Four recent issues reported just this summer include:

China Olympics Bans Professional Cameras

D.C. Rep Slams Union Station for Barring Photography

Photographers Face Ejection Over Lenses

Photography Guidelines in UK Set to Include Amateurs, Tourists

Not sure if security guards are just overzealous in a post-9/11 era or photographers are being thrown the rulebook. For the record, I’d be curious to know just how vast this problem is. I invite you to please list your experience in the comment area below if you have been a target of photographic profiling. Thanks! -A

As many of you may already know, this is the last year of the old Yankee Stadium. A new stadium is currently being erected across the street.

Recently, I went to see a Yankees-Red Sox’s game– even forking over more than $300 on StubHub.com for prime seat, since it is the last year. My husband and I had no idea of just how good the seats were until we arrived. We had Field Level seats just a few rows back between the Red Sox dugout and homeplate. We were in the field of vision of the players, if they would have just turned around.

I was in awe the whole time, not really caring who won (shhh), but just “wowed” by the experience. I mean we even had waiter service. That’s right. There was a menu and we could order lunch from it.

After I got over the initial shock that I was a stone’s throw away from Derek Jeter (i know, it’s cliche, but those uniforms look so nice in person), I looked around at the stadium. It was probably going to be the last time I saw the place afterall.

Call me naive but the photo industry practically “owns” the available ad space around the stadium walls and seating areas in the field and inside where the concessions are as well. Below the scoreboard: there was Sharp and Canon, on the field level was Sony, Fujifilm and Nokia; Mitsubishi popped up too. They were the main contenders…they weren’t all necessary referring to cameras directly–just the brand names were listed.

I felt proud that the industry has such mainstream appeal…but I wondered ‘why does Canon and the others go so well with baseball, like say baseball and beer, or baseball and Cracker Jacks’ (which I happened to be pigging out on incidently)?

Well, I looked at what I was doing at the game. It really enhanced my experience to capture this memory with my camera. I even took video of the entire 9th inning…Jeter slipped and fell at bat and I have it on video for all posterity. I shot the seats we were in, the players doing their warm-up swings on deck, the crowds pawing at each other to grab a foul ball, the field sweepers, the plastic covering when it began raining, the subway stop we walked out of. It all added extra fun to the experience.

Whether you make a living from photography or take photos as a hobby or to capture memories–Photography is important. It is a vital piece of American culture. As American as baseball. And the industry’s products that are compatible and/or support digital make photography even more satisfying.

I mean my husband has never asked me to take a picture of him anywhere. But he asked me to take lots of pictures of him at Yankee stadium that day–at the subway stop, by the field, in his seat, in the rain. We will soon show these to his 87-year-old father, who once took him there as a boy.

When visiting New York City this past weekend to check out a July 4th Yankees/Red Sox Game, I had the opportunity to see “Polaroids: Mapplethorpe” at the Whitney Museum of Art (on view until September 7, 2008).

While shooting Polaroids to keep a record of his artwork in the 1970s, Robert Mapplethorpe fell in love with the Polaroids’ immediacy and pretty soon, he began to experiment and hobby around with the medium. In fact, many of these instant photos have never been seen, overshadowed by his later, more precise work.

The result was thousands of photos of the young man’s friends and lovers and even common everyday objects. The exhibit, which showcase more than 100 shots, one right after the next, highlights the nature of Mapplethorpe’s experimentation with framing, lighting, angles and finding beauty in the everyday. These photos, taken from 1970-1975, were his tutorials, in essence, preparing him for the medium-format Hasselblad he would get as a gift a few years later. Ultimately, he would alienate the immediacy of the Polaroid for the crisp, sharp quality of a pro camera.

Here’s what the New Yorker magazine said about the exhibit:

“Many of these small, intimate photographs convey tenderness and vulnerability. Others depict a toughness and immediacy that would give way in later years to more classical form. Unlike the highly crafted images Mapplethorpe staged in the studio and became famous for, these disarming pictures are marked by spontaneity and invention. Together, they offer insight into the artist’s creative development and reveal his pure delight in seeing at a formative time in his career.”

The show is accompanied by a book that places this early work in the context of his life-long artistic production.

Perhaps some of the spontaniety and fun he saw in his earlier photo days was lost with the Hasselblad. It’s too bad Mapplethorpe died young from AIDS in 1989 and never lived to use the digital cameras of today, where immediacy does not mean sacrificing quality.