Central City making a comeback

Just took a tour of Central City (the next Freret Street) and it was great.  For the full report, head on over to The Nola Daily.

Asleep at the Wheel

[WARNING: This is a rant about photography, specifically Canon.  If you don't pay attention to the industry, you'd be better off just skipping this post.  I don't really have anyone to talk to about this stuff, so this rant is a long time coming.]

What the hell is Canon doing?  Do they have blinders on?  Are they watching where the industry is going?  Can someone help me understand what the hell they're doing?

(I almost didn't post this rant.  I wrote this the other day after Canon announced 32 (a slight exaggeration, but just only) new point and shoots that are already dead on arrival. Then yesterday an article comes out where Canon says its getting into the surveillance market due to poor DSLR sales....ummm, duh?  So here it is.  Please continue...)

The reason for this post is due to the slew of "new" cameras that Canon announced last night.  Their "new flagship" is the G16, a brick of a point and shoot with a whopping...yes, 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor.  Say what?!  Why?  Why is every other camera manufacturer on earth putting M4/3 or APS sized sensors in all their new cameras besides Canon?  Don't they see what's going on?  It's all about the sensor!  There is no place for point and shoots in this 41-megapixel cell phone camera world we live in now.  

Hey man, calm down, it has faster autofocus and WiFi!  You can upload your pics staight to Facebook!  Who the hell cares?!?!  I can do that with my phone.  The point and shoot market is dead.  They should have straight up named the G16 the Gsoccermom.  There is not one new feature on this camera that hasn't been around for a long time.

And hey, I understand that there might be a semblance of a point and shoot market left, somewhere, maybe...so release one point and shoot with a big fat Facebook button.  Not thirty eight. 

They also released the specs on the new S120.  As usual, it has the same sensor and identical insides as the G16, except in a much slicker package that you can fit in your pocket.  Why the hell would you choose a brick of a camera over much sleeker version of the same thing?  But wait...the G16 has a hotshoe mount and an "optical viewfinder"!  HAHAHAHAHAHA!   Have you ever put your eye up to one of those "viewfinders"?  They're a joke...a dusty, foggy wasteland...like looking into the wrong end of a microscope.  Why ever bother?  

And the hotshoe!  If I ever saw someone at a party with a big speedlight mounted to this thing I would just laugh.  Which brings me to my next point...  If you're at the level where you have a speedlight and use it, you are far beyond what this camera is capable of.  Again, I just don't get it.  

Which one would you use today?  Oh right, probably neither.

Canon used to be exciting, and revolutionary

I got the S95 not long after it came out and loved it.  Like everyone else, I was looking for a smaller alternative to my 7D.  This was right before the mirrorless explosion.  This was when a 1/1.7-inch sensor was HUGE in the game of sensors.  That camera put every other point and shoot to shame.  Pros were buying it in droves.  Once again, Canon was ahead.  But not for long.  This is when the industry started to turn, leaving Canon lost on the horizon.  

The micro four thirds/mirrorless camera was born.  Slowly but surely they started gaining market share.  Then the Fuji X100 came out of nowhere, increasing the size of the sensor in a smaller awesomely styled retro body.  Then came Olympus, Panasonic, Sony.  Boom.  Game changed forever.  See a trend here?  Bigger sensors, smaller cameras?  Yea, Canon still hasn't caught on.  

And yes, I know Canon has the M, and they are supposedly even coming out with a new one.  But seriously, the entire system was/is the most half-assed attempt I've ever seen by a company struggling to remain relevant.  Canon fan boys don't even like it.  Canon is clearly not fully invested it, pretty much making it known that they want no part of this booming market.  What a waste of a captive audience.

This is why I have such a problem.  Canon used to be revolutionary.  They were ahead of everyone else in the game.  The 5D Mark II was an absolute game changer.  Everyone wanted it, every other camera wanted to be it.  The sensor, the high ISO capabilities, and the truly remarkable video...that video!  The industry that we know today is largely due in thanks to this one camera.  And Canon had it- they started it.  They have been on cruise control ever since.  

I can remember first reading about the 7D when it first came out.  Holy smokes was I excited.  An insane sensor (compared to the 30D, my first camera), the same video modes as the 5DII, a weather sealed pro body, and a host of other awesome features.  For a crop sensor camera it had it all.  Not to mention it was tough.  (You could drop it down stairs, freeze it, and light it on fire and it would still work.)  You know when that was announced?  Yep, 2009.  Four years have gone by without a successor.  That is an eternity in the camera world.  They keep teasing us with a new model but to no avail.  Four years and counting.  

The industry now belongs to Fuji, Sony, Olympus and to a smaller degree Panasonic.  They are all coming out with insane cameras on a daily basis.  Huge sensors.  Small retro bodies.  Great optics.  Hell, even Nikon released a pocket camera with an APS sized sensor.  It's been getting stellar reviews.  Where the hell is Canon?  Do they think they would be cannibalizing their own line up if they released such a camera?  Are they paying attention?  The answer is simply no.  If they were, they'd see that pros aren't going to give up their DSLR's just yet.  These pro's still have two or more full frame bodies, but they want a smaller retro package with the same image capabilities as a DSLR.  Every other manufacturer has figured this out.

A dream camera. Literally.

Could you imagine if Canon came out with a slick retro styled camera?  I would have jumped right on board., and it wouldn't have made me give up my 5DIII.  But its too late now...I'm a Fuji fan for life.  The X100 is probably my favorite camera I have ever owned.  That's not to say its the best, just that its my favorite.  I'm with Zack Arias on this one...I feel an emotional connection to it.  It has a soul.  A camera is much more than a box with a lens attached to it.  The look and feel matter.  I wish Canon would realize this.  

The Fujis and Sonys and Olympus' know their market and they serve it well.  They are serving the pros that want a smaller walkaround camera.  They are serving the amateurs wanting to step up from the point and shoot game.  If Canon is going after the soccer moms (and that is all they seem to be going after), then great job.  Congrats.  But you are steadily loosing loyal photographers everyday.  I'm one of them.  I'm heavily invested in the 5DIII system, but hell, if Fuji released a full frame camera I'd most likely jump ship.  I'm scared for Canon.  I like Canon.  I love my 5DIII.  But it seems as though they're perfectly fine sitting back and letting everyone else pass them up.  They're getting lapped around the track.

The recent announcement from Canon saying that they're getting into the surveillance camera market shows how utterly clueless they are.  DSLR sales are down.  You don't say?!  So instead of coming out with a stellar mirrorless system you get into...security cameras?  Who is running this place?

Look, I do not want to come off as some camera snob.  I am anything but.  I do stay updated on the latest and greatest cameras, but I hardly think that all matters.  The greatest camera is the one you have with you.  I still have my S95, and its a great alternative if I'm going to a club and want better pictures than my cell phone offers.  The reason for this rant post is that Canon actually seems to be taking a step backwards, and as I company that I used to think could do no wrong, I'm kinda upset about it.  It's embarrassing for them.  Everything they just released is already dead on arrival.

There is no doubt that Canon and Nikon remain the kings of the DSLR.  But that is a dying industry...smaller cameras are getting so good that pretty soon they only people left buying these beasts will be the pros.  If Canon doesn't change course soon in a decade we will be reading about them with the same wonder as we did when Kodak announced bankruptcy.  That's not good.  

Perhaps Kai of DigitalRev fame said it best, "How do you encourage people to buy your DSLRs?  You make everything else in the range shit."

Who knows.  Maybe I'm wrong.  Maybe they're working on something right now that will make me regret this post.  But seeing what they've done lately, I highly, highly doubt it.  

Whirring

I'm always on the hunt for new great bands, and I've just discovered The Joy Formidable.  They are great.  I've been jamming to them for the last week or so and have not tired of them yet.  Check out the video above to their song Whirring.  It's probably their most recognizable song, but they're all good.

Also, I went to their website to see if they were coming near me anytime soon and sure enough they're coming to New Orleans on October 11th with Passion Pit at the newly renovated Civic Theatre (which has quite the fall lineup!).  Cannot wait for that show.  Anyway, check them out!

Abandoned West Bank

If you follow my blog or photography at all then you know my interest in abandoned and long forgotten places.  I just so happened to be looking for something on Google earth the other day when a particular sight grabbed my attention.  Even from well above the earth's atmosphere you could tell that this semi-circle of houses had long been neglected and the property long abandoned.  I couldn't find anything online, but its not like I knew what to search for anyway.  I had to check it out for myself.  

Based on the general layout of the buildings and old playground equipment, I'm guessing this place was a school complex of some sort.  All five buildings were numbered, 1 to 5, and they were all but piles of wood.  As you'll see from the photos, these buildings are not even close to salvageable.  They are rotted and caved in.  I didn't even dare try to enter one.  But its weird...someone obviously maintains the grounds (it was somewhat freshly mowed) but the houses are literally one good thunderstorm from washing away.  There's no saving them.  At this point I'm just glad curious to know what they once were.  If anyone has any info, please leave a message in the comments below.  

[And as usual, my only purpose in photographing these abandoned places is to document what's left behind.  I never break in or force anything open...if it's sealed up it's simply move on my way.  I take only photographs, and leave only footprints.  It's all about respect.]   

Riki, again

Grand Teton & Yellowstone

An epic vacation deserves an epic retelling...in the form of a blog post.  As you already know from the title above, my family recently made our way to the mountains of Wyoming, to a place that quite literally continues to grow into the sky.  It's a magical, beautiful land which has inspired humans for the last 11,000 plus years.  In fact, it's so inspiring that it's name literally translates into Great Breasts, or Big Tits.  It's also ironic that the area was settled because of its vast beaver pelt industry.   

The naming is attributed to the French beaver trappers, who, stumbling across this great and epic mountain range, looked up at the heavens to thank God, stuck their flag in the ground and declared, "I hereby name this mountain range....the Great Tits!"  Understandably, they must've been very...lonely.  Or maybe homesick is a better word.  I can't imagine that they thought the name would actually stick.  But alas it did, no doubt continuing to inspire all those lonely souls who lay their eyes upon it today.

The Grand Tetons are about as majestic they come, rising to 13,775 feet into the sky (and still climbing).  These mountains are quite a sight to behold.   The Teton range includes 9 peaks over 12,000 feet.  The mountains are also some of the youngest in the world, ranging between 6 to 9 million years old.  Compare that to the weather worn and wind eroded Appalachian Mountains, considered to be about 480 million years old.  They Smokies are now hills compared to the Tetons, but at one time were just as majestic and ragged.  Point being, if you stick around for another 300 million years, the place will look quite different.  Geology is fascinating!  

Anyway, we spent the week in Jackson Hole, which, for the record is now one of my favorite places on earth.  Well, during the summer at least.  One guy was telling us that their high for an entire week during the last winter was -20°F.  "But the bar's always 70!"  Yeah, so not exactly my kind of winter...but those summers!  Highs of 72 and a crisp mid 30's in the morning.  It. Was. Glorious.  I am currently sitting in HELL as I type this...heat index of 110°F...I am melting.  It is hard to imagine that a place like Jackson Hole exists right now.    

Anyway, we did a bunch of stuff, although nothing too strenuous or exotic.  We were on a family vacation after all.  But I couldn't help but feel a little like Bear Grylles.  After a long day outside reconnecting with mother nature, we drove back to our lovely condo and retired with a glass of wine and great meal.  We weren't exactly roughing it, but that was the point.  The best of both worlds.  

Nature is such an awe inspiring thing.  It's thought provoking.  You can't help but think deeply about everything.  Life, death, the universe, the afterlife...  I mean, here you are surrounded by nature, immersed in jaw dropping beauty, and you can't help but imagine how fragile your life is.   How unimportant you are to the earth.  The earth was here first, and she's seen more in her time then the best fiction writer could even dare to dream up.  She was here since the beginning of time.  That is something that our feeble little minds can't even grasp.  She has seen the shaping of the continents, the rule of the dinosaurs, the rise of Tetons, the rise of man.  Our little pathetic lives (relatively speaking) aren't even a blip on her radar.  We're just another cycle.  And if history tells us anything, it's that we will not be the last dominate species on earth.  And in a way, that's kind of reassuring.  Or terrifying.  I'm just hope I'm long gone...

Nature is God, and God is nature.  It's important to remember that in this digital age.  

Anyway, enjoy the pics.  I obviously did a lot of deep thinking on this trip, and I've found some quotes to help reflect that.  So, enjoy the pics, book a trip to Jackson, and in the meantime, just get outside (well, maybe not in this heat).  

New Orleans at dawn.

#device

What is this?! A tent for ants?

How did I get this shot?   Very carefully...

The small, yet fantastic town of Jackson.

So the first day was cousin Liz's birthday, which of course required mexican food and tequila shots! 

The gals...Riki, Susie Q, Amantha, and cousin Liz.

The Shaw Family...circa 2013.

Cousins.  

A little tight, but it works.

Birthday celebration!

Sorry mom, had to.

Jackson traffic jam.

Someone had a helluva party last night.

Saying goodbye to the over crowded tram.  

A cold, wet ride.

The perfect beaver takedown.  Don't mess with a beaver.  They can kill.  Don't believe me?  Click here.

A beautiful Golden Eagle.

A mother moose and her new baby calf. 

Watching the mother moose running around in circles, frantic, calling for her baby, who took off blindly after my father popped it with his flash from point blank range.  The proof:

Surprisingly, even though you can see the mother to the left of the frame, she did not hurl my dad into the air.  

I sincerely hope they found each other.

Old Faithful Inn, the largest log hotel in the world.  Built in 1904, it is #36 on the American Institute of Architects top 150 buildings in America.  It's actually amazing the building still stands.  It was shaken off it's foundation by a huge earthquake in 1959, and was dangerous close to being lost in the huge Yellowstone fire of 1988, saved by the efforts of many firefighters.

By far one of my favorite buildings ever....it's one giant tree house.

The many colors of Yellowstone.

Storm's a brewin'. 

Beautiful, yet quite stinky.  

iPhone panorama by Jesse.  Open in new tab for full size.

Some huge Elk just chillen' in a field. 

Nice rack.

Very inviting on a cold day, but highly not recommended.  

The American Bison is an incredible specimen.  They are huge, funnily shaped creatures, resembling a roided out bodybuilder who routinely skips leg day.  They are insanely powerful...these beasts can jump 6 feet in the air and can run up to 40 mph.  In the wild they can grow up to about 2,800 lbs. and 3,800 lbs. in captivity.  They are pure muscle....not to be messed with, unless you like your head caved in.

A .GIF from 1887.

Of course, when the white man settled in the bison was all but hunted to extinction.  Today, their numbers are better, but nowhere near the millions that once roamed the wild plains of the North America.

Late 1880s.  That's a lot of skulls.

While definitely not considered tame by any means, they are quite used to humans, so you can get pretty close.  

I love their goatees.

Just a big ole bull and his girl.  My mom, forever the romantic, thought they were married.  That's nice.  

The National Park system...one of the best ideas America ever had.

Jenny Lake.

Insane views.

"What?!"

If you give a chipmunk a sweet sticky granola bar, they'll love you forever...

...and expect more.

Great photo by Riki.

Pristine.  

Still hangin' with the young guns.

Extreme mountain biking.  Surprisingly there were no casualties, and only two major wipeouts.  

The Milky Way.

A young bull enjoying a neighboring garden.

\

Sadly, our time here has come to an end.  So I'll leave you with this one quote that seems to sum it all up:  

So, there you have it.  A quick trip to Jackson.  Hopefully you have enjoyed yourself.