Speedlinks 06/23/07

Today's Speedlinks.

• A Monkey's business... - Reuters photographers have a great blog, and here's an excerpt from the most recent entry -

  "I have never really quite understood those whose thought processes creak to the conclusion ‘I have a camera therefore I am a professional photographer.’...Nowadays it’s, “ have you got a camera and a laptop?”. And there you have it. Invest a couple of grand in some sophisticated equipment and you too can see your pictures in lights and call yourself a professional. I always wanted to be an RAF test pilot, so maybe if I bought myself a jump suit and a pair of raybans I could become a top gun? Being a musician, if I bought the right drum kit surely Paul Simon might let me take Steve Gadd’s drum stool for the forthcoming Royal Albert Hall gig? Somehow I think not……and so what is it that gives those with no experience or qualifications the right to assume the mantle of professional photographer?



• business meeting.. - David Alan Harvey's thoughts on his upcoming Magnum business meeting, an excerpt:

  "at some point all of us do have to face the undeniable fact that we are in business....we have to sell our pictures....just like a farmer has to grow tomatoes and then get them to market.....growing the reddest, biggest tomato is not the only part....you have to get them to market...because none of us are "businessmen"....most of us cringe at the thought and i, for one, certainly chose photography as a profession and a life to avoid the very business meeting i am about to attend...."



• Cameron Davidson - Aerial Photographer - Aerial photographic genius (and my good friend) Cameron Davidson was interviewed about his work as an aerial photographer, and was excerpted into this 5-minute piece. If you know Cameron, you'll see that he's got no grey hair in the interview, and if you don't, you'll be able to tell that it's a bit of an older piece if you check out the age of the computers that he's using in it. However, it was only recently put online, the insights are timeless, and it's well worth the watch.

Now go! Check 'em out, and come back soon!

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