Nikon D4 is Here!

Keeping a secret is hard, especially when it's a really good secret. Nikon asked me to do some of the image creation for the launch of their new flagship the Nikon D4.

With 16.2 megapixels in a newly designed FX-format image sensor, the D4 handles all lighting conditions seamlessly. The ISO sensitivity range is from 100 to 12800 at normal settings, expandable to ISO 50 equivalent or ISO 204800 equivalent.

The camera has three image area options for Full HD video expanding the possibilities.  That's what these guys do, they allow us to have the ability to see things in new ways.  Exciting ways.  They provide the technology to unleash your imagination.

But for me, the best thing Nikon did with the D4, is what they have always done.  They have built a camera that I can depend on to do what I need it to do, seamlessly, every time I push the button.

It gives me more options, more functions, faster response time, better everything, and best of all,  tt always works.

This is my life, and I need partners I can depend on.   These guys are always there.

Learn more about the new Nikon D4 in the brochure available online now. We will be posting a review of the camera, with examples in the next few days.

Also check out Joe McNally's blog for some more great shots of the Nikon D4 in use. More coming soon...

Behind the Scenes on Anya Marina Music Video

The Cinevate team captured Bill and Laura on set filming Felony Flats, the latest music video by Anya Marina.

Learn more about the equipment used in the video at Cinevate.com

The First Saturday in May

The first Saturday in May always means the same thing. Louisville and the Kentucky Derby. There is no place on earth I would rather be than at Churchill Downs when they play My Old Kentucky Home. Because it is one of my favorite homes.

It’s weeks like this that make, especially make, mine one of the greatest jobs on earth.

Early mornings on the backside means seeing friends new and old.

For 30 years Dan Dry and Bill Luster have greeted me with smiles and kindness. They’re classy guys and great photographers.

Even though I didn’t work for him, C Thomas Hardin, legendary director of photography at the Courier Journal, had a huge impact on my career because of all of my buddies who did have the good fortune to be influenced daily by him. I treasure those conversations.

This was Laura’s fourth derby, and for me... well, I’ve done a few more. And by that I mean about 30 of them.

Curt Bianchi, who is one of the software geniuses who build Apple’s Aperture was helping us again along with his wife, Sue, and a really good group of younger photographers — Andy Hancock, Sara Tanner, Zach Brake, Mike Weaver, Jeff Lautenberger, Patrick Fallon, Britney McIntosh and Joel Kowsky.

The folks at Churchill are as good as it gets in this business. Darren Rogers has more stuff going on than you can possibly imagine, but he always has time to laugh and help. 



Keith Klein and the Dumsdorf family make things go so smoothly the event that could be utter chaos without them.

When Animal Kingdom surged across the finish line a familiar question rippled through the crowd -- is he the one? Are we looking at the next winner of the Triple Crown?

In 2001, I went to Triple Chimneys to photograph the only horse living in this century to have won the three championships, and the only undefeated Triple Crown winner in 1977 - Seattle Slew.

Every Derby has a distinct flavor. Last year's Derby has a different feeling from the year before it.

The Derby always marks the beginning of a busy summer, but spring isn’t ever slow. This year assignments have taken us around the globe, working on projects ranging from music videos to documentaries to commercial assignments.

2011 started the way 2010 ended, on the road for Sports Illustrated. Lots of football and portraits, including a cover of the University of Connecticut’s Women Basketball team.

In between NFL playoffs and the Superbowl, I took two trips to Sweden working with Nikon and Sony Music on a music video for up and coming Swedish musical artist Lisa Miskovsky.

Everyone had a tremendous time in the snow making great use of our Nikon cameras and Manfrotto supports. Laura edited the music video, "Got a Friend." We also built a behind the scenes video.

February found us back in the States for the Superbowl. Laura and I always have fun in Texas and with a huge group of the SI team there it was great time.

In preparation for March Madness, we started shooting a lot of basketball, NBA and NCAA. SI launched apps SI Snapshot and SI Big Ticket, giving us the opportunity to have more images seen.

Febuary and March were basketball heavy, capped by the Women’s Final Four in Indianapolis.

In Nebraska, we taught back to back seminars for the students at University of Nebraska - Lincoln with Apple and for the Nebraska Nature Photographers.

While in Nebraska, we were honored to do a interview with the 13th Poet Laureate of the United States Ted Kooser.

In March, we shot two additional music videos: one of pianist Anya Marina with Cinevate, and one for our friend, master guitarist Neil Zaza with Nikon at South by Southwest.

This is a look at the Behind the Scenes video of the making of “Felony Flats.”

We’re headed off to Nashville to work with Ricky Skaggs, shooting a music video of his song “Mosaic.”

More soon.

First Look at the Lisa Miskovsky Music Video

This past January, Bill spent a few weeks in Sweden working with Nikon and Sony Music on a music video for up and coming Swedish musical artist Lisa Miskovsky.

The official music video doesn't launch until next week, but we want to give you a behind the scene look at the video and the song "Got a Friend." Check out how Bill used our Nikon cameras in the freezing weather.

Zurich by Morning

August brought home what I really love about working in the USA. The simple, sweet and almost naive. Nothing fancy, just good solid old photojournalism and storytelling.

A frog jumping competition in Valley City for Sports Illustrated. It was featured on SI.com and in the iPad edition of the magazine as a leading off and a multimedia.

A week teaching multimedia and hanging with friends like Seth Gitner on Minnesota's Border Lakes for Apple.

The NFL Hall of Fame game in Canton, OH for Sports Illustrated.

Shooting a music video of Bluegrass Legend Ricky Skaggs from the Grand Ole Opry with our friends from Nikon--Bill Pekala, Mark Suban and Bill Fortney

The Tom Watson Watermelon Festival in Thomson, GA which got wonderful display on the iPad edition of Sports Illustrated, and also on SI.com. Again an iPad leading off and a multimedia in the magazine.

Sports Illustrated sent us to Georgetown, KY to spend some time with Cincinatti Bengals defensive lineman Tank Johnson. Incredible access and cooperation. It was an epic shoot. You can see it on SI.com, and in the iPad edition of the magazine.

We closed out August with time in Los Angeles and Dallas teaching and making multimedias.

In Dallas, we shot a BMX race that SI.com and SIKids.com both posted.

After five weeks enjoying part of an American summer, we are back in Europe. Watching the sun roll up over the Alps, the river valleys thick with fog, knowing that very shortly I would be enjoying a delicious continental breakfast filled my entire being with goodness.

Laura and I are in Switzerland shooting and teaching this week.

Palio-di-Siena

Last week we were in Italy. We spent time in Florence, Bassano del Grappa and Siena. One of the world's greatest sporting events takes place in Siena - Il Palio. Il Palio takes place twice each year, once in July and once in August, and its origins date back to Medieval times.

The show is incredible. The post parade is two and one half hours of traditional medieval uniform and song. It is truly a site to behold in the 21st century.

It was my third trip to the Palio, so I had a pretty good idea going in about what I wanted to do. We were each able to secure a position -I took the head on position by the start and finish line, Laura was i a balcony position. But neither of our positions could capture the chaos that is the Palio. For that, we knew we were going to need some remote cameras.

With the help of some Italian speaking friends of ours, I was able to secure an overall of the Piazza del Campo on top of a bank, and two overheads of the winner's parade to the Basilica after the race.

The overhead camera of the Piazza del Campo had to be in six hours before the race. We weren't sure exactly what the light was going to be like for the 8pm race, so we set the aperture and shutter speed we wanted and put the camera on auto-ISO. The auto-ISO capabilities of the D3s are extremely helpful in situations such as these.

That camera took over 1,300 photos. It captured a very nice angle of the race incorporating the scene into the image. That is the picture Sports Illustrated chose to run in their Leading Off section of the magazine.

We also set up two cameras on Athenas, the new Gitzo remote control heads. They are really incredible to work with. We also set these cameras up 6 hours before the race and gave each 3 positions to shoot. Through the head's software and Nikon's Camera Control Pro, we could change the settings and the positions of the cameras remotely. This head expands the way we can make images. With planning and foresight we have the opporunity to make photographs from places we otherwise couldn't be.

When the race was done and we were able to start editing back at the hotel, we realized that we had more than a couple really nice images. We quickly sent a gallery to Sports Illustrated and put together a 3 and a half minute multi media for the web and another 2 minute piece for the iPad.

Backstage on the Backside

Bill and I have created a multi media at the Kentucky Derby for the last three years. Each year we've learned something new about how to shoot video with the DSLR cameras. This year, while Bill shot with a Nikkor 400mm f/2.8 lens supported on a heavy duty Manfrotto tripod, I decided to go light. I spent the whole time walking around with a Cinevate DSLR shoulder rig as support. This allowed me to be extremely mobile while still remaining steady. Check out this quick backstage video to see some footage.

Sneak Peek: Cason at Kona

With summer coming and the Florida heat making itself at home again, Bill and I are hitting one of our favorite photo spots with one of our favorite kids. Cason Kirk was 12 the first time we shot him at Kona Skate Park. He was just starting out in the competitive skating world. We were testing the multi media waters and the new hybrid Nikon DSLR, the D90.

Things have changed since then. Cason is now 14. He has braces, is about 6 inches taller and is an accomplished skater with numerous sponsorships and championship trophies.

Bill and I have also grown up a bit. We've learned a thing or two since our first days at Kona. The DSLR camera technology has changed dramatically. The Nikon D3s is our favorite camera, for video or stills, on the market. The imaging capabilities are growing every day.

Our supports are changing as well. We now travel with at least six Manfrotto tripods, where we used to only carry two.

We've also learned ways to incorporate some motion. The Atlas Linear Tracking System by Cinevate gives us the motion capabilities of a cinema dolly with only a fraction of the foot print.

But it's not all work. Our friends at Kona have clever ways of using old car tires.

Bill's 9-year-old daughter Havana was the first to try it out, but not the last.

Never a bad way to spend a Wednesday.

From the head of Zeus

Our multimedia project from the Derby is on SI.COM

Using Athena, we can anticipate and execute multiple images with one camera and lens combination remote precisely. The gimbal is controlled with software running on a laptop, for us that's a Macbook pro. It allows us to not only remotely tilt, shift, pan, level or roll the head holding the camera but also to program in and name a number of preset positions. The live view feature of the Nikon D3s lets us see what the shot looks like and control the camera using Nikon's Camera Control software.

Tough to hide from Laura when she is on a mission...

We're in San Antonio this week covering the Women's Final Four for Sports Illustrated.

Today we're working on a multimedia project for SI for Kids and we needed to interview Maya Moore. The locker room was crowded and loud. Not ideal for sound gathering. We NEEDED a quiet place and the locker room full of loud journalists and hungry players wasn't ideal.

Randy Press, UConn's SID delivered, in an original fashion, on cue and with quiet grace.

Maya was perfect. We had three minutes. She used 2 minutes and 58 seconds giving us articulate, thoughtful quotes that will make the piece sing.