For absent friends.......

Strolling slowly along the Seine today with my daughter Havana on a blustery, grey afternoon headed to a great little photo bookstore --La Chamber Claire, I chanced to see a postcard rack and in the center of it was the famous image of Che--by the great Cuban photographer Alberto Korda and right next to it an image by my favorite photographer Raul Corrales called La Sueno, which transported me to a very warm afternoon in Habana many years ago talking with the two of them. Wonderful friends, colleagues and fierce competitors. The tension created by the passion they had for life and photography--and frankly for women was palpable.

It was a very different time and place. They are gone now, but their images, their vision, will endure and not just inform, but educate.

This short journey today, led me to consider the longer path I've taken with the things I've gained from the work of other artists. As in all things for me the message-- the image, and the story were tantamount.

Such a great life, so many things I need to see.

The road beckons.

Multimedia Workshop at the University of Kansas

Nikon Professional Services Feature

Bill is now featured on the Nikon Professional Services Web site. Learn more about the power of the D3s, see what's in his camera bag and view some of his favorite images at http://nps.nikonimaging.com/members/bill_frakes/index.htm

Nikon Workshop in Helsinki

Teaching workshops takes Bill all over the globe, and this week he's in Finland. At this Nikon workshop, Bill and those attending will be taking stills and video during an ice practice session with the National Finnish Icehockey team. Learn more about this workshop here.

Red Heaven

Twice in the last three weeks Sports Illustrated has sent me to Lincoln cover games at Memorial Stadium.

As a child growing up in rural western Nebraska my earth revolved around Cornhusker football.

When the Huskers broke lose for 24 unanswered points in the first quarter of the game against mighty Mizzou the balloons flew, and the nation's best fans soared.

iPad Interview from Photokina

Check out the first ever iPad interview featuring Bill Frakes and Joe McNally.

Manfrotto School of Xcellence Photokina Schedule

Manfrotto just announced their speaker schedule for the lectures and presentations taking place at Photokina. Bill Frakes and Joe McNally will be alternating days in the Manfrotto School of Xcellence Theatre, Hall 5.1.

Get the schedule full schedule and learn how to sign up for the presentations here.

Small World

Friday I was walking through the Zurich Airport. As is always my custom I glanced up at the list of departing flights and started rapidly making a mental list of the places I still want to visit for the first time. This time I realized strongly what I of course knew but had not before put a firm face on--that list of destinations is shrinking quickly. And I remembered again just how lucky I have been. I have a great job.

Nikon at Photokina

Nikon is showing two of our films in their theatre at Photokina. I have been making images for a long time and have been getting them published for almost the same--but walking into the Nikon booth here in Cologne and seeing our films on their big screens is just a really great feeling.

As I stood there with Gen Umeii, the art director from Tokyo, who I worked with creating All Over Down Under, I had such a surreal feeling. It is in fact a very small world, with amazing possibilities.

I Spy With My Little Eye...Something Small

We have a new favorite travel companion. The imaging options just keep getting better and better. This little guy is loaded with features and is just so cute.

On Wednesday Nikon announced several new products. A 85mm f/1.4 and 35mm f/1.4 not least among them. Bill spoke at the Nikon Switzerland launch party in Zurich and we were able to see all the new products first hand.

They are all extremely well engineered, but the Coolpix P7000 is the one that caught our attention.

It's a point-and-shoot with power. It gives you full manual control with the option to save several presets. It's light and quiet. The shutter is literally silent. It records jpegs and NRWs -- a new Nikon raw file. It allows you to shoot from 28mm to 200mm at apertures from 2.8 to 22. You have the option to shoot from the LCD screen or the range finder. It's incredible.

The files are extremely sharp and robust. You can do with a point-and-shoot what you could never do before.

Pascal Richard of NPS Switzerland has graciously loaned us his and we have used it non stop over the last couple days in Zurich.

Normally Bill and I get along pretty well, but deciding who gets to use the P7000 is causing more than a few arguments.

A couple examples of what we came up with...these files came straight out of the camera, the conversion to black and white was done onboard, in this case a red filter was applied in the profile........