iPhoneography in Mexico

The Apple Distinguished Educators are one of our favorite groups to work with.  Being with them is like spending time with all your favorite teachers - the ones who changed your life. Last week, Bill and I were with them in Guanajuato, Mexico, taking pictures and teaching them about what we do.

A lot of our work is complicated - very technical and time consuming.  Some of it isn't.

We try to use the right tool for every job.  Sometimes that's a powerful Nikon DSLR, occasionally an extremely high end video camera, and sometimes our phones.

We can do a lot with one iPhone.

On this trip we wanted to focus on that workflow, showing our "students" everything that is possible with the phone they already own.

We took a photo walk one day through Guanajuato.  It's an incredibly photogenic town.  There were pictures around every corner.

While Bill gave instruction on light, composition and technique, I followed the group with an iPhone and a small tripod.

At the end of the walk, we presented everyone with this video.  It was done entirely on my iPhone 4 - shot, edited and exported on one device.

Having an entire production studio in my hand is a powerful thing.

Super Bowl

I am frequently asked which are my favorite teams in sports and who I want to win. It's pretty simple really. I pull for the people who are nice to me.

Last night in Indianapolis, there were a couple of players on the field I have spent time with through the years.

Danny Woodhead of the Patriots, and Eli Manning from the victorious New York football Giants.

When Danny was a senior at tiny Chadron State College in western Nebraska, Laura and I spent two great days working with him as he closed in on the NCAA career rushing record.

He was friendly and generous with his time. And especially since he is from a small town in Nebraska, like me, I always hope he does well.

But it was a little more complicated last night. Eli Manning, the youngest member of sports most gracious family, I photographed before he was a teenager.

We weren't doing a story on Eli, it was a piece on Archie, his dad, hero of Mississippi.

Then I photographed Eli again when we were doing a piece on his older brother Peyton.

I went to school at Ole Miss, and so when Eli was the star there, Steve Fine, SI's director of photography, sent me to Oxford to make portraits and shoo game action of Eli there.

I photographed him again when he was a first round draft pick.

Yet again at the family football camp - the Manning passing academy.

Another time for a story on his brother Cooper.

Each and every time Eli has been the same. Quiet, polite, and -- it hurts to be old enough to say this about a man who has now twice been Super Bowl MVP -- a really good kid.

Sports Illustrated's best images of Super Bowl XLVI gallery is now online.

Le Blog de Reflex-Photo Interview

This past week, Bill answered some questions for photographer Frédéric Bernard-Payen about the Nikon D4 for an exclusive interview on his blog. Check out the complete interview online.

Shooting Portraits on Location Webinar

The Manfrotto School of Xcellence presents Bill's Shooting Portraits on Location Webinar on January 26 at 2 p.m. (EST). Webinar attendees will listen to Bill discuss his shooting style, lighting and how he goes about shooting the personalities he photographs.  Bill will show many of his famous portraits, a number of them of sports celebrities.  Lighting for stills and video simultaneously is becoming constantly more and more important.  Bill will discuss how he goes about this challenge to make images seen regularly by millions of readers and viewers.

Registration for the Webinar is now open. Learn more about the Webinar and register for free online at http://manfrottoschoolofxcellence.com/2012/01/09/shooting-portraits-on-location-with-bill-frakes/

Imaging USA

In New Orleans this week? Bill along with Corey Rich, Mike Corrado, Rod Mar and Cliff Mautner will be presenting at the Nikon booth (#1301) at the Imaging USA show Sunday, January 15 through Tuesday, January 17. It will be a great time to test out the new Nikon D4  and hear first hand about Bill's experiences shooting with it. The presentation schedule is below:

Bill's Guest Article on Photoshop Insider

Today Bill's guest article is on Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider Blog. Check out his stories from Istanbul and more about his experience shooting with the Nikon D4.

From NOLA to Florida

I spent last night on the sidelines photographing the rematch between LSU and Alabama for Sports Illustrated. That's six straight BCS National Championships for the SEC. The photos are online now at SI.com, SI Snapshot and on the SI Big Ticket App. In the morning, I was on a plane from New Orleans to Florida.

And this afternoon, I'm on set directing the incredibly talented Florida-based recording artist Alea. Laura's directing the photography.

It certainly is a great start to the week!

Istanbul and Its Many Faces

Testing the Nikon D4 took us half way around the globe to Istanbul for the making of our documentary, "Istanbul and Its Many Faces" shot exclusively with the D4. I've worked in more than 130 countries, but this was my first chance to photograph this beautiful and mysterious city. In this documentary, we sought to capture the people and places that make Istanbul the metropolis it is.  It's an ancient city with modern rhythms.  It has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years, hosting empires such as the Ottomans and Byzantines. Today it is where east meets west, physically and socially--European flare with Eastern tradition.

To truly test the camera, I wanted to use the D4 as a journalist - to see how it responded to real world situations. We used the cameras 18 hours a day for 10 days straight.  We used it as a still camera, a video camera, an audio recorder and an intervalometer. The thing that stood out most to me about the camera was its ease of use.  I've held a lot of cameras in my career and none have felt as comfortable in my hand or worked as intuitively as the D4. I didn't have to worry about the technical - the Nikon engineers had done that for me.

Instead I could focus on the creative. The camera specifications speak for themselves, and what the camera can do is impressive, but how it feels when you're actually using it is what is ultimately important.  The D4 allowed me to capture Istanbul in ways I couldn't have done before.  This camera lets me to see the world with fresh eyes, and that, to me, is exciting.

Imagery Using the D4

The D4 is here. You can see it on the Nikon Web site. The photographers who worked on the launch are posting their imagery.

Corey Rich used the D4 for his film "Why".

Joe McNally has some of his photographs with his always fun commentary on his blog.

Our short documentary, Istanbul and Its Many Faces, shot exclusively with the D4 will available soon. The trailer for the film is available online now.

Nikon will be exhibiting the D4 at the 2012 International CES, Tuesday, January 10 through Friday, January 13 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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...