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I’m always pondering what my next great camera
upgrade will be, but I’m not a slave to it. I shoot both Canon
and Nikon, and if the technology is there I will certainly
experiment. But in the past few years I’ve slowed a bit in the
quest to test everything. I see less reason to focus on acquiring
ever-larger file sizes when so much of our work is going online
and into mobile apps. There are cameras out there that are
36-megapixel and higher, but I wonder if the lenses are up
to the resolution task. I’m more interested in advances in
autofocus technology, high-ISO performance and extended
dynamic range. Those are the kinds of things that will help me
push forward, capturing new and, I hope, better images.
Regarding the business, as affordable megapixel performance
goes up and advanced technology becomes more accessible to
all, the perceived value of our photographs has dropped. A flood
of images has saturated the marketplace, seemingly without any
real sense of consequence or thought of ensuring a sustainable
future for this profession. Stock-photo agencies are trying to
make sales at any cost, which is a big reason we are managing
most of my stock photography ourselves, and it is 100 percent
rights-managed, not royalty-free or microstock. I know what
went into making these images — the cost in time, travel and
camera gear — and I know what clients were willing to pay just
a few years ago. I’m not giving away my work for free or nearly
free, and those with respect for themselves and their work
shouldn’t either. I believe engaging, creative photography can
still have real value, and I’m willing to stand up for it.
IMAGING
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S H O O T E R
94
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SUMMER 2012
Above: Sponge and kelp line the rocky substrate in New Zealand’s Poor
Knights Marine Reserve. Below: Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)
swim up a river in British Columbia to spawn. Opposite, from top: A
transient pod of orca makes for a very rare underwater encounter off the
coast of Northern California. Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis)
cruise along a shallow sand bank off West End, Grand Bahama.