Just so you’ll know that the many choices we currently have in lens mounts aren’t a recent development, check out these ads from the December 1978 issue of American Cinematographer.             At some point, I might delve into the ridiculous number of lenses now floating around the industry.  Don’t get me wrong.  Every new … Continue reading “A PLETHORA OF EXCESS”

            Shot from in front of my home, shortly before things really hit the fan.             You get up in the morning and go about your business, just like every other day.  Then, suddenly…it’s not.             As the singer\songwriter Warren Zevon once said: Enjoy every sandwich.             I urge you to take that sentiment to … Continue reading “PACIFIC PALISADES, CA, JANUARY 7, 2025, 12:38PM”

            It’s no secret that the recent past has marked a particularly rough period for people who work in the motion picture industry.  To offer some perspective, here’s an article from the December 1957 issue of American Cinematographer.  I’m always banging on about how there’s nothing new under the cinematographic sun.  Apparently, the theory still … Continue reading “SAME OLD STORY”

            This photograph by John Olson, first published in the September 24, 1971 issue of Life magazine, shows rock star David Crosby and his dad Floyd at the elder man’s home in Ojai, California.  It was part of an article entitled, The Rock Family Affair and gave an unironic glimpse into the off-stage origins of … Continue reading “COOL GUYS”

         An interesting name for sure, but he was an even more interesting artist.  A native of Chicago, Iannelli began as an industrial photographer before switching to photojournalism in 1940.  By the end of the decade, he was known as the highest paid shooter in New York, with photos extensively featured in such publications as … Continue reading “FONS IANNELLI (1917-1988)”

         In what has to be one of the most incongruent applications of Christmas music in the history of cinema, director Carl Foreman created a moment that remains profoundly unsettling more than sixty years later.  The Victors (1963), which was photographed by Christopher Challis, BSC, follows the exploits of a U.S. Army platoon in Europe … Continue reading “AN INTERESTING CHOICE”

MERRY CHRISTMAS…! The capabilities of the iPhone camera are really quite amazing, aren’t they?

         Now that the holiday season is really kicking in, I’ve got more free time than I know what to do with.  That can be a recipe for disaster, but I’m fortunate to have a long list of movies and episodics I need to catch up on.  I started an Outer Limits binge while away … Continue reading “THE OUTER LIMITS (1963-65)”

         Anyone familiar with this blog will know that I’m a tireless proponent of education, not just for young, up-and-comers but for people at all levels of their movie-making journey.  Over the course of my own pursuit of improvement, I discovered what I believe to be the best resource of them all – Filmmakers Academy.  … Continue reading “FILMMAKERS ACADEMY – YES!”

         It always amazes me how busy you can be when you’re not actually on an official job.  The past three days have required my appearance at cinematography-related events held at Tiffen and BandPro in Burbank, as well as at the Tech Me Out Production Summit, which was presented at the Fuse LED stage in … Continue reading “BUSYNESS…”