Dear Mr. Laforet

(scott_a) · (scott_a) **Join Date: Dec 2002** 08-08-2008, 7:09 PM

I would like to borrow this case of yours:

Upload

Thanks!
Every Canon Shooter
______________________

So Vincent Laforet is shooting the Olympics for Newsweek and was kind enough to blog about all the gear that he's bringing overseas to the game. Not mentioned is how he lugged all his stuff to the Chinese embassy (in the US, presumptively), and had everything checked over there in hopes of easing the burden on international travel to China.

link to the full article: http://www.vincentlaforet.com/Gear/index.html
it's full of pics that'll make anyone drool.

(scott_a) · (scott_a) **Join Date: Dec 2002** 08-08-2008, 7:14 PM

more links:
a blog that every photographer-slash-blog-reader needs to check out every day: http://aphotoeditor.com/2008/08/04/simon-barnett-dop-at-newsweek-prepares-for-the-olympics/
Newsweek Olympic blog: http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/olympicpix/default.aspx

oh, note the "all using the same camera (which begins with C)." comment...hah! Suck it!

Sorry...obglitory jab!

(phantom5815) · (phantom5815) **Join Date: Jul 2002** 08-08-2008, 11:45 PM

I hope when he registered every piece of equipment, he made triplicate copies

.

Sounds like Canon and Nikon are limiting the number of loaner lenses they normally send to these events due to the customs hassles.
It would suck to have your stuff confiscated.

(proimages) · (proimages) **Join Date: Nov 2007** 08-09-2008, 9:28 AM

Where do you hide that case when your shooting??
cheers
D

(isler) · (isler) **Join Date: Apr 2003** 08-09-2008, 10:52 AM

Darrin,

Well you don't lug all of your gear to every event... you pack what you need, and keep the rest locked up. If you need more than what you can carry...that's what assistants are for!

(For the record, I'm employed by Mr. Laforet, but am not in Beijing... I'm holding down the office in NYC)

(rson) · (rson) **Join Date: Jun 2002** 08-09-2008, 11:50 PM

Seriously, I doubt he used 4 of those lenses.

Get the Trinity of Canon Lenses and leave the rest at home. This seems like he is compensating for some other short comings.

(dakid) · (dakid) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 08-09-2008, 11:54 PM

it's ok rich. i'm jealous, too.

(richd) · (richd) **Join Date: Oct 2003** 08-10-2008, 8:09 AM

Nice Mike!

Lucky you switched to Canon or you might be working for Ken Rockwell! Upload

J/K!!!!

(isler) · (isler) **Join Date: Apr 2003** 08-10-2008, 10:42 AM

Hah, oh Ken Rockwell... jeez....

Have to bring back the Ken Rockwell Facts!
* Ken Rockwell is the Chuck Norris of photography

* Ken Rockwell's camera has similar settings to ours, except his are: P[erfect] Av[Awesome Priority Tv[Totally Awesome Priority] M[ajestic]

* Ken Rockwell doesn't color correct. He adjusts your world to match his.

* Sure, Ken Rockwell deletes a bad photo or two. Other people call these Pulitzers.

* Ken Rockwell doesn't adjust his DOF, he changes space-time.

* Circle of confusion? You might be confused. Ken Rockwell never is.

* Ken Rockwell doesn't wait for the light when he shoots a landscape - the light waits for him.

* Ken Rockwell never flips his camera in portrait position, he flips the earth

* Ken Rockwell ordered an L-lens from Nikon, and got one.

* Ken Rockwell is the only person to have photographed Jesus; unfortunately he ran out of film and had to use a piece of cloth instead.

* When Ken Rockwell brackets a shot, the three versions of the photo win first place in three different categories

* Before Nikon or Canon releases a camera they go to Ken and they ask him to test them, the best cameras get a Nikon sticker and the less good get a Canon sticker

* Once Ken tested a camera, he said I cant even put Canon on this one,thats how Pentax was born

* Rockwellian policy isn't doublethink - Ken doesn't even need to think once

* Ken Rockwell doesn't use flash ever since the Nagasaki incident.

* Only Ken Rockwell can take pictures of Ken Rockwell; everyone else would just get their film overexposed by the light of his genius

* Ken Rockwell wanted something to distract the lesser photographers, and lo, there were ducks.

* Ken Rockwell is the only one who can take self-portraits of you

* Ken Rockwell's nudes were fully clothed at the time of exposure

* Ken Rockwell once designed a zoom lens. You know it as the Hubble SpaceTelescope.

* When Ken unpacks his CF card, it already has masterpieces on it.

* Rockwell portraits are so lifelike, they have to pay taxes

* On Ken Rockwell's desktop, the Trash Icon is really a link to National Geographic Magazine

* Ken Rockwell spells point-and-shoot "h-a-s-s-e-l-b-l-a-d"

* When Ken Rockwell went digital, National Geographic nearly went out of business because he was no longer phyically discarding photos

* For every 10 shots that Ken Rockwell takes, 11 are keepers.

* Ken Rockwell's digital files consist of 0's, 1's AND 2's.

* Ken Rockwell never focus, everything moves into his DoF

* Ken Rockwell's shots are so perfect, Adobe redesigned photoshop for him: all it consists of is a close button.

* The term tripod was coined after his silhouette

* Ken Rockwell never produces awful work, only work too advanced for the viewer

* A certain braind of hig-end cameras was named after people noticed the quality was a lot "like a" rockwell

* Ken Rockwell isn't the Chuck Norris of photography; Chuck Norris is the Ken Rockwell of martial arts.

* Ken Rockwell never starts, he continues

(phantom5815) · (phantom5815) **Join Date: Jul 2002** 08-10-2008, 10:57 AM

Ken Rockwell has been sporting a several plugs for Canon for the past 1.5 yrs.
So 1 or 2 of the comments will need to change.

(wakeworld) · (wakeworld) **Join Date: Jan 1997** 08-10-2008, 11:22 AM

What did he use to take the picture of all those cameras???

(bigdad) · (bigdad) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 08-10-2008, 12:01 PM

Well if he wants quality photos.... he uses a Nikon.

Another extremely talented photographer is Mark Rebilas. You can see his blog here.

http://markjrebilas.com/blog/

(isler) · (isler) **Join Date: Apr 2003** 08-10-2008, 2:55 PM

David-

He had to borrow the studio manager's camera =)

(phantom5815) · (phantom5815) **Join Date: Jul 2002** 08-10-2008, 7:59 PM

Did you happen to catch Mark's blog on Wakeboarding in Phoenix?
( Of course he gives Mike Isler a plug)

http://markjrebilas.com/blog/2008/06/pro-wakeboarding-in-phoenix/#more-82

(bigdad) · (bigdad) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 08-10-2008, 8:51 PM

I do enjoy Laforet and Rebilas' work. Both great photographers. Each time I look at their photos I feel inspired so I grab my camera and start snapping away. Of course the result is crap and then I realize I need to keep my day job.

(deuce) · (deuce) **Join Date: Mar 2002** 08-12-2008, 6:38 PM

I was belly laughing at your post Mike Isler.... Though there are many that could be my favorite, nothing tops -

* Ken Rockwell is the only person to have photographed Jesus; unfortunately he ran out of film and had to use a piece of cloth instead.

Still laughing when I re-read it....

(bigdad) · (bigdad) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 08-13-2008, 7:52 AM

Mike Isler has a brother in China that owns a bar?

Look at the end of Rebilas' blog.

http://markjrebilas.com/blog/2008/08/exceeding-expectations-and-riding-the-olympic-wave/

(isler) · (isler) **Join Date: Apr 2003** 08-13-2008, 8:43 AM

AP-

Yeah, my older brother owns a bar/restaurant and an art gallery in Beijing. I've been pushing some of my photographer friends at the Olympics to go have a few drinks there =)

(bigdad) · (bigdad) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 08-13-2008, 11:07 AM

Sweet. My only question is... Laforet is there, your brother is there... why didn't you go to China?

Well other then fighting for space in the venues with the 10,000 other photographers.

(isler) · (isler) **Join Date: Apr 2003** 08-13-2008, 11:41 AM

AP-

It was a credentialing issue... Newsweek pushed hard for me to be there to work with Laforet, but weren't able to secure me an EP (editorial photographer) credential. Without that, I'd have been of little use there.

I am, though, going to Beijing on Sept 2nd for about 9 days to visit my brother. It's too much of a madhouse during the Olympics, so I'm going just after.

(projectely4) · (projectely4) **Join Date: Apr 2003** 08-17-2008, 7:56 AM

an article i read earlier this week said that 22 of the 24 Sports Illustarted photographers were using nikon at Beijing. And they also said 18 of the 22 had switched from Canon to Nikon over the recent months.

Wether it's true or not at the swimming events it was clear that Canon wasn't the dominant camera anymore as it looked like a 50-50 split between black and white lenses at the swimming event.