London Calling: Part deux

So the fine folk at Blueyes Magazine have published part two of my London calling post with Chris Floyd. As I am sure you know by the now the original piece is pretty epic and its reposting has brought it to the attention of a new audience.

In the follow up we discuss the aftermath from the initial posting on the Jackanory. Yeah Chris is good damn good. Anyone who can use 'A Quantum Solace' the title of the upcoming James Bond movie in a sentence referring to the editorial trenches is genius in my book. Read it here and see for yourself.

Cheers Chris man I am lucky to have you as a friend and inspirator.

Last nights party . . . . PDN

We managed to get ourselves to last nights PDN Photo Annual Party (see winners gallery here) thanks to Anthony Georgis who brought us along as his + 1 for the evening, he was even sweet enough to have them make a name badge for me (above). Anthony was in town from Portland Oregon for the event and was a winner in the web section. It was a stellar event with an open bar and buffet; held for the second time at Bowery hotspot Capitale. As always it seemed to be over before it even got going, where does the time go ?

Anthony Georgis


We have to say the highlight of the evening was a chance last minute encounter with Chip Simons, yes the Chip Simons ! Those of you who were enraptured by his tale over on A Photo Editor will be happy to hear that he did make it to New York in one piece after all and is alive and well. Didn't get a chance to ask if he was working yet or not but no worries how about those cool fashions man, way to go Chip !

Chip Simons

There was as always an A-list crowd in attendance, spotted amongst the masses were: photo editors Laurie Kratochvil, Brenda Milis: Mens Health, Chris Ehrmann: Blender, Paul Moakley: Newsweek, Michelle Egizano: Spin, Katy Howe and Erica Beckman: Fortune Small Business, Jennifer Miller, David Carthas: The New York Times Magazine, photo reps Patrick Casey: Marge Casey, Bill Stockland: Stockland Martel, John Kenney: John Kenney &, Laura Reid & Jesi Bevi: Redux Pictures, Christina Cahill and Marcia Kebbon Orchard Represents, Megan Ziegler-Haynes: director of photography Photoshelter, Rachel Hulin: blogger Shoot! The Blog, photographers Lyndon Wade, Jonathan Torgovnik, Chris Mueller, Shannon Fagan, Benjamin Lowy, David S.Holloway, Vincent Laforet, Doug Menuez, Adam Krause, Dean Kaufman, Eric Weeks with wife and muse Stacy Renee Morrison, Shane Lavalette, Chase 'turn that frown upside down' Jarvis, Chris Buck, Russ Quakenbush, Michelle Pedone, gallerists Jen Bekman and Bill Hunt: Hasted Hunt, Darius Himes, Michael Costuros: Founder CCO Livebooks, Allegra Wilde: photo consultant and Eric Miles: director rare books and auctions Photo-eye.

Vincent Laforet

Chase Jarvis

Jonathan Torgovnik

Michelle Pedone

Chris Buck

Shannon Fagan

Eric Weeks

And in case you were wondering about the contents of the canvas tote gift bag ?


1- Photoserve :) pen

1- Nikon torch

3- AAA batteries for torch

1- PDN Photoplus Expo luggage tag

1- Copy Rare Birds by Amanda de Cadanet

1- Copy PDN May 2008 issue

Promotional literature from PDN, Photoshelter, Modernage and Livebooks

London Calling . . . . Blueeyes remix

I am delighted to announce that we have contributed a little something to the latest issue of Blueyes Magazine. The good folks there were enamored by my 'London Calling' post from a few months back. The piece a conversation on the state of the British Editorial market through the eyes of friend and inspirator Chris Floyd has been republished (with a new introduction) as part of the Document section here. Its well worth a read if you missed it first time around; not for my own mutterings but for Chris's incredibly eloquent and incisive commentary.

The post stirred up quite a bit of interest both here and in the U.K. Blueeyes will publish a companion piece next week where Chris and I discuss the reaction both positive and negative and clear up some of the misconceptions.

Will give you all the heads up when part two goes live.

A Photo Editor on the APE promo

So now that the furore has died down a bit and Rob has worked out some of the initial glitches I asked an esteemed photo editor to give us her take on the APE promo slideshow.

In the interest of full disclosure the PE in this case is Brenda Milis of Mens Health magazine. I have worked with Brenda and she in turn worked with Rob during his tenure at Outside.

The Q+A took place yesterday and APE has since taken steps to improve thumbnail viewing, read here, and oh and he has now got himself a business partner so look out for some exciting developments soon at APEinc.

WTJ: What do you think about the APE promo slideshow / idea ?

BM: I think that it is a great resource for photo editors, yeah... as Rob says, it is a nice SUPPLEMENT to the other ways we PE's find photographers--nice way to find more people and remind ourselves who we've always liked.

As for slideshow itself-there's one big weakness (besides tiny thumbnails which I mention later): The photogs who are deep in the slideshow are at a definite disadvantage because those who will get the most exposure/seen the most are the ones with images towards the beginning. I'm sure it's something Rob has thought of and will rectify/fix in slideshows to come.

*I'd very much like to know how Rob decided to put these images in order because there are some very established photog's right up front-not having had time to look at all 297 images yet, I wonder if that continues throughout ?...don't recall seeing that info in his text/blog. random ? by preference ??

*I really like that Rob doesn't list the names of photogs upfront (at first I thought that would be dreadful, but I was soon won over!)---makes you actually look at the darn image without reading the name and therefore reading your own preconceived notions about the photographer into what you are seeing--good move, Mr. Haggart.

WTJ: As an editor you didn't have any Flickr shock anxiety ?

BM: Nope--Flickr does not make me anxious, though it can annoy me. Of course I don't like being annoyed but actually am much LESS annoyed than I expected to be. Those tiny thumbnails are bullshit, btw.

WTJ: What do you say to all those photographers who deemed this vehicle to be beneath them ?

BM: I understand their not wanting to be mixed up with the 'peanut gallery'---a lot of photographers HAVE spent years establishing themselves and getting work and building reputations and I understand them wanting to be more respected/feel that they are at a different level than a lot of the lesser-knowns, those newer to the game. That said, I DO like to see everyone side by side---it's refreshing especially since names aren't listed up-front.

WTJ: Did you look at the slideshow on APE or did you go to 'I Like These Photos' for the full screen version ?

BW: Absolutely--that's where you can use the manual controls and if you don't make the slideshow time to your own liking, I think you'd go mad !

WTJ: So you didn't look at all 297 photographers images ?

BM: Not yet and THAT is exactly the problem. While I PLAN to go back and look lots more, with the way a photo editor's day works---lots and lots of crises and interruptions of all sorts throughout--once you stop looking, you don't know when or even if you'll have time/focus to go back. I DO PLAN to go back.

I think I got through 35 or 40--it takes quite a bit of time, actually, because I am seeing lots of pictures I like and then I check the name and then I go to the individual website if I don't know the photog. and then I take time on their website.

So ultimately it will be a very time-consuming yet extremely valuable tool.

WTJ: Were you surprised to see some big names in the mix ?

BM: A bit, yes. But I reckon that's a tribute to APE's appeal / influence / reach in photo community

WTJ: Anyone you hadn't come across before that caught your eye with their one image ?

BM: Yes

WTJ: So you did you click on their website ?

BM: Yes

WTJ: Would/will you call in anyones book as a result ?

BM: Haven't decided yet--need time to re-visit.

WTJ: What are the chances someone (new talent especially) may get a job as a result of this exposure ?

BM: EXTREMELY HIGH.

WTJ: On a digression seeing as we have you on; the number of mailers you get on average in the post per day ?

BM: I prefer mailed promos over emailed because I'm guaranteed to LOOK at my mail whereas I might simply delete my emails if I'm overwhelmed. On average I get 5 per day.

WTJ: Percentage you huck in the bin ?

BM: I don't throw anything in the trash-I recycle, otherwise I'd die of agony over the waste of paper.

WTJ: Anything in particular you look for in a keeper ?

BM: Please always include more than one image on your promo--otherwise I will suspect you just got lucky and once took a great photo !

Also, if you have at least 2 (hopefully 3) images on your promo, it will give me a sense of your overall shooting style --so (a) I know what it is and (b) I know that YOU know what it is.

WTJ: Number of emailers you get on average in a day ?

BM: 5-15

WTJ: Do you open them if you don't recognize the address ?

BM: I try to force myself to open all of them--ends up being about 50%

WTJ: And on a closing note promotional pet hate ?

BM: I prefer for promos to not come in envelopes (waste of paper-I'm big on not wasting since we waste so much)-but it doesn't particularly annoy me. I love photos so I don't hold many grudges towards any...

Final edit

Looks like APE has been busy sorting out all the kinks on the free promo. 297 photographers made the cut and Rob has tightened the edit, only having one photo (good move) per participant in the final slideshow. Will be interesting to see if anyone get a job out of this and what sort of traffic it generates. Full screen version available here at I Like These Photos.

Oh and yeah I did give it a lash in case you were wondering and managed to make the cut.

Out on the town . . . . last night

James White (L)

Well we did the decent thing for a change last night and made the long trek out to Brooklyn for the opening of the new Bond Street gallery. It turned out to be quite the ballyhoo, not in the freshly constructed main gallery but in next doors rather spacious annex which really is more of a photo studio then anything else. This is where the evenings action was centered with uber celebrity photographer James White in the house showing some of his scantily clad A list clientele. To be honest his work is really great but you know what it didn't really hold up in the flesh; this stuff looks fab in a magazine with a tight layout and a nice bit of type thrown on it not supersized and hanging on a wall.

Nevertheless it was quite the crowd and James's popularity as a photographer and a person was pretty evident by the who's who who turned out. Spotted in the mix were photo editors Brenda Millis: Mens Health, Maisie Todd and Nancy Weisman: ESPN the Magazine, Doris Brautigan, Alison Unterreiner: Esquire, photo directors (we don't want to ruffle any feathers) Fiona McDonagh: Entertainment Weekly and Micheal Norseng: Esquire, art buyer Alex Tasch: Euro RSCG, photo rep Matt Seminara: Friend & Johnson, Eric Miles director rare books and auctions: Photo-Eye, photographers Matthew Furman, Eric McNatt, Chris Bartlett, Ber Murphy, Michele Asselin, Jonathan Saunders, Robert Wright and Rafael Fuchs.

*Update* And in case you were wondering I did ask one of the photo editors in attendance whether she would take the time to look at APE's Flickr promo when it comes online - she said she would oh and I also heard mutterings that some reps would be taking part.

Nice one - Wired

It's been a while since I picked out what I consider to be some inspired photo editing and posted about it. Not that there hasn't been a ton that's caught my eye but every now and again there's a real unexpected gem.

Big UP to Wired for commissioning Nick Waplington for a photo essay in the April issue entitled: Unlikely Places Where Wired Pioneers Had Their Eureka ! Moments.

Photo © Nick Waplington

NETFLIX, 1997
Reed Hastings
Founder and CEO of Netflix
Canyon Video (above)
La Honda
California

"I had a big late fee for Apollo 13. It was six weeks late, and I owed the video store $40. I had misplaced the cassette. It was all my fault. I didn't want to tell my wife about it. And I said to myself, 'I'm going to compromise the integrity of my marriage over a late fee' ... I started thinking, 'How come movie rentals don't work like a health club, where, whether you use it a lot or a little, you get the same charge?"

There are 8 pictures in the portfolio and all are available online. Its a great photo driven essay and concept. Waplington is certainly an interesting choice for an assignment like this. One rarely (if ever ?) see's his name on editorial work but this seems to make sense; no big theatrics, lighting rigs or high concept, in fact its rather straightforward and honest especially for a glossy tech publication like Wired. Then again its kind of fascinating how some of the great ideas of our time have come about in some of the most ordinarily mundane nondescript locals. The imagery fits and I cannot help but wonder will the average Wired reader appreciate the subtle touch of the photographer but maybe thats the draw. The rest of the issue is a little photo light so this is certainly the main feature. It wouldn't surprise me if this picks up some awards next year its the kind of thing juries will love.

Noted for his conceptual approach to photography, Waplingtons ground breaking books 'The Wedding' and 'Living Room' are two of my all time favorites.

Heres to you Wired and Nick Waplington !

How did you do that ?

Its been a while since I shamelessly self promoted the alter ego but then again thats what the blog is all about anyways isn't it ? I have been meaning to put up my tears from this months Wired magazine for a while but then I was fired into action by this email over the weekend:

Hello,

I recently read the Wired article about the Cougar Ace salvage team, and was intrigued by your photos.

I am an amateur photographer, and I LOVE the effects you used on the pictures of the crew. May I ask what process you used to achieve this look? They look like an almost 1970's aged feel, maybe using HDR? I'm not sure. If this is a trade secret you can't divulge, I'll understand.

This photo in particular is fantastic...

Thank you.

Well there are no trade secrets its all pretty straight forward; especially to anyone who knows me and my work. The process is quite simple after all: color neg, straight up traditional c-prints, one on camera flash, daylight when available and no retouching, well not on my end but doesn't look like the mag did any touch up.

My emailer it turns out is 29, a writer who lives with his wife and two dogs in Dallas. Not really wanting to get into a debate on the merits of analogue v digital but am I presuming that many folk don't even consider film as an option when questioning the technicalities of a picture they like these days. A generational thing perhaps ? Maybe thats why I get a kick out of the "1970's aged feel" line. Anyway what the fuck is a photographer doing shooting film for Wired shouldn't they be up on mandating all contributors to use the latest technology.

I always bring a similar camera and lighting package on all my gigs. I find that the results are always different each time I go out; there is always that intangible variant that makes the consistent inconsistent. I could and do use the same set up day in and day out and the results are always different. You may argue that my stuff always looks the same but I swear there is always something going on, another lesson to be learnt from unpredictable happenings. Sometimes the light just doesn't do what you want it to and doesn't look like you had envisaged it. Some subjects just suck up the light, I think some of you know what I mean. You do your set up on your assistant looks great then your victim steps in, a quick polaroid followed by "what the fuck ! where's the magic gone ?" Maybe its their skin tone, what they are wearing but I have been having me a lot of this recently.


The 'Cowboys of the Deep Seas: The race to Save the Cougar Ace' is an epic tale and a terrific read; available for free in its entirety here. The story is about the recovery and salvage of the Cougar Ace a deep sea car transport ship, its 14 decks packed with 4703 new Mazda's bound for the USA. The ship and its cargo: valued at $ 103 million, ended up losing stability during a transfer of water ballast and developed a 60 degree list to its port side off the Alaskan coast in 2006. This is when my subjects the men of Titan Salvage got involved and brought there particular skill set into play.


The portraits were taken over two days back in November. Unfortunately there would be no shipping wrecks for me to use as background although most of the crew were heading out to Japan on assignment the next day and there was a moment due to scheduling when I might have had to head out with them. Four of the portraits were taken at Titans home base in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This of course sounded a lot more exotic then it ultimately was. The location was basically an office and a black hole of a warehouse a couple of miles from the sea. It was certainly challenging, especially with all the photographs of their successes scattered throughout the premises. They had me of course dreaming of what might have been. Time per person was a little limiting too so there wasn't much opportunity for multiple set ups not that there were any anyways so thats why I did the tighter head shots trying to load the bases in my favor as much as possible. How about having some of this crazy shit below as a background, how could you go wrong, just point and shoot right ?



Courtesy Titan Salvage

The other two portraits were taken in a shipyard in Salinas in the Dominican Republic (read earlier post here) which was certainly a visual relief from the limiting Ft Lauderdale location. The guys worked out a treat and were certainly gracious and willing although a little hesitant at first.


The mag did a fine job giving me space in the layout considering the main opener isn't one of mine, after all I wasn't on scene back in 2006.

I have come across some discussion about the story and pics on chat rooms here's a few lines that pertain to yours truly, again with the 70's thing:

The portraits of the guys involved say it all: a harder looking crew would be difficult to imagine.

I like how each member of the team is like a character from a movie or videogame. Each with his own speciality and look.

to me they totally look like old scanned and retouched pictures from the 70s and 80s.. in a good way

Big up to Zana Woods my editor on the piece, the writer Joshua Davis and all at Titan. I hear that the story has been optioned as a movie maybe the film company could use of my retro flair for the posters and promotional campaign.

Class of 2008

Well its that time of year again for PDN to unveil their 30 new and emerging photographers to watch. Although the full list remains secret and will be revealed in the March issue which has yet to hit the news stands or arrive in the mailbox we here at WTJ were cunningly able to identify two of the 30.

Not meaning to play spoiler but seeing as it is February the 29th already BIG UP to Mike and Adam for their inclusion in this years class. I am a huge fan of them both and had no problem spotting their signature work on the invite to the upcoming seminar 'Transitions: Strategies For The Young Working Photographer.'

This show and tell will feature 4 of the 30 along with moderator Jeanine Fijol, photo editor PDN, Amy Lunden, photo editor Budget Travel magazine and Fiona McDonagh, photo director Entertainment Weekly magazine.

Scheduled for Monday March 10 at Parsons School of Design we will remind you all again closer to.

As a PDN 30 alumn myself I cannot say how grateful I am for the opportunity and the honor. It certainly helped open doors for me and I wrote a post here on my experiences.

So welcome Mike, Adam and the other 28; make sure to pick up the key to the special 30 clubroom over at PDN HQ and don't forget to ask about the secret hand shake.

Heres to you PDN 30 class of 2008 !

On the APE list

It is with great excitement I am pleased to announce that my alter ego the Andrew Hetherington is featured today as part of Rob Haggarts 'On the list' series over at APE.

I am sure some out there think that this is a massive conspiracy with a few hands controlling all the photoblogospheric threads but this is not the case, well not in this instance anyways, apparently I was there on artistic merit.

Yes of course the same names and blogs keep on cropping up in what seems like an endless reach around but as the community expands a more diverse cross section is beginning to bear its soul. But we will save all that for another day and get back to the post in hand.

So I like many others was convinced that APE was a woman, it was something about the writing in the beginning although I have to say I was pretty sure it wasn't Kathy Ryan. We were mighty pleased with ourselves to discover him here first on day two when we found the link via Technorati. APE quickly became a phenomenon throughout the photo world and was the talk of the town here in New York with every photographer and editor speculating as to his or her identity.

It was always a thrill to see that APE had picked up on some of my own postings from time to time so at the very least I knew whoever it was was a 'Jackanory' reader. Over the first couple of months his style and voice developed and my instincts led me to believe we were now reading a males perspective, leaving only a couple of possible candidates after one does the masthead math. There really aren't too many male Photo Directors. My own suspicions were confirmed by a third party who had a revealing email from Rob.

I shared the info with a few trusty confidants but chose not to disclose him to a wider audience. I didn't see a point especially knowing the reputation of his maniacal boss one Jann Wenner who I am sure would get out the firing squad on the slightest corporate indiscretion. Not that Rob was giving away damaging insider information but a lot of these companies are scared and insecure and have nondisclosure clauses in all staff contracts. I was reminded about the instance last year where a female employee was canned by a magazine for writing another behind the scenes anonymous blog.

I have to say it was all quite fun. Every time I was out with photo friends or editors talk would quickly turn to APE and the guess the identity game would begin. It was always interesting who's name came in the mix and more importantly the reasoning. I remember one editor coming up to me at the American Photo bash with her own astute observations after a remark Rob had made in a recent post "Can't be a woman or a gay guy because they don't go for beers !'

So what do you know out of the blue one Friday morning in November we get an email from APE."Hey Andrew yes its me Rob Haggart, I am APE, would you like to meet up sometime ? Sure" says I " How's your week look next week ?" was my reply "No how are you fixed today ?" went Rob "Okey dokey then I can meet, lets do it".

There you go a clandestine luncheon was arranged. I have never worked directly with Rob and we never spoke over the phone or met in person pior to this. I did one shoot during his reign at Outside but I don't think it ever ran and the last thing I did for Mens Journal was at the tail end of the previous regime. I did know what he looked like though having seen him from afar at an industry event.

Lunch was quite the occasion like two old giddy schoolboy friends sharing our experiences. It was a real treat to talk about the biz and most especially how our blogs have changed our lives and how exciting, inspiring and challenging it is to be involved.

Rob was gracious to say how blogs like 'the Jackanory, Conscientious, Alec Soth and Drinking with a Deadman' were catalysts in his own beginnings and how he was shocked to see I had discovered him so early on. He had been hoping to share it with friends for the first month or so as he found his stride. But there was now no time for that as the pressure was on from the git go.

Jann Wenner picked up the tab, thank you very much sir. No worries you owed me, I will never forget the time your accounting department stiffed me out of expenses on my one and only Mens Journal gig. Wouldn't mind that these extras were caused by an act of nature and the inability of your official travel agent to provide sufficent support services to a photographer stuck in the field dealing with bad weather, cancelled flights and limited options.

We joked to ourselves on the way out that we hoped we didn't get spotted together as tongues may begin to wag as one couldn't but help wonder how our relationship would move forward now. But a short while later a little spanner was thrown in the works when I was in a meeting with another Photo Director friend "hey" she says " I am pretty sure who APE is, its Rob Haggart over at Mens Journal and I just got a call from a headhunter they are looking for a new Photo Director over there." Fuck I mutter to myself. What do I do now, drop Rob a line telling him he's about to get the axe. Talk about a crisis of conscience I didn't know how to play it. Thankfully I get the email from Rob shortly after announcing his departure and am relieved it is he who has pulled the plug.

APE is one of those very special unique things that we should all treasure. Its been pretty amazing what he has put out there and although one misses the anonymous from time to time it has been truly inspiring to see him keep bringing it everyday, even more so now that he is out in the open.

Heres to you Rob Haggart, a true original !

Oh and in accordance with this special honor I have updated and upgraded the website and yes I know it is Livebooks but feel free to let me know what you think, I can take it.

Cast your ballot

Taking his blog to new groundbreaking interactive heights 'A Photo Editor' unable to pick one winner of the photo consultation demo competition is giving us all a say. Narrowing the field down to a final 16 we all get to vote on who will ultimately win the grand prize and therefore be also crowned most popular.

"I spent 3 hours ripping through and narrowing down the websites submitted for the photo consultation demo but instead of just picking a winner I decided to put it to a vote. As unscientific and ugly as a photographer popularity contest probably sounds to everyone it’s no better than me just choosing one from the 16 finalists (plus, I’m on a mission to test every blog add-on feature I can find).

This is a very strong group of photographers which in my mind will make the consultation even better for everyone. The advice given will be at a fairly high level so everyone from beginning to emerging photographers can get a little something out of it.

In an ideal world people would vote for photographers that have as much in common with their own style as possible so they can learn more, but this is the internet so let the popularity contest begin:" Rob Haggart

Get on over here and do your duty, your vote may make a difference to someones career.

You can bet all the finalists are huddled around their computers watching

Out on the town

Made it out to Shoot Digital last night where the good folks at Photoshelter were holding a demo night which in their own words entailed bringing members of their 'Collection' together for an evening of photo talk, beer drinking and high - fiveing. This was all kicked off with a 1 hour presentation which I managed to miss most of but I believe it consisted of updates on the following:

- recent and upcoming PhotoShelter Collection features
- common snags and problems explained
- key-wording tips from our linguist (you know you need them)
- a word about the personal archive
- Photoshelter marketing updates

Robert Wright & I

Spotted in the crowd were photographers Joel Barhamand, Ashley Macknica, Glenn Glasser, Adam Friedberg, Jordana Zeldin, Matt Salacuse, Emmet Malmstrom who recently signed with reps Kramer + Kramer, photographer/bloggers Robert 'Don't get on the plane' Wright, Ber 'Pelicula 64' Murphy and photo editors Paul Moakley of Newsweek and Catherine Talese.

London calling

Seeing as its all the rage here on the photo blogosphere to have a 'conversation' or a Q+A with our peers; I didn't want to be left out of the party so here's my first serious contribution to the genre ! A little back and forth with inspirator and friend Chris Floyd.

AH: Hey Chris I have been trying for sometime now to come up with a decent post on the state of British photography after your comment over on APE a couple of weeks back, here. I think a lot of us would be interested to hear your take on the U.K. scene; in particular the editorial market and how it differs from your experiences working this side.

CF: To be honest, it's in a dire way these days, editorially speaking. Well it is if you're talking about paid editorial. I am working quite a bit but the lack of vision and imagination is so depressing, especially having lived in NY for over half a decade. British editorial photography is really an exercise in page filling. What's important are the ad pages, as always.

AH: From my experiences things work a little differently over on your side of the Atlantic.

CF: Thinking about it now, the most immediate reason for this is the impotency of the British editorial photo editor. The title is there on the mastheads but, by and large, the photo ed here is really just a glorified researcher who calls in pictures of teenage celebrities drunk and showing their knickers for the pap pages. Maybe that's overstating it but, at the heart of it, no one higher up the editorial publishing tree is thinking "Ooh I wonder what our director of photography will make of the fabulous shoot we are trying to set up with Mr XYZ." The commissioning and editing of photography is not a consultative or well thought out process.

AH: I noticed that myself when I went on go sees in London a few years back. A different experience then what I am used to in New York. When ever I did meet with a photo editor I always got the impression that they didn't in fact have any power to hire, there was another commissioning force responsible. I went to GQ once thinking that I was meeting with the PE but they escorted me up to see Tony Chambers the Creative Director at the time.

CF: Your mention of GQ is the perfect example. It's so perfect, as an example, they should put it in a museum. It crystallizes everything I'm thinking about. Tony Chambers is the single most influential creative director I've ever met. His influence on me in terms of aesthetic, attention to detail, approach and overall philosophy is something I shall always be thankful for. However, Tony is unique. He's very well read and that's because he's innately curious. You should see the bookshelves in his apartment. He views all these things - art, design, music, photography, graphics, use of space, writing, ideas, fashion - as strands that all converge in a place called magazines. He sees his job as fighting for the consideration of the visual. He also has a fantastic sense of history and lineage. He knows and understands how things came to be the way they did. How this person influenced that person and on and on. He is the only creative director I've met who seems to actually read the stuff in the magazines he designs. And he influenced all the people around him in that way. As much as a hard taskmaster as he could be, you learned stuff from Tony that you would use time and time again. So when you have someone like him running the art department it works because he knows how to pull all the elements together. But he is gone from there now. Modern magazine publishers don't really know or understand what qualities a great art director needs. As long as the girl on the cover is showing plenty of flesh and has her tongue hanging out it doesn't really matter. So they appoint people who are perfectly competent....graphic designers. But they are not art directors as I would define them. Yet they are given business cards that say they are art directors or creative directors so they must be those things. What a great magazine needs to make it great is an editor in chief and a creative director that must pull and push their respective sides - words and visuals. However, the E-i-C's and the publishers are appointing people who don't have the desire to be in that role. They are picking people who like and want the job title and will do the bidding of the E-i-C. It's a separation of church & state situation that's required but it's not happening here. The editor's decision is first and last, as well as everything.

It's no surprise to me that Tony is now an editor in chief (at Wallpaper*). When he got the job lots of people were surprised because the notion that someone who comes from the visual side could, heavens above, edit a magazine was a bit of a shock to some.

He's an exception though. 90% of the rest of those in the creative director position are not well read or curious about what is going on outside of their own narrow field. They don't read the copy. They're just thinking about fonts. Come on, who gives a toss about fonts ? A font is where you christen your baby. Not where you lay out the altar of your life. I have a great story that illustrates this. A friend of mine who is the features editor at one of the best selling men's mag in the UK told me how the current creative director told him that the first letter of the first sentence of a feature they were running on a female celebrity had to begin with the letter'L' because he had designed the most wicked upper case 'L' ever. When my friend laughed him off the guy had a proper hissy fit and stormed off. I mean, this is the level of intellect we are dealing with here a lot of the time.

There is a good interview with Tony on magCulture here.

AH: How has your work flow changed since you moved back to old blighty ?

CF: When I lived in NYC all my work was enviroportraiture and reportage style portraiture. No celebs at all.

Now I'm back here the bulk of my work is celebrity stuff. I can't complain, the resale of it does me well. I have a daughter and a wife who wants another so I really am not bitching at all. When I lived in NY I did ok but I was doing work there that I LOVED. Buffalo farmers in N.Dakota. Military cadets at West Point. Illegal immigrants in Arizona. Really great stories of modern America. There is nothing of that here and that is because there is no money for this stuff. It's exactly how Simon Roberts put it in his talk at KlompChing. You've got to assign yourself and then treat it as an art project almost, with books and print sales foremost in your mind.

AH: I loved your comment on how the Russians could have taken Britain with a phone call. You obviously enjoyed the vast American experience; are you just as jazzed these days by a spin up the M1 or is a lot of what you do now in London ? Or do u get around a bit ? Europe for instance.

CF: No, not really. 95% of my work is in London. Britain is not like America. The UK media market is London, London, London. Trailing a distant fourth place is London. Although, today I'm writing this in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. This is my first trip outside of London for a job since last July. Oh wait, that's a lie. I was in Toulouse, France a week ago to shoot a portrait of the chief engineer at Airbus.

AH: Following our phone discussion it would be safe to say that the U.K. has a stronger newspaper culture and that the U.S. has a stronger magazine culture. I just finished Don McCullin's terrific autobiography 'Unreasonable Behaviour'. Reading it reminded me how the British print media has had a long tradition of ground breaking photo journalism.

I remember the epic newspaper strikes growing up and subsequent shuttering of the Times for a year over its move to new printing technologies. McCullin has a great line when he noticed the shifting tides in his own career with the changing visual needs of his employer, "lifestyles rather then life were coming into fashion". I couldn't think of a better sentence to describe what was happening at the time and how relevant these words are today. Not only a description of how photography was being repackaged for the masses but also the major socio and economic changes going on throughout the country.

CF: Yes. Bang on. Please don't bring us anything that might make the advertisers baulk. The commissioning of big stories is gone. If you are working for UK mags then no one is going to send you off somewhere for a month to work on the equivalent of the great American novel. The content is kind of irrelevant. It's not important, as long as the skin looks ok. I just did a job for someone. It was a big bunch of teenagers. Real kids. Not models. What do all teenagers have the world over ? Acne ! Guess what they wanted me to do ? Retouch out the acne and smooth the skin. This isn't reportage. It's advertising interspersed with infomercials. News International (Times/Sunday Times) has just dictated this new rule: All photos are to be digital. They will not pay for film and processing or prints. You can shoot on film but your final submission must be a digital file and they will pay a maximum of £150 towards the cost of your digital equipment.

The publishers of the Sunday supps - Guardian, Telegraph, Times, Independent, Observer have all taken the attitude that what they operate are platforms for advertising and new media. The content is relevant only up to a very low threshold. Ultimately people like us are merely content providers and there are millions of us.

I did a shoot for Sunday Times on the 3rd Jan. The wold champion female track cyclist. A Brit. Big hopes for the Olympics. Great ! A job immediately after the new year - it gets your confidence up and your new year is out the traps. I got £250 fee. One of my very first commissions ever was for The Sunday Times in 1993. My fee was £250. In 15 years they have held down their costs 100%. What an amazing achievement. The chief picture editor of the whole newspaper - a man I've never even heard of or met - so the boss over and above the PE's in all the sections/magazines - was so impressed with my picture that he got his p.a. to call me and "ask" me if it was alright if they could hold on to the pictures for a little bit longer as they were so good he felt that they were very syndicatable. How long for? Not long, just a while, well until after the Olympics. Is there going to be a split in it for me? We'd give you 10%. The institutional disrespect for photographers and photography cannot be over emphasised.

AH: Same as here, there has been little change in rates since I started. Have you noticed a difference in your clients usage demands too ?

CF: So they not only are paying me the same rate as they were 15 years ago. They are then demanding to take away the thing that would financially render the gig worthwhile - the right to re-sell the work elsewhere. I could barely conceal my rage at this Murdochian crushing of the little freelancer and finished by suggesting that I was being financially penalised for producing work of a sufficient quality to be noticed by the guy at the top of the photo food chain in Murdoch Towers, E1. Then I tag teamed Getty into it and he relented. However, I still need to be able to work for them so I had to give him a way out of his position by allowing News International the right to re-use the pictures in any of their own publications for 6 months for free.

I've spun away from the state of British photography here into the state of the British photography industry but there you are.

AH: No worries man, you are obviously passionate about your art, you have referred to yourself as a journeyman. I liked that, care to elaborate ?

CF: Sure. I take a great deal of pride in the fact that you can send me anywhere and I will bring you something that is a) compelling and b) will tell you something vital about the subject. I can find something to be curious about in pretty much anyone. It's like that line "How can you justify your fees ?" It only took you 20 minutes to do it!" - "Yes it did but it took me 20 years to learn how to do it in 20 minutes."

I also have a fundamental mistrust, suspicion, dislike of and animosity towards anyone who defines themselves as an artist without very good reason. It is too easy now to say "I AM AN ARTIST." All the greatest people were, to a large extent, artisans. If someone were to call me an artisan that is what I would be most proud of. If you called me an artist I would have to leave. The job Michelangelo did on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was a commission. A gig. Shakespeare was really just a guy with a quill trying to make some dough. The Mona Lisa -La Giaconda- was a commission. How possible can it be to create something so beautiful and for it purely to be inspired by something so common as a pay check ? One of my great heroes is George Orwell. Some of his greatest writing was commissioned journalism. When you try to exist in your own self defined vacuum you are entering dangerous waters. There has been this great shift towards "art" photography, particularly in New York. Some of it is good and some of it is terrible. Most of it.....what is the point ? What does it say outside of the fact that Kathy Ryan thinks it's awesome ? Gregory Crewdson ? Is it good ? I don't know. What I do know is that it is a fantastic exercise in production. What is he doing for us that Edward Hopper or Stephen Spielberg haven't done ? That's all it is to me. Edward Hopper's tableaux married to Spielberg's lighting and production values. And...?

There can be, not always - some of my best friends are artists- this weird attitude of condescension towards those of an artisinal bent from those who define themselves as artists. When I lived in New York I was commissioned by the Guardian in London to spend 2 or 3 days with this band, the Arctic Monkeys. At the same time Rolling Stone had sent along a very well known and young American photographer who takes a lot of pictures of his friends cavorting naked and jumping off of idyllic rural bridges into far below rivers on cross country summer road trips.

We got to chatting while the band were sound checking and I asked him how he came to be there. He said that he just did whatever he felt like doing and this was a band he was really into and he called up Rolling Stone and told them so. So they got him the access and hey ho... Then I asked him who else he worked for, bearing in mind I totally knew who he was, he got a little superior on me and said "well I don't really accept commissions..that's not my thing. I just tend to create my own projects. I'm self assigning."

The fact is I think his pictures really are fantastic but what I baulked at was this idea that an idea is only valid if it is self generated. A commission was like a dirty word. But what that statement also said to me was that this was someone who had never had to earn a living from his work. He was privileged. There is nothing wrong with privilege. My daughter gets what she wants all the time but if you are privileged you need to show respect towards those that need to earn a living from their trade. In France, to become an artisan is a process that takes time and ends in an official recognition and status. To call oneself an artisinal baker, for instance, means that one has been through a period of learning. There is a respect there.

AH: It would appear difficult or almost impossible then for fine art to cross over into editorial as it has done here. There simply isn't the market ? Or does it all stop @ Martin Parr ?

CF: There isn't that level of ambition. I'm convinced Martin Parr has some form of Asperger's syndrome. Can I say that ? Is that actionable ? I've met him half a dozen times. He doesn't know who I am. His eyes glaze over when he's not talking about himself.

AH: You have said Britain doesn't have a magazine culture although style bibles like Arena, I-D, Dazed and Confused and the now defunct Blitz and the Face were considered the cutting edge. Did the average man in the high street give a shit or he more inclinded towards a bit of tit and ass and a healthy dose of Maxim ?

CF: I think that, historically, those mags (Face, Arena, Blitz, i-D, Dazed) will come to be seen as an anomaly. All those people that started those mags, and were on the outside of the establishment and vocally proud of it, are now very much a part of the establishment and they are certainly not letting anyone else in. What they did do was pave the way for popular culture to be taken seriously by broadsheet newspapers. All the broadsheets now have pop music columnists and reviewers, fashion coverage etc. Ironically, considering this discussion, not one of them has a proper, serious full time photography reviewer. And that is probably the single most defining aspect of what we are talking about when it comes to British photography and the public attitude towards it. Photography ? Paparazzi or weddings?

AH: So tell me this then why then are there so many British fashion photographers at the top ? Must be the accent right ? Goes down a treat over here.

CF: Hmmm...there is a very strong art school tradition in Britain. Some of our greatest bands came out of art school. The Beatles, The Who, Roxy Music to name 3. There is a great unofficially vertically integrated fashion scene at work in this country. Music, clubs, fashion, design. Out of that mind meld come incredibly hipped up people with cameras. However, a lot of those mags that were great in the 80's and early 90's started to eat themselves. Instead of generating great ideas at street level they started to get above themselves and they became trade mags. Fashion mags by fashion people for fashion people. They froze out the 16 year old kid in Leeds with 8 quid in his/her pocket and instead said "oh wow we have great shots by Craig (McDean) of Kate (Moss) wearing Stella (McCartney) that were styled by Katie (England) which will help all of us get a great new campaign from Karl (Lagerfeld)". The minute they started using first names only was the minute they entered Marie Antoinette territory. And at that point they all moved to New York anyway for the massive cash bonuses on offer. That's what you have now. The generation that made it big in the 90's are now shooting all the big stories and campaigns for the international fashion brands - mags and labels. I'm not sure what there is here now in the way of mags to help breed a new crop though? No one is going to make it big in Japan by shooting for British InStyle are they.

AH: Can you tell me a little about the effect the photo blogs have had on you ?

CF: Oh man ! They have opened my eyes to the fact that I....am....not.....alone. What we do, us photographers, is so solitary. To be able to engage with other people at an intelligent level of discussion is just awesome. Part of me feels like Tom Hanks. I've been sitting here growing a beard and talking to a fedex box for 15 years and now there are people that I can engage with who live time zones away.

AH: You obviously enjoy the new found interaction. This was evident when you were lamped on a little for that infamous early comment of yours over on APE, here . You know the one where you wrote talked about how fabulous your life is. The chatter with Olivier Laude and then his anonymous alter ego was great.

CF: Ha ha. Indeedy deedy !! That little contretemps was in answer to APE's post about how being a photographer can be one of the greatest jobs in the world if the chips fall in your favor. What I was saying was how right he was. However, the chips don't fall in your favor all the time. The day before that posting of APE's (can we call him Rob now?) I had just won the highest paying job of my life. Enough money to pay the mortgage and keep the wolf from the door for several months. It was a big publicity shoot with Gwyneth Paltrow for Paramount Pictures. On top of that I had several other tasty things in the pipeline. That was in October I think. From January to March of last year I just about kept my head above the parapet so this was a complete turnaround. This is a career with unutterably high highs and intolerably low lows. I said it myself in one of the back and forths with Olivier. "Sometimes weeks go by where the best part of the day is the bit where you get to go to bed intoxicated and numb with self loathing." I've been doing this for 15 years as a professional. So having had the strength of character and conviction to see out those periods which are regular visitors to my door, without bitching, then you've got to allow me the honour of feeling a little pleased with myself when the tide turns in my favor considerably from time to time. The insecurity and worry never goes away. No matter how pleased one feels at any given moment I am smart enough to know that the weather can change like that. You see, the thing about what we do that our friends with safe, secure 9 to 5's will never quite grasp is that, although, to them, our lives look sweet and easy going, we get no sick pay, no holiday pay, no guaranteed income or pay cheque and most importantly, no one to talk to or share problems with in the office or the pub after work. Those fears are always there. In the evenings, before bed, at weekends, on holiday, on Christmas Day, while you're having sex, in the shower, at dinner, in a cab, while I'm cuddling my daughter, in the garden, on and on and on and on. We do this alone, as I said just now, talking to a fedex box for company. And going back to the APE posting, if you read all the comments from people, you'll see that the vast majority responded in my defence and I felt vindicated there. Those that know what it's like...they know. The buzz from this job can be incredible but can you take the solitude and doubt ? We lay it all out there and have to survive on each and every roll of the dice. What is a photo editor after all ? A professional opinion holder, although Rob is one of the good ones it seems.

AH: Do you run into many of your peers, gallery openings etc ?

CF: What gallery openings ? That just does not exist here at any level of significance.

AH: Lets get away from all the rambling, time to answer some of the more obvious questions.

Photographers you admire ?

CF: Martin Parr & Gregory Crewdson. Seriously. For the soup they make from their base stock.

From the then: Stephen Shore, Joel Meyorowitz, Joel Sternfeld. All the bona fide canon fodder. Chris von Waggenheim, David Bailey for making me want to be a photog in the first place, Avedon, Penn, William Klein, Eggleston (duh!), Slim Aarons, Harry Callahan, Bob Richardson

From the now: Martin Schoeller, Glen Luchford, Mario Sorrenti, Simon Roberts, Larry Sultan, Chris Buck, James Nachtwey......

AH: Any pre-shoot rituals ?

CF: Coffee. No food at all. Good music.

AH: Most annoying celebrity subject ?

CF: John Mayer - by a country mile.

AH: Least annoying Most awesome celebrity subject ?

CF: Lots actually but probably Christopher Reeve for incredible warmth, humor, optimism, enthusiasm, curiosity and attention to detail in the face of the most permanent and debilitating adversity.

AH: If you weren't a photographer what would u like to be ?

CF: A good father.

AH: Any other silly/clever questions u can think of ? Don't worry I will take the credit.

CF: "Can I go now ? It's 1am here."

AH: Chris it's been a real treat, I really appreciate you taking the time and making the effort. You know this has been really great for me, a meaningful creative way for us to collaborate other then doing a Mert and Marcus or an Inez and Vinoodh. Thanks man.

Out on the town

Gus Powell (left), the tall one

Well we managed to get ourselves all the way up to 103rd street for the opening reception of Gus Powells 'Manhattan Noon'. It was my first time visiting 'The Museum of the City of New York' and I have to say there was quite the turnout considering the inclement weather and the northern environs. Plenty of fine drinks and tasty finger food to comfort the crowd.

5B4 aka Jeffrey Ladd (left)

Spotted in the mix were photographers Jeff Mermelstein, Darin Mickey, Bryan Leitgeb, Joe Fornabaio, photog/blogger Jeffrey Ladd aka 5B4 and Ber Murphy aka Pelicula 64 and Christina Cahill and Marcia Kebbon from Orchard Represents.

Then we hopped the 6 train back to Union Square to catch the tail end of Erika Larsen's 'Young Blood' opening at the Redux Gallery. Again a packed house and one was most relieved to see they had the freight elevator in operation to help transport the masses to the 12th floor.

Erika Larsen (left)

Spotted here were the Ground Glass herself Cara Phillips,man about town Rafael Fuchs, photo editors Amy Berkley Field and Stream, Erica Beckman Fortune Small Business.

Travel report

Some of you may or may not know there has been a change in the rules governing the transport of Lithium batteries on airplanes in your carry-on and checked baggage here in the U.S. The new rules were quietly implemented January 1st and may cause some of us some bother. There has been extensive coverage over on Chase Jarvis here and on Flying with Fish here and you can read the official guidelines at the U.S. Department of Transportation site here.

These restrictions are set to impact people traveling with laptops and digital slrs who carry spare batteries most but I have to say I was quite alarmed when I stumbled upon this missive. Although for the most part I still shoot analogue for editorial I primarily use the mighty Q Flash powered with Quantum batteries as my main light source. I travel with a number of these after all they only give out a whopping 200ws and anyways one can never have enough back up to the back up. I usually check 2 Q's / 2 batteries and carry on 2 Q's / 4 batteries so no matter what state I and my bags arrive on location I will at least have some illumination and will be ready to work. But what the fuck ? Whats are the Turbo 2x2's (my battery of choice) made of and while we are at it how about the Profoto Pro-7b battery this could seriously hinder a shooter.

Turns out no need to panic the Turbos are nickel-metal hydride batteries aka NiMH, it would appear not a trace of Lithium to be found (still waiting to hear what the 7b battery consists of). The Turbos thankfully have the NiMH marking on the bottom to help set security screeners straight.

I had a quick job out of the city at the weekend. My first work trip of the New Year and not wanting to take any risks in the newly uncharted battery waters I mixed up my regular kit. As well as the carry on Q flash and Turbos for which I brought paperwork legitimising their true make up I decided to take along a rental Profoto Pro Acute 1200 kit which we checked. Didn't want to take the risk of packing batteries and their not being there on the other end. This job would be the trial run see what if anything has changed with the new procedures.

Its an over nighter in Charlotte North Carolina, pretty straight forward. Saturday 2.00pm flight direct out of Laguardia, shoot Sunday morning return that afternoon. Have to say Saturday afternoon is the quietest and perhaps best time to fly out of New York. Us Airways is our carrier on both legs and as always get there in plenty of time just in case. Fuck turns out our flight is cancelled and so is the one after. We are now on the 7.00pm getting in at 9.00pm what the fuck are we going to do till then, head back into town, it is only 12.30pm.

The check in agent is most courteous as theres no one around so she dedicates her full attention to our needs and manages to get us out earlier only we now have to connect through Philadelphia. Okay at least we are on the move south and would now get in at 6.00pm I'll take that. For those of you who don't know the airport in Philly is pretty notorious for delays and especially for losing baggage so passing through always fills me with some dread. A Us Airways hub this place has one of the worst records anywhere. I passed through during the summer, read here.

So we get to the security screening at LGA, no signage or nothing regarding the new battery rules. No problems with my Turbos, not even an eyebrow raised, to be honest I got the impression that the screeners didn't know or didn't care. This was confirmed by John Loomis who was traveling the same day and took 6 Lithium batteries through security in Miami.

Thankfully everything was pretty smooth and what do you know all the bags were there on the other end. The Tenba Medium Lighting Case with the Pro acute and 2 Tenba TriPaks with light stands. Nice one.

Sunday was an an early call time and we made it back to the airport in plenty of time. Tried to get out on an earlier flight but to no avail. Same story here at security no more extra attention then usual was paid to the Turbos, nothing to worry about.

So there you go easy peasy right, well no. Turns out only 2 of the bags make it to New York. Yes the 2 TriPaks with the stands not the Tenba with the Pro-acute kit, that little baby will run you about $ 3,000.00 for the pack and 2 heads, the case itself runs around $ 700.00, fuck.

You know that's the thing you end up being caught up in resigned state of helplessness. This was bound to happen at sometime, its inevitable if you put the miles in. The agent behind the desk processing your lost luggage paperwork couldn't give a shit. She (in this particular case) just wants to get you out of her hair as quickly and efficiently as possible all the while trying to keep you in a calm relaxed state with comforting reassuring words. It will probably be on the next flight, they may even deliver it to you later, the delivery men work till midnight. Well of course that's not good enough where's my fuckin bag ? Don't worry I didn't get stroppy because that isn't going to miraculously make your luggage appear. Sad thing is they cannot tell where the bag is but because they are peering at a computer screen I am expecting it and them to have all the answers. There you go Sir here's a receipt with a claim number and a 1-800 number call them later and they will be happy to take care of you.

I have never lost a bag so this would be an inauspicious start to the year plus its all rental gear, a real pain in the ass. Don't forget kids if you are new to this game be sure to treat all rental gear with respect because if you damage it or lose it it is your financial responsibility, read the fine print! So make sure you have your affairs and your insurance in order it can get quite costly quite quickly.

So when I get home I get busy all over that number, what do you know of course there isn't a human being down the other end and no chance of talking to one. Turns out the system has no idea where my bag is and neither does the nifty online tracker site either. That's the thing isn't it these days the person behind the counter just wants to shuffle you along and onto the call center where you end up spending hours on the phone trying to right a wrong. I believe most of these places deliberately make it so difficult to actually talk to anyone that you hang up and say fuck it. What about all those extra charges you didn't get around to questioning on your bank statement because after an hour of being given the run around you just didn't have any more time to give. Some companies must be making a mint off poor customer service.

Anyways no sign of the bags by midnight so Monday began the long search. This is the thing, I end up spending most of the day on hold, what a waste, so unproductive, I am not getting paid for this, it all eats into my day rate as extra time spent on the job, Robert Wright would have a field day; this is turning into a classic "Don't get on the plane" story! Because lets say for instance worst case scenario the bag doesn't show up all in all I am in the hole for about $ 4,000.00. The magazine I was on assignment for should pick up the tab ? If so would this cause repercussions down the line with my working for them again ? I can't imagine it would but APE you might want to answer that one ? If the magazine does not cover the cost then my insurance will but my premium will rise next year. Mmmmmm Robert will not be too pleased.

So there you go I have to say I didn't have the best of feelings. The bag was not traceable. Many hours were spent on the phone, I think the US Airways call center is located in Guatamala or somewhere and they weren't much help. The scent was going cold. Just got an answer machine at Laguardia and Charlotte, frustrating stuff. Much to my relief though I got the call 8.00pm Monday night. Its turned up ! Now I just got to wait around the 4 or so hours till we are reunited.

A Photo Editor speaks

In the latest installment of his ongoing interview series the "Dear Leader" himself Olivier Laude turns his spotlight on Rob Haggart aka 'A Photo Editor' and gets him to answer all those questions some of us have been dying to ask ever since he has revealed himself. Read the full naked truth here. Most entertaining !

Stocking stuffers

Here's a little something you may want to add to your gift list or maybe as a pressie for one of your clients.

Yes its that time of year again, tis the season of giving. Its always a tricky one, what to get, for whom and how much $ to spend and I am not talking about friends and family I am of course talking about clients, photo editors, reps etc, etc. I try and give a little something to those I have worked closely with during the year but I have heard stories of large and extravagant gift giving. I don't know whether some tales are mere folklore or the stuff of legend but I always wonder what if anything is expected.

Hey APE maybe you could shed a little light on this from your perspective and that of your colleagues. How about a card, a print, a bottle of wine, fruit basket, selection of fine cheeses, an ipod or a 42 inch hi-def plasma TV ? Have you ever received a big ticket item or something so inappropriate that you had to huck it in the trash. I am wondering if it is the thought that counts or will a bad choice in gifting result in demotion in ones cache ?

The Minox Leica M3 miniature replica digital camera above is available from B&H here. The 4.0 megapixel version retails at $ 149.95, the 5.0 megapixel will run you $ 199.95 but is currently out of stock. Alternately Urban Outfitters appear to have gobbled up all the 5.0 megapixels and are charging $ 225.00 for the privilege here, but they do offer free shipping