5.52 pm

In case anyone is wondering about that last shot, your intrepid reporter is shooting with a Canon ELPH 100HS, which has this Toy Camera mode.
Well I hope you’ve enjoyed this, it’s been a long day but very interesting.  I’ve learned a lot, I hope I’ve passed some that on to you, and this Dell XPS Ultrabook is a lot of fun to use.

Check it out here: Dell Ultrabook XPS 13

It’s light weight, terrific screen and great keyboard make it terrific for the traveling photographer.

And if you’re in San Francisco, either because you live in the Bay Area or you are visiting, check out Carte Blanche.  There are only a couple photography-only galleries here, and you should really spend some time with the photos and the delightful Gwen.

5.45 pm

Now Gwen is giving us examples about her main criteria for judging images, something that should be useful to the photographers on photo.net:

To align the head, the eye and the heart.

5.41 pm

Gwen is talking about her process for learning about photography.  It starts with curiosity: look, learn, compare, study.  The internet is an endless source of inspiration and discovery.  She hits some blogs regularly to know what people are doing, along with flickr and tumblr, and hopefully photo.net after today.
The second step in the process is instinct.  Stay true to yourself, don’t imitate.

What does Gwen think is a good photograph?  There is no one answer, but she gives some quotes, from Robert Adams, Diane Arbus, HCB.

5.37 pm

Gwen, whose gallery is the venue for today’s event, is the last speaker.  She’s talking about how the idea behind the gallery is that “Photography is for Everyone.”  Also, she’s very much about “Forget collecting, We’re connecting.”  Check out the gallery web site at http://www.gallerycarteblanche.com/

5.13 pm

This is Nathan, he came out to see the presentation.  He shoots in nightclubs with a Diana F Plus.  

4.58 pm

And here’s that glorious keyboard again, along with a view of the side.  It gives you an idea how insanely slim it is.

4.58 pm

People are really enjoying the Dell XPS Ultrabooks.  I think it’s the bright screen that gets them to sit down.

4.57 pm

Jorge Castillo is up now.  He’s a photographer originally from Colombia, he’s showing photos from Colombia, NYC, and San Francisco.  He shoots black and white, but he started doing color with digital about five years ago.  His photographs are really nice, check him out online.

4.48 pm

Here’s something everyone should find interesting.  It’s the video guy’s setup.  If you look closely, you will see that it is a Canon EOS 5DMkII.  Who would think even five years ago that professional videographers would be using still cameras.

4.29 pm

Here’s Bob with his shot of the CEO of UPS.  It was an interesting story, he was told to meet the CEO on the street in a specific location.  He had no good background, and then a UPS driver came down the street.  Bob ran out and stopped him, told him what he was doing, and got the driver to put the truck where the light was right, and then put the CEO in front of the truck.

4.21 pm

Bob is now showing a lot of his portraits, CEOs, CIOs, and others from well-known companies.  Very strong commercial shots.

4.18 pm

Bob Adler is up now, talking about his transition from art to commercial photography, and how he used his early shots of burlesque to demonstrate his capabilities to commercial buyers.  He began a portrait shooter, mostly executives being photographed for magazines.  He transitioned from film to digital, took him some time but “it’s just a tool.”

4.10 pm

And the Dell ultrabook is really popular!

4.09 pm

It’s really getting busy in here!

3.54 pm

Back on break, it’s really gotten busy here, people walking in to hear the presentations, checking out the Dell laptops, and the prints on the wall.

3.45 pm

Now Miki has delved into an interesting point, that a photographer should have a story.  She means some sort of explanation about what your photographs are about, what you are passionate about in your photography and why you do it.

3.33 pm

Miki is now pointing out how important it is for photographers to make it easy for visitors to find your site, keep everything updated,use a website to show your work, and use a blog and/or Facebook to show your personality.

3.31 pm

We’re back!  Miki Johnson, a social networking consultant, is talking about how photographers should think about the online world.  She’s talking about an online presence with your photography is a way to build relationships and trust.

3.20 pm

There are very few photo-only galleries, even in a photo lover’s paradise like San Francisco.  It’s amazing how many people walk by, ask what the gallery is, and then choose to come in.  Right now, it’s packed with passersby, not people coming for the event.

3.18 pm

So I mentioned the XPS 13 keyboard before.  It’s really easy to type, I make far fewer errors than on any other laptop keyboard I’ve tried.  And the screen really is nice and crisp.

3.09 pm

And here’s the gallery from the outside, should you be on Valencia Street today and want to see a great place with an excellent photography event.

2.27 pm

We’re taking a lunch break, back at 3:30 Pacific time.

1.45 pm

Here’s photographer Luis Delgado and gallery owner Gwen Lafage with his photo “tarot cards.”

1.11 pm

Here’s one of Delgado’s recent projects, it’s a foldout book in a box.

1.04 pm

Delgado is showing a recent project called Unfathomable Humanities.  These are collages of vintage photos about terrible things that people do, things like the Gulags and Abu Ghraib.  It’s on his website, so check it out!

1.01 pm

Luis Delgado is speaking now, he’s brought some books he made.  He’s speaking about growing up in Mexico, doing commercial work, and also does personal work.  He is publishing his own books, creating “tarot decks” with his photographs.  He has a box he created with photos on tarot cards, iconographic photos.

12.52 pm

Up next, Luis Delgado, a San Francisco photographer whose work you can see here:

http://www.delgadofoto.com/Luis_Delgado_artist_photographer/Delgado_News.html

12.39 pm

To see the new Dell XPS13 laptop, go here:

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/us/segments/dhs/xps13_teaser?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&ref=hbn2

One of the most unique aspects of the device is that it puts a 13.3″ screen into the same package as a typical 11″ laptop.

12.38 pm

Presentations have started here.  The first presenter is representing John Neito (http://www.johnnietophotography.com/).  He is a fascinating photographer who has been shooting since he was very young, in addition to working with other art mediums beyond photography..  His work is a cross between art and documentary.

11.53 am

The keyboard on the XPS13 is really nice for such a small laptop.  Big chiclet keys, comfortable resting place for the hands.  The trackpad is wide, has gestures built in, and a really interesting button arrangement.  The buttons are part of the trackpad at the bottom, not separate devices. Y ou just tap there and it works.  Here’s a photo, you can see how the buttons are integrated.

11.43 am

So these XPS 13 ultrabooks are really nice looking, slick.  Silver exterior, black on the inside.  Widescreen, 13″, very bright screen.  Very light, you can walk around holding them in the air.

11.24 am

Here’s what the gallery looks like.

11.02 am

This is a terrific gallery.  Anyone in San Francisco should stop in, today if they can, otherwise whenever there’s time.  The photography hanging on the walls is excellent, it’s a bright new space.

10.24 am

We’re onsite this morning at Carte Blanche, a photography gallery at 973 Valencia Street, to watch an event for Dell’s new Ultrabooks.  There will be speakers throughout the day, watch the blog for live updates.

7.36 am

Welcome, we’ll be getting started with our live coverage shortly.