The reason it took so long is simple and complicated at the same time. When first we started out, we thought we’d done it, but for some reason every time you tried to watch a video it just went black. We couldn’t figure it out. We asked the guys at Adobe to figure it out, and they couldn’t either. Then we had some deadlines for upcoming issues and there are only a few of us so, given the disappointing sales of Android devices, we have to admit that it wasn’t our priority.

That said, each month — between editions as well as at publication time – we (which means Adam, in the Lewes office) would try out the latest updates from Adobe and create a new app which according to everything he read was meant to fix the problems. It never did.

Then, finally, we decided to bring The Photographer’s i Magazine home to Ilex Photo, where we publish from (you’ll see Adam’s picture on the editorial page now). His first job was to get things running sustainably and with issue 5, he has. So he turned back to his “hobby” – the Android version.

After a couple of rough starts – some which seemed to work until published via Google Play (sorry), he created an altogether new app – signified by a pink + symbol in the icon – which works for Android tablets with 10″ displays. It’s great.

• Only shows editions available to Android users – no more ‘PDF errors’
• Video plays successfully
• Makes full use of the 16:10 display size (‘home’ bars may affect this depending on your device)

This is includes our reader survey, in which we invite you to shape the future of the magazine, so hurry up and get downloading. We’re waiting with baited breath for those survey results.

Photography in the blink of an eye?

Anyone over a certain age’s first contact with photography will be like mine, brittle snaps kept under a sheets of plastic, carefully arranged in bulky books kept out of reach of your grubby child’s fingers. Or maybe going to the developers after waiting two weeks to be given a shiny paper wallet, eager to find out which ones had turned out and which were blurred messes with a little sticker on them. the point is photography was limited, something that you had to wait for, and when you got it its successes were treated with reverence, physical objects to be kept in books or displayed in frames.

In less than ten years the technology has changed so much, with the ability to take a thousand shots and see the results instantly, everybody and anybody has become almost chronic documentors of their own lives, photographs still have some value but rarely are they treated with the same reverence. Often dumped onto hard drives or put up on photo sharing sites to be dismissively ‘liked’ or commented on. But photographers still found a trade, photography attracting people who are interested in the specialised technology and process meant that even when that technology changed most were able to keep up with and revel in those changes. And there is always a market for people who have a unique vision, people who can take that vision and share it with the world.

Then people started being able to take photos with their phones, little devices that they carried with them constantly and instantly share them with whoever they like in seconds. And with these devices came selections of filters and graphics they could add to those pictures, even the most casual of user adding the word ‘photographer’ to their resume, normally along with ‘blogger’ ‘artist’ and ‘hacky sack player’. But are these people photographers, do they and the millions of poorly framed, soft focus, pictures of their lunch actually devalue ‘real’ photography? what is ‘real photography’ anyway?

Some would argue, whether you like it or not they are ALL photographers, and the real questions whether they are good photographers or bad ones. Millions of bad or average photographs means that the nuance between good and great photographers is becoming smaller and smaller. and probably it is here that ‘real’ photographers live.

Thoughts, comments? Leave a comment or head on over to our Facebook page

Danny Smith

Wilkes has been praised numerous times by the photographic and design industry with awards that include the Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for Magazine Photography, Photographer of the Year in Adweek magazine, and honors in Graphis magazine and Communication Arts. His photographs have appeared in magazines such as Vanity Fair, Sports Illustrated, Time, Life, and the New York Times Magazine and can be found on permanent collection at the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography & Film, the Library of Congress, Dow Jones Collection, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Jewish Museum, New York. His book, Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom, was published by W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., in 2006. (Photo (c) Greg Gorman)

You can experience the app yourself via the website www.photographersi.com , or search for “Photographers i” in the iPad’s App Store. There you’ll find a free taster issue, a special low-priced, full-length pilot issue and a free issue if you subscribe.

With the launch of Issue 3 Photographer’s i Magazine is now retina-screen compatible!

While other publishers have struggled to get retina-compatible content out on the new iPad, Photographer’s i Interactive Magazine has made it look effortless, offering a magazine that looks better than print, with every image pin-sharp and text of a stunning clarity.

World-renowned photographer Steve McCurry’s work leaps off the screen in Michael Freeman’s retrospective, his already brilliant use of color further enhanced. And the images in Stephen Wilkes Empire of Light simply glow.

Covering everything from a masterclass in street photography by New York photographer David Beckerman, to the evocative and ethereal worlds created by Brooke Shaden, the exotic pictures of globetrotting Simon Bond, to the serene and tranquil nature shots of Carl Heilman.

Also featuring an in depth conversation with the award winning Joyce Tenneson, this issue is not not be missed.

 
You can experience the app yourself via the website www.photographersi.com , or search for “Photographers i” in the iPad’s App Store. There you’ll find a free taster issue, a special low-priced, full-length pilot issue and a free issue if you subscribe.

For those with an eye to the future, he’s also doing a bit of crystal-ball gazing and revealing some secrets about his next book.

Tennis Girl – Martin Elliot (1976) The photo that launched a thousand furtive teenage fumblings – nowadays, when all manner of smut is available a mere few clicks away, it hard to imagine how saucy just the sight of of a bare bum could be. But its not just our libidos that stand up and salute this fine picture, the crisp white dress, the low sun, and the cheeky seaside humour make this a perfect representation of an idyllic English summer.

V-J Day in Times Square – Alfred Eisenstaedt (1945) In one act that would probably lead to quite serious sexual assault charges today the jubilant sailor sums up the relief and joy of a nation who had lost their sons, husbands and fathers to a war they didn’t start. His strong hand in focus in the foreground and the way the nurse is completely melting into the kiss is at once intensely romantic and a small clue how people must have felt that day.

Kissing Couple – Richard Lam (2010) Another kiss, a Canadian woman is knocked down by Vancouver police and her boyfriend rushes to comfort her. Framed in the foreground by a looming policeman in riot gear, the clear space that surrounds the couple plus the bare skin of her legs highlights their fragility and makes the kiss that bit more more special and human especially when juxtaposed with the chaos that surrounds them.

Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston – Donald L. Robinson (1965)  One of the greatest sportsmen that ever lived wild and triumphant, the rules stated that he should have returned to a neutral corner so the knockout count should never have been upheld, but the flurry of undefended blows landed afterwards would have stopped the match anyway. Muhammad Ali upholding his promise of ‘first minute, first round’ is telling Sonny Liston to ‘get up and fight sucka’.

Afghan Girl – Steve McCurry (1985) Of course we put this in. But the photograph itself is not without merit. Literally stunning, the girl pins you to the spot with piercing pale green eyes. The complimentary red and green of her clothing brings out the ethereal qualities of the young girls face, which at once humanises her and sets her apart as special.

Issue Three contains a complete retrospective of Steve McCurry’s life as a photographer including the photographs that made him defined his career.

To sign up for a free thirty day trial visit go to our page. Or to see an exclusive preview video here.

Danny Smith

So what exactly is a retina display and what does that mean for photographers?

Well, the Apple trademarked Retina display is basically technology that allows for 326 pixels per square inch to be displayed on the iPhone 4. The average human eye can only perceive about 300, this means actions like scrolling, zooming in and other animations are smoother and images sharper. The iPad coming in at 264 ppi is somewhat less but is usually held further away from the face. For an excellent takedown of the Retina display go here.

Apple also claim to have something called IPS (in-plane switching) that allows for a ‘wider viewing angle’ which means that material seen on the iPad, say an high quality photography magazine with articles, videos, and pictures by the world’s top practitioners, can be seen from any number of angles and positions.

So the consumer gets a better product but what about the photographers? With better photo editing and manipulation tools being available for the iPad, and the Retina display being rolled out on most new Apple products we can expect a higher level of care and finish to the photographs to keep up with the demand for quality pictures.

But with higher resolution pictures there’s a great risk of theft, at the moment one of the tools a photographer has in his defence against having his pictures taken from the web is the alternative of buying the high quality alternative. Of course the other choice is ugly watermarks that not only remove the impact and nuance of the images but also look cheap. Of course with the DRM protection technology only ever half a step in front of the the DRM cracking software, are our images safe?

Does it matter? Will good photography always find a market? And can we learn anything from the music industry?

What do you think?