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kodak.com
presents
Rick Sammon
PhotoChat: International Festivals
May 3, 2001
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Terrance:
Am I best off with a digital camera? And if so, which kind? There's so many to choose from!
Rick Sammon:
I hear that question everyday. It's a good one. The answer really lies in your needs. If you just want to take snapshots and e-mail some pictures to friends, you could use a medium-range digital camera. If you want to make beautiful 16 x 20 inch prints for your walls, you can still use a digital camera, but you're going to have to play with that image using some sophisticated program like Genuine Fractals to make that image look good. As far as my digital camera goes, I've taken the Kodak DC4800 around the world to Cuba and Nepal. Some of those pictures are archived on the Kodak eMagazine. I've gotten incredible results with that little camera, including four pages in a magazine called eDigitalPhoto.com. Plus, I got the cover with this little camera, with this 3-megapixel camera. The results are truly amazing. I make 11 x 14 inch prints with the files with that camera, and they're super sharp. I shoot at the best setting, which uses up a lot of memory, but it's worth it.
Chat Man:
What digital camera do you use, if any?
Rick Sammon:
The DC4800. One thing I forgot to say was that this camera accepts accessory lenses. So for festivals, you can shoot with the built-in zoom lens, but you can also shoot with the accessory wide-angle lens and the telephoto lens, and that makes the photography more creative.
Randolph:
Can you give us some tips on camera care? Is there anything I should be doing as far as routine maintenance?
Rick Sammon:
Using it! Use your camera as much as you can. Not only will it help your photography, but you'll also be able to check out to make sure that everything is working. When I'm on a trip, I clean my camera every night, because even a little bit of dust can ruin an entire roll of film.
Mytrle:
Do you ever tire of traveling?
Rick Sammon:
I hate traveling to a location. I hate traveling back from a location, because I have long legs, and I'm hyper. I don't like being in planes. Still, I will never tire, I don't think, of being a travel photographer. It's just too much fun. You meet so many great people. Every day is different; every hour is different. You never know what to expect. You can plan for a year to go to a festival, and it could be raining there. There could be 10,000 people there. You might be sick, and you still have to shoot and work. There are other variables. Your luggage could be lost, which is why I always, always, always carry all my cameras with me, because I can still have fun and do the job.
Echo:
How does this shoot compare to the work you did in Cuba?
Rick Sammon:
Cuba, I have to admit, was one of the most exciting adventures of my life, because it was so different. Plus, I knew that I was getting pictures that not many people have. There are a million pictures of festivals, but there are only half a million pictures of Cuba. Cuba was a fantastic photographic experience, but also, an incredible learning experience and personal experience, because of the people. There's an expression that as you get closer to the equator, not only does the weather get warmer, but the people get warmer, as well. I think that's one reason why there are so many festivals in the Caribbean, because the people are warm and friendly. Up here in New York where I live, we don't have that kind of festival. However, I take that back. There is the Puerto Rican Day Parade in September, which I'm going to this year. It is from the pictures I've seen similar to some of the festivals in the Caribbean.
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