Gary has NEX-7 book available now

[David Kilpatrick]

I visited Gary a few days ago and he has spoiled his new book completely by getting me to pose for his cover photo:



Here's the download/purchase link for the book:

http://friedmanarchives.com/NEX-7/

Really great to meet Gary for the first time although we have worked together for a good few years on various projects.

David

[UrsaMajor]

I visited Gary a few days ago and he has spoiled his new book completely by getting me to pose for his cover photo
Really great to meet Gary for the first time although we have worked together for a good few years on various projects.

You were in California recently? It's a small world!

Last Saturday I participated in Gary's Field Workshop in Santa Monica, California. An interesting day well spent, IMO, as was his weekend classroom seminar that I took a few years ago. (I thought enough of that experience that I paid for my daughter-in-law to attend it last year as a birthday present to her.)

FWIW, Gary was using the NEX-7 throughout the day during the Field Workshop. He had a backpack with other gear that he carried with him, but I'm almost positive that he used the NEX-7 for all of his photos last Saturday. (You should talk him into posting a few of his images from that walking tour - especially a couple of the motel images. )

What's a bit ironic is that I live only a couple of miles from Gary, but would not have met him if it were not for our mutual interest in photography.

Wth best wishes,
- Tom -

[Birma]

Almost worth buying the book just for the cover .

[David Kilpatrick]

Tom - we stayed in Sunset Beach and had a meal at Captain Jack's on the Saturday night. I'm afraid we went to Knotts Berry Farm during the day, though if I had realised you were on Gary's workshop, we would have got over at the end of the day to say hi. We saw Gary and Carol the next day before heading off for lodging in Lone Pine, followed by a quick two way crossing of Yosemite and the Sonora pass and a stay in Jamestown which we thought was a great place. I am kicking myself, the antique shop near the hotel had a Gibson C-1 1960-ish nylon classical folk guitar with original case for $250, tried it and it was just amazing - rang like a bell. But I'm afraid Shirley would have rebelled if I'd tried to load a vintage Gibson into the journey, even at about half to a third of its value.

We met with Gary to sign up a bit of future planning. It's not Sony/Alpha. I can not remain limited or tied to Sony and I want to do something good. Gary will be part of it!

David

[UrsaMajor]

Tom - we stayed in Sunset Beach and had a meal at Captain Jack's on the Saturday night. I'm afraid we went to Knotts Berry Farm during the day, though if I had realised you were on Gary's workshop, we would have got over at the end of the day to say hi. We saw Gary and Carol the next day before heading off for lodging in Lone Pine, followed by a quick two way crossing of Yosemite and the Sonora pass and a stay in Jamestown which we thought was a great place. I am kicking myself, the antique shop near the hotel had a Gibson C-1 1960-ish nylon classical folk guitar with original case for $250, tried it and it was just amazing - rang like a bell. But I'm afraid Shirley would have rebelled if I'd tried to load a vintage Gibson into the journey, even at about half to a third of its value.

Dropping by Gary's workshop would not have been very convenient for you, as it was held about 35 miles to the North of you, in Santa Monica - about an hour's drive each way due to the traffic on the streets in that area.

I know Sunset Beach well, as I have been there with my camera a number of times at . . . Sunset. It's a nice location for such images, although I think that the setting sun is in a much better location at the winter solstice than at the summer solstice. I've also been to dinner at Captain Jack's several times, although the last time was several years ago.

As you can see from the first image below - which I took last Saturday - if you had actually walked with the group on Gary's workshop, you would have been subjected to even more temptation than you mention above.

The second image is of Gary in the doorway of a local cafe in Venice / Santa Monica - also taken last Saturday. As you can see, he had the NEX-7 in hand.

With best wishes,
- Tom -

[David Kilpatrick]

We will be staying in Santa Monica midweek - Sea Shore Motel, where Shirley stayed in 1998 and enjoyed the place and location, so recommended we stop there on the way back to San Diego. I may just find that Guitar Connection store unless stopped...

David

[UrsaMajor]

We will be staying in Santa Monica midweek - Sea Shore Motel, where Shirley stayed in 1998 and enjoyed the place and location, so recommended we stop there on the way back to San Diego. I may just find that Guitar Connection store unless stopped...

It is just a wild guess, but am I correct in assuming that the Sea Shore is not the motel that we walked past on Gary's workshop last week . . . ?

With best wishes,
- Tom -

[Birma]

I like your picture of Gary in the door way Tom

I'm intrigued by yours and Gary's plan David. A book, or perhaps an Internet tv channel?

[UrsaMajor]

I like your picture of Gary in the door way Tom

The credit for that image belongs to Gary. I saw the cafe with the surfboard and sign beside the doorway, and took a couple of shots of the scene.

Gary suggested that it would be a better image with a person in the scene, and that his shirt might also add to the overall effect. The end result was the image above.

With best wishes,
- Tom -

[Greg Beetham]

The Gibson at that price was a great find David; but if you were too purchase it I don’t like your chances of it surviving the baggage handler’s etc. tender mercies though. (I think your main hope in acquiring the guitar is too accidentally find a good shoe store first, the female of the species are known to acquire re-invigorated benevolence after a visit too one of those)
And: ‘doing something good’ and ‘can’t be limited by Sony’ implies that doing something (anything?) apart from Alpha/Sony orientated works would be good… Also ‘includes Gary F’ in the ‘something good’ implies some kind of co-operative effort on ‘something’…hmmm but Gary mainlines in books about Sony cameras (unless he has interests in other directions as well of course), at first glance it doesn’t seem to have great potential too garnish much distance from Sony.believe…
Greg

[edrice]

You were in California recently? It's a small world!

Last Saturday I participated in Gary's Field Workshop in Santa Monica, California. An interesting day well spent, IMO, as was his weekend classroom seminar that I took a few years ago. (I thought enough of that experience that I paid for my daughter-in-law to attend it last year as a birthday present to her.)

FWIW, Gary was using the NEX-7 throughout the day during the Field Workshop. He had a backpack with other gear that he carried with him, but I'm almost positive that he used the NEX-7 for all of his photos last Saturday. (You should talk him into posting a few of his images from that walking tour - especially a couple of the motel images. )

What's a bit ironic is that I live only a couple of miles from Gary, but would not have met him if it were not for our mutual interest in photography.

Wth best wishes,
- Tom -

Good grief! I'm local to all this too but I never find out anything till after the dust settles!

Just curious if you know what lens(es) Gary was using on the NEX-7...

Ed

[UrsaMajor]

Just curious if you know what lens(es) Gary was using on the NEX-7...

I believe that he was using an 18-55mm for most of the day - possibly the entire day. However, I have to confess that I didn't pay any attention, and that I don't even know what e-mount lenses are currently available for the NEX cameras.

If it is of any help, here is a shot that I took at the end of the day when we were having pizza, salad, etc. Gary is showing a couple of the participants an image on the screen of the NEX-7, and I'm almost certain that the lens on the camera in this shot is the one that he was using most (all?) of the day.

With best wishes,
- Tom -

[alphaomega]

There is also a NEX-7 book by David Busch I found by accident on Amazon UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/David-Buschs-Al ... 730&sr=1-2
Don't know anything about this author or the quality of the book but you get 360 or so pages for £17.84 delivered free here in UK.
$19.00 on Amazon.com.
Could be useful if you don't like reading a manual on a computer screen or paying nearly $100 for a printed copy.

[peterottaway]

Yes it does depend on whether you want it on your computer/iPad or in printed form. But to me Busch's books are more like a text book whilst Gary presents his material more as training course.

It just depends on which type of learning you prefer.

[bakubo]

On the front page David wrote this:

The USA is now fairly expensive compared to much of Europe, not affordable as it used to be – and this comes as a surprise, because things like the camera prices at B&H do not give much clue, they are still generally lower. In California at least things like motels (except the most basic), beer, coffee, snacks, entry or parking fees are maybe 50% more than UK costs – so to all our US readers, be assured, now is a very good time to use your NEX-7 skills and take a trip across the pond.

Darn, that is good news. Although lately the U.S. dollar is a bit stronger with regards to the euro and pound it is still pretty weak so we haven't given much thought to another trip there. I haven't been to Europe since 2006 and the UK since 2001. My wife and I would really like to go again though. I am pretty familiar with U.S. and California prices (we just finished a 24 day road trip) so with David's info then maybe we will give some thought to a trip across the Atlantic in the next few months.