New Nikon ME-1 Stereo Microphone

I guess it was just a question of time before the camera manufacturers would come up with microphones that can be used with their digital DSLRs.

Nikon's foray in this field is the Stereo Microphone ME-1, an compact stereo condenser microphone that features a hot shoe mount, a 3.5mm stereo output connector, and a removable windscreen, as well as a "noise dampening components designed to minimize noise resulting from AF operation," according to Nikon's press release.

The ME-1 is meant for use with Nikon digital cameras that incorporate a stereo audio input jack, including the D3S, D300S, D7000, D5100 and P7000. The new microphone does not require a battery; instead, it draws power from the connected camera.

The issue with any camera mounted microphones is that every whirr, click or hum that the camera makes in its normal operation is picked up.

Via Rob Galbraith DPI which reports that its estimated selling price of US$179.95 in the U.S.

Quinn Ryan Mattingly: Burma's Monasteries

Photo © Quinn Ryan Mattingly-All Rights Reserved

This is the second time that Quinn Ryan Mattingly's work appears on The Travel Photographer blog. He's a documentary photographer based in Saigon, and most of his work is related to documenting a wide range of subjects, including social issues, which can include documenting a Vietnamese leprosy center and a home for the aged, a behind the scenes Saigon circus, Burmese television commercial shoots, and street scenes of Yangon.

I liked one of Quinn's photo galleries in particular which he titled Burma IV: Life On The Path.  He tells us that a monk approached him in Yangon, and after a few friendly pleasantries, was invited to the monk's monastery. This provided him an insider look into Buddhist monastic life in Burma.

By all means, poke around Quinn's website, which has interesting still galleries and multimedia.

Incidentally, Quinn is one of the many photographers who uses PhotoShelter for his website and galleries, as well for selling his work.

If you want to learn how you can sell your prints, PhotoShelter has issued a free downloadable PDF guide to help you out.

The Invisible Ph t grapher: Liz Loh-Taylor

Photo © Liz Loh-Taylor-All Rights Reserved

If you haven't bookmarked the Invisible Ph t grapher Asia, I suggest you do. The Invisible Ph t grapher Asia (IPA) is not only a collective of photographers in Asia mostly involved in street photography and visual journalism, but is also a very clever brand name.

Kevin WY Lee founded the collective in early 2010, and although it's based in Singapore, it covers  Hong Kong, Japan, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, India, Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, Pakistan, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka.

I've been following it for a while now, and I liked a recent interview IPA has had with Liz Loh-Taylor, a young full-time documentary photographer, based in Australia, who only entered the profession in late 2009, but who has already won awards, and important recognition.

Although Liz had joined the finance industry, she also worked with disadvantaged children and communities in Africa, and decided to document their stories through a camera. She gave up her corporate career late 2009, and committed to photography since then.

If you poke around The Invisible Ph t grapher Asia website, you'll find a section on street photography with a number of photo essays related to that style. There's also a street photography contest that is open and free to photographers of any level, and in any country of residence, but submissions must be in the street photography genre and photographed in Asia within the last 12 months.

The prize? It's a street photographer's classic. A black repainted LEICA M2 Rangefinder Camera, and a brand new Nokton 35mm F/1.4 lens.