Heat Knicks Blow Out Photo Gallery

Click here to see Miami Heat vs New York Knicks  photo gallery by Al Diaz and David Santiago. The Heat blew out the Knicks 100-67 in Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs.  Heat vs Knicks

Think Tank Photo Airport 4-Sight™ Photo Industry's First Four-Wheel Roller

Today Think Tank Photo is pre-announcing the release of the photo industry's
first four-wheel roller, the Airport 4-Sight™.

The Airport 4-Sight meets international airline carry-on standards. The roller's weight has been reduced dramatically through innovative design and by a strict focus on the features you've asked for.

The new four-wheel roller is scheduled for release in May. 

To be among the first to be alerted when it is available, click on the "Notify me when this product is in stock" link next to the price on the website.

The Airport 4-Sight meets international airline carry-on standards. The roller's weight has been reduced dramatically through innovative design and by a strict focus on the features that you and your fellow photographers find most beneficial. With professional photography gear not getting any lighter, Think Tank set out to design a more ergonomic roller to reduce fatigue and strain on traveling photographers. Walking a four-wheeler alongside one's self is easier than pulling it behind or carrying it over a shoulder. Putting the bags weight on four-wheels eliminates arm strain and makes rolling effortless. Four-wheelers are superior on many smooth surfaces. On thick carpet, the Airport 4-Sight leans over to perform as a traditional two-wheel roller. It has the added benefit of rolling sideways on two wheels to easily navigate tight spaces, such as airline aisles. 

• Features Include:
• High capacity. Holds Pro DSLRs with four to five lenses.
• Integrated removable Think Tank Cable Management organizer. 
• Side hinged lid opens bag completely for quick and unencumbered access to gear. 
• Two-position locking handle for comfort and ergonomics. 
• Zippered top pocket for boarding pass. 
• Lockable zipper sliders on main compartment. 
• Reinforced bottom panel for increased durability. 
• User replaceable handle and wheels. 
• Seam sealed rain cover included. 
• YKK RC-fused™ zippers. 

Specifications Internal Dimensions: 12.3" W x 16" H x 5-6.7" D (31.2 x 40.6 x 12.7-17 cm) External Dimensions: 14" W x 19.5" H x 8" D (35.6 x 49.5 x 20.3 cm) Weight: 7-8.9 lbs (3.2-4 kg)

Think Tank Photo is a group of designers and professional photographers focused on studying how photographers work and developing inventive new carrying solutions to meet their needs.

"You gotta be photographed by a Think Tanker!"

"If you are gonna be at the fights.... and want to take photographs use Think Tank Photo bags."

"You gotta be photographed by a Think Tanker!" So says the ultimate fight promoter Don King!

At ring side, you'll have a fighting chance to be ready "Before The Moment" with Think Tank Photo's latest addition to its best-selling Retrospective shoulder bag line. The Retrospective® 7 is scheduled for release in May. The bag is designed for standard DSLR systems.  Its classic design along with modern improvements create the perfect shooter’s bag.  This lightweight shoulder bag comes in fabrics that offer a sense of “retro” style that appeals to many.  You can even transmit, twit, pin it and post from ringside! A rear pocket has been designed to hold an iPad or an 11” MacBook Air.

Retrospective® 7 features include:
·         iPad/MacBook pocket
·         cushioned and padded nonslip shoulder strap for all day comfort.
·         Sound Silencers™ to turn off the front flap hook and loop for silent operation.
·         Organizational and zippered pockets for accessories.
·         Removable divider set for custom layouts.
·         Convenient carrying handle for grab and go.
·         Seam sealed rain cover.
·         Expandable front pocket for DSLR body or accessories.
·         Business card slot under the front flap for identification.
·         High quality YKK zippers.

In addition, in May ThinkTank will release its Retrospective® 5, Retrospective® 7, Retrospective® 10, Retrospective® 20, and Retrospective® 30 in a new color, Blue-Slate.

Think Tank Photo to Release Four New Products

Our friends at Think Tank Photo announced the impending release of four new pocket storage devices for your DSLR Batteries, Strobist Gels, and SD Cards.

DSLR Battery Holders -- The number one sin in photography is running out of power. To help prevent that from happening, in May, Think Tank Photo will release the DSLR Battery Holder 2 and the DSLR Battery Holder 4. These slim, collapsible, compact designs secure two or four standard size camera batteries. Features include: Compact carrier for two or four standard DSLR batteries; compresses flat when not in use, easily stored hook and loop closure with top fold design. 

Strobe Gel Wallet -- For all the Strobists out there, Think Tank Photo announces that in May it will release the Strobe Gel Wallet. This wallet stores photography gels in a neat and organized manner and keeps them protected. The wallet minimizes clutter by folding up and stashing away in your bags, cases, or backpacks. The five pockets have a large capacity. This enhances the ability to store and locate gels easily instead of having them mound into one big stack. Features include: Clear pockets for gels make identification easy; folds flat when not in use; business card slot; can be tethered to any Think Tank product, clothing, or belt; hook and loop closure with fold-up design; includes tether with clips for security. 

SD Pixel Pocket Rocket -- In May, with the release of Think Tank Photo’s SD Pixel Pocket Rocket, you will be able to keep your most important photography storage device, your SD cards, secure and organized. The SD Pixel Pocket Rocket keeps those very small but valuable SD cards safely stored in one place. No more lost SD cards, and no more found SD cards in the bottom of the washing machine. Additionally, it can be tethered to bags, clothing, briefcases, and backpacks for additional security. Features include: Compact carrier for nine SD cards; clear pockets make identification easy, folds flat when not in use; business card slot; hook and loop closure with fold-up design; tether with clips for secure attachment. 

Capture Coral Gables; A Photography Contest & Exhibit

Think Tank Photo joins Associated Photo & Imaging as sponsors of the The Coral Gables Museum Photography Contest & Exhibit. 

Coral Gables Museum invites YOU to submit your photograph for a chance to exhibit at the Museum and win cash and prizes! This is a skill-based photography contest open to all ages. This contest will culminate in an exhibit at the Coral Gables Museum in summer 2012.

The objectives of this contest are to invite the public to explore and examine the City of Coral Gables through a photographic lens, as well as to recognize local talent. Awards will be determined by a professional jury and a public vote.

For Contest Rules and to Submit Your Photo Entry,

Visit www.CoralGablesMuseum.org

Photography Contest Categories:

Nature/Landscape

Photographs must showcase outdoor beauty in Coral Gables. The primary subject of the image must be of natural elements. Coral Gables is home to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens, Matheson Hammock Park, The Coral Gables Waterway and tree-lined boulevards.

Historic Sites

Photographs must feature Coral Gables historic sites, such as buildings, monuments, structures, homes, entrances, villages or streets in Coral Gables. Please specify the location in the title or description.

View map for Historic locations in Coral Gables. *note you will need Adobe to view file

Architecture

Photographs must capture architectural details in Coral Gables. Entrants are encouraged to zoom in on all styles and periods of architecture from the Mediterranean Revival to Modern. Please specify the location in the title or description.

Faces of Coral Gables

Photographs must showcase either portraits or candid photos of people in Coral Gables, be they neighbors, families, business owners, community leaders or politicians.

Opening Night Time Lapse of Marlins Park

From the rooftop of the new Stadium Tower I have a commanding view of my old neck of the woods where I grew up. It stands tall just two doors down from where my uncle Candido Delgado used to cut my hair inside his neighborhood barbershop and west of the old Orange Bowl Stadium site on NW 7th Street.

Gazing east is the spectacular view of Marlins Park looking its finest for Opening Night with the horizon bejeweled by the panorama of the Magic City.

Chuck Fadely and I set up a Canon 1D Mark IV for a time lapse of the new baseball stadium as we prepared to capture the movement of its retractable roof and fans arriving for the big event.

Using Canon’s intervalometer the camera was to go off every six seconds from noonish until 8:30 the next morning. ISO set at 200, AV at f8 and shot on a 32GB SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash Memory Card.

Over 13,000 frames edited down to 1:47 seconds. It took Chuck four hours to produce. Then another two hours to compress for the web.

The forecast said 20 percent chance of rain for the game. It was a gorgeous night until the early morning storm blew in. Good thing we used sandbags and bungee cords to secure the tripod, then a big plastic bag to keep it all dry.

Alina Trull, Community Manager at Stadium Tower, and I compared notes about growing up in the area. Over the years so much of the neighborhood has changed but one thing we both agreed on, there will be parked cars jammed into humble little lots across from the massive landmark. Just like the old football games with the Miami Dolphins, the Miami Hurricanes, Super Bowls and NCAA National Championship Orange Bowl games. Some folks are going to make a killing.

Photojournalism in the Digital Age at The Miami Herald

Three Miami Herald photojournalists speak at Art Serve. 

Tonight, Thursday, April 5th 7-10pm,

1350 E. Sunrise Boulevard Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33304.

Free for members $20 for non-members. Membership is only $100 a year

Jeffrey Loria’s New Masterpiece: Marlins Park.

Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria at Marlins Park

Vision becomes artistic reality at Marlins Park.

Jeffrey Loria’s idea, which began on a napkin, is complete. What is left is for players and fans to make it their home. 

By ALDIAZ

aldiaz305@aol.com
Here is a behind the scenes look at the portrait session with Loria in the upper decks over left field. The new baseball stadium is built on the former site of the Orange Bowl. 

After much debate on where to set up, behind the pitchers mound or in the upper decks, the right choice was made.

Scouting with stand in Carolina Perrina de Diego Director, Business Communications

Photo assistant Zander Brant hauls in the gear.

The next day photographer Paul Morris joined me to shoot aerials of the new home of the Miami Marlins in the magic city at sunset.

Camera Copters, piloted by J.P. Robinson is my first choice for aerial photography. J.P. and owner Paul Barth have the reputation for always putting the camera in the right spot while floating in midair! Their helicopters have the ability to be flown with the doors off, and have restraint systems in place that allows the photographer to hang out the door, but feel totally secure. Well I’m not sure about that part but it does work. Unlike the past using the Black Rapid RS-7 Curve camera strap added that sense of security and reduced the risk of any accidents while flying over the stadium.

Photographers Paul Morris, left and Al Diaz at right.

The images appeared in The Miami Herald commemorative section titled Jeffrey Loria’s New Masterpiece: Marlins Park.

Photo by Al Diaz, page design by Robert Cohn

BY CLARK SPENCER
CSPENCER@MIAMIHERALD.COM

It began four years ago on a paper napkin.

That’s when Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria sat down with renowned ballpark architect Earl Santee to discuss his vision of how a Major League baseball venue in Miami should look.

Santee had worked on a number of the big-league ballparks designed and constructed over the past decade, including PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Minute Maid Park in Houston, and the new Yankee Stadium.

But Loria wanted something altogether different, a place that would help accentuate Miami’s landscape. Something contemporary. Something colorful. Something different.

And so, at their meeting in the lobby of the Claridge’s hotel in London, Loria grabbed a napkin, sketched out a rough rendering of the type of ballpark he had in mind, and handed it over to Santee.

“My words to him were, ‘I want you to take this and bring me back some real drawings,’ ” Loria recalled. “I did not want to see us build a building that was a concrete mass. It had to be something that would fit into Miami’s plan for beautiful buildings going forward and great contemporary architecture.”

Santee, in Loria’s estimation, hit a home run.

Read more here:

A Stretch and Tiny Bubbles at Sony Ericsson Open Tennis Finals

Novak Djokovic and Agnieszka Radwanska

It's often a stretch to capture unique images while struggling with fluctuating color temperature, finding a fresh angle and the onslaught of tennis photographers in the photo wells.

Here are a few of my images and a behind the scenes look at some of the many shooters including a few "Think Tankers" at this weekend's Sony Ericsson Open tennis finals. Tennis photographer Michael Baz says over 130 photgraphers were credentialed for the two week tournament.

Photographer Chaz Niell

Novak Djokovic defeats Juan Monaco 6-0, 7-6 during semi-finals at Sony Ericsson Open on Key Biscayne, Friday, March 30, 2012.

Lou Novick at center wearing the Think Tank Photo Modular Component System. 
At right is Associated Press staffer Wilfredo Lee.

Fellow "Think Tankers" Rhona Wise and Alberto Tamargo using Think Tank Photo Products.

AP's Lynne Sladky, Alan Diaz and Wilfredo Lee

Getty's Matthew Stockman and Al Bello using the Black Rapid DR-1 Double Strap

Reuter's Andrew Innerarity, Steve Mitchell and AP's J Pat Carter at left to right.

AP's J Pat Carter uses the Think Tank Photo Airport Security

Tiny bubbles greet Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska