In his new graphic memoir, “Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey,” Rodriguez mixes historical context and personal stories to
Seattle (AP) — Pictures released by a conservation group show a young humpback whale breaching in front of the Space Needle as it visited the waters off Seattle last week, capturing a rare display of wildlife next to a major city.
The photos were also used to gauge the general health of the whale and create a serial identification number that will help researchers keep track of the young marine mammal.
This young whale, which is estimated to be about two years old, now has the designation of CRC-20899, according to Cascadia Research Collective.
The photos were taken by Jeff Hogan, co-coordinator of the Seattle-branch of Soundwatch Boater Education Program. Hogan shadowed the whale for most of its time in the bay to alert other vessels to it. Hogan said the whale looked healthy and watched it breach nearly 30 times.
Soundwatch has been operating off the San Juan Islands, where orcas are commonly found, for more than 30 years. The Seattle wing of the program debuted this past August with the aim to protect whales in busy Elliott Bay. Program personnel inform vessels of nearby whales so that enough space is given to the giant creatures. On any given day, car and pedestrian ferries, tugboats, private crafts, container ships and other vessels crisscross the bay.
“It not only was a beautiful day and experience, it was a great opportunity to collaborate with all operators out there,” said Alanna Frayne, a coordinator for Soundwatch. “This humpback provided education.”
Local whale watching groups have identified the young humpback as the calf of an adult female with the identification BCY0995, better known as “Smiley.”
Smiley’s last calf, Chip, was fatally struck by a Washington state ferry in 2020, according to the Canadian group Vancouver Island Whale Watch.
As the whale’s population numbers rebound, visits to the Seattle metropolitan area by orcas that prey on mammals and cetacean whales like humpbacks and grays have been increasing.
Humpback whales visit the waters off Seattle as they migrate along the West Coast. Before the commercial whaling industry nearly drove them to extinction, researchers think the Puget Sound was used as a nursery by humpbacks.
The young calf was seen until Friday morning, Frayne said. Soundwatch boat followed it as the whale headed north and away from the city.
SEATTLE – Pictures released by a conservation group show a young humpback whale breaching in front of the Space Needle as it visited the waters off Seattle last week, capturing a rare display of wildlife next to a major city.
The photos were also used to gauge the general health of the whale and create a serial identification number that will help researchers keep track of the young marine mammal.
This young whale, which is estimated to be about two years old, now has the designation of CRC-20899, according to Cascadia Research Collective.
The photos were taken by Jeff Hogan, co-coordinator of the Seattle-branch of Soundwatch Boater Education Program. Hogan shadowed the whale for most of its time in the bay to alert other vessels to it. Hogan said the whale looked healthy and watched it breach nearly 30 times.
Soundwatch has been operating off the San Juan Islands, where orcas are commonly found, for more than 30 years. The Seattle wing of the program debuted this past August with the aim to protect whales in busy Elliott Bay. Program personnel inform vessels of nearby whales so that enough space is given to the giant creatures. On any given day, car and pedestrian ferries, tugboats, private crafts, container ships and other vessels crisscross the bay.
“It not only was a beautiful day and experience, it was a great opportunity to collaborate with all operators out there,” said Alanna Frayne, a coordinator for Soundwatch. “This humpback provided education.”
Local whale watching groups have identified the young humpback as the calf of an adult female with the identification BCY0995, better known as “Smiley.”
Smiley’s last calf, Chip, was fatally struck by a Washington state ferry in 2020, according to the Canadian group Vancouver Island Whale Watch.
As the whale’s population numbers rebound, visits to the Seattle metropolitan area by orcas that prey on mammals and cetacean whales like humpbacks and grays have been increasing.
Humpback whales visit the waters off Seattle as they migrate along the West Coast. Before the commercial whaling industry nearly drove them to extinction, researchers think the Puget Sound was used as a nursery by humpbacks.
The young calf was seen until Friday morning, Frayne said. Soundwatch boat followed it as the whale headed north and away from the city.
When the Panasonic G9 II was released, we were very hyped. It was a camera that was majorly pitched to us as being forwardly for photographers. With that said, a lot of video features that were in the GH6, for example, weren’t in the G9 II. Firmware 2.0 is being announced today for the camera, and photographers aren’t seeing many benefits from it. Instead, it’s all targeted to the video crowd. So, if you don’t care about video, then you probably wouldn’t necessarily care to proceed. But if you understand that Micro Four Thirds is incredibly good for video, then consider what the G9 II can do for you.
Below are the details that we were given on the new announcement with firmware 2.0:
RAW video output over HDMI to Blackmagic Design external recorder
[5.7K] / [C4K] / [5.8K(4:3)] / [4.4K(4:3)] 12-bit RAW video data can be output over HDMI to Blackmagic Video Assist 5 “12G HDR and Blackmagic Video Assist 7” 12G HDR, to be recorded as Blackmagic RAW.
*DaVinci Resolve or DaVinci Resolve Studio is required to playback and DaVinci Resolve Studio to edit Blackmagic RAW data.
*Please refer to the Blackmagic Design website for the information on the corresponding firmware version of Blackmagic Video Assist 5″ 12G HDR and Blackmagic Video Assist 7″ 12G HDR.
*All functions may not be available depending on the situation.
*When recording in C4K 120p/100p or 5.7K 60p/50p, constant bitrate 5:1 or less is recommended for SSD recording and 8:1 or less for SD card recording.
RAW video output over HDMI to ATOMOS external recorder
[5.7K] / [C4K] / [5.8K(4:3)] / [4.4K(4:3)] 12-bit RAW video data can be output over HDMI to ATOMOS “Ninja V” “Ninja V+” “Ninja” “Ninja Ultra” “Shogun” “Shogun Ultra” “Shogun Connect” devices, to be recorded as Apple Pro Res RAW.
The new update for the Panasonic G9 II is great and all for the company’s versatility. That’s going to add to sales for sure. But what about photographers? There are things that could be given to the G9 II to make it a better photographic instrument. A few thoughts:
These are just a few of the things that we’d like to see. And still, overall, for only $100 more, you can get the Panasonic S5 II. Believe it or not, that’s been one of the best cameras that we’ve used in a long time and it’s only become better with time. While we’re sure it won’t age like a fine whiskey, its nice to see certain cameras mature and become better products.
At launch, the $289 GL X backpack was described as a product that ‘invites creators to embark on a journey to transcend the ordinary and create extraordinary visual narratives that resonate with their unique stories’, and while this may be the most bewildering description of a camera bag I’ve ever heard, when I was offered the opportunity to review the backpack for myself I was suitably intrigued, especially so as I’m a fan of backpacks for lugging my own camera gear.
So, putting aside the PR hyperbole, is the GL X any good? Let’s find out.
Out of the box, the GL X is a nicely made bag, manufactured from a ‘premium’, water-resistant material, described on the tag as 100% recycled polyester with a a TPU coating. It feels and looks a bit like PU leather.
Gaston Luga’s website does mention that its bags are not made from animal-based materials, which means no leathers, no adhesives, and no colourings sourced from animals. In addition, the company’s materials meet PETA’s requirements and are approved as PETA-approved vegan materials – all good things.
Moving to the look of the thing, and as my colleague Tim Levy over at Capture wrote in his write-up of the bag, it doesn’t scream ‘camera bag’, and seems more of a hybrid lifestyle / camera backpack suited to urban environments.
This is further reinforced by the subtle branding – there’s a small Swedish flag on the side, and only very subtle Nikon branding on the front which all help sell the clean aesthetic.
However, while the material the bag is made from is nice to the touch and well sewn, it’s hard to tell how well it will wear over time when exposed to the usual conditions camera backpacks experience – think airport conveyor belts, trains, buses etc.
I’ve always preferred more heavy duty synthetic fabrics such as Nylon as camera bags traditionally have a tough life. That said, this is just my personal choice, and this is clearly a bag designed for a more urban environment. It’s quite likely buyers of it won’t be taking it hiking anytime soon.
On the rear, the bag fully opens like a suitcase and can fit both a 14′ laptop and tablet alongside a detachable camera holder with adjustable dividers that attaches to the bag with velcro. It’s large enough to hold a couple of camera bodies and a few lenses, with room to spare.
There are also two tripod or bottle holders on each side, and a small compartment on the front of the bag that could be used to hold cards or papers.
It’s worth noting that the detachable camera holder itself is made of a relatively thin fabric, with much of the protection for your camera coming from the dividers themselves and the padding on the rear of the bag.
The bag is relatively comfortable to wear with decent padding for the shoulders, although the straps are still quite thin, so if you’re carrying a bit of weight you may find it uncomfortable over time, especially as there’s no waist strap to cinch it to your back.
Finally, the bag has a nice and quite hip roll-down top compartment that is secured to the body of the bag via some well-made metal buckles that also carry subtle Nikon/Gaston Luga branding. It all adds up to make for a really premium looking bag.
Loaded up with gear and with the rolltop secured, the GL X holds its shape well, although if you do have a big telephoto on your camera body you may notice a bit of a bulge on the bag as the bag doesn’t have an internal frame to keep its shape rigid.
Despite this, it comfortably held my laptop, Sony (sacrilege!) A7 IV and 100-400mm lens, a bunch of clothes, a drink bottle, a tripod in the side pocket and a few chargers and small cables – all the kinds of things most photographers find themselves lugging around.
Although I didn’t get to test the GL X’s waterproofing, which is rated to 16000mm, the zips on the front of the bag are all seam-sealed, which is reassuring, but the zips on the rear don’t appear to be, which is an unusual choice, especially as this is the part of the bag you’re likely to be going in and out of the most.
Speaking of which, when it comes time to taking your camera out of the bag, it’s relatively quick, although it likely won’t be as fast as you can take a camera out from a satchel or side-bag.
I really enjoyed using the Nikon Gaston Luga GL X, and maybe just because it was nice to use a camera accessory that could double for an everyday non-camera related item as well. It’s nicely made, albeit with some curious design choices like the zips, reasonably priced, has (I think) some decent environmental credentials, and it looks great too. That said, if you’re not a Nikon shooter, you’d probably never look twice at it, which is a bit of a shame.
All-in-all though, the collab in question makes for a camera bag that’s well worth a look if you’re in the market for a bag that can double for other duties too.
You can order yours from nikon.com.au.
