This week we’re calling attention to a particular Super Bowl commercial that was unique in that it used a series of stills to showcase the “farmers of America” (employing some serious HDR, nonetheless). Turns out, it wasn’t a very accurate representation. Read more in this week’s Friday Happy Hour.

Ram Trucks Super Bowl commercial “Farmer” misses

“And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, ‘I need a caretaker.’ So God made a farmer.”

If you saw Ram’s “Farmer” commercial during the Super Bowl this past weekend, you might have been moved by the stills of American farms walking through their fields, hauling hay, and powering up their Dodge Ram trucks. Conservative radio broadcaster Paul Harvey’s voice was laid over the photos, reminding us all that God made “someone willing to get up before dawn…someone strong enough to clear trees and heave bales…to plow deep and straight and not cut corners. So God made a farmer.”

Then Alexis Madrigal at The Atlantic (among others) pointed out this week what he calls “The whitewashing of the American farmer”. He called attention to Lisa Hamilton’s Real Rural project, which documents the real diversity of rural California and its farmers. Take the time to check out these people’s stories for a different picture of America’s farmers.

Aperture gets six big names to all shoot the new Fujifilm X-Series

For Aperture Gallery’s latest show, curator Ken Miller got six contemporary greats - William Eggleston, Nan Goldin, Ryan McGinley, Martin Parr, Terry Richardson, and Stephen Shore – to shoot with the new Fujifilm X-Series. Say what? According to Vice, all it took was offering up a free camera, which is said to resemble an old-school SLR that works like a classic point-shoot Nikon.

Interesting to note that this was 73-year-old William Eggleston’s first time shooting digital. Each photographer’s style is evident in their shots, but there’s a more random, spur-of-the-moment quality to them. Check out the snapshots below. (via Co.Design)

Sample of shortlisted images for 2013 Sony World Photography Awards

The World Photography Organization received over 122,000 entries for its 2013 Sony World Photography Awards, and they’ve just announced the shortlist of photos. According to a press release, “Topics ranged from haunting shots of the Syrian conflict to the Obama presidential campaign; an intimate study of cinema-goers in Kabul to quirky and witty shots of the animal kingdom.” Here are a few of our favorites. (via Imaging Resource)

Lake Tahoe wedding photographers fellowship 2013

Wedding photographer Bret Cole is offering a fantastic workshop opportunity in Lake Tahoe, California for those looking to improve their craft and business. This intimate workshop is limited to 10 participants and will take place May 3-5. You’ll stay at the beautiful Cedar Lodge and attend four styled photo shoots, a private portfolio review by Don Weinstein of Pro Impact Imaging, as well as class time with Bret Cole, event planner/designer Scott Coridan, photographer Alexandra Tremaine, and more. See more details and register by March 2nd here.

New York City comes to life in time-lapse by German student photographer

German student Lena Steinkühler used her trusty Canon 600D to create this 4-minute time-lapse that brings NYC to life with moving, breathing, shifting parts. Check out the footage and a few stills below for a “hallucinatory” experience. (via So Bad So Good)

Google Images redesign contributing to some photographers’ traffic drop

At the end of last month, we reported on Google’s plans to revamp its Image search. Days after the change, South Dakota-based bird photographer Terry Sohl is claiming a 40% drop in traffic from Google’s Image search results. The reason? With the new large image display, visitors aren’t compelled to visit his website – they can simply right-click save his images from Google.

Not sure if this means that people were previously visiting Sohl’s site and then stealing his photos anyway, but the sentiment remains the same. If you have a PhotoShelter website, then your images are protected by Image Theft Guard so visitors can’t right-click save or drag-and-drop images to their desktop. But if Google is calling up large images, people might be more compelled to steal your images there (note that Google isn’t stealing your photos; they’re still hosted on your website, but people can more easily right-click save from Google).

So what can you do? Consider watermarking your photos for added protection. Also consider this: as a professional, you’re likely looking for visitors who will either eventually hire you for a job or download/buy a print, which requires a high res file. So this might actually help weed out the visitors who have no intent of doing either, and bring more “high quality” visitors to your site.

Either way, you tell us – have you seen a drop in traffic from Google since the change? Do you plan to do anything about it? Tell us in the comments.

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