Old Slide Sunday 2

I'm told this is Lucy. The cake says "Happy Birthday Aunt El." I love how she looks like she's in a closet waiting to surprise Aunt El. The cake looks beautiful, and the pictures on the wall look neat too. Jeez, I'm loving these old pictures.

Previously:
Old Slide Sunday 1
Old Slides

Senior Show Sneak Peek

I've been working on my senior show. I plan on working with macro lenses for most of it. I'd like to show an otherworldly point of view. I think that strongly directional light will play a big role in giving the images the surreal look that I am after. Let me know what you think.

The World Without Us

Alan Weisman has a book out called The World Without Us. It definitely sounds like something I want to read. I found the website and it reminded me of a project I did about decay. I've often imagined what would (will) happen if (when) people become extinct.

Weisman presents a well thought out prospect in this book. Nature will reclaim our lawns, homes, buildings and roads. The air and water will eventually return to its pre-human state. Buildings and bridges will eventually lose their battles with gravity. I wonder if, in the meantime, other animals will inhabit any of our structures. Picture a mountain lion sleeping on your couch, squirrels nesting in your hamper, and leprechauns cooking in your kitch- oops, imagination overload.

At the very least, it's fun to think about.

Here are some pictures from my project.

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

Canon has released two new cameras! Holy CMOS! First up is the big dog, EOS 1Ds Mark III. Quick Specs on this photographic hammer-of-the-gods: 21.1 Megapixels, 5 fps, full frame CMOS sensor. "...a new benchmark in image resolution and sharpness for 35mm-format digital photography." I wonder if they would, cough, lend it out for review, cough.
Here.

Next, the EOS 40D, 10.1 megapixels, 6.5 fps (only for jpgs?), self cleaning sensor, 3 inch preview screen. For $1299, I may think about trading in my 20D.
And here.

Old Slide Sunday 1

I'm still working on converting a bunch of old slides to digital. I've been told that my grandfather took most, if not all of them. Since the imagery is so great, and since I have so many of them, I've decided to share them by making Sunday "Old Slide Sunday."
Each Sunday I will showcase a pick from the archive of slides that I am developing. Whether because of the great tonality of the color slide film or the cool retro look everyone has, each Sunday we will be graced with one of Grandpa's shots. I hope you are enjoying them as much as I am. Because if you aren't.

Today's slide was chosen for several reasons. The composition in interesting, I am wondering what everyone is talking about, but really I just love the moustached fella's cool plaid suit, and his knowing glare.




Previously:
Old Slides

Deep Sea Fishing

My last semester of school starts on Monday, and I've really got that end of summer feeling. The smell of fresh pencils is in the air, and while we're all happy that the heat is letting up, I can't shake the feeling that I've wasted another summer. To prove to myself that I haven't, I am continuing my look back at the summer with these pictures of a fishing trip in July. They are King Mackerel, and they were quite tasty.

Animoto is great!

Animoto is a program that allows you to animate your photos. Well, actually it does it completely for you. I took all of the pictures that I have posted on this site so far and put them into a thirty second video. The service is super simple and intuitive and uses great effects, though creative control is highly limited. The more I look at the video I made, the more I think that these particular effects would be more suitable for a motocross race than any kind of lower key event. It is neat though how it analyzes and syncs the music and photos.

Animated video slide shows could be a cool way to market photos. It would be incredibly effective to present a wedding or other event this way, a real eye-catcher. I just want more control.

Animoto is free for any 30 second video. For an unlimited length video, they charge $3 per video or a $30 one year subscription. Not a bad deal if you can put it to good use. Which you can.

Here's my video:


Here's a link to the site.

Rabbit Hash, Kentucky

Earlier this summer some friends and I took a quick trip to Rabbit Hash, Kentucky. Rabbit Hash General Store is a wonderful establishment filled to the gills with junk. It was great trip, and half of the adventure was finding the place, stupid Google Maps.

Ohio River, From Above

This is why I like the window seat.

Power to the People!

"Responding to an outcry that included a passionate Internet campaign and a satiric rap video, city officials yesterday backed off proposed new rules that could have forced tourists taking snapshots in Times Square and filmmakers capturing that only-in-New-York street scene to obtain permits and $1 million in liability insurance.

In announcing the move, officials at the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting said they would redraft the rules, intended to apply to commercial film and photography productions, to address complaints that they could be too broadly applied. They will then release the revised rules for public comment.

'It appears that the mayor’s office on film has come to their senses,' said Eileen Clancy, a member of a group formed to protest the rules. 'Clearly, they did not anticipate the way in which the rules were likely to affect so many different groups of people.' "

Here's the link to the article.

By the way, here's the video. It's awesome.

Here fishy, fishy.

Old Slides

I am in the process of converting some old slides to digital. The pictures I am finding are amazing. Its funny how, with all the advancements in digital photography, we still can't capture the feel of 35mm transparency film... or maybe its just those cool glasses.

Name that species!

Thats right. It's everyone's favorite game.
Anyone?

hints: It's a tree that grows in coastal regions of North America. That's really all I know right now.

I made an installation.

All people, regardless of their size, shape, age, gender, color, origin or beliefs, share the common thread of humanness. These photographs serve, in part, as a reminder of this. These portraits have been generalized to the point where common features are the only clues as to who these people are. It is important that they remain individuals, but their humanness is the only aspect that the viewer can truly recognize.

Part of being human is being subject to time. As time goes on these people will change, and these photographs will no longer represent the people that they do now. This work will become a memorial of people who no longer exist, though they may still be living. While our sameness unifies us with each other, time sets us apart from ourselves.