Remember in the hilarious scene in the mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap by Rob Reiner when Nigel is being interviewed about his guitars and amps and he points out that his amps are better because instead of stopping at 10, where other bands' amps stop, "these go to eleven..."?Or from the Farrelly brothers' film There's Something About Mary, where the guy decides he could make a mint on 7 minute abs instead of 8... read more ›
Nov
10
Nov
10
Select HP digital cameras can now make subjects look skinny. Seriously. Check out this link to the 'slimming feature' on the HP site.So let's contextualize this. In advertising photography image makers go to incredible (sometimes ridiculous) lengths to maximize how great a product or lifestyle should look. Put the zippiest finish on this image or that. Photoshop is the tool of choice here, noting it's ubiquity and massive success. Professionals use it all the time--nearly... read more ›
Nov
08
This circulated online ages ago, but I was recently sharing it with a friend and it made me realize that I should share it here... The first 2 minutes are moderately slow and a bit bizarre for a few seconds here and there, but hang on for the big stunts in minutes 2-8. It's the real deal. If you're needing incentive to watch this and you don't know what parkour is, check out the wiki... read more ›
Nov
05
So I suppose in some ways this is bad blog etiquette to start a new thread about an earlier thread of mine below, but I've been getting a lot of email about this post and there's been further discussion on other blogs (like the Big Images Blog, or It's What I Do) and , so perhaps it's worthy of round two. I've noted that for some reason only a few people have logged comments on... read more ›
Nov
04
So I'm back working in New Zealand again, this time on a month-long shoot for a substantial spring campaign. I've was in Queenstown (South Island) for quite some time --amazing place--the whole south island is truly one of the most spectactular places on earth. Picture the Swiss Alps mixing with Hawaii. Seriously. So anyway, the whole crew (there's around 20 of us) just moved to another substantially smaller town near the Fiordland National Park called... read more ›
Nov
03
Check out the Accidental Creative podcast to re-focus your creative energy. I've reference the AC before, however Episode 36 is particularly good because it offers a simple reminder to pay attention to the things that matter in the rhythms of our professional lives. I recently found myself at odds with my creative rhythms, so the timing of this episode was particularly effective in getting me back on track. Being a good creative professional and being... read more ›
Nov
01
Friends. Please take the time to read a touching story by Jill Waterman entitled "Off the Map" about a fantastic student I met while speaking at the Brooks Institute of Photography. Her name is Michelle Nolan. When I speak publicly, I often refer to the importance of giving back to your community. Michelle's story and how she affected the life of a young boy undergoing cancer treatment, Rusty Cwiklis, is truly inspiring. If you're looking... read more ›
Oct
25
Okay, the title of this post might be a slight overstatement, BUT of all the technology we've added to our office recently (and believe me, we're geeks...always up to something), this little device has really made life better: The ScanSnap by Fujitsu ($450). What is it? The ScanSnap is a high speed, compact scanner that converts hardcopy documents to PDF in a flash. It digitizes both sides of a document in a single pass, in... read more ›
Oct
15
Argh. It seems that so many in our profession are worried about the future of the industry. I'm shocked really. First, it was paranoia by many that the digital age was somehow "harming" photography. That was true only if 1)you were a stuffy codger unwilling to embrace change and the opportunities that the digital age could bring, and 2)you were overly pretentious and in the dark about the intersection of art and commerce that is... read more ›
Oct
13
Thanks to collaboration from a handful of people in our office (read Scott, Kate, Julian) and our really talented designer and friend Finn McKenty (you can see their goofy video profiles on our staff page), I just barely squeaked in there and was awarded Honorable Mention for the category "Best Ongoing Campaign - Established Talent" in the 22nd Annual PDN/Nikon Self Promo Awards. Thanks to the judges and the fine folks at PDN Magazine and... read more ›
