Now in the midst of chaos going on in my life right now, I’m ever more in need of inspiration…not just for work, but just the spark to want to get up each morning to deal with the new day’s challenges. I know, that sounds bleak right? Well, I do what I can to keep going I guess….I have to!
Anyway, I revisited an old post I made a couple years back and stumbled across this creative little festival trailer made by this group Strukt. Extra little trivia I liked was that it was all shot using a Canon 7D.
Here’s a collection of some great design rules that should be considered when doing web-design. But a few of these are good rules for any artwork in general. A few of these we’re even going to cover in class… (via 3.7 Designs)
Another cool behind-the-scenes video showing how you can achieve studio-quality photos using just a simple iPhone 3GS camera. Again proving the point it’s not the camera you use, but it’s the photographer behind it.
What I personally love most about this studio reveal is seeing how they set up the lighting…. I want those softboxes and lights now! Damnit! (via Gizmodo)
Last week I took a stab at helping some friends take product shots for their online store. It’s kind of freebie work since I was hired to do their e-commerce site…I spent all that effort getting the site to look decent I wanted their shots to be somewhat better than what we could find online.
Didn’t turn out half bad for some of these considering I didn’t have any extra light sources beyond just natural light and my on-camera strobe. I still give professional product shooters credit though, this kind of work is tough. Especially when the products come in all kinds of packaging – dark, light, reflective, transparent, etc. Some of it was a nightmare to capture.
Well, apparently the whole world was exposed to the iPad while I was away. Funny that while I was in Hong Kong for the debut of the iPad I took stock of the people around me to see if I’d spot anybody using the iPad anywhere. Nope, not a single person…I saw a lot of people using their Blackberries and quite a few iPhones. I guess that kind of technology takes a while for adoption by the general public. AND I suppose if you had an iPad, waving it around a crowded MTR station might make you lose a finger over it.
Apple was popular over there…at least a lot more so than it was when I last visited Hong Kong 3 or 4 years ago, but in a city known for it’s knock-off software, I think the PC still rules the day.
Adobe’s new set of CS5 upgrades also came out while I was gone. I saw a whole lot of my colleagues rave about it all week long while I was away. I’ve admittedly shied away from investigating right away because I simply don’t want to pay money to purchase an upgrade at this time…. right in the middle of tax month where I’ve “given” my money away to Uncle Sam. But it’s a matter of time before I’ll have to use it and learn it since it’s my job to teach the upcoming students this Fall.
I don’t know if you need a password to access this, but as always, NAPP has a good page full of video tutorials and examples showing the advancements in this latest upgrade. I really like the advanced refine selection tool and the new content aware fill….ok I lied, I looked at some of the new features a little!
I think even if you’re not a Photoshop buff or anything, it might be interesting to look at some of these techniques so you know what’s possible. At this point, you can never believe what you see in a photo anymore because anything can be done to it in a matter of seconds.
Well, today’s the official day I’m “back” in the sense it’s all business as usual again. I think we’re all still jet lagged a bit. Kingston’s wide awake at all kinds of odd hours in the middle of the night which has caused us some sleep problems, but otherwise we’re all well and in good spirits. Nobody got sick, I didn’t throw up from over-eating, and we still retain all our original organs.
How was my trip? Thanks for asking…I’m glad you care.
I’d say overall it was good but looking back at the whole event I’d say the main thing I’d remember about it all was that we were traveling with a toddler. Everything was focused on Kingston…we planned meals around his naps, I spent a good number of hours sitting in the hotel room watching him sleep, we watched him play with family members, and flying with a baby is a new experience not unlike what I’d imagine Hell itself to be like.
I don’t regret going, I still feel mentally rejuvenated nonetheless. But that’s how I’d describe this trip to anyone that asks. The fact we were in Hong Kong so far away from home was really just an added consequence.
We DID eat some fantastic food. Nothing too exotic this time around, I mainly requested eating mostly won ton noodles a lot and we ended up touring some of the best places around the city to find it.
And there was a day or two where Kingston’s grandma volunteered to watch him while we spent the time walking around. Didn’t end up getting very much for myself….I came back with 3 manga t-shirts that came out to about $13 each.
So….now it’s back to the grind till next trip. Who knows when that’ll be. Chances are that’ll either be when my brother has his wedding somewhere next year, or when I go visit the Comic-con convention in San Diego for 2011?
You know, if I can’t save enough to get an actual $1300 70-200L Canon lens, I may as well get this mug replica so I can look like I’m rich enough to drink out of one. (via NerdApproved)
Today’s bit of inspiration comes in the form of video made by Philip Bloom. I’ve mentioned him in the past before with some beautiful shots of the Bay Area.
What’s most interesting to keep in mind about what the photographer did in this case was to sit there with his camera for 24-hour periods capturing this stuff. I don’t think I’d have the patience for that unless I really was getting paid for it.
I’ll be bringing my camera with me on my next trip to Hong Kong. While I’m doubtful I’ll come back with results as good as this…I’ll certainly be trying! (via Gizmodo)
Happy Birthday my little guy. You’ve been the most amazing thing that has happened in my life. Hope you enjoyed this 1st year of your wondrous life and may the world offer you every opportunity you can imagine in your lifetime. Love – Dad
