Archive for the ‘Photography’ Category
Copy/paste is going to change my life. Again.
I know copy/paste has been around for ages on mobile devices. I used it often on my palm p700 years ago, and there’s no denying it’s a very useful feature. The fact that tens of millions of mobile computing users chose the iPhone despite the glaring absence of simple copy/paste is quite a tribute to the phone’s revolutionary concepts and design.
Still, it’s good to know that Apple woke up and got to work by bringing this basic function to the iPhone. Already, I’ve found myself using it more than a handful of times. And it only seems to get more fun each time I use it. I’m now looking for things to copy/paste just to use the feature. It’s a bit like an illness. Thanks, Apple. It’s nice to finally have a real computing experience on the iPhone.
Sent from my iPhone
Big Government
There’s always a tradeoff:
Something to think about amidst all of this sentiment from Washington about how only government spending can save us now. The New Deal was a very invasive program back in the 30′s, and it’s influence – as it is still today found crawling forward – is being revived once again by a new wave of “big government” mentalities. You may not see a tremendous dissipation of liberty immediately, but as time has shown, the impact is abhorrent and long lasting.
I believe the solution is confidence, faith, creativity, and hard work. In my opinion, anyone that tells you otherwise has an agenda.
Framerates, Movies, and 24 Frames per…huh?
Today I came across an argument about movies, videos, tv, and the big issue of frames per second and how it affects us, the viewers. You see, pretty much any movie you watch is filmed at a rate of 24 frames per second, (and played back at the same) where your camcorders and home videos are almost exclusively shot at 30fps. For those very few in the world who can’t see the difference, or those who can, and actually prefer the faster frame rates, the following is for you.
First off, I’ll unleash my bias by saying that if 24p is done away with, I’ll either shoot myself in the head, or stop watching movies, and these two choices in essence are not mutually exclusive. I’m a producer/designer of creative media, a professional photographer, a cinema hobbyist, and founder of a creative agency. I am an artist, but not a snob, I hope.
I like what Grego at the link above stated: “In a visual field like video and film, if something looks better, it is better. That is not redundant language but speaks to the truth of what is appealing to the visual system in humans.”
That is so true, in my experience. Standards are one thing that play a factor, and sometimes newer, better standards and formats come along that change our ability to comprehend and appreciate the message being presented. We’ve gone from 16fps in the early film days to 24fps today. Of course, it didn’t stop there, and many years ago went on to 30fps, and now we’re hitting this 60fps crap (crap, at least, in the majority of people’s opinion). We’ve had 30fps for a long time, but there’s a reason why it’s never really grabbed hold in cinema. People don’t like it. Subconsciously. It’s nature. I don’t understand all the scientific reasons, I haven’t done or read studies. But I’ll credit Steven v2 and Grego (from the link) for their comprehensive explanations.
Some people will (and do) like the faster frame rates for one reason: more information. They appreciate not having critical moments (and I mean “moments”, because any movie worth it’s weight will not really have critical moments which are unwatchable) appearing blurry, and they prefer having more clarity to less. I assume most of these types of individuals are logical, left brained, and the literal thinking type. That’s fine. But I think there is an aspect to this that isn’t really being discussed. While I’m a creative type, so is the left brained individual. Just because he/she doesn’t pick up a paintbrush or a camera, they are seen as non-creative. Inventing is creative. Research is creative. Sharing “data”, or logical explanations on why or how things work very often requires a creativity, just not a type that translates directly to a commonly accepted art form.
The debate really IS a preference issue, but there is a reason, I believe, for the differences in preference. My logical thinking friends often like to dabble in art, but they prefer a more scientific approach. They often use Gimp, and think it’s the shiz, because it’s more technical (gotta use linux), and they don’t see how you could need anything else. Case in point is Ken Rockwell, talking this very day on his website about how film is better than digital, because one magazine chooses to print “film” images in one section of their mag more often than digital. The problem: Ken Rockwell, isn’t that creative, at least not in the artistic side of photography. He’s very keen technically, but when a guy says there is no need to shoot RAW in a pro DSLR – that JPEG is better all around, then it’s clear that the guy has missed the biggest message of raw yet: creative power. Is that a sin? No, it’s just clear that from a creative standpoint, these folks just aren’t as advanced and intuitive. I’m not telling you how to study your petri dishes or how to design your electronic chips, and Ken and his chums shouldn’t dictate to me and the more creatively (artistically) advanced or aware how we should like our media served up. Their preference is not ours, nor is it the majority.
Movies look better at 24p, and if I’m making it sound like it’s a religious issue, so be it. My faith is vested in the hope that this standard sticks around for a VERY long time.
It’s a Girl!!!
Sorry this is quick. We are proud to announce that we have a new daughter to add to our family! She was born today, Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 9:10 P.M. We’re told she weights 7lbs. 4oz., is 20 inches long, and is gosh darn adorable. You can follow the rest of our details on my twitter page here (no need to sign up to view): http://www.twitter.com/ronadair
We’ll post more there as we get time. Thanks for all of your love and support! Enjoy the photos below
***PLEASE CLICK AN IMAGE TO VIEW LARGER
Sweet Candy Company – The Book is Coming Soon
We’ve been working with Sweet Candy Company over the last few months, and boy, has it been sweet. Working with the entire family over there at Sweets has been nothing short of great. They have been easy to work with, easy to please, and most of all easy to like.
Photography is finished, and the book is currently in the process of being designed. I wanted to post a few images I’ve thrown together to give a taste of the fun times we’ve had so far. There aren’t many things that are more fun than shooting in a candy factory. The smell of warm, fresh chocolate, the sight of large pans of brightly colored candy, and the taste of fresh goodies right off the line is definitely a pleasure to the senses. I felt like a kid in — well, you get the drift.
Enough with the rambling…these are some custom images I’ve worked up for this blog post. I hope they illustrate the qualities I’ve discovered while working with Rick and Rachel and the rest of the group over there at Sweets.
***CLICK ON AN IMAGE TO VIEW @ FULL SIZE
Ron Adair is a Corporate Advertising and Marketing Photographer based in Utah
Photo Shoot – Solitude
We worked with Sarah last weekend, a terrific model. Below we have one of the first images we created from the shoot. Our aim was to create an image that would capture a feeling of solitude, or aloneness. I’m happy with the final result. How about you? More images of our lovely Sarah will be forthcoming…
P.S. I love film grain. Can you tell?
***Click on an image to view larger
Ron Adair is a Utah based Commercial Advertising Photographer.
Bodacious Brent
Here lies Brent the Great. Brent is a photographer in Eagle Mountain, and was kind enough to stand in as a model after our real model flaked on us. Sheesh, I’ll tell you…there’s one way to NOT get called back, and that’s to waste 2 weeks of planning by not showing up when it’s time to actually be the warm body in the seat.
Anyway, we made do, and did the best we could with Brent. I was actually quite surprised at how photogenic this guy is. I think Southwest Airlines should buy this photo and publish it as an ad in Forbes Magazine with the headline “Destination Flights to Make You Happy”. But maybe that’s just me.
One more thing: don’t be surprised if another shot follows shortly that looks surprisingly similar to this one.
***Click on Brent’s image to view larger
Ron Adair is a Utah based Commercial Advertising Photographer.
FITNESS SHOOT WITH MAGGIE – Part 3
Below is the third (and final) set of images from the Fitness Shoot with Maggie.
These photographs were created near Saratoga Springs, UT. Maggie was great to work with, and she looked great, too. Thanks, Maggie!
By the way, check out the last shot. We were able to shoot at one of the hillsides that was recently burned in a brush fire. Cool!
***Click on an image to view larger
Ron Adair is a Utah based Advertising Photographer.
FITNESS SHOOT WITH MAGGIE – Part 2
Below is the second set of images from the Fitness Shoot with Maggie. One more set to upload…
These photographs were created near Saratoga Springs, UT. Maggie was great to work with, and she looked great, too. Thanks, Maggie!
***Click on an image to view larger
***Click on an image to view larger
Ron Adair is a Utah based Fitness Photographer.
Fitness Shoot with Maggie
Below is the first set of images from the Fitness Shoot with Maggie. I have a few more sets to upload. They’ll be coming in the next few days. These photographs were created near Saratoga Springs, UT. Maggie was great to work with, and she looked great, too. Thanks, Maggie!
***Click on an image to view larger
***Click on an image to view larger
Ron Adair is a Utah based Advertising Photographer.