Debt

Semi-procrastination, ok, full on procrastination can bring the goods!

Whilst perusing some online portfolios (found you can embed blogspot blogs really nicely into some) came across this by Tony-ng a Central St Martins graduate highlighted in Character Creative.

Relates to the current brief, Designing for Audiences, in which I am looking at student spending habits. Although a different communication process to what I am hoping to achieve (persuasion) it is interesting, and certainly striking. I am hoping to get some Illustrator skills in this brief, and want to produce some polished graphics for once.

At a lose end with buying a DSLR, had planned on buying the Nikon D40 this weekend, but now am looking at a Sony Alpha 200, though I'm more inclined towards a Canon or Nikon for lens compatibility. Ideally, would like a 10 megapixel camera with good lens compatibility and relatively cheap, but then, wouldn't we all!

Any help welcomed!

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3

I found this a couple of weeks ago, but forgot to blog it any earlier. 

"Sony has introduced the Cyber-shot DSC-G3, the first Wi-Fi enabled digital camera with a built-in web browser. By clicking on the WLAN button, the user can open the web browser and directly upload images and videos online. Along with a 10MP sensor, 3.5" touch-screen LCD and 4GB built-in memory, the G3 includes features such as Intelligent Scene Recognition and Face Detection with Anti-Blink function."

(Read up on it here and here)

Anti-Blink?? Can someone enlighten me? The bafflement aside, its pretty high-spec, and interesting to consider in the context of the future of photography technology. To me, its not progressing photography, only the way in which we begin to combine our technologies, such as with the iPhone, and in this case, upload speed. When they get this technology onto DSLR's there'll be no stopping the paparazzi. I watched a really interesting, if slightly poorly produced, documentary on paparazzi's last night on the old iPlayer. They take the snaps, run to their car and upload them from their Macbooks straight to the internet to basically be the first and get the exclusive. Magazines then print the snaps within minutes. I liked the sum up by one of the paparazzi;

 "If that makes me a bad person, because I'm taking the pictures, then that makes you a bad person, because you're reading about them." 

"The bottom line is, if we're scum, then almost everyone's scum". 

So, supply and demand? Or demand and supply?

flickr meet Photosynth - endless possibilites

To the Visual Communicator's eye (mine atleast) TED appears like a financial information website, not a host to a wealth of creative minds and their talks. But delve a little deeper and look beyond all the formalities (not to mention BMW all over everything) and you will learn a lot. Particularly new and emerging technologies.

(Photosynth Video)

I've just watched this video, and as always with technology am gazing from afar, 'Mmm, that's really clever...But really freaky and I want nothing-to-do-with-it and none of my photos involved'.

The technology is amazing, it reminds me of when I first discovered Illustrator uses vectors and doesn't pixelate, and well, the Notre Dame speaks for itself.

If I manage to get over my freaked out state, I would investigate getting my most local and favourite sculpture, Aldeburgh's Scallop all 3D and meta-tagged. If you can access the Photosynth software it should work, as there are hundreds of images of Maggi Hambling's Scallop on flickr.

Designing for an Audience

I'm looking at student spending habits for this brief, and here's my survey - please fill it in!

Thanks!

DSLR Induction

I thoroughly enjoyed this induction, there was something quite exciting at seeing the studios I could use in the future. The cameras, Canon EO5's, were simple to use and the way we were taught worked well for me. Learn a bit, go experiment, learn a bit more and experiment again.

At first we were told to experiment with the manual settings:

Landscape - everything in focus

Macro - short distance focus

Portrait

Night Portrait - using flash and then continued exposure

Sports - quick shutter speed

I, however, couldn't seem to take an focused shot, and it turns out a little switch on the side was set to manual focus, rather than auto. Once I'd resolved this I produced some images I was happy with.

Using the studio and flash

Then we played with drawing with light, using a separate flash, and measuring the light needed with the light meter. When the shutter is released the flash goes, and then the shutter remains open for 5 seconds. This produces a flash lit subject, and then darkness for 5 seconds to draw with light. Unfortunately 5 seconds isn't long enough to write 'Hannah', so these will have to suffice!

35mm scans

This is the first set of 35mm I've shot since adapting the Holga. Pretty pleased with a couple of the images. Struggled with the counting technique and forgot to wind on one of the frames once, and another time I wound on the frame twice and ended up with a blank! Have since seen modifications on flickr forums, whereby you tape a spiral from a spiral bound document to click in the sprocket holes which I think I'll try next time. 

At the same time of shooting, I tried to recreate the images on my digital point & shoot. The two images of the sets will be juxtaposed to each other in a sort of how-to/reference book.

Here are the successful images:

Quadruple Exposure

Double Exposure, Blue, 1st exposure disappears

Double Exposure

Long exposure with lighter

Double Exposure, Red and Blue ColourFlash

Blue ColourFlash

Long Exposure, 'NO', or in this case 'N'

Double Exposure, one with Blue Flash

Red ColourFlash and the strongest image

Testing the blue flash and forgetting to wind on.. the image behind is a triple exposure using low light, a torch and moving closer on the stairs.

Seven Exposures, didn't nail this one!

flickr & Holga scans

Been busily doing work. Really enjoying getting to use (read: play about with) the Holga for this brief. 

Have recently learned the art of uploading a URL for an image, yeah, took me awhile to figure that one out.. And I had already decided to use flickr as a platform to show the Holga images, so will use the URL rather than upload twice, now that would just be silly..

I've discovered a plethora of Lomography websites, esp Holga ones. I think its because the camera is so customisable that people help each other out and there's quite a strong community feel. In the booklet with the starter pack they list ten Holga websites, and rather humbly, put theirs tenth. 

I joined the '35mm Sprocket hole' and 'Holga' groups on flickr to upload some images and hopefully garner some comments/criticisms. So I was quite excited when I just checked and saw that four of my images in the 'Holga' group have been added as a favourite (no idea what that actually means..) Two of them have been added as favourites twice, all about 16 hours ago. Interestingly, however, is that the most viewed picture has only been viewed 7 times..! I'll keep checking back and see how it progresses. 

Ok, backtracking, I spent Thursday morning booked in to the digital print room scanning both sets of negatives, medium format and 35mm. I decided to rescan the medium format as it seems to be the most popular choice from the flickr group members in the forum. And I knew the developers wouldn't be able to print the sprocket holes and I would have to scan them. The medium format were easy, as they fit the 120 holders that come with Epson scanners, the 35mm was a little more fiddly. At first I stuck them into the 120 holders with tape and then after conferring with the technician and forum research decided to hold them down using a pane of glass from the ceramics room. This worked pretty well, but has left some circular lines where the negatives weren't pressed down enough. For some of the negatives I adjusted the contrast in the settings before scanning, and some I enhanced in photoshop after. I was really impressed with how some of the medium formats turned out, as from the prints they looked grey and lifeless but transformed into bold, striking images once scanned.

Enough rambling, its the images that matter!

Medium Format, Golden Acre Park:

Geese/Face has been added as a 'favourite'

Tunnel has been added twice

The green version has been added twice and has the highest amount of views

The Geese has been added

These final two are still my personal strongest images, but its interesting to see other people's opinions of your work. I am pleased I decided to scan these in, the difference between them is remarkable. (compare!)

Edit: On viewing the blog the images have been cropped once posted... Will try uploading the next batch set to 'small' rather than 'medium' and see if that makes a difference.