The last few months has been a real awakening for me photographically, professionally and personally. I’ve taking a photography class, taught by my new photography mentor, Lewis Kostiner. He’s single-handedly saved my photographic career from staying in an amateur limbo of limpness, into a new world where I’m finally work that I care about and most importantly, work that I can talk about.

I’ve learnt that it’s not about any one single picture. It’s really all about the concept. And how I choose to express this concept photographically is the challenge. All this ‘Photo of the Day’ or ‘Photo of the Year’ really contributes to the myth of a single photo of unattainable levels being out of the reach of mere mortals. The pressure of it all is really too much. It’s really about how does this photograph contribute to the whole body of work that expresses this one idea. What this simple realisation means is that I don’t have to care what camera I use, which lens I have to carry, which flash system to read up about or which technique I have to master. As long as I have a concept that works, I could explore and develop it with a Holga (or an iPhone for that matter).

The project I’m now working on is a culmination of an idea popping into my head one day running, then weeks of indecision, then weeks of practice on lots of friends, then finally a month so far of actual production.

How the photos were made: All the photos were shot inside of the New Wave Coffee shop in Logan Square. The two owners, Susan and Zach have been so incredibly supportive of me and probably have no idea how critical their patronage is to the success of this work. Kudos to them for supporting photography on a very local level. The other angel of kindness that has come my way, is my friend and photographer, Andre Walker. He’s been a part of this project from day one and his assistance in the photos have been invaluable.

The setup is dead simple. I carry everything I need in two bags and several armfuls of stuff, but essentially, all the work is done in a makeshift, portable studio that we carve out from a nook in the coffee shop. The camera is on top a rock solid, Induro tripod base and mounted to a Manfrotto geared head that has zero wobble. The lighting is all done with one SB-900 shooting through a white, translucent umbrella on a stand. I have the subjects stand about three feet from the backdrop (a four foot wide roll of black or white paper) and I shoot with the Nikkor 85mm f1.8, at around f4. I fired the flash with Pocket Wizards.

The idea is simple. Create a catalogue of as many people as I can over several weeks and months then apply a few rules for sorting and filtering later when selecting and presenting them. When the project comes to a logical end, I’ll be sure to let everyone know ‘the reveal’, but until then, please enjoy this growing collection of photos.

It’s not about HOW anymore. It’s about WHY.
This is the new normal.
And I like it. ]]> http://est1976.blogsome.com/2009/04/23/chromasome-project/feed/ http://est1976.blogsome.com/2009/01/13/the-wait-is-over-my-d700-awaits/ http://est1976.blogsome.com/2009/01/13/the-wait-is-over-my-d700-awaits/#comments Wed, 14 Jan 2009 04:48:08 +0000 est1976 talking the talk photography shopping http://est1976.blogsome.com/2009/01/13/the-wait-is-over-my-d700-awaits/

Originally uploaded by georgeaye. UPDATE! Just in the nick of time too. I heard for a while that prices for Nikon bodies and lens were on the rise across the world, starting in Australia, then Europe, and now the US. Starting Feb 1st, 2009, prices are rumoured to rise some 10-15%. Via, Nikon Rumous and Thom Hogan.

After an excruciatingly long wait, I’ve finally come full circle on the process I started a few months back: realising the I’m not shooting, looking hard at the gear I was currently not using, deciding on what gear I needed instead, and then selling it all off. Then the time came to decide what to replace my previous camera (the Canon 1D Mark III) with and I was in two minds.

Do I go with the maximizer’s dream and new best all-rounder (the Canon 5D Mark II) or do I go with the focussed, single purpose photographers tool of choice (the Nikon D700)?

As I wrote about most recently, the Canon is a great camera that’s getting a whole lot of attention but really, I don’t need the 21MP of resolution. I don’t need HD video (yet) and when I can’t even get autofocus that’s a nuisance, or any decent audio without an external mic… One day, I might well find myself where every DSLR has amazing video capability, but for now, I’m good. Frankly 12MP is all I need for making prints as big as 17x22 which is the largest I can print to at home anyways.

And after learning a few things about lugging lots of gear around the last couple of years, I went with a very small, light lens and my old favourite the Nikkor 35mm f2. I really should never have sold it! Doh! But this time round it’s going to a real 35mm rather than the kludgy 52.5mm that it was on my D70 (with the x1.5 cropping factor).

I did a lot of soul searching to think harder about what photography meant to me and I remembered that cameras are a function of photography, not the other way around. So when it came down to it, there was really only one choice. I’m extremely excited to get this camera and I’ll be giving occasional updates as I go.

I love photographs.

I love taking photographs.

I love the act of taking photographs.

I love the feelings that photographs give me when I see one that I’ve never seen before.

I love seeing photographs that inspire me to take more photographs.

I love how photographs take a three dimensional phenomenon (life) and makes it into a two dimensional artifact (photograph) and then, over time becomes dimensionless (memory).

I love finding a scene playing out in front of your eyes and the excitement that comes from taking a moment that best sums up those many sequential moments.

I love how photography lets you become an editor. Photographs are edited moments in time. Even the act of choosing which photographs to display is an editor’s role. Being a photographer means being an editor.

I love how there are three parts to every photograph: the subject, the photographer and the viewer. Each is nothing without the other.

I miss photography.

Still picture cameras (including film and digital) are basically boxes that let in light through a lens and take pictures. One at a time.
Moving picture cameras (including film and digital) are basically boxes that let in light through a lens to take pictures continuously.

Sorry to be so childishly pedantic with the descriptions but with the convergence of these devices and their technology, there’s becoming fewer actual differences between the functions and operations of the two kinds of camera. Since there’s so much time honoured process, legacy, tradition and history, how one perceives one kind of camera versus the other is quite different.

Soon enough, that’s all that that will be left: our perceptions of what these tools are and how they should be used.

But before I get all wistful, there’s a very exciting world emerging that even one as “Gizmodo RSS feed breathing” as I am, I was surprised to see how fast its developing.

From what’s I can tell, the Nikon D90 was the first digital SLR to allow for recording at a HD resolution (”720p24″ which means, 1280 x 720 pixels per second at 24 frames a second). The Canon 5D Mark II, is the second digital SLR to allow HD resolution but it one-ups the D90 with a higher HD spec (1080p30 which means, 1920×1080 pixels per second at 30 frames a second). Both are aimed at two very different buyers at two very different price points (D90 street price is $1300, 5DMkII at $2700) both are clearly capable of recording video at a rate that challenges a lot of preconceived notions about what a still camera can do. It makes a lot of people nervous about their industry and more importantly, their learnings and experience with that field.

One could say that this is as worrying to film photographers when digital photography was reshaping the industry. “What about all the years I spent learning how to use all this stuff? What about all the times I screwed up and learnt from those mistakes? Do I have to go through all that again”

And now similar to the ‘invasion’ of digital photography unto film photography’s turf, digital SLRs becoming movie making tools, traditional movie making folk are starting to worry that still photographers are going to be taking over.

Ok, I don’t know if anyone is all that worried since it still takes a lot of work to make a still image to come to life. And you could argue it takes even more to make a whole series of images in a sequence (like a movie) to look great too.

Vincent Lafloret is an awarding winning photographer who shoots for the NY Times amongst others, made a video, Reverie, with pre-production the Canon 5D Mark II over 72 hrs period, single-handedly created a marketing campaign for Canon overnight. The excitement and inspiration brought about Mr. Lafloret gave this camera all the credibility it needed. But outside of the hands of a very talented and experienced photographer (and video editor) who really understands how to lighting sets mood through images (moving or not), the few early examples I’ve seen have been not so good.

Sure, the camera’s low light capability is astounding and the depth of field is now back to what’s film makers were looking for. But after all the slow focus pulls and the well framed shots of people walking through an urban scene set to ambient music… isn’t it just a bit boring to look at?

Its no coincidence that the person behind the camera on a movie set is called the Director of Photography. The DOP really is an expert in taking photographs (usually at a rate of 24 a second). All the visual interest is created using all the sames techniques photographers use and understand every day. Thankfully, in Mr. Lafloret’s case he finally found a tool that suited him and his vast understanding of the principles of visual storytelling. In an interview with him he mentions that he tried to make videos before using the current best video cameras around, but found it to be a less than pleasurable experience. But since this is an SLR and uses all the same lenses that he’s worked with for years, he was immediately at home with it.

The amazing thing is that in a fairly short amount of time an industry is emerging. New films makers (good and bad) are using these new tools in new ways. These guys make rigs for aspiring movie makers using this very same gear we’re talking about. There’s even a forum for the movie making functions the Canon 5D Mark II alone!

Happening alongside this, is the movement of converting relatively low cost video cameras (under $6k) into more movie-like cameras with all sorts of knobs for smooth manual focus on adapated Nikon lens. These rigs by Redrock Micro look the coolest IMHO. And yes, they’re all over the DSLR buzz too.

And before I’m finished, I can’t talk about the convergence of these tools without mentioning Red. Founded by the camera obsessed Jim Jannard (founder of Oakley who sold it to Luxottica for a boat load of cash) he created a movement of his own by making a digital movie making camera from scratch. The Red One camera (and the Scarlet and the Epic to come) are built for recording full cinema-ready resolution images at a cinema-ready rate. Nothing comes close to that much data throughput.

These babies are pumping out full RAW images off their digital sensors at anywhere from 1-100 frames a second (for super smooth slow motion recordings). Not all of them are the same exact dimensions of film (24x36mm) but are close giving movie makers that sexy ‘film’ like depth of field. The Canon 5D MkII for comparison does have a full 24x36mm sensor but it’s video is compressed using Quicktime H264 at a fixed 30 frames a second. Remember, movies recorded to play at a cinema is massively more demanding than movies recorded to be played back on a TV, even one that’s High Definition.

It’s unfair to really compare them both as the difference in financial and training investment between Red One (and their brethren) and the 5D MII is huge. A commonly quote Red One setup is around $25-40k. Which it’s still a bargain compared to a rental of a Panavision setup which I can only guess is about $5k a day.

So where does that leave the lowly, amateur photographer? The guy that likes shoot when he can? I’m considering a new camera body right now and with all the buzz around video capable SLRs, am I interested in taking part in this new movement?

I don’t really know.

For someone that’s on a cleansing kick where clutter and gear are the opposites of what I want in my life, then no, I can’t see where integrating video into a digital camera helps me. “No good can come from this” is an overly dramatic phrase I’ve been kicking around lately (I like to point a shaky finger in the air when I do) and with the 5D MkII making everyone pre-order like crazy, I say to myself, “No good can come of this”.

The uneasy feeling that I get when reading about the Canon’s video capability (and for the D90’s for that matter) is that it’s a hack. It just feels kludgy. Canon and have essentially pressed ‘record’ while the camera is set to ‘Live view’ which is itself a natural extension of the digital sensor technology these companies have implemented on their consumer pocket point and shoots. Even those little cameras have a working AF! Here’s a list of the known issues and workarounds for making video with the 5D MkII. There’s even a problem in the there’s a 12 minute limit to the amount of data that can be recorded at a time, due to the limits of a FAT32 file structure of most memory cards. Perhaps this could be remedied with some form of continuous recording to a hard drive but the FAT 32 issue may well come up again.

But the most worrying part about how the Live View has been shoe horned into a HD resolution camera, there’s been a lot of discussion over how the exposure control has been handled. Normally, for a still image to be made, there’s several factors that give a photographer control over the exposure; aperture, shutter speed and ISO. But due to how Canon has implemented this well touted video capability it’s been crippled by this kludgy implementation. There’s already been a lot of confusion over just how much control is being offered by the 5D MkII. Perhaps all this lack of control is solvable through later firmware releases, but I think it’s odd that this camera offers so much with one hand, then takes away with the other. There’s even talk of using F-Mount to EF adapters just to give you these would-be cinematographers the control they’re seeking.

The 5D Mark II might be the most exciting implementation of high resolution video in a camera so far with its attention grabbing low light capability, but I can’t help but feel that this is no where near as good as it can get. It needs to be simpler, with less caveats and fewer gotchas. I feel that for me to make best use of it I’d have to invest in even more gear and therefore create even more barriers to just simply going out and shooting photos or video. I’ll need more hard drive space, better processors, a new Mac, more lens, more lights, more sound recording gear, more tripods, more training… ugh.

I’m sorry to say it, but I just want it to be simpler.

I want less stuff.

There. I said it.

I want less stuff and adding video to a digital SLR can only mean one thing. More stuff.

Dammit. I was really looking forward to all that new gear too

Thanks to everyone that’s been kind enough to bid on the items and come over to pick them up. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, but please make sure to use them!

Here’s what’s left!

FOR SALE. Email if interested (georgeaye [at] gee mail dot com). Prices are negotiable.

Kirk L bracket for Canon 1D Mark III: good condition, precision machined aluminium, Really Right Stuff compatible - $120

Canon 1D Mark III: excellent condition, full size professional camera body, 10.1 MP, 10 frames a second, boxed - $3000
Gitzo GT1540 6X carbon fibre tripod: perfect condition, indestructible, incredibly light - $450
Pelican case 1500, with removable velcro dividers, fits full size camera body and lens with to spare, (Interior Dimensions: 16.75″ x 11.18″ x 6.12″ (42.5 x 28.4 x 15.5 cm): great condition - $70

Canon 24-70mm f2.8 L lens: excellent condition, professional mid range zoom. - $800
Nikon SB-800 flash: excellent condition - $200
Nikon SB-800 flash: excellent condition - $200
Nikon SB-600 flash: excellent condition - $135
Pocket Wizard II transceiver: in perfect shape, with cabling - $160
Pocket Wizard II transceiver: in perfect shape, with cabling - $160
Pocket Wizard II transceiver: in perfect shape, with cabling - $160
Manfrotto 3373 folding light stands and jointed flash/umbrella adapters (plus a bonus shoot through umbrella) - great condition, light, durable - $50
Manfrotto 3373 folding light stands and jointed flash/umbrella adapters (plus a bonus shoot through umbrella) - great condition, light, durable - $50
Really right stuff BH 40 Ball head with quick release LR lever: good condition, beautifully machined, with neoprene pouch - $300

I’m not all that familiar with her work but I believe she’s right up there with Richard Avedon for world renowned portraits. She’s at the top of her game and regular shoots covers for Vanity Fair and Vogue.

A charming interview with her is now up on NPR where she come across very accessible and quite at ease with the level of credibility she’s forged. She even speaks about the criticism that’s been leveled at her work for not really getting to the soul of her subjects. She says that she’s found plenty of interest at the surface. “I don’t think it’s possible [to get the soul] all the time. God, can you imagine you can get the soul every day?”

Thanks for Rob Galbraith’s site for the tip off.

And while I did become a published photographer this year, through the books I helped design and did the photography for (IDEO: Eyes Open London and IDEO: Eyes Open New York), I’m not going to become a full time photographer any time soon. In fact the closest I’ve come to the rush of being a photojournalist was at the last two Pitchfork Music Festivals, shooting for the best Chicago culture and commentary site, Gapers Block. The shows were perfect for so many reasons: tons of great bands, great live music, great access to the stage and the sense of urgency of wanting to get the best shot you can. See the photos from Pitchfork 2007 and Pitchfork 2008 here. In fact if I had a choice I’d love to shoot music shows a lot more than once a year…

So where does that leave me? It leaves me being very busy working on all sorts of projects that don’t have much photography in them. In my new job as the Lead Designer for the Chicago Transit Authority, I’m designing the new buses for Chicago. Not a small feat and one that takes up almost all my daylight hours. I just gave a presentation about it at the World Usability Conference in Chicago. Then there is of course the latest class at the School of the Art Institute, “Innovation Workshop”, with my ever faithful partner-in-all-ventures, Sara (my new wife!!!!). We’re working on a project for the Chicago Public Library and our client and our students have been great to work with.

With all that’s going on, photographically speaking, it leaves me with a very small number of actual exposed frames, and a lot of expensive photographic equipment sitting around gathering dust. Well, to be honest, it would be if the dust could in fact get past the hard shell of a near indestructible Pelican case and the layers of foam within. What this case is protecting my gear from is anyone’s guess.

The simple lesson is that even with the careful road to learning and path of experience, professional gear does not a professional photographer make.

I think that somewhere in my quest for photographic fame and fortune, I got lost in the pursuit of photographic equipment. More stuff, less photos. More things to manage, less things actually being shot. More gear that needs other gear to support it, instead of just going out and shooting like I used to do.

I swear, I used to enjoy photography much more, the less I knew about it. Back when I was just knocking around with my trusty old Nikon D70 and one 35mm f/2 lens, I carried a spare battery and a few memory cards and thought less about the stuff and way more about the shot. It was as simple a logic as that.

So in an effort to rethink and revive my photography, I’m selling off almost all of my gear in favour of a camera with a smaller than full sized professional body and possibly one lens of a single fixed lens length. And here’s where I caught myself out… If and when I need to shoot a proper gig (wedding, concert, event) I’ll rent what I need instead of having the gear on tap underutilized for 95% of the time.

Coinciding with this recent change of heart about owning so much photo gear is a new emphasis in owning less stuff in general. I’ve found that there’s been more than a few purchases over the years that have been driven from a tiny dream of an idea, that warranted me getting the best stuff. Well, I’ve found that unless I really use it more than 4 times a year, I probably don’t need it all that much.

In an effort to cleanse and reduce clutter, I’ve been selling off all sorts of stuff on Craigslist. It’s been really cathartic.

Less stuff = less waste = less work to maintain = less things to worry about and fix = less things to upgrade = less things to buy and start the cycle of madness all over again.

++++++++++++
FOR SALE. Email if interested (georgeaye [at] gee mail dot com). Prices are negotiable.

Canon 1D Mark III: excellent condition, full size professional camera body, 10.1 MP, 10 frames a second, boxed - $3000

Kirk L bracket for Canon 1D Mark III: good condition, precision machined aluminium, Really Right Stuff compatible - $120

Gitzo GT1540 6X carbon fibre tripod: perfect condition, indestructible, incredibly light - $450

Pelican case 1500, with removable velcro dividers, fits full size camera body and lens with to spare, (Interior Dimensions: 16.75″ x 11.18″ x 6.12″ (42.5 x 28.4 x 15.5 cm): great condition - $70

Canon 24-70mm f2.8 L lens: excellent condition, professional mid range zoom. - $800
Nikon SB-800 flash: excellent condition - $200
Nikon SB-800 flash: excellent condition - $200
Nikon SB-600 flash: excellent condition - $135
Pocket Wizard II transceiver: in perfect shape, with cabling - $160
Pocket Wizard II transceiver: in perfect shape, with cabling - $160
Pocket Wizard II transceiver: in perfect shape, with cabling - $160
Manfrotto 3373 folding light stands and jointed flash/umbrella adapters (plus a bonus shoot through umbrella) - great condition, light, durable - $50
Manfrotto 3373 folding light stands and jointed flash/umbrella adapters (plus a bonus shoot through umbrella) - great condition, light, durable - $50
Really right stuff BH 40 Ball head with quick release LR lever: good condition, beautifully machined, with neoprene pouch - $300
+++++++

When I get a replacement, I’ll let you know! I’m looking at the Nikon D700 and the Canon 5D Mark II and as far as the lens goes, a simple 50mm prime lens sound good right now.

Starting tomorrow at 8am, I will become the new Lead Designer for the Chicago Transit Authority. I accepted this newly created position a couple of months back and I gave me notice to my studio (IDEO Chicago). While I thought it would be best to give me office the benefit of an extended lead time (mainly as I wanted to finish my final project properly and on good terms) I think that two months is way too long. After the announcement, everyone was initially sad to hear the news, then very soon after, people were like, ‘Are you still here?’…

I can say though, that my final project was a blast and the final presentation was a hit with the client (some very sweet doctors and administrators for a new children’s hospital in Orlando). My final day at IDEO was a huge rush of very many mixed emotions. Excitement, sadness, some disappointment and then huge excitement again. For seven years, landing in Chicago just before turning 25, IDEO became my life, my work and in many ways, helped define who I was. It was a crucible in which I learnt everything I know about what design means, what it’s capable of and what immense impact it can have to society. I will look back upon my time there with great fondness and never forget that I was lucky enough to have worked some of the brightest and best in the world.

So, wanna know more about this new CTA gig, huh? We to be honest, there’s only so much I can tell you as I still don’t know what it will all entail. Will I find frustration at the speed of bureaucratic process? Probably. Will I have a chance to have real impact here? Most definitely.

I still can’t quite believe that I managed to make this transition from design consultant to public servant. Did you know that the CTA carries about 1.5M people a day! Holy crap that’s a lot of people. And from what I’ve seen, many of them look about as happy as these people in the photo.

Watch this space. Wish me luck!

It’s been over six months since I last posted and in that time a ton of things have kept my mind and fingers throughly busy. I apologize for the complete lack of communication.

I hope to go into more depth as to what’s transpired over the while but here’s a quick update:

Managed to get through (by the skin of our teeth) the single busiest Hubwear sales period of this tiny company’s history.

Moved into our new condo in Logan Square.

Decorated, painted and designed all our new rooms.

Taught our second class on Innovation at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Took at class on flash photography at the Chicago Photography Center.

Finished a couple of long projects at IDEO (future of powered beverages, future of pediatric hospital experiences).

Sara left her job in the suburbs and landed a great new position at a design, strategy and innovation consultancy downtown.

We sold the Audi and are now down to one old, crappy, car.

Traveled to all over the East Coast and then to Orlando a bunch of times for work.

I started running and I completed my first 5k.

Oh, and to bring your really up to date, I quit from IDEO just this Friday, June 20th! (I’ll definitely talk more about this soon)

But to wrap this up, the graphic with this post is the trip that my friend and I have planned with my last week off between jobs! It’s formally called the Circle Tour. I’m going to take a shit ton of photos and I’ll hopefully come back with as many stories.

See you in a week!

Hubwear is nearing the close of its second year and it’s been a thrilling ride. But let me back up a second since some of you might not know what I’m talking about.

Hubwear is the project that I created with my finacee and partner Sara just under 2 years ago. It’s a website that sells t-shirts (currently) to urban travelers that have a story to tell. And watching it happen right in front of my very eyes, it’s grown and grown and become a real business, with real products and real customers.

Back at the beginning in April 2006, it grew from a tiny stem cell to what’s now a rather healthy young kid. And to take the child analogy even further, when I started working on Hubwear at the beginning without anyones help, it was a scrawny, ugly kid with little to no sense-of-self or direction. It was a spotty, acned pre-teen. But once Sara got on board, the rebellious brat got a rude awakening and got sent to Excel boot camp! Suddenly, orders were being recorded in a timely fashion! Shipments of shirts from American Apparel were flying in just in time for finishing. Rigorous quality control was finally in place and there was a dramatic drop in errors and wasted product. Our spotty pre-teen was finally growing up and getting ready for high school.

Last year we got a lot of good blog links, referalls and endorsements (most notable was by Springwise ) and this year has seen more of the same. But just in the last week, we got our first major, printed publication!

Chicago Magazine included us in their Christmas Gift Guide this year and we’ve been bombarded with orders. (Irconically enough, here’s a link to the feature on their magazine’s site

There’s just something about being printed, on paper, in a real magazine that somehow gives any product legitimacy. Even in a time where Web 2.0 interconnectivity is everything, having our t-shirts in magazine means we can reach an audience that might never have seen our concept before. This year, Chicago Magazine. Next year, Lucky!

So, Horray for Hubwear! Horray for good press! And here’s to a thrilling 2008!