My new Canon 50D

I ordered the new Canon 50D last week from Beach Camera. The body was $1200, no tax or shipping fees and I got a free 4GB card. I had the camera shipped to where I work and when it came yesterday, I was in mid sentence with someone when Rob, our inventory guy, came out to the floor to give it to me. I quickly grabbed the nearest sharp object and started plowing my way into the box. I can't believe what a difference the 50D is to my Rebel. Every image shot with the 50D is amazing and I only have to do very minor adjustments in Aperture. I was glad to see that the 50D battery was the same as my Rebel so now I don't have to spent $60 on an extra one. I wish it was a lot warmer out, so for now it's just taking pictures around the house in poor lighting. Below are a few images, all I did was add a vignette to them. I know they're not exciting, but more will come very soon.

Snoop & Martha Make Mashed Potatoes

Communication Arts posters

I got the latest issue of Communication Arts the other day and just got around to flipping through it. I was kinda surprised to see some designs that closely resembled a poster that I did back in college in 2005. It doesn't necessarily make me mad but actually kinda happy that I thought of a good design all on my own :)

The first two images are an anti-war poster that I created for a graphic design class. The size was 4'x12'




The following are posters that appeared in the Advertising Annual 2008 of Communication Arts.

random cool stuff...

Fuji Instax Camera
Just because Polaroid is out of the game doesn't mean instant photography is dead. The Fuji Instax Camera ($130) is living proof, producing great-looking credit card-sized prints in mere minutes, and featuring an auto focus lens with built-in cover and automatic flash. Just check the LED exposure indicator, compose, and shoot!


2009 Kid Kustoms Oakley Roddler
Makes me want to have a baby.


2010 Ford Mustang
With all of the problems in Detroit, if you've always wanted a muscle car, now's probably the time to act. The just-unveiled 2010 Ford Mustang (starting at $21,845) mixes classic looks with modern design. Powered by either a V6 or 315-hp V8, the latest Mustang has a new, meaner exterior with a more aggressive grille, a powerdome hood, larger wheels, retuned suspension, the first new Mustang emblem since 1964, and headlamps inspired by the 1970 Mustang. Inside, the coupe has upgraded materials and new tech, including the latest version of Ford SYNC and customizable ambient and instrument lighting that lets you set the mood in any of 125 colors. I have been thinking about trading my 2001 Stang in, maybe I need a newer one?

Two Minute Tilt-Shift Tutorial

I'm lazy, there's no denying it. If I have to do more then 10 minutes of adjusting on a photo, then it's not a good photo to start with and I'll move on to a different image. Almost all of the images in my portfolio (excluding the tiny planets) were adjusted in under 10 minutes. With that being said, after reading through several tutorials on tilt-shift manipulation, I figured I would write my own tutorial which is faster & easier then doing masking/ gradient tool / time consuming crap and you get the same end result. The following tutorial will work in Photoshop Elements or the pro version.

First: Open the image and duplicate the background layer. (command + J on a mac)

Second: Apply a Gaussian Blur to the duplicated layer

Third: Depending on the image, adjust the radius of the blur, make sure you can still kinda tell what is going on in the background.

Fourth: Select the eraser tool and adjust your brush opacity. Make sure that you are using a brush with a soft edge as it will blend better. I started out with the opacity at 100% with a small brush size, maybe the size of a dime, then as I make the brush bigger, I decrease the brush opacity. (the bracket keys " [ ] " will adjust a brush size instead of using the slider at the top)

Above is the final image. As long as you keep thinking to yourself "what would this look like if it was a model and I was using a macro lens?" you should be in good shape. 


Below are some more examples of tilt-shift that I did in two minutes. All of the images I've had for awhile and didn't really care for. It's a nice surprise to see what can be done with unexciting photos. 

Tilt-Shift Photography

Tilt-shift photography is a creative and unique type of photography in which the camera is manipulated so that a life-sized location or subject looks like a miniature-scale model. The images below aren't mine, but I will be creating my own in the near future. More on SmashingMagazine.com

Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M

To celebrate the winning of its 16th Formula 1 constructor's championship last week, Ferrari has unleashed the new Scuderia Spider 16M ($TBA). The fastest open-top Ferrari ever, the Scuderia Spider 16M has a 510 hp 4.3L V8 (0-60 in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 195 mph) that's partnered with a smooth 6-speed F1 paddle shift gearbox. Inside, there's a roll-bar with a carbon-fiber outer shell and new audio system that integrates a custom Ferrari 16GB iPod Touch.

FAIL

This made me happy. via Failblog.org

Pico Pocket Projector

Sick of squinting at your tiny iPhone screen during long flights? Why not just project the movie onto the back of the seat in front of you. The Pico Pocket Projector ($430) is an ultra-portable DLP/LED projector that measures just 2 by 4.1 by 0.7 inches, weighing only 4.2 ounces. It projects a screen size up to 60 inches on nearly any surface.

Random thought...

When Jer and I decide to build our house, I'm having it designed in the second empire style with a modern twist.

Loving my new lens

Some more shots with my new 50mm lens. The only adjustment to these images was a vignette added in Aperture. My 50D is getting closer and closer :)

Poladroid

A very cool program that turns your digital images into polaroids. It's currently only available for Mac, but a PC version is coming soon. Poladroid has a Flickr group that you can upload your creations too & they will pull 3 images a day to be featured on their website. I got featured today!!

Apple Wallpaper

I was feeling like crap this morning so I took a much needed sick day. In my boredom I created some victorian Apple wallpapers based off of one I saw somewhere on the internets. The size is 1900x1200, feel free to grab it :)