iPhoneography Tips

Oh the things people write about.  Thanks, Mashable.  I really needed these tips on how to be a better iPhoneographer...

1. Discover your go-to shooting app and keep it within thumb reach on your home screen.
2. Get comfortable shooting with one hand.
3. Play with lighting and exposure effects by tapping on different areas of the screen.
4. If the image is well composed, don’t delete it! You can work wonders with apps!
5. Capture different patterns and textures and consider using them as layers in various apps.
6. Few apps meet all your creative needs. Use multiple apps to create your own personal style.
7. Back up your photos often and keep your apps up to date!
8. Go to “Settings” to adjust photo app settings for maximum image quality on capture and save.
9. Keep a charger or battery pack handy. Taking photos and editing in multiple apps is taxing on the battery.

360 Degrees of Photography

Ryan Enn Hughes arranged 48 cameras in a circle around a moving subject to capture 360 degrees of motion in photography.  This is what he got.



KRUMP 360 (The 360 Project) from Ryan Enn Hughes on Vimeo.


BALLET 360 (The 360 Project) from Ryan Enn Hughes on Vimeo.

I'll just put this out there now.  I can totally see Nike using this guy to advertise their sportswear on an athlete. 

Eat your heart out in Hollywood

Abby Brothers makes it really easy for us to fall in love with her.  And Los Angeles.  She's a high fashion model with the loveliest laid back energy.  I'm envious of her effortless style, whether it's rocking a vintage shirt and ripped jeans, or wearing some corset looking thing with sky high heels.  She makes it look so easy!

I love the colors of this shoot.  I love the house (I think it's hers).  This video is Hollywood with a backyard bbq and skater boys.  Yeah, that's pretty hot.


Model Mayhem from Foam Magazine on Vimeo.

Break from an Eye Sore

source albin holmqvist

Do you ever feel like you're constantly being bombarded by loud advertising?  Images, images and more images almost pain the eye.  You're amused when somebody actually comes up with a slogan that you'll remember five minutes from right now.  I'm a big believer in less is more.  Simplicity is key.  I may not always live my life as such, but not for a lack of good attempt.
The EF International Language Centers commissioned Albin Holmqvist to refresh their brand.  He created 40 iconic typographic logotypes, one for each EFILC destination.
Clean slate + typography + one image = brilliant.  All it takes is one word or one little image to spark an emotional connection that gets the audience thinking.  Taking a look at what Holmqvist has done here for EFILC makes me want to travel this world and fly by the seat of my pants.



P.S. I'm not at all discounting the visitcalifornia.com commercials about common misconceptions of "Californians".  That was really entertaining, and unfortunately, I'm sure it amused enough people to bring even MORE tourists to our lovely state.

L.A.'s Far East

One of my favorite bands, Olin & the Moon, will be playing down street from my studio apartment this evening at The Echo.  Staying out of the Hollywood music venue playground, The Echo is located in downtown Echo Park on the dirtier end of Sunset Boulevard.  To me, this is a top-notch low brow venue.  Venue goers don't dress up in sparkly dresses and high heels like what you would find at The Roxy or the El Rey.  The people you're sandwiched between will rock skinny jeans, black leather boots and vintage shirts (I'm referring to BOTH men and women).  Think Silversun Pickups.  Yes, this is where they got their start.

“It's an intimate setting, and you always feel like everyone there digs the band as much as you do,” says Michelle Matranga, a rock-out regular who enjoys the moderate price of her whiskey (by L.A. standards anyhow) as much as the bands themselves.

 

You can actually say that about a lot of places on the “East Side”.  Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Atwater Village and Echo Park are all considered to be “Far East China East” according to my friends.  It’s always difficult to get  my  “West Side” friends to hangout with me on the “East Side”.  But let me tell you something really spectacular about this side of town.  It may be grungy, but it sure is hip.  These four nano-neighborhoods have more artists, musicians, urban farmers, bloggers, yogis, and health nuts than the West Side.  I get the attraction of living on the West Side close to the beach.  But you know what?  I guarantee you that I surf way more than MOST of the people living in Santa Monica or Venice.  The beach and palm trees are nice, but for a true neighbourhood feeling, the East Side is where it’s at.  How many neighbourhoods can you shop hop, bar hop or restaurant hop in without being worried about getting hit by car?  Sure you can ride your bike around Santa Monica and Venice, but the East Side offers more diverse neighborhood businesses.

With that said, Michael, Kyle and I will be making a stop tonight at The Atwater Village Farm in hopes of finding some affordable local ingredients to cook up a meal at Kyle’s house in Silver Lake.  AVF specializes in selling locally made products to support the businesses within our area.  You’ll also find an array of seasonal organic produce and freshly baked bread.  It's a terrific farm-to-table community shop that vows to support healthy lifestyles to be sustained or developed through our love of sharing knowledge.  The Slow Food Movement combined with local, organic and sustainable food philosophies and the ever-increasing presence of farmers market shopping is booming across the country.  Consumers are looking for high quality products combined with a local shopping experience.  Atwater Village Farm is the result of all these forces.