Nathan Hinckley, Milestone Pictures, Knoxville, TN

Here’s a short interview I did with my Granddad, Hiram Campbell:

For smoothest viewing, watch it at 480p.

This is my first real attempt at doing video. Although I miked the audio separately, I decided to go with the 5D’s built in audio since I was inside (no wind) and tripodding (no handling noises).  I was very impressed with the audio quality, and the work to sync of the external mic (which was a condensor–having it’s own “problems”) was too much. Next time, this is the way I’ll do it.

For the main lighting I diffused window light from immediate camera-right. Also from this same direction had a Home Depot clamp-light ($10) on the back of a chair acting as fill (to get rid of some of the strong shadows from the window light).

On camera-left, from slightly behind I had another continuous light (not Home Depot, but close enough) to act as a rim light.  This not only helped separate him from the background, but it gave some texture to the shape of his face.

Everything post I did in iMovie, which comes bundled with a Mac.  Maybe I’ll do a tutorial on that later, but it is pretty self explanatory.  Not very powerful, but definitely got me going.

I actually had a second camera, my Canon G12 filming a different angle, but it didn’t mix as well (video quality was only so-so compared to the 5D). So, I edited it all out.

In my next video interview, if done inside, I’ll probably only use the 5D on a tripod, no mic, no second camera. The simple set-up’s really working for me.

Another note on why I prefer using the Canon 5D over the Canon G12 for video. Since the 5D is an SLR, I can put a super-fast prime lens on it to get very thin depth of field.  In this case it was a 50mm f/1.4.  I had to let my Granddad know not to move or he’d immediately fall out of focus.

This was also filmed in 24 frames per second, which gives it a “movie” feel.

If you have questions or are interested in doing a video project with me, let me know!

Speaking of winter. This Christmas I was in Tennessee, and it snowed. I took my camera outside to take some pictures, and quickly noticed these cute little black triangles encroaching on every one of my pictures.

uhhh.

Fast like a fox I put the camera back inside, feverishly googled the symptoms, and found…nothing. Turns out the solution was: waiting three days. I dunno, but it’s gone now. Just as quick as it came.

Cute little black triangles at 24mm:

Cute little black triangles, almost gone at 35mm:

Today, my camera is well again, thank you.

To put a little more perspective behind it, Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria and its now largest city has a population between eight and fifteen million (depending on who’s counting), and the country as a whole has a GDP (purchasing power) of over 300 billion. Although that’s only 2% of the US GDP, in Africa, it’s the third largest behind Egypt and South Africa.

But back to Nollywood. I first came across the this trailer on Emeka Okafor’s blog, The Timbucktu Chronicles.

Brooklyn Shakara Trailer from Adam Pray on Vimeo.

I’m planning on doing this in the coming seven weeks. But things like this are so much better when other people are involved. Not only does it encourage a stronger community among old friends, but it cultivates new friends through meeting and working for a better-than-one’s-self goal. To share this with like-minded people is such a saturating feeling.

After watching the video, and you’re still not sure how you fit in, I’ve made a short list of exactly what we’ll need to do. If you see something that’s all you, let me know–I look forward to working with you!

• Find people in need
• Take their picture (any camera size or skill-level will do)
• Have their picture printed (Walmart, Sam’s, Wallgreen’s, etc. all for under $3)
• Have their picture delivered (good at organization or admin? You would be a huge help here!)

Still don’t feel like you fit? Consider this: the reason why Help-Portrait was so successful in it’s 2009 debut year was because it was, in fundament, the simple act of showing love. Tag along and spend a couple minutes talking to someone who doesn’t have the friends and family you do, and you’ll see it all come together.

Think of your life without any friends. Or family. That would be sad and lonely.

That’s why five minutes of your time could be like gold to them.

504.952.4395 or email me if you’re interested. If you can’t help but have idea, I want those, too!

Even if you don’t get the chance to get involved this time, I hope to post some pictures of the people we meet so you can keep in touch that way. And maybe, if I’m really organized, I’ll be able to write their stories, too.

One Day on Earth Participant Trailer from One Day On Earth on Vimeo.

I pretty much learned photography from Google and YouTube. One of the best sources I found starting out was Bert Stephani, a belgian photographer who runs the blog Confessions of a Photographer. His blog yesterday talks about the product side of a shoot he recently did.

The reason why I’m putting it here is because, for me, I always find behind-the-scene shots immensely helpful, being able to see what the set-up looks like. Take a look at the rest of Bert’s blog. He does a lot of off-camera small flash (aka: on a budget), and has some good how-to’s on YouTube.

As I was thinking about this, I was struck with the thought: how does a celebrity ‘raise awareness’?  Aren’t they really only raising awareness for them self?  And does any of that awareness linger around and make a difference for the people who need it?

What do you think?  Where do you stand on this?

On a slight shift, here’s a video from photographer James Nachtwey. Really, all three and a half minutes are worth a watch (minus the melodramatic narration), but the best part is 1:17 – 2:08. I thought about writing more on this, but I think the video speaks enough for itself.

HEY YA: I saw this on Chase Jarvis’ blog the other day, and since I’m sure almost no one who reads my blog also reads his (which is immensely popular, by the way, only a bit more photo-centric), I wanted to post it here so you could see it, as well:

I GOTTA FEELING: In the two and a half months it’s been on YouTube it’s amassed almost three million views.  It’s the more polished, college version that inspired the above High School “Hey Ya.” If you haven’t already seen it, you can watch it below.

If you have already seen it then you know it’s good enough to watch again. So, you know, watch it below:

If you’re like me and love the behind the scenes stuff, here’s the making of it.

In French.

And with subtitles for the Americans. Smiles.

It was filmed at the University of Québec in Montréal. And if I’ve learned about music, it’s that an unprecedented amount of the good stuff comes from Canada. I don’t know what it is, but they get it.

I usually reserve my Tuesday music reviews for new, but not top-40, stuff. Not that I don’t like Top 40 (I mean, if it’s good, it’s good, right?). But invariably, everyone has already talked about that. So, I tend to stick to more indie centered, minor releases. But this song doesn’t really fit in either categories. It’s Sinnerman by Nina Simone. Mmm, don’t you just love Nina Simone? Yeah, me too. You’ve probably heard Felix Da Housecat’s Mix in about 70 movies over the last decade. It’s good, too. But Nina’s is a little more… Nina.

This is what I’m really excited about! Vampire Weekend’s new album Contra is coming out soon. I have their first one and absolutely love it! If it was a record I would have worn it out. But it’s not, it’s a CD, so it’s still in really good condition.

Two things.

First:

Second:
You can download Horchata, also from Contra, here for free at 320kbps!

The Last one’s Cat Power. Just another favorite I wanted to include.

And voilà:

AND, here’s something that’s just for Photographers.  If you’re not a photographer or interested in photography stuff, be warned, you might find this highly boring.  It’s about a camera. For real.