Photography

James Nachtwey is one of my favorite journalism photographers today.

James Nachtwey

I went to SCAD to study photography because I was deeply touched by images from photographers like Sam Abell, W. Eugene Smith, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Galen Rowell. Not that I started my journey in photography ever to become one of them, but it was this incredible urge of wanting to share the beauty of the world through my camera.

Waiting for Paprika

I’ve been a fan of comics, specifically Japanese comics. But over the years, I’ve had to abandon them because, like games, they just took up so much more time than I’d budgeted for them. Maybe it’s a reflection of problems with my time management.

Anyway, I rediscovered one of the bookmarks, Drawn!, that someone gave me a while ago. And the entry a couple of days ago was about this highly anticipated Japanese Anime, Paprika. After watching the trailer, my jaw just dropped. The movie looks amazing… or at least from what I could see from the trailer. One of the quotes from the trailer:

“Evidence that Japanese animators are reaching for the moon, while most of their American counterparts remain stuck in the kiddie sandbox.”

– The New York Times

The soundtrack used in the trailer has been made free for download by the composer, Susumu Hirasawa. It’s a good idea to download the soundtrack because, after watching the trailer, the music is going to be stuck in your head for a while.

Paprika

Paprika

via [Drawn!]

Shady Brooklyn Stores

For those of you bargain hunters, I know some of you might have seen some great deals on electronic gadgets with shipping addresses from Brooklyn, NY. I know I certainly have. Everything, meaning their websites, looks official and legit on the surface. But unless you’ve been to those parts of Brooklyn, NY, you just don’t know where the hell you are ordering your expensive toys from. A nice fellow by th name of Don Wiss started checking out these stores on his bike. And he has some very interesting, let’s just say, “discoveries.”

Great work, Don.

via [Don Wiss’ Brooklyn StoreFronts]

My Impressions on Canon SD800

Finally. I upgraded my digital camera to a Canon SD800. It was long overdue having missed quite a bit of Bryan’s candid shots.

Some thoughts on this modern marvel:

1. The body feels like it was built with “cheap”, low grade plastics. In comparison, Canon’s older S-series cameras were built with metal which gave them a sturdy and an indestructible feel. My theory for the use of cheap plastics is: a) it’s all about profit margin baby — plastic is cheaper than metal, or b) Canon is thinking about us users — plastic means lighter weight.

2. The door cover to where all the communication ports are is flimsy and, again, feels cheap. I feel like I am going to break that stupid thing in a few months. My theory? See 1a. God damn evil corporations.

3. The new generation Canon Digic-III chip is considerably faster and takes somewhat sharper images than my S230. At maximum resolution, 90 pictures equals to approximately 250MB worth of JPGs.

4. HUGE 2.5″ LCD screen that’s going to be main source of battery drain. But boy, it looks beautiful.

5. Face detection actually works — that is — if the subject is front-facing. But what’s REALLY cool is that the face detection technology actually moves with the subject if you have an active kid like Bryan. And it will follow and focus on where the face is fairly accurately.

6. The camera packs in way too many features than an average consumer would ever use. I mean, when was the last time you wished you could replace the color of something with another color IN CAMERA! I mean, com’on! I don’t want to pay for that B.S. feature, Canon.

7. Canon seems to assume that people will spend A LOT of time customizing this camera. There are features where you can make “folders” and assign pictures to various categories that was predefined. Um, yeah… nice try. Another useless feature. Like I am going to spend my time organizing my photos IN THE DAMN CAMERA.

8. Focusing can be weak and slow. But overall, it does the job. But I just hate it when you thought you got a sharp focus in the camera, but then it looks all out of focus after it’s downloaded.

9. Improved dynamic range, but it’s no RAW. Bright areas still get washed out relatively easily. But it’s definitely a step up from my S230.

10. Acceptable lag upon powering up and between shoots. Nothing is more annoying than having to wait for the camera to process the previous image that you miss out on the next great shot. Obviously this is no continuous shoot in DSLR cameras. But man, it’s fast!

I like the fact that the camera is a much faster beast. But control wise, it’s still no SLR. I look forward to the day when a DSLR with a decent dynamic range becomes more affordable.

Say Hello to Mac

Philip Macdonald Murdza, that is.

Mac is Murdza’s backup 3rd kid born on Feb. 12, 2007. At Five pounds and 15 ounces, he’s one of the more “portable” Macs I’ve seen (wink).

Mac Murdza 1

Mac Murdza 2

I’ve always questioned why Murdza never named one of his kids something Apple-esque, like Steve, Apple (hello Coldplay), Lisa, Cocoa, Aqua, or, err…, Mac… And finally, here he is. Mac Murdza.

Welcome.

[Images used with permission from the Murdza Estate.]