(Philip Bloom’s Prague was my inspiration to look into HDSLR video)

Many months ago, I posted on my Facebook page that I was going to enter the realm of video. Years ago, I tried adding video to my wedding photography offering.  I purchased an HD camera, wireless mic, cables galore, and had a very simple goal: shoot the ceremony from the back of the church, with sound, to share with the bride & groom as part of their wedding package. I learned the camera and equipment, the techniques necessary, and did this for one wedding. Two weeks later, I sold everything and got out of the “video business.” Simply put, I wasn’t ready for the technology any more than the technology was ready for me. My camera recorded to DV tape, which then had to be played back and saved to my Mac, imported into FinalCut Pro, sync’d with the sound I recorded from the groom, edited for color, exported, and burned to a DVD.

Fast forward to mid-2011 when I told friends I was delve into video again, and it’s no wonder the reaction was unanimous “Didn’t you try that once already, and give up?” Yes… yes I did. However, like most things in technology, the landscape has changed… considerably.

Nikon and Canon, the two market leaders in DSLRs now have HD video in several camera models. This brings video to a stills camera that gains all the features of the lenses available, and in a format that a still photographer is used to. Light, ISO, aperture, white balance, etc. all work the same. It’s an exciting proposition to be able to record vide with the same camera, and many of the same skills, you use to capture stills.

As much effort as the camera manufacturers have put into making video available in these cameras, they still have one very minor (j/k… major) limitation: they are, at heart, a stills camera. An SLR is (relatively) small, designed to be hand-held, light weight, and easily maneuverable. While this seems great, using an SLR for video takes considerably more effort than just picking up a camera, hoisting it over your shoulder, and shooting.

There is now a market entirely devoted to producing products to make HDSLR video more like shooting with a “real” video camera. Devices to help with focus, camera stabilizers, small camera dollys, large camera dollys, tripods, sliders, LCD screen viewers, external LCD screens, microphones, audio recorders… the list goes on. Like most things in tech, the prices vary. Take for example a an LCD screen viewer — a loupe that blocks light from the LCD to make viewing easier, some of which offer magnification as well. I can (and did) get on eBay and buy a loupe for $35 that has 3x magnification, diopter adjustment, and a metal frame to mount to a camera. Or, buy a Zacuto Z-Finder that comes with a mounting plate, 3x or 2.5x magnification, diopter adjustment, and anti-fog lens inserts for $375. I’ve had both, and now have neither. The $35 eBay option was crap (duh), and I couldn’t justify the $375 Zacuto (as awesome as it is!) since I’m making bubkis while I learn this process.

Over the next while, I plan to slowly build up my video equipment, shooting and editing skills, and if everything aligns, put some video together. Hopefully along the way, I’ll blog about it, show you guys what I’m up to, and maybe… just maybe… find something fun and exciting to add to my repetoire.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYW49bsiP4k

A great video from Kodak published in 2006.  Too bad that 6 years later, Kodak filed for bankruptcy.  I learned on film, shooting Kodak (for flesh tones) and Fuji (for the reds & greens) and am sad to see Kodak fading into the distance.  I guess American car companies are too big to fail, but the company that America entrusted her memories to was not.Kodak “Winds of Change” Corporate Video

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Back in November, I posted a quick preview of Keith & Jason’s wedding. Well, I’ve finally finished their full edits and now have a wedding slideshow to share. Even though I said it back in November, I’ll say it again: Keith & Jason’s wedding was one of the most touching and moving I’ve shot to this point. It was easy to see that everyone who attended the wedding truly cares for them, and that shines through so clearly to me in the photos.

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Joe McNally, one of those photographers who at once inspires me, and makes me want to give up, posted a great blog post today simply titled “Gifts.”  Toward the end, he links to a great short film from RC Concepcion about the power of photography in his life titled “Proof.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVR3dGK1MwE

This is a great video, a bit touching, and so very accurate.  RC is also one of those photographers who inspires — and drives to depression — as evidenced by this fantastic photo of his daughter on Santa’s lap.

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For those of you who celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a fantastic Christmas with friends and family this year.  I had the privilege of joining my “extended family,” and we all had a blast!  They have a tradition which I totally embrace and am going to do all I can to ensure it’s started in my family.  Each Christmas morning, the family bakes a loaf of monkey bread to get through the gift-exchange extravaganza.  After that, when they’re all tuckered out from the craziness, it’s time to go out for some Chinese food!   What better way to spend Christmas than with your family, not worried about cooking and cleaning, but instead celebrating and enjoying your time together.  This year, as an added benefit, we were joined at Grand Sichuan in Chelsea by Jesse Eisenberg (of “Zombie Land” and “The Social Network” fame).

With that out of the way…  the photo above just spoke to me.  I love the lines in the snow, the shadows… well, just the photo!  I hope you do too.

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I’ll keep today’s post short & sweet.  Central Park and Rockefeller Center, when decorated, are the epitome of a New York Christmas.  To you and yours, I wish a great Christmas, and for those of you who do not celebrate, I wish a great holiday season.

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The Holiday Season in New York City is simply magical, and nearly impossible to explain until you’ve experienced it personally.  I’ve lived in the South (North Carolina), the Pacific Northwest (Washington State), and now the Northeast (New York City) and there really is something abou the city.  One thing that amazes me is the difference in decoration timelines, and it must be a northern thing.  In NC, we started decorating on Thanksgiving Day, and left decorations up until the new year.  In Washington and New York, trees and decorations go up about 2 weeks before Christmas, but you still see people rocking their decorations and lights until early February!

Living in New York City is quite different than living in either North Carolina or Washington State.  I had a whole yard to play with in both places, not to mention a living room that was big enough to add a tree without removing furniture!  In New York City, space is a commodity, and those of us who live here so we can live in the greatest city on earth make do with the small space in exchange for location.  During the holidays, though, you’d never know it.  Fences become decorations, fire escapes glow with lights, windows have wreaths in them, many of the cab drivers even take the time to decorate their cars in the spirit.

This photo epitomizes everything that is New York City at this time of  year.  Lights in unexpected places, a light snow falling, a dusting of snow to cover the ground, and that crisp bite in the air that rejuvenates you after a long day.

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Last year, on December 27th, I walked my way from 86th Street and 1st Avenue, to Central Park, then down Central Park to Rockefeller Center to take photos of Rockefeller Plaza in the snow.  That’s a lot of walking, especially in 18+ inches of snow, freezing cold, and carrying a bag of camera gear.  This building is on the Eastern side of Central Park, and gave off that Christmas in the City vibe that just can’t be explained.

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I’ve been pretty slack in posting photos lately, especially considering I have several saved up for this season.  Last year, around Christmas, New York City was freezing cold, and a few days away from being pummeled with snow and wind by a blizzard that raked up the East Coast leaving everything behind covered in 18+ inches of snow.

As this Christmas approaches, temperatures are in the mid-50s, but expected to cool off some for Christmas Day.  Being someone who loves my winters cold, I can only hope this is true.

Meanwhile, enjoy the photos coming up over the next several days, all of which were taken in and around New York City.

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Last weekend I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of two great friends, Keith & Jason.  While they were officially married last month in Boston, MA, they chose to exchange their rings and vows in front of friends and family in Raleigh, NC.  Weddings, by their very definition, are emotional events.  Two people stand in front of their closest friends and family members and declare their love and commitment to each other.  Keith & Jason’s wedding may very well have been the most emotional wedding I’ve shot to date.  Granted, I may be biased because I know both of them so well, or perhaps it’s because I know so many of their guests.  Whether that’s the case, or not, by the end of the ceremony, there were not very many dry eyes in the house.  Jason didn’t make it through the first sentence of his opening remarks!  When you talk to Keith and  Jason, and visit with their friends, you really do believe there is nothing that will ever come between them.  Their vows, which they wrote themselves, were full of humor and love.  In fact, the best line of the night may have come from Keith, who — in true Keith style — promised Jason: “I promise to admit when I’m wrong… even when I’m not.”

Click below to see a small selection of photos from Keith & Jason’s wedding.

 

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