Inside and Out.

One of my buddies who works at Google was in charge of making a marketing video for a new service that Maps was rolling out. The video was set to feature a new tool that allowed users to have street view inside of a business. So if you wanted to scope out a store before actually going there, you know have the luxury of stepping inside and having a look around. Pretty neat if you ask me.

The coolest part of the video was that we had somewhat of a budget to play with. This meant we got to rent a steadicam with arm and vest mount. Not an easy tool to use, but a great way to get that organic handheld look (minus the rolling shutter issues DSLRs are notorious for).



After two days of shooting in SF and hours of editing and re-editing, we were done.

When the video was released on the Google Maps Blog, we really had no idea how people would respond to it. Within hours, we had made headlines on sites such as Techcrunch, DailyGeekShow, and even the Huffington Post. That was a pretty cool feeling.

Check out the video for yourself.

New Additions.

Lately, I've been reserved when it comes to acquiring new toys. My new rule states that if I want to purchase an art toy, I need to sell an existing one. Considering I have no shelf space left, I truly have nowhere to display any newly acquired figures.

KAWS, one of my all time favorite artists, announced a new toy this past month. It was one of those instant must haves. I've always been keeping my eye out for KAWS's companion figurines, but there's no way I could ever justify spending $1,000+ on one.



Word got out that the next release would be KAWS's classic companion figure in a sit down pose. News spread like wildfire, and all the collectors began foaming at the mouth. This was a big deal, especially considering the last few releases were a bit of a let down. I put my pre-order in early to guarantee a figure. I had to wait a bit, but it was well worth it.



The place I ordered it from actually hand delivered the item to my address. Talk about customer service! Big shout out to all the dudes over at Purist, one of the only official OrignalFake retailers in California.

As with all new toys, a photo shoot ensued...







While on the topic of toys, I also found a great deal on the sold out "Skullslinger" figure by artist Huck Gee. I was bummed that I wasn't able to order one online, but sure enough after the dust had settled, I was able to find it for below retail. Yet another great Huck piece to add to my collection.

Random Beat #3

Find beauty in the mundane.

Man Date 2.0

For the first time in awhile, I took some photos.

Nick and I met up at my place to hang out and shoot photos. My neighborhood has a lot of industrial buildings, so we went in search of some gritty urban locales.

I took a toy along with me in case I found a fitting location for the film noir themed toy "Inspector Cumulus". Here is the final image.



Also, while we were out, I had to give the ol' bokeh panorama (aka Brenizer Effect) a go. This is when multiple shots taken on a telephoto lens are combined to create a wide shot, with flat, shallow DOF features. Pretty happy with how it came out.

It Happened.

After Jenny and I made an offer on the loft unit, we were waiting for months with no end in sight. Based on finances and other complications, things weren't looking so great.

As I was heading home from work one day, I got the call that our loan had been approved. It didn't feel real. After months of waiting, we finally had an answer. I couldn't wait to go home and tell Jenny the news. We were waiting for close to two and a half months for this call. Felt good to finally get an answer.



The next day we started moving in all of our stuff. Luckily we didn't have a whole lot of big things to move in. It still took the full day. After all of our things we moved in, it was time to show the pugs their new home. They love it!



Aged brick, sweeping windows, modern furniture, and an open floor plan. I am in heaven. I know eventually my tastes will change, but for now, I love this place. Jenny and I feel very safe and at home here. The complex is extremely dog friendly and rich with amenities. There's a gym, a bike kitchen, bbq pits, a park across the street, train station, and a ton of other things that make this place perfect. To say that I'm stoked is an understatement.

Things are still coming together, but here are a few pictures of the place in it's current condition.





That's it for now.

Bored.

I figured my facebook profile pic needed a change. Yeah... I'm one of those kind of guys. It was more that I was sick of having a picture of me where you couldn't see my face. It's like, "Oh hey, this voyeuristic creeper with a camera covering his face wants to be my friend... oh sure I'll add you." Hmmmm, no!

Change is good. Went way overboard with the editing on this one (I know). Here it is.

50mm @ f/1.4

Shallow depth of field during high noon is next to impossible, that is unless you have ND filters. I recently came across some ND filters in my camera bag I had bought a while back. Jenny and I were about to take the dogs for a walk so I figured I might as well bring the 5D along. Having the ND filters on my 50mm allowed me to stop my aperture all the way down to a ridiculous f/1.4. For those that don't know, shooting at f/1.4 on a lens means you are getting the most shallow focus (out of focus areas behind and in front of the subject). This is why only the heads of my dogs are in focus and their bodies are blurred. The trade off of shooting f/1.4 is it lets a lot of light in. This is where the ND filters come in handy. ND filters are like sunglasses for your lens. So by blocking some of the light from the lens, I am able to shoot at an f/stop lower than normal.

Also, my pugs are cute.