Rob's Ramblings

Aperture 3 at Indy FCPUG Meeting

2010-02-23T23:52:13Z

This Thursday, February 25th, at my Final Cut Pro users group meeting, I will be demoing Aperture 3, Apple's latest revision to it's professional photo management and editing software. Why am I showing a photography application at a video users group, you ask? One of the killer new features, and there are many, is that it now supports video and audio clips. Aperture can import, manage, and even edit (as in trim edit, not change-the-look-of-the-image edit) any Quicktime compatible video format. I think this has the potential to be a great video library application, making it easier to catalog, keyword, and find your video when you need it. That is the functionality I will be focusing on at our meeting Thursday night. If you're in the area and are interested, please stop by and join the fun!

In the coming week, I will write a detailed article describing those features here, so if you're interested be sure to check back next week.

If you're more interested in the photo capabilities of Aperture 3, I will be speaking at an upcoming Killbuck Photo Guild meeting (not sure when yet) and showing off all of Aperture's new tricks.

KPG Meeting Follow-up

2010-02-09T18:20:54Z

My presentation at the Killbuck Photo Guild went well last night. Hopefully everyone that was there got at least one interesting tidbit from the numerous things that I talked about and showed. I think my Black Rapid Rapid Strap RS-4 was the thing that caught most of the group's attention.

If you missed the meeting or are curious what I talked about, you can download a .pdf file from my presentation slides right here. All of the text and photos link right to the corresponding website.

Speaking at KPG

2010-02-03T16:38:48Z

It's official - I'll be speaking at the next Killbuck Photo Guild (the camera club I'm a member of) Monday evening at 5:30. The meeting takes place at Community Hospital Education Center located at 1923 N. Madison Avenue, Anderson, IN. I'll be speaking for about 45 minutes followed by the group's usual critique session. If you're a photographer in the area, you should definitely check it out. There are some excellent photographers and the meetings are a great source of information and inspiration.

The 5:30 portion of the meeting that I'll be handling is centered around the digital aspects of photography. This month will be a Digital Potpourri if you will of software, hardware, and websites that may interest photographers.

Hope to see you there!

American Dairy Association of Indiana

2010-02-02T19:46:37Z

I recently finished up a project for the American Dairy Association of Indiana, or as like to call them INDairy. They hired me to take a look at their social media websites - namely their blog, Twitter page, and Facebook page. They needed to update those sites as their contract with Miss America Katie Stam, who had been a central part of their advertising for the past year, was due to expire the minute she crowned the new Miss America. I pitched them a few ideas, we threw a few different things around and how to do them, and came up with what I think is a great new look for them.

We didn't have the budget to do all new photography, which I would have preferred, so initially I was going to try and Photoshop some different stock images together. Unfortunately to get close to the look we wanted, there wasn't any stock images that would work. The lighting and angle of the shots just didn't mesh. I decided to go a different route - 3d. The pour, splash, and pool of milk are all created digitally in 3d. The bottle was a stock image that I tweaked to work with the background color I had chosen, and manipulated the color of both the stock image and 3d render so they matched pretty well. Then it just took a little Photoshop work to blend the pouring of the milk from the bottle with the 3d version.

The final image for the blog was easier, as there wasn't enough room in the space for the image to include the bottle. To keep the splash and pool exciting and active, I decided to get in closer to the action, and that helped fill that smaller space.

You can check out their sites here: Twitter / Blog / Facebook

I've posted just the images over in my Graphics Gallery.

The iPad is a Tool

2010-01-31T06:02:43Z

I don't think there is anyone who hasn't heard something about the iPad this week. Whether it was heard from the many technology writers who have bashed it for the things it lacks, to mainstream media, to an endless stream of love and hate on Twitter. I'm not quite sure why there has been so much pessimism focused on Apple's latest creation. I understand their competitors, Microsoft, Google (yes, they are a competitor now), Nokia, and even Nintendo, putting on an unimpressed face. They have to. You can bet they are all working on some way to copy it though.

To be fair, Apple isn't the first company to have a touch-based computer/tablet. Many PC companies have tried... and failed. Apple seems to be the only one to understand that you have to have all the pieces of the puzzle to make a picture that works in the end. You can't just bolt on a touch interface over an operating system or applications and call it a day. Apple has taken the time to rewrite not only non-touch enabled apps (iWork) but also apps that already are - all the Apple provided apps that are on the iPhone - to make them work better and more intuitively for the device it is running on.

Apple is the first company though, and I think the only company that could have done it first, to create the hardware, write the software that takes advantage of the hardware, build in an existing infrastructure for users and developers to create and purchase applications, extend their already market leading media store, and roll out a brand new store to take on a smaller yet fairly entrenched enemy on a whole other front.

What most of the iPad detractors seem to have underestimated, at least the ones I've heard, is the ingenious developer community that Apple has already attracted with the iPhone, and will surely grow with the iPad. What makes the iPhone a device that most of us can't live without these days and have a hard time remembering what life was like without one, is the applications. Not the ones written by Apple, but the ones written by both large and independent software developers. Their imagination and creativity is now free of a a small window with which to work. Most people see the iPad as a large iPod Touch. The smart developers know that it is so much more than that. Things that they could not do on an iPhone screen they can now do. I expect to see the iPad used in revolutionary ways because of this software.

For sure, as the iPad matures, it will gain some of the features that are missing today that the detractors have called out - multitasking, a camera (or two), and HD video output are the ones that immediately come to my mind. What is important is that the overall tool for change is there now. The tool that could change the way kids learn and how schools could work more efficiently, the tool that could change the way we consume all forms of media and news, the tool that could put technology in the hands of people that were intimidated by regular computers, and the tool that could change how jobs in so many different sectors are performed, will be available in 2 or 3 short months.

The iPad is a tool like a hammer. A lot of people are seeing it only as a hammer, complaining about the color of it, what it is made out of, the shape of it's head, and the fact that there are other things out there that can do the same job as it can, as well as many other jobs. I see it as a tool that can build marvelous structures and tear down walls. In the hands of the right people, they will create wonderful things that we will all benefit from.

R.I.P. Vital Vision Studios

2009-12-09T03:38:36Z

I've been going back and forth for the past 6 months or so trying to decide if it was worth keeping Vital Vision Studios "alive". A little back story... About three and a half years ago, as I was getting started with my freelance business, I was using a friend of mine, Jason Shannon, to shoot the photography I needed. He had a day job at my previous employer, but was looking to move on from there. We decided to create a "company" that we could use to promote the two of us and work together, as we had very complimentary skill sets.

He eventually took another day job out of the region, and I've been using Vital Vision Studios as my company name for the past couple years. Which hasn't been a problem until recently. Trying to keep up with two websites just isn't working, as I feel like I've neglected this one far too much lately. I've decided to simplify things a bit and dropping Vital Vision Studios will not only save me time, but some money as well. Truth be told, I never really had name recognition with it. My clients all know me as Rob, not Vital Vision Studios. I have name recognition with my name due to my Final Cut Pro users group. To not use that as more of a marketing resource for myself and the training I provide would be stupid.

A new front page over at the Vital Vision Studios website will be going up soon and forward users to this site. Hopefully condensing my work sites and focusing on one "brand" will help keep things clear for my clients, and make life a bit easier for me as well.

Montana Trip - Day 6 - Coming Home

2009-09-26T18:48:59Z

Everyday this week I will be documenting the events of the previous week in which my brother Patrick and I spent at Glacier National Park with my Dad. We'll take it day-by-day as it happened, just 7 days after the fact.

Saturday September 19, 2009

Our stay in Montana is about complete. Saturday morning we packed and got everything ready to go. To get the blood flowing and muscles stretched, we took a walk around Dad’s property. He’s got several trails (all of them named no less) cut all through his “backyard” with some interesting landmarks.

He has a “campground” all planned out, with an area for a teepee, a firepit, and even an outhouse. He’s already making plans for us to stay out there over night next year. I’m thinking Hannah is going to object to that, but we’ll see.

Daisy next to the trails in Dad's backyard. Taken with iPhone.

Not far from the campground area there was a coyote den. Unfortunately Dad reported that three young coyotes had died there this winter. Some of the remains of one of them cold still be seen on the ground.

Jaw bone and some fur from juvenile coyote. Taken with iPhone.

After about an hour tour, we loaded up the car and headed to the nearby gas station/cafe/ex-post office for a sandwich and huckleberry lemonade before heading to the airport. The flight home seemed much quicker than the one out. Skipping the Salt Lake City stop cut about two hours out of our trip.

I pulled in to the garage at home at 11:16 pm. I would have been home 10 minutes earlier if it had not been a stop for gas. One of my biggest pet peeves - paying with a credit card at a gas pump, but the pump not spitting out a receipt, and then having to go in and wait in line to get the receipt - struck yet again. I waited in line 10 minutes due to a slow cashier, and multiple people in front of me buying cigarettes and lotto tickets.

So the trip ended on a bit of a sour note, but I had a great time in Montana once again. Stay tuned for the photo gallery I should get posted early next week.

Montana Trip - Day 5 - Iceberg Lake

2009-09-25T17:08:06Z

Friday September 18, 2009

Friday morning we hit the breakfast buffet at the hotel to load up on healthy food, like fruit and oatmeal. Okay, there was some waffles, muffins, and bacon in there as well. We didn’t have much to take with us for lunch that day, so it would be nearly our only food for the day until dinner that night. Our waitress that morning happened to be on of the college kids we had seen shortly after our bear encounter the evening before.

Many Glacier Hotel and Swiftcurrent Lake, as seen from near the parking lot through a fish-eye lens. Click for larger image.

Today’s agenda called for hiking to Iceberg Lake and back, a 5 mile jaunt each way. Neither Patrick or I had ever been on this trail before, so we chose it over going to Grinnell Glacier. Even though Grinnell Glacier is one of my favorite places, Patrick was there last year and I want to go there next year with Laura and Hannah so they can see it. I knew it was going to be a long day as both of my feet were hurting and I think I had strained a muscle in my upper left leg, almost my hip, climbing to the Swiftcurrent Look Out. Every elevated step I took with my left leg was pretty painful. Thankfully, most of the Iceberg Lake Trail was relatively flat. Unfortunately, flat isn’t always flat. The head of the trail was about 150 yards of fairly steep climbing. After that it was a real gradual rise, but that is all it took for me to feel the pain in my leg. It was again a sunny day, but not as warm as our first two days. It wasn’t quite as cool as I would have liked, but all in all, it was a pretty nice day weather-wise.

Day 5's hike to Iceberg Lake. Click for larger image.

Our hike was mostly uneventful. It crosses a small waterfall area, and winds it’s way to the lake. A steep up and down near the end of the trail brings you in to the lake with it’s shiny bright blue water and steep surrounding cliffs. Halfway there Dad had asked if I brought my fish-eye lens. I hadn’t. I decided to leave it in the car so I didn’t have to carry any more than was needed. The 70-300mm lens was on the camera most of the trip, and is great for capturing wildlife. Unfortunately it was a terrible lens choice for Iceberg Lake. The mountains around the lake are so steep, so tall, and go around most of the lake to the point where it is impossible to capture the area even with a standard wide angle lens. With my 70-300, I was only able to focus on the details, like the tops of the mountains and the ice at water level.

Close up of Iceberg Lake and it's surroundings. Click for larger image.The top of the mountains surrounding Iceberg Lake. Click for larger image.

I used the opportunity of resting at the lake to eat a banana while I soaked my burning feet in the ice cold water of the lake. The water was so cold, I couldn’t stand to keep my feet in it. I found that getting one of the rocks wet worked just as well. Iceberg Lake reminded me a lot of Grinnell Glacier, except for two things. One, it is much smaller. Two, there is no ice floating in the water. The rise in temperatures has melted the icebergs in this lake. That’s the reason I want Hannah to see Grinnell before it resembles Iceberg Lake.

Iceberg Lake. Taken with iPhone.
After watching some goats and sheep at the start of our hike back, insects and squirrels were our main source of entertainment. It didn’t take us long to get back to the car where we headed to Babb and the Babb Cattle Baron Supper Club for some buffalo ribeye steak.

A squirrel grabbing a snack along the trail. Click for larger image.

After dinner it was time to head back to Dad’s cabin on the west side of the park. Dusk is a great time to catch the animals coming out for a walk to find some water or food before it becomes too dark to see them. We stopped several places as we headed back, but only one was productive. A handful of elk were in a grassy field with the leader of the herd, a male with a giant rack, chasing of a younger foe. They were a good distance away, and with light quickly fading, I was unable to get any usable shots from the scene. Dad had his video camera setup and thanks to the night vision setting on it, also spotted a couple of coyotes circling the group.
We made another quick stop at Wild Goose Island, well, because you have to. I got what might be one of my favorite shots there, seen below. That was taken with my fish-eye lens, handheld with a pretty high ISO. I wish I had had my tripod with me... there’s always next year.

Wild Goose Island at night. Click for larger image.
Logan Pass was the next stop, as Dad wanted to check out the stars in absolute darkness from there, plus we had to pick up the Jeep. The skies were clear and moon free, which made for some great star gazing. The Milky Way was clearly visible, and there are so many stars it is difficult to find constellations. The occasional satellite also makes for an interesting sight.

Logan Pass night sky. Can you spot the Big Dipper? Click for larger image.
After some photography there we talked Dad in to leaving before the road closed in half hour intervals for construction. This marked my first time driving down Going-to-the-Sun Road. It’s not hard, but pretty interesting at night. You’ll have to ask Patrick what he thought, but I know I liked driving better than riding with Dad!

Back at Dad’s I set the camera up once again to take a few shots of the night sky from his backyard, as seen below. After a couple Mike’s Hard Lemonades, we called it a night.

Dad's backyard at night. That's his cabin lit on the right, with backlighting of the tree provided by Columbia Falls and the Milky Way. Click for larger image.

Montana Trip - Day 4 - The East Side

2009-09-25T00:50:07Z

Thursday September 17, 2009

After a good night's sleep, Thursday called for some traveling and a light hike. Our mission for today was to take it easy while we recovered from the previous days of backpacking and heat as we ventured over to the east side of Glacier National Park. We'd take our time making multiple stops along Going-to-the-Sun Road on our way. The weather was much cooler, as the clouds looked threatening, but only produced about 2 minutes of light rain at Dad's. When we went to leave the dirt was just as dry as ever.

Our first stop was along McDonald Creek. Dad took Patrick on a light hike on the Trail of the Cedars. That isn't one of my favorite hikes, and I wanted to take it easy on my blisters as much as possible, so I walked over to McDonald Creek and messed around.

A rock in McDonald Creek. I call it the brain rock. Click for larger image.

We stopped off at Logan Pass so Dad could get some gear out of the Jeep (which was left there from our first day of backpacking), then we continued on, stopping a few times to look at a couple of black bear, goats, and a pica. We eventually stopped and ate lunch before continuing on to Many Glacier Hotel. We got checked in and decided to go for an easy hike on the Swiftcurrent Pass Trail that ran along a couple different lakes close to the hotel.

The trail map for day 4. Click for larger image.

Wild Goose Island - one of our stops on the way to the east side. A must shoot photo every year. Click for larger image.

Starting on the trail about 5:00 p.m., we originally had just planned to hike just past Redrock Lake to a clearing where we could easily spot animals on the side of the mountain, which would have been about a 5 mile hike in total (there and back). I was a little stiff after sitting in the car most of the day, but it felt good once we got moving and my feet weren't bothering me too bad.

Little did we know the events that would soon take place. Photo by Patrick Chinn.

Our first stop along the trail was Fishercap Lake and is a good opportunity to see moose, deer, elk, and bears. We did see one deer, but the poor thing was surrounded by about 6 photographers trying to get it's picture. Dad thought it was sick, as it was pretty skinny, and didn't seem to be moving to well.

Our next stop was Redrock Lake. Some of you may remember Redrock Lake as the scene of our most exciting hike last year here and the subject of my award winning photograph (okay, it was just an honorable mention at the State Fair, but is an award nonetheless). This was the spot that we saw a momma black bear and her two cubs swim across the lake. This year we didn't get so lucky. We didn't see any animals this time around.

We still had a bit of time left before we needed to head back, so we continued on past Redrock Falls to the clearing that Dad wanted to get to. As we rounded the corner to it, we saw two photographers off the trail a pretty good distance a few hundred yards away. Above them, coming down the mountain was a large grizzly bear. We watched as the grizzly bear made it's way closer to the two men, the two men would retreat, and the process would continue. Eventually we lost sight of the two men as they neared the trail ahead of us due to brush, trees, and grass. Not long after we lost sight of the bear as well.

Patrick and I decided to walk further up the trail, where we could climb up little bit off trail to get a better look. Dad stayed back as he had his video camera set up, and was looking for other animals that might be visible. Patrick and I were very observant struggling to find the bear. After a few minutes of not seeing anything, I had given up hope of getting to see him a bit closer to get good photos. It was already about 30 minutes after were had planned to turn back to the hotel.

I started to head back towards Dad, but only got about 10 feet when Patrick said something to the effect of "The bear". Of course, I replied "Where?" excitedly, realizing I might get an opportunity to take his picture after all. Patrick responded "Right there". When I looked up, I saw him. It was hard not to, as he was much closer than either of us had planned when we were looking a hundred yards into the brush for him. He popped up about 60 feet away from Patrick; 70 from me. I excitedly turned to try to get Dad's attention, and started going towards Dad a bit. Patrick slowly started backing away as well. I fired off a couple of shots with my camera, and the next thing you know, he was on the trail heading towards Bullhead Lake. Just like that. Even though they look like they are moving slow, because they are so large, a step covers a lot of ground. As he walked down the trail, Dad came up to where we were, and we discussed the finer points of not being attacked by a bear (timely, huh?). The two photographers that had been followed by the bear then approached us from further down the trail. We discussed both of our encounters with the grizzly. Dad said the bear was heading towards water, which was Bullhead Lake. The five of us decided to head towards Bullhead Lake to see if we could see him swimming or playing in the lake.

A large grizzly bear checking out me and Patrick. Click for larger image.In a matter of seconds he was on his way to the lake. My shots are slightly out of focus, unfortunately, due to somewhat shaky hands I'm guessing. Click for larger image.On his way to the lake, he paused and turned, and raised up to sniff the air, making sure we weren't getting closer.. Click for larger image.

After only a few moments of walking quickly, a threesome of college kids came in to view hiking towards us on the trail. We asked them if they had seen the grizzly bear on the trail. They were a little shocked to hear us ask that, as they had not seen anything, which was a huge surprise to us. They are probably lucky they didn't. One of the girls in the group said she had heard something moving in the brush off the side of the trail. She said "Hey bear!", playing it safe and I'm guessing half jokingly. She said the noise stopped, and they continued on.

The half mile hike went quickly, and we took the side trail down to the edge of the lake. By them time we got there, the bear had already made it's way across the lake and was on the opposite bank. We saw it take about two steps before it disappeared into the brush. With that, we talked with the other two guys for a few minutes, and they took off ahead of us heading back towards the hotel, with us in tow.

On the way back, we saw our only moose of the trip - a sow and two calfs. They were just off the trail near Fishercap Lake, and quickly headed towards the lake. At that time, nearing 8:00 p.m., it was too dark for me to get a photo, so I let that one go, not too disappointed after our close encounter with a grizzly.

We ate a good meal at the hotel dining room that night. After sitting still for awhile again I was pretty sore though, and the fast hiking on the way back did no favors for my blisters. The huckleberry lemonade was outstanding, but unfortunately it wasn't a cure for what ailed me. I think Patrick and I had another good snooze that night, as we shared a room and Dad was in an adjacent room that we shared the bathroom with. I didn't hear any snoring that night, which made sleeping much easier. I can't say the same for Patrick, but that was his problem, not mine.

Montana Trip - Day 3 - Swiftcurrent Look Out

2009-09-24T01:40:03Z

Wednesday September 16, 2009

After a hard night of sleep (and by hard I mean the ground was so hard I didn't), we awoke to another hot sunny day. Like any good hikers, we started off with some breakfast - a hard boiled egg, Kellogg's breakfast bar, and some fresh huckleberries that Dad had picked earlier that morning.

After breakfast, Patrick and I packed up our tent and bags, and threw everything in to Dad's tent, including our packs. Dad usually hikes with a pack for all his gear, so he toted our lunch and water for us so we could go without the packs today, at least the first part of it. While Patrick and I were getting our tent put away, we got a visit from one of the neighbors. He just casually strolled by our site, and then made his way down the trail.

Young buck visiting us for breakfast at Granite Park Campground. Click for larger image.

The agenda for day three included a hike up to the Swiftcurrent Look Out. From the map, it doesn't appear to be too tough, but notice the elevation change. The look out sits at 8436 feet above sea level. We not only had a lot of up ahead of us, we had even more down. Dad was going to do a goat count for the park from the look out. Then we'd hike back down to the campground, get his tent packed, and we'd all don our backpacks for the 4+ mile hike down to the loop, where Dad's Honda awaited to take us back to his cabin.

Day 3 agenda. Click for larger image.

We started our travels about 9:30 a.m. It was incredibly hot out, and this was another trail with very little shade. Later in the week we would learn that we had record high temperatures for the second day in a row (note: I think they may have broke that record today, as it was supposed to be even hotter).

Our goal: make it to the Swiftcurrent Look Out. Doesn't look that far or high in the picture. Looks can be deceiving. Click for larger image.

Dad wasn't feeling good due to the heat and probably a lack of sugar, so he decided to skip the goat count. He urged us to go on to the look out though, while he rested at our lunch location about half way there - a small bluff with a cool breeze and a beautiful view. After a short rest and a lunch of ham salad on a tortilla and some apple, Patrick and I started our ascent. The pictures I took when we got to the look out are some of the most painful pictures I have ever taken. Every couple of minutes it seemed like I had to stop to catch my breath. I'm not exactly in the best of shape, but it was tough. Throw in the fact that my legs were burning from the climb, I was wiped when I made it. But I did make it - I was pretty proud of myself.

First thing I did when I got to the top? Sit down. And take this picture with my iPhone. Notice the mountains in the background are level or lower.

Swiftcurrent Look Out. 8436 feet above sea level. Click for larger image.

A few days before Patrick and I arrived in Montana, that had started some controlled burns to the south of the park. Unfortunately for us, the wind was also out of the south, blowing the smoke into our views. It was extremely hazy both Tuesday and Wednesday. On a clear day from that location, you could easily see 40 miles away. That's not to say the view wasn't spectacular, because it was. The amount of mountains and peaks were accountable there were so many viewable.

Looking east from the look out. The large mass of ice near the center is Swiftcurrent Glacier. The lakes to the left, in order from bottom to top, are Bullhead, Redrock, Fishercap (very hard to see), Swiftcurrent, and Sherburne Lake. Click for larger image.

After a half hour of resting and picture taking, we started our hike down to Dad. It only took a half hour to get back to him, after what seemed like hours going up. We then headed back to the campground to get the rest of our stuff and start our backpacked trip to the loop. I can tell how uncomfortable I am by the amount of pictures I take. I took zero pictures from shortly after we left camp until we got to the car. It was a hot, hurtful hike. All the descending took it's toll on my feet, as I developed a blister on each of my little toes from being under the adjacent toe.

Our hike finished up at 6:40 p.m. It was another extremely long and hot day, but another rewarding one. Patrick and I survived our first backpacking trip. That night back at Dad's we grilled steak on the grill. No better way to celebrate than that. The futon never felt better that night.