John Hodgman Chasing a Turkey
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Category Archives: Photos
Last.fm
Aside
Speaking of .fm sites, does anyone use Last.fm? I love the stats that it has been keeping on me for the last few years…
Instagram Diptych
Last night I had the most vivid dream. I dreamt that I drove something that resembled a Las Vegas theme park. All of the lights, sounds and games were there. The differences became quickly apparent. There were families, and happiness; laughter spread throughout the park.
In addition, it seemed that there was a Kodachrome haze that layered over the park. Colors were more vibrant, and it seemed that I had stepped back into the 70s. It was beautiful, and everyone was happy.
This morning, when I was getting ready, I took Rush downstairs to get some breakfast with me. He was quiet, playing in the front room and I got a little suspicious. When I arrived, he was sitting quietly, playing with a nativity toy set near the tree.
I have been using Instagram for a little while, and I have to admit, I am smitten. Many have written on what is great, but I just want to add my two cents. This morning, when I saw Rush, I had my iPhone in my pocket, and my DSLR on the counter right next to me. To shoot the photo, I had a few options.
- Take camera from bag
- Take flash out
- Meter the flash
- Replace 18-135mm with f1.8 50mm
- Try to compose a nice photo
- Take another one with some different flash settings
- Try to wrangle Rush back into the spot
- Sync camera with computer
- iPhoto to Photoshop for editing
- Upload to Flickr
- Upload to Facebook
- Upload to Tumblr
- Tweet off a link
Now, with Instagram
- Pull out phone, and take photo.
- Add a filter
- Blast that photo to Facebook, Tumblr, Flickr, and Twitter (and Instagram too).
The dreamy landscape that I saw in my deep in my sleep, quickly became the photo that I took with my phone. The ability to simply share a photo is something that other apps will do, but the community of Instagram, coupled with the ease of use makes this a winner in my book.
Me, an actor!
Got to feel a lot like Tobias Fünke last week when at the last minute I got called in to do some acting on a new Sorenson Squeeze commercial.
What do you think, should I take up acting/modeling full time? 
My bags are packed… I’m ready to go….
FYI, I am headed into the semi remote backcountry of Yosemite California today. Going to be hiking this thing:
I will be back on Monday, September 7th. See ya soon!
Dirt Jumping
Went biking with some friends the other day so we had to bust out the camera and take some pics.
Had fun editing these. Would anyone be interested in a screencast about how to make sequenced photos like this?
The Gadget Tribes of Technology
I think that I fit pretty easily into the blogger category, but iFan isn’t far off. I really need a NetBook….
Via Boing Boing Gadgets:
Technology was once about big things, but smallness rules the day: we are the gear that gets us through it. Augmented and assisted by the gizmos we buy, break and make, we’re taking tech culture out of the tubes. How to spot a species? Look inside the gadget bag!
Claim solidarity with your stereotype in the comments and send us evidence of any undiscovered tribes (email: rob o’ boingboing.net): we’ll be sure to forward it on to the Internet Anthropogogical Society for near-immediate updates.
Mini Photo Walking…
There was a mini-photowalk the other day down in Lehi. Based on my proximity, I couldn’t pass it up. Plus, being able to shoot with Rich Legg, Kim Guanzon, Scott Jarvie, David Daniels, Jeremy Hall, and a few others too is something that you just don’t say no too.
Had a fun time, it was cool to see some tricks that people are using. Great time to learn when you can watch and follow others.
Photos From Zions Bank
So, I am up on the 18th floor of Zions Bank tower, what a view.
***Update***
These images were all taken with my iPhone, so no complaining about crappy quality. With the clouds and the light, the temple looks like some kind of dystopian structure, rather then the holy edifice that it is.
Kitsch
Many of you that know me and read this blog, (namely Melissa), know that I am totally enamored by the photography of Jonathan Canlas. He is local of Lehi, yet renowned in the world of photography. Since I started following his blog, I have been dying to get my hands on a Holga, and have resisted the temptation every time that I have gone into Urban Outfitters for some time now. So, to my Amazon Wishlist it would go; in hopes that someday I would get one. Imagine my excitement when I opened a packeage today from Eric, my brother-in-law. He pulled it off the list and got me one for Christmas. So then today I was looking across Jon’s blog, trying to find the kind of film that he uses, I came across this gem:
KITSCH
Kitsch is a German term that has been used to categorize art that is considered an inferior copy of an existing style. The term is also used more loosely in referring to any art that is pretentious or in bad taste, and also commercially produced items that are considered trite or crass.
Because the word was brought into use as a response to a large amount of art in the 19th century where the aesthetic of art work was confused with a sense of exaggerated sentimentality or melodrama, kitsch is most closely associated with art that is sentimental; however, it can be used to refer to any type of art that is deficient for similar reasons—whether it tries to appear sentimental, glamorous, theatrical, or creative, kitsch is said to be a gesture imitative of the superficial appearances of art. It is often said that kitsch relies on merely repeating convention and formula, lacking the sense of creativity and originality displayed in genuine art.
Though kitsch and kitschy may be terms used to criticize, the term is sometimes used as a compliment as well, with some finding kitschy artwork to be enjoyable for its “retro” value or unintentional, ironic humor or garishness.
That is exactly what I am going for. To say that I want to be more like Jon would be an understatement. I love the style, and try to mimic it. It makes me want to be a better photographer.
So Jon, thanks for taking some kitschy photos.