Cookie splash! is a series of photos taken by Siebe Warmoeskerken, Owner of De Vetpan studios and fellow flickrite. Each photo in the series features beautiful bokeh and huge, amazing, perfectly in-focus coffee splashes, with cookies, of course! Warmoeskerken created the splashes using chocolate easter eggs, but says that any tiny, heavy object will do. I love the beauty of the splashes and the fantastically colored backgrounds.
For the try-it-at-home types like myself, Warmoeskerken provides a quick step-by-step tutorial and also a “making of” video on Vimeo. If you try this out, let me know. I’d love to hear how it goes!
This short, created by Olympus, tells the story of the Olympus PEN camera, which lives on in the new micro four-thirds digital camera, the Olympus EP-1. As you probably know, I’m a Canon girl, but I’m finding very hard to resist the pull of this cute little camera.
The video above was created entirely with stop motion, no video camera involved, just stills! As per the creators, they took all the photographs, developed them, and then arranged them frame by frame for the video, which is compiled of 1800 individual stills (outside of the stills IN the video!). To me, part of the beauty of stop-motion is the simplicity, but what really impresses me is the patience and time that goes into each individual frame. In a time where most everything we see is about time-saving and flash, I like the idea that a company is willing to take the time to sell a still camera with just that, the stills.
This phenomenal video was shot entirely with a brand new Canon 7D by filmmaker Dan Chung, just hours after he purchased the camera at a local retailer in Beijing. Chung used some top notch L lenses and a professional video setup to make the film, but because of the low light most of the video was shot in the ISO range of 1600 – 6400! I have to say I’m very impressed.
To read more about Chung’s experience making the video and working with the 7D, and to learn about the equipment he used check out his website, DSLR News Shooter. You can also view the video in HD and read Chung’s write-up on Vimeo.
From November 2007 to November 2008, Christoph Rehage trekked across China, taking video as he went. But this was not your typical tourist video. Before he left he shaved his head and his face, and then recorded himself as he went along on his journey. The final edited project is an amazing time-lapse film showing scenes and people he passed along the route, but showcasing the way his hair and beard grew throughout the trip. It’s a wild ride, and definitely worthy of watching at least twice to catch all the background scenery and captions.
Christoph has posted more information about the video at vimeo. He also has a website, thelongestway.com, with a travel diary of his trek, but the site has been down the couple of times I’ve checked in. Hopefully he’ll be able to get it back up and running. Christoph – great video and amazing trek, you have my respect!
If you’re not watching this show yet, why not? True Blood is gaining in popularity every week, so check out this great fan video and tune in to HBO for the next episode on Sunday!
This awesome fan video posted by saroufim93 (youtube) features the song Timebomb by Beck, which was the ending credits song for the episode with the same name. If you like the video and want to thank the author, click through to comment directly on youtube.
This past Friday I went to see the newest Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which was fantastic. But I was just as excited about the previews. I got to see the trailer for Where the Wild Things Are on the big screen, and it looked so good it almost brought tears to my eyes.
Another film that I’ve been impatiently waiting for is Sherlock Holmes, and I saw the full trailer for the first time on Friday. It looks fantastic!
Note: If you have the internet connection to support it, make sure to click the HD button to watch the trailer in HD. It makes a big difference.
Florian Schulz is a professional nature photographer and a founding member of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP). His Freedom to Roam Project chronicles wildlife migration corridors and shows how each piece of the conservation puzzle connects with the others. This project documents the affects of global warming and human encroachment on wild spaces and makes clear the need for protected wildlife corridors to allow migrating species to be able to move throughout their ranges safely and freely.
Phase one of the Freedom to Roam project documents the wildlife corridor that runs from the arctic down along the coast and through the mountains of North America. The photography from this phase, known as Y2Y or Yellowstone to Yukon, was compiled into a book and selected photos are also on display at the Field Museum in Chicago. Schultz is now starting work on phase two, B2B or Baja to the Beaufort Sea.
The stunning video above puts a face to the conservation efforts and shows just what it is scientists and other conservationists are working to protect. The caribou in this video migrate over proposed oil drilling land, pristine wilderness that the oil companies would have us believe is barren and purposeless but for the oil that lies beneath it. With the effects of global warming diminishing arctic habitat it is more important than ever to protect that habitat, and to make more habitat accessible to arctic wildlife.
For more information on the Freedom to Roam project and award-winning photographer Florian Shulz visit visionsofthewild.com. The NY Times article Home on the Range also provides information on the proposed protection of the Y2Y wildlife corridor.
This film by Nick Broomfield tells the story of a small group of Greenpeace activists that shut down the UK’s Kingsnorth power station to protest the government’s plan to build new coal-fired power plants. The six activists climbed through the tower to the top and then two members lowered themselves over the side to write a message on the tower. Their actions brought national and international attention to the issue, but the attention they brought wasn’t the real victory – their acquittal of criminal damage was. The message this acquittal sends is clear. The people of the UK will not stand by and allow their government to ignore the issues surrounding climate change.
While I tend to agree with the ideals of Greenpeace, I’ve always had mixed feelings on direct action campaigns. I’ve often wondered if they have any real impact. Often actions of small groups of activists are seen as a bit crazy, and sometimes they even generate sympathy for the opposition. But this is one case in which it’s clear that direct action can make a difference. As of April 23, no new power plants will be built in Britian that do not have carbon capture technology in place. Would this have happened without the shutdown of Kingsnorth? I think not.
Philip Bloom shot this beautiful video with a Canon 5D mkII while on a short trip to Sophia, Bulgaria to teach filmmakers about 35mm adaptors and DSLRs with HD video capabilities. If you haven’t seen video from the 5D mkII yet, it’s pretty amazing. Bloom states in his article Video DSLRs, the death of 35mm adaptors? that there are still quite a few issues to be worked out with the HD video DSLRs, but this video shows that a lot can be done with a camera ultimately designed to take amazing stills.
I’ve been a bit of a purist when in came to HD video in a DSLR, believing that adding video was just a publicity stunt and that the quality wouldn’t be there, but my view is starting to change. It would be really nice to have video on my next trip, and it’d be great not to have to carry a separate video camera. If they can improve the video capabilities without sacrificing anything in the core still shots, then maybe the camera companies are on to something after all.
I’ve known for a while that Philip Bloom uses 35mm adaptors to create his amazing film shorts, but I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant. I knew he produced great images and used depth of field to guide the viewer around the screen, but I had no idea what the adaptors looked like or how they worked. This video, which Bloom made for Letus, the company that makes the adaptors Bloom uses, explains not just what the adaptors are but how they work and how to use them. Bloom goes into detail on the differences of the products in the line, and why you might choose one over the other. The video is educational, interesting, and as with all Bloom’s videos, beautiful to the eye. If you shoot video or are considering starting, this is a must-see. It’s a bit on the long side at 18:27, so grab a drink or a snack and enjoy.
NOTE: You can watch the video in full screen HD at Vimeo or Exposure Room.
January 29, 2010, at 4:20 pm
