A Perfect Moment with Lindsay Ferguson

Lindsay Ferguson came through Zürich and after her show at the best cafe in Zürich we filmed two videos for the Presented by Cafe Henrici video series. The way the people in the street reacted to her and what happens at the beginning of part II made for a perfect, real life moment for me. Enjoy!

"Right About You" by Lindsay Ferguson

"Boxing Gloves by Lindsay Ferguson
 

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Will Ferrell / Colonel Qaddafi Mashup

The other day was watching Al Jazeera's coverage of the turmoil in the middle east just when Muamar al-Qaddafi started his defiant and apparently incoherent speech. As I was watching, I couldn't help think that something about him seemed familiar. Then I realized that his look and mannerisms were very reminscent of a classic SNL character played by Will Ferrell. See for yourself:
 
Uncanny isn't it? I hereby challenge Will Ferrell to make a video dressed as Qaddafi while doing his Harry Caray impression. It would be as hilarious as it would be spot-on. Also, I welcome others to make similar mash-ups to this one.

Watch the original SNL clip. (Very Hilarious)

Watch the Original Al Jazeera Clip. (Not as Hilarious)

On a more serious note, my heart goes out to the people in Libya and other Middle East nations in turmoil. I wish them freedom and safety.

Goodnight Company by Jane Lui

This is the official music video for Goodnight Company, the title track from Jane Lui's newest album (Buy CD/DVD or free download). It was filmed back in May in various locations around Zürich. I really enjoyed making this video and I think the final result is so much fun! I would like to thank everyone who was involved -- particularly the anonymous German and Dutch tourists who were so kind to join in for the last scene.

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Kodachrome is Dead (a Post-Mortem)

Kodachrome box, taken on Kodchrome (Dec 12. 2010 - 11:35, f1.7 1/4th sec)For the past 75 years, photons bouncing off various people and objects have sometimes been captured, at the click of a button, on the surface of a film called Kodachrome. Kodachrome is not only one of the most recognizable brands of photographic film, but its history ecompasses the entirety of accessible color photgraphy. In 2009, Kodak stopped production of Kodachrome and on December 30, 2010, the only lab left in the world with the ability to process it discontinued that service. I decided to shoot one roll of Kodachrome before it was too late and I just received the results via airmail from Kansas.
Grossmünster's last interaction with Kodachrome (Dec 5. 2010 - 16:02, f2.8 1/60th sec)The whole time I was shooting this roll of film, I kept thinking about photons (yup, I'm a nerd). Many of my subjects, such as Zürich's Grossmunster, have been shot on Kodachrome countless times. As I clicked the shutter, I thought that this would probably be the last time the photons boucing off these objects would come in contact with Kodachrome. Having never shot Kodachrome before, I felt a bit like an archeaologist, wandering the city of Zürich, exploring the properties of something that is now relegated to history. I was very careful in making each shot, and had a list of people and places I wanted to photograph. I also marked down the time and exposure settings for each shot for posterity. I snapped the last photo (a blurry self-portrait) and sent off the film on the 17th of December, just 13 days before the deadline.
Some kind of police protest at the Rathaus (Dec 8. 2010 - 13:49, f2.8 1/60th sec)I waited patiently to hear news from Dwayne's or see that my credit card had been charged so I could confirm that my film made it on time. After two weeks and no sign, I got nervous and gave Dwayne's a call. I was told by a very friendly staff member that my film made it with three days to spare. However, they were running behind by about three weeks due to the volume of film that they had recieved in the days approaching the deadline. That was understandable, considering one man turned in 1500 rolls by himself. The box finally arrived and I got the first look at my film.
View from the Lindenhof (Dec 9. 2010 - 15:02, f4 1/125th sec)

The film looks just as good as I thought it would. Very clean and sharp, nice color renditions. However, it was (as I expected) a pain to scan. Kodachrome is very unique in the way its color layers are arranged. This makes it tricky for scanners to deal with (and one of the reasons why they discontinued it). I had to tweak the settings individually for each scan because I didn't want to invest in an it8 calibration slide. I think my scans are pretty good, but still not 100% of the originals. The one thing that really stood out to me about Kodachrome is its excellent rendering of skin tone.
Pascal Grob of www.fashionbitsandbobs.com (Dec 9. 2010 - 15:48. f1.7 1/60th sec)Overall, though happy with the film, I understand Kodak's decision. Kodachrome has a unique look, but not so unique that more modern slide films can't do the same work. Kodachrome has to be processed in its own special way, where other slide films share the same process. Also, in the end, most film is digitized anyway, and the process to digitize Kodachrome is cumbersome. I am glad I had the experience of shooting this historic film, but all good things must come to an end.
Portrait of the author, taken by his wife (Dec 12. 2010 - 16:05, f1.7 1/60th sec)Related Posts
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Les Shelleys, Part 2 - "The Biggest Lie"

Another charming cover from Les Shelleys, this time being "The Biggest Lie" by Elliott Smith.

Don't miss Part 1, wherein this delightful duo performs "I'm On Fire" by the Boss.

Photo Blog Retrospective

My goal when I started my Photo Blog entries back in 2008 was to force myself to publish something creative on a regular basis and help me grow as an artist. I definitely think that it has been a worthy pursuit. Now that I have made 100 Photo Blog entries, I thought it would be interesting to look back at some of them from the past ~2 years.

I have a hard time objectively judging my own work, so instead of making a "best of" I will just pick out a few entries which stand out due to the story behind them, the circumstance, technique, or something else that was notable. (each link opens in a new window)

Photo Blog #15: I was in Gruyeres last weekend.
A photo of the church in Gruyères. Gruyères is a special place to me because that is where I filmed my documentary about H.R. Giger. Anytime I produce a project in a particular place, that place feels like a home to me.

Photo Blog #20: An early morning shot of the Capitol Building on inauguration day.
My wife and I were in Washington D.C. to witness the inauguration of President Obama. It was pretty amazing to be there on that historical day even thought it was freezing out on the Mall at 5 in the morning. 

Photo Blog #36: Bonus Paris Edition
This was one of the multi-picture photoblog which I used to do. I have since decided that one picture at a time is better. I love Paris. It is where my wife and I were engaged over 5 years ago. This is a selection of photos of a trip we took to Paris in 2009

Photo Blog #46: Say a little prayer.
This was one of those perfect moments. I was walking around Zürich with my OG Lensbaby when just as I passed this school tourist group, one of the kids turned his back to the other and began to pray. He seemed to be in his own little world.

Photo Blog #56: Histoire Metallique.
This was shot in the library of Stift Klosterneuburg just outside of Vienna, Austria. I was there helping out my friend Jason film a short documentary which can be seen here. It was quite a unique experience to live in a monastery for a short time.

Photo Blog #71: Grossmünster(s)
I took these photos shortly after I acquired my Polaroid Image System camera. I have since become a big fan of the camera and it has been featured commonly in my photoblog.

Photo Blog #76: der Prime Tower im Bau.
As of July 2010,  the Prime Tower is the tallest building in Switzerland. At 126m it isn't so impressive when compared to most cities, but in Zürich it really stands out. I really like the tower and took this photo on a day went I was planning to photograph it specifically.

Photo Blog #79: She found the time.
This photo was taken during a fashion shoot called "Instant Alchemy" I made for Kimandra. It was a very fun and creative day. 

 


 Photo Blog #94: Coffee girl.
At every coffee shop in Ethiopia, there is a raised platform where a woman prepares coffee in the traditional manner. Coffee is very important in Ethiopian culture. That is probably why I liked the country so much.

Those are just a few of the Photos which had a background story that stood out to me. If anyone is curious about any of my other Photo Blog entries feel free to as on my contact page. 

I'm looking forward to creating my next 100 Photo Blogs.