Fabulous Film Friday – July 8, 2011

©Darwin Wiggett

I have yet to develop film that I took last week so for this Fabulous Film Friday, I am pulling an image from the archive. I photographed these two ‘animal actors’ (dogs trained for the movies) with my Canon EOS-1n and a 15mm fisheye lens about 10 years ago. The Border Collie was trained to hold things on his nose and would do so for hours given the right motivation. The animal training is right behind me holding pieces of wieners for the dogs (the right motivation). Both of these dogs love wieners, just check out the excitement in their eyes! An overcast sky acts as a big bright soft box to perfectly illuminate the dogs.

Some new interview links

Sam and I were lucky enough to be invited to a cool photography podcast based out of Calgary called I am Aduro. This podcast is run by Al Del Degan of Aduro Phorography and Andrew Bolton of Zombie Darkroom. We had a great time chatting and laughing with Al and Andrew. Check it out (click on the Listen Now button on the bottom of the link page) and learn what Sam really thinks of Peter Lik’s photography and why I have little respect for most Leica photographers! As well you’ll learn what it really takes to make a living at photography and the underlying theme for the show is fine art nude photography plus there are lots of cool and interesting links.

Speaking of Fine Art Nude work, check out an interview just posted where Sam and I talk about our upcoming Gaia Nudes, Nudes in the Landscape photo workshop. Click here for more.

©Darwin Wiggett

Why I’ll Never Be an Actor

Note: To see all future reviews please note this blog is no longer active, please visit us over at oopoomoo.com

Some of you may have seen the goofy video that Samantha and I made called “Six Silly Uses of the UV Filter“.  That video is below if you haven’t  suffered through it yet. You wouldn’t believe hard hard it was for me to make that video (or if you know me, you might not be surprised at all). It seems I just couldn’t and still can’t memorize lines. So much for my acting career…. Oh well, check out the blooper video below and watch me stumble over and over and over again. I may not be able to act but at least I am having fun – I think. Be aware there is a bit of cursing involved (I seem to remember how to say those words perfectly well!). And of course Samantha was flawless (well almost).

More on Serious Photography

Anyone who follows this blog knows that I think photography is a ‘serious’ endeavor. I mean really, what is more important than taking pictures??? (Well, maybe playing with gear, but that’s another post).

My friends over at The Camera Store have made a great new video called Battle at F-Stop Ridge – check it out! Serious stuff!

Serious Photographers

It seems some photographers just take themselves a little too seriously… check out this guy below — yikes!

If you want to learn more about how this ‘world traveler’ does photography (in his backyard) then come on out this weekend to The Complete Photo with Samantha and me for some  instruction on the art of photography and a few chuckles as well. Thanks to Sam for making this fun little video!

The World’s Most Popular Camera – the iPhone?

I am so behind the times. I have a cell phone but I never use it (no it isn’t an iPhone;  it’s old, and heavy and still has a rotary dial  and a cord that plugs into a phone jack 😉

I have never sent a text message in my life — I don’t know how. Besides when I leave the office I do not want to be connected to the net or to anyone really; I just want to immerse myself in nature. Plus everywhere I like to go there is no cell coverage, so what is the point of a phone?

But everybody I know has an iPhone, an iPad, and an iDog and an app that walks the iDog. I feel left out.

I was surprised to learn that the iPhone is the most popular camera on earth. What the heck, I thought it was a phone not a camera! For those who love the iPhone check out the geekaphone blog links below — interesting stuff!

Six Articles on the iPhone Photography Series:

• The iPhone vs. DSLR
• Top 3 iPhone photo editing apps reviewed
• Photo sharing and organizing apps reviewed
• Jelly Lenses reviewed
• Collection of amazing iPhone Photos
• iPhone Infographic detailing Apple’s meteoric rise as the next big camera company

Interview with the Visual Wilderness Team

Check out this interview with the Visual Wilderness team. Want to learn what makes us tick, and how we got together and what we do? Of course, some secrets are revealed (like my special fitness program) 😉

The Visual Wilderness Team

Fabulous Film Fridays – February 25, 2011

Head on over to Sam’s blog for the final results of the Battle of Beep and Bop. Sam is still all smug about my small mistake with my Holga camera. I do not call it a mistake, I call it a ‘decision’ for art’s sake. We’ve decided to let you vote for the winner — and the  best vote explanation receives one of our Visual Wilderness eBooks!  So make sure you drop by and explain why either Beep (Sam) or Bop (me) should win the battle. And be kind to me, I am sensitive!

 

Samantha demonstrating proper Holga shooting technique

The Battle of Beep and Bop

Samantha and I decided to have a little competition for this week’s Fabulous Film Friday. We grabbed our Holga cameras and a couple of rolls of 120 film and headed for Inglewood in Calgary. The rules were simple. Walk the streets for two hours and make images. We would then get the film developed and scan the negatives to display them here. There was no post-processing except for removing dust spots and a minor curve or colour correction to get the scan to be a good representation of the film image.

I thought I had this contest won before we even started. Hell, I have 25 years of experience with film – I doubt that Sam has shot 25 rolls of film in her life! And who showed Sam how to use a Holga? And who kept reminding her to take the lens cap off, to set the aperture to sunny or shade, and to always remember to focus the lens? This contest wouldn’t even be fair!  Loser vacuums for a month!!

Samantha: I have to admit, I was pretty intimidated when you were so…helpful.

Darwin: Except that I was so busy being charitable, that I forgot to check Bop for one critical setting.

Samantha: Right!  Tell our friends what that setting was, Darwin (grin grin).

Darwin: Well there is a shutter setting for normal (about 1/60th of a second) and then one for Bulb (where the shutter stays open as long as you hold down the shutter button).

Samantha: And what setting was Bop at for this bright sunny afternoon in downtown Calgary?

Darwin: Ummm… well… Bulb. I forgot to change the setting from last time I took pictures with Bop.

Samantha: Let’s go back to that part you were just saying about ‘professional photographer of 25 years’….

Darwin: Oh, you mean the part about the professional shooter of 25 years with a handful of washed out negs.  Actually I am surprised I even captured anything on those washed out negs, but I did manage to get a couple of shots with something there.

Samantha: Guess I didn’t need all that help after all, but thanks anyway.  So, do we call the contest yet or post a couple more results next week?

Darwin: I doubt a couple more results will save me, but sure, let’s do that.  I don’t want to vacuum for a month!

©Samantha Chrysanthou

©Samantha Chrysanthou

©Darwin Wiggett

©Darwin Wiggett

Watch me Win!

Stay tuned for Fabulous Film Fridays tomorrow when Bop will devour Beep. This should be easy.