"I'll miss ya, Old Blue"

I was out riding the mountain bikes with friends and I tossed the LX-5 in the CamelBak figuring I might capture some cool shots at Rattling Creek Single Trackers amazing trail network up in Weiser State Forest in South Central PA. The ride did not turn out so well. I started off with a nasty "ting" sound and finally diagnosed a busted frame. Sadly, it was terminal. I'll miss that old bike.

I did manage to capture a few shots in one of the tougher boulder fields though. I hope that GnatLikes.com enjoys one of the bikes featured here ;-)

"I'll miss ya, Old Blue"

I was out riding the mountain bikes with friends and I tossed the LX-5 in the CamelBak figuring I might capture some cool shots at Rattling Creek Single Trackers amazing trail network up in Weiser State Forest in South Central PA. The ride did not turn out so well. I started off with a nasty "ting" sound and finally diagnosed a busted frame. Sadly, it was terminal. I'll miss that old bike.

I did manage to capture a few shots in one of the tougher boulder fields though. I hope that GnatLikes.com enjoys one of the bikes featured here ;-)

Photos from Family Bike Ride

Little more iPad photography posting this week. I know, it's getting tired right? I just love the way that Snapseed handles processing. I almost wish I could do all my processing in Snapseed on the iPad and then send the "instructions" back to my desktop computer to process the full images and full resolution and highest level detail. Or make Snapsee a "remote control" for Lightroom the way that the new Adobe apps can control Photoshop. Ahhh... someday, maybe.

Photographic Creativity

I always loving hearing how people are inspired to create what they do. It's really the key to taping into your own creative engine. Recently on TWIP Fredrick Van suggested to listen to music while on a photowalk to help inspire a mood. I've heard about editing to music, but shooting to a sound track isn't an interesting concept. Obviously, this would only work in "passive photography" and not if you needed to direct a subject. (That would be an interesting experiment, put on ear buds and shut out your model while shooting them directionless... maybe listening to the same music or even completely opposite music... Might not be as silly as I think. lol)

inspiration spans mediums too. A recent TV commercial for a new Ron Howard production is rather interesting (sponsored by Canon). He has created Project Imagin8ion. It's the first user-generated photo contents to inspire a Hollywood shot film. Photos were submitted, people are currently voting (ends shortly after this is posted) and then these photos will be used as the inspiration for a new film. It's an interesting concept. Get people to send you stuff to jazzed about.

The other project that is interesting is the invitationtohang.com. It's a social media project by Chase Jarvis (Is anyone getting tired of me blogging about that guy yet? lol.) People submit photos and he's the "curator" for a gallery in a hotel in NYC for the month. Select photos make the wall... and some are showcased in a special framed section. Photos change daily... He has posted a few videos on his site that are worth watching.

What will all this inspire me to create?

What have I missed? If you have found any interesting inspirational projects, drop a comment below.

iMovie for iPad... for Photographers?

I know that as our tools merge with videographers that more photographers are jumping into the world of video. I've been doing video production almost as long as I have been shooting photos (seriously, not just hobbyist). After getting my iPad2, I was curious to try out iMovie to see how well it worked. I was surprised to find some interesting uses for photographers as well.

First off, iMovie is not a robust app. Just like all the great apps, it's simple and easy to use. You can quickly edit video shot with your iPad or iDevice and get it to the web fast (and looks great too.) Getting footage into the iPad from a different source like a DSLR or P&S HD camera is a little more difficult. More on that as I find a way to make this happen.

But iMovie is a great slideshow app too. You can import photos into your project like you would a video file an add transitions between them. Whats cool though is the ability to easily do the Ken Burns effect style pan and zoom effect during the time a photo is in frame. A simple pinch zoom and swipe to position the image sets the start of the slide and then click the end button and do the same to set the ending placement and cropping.

This might be my favorite way to show off slideshows of images.

A few complaints: I wish I was able to zoom a photo out two show an entire vertical photo. It seems like the app only allows you to "fill frame" instead of "fit in view". This really distracts from an image that was composed vertically and it doesn't allow you to see the entire image. I hope this is a future feature. I see this as a frustration in future projects.

I also wish you were able to edit your titles so they only show up for a portion of a clip. Currently the title applies to the footage you set it for. this means that an opening title would stay on for the entire duration of the first clip. Not a big deal in a slideshows, but when you have extended video footage, it can get distracting. This can be worked around with some creativity by splitting a clip or using a moving photo as a title before the long footage. But an easier option would be ideal!

All that considered. I do like the app and find it useful. the big question is, what does it look like? Here is a sample video I made in about 15 minutes with some portfolio images.

Artsy Photos from Ed Hidden on Vimeo.

A sample photo slideshow made with iMovie for iPad. Posted for a blog post on edhidden.com