new toy

i've been messing around with some new photo toys - i must say, it is a fun time to play - so many options!

grey whales & cold beer

my friends at woodshedfilms are showing a little baja adventure i shot for them last may. this thursday, august 8th at the shore break hotel in huntington beach. cool poster by ty warren 'ta boot.

5d vs 7d

well, as my good friends know, my full 7d camera package got ripped off out of a TSA LOCKED pelican case traveling from LA to Georgia. why didn't i carry my gear on you ask? well, i thought i had faith in the system, and humanity, and those idiots at TSA. FYI shooters, airlines do not cover theft or damage of camera gear in checked baggage. the police also claim "no jurisdiction." so, carry on or make sure you have some form of insurance - i did neither and it blows. anyways, after shooting a spot with the talented danny moder, i decided to replace the 7d with a 5d. in looking at the dailies - the image just seems a bit tighter and well, i truly couldn't stomach having to replace my beloved 7d that had already treated me so well.

that said, i think i like the menu on the 7d better - and dare i say, sometimes, i even like the image better for action... less jell-o effect & love the slow mo - but alas, the 5d in certain scenarios is a crisper image and i love the full frame sensor. also, i recently edited some 1D mark iv footage and it looked beautiful as well, so, lotsa choices. some of the pre-stolen footage is in this montage of my work. see if you can spot what is 7d and what is 5d. happy shooting and travel safe.

Nike Inarritu'

A good friend and very talented DP just sent me the new Nike World Cup spot by director Alejandro G. Inarritu' (21 Grams, Babel). This is truly one of the most dynamic & visual commercials i've ever seen.

7D 1.0

here's my first applicable go-around with the 7D for the team at Dolan Clothing. Jodie has been a friend and a client for a while & we thought documenting their Fall photo shoot would be a nice calling card for her national reps. lens canon f2.8 24-70mm & f1.4 50mm. loving the camera's low light capability. you can see a 1 min. cutdown here.

film vs. digi shoot out

the debate goes on. i'm known as a surf "filmmaker" and i'm proud that people relate my work to shooting 16mm. since finishing One California Day, i've had the opportunity to work as a freelance shooter on various HD systems, RED, Varicam, F900, f35, hvx, hpx, etc - with new formats being released everyday, it's hard to know what the best system is for you and your production. cost, aesthetic, logistics - taking all of these factors into consideration, i've been amazed by the quality of the new Canon DSLR systems.

truth be known, about %75 of the production budget for Singlefin: yellow and One Cal Day went to film, film processing & film telecine. for a low budget project, that's a huge number. in the current market environment, where people aren't buying as many dvds - i've been searching for a creative solution to keeping the aesthetic high but the budgets low. In playing around with my new 7d, i have a reinvigorated personal excitement towards guerrilla filmmaking.

here's a system that delivers gorgeous imagery. it is small & compact - i made both my films with one bolex camera and a back pack. my canon system now lives in that same pack.

i'll be posting a few short projects we have been working on in this format soon. but moreover, i'm excited to have a cost effective alternative to shooting film that holds up to my visual standards. for some pretty amazing insight into this new technology check out these videos.

below is a short clip regarding low light photography.

stories of guinness and big waves

my friend joel conroy did an interview for the beach reporter (our local news press) about shooting his film Waveriders and had some fun stories to share about my work on the project, here.