SDGBC Green Assistance Program with World Beat Center

Recently, I've been working with the San Diego Green Building Council documenting their Green Assistance Program. It is a program that allows people who are trying to achieve LEED accreditation get real experience on LEED projects. The program works with non profits to assist them with making their buildings more energy efficient, healthier and more pleasant to work in.

The SDGBC has been collaborating with Balboa Park to improve several of their buildings in the park. One of the first projects of the Green Assistance Program was the World Beat Center. Here is a video that we produced describing the LEED improvements made on the WBC as well as the benefits for both the staff of the WBC and LEED professional that worked on the project.

Kontron edit job

Here's an edit job that I did a little while back. It was my first project solely as an editor. All footage was stock. Click the blue tabs to view the videos.

The client is Kontron and makes embedded computing technology for military and defense applications.

http://us.kontron.com/smartcity/

Good film and video resources

Learning the world of motion has been an exciting yet daunting experience. Fortunately, there are some amazing resources out there for information. The internet has really changed the way we can learn and develop our skills. In my free time (or when I want to procrastinate on doing tedious work) I visit a few sites to stay on top of what is happening in the video and film world.

Vincent Laforet - Father of DSLR video with 5D MKII. Originally, a photographer, Vincent has moved into the film making world. His blog provides a lot of info on gear and technique. His reel is a decent source of inspiration.

nofilmschool.com - A blog hosted by Ryan Koo with a constant stream of the latest information in the video world. Also check out his new short movie, AMATEUR

hurlbutvisuals.com - An awesome cinematographer who is very passionate about sharing his knowledge. Its amazing how this guy has time to crank out all of the work he does and then provide such in-depth information on his blog. Its a must read.

fcp.co - A site dedicated to all things FCPX

Vimeo - Most people already know about Vimeo and that it is a higher grade YouTube. I usually hop on and check out the staff picks while I drink my coffee in the morning. Its a good source for inspiration and to see how much talent there is in the world. There is also a pretty decent music collection for download, both creative commons and low cost options for film makers.

Shot On What? - This is a techie site that provides all the info about what movies and television shows were shot with.

IMDB - This is one of my favorite sites. It is a comprehensive database of movies and television shows. IMDB provides information about the cast, seasons, filming locations, goofs, etc. Once you start watching movies by your side, you'll become an addict!

Roger Deakins - Roger is an accomplished ASC and BSC cinematographer. Some of his credits include Skyfall, No Country for Old Men, and The Big Lebowski. This is another advanced class site that provides a wealth of info. If Roger doesn't cover it, one of the hundreds of posters on the forums will provide insight to your questions.

The Black and Blue - Evan Luzi has created a site that has lots of info about the day-to-day happenings on set. He is a first assistant and aims to provide information to aid others who want to be assistants or camera operators. He provides a good perspective from somebody within the crew.

Cinema 5D - A site originally dedicated to the DSLR side of film making but has a ton of info about all types of cameras and tools.

Color Grading Central - This is a site dedicated to........Wait for it...... color grading! Denver Riddle provides a bunch of FREE video tutorials on the fundamentals of color grading both in FCPX and DaVinci Resolve. If you need more in depth training, he provides paid membership to advanced content.

There are a ton more resources out there and I could list a hundred more but that is where I'll stop.  Next time, I'll provide a list of my current sources of inspiration.

Architectural Photographers List

Recently, I was invited to list my work on a new listing called Architectural Photographers List. It is a site developed by Rob Haggart and the APhotoEditor team. Its not the most creative, quirky name but then again, neither are architectural photographers. Nonetheless, it another good resource for finding architectural photographers.

Here is a link to the launch post from APhotoEditor's blog.

http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2013/03/12/calling-all-architectural-photographers/

http://architectphotographers.com/

BTW, Rob runs a website development company called APhotoFolio. Their websites have become industry standard. They are constantly evolving with technology to make the best websites for photographers. Prices are very reasonable and customer service is spot on!

Thanks Rob and keep up the great work!

New website for Randall Lamb and Associates

Late last year, I photographed the staff and principals of Randall Lamb and Associates. They are an engineering firm based in San Diego and San Francisco, CA. All portraits were shot at their offices. We photographed the principals on both a white seamless backdrop and in various locations around the office.

Their new website launched recently. It was designed by David Lecours. He did a great job of giving their brand a fresh new image.

Consistent Tee video

A solar install client of mine, Everyday Energy, also runs a golf tee company called Consistent Tee. A couple of weeks ago, they called me to shoot a video for them. It was essentially a "challenge" format where golfers would hit balls with their tees and then hit with the Consistent Tee and compare results. It definitely was a blitz kind of shoot that was fun.

They wanted a quick, grass roots feel that wasn't too polished. This is what I came up with.

I'd like to thank Kenny Farrington for coming out and helping on this project. 

Music credit: "Disco High" by UltraCat (http://www.ultracatmusic.com/)

Studio Frank christmas card

As tax season is winding down today, I took some time to clean up the old paperwork and get organized for many new opportunities on the horizon. As I was cleaning, I came across this cool little Christmas card that I received from my friends over at Studio Frank around the holidays.

While its not still the holiday season, the message still rings true.