hd vid on the Canon 7D

A still from a swell little movie ( http://vimeo.com/groups/22589/videos/6475938 )
shot on the new Canon 7D at 1080p at 24fps by Philip Bloom.

handsome beast

OK, well maybe I like this little fella, too...

safari hut

Went shooting at the zoo today. And what was the most interesting thing I saw there? Well, it wasn't an animal. It was this odd little room that I have decided to call the Safari Hut. It is steeped in mystery, indeed.

becky and shane

One of my favorite shots from Becky and Shane's engagement photo shoot from Tuesday. It was hot and humid out, but they were troopers. We started near the Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse and then worked our way over to Freestone Park in Gilbert. Catching that golden hour means working fast. We called it a night when the last orange glows of sunlight dipped behind the palm trees. Thanks for a great shoot, Becky and Shane!

Canon 7D announced....

Canon just announced a new prosumer DSLR to cover the market between the 50D and the 5D Mark II, although early opinions are that is is closer to the 5D, what with HD video at various frame rates and weathersealing. Here are some specs:

• 18-megapixel CMOS sensor (halfway between the 50D's 15mp and the 5DMII's 21mp)
  
• Dual DIGIC 4 image processors (you have to go up to the D1's for that)
  
• 8 frames per second (max 126 JPEG / 15 RAW images)
  
• ISO 100-12800 (in ISO expansion mode)
  
• 19 point cross-type AF sensors (fancy)
  
• Center AF point is 8-directional double cross-type
  
• 100% viewfinder coverage
  
• 1.0x viewfinder magnification
  
• TTL full aperture metering with 63 zone Dual Layer SPC
  
• 3″ 920k dot resolution LCD display
  
• 1080p HD video (30fps, 25fps, 24fps)
  
• 720p HD vidoe (60fps, 50fps)
  
• Live view mode
  
• External mic stereo mini jack input
  
• HDMI output
  
• Pop-up Flash (that I hear can control your Canon speedlites)
  
• E-TTL II auto flash with EX-series Speedlites
  
• 150k actuation rated shutter

Rumored to sell for $1700 body only, or $1900 w/ a kit 28-135mm. It all sounds good to me!

Restoration Plus Imagination

Our friends at PhotoWalkPro (www.revellphotography.com/blog/) recently did a post about a terrific photo restoration job they did. You can see that particular post, the restoration, and an idea as to how they did it here.

So let it be made perfectly clear that they did all the really hard stuff with the scratches and entire chunks of missing image (but I have done some work like that in the past). However, I decided that perhaps the job could be taken just a little bit further. So I tried a color-correction to remove most of the sepia effect and then did a manual colorization. Now, I have no idea what colors the people in the picture were actually wearing, so, in terms of accuracy, PhotoWalkPro was probably absolutely correct to leave it where they did.

That being said, I like where I ended up. Here is where PhotoWalkPro ended and where I started.

And here is where I ended up.

So, although I think this process can be taken further to truly maximize the overall effect (and I just wanted to show-off a bit), I know why PWP stopped where they did, and I'm certain that their client was thrilled with the authenticity of the restoration job.

If you have mildly damaged pictures or images with simple color casts, let me know. Perhaps we can bring those memories, that personal history, back to life!

Noah Camera Holster

Check out this interesting bit of gear from Brian Noah. It's a newfangled camera holster that you can find at http://www.losangelesweddingphotography.org.

and the winner is...

The results are in! We've drawn a winner of the free engagement photo shoot from entries we received at the East Valley Bridal show in Mesa last Sunday. The winner is....

Caron Poole!

I want to thank Caron and all the other participants in our giveaway. But please, don't be disheartened if you didn't win. I have a special offer for you. An RWP engagement photo shoot is valued at $200. But for you, as a special consolation prize, half off! That's right, an RWP engagement photo shoot up to two hours long for only $100!

Contact me at ron@ronwarrenphotography.com or call 480-252-2787 to schedule a shoot. Only $100 is a remarkable deal and a great way to get to know me and my work before you take the plunge of deciding on your photographer. Thanks again for entering the drawing, stopping by our booth, and considering RWP!

Social Networking Vid...

Fun In A Flash

So.... of course you want a professional photographer at your wedding. It just makes sense. But you know what else is a great idea? And makes laughter and joy? A photobooth! The terrific folks over at Fun In A Flash rent out amazing old-school photobooths with some wonderful small twists. Like customizing the photostrips with words or a logo, 2 strips for each set of pictures (1 for the subjects and 1 for your scrapbook!), CD of all event pics, and more. Check them out at http://www.funinaflash.com/ or call them at (480) 620-3728. And be sure to check out the pics of Dawn and me below. As if I needed the jester's hat to emphasize my silly side!

Check Friday for free engagement shoot winner!

NOTE: Friday, August 21 at noon we will draw a winner for the free engagement shoot offered at the East Valley Bridal Show on Sunday. Check this blog on Friday to see if you are the lucky winner! Good luck!

Dawn workin the bridal show...

Dawn saying hello to all the eager brides....

East Valley Bridal Show

Dawn and I worked a booth at the East Valley Bridal Show at the Mesa Convention Center today. We met a lot of very nice brides-to-be, a few swell grooms-to-be, and a lot of very patient parents!

We want to thank everyone who stopped by the booth, other vendors that we had a chance to meet, the organizers of the show, and all the friends and family that helped make it happen!

beaming bride

from the Lerczak/Beck wedding....

projection technology, applied and projected

Today Chase Jarvis was talking about multimedia, especially projection, presentations. Here is a terrific example of an actual projection show.

Projection on buildings - Live performance from NuFormer Digital Media on Vimeo.

and here is a faux-presentation showing what the same company thinks is possible in the medium.

Projection on Buildings from NuFormer Digital Media on Vimeo.

dslr video

Take a look at this video. In terms of content, it's just a crappy Ralph Lauren ad, but I want you to look at the cinematic quality of its production. And then I want you to know that it was all shot on a Canon 5D Mark II. A DSLR still camera that just happens to have full high-def 1080p video capability. Unbelievable. I never really had any aspirations to shoot motion pictures before, but this kind of thing (and there is getting to be a lot of it out there) is making me think twice.

The dreamy quality of shallow depth of field. I've been doing more and more shallow depth of field work with the still photography, but now take that same nifty fifty lens and shoot video. The possibilities are limitless...

We.own.the.sky from Camille Marotte on Vimeo.

Theresa

Spent some time this weekend playing with images from Julien and Theresa's wedding from back in '07. I particularly like this new edit of this shot of Theresa.

new pocketwizards

I know we've talked about the new pocketwizards before, but, since I don't have any yet! I'm going to go on and on about them. Hopefully I'll get a mini and 3 flexes by Christmas to add some flexibility to those spring weddings. Here's a great little video introduction to the devices by Mark Wallace.

a biplane wedding

all about the aussies

I admit it, this week I'm all about the awesome Australian Shepherds. These are really great dogs!