First Video Tone Poem

Of the creek by my house.

I shot and edited this with complete meditative concentration.

The surround brings me joy...

https://vimeo.com/39005821

Video Exposure to the Arts

My latest intrigues have been creating video for artists. Selecting music that compliments a particular style can be a challenge, but putting the presentation together is a delight. I just initiated a Vimeo channel, which is where I will start to post recent work about artists. 

My latest piece is about one of the artists -- Susan McClaurin -- who makes collages using handmade paper, photographs and other ephemera. I really enjoy her techniques and the "narrative" implied by her imagery. Here is an image of one of her pieces that is part of her series named A Year of Magical Thinking, and here is a link to Susan McLaurin's website. 

Another artist that I created movies for is named Eduardo Lapetina. He is a member of the Orange County Artists Guild,  which I am also pleased to be a part of. Eduardo paints very colorful large abstract paintings that display lots of color and texture. Eduardo uses symbolic shapes and colors to express his deepest emotions and passion for life. He applies paint to the canvas in unusual ways - by pouring, splashing, dripping and scratching. Layers and layers of paint create a sensuous and turbulent surface texture that is as vital and as complicated as life itself.  
Here is a link to my new vimeo channel that includes recent clips showcasing the art of Susan as well as Eduardo. I hope you enjoy and plan to keep your eyes and ears out for more postings!

A Farmhouse Tribute: as a Tone Poem

Check out this beautiful video that was shot and edited by my favorite videographer and associate! Notice the wonderful time-lapse photography. See how the camera gently dollies around corners to reveal each new nook and room. This is a model for the staging, shooting, and editing video. Of course, executed by one of the finest and brightest in our area.

This "farmhouse tribute" is where my design professor lives ... in Virginia. I have had the pleasure of being a guest at his house. And yes, just as you see in the video, the interiors are gorgeous. The colors are rich and antique collections of all kind abound. So enjoy. Play the video at this link.

Making It Modern with Pictures and Prose

This could be for me, the web site I most enjoyed creating. It is for an artist/writer whose work I find intriguing with its swirls, its innuendoes, and its modern stance. The artist -- Sarah Wilkinson -- and I worked very closely together to come up with a design that would properly anchor her work, while reflecting its modern tone. Choosing the color palette was quite the challenge, but we both finally approved of our final scheme. Another delight for me was to create each page with a distinctive look. For instance, the geometric grid and precise placement of elements on her Welcome page. The grey backdrop for the Gallery thumbnails --- large enough to see. And when selected, displayed side by side is the image with Sarah's provocative prose. Also, the rectangles of different hues cascading down her Exhibits page, so that each event is part of the whole but stand apart. The boxes inside boxes look of the About and Contact pages.
Go to this website to see more of my web design work.

What should the look and feel be?

That's a question frequently asked as you start to design a website. A site I just finished creating was particularly fun -- because it was for a therapist -- and my undergraduate work was psychology. We both wanted a fresh clean style that is -- at present -- my favorite. We wanted it to feel "accessible", friendly, while accenting her professional accomplishments. We wanted it to have a warm look, suggesting that through her therapy clients could gain a positive outlook and achieve positive growth.


Susan -- the therapist from Durham -- and I had a great time looking over different stock images to find one with just the right feel to use as a banner. Not too feminine, not too weird, not too sappy or strange. So we chose an image of wheat in a field at sunrise. Suggesting, "it's a new day" and the light is lovely.


I also tried something new on this site and took part of the banner to make a vertical image that moves down the side of each page clicked on from the welcome page.


By the way, Susan has amazing background as a therapist. She has published a lot, presented a lot, and is versed in many different types of therapy. And she is also a painter! 
Check out the details at http://www.susanheadphd.com/

Search Engine Optimization Can Equal Engaging Content

Just found a fabulous and informative source that clearly defines and refines the techniques best used for search engine optimization, commonly referred to as SEO. It's a science and an art. I actually read all ten chapters and enjoyed it, because the layout was so fresh and the writing so friendly.

The article explains that any efforts you make to trick the algorithms used by search engines is not that easy to do these days. The engines are clever about noting anything weird, and they actually honor good old value systems. The more people that link to your site -- because you offer something interesting, unique, or valuable -- the higher your rating becomes. Now that can be tough if you are up there against the big boys who have been at it for a long time -- because they naturally have more connections than you. But it doesn't hurt to understand the basics when you design a website, and try your best to incorporate their suggested practices.

So I really recommend this article on SEOmoz:

Shooting with Style

When you videotape a scene there is a lot you can do to take advantage of the medium. One could say with video you can create “poetry in motion”.

First, a zoom in or out can be useful, but be aware that it compresses the space. On the other hand, a dolly emphasizes depth. You can simulate the effect by slowing taking a few steps towards or away from an object in the scene. When we dolly, the dimensions of objects are much more dynamic, visually stimulating, and have what I call “verisimilitude”. You can also make the dolly more intriguing by moving the dolly in an arc, across the scene from left to right, and place it up high or low. So try not to overuse the zoom button. Vary your shoots by including dollies when you can. It is particularly useful to begin and end a scene.

You might ask, how can I do this without expensive equipment? Well the first way is to go “hand-held” and use your body and try to move smoothly in the pattern of your choice. It takes practice, but can be done.

A second way to deal with it is to make your own dolly—out of  PVC pipe and roller skate wheels. You simply attach the rollers—at opposing angles—to the four corners of a large piece of plywood, and place the plywood on tracks you have laid using the parallel PVC pipe. Then the videographer hops on the platform with a tripod and camera, a crew member attaches a puller of sorts (part of a C-stand used for lights work fine). A member of the crew pulls or pushes the videographer along the path as the scene is shot.

Another way to simulate a dolly is to use a wheelchair. The videographer sits in the chair with the camera and a crew member pushes the camera person in or out.

Are there other useful tips about artful shooting? Yes. You should always shoot from a variety of angles…high, low, to the left, to the right, and pan across a scene or object. Also, if you shoot into corners, or diagonally across  a scene you get a look that is more dramatic. Diagonal lines in any medium create energy. Vertical and horizontal lines create stability.

And the last word of advice relates to the beauty of a motion medium. Plan every shot so there is action in the foreground (people walking through the scene in the front), mid-ground (usually the subject), and background (people or activity). Then as you move with various dollies and pans you can achieve a satisfying visual experience. 

To see examples that illustrate a variety of visual compositions and motion, see my website.