The Joy Of The Mundane

Throne Under A Bridge

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:41:35 -0500

Throne Under A Bridge

Tunnel Face

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 20:37:19 -0500

Tunnel Face

Tunnel Of Light

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 20:01:28 -0500

Tunnel Of Light

Concrete Jungle: Large

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:47:52 -0500

Concrete Jungle: Large

noise by emily meg weinstein | identity theory nonfiction

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:30:38 -0500

noise by emily meg weinstein | identity theory nonfiction:

Used one of my photos, and is a pretty neat little story.

Troubled Waters

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 07:20:53 -0500

Troubled Waters

Insidious Blister: Large

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 22:14:09 -0500

Insidious Blister: Large

Save Money By Not Touching Stuff In The Store

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:51:10 -0500

Save Money By Not Touching Stuff In The Store:

Used one of my photots

Video

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:30:03 -0500

WiiSpray

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:29:00 -0500

What is the”WiiSpray“ project?

The foundational basis for the project goes well beyond replacing real graffiti as an art form. Moreover, WiiSpray
is to be seen as an interface to give graffiti a new virtual level surpassing tactile boundaries of the tangible world.

Within the system, there is a symbiosis of digital and analog as well as overcoming restrictions of distance and time. An advantage of the system proves to possess a user-friendly design simple enough for children to use. The virtual canvas allows the user to decide what is saved and what is discarded, all the while keeping the surrounding area clean and free of what otherwise would be a messy form of media.

The actual hardware tool of the artist – the spraying can – remains constant in its shape and
function and is a catalyst for this software supporting innovative computer interaction. The self-explanatory program requires no previous knowledge or reference of a user’s manual. This software allows users to make the game all their own, offering a wide
range of colors, interchangable caps, along with the possibility to incorporate the user’s personal photos, graphics, and backgrounds into the setting.

The WiiSpray provides a framework of different possibilities yet without any specifications on how to use it. Every user decides for themselves what his or her creative expressions might be.

WiiSpray is independent of platforms and is based on »Adobe Flash«,
a »WiiiFlash server«, and standard »Wii« technology.

WiiSpray, a technical experiment with a lot of potential for expansion and application.

» Designed for regular use with the Nintendo Wii and for the
three Dimensional interaction concept of Wii Spray.

» A real add-on for the Wii, just plug the Wii Remote in the
Wii Spray Can and start!

» Buttonless design, easy use for left-and-right-handed persons.
Wii Spray uses an input interface similar to the Montana donut system.

» Pressure sensitive valve, up to 128 Values.

» Up to 128 different caps - inexpensive technology (less than 40 cent)
and build to resist!

» Interactive color display with the possibillity to show
the color level in six steps! just in case…

» USB port for charging the battery and load the latest firmware.

» the Wii Spray 2nd edition controller is able to sense its distance to the wall you are spraying on.

“Graffiti” to be legalized in Brazil?

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:06:00 -0500

Last week a law was passed in Brazil legalizing graffiti. But this doesn’t mean exactly what you may think. In Brazil, “graffiti” (grafite in Portuguese) refers not so much to the entire hip hop tradition of writing, but more specifically to colorful pieces, characters, abstractions, and other painted street art. In everyday speech, it’s often contrasted against pichação, which is Brazil’s home-grown style of tagging, so named because its first practicioners used tar (piche) stolen from construction sites. The semantic distinction echoes a sentiment I often hear here in the US: “I like the artistic stuff, but not, you know, those ugly scribbles.”

This distinction is part of what’s being put into law. What’s interesting about this law is that it appears to recognize the artistic and cultural value of the graffiti itself, not just the monetary value of the property it’s painted on. How will this play out in practice, I wonder?

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Brazil, graffiti is being taught in schools, recognized in an International Biennial, and receiving special protection from the buff. Sounds like a pretty civilized country to me.

Link

A Few More Thoughts On HDR

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 09:02:00 -0500

After Wednesday’s shots, I was ready to throw the whole process out the damn window. But I put it out of my mind for a while, let it percolate, and came back with the conclusion that I was doing it wrong. My shots of the Earth piece & the rail car didn’t look good to me. Not that they looked bad, but they lacked the punchyness of the bridge shots I’d taken on Tuesday.

I think that’s because HDR is not meant for single-subject photographs like those. HDR is for senic shots….land, objects, sky all in one shot. Even though it hasn’t gotten many views on Flickr, I really like this shot of some old farm buildings I got on my way out to Rockford yesterday afternoon. I did a color version too, but the B&W copy is far superior.

Now that I understand better what sorts of shots will work well with this process, I look forward to more experiments in the future.

Marching Giants

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 07:11:37 -0500

Marching Giants

HDR Experiments

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:23:02 -0500

Since I’ve been having so damn much fun using a photo-stitching program to put together killer panoramic shots, I though it would be interesting to try out another post-production trick, HDR. It’s not a technique I think that I’ll use a lot, but I do like how it can be utilized to make certain scenes really pop in a way that a regular photo might not.

Something I sometimes struggle with in my photos is too much or too little light. Say I’m under a bridge, where there’s a lot of shadow on the columns and the ground, but the sky is very bright. My shots usually turn out with the sky all blown to hell with overly bright whiteness, and even with photoshop that’s a tough fix. But with HDR I’m hoping that shots like that will turn out a lot better.

Here’s the first two shots I put together, using the Dynamic Photo HDR (the trial version, which only leaves a small watermark that is easy to crop out) program. I got out early this morning to get some more shots that I’ll run through tonight. I’m interested to see how HDR works on graffiti…I shot an Earth piece with HDR in mind, and will put it up on Flickr next to a “regular” shot of the same piece to see how it looks. But for now, here’s what I’ve been able to do with HDR.

Pollution

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 06:47:30 -0500

Pollution:

Remixed one of my photos

Above It All

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:01:14 -0500

Above It All

The Peace Room

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:28:18 -0500

The Peace Room

When you're down because it won't go up

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:07:00 -0500

When you're down because it won't go up:

Twin Cities Daily Planet - Used one of my photos

Graffiti Space: Large

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:08:20 -0500

Graffiti Space: Large

82 - 365 - 03/23/09 Under

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:51:09 -0500

82 - 365 - 03/23/09 Under