Making of 316:LOVE Project – Take Love Global

This past week we launched a new 316 Valentine’s campaign at Operation Blessing. It was an incredibly fun process of collaboration by our media team. It started with a brainstorming meeting where we came up with the idea to make 316 a symbol of love. This symbol came from John 3:16, “For God so loved the world.”

From that dialogue I created a script that developed the concept seen in the finished video. There were a couple levels of adaptation as it went through editing and approval processes. Once it was approved, we had about 48 hours to get the physical money in multiples of 316, shoot the stop motion, draw the cartoon intro, edit, animate, find music, record the voice over and upload for distribution.

As you can see in the “making of” video above, Chris Free and I had to experiment and do a lot of tweaking to light the change with minimal amounts of reflection and limited equipment. We learned a lot and have a better idea of what we need to do if we have to do it again in the future. One of the things we lacked that would’ve helped is a big soft source of light. We simulated it by shooting our group of lights through the diffusion, but we didn’t have any c-stands to lock them in place, so the light changes slightly from shot to shot based on how we held the diffusion each time. It is minimal, but it is this type of scenario when you realize how beneficial it is to have the right gear for the job. It isn’t necessary, but it helps. In the end, we were able to use work arounds and the editing process to cover any “video crimes” we may or may not have committed. I plead the 5th.

To see how it turned out, watch the finished video below.
To make a 316 donation, click here.

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Meet The Olloclip.

I have looked at lens options for my iPhone since 2008 when Apple released the iPhone 3G.  The release of this new phone and iOS, the app store began to fill up with wonderful photo editing and sharing apps.  My fascination with iPhone photography started with the original iPhone I purchased when it was first released.  I liked the LOFI look of the images.  Because I was also shooting with Lomo film cameras, in 2008 I created a site to showcase what I called iPhonelomo.  Quirky photographs shot without the intent of perfection and focused more on creativity.  It pushed me to think differently about photography and what I see around me.

This fascination made me look for ways to do more creatively with my phone.  I started my iPhone lens search with a Griffin Clarifi case that made close-up (not quite macro) photography possible with the 3G and 3GS.  It also allowed me to create artistic images without anything in focus.  I got a lot of use out of this case because it served two great purposes and didn’t require me to carry any accessories.

Photos taken with an iPhone 3G using the Griffin Clarifi case.
See more on my site, iPhonelomo.com

When the iPhone 3GS came out the camera gained a new feature – the ability to focus.  The addition of this new feature meant I no longer needed the case and went without any lens accessories for the next 2+ years.  I openly admit to being tempted by many other iPhone lens options that use magnets to attach or cases that had a bulky clip on a lens – but I couldn’t see myself carrying multiple lenses or using the rest of the phones features with the awkward cases.  At times I would have fun shooting the iPhone through my old TTV cameras or through an SLR lens to get creative results, but I didn’t have a dedicated lens that allowed me to feel safe carrying my iPhone as a primary camera…until the Olloclip.

This cleverly designed lens slips onto the corner of the iPhone 4/4S and offers 3 lenses in one compact device:  wide-angle, fisheye, and macro (when the wide angle is unscrewed).  At $70, this lens may not be for everyone, but I wanted to share why this accessory goes with me everywhere.  I have been using this lens for a little over a month now and am thrilled with its performance.  From artistic uses, to capturing my children, to shooting video walk-throughs of potential home options we visited, this lens has been a gem. It is really versatile and produces crisp images with great contrast and color. The one drawback that many people point out is that it cannot be used while the iPhone is in a case.  I can understand this gripe, but because I see my iPhone as a tool for my work and inspiration, I am not as worried about it looking flawless as I am focused on creating beautiful or interesting art.  I went from using a heavy duty Otterbox Defender case to being completely case-less. I couldn’t be happier (in fact, all of the cases I’ve owned have scuffed and scratched up my iPhones, but I may sing a new song if I drop and totally destroy mine because it isn’t in a case).

Now, back to the awesomeness

I bought this lens for two reasons: wide angle photography and using the fisheye to replicate a wide angle lens when shooting video.  This lens shines in both areas.  The iPhone sensor has a different field of view when it is switched from Photo to Video.  Having young children, I use the video feature on my iPhone all the time, but it is hard to capture the entire action when indoors because you can only back up so far before you run into something.  Even when you are outside, you have to remove yourself from the fun to get a wide shot because you have to step back so far – not to mention how much worse the audio gets.  The fisheye and wide angle lenses really give flexibility to shooting video on the iPhone 4S.  It also helps smooth out movement even more than built-in stabilizer.  This flexibility does come at a small price in image quality.   Distortion toward the edges of the image is pretty noticeable when using the fisheye.  I happen to like the look stylistically, so it isn’t a negative point for me personally.  For people that love really clean footage, the fisheye may not usable.  The following short video of my boys was shot using the Olloclip.

I’m a huge fan of wide angle photography, so I was really excited about this lens.  I’ve also been surprised how often I use the fisheye for photography if shooting in square format (Hipstamatic, Instagram, etc).  I received a lot of questions on social media about the lens and I promised a review after I had enough time to know if I would continue using it or if it was a gimmick that I stopped using after a week – it is not.  I took it out to shoot areas around Chesapeake and Norfolk, VA and was impressed with the images I was getting with the lens and iPhone 4S camera.  Two weeks later, I took my first trip ever to NYC for my birthday at the beginning of this month and I chose to take my iPhone as my main camera (I also carried a Polaroid SX-70 that I took about 30 shots with).  You can see how below how much fun I had without all the gear to carry around – I was able to see a ton of NYC in just a day and a half.  I have printed the images and am very happy with the quality and look I was able to get using apps on my iPhone and this $70 lens.  It was a very freeing experience.  It is interesting to note how much I was able to pay attention to what was around me because I wasn’t bogged down by gear and the need to overshoot every scene.  I also think the images are stronger because of the way that I looked at the city and being forced to be creative in the ways I could capture it.

Needless to say, the Olloclip has found a welcome spot in my pocket or bag.  There are not many days that I do not have easy access to it.  I would probably leave it on my phone if it had a button that would push down to turn my phone off.  I hope this non-technical review helps you understand how this lens could be useful.  If you shoot a lot of photos on your iPhone 4 or 4s, this will give you a lot more options.  Feel free to ask more detailed questions is you have any.

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An iPhone Captures New York City

All images contained in this book were taken with an iPhone 4S. It was my first trip to New York City, so the images captured reflect my desire to see as many popular spots as I could during my brief one day and a half in the city. They are wide shots that show the larger context I was seeing as I took it all in. I’m sure that my photographs will be completely different the next time I visit the city and zoom my focus to show more of the people, lifestyle, textures and movement of New York City.

As a photographer, I knew I wouldn’t be able to see and capture as much of the city as I hoped to if I was weighed down by all my professional gear. I also knew there are already thousands of stunning shots of the city taken by photographers who live in the city and can shoot when the conditions are just right. I decided to focus on taking stylized images with my iPhone and SX70 with Polaroid film. This book contains the photos from my iPhone.

All but seven of the photographs were taken using the Hipstamatic app using the Loftus Lens and Rock BW-11 Film. I did not use a flash in the app. Because I was in the city and wanted to capture the huge buildings that were right on top of me, I was using an Olloclip lens that slips on the iPhone to give me wide angle and fisheye lens options. I am totally enamored with the Olloclip and the settings I was using in Hipstamatic.

I have seen the beauty of iPhone photography since I boought my first iPhone when they were first released. You can see more of my work at www.iPhonelomo.com

I hope you enjoy the artwork contained in this book.

 

An iPhone Captures New York City by Tony Cece | Make Your Own Book

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Free “Mixed Colors” Lightroom Preset

I created this new Lightroom Preset for a set of Christmas photos I shot of my son Dino today.  I am making it available for viewers of my blog for free as a way of thanking you for stopping by. This was created for RAW files.  I call it Mixed colors because it has two gradient overlays: one with warm hue and the other a cold hue. 

• Download TCece Mixed Colors LR3 Preset.

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Dominic Is In The Christmas Spirit.

My wife and I decided to start putting up our Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving this year. Part of those decorations included photos of our older son, Dino’s, first Christmas and realized that we didn’t have any of Dominic to put out in the future. Today I decided to remedy the problem with a similar photo shoot for Dominic.

For the photographers that may be reading, this is a two Canon 580ex ii flash setup. My key was bounced into a 30″ umbrella at 1/4 and moved to whatever side of the camera he was facing. I used a bare flash at 1/32 power on the floor camera-left to chisel the face. I wanted this hard contrast in lighting because I knew that I wanted to use a lot of sharpening and “recovery” in Lightroom to achieve this vintage magazine ad look.

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Vacationing & 30 Second Exposures

I’m currently vacationing with my family and on the last leg of our trip from a stay in Summersville, West Virginia to our final destination in Bee Spring, Kentucky. While in WV, I enjoyed two nights shooting sunset and twilight photos of Summersville Lake. One of my favorite techniques is shooting 30 second exposures of moving water. It creates a magical effect. Here is one shot that I took of the water lapping onto rocks and a rotten stump in the water. The varying movements of the water on the tree and rocks gives it a “witches brew” look. I’ll post more later…

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A Vintage Lens, A Day At The Zoo, A Lot Of Fun.

I don’t know exactly what made me go up to my office and dig out a vintage Vivitar Canon FD mount 75-205mm lens today, but I am sure glad I did. It was pure joy to shoot with this one-touch focus/zoom lens. I may have been motivated by a photographer I saw taking photos at the zoo the day before. Yeah, I endured the zoo 2 days in a row. The first was just me and my two boys…needless to say, I didn’t have a hand free for a camera. When we decided to go back today, I wanted a little extra zoom to try to get a closer shot of the elephants (who ended up being inside both days).

Before you look at all the images, I have to admit that I bought this lens on ebay for $10 shipped. It has fungus inside the glass and is stuck fully open at f/3.8, but I love the images it produces. They image is soft and the bokeh from these FD lenses through the cheap glass of the adapter is like a painting. I’m not going to ever get a super crisp image, but that’s not always my desired effect. Knowing it’s limitations allows me to have fun creatively with it. Perfection doesn’t have to be the end goal.

I highly recommend taking a look at some of these cheap lenses and an adapter. The images can be very unique and you don’t have to give away our little secret.

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Buy An Original Tony Cece Fine Art Polaroid Series.

“Summertime Roses” is a triptych series I shot on a Polaroid SX-70 on Silver Shade film from The Impossible Project.  It has idiosyncrasies and imperfections that make the photos have vintage character minutes after they eject from the camera.

I love art. I like looking at photography and filling my home and office with fun images of my own and other photographers. My blog is usually a place to talk about the work I’m doing or the fun I’m having with my kids and my camera.

I’m going out on a professional limb and offering to sell some of my art so that one of you can hang it in your home or office.  It has already been a tough new road – once I saw it framed, I wanted to keep it and hang it in my dining room.

I am offering this framed fine art piece to one buyer who will take ownership of the one-of-a-kind original images for only $150.  Readers of my blog have the first chance to purchase it.  Payment will be made via Paypal.  Please contact me using this form and be the first to let me know that you are the one who is hip enough to hang this in your home, office, or place of business.

See a larger scan of the images below to see the softness, warmth, and imperfections that give these photos character:

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Rural Images From The City

These photos were taken at the same time and location as the photos in the previous post. The editing process (color, softness, and dark exposure) are all based on the original intent to put these in a frame that has a vintage oval styling.  These depth of field available using my Canon 50mm f/1.4 adds to the vintage softness of the medium to large format cameras that produced the vintage photos that I envisioned for the frame.  I’m still not sure that I have captured the image I want for the frame, but I definitely captured the look I was going for.  I’m still thinking about the subject that I want before I spend the money to print the large photo.

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It Is Not The Camera. It Is Vision.

Yesterday I was finishing up projects around the house and saw my new picture frame sitting the floor in my closet. While I worked, I started thinking about photos that would look good in this oval frame. I bounced between the idea of a clean letter “C” or an aged looking photo. My mind started visualizing an older part of town that has rusty factories, fences, peeling paint, and overgrown weeds. I thought it could be a potential photo location for this frame or at least give me some new stock images and prints.

With my camera slung over my shoulder, I jumped on my Vespa and headed out while the rest of my family took naps. In my head the shot called for limited dept-of-field (DOF), so I put the 50mm f/1.4 on the camera and my 85mm f/1.8 in top-case of my Vespa. As I drove the streets around the factories, I came across this particular fence and set off weeds that really grabbed my attention.

I struggled with a series of apertures and settings on my 5D, but really wasn’t getting the look I wanted. It didn’t feel like the image I envisioned in my head. I packed up with several shots I liked, but  was a bit disappointed.  I had a scene I really liked, but wasn’t able to capture the image in my head. As I strapped my helmet on, I got a call from my dad saying that he was on his way to my house. Just before I put the phone in my pocket and headed to meet him, I decided to grab a few shots with my iPhone to use on my iPhonelomo site. I looked at the screen and realized that this was the image I had been trying to achieve. After snapping it, I used PicGrunger to give it a vintage feeling and Photogene to slightly crop and enhance the levels. I may not use it for the frame, but I was able to walk away achieving the vision that I had set out to capture. Many thanks to David DuChemin for publishing great e-books that have helped me refocus and get beyond the gear and shoot with vision.

Before & After Editing.

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