Michael Carney Media Blog

Indiana Rattlesnakes

2012-02-10T12:13:00.001-05:00

When I worked for Brown County State Park I began working on a documentary about timber rattlesnakes in Indiana. In my spare time I would shoot B-Roll around the park, our resident timber rattlesnake, and I even drove up to Pokagon State Park near Fort Wayne to get the story of the Eastern massasauga rattlesnake.

I've had this video footage sitting on my hard drive since then. I've been waiting to finish the documentary with more interviews, more b-roll, and a nice Attenborough-esque voice over.

I decided a few days ago that I really needed to do something with this footage. A longer documentary probably wouldn't hold most people's interest anyway, so instead I made a short (2:45) video that just touches the surface of these reclusive reptiles.

Instead of making one long, all encompassing, documentary, I am going to break it up into pieces. An overview, biology, habitat, and conservation issues.

Below is the first installment - an overview of the rattlesnakes of Indiana.

Enjoy!

Rattlesnakes of Indiana from Michael Carney Media on Vimeo.

Anamorphic Lenses

2012-01-10T09:45:00.000-05:00

I've been brought in as the Gaffer* for a short film based on the DC character Static Shock. We're still in pre-production and look to be shooting in April. A few weeks ago the director and I started looking into the possibility of shooting this project in a cinemascope, 2.35:1, aspect ratio.

Most HD cameras record video in a 16:9 aspect ratio (as are most new TVs and monitors) such as this one:

An anamorphic lens uses optics to squeeze a wider-angle image onto a piece of film or a digital sensor. Once you have the image captured you can either stretch it in your editing software (like I did) or you can project it using another anamorphic lens - thus stretching it back out optically. Here is a test with the directors new Panasonic AG-LA7200 anamorphic lens:

As you can see we now get the wider 2.35:1 aspect ratio without losing any vertical resolution or cropping. We also get those mega-sweet anamorphic lens flares that shoot horizontally across the frame.

"But wait!" You say. "There are awesome horizontal lens flares in the "Pilot Light" video as well!"

Yes, but those were added in by our visual effects supervisor and took 48 hours of hand-tracking for that 3 minute video. Now we can just do them in camera!

*I'm also talking to the director about DP'ing - we'll see what happens.

Also: hey r/photography - mcarneybsa

New Year, New...

2012-01-02T23:00:00.000-05:00

... Well lets face it, most people don't keep their New Year's resolutions. Of course it doesn't hurt to make yourself publicly accountable for them, now does it? This year I've kept it reasonably simple.

2012 Resolutions:

Brew at least six different styles of beer before Dec. 31, 2012. (I've started my first on Jan 1 this year!)
Climb 5.10 in a gym and 5.9 on rock
Lose some weight so I can do #2
Buy a new-to-me car that won't break down on a nearly monthly basis
Get the ball rolling on finishing the script and pre-production for my feature film to be shot in 2013

That's it. Just five thing's I'd like to do this year to really make a change in my life. I've got lots of other big plans for 2012 as well: working on other projects, getting new gear, and driving to LA for a few weeks.

Thanks for a great 2011 and here's to an awesome 2012!

My Apple Pie Ale

HO-LY COW.

2011-11-23T01:27:00.000-05:00

September 2nd. That is the date of (until now) the most recent entry in my blog. Heck even Tom has me beat by 4 posts!

So much has been going on, I don't even know where to begin.

I started shooting video for BridgeWay Community Church in early September

I also helped Olivia Kay with her kickstarter project.

Of course I've still been shooting for 12 Stars

And I Shot my first wedding (Jacklyn and Jarad McLeland)

And that was all in September.

I rang in October with my second wedding - Chris and Nicole Shotwell (you know, the weekend after the McLeland wedding)

My schedule with 12 stars picked up even more - Now I'm working "most" time - about 60% of what a full-timer would do. We're still a ROWE so, no hour counting here and that has helped a lot - allowing me to move my schedule around at will.

I've been working a lot with Emmanuel. Mostly just messing around, but he has gotten me leads on further paid work with some local DJ's and Dancers.

I've also done a few other odd-jobs here and there, finished the last few days with Syncope and signed on to Gaff another project coming up in about 10 days. These last two weeks Rocky and Zach have been on vacation, so I've been manning the office myself while still shooting and editing (and boy is that a rough job on your own).

Well, that about catches me up with what's been going on since September. I'll try not to take so long before the next post!

There Are No Tunnels

2011-09-02T16:42:00.001-04:00

It's finally here, the Syncope Trailer!

Give it some love and tweet, facebook, and blog the trailer.

The premiere is, last I heard, scheduled for sometime in October in Chicago.

Red River Gorge pt 2

2011-08-27T13:07:00.000-04:00

Here are the pics from day 2 at the RRG.

We got off to a late start because of the rain and everyone was a bit tired, so not as many rocks were climbed.

Red River Gorge pt 1

2011-08-26T00:25:00.000-04:00

Mojo giving Brandon a catch

Man has it been a while. I didn't even remember how to order food at Miguel's!

I tagged along with Tom, Mojo, and Brandon as they hit up Pendergast and then Military wall last Saturday and Sunday.

Lessons of the weekend:

Bring more batteries - lots more
Bring more light - lots more
Bring your static line

Now the best part is that we are going back again the weekend of the 9th and I don't like to make the same mistakes twice.

So now for your viewing delightment, here are the remainder of Saturday's winning photos. I'll post Sunday's tomorrow (as I haven't gone through them completely yet).

The "Faces of Mojo" Project lives on, someday I may post about it.

Hey Tom, It's your Birthday! Everybody wish Tom a Happy
Belated Birthday when you see him next.

Brandon was kind enough to bust out probably the most
killer image of the day, and Tom was kind enough to be my VAL

From "I'll just do the Iron Cross," to "Oh why did I just
do the Iron Cross?!"

Follow the light Mojo, follow the light

The underclings were good, too bad there
wasn't crap to oppose them with

Mojo takes home the award for the most
Zen-like photo of the trip

These guys were making short work of this
5.8 route, so I made Brandon go back a few
moves and use his heels like a man.

Navy SEAL dog will kill you. Also, "OMG GUYS! Have
you heard of this thing called MUD?! It's SOOOO AWESOME!"

I'll post day 2 pictures tomorrow.

And for the lighting geeks out there, the lit photos used one Canon 430EXII strobe on either full or 1/2 power without much of any modification. Triggered with Impact PowerSync16 radio slaves.

Quick Trip to Lafayette

2011-08-11T00:22:00.000-04:00

I went up to Lafayette last week to meet with Jacklyn and Jarad about their wedding photos and while I was there I got to stay with some friends I haven't seen in a while.

This, this is Kevin and his "Hey guys
I might switch to Canon" face.

Firstly, my good friend Kevin is moving to Los Angeles in about 2 days from now to start his career path towards becoming a world-renowned Director of Photography.

So if any viewers out there in the LA region have a job that needs to be filled - hit him up.

Best of Luck Kevin, and remember, Orange on Teal = Summer Blockbuster!

Triathalete? Check. Photographer?
Check. Ph.D.? Sooo close...

Next up, I hung out with Andy quite a bit. I do have to say one of the best things about Andy (aside from his personality, open couch, and a bunch of other stuff) is that he's got a bunch of fun toys and is willing to let me mess with them. So this weekend I took a 1d mk3, 100mm IS macro, and 24mm f/1.4 out for a spin in the woods. Here are the results:

[Click images to view larger]

Self Portrait. Hand held, f/1.4, 4lbs of camera - not easy or
comfortable for that matter.

Seriously, the 24/1.4 was made to be shot wide open,
its not worth the price tag for anyother use.

I think I have fallen in love with the 100mm IS macro.

No, seriously, its sharp, its a great focal length for
macro as well as portraits (Kevin's pic - look at his eye!)

It's ridiculously sharp.

Did I mention IS, because it has 4 stops of it...

Oh and it's price tag won't break the bank
clocking in at just under a grand before tax/shipping.

Because who doesn't want to get closer to this guy...?

One more thing about the 100mm IS Macro - the IS is killer when shooting video. Don't believe me? The video below was shot with the 100mm hand held (with a viewfinder). The only issue I have is when you start to pan it lags, but just once, before it recognizes you aren't just shaking.

Canon 100mm L IS Macro Handheld Test from Michael Carney Media on Vimeo.

a quick 2 shot test of handholding (with viewfinder) the Canon 100mm L IS Macro lens on my 60D. I think I've found a new object to drool over....

Audio Aches

2011-08-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

The saying is Audio is 90% of video, and you don't really notice that until you watch something with really bad audio. Which you won't, because you'll turn it off after the first 90 seconds.

I suppose every filmmaker/videographer comes to the point when they realize they need to start throwing down some serious cash to up their production quality to the next level - unfortunately I'm at that point.

I've got a small shoot tomorrow morning and I decided to break out the wireless lavalier mic I got just over a year ago. I decided to run a quick test on them, and boy am I glad I did. Turns out, they are pretty much worthless unless you are right next to the receiver - even with line of sight, they turn to junk after 15 feet.

Check out the audio...

http://www.webfilehost.com/?mode=viewupload&id=481385

The First Test is from 0:00 to 0:36 and is with the batteries that I had in the transmitter and receiver on Channel A

The second test is from 0:36 to 1:21 and is with new batteries and on channel A

The Third test is from 1:21 to the end and is with new batteries on channel B

This set should probably just be thrown away...

48Hours Film Project 2011 - Indianapolis

2011-08-07T23:36:00.000-04:00

Well Hello All! It's been a few weeks so I thought I'd post a bit of an update. Most recently I just finished a 48Hour film for the Indianapolis 48Hour Film Project.

I became the Gaffer on the team Brïán's Blankets - Directed by Ben Dewhurst, the 1st AC for Syncope. We wrote, shot, edited, and delivered a Superhero movie in under 48 Hours (47 Hours, 51 Minutes to be exact).

We were all really excited about our film, but unfortunately we were immediately dis-qualified. Our film had a run-time of 9:30. We were only allowed 7:00. Our director, editor, and everyone else present at the time felt that the integrity of our story was more important than winning awards, so we turned it in anyway.

The great project coordinators let us screen our film with the rest of them anyway, so we were still able to win "Audience Favorite" which is what we wanted anyway.

The nice thing is that now we can put our film into other festivals and release it online when we want. It's going to get re-mastered, cleaned up, and all the audio fixed (had a few problems editing in the car ;) and then we will publish it. In the mean time, here is the trailer and a Behind The Scenes video (the last half of which is just the product of staying up too late...)

Super Party BTS from Michael Carney Media on Vimeo.
Behind the Scenes on the Super Party short film. Written, Shot, and Edited in 48 Hours by Brian's Blankets team for the Indianapolis 48hours film festival.

Table of Contents:

00:00-00:40 - Day 1 planning

00:04-06:10 - Day 2 Shooting

06:10-07:24 - Day 3 Edit and Drop Off

07:24-15:55 - Day 3 Ben's CoinStar Butt-Bank and other awesome ideas (aka too little sleep; too much caffeine)

USAC Indiana Sprint Week

2011-07-25T06:51:00.000-04:00

So right off of Syncope, I was called by Stephen Dale of Sopwith MotorSports TV Productions to help shoot the United States Auto Club Indiana Sprint Week. 7 days, 7 tracks in 7 cities. We covered two divers each night creating a small reality series. Half-hour (22 minute) episodes for each driver.

Yup. 14 Half-hour episodes shot with between 6 and 10 cameras (depending on the number of static and GoPro cameras we used) in just 7 evenings.

And did I mention the whole shoot got organized just 72 Hours before the first race?

Check out the trailer:

I shot using my 60D the whole time. For the most part I used a Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 (and occasionally some wider lenses for crowd b-roll etc).

basically everything that isn't an interview, a GoPro, and a few other shots was captured by yours truly - I think it worked out pretty well!

Not quite "as I go..."

2011-07-25T06:38:00.000-04:00

Okay, so it wasn't possible to blog-as-I-go during Syncope (no wifi or cell service for 85% of the time + 12-20hr days...).

So instead I'm just going to post some more of the photos I took (mostly with my phone) from the shoot. Some might get explanation.

In the abandoned hospital, its important to to maintain a safe working environment!

Hannibal Smith would be proud

ready-ing the RED + Steadicam for the Tunnels

Stalactites being formed in the tunnels, you might say it was a little wet down there

We lit most of the tunnel with 100W practicals and a 2k at the end (behind camera in this shot)

L to R Gaffer, Director (in cell) and DP talk about lighting the isolation cell

They decided to shoot a 2K through the main window and a
400W HMI into each of the sides (peppered with small ventilation holes

Clearing all the crew for the dock scenes. Talent is laying in the bow of the boat,
Director, DP and Sound in the stern and the 1st AC is in the water, holding the boat in place (behind the other three).

Not only Best Boy, but also the Dolly Grip I had the pleasure of rigging my own handle from
2 cartellini clamps, 4 gobo heads and 3 c-arms. Later, in the "motel room" I just used the cartellini clamps andpushed from a crouch.

Day for night. Talent had to leave the building through a visible door so we blocked off the sun with a 12-by solid and re-lit through the windows.

And the next shot was supposed to be daylight again,
so in one of my favorite moves, we shot Day-for-Night-for-Day.

So, there you go, the last half of the Syncope shoot all wrapped up in a few photos.... Just kidding, there was way more but I was just too busy to snap the pics.

Syncope is scheduled to premiere in October in Chicago before it hits the festival circuit. I'll post updates with date/time/location if you are interested. In theory there should be a trailer out sometime in late August/early September, I'll post that when I get the chance as well.

Syncope Days 1-4 Recap

2011-06-27T01:54:00.000-04:00

What a blur! The first four days of filming Syncope went by so fast, but I'm not complaining about our much-needed four day break.

Last week was hectic from the get-go. I had problems getting to, and finding the location for the North Vernon headquarters. My GPS took me to a cemetery instead of the NV Police Department - but I got there before the safety briefing and that is what is important.

I apparently could not find either of these tents...

I was assigned to work as a grip with one other guy. Grips set up the lighting and camera support and work under the Gaffer - the man in charge of the physical act of lighting the scene (who is in turn under the Director of Photography - who designs the way the light looks).

Part of my job as a grip was also laying cable. Lots, and lots of cable. Did I mention that I lay cable? And then when we change the shot angle (generally when doing a reverse shot or "flipping the world") I get to re-lay the cable. Lots, and lots of cable.

Myself and the other grip laying the "5-strand" main power
cables from the generator to the distro-box (not destructo-box).

Aside from the bit of rain and lots of wind, the first night's shooting went rather well. We wrapped filming for the day at 4:45am and I finally left the set at 5:30 when everything was put away. I then tried to drive home to get ready for work at 9am...

I only made it about 25 minutes to Columbus, IN where I promptly fell asleep in a McDonalds parking lot for 2 hours. I then woke up, cleaned up (in the Mickey D's bathroom) and went to work. Afterwords, I went home, slept for another hour and then drove back to beautiful North Vernon for another night of filming.

Seriously, it looked like this for three evenings in a row.

On the second day the gaffer came over to me, took my name tag and crossed out "Production Assistant / Grip" and wrote "Best Boy Electric." The Best Boy Grip is more-or-less second in line to the Gaffer and would be, on a full film set, in overseeing other electricians. The other grip was promoted to Best Boy Grip. Normally the Best Boy Grip would report to the Key Grip, but we don't have one, so instead he reports to the Gaffer. All of this is semantics, however, because it is only myself, the BB Grip and the Gaffer to begin with (but we do get to grab PAs to help us whenever we need it).

The second day was pretty sweet because we had an 18' jib on set.

This fella.

They guys at Hearland Camera Jibs did a great job getting some killer footage. But wait, there's more! They came back again on Friday (day 4) for the bridge scene.

Toward the end of the shoot, the Gaffer had to leave to drive to Chicago to get condor certified which left me in charge of the lighting for about 3 hours (plus tear down). Things were a bit hectic, but I think the AD's and Producers were happy with my hustle.

Myself and the gaffer adjusting a flag and a light (respectively)

After day 2 I was able to catch another 3 hours of sleep before heading back to Indy for another shoot for 12 Stars. I then drove back to North Vernon (with a quick stop-over at Arby's) for day 3.

Day 3 was pretty typical, no steadicam, jib, or explosions to report. But I definitely started to feel the effects of limited sleep (if you've done the math, I'm at 6 hours from Tuesday morning through Thursday night). I finally got to get a slightly normal amount of sleep after everything got cleaned up from Day 3 (and our last day in the town of North Vernon). I managed to eek out another 6 hours of sleep before getting up for Friday's earlier call time.

Friday (day 4) we changed game plans and instead of doing a super-long day, we only did 4 shots, all at the same location, and with only ambient light - My job was cake for the day, except for the massive inventory I had to do of our 1ton grip truck and equipment from three different suppliers...

Friday's 30' Jib - booyah!

I was able to sneak away from the truck long enough to grab a quick video from the cheap-seats at Video Village and bring you this teaser...

Well, that's it for now. I'll try to blog during the next 4 days of production (Wednesday through Saturday) since I'll be able to stay down on location without driving back to Indy nearly every day.

Gripping for Syncope 1 of ?

2011-06-19T22:50:00.000-04:00

wrenches, tapes, markers and gloves. Hopefully
I haven't forgotten anything...

Over the next two weeks I'll be spending 8 days (and nights) on the set of the short film Syncope. I'm working as a Grip/PA so I'll basically be doing just about anything.

I'm going to try and blog-as-I-go, but I have no clue how tired or how much of an internet connection I'll have so we'll see.

Lighting Test

2011-05-23T23:20:00.000-04:00

I was at Robert's the other day and picked up a few new things - notably a Canon 430EXII speedlight and an Interfit Strobies 15"x15" Foldable Softbox.

A few pros, A few cons.

Pros:

The Canon 430EXII, despite what Andy says, is a pretty easy flash to work with and I think is even easier to use than my Nikon SB600 was.
The Interfit Strobie softbox was about 1/3 the cost of a Lastolite kit of the same size/features

Cons:

The Canon 430EXII doesn't have a PC sync option - but I've already figured out a workaround for that
The Interfit Strobie softbox doesn't have an internal baffle, but there are small loops for one, so that should be easy to add if I want

So here are some comparison shots between a few different light modifiers. The light used was the Canon 430EXII set at 1/4 power with the 14mm wide angle diffuser in place. The light source (flash) was kept at the same distance from the objects and roughly the same height. The camera was set at ISO 100, f/8, 1/125 for each shot.

Bare (with wide angle diffuser)

Shoot-Through Umbrella (32")

Lumiquest ProMax Mini Softbox (5x7")

Interfit Strobie 15x15" softbox

Outcome? The Interfit Strobie Softbox did quite well - least amount of light loss and nice soft, yet directional shadows. I think I'll keep it, even if it is a bit difficult to fold back up.

Sometimes the Cheap Seats are the Best in the House

2011-05-22T00:33:00.000-04:00

Cheap Seats

During a break while on assignment for 12stars I thought to myself "You know self, you've never shot baseball before," so I gave it a crack from where I was at the moment. I think I captured the essence of going to a local baseball game. What do you think?

Evelyn (imagine that)

2011-05-11T23:09:00.000-04:00

So cute, its hard to take a bad picture. Evelyn, Kelly and I went out to enjoy the weather and take some pictures since E is rapidly approaching her 18 month mark. I think we're going to have a second session since it was so hot, no one was really comfortable.

Midwest Foresters' Conclave

2011-04-10T20:26:00.000-04:00

Brad, a member of the
Purdue Society of American Foresters,
takes a break during practice
for the yearly SAF regional conclave

Remember Brad from way back when?

I grabbed this picture of him while taking a break from practicing for the Underhand Chop competition at the 2010 Midwest Foresters' Conclave.

This year the conclave was held at Purdue and, while I wasn't able to grab any sweet stills like you see here, I did get the opportunity to shoot some video during the actual competitions.

I wasn't able to stay all day, however I did make it in time to film the Underhand Chop - one of my favorite events of the day.

So here it is - The Underhand Chop

Underhand Chop | 2011 Midwest Foresters' Conclave from Michael Carney Media on Vimeo.

150 Competitors from nine schools gather each year to challenge each other in traditional lumberjack games at the Midwest Foresters' Conclave. This year was the first year the event was held in the spring and was hosted by Purdue University during their annual Spring Fest and Bug Bowl.

Masterpiece Kitchen

2011-03-28T21:18:00.000-04:00

As you may know, Last fall I started a project where I would cook new recipes and then photograph them, detailing all of my learning experiences on the this blog. Well wouldn't you know it, but life once again got in the way of my plans and I haven't been keeping very up-to-date.

This time around, I was all set to take a photograph when I got an email from the Vimeo Weekend Project group. As if a sign from above, it was a project based around creating a cooking show.

I put away my strobes and fished out my video lights (a-lá Home Depot) and my tripod to record the magic. With a little help from Abby, we made dinner and the video in a reasonable amount of time.

Chicken Bruschetta Pasta | Masterpiece Kitchen from Michael Carney Media on Vimeo.
Welcome to Masterpiece Kitchen, the most dramatic cooking show known to man. In this episode we examine how to create the classic entreé Chicken Bruschetta with Farfalle, or the more colloquial "Bowtie," Pasta.

Sit back, relax and enjoy your meal with Masterpiece Kitchen.

Photo/Video Info:
Photo: Canon 60D w/ 50mm f/1.4 @ f/3.5 1/125 ISO 1000
Video: Canon 60D w/ 24mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4, 135mm f/2 all @ f/4 1/50 ISO 1000
Lighting: 23w CFL in "HD" reflectors (Home Depot) x2 - one high left over cutting board/counter, one high right over stove acting as key and fill each for the different shots. Intro sequence 1x23w CFL in "HD" reflector high left, practical lighting

The Children's Museum

2011-03-19T23:49:00.001-04:00

Kelly, Evelyn and I went to the Indianapolis Children's Museum on Friday. While Evelyn's attention span and activity level only lets us stay at the TCM for about an hour and a half, we still got to see Dino-sphere (during the thunderstorm), go under the Chihuly, splash in the Play Zone, see movie magic in the new Incredible Costumes exhibit and romp all over the seven wonders of the world.

I've also been helping out 12 Stars Media with the Indy TCM's This Week's Wow bi-weekly web series. Check out the most recent video below and then the rest of the series.

Nothing like a little After Effects to help you (not) sleep

2011-02-22T05:45:00.000-05:00

I came up with this idea out of the blue and got so excited about it I started working on it right away. After I got about 1/4 done, I decided I might as well finish it while I'm on a roll. Well now here it is, and here I am, at 5:42am - tired.

Enjoy!

The World of Light from Michael Carney Media on Vimeo.

The Maori Creation Myth of Rangi, the Sky Father, and Papa, the Earth Mother, being separated by their son Tane, God of the Forest. The Maori look to the greak Kauri trees found on the North Island as Tane's pillars, still holding Rangi apart from Papa.

Photos of Aoraki/Mt. Cook were taken by me during Sunrise across Lake Punakaiki.

Best Internship on Earth

2011-02-17T23:33:00.002-05:00

Here is my video submission for the Sierra Club's Best Internship on Earth.

First shots with the 60D

2011-02-08T00:25:00.001-05:00

Here are the first shots with my new 60D. I used the canon EF 50mm f/1.4 lens. I was still using my video picture control, so I converted them to black and white so the colors wouldn't be too off. I did find out, however, that once again my camera is newer than my software so I'll need to load up Canon's software in order to process my RAW files.

It is done.

2011-02-05T14:50:00.000-05:00

Well, it's done. I've sold nearly all of my lenses, my D300s is almost sold, and I've already got my 60D, 50/1.4 and the 24/2.8 and 135/2 are on their way.

Here's the first thing I've shot with the 60D. Enjoy

Dare to Bare / 60D test from Michael Carney Media on Vimeo.

Gwyneth's 1 year photos

2011-01-28T18:58:00.004-05:00

Well, here they are - Gwyneth's 1 year photos. Since Gwyn is only a few weeks younger than Evelyn, We've been doing their photos at about the same time. This time, we were a bit late, but not too far off.

This also marks the (probably) last photoshoot with my Nikon. I should have my new Canon within about a week now.

Its not you its me...

2011-01-26T22:46:00.003-05:00

I'm sorry, but we can't do this any more.

I mean, we get along great, we've been together for 4 years now, but well... Its just that lately you haven't been living up to my expectations. Its not for a lack of trying, but it just isn't cutting it. You do a great job at lots of things, but just not the things I need right now. It's not you, its me.

I hope we can still be friends. I think we can still hang out together, I mean we know a lot of the same people and I still think you're lots of fun, but i've found another.

That's right. I've decided to make a major change. I've thought about switching to Canon before, but I stuck with Nikon. As time has progressed so have both companies, but one way beyond the other. I find myself doing more and more video work and projects. Nikon hasn't been able to keep up with the competition and I've outgrown the limitations of my Nikon's video.

As I write this, I'm in the process of making the transition. I'm selling my Nikon equipment on Ebay. Right now I'm only selling a few lenses. At this point I can't afford to outright by the new Canon equipment. I'm first selling a few lenses in order to pay for a Canon 60D and 18-135 IS kit lens. Now, I normally frown upon kit lenses, however this will be the only zoom I am getting (to start with) and will be very useful as a simple walk-around lens.

Once I get the 60D and lens I will sell my remaining equipment. In replacement I am getting a Canon 60D, 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, 24mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4, and 135mm f/2.0 (yeah, that's a 135/2 baby!). This will cover all of my needs for the time. Then I can begin to build my collection back up.

One of the major reasons I've decided to do this is thinking into the future. Canon, like Nikon, makes excellent still cameras. I will be losing very, very little functionality by making this switch. However I will be gaining much needed versatility as a video camera. Manual exposure, manual audio levels, swivel screen, variable frame rates - all things my Nikon can't do. Now, as Dr. Brown would say, back to the future - it is inevitable that Canon, with their decades of video experience, that they will within the next 2 years produce an APS-C sized sensor in a video camera with an interchangeable EOS lens mount.

With all of these factors in mind, I have made the decision to switch to Canon. Like it or Love it, I'm doing it.

Which one to choose

2011-01-24T18:20:00.004-05:00

It has become apparent that I need a business card. So i threw together a few ideas and here they are. Which one do you like best?

Video Vignettes

2011-01-23T23:32:00.001-05:00

Here's a new video vignette - the small patch of woods just northeast of my house.

Video Vignette: Winter Scene from Michael Carney Media on Vimeo.

Video Vignettes

2011-01-16T20:47:00.002-05:00

I'm going to start doing a short series of quick vignettes or "short, impressionistic scenes that focus on one moment or give a trenchant impression about a character, an idea, or a setting." Here is the first of such pieces: A Cold Day in the Park.

Video Vignette: A Cold Day in the Park from Michael Carney Media on Vimeo.

Moving to LA

2011-01-09T14:42:00.005-05:00

I'm not moving to LA, but I am helping my brother move. Internet service has been spotty at best so I'll be a few days behind. Here's sunrise over West Texas on the 7th.

Finally got around to it

2011-01-03T02:40:00.003-05:00

Now that she is closer to 14 months, I finally got around to putting in the several (read: 4) hours necessary to fix all of my in-camera mistakes on one of Evelyn's 9 month pictures.

Oh How Could I Have Forgotten!

2010-12-30T00:18:00.002-05:00

I can't believe I wrote that whole last post and didn't even think to mention that I just uploaded my new DEMO REEL to my vimeo account today. Check it out:

Michael Carney Cinematography Demo Reel 2010 from Michael Carney Media on Vimeo.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

2010-12-29T23:42:00.005-05:00

Long Time followers probably think I am bi-polar (or, more likely, quad-polar) with all the changes on this blog.

Well the truth of the matter is that I'm still a young photographer trying to find my place in this turbulent world. As such I've rebranded myself a few times. I liken it to a bit of Maori creation myth I picked up while I was in New Zealand. While there are several versions of the myth two of my favorite versions are the creation from darkness and the creation from emerging light.

Te Po-urirui - The Intense Darkness
Te Po-te-kitea - The Darkness in which Nothing can be seen
Te Ata - The Dawn
Te Ao Marama - The World of Light

I think I've finally struck a chord with myself on where I want to be with the look and feel of my website and blog (although some of the nitty-gritty back-end stuff still has yet to be polished). Through the next week or so, I'll be making a few minor adjustments here and there to really nail some stuff down.

Thats it for now, I'm gonna try and go out tomorrow and shoot something new (I've been sick and at home for the last week :'( but at least its given me time to get this sorta thing done!)

Oh, and thanks David for the post title.

Mossy Moran

2010-12-27T21:34:00.003-05:00

Mossy is a regular Irish folk singer at O'Bryan's Nine Irish Brothers Pub in West Lafayette. Last time he was in town, I was able to shoot some photos during his performance. His website is mossymoran.com.

I had one speedlight (SB26) on a magic arm super-clamped to a wooden divider (about 9 feet up, 12 feet away). Triggered with Pocket Wizards (Thanks Kevin!). The more I shoot with telephoto lenses, the more I dislike the "normal" focal lengths...

Fstoppers Editing Contest

2010-12-13T22:52:00.002-05:00

Here's my submission for the Fstoppers 72 hour Editing Contest:

The original and the contest can be seen here.

Maybe I've been watching too much Dexter

2010-12-07T00:07:00.005-05:00

But when I got a nosebleed today I couldn't resist.

Wait, Today's Saturday?

2010-12-04T19:53:00.009-05:00

I was, like, 9000% more productive today than any other Saturday in recent history. Winter self portrait with Abby, building a Snowoman with Abby, Cooking a nice dinner and photographing it with Abby. Maybe there's a pattern here ;)

[Mmmmm... Carbonara tortellini with Italian seasoned chicken

Nikon D300s, Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8;

1/160, f/8, iso 200;

SB600 1/4 power fired into a 32" reflector]

Post Process Practice

2010-12-03T02:04:00.006-05:00

I shot a portrait of a Purdue prof and his grad students today. The image straight from the camera wasn't so hot, but I knew that. What I was hoping to be a large, windowless classroom turned into a small office with no shades for the only window! The only option I really had was to throw around as many photons as I could muster in hopes to get a long enough shutter speed to show some movement. 1/1.3s f/22 ISO 200 later...

So I took it into photoshop knowing I was going to have to do more than the usual to make this image worth something (or at least close to being worth something). About 20 adjustment layers and much dodging, burning, smearing and blurring later...

So my question to you, dear readers, is was it worth the 90 minutes of photoshop work, did I take it too far, or was it doomed from the start?

Back to the Food Project

2010-11-22T00:21:00.004-05:00

I've got a bunch of confessions with this post.

1) Abby made the cake

2) I made the Chicken and Pesto yesterday

3) Its been waaaay to long since my last post on this topic. Graduation is just around the corner though...

Other things learned

- Home made pesto: good, slightly expensive, don't follow the recipe, add to taste.

- Let Abby do all the baking, that cake is delicious

- Don't wait so long between posts, I love cooking delicious food!

[Nikon D300s; 60mm f/2.8 Macro; f/20; iso 200;

Sb600, shoot through umbrella, 1/4 power, high back left;

Sb26, lumiquest softbox, 1/16, high side right;

small reflector low front left]

[Nikon D300s; 60mm f/2.8 macro; f/22; iso 200;

Sb26, lumiquest softbox, 1/4, overhead;

small reflector, low front]

Womball v SD State

2010-11-19T03:15:00.003-05:00

Blow-out 76-40, still fun to shoot (good fundamentals ;) )

E's First Birthday

2010-11-17T00:16:00.005-05:00

Fall Break

2010-10-17T13:04:00.003-04:00

Over fall break Abby and I went to Syracuse to see some friends. Along the way we stopped at Niagara Falls and we went to the Adirondack State Park for a day.

Jacklyn and Jarad

2010-09-30T00:33:00.005-04:00

Jacklyn and Jarad asked me to take some engagement photos for them. I obliged. :D

This is why technology rocks

2010-09-25T01:05:00.001-04:00

Recipe 3: Beef with Béarnaise

2010-08-29T18:34:00.008-04:00

A few nights ago I decided to make Peppered Beef with Béarnaise sauce. Long story short, it got made.

[Béarnaise = butter and egg = delicious]

Now for the long story...

I got home around 9pm from work and still wanted to make this dish. According to the recipe book, it should have taken about 35 minutes to make. Well I learned a few things that night.

1) Different cuts of meat take different amounts of time to cook. A fillet will cook faster than say the chuck roast I bought (cause I went el-cheap-0).

2) When using new appliances, always ask to make sure they work properly. Apparently the oven I was using is about 100°F colder than what it is set at.

Because of these two mistakes, the meat took about 45 minutes to cook and when I finally pulled it out, it had been over cooked. Still tasted good flavor wise, but definitely dry and chewy.

I also finally broke down and bought a food processor. At least I'll have it next time.

Picture Info: Nikon D300s with Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 @ f/10 ISO 200, SB600 @1/4 power in 8" cardboard snoot triggered with CLS

Day 2: Salmon with herb sauce

2010-08-22T19:07:00.005-04:00

Photo info: Nikon D300s with nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 @ f/8 ISO 200; Sb26 in Shoot Thru Umbrella 1/2 power optical slave front left; Sb600 1/8 power triggered with CLS back right;

New Project for a New Me

2010-08-22T11:41:00.005-04:00

I'm starting a new project based on two things:

1) cooking and eating healthier

2) getting better at photography

So I've decided to blog all of my new creations. My goal is 2-3 new (healthy) recipes per week and each time I make one, I photograph it using different lighting, lenses, etc.

Last night's recipe: Baked Eggplant

Photo info: Nikon D300s with Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ f/6.3 Sb26 ISO 200 optical slaved on 1/4 power high left with softbox, Sb600 triggered with CLS 1/8 power high right, on camera flash 1/32 power.

Rattling Along

2010-08-12T15:33:00.005-04:00

Well, I've got a few more shots in the can for the Timber Rattlesnake Doco. Next I still need to talk to a couple biologists, a law enforcement agent and then get some fall and winter B-roll. And of course, find out how to see inside a hibernacula!

[me filming the eastern massasauga - photo by Fred Wooley]

[Jim getting interviewed. Note the interpreting gesture ;) ]

[Fred getting interviewed. Again with the gesture. Its almost like the

facilitator clap,everyone does it if they know it or not.]

[and of course, the star of the show]

James and Thea 2

2010-08-10T01:39:00.002-04:00

Faces of the Wedding

James and Thea

2010-07-26T21:52:00.005-04:00

Well, James and Thea Finally tied the knot...

[Thea and James]

[the bride]

[the groom]

[Father of the Bride]

[Father of the Groom]

[Best man]

[The very reverend]

[And of course, distinguished guests]

New Project

2010-07-14T22:41:00.007-04:00

(Its like "Where's Waldo," but with a rattlesnake!)

I just got approval from my boss to work with our captive timber rattlesnake to produce a short documentary about timber rattlesnakes in Brown County State Park.

I'll be working not only with the snake, but setting up interviews with biologists, DNR employees, Conservation Officers, and many other people to put together this 10-12 minute documentary.

Topics will include natural history, biology, and, of course, human interaction both historically and currently.

Phase one - script writing. I'll try to keep the blog updated with my progress.

We Have a Winner

2010-06-16T15:13:00.006-04:00

Turns out I won the Gregory Mountain Products Nature Photography Contest.

Here's the Link:

http://gregorypacks.com/blog/contests/we-have-a-winner/

More stuff from camp

2010-05-29T11:30:00.003-04:00

not a whole lot to say, so i'll just put up some pictures.

Back in Da U.P.

2010-05-23T22:11:00.005-04:00

Oh Yeah, so...
I'm back in the UP for my second summer practicum. This year's menu includes Mammals, Herps, and Birds. Speaking of Herps...

This little feller was sitting just a few hundred feet down a trail from where I'm living this summer. He was found by a friend of mine and I went back two hours later and he was in the exact same spot. I set up a light and snapped away.
That was monday night

Tuesday I stayed in Brown County State Park for my three day seasonal naturalist training. It was rigorous, but good. Friday was my first official day of work, but didn't end up doing much, mostly just picking up a uniform, learning the opening/closing procedures, playing with a timber rattlesnake, learning where the wedding reservation forms are, you know, the usual.

I don't have a pic of me with the timber rattler yet, but I'm sure I'll get one or two by the end of the summer. In place of that, here is a quick pano from our music night after training on Wednesday.

So after work on Saturday I drove home and then met up with Kevin in Chicago. Sunday I woke up and drove the rest of the 617 miles to Covenant Point Bible Camp for the start of practicum. No pictures yet, but it won't take long I'm sure.

PS: The Internet here at camp is more fickle than usual due to the large number of people using it. Accordingly so, I won't be able to upload any video and only smaller-sized photos until I get back. I will then upload normal sized photos and any videos I may have to show you. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Blah-G! Nose Picking, Late Rent, Creamy Fillings, and Girl on Girl Action

2010-05-12T09:52:00.006-04:00

Evelyn likes to pick my nose for some reason!

I forgot about the blog again, oh dear!

Well I haven't done many more stills recently, but I can finally post the video projects I've been working on for the last 4 months.

So we'll start with the off topic: "Late" by Joshua Cassida
One of the films I personally enjoyed, also winner of best editing and best actor (Jordan Kubat) at the Doty's (our classes film fest)
Its the story of a young man who falls behind on his rent and will do anything to make some quick cash.

LATE from Joshua Cassida on Vimeo.

Next We've got My film: "[all about the] Creamy Filling"
It was fun making it, but The script never really got where it needed to be, The actors were so-so and the visuals didn't turn out how I wanted them to (we had massive color balance issues during capture).
Its the story of three roommates waking the morning after a graduation party to find that all of their food is gone.

[all about the] Creamy Filling from Michael Carney on Vimeo.

Finally, we've got "Girl/Girl" by Matthew Irwin.
I had a great time as DP making this film. I'm so glad the party scene turned out exactly how we wanted it. After a few cuts around some really awful acting, this film ended up getting the Audience Favorite, Best Film, Best Cinematography and Chase Noelle won best Actress at the Dotys.
Jasmine begins a relationship with Sofia, who has a boyfriend. Sofia's never had a same sex relationship until now, and she must decide whether to go with her new love interest, Jasmine, or to stay with her boyfriend.

Girl/Girl from Matt Irwin on Vimeo.

star trails

2010-04-30T01:10:00.003-04:00

My first attempt. Taken at Martell forest. Unfortunately I was unable to bring any owls in with my hoots :'(

I had a Busy Day

2010-04-19T00:19:00.006-04:00

Before the Red Ranger, I was on Wes's film (Abe Lincoln: Paranormal Detective) set doing some production stills for his credits. I haven't done much in the way of Photoshopping effects, so any feedback would be great.

Purdue Red Ranger

2010-04-18T21:42:00.003-04:00

I met with the Purdue Red Ranger this evening to shoot a short movie. Originally it was supposed to be a western-style stand off between the Red Ranger and Purdue Space Ghost. Space Ghost never showed (and now his facebook account is deactivated).

so we just did some stills instead. I went for an edgier look with some grungy processing a bit Dave Hill-ish, but not as desaturated.

Strobist: Three lights. SB80dx and SB26 as 45degree kickers (1/2 power ea) and on SB600 into a reflective umbrella camera right (1/1 power). I triggered the SB600 with CLS (manual and FVlocked) and the other two with their optical slaves.

I'm glad I'm young(er)

2010-04-12T21:44:00.003-04:00

'Cause that means I don't have to shoot film/tapes. I just spent twenty-five minutes dicking around with final cut pro and a JVC BR-HD50 firewire tape deck trying to log and capture footage from this weekend's shoot of "Clutter."

I enjoyed the aesthetic of shooting Tri-X in my BW film photography class last semester (I especially like the highlights!). But I hated getting told what to shoot each week with a deadline. Granted, that's what I do for a living, but this was supposed to be fine art - my perceptions of my world. Instead I had to shoot assignments like "Show me maximum depth of field" or "Show me you know how to change your shutter speed."

With Convergence and the introduction of more digital systems (like Panasonic's P2 system and the RED) Logging and capturing (much less developing!) tapes and film is almost becoming a thing of the past.

Film will always be around, but damn it Purdue Film and Video Studies, we aren't shooting "Film" anyway, we might as well switch to fully digital systems and save ourselves hours of keyboard-head banging swearing in the DLC.

/rant

I'd say this is starting to be a habit

2010-04-12T02:12:00.002-04:00

But I know its not the best thing! Maybe I'll start using an alarm clock to tell me when to get to bed. I just spent the last two and a half hours re-color correcting and equalizing the audio for my film for FVS 442. I'm about as satisfied with it as I can get now. I'll have a screening for the cast and then April 29th is the Class Premiere at the Lafayette Theater - 16 short films in one sitting.

I'm convinced

2010-04-11T21:43:00.001-04:00

I got to play with an iPad today. Even though it was for a few brief moments, it was pretty much awesome. Version 2, here I come!

Back to Taking Pictures

2010-04-08T01:14:00.003-04:00

I've been doing lots of video. It felt weird to take stills again.

I went shooting at night with Kevin, didn't like anything I "shot" though.

We sat down in the Union for a while, kevin got a bit tired.

and then we both got a bit bored.

Interview with a Sasquatch

2010-04-01T11:47:00.002-04:00

Gerald Brewster, also known as the Sasquatch, sat down with the Exponent to tell the world he does exist.

The Exponent is full of great articles and photos today
www.purdueexponent.org

Happy April Fools Day Everyone!

Adobe, I think I love you.

2010-03-24T23:01:00.001-04:00

Holy crap. Content Aware Fill in the (hopefully soon to come) Photoshop CS5. This is absolutely freaky.

Home Brew and Pole Climbing

2010-03-21T19:07:00.003-04:00

I had a great weekend down in Bloomington at Tom and Jimi's place (and everyone else that lives there...). Tom's red ale and Mojo's IPA were both delicious. I hope I get a chance to try the peanut butter ale they're brewin' up now.

Saturday I helped the COPE and Climbing Committee get the COPE course set up for the summer season. I hadn't climbed one of the course poles since I worked there almost two years ago, so I was a bit rusty when it got to navigating the top... and I paid for it.

yeah, those are splinters - and another 8 or so in my hand.

all in all, it was a good weekend and a good break. now its back to the grind for 6 more weeks...

2am 2

2010-03-19T02:06:00.005-04:00

Well folks, I did it again. I put off any semblance of real work for most of the day (Okay, I did look for a few more jobs and I walked the dog). Then BLAM! 2 am rolls around again and I'm doing something else (in this case re-designing the blog).

I was kind of sick of my old color scheme and wanted a new header. I also changed the link color on my portfolio to match my new blog (I know, fancy, right?).

Well I'm officially designed-out for right now (and tired as hell).

good ~~night~~ morning everybody.

UPDATE: I've put a 2.35:1 version of my latest video on youtube (since vimeo only allows 1HD upload/wk). I really do like the cine-ratio, I'll probably start doing more personal work with 2.35:1 and leave the 16:9 for the exponent

2am

2010-03-18T02:13:00.005-04:00

is a great time to get things done. its quiet, the animals are asleep, no one calls. The only problem is that nagging feeling in the front of your head that is just screaming at you to crawl under the sheets and get some z's.

to be honest, I haven't done anything for the last hour. I've been trying to get my video to automatically crop down to a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, but its not working as easily as it should. Until then, here is the 16:9 version.

Spring Sunset from Michael Carney on Vimeo.

Its so sad...

2010-03-12T06:25:00.002-05:00

... because they are such a good series of books. Guess who I won't be supporting any more...

http://www.bobkrist.com/blog/frommers-now-fing-freelancers-and-photo-enthusiasts/

Chase Jarvis Shoe Project

2010-03-12T01:05:00.002-05:00

after something like a year of waiting, I've finally got 'em. Now I just need to figure out how I'm gonna shoot 'em...

Okay, so maybe Its Monday

2010-02-22T10:20:00.008-05:00

I hate mondays. I hate weekdays. I think everyone would be better off if we had a 1 day week and a 6 day weekend.

I've been fairly busy the last few weeks. I'm now the Multimedia Editor at the Exponent. This basically means that I produce videos all week. The good thing is, its not as many hours as the photo editor job which means I have more time to shoot pictures and do homework.

Here are a few of the things I've been working on recently.

Patrick Jones - a former criminologist for the Chicago PD - is the Forensics Lab director here at Purdue.

Patrick invented a compressed air powered device used to dust for finger prints. Using air to apply the powder instead of a brush reduces smudging and makes it possible to recover prints from extremely delicate objects.

Here Jones is using side-by-side microscope comparison to match bullets fired from the same gun. Unlike TV, the match isn't made from striations from the gun barrel, but from the impression the hammer leaves when it strikes the primer.

On the first day of Jones's criminology class, he is carried into the room in a body bag and remains there motionless before popping out to the surprise of his students.

-----------

Alex Camarota is a TA and graduate student in the department of creative writing here at Purdue. Alex is also almost completely deaf. While he can still here sounds such as stomping and enjoys listening to reggae music, Alex can't hear you if he can't see your lips move. Alex and his twin brother (a graphic designer in California) were both born with their mostly hearing intact, however it has degenerated ever since. Alex is putting on a free writing workshop that aims to help people understand how to write about disabilities.

-----------
Lastly, I've been producing videos like mad. I've come to understand how to use my D300s in this capacity quite a bit better. I'd still like to see a firmware update allowing manual video control, however I think I've got the work-arounds pretty much down.

Click the links to watch in 720p HD

Starting with the Most recent:

Water Break live. A weekly piece written by the sports desk. This is my first attempt with a green screen - I've got some bugs to work out.
Water Break Live

Rube Goldberg. The Purdue Society of Professional Engineers' Rube Goldberg device was definitely a crowd pleaser at the regional competition Saturday with cannons, Tesla coils, and (in theory) the Purdue fight song.
Rube Goldberg

Big Man on Campus. This greek philanthropy event raises money for breast cancer research each year. This year's contribution: over $127,000.
BMOC

Patrick Jones: Purdue Forensics Lab director teaches us how to recover a fingerprint.
Patrick Jones

Cupid's Arrows: Members of the Purdue Music Organization deliver singing Valentines on Feb 12th.
Valentines

Well that's it for now. I'll have another update in a week or so (hopefully!)

More to come

2010-02-18T22:45:00.000-05:00

I'll be posting some stuff over the weekend, be prepared.

Transportation

2010-01-25T11:15:00.006-05:00

Well not too much has happened this month
I bought a new camera (D300s)
I bought a new lens (17-55 f/2.8)
I bought a car (Oldsmobile Intrigue)
I need a job :/

Okay, so I guess I have done some stuff this month. I started 2010 off well with a portrait session with Courtney and some save the date photos with Jimmy and Thea.

I made a quick multi-media segment with the D300s during the Purdue Outing Club Adventure Race. (Click the link to watch it in 720p HD!)

POCAR 2010 from Michael Carney on Vimeo.

And this last Saturday participated in a Strobist meet-up in Indianapolis (again with Courtney). Yeah, that's a P-51 Mustang ;D

And this evening I'm off to a Women's Basketball game.

Man, I wish I could get paid for this stuff!!!

First Impressions: D300s, 17-55, MKE400

D300s - coming from a D300 there isn't much of a change. Bonuses: center selector button and dedicated Live View make things a bit quicker. Quiet shutter mode - definitely works, but makes 3 clicks per shot instead of the standard 2. Video quality is amazing! rolling shutter is not as big of a problem as I expected and it handles the audio quite well.

MKE400 - Much smaller than I imagined, fits in my palm with no problems. I like that I can choose between super-cardioid and lobar pick-up patterns (lobar works great for sit-down interviews) and the cord is just long enough to reach the D300s input jack without too many problems.

17-55mm f/2.8 - I'm so glad I chose to go with this instead of a third party lens. Everything about it from build quality to IQ is amazing. Thanks Laurie for working with me on the sale and thanks Joe McNally for selling it (yeah, I've got Joe McNally's lens - gaff tape and all!).

Its not too late, right...?

2009-12-31T11:12:00.002-05:00

Well I figure if I get it up by new year's its not too late for a christmas greeting

(and, yes, this is a photo-chop hence the awkward proportions etc)

Oh, hi there!

2009-12-20T14:01:00.011-05:00

Well I'd like to apologize to everyone for the last 4 months' lack of blog updates.

Working as the Photo Editor at The Exponent was a great work experience for me, but being in the office for 30 hours each week on top of taking 19 credit hours this semester didn't leave me much time to do anything else.

I have been taking pictures this semester - mostly football and basketball with the occasional portrait mixed in.

I got a Zenfolio website up and running (I quickly realized that I am not a web developer) and I've been very pleased with their service thus far.

I got my first paid video assignment this semester working for Dr. Johnson and the Lugar-Purdue Future of Forestry Program. Nothing real exciting - pretty straight forward.

I'm finally ready to sell ~~some~~ of my old camera equipment: D50, sigma 17-70, nikon 70-300, Nikon 28f/2.8, Nikon 100f/2.8, and my D300. Actually, really the only things I'm not selling are my 50/1.8 and my accessories.

But don't fret, I'm upgrading to a D300s and Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 :D

I'll post some updates over break, and I'll get back into my usual rhythm once next semester starts.

I've got three clients lined up for the 2nd of January and I'm renting a studio in Westfield for their shoots. Should be a great experience for me.

Well, that's just about all I can think of right now, I'll end with some pics from the last few months straight out of camera - I'm too lazy for post right now. Happy Holidays!

Seriously, Does Bear Grylls have any Ethics?

2009-09-10T01:34:00.010-04:00

We already know that the show was originally made in a deceptive way (and now they play a disclaimer before shows air on TV).

Anyone with any actual survival knowledge will tell you not to do any of these things - Staying put is the best way to get found and conserve your energy and resources (unless you are too dumb to tell someone where you are going).

And of course we all know that Bear is known for mowing down on some pretty disgusting eats during his exploits - from insects to animal left-overs and carcasses.

But this season he has crossed the line.

In the Sept 2 episode of Man vs Wild (Texas Desert) Bear is dropped into the Chihuahuan Desert to survive (until his producer lets him know what hotel he's staying in that night...)

In order for Bear to "stay alive" - even though he has support and knows that his producers won't let anything too terrible happen to him (he can't make commercials and sell ads if he's dead) - he decides it is necessary to kill and eat a rattlesnake even after he has discovered edible plants in the same area (where there is one, there are many).

here are some screen grabs of the episode (viewable here)

(the rattle snake he just pulled out of its burrow after keeping it trapped there with his backpack while he went to get a stick)

(those are Bear's fingers in the upper right and the brown thing he is holding is the small boulder he used to crush the snake's head)

Bear Grylls,

As a TV celebrity who makes his living from the outdoors, don't you think it might behoove you to be a bit more considerate? That snake, as you so eloquently put it, was most defensible in its crevasse - where it was hiding from you - and would have simply let you continue on your way without bothering you. Yet you felt that your "surival" situation dictated you should risk your life by removing this creature from its home, killing it, and holding onto it for cooking later - because you obviously were starving.

The small lizard you eat later in the episode, had you really been in a survival situation, do you think that wasting nearly all of the insides (including the water it holds) is such a good idea?

In fact, if you weren't so inclined as to try and scale every damn cliff face you see and rappel into every ravine maybe you wouldn't be so sapped of energy that you would have to eat every moving (or recently stopped moving) creature you discover. Humans can survive for weeks without food - why can't you go a few days?

In conclusion, Bear, why can't you seem to show a little respect for the environments which have given you such a lucrative job and nearly instant fame? To paraphrase Moose Peterson "No TV show is worth sacrificing the welfare of the subject"

Sincerely,

Me.

(and for those of you who are shouting, what about the insects!?!?! read this and follow the references if you must)

Maybe a smidge late...

2009-09-10T00:00:00.003-04:00

I found this little gem on my desktop and finally got around to finishing it. The more I look at it the more I like it.

I took this during Scott Kelby's World-Wide Photowalk this summer (mid July) at the south end of the Canal in Indy. This is probably my best shot from the day, I just wasn't really feeling it.

nothing to do with photography

2009-09-05T13:15:00.003-04:00

but still freakin' hilarious

the original is here

also, I just saw the worst recent music video ever - Toby Keith American Ride. seriously, wtf?

And then the cops came...

2009-09-01T21:36:00.003-04:00

So today I was shooting for my black and white photography class (film - gasp!) out between Beering and Recitation Halls.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Purdue campus, there is a random - and pointless - brick wall between these two buildings.

My goal for the day was to shoot one roll of film (36exp) of nothing but portraits of people walking by me.

I taped up a white sheet (since my instructor wasn't able to score me any white seamless... :( ) and a small sign saying "free portraits." As people were walking by I politely introduced myself and asked if they could spare a few seconds of their time to help me with my project and, in return, I would email them a copy of the photo once it was developed so they could send it home to mom, dad, wife, whatever.

Things were going pretty well, 25%-ish of the people I asked were kind enough to spare 15 seconds to help.

About an hour (and 26 frames) later, a Purdue Police officer came and told me that I was not allowed to "do that."

When I asked her why, she started talking about not having reserved the space to set anything up, not having waivers signed, and that I wasn't allowed to ask people for their email addresses, etc (almost all of which is false).

Stupidly, I neglected to snap a photo of the officer or get her information - she basically ran off as soon as my back was turned (however the people at the OSRR were able to Identify her by her description quite quickly which makes me wonder if she has caused them problems in the past to...).

Not feeling like getting arrested today, I obliged the officer and took down my sheet and headed to Schleeman Hall (an administration building) where I started to talk with the kind people at the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.

I explained to them my story, and they were quite confused because A) they have never had a complaint like this and B) they weren't quite sure what was wrong seeing as there is no provision about photography in the 2009/2010 Purdue University Regulations guide (which I now have a copy of that lives in my camera bag).

After about 15 minutes of pondering, looking things up, and discussing, we decided that nothing I was doing was wrong or illegal, however I did not have the 'space' reserved (mind you this is a bed sheet taped flat against a useless brick wall).

Needless to say, I will be calling space management tomorrow to reserve this wall for the rest of the semester so that I will not have any more run-ins with the Purdue Police, or if I do, I can kindly tell them to - as the ever so wise Fonzie would say - "sit on it."

I'm glad to see the Purdue Police are keeping the campus safe - one photographer at a time.

oops!

2009-08-21T09:03:00.006-04:00

okay, So i've been neglecting the blog the last few weeks... my bad.

for those who are interested, the last few weeks of my trip to New Zealand went great. I spent more time shooting video than stills (as is reflected by the content of this post.

Since I've been back I've been to Chicago, Ft. Wayne, Lafayette, Bloomington, Columbus (IN), and Raleigh (NC). So I do have a little bit of an excuse for not updating religiously...

I've got a new website for my portfolio and prints now - www.mcarneyphoto.com - you can always click the link in the top left corner of the blog to go there.
(if you use the coupon code 'tweet' you'll get 20% off your order to boot!)

Went to the zoo the other day - not my best photographically, but not terrible either - check 'em out.

(oh, and here is the video from the last few weeks in NZ).

Aotearoa - New Zealand from Michael Carney on Vimeo.

still on the road, 8 days till i'm back

2009-07-06T04:31:00.002-04:00

well, i've only got 8 days left in New Zealand. I'm sad that I have to leave and leave my new friends behind (I know, they hate it here too ;) ). However I am excited to be home (and warm).

As of the writing of this post, i'm in Rotorua. I saw the most gorgeous sky i've seen the entire trip this evening, but I was now where near anywhere to take a picture - very disappointing. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as spectacular.

I dont have any pictures ready right now (been using the mac to watch summer heights high and big bang theory mostly)

I probably won't write another post until I get home, so until then

e noho rā from Te ika a Maui, Aotearoa!

All Blacks v Italy

2009-07-02T02:23:00.007-04:00

I forced myself to put down the camera for the second half so I know that I could enjoy the game 100% - so here's some shots from the first half (and the kid that got Mils Muliaina's sock after the game) Thank goodness for D300's high ISO performance. Its still crap at 2000 but way better than my D50 @ 800...

Everybody Panic - There's a Nerd in the White House

2009-06-20T20:12:00.002-04:00

I don't normally post political banter - but this is just too good to pass up!

It seems lately

2009-06-20T19:12:00.005-04:00

that i've been posting more about video and less about photo...

Here is the Director's cut of the UC Climbing Club's trip to Castle and Flock Hills. I say director's cut because Soon I will be working on another cut myself.

Major Edit: It seems that I have forgotten that I posted this video already, my apologies. To make up for it, here is a New Zealand classic.

48Hours - IT's Here!!!!!!

2009-06-13T20:19:00.006-04:00

The moment you've all been waiting for.

Team: League of Gents
Genre: Conspiracy
Character: Alex Puddle - an exaggerator
Prop: A Rock
Line: "It doesn't fit"

All writing, story-boarding, prop production, filming, and editing had to be done in 48 hours (7pm Friday to 7pm Sunday).

and here it is in full HD glory (go ahead, make it full screen, you'll enjoy it)

(if your browser is having trouble displaying the video due to its extreme awesomeness, here is the link to the youtube page)

We made it into the city finals (12 films out of 85) where we won:

Audience Favorite
"Spirit of the Competition" and
"Best Special Effects - Christchurch"

Sadly though, we did not become the Overall Winner of the Christchurch section so we did not move on to the national finals.

Please show your support by Digging it!

UC Climbing: Small Game

2009-06-12T18:11:00.001-04:00

enjoy.

Small Game - UC Climbing Club from Michael Carney on Vimeo.

New Website!

2009-06-11T07:19:00.002-04:00

well after a long weekend working on it, its finally done.

Michael Carney Photography

check it out, let me know what you think (I know its a weird address, but its free - eventually i'll get my own domain).

Southern Scenic Route

2009-06-10T23:50:00.003-04:00

Pictures from the Southern Scenic Route (along with a few others that I haven't posted yet)

Wes - I dedicate the song to you. lol

for those of you who prefer to see the pictures individually - you can find them on my flickr page here.

48Hours Update

2009-05-26T01:13:00.002-04:00

We have officially made it into the Christchurch City Finals. The Finals are on the 28th of May (two days!) at the Reading Cinema. The screening is open to the general public and tickets are $20 (you get to see all 12 city finalists).

I Know its a Bit late, but...

2009-05-20T04:44:00.004-04:00

My Holiday travels ended up totalling 2774km plus driving around in towns. Add to that my drive to Kaikoura the week before for my Marine Biology class and I clocked around 3000km around the south island (a bit over 1800 miles for the metrically challenged).

click Here to see a map

NOT 48hours! lol

2009-05-16T09:44:00.003-04:00

went shooting at night again... learned a few lessons, got myself a few mental projects, should be good to keep me busy for a while - oh and for those of you thinking of visiting CHCH - The locals always want you to take their picture and won't leave you alone until you do no matter how long you've been setting up your shot...

48hours Heat Results (Audience Favorites)

2009-05-15T21:18:00.004-04:00

drumroll please...

HEAT FOUR
Winner - League of Gents - Conspiracy - "Taken For Granite" (that's us!!!)

Runner-Ups:
Lemon Tree - Nature Run Amok - "The Walls Have Ears"
Knawtra Studios - Real Time - "HHH"

Here is what one reviewer had to say about our film:

Team: League of Gents
Title: Taken for Granite
Genre: Nature Run Amok

Eligible: Yes

One of my fav's of the evening. Loved the art direction - the use of low-fi props and set dressings ala-Michel Gondry. Great little adventure, loved the characters and nice work with the paper beating rock. Looked like a lot of work and it paid off!

My Rating: 4/5... no wait... i reconsider.... I'm giving out another 5/5 BOOM!

(He has only given out 2 [including ours] 5/5's for over 40 films thus far)

I will post a link to the film as soon as I can (but seeing as I don't have a copy yet, I'll have to wait for our producer)

48hours pics

2009-05-11T22:01:00.004-04:00

here are some stills from the weekend. and yes, that is a 300mm f/2.8 mounted on a Panasonic HVX200 with the Red Rock Micro 35mm system adaptor and being supported by two different tripods (not that any of my readers know what most of that stuff is - but trust me, its awesome)

48HOURS Re-cap

2009-05-11T18:06:00.003-04:00

so for those of you not following me on twitter, here is a quick re-cap of 48HOURS. Pictures to come when i get my camera back from Raleigh...

furious film-making meets furious film-makers. #48hours prepare to get rocked. http://tiny.cc/IqSru
8:40 AM May 8th from web

after a pleasant (yet short) 3 hour nap - On To the Lights!!! #48hours
1:14 PM May 8th from web

#48hours: 30 hours in and I've been hit in the cujones twice and burned a half dozen times - this film is lookin' GOO-OOD!
8:35 AM May 9th from web

#48hours I realized how long id been up when i woke up from a nap in my van and the girl i had been dreaming about turned out to be a 9 iron
9:39 AM May 9th from web

#48hours can bring out the best in a person. For instance - I just made a road of wee babies. :D
1:21 PM May 9th from web

#48hours just bought $22.76 in sausage rolls,pies, and iced coffee. no time or energy to explain to confused looking clerk.
3:42 PM May 9th from web

#48hours with every blink of my eyes I hallucinate just that much more - making the search for the perfect song that much more difficult
6:13 PM May 9th from web

@russkinz - I guess we dont all have guts of steel! Now if I could just the the lead out of my limbs, and eyes, and... #48hours
6:40 PM May 9th from web

I think I just had an out-of body experience... oh, nope. JK - I'm just so tired my limbs feel like they belong to someone else. #48hours
11:28 PM May 9th from web

#48hours some say the nuke was a miracle of modern tech, others say its a crime against humanity, I think what we did is kinda like that.
12:24 AM May 10th from web

Thank you #48hours (even though my sleep schedule is now F*d for the rest of the week - but who needs classes, right?... right...?
10:05 AM May 10th from web

A bit of Exhausted Math for You All

2009-05-10T00:31:00.004-04:00

I woke up Friday Morning around 8am. Since then I have slept (and I use this term lightly) for 3 hours. The time is now 4:30pm - Sunday. roughly 57 of the last 60 hours, my eyes have been open.

Not to mention that Raleigh, The Producer/Director and Wes, the Co-Producer/DP of our project have also been awake the same hours.

In total the three of us have been awake 171 hours and slept 9 in in the last three days.

Right now I feel like I'm on a boat - I should probably go to sleep, but alas, deadline is in 2 hours 27 minutes and 42 seconds, 41, 40, 39...

and we aren't quite done with our Final cut.

But its lookin' good!

Let the Madness Begin!

2009-05-08T09:48:00.004-04:00

The 48Hours Film Festival has BEGUN!

-------------

Our assignment:

Create, write, film, edit and produce a video between 7pm Friday and 7pm Sunday.

-------------

The difficulty:

No previous preparation allowed!
Core information kept secret until the competition begins.

-------------

Requirements:
final cut between 1 and 7 minutes including credits
genre: conspiracy
prop: a rock
character: Alex Puddle - an Exaggerator
line: "It doesn't fit."

Filming starts in 4.5 hours. Time for a nap.

This or That pt 2

2009-05-04T06:03:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I know I don't have much of an audience, but I would like your opinion. I'm going to post the same set of images in two different ways. Leave a comment in the post that you prefer. thanks!

This or That

2009-05-04T05:59:00.005-04:00

Okay, so I know I don't have much of an audience, but I would like your opinion. I'm going to post the same set of images in two different ways. Leave a comment in the post that you prefer. thanks!

Christchurch at Night

2009-05-02T21:31:00.003-04:00

South Island Road Trip

2009-05-01T20:20:00.004-04:00

Here it is - my two week Easter Holiday road trip in five minutes.

its okay viewed at full screen - but the video quality isn't so hot (shot with canon G9, Panasonic Lumix something or other, and Canon S5IS)

New Technology

2009-04-26T07:12:00.000-04:00

I just got turned onto animoto.com by Moose's blog - this could easily become a more common occurance on the blog!

(don't worry, you've seen all these pics already)