www.dougdaulton.com

The folks over at 702FJCrew.net have been asking me to put this video together for quite some time now. Jerry Miller was kind enough to do the color correction a year ago, but my skills at video editing did not match the vision in my head. After my time with the Pixel Corps, my editing skills have gotten much stronger. So, I took this opportunity to play with Quicktime and iMovie to tell the story of the Blackbird.

Blackbird Fly is short (2:18), but I think the visuals speak for themselves. There is a lot I could have done in Final Cut Pro to tighten it up, especially fading the audio effects in & out, but this was really an exercise in seeing what I could throw together quickly in iMovie. For those interested, here is the work flow.

1. The images were shot on a Canon 30D using a Canon 24-70mm “red line” lens.
2. Jerry Miller color corrected all photos in Adobe Photoshop. Because of the relative angle of the sun, the color palette changed as the camera tracked the truck. Jerry did a great job of bringing all of the shots to one common palette.
3. Assemble the stills into movies of varying frame rates using QuickTime 7. It is a good thing I have an older G5 Mac in my studio because the newer Intel Macs all updated to Quicktime X. While QTX is a better player, Apple removed some of the useful pro features like building movies from an image sequence.
4. Bring the movies into iMovie then build titles and audio using the iMovie library. The music is from Midnight Syndicate, purveyors of excellent ambient music for gaming and theme parties.
5. Post to YouTube and wait for it to finish processing.

So, there you have it. I little bit about how this little movie came to life. I hope you enjoy it.

Peace,

Doug

365:008 - Three Masts

In TWiP 143, Alex Lindsay chats with his sister, Jenn Stein about the their growth and history as photographers. During the show, they discussed Project 365, which both Jenn and their brother Joe Lindsay are doing this year. I found the idea really intriguing, but was not sure how to proceed.

Yesterday, as I wrapped up another busy week at the Pixel Corps, I ended up chatting with Joe about his experience with Project 365 and I realized … I’ve already been doing the most important part. I am taking my camera with me everywhere I go. A few weeks ago, I got a BlackRapid RS-7 strap, which allows me to keep the camera close at hand while keeping it secure. Since then, I’ve taken the camera with me to work everyday.

As a result, I discovered that I already had the first twenty-eight days of my own Project 365. So, I spent some today getting caught up and creating the set on Flickr. As busy as I am right now, I doubt I’ll be able to post every day, but I will shoot everyday and add try to post the photos in batches every week or so here, on Flickr and maybe on Facebook as well. I am looking forward to experience, especially the critiques of more seasoned photographers.

Peace,

Doug

PS: Family & Friends – Let this serve as a warning that you are likely to be come a subject in this project. Don’t be bashful!

Powell & Mason Cable Car

• Dropped off my clothes at SFGreenClean, a company that wet cleans “dry clean clothes in a very environmentally-friendly way. My clothes smell and feel great while looking sharp.
• Grabbed the Powell & Hyde cable car to work and watched Alcatraz Island and three-masted schooner disappear as it crested a hill.
• Texted friends with reliable service from AT&T throughout the ride.
• Listened to French, Chinese, and Japanese being spoken as locals and tourists chatted with one another on the ride.
• Smelled the delicious scent of burning wood from the cable car brakes.
• At Market Street Turnaround, a Spanish tourist asked me for directions. Within seconds, a local stopped to ask if we needed any help. I’ve seen this sort of local support for tourists and newcomers repeatedly in my six weeks here.
• Walking from the cable car stop to the office, I was treated to a wide variety of talented street musicians, including:
  • Man with guitar belting out an acoustic version of Snoop’s Gin & Juice.
  • A freestyle rap troupe including a human beat box.
  • A talented drummer using five-gallon tubs and an old Zildjan cymbal.
  • A guy and a girl singing the theme from Grease … a capella.
• A street-team marketer handed me a sample can of a high-end Italian iced coffee.
• A little old lady fell at the curb trying to get to her cab. Four random passers-by stopped to help her up.
• As I opened the door to the office building, I realized that the one thing I’ve been missing the entire time here was smog. Well, I haven’t actually missed it, but I expected to see, smell and taste in the air of a city this size. I don’t. I think the electric buses, cable cars, subway, electric taxis and ZipCars, not the mention the abundant greenery are all at work to keep the air clean.

I know that walk sounds like something from a Coca-Cola commercial, but it happened just like that. And, aside from the occasional foggy, chilly day, my experience in San Francisco has pretty much been like that every day.

So yeah, I heart San Francisco.

Peace,

Doug

Alcatraz Island (Chestnut & Hyde)

Scooner in the Bay (Chestnut & Hyde)