So this week I have been feeling a bit burnt out. Couple endeavors didn't work out, crazy busy at work. Because of all of that I haven't been out there finding awesome design stuff to post. I will be up to my usual caliber soon though.

So instead I leave you a photo of my dog Rocky, as we played outside in the snow last night. He really isn't that happy to see me, he is concentrating very hard on the frisbee I am holding.

Ok, so I don't know how this wasn't on my radar. Especially since I was just looking at lomo camera recently.

Behold, the Diana Mini! It uses 35mm film and can shoot in square of rectangle format. It shoots in a half frame format, so if you have a roll for 24, you get 48, roll of 36, you get 72. It also has the 2 prong flash adapter that Diana's use. ( link to the lomo, but it seems to not be working)

So now for the negative. It does not come with a flash (those are $60 extra). The camera itself costs $60, which is just as much as a full sized version. Plus, here's the real downer, it is not that good. Great review on Four Corners Dark and it made me really not want to pick one one. If I got one for free or super cheap, as eye candy, yes, but paying $60 for something that doesn't work right, no.

So I was reading a photography magazine today and thought about this image that I saw awhile back. So here is the question for you:

There is an image hidden within this image (watermark included), can you figure out what it is?

I'll post the answer below in white so that it doesn't spoil it. As well as the link that will explain it a bit more. If anyone can get it right, they might get a special prize.

Also, I worked on a print this weekend, photos coming soon.

Answer: The NYC skyline. It is hidden in the histogram for the image, open it in photoshop and see.

[via ironic sans ]

 Another great poster to feature today. The Camera Poster #3 by Rod over at The Post Family.

I happen to have their Camera Poster #2 hanging over my bookshelf and I am looking at it right now. Love my poster and was a great gift from my wife. This new one starts adding some other cameras into the mix, looks like a 8mm camera on the bottom middle and some other compacts. I can't tell for sure, but it looks like a Brownie Starmite in the top left corner too. That one is on my list of real ones to obtain.

These posters look great if you are just an avid photographer, collect vintage cameras, or just love great posters (guilty of all three). Pick one up today, signed edition of 250, $30.

Extremely happy! A box got delivered today with this inside! A very awesome thank you from some friends who I photographed their wedding for them.

The Crumpler 6 Million Dollar Home. It looks to be just the right size for me. It can hold a few lenses with room to spare. Hopefully, some of that will be taken up buy a new flash soon.

A small feature but an awesome one, the bag has velcro silencers. Lets say you are at a wedding or something, you can't be opening your bag all the time. CRNNNNNCCCCHHHHH goes the velcro. Those little red flaps you see actually have flaps in them, fold out, and cover the velcro. So awesome.

Note: I linked to the "lite" version of the Crumpler site. Their full version of their site is ridiculous and memory intensive, and really adds no value to their site. I don't understand how a business can really think that is good....

Yesterday was off for the day for Columbus day (it was also Canadian Thanksgiving) and spent most of the day driving through Michigan. Not the fun kind of drive, more of the "when is this drive going to be over" variety.

I have seen this Holga in the past but really was looking into it today. It is obviously something I don't need, but it is pretty cool. Maybe one day...

This holga is a color flash model and creates 3D photos! It takes 2 photos at the same time, from slightly different vantage points (just like your eyes work) and put them next to each other on the film. You can then put this into a viewer, and it will appear 3D. Think of your viewmaster toy as a kid, same idea.

You can get them off ebay for a pretty good price, often with a viewer or 2 and some film holders. They run around $100 - $120, but worth it for a really cool and different camera. If you pull this baby out, people are going to say "What the hell is that!"

Also check out the lomography site where they have put some of these photos together into animated gifs that show both photos together. It gives you a bit of an idea since a computer is not 3D you can't get the full effect.

Also, just a thought, but if you are a wedding photographer, buy one of these. Well buy a regular Holga too because then you can offer something a bit different and alternative (along with digital) to your clients. But how many people have 3D photos of their wedding? That would be pretty cool.

Above are some of the amazing photographs by Branislav Kropilak  (at the time of writing this, his site seems to be down). I have photography on the brain tonight, and I knew exactly what I wanted to post. His photo are been around on the popular design blogs here and there, but it's my turn.

Kropilak is a photographer originally from Batislava Slovakia and they just aren't your ordinary landscape shots. Instead he takes photos of most things people would pass by. Billboards for instance, photographed from directly under them. So they loose the feeling that they are billboards and instead look like pieces of intergalactic equipment. He also takes photos of the insides of parking garages with some interesting outcomes. Last, he takes photographs near airports with long exposures and records flight paths with lights.

All of this is simply amazing. Shot well, lit well, everything.

So photography is on my mind. However most of these would have been shot with natural lighting with nice long exposures and the kind of photography on my mind is off camera strobe lighting. Anyone want to teach me how to get setup for this? I have checked out a few lighting blogs and I am beyond lost. Makes me wish I took a bit more photography in school, or if I ever do go back to school to go for photography (with the 2 choices being more design and photography).

Flickr Friday

These great photos were created balakov. He recreates some of the world's greatest art/photographs all in Legos. Not only does he recreate them but he does an amazing job at at!

Plus, he has a thing for the star wars Legos, and you can't argue with that. So a few of this images here and there, like the shot from American Beauty above, have a nice little addition of a storm trooper. 

Check out his photostream to see the rest of the photos and he puts up shots of his setups for the photos too. A behind the scenes look. Plus, you can buy prints of a lot of his classic shots. These would look great hung on any wall...

I have had Legos on the brain lately, so it was time for this to get posted. I can't wait until the next time I go to my parent's house, I am getting my old Legos out for sure.

Posts were a bit non existent for the extended weekend since I went out of town to attend and photograph a friends wedding. It took place in Mackinaw City, and although the weather looked a bit bleak, it actually turned out really good. 

My wife and I made our way to the island when we were up there and rode around on that awesome yellow tandem. However, for anyone's future reference, a 1 speed tandem is NOT the ideal bike for an 8 mile ride. We made it around the island fine but it was not the easiest ride (plus bring water, we left ours in the car, on the mainland, far away from us on the tandem).

I also took a couple night shots while I was there, it was so dark out at our campground, and I couldn't resist. I only got a couple shots off (with a 30 second exposure, at f/4 and at iso1600 it wasn't light enough, and I got impatient and sleepy, I had been in the car for 10 hours right before this) and it was my first time shooting the stars, so they didn't turn out that good.

However, I still couldn't resist posting a bit of this blog's inspiration.

No, not robots from the future, but instead Roombas are creating art and you might have never known it. This is a 30 min exposure that Signal Theorist took of his roomba moving around in his dark room. He wanted to see if it really did get every spot of the floor, and it looks like it did!

The most interesting part I find about this is the spiral it created on the left side. I have never seen a Roomba working in person, so I don't know if it starts out that way or what. I think if this was a high enough resolution he could sell some cool prints of how this thing moved around the room, or if you could do this is different types and styles of rooms, that would be really interesting. Or better yet, get 2 Roombas (or more) and change the color of their light and watch them "dance" around the room together.

All in all, a very interesting use of a Roomba other then taking video of your cat riding it around your room, although that is always entertaining too.