Is Anything Real?

After watching this I feel completely duped (in a good way, I think?). It’s incredible that TV shows are using this kind of green-screening and making it look so dang real! Enjoy.

Stargate Studios Virtual Backlot Demo from Stargate Studios on Vimeo.

Nathan Crow: Illustrator

We’ve just wrapped up the design on a compilation book of very cool illustrations for a dear friend of Reddoor: Nathan Crow. Nathan is the Associate Creative Director at the Santa Monica-based ad agency RPA. His work speaks for itself. You absolutely have to check it out. His book was just published on the Blurb bookstore and is now available for purchase. Nathan is generously donating all of the proceeds to a humanitarian group called Solace for the Children. Solace’s Facebook page.

Details:
Square format, 7″ x 7″
Hard Cover, with image wrap
56 pages
$43.95
Preview the whole book here.

Here are some of our favorites illustrations (all included in the book):

Watts House Project

I came across an interesting article in the International Design (I.D.) magazine the other day that I thought was worth sharing. It’s all about the Watts House Project. This neighborhood redevelopment is all taking place a mere 12 miles from the Reddoor office in El Segundo! A very cool collaboration between artists, architects, engineers and designers.

The Watts House Project (WHP) has created a new landmark for their humanitarian movement. The “love” house has become a beacon of hope for the transfomation happening in one of LA’s poorest neighborhoods. The love house is one of six houses under renovation, receiving new gardens, pavement, additional bedrooms, porches, and even flamboyant art (seen above). The love house follows in the footsteps of a neighboring LA landmark: the Watts Towers (see below). 107th Street  in Watts is a street where almost half of the residents live below the poverty line, and has been synonymous with urban unrest ever since the 1965 Watts riots. The WHP has grand plans in mind for the neighborhood surrounding 107th: open a WHP office, launch an artist in-residence program, build a cafe, turn the streets renters (about 50%) into owners, all in an effort to rebuild a neighborhood that some would call unsalvageable. The end goal is “revitalization without gentrification.” The group is let by an LA-based artist named Edgar Arceneaux and is doing some very cool things.

The “love” necklace is on sale to raise awareness and support for the love house and the WHP movement. Could make a nice Christmas gift for that special someone? It’s shown here in sterling silver. Get one here: The Love Necklace

The Watts Towers, built by Italian immigrant Simon Rodia in his spare time over a period of 33 years, from 1921 to 1954.

What’s in WIRED, 02

On page 50 of the December 2009 WIRED, sandwiched right in between “How to Survive Black Friday” and “How to Chill Your Beer Instantly” I found a little gem of an article, that would pique the interest of  all you photographers out there.

“How to Take a Camera-Toss Photo”

1. The camera
One with manual controls works best. Start with a shutter speed between ½ and 1 second. If the image is too dark, lower the f-stop to increase the aperture. Too bright? Use a higher f-stop.

2. The subject
Target a few bulbs or candles at least 3 inches apart (any closer and the lights will bleed together) and position yourself about 3 feet away — enough distance to keep the lights in the frame.

3. The toss
It can take up to ½ second for the shutter to engage after you press the button. Time it so the shutter opens just as the camera launches. Altitude? Six inches or so should do the trick.

4. The spin
Experiment. End-over-end creates linear patterns. On-axis spins give you spirographs. Feel free to go nuts; should your camera take a spill: It’s the perfect time of year to ask for a new one.

5. The shot
Sit back, relax and enjoy your beautiful abstract imagery.

Here’s the WIRED video for Camera Tossing…

Camera Toss Blog

Disclaimer: we are not responsible for, nor do we recommend you go hucking your $uper expensive 5D around. But if you do, send us a shot, we’d love to see what a real photographer can do.

TOMS shoes: One for One

TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair of shoes you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what they’re all about.

We have a good friend working at TOMS who passed on this Christmas video to us. If you haven’t heard of TOMS before, they’re doing some pretty revolutionary stuff in terms of business. I love that they’re giving to kids in need, and pushing the idea that many little things, done together, can make big differences.

How about taking a lesson from the TOMS brand? They never miss an opportunity to tell their story: “With every pair of shoes you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need.” They call it the One for One movement. This one simple element of consistency goes a long way in making a brand memorable. Additionally, their logo is based on the Argentinian flag, which happens to be the country where the founder of TOMS first befriended children who had no shoes to protect their feet. The simple and clean execution of the logo, along with the conceptual tie,  and color palette make it a very universal and eye catching brand. These few things, done well, reinforce the strength of their brand.

Keep up the great work TOMS!

The Impossible Cool

I came across a great site loaded with beautiful black and white photography. It’s called The Impossible Cool. It’s full of timeless shots of actors, musicians, artists and the like. Equally timeless quotes are sprinkled throughout. Here are some of my favorites, but you have to go to the site to see them all for yourself.

Quality is never an accident

Hope you’re having a relaxing Thanksgiving holiday, unless of course you live in Canada or elsewhere, we’re on a short break this week. Even though we’re off we have to keep the blogosphere happy.

I was picking up mail in the post office the other day and saw a quote on the front of a local college catalog (of all places.)

Quality is never an accident;
it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort,
intelligent direction and skillful execution;
it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.

-William A. Foster

A nice encouragement when one is in the craft of making something beautiful, compelling, or remarkable. I was genuinely surprised to find that William Foster was a US Marine who received the Medal of Honor during World War II during the Battle of Okinawa, 1945. Inspiring words for a wide audience.

National Geographic International Photo Contest 2009

There’s a ton of eye candy in this post. We figured we had to leave you with a cornucopia of images for the Thanksgiving break. Here are a selection from the 2009 entries into the NatGeo Photo Contest (unfortunately the submission period has closed). After digesting these photos, loosen your belt a notch and go to NationalGeographic.com to see all of the 2009 photos.

A collection of 25 great shots (from all 3 categories: People, Places, and Nature) with captions from the photographers themselves.

1. Nazroo, a mahout (elephant driver), poses for a portrait while taking his elephant, Rajan, out for a swim in front of Radha Nagar Beach in Havelock, Andaman Islands. Rajan is one of the few elephants in Havelock that can swim, so when he is not dragging timber in the forest he is used as a tourist attraction. The relationship between the mahout and his elephant usually lasts for their entire lives, creating an extremely strong tie between the animal and the human being. (Photo and caption by Cesare Naldi)

2. On the final leg of a six-week United States of America road trip, I was driving east across Interstate 40 when a spot storm with golf ball-sized hail struck. A sign near Groom, Texas, announcing the “largest cross in the western hemisphere” explained the large crucifix I’d been wondering about for miles on the highway; it seemed like an OK place to wait out the storm. On my way to getting stuck in the mud and a giant double rainbow, I saw this silhouetted view of the cross, splitting the sunny sky from the stormy plains. (Photo and caption by Brad Maule)

3. This picture was taken during the Rinjani volcano trek on Lombok Island in Indonesia at sunrise. (Photo and caption by David Bismuth)

4. An example of photo luminescence in coral in West Papua (Photo and caption by Stephen Martin)

5. A male gelada baboon on the Guassa Plateau of the Ethiopian Highlands enjoys a good grooming. (Photo and caption by Robin Moore)

6. I was in the front car of the short subway between Pudong and the Bund, and was treated to the wonderful spectacle of an oncoming train in the tunnel’s changing light show. I put my camera up to the window and shot as fast as possible to get this image. (Photo and caption by Gail von Bergen Ryan)

7. A stone’s-eye-view of two tracks made by the sailing stones of Death Valley’s Racetrack playa. The dried clay surface has a beautiful texture, and there is a palpable aura of mystery over the entire three-square-mile playa. The Racetrack was not entirely free of human influence though: several weeks before this taken many of the stones were stolen, leaving long trails without a traveler at the end. (Photo and caption by Tucker Sylvestro)

8. On my second day visiting the astounding Iguazu falls on the Brazilian side I was forced to change to my telephoto lens as my wide angle had been damaged by the water vapour. In had rained solid for 10 days prior to my arrival and so the falls were at their most spectacular. Standing on the elevated viewing platform I was able to shoot this school group who stood transfixed, emphasizing the incredible size of the falls. (Photo and caption by Ian Kelsall)

9. I took this picture on a sunny fall afternoon on a prairie near Chicago, Illinois. To improve the color saturation, I blocked the sunlight with my body. The blue background came straight from the camera. The image was not altered with any editor. (Photo and caption by Richard Susanto)

10. My grandfather was born and raised on our New Zealand farm. He and my grandmother were married nearly 60 years. Preparing for a photo in the barley, my grandmother lovingly reached up to adjust his hat. This was his last harvest. (Photo and caption by Gemma Collier)

11. During a rainy, cloudy morning at the Wild Goose scenic overlook on St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana, the sun peeped from under the cloud cover long enough to paint a golden-yellow swath across the face of the mountain for maybe 15 minutes before disappearing again. (Photo and caption by Rebecca Latson)

12. A young orangutan swings from tree to tree in Tanjung Puting National Park in Indonesian Borneo. (Photo and caption by Sean Crane)

13. This is about one hour of firefly activity near my home in rural Ontario. The precision of the background star trails is an interesting contrast to the chaotic pattern of the firefly flashes. (Photo and caption by Steve Irvine)

14. The edge of an iceberg floating just off the coast of Antarctica. (Photo and caption by Mike Matas)

15. While visiting Kruger National Park with my son, we came across two male hippos battling for dominance as we crossed a bridge over the Sabie River. The bellowing from the animals as they fought their bloody battle was incredible. They first fought in the shallows near the bank and then moved into the deeper part of the river. We don’t know how it turned out but we were so glad to see the spectacle. (Photo and caption by Steve Mandel)

16. Andrew and his friend, a young sperm whale named Scar, were swimming together off the west coast of Dominica. The two of them became “friends” after Andrew saved Scar’s life. (Photo and caption by Peter Allinson)

17. The Darvaza natural gas crater is located in the center of the Karakum Desert in the central Asian country of Turkmenistan. The crater resulted after a Soviet natural gas exploration accident in the 1950s and has been burning ever since. The crater is approximately 60 meters in diameter and its depth is approximately 20 meters. (Photo and caption by Natalja Silver)

18. When the wave conditions are right a wave appears, infrequently, as a result of the splash back off the cliff connecting with an incoming wave. This causes the incoming wave to pop up, creating fan-like shapes. On this particular day, over the two hours I spent on the rocks, this wave only appeared once. This is that shot. (Photo and caption by Aaron Feinberg)

19. David Hanson crosses a fallen log beneath soaring trees and a lingering fog in Washington’s Olympic National Park. (Photo and caption by Michael Hanson)

20. Even during the Arirang Mass Games in North Korea, the ultimate expression of the state ideology, an individual can still sometimes stand out from the crowd and break free of the collective. If only just for a moment. (Photo and caption by Brendyn Zachary)

21. Cary stands on a deserted road in Central Ohio, at sunset. (Photo and caption by Lisa Roberts)

22. This bee was unfortunate enough to land in my pool, but he made some amazing patterns buzzing around in the water. He later escaped. (Photo and caption by Michael Johnson)

23. Taken at Kwena Croc Farm in South Africa (Photo and caption by Wayne Holloway)

24. This is one view of many dunes found in Jordan. Two steps forward and one step back made for a challenging ascent. (Photo and caption by Andrew Cwiklewich)

25. Curious gulls on Sanibel Island, Florida. Meet my friend, “Gull-i-Bel”!!! (Photo and caption by Richard Rush)

This list was found at The Big Picture a part of the Boston.com website.

Objectified

The Red News 02 went out last night. If you want to get all of the behind the scenes juicy details, you can still sign-up in in the right hand column. Here are some thoughts on the movie: Objectified by Gary Hustwit.

This past weekend I Netflixed a movie called Objectified. It’s a documentary by Gary Hustwit, who also directed Helvetica (the documentary about a typeface). The movie explores how manufactured objects that surround us such as cars, phones and chairs influence our daily lives. Objectified features top industrial designers discussing their creative processes. Here’s the clip of Jonathan Ive, Senior VP of Industrial Design at Apple. It was the teaser that turned on to the movie.

You get a glimpse of the feel of the movie from this clip. It’s beautifully shot, but if you’re not into the design, and specifically the process of designing products, I can’t fully endorse it for you. But for a creative/designer/photographer it was quite inspiring.  Here are some still shots from the film.

You can’t miss this quiz on the PBS site to see which Objectified object you are. I’m a Coke bottle. Let us know which object you are in the comments.
Find out which object you are…

Objectified site
Helvetica site

Day Trippin’ in Laguna with [ b ] schoolers

I am lucky enough to hang, every once in awhile, with a group from the [ b ] school (an online community of professional photographers). Every other month they get together and shoot somewhere in SoCal. It’s a chance to make images with no agenda… no client to impress… no pressure to capture an all important moment. It is inspiring to say the least. It’s become a good excuse for me meet some new photographers, and to hang with old friends like Joe Photo (he’s in the first photo). Pssst… I think he’s actually a rock star posing as a photographer.

Here are some images for your enjoyment. Perhaps they’ll inspire you to get out of your comfort zone and stretch a creative muscle or two.

Now this next pair of images is totally interesting… it may look like a normal parking meter. But, it actually exists to raise money for the homeless and help curb (pun intended) panhandling. The modified meter isn’t even adjacent to a parking spot. What a great idea! I love seeing unique and creative solutions to common problems. Read more at Change4homeless.com