This is originally shot at 720p at 60 fps.

Edited with Twixtor in After Effects.

This afternoon I had decided to purchase not just one Drobo, but two. Yes two of the latest and greatest.

One as a direct attached FW800 connected device, the other was the Networked Attached Storage (NAS) device running over my gigabit ethernet network. That was the easy part. Parting with my cold hard earned cash was easy compared to what was install for me later on.

Drobo, for me, to date, was a fairly easy device to get running. The old trusty device which included a share was working fine. But the biggest complaint was the speed. And it was terrible. So slow in fact that some applications that I was using even timed out and through up errors. Terrible experience. This time around I was looking for speed to backup across my network.

Following the instructions was straight forward. Pop some disks into the slots and you are off and running. Well so I thought. That where it went…

Let me start by saying that I don’t watch either show, however, Nicole was flicking channels today and I say lots of studio lights and thought, HOLD IT RIGHT THERE! The show was Oprah. Oprah had Ellen on the show and was talking about the Christmas front cover shoot and the lead up to it.

So I paused the show while I grabbed a few things to jot some notes on so I wouldn’t miss anything. I was really intrigued on what equipment was going to be used. No second guesses on the studio flash equipment used. It was of course Profoto.

The real thing I wanted to see was how they lit the area as it was fairly big. The set had a huge square box being a Christmas present (see below).

I’ve created a quick sketch below with a great little tool that I have used a lot. Being on a Mac I use OmniGraffle and the stencil from the…

This is the second VIEW video in the series of three that was made some time ago while we were shooting the APL folks.

I was really happy to chat about the tools that we use just about everyday. Some of them are critical to our everyday operations and some are only critical during some instances – but the underlying story here is that they are all critical to our business. Some may also say that I love my gadgets, but I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

As I mentioned in my other VIEW post, I had sat down and worked through what is critical to my business, including business processors and the technology used to drive us. Here in this short video I talk about the business tools that are very important to our success as a leading photography business.

We identified the following items as critical to our business;

1. Financial software. Not spreadsheets or some unreliable…

It happens quite a bit. When we least expect, the perfect shot happens. In moments like these, our fancy equipment at home is of little use to us. Whatever is in our pocket may be all that we have.  It could very well be all that we need.

Gadgets like the classic cellular phone Nokia 3720 may be just what might be in a lot of people’s pockets these days. It is a cellular phone with a handy 2 megapixel camera that takes photographs and short videos.

It seems to be one of the directions where today’s technology is taking us: a world of tiny gadgets able to fit into our hands and do everything. We seem to be having less need to carry around a big bag.

Gadgets like the Nokia 3720 can be amazingly durable too. The amusing video below is a testament to the Nokia 3720′s durability.

There is nothing wrong with a beginner aspiring to take photographs the way that a professional does. But for a beginner, creating the conditions for the perfect shot can be a real challenge. Making the proper camera settings alone can get tricky. There just seem to be too many factors to consider. But now the once distant dream is not so out of reach with the Nikon D3000. It is a camera that is built for professionals. But its remarkably user-friendly features make it an ideal camera for beginners as well.

Walk in the footseteps of giants with the Nikon 3000.

From Nikon.

Sometimes, the value of a camera is in its sheer utility. If you want a camera that you can take to the beach for taking photographs and short movies, just as well above as below the water’s surface, the ViviCam 8400 is for you. You truly do not have to miss a thing.  Capture nature at its best whether on land or in the water. Preserve precious moments wherever they happen. Be able to share everything. Let even your underwater adventures come to life for your family and friends.

Not too pricey, the handiness of this camera is spot on for everyday use by everyday people.  At 8.1 megapixel resolution, it works underwater to a depth of 10 metres. The bright colors in which it comes suit lively and energetic individuals with a passion for the great outdoors in all its forms.

To beach lovers, the summer that is upon us is an opportune time to think about giving a new camera a go. Consider this proposition, one that does not seem too farfetched: that perhaps when the idea of a beach lifestyle…

As technology advances so will your equipment and you will experience a whole new way of using it. There is always room for improvement and gaps to be filled. Someday you may want to share new insights, knowledge, and stories through your own book. Self publishing is becoming more popular, more affordable and easy. Blurb.com is an online self publishing company that is being used by many professional photographers. If you are wondering about the quality, well it ranks right up there with the the big guys such as Simon and Schuster and Bantam.

Well I have either piqued your curiosity or you are just not ready to embark upon this new adventure. No matter what the case may be, let’s explore this a bit further and talk about the concept. It will not happen overnight. Here are some first steps. Throughout my professional years, I have carried a…

We’ve pretty much covered every feature of the new Canon 7D that’s worth at least one heartfelt “wow,” so let’s move to the less wow-worthy–but still pretty impressive–features of this new product.

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And speaking of kicking guts, Canon surely knows to hit it right where it hurts most. The Nikon 300s’ main selling point is its ability to take videos—something that a lot of people were looking for. But with the Canon 7D’s release, Nikon 300s is losing a big part of its appeal.

The 7D’s video-taking capabilities can be considered the best in the market today. It has the ability to shoot 1080p video at 30, 24, or 25 frames per second (FPS). And, if you decrease that to 720p, you can take photos at a whopping 60FPS.

This camera also has a dedicated switch that allows the photographer to flip from video to stills in a heartbeat. The button encircles a stop/record button for the video, too.

Here are some sample videos taken with the Gizmodo):

Official video samples can be viewed at Canon Japan’s web site.