Just Another Blog

I know there is a better one for the mac, but I wanted a free one.

Use CamStudio, Fraps, or another screen capturing software to get footage of something you do on your computer. A few minutes of gameplay is a good example.

So I wanted to just show some of the things Lightroom can do briefly. I tried to stay with the things that were visually interesting and not the more technical aspects.

Excuse the ad in the on the video in the bottom left.

The assingment:

The assignment that this is for is called "Triple Troll Attack, GO!" The purpose of the assignment is to confuse the viewer and possibly even to make them think it is true.

Here is the exact details of the assignment:

The assignment is to take a photo, a quote from a different character than the one in the picture, and a name from a third character different from the other two, place the quote in the picture, and "sign" it with the third person's name. The three characters are to be from three different, but similar in genre, series. It's known as "troll quoting". For an "official" definition, go here: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/troll-quotes

So my direction for this was to create the most misdirecting and deceiving "triple troll attack". I feel like I met that accomplishment as much as I could by using a rumor that many people still believe. So by doing this I catch people's attention and they want to know what the reason for what I used.

Quote Source: Rumor - Here is the interview that the idea came from.
Image: Al Gore
Attribution: Tim Berners-Lee - The most accurate claim to being the inventor of the WWW

In Timmmmyboy's post about "We are all artists" he goes into the idea that when you practice anything you get better. Therefore, if an environment is created to help you get surrounded by people and ideas that are creative will in turn help you become more creative. The idea comes from in sports when people practice there is a better outcome is achieved out of this activity. When you can make something complex into something simple an idea can become powerful. Inspiration is all around you, so take those ideas and make a new one.

My response to his position on that during this time "we are all artists" is that I agree with it. I think that this is true, since now everyone can afford to create 90% (if not much more, just a guess) of the art work out there. Also the money for the art is spread out far more than it was in the past. During the past in human civilization the time for creativity could only be afforded by the elite of society.

The time for creativity has since spread much more out to anyone that can sacrifice the time for it One of the classic examples of in history were the elite of society were defined by how good they were at art was the Heian period in japan. The art in this time is some of the best in the world. The art in japan after this did not innovate, but tried to mimic. The economy was not doing good enough to match this time. Even though the times after this there was many more artist, they were not original like they were during the Heian period.


So my point is that everyone can do art if they push themselves, but the level of quality is really low. There is no benifit to being as good as the artist were during the Heian period, but the push is to be "good enough". During the Heian period there was a push to be "god like" top keep their elite status. People that were elite meant they were good at art and if you were not the top a master you were not an elite. So during this time we just have a lot of really low quality art in general.

Visual storytelling has many categories within it.  The categories that a part of this are photographs, film, design and also painting. The way that people use visual storytelling can range from something to help explain an idea, convey an emotion, and telling a story. There is no right or wrong way to do this, but you can find tip on the subject from many people.

One way to use photographs to tell a story is by having a slideshow. If used correctly it can show a lot of emotions. One such example is shown below.

A lot of the before a movie is filmed it is first made into a storyboard to make sure the movie works well. The use of a storyboard is to work out how it works visually. So this is the step between the written story and capturing it on film. This is an interview of one such artist.



Iain McCaig is an illustrator that has been involved in movies such as Harry Potter and Star Wars.

Painting can be combined with audio to make a more interactive experience for the viewer. Using more than one medium means you can create emotion better and create a more dynamic effect on the audience.



"WORLDSPIRIT represents a radically new form of entertainment that brings together evolutionary spiritual teachings, visual art, music, live performance and advanced technology; speaking at once to body, mind and spirit." - Their YouTube page

Using visuals to express an idea better can help your audience understand things a a deeper level. Creating a deeper meaning in your viewer mean your message will be both remember more and have a greater effect. Not everyone is good with viusalzing in their head what is being said.

Photograph from VizThink NYC of visual notes

Visual storytelling can take place in many forms and combinations. The way that it is done is only limited to your imagination. All ways that you can tell a story can be powerful.

Social Media is a tool to connected with people around the world with similar interests. This tool is something that changes the way we connect with people with people. So this tool is something that can help create an image and a voice to someone that might not have one before this tool existed. Many people in the photography field are lost as in the way that it can be used to their advantage. So the objective of this blog is to point out the strategies that the professionals use and have adapted.

The general ways that photographers use social media is the following aspects:

1. Talking to anyone that will listen about themselves
2. Listening to famous people talk
3. Making relationships
4. Building contacts that will be used for businesses 

Many of these uses are not a very efficient use of time for a business, so you can see there is a big room for improvement. For photographers there is very specific area as were the time should be spent.

The ways that social media should be used is the following general aspects:

1. Feedback from the consumers
2. Getting ideas from others
3. Building the brand for your product
4. Maintaining the connection that is had with your clients
5. Becoming visible to search engines
6. Sales!

Tools in Social Media for Photographers:

Blogging is a social tool that helps connect to very specific people, but also gives general information to get new contacts. This is also a tool that helps show more of your style. 



Linkedin is a formal way that you can establish credibility and find connections. By becoming recommended by people that you have worked with you can make possible businesses connections become more visible in photography.



Facebook is a simple way that photographers can create a community around their identity and products. By creating this community you create a strong relationship between you and your customers. By forming this relationship you increase the possible business opportunities that you will have.


Twitter the idea of twitter is instead of having a full blog post you have a micro-blog. As far as the relationship this can have in your use for photography is keeping an eye on what others are doing in the industry. Having an information feed on equipment manufacturers. Keeping an edge on people technically can lead to standing out from the crowd. Another use of the space is drawing people to your blog or other information that you need to promote.


The key part that photographers have to realize in relation to their business is that it is a really low cost way to advertise yourself. In many way social media is better than advertising, since it can be done at really cheaply and directly to your consumer. Creating a public image that can be used to connect to people on a personal level is something that is indispensable.