Yearly Archives: 2011

Using GPS coordinates

Technique

Easy with an iPhone.

Many photographers like to record GPS data with their pictures, thus saving the exact location of the snap. While GPS receivers are gradually making their way into cameras and some makers offer add on gadgets to record such data – the poor man’s route is available to anyone with an iPhone. I suspect Android phones offer the same technology, but do not know. My cell phone is an iPhone 3G – two generations old, soon to be three generations old.

Any picture taken on an iPhone records GPS coordinates which can be viewed in Lightroom 3, iPhoto or any number of other processing applications.

Here’s an example using the snap of my lunch at Nova Bar the other day, imported into LR3:

GPS coordinates for lunch.

Simply typing these into Bing Maps (I refuse to use products from the criminal cabal that is Google) you get the location:

The location of the photo on a map.

In a Bird’s eye view the coordinates disclose the location on the wrong side of the road, all of 30 yards out. Not bad.

Nova is on the other side of the road – pretty close!

So unless you have the latest and greatest in camera technology, a quick snap with your cell phone will allow you to save the GPS locations for your latest ‘shoot’.

Thomson Machine Works

Architecture

Almost faded away.

This lovely brick building soldiers on, dwarfed as it is by the poor later efforts of structural engineers who designed the boxes around it.

G1, kit lens @36mm, 1/100, f/5.6, ISO 320.

Located at First and Clementina Streets in San Francisco, the original tenant’s name is barely visible in the brickwork. But there’s no disguising the beauty of the brickwork or the architect’s sense of style and proportion. It’s now home to a German manufacturer of high end kitchen cabinets, doubtless made in China.

Rotating your artwork display

Technique

Mirror retainers do the trick.

As any art museum creator what fraction of his inventory is on display at any time and you will learn that most of the catalog is in the basement. Museums rotate displays all the time, thus exposing new works from their basement for all to see and making the viewer’s repeat visit always fresh, without overloading the visual senses.

For large prints I have long standardized my mounts at a 22″ x 28″ size. This allows the use of like-sized mats with varying apertures, be they 8″ x 10″, 13″ x 19″ or 18″ x 24″. Traditionally I have glassed and framed these into what is a pretty costly ‘per print’ assembly, and a labor intensive one at that. At $70+ a framed, glassed original, two-thirds of the cost is comprised of the frame and glass.

I am moving away from this semi-permanent approach by using mirror mounts to hold prints on the wall. The prints are not glassed or framed. The mirror mounts run $2 a packet of four at the hardware store and the provided, ugly, drywall screws are replaced with 1″ roofing nails. These have a large, flat, shiny top and can be hammered into place in seconds, needing only a spirit level to get things aligned just so.

Mirror mount and roofing nail in place.

Using a 3/16″ mount and standard thickness mat, the mat + print + mount ‘sandwich’ can be replaced with another like-sized print in seconds, simply slid into place using the existing mirror retainers. The thickness of the sandwich is just right to allow the mirror mounts to gently hold things in place, the rest being done by gravity. The mat is glued to the mount using 3M Double Sided tape.

The finished display is simple and elegant, with the mirror fasteners sporting a pleasant Art Deco retro look. And, like that museum curator, you can switch what is on display with ease.

Redimat sells archival mounting board in 22″ x 28″ for $7.10 with mats running some $22.05 plus shipping. So call it $26 a print if bought in quantities of more than ten. That’s a lot less than a glassed, framed print will run you. It’s also a great presentation for those interesting in selling their work, requiring just the addition of a glassine envelope ($0.50) for protection when displayed in a sawhorse at an art show.

Want to distinguish a photographer from an equipment fetishist? Simply ask what percentage of his annual outlay is on gear compared to prints. The higher the percentage, the lower the quality of the work, for the most part.

Nova

Dining, Photographs

A no nonsense place which supports the arts.

Nova Bar on Second Street between Bryant and Brannan in San Francisco is your regular, no nonsense bar and restaurant. Good food, a relaxed unpretentious atmosphere and when I was there the other day for a snack, a great display of art by Paul Morin.

Nova Bar and Restaurant. G1, kit lens @14mm, 1/60, f/3.5, ISO1600.

The crowd here is strictly from the arts world – banksters need not apply. The music volume is just right. Morin writes about his work, examples of which you can see above:

Paul Morin paints portraits that emphasize character. By capturing a look of amusement, bewilderment or other quirky expression, often accompanied by some kind of prop, Paul delves into the personality of his subjects much like a candid snapshot reveals the moment-specific projection of a person’s inner thoughts. Painted with silverleaf backgrounds, these large scale portraits capture all available light in their environment, emphasizing the dimensional qualities of Paul’s realist style.

“In my exploration of the human figure, I try to bring movement, expression, and impact to the physical boundaries of the canvas. ‘Scale’ is a very important concept for me — not only the size of the canvas, but how the elements fit within the canvas. I strive for immediacy and monumentality in my work. A moment caught in time but also a timeless sense of grandeur.

My use of color relies on nature but is never a slave to it. My technique is based on the old master techniques of 17th century Italian and Flemish painters. Though rooted in tradition, my work has the impact of contemporary painting. The figures confront — they meet the viewer half way (sometimes more than half way). Through layers of under-painting, I am able to bring a sense of movement caught, which brings life to the image — an impression that the expression will change suddenly, or a muscle will ripple. ” ~ P. Morin

The location is just across from South Park and I enjoyed a fine pesto linguine with chicken washed down with a Ninkasi draft red.

Snapped on an iPhone 3G.

As you can see, there’s no escaping the obligatory jumbo, who has consumed more in his pathetic excuse of a life than would feed a third world nation.

Glutton. G1, kit lens, same data as above.