Andy Franck Photography Blog

I didn't play with the iOS 7 beta so maybe I'm a little late getting to this, but since updating on Wednesday this parallax desktop thing has been nagging me. It quickly became apparent that in order to allow for the parallax effect, iOS 7 has to enlarge any wallpaper to allow for movement. I expect the new, stock wallpapers are precision-crafted to allow for this, but my favorite legacy wallpapers are clearly being tweaked in violation of their original pixel-precise designs. Not good.

Today I hastily did a bunch of round-tripping screen captures from the iPhone to Photoshop and back again to figure out what's going on. The PNG attached to this post is an early template to show how the visible desktop has been expanded to allow for the parallax effect. 

Did I mention I'm still on a 4s? I'll try to follow up with a version for the 5 series soon.

Interestingly the visible area is not centered by default. This wallpaper will, however, align quite well when set as a home screen wallpaper - at least on my iPhone it does. I do know that the circles indicating app screen pages are a little off. I'd be curious to hear if other iPhones align differently by default - that is, if you select this image as a home screen wallpaper the guides I've outlined don't hit their marks without adjustment. 

Well, here's the template FWIW:

Anyone who has worked with me in the past few years is probably familiar with my assistant, Matt. A while ago, while re-organizing old archives into a Lightroom catalog I got the clever idea to pull out any light-check, stand-in photos featuring Matt and put them together into a photo book as commemorative thank-you. I'm pleased with the results and the book is a fun look back on our work together. The cover worked out especially well. The image is perfect and I was so glad to find a great hand-drawn block font [Cul De Sac].

(click the image to view a larger version of the background photo)

Yesterday I let myself play a little bit and acted on a self-portrait idea that's been kicking around in my head for a few months. What was supposed to be a quick setup to test the concept ended up producing a final image.

I first got the idea for this picture when I found and signed up for About.me (an online service that allows users to set up a simple, clean bio page linking to various web sites and services). I really like the simple but flexible formatting template that About.me has created. The variety of profiles featured in their directory demonstrate the possibility of great creative diversity within a limited structure.

Part one, making the picture:

This photo was made by composing a scene with a 4x5 view camera and then using a second camera to photograph the ground glass, composing loosely enough to see the 4x5 camera and some of the out of focus background. The final image is rotated 180 degrees to make the ground glass image upright and as a result the camera appears upside-down.

What you see is the combination of three exposures. For the first two, I draped a black cloth over the space between the two cameras to avoid ambient light contaminating the ground glass image. This is just like the classic image of the photographer ducking under the black cloth behind a big view camera. The first exposure was the main scene lit entirely by strobes. This was necessary because the image projected on the ground glass was far to dim to capture a portrait with ambient light alone - the long exposure would have left me a blurry mess. The second exposure was a longer exposure of the scene to allow the cool late-afternoon window light to burn in a bit. The third exposure was taken without the black cloth and adjusted to properly expose the 4x5 camera body and the surrounding scene. These three shots were easily merged in Photoshop with little other manipulation beyond the usual dodge-and-burn adjustments.

Part two, the concept:

Everything about this photograph relates to the idea of what a successful self-portrait should be and a desire to go beyond an obvious solution. I like to see pictures of people in their creative spaces and wanted to take that approach for my photo.

Right now, for me that place is this corner of my unfinished garage. I made the workbench out of plywood salvaged from some unneeded storage cabinets I took down to free up this space. I do need to insulate and finish the walls so I can use my workshop all year - the winter is too cold and the summer too hot. But I like the character of the rough space and am reluctant to simply hang drywall in there. 

I don't think that just taking a picture of me with a camera would be a successful self-portrait. So much of how I work is about the process of making images so I like that this portrait kind of tells the story of it's own making, but in a way that I feel is balanced with just being a decent and interesting picture. Plus, I am such a tinkerer and at home in the workshop - and all of that stuff informs my work as a photographer. I like the way the image in the ground glass ended up being bookended by lighting equipment on one side and a drill press on the other. It wasn't intentional or planned, but it worked out well.

A while ago I posted details about my iMac workstation. Just yesterday I found the Aero for the iMac by Tethertools.

Here's a quick photo comparison:

I should be clear that I do not accuse or suspect Tethertools of copying my idea. I think this is most likely a clear case of form following function and the Tethertools table is born out of an existing product line.

I really enjoy getting Cook's Illustrated magazine because they describe in detail the process of trial and error that goes into creating a recipe. That insight about how ingredients work or don't work doesn't just apply to the related dish, but lends knowledge and insight that informs so many other meals I will prepare. 

Which is why I was so happy to discover Julieanne Kost's recent, and ongoing series of blog posts about blend modes in Photoshop. Each blog post addresses an individual group of blend modes as they are logically divided in Photoshop's interface. Without getting too technical, Julieanne does a great job of giving a quick, clear description of what each blend mode is going to do to your pixels -- and follows up with a series of images to demonstrate.

I've made extensive use of blend modes in the past, but just like a recent Cook's Illustrated sugar cookie recipe's description of what baking soda and baking powder each do for a recipe and how they work together will help me far beyond just cookies, Julieanne's posts will help me work smarter and explore new options down the road.

Good stuff.

This blog has been quiet lately due to a busier than expected summer (whew!). However, today I am packing for an intense 3-day project in western Pennsylvania and will be taking notes for an upcoming post about using the iPad as a photographer's production tool. Not trying to process photos on it or anything (yet) but expect to use the iPad more as a digital clipboard to keep shot list, layouts, schedules, etc. Because the days will be long and the schedule very tight, I am curious to see if any digital option can prove to be more useful than hardcopy printouts.

More to follow...

click image to view larger

Another repost from the old blog...

My previous blog post revisited my old computer setup for location photography – the MiniKit. Now, I'd like to show how I've been working since the MiniKit was retired. Pictured below is a fairly new 24″ iMac mounted on an Avenger A122 mini low combo stand using a platform I designed and made myself.

In use this setup is surprisingly stable, takes up very little space, and is easy to move around a location. It addresses quite well most of the minikit's shortcomings. The iMac has the processing and graphics power to handle large files while the stand provides a convenient standing work height and – unlike the clunky metro shelving cart I used to use – it collapses very quickly and is easy to transport.

Now, some details. The first three photos show the top of the work surface and how the iMac is held in place.

Next, here is a look below the platform showing the two struts I made to stabilize the top. The platform is secure without the struts, but they help give it a solid feel.

This photo shows the bag I hang from the back of the platform. Basically the bag contains the end of a three outlet extension cord, the power cord for the iMac, and the power supply for an Epson PictureMate printer. When setting up, I just pull the ends I need out of the front of the bag.

The last picture shows the printer strapped to the side of the platform. The PictureMate’s handle makes it a perfect fit for this application. I use this printer to provide small prints for the clients’ reference. Using Lightroom, I can add customized job-specific information and print on the fly without much extra effort.

This is a re-post from my original blog platform which I fairly quickly abandoned in favor of Tumblr. Rather than have it fade away entirely, I'm going to be posting some of the more popular content here...

A few years ago an already old gallery of my computer kit – a Mac Mini and 20-inch Apple Cinema Display mounted in a Pelican case – caught the interest of several Mac and photo blogs. I quickly saw several hundred thousand hits in a few days and still see regular traffic each month. The minikit was retired a few months later, but I have a lot of fond nostalgia for that system and often look back at it to see if I can capture some of that old magic for my next system revision. Because of the apparent continued interest in the minikit, and to provide some insight on how I approach my gear, I’m reposting the images from that gallery here on my blog.  Later I’ll post details about my current system; a much different approach than what you see here, but still somewhat unique.

Keep in mind that this kit was originally put together back in 2004-2005. It started as a way to conveniently and safely carry a cinema display that was driven by a 12″ Powerbook. I worked that way for several months until Apple announced the Mini at Macworld in January 2005. I knew it would be a perfect fit and ordered mine minutes after the keynote ended. Despite its limitations the system served me well for a couple of years. Although the need for more power eventually led me to move on, I still miss seeing the ways people would react when they first saw the minikit in action.

Star Wars posters by Justin Van Genderen - found via Daring Fireball

As Star Wars fans go, I'm the quiet type. I've never camped in line or blogged my lamentations about episodes one, two, or three. But I do like this series of travel posters by Justing Ven Genderen representing several locations from the original trilogy. The illustrations lend a vintage look to futuristic themes (that did happen long, long ago after all). Follow the link above to see more.