spike

Central Jersey Walk for PKD

by

In early October, I supported my friends Stacey Trzesinski McClain and Randi Trzesinski with their efforts with the PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) Foundation. Stacey organized the Central Jersey Walk for PKD as she does every year, and I brought my camera along.

I prefer shooting outdoors if the weather is nice, so this was a good change from the indoor concerts. It was a little chilly that day in Mercer County Park, but it was a successful event with good participation. Walking undoubtedly kept the participants warm. As you can see from the photographs, the walk is a family event. Teams walked together at this event as a culmination of fundraising to support the organization.

My XTi was on call for the event, and I used a variety of lenses (28mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8, 10-22mm, 17-85mm). See some of the results after the jump.

Most of the better photographs are being displayed on the PKD Foundation’s Flickr page.

Read more

Massive Attack in Lincoln Car Commercial

by

I enjoy about half the tracks on Massive Attack’s latest album, Heligoland, but after the first listen a few months ago I immediately identified Paradise Circus as the stand-out cut. I wasn’t the only one; a unique remix was recently used in a television commercial for the 2011 Lincoln MKX.

I didn’t expect Massive Attack to pop up in such a commercial commercial, but the group has donated all income from the production of music for the commercial to the clean-up effort in the Gulf of Mexico. This is a responsible way to offset money earned from the auto industry.

The commercial use of Paradise Circus is in stark contrast with the official video (NSFW), featuring a former small-time porn star reminiscing on her video work during the 1970s, against the song as a backdrop.

Watch the commercial — and more importantly, listen to the music — after the jump.

Read more

Jason Derulo at Rider University

by

On October 22, I photographed the Jason Derulo concert (with special guests Super Mash Bros.) at Rider University, hired by Reid Sound. The intent was to take photographs of the event that capture Reid Sound’s motto: “The room comes alive.”

Here are a few of the shots (after the jump). I apologize in advance for the intrusive watermark.

My biggest problem with these concerts is the constantly changing lighting. Reid Sound produces a superb lighting show, particularly at this concert, but the ever-changing color casts make it difficult to come up with images that are exposed correctly, have contrast, or look like they came from Earth. In addition to the tough lighting, the concert took place in a gymnasium, not the friendliest type of room for photography, but probably slightly better than a bar.

The tools I put in use were my Canon XTi, a monopod which was helpful to raise the camera above the audience for some overhead shots using the timer, 50mm f/1.4, 28mm f/1.8, 100mm f/2.8L, and 10-22mm. I met a few students photographing the show for the university, possibly a newspaper, but I never got around to finding out where I could see their photos.

Wide open with high ISO was the name of the game. A firmware hack allowed me to push the XTi beyond ISO 1600 in some cases.

Read more

Welcome Back to This is Not a Website

by

It’s been a while since I’ve actively updated a purely personal website. After a few false starts, I may be ready to bring my random thoughts back to the web. For those who know what I’ve been up to lately, well, bully for you.

Aside from the usual work, I’ve been spending more time developing my photography skills. After several classes at the Arts Council of Princeton and many weekends spent wandering around campus and local parks, I’ve gotten to the point where I’m comfortable charging for my services. The one thing missing from this plan is time…

For now, you can see some of my non-paid photography at Flickr. I suggest starting by browsing my favorites.

Two of My Favorites: Ben Folds and Improv Anywhere

by

Most people know Ben Folds is one of my favorite musicians. When I say “most people,” I do mean most people in the world. Some people may also know that I’m a follower of Improv Anywhere and hope to be involved one of these days.

This would have been one mission I would have liked to be involved with. Improv Anywhere invaded two of Ben Folds’ New York concerts, with help from the band. Good stuff. Read it.

Moved

by

If you’ve found this site, you may have noticed I moved the blog to a new home just down the street from the old home. Suddenly my pseudo-anonymity was exposed, and I’m not happy about it. I don’t really write here much any more, but I don’t want to lose the archives. This is despite the fact over the past few years I’ve had to go back and edit out personally identifyable words.

Nevertheless, they found me. I don’t know how, but they found me. Run for it, Marty!

Napkin For My Eye, Part 2

by

At least this time, it wasn’t poked. I woke up this morning with the feeling that some dust was in my eye. After an uncomfortable day in the office, I left early to go see what the doctor could tell me.

There was nothing in my eye. That is, nothing besides what’s supposed to be there; in this case, my eyeball. But it’s still annoying.

Someone at work told be there’s a Visine for that, so I picked some up over my lunch break, a break for a meal I did not have a chance to have. So now there is something in my eye: Visine. But no dust particles, according to the doctor. He says that perhaps there was something in there before but it’s gone now.

Maybe I’ll wear a patch tomorrow. It’ll be very soap-opera-like.

Let’s Go Mets…

by

I got the call yesterday to attend last night’s Mets game. The ticket was originally intended for Amy’s father, but he wasn’t feeling well. I’m glad I got to go because it was a very good game and the game I do have tickets for, Monday’s 5th NLDS game, may not be played.

I didn’t get home until 2:00 am. It’s been a while since I’ve been used to getting home very late on a night where I’d need to be at work the next morning.