A couple weeks ago I flew to Norway to shoot a wedding. It was a quick trip, due to a last minute change in itinerary (no thanks to Orbitz) I actually spent more time in airplanes and congested international terminals than I did at my destination - boo. I will say, however, that the Bose QC-15s are undoubtedly the best travel companion ever, best business expense yet.

Anyway - given some time, I arrived in Ålesund - the weather was pretty miserable, but still: stunning; in just 1 weekend it ranked in my top 3 cities in the world. Such a unique and stunning landscape, I spent the majority of the 3 days commenting on just that. I really didn't have much of a  chance to sightsee as I was there on business, but in the afternoon we walked around town I fell in love.

The best part, though, was catching up with my friend Edward - we went to college together back in Sydney and in the 5 or so years since, he got married and had the most adorable child in all of scandinavia (who was so kind as to let me borrow her room for the weekend) Edward and his wife were gracious hosts, and its trips like this that remind me how blessed I am to know people willing to put up with me wherever I go. Takk

Earlier this week I dropped by my moms studio to help her with a shot for a color competition. The set-up was quick and simple, although I'm amazed we fit it all in that room, what I wouldn't give for some decent studio space lately. It was also the first time I've had a chance to play with the Apollo Orb - which I have to say - I'm pretty impressed with, travels well, sets up quickly, and great quality of light. No excuses for that paper snoot though - considering I use one for almost every shoot, I should really invest the $10 on a proper one.

For our first anniversary, Annie and I got some new running gear so we can get back in shape. Nike just launched their latest Free Run series, and not only are the shoes the most comfortable and natural things I've ever put on my feet save for maybe a pair of socks - they're not too bad on the eyes either. The product images are pretty stunning as well, I've spent a not-insignificant amount of time ogling their website. So I decided tonight, while they're still fresh out of the box, that I'd have a go at one of the less technical shots:

My desk is the best kind of messy right now as I just put together a couple mail outs for clients. I'm still in the middle of redesigning my print media - For once, I'm still happy with my branding - but the printed materials have been a little lackluster. I probably won't be happy with any of this until I get my printing press up and running - but a thousand paper swatches, test prints, and revisions and we're getting' there.

While I don't think I've ever made a new years resolution, I have been taking the better part of 2012 to try and re-establish some good habits. It's not a resolution - but it is a change in thinking. My trip back to Sydney over thanksgiving reminded me of how inspired I used to be, and how much more effort I put into being creative. Since I moved back to Maine 5 years ago - I've continually found myself in a rut - a lackadaisical outlook on the creative field, a lack of inspiration, and a failure to resist mediocrity. The thing is - Inspiration doesn't knock down your door and beat you over the head with fresh ideas - you have to hunt for it. Sometimes you get lucky and it sticks its head out from behind a shrub and BANG; more often than not though, it requires patience, persistence, and a sharp eye. In the creative field, inspiration is the majority of the job - technical skills don't mean jack if you can't secure your own motivation. There can be an enormous temptation to latch on to the first thing you see, to try and develop someone else's body of work - but good design, good photography, good film comes from an internal desire to create and for someone else to act on that almost always shows itself as disingenuous. So you keep your perspective wide, and pull from as many sources as possible - and better yet: sources outside of your own style. Look at any great musicians influences, and I doubt you'll find any artists that sound exactly like them - diversity is crucial. I won't linger on that point - a brilliant designer by the name of Jessica Hische sums it all up much more eloquently and elaborately than I in her post on Inspiration vs. Imitation - it's a good read. (and a thousand thanks to mr. codyre for pointing me to that)

So in light of all this, I've been taking a lot more time out of my day embarking on the hunt. So rather than watching repeats of Arrested Development, I've been watching some boring-ass videos on lighting, reading up on the psychology of color, and all kinds of  mind numbing books on exposure and composition. It's pretty early in the year, but it has already made a pretty big impact on how I do things, and most importantly, it has rekindled my own desire for excellence.

All that is great - but I'd burn myself out if ingesting information is all I ever did, so I've been pretty stoked lately about my latest habit. I usually save the majority of my desk work till my wife goes to work (and she works overnight shifts, so I don't usually get a start to my day until about 5-6pm) Once i finish though, at God only knows what hour of the morning - I dim the lights, put on some music, pour myself a Hendricks and Tonic (or two) and kick my feet up. Sometimes I'll work on letterforms in my Moleskine, and sometimes I'll just stare out the window for a while with some Bon Iver in the background. Either way, it's refreshing and leaves me inspired and composed. I had worried a bit when i got my MacBook Air that my office wouldn't get any use - the couch is way more comfortable, and thats also where the TV is so how about that multitasking? That was also a pretty bad habit, and one not conducive to great work. But now, my office is not only a place for me to be productive - but it's also become my favorite place to relax. The only thing that could make it better at this point, is if I moved my bar in here...

I had a quick job this morning with the lovely ladies at MK Studio with an update of their staff photos. This time around the goal was for something a bit more informal than what we've done in the past so we did some run and gun portraits around the studio. Easy peasy - these girls are the best, they make my job a walk in the park.

Back in '06 (I think) I was still shooting film on a medium format body - flash was still a very foreign concept to me, not because I was a stickler for natural light (although I was) but because I just didn't have the money or resources to learn. I did however have this big old Metz manual handle mount flash I had found dirt cheap at some old camera shop in Prague. I had never used it until the photo above when a friend hired me to take some portraits for a music project he was working on. I had brought the flash just in case, as it was getting dark and I had only brought a few rolls of Hp5+ 400. I used a long sync cord so i could bounce the behemoth off a big old piece of tin and by sheer dumb luck I nailed the exposure (at least in print, I realize this scan is terrible), my logic was that this flash was blindingly bright so I'd just work my way down from the sunny 16 rule. It worked, and I was pretty happy with the result at the time - but I think that was the last time I used a flash for at least a year or two.

I eventually started shooting digital - and Nikons CLS flash system was too brilliant to ignore - it was my first real experience with off camera flash and it was about easy enough for a monkey to use (so I was in luck) It was reliable, exposures were consistent, the interface was intuitive - with very few exceptions it's one of the best systems available for off camera flash, hands down. The only problem with Nikons system is that it is based on an optical trigger and requires a line of sight between camera and flashes, and it can get a bit dicey outdoors on a sunny day.

The love for CLS was soon extinguished though when I made the switch to Canon. I was thrilled to find that Canon also offered an optical wireless system for their speedlights but i was spoiled by Nikons simplicity and reliability. Canons interface is based on archaic ratios (which could be a plus if you have a background in studio lighting) and the flash metering is inconsistent, and sometimes down right irrational, spewing light uncontrollably. But on occasion it worked, even if that meant gaffers taping my credit card to the IR port to bounce the light to actually trigger one of the slaves. If you want to instill a sense of confidence in clients, I assure you: that is not the way.

Eventually I got fed up with the inconsistencies of Canons proprietary system  and the stress and frustration they lead to during jobs and weddings. So I bit the bullet and invested in Pocket Wizards new Flex system. Traditional pocket wizards are the industry standard, crazy reliable, and operate on radio frequencies rather than optical line of sight (which means better range, and no line of sight required). The only thing they lack is TTL metering and the ability to synchronize at higher shutter speeds - which is essential when shooting at wider apertures and you need to kill ambient. I figured the newer Pocket Wizard system had to be just as reliable, especially considering the price. A whole kit of TT5 transceivers and a TT1 transmitter certainly made my wallet lighter - but I could have cared less, I just needed something that worked. And they did... sometimes. Unfortunately they worked only when I didn't need them too, and when I did, they refused - kicking and screaming the whole way. Apparently Canon flashes (at least the ones worth using) cause radio interference that seems to piss off the Pocket Wizards. To combat this, you have to use a ridiculous looking RF Shield (think sock) over the flash as well as a hot shoe adaptor - and when I'm on a tight schedule for portraits, setting those up is the living worst.

So after having some catastrophic failures by the Pocket Wizards on the last couple shoots, I decided to ditch them in favor of a more reliable system. I considered the much favored Radio Poppers, but was turned off by the clumsy rigging, and I even considered Canons new radio based wireless flash - but its not currently compatible with any receivers and thus won't play nice with other strobes. And did I mention its over $600 per speedlight? So seeking reliability, consistency and functionality - what did I end up with? Chinese knockoffs.

The Pixel Kings - made by a company in Hong Kong that has been making Pocket Wizard knockoffs for some time now - just recently released a wireless E-TTL compatible unit that also supported High Speed Sync on the Canon speedlights. They looked great on paper, and at 1/4th the price of the Pocket Wizards it was worth the risk. I had pretty low expectations - after trying just about every other option I thought I'd give it a shot, and I must say - I'm pleasantly surprised. The build quality isn't great, but the Pocket Wizard Flex's hardly inspire confidence either. They did however include a plethora of accessories, sync cables, and a handy case (which is actually much nicer than the one pocket wizard sells for an additional $25) I bought a BUNCH of them - figuring at least one would come DOA. Not the case, they all work brilliantly. Consistent exposures, great range from what I've tried, simple set up and use - and no misfires so far which is more than I could say for the PW's. I normally shudder at the thought of 3rd party lenses and camera gear (not to be a snob, but seriously, unless you're toughing out MF lenses with Zeiss: 3rd party lenses suck) But as a wise old man used to say: "as long as it works", and I'm happy to say - these do.

More from the set above can be seen HERE