I’m just an SEO idiot.

We launched our site on December 14th, 2007. We are all artists trying to make a living doing the things we love. We share ideas and information amongst ourselves, trying to help each other advance our creative expression and earn a living at the same time. It was decided that we would try to reach as many mac-using artists as possible. To do this, people have to know we exist.

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Elgato Systems’ EyeTV Hybrid

I like to watch TV in bed at night. Sometimes I like to record what I am watching, but this involves getting out of bed, putting a tape in the recorder and getting back in bed. Usually I have to open a new tape by somehow ripping off the cellophane that has been adhered to the tape pack by static electricity (a force often stronger than I am), and by the time I have the tape in the recorder I’ve missed the first few minutes of what I wanted to record anyway. Read more

HELVETICA- The Movie.

In celebration of Helvetica’s 50th birthday, this insightful documentary asks the foremost graphics designers of our time to define its importance. Rent it. It’s the most entertaining and visually engaging documentary I’ve seen in a long time.

Reconsider Buying That Dell.

Dell Inspiron Laptop. It’s cheap. It’s pretty. It’s probably a lemon. After 57 days of trying to resolve all the hardware issues, my nephew is the proud owner of a $2000 doorstop. 

UPDATE: My nephew received a phone call today (yes, TODAY, the day after Xmas) from DELL’s consumer advocate- Anna Simpson- informing him that DELL had decided to replace his computer with a similar or better computer.

UPDATE: Dec 26th: The refurbished computer DELL’s Consumer Advocate is offering? It comes with a 90-Day Warranty.  A 90 Day Warranty.  Hell- IT’S TAKING LONGER THAN THAT TO RESOLVE THIS.

UPDATE: January 2008 I will say that Dell has behaved admirably even if their products don’t seem to be worthy of my confidence. They will warranty the new laptop for a full year.

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Buy Original Artwork.

Nothing irritates me more than listening to interior designers on HGTV choosing artwork because it matches the furniture. Where do they come up with this stuff?

What would a room that is "complemented" by any Dora Maar painting look like?

And don’t get me started on the cheap mass produced "artwork" sold at Ikea or Pier One to match some product line. I see that hanging in someone’s home and immediately write that someone off.

Anyone can own original artwork. Start now. All the artwork posted here is for sale, ranging in price from $1 to $175. Information about the artwork will appear above the images. If something interests you, click on the image and you will get contact information for the artist.

If you are an artist and would like some of your work included on this page, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO UPLOAD YOUR ARTWORK. Please make your images between 550-600 pixels wide. Your artwork will be available for display a few hours later.

Still Photographers & the Film Industry

Still Photographers in the Film Industry shoot stills for the publicity of a movie and to document the film, and everything connected with the production of a film. Then the finished material will be usually be turned over to the studio which will be distributing the film so they can mount a publicity campaign leading to the release of the film. This includes, but is not limited to, a Press Kit (which is now a digital Press Kit), The Poster or One Sheet as it is called in the business, and exclusive photos for a particular magazine such as Time, People, Entertainment Weekly, etc. Read more

The HDRI Handbook: High Dynamic Range Imaging for Photographers and CG Artists by Christian Bloch

Film has never been able to capture the dynamic range of reality, and trying to achieve that result has been the goal of photographers and chemists, and then later lens and film designers, since the early beginnings of the photographic process. Read more

Memeo’s LifeAgent: AutoBackup For Your Mac

New software for backing up your files and folders crossed my desk recently and I decided to give it a try. This software, LifeAgent from Memeo (http://www.memeo.com/) attracted me by the way it could be set up to backup a file or files automatically any time that I plugged in to an external drive. Since I use a laptop normally (MacBook Pro, 2.33. C2D) it would mean that simply plugging in to my external drives would backup selected files without my needing to specify anything. Read more

Adobe Bridge

Wow, what a great title for my first article on Adobe CS3 Bridge. Really, I came up with it myself. Me, you ask? Well, I’m kind of a manual/mechanical guy. I’m a photographer, and somewhat of a computer geek. I have always preferred cameras that can work without batteries, and have all the shutter speeds and f/stops work. I capture images in digital format almost exclusively for both my commercial photography and my personal work. So far I haven’t found any of the new-fangled digital gear that is mechanical, but the manual settings are all available. Just keep lots of batteries handy to power the sensor.
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Adobe Bridge Revisited

I’m a rambling man, but I generally ramble with a purpose. I love CS3 Bridge and Camera Raw, and can talk all day about how I use them. However, I understand that most folks kind of get catatonic when I ramble on too much… so here is the only somewhat rambling story of how I work with CS3 Bridge and Camera Raw to make my life easier, more enjoyable, more fulfilling, well… you get the picture. Read more