November 10, 2009 @ 1:15 am
GLOW IN THE DARK, a new book by hip-hop artist Kanye West gives readers a front-row seat to the sold-out 2008 GLOW IN THE DARK tour through the eyes of photographer Nabil Elderkin (NOTE: Rizzoli USA sent this copy over to me for review). I had the opportunity to see Kanye West’s tour while I was in Australia and can tell you that from beginning to end, this was one of the most incredible live shows I’ve ever seen. Forget whether or not you hate him for what he does off-stage, this book is going to make you admire him for his ability to entertain and perform.
Nabil Elderkin followed Kanye around the world during the time on tour and has some wonderful behind-the-scenes photos of Kanye’s creations, inspirations, and party photos littered in between interview quotes with Spike Jonze.
Nabil even photographs some of Kanye’s sketches that eventually turn into his own costumes and set designs and also the costumes of people on tour with him (most notably, Rihanna). The whole book has a very dark feel to it that makes me think of the actual tour (I saw him and this set when I was in Australia) which is exactly what the designers, Base, wanted to convey through the layout and design of the book.
With 288 pages and about 400 photographs, GLOW IN THE DARK
(Rizzoli USA) is going to be a fantastic coffee-table book for anyone whether you’re a fan of Kanye, his music, or just great photography in general.
Oh, and if you get a chance to pick up the book, you’ll also be rewarded with a surprise 5-track CD exclusive with unreleased music. The normal retail price of the book is $50, but if you purchase now on Amazon.com, then you can pick up GLOW IN THE DARK for just $31.50 — a price that’s well worth all of the content you’ll find inside its covers.
Here are some photos to hold you over.
November 7, 2009 @ 5:47 pm
Click image to enlarge
I’ve been happily shooting with a Canon EOS 7D for over a week now. I have nothing but good things to say about this camera and I am more than happy about the choice I made in the end over the Canon 5D Mark II.
DPReview seems to agree with me in this respect and says that the 7D is in some ways better than the 5D Mark II (obvious difference between the two being that the 5D has a full-frame sensor). Their 31-page review is impressive (I mean…it’s 31 pages long) and gives anybody hoping to learn more about the Canon 7D a complete view of the camera inside and out.
The EOS 7D is powered by Dual Digic 4 processors and it shows. The camera’s overall performance is nothing short of impressive, especially in this segment of the market. The two processors are pushing the huge 18 megapixel files through the imaging and processing pipeline in an extremely swift manner. Instead of asking if this camera is fast enough for you, you should probably be slightly concerned if you are fast enough for the 7D.
The DPReview emphasizes that image quality for a camera like this is directly related to the glass that you’re using, so they highly discourage the use of the kit lenses if you’re shooting for the utmost image quality and sharpness. But assuming that you’ve got good lenses, this camera is definitely a great choice if you’re looking for a new SLR. I endorse it, and apparently, so does DPReview.
November 2, 2009 @ 1:57 am
It was ok. I won’t necessarily run out and buy the DVD when it gets released, but if they ever make a true-to-film Wild Thing costume, I’d consider purchasing that.
November 1, 2009 @ 4:55 pm
I have a Targus Bluetooth Laser Mouse in my possession and I’m going to tell you about it now.
The major difference between this mouse and other Bluetooth laser mouse on the market is that this Targus mouse has a touch scroll wheel. It’s a nice change from the traditional scroll wheels which can become dirty and get stuck. The touch scroll wheel here takes a bit of getting used to as it’s hard to control the speed at first. But after a couple of minutes, your finger adjusts accordingly. I don’t think it’s better or more precise than a scroll wheel, but it’s nice nonetheless.
The mouse is full-sized unlike most other Bluetooth mice on the market which are made for laptop users and come at incredibly small sizes. It’s not very ergonomic but at least your hand isn’t scrunching up just to use it. Comfort: Ok.
The mouse has a nice audible click to the left and right mouse buttons which I like. The touch scroll is also a middle-click button, but unfortunately, you cannot press it down and have pages automatically scroll. I wish this functionality was built-in.
On the left side of the mouse are two extra buttons that are simply placed in the most retarded place possible. The farther button is so inconvenient to press that you have to stretch your hand in weird positions just to get to it. The closer side button is so easy to accidentally press that I just disabled it altogether. Simply put, this mouse would be better if it didn’t come with any buttons on the side at all.
As for construction, this mouse is rather cheap. It feels cheap, but then again, that’s because the mouse is cheap. Pick one up at Amazon.com
for just over $20.
Oh, by the way, if you do plan on buying this mouse and you need the software for it, DO NOT download it from the Targus website. For some reason, they link to a really outdated version of the software. The software you need can be downloaded here (ver. 2.1.0f2).
October 31, 2009 @ 6:32 pm
Down East was kind enough to send me a copy of their new book Ruin: Photographs of a Vanishing America with photographs by architectural photographer Brian Vanden Brink. The book is a documentation of some of the forgotten buildings that are strewn across America. Brian Vanden Brink’s architectural eye brings out the beauty in these forgotten places and singles them out as artifacts and specimens that must be preserved (at least on film) for future generations.
Looking at the 120 photos in this collection (50 in color and 70 in black and white) make me wonder about the history of some of these buildings and what circumstances must have played out to make the owners abandon these structures. Were these buildings left behind when somebody passed away? Or were they abandoned because of financial or environmental circumstances? The questions remain and Brian cannot answer them all, but he can capture them in such a way that makes you appreciate their beauty despite being called eyesores in their community.
As a plus, Brian includes several photos that he took for the Historic American Engineering Record of buildings and structures that the government (Federal and State) are actively working on to either demolish, rehabilitate, or add on to. In some cases, these government sites have all but been abandoned and left to rot and in a sense, they take on a life of their own as shown in Brian’s photos.
For somebody like me who is obsessed with abandoned structures and places, this book certainly filled me with a sense of wanderlust. I’d love to visit the towns that these abandoned buildings and structures are located and see them all for myself. I probably won’t make it to most of them in this book, but I’m thankful that Brian has included the general locations just in case I do intend to make some sort of trip in the future.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series of photos from Down East and Brian Vanden Brink and I highly encourage you to get your own copy of this book too so you can enjoy parts of America in a new way. Even better is that Amazon.com sells Ruin: Photographs of a Vanishing America
for just over $40, which is a good amount off of the suggested retail price of $65.
Check out some images of the book below.
October 31, 2009 @ 2:41 pm
A couple of weeks ago, the good guys behind Banjo Brothers, a small bag company located in Minnesota, sent me a large Commuter Backpack to check out. So let’s just jump into this and see what this bag is all about.
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