Archive for Creative

Flickr is a site I doubt I could live without. It rocks my world.

Last month, two updates were handed down that improved Flickr even more.

The first update was to Flickr Uploadr, the first-party upload tool that makes adding images to a Flickr account as easy as snapping the shutter. (Okay, almost that easy.) The new version of Flickr Uploadr has improved handling of uploads, adds the ability to title individual images, now allows re-ordering of images using click and drag, and maintains the other features like tagging and groups that were present in earlier versions.

The second annoucement was huge. Stats! I’ve longed to satisfy my craving for statistics from my Flickr account. Finally! In general, I find the stats provide enough information to keep me happy, but we’re not talking depth like Google Analytics. Still, I think it’s all I’ll need to keep track of traffic to my Flickr account.

Thanks, Flickr! Killer upgrades!

Technorati Tags: flickr, upgrade, update, uploadr, upload, tool, stats, statistics, metrics

Missy and I really wanted to get some photographs during the third trimester of her pregnancy. On Sunday we visited Stanton Park, a small patch of green in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. I recently purchased the Westcott 6-in-1 42″ reflector kit as well as a stand and reflector mount. The stand is actually for lighting—I’m piecing together a Strobist kit—but it doubles decently as a reflector stand.

We decided to do this shoot at the last minute, so I didn’t have time to round up a posse to assist me with the lighting and camera work. In the end, I was able to get a good first go with the reflectors while shooting everything from the tripod remotely using the Nikon ML-L3 remote. I could set up the shot and then play with different lighting approaches as well as hop in with Missy when needed. I am very impressed with the lighting from the reflectors. It is empowering to put the sun behind the subject and still have plenty of natural fill light bouncing back in.

As you can plainly see, we are about 37 weeks into the pregnancy now. That leaves mere days between now and the time baby boy arrives. We are thrilled about meeting him! You can rest assured that he will be well photographed.

Well, the results are in on the latest JPG magazine and the editors (with the help of the community) selected my photograph Disconnect to be published in Issue 11. I must admit that this comes as quite a surprise. But I’m thankful for the honor and I appreciate everyone who chipped in (and signed up) to cast a vote. I’m even being paid a small stipend for my efforts! I’m really not sure that I qualify as professional just yet, but perhaps on the technicality.

Recently, there has been some turmoil at JPG. It’s a long story and I won’t outline it here. But as a result of this, I feel a bit torn now. One one hand, I’m stoked that I have a photograph published in a popular photo-centric journal. On the other, I hate the sound of the stories that have emerged about JPG’s new leader and the unethical way he is purported to have assumed that role. And the response from the community has been incredible. No matter what the truth of it is, the matter is delicate.

In the end, I’ve decided to allow my photo to be published. And I pray that better days are ahead for JPG and Derek and Heather. (Derek has already alluded to something nifty.)

Special thanks to Sean Sperte for encouraging me to submit the image to JPG.

More Automobiles

More Old Buildings

More Flowers

More Airplanes

More Color

Two packages are arriving soon. FedEx is helping me track it.

Everyone except Dave Clark is welcome to an educated guess based on all present clues.

Technorati Tags: fedex, track, package, guess

I have a new hobby. A few people may have noticed. It’s an incredible amount of fun. It is stretching my creativity.

Last month, Missy and I decided to step up in the camera department. With a new baby on the way, it was a no-brainer. We’ve had point-and-shoot cameras for the past few years and they were great, but never really gave the functionality that I was craving. I have known for quite some time that a digital SLR (DSLR) would be the way to go, but I’ve never seen anything that “bridged the gap” between the consumer-grade point-and-shoots to the pro-sumer DSLRs, especially in terms of price.

Last Fall, Nikon released the D40, and “entry-level” digital SLR kit at a very reasonable street price of $600. The camera body is very lightweight with a conclusive feature-set, exactly what you’d expect in a DSLR. The “kit” bundles a very nice 18-55mm lens with the body. The wide angle is very nice and the zoom reaches about as far as necessary for average shooting. However, I’ve already found several instances where a longer lens would be much more handy (especially in sports photography and in short depth of field shots). I’m considering purchasing the new Nikon 55-200mm AF VR zoom lens to complement the stock kit. And at some point, I’d love to see how the 50mm reflex lens works with the D40. I’ve seen some great photographs captured with it.

Still, as a base kit, the D40 is absolutely amazing. I’ve been blown away by how accurately the camera responds to my control and snaps the picture just as I want it when I want it. That shutter opens and closes in the exact instant I want it to. That may sound trivial to some, but it’s an element of the creative process that has become immensely important to me. In fact, each and everything I’ve learned in my few weeks with the D40 I’ve taken into deep consideration. Much like web design and music, there are facets of photography that can completely revolutionize the creativity of the artist, but they have to been meticulously learned and implemented. It’s a very disciplined art that requires time and energy to accomplish something great. It’s these kinds of disciplines that keep me thirsty to learn and grow.

I wish I could really give a technical analysis of the Nikon D40. (I’ll point you to Ken Rockwell and DP Review for that.) It would be great to really evaluate the mechanics of the camera and discuss a few best practices. But I’m still learning. I can say that I’m really happy to be embarking on this new creative journey. It is a joy to discover photography.

I’ve met new people. I’ve had some interesting run-ins with strange people. I’ve chatted with brilliant artists. I’ve looked more closely at a flower than I ever thought possible. I’ve taken over 3,000 photographs in 45 days. Now, I’m constantly “looking” at life as though every scene deserves to be recorded forever. I’m always looking for that shot.

I’ve also had some great mentors help me in ways they could never know. And so I’ll say a great thanks to Stephen Elliot who has been my primary inspiration and knowledge base so far. His expertise is vast. We’ve already snapped a lot of pictures together, and we’re bound to grab a bunch more—and often. Thanks so much, Stephen.

I’d like to say thanks to Flickr as well. It’s a constant source of inspiration and the folks I’ve met through that community have all been really great. In the creative world, it’s often easy to get caught up in ourselves, what we produce and how talented we get, but I really appreciate the folks that I meet along the way that are humble enough to take time with a total noob and hook me up with some practical expertise and spot on advice.

So, for the folks who check into davidrussell.org from time to time, thanks. You might also want to keep an eye on my Flickr profile. (There’s a feed, too.) It’s been rather explosive lately and you might find a better stream of content there right now. For all you photographers in the audience (amateur or veteran) please critique, critique, critique. I’d love to hear any thoughts.

What next?

The Nikon D40 (on Amazon)
My Flickr Profile (Collections: Flora | Life | Transportation)
D40/x Challenge Flickr Group
NCC Flickr Group
Stephen Elliot
Tamrac Adventure 7 Gear Bag

Technorati Tags: nikon, d40, photography, flickr, picture, hobby, dslr, digital, slr, camera

Good grief. What a link fest.

Literally everywhere. All of Creation is monumentally amazing.

I also dig on Godbit, CSS Beauty, and really good designers.

Seriously, I think most designers and developers make the early mistake of sensationalizing their own abilities at the cost of missing some really grand work that already exists in the field. If it weren’t for exploring the work of others and gleaning positive inspiration and encouragement, I wouldn’t be doing creative work today. In every art, there is discipline to be learned and applied. Once you are disciplined in an art, then you have license to break the rules, especially for the sake of beauty.

I spent about ten hours of yesterday outdoors with camera in hand. In the end, I came up with a few shots worth a look. I’m still learning. But I told Missy last night, I really love photography. It’s just a great creative outlet for me.

View the Complete Set at Flickr (Photos from April 2)

Technorati Tags: images, washington, dc, people, nature, architecture, cherry blossoms

Over the past several months, I’ve received many emails about Web design and development. Some of the questions are simple and have complex answers, while other complex questions have quite simple answers. There have also been plenty of questions that I did not have the answer to and those questions inspired me to research. Over the next several weeks, I’ll answer many of the questions that have been frequently asked. This will centralize my responses and save valuable time when replying to a frequently asked question. Ultimately, all the questions will be gathered on a static page of this site for archival and easy access.

I started tinkering with Web design and development in 1996 after discovering the World Wide Web and the Yahoo! search engine. At first, I learned HTML and hand-coded (or copy/pasted code¹) to build single pages. They were gray with horizontals rules and quite ugly. I discovered Microsoft FrontPage around the same time and decided to fully rely on WYSIWIG creation of sites and abandon the process of hand-coding. After a couple of years of mild interest, I gave up the hobby and concentrated on music and school.

In 2003, my interest was renewed and I was quite surprised by how much the Web evolved since I had last been involved deeply in it. Specifically, there was so much discussion (perhaps heated argumentation is the best description) amongst Web developers regarding the issue of Web standards. I was amazed at what I discovered, but never really practiced standards-based coding. In fact, I spent the first year of my renewal doing simple WYSIWIG-created sites using Macromedia Studio MX (now Adobe CS3 Web), honing my design skills in Fireworks and allowing Dreamweaver to create the layout based on “slices” from Fireworks. The right tools. The wrong approach. It’s embarrassing now, but that’s what I knew to do. Soon after, I really began to buy in to the Web standards movement and slid back into HTML with relative ease. I also began learning CSS and voraciously consumed as many tutorials at the W3 Schools as possible. At the same time, I was carefully researching information about the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Web Standards Project (WaSP).

My professional career in Web design and development began in April 2005 as I was employed by the Alabama State Bar. Not only did I increase my skill in HTML and CSS, but I learned so much about server administration, managing Apache, analytics and security. Most importantly, I started working in programming languages, namely ColdFusion on the job (I learned a ton from our resident programmer) and PHP at home. I collected and installed many open source applications like PunBB and WordPress and just opened the hood and started learning the ins and outs of each system. I love the power and flexibility of these applications and the way the content just flows out of the MySQL database and into the markup with such ease. Needless to say, I was hooked on what could be accomplished with the power of the dynamic Web. And I developed a deep appreciation for content management systems. My whole idea of Web development took a radical shift into developing Web sites using these powerful systems as a means to publish content. I started this site around that time and began to chronicle my experiences in the profession.

Working a full-time job in the industry was probably one of the most enriching things that could have happened to my craft. Since then, I have continued to learn both fundamental and bleeding edge techniques in the art. Even today, I learn something new with each project.

Feel free to comment here. If you are a Web designer/developer, when did you start? What’s your story?

Technorati Tags: web, design, development, html, css, w3c, standards, adobe, macromedia

¹I do not recommend copying and pasting code as a means of web developing.

Smashing Magazine recently posted an excellent article citing the best 42 design and technology magazines to keep an eye on. This pool certainly contains many A-list sites that are very common reads in the design community. Several on the list, like A List Apart and SitePoint, are veterans of the trade. Other magazines, like Vitamin, may be younger but have similar clout.

Interestingly, there are a couple of dormant sites in the list. One such site, Treehouse Magazine, hasn’t produced any real content in about a year. However, the authors are producing content fairly regularly at Particletree and have developed a really nice product, Wufoo. I guess Treehouse made the list because of the quality of content still available on the site, even though there isn’t any new content.

I had heard of nearly all the sites listed and I quickly checked out the sites that were new to me. Without a doubt, Smashing Magazine has collected quite a list. In fact, if you aren’t already reading Smashing Magazine, go ahead and add them to your feed reader. It’s nearly always great stuff. Of the sites listed in the article, I’d say you should hit them all to get a feel for them. Here’s a quick personal top three:

• A List Apart
• Vitamin
• Digital Web Magazine

And I’d like to add another site: Godbit.com. It’s an excellent resource for anyone into web standards and design and it’s a great community of believers.

If you plan on keeping up with all the trends in this industry, stop planning on it. You’ll never be able to take it all in. But you can stay in the upper tier of produced content by sticking to quality sites like those in Smashing’s list.

The List of 42 Design and Technology Magazines to Read
Smashing Magazine

Technorati Tags: smashing magazine, web, design, tech, technology, sites, resource, develop, UI, UX, a list apart, vitamin, particletree, digital web magazine, godbit