Digital Cameras?! Forgetaboutit!! Why Film Can Be Better than Digital. Gasp!

A friend of mine showed me this video late in the am while conversing online. He kept cracking up on how he saw this commercial air in the wee hours on NBA TV haha So I took a look at it and while I was laughing, the video has some good points. With that being said, I will say that in some occasions, 35mm film photography is much easier and more practical.

Since this post was originally just to highlight this video, I'll give reasons as to why "regular" film photography can actually be better than digital photography:

1. Shoot for Keeps
Face it: when's the last time you actually held a photograph in your hand? I know you have a digital camera and I know you post pictures to your Facebook and even email them to friends and family...but when's the last time you actually felt a photograph? Shooting 35mm film photography is the easiest way to get them in your hand. You don't need to download your memory card to your computer, go through them, upload to a printing service and then have it shipped. Just drop off the roll of film to Walgreens or Target and by the time you're done shopping or running your errands, your roll of film is done!

2. Share Your Photos
The video did a good job in illustrating the ease of sharing your photos: you simply give them to your friends and family. It's also called human interaction. In the day of digital, everything is easy since you can send information in an instant. I admit, I love it. But what I also love [and now miss] is the actual interaction of humans! I use to play video games at friend's houses... now more often is playing online. I actually had a penpal but now email is just easier. So having a picture you can send to a friend or family in mail once in awhile is truly a needle in a haystack which makes it even more special. So take time and share your photos by actually giving a photograph and not a file.

3. Travel Light without Having Your Camera Insight
I purposely rhymed..I know...but you bought your digital for $200-400 for your pocket digital camera and now you're going on to a trip. Well you did buy that camera for photography purposes but maybe you're double thinking about bringing it to an area that it can possibly be damaged or even stolen. This is where the film camera comes to play: it's lo-fi so it's not going to be a thief's wanted item and because of its relatively low price, you wouldn't mind if you damaged the camera. And God forbid it gets stolen, it only cost you a couple of $20 bucks. Bonus! Once you get your prints, put them in actual album :gasp!: in which you can keep of all your travels. When guests come in, it'll be great conversation fodder!

4. Film Hones Your Skills
The great part about digital photography is you can take more than 300 shots in one digital memory card. The worse part about digital photography is that you don't need more than 300 shots...especially if it's all taken during one event. Depending on your roll of film, you can take anywhere between 27-36 shots in one roll. Meaning, you better make sure you make every shot count! If you're shooting with film, you're practically force to take better pictures! You don't 5 shots of close up shots of your shoes or a particular place--one shot is good enough. I've taken a film camera when I traveled and it definitely tells a story much better than going through hundreds of digital photos.

The upsides of film is that it trains you take better pictures and become a better storyteller.

5. Film Has the Element of Surprise!
Once you're done with your roll, take it to wherever you get it developed (nowadays, a developed roll runs for about $8-9.. it's gotten up over the years =/) but while it is getting developed, relax, shop around, read a book--do something! When you get it back, you can relive the moments you had. I know instant is nice and all--digital photography has allowed us to make life move faster by capturing images and sending it immediately. But with film photography, that roll of film you have is your time capsule. Once you drop off that roll and you get the pictures, it immediately sends you back in time as you hold the photographs and go through each one.

Bonus! 35mm Photography Can Be Fun!
If you're wanting a simple point and shoot film camera that can enable cool effects without having to work with them in Photoshop, check out the camera on Lomography. Yes they are pricey but do some research [check out B&H Photo & Video or eBay] and I'm sure you can get a good price.

I actually own 2 cameras from Lomography and it definitely makes shooting photography fun--the SuperSampler and ActionSampler. Another lo-fi camera that's one of my favorites is the simple Vivitar Slim & Wide.

Here's links to samples of those cameras via Flickr:
SuperSample samples
ActionSampler samples
Slim & Wide samples

Since I'll be going to the Philippines for the majority of September, I will most likely bring one 35mm camera to make life much simpler.

Hope this inspired to actually consider film again! Happy [35mm] shooting yall!

When you have a choice, toss a coin.

I took this photo from Certified Fresh's blog and totally agree. I should implement this now in my decision making process although if it's a Yes/No decision, it's usually a Yes but I just need someone or something to justify it. haha

Keep Me. Protect Me. Share Me.

It's an oldie but a very good ad video on the importance of photographs made for Kodak.

"Keep me. Protect me. Share me...and I will live forever."

J-Ricz: New Single "Go"

Cover of single "Go", photo by JJ Casas

My friend J-Ricz just released his single "Go" off of his new album MusicPhiliac which is coming out at the end of August. I've worked with him before too producing the images for his debut album Genesis.

I just bought his single and yes I'm affiliated with him but this song is dope and I've been having it on repeat.

Do yourself a favor, skip the candy bar [since it costs] the same and buy his single! It's just as fulfilling! =)

Go here to buy his single!

(http://www.ubetunes.com/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=410)

Music Video: "Love Affair" by J-Ricz and Kid Heroes Productions

Here's the debut music video of my friend J-Ricz entitled "Love Affair" whom director Patricio Ginelsa of Kid Heroes teamed up with! On the side note, I did shoot J-Ricz's two music albums--Genesis and now upcoming album MusicPhiliac. Stay tuned for his album "MusicPhiliac" coming soon!

I've been lonnng time friend with these two artists and it's great to see them work together! Props to the entire crew for making this video possible plus great story!

Credits:
www.jricz.com
www.kidheroes.net/loveaffair
www.xylophonefilms.com

Written & Directed by
PATRICIO GINELSA

Produced by
ANGEL ALZONA
A.J. CALOMAY

Co-Producers
ANNE RAMIS
ROB MARCACCI

Executive Producer
CARLO RICAFORT

Director of Photography
ANTHONY IGNACIO

Edited by
JOEL BUENAVISTA

"Love Affair"
Written & Produced by J-Ricz for Introverse Records
Co-produced & Mixed by Brian Keith Gasacao of BRILAY
Music Mastered by Ryan Gentry of Gentry Entertainment
From the album "MusicPhiliac"

Starring
J-RICZ

Dennis
NICHOLAS CORRALEZ

Gwen
ANAZARRY DANGANAN

"Creepin" Host
DAVID RIGSBY

Gwen's Classmate
ANNABELLE BORKE

Background Talent
JESSICA N. LOZARES
HUNG NGUYEN
JHESWIN P. MONTOYA
A.J. CALOMAY
RYAN CANTORNA
JEANELLE PINEDA
ROB MARCACCI
KRISTINA HILL
MIKE CAO
R. DEXTER TUCAY

1st AC
LANCE HASHIDA

2nd AC
JUSTIN MADRIAGA

Gaffer
JEFF NOLDE

Grips
CHRIS LORA
HUGH YANUARIA
MELANIE RAMOS

Media Manager
JOEL BUENAVISTA

Playback
DYLAN GARRETT

Makeup
PATRICIA SALUMBIDES

Wardrobe
CHRISTINA BENAZA

Assistant Director
ERICA ENG

Motion Graphics
APOLLO BALDOZ

"Creepin" Logo
DARRIEL GINELSA

Music Score
JONATHAN WANDAG

Sound Design/Mix
RYAN FRIAS

Production Design
JEFF CRUZ
JOCELYN FERNANDEZ
MARVIN FONTANILLA

Production Assistants
HANS CRUMP
MELANIE FONTANILLA
JEANELLE PINEDA
DEXTER TUCAY
RYAN CANTORNA
CAMRIN PITTS

Special Thanks to
ELLEZAR "ZAR" JAVIER of www.pnoyapparel.com
NICO of www.Be-disciplined.com
BRIAN KEITH GASACAO of Brilay Music
USC Experiential Learning Center
RYAN GENTRY of Gentry Entertainment
REX SAMPAGA of RAS Music Group
JESSICA LOZARES
HUNG NGUYEN
JHES MONTOYA
DERICK ULAC

Dedicated to
DOLLY RICAFORT
ALEXIS HOPE RICAFORT

I am published!!!....National Trails Day! (06/05/10)

....ok to be fair, a photo of me and a quote was published from Saturday's National Trails Day event in San Francisco's SFgate.com/Chronicle on June 6, 2010--so nothing of my photographic work was published. I found this event online and thought it would be a good morning to spend with my girlfriend. Plus, volunteering is never bad!

photo by David Paul Morris, special to the Chronicle; my girlfriend Cher and I among other volunteers.

Here's a link to the article written by Nanette Asimov, a staff Chronicle writer. Be sure to read it so you can see how "I am published"! =D :
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/05/BAEK1DQLAI.DTL

Here's a few images that I took on our day volunteering at Presidio's Mustard Gas site [yes, back in the day as I learned, this area in the Presidio was actually used as a practice area for soldiers and mustard gas!]

Me and my Timberlands ready for a morning's work of volunteering!

We had the chance to chose which teams to go to and so we decided to go with some weed pulling under the Gray Foxes!

We did have to sign a release/waiver form courtesy of REI who was one of the sponsors for the event.



A quick pic of some of the many volunteers that came and met at around 9:15am at Inspiration Point in Presidio.

Thankfully we were given gloves as we soon learned that pulling weeds is actually tiring and can be a blister-on-hands making chore.

The teams separate and head to the specific sites that we will be working at.

A quick fun fact: did you know that California not only has a state flower [Poppy] but also a state rock?! So! Our state rock is.... the Serpentine!

You saw earlier that we had to sign a release form, yea? Well it's worth it not just because we are giving our time back to Mother Earth.. but also because we got these cool athletic sweat wickering shirts from REI!

Our haul for the day! More than a dozen large bags of weeds [Purple Velvets, Rattlesnake grass, Foxtails and other weeds] on the truck!

Our reward? Delicious chicken [or veg] burritos and some really good salsa verde to spice it up courtesy of the organization!

We all ate here... what used to be a dumping site for the army but is now cleared as part of the restoration project.

And I will say that burrito was well deserved after we "got dirty" for sure. We all washed it down with some Hansen's Natural Cane Soda as well.

Pictured here with our tour guide/instructor for the day was Jason Erickson.

Thanks to National Trail Day and San Francisco for having this event available to those willing to volunteer and to have a great time in general giving back to Earth! Definitely will look forward to more opportunities like this!

If I ever get into video...

...I'm glad there's plenty of time until Sony releases this that's compatible with my Alpha lens collection. =) People ask me today, "What do you shoot with: Nikon or Canon?" I say "Sony" and receive raised eyebrows.

Now if I ever get my hands on this, I'll truly get some more "Interesting.." remarks.

Donwill "Love Junkie" (Wallpaper LIVE remix)

THIS is music to my ears. Two recent peoples I've photographed collaborating for this really addicting piece right here.

Donwill "Love Junkie" (Wallpaper LIVE Remix) from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

http://yourstru.ly/

http://twitter.com/donwill

http://twitter.com/wallpaper

http://twitter.com/thepark

http://differentfurstudios.com/

--
You can take a look at my photoshoots of Donwill here and The Park's here.

Donwill's Don Cusack High Fidelty: ON SALE!

Donwill, NYC rapper who is one third of the critically acclaimed group Tanya Morgan just released his solo album. Got an email from a music rep from audibletreats.com announcing it and provided links.

I was fortunate to photograph Donwill when he made a stop here in San Francisco with the help of Interdependent Media's Dominic Del Bene and Oh Dang! Magazine editor Zoneil Maharaj.

So here's a link to Amazon's page to buy his album--CLICK HERE! [I just purchased it]

If you'd rather stop by in a store, look at this list provided in Interdependent Media's site HERE. If you're in San Francisco, Amoeba Music and Rasputin's will have it in stock.

Best of luck Donwill on your album release and definitely I'm sure you'll be receiving positive feedback on your work.





--

The Background:

Donwill is one-third of hip-hop group Tanya Morgan, formed in 2003, who recently released their third full-length album Brooklynati in 2009. With the high praise from Rolling Stone and Time Out New York that Brooklynati garnered,Donwill is now ready to release his own album, Don Cusack in High Fidelity. The maxi-single of "Laura's Song," complete with the album version, radio edit, instrumental and a couple of remixes is now available for purchase on iTunes. Don Cusack in High Fidelity is now available everywhere via Bay Area label Interdependent Media.


About Interdependent Media:

Founded in 2006 in the Bay Area by Evan Phillips, Interdependent Media has built unique strengths in the development, production, and marketing of recorded music via new methods of marketing and promotion. Armed with a comprehensive understanding of both traditional and emerging methods of marketing, iM has successfully created multi-faceted methods of raising awareness and interest in their projects. Industry veterans Ian "ID" Davis and Dominic Del Bene head operations at iM and are credited with discovering and/or developing artists such as 9th Wonder, Little Brother, Tanya Morgan, Blackalicious, Del the Funky Homosapien, the Hieroglyphics and more. In 2010, iM will be releasing multi-media projects from artists Donwill, TRUTHLiVE, Canibus, Von Pea, A-Plus, and more. For more information, please visit http://www.imculture.com

Proof That Someone Is Listening [Literally]

This is proof that if you work hard and put your work out in public, someone is watching and in this case listening--literally. My boy from high school sent this email message to me, basically a forward email of his brother Del from music group Legaci. He was a member of an older group in which I was fortunate to work with him as well as the other former members in Los Angeles, CA when I photographed their photos for their EP album.

Here is the forwarded email:

To my friends and family,

I know I've been MIA for awhile now, but really I've just been trying to take my music career to the next level. I've been focusing 100% on pushing my band Legaci, and our main source of promotion has been Youtube. We've been posting consistent videos since November and just last week, one of our videos was noticed. We covered a song by Justin Bieber called "Baby", and it caught the attention of Justin Bieber's manager. He contacted us last week and the end result was us flying down to New York, where we sang backup for Justin Bieber at a Z100 radio show and an MTV Live Leak performance.

The "Baby" video that Justin's manager saw: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcUdeN1uBWQ.
Our live performance with Justin Bieber and Sean Kingston: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu7TlcjfxjE
MTV Live Leak preview: http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/2010/03/19/sneak-peek-watch-justin-bieber-perform-baby-live-on-mtvcom/
Us practicing with Justin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL_2FSboi8E

This week we'll be performing behind Justin again on several TV shows:

Monday (3/22):
The View (KGO 7, 10AM)

Tuesday (3/23):
The View (KGO 7, 10AM)
David Letterman (CBS, 11:30pm)

Saturday (3/27):
Kids Choice Awards (Nickelodeon, 8pm)

Thanks again for supporting me with my music. We're hoping this opportunity with Justin can help bring more exposure to Legaci. I'll be keeping you all updated with the tour as I get more information and performance dates.

Take care,
Del

ps. I'm writing you from New York!

--
Can you believe that? They did a cover of his song, manager saw it, flew them out to New York and now the group Legaci is touring with Justin Bieber. Who knows, maybe some other music execs will then take notice and hear Legaci and work out some type of deal.

[Side Note: Justin too was discovered on YouTube by Usher when Justin did a cover of Usher]

Point is, work hard and work even harder to let others know of your talents. You never know if you'll catch a particular person's attention.

To Legaci: good luck and soak in the moment as you perform live on stage in front of millions! =)

7 Secrets to Closing Better Projects -- Faster By Ed Gandia

The following piece I received in an email newsletter after ordering Ed Gandia's book The Wealthy Freelancer. Can't wait to receive my copy in mail!

--

What do you do when a potential client calls you about a project
opportunity? Do you know what questions to ask...and in what order? Do
you know what "next steps" you'll suggest based on the information you
gather?

OK...so developing a sales process is not the most exciting activity in
the world. But somewhere during my 11 years in sales, I came to the
realization that even a mediocre process beats no process at all.

In fact, following a well-defined process can not only help you
improve your sales effectiveness as a freelance professional, but it
can also help you stay relaxed, boost your confidence and save you a
great deal of time and effort.

The specific sales process you use should obviously depend on your
specific profession, the type of work you do and the kind of clients
you go after. But at a minimum, it should follow these simple
guidelines:

#1: Take Control
As the service provider, you need to take charge of the initial
conversation with the prospect. You're the expert. You know what
questions you must have answered. If you let the prospect take
complete control, you probably won't be able to gather all the needed
information. Or you might find yourself sharing ideas, references and
too many work samples prematurely.

#2: Determine the Problem to Be Solved
Find out what problem they're trying to solve, especially if the scope
of work is unclear. A simple "What do you need help with?" is often a
good conversation starter. Walk away from that first conversation with
something tangible.

#3: Learn More About the Prospective Client
Ask a few questions to help you determine what type of prospect you're
dealing with. One of the first questions I always ask is "How did you
find out about me?" That's because someone who came via client
referral is very different from someone who found me through a Google
search.

#4: Learn More About the Work
Next, you need to learn more about the project or work to be done. You
don't need to know every single detail...at least not yet. Just enough
to help you put a proposal together. The more detailed questions
should be saved for a future conversation -- once you land the work.

#5: Check for Budget
As many of you know, I'm a proponent of bringing up the issue of fees
early on. Why? Because the time to find out that this is NOT a good
prospect (from a budget perspective) is now -- not after you've spent 1
or 2 (or more!) hours putting a proposal together.

I'm not suggesting you should quote an exact fee at this point;
providing the prospect with an approximate range will often do the
trick.

#6: Avoid Jumping Through Hoops
At the same time, you should try to limit the amount of work and
information you provide until you know you have a qualified prospect,
a good potential fit and strong commitment that you're their top
choice (or at least on the short list, if there is one). In other
words, referrals, detailed samples, concepts and the like should all
wait until you're closer to striking a deal. They should rarely be
part of that first conversation.

#7: Ask for the Work
Never be afraid to ask for the work. I call prospects just a few hours
after emailing my proposal. I flat out ask if we can get started. And
if you're in a situation where a committee will be making the
decision, always ask when that decision will be made. When that day
comes, call to ask for the work.

Whatever you do, don't "wing it." Develop a good process and put it
down on paper. Continue to refine it as you learn what works well and
what doesn't.

--
Ed Gandia is the co-founder of TheWealthyFreelancer.com and
co-author of The Wealthy Freelancer: 12 Secrets to a Great Income and
an Enviable Lifestyle. To download 3 free chapters of his book, visit
www.TheWealthyFreelancer.com.

I Just Relaunced JCASASPHOTOGRAPHY.COM...

...with a FRESH NEW DESIGN! Take a visit already:

jcasasphotography.com

Currently My Favorite Quote:

"There's no reward in tiptoeing through life only to make it safely to death." - David duChemin, VisionMongers (currently reading)

For a quick inspiring video, watch Gary Vaynerchuk on what it takes to be a linchpin

Linchpin: GaryVee from Seth Godin on Vimeo.

Ad: Samsung 2View - Be My Valentine

Credits:
Produced by LAVA Communications, Sydney

Valentine's Day is coming soon! Thought this video was funny and at the same time messed up that she posted the pictures on Facebook. Dang woman! Creating some drama!

Help Haiti: Donate Now [if you haven't!]

If anyone knows me they already know I follow too many blogs. One of them is Toy-A-Day to remind me the joys of once being a kid [and how simple and cool these paper toys are! My all time favorite is the Frida once since she's my all time favorite artist. And anyone of you out there who are gifted in transforming a blank template into something, he also offers that as well on the blog site].

Anyways, Toy-A-Day just recently offered 100 toys on a CD [simply print and cut and glue] to you if you donate $5 in which 100% proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders. If you haven't donated to the Haiti Relief Fund, do so and get a wicked CD with enough paper toys to run your ink dry. Plus, your younger brother, sister, niece, nephew, goddaughter, godson, etc will thoroughly enjoy these and also take part in making them!

Even if you have already donated, $5 is nothing [remember that fast food meal you just got? Sorry for the guilt trip... haha]

Here's his blog entry on the offer, but go ahead and just visit his post already:

By now, I believe we are all aware of the devastating plight of Haiti and the sufferings of its people. I am touched by the internet communities who are reaching out and giving a helping hand. As a fellow human being, the least I can do is to do my part too.

I will be selling the Toy-A-Day CD containing the PDF of 100 toys from the Toy-A-Day archives, with 100% proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders, which has been doing a great job bringing emergency medical care to earthquake survivors in Haiti.

The CD will be on sale for US$5 including shipping to anywhere in the world. Looking forward to your support!

CLICK TO BUY, DONATE, CUT, PASTE, AND HAVE FUN BY HELPING!!

Music Album: J-Ricz's Sophomore Album MusicPhiliac - YOU VOTE FOR THE COVER!

My friend and musician J-Ricz is letting his fans vote for the cover of his sophomore album MusicPhiliac. I've had the pleasure of shooting his first album Genesis [you can see his pics on my website under Music] and seeing him grow musically since then has been awesome [yes, that meant I got to listen to a few tracks unreleased =P]

Plus, you get the chance to win an autographed album of MusicPhiliac when it's slated to be released in August 2010. Voting is free and the chance to win is free so why not?

We had a photoshoot in October 2009 and I was finally able to narrow down the pictures and process them for possible covers. Yes, I took a bit too long... haha

Below are 3 close up pics of the mock up covers I did for him. Make sure to vote [which takes like 1 minute] and follow the directions on the link after pics below to win an autographed copy!

Cover 01

Cover 02

Cover 03

Now vote for the best cover!

YOU CHOOSE THE COVER

--
For more information on J-Ricz and his music take a visit to his website here.

Also follow him on Twitter!
And on Facebook!

Will's Wisdom

A friend of mine linked me to this video and definitely Will Smith has some great insight. Hope you take the time to watch this because it is inspiring and surely you will gain something from Will's Wisdom.

JJ

For the New Year: Matisyahu Performs "One Day"

Stumbled upon this live performance of Hasidic reggae artist Matisyahu. I had his first album Live At Stubbs in 2005 (with the notable "Kings Without a Crown) but have lost track of him. After stumbling on this performance I'm definitely going to get his music a listen again.

I ask you all reading this to really listen to this song and its lyrics. Turn off the TV and any other distractions and even put on headphones.

Let us all have a Happy New Year.

See you then!

JJ

So I never drank before a movie...

...but I think this movie calls for it. Give me beer and a bunch of my friends around and this will be good. Guaranteed.




The Expendables directed by Sylvester Stallone; starring Stalone, Jason Stathem, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren [Remember Rocky IV? "I must break you"--yes him], Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, and Mickey Rourke. And oh, cameos of Bruce Willis and our governor Arnold Schwarzenegger!

August 20, 2010

Adding Onto My Book Collection

I subscribe to many blogs via Google Reader and one of them is SevenEight, a wedding stationary shop. They post not just wedding related material but also great design bits.

One of them is in their latest entry featuring designer Darren Hagger, a designer and art director. On his website, he features many of the book covers he has done and directed and this one simply caught my eye. The book is Brand Hijack: Marketing Without Marketing by Alex Wipperfurth and I know you're not suppose to judge a book by it's cover but this is simply awesome. It goes well with the mantra of good design is less design.

Read a few reviews on Amazon and bought in "good condition" for $5.61. Good buy and I just hope it's a best buy when the book itself lives up to its customers reviews.