bdp blog

=)

2011-08-02T22:24:00.004-05:00

What can I say, it's been a busy year... I've been completing a number of music videos lately in addition to juggling everything else (work/chores/friends)... and oh yeah! I got a cat. "The Wire" fans- his name is Omar.

So truth be told, if you haven't already guessed, updates to the blog may be infrequent at best for the foreseeable future. I will try and post if any major media events happen though, and if you hear anything interesting along those lines, let me know!

Obama ad

2011-02-14T20:51:00.003-06:00

name="allowFullScreen" value="false" /> value="obama.swf" />/> src="obama.swf" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff"
width="300" height="250" name="msnbc_obama_300x250_3" align="middle"
allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" allowFullScreen="false"
type="application/x-shockwave-flash"
pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" />

Just thought I'd post this and give a brief background- I went and photographed Obama as he was running for the dem's presidential nominee. Through a mistake, MSNBC picked up one of my photos (seen above) thinking it belonged to somebody else they had photo rights from. Anyways, long story short, this web ad was created, however I can't confirm that it ever was online, other than as a preview (linked to me by the other photographer whose work they thought it was.)
Regardless, I thought it was pretty cool at the time, and wanted to pass it on. If any of the other parties have issues with this being posted, just let me know and I'll remove it.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-22T14:39:00.006-06:00

Hope you all have a great holiday!
If you're feeling festive, here's a christmas track I recently helped record for my friends, The Type.

The rest of the set can be seen at their youtube page...
Take care!

Oh, Billy.

2010-09-18T22:57:00.004-05:00

So, a few recent projects and some other tidbits.

Laughing Eye, Weeping Eye - Billy from Brian Dell on Vimeo.

Red Rose Retreat - The Skunk Song from Brian Dell on Vimeo.

After playing around with Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 recently, I realized the latest build includes support for DSLR video... meaning that it can actually handle those super-intense files natively. As far as I know, it's really the only editor in that class at the moment, pretty impressive.

Got a few more vids in preproduction... I'm really enjoying music videos as much or more than I ever have, which is a lot! Thanks for checking them out.

YIKES

2010-08-24T14:48:00.002-05:00

Well, Canon has developed a 120 megapixel sensor. According to them, this translates to almost 2.5x as high of picture resolution quality than their already amazing cameras (mine is about 21 megapixels, for reference.) I am a little nervous about what this means for file sizes since RAW files are already huge, but as the song goes, "you've got to admit it's getting better, it's getting better all the time..."

Summer Sessions

2010-08-18T23:49:00.003-05:00

Here's a couple shots I got over the past months, the first with Anna who helped get me interested in portraiture years ago, and the other with Joe, who I hadn't met before, however the shoot felt very natural and he had lots of ideas for his shots which is helpful in collaboration.

Music Videos

2010-05-25T21:31:00.005-05:00

Sorry there hasn't been more in the way of updates lately (crazy busy) but here are a couple promo shots for music videos I'm currently working on...
Laughing Eye, Weeping Eye

Red Rose Retreat

Return

2010-05-04T23:48:00.003-05:00

Hey... finally got into my new place in Columbus (northeast of Madison.) And I finally got my internet working right again. It'll take me a while to settle in, and I've got a bunch of projects still in the works, but I'll try to post more often. Lots of media potential building up, it's an exciting time to be a camera guy!

intermitternet

2010-03-06T14:27:00.002-06:00

My access to the interwebs will be intermittent for the next few months while I figure out where I'm living and get a new service provider... I will still respond to emails but I probably won't be blogging or updating the site until I'm settled. Just a heads up, enjoy the warm weather this weekend...

Change your Win7 Startup/Shutdown screen

2010-02-14T15:32:00.011-06:00

Here's a slick little trick I picked up the other day- how to change your Win7 boot/shutdown screen. Easy and works great.

If you're interested in trying it out, you can use this shot of Trent Reznor & Peter Murphy I got in Chicago, pre-formatted and ready to go. Or you can use that for any kind of widescreen/hd background you like, actually...
Picked up an ASUS 1201N netbook recently since my old laptop died... couldn't be happier with it. If you're in the market, that one gets my seal of approval.

Quote of the Day

2010-02-05T16:47:00.005-06:00

"Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter."

-Oscar Wilde

Wilde is one of my favorite writers, and I can say that in my experience the quote also applies to photography portraiture. The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of the most insightful stories about inspiration and its ugly side that has ever been put to paper.

Little Bighorn

2010-02-04T22:21:00.002-06:00

Went and visited Little Bighorn a while ago when I was roaming the west one summer. I was told that it wasn't worth the trip but I think it was a very memorable, and would recommend it to anybody with interest in historical sites. The photo is of the cavalry monument, but there are also monuments for the Souix and other fighters.

Contact error

2010-01-25T21:19:00.003-06:00

Seems like my contact form was broken... if you have emailed recently and not heard back, please try again with the new form- I have tested it and it's working fine! Thanks, and my apologies for any confusion.

Here's a vegetable's opinion...

2010-01-13T19:53:00.007-06:00

Here's a sample of the MP shots I did a while back, maybe more to come soon-ish...

2010 : The Year We Make Contact

2010-01-06T21:41:00.003-06:00

Hello and happy new year!
One of my fave bands, Soundgarden, is back after a 12-year hiatus, and meanwhile this site moves on to year two. I've added networking links to the bottom of each page - if you have profiles at any of those and would add me, that'd be swell.
At the moment I'm buried under a ton of photos I recently shot for Dead Man's Carnival, so first priority is to finish those. When things warm up in a month or two, I plan on getting back to music videos, which I love to do. BTW, recently created my third book/portfolio/whatever, called reCollection, which features portraiture.
Currently accepting bookings for the new year, so if you know of anybody who needs wedding or other AV work done, do consider me... the rates are great and I'm easy to work with =)
Got a bunch of blu-rays for x-mas, and let me just conclude by saying that Requiem for a Dream in high definition is a wonder of the modern world, in my opinion.
All the best in 2010...

No clever post title...

2009-12-06T19:34:00.003-06:00

... just an archived stylized portrait from a year or two back.

Tell me of your homeworld...

2009-12-03T01:15:00.003-06:00

I was thinking the other day about how, when you edit a video, you see it over and over and over again in a (sometimes literal) loop. And how, in the seeing of the video, you lose any objective sense of what it means, much in the same way that words lose their meanings when you say them over and over.
It might seem that an editor would have the best insight on what he is cutting, but I often feel the opposite is true- it is hardest to know the merit of anything when you're so close to it...
Just a few random ideas bouncing through my head. Thanks for indulging... more photos soon, I've just been busy organizing my archives and managing a few other projects.

In honor of Halloween

2009-10-31T14:24:00.004-05:00

Here's a pic I liked from a recent Dead Man's Carnival show... Pinkerton (pictured) is an entertainer through and through.
I've been wrapping up some freelance stuff lately. The new music vid is @ my vimeo account and has gotten positive feedback. The 5D MKII is getting another feature upgrade thanks to Canon, who are responding remarkably well to consumer demand, albeit they're taking their time to get things done. This time they are adding new, more filmic framerates... very cool.

NIN videos

2009-09-18T12:32:00.002-05:00

I posted my clips from the (supposedly) last NIN show in Chicago-
http://www.vimeo.com/bdpmedia

I think they go backwards in terms of quality, so start with the oldest one first, unless you're looking for a safe-for-work vid, in which case let me recommend Final Solution.
Went to another exciting show earlier this week, more on that when I've had a chance to process some stuff.

New Lucas Cates Flier

2009-09-08T15:22:00.001-05:00

From our earlier shoot:

quad core and more

2009-08-15T13:59:00.003-05:00

I went ahead and bought a new computer to help me with my HD video/RAW photo workflows... very quick so far and I anticipate speeding it up a bit more come Oct. 22, when Windows 7 arrives. May even buy a solid-state drive for the occasion? Undecided at the moment. But basically I am not buying any new fun toys for a while.
Work can now pick back up on my first 5DMKII full HD music vid... I expect to have a cut done sooner rather than later. Anybody else in WI buy this camera? Drop me a line, just curious...
Sorry for the lack of updates but we're getting into the fall now and the pace of work really keeps me away from having free time... I'll try to post if anything interesting comes up.
Have a good weekend!

"Good News, Everyone!"

2009-07-20T15:41:00.003-05:00

... "Dell" is the second most recognized/engaged brand on the web! Success!
Of course, "Starbucks" wins the battle here, but nobody other than battlestar galactica/moby dick characters has anything like "Starbucks" actually as part of their name, so I don't have to worry about being outpaced by some WI photographer named Jim Starbucks or anything like that. Phew.

Nothing too revolutionary to report at the moment, though I did buy my first terabyte external drive recently (which, sadly, has been something I've eagerly anticipated for a while.) Working on combining/eliminating some of my four smaller externals that are beginning to confound my organizational skills. Exciting stuff! Am I right? Also seemed a shrewd financial move at what I calculated to be $.10/gigabyte. Woooooo...

Shot my first full HD music video on the 5DII over the weekend and had a great time working with some good friends/collaborators. I'll post it on the webs somewhere in the coming weeks, but not at this site since it's not what you might call "safe for work." I'm sure it'll appear at my facebooks, if you're interested.

Hope everybody is enjoying the summer while it lasts.
bd

Model shoot

2009-06-21T11:38:00.004-05:00

I recently was fortunate to attend a shoot @ Richard Bublitz's studio thanks to the MKE Photography Meetup group. Below are a couple photos with a little tweaking in Adobe Camera Raw... one dramatic, one more typical.

Also if you check out my bio I added a link to my Sleestak photos which were recently used in the MKE Journal Sentinel. They have a big show coming up and are the most badass doom-rockers in the state, hands down. Check it.

Camera developments

2009-05-26T22:59:00.003-05:00

I keep posting this stuff because it's exciting to me... my apologies if you are not as enthralled by HD as I am...
The MKII will receive full manual control on June 2nd, making this camera not only a great photo SLR, but now also one of the best 1920x1080 values on the market. Yes, it still has limitations... most cameras do. But it also has possibilities that beat out many dedicated video cameras and simply amazing image quality.
I begin my first MKII project soon... an industrial music video... should be lots of fun! I just have to keep myself from buying a bunch of new luxury lenses to play with, heh. There have also been some exciting camera hacking developments ongoing which I'm keeping a close eye on.
I will be moving and working on a ton of projects over the next few months, so as mentioned earlier, updates will be slow for a while, but I'll keep posting things as I get time. Thanks again,
Brian

ps- The Type released their album. Check it. Buy it. Dig it.

Michelle (Again)

2009-05-08T19:17:00.005-05:00

Here's a modeling shot I did with one of the few non-flakes I met while briefly building my portfolio through ModelMayhem. There are some "warmer" shots from this shoot, but I wanted to post this instead since I like the ambiguity of it more than the stereotypical modeling image. (The title of this post is a Local H song, in case you were wondering.)

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday...

2009-05-03T23:45:00.002-05:00

I did my first major event for WICombatSports.com last night... some of the pics are already up at the link with a full gallery to come shortly, if you want to check back.
I've never been ringside at that kind of event before... pretty fun! I'm hoping one day to get some major boxing events under my belt, and this was a good look at what that will entail. BTW, if you like boxing, seek ye out that Manny/Ricky fight (also on Sat. night, PPV...) One word can describe it: wow. Pretty Boy Floyd better be scared...

"It's a Dead Man's Party..."

2009-04-22T18:57:00.004-05:00

Here's a pic from the carnival...

Lucas Cates flier

2009-04-20T19:31:00.002-05:00

Here's a result from that shoot I did recently:

I can't make it that night as I'll be out of town but if you happen to catch this show, let me know how it went... I'm hoping to see one soon.
Brian

Presidential photos...

2009-04-18T10:11:00.004-05:00

Rambling on a bit more about the 5D MKII, here's the official presidential photo which was shot on it (by Pete Souza.)

As for me, here's one I took on the original 5D before I upgraded:

Video from my new camera

2009-04-14T09:01:00.002-05:00

If you want to check out a test clip I shot:
http://www.vimeo.com/4127087 (password is carnival)
For something more complete, here's a 5DMKII clip from the official NIN videographer... (the link is "not safe for work" but it's pretty exciting, imho.)
The next pics I post will likely be from Dead Man's Carnival, who I was fortunate enough to shoot recently... they put on quite a show!

Tech Yes

2009-04-07T09:32:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to link to this interview with a Canon tech guy- some very interesting info on upcoming SLR developments.

Gunshots by Computer

2009-04-02T23:06:00.003-05:00

Some quick images from the Recalcitrant/Saul Williams/Les Claypool/etc. show recently... I recommend clicking them for full-size:

The first image is of Secret Chiefs 3... they're very good, and as you can see, quite bizarre.
The second pic is of Saul Williams, who strikes me as one of the most vital poets/performers around today. On top of being an incredible wordsmith, he's riveting to watch and hear. I only saw a couple songs and it was just great. He also helped pioneer new indie digital distribution on his last release w/Trent Reznor of NIN. Major props to my boys in Recalcitrant for having me along- hit up their website for some pics I shot of them @ the show.

Slow news day

2009-04-01T11:02:00.003-05:00

Hey,
Just a quick update... the new camera is here... have an order in for a 32gb CF card so that should be quite a bit of HD video (I've heard an hour and a half.) I've been playing around with it a bit and am very happy, still holding out hope that Canon will update the firmware to give full manual control over the video modes... even if they don't though, the current video mode is pretty great. Also discovered there's a mini version of HDMI- who knew? So I have an order in for one of those cables to hook my camera up to HDTVs. Monoprice.com is such an awesome website.
Things are pretty busy at the moment and there's no sign they will slow down soon. I'm also changing apartments in the next couple months, so things may be sporadic around here for a bit, but I appreciate any hits this blog gets. My next step in improving things I think will be to get a nice small portable hard drive to carry all my photos on, so I can post more pics here regardless of whether I'm at home or not (currently I'm restricted to photos I have on my flash drive or online... a very small fraction of my actual catalogue.)
I'll probably check back in with some project updates soon, so until next time...

New camera hijinks

2009-03-25T08:46:00.002-05:00

While I don't regret the purchase I recently blogged about, I couldn't help but smirk a bit when reading last night, less than a week after I put my order in, Canon announced the T1i. There are a number of reasons my (much more expensive) model will work better for me in a professional setting, however this update to the classic Rebel line is stellar and a great value. Anybody looking to get started in DSLRs should probably save for this one.

Easy Otis Interview

2009-03-20T15:58:00.002-05:00

I got interviewed for MKE local blog Easy Otis. Exclusive pic is up there this time =)
Get your hair cut @ Otis' digs, The Establishment in Shorewood... they do good work.

Movin' On

2009-03-18T21:26:00.002-05:00

After a good few years with the Canon 5D, I've decided to go ahead and upgrade to the new model, 5D Mk. II. In addition to enhancing the solid specs of the original photo camera, this new one also shoots HD video, which made the decision pretty easy for me. The order went in tonight, and if bhphotovideo is to be believed (they usually are) then I should have the Mk. II early next week.

Here's a polaroid from my award-winning college TV show "...And Boom Goes The Dynamite"... the actor is co-producer Brian Ewig, with whom I've worked on quite a few projects. I think the character was Louie "The Liar" Fibbarino. This is the only Polaroid I can ever remember shooting... seems odd, but the cameras aren't as common as they once were.

Ticketmaster is stupid.

2009-03-17T19:38:00.003-05:00

I know a lot of people are already aware of this, however if you are not, I feel I should point it out: Ticketmaster is a scam, a horrible joke with no punchline, which drags down the world of live entertainment. I'm only complaining right now since tonight they took service charges from me on tickets for an event which was canceled, but there are many, many other reasons to complain about them. If you get bored, look into it... they're just greedy idiots whose operation is forced upon audiences for no discernible reason. If they could, I'm sure they'd take your bailout money.

Anyways, I won't rant on here too much, but sometimes I need to change it up a bit, right?
Here's that picture of The Lucas Cates Band which I mentioned in a prior posting:

Great guys to work with, and their promoter is cool too. Check 'em out! They got songs!

My Mind Plays Tricks On Me

2009-03-12T22:06:00.006-05:00

My friend Jeremy invited me out to see his band Incekt the other night. He's got the coolest local industrial band I know of... they played at my birthday party a year or two ago. And, they post their albums online for free, which is awesome, so check it out. I figured in return for the guestlist add, I'd get some pics (and there's some video on their site too.) Here's a shot, Jeremy is on the left:

... you know, The Type?

2009-03-03T00:21:00.004-06:00

Short but sweet post tonight... pretty psyched about the new camera I'm buying- it's the same model they shot the official Presidential photo on and also the same one Rob Sheridan used for the latest NIN HD footage he's been doing.

Here's a promo photo I did for one of the best bands in Madison, The Type:

I think they have an album coming out soon-ish... keep an eye out for it... also did some work recently for another cool Madison act, the Lucas Cates Band... I'll get one of those posted sometime soon.

McBlog

2009-02-25T22:29:00.004-06:00

This new website portion of my life has given me the opportunity to get back at web design... I'm pulling scripts and ideas from all over the place, and for the most part I think it's turning out pretty well. I just added an image randomizer to the front page, so I'll throw some different pics in there now and then to change it up.

Below is a shot of Ronald McZilla devouring NYC via the Macy's Parade... or maybe it's just a balloon... I took this when my extended family had a meetup in NYC (the only time I've ever been there.) My sister was in the color guard for her school band (which was in the parade, obv.) While I was in town I caught "Chicago" off Broadway... Wayne Brady was in it. No, he did not choke anybody. The other relevance of this picture, well... I've already been told when I was testing this layout that my color scheme looked too McDonalds-y. Tough luck, critics; I happen to like these colors. Deal with it.

Under construction...

2009-02-22T14:32:00.005-06:00

Still ironing out the site design... I put some links to take a look at on the right if you're interested. More to come there...
The picture below is of some unknowns at a horror film fest party... just sharing it since I thought it was kind of a fun pic, and like pretty much ALL of my horror film fest pics, it never got published anywhere to my knowledge. Perhaps these people were actors/actresses, but I can't say for sure. I did see the "No Soup for You" guy, Uwe Boll, Lloyd Kaufman and Mark Borchardt at this fest though.
I wouldn't even know where to start if you asked me about the problems in the so-called WI film community... but I've had a lot of fun too, so I'm not complaining.

bdblog #1

2009-02-18T18:33:00.007-06:00

Hello and thanks for visiting!
This site has been a couple years in the making... or at least in the idea of making... circumstances have finally fallen into place to make the goal workable.

So, without further ado, let me explain this blog- I will continue working on the main page, but for the most part it's set... portfolios don't need to be updated constantly. This blog, on the other hand, will be updated with old & new pictures, thoughts on production, and cool links to check out. It's kind of a gesture of appreciation to anybody who stops by.

The image below is a shrine of sorts to Wild Bill Hickock, which I shot at a bar in Deadwood. The town is a bit touristy now, but I found it charming and scenic at the same time. Would have liked to have spent more than an evening there.

'til next time,
bd