The Newbury Park Boys U19 Boys "B" team won today 7-3 against Agoura "B" team. I posted over one hundred images. Enjoy. scott


Dotphoto Album

Just wanted to add a reader comment I found to the "I am a PC" saga.

So “Windows. Life without walls” is the campaign slogan. I can already hear what a Seinfeld not paid by Microsoft would say in his monologue: "If you live a life without walls- why on earth would you need windows?"

reader comment in NYT web site to article on Microsoft ad campaign....— Jan, Mississippi

And now for Part Two - More Macintosh background on the Microsoft ad campaign.

Jerry Seinfeld was paid ten million and appeared with Bill Gates in the first two commercials. Its no secret that Seinfeld and Apple had a past, as in the Think Different campaign of the late 1990s. Also Macintosh computers were often seen in his TV series "Seinfeld."



Frame grab of Jerry Seinfeld in Apple Think Different commercial found on YouTube.

Next up is the ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky that won the Microsoft $300 million account. As with the entire advertising business, Crispin Porter + Bogusky used many Apple products. At the Fast Company magazine web site is an excellent article "Can Alex Bogusky help Microsoft Beat Apple?" Link here. The highly successful ad agency admits to using Apple products, but is up to the challenge, using their own staff as "an early focus group for leaning how to persuade Mac lovers to embrace Windows." (quote from story.) The article is a great read. I love the part about a MacBook Air sitting on an executive's desk a month after winning the Microsoft contract. Was it running Windows Vista?

But of further interest to me was two links once found at Apple.com. In 2005 Apple profiled Crispin Porter + Bogusky in a Consumer Profile pdf. The fast growing ad agency had turned to Apple for help with its networking solution. At the time Crispin Porter + Bogusky was 90 percent Windows and 10 percent Mac but "Managing the stability problems of its bulky Windows environment hindered production." The ad agency went with Apple Xsan and Xserve RAID products for a solution," and Apple was more than happy to tell the world.

I could not find the pdf on Apple.com anymore. I was able to obtain a copy from entering Crispin Porter Bugusky Xserve RAID into Google search. The pdf popped up as the first entry at www.macshoptownsville.com but the link seems dead. But when I clicked on View at HTML, the Google cache of the pdf popped up. The 2nd entry in the Google Search is to Apple.com, but that link is dead.

Then these is the missing Apple September 2006 Pro Profile "Crispin Porter + Bogusky: A Crash Course in Taxi Driving" article. With the help of Google I went to the Apple Canada web site and found the remains of a link to the article:



The Apple.com page with link (center) to Crispin Porter + Bogusky pro profile that no longer exists. Page is http://www.apple.com/ca/pro/profiles/.

But thanks again to Google and the internet, the gist of the article is found at places like AppleInsider.com article and MacDailyNews.com article. Crispin Porter + Bogusky used a pile of Apple equipment in a Volkswagen Rabbit campaign titled "Gypsy Cab Project." The original web site http://www.gypsycabproject.com. is no longer on line.

Just before posting this blog entry I found links to the Gypsy Cab Project. Main page. The link "How we did it." is dead - goes to apple.com. Mirror of the original Gypsycabproject.com site.



Crispin Porter + Bogusky ad campaign done with Apple computers and software.

Bottom line: Microsoft is spending $300 million to get Mac lovers like Jerry Seinfeld and Crispin Porter + Bogusky ad agency to switch to Windows. It would have been cheaper to have released a better version of Vista at the start, not allowing Apple an open door to steal market share.

And yes I prefer Macs. I have used Macintosh computers for over 20 years. But i also had A+ certification in Windows 2000 and ME back in 1999. After dealing with Windows ME, I went back to Macs.

Headline is from comment made by Ketto here.

A typical Apple ad that started the Microsoft $300 million ad campaign.



Pity poor Microsoft. Every time the company spends big advertising bucks to promote Windows its runs into credibility problems. Portions of the ads are usually produced on a Mac. The photography/media/advertising/video/content professions are dominated my Apple computers - the direct decedents of an entire desktop publishing industry born from the 1980s Mac computer.

So when the current "I am a PC" Microsoft ad directly attacks Apple Macintosh computers, I was not surprised that at least part of the ads were produced on Macs. Photos posted online were proved to be from a Macintosh using Adobe CS3 software. Link Here.

Microsoft released this comment: "as is common in almost all campaign workflow, agencies and production houses use a wide variety of software and hardware to create, edit and distribute content, including both Macs and PCs." quote found on this Gizmodo story. Then the offending photos had their metadata removed as reported here.

Here is one of the counterattack ads:



This entire made on a Mac flap is nothing new. For example, the Windows 95 Logo was produced by Microsoft in Freehand using a Mac computer. I loved this 2002 list of made on a Mac..

Now that the offending images were scrubbed, I simply went to an image from Microsoft's 2005 "Start Something" campaign and checked its metadata in iPhoto. Sure enough is was produced on a Mac using Adobe Photoshop CS.



The original image is here, on the Microsoft web site.

This blog by Dave Methvin at Information Week is great for further reading.

Part Two to come, time permitting.

Last night I photographed two Newbury ParkAYSO boys U19 matches. The U19 B team won 5-2, above. The U19C team, below, lost 3-2. For part of the U19C team, I played with a slow 1/30th shutter speed at ISO 100, panning while making exposures. There are 99 images in this dotphoto album.

PS - On the Dotphoto Links page I still have links to last season's soccer, including Newbury Park High School's run to the CIF Finals. With online storage dropping rapidly in price, I am able to keep the photos posted longer. Enjoy.

While cruising web sites this morning I stumbled across this very retro press release:

New KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTAR 100 Film Provides Photographers with the World’s Finest-Grain Colour Negative Film.

This release came out last week ( Sept. 9th) but seems to only found legs the last couple of days.

I have been expecting Adobe's CS4 on September 23rd, but a new film? Who knew film was still being developed as a product! (bad intentional pun.)

Time for a flashback. In 1968 a bad ankle sprain left me bedridden. In a moment of pity, my parents bought me a black and white TV. Freed from the family Sunday night ritual of watching Bonanza, I rebelled by going to the 2nd TV and watching the Smothers Brothers.

Of course I became a Pat Paulsen for President fan.

So today on the 40th anniversary of his his hysterical, I mean historical, run for President, its time to enter his hat again into the ring. Only one small problem. Pat Paulsen passed away in 1997.

But that has not stopped his fans at http://www.paulsen.com from pushing his run for President. In March they announced a four way tie for the Pat Paulsen "08 Slogan Contest:

Lou Warne from Green Lane, PA “Resurrect and Elect!”

Bill Martin from Bainbridge Island, WA “Dead Man Running”

Bill McClellan from Nashua, NH, “Thinking Inside the Box”

Joel Goodman from Saratoga Springs, NY “Never Say Die!”

Every candidate has their bio film. Here's Pats:



A further search on the web found these two campaign quotes:

“All the problems we face in the United States today can be traced to an unenlightened immigration policy on the part of the American Indian”
Pat Paulsen

"If elected, I will win!."
Pat Paulsen

(http://thinkexist.com/quotes/pat_paulsen/)

Photo by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii of Austrian Prisoners of War Near a Barrack, 1915. The original three exposure glass plate left, was digitized and combined by the Library of Congress staff into a final image, right.

At its core color photos are are nothing but the composite result of three grayscale images each exposed through a Red, Green or Blue filter. Color film is three grayscale emulsion layers. Digital color is three grayscale channels.

Before color film, each of these grayscale images had to be shot separately through a corresponding filter. Then the grayscale image was usually projected back through its corresponding filter - three projectors combined to create color.

All this boring discourse is only my attempt to introduce you to a very interesting website by the Library of Congress on the pre-world war on photography by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii.

"The Empire That Was Russia: The Prokudin-Gorskii Photographic Record Recreated"

Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii used a view camera to make three exposures on a glass plate. He then use a three projector stack to project the glass plate back into color. Prokudin-Gorski completed two photographic surveys of the Russian Empire with the support of Tsar Nicholas II in 1909-12 and 1915. He had to leave Russia in 1918 finally settling in France. The library of Congress purchased his collection of glass plates in 1948 from his heirs.

Check out this website.

Today's news from Apple: Steve Jobs looks great, colorful new line of iPod Nanos, iTouch cheaper, and Apple and NBC kiss and make up.

Los Angeles Times story.


The new iPod Nano line includes nine different models. Since I am a child of the 60s, this image looks like the color scheme from some Fillmore West concert poster. Don't believe me, type in "psychedelic concert posters" into Google image search and have a few flashbacks.

Its a good move by Apple to refresh the iPod and iTouch lines before the holidays. This should spur sales. At least the iPod Nanos will make great Xmas tree decorations.

Friday nite I was working on a Photoshop World update and fell asleep at the hotel desk. Opps. But that's what conferences are for - lack of sleep. Of course I woke up early and got this shot Saturday of the sunrise.


New Casinos growing up on the Las Vegas Strip without the aid of photoshop.

The big hit of the Photoshop World Trade Show was the Microsoft trampoline. No Microsoft Digital Imaging does not sell trampolines, but Capture One 4 and Expression Media 2 software. The booth featured professional model Melissa bouncing in front of a tethered digital camera dropping images straight into Capture One on a Windows Vista laptop. Of course I went back on Friday and shot more images of Melissa.


Melissa and Capture One software at the Microsoft booth.

Education is the core of Photoshop World. I went mainly to attend sessions taught by Dan Margulis. Thanks Dan for 8 great hours of LAB, channels and postcard color correction. I also enjoyed photography sessions led by David Ziser and Adobe Flash sessions by Chris Orwig.

Now how many characters do you know go to Vegas to attend classes? At least I did not lose any money in the casinos.

This year about 3000 attended Photoshop World. This is down from as many as 4000 at previous PS World conferences. Maybe after three years in Vegas, it might be time to move the west coast conference to another city.

The next Photoshop World is March 25-27 in Boston.


Mike Tyler, Robert Lachman and Scott Harrison.

Scott Kelby's blog Photoshop Insider, has lots of additional information on Photoshop World. Robert Lachman posted some photos at his blog: Photography and the Mac.

The Newbury Park AYSO season started last week. After ten years of two sons playing year-round soccer, I just finished a six month break. Anyway Sunday morning the Newbury Park AYSO U19 Boys B team beat the C team 4-3.


Dotphoto album

Props given to attendees for opening keynote included cutouts of John Loiacono, Adobe Senior Vice President, and 3-D glasses. The upcoming new version of the Photoshop will include additional 3-D support.


The Hoodman booth at the Tech Expo.


Melissa is photographed by Neil Lathan at the Microsoft Booth demonstration of Capture One 4 and Expression Media 2.


Neil Lathan at the Microsoft Booth during a live shoot demonstration.


Scott Kelby photographing a model at the B&H booth.


Scott Kelby explaining his choice of lighting equiptment at the B&H booth.


Russell Brown taping an interview on new 3-D support in the upcoming new version of Photoshop. Yes I provided the prop.

The Orleans, my home this week.

Hello from Vegas! Today was Photoshop World Pre-Con day. I took the opportunity to attend LAB in Depth with Dan Margulis. Yes this the same Dan Margulis I have blogged about before (and recommend his books on left). Four hours of intense new ideas and approaches to color correction was highlighted by the Margulis line, "I am not a photographer, I just fix their mess."

That line will make a great sign on my desk.

Also ran into Mike Tayler, formally a co-worker at the Los Angeles Times. Of course we had almost matching aloha shirts.



That's me on the left...I think. Mike's the other guy.

Los Angeles Times staff photographer Robert Lachman and I were walking around downtown LA on Saturday night and found this mural. So of course we took photos of one another. In the third photo I pushed Lightroom 2 Clarity, Vibrance and Saturation to 100% just for the fun of it and liked the results.

Robert Lachman has his own website www.photographyandthemac.com. So of course we exchange ideas. Check out his site.



Robert Lachman



Me-Scott Harrison



100% Clarity/Vibrance/Saturation

Back in July, I briefly mentioned a photoshop manipulated photo of missile launches by Iran. A fourth missile had been added. Link to NPR story.

Well this famous photo has created quite a following of new versions on the internet. These are my two favorites:


Boing Boing’s contest entry. (boingboing.net, submitted by THEBLUEONE)


Credit: Colorado Doug and GOPyouth, snappedshot.com. (http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/07/attack-of-the-p. html)

I came across these and other examples at the following posts: "Photography as a Weapon" NYTimes; and "Attack of the Photoshoped Missiles (updated)" Wired.