The Same Yet Different - Point & Shoot

I have shot a gun only a few times in my life.  And each time it has been nothing but pointing and shooting.  Someone else set everything up for me, launched the clay pigeon, reloaded, etc.  That is why these posts have not been about guns.  Instead, these posts are about cameras.  I have shot a lot more cameras than I have guns, but the point and shoot camera fills a need for someone who wants someone or something else to set everything up for them.  However, the standard point and shoot camera is becoming more and more obsolete so I have chosen not to even feature one of those cameras here.  Instead, I shot some other cameras that grouped together nicely under this title.  

Point & Shoot Gear:

Sony NEX 5N

Nikon J1

iPhone 4s

Ryan, Ben, and Mike with the NEX 5N

The first camera in this category is the Sony NEX 5N.  I was excited to shoot this camera.  The specs of this look really impressive.  APS-C sized sensor, 16 megapixels, up to 10 frames per second, etc.  Then I shot it.  My first impression... meh.  The pictures it took were fine, but nothing special.  They are clean nice photos, but I feel like I could get that for less than $600 (body only) price tag.  The key here, though, is that I only shot this camera in this one situation.  I still would like to take it out with me again.  I think this camera could shine in the mountain environment.  But in a studio portrait session, I wouldn't suggest it.

Ben, Mike, and Molly with the Nikon J1

You know when you go to movies that you are expecting a lot from and they're not quite there so you think they suck?  That may have been what was happening with the NEX 5N.  And the next camera may be similar to when you go to a movie you are not expecting anything from, it turns out to be pretty good, and you can't wait to tell everyone to go see it.  Either way, the Nikon J1 impressed me.  Please don't take this as me just being a Nikon fanboy.  I am trying to be objective here.  I just really liked how this camera shot and the pictures it took.  Maybe its just the Nikon tones I am used to or something like that, but I definitely prefer the J1 picture set to the NEX 5N set.  I know a lot of people thought Nikon missed the boat when they released this camera, but I enjoyed shooting it and think it is a great solution for a camera this size and price.

Ryan, Ben, and Molly with the iPhone 4s

Then we come to the reason I think the traditional point and shoot camera is dying, the cell phone camera.  Cameras have been on cell phones for a while now, but until recently they have not been good enough to want to take real pictures with them.  The iPhone 4s, however, is a real camera.  It takes great pictures, has a lot of capabilities built in and available in app form, and is always with you.  This is what the point and shoot always wanted to be, but never quite achieved.  I wouldn't start using this in commercial jobs or anything, but this is pretty great at capturing a moment and sharing with the world.

I can see ways that I would use all of these cameras.  I probably won't be using them for paid work, but for fun and for recon missions these cameras are excellent.  You don't always want to be carrying around 30+ pounds of camera gear, but you do want to be able to take a good picture if you get the right light.  I know people that are really into guns.  They probably have guns for every type of shooting.  I will probably stick with letting them do everything for me when we go out shooting, and I have some great recommendations for a camera if they are in the market.

*Thanks to Tim Kemple, Scott Asay, and Ryan Wells for the camera loans

The Same Yet Different - DSLR

The Digital Single Lens Reflex camera has become ubiquitous amongst professional photographers and proud mothers everywhere.  You will see it on the sidelines of every pro football game you watch on television and every kids soccer game where you cheer simply because the kids look so adorable in their little uniforms.  And for good reason.  The DSLR is the most versatile piece of equipment in a photographer's bag.  Modern cameras shoot video, work well in low light, have fast frame rates, have quality sensors, etc.  And you can throw on any of a number of lenses to fit your specific need.  These are just a few of the reasons DSLRs are the go-to camera for most working photographers these days (myself included).

DSLR Bodies:

Nikon D3S

Nikon D300

Nikon D7000

Nikon D90

Nikon 3100

DSLR Lenses:

Sigma 150mm f2.8 Macro

Nikon 85mm f1.4

Nikon 85mm f2

Nikon 85mm f2.8 PC

Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 Macro

Nikon 55-200mm f3.5-5.6

Nikon 50mm f1.4

Nikon 50mm 1.8

Nikon 24mm f2.8

Nikon 24mm f3.5 PC

Nikon 18-200mm f3.5-5.6

Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6

Tokina 11-17mm f2.8

Nikon 10.5mm f2.8 Fisheye

Holga Toy Lens

Molly, Mike, and Ben with the D3S / 85mm f1.4

I knew I was going to like shooting these cameras.  These are the cameras I am most comfortable with.  But I do have to say that the D3S stands on its own here.  The way it feels in my hand, the crazy fast frames per second, the full frame sensor (equivalent to 35mm film), and a number of other things add up to making this camera and others in its field (the D4 for example) worth the money.  Now, am I saying that everyone can justify the cost to go out and buy one?  No.  But I am saying that you get what you pay for here.

Mike, Ryan, and Molly with the D7000 / 85 f1.4

One thing that impressed me while shooting this particular part of the project was how much I fell in love with the Nikon 85mm f1.4 lens.  This thing is gorgeous.  It is a beautiful piece of equipment and takes such great pictures.  Both of the image sets above were shot with this lens - the top image set on the D3S and the other on the D7000.  I have used both of these cameras a lot in my work, and I think this lens brings out the best in both of them.

Ryan, Mike, and Ben with the D3S / 50mm f1.8

Probably the best $100 you will ever spend in photography will be on a fast 50mm prime lens.  This was one of my first lenses and it still is one of my favorites.  Even after shooting the 50mm f1.4 as much as I have I still love to shoot this lens.  I love how clean everything is and how natural it looks.  There are no tricks with this lens.  You have to shoot a great picture with it in order for it to be noticed.  But it is definitely capable of taking great pictures.

Mike and Molly with the 85mm f2.8 PC tilt shift lens

There are lenses, unlike the 50mm f1.8, that can create interest simply by what they do.  Tilt shift lenses are in this category.  These types of lenses are used to create a more realistic image by architectural photographers, landscape photographers, and more.  But many others use them in other ways to create something different.  And that is what I have done here.  I had never tried to shoot portrait photography with a tilt shift lens before this shoot.  I guess I assumed it would have been gimmicky (and some of you may still think it is).  But to be honest, these are two of my absolute favorite images from the entire shoot.  This lens has the ability to draw your attention to the eyes in a way that others do not.  There is so much story behind these images.  If I had only shot these two images in the whole project I would have been happy.

Ryan, Mike, and Molly with the D3100 / 18-55mm f3.5-5.6

When you really dive into the files from the D3S (or other full frame cameras) you can see why it costs so much.  It holds a lot of detail.  However, I was honestly impressed with the D3100 among the DSLRs that I shot.  This camera is positioned the lowest in the Nikon DSLR line that I shot for this project.  I am not saying that it is better than any of the others, but this camera did hold its own.  It is a nice little camera and even with the kit lens I think we got some good images that I would be happy with.  I would definitely suggest this camera to someone buying their first DSLR (or the new D3200).

I could go on and on about DSLR stuff.  We took a lot of pictures with these cameras and lenses.  And that is one of the benefits of them - you can take a lot of pictures in a short amount of time.  But I have chosen to stop here.  I wanted to highlight some of the things that stuck out to me while shooting these.  Within these cameras is a great solution for the pro sports shooter, the landscape shooter, the portrait shooter, and the mom who wants something more than her iPhone (which we will cover tomorrow).  As much as I love shooting Large and Medium Format, the DSLR just makes more sense in many of the situations in which I shoot.  I will continue to shoot it and hopefully add a new D800 to my kit if I play my cards right.

*Thanks to Garrett Smith and Ryan Wells for the camera loans

The Same Yet Different - Medium Format

Medium is a weird size.  When you order something in a medium size at a restaurant, what are you really saying about yourself?  I would get a small if I were cutting back or a large if I were throwing caution to the wind, but I can't really make up my mind... meh, I'll have a medium.

Medium Format Gear:

Hasselblad 501cm

Mamiya 645

Rolleiflex 55mm f4

Medium Format film, however, doesn't exactly fit within this idea of being the undecided man's camera.  The beauty of medium format is that you get a ton of image quality in a much smaller package than the Large Format stuff.  Your film size is considerably smaller than LF, but considerably larger than a DSLR sensor.   Plus, medium format cameras are just cool.

Ben and Mike with the Rolleiwide

The Rolleiwide was fun to shoot.  It is a twin reflex camera, meaning it has two lenses - one for looking through and one for taking the picture.  This camera has great color and picks up light in a very timeless look.  If you want to shoot medium format and have it look like it was shot in the days of old this is a great camera.  It looks like you can pick up one of these for a relatively small amount of money, too!

Molly and Stacy (and Miles) with the Hasselblad

The Hasselblad 501cm.  What a beautiful camera.  Just hefting it in your hands brings a smile to your face.  The sound and feel of the shutter is sure to remind you why you love taking pictures.  The color film we shot turned out great.  I love the tones this camera gives.  Both of the pictures above have such emotion behind them.  Plus, I just love the square format of the Hasselblad (and most medium format cameras).

Molly and Ben with the Hasselblad

I do have to say, however, that I think I prefer shooting black and white when I shoot medium format film.  Is that weird?  I like that I know I am shooting black and white.  I like to plan my shots accordingly.  Occasionally, I like to take my DSLR out and shoot with black and white in mind, but it is not quite the same.  I can always stick with the color if I like that better.  I like the restriction of black and white film.  I like that there is no going back.  

Ryan with the Mamiya

And then there's the Mamiya 645.  This camera was a gift to me.  When I received it I expected to enjoy shooting it occasionally when I felt like it.  Turns out, I feel like shooting this camera a lot.  I do wish it had the square format of other medium format cameras, but the image quality, the feel of the camera in my hands, the contrast levels in black and white, etc. all make for a very enjoyable shooting experience.  And I think my subjects pick up on that, and we begin to feed off each other.

Mike with the Mamiya and some old film

One of the rolls of film I shot with this camera was old.  You can tell.  However, I think it is rad.  I love the scratches on the images.  I think it adds to the raw nature of black and white film.  Is it just me?

Molly with the Mamiya

Overall, I would say that I love Medium Format.  I love the way it feels.  I love the way it looks.  I did my best to secure a loaner digital medium format Hasselblad for this project, but alas, it was unavailable.  But they are saying the new Nikon D800 is getting pretty close... but we will talk more about that tomorrow.

Medium Format is not quite the image size of LF.  It doesn't quite have all the features and amenities of a DSLR.  But for some projects the MF is just right.  The next time I go into a fast food restaurant and approach the counter I will look the cashier in the eyes and tell him I am not looking for small nor big today.  Nope, a medium is just right.

*Thanks to Jimmy Bunting and Kate Austin for the camera loans

The Same Yet Different - Large Format

Remember when you would buy a new CD, drive home (in your car with a tape deck), go directly to your bedroom, shut the door, then listen to it all the way through?  Now you buy a song here or there and they automatically upload onto your phone.  You forget you even bought it until it comes up on shuffle.  Because of the convenience of modern technology we have lost some of the romanticism that surrounded our music buying experience.  The same could be said about taking pictures.  I do not mean to imply that iTunes or modern digital cameras are a bad thing.  I think they are great.  But everything has its place.  And large format film holds the most romantic of places in the hearts of anyone who has had the pleasure of shooting it.  There is just something so intimate about the process - the time involved in setting everything up, the steps ensuring the correct exposure, draping yourself with the dark cloth,  the meticulous composition knowing you only have one shot, the darkroom, etc.  

Large Format Gear:

Kodak Master Camera 8x10 with Schneider 210mm f5.6 lens

Cambo SC 4x5 with Schneider 90mm f8 lens

GraphicView 4x5 with Wollensak 190mm f4.5 lens

Jimmy and Mike with the Cambo on Kodak Portra 400 film

The first of these cameras we shot was the Cambo SC.  I set it up to get more of a complete upper body portrait and give the composition a little more room.  The shots turned out fine, but not great.  I needed to use the camera's strengths and really get some detail and emotion out of my subjects.

  

Ben, Stacy, Molly, and Ryan with the GraphicView on Kodak E100S film

Then we set up the GraphicView.  Such a beautiful camera.  I got super tight on the models with this one which did a few things - it showed off the super shallow depth of field these cameras are capable of, it gave more detail into the people themselves (look at Ben's eyes in the shot above... almost captivating enough to take your attention away from the brownies in his teeth), and it brought more interest and emotion out of the models as they were so close to this beautiful, large format process.  I love these images and want to shoot more like them.

Ben with the Kodak 8x10 on Kodak Ektachrome 100 film

Later we set up the Kodak 8x10.  Wow.  After spending many years pressing my eye into a little viewfinder on an SLR, it is definitely refreshing to place a cloth over your head and compose your image on an 8"x10" piece of glass.  I would not consider this camera "practical."  The camera is big and heavy, the lens is expensive, the film is massive (and way expensive), the tripod is big, etc.  But man, does it take great pictures.  Each of these images just had me looking over and over at the detail therein.  

Overall, the Large Format stuff was a blast to shoot.  The 8x10 was fun, but I have a hard time seeing justification for it too often in my workflow.  However, I definitely want to shoot more 4x5 in both my commercial and personal work.  The process is long and involved, but it brings a lot of interest out of your subject that you may not get with a DSLR that they have seen so many times.  In essence, photographers are storytellers.  If it takes a 4x5 camera to draw out the extra bit of story from my subject then so be it.  I really just want to find the right tool for any given project.  

Molly with the Kodak 8x10 on Kodak Ektachrome 100 film

I don't remember the last time I went to the record store and bought a physical CD.  And to be honest, I am a little ashamed of this.  I miss the process that is involved with experiencing new music.  Spotify can only do so much.  I need to take note from the guy who has his collection of CDs, Vinyl, and MP3s.  I need to put forth the right amount of effort to get what I want out of my photography and discover something new every time I click the shutter.

*Thanks to Jimmy Bunting and Rodger Newbold for the camera loans

The Same Yet Different - Intro

I don't know what I expected to discover by doing this project.  The concept was to shoot essentially the same picture with the same lighting with as many cameras as I could get a hold of.  I wasn't trying to do a spec comparison between one camera system and another.  I wasn't trying to prove that film is better than digital. Nor was I trying to prove that digital is better than film.  I really just wanted to shoot a ton of cameras in a given scene.  I wanted to see how each of them felt, the shooting process for each, the post process for each, how models respond to them, etc.  I just wanted to see what happened.

I will feature a few different posts on the project - Large Format, Medium Format, DSLR, Point & Shoot, Toy Cameras, and a conclusion.  I hope you enjoy it.

Below you will see a sample of images of each of the four main models that helped.  They were so awesome to help me out with this project.  You will also occasionally see my wife (and son) and photographer, Jimmy Bunting, but I didn't get enough pictures of them to highlight here.  Can you tell what images were shot with what camera/lens/etc?

Announcement: Miles Garrett Butcher

I am such a proud dad.  Stacy and I are so happy to be making this announcement.  We have been blessed with a beautiful baby boy.  He is so much fun to be around.  I just can't get enough.

 I set up a little studio upstairs and shot as many pictures as he would let me.  This blanket is courtesy of Stacy's grandmother.

Roughly the same size as a D3s with a 70-200mm lens, but not quite as heavy.

From a different day of shooting.  Here I just held the camera down low with him in the crib.  He was so intrigued with the sound of the camera shutter.  This boy has a future ahead of him as a photo assistant (you don't have to pay your own kid, right?).

The 5th Annual Hammers Inc Art Festival - A Success

The Rio Gallery featuring the 5th Annual Hammers Inc Art Festival - Life by Passion

We did it.  The Hammers Inc Art Festival is up and the opening night was a success.  It was a great gathering of the outdoor and art communities.  We have some great art on display, the space is awesome, we had some excellent music, and we raised some money for the Utah Avalanche Center.

  Music for the evening was provided by both Amalia Smith and Eric Rich

As the night progressed we had more and more people show up.  The Rio told me this was the largest gallery opening they have ever had.  Psyched.

It was a great event and I look forward to doing it again in the future.  For those of you who were not able to make it down on opening night, the exhibit is still on display at the Rio Gallery until January 6.  Be sure to stop by and check it out.  They are open Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.

The 5th Annual Hammers Inc Art Festival - Life by Passion

A close friend of mine, Garrett Smith of Hammers Inc Photography, had a three-fold mission when it came to his art: to create, communicate, and curate the best possible art he could be involved with.  He created with his unequalled passion for photography and the places and sports he shot.  He communicated by offering workshops (formal and informal) to anyone interested in listening.  And he curated with his immensely successful Hammers Inc Art Festival.



I am honored to have been invited to be involved the past couple of years with the art festival.  Garrett gave me a chance early on in my photography path that I would not have been afforded otherwise.  I owe a large part of where I am at creatively today to his support and all the times we were able to get out and shoot together (which was a lot).

When Garrett passed away this March many of us were determined to not let the art festival fade out.  He had started a strong legacy with a ton of opportunity.  With the help of a great team of friends, artists, etc. I am excited to announce the 5th Annual Hammers Inc Art Festival this upcoming Friday, December 2, at the Rio Gallery in downtown Salt Lake City.

We have teamed with the Utah Avalanche Center to help raise money for its ever-diminishing budget.  The UAC provides a service that is invaluable to anyone who spends their time in the mountains in winter.  Those of us who spend a great deal of time up there watch the reports daily and rely heavily on the information they provide.  We felt like this was the perfect organization to partner with this year given the work they do and our personal connection given recent events.  We are asking for a $10 donation at the door, although you are welcome to give as little or as much as you like.  The art featured in the show will all be for sale with a commission of each piece going to the UAC.  We will also have a silent auction and other events going on to help with the fundraising part of this great event.

The show this year will feature the art of Adam Barker, Trent Call, Kandyce Groesbeck, Flossie Kehr, Chuck Landvatter, PJ Mannion, Sarah Mannion, Kristin Marine, Zachary Proctor, Garrett Smith, and Matthew Turley.

Here is the link to the event on Facebook.  I hope to see you there.

Backyard Fun

Spent some time in my in-law's backyard yesterday with my dog, my nephew, and my wife. Decided to take pictures of it.

Kaleb didn't seem to mind having his picture taken.

I liked how these two images (one of Bowie and the other of Kaleb jumping off the deck) turned out to be awesome even though they were more or less shot from the hip.

Then I had Stacy come outside for a few photos since she is 8 months pregnant and the kid is someday going to want to see what she looked like.  She looks great.  I would have liked to have done some more creative pregnancy photos, but we didn't have access to a full length mirror at the time.

Thanksgiving is great.  I am thankful for lots of stuff.  Especially my wife... and skiing.  I need to go skiing.

New Website

I have recently done some work on my website and the new version just went live minutes ago!  Check it out to see some new photos, new galleries, better navigation, bigger pictures, mobile friendliness, and a bonus bio page for those paying attention.  Let me know what you think.

dbutcherphotography.com

Peace.
Dust

And as a bonus for reading this post and checking out the new website, I am going to share this video with you.  Remember winter?  Yeah winter can be pretty great.  Video by Jed Whittaker.

VIDEO - Roc Trip Mexico

My primary purpose for attending Petzl's RocTrip in Mexico last fall was to shoot the video.  Petzl RocTrips have always had a strong video component that accompanies them.  It is a way to take an event that originally only reaches some people in a very specific geographic area and expand that reach to anyone on the internet.

I was psyched to have the opportunity to shoot and direct this piece.  I was able to enlist the help of one of my best friends and one of the strongest photo/video guys I know, Garrett Smith, as Director of Photography for the project.  We also had camera help from two guys from the Petzl France team that were more accustomed to the RocTrip and Petzl video scene.

As we planned for the event, we developed a video concept that involved more story-telling than RocTrip videos had previously highlighted.  The idea was to parallel the Mexican climbing scene with the rich culture and history of Mexico.  We felt like this would reach a larger audience than your standard climbing video.

I was set to really dive into editing the video after OR in January.  This just happened to be the same time I had decided to make the move from Petzl over to Gregory.  This has been a great move for me, but I was a little bummed to have to hand off this edit to someone else.  Thankfully, the project was taken over by two people who are very capable in the outdoor video scene - Mike Call and Guillaume Broust.  They took the loads of footage that we had shot down there and made a strong video.

It is not exactly the story Garrett and I had in mind while shooting, but it turned out rad nonetheless.  It is cool to see all the work we put into it taken over by some strong editors.  The final piece is below, and I am proud to have been a part of it.



You can find my full write-up of RocTrip Mexico here:
http://dustinbutcher.blogspot.com/2010/11/petzl-roc-trip-mexico.html

VIDEO - New Gregory Travel Gear

One of my responsibilities here at Gregory is to handle the video side of things.  With the launch of the new travel series this fall we wanted to create something that would compliment how rad the bags are.  With the help of Nate Balli and my sweet wife, Stacy, I think we did just that.  I am psyched with how it turned out.

Here is the long version (3 min):


And here is the short version (40 sec):

Medium Format - Mamiya 645

A good friend of mine recently came to town to visit.  It was good to see him and talk about photography with someone equally enthused.  Much to my surprise, a few days after he left I found a package on my front step with his return address.  Inside was an old Mamiya 645 medium format film camera with an 80mm and 150mm lens.  While directing a shoot this past weekend with another photographer, I took the chance to start shooting with it.

I don't know anything about film.  But I do know that medium format is rad.

Caroline Gleich

Caroline and Pat

My nephew, Tate

My nephew, Curtis

TONIGHT - The Hammers Inc Art Festival

Yes, it is finally upon us.  The 4th Annual Hammers Inc Art Festival is tonight from 5pm to 10pm at the Crandall Building in downtown SLC.  The building is located at the NW corner of 100 S. and Main St.  I will be showing a few pieces and would love to have you see them.  We have a great mix of artists this year as well as a ton of gear and prizes for the auctions and raffles.  All of the proceeds go to the Access Fund.  Come down and say hello.

Petzl Roc Trip Mexico

Liv Sansoz - Jilotepec, Mexico

“¿Dónde está el baño?”

I don’t remember much from my Spanish classes in Junior High (sorry, Miss Rush), but I am pretty sure this means, “Petzl Roc Trip Mexico is the best Roc Trip ever!” I heard so many people go up to the event organizers to say this with conviction that it couldn’t possibly mean anything else.

Petzl Roc Trip has been all over the world - Kalymnos, Greece; Squamish, British Columbia; Zillertal, Austria; Red River Gorge, Kentucky; Millau, France - just to name a few. This year the Petzl team visited a couple towns and crags in Mexico. The first stop was a beautiful old colonial town called Taxco.

Taxco, Mexico at sunset

About a 20-minute drive and a 30-minute hike from Taxco resides a cave lovingly referred to by the locals as “El Chonta.” The cave itself is massive. It is riddled with hanging stalactites and tufas making the area look like something out of science fiction.

It was inspiring to see the athletes approach this new area and get psyched about the routes and the climbing. These people travel all over the world to climb yet they still get excited about seeing something new and the challenge of working out new problems on the rock. These are the best climbers in the world and you could see it as they put down route after route in this intimidating arena.

Whitney Bolland works through pinch after pinch in El Chonta

After a couple of days climbing in El Chonta, we moved on to a small town just north of Mexico City called Jilotepec. The Las Peñas cliffs loom over you no matter where you are in this town. The climbing is quite different from what we had just seen in El Chonta. The main wall in Jilotepec seemed like a ginormous egg that sat in the middle of the canyon. It was far more technical climbing with bouldery starts, crimpy moves, and long finishes.

Liv Sansoz shows what it means to "pull down"

This is where some of the athletes really started to shine. On just the second day here, Steve McClure sent the new hardest route in Mexico – a 14c called Cruz Diablo. He was one of the first athletes to the crag everyday and kept relatively quiet while climbing harder than anyone else. Not to be outdone, Mickaël Fuselier and Jérôme Pouvreau sent Las Chicas Superpoderosas our last day at Jilo, which was said to be “a little bit harder than Cruz Diablo.” Watching professional athletes performing at this level was inspiring. Linking their motivation and skill on the rock together made many of them virtually unstoppable.

Said Belhaj rests halfway up this 120’ route

All of this combined with a visit to ancient pyramids, a traditional Temascal sweat lodge, cultural presentations, uber-friendly locals, etc., I can definitively say that this was the best Roc Trip ever. Therefore, I must agree with what was said by so many others during these ten days:

“¿Dónde está el baño?”

“¿Dónde está el baño?” indeed.

Hammers Inc Art Festival 2010 - Artist Bio - Adam Barker

There will be a lot of talented people at this year's Hammers Inc Art Festival.  Beyond that I, too, will be exhibiting some work.  Among the featured artists will be Adam Barker.  Adam is one of the premier landscape and action photographers in Utah.  It was a privilege to go up to Heber with he and Garrett Smith last weekend to shoot this little bio video.

Artist Profile: Adam Barker from HIP VISUAL ARTS on Vimeo.

Be sure to put the Hammers Inc Art Festival on your calendar.  It is December 3rd at the corner of 100 S and Main St. in downtown SLC.  Garrett and Molly (his sweet wife) have also worked hard to have it featured as part of the monthly SLC gallery stroll.  The event will be a fundraiser for the Access Fund, an organization that protects climbing areas across the US.  Come on by and show your support, see some great art, spend a little money (if you feel so inclined), and enjoy yourselves.

Hammers Inc Art Festival 2010 - Artist Bio - Kristin Marine

Video #3 for the 4th Annual Hammers Inc Art Festival


Artist Profile:Kristin Marine from Hammers Inc. Photography on Vimeo.

I hope to see you at the event:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=147366985307729

Hammers Inc Art Festival 2010 - Artist Bio - PJ and Sarah Mannion

Here is the video #2 for the event:


Artist Profile: PJ & Sarah Mannion from Hammers Inc. Photography on Vimeo.

Check out the event info here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=147366985307729

Hammers Inc Art Festival 2010 - Artist Bio - Kandyce Groesbeck

I have been more involved in the marketing and promotion of this year's Hammers Inc Art Festival.  Here is the first of five artist bio videos we (me, Garrett Smith, and Nathan Balli) are producing for the event:

Artist Profile: Kandyce Groesbeck from Hammers Inc. Photography on Vimeo.

Be sure to make it down to the Fourth Annual Hammers Inc Art Festival, December 3, 2010.  I will be showing some work, Kandyce will be showing work, there will be a silent auction benefitting the Access Fund, and more!  More details to follow.

VIDEO: New Line of Petzl Ice Tools

I worked with the Petzl team in France to create a video for the new tools that has a bit more of an international feel.  They did the final edit and I am psyched with how it turned out.

New line of Petzl Charlet ice tools - QUARK NOMIC ERGO from Petzl-sport on Vimeo.