Taking Photography to the NEX Level « SONY make.believe

via blog.discover.sonystyle.com

At the CES show back in January, Sony gave me one of their NEX-5 cameras, which has made me think differently about my own approach to digital photography... Some of the pictures I took with the NEX-5 are above and here is an excerpt from a post about it that I wrote for Sony's blog... Please visit http://blog.discover.sonystyle.com/taking-photography-to-the-nex-level to read the whole thing...

There’s a saying that the best camera is the camera you have with you… For many people today that means the camera in your phone. While the digital photography revolution began long before the camera phone became pervasive, for many, myself included, the advent of the camera phone was the thing that sparked a renewed interest in taking pictures. Somehow, just knowing I have that capability in my pocket, all the time, makes me look at the world through a different filter. It made me start looking for the pictures in everyday moments. But the more you start imagining the world as an image waiting to be captured, the more you realize that the camera in your phone is merely the gateway drug. It gets you hooked on digital photography, and, if the addiction sets in, invariably you’ll find yourself looking for something stronger.

Read the full post here.

Posted via email from Kiss My SASS!

Drew Carey, The Price Is Right (And The Price We Pay)

"Jeffrey Sass, from Myxer... come on down!" Yes! Drew Carey just picked my business card out of a bucket and called me onto the CNET Stage at CES for a round of Geek Trivia! I had just been admiring how down to earth and cool Drew was being with the gathered crowd, signing autographs and taking pictures and joking around warmly. Despite his celebrity he seemed like a regular guy, just as you would expect he would. Approachable, funny, someone you'd want to be friends with and who just might let you... I raised one hand in the air, half whooping, and half identifying myself as the person whose name Drew had just called.

Smile, We're All On Candid Camera...

As I "came on down" to the stage, I remembered that in my other hand I held a shiny new toy...a handheld HD video camera on loan from my friends at Sony. I had only had the camera in my possession for a few minutes and was wholly unfamiliar with it, but it had a familiar flip out LCD screen and a bunch of buttons that I assumed would turn it on and make it record. Perfect! They say the best camera is the camera you have with you, and here I was, about to go on stage with Drew Carey, camera in hand. I HAD to capture the moment on video...

As I pushed through the crowd I flipped open the LCD and heard a reassuring high pitched beep as the camera turned on. I fantasized about the tens of thousands of YouTube views I would get when I posted this uber cool video of me and the uber cool @DrewFromTV. I stepped up onto the stage and Drew shook my hand. I held up the camera and above the din of the crowd asked him if he minded if I recorded. He had barely said "sure, knock yourself out" and I had the camera up in front of my face and pointed at him.

The next few minutes were a blur, mostly because I spent them staring at a 3-inch LCD screen, living life at 720p and 30 frames per second, filtered through the lens of a borrowed video camera. As Drew slipped into his comfortable role as game show host and focused on emceeing the round of "Geek Trivia" I was focused on keeping Carey in focus in the LCD of the Sony. When he called on me to answer a ridiculously easy multiple choice question (something about Linus Torvalds and Linux) I was so caught up in being a citizen cinematographer that I lost all synaptic connections to my brain and though fully cognizant of the correct answer, from behind the camera my brain failed me. As I pointed the camera at Drew to capture his reaction I blurted out the wrong answer, knowing it was wrong the moment the words left my mouth. As the knowing crowd of geeks in the audience chuckled at my apparent ignorance, Drew too looked at me as the dunce I was.

Fleeting Fame...

My fifteen minutes of fame had lasted about fifteen seconds. Drew handed me a consolation tee shirt and whisked me off the stage. I pointed the video camera at him as I left the limelight, but he had already forgotten my poor performance and was on to the next contestant...

As embarrassed as I was at my geek trivia gaffe, I was still quite excited.  After all, I had this awesome video of "me and Drew Carey" ready to blast my YouTube cred to a new level. It was worth the shame of getting knocked out of the competition by the first softball question. Perhaps that would actually make my video funnier and thus more appealing and an even better magnet for views. As soon as I was a reasonable distance away from the stage I stopped in my tracks to examine the camera and replay my handiwork. I figured out which button set the camera into playback mode and eagerly pressed it.

Nothing. Panicked, I closed the LCD to shut the camera off, then opened it again to resurrect the recorder.  I put it into playback mode again. Again, nothing. No Drew. No me. No!!!  Sure, the camera had been on, and I watched my magical moments with Drew Carey through the lifelike images on the LCD, but alas, in my haste (and my unfamilarity with this particular camera model) I had not actually ever pressed "record." There was no video of "me and Drew." Worse, I had barely participated in the experience as I was focused the whole time on making the video and not at all on "living the moment." Not only had I lost the chance to capture it on "tape" I had lost the chance to capture it in my memory, as my only memory would be of the 3-inch LCD screen, and my desperate attempt to make a great video.

To add insult to injury, I looked in my hand and saw the "The Price Is Right" tee shirt Drew had given me. It was pink. It was a woman's size. I would have no video, and no tee shirt to wear to prove I had even been there with Drew...

A Digital Dilemma...

It is wonderful that we are all media producers, with cameras in our phones and literal recording studios in our pockets. The digital age of sharing has changed the way we approach our everyday experiences, viewing everything as an opportunity to tweet, and post, and capture and blog. These can all be great things and fun to do. But sometimes life is better left lived. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but good memories and real experiences can be worth a thousand pictures.

Drew, if we ever have the chance to meet again, I promise.. no pictures!!!

Natasha Tsakos' multimedia theatrical adventure (must see if you like live theatre & tech)!

via ted.com

As someone who is a geek and who was also immersed in Theater Arts in college I was blown away by this TED presentation by the very talented and passionate Natasha Tsakos. I have spent a fair amount of time on the stage, behind the stage and in the audience in front of the stage and I am always filled with a special sense of awe and excitement from any perspective at a live theatrical performance. This video (especially when viewed in HD on a big screen) captures the essence of everything that is wonderful about live theater, and how technology can enhance the experience and truly add magic to the magical. With brilliant choreography, stunning visuals and immersive sound design, Tsakos' one woman show, "UP WAKE" leverages state of the art projection technology to turn her solo performance on a bare stage into a true theatrical extravaganza.

Even more impressive is how she manages to literally bring portions of her show onto the TED stage with her for this presentation.

I happened upon this video while playing with the Internet Video features of a Sony Bravia TV on loan to me as part of the Sony DigiDads project. It was an unexpected treat to view this via the Internet on a 40" 1080p HDTV, without the need for a computer or set top box. Cool stuff!

I hope to have the opportunity to see "UP WAKE" in its entirety in person. What do you think?

Posted via web from Kiss My SASS!