things have been ramping up lately as multiple projects are coming together at precisely the same time. which to be honest is not a bad way to live – i tend to thrive in the absolutely crazy stuff. summer’s finally arriving + our move to oregon full time will be wrapping up this month as will a brand spanking new hk website. in conjunction, have had numerous shoots lately (both still + video) + a plethora of to do’s + prep – pdn’s photo annual nyc rooftop party anyone?

the up tempo life will either make or break you in terms of focus + efficiency. here’s a few of my latest favs for streamlining everything i do in a day as well as a few for putting smiles on my face afterward.

creative – storyboard composer iphone app by cinemek – put together a whole scene the other day walking to the toyota dealer + was able to share with production help. fantastic.

video – zoom’s h4n for solid sound in conjunction with movie slate.

workflow – import to fcp made easy(ier)… post haste

business – square. now we can all take payments anytime anywhere. bonus = we don’t have to face the credit card companies + their army of bloated fees. can’t wait to get mine.

web – no, thank you.

photo – why not get it now. polaroid started it + though the game’s shifted a bit there are still plenty of options including the poladroid app for you desktop system.

music – the latest from bonobo, black sands, is worth sitting down with in a plush leather chair, a stiff drink + killer set of headphones. bar that, just put it on + soak it up.

radio – if you have time, this american life had a fun film related piece this last weekend titled “home movies“.

Home movies are often all the same

very hard to put it bluntly.

what do ya mean? didn’t you just show up there with your camera + shoot a bit?

not on your life – but glad it came across as that calm + natural.

looking around through the glimmer + shine existing everywhere today + it’s easy to find great work. it’s also easy to assume that this work happens on it’s own or really doesn’t have much of a backstory. but like a good film, without backstory you get a spineless mess that usually collapses on itself.

if you don’t believe me take a look at recent contest winners + start your reverse engineering. in a time crunched, cgi soaked industry it’s relatively easy to assume, “ahh, i have a 5DII with hd i can pop that sucker up on my tripod anywhere + put a fancy pants little ditty together.” and nothing could be further from the truth.

my current estimate in regards to motion work is that it takes quad as long as still image work. of course we’re not limited to pictures (motion or still) with this theme. office time, production work, personal projects, life’s little gifts – everything is evolving + to capitalize on it all takes a unique blend.

here are a few things i’ve found lately that currently or shortly will be enlisted in the effort.

hitchcock – luv keeping ideas moving forward. i firmly believe that if you’re not doing something everyday toward your goals then they’re not happening

evernote’s latest upgrade – great cross everything platform for organizing the myriad vitals

google wave – i was just invited to beta test this potential game changing tool. especially interested in it as project development tool

tilt + shift – purely for the visual fun

1: evaluate take a hard look at what you’re doing. i like the hop, skip, jump metaphor – where are you in terms of where you want to be? do you have a goal? if not how can you hit what you’re not even aiming at? when you’re done with all three of these steps, start back here. evaluation is a constant process. if what you’re doing is not getting the desired results then reevaluate + shake things up.

2: plan take everything you can into account. there will always be variables so focus on what you can. eliminate distractions + balance out what you can do with what you have. take action in the form of conscious steps in your given direction. could be recruiting the kind of employees you have your eye on, a fat new promo campaign or a great job lead, doesn’t matter. hell, even the a team had a plan.

3: work really this is what we all want to be doing but to get here you have to go through the above. this, my friends, is your reward – total unadulterated work in the vein of what you want to do + have created for yourself. the trouble that most of us have with this is that it doesn’t stop. and the further you get into it the crazier it gets. if you can’t handle that or really need your sleep, it might be time to think about something more 9 to 5ish. get started + don’t stop, ever. believe it or not, that’s actually half the fun once it gets going.

in my ongoing series TEN we’re highlighting steps that any location photographer can easily incorporate into their business to green things up a bit. specifically we’re looking at recycling – from batteries to the material laden computers we all spend too much time in front of. i’m a tech guy as much as the next customer but with the amount of equipment needed in this industry today we need to be responsible about what we’re doing with it when it’s time has come.

1: one of the first things i do after computer gear goes downhill is to incorporate it into shoots if possible. this image is one of a billion possibilities.

2: if you are done with the stuff think about turning it over to a local charity or school as oftentimes they’re in need of machines(check out freegeek). just because it doesn’t function up to our standards of heavy image lifting doesn’t make it useless by any means.

3: if that doesn’t do it for you then definitely recycle the machinery. companies like apple, epson + canon will make it easy on you. and you can always hit up third parties like flipswap as well.

4: don’t print so much. at least set up a b+w setting for all the paperwork.

5: if you do find yourself spitting out the pulp products, use services such as greenprint that allow you to drop pages or cut out what you don’t need prior to inking it.

6: this is a big one for me but carbon credits ( who doesn’t want to recycle our air!?!?). sure it’s not a perfect system but it’s in place and better than nothing. i’ve talked about this before here and am working it into my workflow for all clients (merrell, cosmo, 24 hour fitness…). see terrapass for more and if you’re a business then keep an eye out as i’ll have an in-depth update on this soon.

7: aside from computers, your cell phones can easily be processed via any number of companies including flipswap mentioned above.

8: ink cartridges can be sent in via prepaid shipping bags as well from places like best buy, etc.

9: work the old school water cooler rather than all the bottled stuff.

10: when was the last time you walked to your studio? rode a bike? skateboarded? busted out the roller skates or the stilts?

and not to let you off easy by thinking it’s all about after-the-fact feel good actions try thinking ahead maybe using refurbished machines, your locations + even grants available.

I’m not sure exactly why, though I’d guess that it stems from an overt sense of US self-importance, but every time the subject comes up of living near the northern border or working north of the border you get that look like you just ran into a wall. Even some of the most well intentioned individuals I know make asses out of themselves with their lack of knowledge and awareness of Canada. In complete disclosure I am actually half Canadian myself and have more family there then anywhere else in the world though unfortunately don’t know them. Regardless, it’s a shame with what little gusto we as ‘creatives’ pursue projects and work northward.

Photography, being the way it is, leads you down many paths. The variety of locales that you find yourself required to head always keeps things interesting. And I’ve found this especially true across the border as I