In Which One Should Always Carry A Camera

I touched on it in my last blog, but I really wanted to expound on reasons why anyone, myself especially, should carry a camera. In fact, I chose the cell phone I have based on camera quality. It's a 5 MP Casio Exilim. It's also a phone, and all that positive weather, dust, accident resistant stuff I need. This camera phone is more of a consolation prize, since I don't always remember to carry around my good Olympus FE. All of these images are ones I took with my cell phone. Some of them are obviously not the quality I was going for, and my focus, once blown up, is a little disastrous. In the first and second photos you can even see the crack in my lens. I love the close up of Socks' face though, and would have never gotten close enough for a shot like that had I had a big, bulky, or loud camera. These are just since I got my new phone, however. I couldn't count the times I saw someone or something I wanted to take a photo of and missed it because I hadn't brought out a camera. I'd much rather risk a lower quality image than missing an opportunity completely. Time is of the essence when you're out and about. When you see something that catches your eye... maybe it's the lighting, your angle, maybe it's just that moment -- but it's best to be able to capture it then! instead of trying to replicate that moment later.

Every Card Needs a Case

I went on Etsy yesterday in search of a business card holder to carry around with me so I didn't have to just carry cards stuck in whatever pocket or free space in my camera bag I could find, and so that I would always know where they were. I was going for ideas. I have some materials, extra paper, light boards -- I could make a card case, I thought. Then I found this. For those of you too lazy or leery to check out that link, it's a card holder that looks like a manual camera. I thought about how I could make something like that. I continued looking. It wasn't long before I decided I had to have it. It should be being shipped soon, from England. I can't wait.

After my birthday I went to my old college and carried my camera around with me all week long (in its fantastic new case). In the first two days back home I've left it at home and had to take photos with my cell phone, which would be less of an issue if there wasn't a giant crack across my screen. Anyway, here are two photos from my cell phone. The first is of a brass band playing outside the Blumenthal in Charlotte, right as we were leaving a production of (The New Mel Brooks Musical) Young Frankenstein. I loved the little boy was dancing around, but could also play the trombone, I was most impressed! I certainly felt the digital/manual difference here. In these photos my focus is off and when I would try to take the photo, the delay was about to kill me. I think I'll stick with manual cameras, thank you.


The next photo is from an event that made headlines in The Herald. A classic (recently classic, if there is such a thing) sign hack. I had a limited zoom and a lesson to learn about road signs. The closer you get, the less you can read. Want to get an angle on that sign? Forget it. My end solution was to stand on the back of the car and take a photo almost equal with the sign. It worked out well, but I still missed my zoom lens.

Welcome!

Welcome to Rolling Dog Press' Blog! Here we hope to expose some more of the process behind the projects, as opposed to just the final result. This will include things like -- designs, thumbnails and test shots -- as well as a unique view into the thought process for locations -- why here and not there, occupied v. abandoned and places discovered by accident.

We can be found several places including but not limited to:
Rollingdogpress.com
Facebook
Twitter
DeviantArt

We try to keep some new, unique things on each of these sites -- rewarding those who follow us in multiple formats. Hopefully this will add another dimension to that!