Notes from February 2010

New 12mm lens on the way

I recently purchased a Zeiss 12mm mkI super speed lens. I'd been looking for one on and off for a couple years. This lens will fill out my set of primes (9.5, 12, 16, and 25). I was debating for a while between keeping the primes, or investing in a zoom (since I can't afford to own both), but felt the increased speed and light weight of the primes was a better option. Maintenance can also be less of an issue with primes. While a zoom lens can provide some ease of use (once it is mounted), it's kind of a pain to set up, and in most cases requires additional support, which would force me to use rods even when not completely necessary. I'll be shooting tests as soon as the lens arrives in a few days.

February 09, 2010  –  permalink

Moving to new apartment

As the housing and construction market crumbles around us, our house project is seeing further delays. First the lenders drastically changed their loan products, expecting far more up front. Now the lot we've been working to divide (into a flag lot partition) may not be immediately available to us due to decreasing home values and the bank possibly not releasing the lien on the property. In the meantime, we've been renting a tiny apartment in St Johns waiting for the market to settle and the trends to reverse. Since the summer we've endured a rat problem, a broken water heater, a leaky washing machine, being terrorized by the neighborhood kids (knocking on windows and doors late at night), and enormous heating bills given the small size of the apartment. But the final straw was a mold issue that started back in November, and has become progressively worse. Our old studio was drafty, so I'm not accustom to mold/moisture problems like we've been experiencing. We have books warping, and papers and clothes feel damp to the touch. So, after saying fuck this, we plotted a move, located a place not too far from the current apartment, and two blocks from the building lot, should we ever manage to finance construction. I'm excited to move, to have a little more space and comfort, and hopefully lower utility bills. We're set to move on February 15, new address to follow.

February 09, 2010  –  permalink

Test and real shots next two months

Alongside Empty Quarter, I've been producing a film entitled Open Road. I've been sitting on a few remaining shots for a long time, but will be setting out to record the final shots in preparation for the final shoot for Empty Quarter. Call it a test with real application. I have a bunch of stock sitting around, and some credit at the lab, so I hope to get in some time in the coming weeks to record 3-5 of the remaining shots for the film. I've often thought the films would work well screening as part of the same program, especially seeing as how they are both partly inspired by the journals of John Charles Fremont. The only problem I see at this stage is the length of Open Road continues to increase, and may no longer pair well with Empty Quarter. If I can pull the resources together, I'd like to have two, one hour long pieces done by the end of the year.

February 02, 2010  –  permalink