grind

Grind

The first time I heard the lead track from the latest Les Sins single I passed it off and more or less thought I had forgotten about it. It hadn’t grabbed me like his previous release under this alias. Funny thing though, a few weeks ago while working or going about my usual day to day there was this bass line that crept into my head over and over for at least a week. It was one of those annoying moments where I just KNEW who’s song it was that was in my head but I couldn’t quite place it.

I did eventually realize it was the newest Les Sins single. I looked it up, put it on again and the bass line hook locked in immediately with its rolling charm that left me with a distinct need to move. Once it managed to permanently stick in my head I could not help but order a copy. Its one of those dance songs that lifts my spirits somehow. Not too heavily electronic, with just enough of an organic old school groove that puts me in a good mood any time I put it on. Easily recommended for anyone needing an extra hop in their step.

11am

Playing Favorites

Alright, the time has come and I have decided to make an iOS 7 Parallax wallpaper pack. Trouble is, the past couple of weeks have proven themselves all too full of work so I have had a limited time to kick off the process of collecting older images and cropping them again. I have also not fully settled on the cropping size. Apples own wallpapers seem to be set to a very specific size but part of me wonders if they are cut too close after a small amount of internal testing. So I either go with what Apple has chosen (744×1392) or go with a more broad approach (adding 200px padding on all sides 1040×1536) that may end up appealing to a wider set of mobile users anyway. Some of you guys are really picky about this topic so here is your chance to join in and let me know your opinion should you have one.

Many of you are clever about it and are just using the iPad versions on their phones and choosing where the phone crops the images. The lines are heavily blurred now as far as getting a clean, specific to the device crop because of the padding needed around the edges for this effect as well as the gentle zooming that occurs when you enter a folder. I am more inclined to rest on the side of caution and use the more broad resolution.

At any rate, the real reason I am writing today is to give everyone fair opportunity to tell me your personal favorite images here on 50ft so I can try and get your favorites into the newest wallpaper pack. While I will not be able to make EVERYONE happy I will do my best, as I always do, to narrow the selection down to well rounded set of images both old and new for you to dig through and enjoy. I will of course keep the clean aesthetic of iOS 7 in mind when I choose images. Please, use the comments below to leave any requests or comments on resolution choice.

I will most likely have two sets, one for the iPhone and one for the iPad. I hope to get them up within the next week. Sorry to keep everyone waiting but I think making sure I get it right the first time is going to be best for everyone.

Either leave the file name or better yet, a link to the post where your favorite was originally posted, thanks!.

4s/OM

Five S

Everyone is already well versed on the new Apple devices by now I’m sure. You may have even been reading quite a bit about the fancy new cameras hiding inside the new iPhone 5s. I have been reading a fair amount and have been trying to piece together my thoughts on the matter since first hearing about some of the clever new features packed into their new phone, and that is the perfect word for them, clever.

After reading through Patrick Rhone’s writeup on the matter A few things finally started to settle into place in my mind and I thought I would share my perspective as well. What Apple has done here with their miniature camera is choose not to compete on sensor or lens design within their camera (not much room in these skinny phones for that), rather they have engineered great software and processing power as a means to synthetically render great photos based on common human error and misunderstanding of how cameras function. In other words, they have created a camera for those who honestly want nothing more than to get the camera out of the way, point, shoot, and capture a great photo.

Obviously your average consumer doesn’t need or want to know what f-stop is best for what situation. The iPhone 5s is the first step toward casual shooters realizing they don’t need to drop $1500 on a DSLR system to make great photos of their family friends. This is only the beginning.

As for Patrick’s observations on camera manufacturers not having the resources to pull off what Apple has. I’m not totally sold on this idea and only find it half true. The simple fact is that camera manufacturers are creating cameras based on their legacy and history of image making and live within the constraints of the idea that when you press the shutter button there are only a few variables that decide what it is and how an image can be captured and recorded. What Apple has done here is chucked out the entirety of photographic evolution up to this point and that is bold to say the least. I have long wondered when it would come to this and what manufacturer would be the first to introduce such forward thinking ideas because most live in fear of the backlash of the photography community but of course, Apple is not a camera manufacturer. (Not to say they haven’t dabbled here or there)

The problem in looking at photography based solely on its past is that it has evolved to be far greater than its origins are able to dictate. Photography as we witness it today is no longer a chemical experiment, it has evolved to be greater than simply mimicking or disrupting the art world, and now very clearly it has moved beyond its retro-nostalgic throwback allure. Photography has become a universal language in which to communicate and cameras are our pen and paper, as essential to us as anything else in our daily lives.

Apple has clearly been doing its homework and obviously this is just the beginning. If the camera in the iPhone 5s works as they describe I see this as a last call for camera manufacturers to fine tune their future strategies. Funny to see so many of them all but abandon the pro market only to now see things come full circle. While they desperately tried to stay relevant in the wake of mobile photography a couple of them seemed to overlook the idea that if they lost the war to get the casual user all they would have left are the pro’s and enthusiasts.

The way I see it photography as a craft and as an art form will only end up growing stronger. The approach Apple has taken in their camera technology has no place in the pro or enthusiast world of photography outside of being exactly what it is, a great snapshot camera. The essence of the craft and the art of using the fundamentals of exposure combined with great glass and continued excellence in design will have plenty of room to flourish among casual shooters in the exact same way it does today. Camera manufacturers such as Fuji, Olympus, and Sony clearly understand what their audience is looking for and who their audience is and I don’t see any reason for them to worry.

The future is as bright for photographers as it has ever been and the new ideas and technology laid in place by Apple could end up helping the pro market as far as I’m concerned. Moving forward lets ignore those who fight against such advancement and understand that there is plenty of room for casual shooters to have a software driven marvel such as the 5s as well as the humble enthusiasts such as myself to have a great classic shooter by their side. Film, digital, software, its all a a means to reach an end. To explore and to live and to capture little pieces of life’s essence to share down the line.

Brick By Brick

Brick By Brick

I was flipping through photos form my trip to Bali with YoungDoo and realized there were still quite a few that had never been shared. I chose a couple to turn into desktops to remedy this situation. I remember this scene well, we had wandered out behind our hotel at low tide and there were these cement brick islands just off shore, presumably to control the surf or erosion somehow. Covered in slippery algae the stones were interesting to me because of their cube like shape. Along the edge of this cement island I came across these  few that looked as though they were trying to escape from the rest, one by one sinking deeper into the water as if making a grand escape in some kind of extreme slow motion. Meanwhile, behind me another photographer had wandered up as well to shoot the landscape beyond the sea and was laying belly down on the wet rocks.

Funny how images, even as simple as this, are able to bring back details hidden away in our memory. I think an interesting trick in photographing a scene is leading the viewer into some kind of imagined reality beyond the frame of a photograph. To wonder, even if just for a moment what they would see if they could shift the frame in another direction. I tried to accomplish this here with the disappearing rocks yet never did find the perfect angle to illustrate the idea while I was shooting the scene. It’s the reason I held off posting this one for so long actually. Hopefully not all was lost in my attempt and you guys enjoy it.

To whom it may concern,

IMAGES FOUND WITHIN FIFTYFOOTSHADOWS.NET ARE ©JOHN CAREY AND MAY NOT BE USED FOR ANY COMMERCIAL USE WITHOUT PERMISSION. 

DO:

• Enjoy the images! It’s a labor of love, thanks for your support!
• Share fiftyfootshadows.net with friends.
• Send me a quick mail if you are interested in using an image for commercial or personal use other than wallpaper.

DON’T:

• Post desktops elsewhere online.
• Share links directly to images.
• Pass them around in mass.
• Make prints.
• Use images for web banners or graphics. (send a quick email to ask, I’m pretty easy going about this with permission.)
• Use them in commercial work.

If you help me out with these I will be able to keep doing what I love to do. Thanks again, really, for your support and understanding. -J

——

By downloading any content from fiftyfootshadows.net you agree to the following terms:

All of the images contained within this website, fiftyfootshadows.net, are property of, John Carey unless otherwise posted. The images are distributed as freeware but they are available for personal use only on your personal computer, tablet, or smartphone as your wallpaper image. Any use of these images for any purpose other than this is a violation of these terms and anyone found using said images will be asked to either compensate the creator for doing so or be asked to stop using them immediately.

I ask that you refrain from using any images found on fiftyfootshadows.net to create physically printed material of any kind. This includes posters, photographic prints, fliers, etc. Under no circumstances may you make a physical reproduction without written permission.

These rules also apply for any artwork or imagery submitted and shown within this site which was created by an artist aside from myself. Any images submitted and shared as wallpapers are the property of the artist who created them and in the same manner as my images, you are asked to receive permission before using them in any way aside from their intended use. Any use of these images outside of for your own personal use as a desktop wallpaper image is prohibited without permission from the author of the image. Commercial licensing is available upon request. Please write with any inquiries.

When sharing images via your personal blogs I kindly ask that you link back directly to either the post the image was taken from or the base of the website at www.fiftyfootshadows.net and give a credit to www.fiftyfootshadows.net. Do not re-post full resolution desktop images anywhere without permission. If you would like to use an image for your blog background or something of the sort simply write to ask first. Support the artwork you admire! Also, it is greatly appreciated if you do NOT link directly to the zip files. This is more or less the same as re-posting them as it circumvents the tiny bit of support I ask of you which is to simply link back to the original post for others to enjoy the site.

It’s not fair to artists if you do not credit their work and link back to the original content creator. It is theft plain and simple and blogs that attempt to somehow be mysterious by not giving credit to the creators are simply hurting the artistic community as a whole. If you love it so much then please, support it! The artistic community on the Internet is based on trust. Without trust then what do we have? are you going to be one of the responsible users out there or will you be among the bottom feeders, stealing content and passing it off as your own to make a quick buck in ad sales.

Use your best judgement and we will get along just fine.

Thank you for your understanding and support!

John Carey (curator, owner)

fiftyfootshadows.net

fiftyfootshadows@gmail.com