DV Digital

It’s not cold in the Space. Uh huh. (Taken with Instagram...

Sun, 27 May 2012 05:57:41 -0400

It’s not cold in the Space. Uh huh. (Taken with Instagram at Club Space)

• Purchase your DV Original Print Today •

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:15:23 -0400

A lot of people have taken an interest in obtaining prints of some of my recent ‘scenic’ and landscape images. Thus, I decided to hook up with a renowned service provider, Fine Art America, to act as a fulfillment house for these. The first three featured are two of the images I shot on a recent drive to the Keys, as well as a nighttime beach scene I captured back in March on another one of those random “drives to nowhere”.

Click on the link below to purchase - prints are available in a wide variety of sizes, from small 8” x 5” prints, up to large-scale pieces suitable for display. I’ll be adding to this collection as I produce more images of this nature. Of course, contact me directly for licensing and commercial reproduction opportunities.

Enjoy!

• The crowd for New York’s own Vanjee at Space • Two new...

Thu, 03 May 2012 21:40:37 -0400

• The crowd for New York’s own Vanjee at Space •

Two new additions to the arsenal as of this past week. Firstly, I upgraded to more modern hardware on the post-production end, and got myself a MacBook Air. Dubbed ‘PodBook Air’, it’s a screaming little package of speed. Some ask, ‘Why an Air, and not an iMac or Mac Pro’?

I asked myself the same question during the purchase phase, obviously. I could have gotten a pretty slick iMac (not going to bore you with specs) or put a dent in the purchase of a Mac Pro, and had some great machines. However, I would have been fixed in one location. One of the keys of how I work is mobility. I like to be in different places and not be desk-bound. For serious work (architectural, etc…) that I do, I of course have a host of external peripherals and a well-worn desk at my homebase for the edit/post sequence, but for my nightlife photography, I often enjoy being somewhere else to do the editing just to change things up a little. I did it often enough with my BlackBook, but I found that with larger RAW files and video, the venerable machine wasn’t quite up to the task. It would complete the job, but in it’s own time. Fortunately I’m not under huge deadlines for the bulk of my work, but I still like to get the processing and rendering done in a reasonable amount of time, so I decided to go Air.

While on paper, the specs might not look as good as a desk-bound Mac, the key to the Air is the fact that the entire system from top to bottom is solid-state. From the storage memory on up, there isn’t a single moving part. And that makes all the difference in the world. Spinning hard drives are slow in comparison. The biggest boat anchor in modern computing is storage, and having SSDs solves that. Your “hard drive” is now almost as fast as your RAM. Again I won’t bore you with the specs, but I can tear through an export of a “Space-sized” set of maybe 100 images in just a few minutes. And for basic video editing, the output times are correspondingly similar. I can accomplish 90 percent of my photographic, video, and computing tasks from anywhere on the planet with internet connectivity. The 21st century is all about mobility and the phasing out of dedicated workspaces and automation, and the Air is a great example of superb computing power on the go. And, it’s so lightweight I don’t feel the need to get an iPad. My iOS needs are taken care of by an iPhone 4s.

Now of course I’m not doing Deepsleep-style 3D rendering with this Air, but when a project calls for that sort of thing, I’m working with Deepsleep and their impressive array of dedicated hardware and the magical 3D-talents of Alex, Plucky, and Luis. There’s limits to even modern mobile hardware, though I imagine that won’t be for long. I suspect the 2014 MacBook Air will be able to accomplish After Effects work and basic 4K editing tasks in a reasonable amount of time.

The other upgrade I made was on the software end, with Lightroom 4. In a nutshell Lightroom 4 runs on the same concepts as Lightroom 3, but renames and reconfigures a lot of key functions. It’s been beaten to death in other blogs, but my experience thus far after a bit of a learning curve is that LR4 is definitely a huge step forward, and makes post even more of a breeze. The biggest “wow” so far for me is in the overall dynamic range handling versus LR3. The image above, obviously lit by the Martin Atomic 3000 strobe on the awning, suffered from the usual blown highlights and chunky blacks. However, LR4’s new “Process 2012” rendering allowed me to recover the blown highlights without that “burnt” look, and bring out a good amount of detail on the shadows. The image below is an even better example. Shot around sunset underneath the Islamorada Bridge in the Keys, the scene had deep shadows and strong highlights as a result of the lighting at that time. A little post-processing allowed me to accurately depict what I saw while on the scene. Out-of-the-camera, the shadows would have been very blocky and the details of the bridge lost. There’s a little chroma noise visible, but that could be handled with a little more post work. However, the image below was extremely well-received.

So yes, with the working concepts of solid-state mobility and a great post-production software suite, I can accomplish things from anywhere in the world. Welcome to the future. Photo people, get yourselves an Air, and get out there.

• Boris returns to Space • Boris came back to Space this...

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:35:09 -0400

• Boris returns to Space •

Boris came back to Space this weekend. It was his birthday so musically he was on fire. A perfect fit for Space. And I’m still loving the Platinum Beam 5Rs. Elation, if you read this, thank you. Click on through to check out the fun.

• New Logo By Deepsleep Studio • I never had a real logo to call...

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:52:19 -0400

• New Logo By Deepsleep Studio •

I never had a real logo to call my own. I’ve had logos for properties I’ve run and developed, but never one of my own. Buster said “About fucking time”. Yeah, totally. Kickass work by Deepsleep Studio. They do all the creative work for Space, my friend Emi’s numerous ventures, and various other club and non-club-related stuff. Check ‘em out. They’ve also branched out into video recently and are making good use of my club footage…

• Elation Platinum Beam 5Rs light up the day at Space...

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 01:45:37 -0400

• Elation Platinum Beam 5Rs light up the day at Space •

It’s amazing where intelligent lighting tech has gotten to these days. LEDs, improved reflectors, and more have made the humble moving light an indispensable tool in the club’s visual arsenal. I’m definitely digging the Elation Platinum Beam 5Rs that were recently installed. Click through to check out David Tort crowd surfing at Space.

• Erica and Alan T at the door… • Does this Timeline...

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:05:41 -0400

• Erica and Alan T at the door… •

Does this Timeline upgrade for Tumblr do anything? Hope so.

• Overseas Highway - Sunday Night • I started driving south...

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:10:09 -0400

• Overseas Highway - Sunday Night •

I started driving south Sunday night to look at some locations. That’s half the fun.

Thanks to everyone for a good birthday week. Beat the hell out...

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:37:45 -0400

Thanks to everyone for a good birthday week. Beat the hell out of last year’s, that’s for damn sure.

• Two thirds of the Swedish House Mafia at Space during WMC 2012...

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:22:00 -0400

• Two thirds of the Swedish House Mafia at Space during WMC 2012 •

Sebastian Ingrosso is an iPhone user. Cool. However, there’s 3000 people cheering in front of him. Look up!

Click through for more WMC madness.

• One of the Zhantra Girls at Space for WMC 2012 • I’m...

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:51:26 -0400

• One of the Zhantra Girls at Space for WMC 2012 •

I’m playing around with the 85 1.2 L from Canon this WMC. In a nutshell, it’s a fun, yet frustrating lens to use in a club environment. The AF is slow and at 1.2 you have to nail your target lest it go out of your DOF. Which a moving target does. However, when you nail it, you nail it. The magic question is, is the lens worth $2200 for what I do? Hmm..

Oh, and the new Platinum Beam 5Rs are rocking. Thanks to Dennis, Mike, Eddie, and the rest of the SLV team at Space.

• Boris kicks off WMC at Space • WMC is here, and my...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:16:19 -0400

• Boris kicks off WMC at Space •

WMC is here, and my “home” club got some new toys in the truss, specifically, Platinum Beam 5Rs from Elation Lighting. The lights themselves use a new reflector technology to generate intense, coherent beams of light. They look like fat laser beams. I had Dennis the tech do a few cues for me in preparation for WMC. Looks like it worked out pretty well. I’ll take two.

• Simona at Space • One of my favorite key lights is a ball of...

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:55:47 -0500

• Simona at Space •

One of my favorite key lights is a ball of gas 93 million miles away with a peak received power output of 174 PW and a rough color temperature of 5000 K.

In layman’s terms, the sun shone through the skylights at Space and cast an amazing glow on Simona of Zhantra this past Sunday morning.

• Space WMC 2012 Teaser • I totally forgot to put this here. But...

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:32:51 -0500

• Space WMC 2012 Teaser •

I totally forgot to put this here. But I think most people know I did the live-action segment and Deepsleep did the editing and motion graphics. Have at it.

• Time To Get Down • Atomic 3000s by Martin Light are very...

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:52:21 -0500

• Time To Get Down •

Atomic 3000s by Martin Light are very popular and powerful strobes for nightclub applications. Your local venue will probably have a few. With a good light tech on the console, you can anticipate the blast and work with them…

• Zhantra Girl lit by LED fixture at Space • LED fixtures,...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:00:14 -0500

• Zhantra Girl lit by LED fixture at Space •

LED fixtures, despite all their advantages, have a tendency to cause clipping in certain frequencies. Red and magenta especially. Yellow can be managed, and white/CTO is just fine. The dancer above was lit with a yellow-red, almost CTO tone. And those contacts are very,very, green.

Along the same lines of LED technology, I’m awaiting the first flash guns to utilize LEDs as opposed to flash tubes. I’ll take mine in white and blue, please.

• Markus Schulz at Space • Space re-installed the DJ Booth VIPs...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:37:36 -0500

• Markus Schulz at Space •

Space re-installed the DJ Booth VIPs this weekend after a three-year absence. I got my “best” crowd shot angle back, just in time for the club to be rammed for the performance by an old friend, Markus Schulz, in celebration of his birthday. The angle is even more monumental with a full-frame sensor. 6400 ISO madness. I love the MK II.

• Louis Puig and Markus Schulz at Space •

• Victor Calderone at Space - January 2012 • Victor came back...

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:11:29 -0500

• Victor Calderone at Space - January 2012 •

Victor came back for a semi-surprise set this past weekend at Space. I noticed at this time of year, the sun peeks through one of the skylights on the Terrace at just the perfect time of morning to give a nice warm characteristic to whomever is on the decks at the moment. So, as you see here, you have Victor rocking the crowd for a monumental set that went until the late afternoon hours. I think he went for twelve hours total…

Click through to see more.

• Creepy man-baby for Emi’s Madhouse at Space •

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:50:23 -0500

• Creepy man-baby for Emi’s Madhouse at Space •

• Magenta - Space - 2011 - 2012 New Year’s Celebration...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:47:57 -0500

• Magenta - Space - 2011 - 2012 New Year’s Celebration •

See, magentas are easier to work with. You can see the detail on her skin and costume, rather than a blobby, clipped mess.

As my small audience knows, I ended up at Space for New Year’s Eve. Prior to that I attended a small house party with some friends for the midnight moment, but then it was off to shoot. It was good to be “home” for New Year’s Eve, for the first time in about five years. Prior years had me dealing with my obligations to the Tiësto camp, as well as last year where I had the inglorious task of babysitting the door for AMG at PURE in Las Vegas. Rihanna was the host and my opinion is that they got ripped off. She just stood there and counted down. But that was last year, this is this year.

I had way more fun this year obviously. The lighting cooperated thanks to Dennis, Big Mike, and Gabriel, the music was on point thanks to LP, Justin, Patrick, Ivano, and the rest, and the vodka flowed like wine. New Year’s, no matter the jurisdiction, is always ‘amateur night’, as they say. Basically the people who rarely, if ever, go out, tend to go for broke and make messes of themselves. South Florida is no exception, but we have marked advantage of having venues with late (4 AM or later) closing times, and in the case of Space, no set closing time at all, that is fully taken advantage of.

What this allows for is for the ‘amateur’ crowd to go out for their midnight toast, get sloppy, and clear the way by 3 AM for the more ‘regular’ club crowd to come out and have some fun. Most people I know who had the ability availed themselves of this option. Everyone wins.

Click on through to see the Space madness…