Sometimes a Task List Doesn't Cut It

For quite some time, I was the guy that never wrote anything down. I know what I had to do, and I did it. Who knows, maybe back then I wasn't doing much of anything. I thought I was. A few years ago, I started writing things down. Before, I would look at people odd, thinking to myself, "do you really need to write everything down?" Well, one major benefit of writing things down is that that is one less thing you have to keep on your mind. You can now use that "space" for something else.

Creating a task list is something that has helped me visualize what I need to do, but still I rarely refer back to it. I write everything down, and then usually just complete it as normal, without ever referring back to it. My task lists usually looks similar to:

- Mail xxxx DVD
- Finish xxxx edit
- CC xxxx video
- Clean desktop

and so on.

Now, a task list just doesn't do much for me. Today, I started creating a schedule. It only make since, every major corporation does it. If you work a 9-5, you are on a schedule. They made it that way for a reason, it works. If you are trying to manage a large amount of data, or people, you need a system (also known as management). So, now my tasks all must be completed by a certain date. This is also beneficial to the client and will aid in your overall business process.

- Mail xxxx DVD --------- 7/17 by 5pm
- Finish xxxx edit ------ 7/17
- CC xxxx video --------- Submit by 7/19 to xxxx.xxxx@gmail.com
- Clean desktop --------- 7/20

It's great to get things done as you get to them, but if you want to grow, then your business model needs to grow as well.

Chelsey Fatula - EPK Revisited

Some of you may remember my last shoot with Model, Hostess and Reality TV star Chelsey Fatula. This time, we got together to discuss re-visiting her EPK [electronic press kit]. We had a great shoot and I am excited about the new release.

New Splash Page

I'm working on the new design for my production company, Place Productions. The old design was very cool, but is old tech and difficult to use. For now, I have my super dope new splash page up! It actually looks a lot cooler than my old site and my contact info is much easier to find. The new design is coming together nicely, but is not as cool as my splash page. Hmmm...maybe I'll just add a link for my portfolio.

Limelyte - Welcome to the World

This Summer, I linked up with 4th Quarter Entertainment Recording Artist Limelyte again to shoot a video off his latest mixtape. The name of the track is "Welcome to the World." Since this is a freestyle, we wanted to take all of the energy of the track and represent it with equal visuals. The video is currently being screened, if you are following me on Twitter you may have received the password!

Be sure to keep up with Limelyte and check out Mr. Any Lane, now available on iTunes.

The Scariest Photo I've Ever Taken

Today I was out feeding my turtles, when I happened to look up in the corner of the screen support and saw a spider! For those that don't know, I have arachnophobia. I can spot a poisonous spider. So I went in and grabbed the wasp spray, there's no way I'm getting any closer than I need (yeah I grabbed the photo with a 50mm, but Photography is my passion, not Pest Control! I'm staying back!). I gave it a good spray. It takes a few minutes for the 'kill on contact, guaranteed results" spray to finish the job.

Feeling creeped out, something told me to look around. I just move my eyes and boom, another spider! I hit the spray again. This one took it a little harder, but when it fell down, I had a clear view of the hourglass! Confirmed Brown Widow! Didn't even know they existed! My eyes zoomed in like the old Batman show when they see the bad guy, I heard the sound effects and everything.

I go on to kill 5 more Brown Widows of all sizes, all in the same area of the porch - all tucked into a bottom corner. I'm getting on the phone with the exterminator it's such a small thing that it shouldn't be ignored anymore. Hope you enjoy the creepy pic!

1/320 second
f3.2
50mm
no color correction

Yung Bahama - Murda Scene

Directed by: Ron Howland
Key Grip: Curtis Harper
Ron Howland Productions

Quick and Clean White Balance Fix

Here is a very quick way I found to correct white balance. At a recent shoot, I was indoors and surrounded by very small incandescent light sources. When I was close to these, the lighting was decent, however when I was further away, I depended more on flash. If I were to use too much flash near these lights, I would get a blue image.

In the case of the above, I got a red image. The reason this happened is because I had my white balance set to fluorescent, when I was shooting under incandescent lighting. The camera overcompensated in the red tones, giving me a very "warm" image.

Here are the steps you can take to quickly correct your white balance [Photoshop required]:

1) Open Adobe Bridge
2) Navigate to your image file
3) Right click and select "Open in Adobe Camera Raw"
4) Select the White Balance Tool (looks like an eyedropper)
5) Select an area on the image that represents white

You may need to make some minor adjustments, but this should get you pretty close!