2008 March - All Narfed Up

Archive for March 2008

Come back soon

In Gear, Life, Photography on 7 March 2008 with 2 comments

On Wednesday, I was lingering at the end of the day, taking self-portraits because I didn’t have Legos for Flickr Group Roulette. Then, the front lens (right) popped into my lap.

My jaw dropped. My lips quivered. I fought the tears.

Yesterday afternoon, I shipped it to the Canon Factory Service Center in Irvine. I bought it from Arnold only four months old.

I miss it already. I know it’s under warranty, but I hope they just send me a new one at no cost.

Update 3/7/08 6pm — Shipped via USPS Priority Mail, my lens got to Irvine already. And…

We have received your equipment for evaluation and repair. Based on our initial examination, we will start the necessary repairs at no charge to you. You can expect the repair to be completed and returned back to you within approximately 7 business days* from [today]. There is no need to respond to this notice.

Please note that in the unlikely event that any additional internal damage is found due to liquid/water, sand, corrosion, battery leakage or impact (such as dropping the unit), a revised estimate will be sent for your authorization, since these conditions are specifically excluded from warranty coverage.

*Actual times may vary. Seasonal volume or repairs requiring special parts may add more time.

Sweet!

Update 3/12/08 2pm — My lens is on its way back to me! I’ll get it either today or tomorrow, depending if my mom’s at home to sign it.

Update 3/14/08 8pm — After a longer-than-necessary wait, my precious has been repaired to factory specs and returned to me. Yay!

A blur behind me

In Art, Life, Photography, Photos on 5 March 2008 with 3 comments

[Recap] Chiodos concert at The Glass House

In Concerts, Photography, Photos on 5 March 2008 with 8 comments

On Monday night, I went to The Glass House in Pomona to see Dear Life, A Static Lullaby, and Chiodos for a last-minute concert.

For me, it was a chance to see these awesome bands — plus I’d be able to get closer shots than in a larger venue. I left my point-and-shoot camera at home, so I was going to try and bring my SLR camera inconspicuously.

Armed with only my Canon 300D, 4GB CF card, and Canon 50mm f/1.8 II lens, I got in line to go through security. After three people looked at it, and I emphasized my lack of an external flash, it was approved. Wicked! (I wonder if my collared shirt helped — I did just come from work.)

What problems did I encounter?

Shyness — I had ghetto business [index] cards in my pocket to give out, especially to those taking shots with their camera phones. I got over this. Sort of.

Lack of business cards — I ran out of these. I could have given out more.

Crowding — I didn’t get a photographer pass, so I was inside the crowd. The first two bands weren’t that bad, although it stinks having heads in the way of my photos. However, once Chiodos got on stage, the crowd behind me surged forward. I put up with about two songs, wielding my camera way above my head getting inaccurate shots. Then it got to be too much, so I sadly retreated to the balcony. (I need to learn how to get a photographer pass. If you can help me out, I’d appreciate it!)

Lighting — The stage lighting and cool colors are a nightmare for photographers. That’s why they’re all in black and white. Even then it was time-consuming to tweak and find the best results.

Battery life — I accidentally forgot to charge the battery the night before. I didn’t have any spares, so I was running really low in the middle of Chiodos’ set.

Extra memory card — I ran out of space. Fortunately, I had more than enough balcony shots, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Security on the balcony — This one lady kept thinking I was recording video. I was text messaging someone, then she snuck up behind me, scolded me, then walked away. I told her I wasn’t as politely as possible. Very annoying.

Slightly wrong camera settings — I should have used Shutter Priority (T_v), not Aperture Priority (A_v). Luckily I got some shots that were faster than 1/50 seconds anyway, so that prevented blur. Also, I didn’t need to use ISO 1600, which I thought I had to switch to a few times. I was fine with ISO 800. Also, manual focus on the Canon 50mm f/1.8 II lens leaves something to be desired. I switched to auto focus after Dear Life and I like those photos more.

*****

If I would’ve been in the photographer’s pit, I’m fairly certain I’d have some epic shots. Otherwise, I had a blast — they all put on an awesome show!

Anyway, enjoy the photos and let me know if you’d like me to take photos of your band.

View the photoset at Flickr

Why some PSD files aren’t shown in Picasa

In Photography, Software on 4 March 2008 with no comments

From the Picasa Glossary:

Grayscale - A range of accurately known shades of gray printed out for use in calibrating those shades on a display or printer. Grayscale images are not supported in Picasa.

Grr. I hope it doesn’t hurt that much saving in RGB mode.

Hi Chidodos concert friends

In Concerts, Music, Photography on 4 March 2008 with no comments

If you were one of 6-7 people I gave my ghetto business cards to, I’m just posting to let you know that I’ll get the best photos up from Monday night’s Dear Life, A Static Lullaby, and Chiodos concert at The Glass House in Pomona soon. Most will probably be up by Thursday, but bear with me because I took over 500 photos.

You can see the photos at my Flickr photostream or wait until I post a short recap here.

While you’re waiting, listen to our band’s music! We’re called Phantom Scream - you can also find us at Myspace and Purevolume, but you can download our full CD through our website (PhantomScream.com).

I say that because we could have a show booked in Long Beach next Thursday at 7pm, but we need to find out if we could draw a crowd. Listen to a few of our songs and get back to us right away, yeah?

Otherwise, we’ve got shows coming up on the 22nd and April 11th. (More details at PhantomScream.com)

Thanks!