General Store Stuff

There's an awesome store in Outer Sunset called General Store. They sell mostly things made by local people, and most of which happens to be hip, in a foggy, laid-back sort of way.

I picked up these patterned placemats, made by Jo Bartels, and knew I had to use them as a background before I spilled too much salsa on them.

Here's what I have so far:

Seesaw

Sadly, I can't remember the last time I was on a seesaw, but Seesaw cafe in Hayes Valley offered almost as much fun (and some Four Barrel coffee).  I've walked by this place a few times now, and decided to bop in yesterday.  The decor is something Alvar Aalto would love, and its concept is pretty cool: kids play space and cafe that also does workshops and private events.

My girlfriend and I loved the chocolate chip cookie and lavender/sea salt shortbread.  Also, the owner is really nice and loves kids. It sounds like they're going to have some music or art events (beers, anyone?) in the evening, so it's fun even if you don't have any rugrats.

Oh, here's some photos, too:

Last day to enter!

Today is the deadline for the Communication Arts Photo Competition!  Here's the one I submitted - my favorite from last year - as well as a few others that I found in my archive:

babycakes cookies

vegan bakery in NYC

Just tried a recipe from the Babycakes cookbook by Erin McKenna.  She started Babycakes bakery in NYC, which is almost all vegan and gluten-free.  Even though I love bread and butter (a lot), it was fun to try cooking with some new ingedients.  And, the results were pretty tasty - here are some photos of the cookie sandwiches:

Forgotten from 2010

I have a few projects from 2010 that I completely forgot to post! I photographed a few places for Eater SF, and had a blast cruising around to different spots around San Francisco.  Way back, even before the Giants won the World Series, I shot at Pedro's Cantina, over by AT&T Park. Here's a link to the article with my pictures.

the new place

After looking at 27 places, Natalie and I finally found and awesome place.  We live right by Alamo Square Park - walking distance to Divisadero Street restaurants and shops, and straight down Fulton Street to catch the surf at Ocean Beach.

I thought it'd be fun to make a video of moving in - the music is just something I made on the computer.





Also, there was an awesome sunrise the other day, so here's some pics of that as well.

ASMP Strictly Business 3

In my photo career here, I often think: how can I be more like my dad. He's a 'business man' - he knows how to travel, talk on the phone, get stuff done, speak in public - all the stuff most people aren't inclined to do for fun.

In that sense, Strictly Business 3 was awesome. It's an ASMP event that just happened in Los Angeles, all about getting better at those 'business' things that make or break photographers.

Meeting other photographers at different points in their careers was great. While I didn't learn too much new stuff, it was nice to get a refresher course on things like licensing, sales, negotiating, and portfolios. Plus, the instructors and members are super accessible - got a question particular to your situation? just ask them in the hallway! Everyone there is all about meeting new people, sharing ideas, making money, and doing what you love.

Coming up there's are SB3 events in Chicago and Philidelphia - all the info is on their website at ASMP.org

Nicaragua / Costa Rica

Hola,

Just down in little ol' Costa Rica, doing a bit of work and a little fun.  Tomorrow: surf excursion, and planning the next stop after our lodging fell through ("overrun by a third party." Doesn't sound like a fun party).  But, here's a few highlights from the trip so far - only day 4 of 18.

2010 Pan Mass Challenge

Hello!!

This year I'm riding the Pan Mass Challenge with my dad, brother, uncle, and friend.  It's a 192-mile, two-day ride across Massachusetts, from Sturbridge to Provincetown.  It's also the single biggest fundraising event in the US, and all donations go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

AND, I just finished an online storefront to accept donations and send out prints!  The storefront is below, or at codygantz.com/fundraiser.html

Thanks,
Cody

Art Show

Just got confirmed as an artist for H.E.Art Alliance benefit show!  It's at Space Gallery, 1141 Polk St. in San Francisco, on May 6th, 7pm-Midnight.  Sounds like fun - 21+, bar, DJ, and a silent auction - all proceeds going to disaster relief.

Fanatic food photographers

My friend Dave sent me this article from the NYTimes.com: People Who Photograph Food.

It's by Kate Murphy, about people documenting what they eat.

The only trouble with this, is trying to decide whether to enjoy the meal in the environment, or to make a picture to enjoy later. I don't usually want creating a photograph to interrupt a nice meal - I'd rather just appreciate the beauty, then dig in.

That said, I find most of the images I take with my phone are food images - the light hits just right from a cafe window, your comfortable, you can smell the ingredients - it's just something that's nice to remember and try to capture.

(Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times (center); photographs by Nora Sherman)

CS5

Here's a cool video about a new feature - content-aware deletion/fill. Shows how easy it has become to alter images!

Geek explosion

There are some things I like to get geeky about, and some things I'd rather pass up and make a nice breakfast.  This is one of those things to get your suspenders out for : Adobe's release of CS5.  A whole new suite of apps, and coupled with Lightroom 3 beta in it's second evolution, this is pretty neat for photographers especially (if you happen to use adobe products).

iPhone goes Solar

Just came across this cool green doodad (spelling?).  A photovoltaic charger for the iPhone from Novothink!  Seems to have good reviews, and is certified by Apple.

Anyone tried it yet?  Some cool videos and pictures on their blog, like this one from AtlantaTrails:

Last Day to enter Communication Arts Photo Competition!

In case you forgot/didn't know/procrastinated, today is the deadline to enter Communication Arts 2010 Photography Annual. I just uploaded two entries, and it was quite easy. Just wanted to give a motivational pat-on-the-back to anyone else who was thinking of entering. Do it!

Here's the info!

100th Post

Just found this site, CodeOrgan from my buddy (and famous beard purveyor) JD Beebe - plays what your site sounds like.

CodyGantz.com sounds pretty cool - http://www.codeorgan.com/?url=www.codygantz.com
This blog? Unfortunately awful - http://www.codeorgan.com/?url=www.codygantz.blogspot.com

New edit from knife catalog

Spent a couple hours this event editing this photo from a catalog I photographed last year.  Reminds me of Nip/Tuck, except without the weird ménage à trois vibe.  I like the texture on the metal, and played around with blending to make the background more subdued and get the knives to shine.



It's funny the different directions you can take a raw image.  The background is a light blue, button-down shirt, but I decided to make it dark to match the edgy look to knives.  Let me know what you think

Ridiculously awesome video

Synchronicity! Old cameras? Just got sent a box full of goodies - a couple Twin-Lens Reflex, Polaroid, bunch of filters. Architecture? Started working with an architectural photographer in LA.  Now, there's this sweet video by Alex Roman at Third & Seventh combining the two! It's 12mins, so give yourself a nice long break. Love the swings in depth of field, and it's paired with awesome music.


The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

b-uncut - new art marketplace

 My friend Sydney Townsend sent me news about this site.  From what I gather, it's an online art gallery, or a place to get emerging artists' work out to people who might want to purchase it.  You can read the background at b-uncut.com. At the very least, it's a collection of like-minded creative people, which is pretty cool.

Anyway, one of my photos was featured today - Floating Donut. You can see it online here, and I've also posted it. One of Sydney's images is right next to mine, too!

Gas Station - Beverly Hills

Took some photos the other night at a gas station nearby. Just playing around with processing and exposure blending - really crunching it up. Looks nothing like it actually did at capture - the sky nearly dark when I took these. That's the power, good or bad, of digital. Let me know what you think.