Notes from the Studio
-
2072010
Weekly photos Feb #1
Here are some more photos from my “Weekly photos” series.
You can read more about the series here. http://www.peterbelanger.com/posts/45-weekly-photos
-
2022010
Macworld GPS opener
I’m working on the opening photo for a Macworld article about iPhone GPS software. Unlike last month’s red carpet shot, we didn’t start with a sketch. This time we discussed in length what they were looking for. The concept is to show an iPhone mounted on the front windshield of a car. We started by contacting Mercedes-Benz of San Francisco to see if they would let us photograph one of their cars. They were extremely helpful and gracious. The only stipulation was we couldn’t drive it or take it off the lot—which wasn’t a problem since we were planning to composite the street view later. We were even lucky enough to have a break in all the rainy weather so we could shoot outside.
To photograph the view out the car window I rented some suction cups and mounted a camera to the hood of my car. We scouted possible locations by previewing the street view in Google Maps. The camera was tethered to my MacBook Pro, which I was manning from the passenger seat. I used the Canon capture utility to adjust exposure remotely and take the photos. Then I used Adobe Bridge to view the images after they were taken.
All the necessary parts have been photographed. The next step will be assembling everything in Photoshop. -
1312010
Weekly photos Jan #4
Here are some more photos from my “Weekly photos” series.
You can read more about the series here. http://www.peterbelanger.com/posts/45-weekly-photos
-
1282010
iPad launch
Very excited to see my photos of the iPad on Apple’s web site and the keynote video.
-
1252010
Weekly photos Jan #3
Here are some more photos from my “Weekly photos” series.
You can read more about the series here. http://www.peterbelanger.com/posts/45-weekly-photos
-
1212010
Billing Work Flow
I’ve always been curious about what work flow people have for billing. I know there are many great programs and online solutions. My work flow is always changing, so I need flexible tools. I prefer software-based solutions rather then web-only based solutions because the software solutions can be integrated with the OS better. I’m often on location and need to be able to access information when I don’t have an internet connection.
I use Blinkbid for my contacts, estimates and invoices.
I use iCal for my calendar along with OX server to host my own iCal server. This allows me to add and edit the calendar from all my computers and from my iPhone. The other thing I’ve found really useful about iCal is keeping track of billing. In the notes area of every job on the calendar I add the date when I invoiced the client and when payment was received. I also add a link to the original email that was sent and attach a copy of the invoice.
During the project I need to keep track of expenses that will help me when invoicing the client. For this I use Evernote. I have a job log in Evernote that my assistant or I can fill out. The great thing about Evernote is that I can edit the job log from my iPhone, web or a desktop client.
When I’m on location I use Scanner Pro on my iPhone to add receipts. Scanner Pro then sends the receipts to Evernote. It makes adding receipts fun and easy.
After everything is billed and payment is received I use Quickbooks to keep track of everything for the accountant. -
1182010
Weekly photos Jan #2
Here are some more photos from my “Weekly photos”series.
You can read more about the series here. http://www.peterbelanger.com/posts/45-weekly-photos
-
1162010
Dwell Night Tables
No matter how long I spend on an image it’s always a thrill to see it in the final layout. The images I shot with the dry ice a few months ago (http://www.peterbelanger.com/posts/42-dry-ice) were just published in Dwell Magazine. Something about seeing the photo with the final text layered on it, in print, is so satisfying.
-
1102010
Weekly Photos Jan #1
Here are some more photos from my “Weekly photos” series
-
1042010
HP ad
A few months ago I worked on a project for an HP ad. Over the holidays I was excited to see the final product in the December 28 issues of Newsweek and Time magazines.
