Turkey
So we get to the garden place and since we only had the 5D and the 30D, I insisted on using the 5D. My mindset at the time was that if I had the 5D, I could take better photos (both cameras had the same lenses.) So after much squabbling, Gilbert agreed to give me the 5D. So we took a bunch of photos, and as we always did after, we had slideshows for each other to showcase our shots. Gilbert’s shots were a million times better than mine. And I was distraught. I just couldn’t understand why my photos came out like crap since I used the better camera!
Since then I realized that it wasn’t about the camera (I mean, obviously, the type of camera has something to do with the quality of the shot), but with any photo medium, one can still take fairly descent shots if the creativity is there.
So a few weeks ago, I decided to attempt to prove that I can still take photos with my iPhone 4 and make them look just as creative as photos taken with a professional camera.
I’m still ironing out ways to take better quality photos with the iPhone 4, but below are my first set of attempts:
Capturing the sunset in Bishop, California
Walking down Sunset Blvd. in Silverlake
Top of the Canyon Express chair lift at Mammoth Mountain
Outside the surplus store on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Vine St.
Reflecting myself off of Gilbert's sunglasses
Capturing the sun hitting this house, making the colors of the stucco vibrant and glowing
Sitting in traffic, capturing a self portrait through a car visor mirror
Resting on the ungroomed Follow Me trail in Mammoth Mountain, looking up and seeing the chairlifts operate above me
Sitting in traffic in San Francisco, capturing the intensity of the direct sunlight on the Embarcadero
Driving to Mammoth, capturing the beauty of the 395
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I attended a presentation given by Ben Blumenfeld, the communication design manager for Facebook, at the AIGA Conference today. As a Facebook addict myself, getting an inside perspective on how the Facebook design team approaches problems and ideas, was very insightful to me.
Blumenfeld talked about 3 main points when approaching design:
1. Ship and Iterate
When Blumenfeld’s design team is given a design problem to solve, their approach is to come up with an idea and execute it right away as opposed to drafting it over and over to perfection before launching it. He says that if it fails, they will fix it and try again. But if they don’t ship, then they will never know if it will be a failure or a success. They don’t discuss it until they are blue in the face. They go right to work on it.
My key takeaway here is that they don’t waste time talking about it. You can talk about something until you’re blue in the face. But until you build it and ship it so others can use it, you won’t know if your theory will really work. So what would the point of the theory be if it’s not implemented? It’s just theory.
That explains why I log into Facebook one day and see some new features, then the next day, the features are gone.
2. Leverage by using existing tools for greater reach
The newsfeed, groups, fan pages, and the translation tool are a few examples that are being leveraged.
Blumenfeld gives the example of a guy (who’s name escapes me) who was completely against FARC (the revolutionary forces of Columbia) and what they stood for. So, one night, he went online and created a Facebook group which represented his feelings towards FARC.
By morning, 150,000 people had joined that group, and the numbers continued to grow. Eventually, the group members asked him what they should all do now? This guy had unexpectedly and single handedly gathered hundreds of thousands of like minded people from all over the world in a short period of time, just by creating a Facebook group one night online, and which probably took him no longer than a few minutes to create. How amazing is that?
He since organized protests against FARC in different parts of the world to which hundreds of thousands of people showed up for.
It’s incredible that one Facebook group could draw in so many people globally. Talk about leveraging a tool to success!
3. Be data informed
Blumenfeld’s team approaches design in many ways, including that of their own gut feelings. When their gut tells them that an idea will work, they go for it, build it, then take the risk and put it out there for the public to use. Then the observe the numbers, the clicks, the results, and modify it from that data. Again, if they talked about it and didn’t execute, they wouldn’t move forward.
This guy’s presentation rocked. He was down to earth, no arrogance, no ego… just completely himself, and the love for his work and the company shined through.
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I attended Emily Carr’s Management By Design workshop today at the AIGA Make/Think Conference in Memphis – Though some of her points seemed like no-brainer solutions, she did have some useful tips on better practices in design & project management:
1. Most people don’t like being told what to do, especially designers
- “So much of project management is how to interact with people” she says, so supporting people, making them feel like you’ve got their back is important.
- Find out what the designer/team member wants to do first and work with that desire to get the task done. “If I have to tell people what to do, I have failed in my communication,” Carr says.
- If a team member wants to do something, he/she will do it willingly, but it takes a delicate form of communication to get there.
2. Make sure you understand the personal strengths & weaknesses of your team & clients
- “You can’t change anyone” and “People will never be the way you expect them to be” are 2 assumptions that must be embraced
- Having said the above, YOU must be the most flexible person on your team.
- People who like each other tend to be more productive and do a better job.
- Getting to know clients/team members on a more personal basis is a good way to learn of their personal strengths/weaknesses. Then you can match clients with the team members who are compatible.
3. Make the client part of your project team
- Work with clients and not against them. Choose your own battles, and build a positive relationship with them. Positive equals productive.
- Difficult clients really just want to be heard. Listen to them, hear them out & understand them. Through this, you will build a solid relationship which makes for a successful project outcome.
4. Resolve conflicts quickly
- Conflict is not necessarily a bad thing, but unresolved conflict is.
- Be intuitive about passive conflicts as well. Carr describes using your gut to determine if there’s something sour going on between you and your client. And if you feel that there is, then approach the conflict delicately but definitely resolve it.
5. Make meetings valuable
- So many people hate meetings because so many meetings are a waste of time.
- “Meetings are useless if they’re not valuable” says Carr, so be sure that if you’re going to call a meeting, be sure that everyone who you invite to the meeting knows exactly why they are there.
- Focusing on only one kind of meeting at a time is the best approach. For example, if you’re calling a brainstorming meeting, don’t digress and start discussing schedule or budget.
- Always have one person run the meeting and be mindful of the time when there is sharing involved. You want everyone to get a chance to speak and not have the meeting run overtime.
6. Use project management tools that are easy
- Carr mentions Basecamp and Function Fox and Google Calendar are a few project management tools that seem fairly easy to use.
- Be sure to use a tool that everyone can access without much effort.
- Carr believes that emails are a good tool for documenting, but not that effective for showing designs. (I actually disagree with that as most of my client interface has been through email alone and has worked out much more productively than meeting in person and wasting commute time – that being said, kick off meetings and brainstorms are best done in person, but check-in meetings are just as effective remotely in my opinion)
7. When juggling a variety of projects, understand which projects are going to be profitable from the start
- For projects that are profitable, budget in for extras such as when a client feels the need to have a personal phone conversations
- If the client is happy with you, they will give you more work.
8. Don’t accept black holes
- Black hole definition: when no one is sure what you’re supposed to be doing
- The biggest mistake at the start of a project is when you assume you can figure it out along the way.
- Be upfront about scope. A proposal must be clear and concise.
- Don’t be afraid to say no.
- If you give anything away to the client for free, be sure that the client knows what you are giving him.
9. Know what the plan is for the team and the client
- Set limits – have parameters around design and time
- Client needs to know that a project is work for them too – they must gather information and give feedback.
10. Always evaluate progress against the big idea
- Always be clear of your concept and goal so you can build a case for your designs
- To learn more about a client’s goals, have them complete a creative brief questionnaire
- When presenting your designs to a client, always restate the problem and goal first before revealing designs
Greek Island ceramics
Santorini walls
Palace steps in Istanbul
Patriotic Turkey
Gates in Santorini
Lights at the Grand Bazaar
Rugs at the Grand Bazaar
Preserving the past
An Istanbul morning
Turkish delight love
Blue Mosque sky
Intricate Turkish coffee ibriks
Turkish scarves and bowls
Spice Bazaar mountains
Red floors in the Blue Mosque
Vibrant Turkish colors
Lighting up the Grand Bazaar
Fake ID on the streets
Water chaos in Naxos
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