I recently had the opportunity to shoot promotional images for Rap For Food, an Ann Arbor-based music group that performs music and advocates for locally grown food and sustainable food production.
I shot their musical performance at Honey Creek Community School’s Earth Day celebration, and also did promotional images (including headshots, such as the one shown below of Rap For Food founder Lucas DiGia). It was a nice chance to do both documentary-style work as well as more produced images.
As I mentioned in my last blog post about my music, I’ve been working on a new solo album during 2012. Here are links to my last few updates, which I’m hosting on my label site, chromedecay.
Most of my previous work as a solo artist has been doing strictly instrumental electronic music. The biggest departures from that were the two ambient guitar records I produced (“6 strings for a winter’s day“, and “the ghost of an idea“), and even those use lots of electronic production.
As you may be able to gather from my talk of “songs”, and from all the guitar you see me playing in these videos, this new record will be a departure, or perhaps an evolution, from my electronic music. There will still be electronic production and sounds, and a big focus on the textures that are a defining part of my previous work. However, I’m really excited to work on some songs for this record.
One of the most helpful things I’ve ever read as a creative person was Twyla Tharp’s “The Creative Habit“. In her book, Tharp talks about knowing how you see the world and how that translates in your art. I realized that I tend toward the wide-angle view, taking in textures, ambience, setting, season, and location. The titles of my previous work is a testament to that (“Autumn DSP”, “6 strings for a winter’s day”, “raindays”, etc).
This new work, in the other hand, seeks to build up that backdrop of location and ambience, and put something personal and intimate in front of that. Not everything in the record will likely have lyrics and singing, but some of it will. This is shaping up to be the most personal record I’ve ever made, and I am excited about the possibilities of it.
I’ve decided to record a new solo album during 2012. More details and an announcement video can be found on my label’s site, chromedecay:
http://www.chromedecay.org/2012/01/03/new-bill-van-loo-album-announcement/
This record will be composed, recorded, and produced during 2012, with monthly updates to be posted. I’m really excited about this project; I intend it to be deeply personal, spiritual, and to be a true reflection of my wide-ranging musical sensibilities.
As in many years past, I’ve compiled a list of what music really grabbed hold of me this year. 2011 saw me spending much time working on one musical project (company 7) to the exclusion of much else, but this is what I listened to the most.
Gungor: Ghosts upon the earth
An absolutely stunning record from start to finish; it is, by turns, melancholy, hopeful, dense, orchestrated, and deep. See also my notes (below) on their live performance.
Owl City: All Things Bright and Beautiful
A wonderful bit of synth-pop; this was the soundtrack to much of my summer.
Foreign Exchange: Leave it all behind
Thanks to the well-stocked collection of the Ypsilanti District Library and Spotify, I never actually bought this, but still managed to listen to it a ton. Such smooth and soulful stuff, almost perfect modern R&B.
Sara Groves: Invisible Empires
Sara Groves writes amazing songs, and this record is no exception.
Black Dub: Black Dub
A stellar piece of work from Daniel Lanois, Trixie Whitley, and the rest of the players Lanois assembled for this.
United Pursuit Band: Found
This is a more atmospheric, ambient release from United Pursuit (a favorite for several years). Excellent stuff.
Josh Garrels: Love & War & The Sea Inbetween
I came across this thanks to Josh’s contribution to the Mason Jar Music Presents series of live videos performances and his album being released free on NoiseTrade. Highly recommended. (See also the whole Mason Jar Music Presents and Serialbox Presents series for a take on what the future of music looks like – independent bands, careful and artistic use of the revolutionary new HDDSLR filmmaking gear, and a DIY ethic and aesthetic. Inspiring).
I managed to see some amazing live performances this year, happily by some of the artists who made my favorite records this year as well!
Sara Groves (Muskegon, MI)
Sara Groves writes the songs of my married-with-kids life. She is a remarkable performer who invites you to become part of her family for a time while she’s on stage. My heart was filled with joy at the chance to see her again in the same small venue that my wife and I saw her at in 2005. Truly a special night of music and worship.
Gungor (Royal Oak, MI)
Even though Gungor was technically an opening act for David Crowder*Band (who put on a great show in their own right), Gungor really was what stood out for me from this show. Tremendous musicianship, and a masterful performance.
Vitek (Ypsilanti, MI)
My band, Company 7, had the opportunity to open for Vitek, and we were all blown away by what great performers they are. Amazing musicians.
Black Dub (Detroit, MI)
This was truly a treat: a chance to see Daniel Lanois at the helm of his own live band in a small setting (Magic Stick in Detroit). Heart and soul music.
I’ve read a lot of books this year, thanks in part to the joy of tracking things through GoodReads (see my profile on GoodReads). For some reason, keeping track of what I’ve read and want to read in the future has spurred my reading on in ways I didn’t expect.
Here’s the list of what I read in 2011:
In the Company of Soldiers: A Chronicle of Combat in Iraq, by Rick Atkinson
The Long Gray Line: The American Journey of West Point’s Class of 1966, by Rick Atkinson
Rick Atkinson may be my favorite writer covering military issues – he brings a fantastic balance of experience and objectivity. I’m greatly anticipating the third in his “Liberation Trilogy” about the Allied forces in Europe during World War II.
The New Cool, by Neal Bascomb
A great story about a high school FIRST robotics team. Inspiring.
Battle of Wits: The Complete Story of Codebreaking in World War II, by Stephen Budiansky
Triumph and Tragedy, by Winston S. Churchill
Finally finished the last of Churchill’s World War II memoirs. It was a long slog, but worth it.
Soul Mining, by Daniel Lanois
A beautiful, impressionist look at the work of my favorite music producer.
Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World, by Michael Lewis
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, by Michael Lewis
I got slightly obsessed with Michael Lewis’s writing this year; he has the rare talent of taking things I would never be interested in (the financial meltdown, valuations of football players by position, etc) and making them incredibly intriguing.
Incredible Victory: The Battle of Midway, by Walter Lord
American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964, William Raymond Manchester
Manchester is a fantastic biographer whose work I first read when I tackled his biography of Winston Churchill. This is another excellent piece.
Roosevelt’s Secret War: FDR and World War II Espionage, Joseph E. Persico
Not recommended; this is a strange and scattered accounting of the USA’s World War II espionage and codebreaking. Battle of Wit, by Stephen Budiansky, is much better.
Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign 1941-1945, by Evan Thomas
Spare Parts: From Campus to Combat: A Marine Reservist’s Journey from Campus to Combat in 38 Days, by Buzz Williams
Billy Boyle: A World War II Mystery (Billy Boyle World War II, #1), by James R. Benn
Pacific Glory: A Novel, by P.T. Deutermann
Enigma, by Robert Harris
Los Alamos, by Joseph Kanon
Lots of WWII-era fiction here; “Pacific Glory” may have been the best among them, but none are really essential. This was basically light summer reading.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
I finally read this after years of gentle (and not-so-gentle) suggestion by my lovely wife, and I regret not having read it sooner. A masterpiece.
Reamde, by Neal Stephenson
The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer, by Neal Stephenson
Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
Stephenson’s new work, “Reamde”, spurred me on to re-reading “Cryptonomicon” for the fourth or fifth time. “Crytonomicon” is still my absolute favorite of his books, but “Readme” was entertaining; it’s more a thriller (think Bourne Identity) than a piece of historical or science fiction.
The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk
Next week I’ll be attending the 2011 ITEEA Conference in Minneapolis, MN. This is my fourth year attending the conference, and I always enjoy shooting photos at it. I thought I’d do a post that gives a little behind-the-scenes of what photography gear I’ll be bringing, and more importantly, the decision making process that went into figuring this out.
photo from the 2010 ITEEA conference
CAMERA GEAR
After shooting this conference for several years, I’m more and more comfortable with what gear I am bringing. Here’s this year’s list:
Canon T1i camera
Canon 70-300mm lens
Canon 18-55mm lens
Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens
Canon 430EZ flash
Yongnuo CTR-301p radio trigger (one trigger, one receiver)
This kit gives me all the range I need to cover everything I’ll likely encounter. The zoom plus flash will give me nice coverage for the keynotes, and the 50mm f/1.8 is great in low light and for quick portraits.
NASA’s Lee Morin addresses the audience during his keynote at ITEEA 2010
Along with this, there’s the necessary support stuff:
Canon battery charger
extra Canon batteries (2)
extra Eneloop AA batteries (4) for the flash
SD cards – 8GB (1), 4GB (2)
Crumpler 5 million dollar home camera bag
Gallon ziplock bags
After some internal debate, I’ve decided to also bring a small point-and-shoot camera, for a few very specific reasons. I’ll be bringing a Canon Powershot SD780IS, which is a great little pocket camera that can also shoot HD video. I’ll be using it for a “feel” camera, and possibly as a second camera for a short video segment I’m planning on shooting.
Here’s a great article on using a camera because of its feel – granted, it’s a $8000 Leica M9, but the idea is sort of the same.
http://www.overgaard.dk/leica-M9-digital-rangefinder-camera.html
I did a project like this last year, shooting a pocket camera on high ISO and black-and-white, and I really liked the photojournalistic feel this gave my images.
City of Lights: Behind the Scenes photos
I’ll be planning on shooting this camera at ISO 1600, doing black-and-white in-camera. This will be a perfect companion for the big DSLR rig, especially since it’s completely silent (and if I turn off the auto-focus beam, almost completely impossible to tell that a photo is being taken). I am going to be using this camera to look for the out-of-the-way moments, not the big highlights.
LIGHT STAND/CAMERA SUPPORT
I’ve spent way too much time debating whether to bring some kind of light stand that can also work as a camera support. I will be shooting the keynotes and sessions, which will mean the flash will likely just stay on the camera for that time. However, I’m also planning on shooting some posed portraits like the IdeaGarden group portrait, plus shots of some of the teacher and program award winners. For this, it would be nice to have a light stand and some way to hold a light modifier.
last year’s IdeaGarden group shot
My first thought was to bring my lightweight aluminum tripod, along with a Manfrotto 026 Umbrella Adapter
I then started thinking about my DIY mic stand to 1/4″ converters, thinking I’d be able to scrounge a mic stand at the conference and just use that. After a few emails to the event organizer, it turned out that it would cost them close to $50/day to rent a mic stand from their AV company – pure extortion, in my opinion! I think I’m settled on bringing just a spring clamp with Manfrotto micro-ballhead, plus a mic-to-1/4″ adapter on the off chance that there’s a spare mic stand floating around that I can snag.
spring clamp with Manfrotto micro-ballhead
In the end, I’ve decided I’ll bring the following, all of which will fit in my laptop or camera bag:
Spring clamp with Manfrotto 492 Ball Head
Interfit 5 in 1 Collapsible Reflector
Mic stand to 1/4″ stud adaptor
gaff tape
I think this will work nicely – I can always press people into service as Voice-Assisted Light Stands (VALs), holding flashes and my reflector/diffuser. When I go to shoot portraits, I can keep the flash on-camera if needed and bounce off the reflector, or take the flash off the camera using the Yongnuo CTR-301P triggers, and have a VAL hold the flash and refelector. One thing I love about the 5-in-1 reflector: I can take the cover off, and it becomes a nice diffuser, allowing me to shoot the flash through it, similar to how I’d use the 43″ Westcott umbrella with the cover off as a shoot-through umbrella. I can also use just the reflector if there’s reasonable available light, although this is rare at the conference (generally there’s pretty poor light quality from fluorescents, and usually not enough light in general).
I’m very much looking forward to attending and shooting this conference!
As in past years (here’s last year’s list), I made a list of my favorite records from 2010. As always, this is an entirely personal list, not an attempt to sum up the best records released in 2010 – this is what made an impact on me.
ALBUMS/EPs:
Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
Black Dub – Black Dub
The Press Delete – EP
Jars of Clay – The Shelter
Various Artists – Passion: Awakening
Will Reagan & United Pursuit Band – In the Night Season
Sara Watkins – Sara Watkins
Burial/Kode9 – BBC Mary Anne Hobbs DJ Mix
SONGS
Gungor – Beautiful Things
Israel Houghton – Saved by Grace, Love God Love People
As 2010 passes by and 2011 begins, I want to say thank you to all who have helped me become a better photographer this past year.
The first mention has to go to Chase Jarvis and the creativeLIVE organization. As a teacher myself, I am totally amazed by how creativeLIVE is changing the model of education. Their free online seminars were a real touch point for my learning this year. I was fortunate enough to be able to watch some of all 6 photography master classes for free throughout the year, and each one was an amazing learning opportunity. Thanks to Zach Arias, Jeremy Cowart, David DuChemin, Tamara Lackey, Jasmine Star and Vincent LaForet – you have made a difference in my work and life!
Joe McNally is always an inspiration – he blends fantastic writing and teaching with such depth of experience and knowledge that it’s hard to believe you actually get to tap into it through his videos and blog posts. Thank you!
I would be remiss in not mentioning the Strobist blog by David Hobby – year after year it continues to be an incredible source of information about off-camera lighting and photography in general. I’m currently reading Light: Science and Magic based on the continued mentions on his blog, and it is another great resource.
Gary Cosby’s A Little Newsphotojournalism blog was another source of great inspiration this year. Like myself, Gary is a Christian and he has a wonderful ability to write about the intersection between his faith and his work. He went through a tragic year, losing his young son to Down’s Syndrome, but throughout the whole ordeal his honest writing and willingness to share his pain, hope and faith were inspiring.
As I did last year, I’ve compiled a list of what I read this summer. The summer months are always a chance for me to unwind (one of the benefits of being a teacher!) and catch up on reading. This summer was a mix of reading areas, as usual.
Non-Fiction: History
I’ve been on a 2-year World War 2 history kick, and this summer I got to finish off the second of Winston S. Churchill’s histories of WWII. I also read about the Monuments Men, and learned the history of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives section of the US Army.
Winston S. Churchill – Their Finest Hour
Robert Edsel – The Monuments Men
Non-Fiction: Photography
One thing I love about the Ypsilanti District Library is their willingness to take suggestions for new purchases from patrons. They ordered both of these titles for me, and I very much enjoyed reading them. The David duChemin book was especially meaningful, as it helped me figure out the voice and vision for my burgeoning freelance photography business.
Joe McNally – The Moment it Clicks
David duChemin – VisionMongers: Making a Life and a Living in Photography
Non-Fiction: Essays
I love reading good longform essays. I’d read a few of the David Foster Wallace pieces before, including the title essay in his collection “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again”, but never read most of the others. Longform.org was also a great source for new essays.
David Foster Wallace – A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again
lots of essays from longform.org
Fiction: Adult
The two Daniel Suarez books in this list predict a dystopian near-future. Scarily prescient at times.
Daniel Suarez – Daemon
Daniel Suarez – FreedomTM
Gayle Lynds – The Book of Spies
Fiction: Young Adult
I have a soft spot for good YA fiction, and this summer our family all read the Percy Jackson books. Good fun.
Rick Riordan – The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)
Rick Riordan – The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2)
Rick Riordan -The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3)
Rick Riordan -The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 4)
I’m taking a 21-day break (minimum) from Facebook. Here’s why.
I’ve been spending too much time obsessing (there’s no other word for it, really) over whether people are reading my posts, commenting on them, etc. This is self-obsession, and it’s unhealthy. You could argue that assuming people care about me being away from Facebook is also somewhat self-absorbed 🙂
Our church is starting a 21-day fast today, and while I’m partially fasting food, I’m also fasting Facebook. This is a chance to reset my priorities.
Instead of spending time looking for anything new from me, take a few minutes to watch this video instead; it’s excellent.
