From Phone to Frame
Turn Your Smartphone Snaps into Stunning Art!
Amid the countless photos on your smart device, there must be a few gems worth displaying! Whether it's selfies, pet pics, family snaps, nature shots, flower photos, or travel memories, why not adorn your space with your art? Imagine your photos printed on long-lasting, fade-resistant fine art papers or stretched canvas, beautifully framed and matted to perfection.
The process is a simple team effort: You point, click, shoot, and send. Together, we design either in person or via email or text. We print, mount, and frame. You hang, smile, and enjoy!
How to and Tips for Success:
Set your device camera to capture large file sizes.
We will help you determine how large your photo can go and what sizes will ensure a high-quality image.
Set your device email to send the largest file size possible.
Email us at redwingframing@gmail.com with the subject: ATTN Phone to Frame.
Include your name, phone number, any preferences or wishes, and your preferred method of design (in person or online).
We're excited to help you transform your smartphone snaps from phone to frame!
Hole in the Wall
Supporting a Rising Filmmaker: My Niece's Journey
My niece is on her way to becoming a famous filmmaker. Recently, she won a grant from the IFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts, enabling her to film and produce her original screenplay, "Hole in the Wall." It's a short film that explores the intergenerational tension between a father and a son.
I had the privilege of shooting still set photography during the movie production. We shot the exteriors on the first day and the interiors on the second day. The interiors were filmed in a dilapidated house in Minneapolis with extremely small rooms. I used an extremely wide lens and shot mostly from the hip to capture the tightness of the set and minimize camera intrusion.
It was a fascinating yet tedious process. Everything was captured on real film, which presents its own challenges. A single overhead jetliner can ruin a shot, and you never know if there was a light leak until after the film is processed.
In the top photo, my niece Mandy is on the left, reviewing a shot setup. The bottom photo shows the primary room where the father confronts the son.
Trains are cool
It is difficult to take a bad picture of a moving train. They are just that photogenic.
Trains are big and powerful. They kick up dust wherever they go and nothing better get in the way of a moving train.
Slow your shutter speed down, find a static element in the foreground and shoot as many exposure combinations as you can, as quickly as you can.
American Poverty and Catholic Charities USA wrap-up
Final Chapter of the Poverty Awareness Photojournalism Exhibit
This week marks the final chapter of the poverty awareness photojournalism exhibit entitled "In Our Own Backyard." This exhibit has crisscrossed the United States for the past 18 months and next week the exhibit finishes in Washington DC at the annual Leadership Summit for Catholic Charities.
Since this is the final and highest-profile stop of the tour, all of the large-format images are being reprinted and remounted, which is close to 120 images.
It is a very moving set of images, addressing all manners of poverty and everyday life. It is really hard not to stop and soak up the texture and realism of each image.
This has been a challenging and gratifying project. One of the best parts of this project has been working with Steve Liss. He is a natural-born educator and an amazing photojournalist who gets right into the thick of it.
Time for a Max Becherer update
Max Becherer Update
It has been 18 months since the last Max Becherer update. Just to refresh, we came to know Max five years ago when we hosted his photojournalism exhibit entitled "Through the Lens: Life in Iraq." Max has been in Iraq since the very beginning of the conflict (remember "shock and awe"?) and has seen action in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Gaza.
Max has since gotten married and splits his time between Cairo, Egypt, and California when he isn't in the field. He is still a combat photojournalist and remains extremely talented. Max's work has been featured in Newsweek, Time, The New York Times, The New Yorker, US News and World Report, and Men's Health.
Please visit Max's website and enjoy his talent. It is rare to see photography this deep in the action.
Richard Nixon, the everyman
Richard Nixon's Bowling Alley
In 1969, friends of Richard Nixon paid for and had a two-lane bowling alley installed in the lower level of the Executive Office Building. Nixon was an avid bowler and spent quite a bit of time at this bowling alley over the next five years. He had been known to bowl up to twenty games without a break.
Ollie Atkins, the official White House photographer, snapped this photo in 1970. Later that year, Nixon's White House staff used this photo to demonstrate that Nixon was not out of touch with the average citizen and was, in fact, just like any other citizen.
The photo later achieved iconic status due to a single scene from the 1998 film "The Big Lebowski."
There is a tremendous amount of public domain imagery available from the US Government, some of it noteworthy and historically significant, and some of it kitschy. Since it was paid for with tax dollars, it really is owned by the public.
A Bully Pulpit hiatus
This note is being added after the fact. May was a nearly overwhelming month between work, a mini-vacation, graduations and non-profit activity. In lieu of posting anything of substance, here is a photo that was taken in May.
Grand Marias, MN on May 24, 2010. The fog was very thick and the air was very gray. Probably not a good idea to stand in the middle of the road, but it was awesome.