Red Sky Creative

Crickets

Yeah, I know.  The blog has been a bit quite lately.  The past two weeks were a complete whirlwind.  Most of the stuff keeping me busy was family and friends related, but I did crank out two website builds in record time.  I have also been avoiding taking any pictures in anticipation of my new camera.  Now that it has arrived (after waiting for two months), I have plans for a lot of new Austin photos.  Stay tuned.  I should be back into the groove soon.

Posted on 4 March 2009 | 4:25 pm

Embracing Meta Data

I love things to be organized and it’s time I finally make the effort. In 2000, I started taking digital images and created an organizational structure that I have been using ever since. I used a folder structure by camera, year, and then by event. This structure worked for me until my library reached 80,000+ images. The problem came when someone asked me for all my pictures of Austin. I realized at that point that I would have to do something if I wanted to maintain any kind of portfolio.

After discovering tagging structures like the one used in delicious, I came to the conclusion that this was the only way to go. Folder structures are quickly becoming useless. The only way to organize large quantities of data is to use meta data. Unlike most options, meta data lives inside each file and is therefore completely platform independent.

Adding meta data to 80,000+ files may seem impossible, but adobe bridge makes the process somewhat manageable. In bridge, you can create a set of keywords that you commonly use and then add them by checking the box next to the keyword. Here is a quick little video on how to use meta data in Bridge. (http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/bridge/articles/lrvid4013_bri.html)

As I complete the project, I hope to be blogging and posting a much stronger portfolio than I’ve shown in the past. I don’t think I have a lack of quality work, but simply a lack of ways to find it.

Posted on 9 February 2009 | 8:06 am

Post Bench

My dad tore down his fence and hauled all the posts to my house.  I used a couple of them on other projects and then came up with this idea.  This design would actually be quite simple and easy if the posts were new, but these posts were in the ground for 30 years.  It took a lot of powerful clamps and a lot of sanding with 36 grit paper to get it looking half way decent.  The posts are joined with half inch dowls and a whole lot of wood glue.  The white stripe was Amy’s idea to give it a more modern look.

Posted on 5 February 2009 | 4:08 pm

Cement Pot

After seeing the prices at some of these landscape places, I decided to try to make my own planting containers.  Amy helped me by drawing up the design in CAD to get all the angles so I wouldn’t have to spend a lot of time calculating them.  I like math and all, but I wanted the thickness of the concrete to taper for strength which introduces a lot more angles and I was anxious to get started. The project ended up being a little trickier than I expected.  I spent a lot of time making the mold real nice and smooth to make it release from the cement after setting, but all my efforts were in vain.  I expected the cement to expand when it hardened, but didn’t realize the full impact on my mold.  Two of the inner sides could not be removed with out cutting and prying.  I have a couple of solutions, but haven’t made the effort to rebuild the mold.  It doesn’t look big in the pictures, but it is a foot and a half tall and weighs well over 170 pounds.

The process is to mix and pour the cement into the mold and pack the cement while pouring to avoid air pockets.  At the bottom of the pot, use a pipe to make the drain hole.  Let it sit and dry for a couple of days.  Remove the mold fill in any gaps or rough areas with mortar.  Stain with concrete stain of your choice and then seal with a clear coat.

Materials:

• 2.5 80 lb bags of crack resistent Quikcrete
• liquid Quikcrete for patching
• concrete stain
• plywood
• screws
• short pipe 1.5 inches in diameter

Posted on 3 February 2009 | 4:07 pm

Mainstreet Model Homes

Occasionally I get the opportunity to take photos for Mainstreet Homes.  These are some of my favorites from this years Best Product Design entries.  Thanks to my awesome friend Rachel, I used a 16-35mm f2.8 L for this shoot.  It made the shoot go so much smoother to have the extra wide angle without the distortion.  I think I just might have to invest in one for myself.

Posted on 1 February 2009 | 4:17 pm