Making a Billboard

I love tackling projects that require expanding into new territory, so I was glad when Foothills Community Church asked me to create content for a billboard campaign called "Could This Be Church." The desire was for it to catch attention, spark curiosity, and direct passers-by to a site (CouldThisBeChurch.com), which would be a landing page to invite people to FCC's services and website.

The team decided that the graphics should convey some of the best unique features of the church in a way that people could notice in the time it takes to drive by. Here's what I put together:
I had a big desire to show so many more pictures - kids enjoying church, teenagers greeting newcomers, small groups meeting, members doing service projects in the community... I could go on. But after sifting through tons of billboard images - good and bad - it became obvious that the best billboards are optimized for the GLANCE. So I kept it to three dominant elements and composed it for clarity and cohesion. Oh, and I adapted the style from a Conan O'Brien billboard I found online:

Finally, different boards require different formats. You can see the last, massive one driving from Seneca to Clemson. I call it the "double-wide." er... double-tall? I don't know...

Watered Down

What's your least favorite thing to have watered down?

This is my first time lapse!
Music is "We Used to Wait," by Arcade Fire. You should buy their whole album!

Gear

Some of the most consistent feedback I receive involves the tools that I use, so I thought I'd post some about them, and also be able to link people to the info so they can browse at their own convenience - or level of interest!

I recently bought a Canon 60D! It's proving to be a wonderful tool for video and photos. As far as Canon goes, it fits squarely between the T3i and 7D models. It takes photos at 18 MP, has 9 AF points, and can do video at 1080p. The APS-C CMOS sensor makes it possible to shoot in low-light situations and achieve pretty narrow depth of field. Oh yeah, it has a Vari-angle LCD screen.


I also purchased Canon's EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens. This lens gets great image quality for the price! It comes in handy when things are just a little too dark, or I need to blur out a distracting background. Its build is all plastic, and it seems very fragile - like if I work out too much, my grip might break off the focus ring. But at the price, a replacement wouldn't be that bad.


I bought the camera with a kit lens: the EFS 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. It's my only wide angle for now, and my only zoom. It does great outdoors, where there's no lack of light, so I use it anytime the 50mm prime won't cut it.


I've also been using a Canon Speedlite 420EX. The 60D's built-in pop up flash can trigger this guy wirelessly, and the off-camera flash looks far superior to the classic deer-in-headlights look of most built in flashes.


This post is growing long, so I'll have to save the other equipment for another time!

Owen and the cat

Owen...


and the cat...


off to play...


oops.

More from the park!

Here are some more photos from the recent outdoors...

Rebekkah at Abernathy Park

We went to the Abernathy Park near Clemson on Sunday, and had a lot of fun with the boys. I got to take some photos too.

Home Project: Deck

Rebekkah & I pressure-sprayed and stained the back deck to our house. Everybody likes before & after photos!

Owen and Daddy Short Video

I set up a monitor so that Owen could see himself as the video recorded. This is also my first video on the Canon 60D I recently purchased.

Music is "Star of Bethlehem" by Angels and Airwaves, which you should buy!

Family at Clemson Botanical

Rebekkah and I recently took the kids to Clemson's Botanical Garden to have some fun!

My Son Owen

Owen is almost 2 years old, and almost impossible to catch for a decent photo. If you can trick him to look at you, you will get one tiny fleeting moment before he figures you out. I finally got him!

Explanation and Motivation

Over the past few years I've noticed that my personality, habits, and skill set tend to land me at intersections of art and technology. I'm interested in both, but the areas where these two paths actually cross into interdependent relationship are what I find truly fascinating.

In other words, I love modern expressions of the good, beautiful, and true. I'm interested in anything that fits into any single one of those categories, but my pulse quickens when I witness them in combination.

A blog should be a natural point of offering and interaction for such interests, so here I am!

More specifically, I hope to submit some of my work, progress, and observations in areas of digital music, animation, graphic design, digital video, digital photography, and perhaps other areas as well.