Straight up. This is a fantastic lens. I love everything about it. It’s unique, tactile, involving, solid and damn fun. Would I recommened it to everyone? Well, that’s a tough call.

My version is the production version (black ring).
Photo from 43rumors.com

So, here are my reasons for loving this lens.

It’s a film lens. Having spent time around motion picture cameras, handling this lens reminds me of glass we used to carefully pass around the set for an Arri 16mm. The rings are buttery smooth and offer a solid resistence. They’re also “geared” (as in the texture of the ring), as if to mate with follow-focus units, more evidence this is more video focused. For photography, focusing takes time and care. To overcome this hurdle, I leave it on inifinty, wide open and ISO on auto. A snap shot just requires a tiny focus adjustment if the subject is any closer than a few feet away. But part of the joy of photography for me is getting involved in the subject, up close and person. Another reason why the 12mm/24mm range is so fun for me. Although I do love shooting video (see my travelogue with the GH2 & 20mm 1.7), photography is what I spend most my time with.

The glare. Yeop. There’s glare. Try shooting towards a light source at f/1.6 and you’ll hear “Crimson and Clover” echoing in the distance. Stop is down just a tad, and the glare disappears. I like this quirk though.

Clarity and quality. Certainly not as crisp as my other favorite lens, the panasonic 20mm 1.7, but this is still a serious lens. It produces images that feel very intamite, sincere and cinematic. There’s distortion, but it all adds to the mojo.

Size and weight. The HyperPrime is a big, hefty, solid lens. My one complain about the construction is that there is some wiggle in the m4/3 mount that attaches the lens to the GH2. There’s a very tiny bit of play, and because turning the rings requires some force, you can feel it all the time. Perhaps this is just mine. If you have one, I’d like to know please!

All in all, this lens suits me and my approach to photography. It’s involving to use, opens up many creative options, forces you to really craft your shot and produces images that draw you in. It’s not for everyone, but for those it is for, this is truely a special lens.

Here are examples of my past week with this lens. All shot on the GH2 (setting on “Smooth”), enjoying in the fall wonderland in and around my city, Toronto.

(cick images to enlarge)

A series of photos from an incredible solo motorcycle journey across Laos in April 2011. Watch the video version here.

CAMERA
——————————-
Panasonic Lumix GH2
20mm 1.7
14-42mm

Click to expand.

Type: Website (Educational)
When: October, 2010
Client: Rain43
Role: Information Architecture & Usability

To be honest, coming into this project I only had basic knowledge of cancer prevention. However, after many sessions with all the great staff, and hours with case studies, reports and articles, my eyes were certainly opened. “Breast Aware” is a online resource specifically for the public to increase awareness of cancer prevention through postiive lifestyle choices. After sorting and understanding the content and the audience, I create comprehensive wireframes for a very personal and personalized user experience. Not only was content served to based on your own personal factors (smoker, regular excercise, family history, etc.), but reminders served and points awarded for achieving goals, such as booking an examination, reducing stressful factors and reducing alcohol consumption.

Pretty cool.

Coldplay’s haunting classic ‘The Scientist’ is performed by country music legend Willie Nelson for the soundtrack of the short film entitled, “Back to the Start.” The film, by film-maker Johnny Kelly, depicts the life of a farmer as he slowly turns his family farm into an industrial animal factory before seeing the errors of his ways and opting for a more sustainable future. Both the film and the soundtrack were commissioned by Chipotle to emphasize the importance of developing a sustainable food system.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMfSGt6rHos

Click here to watch this in its full 720p high definition glory, directly on the Vimeo site!

Presenting an incredibly dramatic travelogue of my April 2011 adventure, revisiting friends in Bangkok, motorcycling solo for a week and a half throughout Laos, and an epic two weeks with my wife in Bali, Indonesia.

CONTENTS
——————————-
0:00 Thailand
3:45 Laos
10:45 Bali, Indonesia

MUSIC (in order)
——————————-
“Call” from “A Memory Stream” by “The American Dollar”
“Love Like A Sunset II” from “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” by “Phoenix”
“Ready to Start” from “The Suburbs” by “Arcade Fire”
“Helena Beat” by “Foster the People”
“Into The Sea” from “Into The Blue Again” by “The Album Leaf”

CAMERA
——————————-
Panasonic Lumix GH2
20mm 1.7 (Mostly)
14-42mm (If I had to. It’s garbage.)

VIA
——————————-
By any means (Thailand)
Honda XR250 Baja (Laos)
Honda Jazz (Bali)

Type: Interactive Film Porposal
When: January / February 2011
Client: NFB, National Film Board of Canada / Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Collaborator: Raj Panikkar

Just a month after completing my first project for the NFB, I was gratefully asked again to submit an interactive film concept on the theme of privacy and our human rights. As a joint project between the NFB and the CMHR (Canadian Museum for Human Rights), our proposal, entitled “Right Click”, would engage Canadians and weave their own personal digital footprint into an engaging exploration of the our privacy and rights in a changing online environment. I had the pleasure to work with Raj Panikkar, a long time collaborator (whom you can see in the Peru photo gallery) in the creation of this proposal.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights enshrines for us several inalienable rights. In Article 12 it states that “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.” The Declaration was signed long before our current digital age, which has opened up a new universe of possibilities.

One of the challenges we now face is a direct threat to our privacy. The ease of information sharing and the rise of the digital economy have paired together to make our world the least private it’s ever been. And often it seems citizens are not even aware to what degree they are compromising their privacy. However, this age and this challenge also pose new opportunities; the topic is far more complex.

Right Click is an exploration of the various themes and issues surrounding privacy and human rights in a world that is rapidly digitizing. Right Click accomplishes this by taking each user on a personalized journey, using animated visualization, interactive video by thought-leaders and demonstration via user-generated data. Right Click will foster the debate and discussion through a variety of participatory means and encourage the user to investigate all angles of the widening perspectives.

Type: Interactive Film
When: November / January 2011
Client: NFB, National Film Board of Canada
Role: Interactive & Creative for Development Proposal

I’ve just completed one of the more exciting projects to come my way in a while. Contracted by the NFB to work with Tim Wilson, a documentary filmmaker based on Nova Scotia, on transforming his documentary concept into a unique online interactive film proposal, complete with user-flows, wireframes, art direction and design concepts.

Old Hands is a digital project exploring what it is “to be a man” in our fragmented time. In seeking out the stories of older men, and the truths of their lives, this project will do its best to conjure — especially in the hearts and imaginations of those who haven’t yet become a man — the vital image of one worth aiming for.

Team:
Tim Wilson, Concept and Creative Supervision
Paul McNeill, NFB Producer
Jonathan Wong, Interactive & Creative
Jane Shkolnik, Interactive Strategist

Type: Print
When: November / December 2010
Organization: jhr (Journalists for Human Rights)
Role: Creative Engagement Specialist, Design

Narrated by Academy Award-winner Jeremy Irons, this “mockumentary” video, hammers home the stark reality of California’s plastic bag pollution situation.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgh9h2ePYw