3 posts tagged “implosion”
Flying below the radar the last few days. Once you've dynamited a couple of buildings, you need down time to recalibrate what's meaningful. So, in the interim, here are a few random updates and related photos:
Delkin Shade Update: A few posts ago, I mentioned those Delkin eFilm shades that affix to the back of your camera. My one lament was that, once they're on your camera, you can't really see the LCD screen when you hold the camera below eye-level. Well, as it turns out, you can close the shade part, jog it slightly to the left, and it pops right off the camera. It snaps back in just as easily. So they're fine, and I still recommend them.
Sometimes Older is Better: The fireworks photos in this post were captured July 4th in downtown Rochester, NY. Between raindrops. I used a Kodak EasyShare DX7630 camera, a 6-megapixel model that's no longer in production. The secret to fireworks photography isn't the "fireworks" mode you can choose; it's timing and stability. I placed the camera on a tripod, set the self-timer, and used a four-second, flash-off burst. As for timing, I wasted a few frames figuring out how high the fireworks guys were shooting for. Once you hear the launch, count off two seconds, and then trip the shutter; that's usually when the charge detonates.
You can find the DX7630 online, used. For not a lot of money, either. It's a pretty good camera. Built like a rock. Reminds me of a Canon Canonet QL17 GIII film rangefinder camera, back in the rockin' 1970s.
Sights and Sounds of an Implosion: the podcast in which I interviewed a bunch of people at the June 30 Building 9 implosion is now available for viewing on iTunes or here. (Scroll down to "Marketing Insights," and hit "play.") We PR heroes valiantly linked the dropping of these immense structures to Kodak's "inkjet revolution," but a few people still thought we should have paid a bit more respect to the hundreds of former occupants who worked in the buildings. And one old Kodak retiree -- now a "photographic consultant" -- talked himself onto a live TV interview, where he called the implosions "shameful." Proving again: Rick Nelson was right; you can't please everyone.
If you want to see a short video of the Bldg. 23 implosion from July 1, here's the Democrat and Chronicle's clip. I don't know how long they'll keep the link active, but give it a try.
Expert Photo Tip: when there's a crowd you need to shoot over, look for a lamp post to hang from. Andrew Lang's old saw about statistics says they're used the way a drunkard uses a lamp post -- for support, not illumination. But when the dynamite's going off, and the pavement's shaking, and you're trying to wield a 400-mm digital zoom lens, I'll take the support, thank you very much!
Amateur Implosion-Watching Tip: wear earplugs, because these detonations are louder than anything you'll experience on the Fourth of July. Also, bring a paper filter mask, because there's no predicting which way the dust cloud will travel once the building implodes. I had my mask, but forgot my earplugs...!
I'm not a true enthusiast of such "big blasts," though judging by the spectators, there are a bunch of rabid implosion groupies. They chain their little platforms to a fence post to ensure they have a great vantage point. Maybe they don't get enough of this on the Discovery Channel. But it made for interesting photos.
On Kodak.com this week, we'll post a podcast about these implosions, with video footage. Til then, I've set up an animated GIF here.
Explanation: most of Kodak Park, a vast industrial complex north of downtown Rochester, supported Kodak's immense color film photography business. In the age of digital pictures, these buildings no longer serve a practical function. And because they're enormous structures -- 450,000 to 758,000 square feet -- they don't readily adapt to alternative uses. So the company decided to implode them.
And I didn't get much sleep this weekend -- not for the noise, but because we orchestrated PR events around the implosions.
I will have more photos of this event later. But it's kinda nice to know that it's my image -- shot with a Kodak C875 camera -- that's going on the Business Wire service this morning.
