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MIZU, Today for Tomorrow

The Mizu line:
a great look, with sturdy construction
a beach-goer filling up his Mizu
Kale Gray, a pretty sick photographer and one man operation kept the crowds rehydrated.

"We are mizu, because we believe in living life today in a way that will give you the tomorrow you would like to see."

While shooting at the Hurley Pro 2009, I got a chance to meet Kale Gray, a representative for the Mizu water bottle company. What struck me most was their sincere and clever conservation concerns regarding the wasteful use of bottled water.

Mizu provided colorful stainless steel bottles for purchase which you could endlessly refill for free during your visit to the ASP tour stop down at Trestles, San Clemente, California. There were people even filling their generic bottles, all at an attempt to limit the number of littered plastic bottles that end up on beaches and landfills. It was all quite a refreshing sight, and it did have a great impact on the level of trash you typicially see after a surf event.

Kudos to the boys at MIZU, very progressive and conscious thinking!

The speed of the Pentax K7 at the 2009 Hurley Pro

One of the milestone improvements of the Pentax K7 is the Faster frame rate. For those of us who shoot action, photojournalism or even street candids, FPS rate tends to be important because the precise moment can be varied by milliseconds.

I shot these photos this morning down at the Hurley Pro 2009 Trestles, in San Clemente California. After returning home from the concrete jungle of NYC, there was nothing more I wanted to do but return to the beach and surf. Just a few days prior, Pentax Imaging was on site at the International Center of Photography in Midtown Manhattan holding a press release for the launch of the Pentax KX.

I was fortunate to be invited to the launch and showcase my Surfing Lifestyle Imagery. What I wanted to add is that my present photography is far more improved with the overall faster performance of the K7. The Entry level KX, is also pretty fast with a FPS rate of 4.7

Kai Otton spraying a big fan...

Heitor Alves Sequence...





A Phoenix Rising: The Launch of the new PENTAX KX


Key Features: 12.4MP CMOS
2.7 inch high resolution LCD
720P 24FPS HD video
fast 4.7 FPS
affordable price-point: 649.00 with DA-L 18-55 Kit lens
Available in black, red, white, & blue

Chris Pound, Product Manager showcasing the gear:

For the first time in several years, Pentax Imaging Company USA held a press conference to break ground for their new entry level 12 mp KX. The event took place at the New York International Center of Photography. The Gallery was buzzing with amazing iconic imagery from Richard Avedon (1944-2000), packed with media representatives, distinguished guests, and a slew of Pentax equipment for demo. It was my pleasure to be on hand to showcase my imagery shot with Pentax glass and talk shop with the guests, let alone sample the tasty hors d’oeuvres.

Pentaxian Photographer Mark Dimalanta showcasing images and "talking shop" with the press.

The company’s executives namely; President Ned Bunnell, Bill Zani, Vice president of Marketing & Sales and John Carlson, Senior Manager each discussed the future of Pentax & Hoya Corporation, a restructured sales strategy, and the product features of the new KX, respectively. The overall buzz in the air was of an energized and focused direction of the New Pentax.

President Ned Bunnell discussing the New Pentax and Hoya's Strategy

Vice President Bill Zani detailing the Business Strategy

John Carlson, Senior Manager, Product Marketing & Customer Support unveiling the KX

The excitement of a re-energized company and the launch of the KX, an unprecedented entry level DSLR are a foreshadowing of a Phoenix Rising.

Stay tuned for an update which will include detailed notes from the press conference. The following are just a collection of photos from the event. For detailed specs of the KX refer here:

http://www.pentaximaging.com/

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0909/09091703pentaxkx.asp

Drew Barrymore of the cover of Time Out New York for the main feature which showcased celebrities shooting NYC.

Ned Bunnell's photo from his presentation detailing what he carries in his Billingham, the compact nature of the Pentax System:

Claudia Gramley, Executive Assistant to the President, enjoying the "red" KX. One of the many color variants of the new KX

More images and notes on the event to follow...

A day in Malibu with the Pentax K7

Some random lifestyle images shot with the Pentax K7 while at iconic Malibu, California.

Original image shot and re-sized for web

Image stylized in camera with watercolor and retro filter

Processed using in camera digital filters: green filter, base parameter adjust to increase brightness, and custom filter to create the white vignette (the blue in her hair is not CA, her hair is in fact blue)
Jill Anjuli Hansen of California Candy

In camera processing using crop feature and custom filter for white vignette

In-camera retro filter for border and softer hue
Victoria B.

100 portraits in 100 days.


A friend of mine, and fellow Pentaxian Diego Jose inspired me to start a new post entitled: "100 portraits in 100 days"

The basis of this project was originally inspired by www.100strangers.com.

A project wherein we attempt street photographs with 100 new people and post on a daily basis. It is aimed to spark new encounters and to learn something new about each of our subjects.

My first sample is a young girl selling cherries at the side of the road from the back of her wagon. This was shot during the Pentax West Coast Viral Tour of the K7, somewhere between Seattle to Portland off the interstate 5. The cherries were harvested earlier that morning, and when I saw how large of a bag they were offering and at such a low price, I couldn't resist. I ate them for days and recall that they were the sweetest I had ever tasted.


Image shot with the Pentax K7, DA 35 macro and processed in camera using the retro filter to create the border and shift in the hue.