Cochon hosts 14 culinary events nationwide with the goal of supporting sustainable agriculture. The journey begins every January when COCHON 555 embarks on a 10-city culinary competition and tasting tour. Fifty chefs are selected to prepare a ‘snout -to-tail’ menu created from heritage breed pigs. The ten local winners are flown to the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen for the final competition, Grand Cochon.- http://cochon555.com

We tagged along and Heather took some amazing pictures.

Who is the connected consumer?

Contrary to assumptions, the average connected consumer is not a texting teenager or a hipster with more devices than flannel shirts.She is 40 years old, earns $63,000 and owns several Web-ready devices. She’s all over Facebook, loves to browse catalogs and is enthusiastic about shopping via her devices. Does she look familiar? (full article)

Is your business providing what the Connected Consumers are looking for? Having a website and a Facebook page just isn’t enough.

Just got a demo of the Panasonic AF-100 yesterday.

Have only had a chance to do a couple of quick test shots in the office, but so far I like it.

The balance of this more “boxy” design with a nice lens on the front, as well as the “old-school” placements of some of the dials and buttons, will take a bit of getting (re)used to.

And a good follow-focus system would probably be a good investment as well.

But I really like that functionality which seems to blend new-school with old-school: the digital, HD images, balanced with the use of a good lens and an easy-access shutter-speed dial, that doesn’t require a clunky film-adapter to get any degree of depth in my images.

(Heck, after using some of the newer digital cams for a few years, I was pleased to even see a ... Read More »]]>

Just got a demo of the Panasonic AF-100 yesterday.

Have only had a chance to do a couple of quick test shots in the office, but so far I like it.

The balance of this more “boxy” design with a nice lens on the front, as well as the “old-school” placements of some of the dials and buttons, will take a bit of getting (re)used to.

And a good follow-focus system would probably be a good investment as well.

But I really like that functionality which seems to blend new-school with old-school: the digital, HD images, balanced with the use of a good lens and an easy-access shutter-speed dial, that doesn’t require a clunky film-adapter to get any degree of depth in my images.

(Heck, after using some of the newer digital cams for a few years, I was pleased to even see a filter wheel on the front of the cam. Nice.)

This isn’t a run-and-gun camera for me. But it’s also not a camera to be reserved on the shelf for high-dollar clients.

There is a lot of potential for interviews, segment cut-aways, and other scenes that really look best with some depth.

I think this camera, with its capabilities as well as its price-point, is going to bring a lot of options to smaller and medium agencies.

**Full-disclosure that I’m not a fan of the ergonomics of the video DSLRs. But that’s just me**

This was a project that I shot, edited and produced, with a quick turn-around of 8 hours.

Lee, the host, was wonderful talent for this particular video, which needed to spotlight the event (as well as the hotel) in a truly “southern” way: refined but also fun and engaging.

I shot two takes for this project: One was a static wide shot, while the other was a re-set for closeups and cut-aways.

(I shot this segment early in the morning, so I didn’t taste-test the drink samples.

But I *did* get a sample of the cherries. They are absolutely divine.)

Becky Falkowski, who handles Public Relations and Communications for the Partnership, and I had initially talked about doing a video that showcased the different architectural styles and nuances in Downtown Little Rock.

But as intricate and varied as those details are, we really wanted to have a reason, so to speak, to showcase them in a video. After some discussion we decided that it would be compelling to really show the life in these architectural “spaces.”

So the main goal of this particular video ultimately became the notion that it’s not just the “hardscape” (the buildings, physical structures, etc) that make a Downtown vibrant and contemporary.

Rather it’s turning those ... Read More »]]> This is a wonderful project that gave me the opportunity to collaborate with the Downtown Little Rock Partnership, a non-profit that works to improve all aspects of living and working in Downtown Little Rock.

Becky Falkowski, who handles Public Relations and Communications for the Partnership, and I had initially talked about doing a video that showcased the different architectural styles and nuances in Downtown Little Rock.

But as intricate and varied as those details are, we really wanted to have a reason, so to speak, to showcase them in a video. After some discussion we decided that it would be compelling to really show the life in these architectural “spaces.”

So the main goal of this particular video ultimately became the notion that it’s not just the “hardscape” (the buildings, physical structures, etc) that make a Downtown vibrant and contemporary.

Rather it’s turning those physical “spaces” into actual “places” where people, families, and businesses want to be: As the core of the city’s past, present and future, Downtown Little Rock needs to consider how it accommodates, and will accommodate, the people that live and visit, as well as the businesses that are looking to cosmopolitan environments for relocation.

To tell the story, and communicate these concepts, we interviewed a wonderful array of people who had uniquely-individual perceptions of Downtown Little Rock. And yet as they communicated their thoughts, they always came back to the importance of creating a sense of “place.”

We started with Bill Worthen, with the Heritage of Arkansas Museum. He provided a strong foundation for the video, with concepts about the importance of “place” as Downtown Little Rock evolved from a plateau on the riverbank, to a truly unique area that juxtaposes the oldest residence in the state, as it sits in the shadow of high-rise residential construction on the next block over.

Then I had opportunities to interview Jimmy Moses and Rett Tucker, with Moses Tucker Real Estate. They offered the perspective of creating not only entertainment and physical residential-opportunities in the heart of Downtown, but also the need to establish day-to-day living options for the people and businesses who occupy those places: pharmacy, cleaners, shops, and things like that. In short, a successful Downtown has to be livable.

As a parent I really appreciated the input that Judge Buddy Villines brought to the video: The idea that today’s Downtown areas need to also consider the concept of “place” as parks, walking/biking trails, (and trolleys) which accommodate people and families who typically want to be outside. Building these kinds of “places” creates and fosters a sense of community, which is something that individuals and families look for. In turn, companies who are looking to relocate, definitely consider these notions when looking at location-options to maintain happy employees.

Sharon Priest, the director of the Partnership, really spoke to the next frontier in the development of Downtown Little Rock, which is Main Street. The challenges of tall, empty buildings that might not accommodate modern retail concepts, may require outside-the-box options. One possible idea that she mentioned was an arts district along Main Street.

Production-wise I shot all of the cover footage by heading out with my sticks and camera on a couple of Saturday afternoons, when I had the best opportunities to shoot a variety of people. I was initially concerned that people might shy away from me (lady with a video camera), but when I explained the concept of the project, no one objected to being videoed. In fact most people were more than happy to take part in the process.

Ultimately this project really relied on the strength of the Downtown visuals, as well as these individual “architects of place,” and their unique perspectives of creating “places” for residents and businesses, that will in-turn help Downtown Little Rock excel on the national and international stage.