Visual Lab | Articles - Photography and Design
Welcome to the Visual Lab. News and articles on the photography and design industry/community from around the internet. For the latest updates check our RSS Feed 
Scratch DJ Academy site refresh
March 20th, 2011
Scratch DJ Academy site refresh designed by Steve Woodzell and Mike Mariano
Finally a new website to roll off the design mill! Scratch DJ Academy – ‘The world’s leader in DJ Education’ has refreshed its website design. Designed by Scratch’s very own Steve Woodzell and Michael Mariano.
A short backgrounder on Scratch DJ Academy from the Scratch.com website –
In 2002, Rob Principe and the late Jam Master Jay founded Scratch DJ Academy with the goal of lowering the barrier of entry to the art form of the DJ. Scratch’s historic first semester received media attention worldwide with instructors including Jam Master Jay, DJ Premier, A-trak, Evil Dee, and many more. Scratch DJ Academy went on to sell out every semester during its first year and eventually moved to a permanent location in the West Village (where it is located today).
Over the next few years, Scratch opened additional locations in Los Angeles (2004) and Miami (2005), and expanded its course offering to include music production. Today, Scratch’s teaches over 100,000 people how to DJ annually through its physical locations and national tours. Scratch has taught students from all 50 states, 35 different countries, and is widely recognized as the world leader in DJ and music production education.
Scratch offers hands-on instruction on DJing and music production for students of all interests and skill levels, and full access to DJ Culture and Community. Visit www.scratch.com for more information.
*Update: As per request of my friend and colleague – Bea, here is the screenshot of the previous design by JNMedia.
Tags: academy, dj, djing, mixing, music production, new york, scratch, scratch.com, site refresh, web design
Posted in Web / Interactive | 1 Comment »
The Gray Matters Project
March 12th, 2011
Photo by Jill Lejano
The human race has definitely showed throughout history that we won’t just bow down to any natural calamity or disease. Quoting William Ernest Henley “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul. “ Yet, amidst all the technology and abundance that man has, nature truly is the one force that ceases to bow to do man’s bidding.
In February 2011, my good friend Jason Buera, a wedding photographer recently found out he had Brain Cancer. This is a disease that doesn’t discriminate, it can happen to any gender, race or nationality. It can happen to you or me. While we still search for the cure to eliminate this disease, what we can do in the meantime is to raise awareness and help people who are suffering this yet to be cured scourge. The Gray Matters project, is a fund raising and awareness project started by the friends and family of Jason. Participants will pay a fee of P1000 (there’s a student rate of P500) to join the shoot. Two kinds of photographs will be taken of each participant – one is their portrait and the other is their special Gray Matters mugshot. They will be asked to answer the question “What’s in your head?” and pose with their answers mugshot-style. Participants will be encouraged to upload their photos to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and other social networking sites to help spread awareness about brain cancer. Definitely a worthy cause! So please support my friend’s fight against brain cancer and other people like him.
Let’s echo this to the rest of the world and show that we won’t bow down to nature just yet!
The Gray Matters Project http://thegraymattersproject.com/
Tags: brain cancer, cancer, donate, foundations, Jason Buera, Jill Lejano, pledge, the gray matters project
Posted in Graphic Design, Photography | 2 Comments »
Low-light photography: Basketball (NYK vs. PHI)
February 6th, 2011
Gameday: New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers by Michael Mariano
Shooting fast-moving subjects under low-light conditions has always been a challenge for photographers. It takes a certain combination of timing, skill and equipment to capture your favorite sport. Basketball games as a photo opportunity are no exception. Don’t get me wrong, i like basketball games. I usually like watching within the comforts of home in front of a TV guided by the expert voices of the commentators. It was a long time ago during the early 2000’s when i got the chance to cover a basketball game. The opportunity presented itself again when my uncle got some good seats for the New York Knicks (NYK) vs. Philadelphia 76’ers (PHI) ‘home at home’ game in Madison Square Garden (MSG). NYK got beaten 100 to 98 by PHI two days before. So this was a good chance for me to watch a competitive game since NYK badly wanted to avenge their loss. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: amar'e stoudamire, basketball, elton brand, evan turner, jrue holiday, lou williams, low-light, msg, new york knicks, nyc, nyk, phi, philadelphia 76ers, photography, raymond felton, shooting, tips
Posted in Photography | Comments Off on Low-light photography: Basketball (NYK vs. PHI)
Longing for warmer days
January 31st, 2011
Tag along | Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY
Cold, chilly and harsh winters are a fact of life in the Northernmost part of the US. If you live in these areas and you try to look out your window, chances are you won’t see a scene like this anytime soon. For people who can afford, they go to warmer places like Florida or the Caribbean islands, these people are informally called “Snowbirds” enjoying what they can from these southern places. But for the rest who are unfortunate enough, winter is still there slapping on their skin like cold hard whips. Groundhog day offers no respite as this year it seems that the Artic winds are bringing in more chilly weather and snow forecasts. This photo was taken at Coney island, Brooklyn during the annual mermaid parade celebration. For those who can’t afford to travel, may this photo offer a respite from the cold and bring you (at least in dreams,) warm memories. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: brooklyn, coney island, mermaid parade kids, mom, radio flyer, spring, summer, warm weather
Posted in Photography | 2 Comments »
Bad weather photography: Snow – Cold Weather
January 15th, 2011
The limbs that binds us - Urban snow scene, Flushing NY
When bad weather occurs, photography can be a chore all the more so if it involves cold temperatures and snow. The elements can be pretty harsh to humans but more importantly to your sensitive photography equipment. For one there is moisture which affects your camera lens. If you plan to go out make sure some lens cloth/wipes are at hand to remove the mist that usually builds up on your lens. Having ample emergency camera protection like a plastic zip-loc bag should come in handy to shield your camera from moisture and snow. Cold temperatures decrease the performance of batteries. Have a spare battery and place it close to your body to keep it warm until you need to use it. Better yet, if you don’t want to go out and have a good view of the outside world from your place, use the windows to your advantage like i did. Put up the screen or open the window. If you can’t, try to move your camera as close to the window as possible to avoid any unnecessary reflections. With these simple tips whether you go out or stay-in, should help you out. Be on the look out for those photographic opportunities. Stay frosty and keep on shooting!
Tags: bad weather, cold temperature, extreme, photography, shooting tips, snow, storm, urban
Posted in Photography | 3 Comments »