Ol' Skool vs. Digital CONTEST RESULTS

First, let me thank all of you who took the time to enter. I hope you enjoyed the process, even if you didn't win.

This was a really interesting contest for me. It was very exciting to see the answers people gave and I was especially entertained by those of you who added your comments.

Only two people got all the answers right. Just seven people got only one wrong. The majority of the entrants got two or more wrong. I have to admit that these results really surprised me. At first, I thought it might be too easy when Tyler picked them all within a couple of minutes, only pausing on #3. But I chalked it up to him being a photographer and having gone to film school. But when Jaimie - who is very inexperienced when it comes to photography - was looking at the blog while I was on the phone with her and got them all right in a matter of five minutes, then proceeded to give me the exact same reasoning that Tyler gave, well...I was completely gobsmacked.

But then the entries started coming in. Two people on day 1 had just 1 wrong. The two people who got them right came a couple of days later, after I finally sent out to my mailing list. I guess it wasn't so easy after all. There was really no rhyme or reason to people's answers. Even with all the data, I can't point to why so many people had trouble figuring them out. And now I can't even figure out how to apply the data for a definitive theory, nor can I say people tend to prefer film over digital or vice versa. I'm going to give the overall response below each picture and maybe one of you brilliant people can tell me what it all means...

#1 Wavy Gravy shot at the Harmony Festival, June 2008:

1a - FILM
More people got this set right than wrong. Only one of the 7 got this one wrong.

1b - DIGITAL

#2 Paul Kantner shot at the Harmony Festival, June 2008:

2a - DIGITAL
More people got this set wrong than right.
Two of the seven 1-wrong answer people got this one wrong.

2b - FILM

#3 Damian Marley's drummer shot at the Harmony Festival, June 2008:

3a - FILM
I also thought this set would be the most difficult one because the
photos are so similar, but more people got it right than wrong.
Only one of the seven got this set wrong.

3b - DIGITAL

#4 Damian Marley's bass player shot at the Harmony Festival, June 2008:

4a - DIGITAL
Way more people got this set right than wrong,
except two out of the seven got it wrong.

4b - FILM

#5 Fish shot at BB King's NY, June 2008:

5a - DIGITAL
This set was only one off from being 50-50, and
only one of the seven got it wrong.

5b - FILM

Are you surprised at which were film and which were digital? The way Tyler and Jaimie came up with their answers was based on looking at the backgrounds of each photo. They said the blur was smoother on the pictures shot with film (well, I think that's what they said). Does that make sense to you?

I was hoping I would find my answer by asking the two people who got them all right how they chose their answers. So I sent them this email, not mentioning that they had them right.

Can you please tell me how you chose the answers you picked in this contest? And how you came to enter?

John was the first to respond:

I am on your mailing list and received an e-mail to enter the contest from you. I met you at the Fest for Beatles Fans about 2 years ago and bought 2 of your books.

I am an amateur photographer myself and saw various things in each of the photos that led me to choose film vs. digital. For instance, I noticed some of the blurring of the light and shadows on some photos which is more indicative of film vs. digital. Also, digital to me seems to smooth out some of the detail where film picks everything up. The ones I thought were film seemed more natural looking and had more detail. I really just stared at them for a few minutes each and made my choices.

Then Kevin wrote:

You said in your note that you saw a difference between film and digital, and preferred film, so I tried to choose the one I thought was ‘better’. That part seemed straightforward, if not exactly easy to my untrained eye, but then I noticed a pretty clear difference between the sets, one shot was always darker (or lighter) than the other, and I didn’t always think the darker (or lighter) one was better, so I was pretty sure I didn’t know what the hell I was doing and just picked the ones I liked best without thinking too much. I think I saw your note about the contest on FB. How did I do? I should add that my colleagues never listen to my opinions regarding the aesthetic quality of our books so I won’t be shocked if I got them all bass akwards.


Does that solve the question? Not really, because other people made comments on their entries that they preferred film but then picked several of the digital shots as film. And I have to be honest, after adamantly raving about the images that came up on my screen as I scanned my negatives, once I put the photos side by side with the digital I had to admit that I thought a couple of the digital looked better than the film :-(.

So, now that you know which is which, and the general proportion of the vote, can any of you solve this debate for me once and for all? What's better? Film? Or digital?

And the winners are...

The Grand Prize Winner of the framed Frank Zappa print is Kevin Becketti, because his email arrived two hours in advance of Second Place Winner, John Young, who takes home the Ringo Starr print...

And Honorable Mentions go to the seven entrants who only missed one answer:

Steve Bastien
Bill Lantz
William Schaff
Cory Tucker
John Krill
Maureen Felk
Craig Nisker

Thanks again to those who played, and thanks to anyone who chimes in with their opinion in the comments section.

Ol' Skool v. Digital

WIN this FRANK ZAPPA framed print!!
(no purchase necessary)

Okay, before I get on with today's magically delicious post, I have pictorial proof of last night's internet splat...

How ironic that I was working on a post about the subject of old school versus digital. Internet Fail. Chalk one up for the Ol' Skool team.

I didn't feel like going back into the archives so I opened up my Concert Photography file drawer that has all the stuff that wasn't in Everybody I Shot Is Dead, all stuff from the box that I've already scanned and filed. Or so I thought. Turns out I had also stashed a couple of contact sheets and negs from last year's Harmony Festival in the drawer.

The Harmony Festival happened right after I bought my Nikon D300. Yup, that's the Digital in Ol' Skool v. Digital. But I also took the groovy Pentax Spotmatic II I bought on ebay to the festival. It's the exact camera I used to shoot all my rock'n'roll shows of yore, but this was my first opportunity to shoot with it at a concert. And that is when I first discovered the pros of going digital (a hard thing for me to admit).

Using digital and film cameras at the same time is really hard. It's like having Tivo for a while and then going to a hotel and trying to rewind to catch something you missed on a TV show. At the concert I shot a bunch of frames on the digital camera - easy peasy - no focusing necessary, no advancing the film. Chalk two up for Digital. Then I put the Pentax up to my eye - not so easy peasy - oops, gotta focus...I take the shot...go for another shot...oops, I didn't advance the film. Then back to the digital...what, I don't have to focus? Trust me. It really messes with your brain. And your arms. The Pentax is a fraction of the weight I have to bear with the Nikon D300. Yay, chalk one up for Ol' Skool. Okay, that's 2 points for Ol' Skool and 2 points for Digital. We're even steven.

Last night I pulled out the negs I shot with the Pentax. I picked a contact sheet and decided to scan a frame from each strip. When I looked at the scans, I fell back in love with the beauty of film. And that's what I was going to post. But then I came up with a better idea. Why not show a similar shot I took with the Nikon D300 and see the difference. Let's see if we can break the tie and decide once and for all if it's time to get rid of all this technology or pack in the silver nitrate.

We've got two shots of each subject, totaling ten pictures. I'll mark them 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, etc. You have to tell me which one you like best, judging on the image quality not the aesthetic quality. And feel free to say which one you think is the film. SCRATCH THAT...I'm turning this into a CONTEST. I still want to hear which shot you prefer, but to win the contest you have to correctly determine the shots on film and the shots on digital. There's no trick here...each subject has one of each. And there's a nice long list of prizes, rules and how to enter after the photos...

#1 Wavy Gravy shot at the Harmony Festival, June 2008:

1a

1b

#2 Paul Kantner shot at the Harmony Festival, June 2008:

2a

2b

#3 Damian Marley's drummer shot at the Harmony Festival, June 2008:

3a

3b

#4 Damian Marley's bass player shot at the Harmony Festival, June 2008:

4a

4b

#5 Fish shot at BB King's NY, June 2008:

5a

5b

You can click on each photo to view it larger...PLEASE do not download.

GRAND PRIZE:

The Grand Prize Winner receives this open edition framed and signed silver gelatin print (that's real archival professional photo paper, folks) of FRANK ZAPPA (current value - $300). The grand prize winner will also receive an 8.5x11 signed inkjet print of RINGO STARR.

SECOND PRIZE:

FIVE Second Prize Winners will receive this 8.5x11 signed inkjet print of RINGO STARR (current value - priceless).

HOW TO ENTER/RULES/JUDGING:

1. Your entry must include each picture number with the word "film" or "digital" next to each.

2. Your entry must be emailed to info@cheshercat.com with Photo Contest in the subject line. PLEASE only ONE ENTRY per PERSON...if I figure out you've enter under multiple addresses all your entries will be disqualified.

3. Your real name and email address must be included in your entry. (I will not share your identity or email address with anyone...EVER!...and if you win you can decline to be announced as a winner)

4. If there are six or less correct entries, the first winning entry received will be deemed the winner. If there are more than six correct entries, all correct entries will be put in the proverbial fish and the grand prize and second place winners will be drawn at random.

5. This contest is open to everyone, everywhere within our solar system. Celebrities, people I know, celebrities I know are all welcome to enter. BUT if you are a celebrity and/or I know you, don't think for one minute that celebrity or friendship will help you in any way. No bribes will be accepted.

6. ONE HITCH...if you win and you live outside the United States you will have to pay the additional postage above and beyond the cost of U.S. shipping or choose to ship it to a friend in the U.S. There is no cost for shipping prizes within the United States. (Not meaning to discriminate here but I can't afford the international or intergalactic shipping costs)

7. Why am I doing this and what's in it for me? This is a way for me to thank all my readers and supporters and lovers of music. I'm also trying to get more people to read my blog and learn about my the fantastic musicians I honor here and in my book, Everybody I Shot Is Dead. There is NO PURCHASE REQUIRED to enter or win this contest...it is FREE to enter and FREE to win (unless you are shipping your prize outside the U.S.). Although, I'd be super thrilled if you decide to buy a book, but purchasing a book will not help you to win this contest.

8. Contest opens now and closes at 11:59pm PST (that's Los Angeles time) on Tuesday April 21, 2009. NOTE: CONTEST EXTENDED TO 11:59PM FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2009.

9. Any questions regarding this contest please email info@cheshercat.com with Contest Question in the subject line.

10. I have the final say on everything. That's just the way it's gotta be. I hope you will forward this contest to everyone you know!

Lastly, since you made it all the way to the end of this, I reward you with a shot of Damian Marley...

Damian Marley at the Harmony Festival 2008

Thanks for playing.

(P.S. - Comments are closed on this post to prevent, well, comments and online entries. Enter via email to info@cheshercat.com)

Knackered

Getting back from the 60s in the time machine has proven more difficult than I ever imagined.

I think I'm going to have to make a minor stopover in Switzerland for a full blood replacement transfusion.

Anybody know how long that takes?

I'm supposed to shoot Fish at the House of Blues on Sunset at 9pm tonight. Hoping I can make it back by then. Wait. Maybe I can catch him on the way back when I pass through the 80s.

What's Going On?

Tons of things. And what really bugs me is that by the time I get a chance to post the events I'm involved in, they're happening the next day or already past.

So, this is my round-up post of what's going on and what's coming up. Or maybe I'm just throwing my datebook online so I can check in and make sure I'm where I'm supposed to be. I've been so busy in the past few months with so many different projects, I keep getting that feeling that I've forgotten to show up for a meeting or not done a job I promised to do.

Here's what is currently on tap:

NBC TV Show - On Monday afternoon I'm shooting a segment with Mo Rocca that I believe will air on a show called 1st Look NY (check out his interview with Clay Faiken - I hope I can be funnier than him) that is supposedly going national. Mo is a comedian and as you may have guessed by many of my posted I thrive on sarcasm. I'm looking forward to creating some humor within in the theme of a dead rock star book. I plan to take photos (hopefully throughout the interview) which will be posted here. Any suggestions on how I should rock Rocca, lemme know.

Book Expo - May 29-June 1. This year it's in L.A. so, Yay!, I don't have to travel. But being in L.A. gives me this false sense of security that I have plenty of time to prepare. I don't. I still haven't done my follow-ups from the London Book Fair and I haven't decided how I'm going to proceed with the retail distribution of the book. I think I have a part of a booth where I can have a display. The US book expos are heavily attended by booksellers so I could possibly take orders from bookstores so it will be in stores for the gift-giving season this Fall. But I'm also considering taking it out of the stores and just doing it exclusively from my site and Amazon. Shit. I don't know. Decisions. Decisions. Gonna have to decide soon.

Harmony Festival - Three days after Book Expo I'm heading upstate for the Harmony Festival. The festival is June 6th, 7th and 8th in Sonoma and will be their 30th anniversary. I'm really excited to go because I'm going to shoot a bunch of pictures, including Jefferson Starship...for the first time since I shot them in '75. This whole deal was instigated by none other than Cucumber Rob. One of those "Do you fancy a camping trip in June?" Yup. We're doing the road trip and camping at the festival. In tents. On the ground. Yikes. I'm kind of a Ritz Carlton type of girl. I prefer porcelain to splintery wood. But what the hell? I've always wondered what it was like to go to Woodstock. And I'm going to break out some old pictures of non-dead rock stars, including Jefferson Starship and the non-dead members of the Grateful Dead. My book will be there too. If you're going please track me down and say "Hi." And if you're not going you should check out their website and think about showing up. We're gonna have a helluva time!

House of Blues on Sunset - June 10th. I'm shooting Fish. No, not Phish. Fish. The Scottish prog rock musician. Be there or be square.

NEARfest - June 20-22. A prog rock festival in Philadelphia, PA. I'm sharing a selling table with Cucumber Rob and in addition to my book I am going to break out some never-before-seen photos I took of Yes. Yes! And also shooting Fish again and hopefully some of the other cool acts that are appearing. Do I have any blog readers in the Philly area? Suggestions on where to go if I have any time off? Where to get the best Philly cheesesteak? Any of you planning to attend NEARfest?

Fest for Beatle Fans - Yup. Another one. June 29-July 1. This time in Vegas at the Mirage. I had so much fun meeting all the Beatle fans at the NY fest that I'm signing on again.

And with all that I have a bunch of writing to do, more bats (baseball) to shoot, pitches (not baseballs) to create and a whole pile of prep to do (scanning, printing, framing, organizing) for the above-mentioned events.

Anybody looking for a non-paying assistant job?

Edited 10 minutes after posting to add:

Shit. I totally forgot to put up the bit that was the reason I decided to do this post in the first place. Shit. Shit. Shit.

I donated a Starart Limited Edition book to the Grammy charity MusiCares. They are currently having an online auction of all sorts of cool rock'n'roll stuff. So...

Grammy Charity Online Auctions - Now thru May 22nd. You can check out the full list of items here and my book here where they have pictures I gave them of some of the artists signing the books. Check it out and start bidding. It's a worthwhile cause.

Shit. I can't believe I forgot to put that up. D-u-m-b dumb.