GQ

GQ Awards time again. Funny how these events become markers or my year. Not a classic one this year, but a few notables. Nice to see Elvis Costello getting some overdue recognition, and looking dapper as ever. Eva Mendes was on good form, and appealingly shy and nervous when presenting an award. James Nesbitt hosted, and opened impressively as a crooner. The boy can sing. David Walliams poked fun at his 'best dressed' award by receiving it wearing cut-off shorts and diving goggles, Mickey Rourke was cadging fags in exchange for photos and flirting with every female in radius, while Kate Moss couldn't keep still and ended up pole dancing around a pillar!?
Interesting...

3D

I'm in Berlin, working for Sony at the IFA consumer electronics show. They've just unveiled their plans for 3D television and gaming.
So far, so 80's - I remember seeing Jaws3D as a young 'un, and that was spectactularly rubbish at best.
But, the Sony version is impressive in that it WORKS. No more red and blue paper glasses (though you still have to wear glasses that look like tinted old-skool science safety goggles). The 3D effect is instant and all pervading. Playing on a Playstation game had me ducking from bullets and overhanging branches. A panning shot at a baseball game felt like you were really in the crowd. There's even a 3D version of my favourite Sony game, Little Big Planet.
Now imagine how cool it'll be when this 3D realism is married with the interactivity of a Nintendo Wii? It's only a matter of time...On a photography note, the challenge in illustrating this is that the people watching/playing in 3D are facing a screen, so your angles are limited. You're either looking over their shoulder at the screen, or facing them with the screen behind you, or side on to include both elements but with dead space in between. Lighting wise I have to expose for the screen as it's the brightest part of the scene, and use a bit of balanced flash to light the viewer/player.