This week’s photos reminded us of all the things we are thankful for: good health, great family and the beautiful falling foliage around us. What are you grateful for? Let us know in the comments below.
November 18, 2012
Enlarging by Jen Gallardo
WB Music by Anthony J. Merced
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Movie Poster
While nothing may have changed in the box office rankings this weekend, the sheer amount of franchise power was enough to make this the most successful Thanksgiving weekend in history. The previous record was held in 2009 with $175 million. For some, the consistency is surely welcome. Skyfall easily became the highest grossing James Bond film of all time. On the top side, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 is trailing some of its predecessors by a noticeable amount.
For all of the good news this weekend, there was some worrisome news for the latest Ang Lee release Life of Pi. Struggling to make just $30 million in its opening weekend, the film is not on track to recoup the $120 million that Fox sunk into it. Life of Pi seemed to have a strong marketing campaign, aligning with wildlife enthusiasts to wrangle as many audiences as possible. While some may say that this 3D release did better than Hugo, it is apparent that the 3D experience is something that still mostly appeals to the action or sci-fi genre. The one good bit of news is that people were seduced by the 3D element of the film. A whopping 68% of ticket buyers decided to partake in the 3D experience. Continue reading
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Movie Poster
Thanks to the high powered tag team of Skyfall and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Hollywood celebrated its second most successful weekend of the year with $249 million. Approximately $141 million of that was from this weekend’s release of the latest Twilight film. While that number is extremely impressive, it is only good enough for fourth best this year and eighth all time for debuts. The Avengers, Hunger Games and The Dark Knight Rises all had better debuts. The producers won’t have much to complain about as they have already met a different milestone becoming the first franchise to have three consecutive $130 million openings. That’s something neither Harry Potter or Star Wars can claim.
As to be expected, the audience skewed predominantly female with 79% but a surprising 21% of males came out to see the film as well. This is the highest number for the series thus far. A marketing campaign that relied heavily on the action and finality of the series probably warmed male ticket buyers. Especially since the love triangle between Bella, Jacob and Edward was played down and minimally mentioned in promotional materials. Add to that a decent word of mouth and the final installment of this franchise should have a strong hold for weeks to come. Continue reading
Winter is coming, but we’ve chosen to hang on to autumn as much as possible. This week’s photos are a mix of indoor shots when it has been cold outside and outdoor shot when it has been sunny and fairly warm. As always, let us know which shots are your favorites in the comments below.
November 11, 2012
Beautiful Blondie by Jen Gallardo
Morning Love by Anthony J. Merced
Moonraker Movie Poster
Crazy car chases, explosions and gun fights are the norm in modern day action films. What many current film fans are unaware of is that movies weren’t always the adrenaline rush they’ve become accustomed to seeing in modern day theaters. The current action film owes a lot to the over-budgeted and over-stylized sequences of the early James Bond films.
The franchise itself owes credit to the one film that spring-boarded the entire spy genre, North by Northwest. The Alfred Hitchcock film known for Cary Grant scaling Mt. Rushmore in his attempt to avoid foreign spies, led to Albert R. Broccoli’s interest in Ian Flemming’s Bond novels. That same excitement was to be duplicated and then taken to a new level for thrill seeking moviegoers. One of the famous sequences in North by Northwest was taken and reproduced for James Bond’s second adventure From Russia With Love. Bond’s epic escape from a pursuing helicopter harkens back to Cary Grant’s escape from a low flying plane. Continue reading
My current headshot was actually a self-portrait.
There are lots of reasons why you might need a good photo of yourself. From online dating profiles to graduate school applications, having a decent photo will come in handy more times than you can imagine. Lately, I’ve found that my headshot (which I happened to very randomly capture on my own) has been something I have been using more and more.
In a world where there are lots of women with my exact same name, it’s nice to have a photo that sets me apart. If you are looking for me online and spot a photo of me wearing my glasses alongside my big curly hair, you know that’s my profile and not some other Jen with my last name.
All this said, getting nice photos of yourself is typically synonymous with paying lots of money. While you can definitely get really nice headshots taken by a photographer (with appropriate retouching in case you are sporting a zit you’d rather not be seen with), you can also take one yourself if you follow a few simple tips:
1. Don’t use your iPad (or other tablet device…)
You don’t want to be that person. But seriously, do consider using your smartphone if you are lucky enough to possess one with a higher megapixel camera. Both Android and iOS devices have a wealth of apps that you can choose from for snapping your photo. Though, if you have a decent digital camera, you can use that too. It can even be a point-and-shoot — some of my favorite photos were taken on fairly old Minolta and Nikon digital point-and-shoot cameras. Continue reading
Week 45 brings us indoors for photo opportunities to avoid the cold. Check out what we were able to find without going too far.
November 4, 2012
Shoes Off by Jen Gallardo
Sunday Cleaning by Anthony J. Merced
Skyfall Movie Poster
Fifty years and twenty-three films hasn’t slowed down the James Bond franchise as the latest installment, Skyfall, claimed the number one spot in the box office over the weekend. The $88 million domestic debut is good enough for fourth best this year but best all time among Bond openings. It was over double the amount of Daniel Craig’s debut Casino Royale and $20 million better than Quantum of Solace. Combined with two weeks of overseas ticket sales, Skyfall has already taken in over half a billion dollars. Before the end of this latest Bond stay in the States, Skyfall will likely add an additional $100 million to that total. Continue reading
Despite the severe weather of Hurricane Sandy, our Project 366 continued on. We spent a lot of time waiting out the storm and, thankfully, were not subject to too much damage in our neighborhood in New York City. If you are able, please consider giving to the Red Cross to aid our neighbors in getting back on their feet.
October 28, 2012
Angry Birds Party by Jen Gallardo
Green Horns by Anthony J. Merced
The signs and colors of fall are everywhere. Let us know which of this week’s pictures reminds you the most of this season.
October 21, 2012
Fall Scene by Jen Gallardo
Holding on to Summer by Anthony J. Merced