Search for a new Mack Man

We posted on the website CrowdSpring the following project in hopes to have 9,000 designers submit to us some really creative Mack Man design.

Here are some of our favorites. The winning design will be announced soon.

Creative brief

Mack Camera and Video Service Inc. | Electronic Repair Center in NJ offering extended Warranty Service Contracts; servicing USA consumers / International customers who purchase extended service contracts sold by authorized dealers

History of the Mack Man: He was designed over 20 years ago and was used up until 2007 when he was retired. After long consideration we have decided to seek out a modernized version of the Mack Man.

What we are looking for: An illustrated graphic from Illustrator which we would easily change the equipment the Mack Man is using. When the Mack Man was first designed, our companies main portion of business was camera repair. Since then we have expanded to cover all types of consumer electronics (ipods, televisions, home theater, game consoles, digital cameras, etc…). We would like to have the ability to swap out the electronic device that the Mack Man is using.

The average consumer who purchases electronics

Design style:
- Fully vector so printing size has no limits
- 3D so it has a more realistic & modern look

Requirements: Please do not submit if your design’s sole purpose can only be used with one electronic device.
PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT STICK FIGURES OR ANYTHING THAT IS NOT MODERN

Please do NOT submit your work if you are not willing to release the copyright to Mack Camera & Video Service, Inc. Possibility that Awarded design may be used for mass marketing materials.

When to Send Your Camera In For Repair

Today’s digital cameras are a marvel of tiny electronics combined to work in synchronicity to capture those moments that matter most.  Unfortunately, technology doesn’t always work as expected, and when your digital camera starts behaving badly, it’s time to determine if it’s a minor issue or something that requires professional intervention. Here are a few tips to try before taking it in for repair:

Check Your Batteries: A fresh set of batteries can fix everything!  Insert a fully charged battery or replace the AA set and see if the camera responds. Sometimes it is the most common but overlooked issue that keeps your camera from turning on, so start with the batteries.

Check Your Memory Card:  Did you know that your camera may not turn on if the memory card is full? This happens sometimes, so try offloading all the images from your camera card to your computer and then reformat the card.  Once that’s complete, try turning on your camera and see if it responds.

Give Your Camera a Break:  Like other electronics, sometimes your camera needs a reset, so consider taking out the batteries out for a day or so to let the camera reset. Make sure the battery is charged and then re-insert it after 24 hours.  If your camera continues to malfunction, it’s time to consider sending it in for repair:

Next month we’ll provide tips on how to decide if it’s better to repair an existing camera or replace it with a new one.  The answers may surprise you!

What Is… ISO

ISO sensitivity expresses the speed of photographic negative materials (formerly expressed as ASA).
Since digital cameras do not use film but use image sensors instead, the ISO equivalent is usually given.
What ISO denotes is how sensitive the image sensor is to the amount of light present. The higher the ISO, the
more sensitive the image sensor and therefore the possibility to take pictures in low-light situations.
And, where you would have needed to physically change to a different roll of film if you wanted a different
ISO speed, digital technology allows you to simply dial one in. In this way, you can record images taken at
different ISO speeds on the same memory card.

more at http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial_iso_print.html

The importance of photography

The importance of photography

We surround ourselves with images taken with all kinds of recording devices, devices that are intended solely for the purpose of memorializing the moment and in some cases, devices that are used only because of their convenience of use.  I refer to the use of cell phones with inadequate cameras that have in effect become the “Polaroids” of our times.

In the “old days” people used box cameras that in had such large negatives that the end resulting print was a contact print that in effect did not need any enlargement.  Today’s cell phones may take images only 640 by 480 and when they are enlarged the pixilated and are fuzzy because of the enlargement needed to even fill a 4×6 print. Some have as much as 2 mega pixels but have limited lenses and no aperture controls therefore they can not compete in real digital cameras.

Photography is a very important tool that is used to memorialize our lives and yet we do not think of it at the time that we press that shutter button.  We do not realize the importance of the images until the subject of one of the images passes on and then we are left with nothing but the memories.  Photography helps us relive the past and in a way to keep in touch with the past.

I made a reference to Polaroid earlier in this article because of things said to me by many young people in regard as to how they use their phone cameras.  When Polaroid Land cameras first came out one of the first uses by young men was to photography their girl friends in ways that were in a way compromising.  By this I mean the inference of security and confidentiality in that they could take nude pictures of the girls so that they could carry them where ever they went and they “controlled” whose eyes would be permitted to see them.  This could be carried by a knight or a knave. Today I hear young boys bragging about their girl friend and show you a quick picture they took of her and you can tell that the picture was not taken with the heart but rather with a genital drive. In some cases these pictures are “shared” through emails to others.  There is no security in these web mail systems so one should be careful of what one sends through them. A gentleman never shares the image of his love in a compromising way with any other person, but enough on this subject.

Photography gives us the means with which to share our lives and our loves with the rest of the world. Whether it be nature, sports, portraiture and other forms of photography we get a chance to express how we feel about the subject matter by the way we photograph it. So pick up real cameras, photograph everything you see of importance to you, for you never know, it may become important to some one else too.

Happy shooting – Douglas John Vergara - 09202008