Picture Stories by Stephen Alvarez

Happiness is a box from Manfrotto

Full of Sympla camera supports to review. So far the electronic follow focus is very cool.

Stephen Alvarez

Up from Prostitution short version, #humantrafficking

Since I spoke on a Human Trafficking panel at the premier of A Cilvil Remedy Thursday night I thought I'd post a short version of the Prostitution piece Jacki Lyden and I shot for NPR last year. 

 

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

Phone Friday: A Civil Remedy

I spoke on a panel last night at the premier of A Civil Remedy, a short documentary that tells the story of one human sex trafficking victim and explores changes in trafficking laws that hold traffickers financially responsible for their actions.
I was honored to be on stage with Chelo Alvarez-Stehlle, Kat Rohrer, Sonya Shah, and Jane Wells during a round table discussion about sex trafficking.

Stephen Alvarez
Cambridge, MA

The World's most downloaded man via APhotoEditor

 

Most professional photographers will sympathize. Via Rob Haggart

Stephen Alvarez

Boston, MA

Kirkwall Ba, from Merge on Vimeo

 

Anytime I think that I'm some sort of storytelling mastermind I see a clip like the one above from David Mclain and Merge. Needless to say its humbling. Bounce will be an incredible film.

Stephen Alvarez

Boston, MA

Video and Still convergence: seeing The Light

 
 Those of you who follow me on facebook know I have been working on a convergent film project. Now convergence is a word I throw out pretty often. By it I mean a place where the film and still photography worlds merge. This film is a perfect example. Not only is it made up entirely of still images -I'll get to that in a second- but it is really a landscape photo essay except the pictures move in a surprising way. Our concept was to take 24 hours on the campus of The University of the South and distill it to one 3 minute ideal day. Beside vimeo the film resides here where you can download still as screen savers.

a 20 year old Walt Disney Studio memo on Letters of note

"Intelligently approached, risk is a necessary component to success"

20+ years ago Jeffery Katzenberg wrote this famous memo about the success and failure of the changing film business as head of Disney film Studios. As someone involved in publishing during tough times I find it both instructional and inspirational. Thanks to Letter of Note for the transcription.

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

places I have always wanted to return to

Usually by the end of an assignment I am done with a place, I've wrung it out and don't feel the desire to go back. Occasionally though I'll get a glimpse of somewhere new at the end of an assignment, some trip I'd like to take. At the end of my Tsingy expedition I went up the Manambolo river for a couple of days. That trip has stayed with me. Even as exhausted as I was after cramming a 12 week assignment into 6 weeks I loved the pace and beauty of the river. It is a place I have always wanted to return to.

 

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

Canon 5D MK III review by Philip Bloom

I found this review on Philip's blog. He thinks that the MK III is a much better video camera than the MK II. Check out the high iso test toward the end. Pretty impressive.

Canon 5Dmk3 video review from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

 

A frame from the upcoming time lapse film

I've been working hard a short time lapse film. We are in the final phases of editing, it should be up soon.

The photo above is frame from the film. So far I have shot over 25,000 canon raw files (682 gigs). The final film will be about 3 minutes. With all this incoming data I can see how time lapse is the gateway drug for a Red camera...

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee