Time to move on

The time has come for me to say goodbye to Blogger. The new Excellence site has all the same functionality x1000. Its a blog, it has custom galleries, I can add stuff like video. Plus the WordPress community is so cool, new things coming out each day.

So if you have happened to visit this page --- please click below to go to my new blog.

http://www.excellencephoto.com/wp

This song keeps going on in my head

One minute you can never get back.

Parking Master!!!

Monday video -- heheheh

Cool video - I used to love rock!!

This guy remixes popular songs into rock. And he really rocks.

Slowing down on this blog

I am thinking of using this blog ONLY for my personal stuff. But can't decide. I have 4 years of memories here.

In the meantime -- please check out the new excellence site

http://www.excellencephoto.com/wp

Satisfaction

Hey guys! I wanted to followup with you all and thankyou so much for rushing my 120 MM negatives to digital order. They came out great and I received the original negatives today. I have already worked with the album company to get the layout and they are now pushing it into production- so according to them I will have it in my possession within my needed timeframe. It never would have happened if you all didnt rush your side for me. I am so grateful and appreciative of your efforts! If I ever run into someone who has a similar need or if we ourselves have a similar need in the future I wouldn't even hesitate to pick up the phone and call you all. Your awesome, professional, and do great work. Thanks again!

Best Regards,

Gary Bohm, President
Bohm & Associates


I have this warm feeling inside me.

Swine Flu FAQ - Best to be informed.

Swine Flu FAQ

What is swine flu?

Like people, pigs can get influenza (flu), but swine flu viruses aren't the same as human flu viruses. Swine flu doesn't often infect people, and the rare human cases that have occurred in the past have mainly affected people who had direct contact with pigs. But the current swine flu outbreak is different. It's caused by a new swine flu virus that has spread from person to person -- and it's happening among people who haven't had any contact with pigs.

What are swine flu symptoms?

Symptoms of swine flu are like regular flu symptoms and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. Those symptoms can also be caused by many other conditions, and that means that you and your doctor can't know, just based on your symptoms, if you've got swine flu. It takes a lab test to tell whether it's swine flu or some other condition.

If I think I have swine flu, what should I do? When should I see my doctor?

If you have flu symptoms, stay home, and when you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Afterward, throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands. That will help prevent your flu from spreading.
If you've got flu symptoms, and you've recently been to a high-risk area like Mexico, CDC officials recommend that you see your doctor. If you have flu symptoms but you haven't been in a high-risk area, you can still see a doctor -- that's your call.
Keep in mind that your doctor will not be able to determine whether you have swine flu, but he or she would take a sample from you and send it to a state health department lab for testing to see if it's swine flu. If your doctor suspects swine flu, he or she would be able to write you a prescription for Tamiflu or Relenza. Those drugs may not be required; U.S. swine flu patients have made a full recovery without it.

How does swine flu spread? Is it airborne?

The new swine flu virus apparently spreads just like regular flu. You could pick up germs directly from an infected person, or by touching an object they recently touched, and then touching your eyes, mouth, or nose, delivering their germs for your own infection. That's why you should make washing your hands a habit, even when you're not ill. Infected people can start spreading flu germs up to a day before symptoms start, and for up to seven days after getting sick, according to the CDC.
The swine flu virus can become airborne if you cough or sneeze without covering your nose and mouth, sending germs into the air.
The U.S. residents infected with swine flu virus had no direct contact with pigs. The CDC says it's likely that the infections represent widely separated cycles of human-to-human infections.

How is swine flu treated?

The new swine flu virus is sensitive to the antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza. The CDC recommends those drugs to prevent or treat swine flu; the drugs are most effective when taken within 48 hours of the start of flu symptoms. But not everyone needs those drugs; many of the first people in the U.S. with lab-confirmed swine flu recovered without treatment. The Department of Homeland Security has released 25% of its stockpile of Tamiflu and Relenza to states. Health officials have asked people not to hoard Tamiflu or Relenza.

Is there a vaccine against the new swine flu virus?

No. But the CDC and the World Health Organization are already taking the first steps toward making such a vaccine. That's a lengthy process -- it takes months.

I had a flu vaccine this season. Am I protected against swine flu?

No. This season's flu vaccine wasn't made with the new swine flu virus in mind; no one saw this virus coming ahead of time.
If you were vaccinated against flu last fall or winter, that vaccination will go a long way toward protecting you against certain human flu virus strains. But the new swine flu virus is a whole other problem.

How can I prevent swine flu infection?

The CDC recommends taking these steps:

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Or use an alcohol-based hand cleaner.
• Avoid close contact with sick people.
• Avoid touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

Can I still eat pork?

Yes. You can't get swine flu by eating pork, bacon, or other foods that come from pigs.

What else should I be doing?

Keep informed of what's going on in your community. Your state and local health departments may have important information if swine flu develops in your area. For instance, parents might want to consider what they would do if their child's school temporarily closed because of flu. That happened in New York City, where St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens closed for a couple of days after eight students were found to have swine flu. Don't panic, but a little planning wouldn't hurt.

How severe is swine flu?

The severity of cases in the current swine flu outbreak has varied widely. In Mexico, there have been deaths and other severe cases. Early cases in the U.S. have been mild. But that could change. The virus itself could change, either becoming more or less dangerous. Scientists are watching closely to see which way the new swine flu virus is heading -- but health experts warn that flu viruses are notoriously hard to predict, as far as how and when they'll change.

Why has the swine flu infection been deadlier in Mexico than in the U.S.?

It is unclear why U.S. cases have been milder compared to those in Mexico. Among the first 20 reported cases in the U.S., only one patient required hospitalization and that person has fully recovered. CDC researchers are actively investigating to learn more about the differences between the cases in Mexico and those in the U.S.

Have there been previous swine flu oubtreaks?

Yes. There was a swine flu outbreak at Fort Dix, N.J., in 1976 among military recruits. It lasted about a month and then went away as mysteriously as it appeared. As many as 240 people were infected; one died.
The swine flu that spread at Fort Dix was the H1N1 strain. That's the same flu strain that caused the disastrous flu pandemic of 1918-1919, resulting in tens of millions of deaths.
Concern that a new H1N1 pandemic might return in winter 1976 led to a crash program to create a vaccine and vaccinate all Americans against swine flu. That vaccine program ran into all kinds of problems -- not the least of which was public perception that the vaccine caused excessive rates of dangerous reactions. After more than 40 million people were vaccinated, the effort was abandoned.
As it turned out, there was no swine flu epidemic.

I was vaccinated against the 1976 swine flu virus. Am I still protected?

Probably not. The new swine flu virus is different from the 1976 virus. And it's not clear whether a vaccine given more than 30 years ago would still be effective.

How many people have swine flu?

That's a hard question to answer, because the figure is changing so quickly. If you want to keep track of U.S. cases that have been confirmed by lab tests and reported to the CDC, check the CDC's web site. If you're looking for cases in other countries, visit the World Health Organization's web site. And when you hear about large numbers of people who are ill, remember that lab tests may not yet have been done to confirm that they have swine flu. And there may be a little lag time before confirmed cases make it into the official tally.

How serious is the public health threat of a swine flu epidemic?

The U.S. government has declared swine flu to be a public health emergency.
It remains to be seen how severe swine flu will be in the U.S. and elsewhere, but countries worldwide are monitoring the situation closely and preparing for the possibility of a pandemic.
The World Health Organization has not declared swine flu to be a pandemic. The WHO wants to learn more about the virus first and see how severe it is and how deeply it takes root.
But it takes more than a new virus spreading among humans to make a pandemic. The virus has to be able to spread efficiently from one person to another, and transmission has to be sustained over time. In addition, the virus has to spread geographically.

This is just wierd

Lazy Sunday

I spend so much time in front of the computer. It's really nice not feeling guilty just looking at stuff for fun. You see. When you work for yourself, or own your own business there is even more pressure than if you have a job and a boss. The difference is that I am responsible to all our employees. If I fail, then they are out of a job. My family suffers and so do my clients.

Anyhow - today I am off!!! Here is a funny video.

Ms Ronald Mcdonald

I'd buy a Hamburger from her. If I wasn't on a diet.This is kinda weird. Not sure which country, but they dont sell a McGrand at my MC Dees. I watched another few times. Its Japan.






EMBED-Ronald McDonald's Daughter - Watch more free videos

Amazing

The more I hear Kanye the more I like.



Kanye West ft. Young Jeezy - Amazing from nhh on Vimeo.

Hahhah I love it when my competitors copy me!

So I was poking around one of the wedding websites looking for a fellow photographers telephone number, when I decided to visit a few of competitors. Understand, that I am really busy. This is the forst time in about 4 years I've done this.

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOOWOWO

Everyone has a blog now. Funny thing - most look just like this one!! Theres a saying:

"Imitation is the greatest form of flattery"

Well this blog has now become mainstream. That is one of the reasons I am switching to my new site. It will have all the advantages of this blog +++++++++ plus super search and reference capabilities, plus dirtect uploads for photos and video.

For example: How many times have you looked at a cool shot and wondered?? Where is that taken?? Well now I will label each photo with a tag.

Living in Thornhill

Living in Thornhill is a sort of likw living in a bubble. This video is a perfect example

Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | More Video Clips

New Site is coming along.

Today I really realized how much I rely on the Excellence Photo website. I was meeting with a bride and here lovely mom, when I wanted to show examples of photos I have taken at Mississauga Convention Center. Well, since the site is basically down there is no access to the couples pages. After 10 minutes of fiddling around I found these links.

http://www.excellencephoto.com/2009site/Couples/2009/

http://www.excellencephoto.com/2006site/couples/

By clicking on these links you will be able to click through a bunch of couples website. Later tonight I hope to have the "New" Couples page working on the new site.

This is sooooo true!!

An old man wearing a VFW hat walked up to the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he’d been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the Marine standing guard and said, “I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.”

The Marine replied, “Sir, President Bush is no longer in office. He doesn’t live here anymore.”

The old man said, “Okay,” and walked away.

The following day, the very same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, “I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.”

The Marine once again told the veteran, respectfully, “Sir, as I said yesterday, President Bush is no longer in office and doesn’t live here anymore.”

The man thanked him and again walked away.

The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same Marine, saying “I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.”

The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, “Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to President Bush. I’ve told you already that he is no longer in office. He’s never coming back. Don’t you understand?”

The old veteran answered him, “Oh, I understand perfectly. It just makes me so happy to hear it — he didn’t attend the funeral of a single Marine killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, you know.”

The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, “Sir, see you tomorrow, sir!”

Working on the new site

So I've decided that since soooooooooooooooooo many people have been asking about the new site, that I would involve you all in the development. When you consider the Excellence site is would be nothing without my couples, it makes sense~!

If you have any suggestion post a comment on the site. As you will notice right away the site is set up as a blog style site. This is likely to mean the end to this particular blog --- boo hoo. I've been posting here since 2005.

Here is the link to the new site.

http://www.excellencephoto.com/wp/

This freaks me out

Pop Corn téléphone portable micro-ondes
by sassiere

Quality DOES matter

Oooohhh did I get upset this morning. I stopped in the studio to pick up a computer part, and Aaron (THM Sales Manager) had someone on the phone. (Actually that made me happy as he was 30 minutes early for work - ON A MONDAY!! and Already following up leads)

Anyhow, the lead has 1000 photos to be scanned. We charge about $500 or approx .50 per scan. The customer goes on to explain that this is wayyyyy over priced, she found a company on the internet charging .07 cent or about $70 for the exact same thing.

What upset me was Aaron told OK have a nice day.
What really upset me was that the customer really was not informed and based her decision solely on price. Of course, Aaron's mistake was thinking well we can't compete on price so why bother??

Here is the point of my blog today.

Quality vs Price


Using the above example:

Here is what you get for 0.07 per scan

• a low quality 600 dpi scan
• NO colour correct
• No Cropping
• No cleaning
• They ship by Canada Post

Here is what you get for .50 cents a scan

• a high quality 2400 dpi scan
• Professional colour correction of EVERY photo by a dedicated editor
  
• Cropping of EVERY photo by a dedicated editor
• Cleaningof EVERY photo by a dediced editor
• Guarantees shipping using UPS and Fedex with tracking numbers.

With over 1000 scans a day, I we have already made all the mistakes. (Yea sound bad, but true!) For example. We will never ship Canada Post again unless a customer signs a waiver. Why? Because 3 years ago they "misplaced 13 packages. They all eventually arrived. Last year they only "misplaced 6" and this year -- with a waiver, it took them 5 weeks to deliver Toronto to Edmonton. After 4 weeks a rep from Canada post offered us a lost compensation incurance of $100. I told him if they didnt find the package I would contact every manager and minister and let them know how they had lost one of my customers memories for ever!!


Sorry I'm ranting today.


Long story short. You get what you paid for. If you are a bride and you hire a photographer for $2000 don't expect Excellence Photography. Expect a hack. Expect missing moments, lighting problems, no concept of colour, or composition. Expect the photo on a disk not in order of the day, expect that the quality of the photos will match the $500 camera and $75 lense they bought at Costco. Oh and expect those photo 9 months after your wedding.

Of course, that is if quality is not important to you.

Happy Monday

Have fun!!

One of the coolest brides I have ever had the pleasure to shoot is Samantha from Ft. Lauderdale Florida.

Her attitude on the day of the wedding can me quickly summed up in one photo.

Everything is amazing, nobody is happy...

Kinda makes you think. How many things do we take for granted?? How about all those photographers that have never had to meter a shot?

We scanned over 5000 images at THM last week. Everyday people took those photos. You know? They know more about photography than a majority of the digital photographers today.

The reason?

In the old days cameras were manual. You had set the exposure, set the focus and the shutter speed. Imagine you have to change the film every 12 shots!!!!

Bad dreams - can't sleep

Having a hell of a time sleeping lately. So I find myslef staring at the ceiling. Last night I tried thinking great thoughts and guess what NO nightmares.

It makes sense.

If you go to sleep thinking about your troubles they are much more likely to encroach on you sub conscience.




My theme for last night was: Amazing Events in my life.

• Standing on the stage in Scarborough wining Individual Contra Bass for the first time
• Wedding day
• Both boys being born
• Hearing my voice the radio
• Being on tv
• Performing on the field at Skydome (Toronto), Giants stadium (New Jersey), Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabam and about 50 other stadiums I can t remember - buffalo, Dallas, Allen town, Madison, etc
• My first wedding as a photographer.
  

Memories!!

When I was growing up there was no such thing as a PlayStation or wii. This is now on my list of toys that I want!!

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?whse=BCCA&topnav=&prodid=10304101&ec=BCCA-EC780-CatHome&pos=21&lang=en-CA#

Boy Im having FUUNN

I know work is supposed to be -- well work. But today I am having so much fun. I changed the sound that my computer makes to http://funandmagic.com/sounds/frknmail.wav

I know its really childish but each time I finish a photo and export I get one of these sounds

http://www.fart-sounds.net/fart_sound_board.htm

Twitter

I've been using Twitter to update my site daily for a few months now. Love the new feature I can use with my iphone.

I took this at my gym. It updates on twitter, adds it to my facebook account all at the same time!!

Testing video uploads - Again

For the past few months we have been using viddler to host our videos. The problem is the quality has never been acceptable to me. I do like how easy it is to embed into my blog though.

http://www.viddler.com/explore/jeanmarcotte/videos/64/











So here is a sample using flash. Let me know your thoughts.

http://www.reelifeentertainment.com/videos/Antonella_David/

I'm such a suck

After shooting weddings for more than 10 years it takes a lot to make me cry. Usually a surprise, or when other people start crying I start (funny thing same thing happens to me when someone else pukes - so do I!!) I cried my butt off.

Anyhow - sorry about the commercial before this - wait for the wedding part - its worth it.

http://www.mahalo.com/Jayla_Cooper

Seriously!!

I'm not one for conspiracy theories but this is just too obvious.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7929849.stm

Robert Gabriel Mugabe (born 21 February 1924) is the President of Zimbabwe. He has held power as the head of government since 1980, as Prime Minister from 1980 to 1987, and as the first executive head of state since 1987.^[1] Mugabe rose to prominence in the 1960s as a Zimbabwe African National Union leader in guerilla warfare against white-minority rule in Rhodesia in the Bush War (1964–1979). Emerging from this conflict, Mugabe was hailed by many Africans as a hero.^[2][3]

Since 1998 Mugabe's policies have increasingly elicited protest, both domestic and international. Mugabe's government supported the Southern African Development Community's intervention in the Second Congo War; redistributed thousands of white-owned farms;^[4] and, in response to the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001, printed hundreds of trillions of Zimbabwean dollars, triggering hyperinflation;^[5] and harassed and intimidated such political opponents as the Movement for Democratic Change.^[6] Zimbabwe's economy spiraled downward,^[7] accompanied by oil and food shortages^[8], massive internal displacement^[9] and emigration.^[10][11] In July 2008, the Group of Eight released a collective statement saying that they "do not accept the legitimacy of a government that does not reflect the will of the Zimbabwean people".^[12]

On September 15, 2008, a power-sharing agreement brokered by South African President Thabo Mbeki was signed. As provided in the deal, Mugabe will be recognized as President, Morgan Tsvangirai will become Prime Minister,^[13] the MDC will control the Republic Police, Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front will command the Army, and Arthur Mutambara will become Deputy Prime Minister.^[14][15]

And now Morgan Tsvangirai nearly died in an "Accident" with a US aid agency partner organisation truck on its way to deliver AIDs medicine. Wow

What does this say about my music choices I love these songs!!!

Check out this list of 10 songs.

http://rightmusicwrongs.com/

What a night.

So I've been a little under the weather for the past few weeks. Still losing weight! Down to 254. Thats a total of 11 lbs since January and very little in the past few weeks.

Back at the gym in the mornings. I taken to spending 10 hours a day editing photos and video projects and am slooowing finishing so older jobs.

For those couples who would like to special video shoot. Please contact Tim at the studio. He will schedule a time for all video love walks with you.

What else. I've been twittering a lot lately. If you don't know what that is - check out the website and look for the hours/daily updates.

Its my Mom's Bday today woohoo - Happy Bday. Many more.




Had a real pain in the butt evening. Left home at 7:30.

Here is a copy of my rant to alex. Some of the words have been changed to space the innocent.























Dude what a joke
[9:06:13 PM] Jean Marcotte: I went to go to sams club to buy minidv
[9:06:27 PM] Jean Marcotte: so they are going out of business next week
[9:06:37 PM] Jean Marcotte: this week they close early
[9:06:52 PM] Jean Marcotte: so I went to find the store at woodbine and 7
[9:07:01 PM] Jean Marcotte: turns out its ON woodbine
[9:07:21 PM] Jean Marcotte: I wasted 45 mins at that point stop in to starbucsk for directions
[9:07:40 PM] Jean Marcotte: I finally get there and spend 30 min waiting in line for a card
[9:07:55 PM] Jean Marcotte: then looked for minidvs for 15 more mins
[9:08:23 PM] Jean Marcotte: So I im getting pissed. Thinking any minute mariannas going to call and freak out
[9:08:32 PM] Jean Marcotte: So I ask this guy for help.
[9:08:40 PM] Jean Marcotte: Turns out to be Carlo
[9:08:57 PM] Jean Marcotte: I shot his wedding over 11 years ago and he is the manager of this costco
[9:09:10 PM] Alex Kink: hehehe
[9:09:11 PM] Jean Marcotte: he walks with me all over the store looking for the minidvs
[9:09:27 PM] Jean Marcotte: after 10 more mins he calls the electronic dept
[9:09:38 PM] Jean Marcotte: they stop selling minidvs!!!!!!
[9:09:42 PM] Jean Marcotte: hehehehehahahhahahahahhahahaha



Oh and another bit of bad news!!

http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2009/02/11/kindle-2-not-coming-to-canada/

Its March!! Weddings season begins!!!

Most people think the wedding season begins in June. The real truth is that for us it begins when we stop booking for 2009 and start working on 2010.

That is not to say that if you haven't booked your 2009 wedding photos and video that we can't help you, but that the odds are we are booked.

We will only shoot 2 weddings on Saturday and one on Sunday. At one bridal show this one photographer told me I was crazy - " Just hire another photographer. The problem I have with that is what if they do a bad job? Sub contractors are just that for a reason - they cant make it on their own.

Marianna, Natasha and I have more than 30 years of experience - I know were good (and modest) People have been asking for a list of available dates. Sorry.

I LOVE to turn people away. It means that our work is good enough and in demand enough that couples make the decision to book. The operative word is decision. If I had a list online of the dates we were available for than many couples would just look see we were not available and we would never really know how many couples were interested but either waited too long or decided too late.

For 2008 that number had reached 61. So between today and March 1st 2010 I want to say sorry we are booked to 100 couples. Weird goal huh?

For 2007 the number of people who wanted to book us but when they called to give us their wedding were politely told thank but unfortunately we are booked was 78.

For 2006 the number of people who wanted to book us but when they called to give us their wedding were politely told thank but unfortunately we are booked was 63.

Hell's Kitchen: Season 5: Episode 1 - Part 3/5

Damn I love this show!!!

New Style Engagement pages

I've always been a little unhappy with the engagement section on couples' sites. Not enough images for a proper slideshow and well brides want to see photos in detail.

SOOOO

Check out Heather and Jeremy's photos.

http://www.excellencephoto.com/2009site/Couples/2009/Heather_Jeremy/Heather_Jeremy_Eng/

Darn problems

Just noticed a problem on the Excellence couple pages. Will be fixed in the next minute. If you ever notice a link problem - Let me know. Its usually something that can be fixed in minutes.

ahhhhhh

In the meantime - lets look at a cute kitty

Home Theatre

OK this is soooo geeky - but I love it!!!

There more I think about it the more I want to do something cool in the ack of the studio. I think we store more of our boxes upstairs and make a REALLY cool presentation area (see above )

Still feeling sick. Boo hoo for me.

Sorry about previous post - got cut off.

Click here to see the proper ad.












Register TorontoHomeMovies.com for a MySpace account. Also updated our Google Ads for MontrealHomeMovies.com

So dont be surprised if you start seeing ads if you live in Quebec. Of course, TorontoHomeMovies.com has been advertising on google for a few years. It took me over year to learn how to target customers for the best results.

Here's a test. Go to google and search == 8mm film to DVD toronto

You should see over 5 links to TorontoHomeMovies.com -

Oh -- I just register TorontoHomeMovies.com with its very own Myspace account!!!

http://www.myspace.com/torontohomemovies

Please check it out and help by linking to me. I'm new at this so I appreciate the advice.



All over the map today.


Here is a great new trailer by our editor Zsolt!!

I'm sick!!! Waaaaa

New ad for MontrealHomeMovies.com

Services provided by MontrealHomeMovies.com 8mm 8mm to DVD 8mm to DVD 8mm conversions 8mm conversions converting 8mm film converting 8mm film film transfers film transfers New transferring 8mm film transferring 8mm film Super8 super 8 to DVD super8 to DVD super 8 converting super8 conversions converting super 8 film converting super 8 film super 8 film transfers film transfers transferring super 8 film transferring super 8 film 16mm 16mm to DVD 16mm to DVD Buffalo 16mm conversions 16mm conversions converting 16mm film converting 16mm film converting film to DVD 16mm film transfers transferring 16mm film transferring 16mm film .	Contact us TF: 888 705 6380 410 Rue Gratton, Suite 206, St-Laurent Quebec H4M 2E2 MontrealHomeMovies.com has been specializing in saving your priceless memories for over 10 years. By using only professional broadcast equipment and the latest transferring methods we are preserving peoples Super8, regular 8mm and 16mm, as well as VHS/VHSc, BetaMax and all types of camcorder tapes. Old Movie Film Conversions Your old home movie film reels are in jeopardy of deteriorating. More often than not people will pack up their film into a box and shove it into a corner, whether it being in a garage, basement, attic, etc. When the film is sitting, they are being exposed to extreme heat and cold, kids and pets running around and terrible humidity, all which can potentially destroy your film. Bring your film into our office before they are ruined. We want to preserve your family movies for your future family members to see, hear and reminisce about you! Often times our customers think about getting their film digitized onto DVD because they "found a box of film" or a family member wants to "relive the good old days." MontrealHomeMovies is one of few businesses able to do so, converting over 500 reels on a weekly basis, at an exceptional quality. We convert: 8mm 8mm to DVD 8mm to DVD Montreal 8mm conversions 8mm conversions Montreal converting 8mm film converting 8mm film Montreal film transfers film transfers Montreal transferring 8mm film transferring 8mm film Montreal Super8 super 8 to DVD super8 to DVD Montreal super 8 converting super8 conversions converting super 8 film converting super 8 film Montreal super 8 film transfers film transfers transferring super 8 film transferring super 8 film Montreal 16mm 16mm to DVD 16mm to DVD Montreal 16mm conversions 16mm conversions Montreal converting 16mm film converting 16mm film Montreal converting film to DVD 16mm film transfers transferring 16mm film transferring 16mm film Montreal Preserve your priceless memories for your family by trusting MontrealHomeMovies.com to digitize your Super8mm to DVD, 8mm to DVD and 16mm to DVD. The Process. When you visit our Toronto, Boca Raton, or Montreal studios you will be greeted by a knowledge customer service representative that will help you complete the order form and answer any of your questions. Upon drop off, your Super8mm to DVD, 8mm to DVD and/or 16mm to DVD, it will generally be turned around within 2 weeks. Every Super8, 8mm and 16mm reel is hand cleaned and digitized under the supervision of professional videographer Jean Marcotte. Our company has custom designed computers which your 8mm, Super8 and 16mm footage is recorded to. One of our professional editors will go through all of your footage manually to remove splices, leaders and any blank footage at a frame by frame level. Reel markers will be added if an email of titles is not supplied. If specifically numbered, the film reels will be uploaded in that order. Corrections will be made as needed. Every frame of your footage is analyzed for sharpness, colour and clarity. We can supply you with an uncompressed format of your footage as AVI files on your external hard drive, on MiniDV tapes, or as AVI files on DVDs (could take multiple discs). To optimize the compression of your DVD, we will adjust the settings manually while producing the DVD(s). All of your footage will be digitized directly as AVI source files, then to MPEG-2 video and Dolby® Digital audio, when our competition uses standalone recorders producing low quality footage. Because our editors go through all of your footage frame by frame, we can produce custom DVDs with authored menus. Authoring a DVD will give us the capability to design detailed menus on your DVD. Who are we? MontrealHomeMovies.com has been specializing in saving your priceless memories for over 10 years. By using only professional broadcast equipment and the latest transferring methods we are preserving peoples Super8, regular 8mm and 16mm, as well as VHS/VHSc, BetaMax and all types of camcorder tapes. We currently have 3 offices equipped for business. Toronto (North York), Montreal (St-Laurent) and Boca Raton, Florida. We have been digitizing 8mm, Super8, 16mm and various audio, camcorder tapes and hardcopy images for over 9 years. Our business comes from: Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Halifax. How to get your order to us? If you are located in Montreal and want to ship your order to our office, we recommend using FedEx and UPS. We transfer old film analog video, photo, and audio to digitial for customers all throughout Canada and the USA. To this day, we have yet to have any issues with either company. All you need to do is download and print our orderform off the front page of MontrealHomeMovies.com, including your name, phone number and mailing address. Simply package up your order, courier it to us and upon arrival of the package you will receive a call from Andrea. She will confirm the details of the order, the price, and give you an estimate as to when we can have the order back to you. Please feel free to call us at 1-888-705-6380 if you have any questions or email at info@montrealhomemovies.com Contact us TF: 888 705 6380 410 Rue Gratton, Suite 206, St-Laurent Quebec H4M 2E2

Interesting things in the UK

Please don't refer the above photo to my fart comments below. I have to write this since some people in this world look for trouble where there is none. In fact, my wonderful bathroom collage at the studio has caused some controversy. I almost bowed to pressure and took it down. Upon watching Hamlet 2 I have decided to FIGHT!!

If you have no idea what I am writing about - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1104733/




Anytime there is a good fart joke - I'm there.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/newsbeat/newsid_7887000/7887353.stm

New Wedding - New Slideshow

Yesterday we had an amazing wedding at Ontario Place - Atlantis.



http://www.excellencephoto.com/2006site/couples/2009/Sandy_Mike/

Having an "Insane" day

I have always been the type of person who appreciated the insane. Maybe a better way of putting this would be - I dislike the norm.

That is why when I was 13 I had hair spiked up on one side, started a breakdance club at 14 and joined a band and moved to New Jersey when I was 19.

BUT I still would NEVER do this!!!





wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

Never Give Up

A South Korean grandmother has failed her written driving test 771 times. Now thats dedication.

Here is the BBC article.







You know. There are some Wedding photographers in Toronto that take over 1200 photos at a wedding?

Lets do the math...

Start time Groom --- 10am
Finish Time Hall --- 12am

Total Hours - 14

1200 photo / 14 hours

Subtract - Driving time from Groom to Bride, Bride to Church, Church to Park, Park to Hall

Lets be generous - 1.5 hours

Subtract - standing around time - dinner, part of church, waiting for bride when she is in the bathroom, etc

Again Lets be generous - 1 hour.

So we are down to 12.5 hour / 1200 photos = 0.625 - Thats about a photo every 45 seconds.
Question?

How much time and care is going into the photos?

Compare;




Found this on a Humour Site. Not my photo!!! I have to write that for several reasons.

Wow!! Cool video trailer

For the past few weeks Tim and Zsolt have been hard at work meeting ReelifeEntertainment customers and creating a bunch of very cool trailers.

Here is my favorite so far!!

Still 259

Ok so its only been one day, but I feel change (Like BarakObama is in my body heheheh)

Didnt actually lose any weight. The good news is I ate veggies, lots of them, a salad and a 300 calorie lunch.

Drinking 3-4 liters of water a day now too.

I think I'm going to go to Hyland Farms and buy my breakfast bars. When I was on the Dr Daniels diet it involved eating these protein bars. I really loved getting up in the morning. M

Here is a link to my success story re Dr Daniels (well before I put back all the weight)

http://excellencephoto.blogspot.com/2007/05/i-did-it-and-bit-more.html



Found this on my iPhone from last week

On the wagon, Off the Wagon

Today is the day.

I am offically back on the weightless wagon. If you have read any of my older blogs you would know that I have "gone on a diet" more than once.

There was Dr Daniels - Lost over 35 lbs

There was Dr Bernstein - Lost over 30 lbs

There was my marathon diet - Lost just under 30lbs.

The problem is that before the Marathon diet I weighted a total of 244. After each diet I put back all the weight and then some each time!!

My current weight according to my bathroom scale first thing in the morning is

259

So in an effort to fix 2 problems. My weight and the lack of posts on my blog. I will be updating my efforts online. Sometimes with a story and others with the big red letters.


Dr Green suggested I post a before photo so here it is.

Yikes.

New Slide show

Getting caught up on last year's slideshows. PLEASE email me a song name if we have not completed yours yet!!!


http://www.excellencephoto.com/2006site/couples/2008/Allison_Angelo/

Wonderful bridal show

Well the National Bridal Show happened this past weekend. 3 days of fun. I gotta say that I am 50-50 on bridal shows.

I love meeting new people.

I hate the hassle of setting up and taking down the booth.

Last night at 11pm I had to go back downtown, pack up the booth, bring most to the studio and the rest of the tables etc home.

Makes it a looooooooooooong weekend.

Didnt stop the kids from getting up early on Monday.

Some cool shots I came across today

hahahahahahhahahahahaahhahhahaha

Read this .......................


http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/01/07/porn-industry-seeks-federal-bailout/

Take 5 pounds off!!!

Got this from GIZMODO.com


The best time to weigh yourself is first thing in the morning before you eat and, preferably, after you have used the bathroom. That's where the toilet seat scale comes in.

The best thing about it? It builds confidence:

"Whew, that was a fierce battle. I feel five pounds lighter. Saaay...I am five pounds lighter!"

Too bad it is only a concept, because the only way to get this kind of functionality is by dropping thousands on one of those fancy Japanese tech toilets. [Yanko]