david chalk
PHOTOGRAPHER / IMAGE MAKER
AN AMAZING CAMERA
Chalk refers to the Silicon Graphics
visual computer as "an amazing camera
with a million lenses. And I'm not limited
to pointing the camera outward," he observes,
"I can also point it inward. I'm no longer merely
a photographer, I'm a combination of director,
set designer and lighting engineer, with intimate
control over actors, lighting and sets. As a photographer,"
he says, "I didn't have the patience to create still lives.
But that's what I'm doing with the computer. Anything I can
think of, dream of, or visualize in my mind's eye, I can create.
And it's all so easy. A night doesn't go by that I don't spend
five hours working on the system, and it's never a chore, it's a pleasure."
THE REAL-TIME ADVANTAGE
In addition to creating acclaimed personal works
that are widely shown in galleries, Chalk also produces
images for commercial and corporate clients. In deadline
situations, he says, the real-time performance and flexibility of
the Silicon Graphics system is a distinct competitive advantage.
"To be able to create in this way, with the client there suggesting
changes and me instantly making those changes, is simply wonderful.
I can move an entire model, even in a shaded mode, in real-time and
show a client how their image will look this way or that way; how
their logo will appear in several different positions. That's a
fantastic capability.
"And the system renders so fast," he continues.
"I remember, back in the old days, working on other
systems, doing illustrations that took 50 hours to render.
They were nice images, but that's way too much time. The Indigo2
workstation's multi-tasking ability makes all the difference in
productivity. While I'm laying off an animation or doing a large
rendering, I can still be working on another model without any
appreciable loss of speed. There's just not a PC that can do that.
When you're running Alias's Power Animator on Indigo2, there is no
limitation. With other systems, at some point you're going to bang
your head on the performance ceiling."
