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188 creative works found
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Lighting The Head Shot
by John Hooton“If God had intended photographers to use more than one key light, he would have made more suns.” Just about every single shot includi…
“If God had intended photographers to use more than one key light, he would have made more suns.” Just about every single shot including the food and still life shots in my portfolio was made with one light. One light in the right place. You won’t need any more except possibly to light a background. In this case make sure that they light the background, and do not spill back on to the subject. Use barn doors or large black sheets of card if necessary. Very early in my career I learnt that light bounces around all over the place in a white studio. This is unwanted light. When I worked for top food photographers and fashion photographers like Barry Lategan, we actually blacked out the studio with drapes or black screens. Great for glassware too. I ordered funeral drapes to cover an entire studio when I was asked to light a “Finish” (the dishwasher stuff) TV commercial in Milan. The essential shot was of a glass. How do you get a glass to look sparkling clean? Answer, outline it in black, make it totally transparent and have one clean reflection of light on it. How do you do that? Black out the studio; this creates the black edges which are the walls reflecting in the edges of the glass. Use one ‘window’ type light. In this instance I used a 6×4 sheet of opaque white Perspex and stuck some halogen floods behind it. Result – one clean reflection of soft light, no glass to be seen, just the black outline of one. It looks as clean as a whistle because the glass is invisible! The actor doing the demo in the commercial looked good too, with a similar lighting quality to that in my stills. The cameramen were two old hacks from Rome who scoffed in bemused wonderment at this 22 year old kid who had made the studio look set for a funeral. The drapes were all that the three funeral companies could provide. However, the results were crystal, the client was thrilled, I was a hero for a day, and I got more work from the production company who shot the ad. This lighting style was often copied after that, and is still the basis of many British commercials today. So where were we? Yes one light. One light in the right place. At John Cowan’s studio, I persuaded John to have the entire walls of the studio painted black to which he agreed. Why black? So that the light does not bounce all over the room filling in shadows where you want shadows. To start with black and then paint with light gives you much more control over your lighting. It makes you the master of it. It gives you the contrast you want without having to print on grade 4 paper, thus allowing more detail in mid tones. I painted my studio in Milan black, and would do the same today. It gives you a quality that is sharp and precise. OK so where does the One Light go? More or less above your own head and slightly above the subject. This will slim the face by putting the cheekbones in shadow if the model is facing you head on. Take a look at the head shots in my portfolio and look where the shadows are. Then figure out where the light is. Above the camera, maybe slightly to one side. This should be the side the model faces if the shot is three quarters on or the shoulders are three quarters on. When you have set up, always use a tripod to establish your camera position and then adjust the light until it is exactly where you want it. Don’t run around the model with your camera in hand. It may look good in the movies, but it will look crap in your contacts, with no consistent lighting whatsoever. Just one more thing, what sort of light you may ask? The light should be intense but soft, so a single umbrella is fine, a soft box is fine, and a bowl light is excellent. This is where the flash head is reflected into a shallow bowl and the head is shielded. If the bowl is then opaqued by a thin sheet of plastic, you will get the same quality as some of the Vogue photographers. It is a very flattering light. You can tell when it has been used by top photographers. You will see the circular highlight with a black center reflected in the model’s eyes. OK folks so that’s how I light head shots (and many of the top guys I have assisted). Give it a whirl and see if you can take some shots that stun you, the girl you are shooting, and the horse I rode in on. ‘til next time – John
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Digital camera sensor cleaning and those rascally rabbits
by Darren StonesCamera maintenance is an important habit to get into, but of course no one has to be too meticulous about it. Hell, housework is certainl…
Camera maintenance is an important habit to get into, but of course no one has to be too meticulous about it. Hell, housework is certainly not my strong point. This morning I gave my baby (Canon 20D) a spruce up. I thought it was perfect timing with the sun shining and a stunning blue sky – just as you’d expect in Melbourne. Of course at time of writing the clouds have rolled in to provide a diffusing effect to the scenery. :) The camera sensor was due for a little dust removal. So, off I toddled with the 50mm prime lens attached and I set the camera to manual mode and proceeded to take exposures at F/22. F/22 is perfect for revealing those dust bunnies. You know the one’s, those darn spots we remove in photoshop and are a right pain in the ass. What fun – not. Anyway, I soon found a big dust bunny had come to the party. The bloody thing was bigger than Bugs Bunny. Huh, that big bugger was in fact on the rear lens element, so after a few exposures rocket science (a brain wave) soon dictated that he/she had to be exterminated with a quick wipe with a soft lens cloth. Done. Onwards we go to a little fiddling in photoshop and a play with the auto levels option. That was interesting to say the least and clearly revealed those dastardly bunnies at their worst. After a few goes at exterminating them I have a relatively clean baby all ready to take for a spin. Above – Sensor before cleaning Above – Sensor after cleaning Above – Sensor before cleaning with auto levels adjustment in Photoshop Above – Sensor after cleaning with auto levels adjustment in Photoshop I use the Copper Hill kit products as supplied by Quality Cameras in Perth. I have no affiliation with them, but can recommend their prompt and courteous service and cleaning kit products. Of course I couldn’t get rid of all the bunnies, so I suspect the mummy and daddy bunny will make more little bunnies for me to exterminate in the future. Those rascally rabbits. Some great info here to assist. / http://www.pbase.com/copperhill/ccd_cleaning And this is the way I do it. / http://www.pbase.com/copperhill/image/71784128 Advice articles can be found on my site here
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Articles of Interest
by Stephen MitchellThere are so many tips’n’tricks, tutorials, enhancements and various other interesting articles listed around Redbubble. I’ve decided it …
There are so many tips’n’tricks, tutorials, enhancements and various other interesting articles listed around Redbubble. I’ve decided it is time to revitalise the articles I have written. / Why? Because so many writers are long-winded, overly-descriptive and their instructions are near impossible to navigate. I believe my documents cover the many issues necessary to run a successful redbubble gallery, allowing artists to successfully present their portfolio to all clientele. Linking Text and Images Advantage of Tagging your Uploads / ASCII Characters in your RedBubble Journal / Coding your RedBubble Journal / Embedding a Profile Banner / Linking Images in Series, Columns and Rows / Linking Photographs / Naming Your Art / Using Favicons in Your Profile Exhibitions, Marketing & Sales Add This To Your Cart / Making a Profit Because of Redbubble / Marketing and Sales / Running Sheet for Exhibitions / Sell, Give, Donate and Use Your Skills / Selling Your Art Successfully Photography DPI – Myth, Mania, or Massive? / DPI – Myth, Mania, or Massive? v.2 / Knowledge is Power / Two Crafty Ways to Become a High Profile Photographer Interesting Reading Consent for Photography Not Required in Australia / Correct Spelling on Mozilla Firefox / DPI Determines Resolution, Not Quality / Online Purchasing : Safe or Scary? / Playing the Popularity Game Without Caring if You Win or Lose / Tip for Answering Comments About Redbubble Advantage of Choosing RedBubble / My Redbubble Dictionary / Ode to Redbubble / Redbubble Breeds Winners This will be updated as I write more interesting articles and tutorials for your reading-pleasure.
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Mixed Media on Arches watercolor paper / (acrylic artist’s colors, oil pastel, Graphite) / 2006 SOLD
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Acrylic on canvas / This is my first attempt at truly abstract painting, the blue signifies the “blue mood” and each brush stroke ,the many people afflicted by this horrible illness.The figure, well I think he speaks for himself… but his transparency is the feeling one has when his/her spirit (soul) has been removed. Which is how it feels to have clinical depression. I have added this painting to the Women’s appreciation group…even though clearly it is an image of a man…as there are so many millions of women all over the world who suffer from depression. I found I was unable to paint it as a woman ,as it was too close to my heart. I have been a sufferer all my life..and my daughter is also afflicted with this terrible illness… I’m trying to raise awareness…so that others will not have to suffer needlessly. I have written an article on “Coping with depression” / the URL is http://www.enrichedhealth.com.au/media/coping_with_depression.php / Feel free to bubblemail me if you need more information..and support. warmest wishes, Wendy
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I couldn’t help but love the shot of these broken window panes framed by this partially open door. Just about every corner i turned in this place threw up something that i wanted to shoot.
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This outback toilet, otherwise known as the Loo, the Outhouse, the Thunderbox, the Hole, the Dunny, just to mention a few titles for it, was found on an old abandoned homestead (large property) site in far western New South Wales, Australia. The homestead was built in the 1830’s and this is one of the few remaining buildings still intact, the other buildings being the shearing shed, the stables and the bunker (underground room used to keep both people and supplies cool in the harsh, hot environment). The house itself was destroyed by fire many years ago. / /
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Got Plans for December 12, 2012?
by Lisa WeberSeriously read this article its most fascinating and really is an extrodinary event that is going to happen…well i should say has been …
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I'M IN DESKTOP MAGAZINE! LOOK HERE!
by Melinda KerrWell I’m rapt to say I got my copy of Desktop Magazine today The magazine for Australian Design: Digital Culture and my photo essay and…
Well I’m rapt to say I got my copy of Desktop Magazine today The magazine for Australian Design: Digital Culture and my photo essay and article about Rwanda is in it. / I have scanned it in here for you to see (there’s five pages) but I encourage you to check out the magazine. It’s great (the magazine that is) and I’m grateful to Joe Spurling the Editor. / As requested by me they mention Red Bubble at the end and given this mag has readership of 45,000 I’d say that’s good (does this excuse me for whinging emails Peter? :) This is the article I wrote to accompany the photos. It’s called Thirteen years ago. And unfortunately, it’s true. In April of this year I went as a volunteer photographer to Rwanda in Central Africa to document work done by some charities there. Most people have heard of the film ‘Hotel Rwanda.’ This gets mixed reviews from Rwandans as all the Rwandans I spoke with considered it to be a Hollywood version and not particularly accurate. These Rwandans ask that people watch ‘Sometimes in April’ – a much more realistic and less ‘glamorous’ take on events. In fact they plead for people to watch it. Thirteen years ago, Rwanda suffered a horrific genocide. Over one million people were butchered in just one hundred days, with further hundreds of thousands dying from disease in the aftermath. This was not a frenzied attack at the hands of demented strangers, or even greedy invaders. These sickening assaults were carried out by neighbours, family, colleagues, or inconceivably even life-long ‘friends’; with the most intimate of weapons, bare hands, clubs and machetes. Husbands killed wives, teachers killed students, Doctors poisoned patients. Day after torturous day. In Rwanda April is the official month of mourning. The one-month of the year when victims openly give flight to the morbid memories that malign their minds. The shots you see here are of Rwandans praying. And they are all taken in April. When Rwandans pray, they pray with their arms, their hands, their eyes and their souls. Their intention is palpable, their spirit immense. Their pain resonates and their dismay is suffocating. Yet, through all this, the tiniest glimmer of hope reveals itself. As if set alight by courage, and relentless conviction. They say faith moves mountains. It did move me. And so I emerged. Photos in hand. Legacy in heart. And one indisputable truth in my mind. There but by the grace of God, that could have been me. To find out more about Rwanda and how you can help go to www.cnecpi.com.au
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Featured in the Exotic Mammals group Asiatic Lion and Lioness in captivity / Endangered species Captured from behind wired enclosure / Shot with Canon 1d mk3 There is a very sad story that goes with this series of shots; / The lions have just been reunited after the loss of their 4 month old cub due to illness
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Have I filled my brain with garbage, or have I done all I could to keep it clean, pure, and innocent, as it was given to me? Have I educated it as much as I could? Have I used it for the good of my family and my fellow humans? It’s my brain, but I’m responsible for what’s in it, when all is said and done. The 13th Article of Faith: / 13 We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul— We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. / Joseph Smith Apophysis and PhotoFiltre
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Wanna be famous?
by RedBubbleWe’re trying to drum up some more opportunities for RedBubble artists to be interviewed or featured in the media. If you’d like to be…
We’re trying to drum up some more opportunities for RedBubble artists to be interviewed or featured in the media. If you’d like to be considered, email media@redbubble.com and tell us in 50 words or less why you’d be an interesting candidate for an article. We’ll try to match up RedBubble members with media opportunities as they come through. Of course, we can’t promise you’ll be published, but at least you’re in with a chance. News Flash: / Five local melbourne newspapers are interested, so if you live in the the following areas, please mention that in your email: / 1. Stonnington: Sth Yarra, Toorak, Armadale, Malvern, Chadstone, Prahran / 2. Bayside: Brighton, Brighton East, Hampton, Sandringham, Highett, Cheltenham, Beaumaris / 3. Port Philip: Port Melbourne, Albert Park, St Kilda / 4. Glen Eira: Ripponlea, Murrumbeena, Caulfield, North Caulfield / 5. Boroondara: Ashburton, Balwyn, Balwyn North, Camberwell, Canterbury, Deepdene, Glen Iris, Hawthorn, Hawthorn East, Kew, Kew East, Surrey Hills
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A rickety old fire escape runs down from one of the upstairs classrooms of this abandoned boarding school . All chipped paint and rust now i dont think it would be sturdy enough to handle a load of kids running down it all panicking from a fire alarm!
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"Macro on a Budget" article on DIYPhotography.net
by Brian CareyHi Everyone, I just completed a write up for DIYPhotography.net, if you are interested in macro photography, especially if you are on …
Hi Everyone, I just completed a write up for DIYPhotography.net, if you are interested in macro photography, especially if you are on a tight budget it might be worth wile to have a look. Macro on a Budget article on DIYPhotography.net Best of Luck / Brian
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The Torah is the most holy of the sacred writings in Judaism. It is the first of three sections in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), the founding religious document of Judaism, and is divided into five books. The Torah contains a variety of literary genres, including allegories, historical narrative, poetry, genealogy, and the exposition of various types of law. According to rabbinic tradition, the Torah contains the 613 mitzvot ( “commandments”), which are divided into 365 negative restrictions and 248 positive commands.
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Article on current political issue for social issues magazine Vantage.
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Introducing the work of graphic designer Nick Griffin.
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Yay I was in the paper
by Jo O'Brien/ !http://images-2.redbubble.com/rbimages/mybubble_work_main…
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well this says it all, no time….so i had a good chance to look at those magnificent chairs, and look at those wheels on them, fantastic!! / Bikaner, Rajahstan, India
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