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• DIY How To: Through the Viewfinder Photography
  by Jules Campbell

  This is a ‘how to’ do the through the viewfinder or ttv technique written for all of you that have expressed interest recently. It is…

  This is a ‘how to’ do the through the viewfinder or ttv technique written for all of you that have expressed interest recently. It is by no means a rule book because I think each person would approach it differently but this is how I manage it..and remember with ttv really there ARE NO RULES :) It will require you to use that creative imagination but this is honestly half the fun of it!! I should give you some background info firstly, it is rumored to have first been thought of by Mr E on Flickr back in 2005 but there are is no hard proof of this just speculation on my behalf. TTV is still really huge on flickr with hundreds of groups dedicated to the different styles and subjects of ttv eg nature, black&white, manipulated, ferriswheels, self-portraits, etc etc So firstly ..what you are going to need, the essentials; / 1- a twin reflex camera eg. Kodak Duaflex, Argus75, or any other camera that has a large viewfinder. NB Most can be picked up from flea markets or ebay for as little as $5. Most take 620 film that is no longer made/available so this is why they are so cheap plus they are a dime a dozen as they were mass produced in the 1950s & 60’s. / 2- a digital camera with a pretty good macro so you are able to zoom in nice and close to the viewfinder / 3- a tripod certainly helps but isn’t essential / 4- something to block out excess light from above that shines onto your viewfinder glass, this can be a specially made box, a round piece of cardboard, or anything else that will do the job that you have laying about. / 5- a good sense of humor and a healthy dose of patience!! Here’s some of my twin reflex kids / This is the argoflex 75 and the kodak duaflex / This is an ansco and not my gun shells there ..its goose shooting season here and I have included them for size comparison. I wouldn’t recommend the ansco to start with as its really fiddley!! / This is looking down at the ansco’s viewfinder. / This is zooming in as tight as possible with my macro lens. / This is the image that has been cropped and is now ready for what ever colour adjustments or processing you wish to do. / OK so this isn’t my image of choice here but you get the general idea.. / This is a random piece of cardboard tube that I now use to block out excess light reflecting on the viewfinder glass. / Here is the side view..if you insist on being really anal about it you get some ideas for building the exact fit to your camera from flickr here If you would like a really indepth tutorial I can recommend Russ Morris’s here A few other points I’d like to add….some may wonder why go to all this trouble when you can do all of this with photoshop (fake ttvs) well my answer to that is I really like being able to see what image I want to create in the field and quite frankly it is so much more fun and creative to be actually ‘out there’ doing it! Secondly I don’t think all images or concepts are suited to the ttv style so this will be a matter of trial and error to see what fits for you. Lastly -the ttv style is all about embracing age and the antique-look of an image so think carefully about your post processing. Alot of ttv actually looks wonderful all on its own and I think many would be shocked at how little I actually do to some ttvs. Please use this link if you wish to find out more about the different processes and for free photoshop downloads here / that help achieve the vintage, grungey look. A great one to start with is urban acid :) Here’s a few more … / An urban acid ttv There you go…I think thats it?? Let me know if you need to know more or perhaps I’ve left something out…and don’t forget there is a Through the Viewfinder / group for ‘real’ ttvs when you are all ready to go!! Cheers Everyone!! Jules :)

• Tutorial: Photographing the Milky Way with a standard DSLR camera
  by Cain Doherty

  I have an improved and better formatted version of this tutorial in my wordpress blog....

  I have an improved and better formatted version of this tutorial in my wordpress blog. This tutorial will cover the development of my image Milky Way from Apollo Bay using a Canon 350D, a wide angle lens, Adobe Photoshop and an image alignment program called hugin. For this to be repeatable you must be shooting with clear dark skies, free from light pollution. I used settings of Tv: 20 sec, Av: f/4, focal length: 17mm and ISO speed: 1600. A shutter release cable is also a great tool and can keep your camera clicking as it sits on the tripod. The more images taken, the better for the final result, because this will improve the signal to noise ratio that plagues digital sensors during long exposures. A tracking mount is not necessary with a 20 second shutter speed because the rotation of the night sky is undetectable at such a wide angle. Please read the following steps for more information. All images are hyperlinked to larger sizes. 1) Download this zipped folder containing four of my unaligned shots of the Milky Way. 2) Load them into hugin_0.7_beta_4. 3) Manually align images with control points – don’t automatically align. I aligned three images to a common one. Enlarge the screenshot for details. 4) Click Edit – fine tune all points. 5) Click View – preview window. 6) Click Center and Fit buttons to achieve this view. 7) Click Edit – Optimise. 8) Click Stitcher – image format – multiple tiff . Final screen before clicking Stitch Now . 9) If you don’t want to worry about learning how to align the images with hugin, then you can download this zipped folder containing the four prealigned images of the Milky Way. 10) Load each image onto a new layer in photoshop adjusting the blend mode to screen which is good at lightening images without lightening the darkest areas. 11) Add a medium contrast curves layer. 12) Add colour balance layer: shadows (-90,-25,-10), midtones (-15,-5,-20), highlights (0,-5,30). 13) The final result For comparison’s sake, shown below is a typical accompanying jpeg to a raw file I began with for one of the individual images. I used Adobe Camera Raw to extract the jpegs provided in step 1 for processing. In closing, I’d like to point out this is not the only way an image like this can be captured; there is myriads of possibilities. I have developed this simple and inexpensive method by just experimenting with the tools at my disposal. Comments are welcomed. If you haven’t done so already, please check out another tutorial I have written: Layer Masks and Transparency Gradients for The Heart.

• Never Ever Ever Set Your Camera Down
  by Jeff Burns

  Tip 1: / Never set your camera down where someone can get to it. DOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! !http://images-1.redbubble.com/r…

  Tip 1: / Never set your camera down where someone can get to it. DOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Yes I am a Ham / Yes I knew the photo was going to be taken. / Say Cheeezzzzz. My Brother in Law got me good! / Happy Holidays Everyone!!

• Seascapes....
  by Mel Brackstone

  I’d like to say first and foremost I love the bubble for allowing me to show off my work, particularly as I’m still learning, which means…

  I’d like to say first and foremost I love the bubble for allowing me to show off my work, particularly as I’m still learning, which means that the quality of my work when I first came here wasn’t as good as it is starting to get now. I can thank the lovely helpful people I’ve met along the way for helping me focus better on what works and what doesn’t. As much as I loathe the negativity in the forums, I read some of the threads there and learn from them too, so thanks so much everyone for your support, or not, it’s all making me a better photographer. I’ve got a secret to share, regarding my seascapes. I’ve been lucky enough to have a friend who is very keen to get the perfect seascape shot, and for that reason I’ve been getting up at 2am or so to drive out to his place so we can then continue on to beaches 2 or more hours away, just so we can be there before dawn. The weather has to be right, there has to be clouds, the tides need to be doing the right things, and there needs to be rocks as foreground and or middle ground interest. In the 18 months that we’ve been following this course, we’ve managed to capture some amazing photos, and the shoot that gave me all these latest photos was the best so far. It’s taken his dedication to getting the conditions right, and a little bit of work from me with a camera and PS to produce this work, so please, when you look at my seascape photos, say thanks to Nick Lagos, its all down to him. His shots are a million times better, believe me! For those of you who may be interested in what kit I’m using, I have a battered Canon 5D, I use a 16-35mm f/2.8 L lens, and I bought the Lee filters to fit the wide angle so that I don’t get vignetting. I use both ND and ND grey grads, and combinations of them all, but only 2 at the most. My Manfrotto 190D tripod is not as heavy as it should be, but does a reasonable job, and I always have the cable release tied around the stalk between head and legs. I’m using the 322 RC head on the tripod, but I also really should have a level to put onto the hot shoe….keep forgetting to buy one…other than that I shoot in raw and small jpg, so I can run a quick slideshow on a laptop if necessary, or even when I get home to the clunker. I use ps and photomatix to get the best out of the shots, and my ability to use ps has been learnt through going through tutorials on the net and in manuals. Since maths and me don’t get on, I really have no idea why things work, only that sometimes I get a good result if I do “this” or “that” I get a lot of inspiration from the artists here, I can’t thank you all enough for showing me new subjects and processes. Once I read about some new technique I’ll google it and find out more. I recommend this to anyone who may want to improve their work. I’m technically challenged when it comes to using a camera, although I’m learning more and more the longer I shoot. I’ve only been shooting semi-seriously since 2004, and only came off P on my camera in late 2005. I still don’t shoot on M, unless I’m after a particular result that I want to try….and that’s how I work….hit and miss :) It’s all been digital, starting with a Canon G2, then powershot pro1, then 20D. So, thats my story, sorry if it’s a little boring, but I needed to clear up some misconceptions that I might actually know what I’m doing! There’s absolutely no truth to that rumour, its all down to Nick’s need to get the “Big Pic” and I’ve just been swept along with his enthusiasm. As all his loyal subjects will attest, he’s the best thing that’s happened to us, those of us who’ve been lucky enough to be taken into the fold, / so once again, thanks Nick, the legend lives on buddy!

• From Camera to Upload - Workflow
  by davoid

  Updates: 11th-Nov-07 added Pixel Dimensions, table of contents. Contents / Introduction / Compression / Pixel Dimensions / Workflow / Asp…

  Updates: 11th-Nov-07 added Pixel Dimensions, table of contents. Contents / Introduction / Compression / Pixel Dimensions / Workflow / Aspect Ratios So you’ve come to Red Bubble and like everyone else you want to upload some of your images. But how should I go about getting my camera’s images ready to upload? Firstly, most people have compact cameras and most of these create compressed JPEG (pronounced: Jay Peg) images in the 4:3 ratio. So I will start from this assumption. Compression / Your camera has settings for quality such as: fine, superfine, medium etc. This controls how much JPEG compression is applied to your camera’s images once a picture is captured. / The highest setting such as superfine has the least amount of compression applied to images so the image quality will be the best possible. The resulting file size will also be the largest of all the compression settings. / This is due to the fact that JPEG is a ‘lossy’ compression. Lossy compression removes data from the image and it is never replaced. So minimal compression means less of your image is thrown away resulting in a better quality image but more information to save. Three popular image editing software programs use a lossless compression for their native file formats: / Adobe Photoshop – PSD (e.g. imagename.psd) / Corel PaintShop – PSP / GIMP – XCF Lossless compression, removes data on saving but replaces it on reopening, so you can work on a file indefinitely without loss of quality (or information). Pixel Dimensions / Along with the compression settings your camera will have pixel dimension options. These often start with 640×480 and move up to the maximum that your camera is able to take ie. if the camera is a 7mp camera then the maximum pixel dimensions it will take will be around 7mp. Why ‘around’ 7mp? There is actual pixels and effective pixels. The actual pixels may be 7,300,000 but the pixels that are actually used to create an image might be 6,850,000 or similar; these are the effective pixels. / The effective pixels could also be 7,100,000, rather than, lower than 7mp as above. / Camera makers just round off to the nearest mega pixel. Some camera makers state the actual pixels on the camera casing and advertising rather than the effective pixels which is misleading and dishonest. If there is a possibility your photos will be uploaded to Red Bubble and you want to be able to get the biggest prints possible then you should set your camera to the highest pixel dimensions and the best quality. / On the other hand if you know you are only going to get 6” x 4” or 5” x 7” photolab prints then you can set your camera to the appropriate pixel dimension: Print size…..Pixels….............Megapixels…Camera Setting / 6” x 4”..........1800×1200….....2.16….............3mp / 5” x 7”..........1500×2100….....3.15….............4mp To cover both sizes just set your camera to the 4mp setting. If you never get 5” x 7” prints then set your camera to 3mp. / Not sure how to tell how many pixels your camera settings are? Just multiple both figures: ie. 1800×1200 = 2,160,000 pixels which is 2.16mp. How is the 1800×1200 pixels used by photo labs arrived at? 300DPI resolution is considered photographic quality so: Why bother to set your camera to a lower setting than the maximum? The size of files. 7mp images are bigger than 4mp images, so if you are taking a lot of images you can fit more 4mp images on your camera’s memory card than 7mp images. / Memory cards are large and cheap so why bother? Eventually your images will be transferred to your computer and 7mp images take up more disk space than 4mp images. If you have plenty of disk space and don’t mind larger files then just leave your camera at its highest setting. / The benefit of larger images is you can crop them and still create a 6” x 4” photo prints, and you have the option of larger prints at a good quality. Workflow / Take a photo with a digital camera / Camera compresses image into a JPEG file / Camera’s JPEG file is transferred to a computer / JPEG file is opened in an image editor such as Photoshop. / JPEG file is saved as PSD, PSP or XCF depending on your software. Now you have: / original.jpg – the original compressed JPEG file / original.psd (or psp, xcf) – the uncompressed version that is of the exact same quality as the original JPEG file. The difference is: you can open the PSD, PSP or XCF file and resave it without loss of quality, but if you open the JPEG file in an image editor and save it (JPEG as default), then you are compressing the file again. Overtime the file will degrade in quality if resaved as JPEG each time. Next: / PSD, PSP or XCF file is opened and adjusted for tone etc. / Image is cropped to from 4:3 ratio to 3:2 ratio (see section at the end) / Adjusted PSD, PSP or XCF file is ‘saved as’ another copy. Now you have: / original.jpg / original.psd / adjusted.psd Call the adjusted file something like: imagename 2 or imagename final. Next: / Adjusted PSD, PSP or XCF file is ‘saved as’ JPEG. If you want to upload your image it must be in the JPEG format so ‘save as’ again but this time change the file format to JPEG and choose the least amount of compression (highest quality) setting and choose either Baseline (Standard) or Baseline Optimized (optimized colour and slightly smaller file size) for the Format option. / You can name the file whatever you like at this point such as the title of the image but just make sure you can track back to the original JPEG and the PSD, PSP, or XCF files if you need to alter anything later. / I suggest renaming the original JPEG and the first PSD, PSP or XCF file to match the final title of the ‘upload’ JPEG, name the original JPEG from the start, or keep a Notepad or similar type file with a list of the Red Bubble JPEG and their corresponding files with names and locations on your computer. Now you have: / original.jpg / original.psd / adjusted.psd / adjusted.jpg You are ready to upload the adjusted.jpg to Red Bubble to be made into products. Aspect Ratios / As mentioned before, most compact cameras record their images in the 4:3 ratio but photo prints at a photolab or on Red Bubble are printed at the 3:2 ratio. / Something’s gotta give. Part of the 4:3 image must be removed by cropping (setting a dimension selection on an image and discarding anything outside this; like a biscuit (cookie) cutter and dough. This example uses Photoshop but should be similar in other image editors. See parentheses for generic terms. Marquee Tool (Selection tool) / - Style: Fixed Aspect Ratio / Enter height and width of 3 and 2. Transpose these numbers depending on portrait or landscape format. Now you have a selection tool that will default to a 3:2 ratio. Click and drag from outside of the image area (increase the document window if you can’t see any space surround the image area). E.g. click and drag from the right bottom corner outside of the image area until the selection (dashed lined box) won’t go any further. Now you have a 3:2 ratio selection at the maximum size for this image. As we will have to crop the image we want to lose the least amount of the image as possible. Your selection should be at the bottom of the image with a strip of image outside the selection across the top. If you crop the image now, that strip outside of the selection will be removed and you will have converted a 4:3 ratio image to a 3:2 image. But what if the best part of the image is at the top in that strip outside the selection? We have to move the selection. Using the keyboard: / the arrow keys will ‘nudge’ the selection at small increments but if you hold down the Shift key and use the arrows and the same time, the nudge will be in bigger increments. You can then release Shift and use just the arrows to be more precise. Once you have positioned the selection where appropriate you can crop the image. / Image>Crop For further information: / see my guide: Resolution, Pixel And DPI / Topics covered: / Terms Used / DPI / Digital Camera Resolution / Aspect Ratios / Screen Resolution / Scanning & Resizing Images / ...100% Reproduction / ...100% Plus Reproduction – Enlarging / ...Less Than 100% Reproduction – Reducing / Red Bubble Products

• Taking Your Camera Everywhere
  by Jeff Burns

  I wanted to share a funny experience I had with my Brother-In-law back in 2005. / I also consider him one of my best friends. We always h…

  I wanted to share a funny experience I had with my Brother-In-law back in 2005. / I also consider him one of my best friends. We always have fun whatever we do. Vincent Vartorella – who just joined redbubble a while back is my brother-in-law in case you don’t know. When we go places we love to take our cameras. It doesn’t matter where we go or what we are doing. I guess you could say we share the same interest in photography and enjoy it. / We screw around all time and we are always sneaking pictures of each other and having fun when the other isn’t looking. We probably have more pictures of each other than you could imagine and we just laugh. We went on a all day golf trip and I took my Sony Cybershot small camera with us, it was new at the time. / We used the heck out of that camera shooting every shot you could imagine. / It was a blast. We were heading to the 17th green and I said “Hey I have an idea, why don’t you go up on the green and I will hit a shot towards the green and we can see what it looks like on video. We never used the camera for video. So we wanted to see how the quality was. I dropped a ball about 100 yards from the green and he went and stood directly by the flag. / Of course he had to add his commentary to the shot which made this hilarious. Go Here / To see what happened. To this day we still laugh and can not believe this happened. / What are the odds? So one day I posted it on You Tube for fun. The funny part is its kind of popular I have a ton of hits on it.

• It's Not the Lens, Folks - It's the Person Behind It!
  by Cadence

  A lot of people have been asking me what camera and lenses I use. Instead of replying to everyone individually, I thought I’d just put th…

  A lot of people have been asking me what camera and lenses I use. Instead of replying to everyone individually, I thought I’d just put the answer out here in a journal. So, what lens do I use? / The one that came factory attached to my shitty little handheld Samsung Digimax 530. What camera do I use? / The shitty little handheld that came factory attached to my ONE lens ;-P I do not have a fancy, high-end camera. Though I would LOVE to get my hands on a Canon EOS 350D or any model of Nikon, I just don’t have the money. Besides, my little camera gets the job done just fine. Sometimes I am lucky enough to get to borrow my mom’s camera – a Panasonic Lumix. It’s no Nikon, but it is a really good camera. The only images in my gallery that were taken with that camera so far, though, are the ones of Electra and Jonathan In my opinion, the camera doesn’t matter all that much. I think it’s how you use it that counts. I’ve seen people who shoot with Nikons produce really average shots, and I’ve seen some really mind-blowing shots taken with the same camera by a different person. It all just depends on the photographer. If you disagree, let me know why. I’d love to be able to point to the computer screen and say, ‘See, Mom? That’s why I need a new camera!’ ;-P But yes, that is my embarrassing secret. My camera is a piece of junk. But I don’t really think that should matter.

• Camera Upgrades
  by Mark German

  And this is how I feel about cameras at the moment…. Bates 4000 Safe for work, but course language. / ...

  And this is how I feel about cameras at the moment…. Bates 4000 Safe for work, but course language. Just remember – your camera does not suddenly lose the ability to take great photos when a new product arrives.

• Which DSLR should I buy ?
  by Glenn Alderson Photography

  In the next few months I’m looking to buy a new camera. Now where do I start ? Which brand is best ? *Which model should I …

  In the next few months I’m looking to buy a new camera. Now where do I start ? Which brand is best ? Which model should I choose ? How much should I pay ? What camera are you currently using or have used in the past ? What do the Experts use ? I live in South Australia, where should I go ? These are the questions that I have. I ask this question to all of you out there from the Experts to the amatures like me. If I get enough replys I’m going to put a list of the Top Cameras, makes & models. For all of us amatures out there. Cheers / Glenn Alderson A short synopsis of which DSLR should I buy —-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-— / / / PLEASE VIEW MY GALLERY @ Glenn Alderson Photography

• Nikon~Nikon~Nikon
  by Mundy Hackett

  I am a Nikon user, and yes I switched from Canon to Nikon 3 years ago when I switched also from transparencies to digital. I have been a…

  I am a Nikon user, and yes I switched from Canon to Nikon 3 years ago when I switched also from transparencies to digital. I have been asked quite alot since beng here at RB about what equipment I use, and I feel very lucky to say that I get to use top of the line Nikon DSLR and lenses. My current list of Nikon inlcudes: Nikon D2Xs body / Nikkor 70-200/2.8 AFS VR / Nikkor 300/2.8 AFS VR / Nikkor 500/4 AFS I Now I did not come by these gems all at once, and I am by no means making a profit with my photography. I am a working stiff in the biological sciences, and I have basically taken the approach that anytime I could upgrade to a better piece of equipment as money allowed I should do so. Sometimes there are long times in between purchases, but I will say that I always buy gently used and am very careful about whom i deal with. I have come across some incredible deals over the years, and the latest has to be when I traded my two Nikon D200 DSLR bodies for one like new Canada version Nikon D2Xs pro level body. I am not keen on only having one body, but right now it is all I can afford, but the spped of this camera is beyond belief if you have never shot with a camer of this caliber. I probably use the 500/4 lens with matching teleconverters including the 2x, 75% of the time. I love this lens, and although 600mm would be better sometimes, it is the best compromise in my mind. i use it for macro, telephoto, scenic, you name it and I have tried it! I will post more about the other equipment I have and use, tools of the trade as it were, but needless to say there is alot of browns, olive greens, and camoflage patterns! Cheers

• words & wine - the aftermath
  by bellmusker

  Damn, I forgot the red balloons. See what happens when Jo O’Brien’s not running things? A scribbled RED BUBBLE sign, an icy beer, and a…

  Damn, I forgot the red balloons. See what happens when Jo O’Brien’s not running things? A scribbled RED BUBBLE sign, an icy beer, and an open notebook saw me awaiting the troops for the first Red Bubble writers’ meet. Solo or in pairs, in they sauntered, the first scorching weekend of summer causing the beers to go down fast. When you introduce yourself at a Bubble meet, there’s always that moment of clarity when you ask “so what’s your username?......Oh that’s you! I’ve favourited your poetry/ ordered a T-shirt/ bought greeting cards of your photos!” Delicious indeed. In the bandroom of a funky old bluestone pub in the north of Melbourne, we munched on delectable cumin dusted olives and braised fennel as we mulled over just what we as writers desire of Red Bubble. Some ideas…...producing anthologies &/or zines, a ‘for critique’ button or group, prizes for competitions, spoken word nights at a local bar, and regular meetings, perhaps fortnightly. Something missing? Well, you only have yourself to blame…you should have been there, tossing forth ideas! And all of this was faithfully transcribed by Fran, who’ll be able to report on this far more accurately than I have. The next meet will be Sunday January 6th, early afternoon. As it stands the venue will probably be Wesley Anne in Northcote again, unless many of you bubblemail me asking for a more central venue. We’ll each bring two pieces of writing under 250 words each, and place them onto the table in a pile. One by one we’ll grab a piece at random, and read it aloud to the group. The confrontational aspect of this will be alleviated somewhat by the fact you’ll be reading someone else’s work…but then that brings with it a unique responsibility. Please feel free to join us! We’re such a friendly bunch that we even drew a non-bubbler to our table, sucked into our bubbly vortex. And then cameras were unleashed and pieces recited with great flair and passion, seats were clambered over for the perfect shot, more food was consumed (cigarette dip, yum) and ideas were bounced back and forth so vibrantly that I left the pub intoxicated as much by the sauvignon blanc as by the presence of such fabulous people. Sunday January 6th. I promise conversation. I promise inspiration. I even promise red balloons. Many thanks to Mark German for the photos! / Mick reading to an entranced audience / A pensive Fran thinking…...hmmm….are these people crazy? / The wonderful band…and yes, he is playing a jug. / Mick reading his flash fiction / Some random wench

• Shirtheads - featuring purelydecorative
  by caanan

  This week’s strip is inspired by purelydecorative !http://images-0.redbubble.net…

  This week’s strip is inspired by purelydecorative and this fantastic design… but also partly inspired by the multitude of journal entries that pop up on the bubble from disillusioned artists who can’t make a sale and are thusly calling it quits. They seem to be a regular weekly (or more) occurence. Here’s to you! Why do you take photos? I’ve always done this memory thing all my life, even when I was a little girl, of forcing myself to stop and really impress the moment on my memory when I’m doing something, or am somewhere that is really significant to me. These significant moments aren’t always beautiful ones either, but I guess I feel like I’m trying to store them up to help my future self remember something significant. So taking photographs is a way to do that in solid form, and a lot more reliable than my memory too. Plus, sometimes things are just so heart-breakingly beautiful to me I just want to keep them forever…hence the photo. My partner Ben is a musician and he once wrote a song that described it this way : “taking pictures of the things that you love to have in two dimensions in your hand, so you can remember…” What has inspired you throughout your life that has brought you to this creative existence? Why do you do what you do? Wow, these are big questions and to be honest I’m not even sure I know the answers. Can I get away with putting on a goofy face, shrugging and saying “ I dunno”? My love of nature has to be a big part of it. I was drawn to textile design, which is the first paid creative work I did, partly through a love of clothes and fabrics, and partly through a love of pattern…inspired by Nature. I was always mesmerized by the amazing patterns in Nature- the tiny stripes on a flower petal or the random splattering of clouds in the sky, it’s all so perfect. That’s also why I call myself “Purely Decorative” because it’s a kind of statement in favour of allowing art to be just decorative and beautiful and joyful, without necessarily having to be deeply conceptual and/or minimalist. Not that I am against those things but I am against the current tyranny of those things in art. I guess I do what I do- not really sure what that is right now- but anyway, I do that because while I’m drawing, painting, photographing or whatever, I lose a sense of myself and time and just drift along happily in a little creative bubble…hmm, is that where Red Bubble comes from? Now I get it. I like that feeling of being so absorbed in creating that everything else fades away. It’s probably similar to the effect of meditating I guess. Of course when things aren’t going so well it’s just plain frustrating, but that just spurs you on . How did you find the bubble, and what made you stick around and create? I was lying in bed one morning- something I’m very good at, and listening to Melbourne’s Triple R community radio station, when one of the announcers did a spiel on Red Bubble and made it sound irresistible. She’s the person behind Clemformation, and her tshirt designs are very simple and clever. So, that day I checked it out, loved it and off I went. Kitsmumma was one of the first people to comment on my work, and she is such a lovely supportive and inspiring artist that I’d have to say she really made me keen to stick around. Then of course other people also came along like Tambatoys , Sparklehen and Jemimalovesbigted to name but a few, and the community aspect of Red Bubble has been just so lovely for someone like me who works alone most of the time. What do people overlook? How incredibly, microscopically short our lives are, and how our time is our only true wealth. Honesty. And of course, the benefits of full-cream milk and real butter. Yum. What’s your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn? This is tough because even though I have some favourite tshirts that I’ve actually worn, I have many more that I don’t own….yet. / To be strictly correct in answering this question (rare for me) I’ll stick with ones I have actually worn; this one Eat Money? from the New Internationalist organization, the back says: / Only when the last tree has died / and the last river been poisoned / and the last fish been caught / will we realise we cannot eat money. and this one from Tambatoys and this one from Jesus and Pablo Diablo. What did you want to be when you were six? An air-hostess with a pale blue 1960’s style suit with matching pumps and flight case, or an archaeologist- no, maybe that came later, around 12-ish I’d say….or an artist. When did you last laugh til you cried? Why? Looking at a silly email someone sent me of one of those poor cats with the “lion cut”-it just looked so incredibly embarrassed to be made to look like that, and the cut is ridiculous. I love silliness. If you could give everyone in this world one thing, what would it be? Why? The chance to experience someone else’s life for just a day- might help make us all a bit more tolerant of each other. Or the ability to see the Earth in 50 years time- might make us all stop being so blasé about the oxygen we breathe. A block of Lindt chocolate may not hurt either. Where would you like to go? Why? Kyoto in Japan, because it’s a repository of all that is magnificent in Japanese design and craft and I think Japanese design is the best I’ve ever seen. New York- for the art museums and zeitgeist and because it’s New York. New Zealand to just walk and walk and walk in stunning wilderness. Canada for the same reason. Great Barrier Reef- because it’s incredible and won’t be here too much longer. / There are many, many other places- these just popped into my head first. Got dreams? I dream of one day building my own stone and wood house on a bit of land by the sea, with the mountains behind it and a stream and a huge orchard and vege garden…and a little separate studio where I create my world renown masterpieces just for the sheer joy of it. Down the road -not too close, but within walking distance is a lovely little village full of creative and compasionate people, and a fabulous pub with a beer garden-that’s about it. You did say “dream” right? I certainly did Thanks Rebecca! And don’t forget to come back next week, folks! for more shirty goodness. ;o) Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys / Shirtheads – featuring Simon Sherry / Shirtheads – featuring Ross Robinson / Shirtheads – featuring Natalie Tyler / Shirtheads – featuring thickblackoutline / Shirtheads – featuring rubyred / Shirtheads – featuring Liesl Yvette Wilson / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Wahl / Shirtheads – featuring Jaywalker / Shirtheads – featuring sparklehen / Shirtheads – featuring jemimalovesbigted (Sorry for the lateness this weeks folks, I’ve had the flu this past weekend. Gah!)

• New camera!
  by Andrew Ness

  Well after the horrendous loss of my last camera, I’ve just purchased a Nikon D60 (good amateur camera). The reason I went with this is …

  Well after the horrendous loss of my last camera, I’ve just purchased a Nikon D60 (good amateur camera). The reason I went with this is that I have a number of old Nikon lenses from my standard SLR which will fit nicely. I got a good deal, with a body, 18-55mm and 55-200mm lens and bag for a few hundred notes. I can’t wait to get out there and try it out…......although it looks quite complicated for my pea brain so bare with me :) Just had to share in my joy…...boys and their toys huh?

• Matted Print Sale "Portrait of a Camera"
  by Alf Caruana

  Today I’m happy to announce the Matted print sale of / Portrait of a Camera / Bought By midzing / ...

  Today I’m happy to announce the Matted print sale of / Portrait of a Camera / Bought By midzing / Please go and check out her folio, she does amazing photography. / Thankyou Wendy

• BUDDY UP CAFE is now OPEN
  by Alateia

  SEEMS TO BE QUITE A FEW MEMBERS WANTING TO BUDDY UP WITH SOMEONE. LETS DO IT HERE. It seems that quite a few of us share the same dea…

  SEEMS TO BE QUITE A FEW MEMBERS WANTING TO BUDDY UP WITH SOMEONE. LETS DO IT HERE. It seems that quite a few of us share the same deal in meeting people getting our gear out in and shooting in front of each other. BUDDY UP CAFE is open for CAMER SHY equipment or technically challenged shooters in my group and just OUT THERE that could do with some input on the field. So lets get together on this and team up, POST UP if you are willing to TAKE A BUDDY ON or BE A BUDDY!! LETS ALSO MAKE A TIME TO GET TO BUDDY CAFE IN REAL LIFE. .........say, for a chill out sunday afternoon? How does SUNDAY 10th suit yawl, for a little jazz and a drink? Let me know and i will find us a good venue unless someone knows of some top jazz going down. hollah on our SHOOTERS GALLERY FORUM BUDDY UP CAFE

• Buying a camera
  by Bill Proctor

  I am thinking of buying a new camera…perhaps a digital SLR. Used to do some photography with an old Nikon…. back when photos’ neede…

  I am thinking of buying a new camera…perhaps a digital SLR. Used to do some photography with an old Nikon…. back when photos’ needed processing. Looking for advice on what to buy….not too expensive, but good enough to make some nice shots!

• Three Cheers for the Lightsphere!!!
  by Daniel Rarela

  Hip-hip Hooray! / Hip-hip Hooray! / Hip-hip HOORAY!!! Okay, I normally don’t do this kind of shameless advertising, but this is somethin…

  Hip-hip Hooray! / Hip-hip Hooray! / Hip-hip HOORAY!!! Okay, I normally don’t do this kind of shameless advertising, but this is something ALL photographers ought to at least have a look at. For things like portraits, one would normally need a whole lighting studio (umbrellas/ softboxes/ 1000+ watt lights) in order to light your subject in a way that looks aesthetically pleasing. Gary Fong, however, deserves a big kiss on the mouth for saving us all the trouble of spending an excessive amount of money by inventing the Lightsphere! It’s been said, “There’s no such thing as bad light, but there is such a thing as lighting being used badly” and using the pop up flash is rarely a good way to light your subject if you’re doing portraits. The same can be said even for external flash units that point at the subject head on. Even bouncing the light off the ceiling can only help so much. The Lightsphere, however, disperses the light from your external flash evenly, without any harsh shadows, and without darkening the background! It’s probably the closest thing you’ll get to installing the sun on top of your camera and using natural light everywhere! Don’t believe me? Check my experiment below: (excuse me if I look a little under the weather… it’s been hard to sleep before 12AM recently for some reason) anyway, you can check out the actual product here and you can see how Gary uses it here Happy shooting, everyone! (PS – stay safe, everyone in SoCal who is in the path of the recent wildfires!!)

• Infrared Cameras and Filters
  by lightsmith

  I’d invite all members of the Infrared Photography group to post their camera details here – but if they would like to :-) I’d sugg…

  I’d invite all members of the Infrared Photography group to post their camera details here – but if they would like to :-) I’d suggest the following details might be useful for others considering the purchase of equiptment. Camera Make/Model Canon Powershot S80 / Megapixels 8mp / Filter Required none inbuilt Hoya R72 equivalent providing full-time IR / Est. Cost AUD$ Camera $500 second hand / Est. Cost AUD$ Conversion $250 / Est. Cost AUD$ Filter(s) not required PROS / Because the camera has been converted to full-time IR, the inbuilt IR blocker has been removed so long exposures are not necessary. Being a dedicated IR camera means I use my SLR for ‘normal’ photography. And the movie mode of this camera is pretty acceptable meaning I also take IR movies. CONS / Only two limitations. It is very susceptible to sun flare. That can work for me, but usually it’s a nuisance. Also, it doesn’t have RAW mode. JPG compression is still pretty impressive though and I am happy to recommend it without hesitation. Now, I’d invite you all to add your own equipment below. If you do, then be honest and if there are limitations (or features!) then include them.

• Are you a CCAAT
  by PhotogeniquE IPA

  CCAAT – Carry Camera At All Times Do you? And what do you carry? Inspired by my wife gothgirl...

  CCAAT – Carry Camera At All Times Do you? And what do you carry? Inspired by my wife gothgirl who has to be surgically removed from hers at night. And also by judygal (read the description on this one).

• Raw or Jpg?
  by Karl Denton

  So kids what are you using? Personally I shoot in raw format for everything I do. Can’t seem to bring myself to through away data hav…

  So kids what are you using? Personally I shoot in raw format for everything I do. Can’t seem to bring myself to through away data having the camera compress the image. I am curious and need some feedback for my next module in school…

• SMILE BABY!
  by Karin Taylor

  SMILE BABY! / !http://images-2.redbubble.net/img/clothing/bodycolor:teal/size:small/style:womens/view:main/1925817-1-smile-baby-retro-te…

  SMILE BABY! / Just journalling that I had my first sale ever of Smile Baby! Retro Tee to Hilary Walker who is a lovely photographer with a portfolio of works here on RB – thank you Hilary! I really appreciate your purchase! You are the first! ::) This design also comes in a slightly different variation of colour called Smile Baby Tee I had so much fun making this design, it was created on brown paper using felt tip pen, coloured pencil, chalk pastel, charcoal and gesso (acrylic white undercoat)

• Rush...
  by Lee Burgess

  It starts with a rush through the veins… / The perfect location is unwinding around the corner. / We get out of the car, my head spinning…

  It starts with a rush through the veins… / The perfect location is unwinding around the corner. / We get out of the car, my head spinning with so many ideas from my previous visit the day before.. / Clouds part and allow the beautiful warmth of the sun to touch every being. / Light is peering through the trees, falling and reflecting from the glowing couple, contrasting with the vivid green moss.. / “Click” the blood rushes, my heart flutters as this wonderful thing called love is captured in my little black box awaiting my approval and tlc in my image software.. / “Click” My hands are almost shaking from the scene that is unfolding before my eyes Is this real..? / Could people really be paying me to do what I love….?

• Please help with lens cleaning info....
  by Paul Louis Villani

  Hello to all you beautiful bubblers!! / I’m having problems with a lens of mine, I believe it just needs a good clean but i’ve heard all t…

  Hello to all you beautiful bubblers!! / I’m having problems with a lens of mine, I believe it just needs a good clean but i’ve heard all the horror stories and I’m a little reluctant to go ahead without some experienced guidance. / So please, if you have a suggestion for me, it will be greatly appreciated! / Have a great weekend everyone! / Peace & Love!

• Digital Infrared - Your Options
  by lightsmith

  This article is very much by way of an introduction to infrared camera options. No doubt subsequent articles will go into greater detail…

  This article is very much by way of an introduction to infrared camera options. No doubt subsequent articles will go into greater detail. Essentially, this is a heads-up on what you can do if you are interested in Digital Infrared photography, but don’t know where to start. The first thing to know is that most digital cameras have an infrared blocker built in to ensure that no infrared light gets to the sensor. So you have to deal with that first. Basically, you have three options: 1. Buy a special filter for your existing digital camera and expect very long exposure times / 2. Buy an almost antique digital camera which has poor infrared screening AND a special filter and expect long exposure times (from 1/60th down to 1 second) / 3. Have your camera converted to remove the infrared blocker. You may either have this replaced with an infrared filter (to block out normal light) OR buy a seperate filter as above. Option 3 has the advantage of providing significantly faster shutter speeds. Some modern digital cameras may not have this infrared blocker but I am not aware of any particular makes or models at this time. I will attempt to discuss these three options (and any others that come up) in seperate writings. Suffice to say: The first option is the cheapest and probably costs about US$30 but exposure times can be prohibitive – e.g. 30seconds. The second option usually gives you limited resolution and the equiptment may have or may develop faults due to it’s age. But the Nikon Coolpix 950 is a good example of such a camera. 2mp but producing some nice IR unmodified but using a Hoya R72 filter. The third option will cost about US$250 and not all cameras can be modified. I use a Canon Powershot S80 which does a great job (though it does not support RAW). Having a camera modified will give you the largest amount of flexibility. So that’s your introduction to Digital Infrared camera options.