Thursday 30 May 2013

Wednesday 29 May 2013

eyes

After having idea about something like this, first tried non-digital montage ( I used printed photo of mine, printed photo of eyes(google), glue, scissors & watercolor). I apply a bit watercolour so eyes would blend better with photo). I think it could look better if I would draw those eys as line is very noticeable.
Then I decided to have a go with digital version - Photoshop, to compare those 2 versions of montage.
I once again used the same photo of mine, then found some eyes drawing in google, cutted out using Laso Tool. So eyes would blend with my photography, I used Eraser Tool on different size and % (3-100).
Simples!
It would be better for comparing if I could use the same image of eyes, but I could not find it again. Note - save images what Im planning to use/using!
Im glad about we are having this experimental unit, it makes me be more creative and gives loads of ideas about I would not thought before.

Saturday 25 May 2013

blowball


If something dosnt go by plan, dosnt mean its failed. I was trying to get nice and colorful images for my Specialist Location but came out with this! Even when technical it might be wrong, after editing I fell in love with this image and will use for my cards.
If I would have a chance to do this again, I would change shutter speed. Dept of field is working well I think, but also its way too light so bits of blossom is unseen whats makes loose details.

We dont need to go that far..

... to see what a beauty is around us!






Reflection

One photography - editing - 3 different photography's



Friday 24 May 2013

Ori Gersht - Fine Art Photographer

Iv been trying to get more inspiration for my Specialist Location. This time I wanted to find something more unusual and more original. And fell in love with this (below).
This photography is been taken by Israeli photographer Ori Gersht. 



This photography inspired me straight away. I find it as very strong and powerful. Even if there is complete chaos, its still seems very well organized chaos. Like every single small piece has his perfect place and all together gives this completed harmony. Have no idea how I will do it, but definitely would like to try something like this.










Gersht engages the themes of life, death, violence, and beauty. 


This photography surprises me how artistic it is. For me photography is more art than anything else. And so far this is one my favorite ones. I love how calm it seems, even with splashing water everywhere seems having complete harmony again. Bacground color and texture, and grapes, what straight away reminds of old paintings from late 19th century gives this really calm part and then that unpredictable water gives a bit energy and life for this photo.









In his still life series Gersht investigated the relationships between photography, technology and optical perception, at a pivotal moment in the history of photography where digital technology both threatens a crisis and promises a breakthrough. Research into the early history of the medium of photography is brought together with theoretical discourse, creating, still image and films that (literally) explode the genre of still life, the beautiful and destructive results captured using cutting-edge technology. 

Another master piece for me on left.  I love how he  has made his very own very style and which is very easy recognizable. Would be interesting to know how many different shoots he makes to get something perfect as this. In every single photo of his is this perfect balance between complete chaos and complete harmony. 
A peaceful image is transformed into bloodshed, and a dialogue is established between stillness and motion, peace and violence.







Im definitely impressed with his work and from now on his is one of my favorite photographer.
Pure art.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ori_Gersht
http://nogagallery.com/Artists/ori-gersht/About.html

Wednesday 22 May 2013

Research For Specialist Location - Flower Photography - Greeting Cards - NICKOLA BECK

As for my ''Specialist Location'' Im doing Flower Photography Greeting cards, Iv been doing loads of research for my inspiration and ideas. As I really enjoy taking photos of flowers, but some how they all end up miserable and black&white, I will try to do some positive happy ones as well. So doing research I found this - Nickola Beck and her work seems perfect for that type of cards.
I really like how many different styles and types she work, still leaving a ''hers fingerprints'' on each single photography. There is loads of inspiration from here photos and I will try to do at least one in her style. As she is doing not only flower photography but exactly Greeting Cards as well, that goes well together with my project. Going trough her Flower Photography seems likes she is completely in love with them. Each photo seems full of love, pureness and beauty. She got this strength to give powerful beauty each single blossom she shoots.





About Nickola Beck:
''I studied Graphic Design and Photography at Derby University, photography played a very large part on our course and has been an integral part of my all my designs. I worked as a freelance graphic designer & propmaker for many years, designing everything from logo's to making large props for TV and theatre. I went on to establish my own wedding stationery design business which included a couple of celebrity weddings along the way! Since then I changed direction to work as a flower photographer, creating beautiful wall art has lead me to designing my own range of cards and stationery in a completely different way and something I hope to develop over the next few years.

I regard myself as an impressionistic flower photographer, I absolutely love gardening particularly tropical planting and I’m a bit of a plant-a-holic! I am fascinated by abstract shots of intense light, colour, design and texture that are unveiled when enlarging botanical images and I love the jewel like quality and out-of-focus effects created by natural sunlight through leaves and water droplets. When out photographing, my main aim is to try to capture the mood, light and weather of the day and how the plant sits in its surroundings, even if it’s blowing a gail and the image isn’t completely in focus, I feel it all adds to the feeling of the final image.

 I am very lucky to live near some beautiful parks, woodlands and nature reserves in and around Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and watch them change throughout the year. A large proportion of my images are photographed at these parks and often found in the most unusual and unsuspecting places!''


As she is saying that loads of her photgraphy is been taken just in nearest parks, this gives me an idea to do something the same (before i was just thinking of taking photos in studio)

As I couldnt get any more images in decent size out from google you got this amazing chance to have a look at hers work at 
http://www.nickolabeck.co.uk

My plan of action:
*) Borrow portable Beauty Umbrella
*) Find a nearest park
*) Produce at least one decent photography for my ''Specialist Location''
Hopefully I will be able to do this following Friday (as long as weather is sunny) and will post my results later.

Recourses: http://www.nickolabeck.co.uk/, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nickola-Beck-Flower-Photography-Design/215648771820839

Vintage Emma

After moving Emma to Vintage Wallpapper photography (magic wond; select-inverse; eraser tool, smudge tool) I did:
*) Using Spot Healing Brush Tool I made skin look more photogenic
*) Using Smudge Tool on 3-5% I blur'ed face skin
*) Using Soft Light Brush I made eyes look brighter
*) Using Brush on 2-5% on Darken Color (chose blue color) made eyes more blue and with 5-20% Darken Color Tool (with different reds) made hair brighter and gave them more ''life''
*) Changed Contrast
*) Changed Exposure


For future I should need to do more research how about Vintage Photography, as I think its too much color and its way too bright for Vintage style photography.
But Im pleased that Im getting better in Photoshop and not so scared of it anymore.
Will try to make this photo for Vintage style looking and update result later.

Aaron and Brick wall (Photoshop)

Going trough my photos found this one with Aaron (from High Key lesson). Wanted to add some character for this photography otherwise it reminded me passport type ones. I used Magic Wand tool again, then Select - Inverse I moved Aaaron to Brick wall photography. Then I used Eraser tool with minimal % to delete line between Aaron and Brick photography. I used it on minimal brush size, the hardest part was hair.
Then I used Spot Heeling Brush Tool for face skin part, then I used Smudge tool on 3% to make skin look more healthy and photogenic. I used brush tool with Soft Light option to make eyes look brighter and just for fun added some Blue-ish color for eyes (used Brush Tool with color option on 2-5%). And done!





Vintage Rose

Trying to improve my skills again.

Unfortunately I can not find my original photography with roses (lesson for myself - save not only jpg format but photoshap format with named layers). Im want to improve my skills with Photoshop, so trying all kind of different tactics and ways of using masks etc. After I opened original photography with roses and using Magic Wand Tool selected background area, after used Select - Inverse I moved (using Move Tool) to Vintage background photo. Then this time not wanting to blur 2 photos together (that what I used with Baby Photography (love changes everything), I learned and used Eraser Tool on minimal % and minimal size brush. Then I added some lighter parts for Roses (using Brush Tool on 5 % - soft light) wanting to look them main object in photography. `







Monday 20 May 2013

Still Life & Flowers - Irving Penn (research)


Irving Penn (June 16, 1917 – October 7, 2009) was an American photographer most known for his fashion photography, portraits, and still lifes. 

Personally I love this photo. I love how harsh it is. It makes me think that this women is brutal and reminds me of old films full of guns.
It shows how much story can close-up tell. 










While perhaps best known for his fashion photography, Irving Penn's repertoire also includes portraits of creative greats; ethnographic photographs from around the world; Modernist still lifes of food, bones, bottles, metal, found objects, etc.; and stunning scenes from photographic travel essays.


Opposite previous one I find this photo very pure and clean, love the form. This blossom seems very strong and feminine. The way blossom is ''posed'' makes this photography very powerful. 













I find something mysterious about this photography. These three  cigarette butts seems telling a story, and for me they even seem like small cigarette family. 





Irving Penn photographed his first cover for Vogue magazine in 1943 and continued to work at the magazine throughout his career, shooting covers, portraits, still lifes, fashion, and photographic essays. 


Photography on left is Irving's first photo for Vogue. For me its more like a painting than photography. 

'' Photographing a cake can be art'' 

Resourses used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Penn 
Google.com for photography's 



love changes everything

As i need to improve my Photoshop skills, Im trying to have as much practice I can.

So Iv used one of my photos I took ages ago.
My main plan was to change background to something more fun and positive. First I cropped photo in portrait format. Then I change I photo to black & white. Moving blues in B&W, it gave eyes nice and sparkly white colour, so I didnt do anything else with eyes (doing small research for photos with baby photography, in most of them baby's had overly white and sparkly eyes). As I was done with my editing for baby object, I wanted to move it to another background. Using Magic Wand Tool i selected backrgound, then - Selecte-Inverse so I can move object with baby, then opened backrgound and then just using Moove Tool moved it to my chose of background (bellow).

First I changed baby object in right size. Than as there was very noticeable line between baby and background, I used Smudge Tool to blend them together. But than part of baby's head looked very annatural, as while blending line and head together, it touched too much of baby's head.  So using Clone Tool I copied parts of head where not touched and moved them to blur'ed part.
Then I wanted to add some sweet text. Using Text Tool (for each word separate as I wanted different fonts) I typed text and Vollah - its done!



Few months ago I knew nothing about Photoshop, I still dont know loads, but proud of myself that Im starting to get better and finally I can enjoy it and find as something fun and helpful rather then pain and nightmare. Again - Practice makes it better - right?

Sunday 19 May 2013

Riga, Latvia



My hometown!
As Riga was found in 1201, its full of gorgeous old buildings. Mostly of them are in  Art Nouveau and Jugendstil style.
Pretty city with loads of character!

Riga in 1650
Riga between 1890-1900

Shooting photos Iv tried to leave as much soul as possible, tried do show more details than city landscapes. 
Enjoy ;)