This is wow…
I only understood the title (paint ball office) at the end when the final “picture” was shown. To make things easier for you, here’s the final image:
It’s amazing how much work, how many shots and how many well-thought details were put together to make this possible.
I think this this movie will enlighten you and bring you crazy ideas about what to do in the next weekend.
Once again: this is wow…
To resume: Each piece is shot individually: the man at the left, the woman at the right, the paint ball shooter, and, every single piece of paint. The post process of the best shots not only put them together in one scene, but also removed unwanted objects and adjusted the environment colors. A really great idea and professional implementation.
Photographer:
W. Brandon Voges
Talent:
Matt Siemer (shooter and victim), Jen Loemker
Music: Jamiroquai
Archive for November, 2007
This winter take your gear (and don’t forget your gloves with free fingers) and go hunt for winter sports! Make a reservation near a mountain sky-way and make sure you have everything you need to stay warm. The fact is you can not concentrate at shooting if you freeze. Also, remember that at very low temperatures, the battery gets consumed faster and the camera may present some malfunctions.
You will need a 18-55mm lens for landscapes and a telephoto lens for zooming the people in action.
For winter sports, midday shooting is ok (the main reason is the fact that in winter the sun is not very high and will always cast enough shadows to skip the thoughts of having plane images).
1. TIP: Early morning shots and sunsets over the shiny snow are very spectacular but don’t stay outside too long at those temperatures.
Do you have any friends who practice winter sports? Invite them to go with you and promises them to print some cool photos showing the best action moments of this vacation.
2. TIP: Use your friends as models for your action shots and make sure they have a great time. This way, it will be fun and spontaneous.
If you know something about the sports you are going to capture in your pictures, then you can anticipate the moves and shoot at the exact right moment.
3. TIP: Know what to shoot by learning about winter sports.
Another fact about shooting winter sports is how to correctly expose and white balance the pictures. Most of the images will have a large amount of show (white surface) in the composition.
4. TIP: Little overexpose the image and use custom white balance. This way you can make sure that the white is not too bluish or too yellowish, and either grey.
If it is a sunny day, the shadows will have a blue tone but that is cool. Also, at this weather, blow the snow and it will look great under natural light (sometimes like some kind of fog, but even greater).
5. TIP: Capture your subjects as they raise the snow in the air. For all action shots use short exposure time (the minimum you have – like 1/2000).
However, like all rules that can be broken, shooting short is not a requirement. For example, while at sky in low light conditions (very cloudy or evening/morning), the model will leave behind him a sinuous trace if you use longer exposure.
6. TIP: For best results, keep the ISO low and use a tripod.
During summer and autumn you got used to take beautiful images of water reflections. Now it’s time to use the same principles for ice reflections.
7. TIP: Get down close the ice surface and capture a skater with his/hers reflection.
At the end of such exhausting action day, you and your friends can gather around a fireplace.
8. TIP: Capture this moment too without using a flash – the fire light will cast silhouettes and creates a story-telling environment.
9. TIP: Hot chocolate in the hands can make the subject of some photos with narrow DOF.
You can even step outside for a minute and take advantage of winter nights.
10. TIP: Capture the lights of the houses over the blue snow and also capture the amazing clear sky full of stars. There is no better night sky than in the winter nights over the mountains.
Note: Some of the above pictures were taken by me last winter in Baisoara Mountains, Romania.
Tags: photography tutorial, photo tutorial, photo tips, photography tips, winter photos, winter photography, winter photo tips, snow photo tips, snow, winter sports, photography how to
Grand Prize: Mountain’s Majesty
The 2007 Grand Prize Winner: Tracy Arcari of Wheatogue, Connecticut who took top honors for her breathtaking picture of The Mittens, a justly renowned rock formation in Monument Valley, Arizona.
A Favorite: Gateway Arch In Winter
Timothy O’Brien of Florissant, Missouri captured this powerfully graphic and somber image of the famed Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the big city closest to his home.
A Favorite: The Lincoln Memorial Lives
Matthew Johnson of Shortsville, New York shot this unusual and compelling view of the Lincoln Memorial while visiting his sister, who lives in Washington DC.
The Tamron “Make Your Mark: Landmarks—Natural or Manmade†2007 Photo Contest was open to U.S. residents submitting any original photograph prominently including a natural or manmade landmark that was taken with a Tamron lens. The Grand Prize: A magnificent Tamron AF18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 Aspherical LD Di II (IF) Macro zoom lens in the DSLR mount of the winner’s choice, plus having the winning picture showcased in the Tamron Viewfinder newsletter, and in the Gallery section of the popular Tamron website. In addition, twenty photographers whose images were selected as Favorites would have their names and winning images published on the website for all to admire.
In addition, the theme for the next Tamron’s big 2008 Photo Contest is “Wet & Wild,†a very broad and exciting picture category that includes any images prominently including water—a lake, ocean, river, stream, pool, water slide, waterfall, even a sprinkler or bathtub!
Pictures submitted must be original, the property of the photographer, and photographed using a Tamron lens. The contest is open to Tamron users residing in the United States and all entries must be received no later than October 31, 2008. Complete details and an entry form can be found at http://www.tamron.com. The Grand Prize Winner of the 2008 contest will receive a Tamron AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di VC LD Aspherical IF Macro zoom lens featuring Tamron’s new Vibration Compensation mechanism (a $599 value).
Douglas Software understood that there are allot of geeks out there who would like to calculate the exact value of some photographic parameters (useful for camera comparison and understanding the photo technology). Therefore, they released Camera Module for Windows. This software calculates various optical equations such as depth of field or hyperfocal distance to let photographers make more effective use of photographic equipment.
This software provides a photographer with instant assistance in solving many day-to-day optical equations such as angle of view for selected lens and film format combination, depth of field, including near focus, far focus, total depth of field and hyperfocal distance as well as image width and height. The Camera module covers 37 digital formats including 9 digital backs and 12 conventional film formats. With Camera module for Windows, both amateur photographers and professionals will be able to make a more effective use of their photographic equipment while leaving the complexity of optical calculations and formula in the background.
Example:
Let us say, for example, you want to know what the depth of the field is with a 35mm camera with a 100mm lens at a distance of 2 metres and a resolution of 5 lines per mm at an aperture of f8. Using the module, you specify the 35mm film format, select the resolution of 5 lines per mm. Then you should specify a focal length of 100mm, an aperture of f8 and the Manual option for Distance and enter 2. The programme will immediately respond with a calculated figure. The best thing in this software is that all your efforts are restricted to a few simple clicks when selecting the calculation options.
Photoaxe is going to celebrate 1 year of photo-blogging. With this occasion, I decided to run a contest and as a prize for the winner, a book will be given away.
Why should I participate?
By participating you will have the following benefits:
1. the great prize the book Associated Press Guide to Photojournalismâ€. You can find out more about this book here.
2. a link to your blog for all the participants
3. audience and fame
How can I participate?
1. The theme: tell a story in pictures. The requirement is to have a series of pictures (3 to 5 pics) depicting a story.
2. Post your pictures on your blog and indicate your participation by linking to this post (a trackback will be received). If you want to be sure you can send me an e-mail at contest@photoaxe.com
3. Among with the series of pictures I’m also asking for a short text in which you explain what you felt about the subject and why did you choose it.
You can make new shots or use the ones from your own archive. I want you to tell me a story in pictures, no matter what story. Imagine that you are a photojournalist and I send you over to get me a story for a magazine. What would you do? How would you think of this?
What is the schedule?
1. The deadline: January 1st
2. The winner will be announced two weeks after the deadline.
My personal example
Below you can see an example of such photojournalistic series. In this example the images are black&white but you can also submit color. If you like the idea, then you will surely like the prize: “Associated Press Guide to Photojournalismâ€. There is no such thing as age limit or nationality. Also, don’t worry about copyrights: it’s all yours and Photoaxe will not use it for any purpose.
Indian Culture on Today’s Streets
Inside today’s busy city life, a group of enthusiastic artists remembered the passing watchers about native Americans and their culture.
Singing and dancing under the moon light, they managed to gather an impressive number of people around them and a photographer: me.
The feathers, the colorful leather clothes, the paintings on their faces, everything was done in a very eye-catching manner.
However, the sound of their music was amplified by modern electronic gears like microphones and high voltage speakers. I felt like this was ripping away the magic of the moment and the message which is supposed to be send:
“We must all stand together as a force of love. Arm yourself with truth, love and perseverance. People of the earth take back your heritage. I am not speaking of skin color or religion. Our heritage is this earth… Our heritage is also extended beyond this earth into the heavens where the spirit once lived before our birth into this world. You are bound to both.”
You are in the Jury
For complete objectivity I decided to ask your help too, my reader.
So the winner will be decided like this:
1. One week you will vote your favorite story. You can choose only one story. It will be nice to comment why you chosed that story.
2. In the jury will be me, Brian and Tudor. Based on your votes and our opinions we will chose the winner.
Shoot Your Questions
If you have any questions or suggestions please leave a comment. I will sure answer you.
If you would like to sponsor this contest please contact me.
I’ll start by suggesting that if you can scrounge up the money, you should avoid the aluminum dish reflector type work lights that lots of beginners seem to use. They will work though, if needs be. I’ve got three lists here, the first is setting up a workable system for under $1500 USD, the second is setting up a truly cheap system for under $750 USD, and the third list is … scary … for a miniscule 250 bucks.
I strongly recommend you look at continuous lighting solutions.
Strobes offer you unparalleled flexibility and a color, quality and power of light that simply goes unmatched (for the price… HMIs are beautiful too, but cost more even than strobe systems).
If you can find $1500 USD to work with then the answer is pretty simple: go Lowel. A Lowel Tota/Omni Core kit comes with three decent lamps with a lot of varied usage. They will work, no matter how much people fade them.
Tota/Omni Core 44 Kit (Soft Case): $1345.00 (list)
Used/New Mafer Clamp $20-40
The mafer clamp is a do anything clamp, that attaches to your stand and accepts a stand pin connection (a “spud”) for lights, arms, whatever.
Photoflex/Flexfill $50
You’ll see these EVERYWHERE, from photo studios to film sets. They’re fairly cheap and extremely versatile. They can be puchased from just about any online photo store (B&H, Calumet, etc).
Tyvek (yeah, the stuff in your walls) $10
Tyvek has an aluminum coated side that has UNBELIEVABLE reflectivity. It will catch and reflect a TON of light. You can find it at any building supply store.
Avenger Articulated Arm (with clamp) $75
Attaches to your stands and can hold most any light modifier… cardboard, gels, whatever.
Assorted Black and White “Backerboard” Scraps (Free!)
Go to your local frame store and ask from their backboard and matte board scraps. The white and black types are usually color neutral and hold up to a lot of abuse, while easily cut to your own needs. Sometimes stores will have entire sheets they’re willing to part with for free.
Go Tube Kit (Soft Case) $685.00
Windshield Heat Reflector $10
You can find these things at auto parts stores and department stores, for very little money. They have one shiny side, aluminum, and one white side. They are essentially the same thing as a photoflex/flexfill. Just take them and repeatedly crush them into a little ball to distress the material (provides a more even and defect free quality of light).
4′x8′ Foam Core $55
You might have to search a bit for this, but it’s simply unmatched in giving large areas of fill, and can always be cut down for your needs. I use them constantly, on location and in the studio.
Cheapest solution
So, you’re really poor (like all of us) and you can’t spare more than 250 bucks for your lighting needs. Well. Okay. I’ve got a kit for you. You can’t complain about the way it looks, but it might just get the job done. I have to admit, this kit is the coolest because it’s just so ridiculously cheap.
CTB Photofloods (250w) x3 – (each) $3.00
White Photofloods (250w) x3 – (each) $3.00
Clamp Lamps x3 – (each) $9.00
China Balls/Lanterns x2 – (each) $10.00
Tyvek – $10.00
4′x8′ Foam Core – $55.00
Gaffers Tape – (each) $25.00
Used C-Stand (With Arm) – $80.00
QuikClamps – (each) $5.00
Assorted Backerboard/Matte Board – $Free
Windshield Heat Reflector – $10.00
Duffle Bag – $Free
That’s 250 bucks for a working kit. It ain’t pretty, but it will do the job. You can usually find a duffle bag for free or nearly free at Goodwill, or from some company outing, or some sort of corporate merchandizing. I know you can find one for free.
China balls/lanterns can be found at most cheap stores, like “BigLots” or “Ocean State Job Lot” (if that exists still, I don’t even know). I’m sure there’s international equivalents of all these places. China lanterns are just paper wrapped around a metal frame, either as a sphere or a rectangle. Both are extremely versatile. And combustible. So keep an eye on them.
When you go on a longer photo trip and want to shoot RAW, you will need a large amount of storage. More than that, instead of creating a shelf full of DVDs with pictures, it’s more practical to have an external hard drive.
The newest and most interesting external hard drive on the market is the stylishly designed Transcend 250GB StoreJet (2.5 inch SATA external hard drive). It is supported by all operating systems and it is available in a colorful assortment of eye-catching, polished aluminum cases including: Titanium (120GB), Blue (160GB) and Silver (250GB).
This piece of accessories is capable of transfer rates up to 1.5Gb/s in the case of point to point connections. Otherwise, the StoreJet 2.5 makes use of its Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface, which provides data transfer rates up to 480Mbits per second while maintaining full compatibility with older computers that only support USB 1.1. I.
Features
Built-in 250GB 2.5†SATA HDD
Fully Hi-Speed USB 2.0 compliant with data transfer rates up to 480Mbit per second and backwards compatible with USB 1.1
OneTouch Auto-Backup function
LED indicates Power ON and data transfer activity
Includes Transcend’s “StoreJet elite†software pack:
- Backup data from a computer to StoreJet or any other storage media with advanced scheduling options
- Restore: Restore whole hard drives, folders or individual files with intelligent file-overwrite protection
- Compression: Protect files with powerful encryption
- HDD lock: Lock your hard drive to prevent unauthorized access
- OneTouch Backup: Configure the StoreJet’s OneTouch Backup button
- Power Management: Switch StoreJet to power-saving mode when idle
Plug-and-Play USB interface
Lightweight aluminum case for easy carrying
Two-year warranty
Recommended Retail Price: € 199 (250GB)
Because on-line video tutorials are the best way of learning something fast and effective, here’s some valuable informations:
xTrain is a growing on-line video training library that utilizes industry-leading instructors, authors, and experts. To get started for free, you can visit http://training.xtrain.com/free-classes. If you are ready to enroll in an Online Course or Class, you may choose $79 to access a specific course for 1 year or $29 a month to access all of xTrain.com’s creative training.
xTrain Courses include:
• Digital Photography: Digital Photography Hot Shots course by Rick Sammon
• Digital Photography: High Dynamic Range (HDR) Mastery course by Ben Willmore
• Digital Photography: Streamlining your Photograph Handling and Processing with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom course by Rob Sheppard
• Digital Photography: Photoshop for Photographers: Outdoor & Nature Photography course by Rob Sheppard
• Digital Photography: Digital Photography & Photoshop for Baby Boomers course by photography author and editor Rob Sheppard
—
• Web Design: Photoshop for Web Designers course by Jason Cranford Teague
• Web Design: Web Design Process course by author, designer and art director Wendy Willard
—
• Tivoli: ITM 6 Best Practices – a free class by consultant John Willis
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• Online Marketing: Social Media course and Social Media: Secrets of Podcasting course by social media consultant Giovanni Gallucci
• Online Marketing: Search Engine Optimization course by Tony Wright
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• Digital Arts: Traditional Drawing in a Digital Realm, RPG Concept Illustration in Painter X class by illustrator Ron Lemen
• Digital Arts: Drawing Fundamentals course with Ron Lemen
• Digital Arts: Painter X course with Ron Lemen
• Digtal Arts: Digital Drawing in Photoshop course with Ron Lemen
• Digital Arts: Traditional Drawing in a Digital Realm, Art of Skateboard Deck Design class by Ron Lemen
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• Adobe CS3 Software: Dr. Brown’s Photoshop Laboratory, Free Classes by Russell Brown
• Adobe CS3 Software: Photoshop CS3: Simplified & Easy course by Ben Willmore
• Adobe CS3 Software: Illustrator CS3: Unleash the Magic of Illustrator course by Chris Botello
Tags: on-line tutorials, video tutorials, photography tutorials, photography video tutorials
As simple as it might look, protecting your lens from dust is a sensible thing.
Why should you protect your lens if your sensor is already protected? Well, because dust can attach to the outside of the lens too. Removing dust from the lens glass, however, is not that simple as it looks compared to sensor cleaning, since I do not recommend using a handkerchief. The lens is threated to reduce potential optical problems while shooting and by using something unaware for cleaning might remove this thin layer. On the other hand, you are in danger of scratching the lens while cleaning and/or while caring the camera around with your lens unprotected. In conclusion, the safest thing to use is a micro filament cleaning cloth that is both scratch and lint free.
Lens Cap
This is what comes with your camera when you buy it. Keep your lens cap on when you store your camera in your bag or when you carry it around your neck. Sure, most camera bags now have soft anti-scratch linings but that doesn’t mean that dust or sand can’t get in there and get stuck between your lens glass and the lining (this is a worst case scenario). In case you loose you lens cap, you can buy another one in a photo store. It’s cheap and it can be even better than the original one: it might have a string to keep it attached to the camera body so you won’t loose it or forget it.
55mm lens cap
Lens Hood
Lens hoods are bigger and will take up some more space, but, you need them to eliminate lens flare from your photos when you shoot outdoors in daylight. You’ll probably notice though that most pros keep their lens hood on even if they’re shooting indoors. This is because the lens hood can act as a barrier between your glass and everything else around you. Even if people bump into your lens while you’re walking around, you’re assured that your glass is safe. What can be better than a plastic piece with double function (protection, lens flare reduction)?
55-200 mm lens hood
UV Filter
Another alternative that started to be more and more used among the photographers is the one of UV filer. You can use a UV Filter as another type of protection for your lens that you can just leave on. UV filters are used to filter out ultraviolet light, but this is something that the Earth atmosphere already does pretty good. Therefore, it’s main purpose is for protection because it’s the cheapest type of filter available in the market and it can shield your glass from physical contact. This is specially useful if you’re shooting on the beach where all the sand and salt can “bring pain” to your lens
Tiffen 52mm UV filter
What should I choose?
The size and shape of lens hoods depends on the focal length of the lenses and also depends on what brand of camera you use. You need to find the right one for you. As for the lens caps and UV filters, it’s only the size that varies with the focal length; brand doesn’t matter. I hope this informations are useful. For any kind of doubts, feel free to ask questions.
Tags: lens hood, uv filter, lens cap, lens protection
The Nature Conservancy invites you to enter your stunning nature images in our second annual digital photography competition. Theme: beautiful nature photography representing the diversity of life on Earth.
Images can be submitted to one of 2 categories: Best Photo from a Place We Protect or Best Nature Photo. Lands, waters, plants, animals and people in nature are all eligible for the competition.
How to compete:
To enter one or more images, upload your photo(s) to the Conservancy’s Flickr group and tag them for the appropriate category. Or, if you prefer, you can complete an online form and email each photo, one at a time.
Prize:
At least 50 photos will be selected as finalists, a minimum of 25 for each category. Each category will have one grand prize winner:
The Best Photo from a Place We Protect category winner’s image will be printed in the 2009 Nature Conservancy calendar. The calendar reaches nearly 2 million households worldwide. To learn more about places we protect, visit the Where We Work section of the web site.
The Best Nature Photo category winner’s image will be featured on The Nature Conservancy’s website, nature.org, which is visited by more than 3 million people annually.
Rules:
The contest is open to all participants age 18 and older regardless of residence or citizenship, so long as the laws of their jurisdiction allow participation. Photo submissions must be uploaded by 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time on December 31, 2007.
You will retain all rights to any photograph you submit — including ownership if applicable — other than those rights licensed in the next sentence. By entering the contest, you hereby grant to The Nature Conservancy (i) a nonexclusive, worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free license to reproduce, distribute, publicly display and publicly perform the photographs you submit to The Nature Conservancy, and (ii) the right to use your name, city, state and country of residence in promotions and other publications.
Images may be submitted in one of two categories. Photographers may enter all entries in a single category, or they may select different categories so long as each photo is entered into only one category. Judges reserve the right to move images from one category to the other based on eligibility.
