My Homage to Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand comes from such an intriguing time and writes about such an intriguing time. I am a HUGE fan of the art deco period and how the geometry, design, aesthetics were so "stoic" in feel. Straight edges, serious lines, and sometimes void-looking expressions. The photographs and designs I've come across from that period reeks of industry, hard work and a tough quality. There is something concrete about it, and I love that.
So, here is a collection of beautiful photographs I found of www.shorpy.com that remind me of the Ayn Rand times.

The Magic of HDR!

So, I found the simplest video tutorial for HDR processing. This is for a program called Photomatix. Photoshop can also do some HDR, but hey, for $100 this isn't bad!
http://www.hdrsoft.com/videos/videos.php?vid=IntroProMac

Do Not Eat!

You know those bath & body products and candles that are packaged like little yummy edible treats and smell like a pastry shop? Well, I found another one of those brands called FarmHouseFresh Goods and their bath & body products are delicious looking.
I was asked to shoot some of their products this weekend and here are some of the results. Visit their site and check out the publicity they've gotten.

The Baby Shoes Shoot!

So, I am not a baby fan, but I am a baby shoes fan... especially these ones. I did the styling and photoshoot today for a client in Lakewood. These are sooo adorable!
Finding the right surfaces and props was a challenge. I spent almost a day looking for the right things. "Curiosities" in lakewood had exactly the kind of antique toys I was looking for, but they were super expensive. So, I settled for "Froggies" on Knox/75. For surfaces, I bought papers from Paper Source.

What is Strobe Lighting?

So, I know it appears like this is becoming a photography blog only, but it's NOT. I am temporarily in a learning zone with many aspects of photography, which is why it's showing up more here. What good information I am coming across, I am sharing :-)
>> This brings me to a confession: I was too ashamed to ask anyone what on earth strobe lighting was and I looked for a good explaination for a while. Finally, found one:
http://askville.amazon.com/strobe-lighting/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=64276194

Shooting Tethered with a Canon Rebel XTi

I came across an awesome article for shooting tethered using the exact camera I own.
Shooting in this manner is something I am just getting into, so this has been immensely helpful. Here is the site: http://pixellevel.com/thoughts/?p=5

Cheaper Options to Lighting for Beginner Photographers

I am on a crazy hunt for some easy, but decent lighting solutions. I am looking for the best lighting setup within budget that is easy to use and move but can also provide some durability and versatility.

SOLUTION 1:
This is The Lowell Ego Lights solution (under $400) from http://steamykitchen.com



SOLUTION 2:
This is the Lowell Tota lights with umbrellas solution (under $400) from http://www.laraferroni.com/2010/02/05/mailbag-budget-lighting-options/
And she has some great articles by the way!

SOLUTION 3:
This is an awesome product photography setup solution in a closet! (under $200)
Read full article here: http://www.telovation.com/articles/closet-photography-studio.html

A Day of Food Styling and Photography

A couple of days ago I attended my very first full day one-on-one (totally awesome) food styling and food photography workshop with Paul Schiefer in Dallas (also starring Molly Donohue and Stephen Smith). I learned a whole bunch of things I had always wanted to learn... how to do daylight-style lighting inside a studio, how to recreate soft/golden images that give that feeling of warmth and how those perfect splash photos are taken! I took some quick photos to show the kind of lighting set-ups Paul demonstrated.

Lighting for daylight style food photography & the result:




Lighting for soft/warm style food photography & the result (camera was on the right of the table):

Doing it Betty Crocker style!

We did a 50s shoot yesterday for program book for the Culinary Celebration in Southlake this year. The organizers wanted an Andy Griffith "Mayberry-ish" theme and we figured Little Bundt Cake would be the idea location. We bought the dresses from ModCloth.com and spent about 2 hours on location styling and shooting. What do you think... convincing enough? What else would you have done?

Essential Pointers in Food Photography...

So, what's the key to great food photography?
Simple... Does it jump out of the page and make your stomach growl?
I did a food shoot for kelloggs recently of various breakfast-like items. It was fantastic. Behind the camera is where I lose myself.
How did I shoot these? here are some pointers-
*I shot all of them indoors (at a window sill) except for the cereal photo, which was shot outdoors.
*I used a canon rebel XTI with a 50mm 1.4 portrait lens
*I had a co-worker help me style each dish... we took about 30-40 mins. for styling each dish
*I shot in full manual mode (ISO 100, shutter speed 1/80 and 1/60, f5.6)

Carnival Perspective

I visited a traveling carnival last night at Preston and 635 in Dallas and came prepared with my camera and trusty tripod. After processing the photos, this is exactly the look and feel I wanted them to have...
A feeling of carnival memories, slightly haunting and retro; like something clipped out from an old paper.

Here and There and There: Wolfgang Tillmans

He is my favourite photographer... because he captures the random, sometimes beautiful, sometimes gross side of life. He photographs a lot of everyday life, rubbish (literally) and STUFF. It's avant garde and beyond post modern. It's refreshing. Honest and simple.
Download his Wako Book 4 Japan here: http://www.tillmans.co.uk/

Urban Dilapidations

My love for photography has focused on some odd subjects like old, crumbling, decaying buildings. I cannot really explain what draws me to them, but I could guess it's the mystery and the stories my mind concocts of what went on in there, and around there.

Photographs from My South Dallas exploration.
Gear: Sony Cybershot 7.1 and a Manfrotto tripod.

By The Tracks

Johnny's Club

For Sale

Street Signs