HTC Product Testimonial with Model

One of my final projects for my Studio 2 class. We were to design and photograph a product testimonial with a model. My product is the HTC EVO 4G and my model is my friend Travis.

When I designed this I wanted the photograph to have the overall modern "tech" feel to it. Android phones are stereotypical "geek" phones, with many open source apps for maximum control. This is why the photograph is a little more low key. The background is actually a reflector card used to bounce light onto the models in the studio, but I thought the ability to reflect light and all the tears and creases in it might give the photo a bit of a grungy look.

I have also posted a final piece from my 6 print portfolio due at the end of my Color 1 class this semester.


I am sooo happy to be done with photojournalism!! Not that I didn't learn anything valuable in the class, but the way it was taught was very slow paced and time consuming. I am so very excited for this summer and (hopefully) some time to take outdoor photographs that I really like.

_{Posted: May 13, 2011}

Lime and Orange Color Theory

A color theory photography assignment in which we needed to apply a principle of color design from the Bauhaus Color Theory during a photography shoot in the studio. I felt like working with some citrus fruit, which made the studio smell fabulous!

I chose the cold-warm contrast of orange and green citrus fruit because I think they inspire a sense of excitement that might come with eating bubbly citrus fruit. I centered green instead of orange because in the Bauhaus theory orange sets off more psychological flairs than green, and green can be a little less striking to look at as a result.

_{Posted: April 7, 2011}

*UPDATE: This photograph won a Daily Deviation Award from DeviantART.com on Tuesday, April 12, 2011!

Metal on White

My Studio 2 class, taught by Steven Rhyner, was given the studio assignment to shoot metal on white. This was pretty interesting because it involves working with the family of angles to determine if the metal will be light or dark.


_{An Example of the Family of Angles}

Its kinda cool because you can light the metal separate from whatever is around it because it will only reflect light within the family.



Above: This was one of my first shots taken in the studio. The subject is a heatsync fan that came with an Intel i7 processor. In this shot, the softbox is above which is why only certain angles on the heatsync are reflecting.



Above: This shot is lit from behind as well as above, and there is a reflector card in front to catch the light coming from the back. There are streaks of light coming through the heatsync, but because there is a black plastic fan attached to the back of it only a little light came through.



Above: My final shot, chosen because I like the angelic-like affect, was lit the exact same way as above. The only difference is I removed the black fan that was attached to it so that all the light from behind could shine through.


Thanks to everyone for voting for my photo Ambulance Trail in the recent Brickfish contest! I received 445 votes total, and placed 933 out of 42,149! That means I probably won't make the cut for the scholarship, but I was amazed at the support my photo received. Thank you <3

_{Posted: February 15, 2011}

Brickfish: Vote For Me?

Hey peeps! Will you vote for me in this Brickfish contest? I am hoping for a scholarship <3

No need to make an account to vote, and you can vote every twelve hours for a few more days until the contest over!

Vote Here!

Thank you!
_{Posted: February 3, 2011}

Semester II Begins

A very belated Happy New Year! This semester really changes things. I'll be taking Color 1, Studio 2, Photojournalism and Digital Media (Final Cut Pro Video Editing).


_{Xrite ColorChecker Passport}

Color 1 so far has been nonstop science. It's really interesting and exciting, but there is no photography involved in this class. So far we've studied everything from positive and negative particles of light, the science behind light creation and wavicles to the electromagnetic spectrum and the physiology behind how our eyes interpret light and color. Soon we will begin learning about color profiles, calibration and how to make RGB = CMYK for printing. Last night we listened to a webinar on the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport. Wow. Need. I knew about these before, but I had never used one for anything other than white balance and definitely did not consider all the other possibilities of this wallet-sized utility. I am extending my grant money to purchase one, because I don't think digital photography can be professional without one at this point!


_{Mamiya RB67}

Studio 2 will be quite a bit like last semester, accept no 4x5 viewcameras. Instead we are going to use the Mamiya RB67 with digital leaf back. This one I am way more excited for, but we'll see once things start happening. Otherwise all the photography I take this semester will be largely practice, and I doubt I will post any work.

Photojournalism so far does not have my hopes up. Our teacher, Craig Schreiner, works for the Wisconsin State Journal as a full time photojournalist. That is really exciting, but from what I gather the entire classes first impression was that he is extremely disorganized and monotonic. I am really nervous for our assignments. The first of which was to take a candid photo of someone we DO NOT know and then ask them their name and what they're doing so we can write a caption with it. I never photograph people and I am very anxious about talking to people I do not know, so this first assignment as not gone well for me thus far. I guess I need to get over it! Hopefully I will have some good results from this class worth posting.

Digital Media has me a little curious and excited.. I have never worked with Final Cut Pro, or really, video at all. Why video editing in a photography program? I guess because most clients in commercial areas like weddings and events often require or at least request professional video as well. I am excited to do some video editing, and curious to see if this will open a new avenue for me. I will post any videos that turn out well, possibly including the required public service announcement I need to create by the end of the semester. It really will be used as a public service announcement in my area!



_{Posted: January 19, 2011}

4x5 View Camera Practice

I have a few images for you of my work with the dreaded 4x5 view camera, a monstrosity someone must have traveled back in time 100 years for. Although it is revered as a quality photographic tool, I see nothing but an archaic design that causes inefficient use, despite whatever quality results it might be able to obtain.

Here are some of the practice works I completed near the end of the semester:

Project: Create an extraordinary image from an ordinary object.



This is a Harry Potter book with the pages folded into the center. It is shot from behind using a strobe flash through ripstop nylon. I believe it was shot at f/32 for 1 or 2 seconds, but when I exported the image from the digital back Leaf software I did not export all the meta data as I should have.



These are just pasta noodles, shot through a white/translucent plexiglass and lit from below and from the right side by flash strobes. Not exactly super extraordinary, but when I had imagined the result I was imaging it being completed with my macro lens and DSLR. I was a little surprised when I arrived at the studio only to remember we were required to work with the 4x5 for this assignment.

The last image was done with my Canon 7D and a 100mm macro lens. The assignment was to find an advertisement and see if we could emulate it. I though I would be smart and research "minimalist ads" so I would need relatively little for props, but my teacher pointed out to me after deciding this was a perfect image the instead of a normal alka seltzer tab in the image I chose, they had used a pie!

My Final Image	Original Alka Selzter Ad

I lit the container and water for the tab from behind using a hard light through ripstop nylon, and tied a string around the tablet, shooting it remotely as I waved it back and forth through the water to get a curve in the bubbles. I also shot the pie in studio, photoshopping the final result into the "ad".

_{Posted: December 23, 2010}

Studio 1 Final Project - Liquid Macro

I have a few photos for you from my final project in my studio 1 class. We were told to "work to a theme" and I chose the theme liquid macro because I love the singularities that happen when you randomly poor colored liquid into water. Some of these are bubbles and food coloring, others are heavy cream mixed with food coloring poured into water by hand at random times. A few are lit from the bottom and sides by LED's, others are lit by a tungsten hard light from behind.









You can view a couple more at my Behance Portfolio, I love it when you click "appreciate"!
_{Posted: December 10, 2010}