Chase Jarvis put up a rapid fire video going from nothing to product-final in just a bit over three minutes.
So, OK, there is no way to actually do all the things in the video in three minutes. But if you are looking for some quick intro about what is the process behind commercial photography, you are in for a treat.
If you liked this video, you may want to check out Chase's blog. On the top right there is a bunch of more goodies and videos.
Hai was the next inline for the Team Portrait Project.
Hai is just the kind of guy who wonders around and fixes things up. Be it the shelf on the wall, the air conditioning tunnel or the cable modem which we work on - none will stay broken if they are near Hai. Ever saw Pulp Fiction? Remember the great role Harvey Keitel did as THE WOLF? This is what I am talking about.
Another thing you get to hear allot when you are around Hai is "This is not optimized". Before you know it, Hai will tweak it, bend it, re-assemble it and fry it to make it "more optimized". This is how Hai got to be THE OPTIMIZER.
As a child, I'm sure you've heard the following phrase: "Stick and stones will break my bones but names will never heart me"?
Jim Talkington over at ProPhotoLife has got another take on this childhood proverb. Something like "Sticks and stones will create killer lighting, but money is not needed".
Jim was kind enough to get this photo studio video composed where he shows us how to take the sticks and stones (or rather sticks and concrete) to the extreme, building a studio from cheap continuous lighting, some framed diffusion papers and lots of sticks.
RSS readers - grab this video here.
The other half of this vid comes right after the jump - yep it is a double feature.
When I first thought of making a photography project where I work, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about it with THE BOSS.
THE BOSS was really enthusiastic about the idea and was the first to get his portrait taken.
So, here is the tale of how I shot my boss and lived to tell the tale.
This is the point where I am gonna stop calling him THE BOSS and tell you that his name is Yossi.
Yossi is a very calm dude person. He is one of those guys that when everybody is running around to meet a deadline, makes sure we are running at the right direction. And calmness is the main feature that we wanted to show in Yossi's portrait.
Another nice thing about Yossi is his car. In a high-tech world where everybody drives nice fancy big Dollar cars, Yossi is true to his love - a bitten up Citroen BX from the early 90's. When once asked him about tithe told me that "Citroen BX is not a car, it is a way of life". So, the car had to go into the shot.
Lastly I wanted to say that Yossi is a great boss, loved by all and is an example of fine, sharp management. Always bringing results, and gives true guidance. (And it has nothing to do with the fact that I asked for a raise last month, or the fact that I know that you are reading this blog). Click to continue ›
After more then two years of running DIYP, I finally feel comfortable to share the fact that I am living a double life. It took me countless rehearsals in front of the mirror to gather the guts to tell. Here goes:
Aside from my real life as a blogger and a photographer, I also have a secret identity as a software developer. Yes, every morning I step into my secret cave, and trade the camera and flash for laptop and network equipment.
Although my family safety demands that I will not disclose my secret identity's workplace, I can hint that I work for the same company that made the cute Little Professor Calculator - that's the guy on the left (Image by draggin). Yes, I work for The Silicon Masters Texas Instruments.
What do I do there? I can not reveal (Actually I can, but then I'll have to kill you). Let's just say that if you are reading this page via a Comcast or other cable service, you're surfing my code.
For the last year and a half, I've been involved in a challenging development project, creating the next generation of TI's Cable Modem. As the project evolved and deadlines started to come closer and closer, work started to take on more and more time from other aspects of my life. One of the major casualties was my passion - Photography.
It was time to ACT! I went into my secret photo cave and planned my revenge. After ruling out Plan A (storm the offices with a flame-thrower), and Plan B (move the studio into my cubicle), I came up with the ultimate plan.
I will combine (or as managers like to say create synergy) between work and photography. This is when I came up with the Shoot the Team Project. Read more.
Some time ago I wrote about taking art images for my mother in law. Since I don't have my dream lens yet, I had to compromise on the lens and use the great (but not ideal for this task) Nikon 18-70 lens. (The image to the lest if one of the original paintings)
I got a few mails and comments about the issue of getting closer to the pictures to make the picture fill a wider part of the frame.
Sample Comment (by 'Anon'):
Kind of a newb, but why would you have used a zoom lens? And at what
distance/mm? I would think 50-70mm would be ideal, or would getting any
closer affect the "family of angles" thing?
As Norm replied, the main issue of getting further from the image was the Family of Angles constraint. Let me explain:
I love my mother in law. I know this is not a popular statement, but it may explain the following tutorial and experience I am about to share with you.
Rss readers, grab the video here.
My mother in law is an artist. She paints pictures, and lovely ones, if you'll listen to my un-bribed opinion. Last week she asked me to make a video clip from some of her shots so she can share her art. The video is also to be used as a pilot for distributing her catalog in video form.
In the following article I will describe the process of making the promotional DVD, including the setup and lighting, the post processing and the creation of the slideshow. (And of course the "thank you" note I got from my mother in law - priceless).
This is the second part of the Readers Projects series, my way to show my love and appreciation to DIYP readers.
In this series, I'll be posting some of the great projects DIYP readers brought to life. I learned about those projects either from DIYP flickr group (thanks you all for sharing) or from DIYP readers mails. The first project was the Christmas Tree Ring Light, a cold and snowy project. This project is all about fire - to even the temperature. If you've ever watched the legendary mission impossible show, you'll remember that unforgettable starting frame where a match is being lit from nowhere and this match starts a fuse and eventfully... "This message was self destructed after ten seconds".
Photographer Nick Wheeler recreates the magic of MI in his "How to Light a Match" setup. (Yap, it is the same Nick who invented the Floor Lit Table Top Studio Project.
After taking some shots with the Floor Lit Table Top Studio by Nick, It's time to take it up a notch.
The previous article showed how to take great liquid product shots, though the set up can work for both liquids and solids.
In this part of the tutorial Nick will show a modification of the setup that allows you to add some color effects to the shot. If you like it, stop by Nick's flickr stream and say "Hi". In addition to showing your appreciation, you'll get some great studio images and setup shots. Now for todays exiting twist:
I always keep my eye on the strobist flickr pool. It is one of the best places to get your lighting ideas. The other day, I saw a cool Corona shot there made by Nick Wheeler. Nick was so kind to share his lighting technique with DIYP readers. So, the following article is a guest post by Nick Wheeler, If you like this tutorial as much as I did stop by Nick's flickr stream and say "Hi" (You'll also get a nice dose of fine images).
Just recently, I became the proud owner of a new dining room table. Not a massively exciting announcement you might think (and you would be right), but what was getting me excited was the fact that it had a frosted glass top. While my significant other was wondering where to put it and what to do with the old table, I was thinking “I wonder what would happen if I stuck a flash underneath it?”
The answer at first was a little disappointing but after a while I was getting some pretty good results, particularly with bottles and containers of liquid. I was finding that with light coming from underneath it was helping light up the liquid and giving it a nice glow. The only problem I was having was the table top itself. The glass was dimpled, not smooth, and while that gave a nice effect, it was not ideal for every shot. The answer of course was a spot of DIY!
