Week 10 EOC: Photo Challenge

Sometime taking a normal ordinary photo or self portrait can end up looking plain and just snap shot like, so by using a program like that of Photoshop you can create a more appealing photograph. When doing this type of thing to a photograph you are creating more of a piece of digital art than a photograph, but in this day and age not knowing how to do this kind of thing can actually limit the amount of work you might be able to get in the long run. Photoshop is one of those programs that the more you use it the better you get at it, yet you can always learn new things or ways to use the program. For this self portrait I wanted to show a little of the skill I have in Photoshop. I started by taking a self portrait I took of myself and then cutting myself out of that photograph. After cutting myself out of the photograph I pasted myself into a blank Photoshop file, I then turned the bottom most layer black and added layers on top of the black layer. I then used different smoke brushes to create different patterns of smoke and fire, layering those layers both behind my self portrait and in front of my self portrait. This is a technique that a few photographers have started to use in different types of portrait photography, so for me to make sure I can keep up with those local and non-local photographers who are employing techniques like this to attract new clients I have started to learn some of these techniques as well. I believe that by watching  other photographers and photography studios and seeing what they may be doing to attract new clients I can then learn new techniques as well to keep my competitive edge.

Week 10 EOC: Mission Statements

“I've had a love for photography my entire life; I was one of those kids who took pictures of everything. Dandelions, friends, dead bugs, nothing could escape my lens. Flash forward a few years and it's grown into a full on passion.

Red Feather Photography focuses on the story behind the photo. Starting from a home studio in 2006, iPose Photography has grown into a full time business helping people capture their greatest memories. Today, I operate from a studio in the Historic Haymarket in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Specializing in Children Photography I also has a special place in my heart in capturing High School Seniors. Having the blessed ability to capture and express these special moments is my personal gift to you.

Allowing me to create your story with Red Feather Photography is the highest honor I could receive in my profession.

Thank you for stopping by and I look forward to telling your story!

-Jacque Haeffner” (http://www.redfeather-photography.com/)

I think that his is a good mission statement for this company called Red Feather photography. The photographer keeps things simple while still giving some background and a brief description of who she is and what she does.

“Eye Revolution is based in Crouch End, North London. Since 1994, we have created thousands of virtual tours for hundreds of clients, viewed by a web audience of millions. But we believe in quality, not just quantity. Eye Revolution is setting the standards of virtual tours across the world. Our passion and skill as photographers is apparent in every tour we create. Virtual tours should never be an inadequate representation of a space – make them good enough and they should enthrall and excite. People living 5,000 miles away could see just how luxurious your hotel is and people just down the road can see how much fun your attraction will be – a virtual tour should be a tool to inspire them to come to you. “ (http://www.eyerevolution.co.uk/about.php)

Here is another example I think is a good mission statement. In this statement the company establishes who they are, what they do, and why to use them. They also go on to give a lot more very good information on the companies about us web page.

Week 9 EOC: Photo Challenge

Legendary Photographers have all found their fame with the type of photograph in which they have chosen to shoot. So the challenge of creating a Self Portrait as if I were a legendary photographer has been a bit of a challenge for me. The first thing I did to start preparing for this shoot was to try and research some famous or legendary photographers self portraits and then to look up professional photographers who shoot the same type of photography in which I shoot to get some inspiration for my own Self Portrait. I wanted to shoot it outdoors, which seems to be the opposite of a lot of famous photographers who have their portraits or self portraits taken indoors in a studio setting in front of a plain light colored backdrop. So I chose to take my self portrait in the great outdoors, my first thought was to go somewhere scenic and take a full body shot sitting on a rock overlooking a vista of some sort. This however began to feel it was more about the location that a self portrait of me. The more scenic landscape plays a part in my photography and so does the urban landscape, so then I thought of a combination of the two a little bit of the urban landscape blurred due to a shallow depth of field and mountains in the background. I also chose to shoot into the sun to capture the sun’s rays as well as a little sun flare. I didn’t want to take the standard looking into the camera portrait either, so I am looking just off camera and I shot from a lower angle to make my presence more dominate in the photograph. I then edited the photograph in both Adobe Lightroom and in Adobe Photoshop to give it a sepia and vintage feel.



Week 9 EOC: Emotional Attachment

I think that for me as a photographer my love for photography started at a very young age and like most photographers there was something that inspired me and captivated me about photographing the natural world. I grew up living in smaller rural areas of Utah and Colorado, working or at least enjoying the time spent on my grandparents farm, as well as, camping and doing all sorts of outdoor activities with my family growing up. Another of the things that inspired me in photography was National Geographic Magazine as well as all of it’s programming on TV. I as always captivated by the people, places, and wildlife featured in each issue and program. That same captivation and motivation still drives me in my passion to capture the natural world. I have always dreamed to travel the world and photograph those peoples, places,animals and plants that were at risk of vanishing from the Earth forever. My driving factor in this was and still is to preserve life in all of its many forms through photographs, so that in the sad and terrible case that one of those life forms vanishes forever we as a human race have a record of it to show our children and their children. This image of a grey wolf in the snow shot by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore is one of many like it over the years that have inspired me to become the photographer I am today. It is a goal of mine that through my hard work and continued growth in photography that I will one day become like Joel Sartone and many others and have my own work showcased in the pages of National Geographic magazine. I plan of also becoming like another of my Inspirations Art Wolfe and have my own photographic business that will help to preserve and conserve the planets natural world.

Week 9 BOC: Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday is one of those days, just like Black Friday that a shopper can get some amazing deals on different products and services. The only difference between the two days is that on Black Friday a person has to be in the store physically to be able to get the deals; on cyber Monday a person only needs to have access to a computer with an internet connection. For the aspiring or established photographer Cyber Monday can be a great way to stock up on photography supplies or buy that new piece of equipment that they have been waiting to get at a much discounted price. This new piece of equipment could allow the photographer to create new work, or to create new ways to do existing types of work.

For me I would benefit by buying a new lens of two, these would allow me shoot a wider variety of imagery. Being a Wildlife, Landscape, Fine Art, and Environmental photographer buying a lens like this Opteka 650-2600mm High Definition Telephoto lens would allow me to get even more up close and personal with the outdoor subject matter in which I shoot. When photographing wildlife or even plant life in the outdoors you are not always able to get right up to the things in which I shoot so by having a lens like this in my camera bag would allow me to still be able to shoot these longer distance subject bringing them up close in my imagery for the viewers of my work to experience.