When I imagine the president of the United States, what comes to mind first is the campaign trail and all the national decisions he's involved with. It's hard to picture what the day to day of the presidential life brings. This collection of pictures of former president George W. Bush does a fantastic job of capturing the in between moments that show how normal presidents are.
One of the most frustrating things that can happen in photography is seeing a perfect moment and snagging a shot, only to get back to your computer and find out the picture was barely out of focus. As a wedding photographer, I can't count how many times my couple has been composed perfectly with that magic moment that only lasts one frame, and my autofocus drags away from their eyes. To be fair, there is a lot of human error that goes into focus problems. However, did you know the problem doesn't always lie in the user?
Social media has progressed to a point where anyone can personalize their online experience. Through your own network of friends and filters, "Likes" and "Shares" now prioritize funny or relevant content for you and those you share commonalities with. Talenthouse now seeks to utilize that method of content sharing to popularize your artistic capability. The site is designed to set apart the best of the best in any category of art through popular vote.
A good photographer or videographer depends on good lighting to create a shot. Lighting creates the mood of any scene and sets the stage for the story you're trying to tell. In an unusual but entrancing method, Nacho Guzman creates a dramatic scene and shows how quickly light can change the mood and expression on a woman's face. Although the woman in the video only moves her face subtly over time, the rotating light around her causes striking mood shifts in the image.
As a wedding photographer, I run around a lot and need to be ready for any moment. Because the day of a shoot can always bring surprises, I have a motto of always being prepared with extras of everything. Usually this means my assistant or I lug around a bag or two with extra flashes, batteries, and other accessories. I'm always looking for things to help me smooth out my work flow and make any wedding day easier to handle. So, when Spider Camera Holster released their new Spider Monkey for camera accessories at WPPI 2013, I was eager to try them out.
In one of their most recent advertising campaigns, Yokohama blends a fun mix of high speed sports car chases and childhood games to produce two different commercials. The filming process involved multiple rigs and setups to get a variety of shots, including the director hanging through the windshield of a truck filming the driver. Check out the final commercials below.
If you're in any job long enough, you're bound to come across quirky industry developments that just might help your work flow. Photography is no different. What's this you might ask? At first glance it might seem like a video game controller with a cleverly placed sticker on it.
I've been to a fair amount of conferences and seminars throughout my life. It seems as I was growing up, most offered an amazing getaway that pumped me up for whatever the topic of the weekend focused on. The more conferences I've gone to, though, the more I've felt jaded and unappreciative of the hype they create. That said, I wasn't sure what to expect at this year's annual wedding photography conference in Vegas, WPPI.
If you've ever wondered how photographers stitch together elaborate sequences of sports maneuvers, here's your answer. Pete Webb takes some of his snowboarding shots and offers us a detailed walk through on how to composite such an image in post. Although this concept is most easily applied to sports photography, I've also seen it show up with some fun applications in couples portraits and commercial work.
Last spring, I met a group of 4 cyclists planning a 35 day epic adventure from coast to coast across the US. Their goal was to cycle over 100 miles a day, resting only one day a week, in order to raise awareness and funds for the poor and needy in Burundi, Africa. I decided it would be awesome to tag along and film their journey.
With video now available to most people through their phones and devices, not only can people easily capture the happy memories on the spot, they can also video the horrifying ones. For a birthday gift for his wife, Jonathan Fielding and his family took a flight over snow covered Utah. When the pilot announced that the carburetor had iced over, Jonathan pulled out his phone and filmed the impending crash.
Whether you watched the Super Bowl or not, it's very possible you saw the now world famous PSY perform an adapted version of "Gangnam Style" for a pistachio commercial. I have to admit, when I first saw the commercial, I was taken off guard by the lack of connection. Still, I've thought about pistachios since, so I guess the marketing campaign worked.
It is pretty common knowledge that photography is based on understanding the principles of good lighting. It's also pretty common for the average photographer not to have the budget to afford a studio and light their subject from 8 different directions. Instead of worrying about not having enough, use the natural light you do have.
Calvin Frederick is an experimental animator who put some fantastic thought and creative talent into this trippy work called "Bermuda." By using an LED panel, a motion control rig, and a bunch of mirrors, Calvin managed to create this piece without any visual effects or compositing in post. Before you click play, brace yourself for the twilight zone.
If you've been wanting to get an aerial perspective but dont have a clue how to fly an octocopter, check out the new LA100 by Lehmann Aviation. They've designed a drone that flies itself while an attached GoPro records the flight. After take off, the drone follows a preset flight pattern for five minutes and gives an excellent view of the surrounding area. While the usefulness for creative filming is severely limited by the lack of variety in flight path, it's a fantastic idea for hobbyists who want to get a birds eye view.
Very few of us have been involved in photography and art long enough to truly appreciate how much change has taken place in when it comes to cameras and photographs. David Hockney, a British artist who has dedicated much of his life to painting and photography, thinks some of the art in imagery has been lost along the way. In short, Photoshop is boring.
It might be easy to form a quick opinion about a picture like this. I'll admit it, when I first heard “trucks,” I was already curious about the people I was going to work with. It's not often that you run into someone who is passionate about their vehicle.
Although there are thousands Guinness Wold Records and some are broken every day, it's still inspiring to see large numbers of people come together with a common goal. Recently, both GoPro and Devin Graham filmed different world records.
Of course, if you ever learned anything about art history, you know Vincent van Gogh has long been dead. That didn't stop the creative mind that brought you the Blow Job series from posting the backwards claim on his blog that someone had turned his old portrait photograph into a painting. Aside from Tadao Cern putting some good humor into his work, it's stunning to see the photo-shopped transition from painting to photograph.
Over the last few days, I've taken some time to reflect on 2012 and my work as a wedding photographer. Yes, it's getting close to mid January, New Years has long past, and you may think it's a little late to be retrospective, right?
