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Pratik Naik

Houston, TX
Solstice Retouch
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Articles from Pratik Naik

Book: Quavondo's Photography Lighting Techniques with Images and Light Set-Ups

From lifestyle to celebrities, Quavondo is a photographer that has a wide range of talent. He has a great ability to shoot many genres and do exceedingly well at it. Even prior to meeting him, everyone who knew of him would ask him how he would light his subjects, no matter what he shot. It seemed so effortless in execution but very appealing as an end result. Recently, he released a book with these answers. 

Ted Talk - Professional Model Cameron Russell Asks, Why Be A Model?

As a part of a recent TED series, 'Be Fearless', Cameron Russell, who has been a professional model and walked for some of the biggest names in fashion, advises young women everywhere not to look at modeling as a viable career path. In such bold claims, she gives a look into the fashion industry from the viewpoint of a model. 

#NoFilter – Behind The Lens With Instagram's Biggest Stars

Have you ever wondered who the people are behind some of Instagram's biggest profiles? With the way it's setup, you see their work first but you don't get to know too much about who they are. Some of the users on Instagram have tremendous followings. What drives them to shoot and who are they? Here are some great interviews about them and their work.  

Photographer, Chase Jarvis, Talks About New Models Of Creativity

The path to success changes based on who you ask. There is no one path that gets you where you want to be. As creatives, we keep defining that path daily. Chase Jarvis recently talked at the PSFK seminar and he spoke about the new models of creativity. He argues that the traditional system is broken and most people who have 'made it' have done so through a-typical methods. 

What Photoshop Tutorials Would Look Like If They Were Made By Sesame Street

A mix of hilarious and slightly educational, 'Fafa's Photoshop Tutorial' is what you would get if you mixed fuzzy puppets, Photoshop, and humor. I'm glad they don't run all the tutorials, they would be all over the place and no one would actually learn too much. For the sake of light hearted Photoshop fun, enjoy.  

A Look Into The Best Post Production Business In The World: Box Studios

Pascal Dangin is the founder and chief of Box Studios, a retouching house based out of NYC. They're known for retouching some of the world's best photographs, some of which grace Vogue and Vanity Fair. He also works with Annie Leibovitz and Steven Meisel. Unofficially, he's credited as being the world's most sought after retoucher in the industry. He is also very mysterious and so is Box. Here, we get an in depth look at what goes on behind the scenes at Box. 

Retoucher Amy Dresser Speaks About The Various Intentions Of Retouching

Amy Dresser has been an industry established retoucher for at least 10 years now. At Luminance 2012, she spoke about a range of topics including her relationship with other photographers to the basic principles of retouching. Granted that many of it is personal preference, there's a lot of good information to take from her presentation. 

A Before And After Look Of How Beauty Retouching Is Done In Video

As a retoucher, I'm always fascinated by the world of video and how retouching is done in beauty commercials. Foton Inc. released a video a few months ago showing how to make someone look younger with their “Age Reduction FX” technique. Now, here's another video showing how retouching in video is done in 4k format for a typical beauty video. 

Photoreal: The Short Film About A Camera With Superpowers

What if you found a camera that had superpowers, what would you do with it? You might have the potential to become the first ever superhero photographer of our time. The creative team over at Corridor Digital based their short story Photoreal off of this idea. The main subject of our film finds a camera that literally freezes time with each snap. 

The Guide To Not Sucking So Bad on Instagram

By now you've probably formed a clear cut opinion about Instagram. It's the program we either love to hate, or just plain love! If there was such a thing as Instagram etiquette, or the 'right' way to Instagram, this is probably as close to anything we've seen so far. New York City filmmaker Casey Neistat decided to illustrate a few points. He does drop one word of profanity so be cautious if you're in a sensitive area. 

Video Comparison Of The Blackmagic Cinema Camera Vs The Canon 5D III

With just under a week left for our Blackmagic Cinema Camera giveaway here at Fstoppers, we figured this would be a great opportunity to show you how impressive this camera is in comparison to the Canon 5D Mark III. This video, produced by One River Media, really shows how well the Blackmagic performs in every aspect. With 13 stops of dynamic range along with many of its other features, the difference is quite apparent in this video. 

Photographer, Peter Alexander, Falls To His Death During London Fashion Week

We've heard unfortunate news that photographer, Peter Alexander, has died this past weekend during a Fashion Week party. It happened on Friday, September 14th, when Peter and his unnamed friend fell out of a 3rd story window. This incident occurred in Shoreditch, an area of Eastern London. Unfortunately, Peter did not make it. The friend, who was also a model in the industry, is currently in stable condition at the hospital. 

Health In The Modeling World: Israel Passes Law to Ban Underweight Models

The future looks healthy within the modeling and fashion industry. More and more people want less retouching in general, people want to see change on the covers and on runways. We're seeing more being done to make health a priority in the modeling world. Recently, Israel took a step in banning underweight models. The definition of 'underweight' is having a BMI of under 18.5. Although this is just one country, we'll see trends like this progress more regularly as time goes on. 

An Entire Wedding Shot On An iPhone And Processed Using Instagram

Kim A. Thomas, a photographer out of San Francisco, recently shot an entire wedding using just her iPhone. She processed everything using Instagram as well. The couple, Jonathan and Brandi, wanted her to do so by request. She never used an SLR for any of the shots. Her main camera was the iPhone 4s with an iPhone 4 as a backup. She did use an SLR mount for her lenses and a tripod. Take a look at the shots and let us know what you think of them! 

The Photoshop Troll Brings Humor Back To Photoshop

'Nick' poses as a a team member for a group titled 'Photoshop Request'. For every request, the unsuspecting victim doesn't actually get what they intended. The Photoshop Troll does everything other than what is requested in Photoshop. The end result warrants him the appropriate name, The Photoshop Troll. 

This Thai Insurance Video Is The Most Emotional Commercial Ever

As videographers, photographers, and creatives alike, one of our goals with imagery or video is to capture an audience and move people in one way or another. We all work in different areas of the industry but we all share a common bond. This Thai Insurance commercial, Silence of Love, is quite possibly the most emotional and powerful one we've seen. We warn you before watching, it's quite a tear jerker! Although, it's definitely a must watch. The audio in this rendition is from another theme all together. 

'100' Showcases People From Age 0 to 100 In Just 150 Seconds

Dutch Filmmaker Jeroen Wolf shows us the span of a lifetime through many different individuals. Going from infancy all the way to 100 in just 150 seconds, this short film is appropriately titled, "100". No matter how simple the nature of the video is, there's something very compelling about this short film. Each clip, no matter how short, shows so much personality from each person. 

How Amazing Colorization Of Black And White Photos Are Done

In the past, we've featured some amazing colorization of black and white photos. The results and impact of the photos were quite impressive and well receive by most people. No matter if you prefer the colored photos or the originals, you can't deny that the technique itself is pretty great. If you've ever wondered how they are done in Photoshop, we have a great look into the process. 

Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop

Most of us probably use Photoshop on a regular basis. We've almost taken it for granted and it has made life a bit easier for us when it comes to correcting images. It's hard to imagine a world without Photoshop where people still modified and manipulated photos. These images exemplify that and will be a part of a showcase put on by The Metropolitan Museum Of Art. 

Instacube: The Beautiful Pictureframe That Streams Your Instagram Photos

Just shy of their quarter of a million dollar goal on Instagram in under a week, Instacube is a concept that has caught tremendous attention on kickstarter. As the title suggests, Instacube is a picture frame that streams your Instagram feed to a beautiful portable display that is three times the size. 

Samsara Is The Most Beautiful Movie That You Can't Afford To Miss

This movie appeals to every photographer due to the stunning visuals. Shot entirely on 70mm film, Samsara is a movie that spans twenty five countries and took five years to make. Not only does it encompass the grand scope of humanity, the visuals are simply mesmerizing. Be sure to watch this trailer in HD and full screen to experience the full effect.

Social Experiment - What It Feels Like To Be A Freelancer

As photographers, many of us work on a freelance type basis. Though this is geared toward other freelance artists, 'Don't Get Screwed Over' came up with a social experiment where people could experience what it would feel like to be a freelancer. People who passed by the table had an opportunity to make $5 based on drawing something simple that what was requested of them.

Beneath The Diaper: A Hilarious BTS Interpretation Of Anne Geddes

By now, we have all heard of Anne Geddes, the photographer famous for capturing moments of babies dressed up in various outfits, posed on beautiful sets. The World instantly fell in love with her. No matter how difficult the job, she always makes it look easy. Have you ever wondered how she gets the shot and makes everything look so effortless? We finally get to see what it takes to make it in the baby photography arena. 

Gunther Holtorf Takes A 23 Year Long Road Trip And Documents The Journey

What started as an 18 month long tour of Africa, ended up lasting 23 year long but wonderful years. With his modest demeanor, we're finally hearing about his amazing journey across the World. He drove in a Mercedes Benz G Wagon and now has over 500,000 miles tacked on. The vehicle has traveled the equivalent of 20 times around the planet and the best part is that he took his cameras along with him! Gunther travels with 2 film cameras, including a Leica M6. 

The 'Ugly' Modeling Agency - The Agency For Atypical Models

Featured on National Geographic's show 'Taboo', this modeling agency is unique in the sense that it doesn't represent people you would normally think of as 'models'. They represent people who specifically have interesting features about them, that make them stand out in a unique way. Amazon Eve, the world's tallest female model, is one example. The word 'Ugly', according to the owner, was used because it's a powerful word and not for the intention of disrespecting the talent.

A Timelapse View Of Earth At Night From The International Space Station

The timelapse videos we see from NASA get better and better. This time, Knate Myers took photographs taken from the International Space Station and put them together to make this beautiful time lapse video. “Every frame in this video is a photograph taken from the International Space Station.” 

The 'Missing' Arm On The Cover Of Vogue Russia: Photoshop Or Angle?

The August cover of Vogue Russia has a small issue that people have been talking about. They have been questioning whether or not it was another Photoshop mishap or just a matter of angle? The beautiful model, Natasha Poly, graces this cover and we can assure you she has all her limbs intact. We'd like to know your thoughts on whether or not this is just a matter of angle, or if the missing arm was definitely an oversight. 

The Process Of How These Grass Portraits Were Made Through Photosynthesis

Back in may, we posted this story about portraits made of grass created with photosynthesis. Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey of  Ackroyd & Harvey were behind this idea and we now have a video that showcases how this process is done. The technique and end result is a beautiful mix of art and photography.

The Robotic Cameras Of The 2012 Olympic Games And Beyond

The progression of technology has allowed for us to capture shots in angles that we would not usually be able to capture. Robotic cameras have the ability to fit into spaces and locations that a photographer would usually not be able to get to. These are fully controlled by remote as well. It may very well begin to change the landscape of photojournalism. Check out what you can expect and how it's done within.

Canon's Mixed Reality Project Shows What The Future Of Design And Production Looks Like

Canon's Mixed Reality (MR) Project may shape the future in many areas, from the conception of an idea to design and all the way to production. It helps to generate a virtual interactive product even before production begins. This video illustrates how fusing the world between the real world and virtual world may be advantageous in many ways . How do you think it will impact photography? Check out the full post for more details.  

Instaglasses Concept: The Instagram Glasses That Show The World In Filters

We recently showed you the idea of what a instagram camera would look like here. Now, this concept by Markus Gerke shows it reduced down to glasses. The idea is that you can take a picture and apply a filter with your glasses. In effect, you can see the world through instagram filters and share it with everyone. Even though this concept won't come true, it might have been a big hit with Instagram addicts. Would this be something you would have bought if they were real? 

The Manhattan Project – A Timelapse View Of The Different Areas Of Manhattan

Photographer/videographer, Cameron Michael, spent roughly 5 months making this timelapse view of Manhattan. It spans across the entire area and shows the stark contrast that makes the city so appealing. After months of time, the struggles of getting location access, and the manual labor of lugging around 130 pounds of equipment around the city, Cameron finally released this great video as an ode to the city and all its beauty.

Framed Interviews Photographer Claudia Kunin On 3-D Art And Ghost Stories

If you're into apparitions or anything spooky, this interview with former commercial photographer, Claudia Kunin, will captivate you. Without giving away much, check out the interview. Her work is extremely unique in what she does and where she's come from. She says she loves ghosts because she's been fascinated since she was a little girl. Combining that love with 3-D ends up taking it to the next level. She even goes over how she does it. More details in the full post.