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Towards Better People Pictures!

This article provides a brief tutorial on how to take better people pictures. The topics covered include getting to know your camera, understanding your subject, a bit of posing, and fill flash.

Children in the Studio

Photographing children, as in most people, has a lot less to do with my equipment, lighting and props, than with my rapport with my subjects and the environment I provide or seek out for them. The environment has just as much to do with the subject’s comfort and demeanor as it’s actual presence in the shot.

Quick Photoshop Sepia Tone Effect Tutorial

Sepia, pronounced, "see-pee-uh", is originally a brown pigment obtained from the ink like secretion of various cuttlefish and was originally used as ink for writing. Later, a more concentrated form was produced for use in watercolor paintings. Photographs of the 1800’s where primarily printed on paper that was not acid free and as they aged, the photograph turned brown or "aged".

Photographing Inanimate Objects

Before I became a professional photographer, I never noticed in an average day how often we come across photographs of anything and everything. Photographs make up every magazine, billboard, clip art, product label and the list goes on and on.

Umbrella

I shoot different things for different reasons. In the moment, while taking the photograph, it usually feels right. I'm not thinking, at all. But even if I know why, at the time, do I really?

Take Better Photographs With Fill In Flash

The first time that I heard a comment about my pictures and my use of fill in flash, I had no idea what my photographer friend was talking about. So I just smiled and acted like I knew what he was talking about. Not being one to be left in the dark, though, I decided to do my homework. What I discovered has been an asset to my photographs and particularly to my wedding photography work.

Water Spouts - Are You Ready?

So I was on my way to begin shooting for my 2008 Dogs of Key West Calendar and off to my right I spotted two water spouts. Like any good photographer (and terrible driver) I pulled my car over to the side of the road jumped out with my Nikon D70, through a 70-200mm VR lense on and started snapping away.

Eye Examination Photograph - Slit Lamp

This is a photograph shot inside an operating room. There was no operation in progress during or after the image was photographed. However, an examination is quite a daunting process for an ophthalmologist, when the patient is an infant. Infants obviously tend to get scared of lights being shined into their eyes by strangers!

Short films: the writing/directing pitfall

Often seen in student films the writing/directing syndrome is the source of many mistakes that could have been prevented by giving more control over your creation to another person.

Photographing Black Dogs

A better title might be, "Can you find the dog in this picture?" You would be amazed at how many times we can wind up with a photo of a black dog where the bushes or shadows behind him cause him to magically disappear just as you try to get that shot of him looking absolutely adorable.

Shaped Postcards – A Novelty That Works

Forme cut postcards are a great way to advertise something as they are far more exciting to look at than a traditional rectangular shape. They are also more eye catching than paying for advertising in someone else’s publication. Only a few extra steps are needed to progress electronic artwork to send to the printers for forme cutting. I designed this forme postcard in Adobe Photoshop CS and Adobe Indesign CS.

Vector Design - Using Adobe Photoshop CS (Tutorial)

When you think of Vector design, one does not need to rely on Adobe Illustrator to trace the image. Using the trusted Adobe Photoshop, you can achieve the similar effect of a Vector Graphic by manipulating the Polygonal/Magnetic Lasso Tool and apply colour via using the Paint Bucket tool.

Logo Design: Melding Sketches With Electronic Artwork

I recently designed a vector logo for a Melbourne based band, The Kultivators, who needed an image of a skeleton on a combine harvester in an Ed Roth style of illustration.

Fashion Design: Combining Aesthetics with the Environment

Whilst brainstorming for ideas for my fashion design project, I wanted to create a collection that both represented my design philosophy as well as being related to the environment that the clothing would be placed in. Henceforth, a dynamic creative explosion of ideas emerged and it marked the start of an exciting design journey ahead.

An intranet is the cousin of the internet

An intranet is the first cousin to the internet and it yields a degree of credit to your business. I was fortunate to be working for a design agency in Edinburgh some years ago. The agency was being reviewed for a prestigious Scottish award and the MD wanted to win the award desperately. I was assigned the mission of designing and content managing the intranet.

Designing Magazine Features for Advertising

Magazine feature pages contain items that are grouped in the same subject and displayed together. This may include an article, ads and photos on "where to travel in Australia", to a group of modular ads for the latest art galleries, touted as an "advertising feature".

Image Formats and Web Design

For web designers JPEGs save space and load time, and offer a good general image format for digital photos and some logos. When using JPEGs you must be careful to avoid image degradation. If a JPEG is edited and then saved again as a JPEG, your image will have deteriorated in quality because it has been compressed twice. Sometimes in only two or three generations this can render the image unusable.

Creating a Flash movie without using Macromedia Flash

After years of using Adobe CS, I attempted to learn Macromedia Flash, but was put off by the user-unfriendly interface and the long tutorials which didn't seem to make sense. So after a bit of research on the internet, I found out how to make a Flash movie in ImageReady. These techniques can also be used to export a Flash movie from Illustrator.

Remake of Vogue Music Video by Madonna

I re-made two previous music videos for fun (In the Navy by Village People and Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice) and entered them in the 2005 National Video Test and was awarded runner-up prizes. This time, the television show called me prior to announcing the 2006 competition and asked if I was interested. Of course I was and I thought I needed to raise the bar. I needed to challenge myself and my team. I chose Vogue.

Nifty Design and Development to NiftyBlythe.Com

NiftyBlythe.Com is the online catelogue website for N:ifty@Work, a Singapore base push cart selling Blythe Dolls' accessories like clothes, eye chips, socks, shoes, anything that a Blythe owner would want to beauty up their Blythe friends.

Product Review: Paint Shop Pro

Many years ago I needed to create some graphics. Nothing fancy, just some images for documentation at work. I had used several graphics programs in the past, none of which really did the job that I needed. I wanted a simple interface, a lot of power, and most important of all, I did not want to spend half the day waiting for the graphics program to catch up to me.

Tips And Tricks For Your First Fashion Photo Shoot

Although fashion shoots look complicated when the photos are finally finished. The actual shoot may be very simple. Sometimes usuing one light and one model can have amazing outcomes. Little usually goes a long way when shooting fashion.

Introduction To Fashion Photography

This photo turned out to be my first cover. The shoot was actually very simply set and easy to do.

Identity: Mode ID - The Fashion Idea

A successful Corporate Identity is one that leaves a strong impression in its audiences and stands out from its competitors. Just like buying a new accessorie or a bag, it must make you look good and feel good as well as stand out from the crowd. Mode ID's identity follows this rule seriously.

Pushpins - illustration with gradient and blend

Done for Illustration class, where we were to take a household object and draw it in Illustrator, taking care to use gradients and blends to achieve the final look.

The Passion Of A Great Child Portrait

From a little spark, may burst a mighty flame.
Italian Poet Dante (1265-1351)

Inspired to create your own child portrait? It is very possible, with a little enthusiasm and creativity, to create something very special. Children hold such wonderful qualities, a simple innocence and a profound simplicity, beauty and awe about them.

Black and White Photo Conversion

Most images were produced in black and white for nearly a hundred years after the invention of photography, but now colour images have become commonplace. Creating strong three dimensional images on a piece of paper is one of the best attributes of black and white photography, as the effect can be more striking than with a colour photograph. Without the colour to distract us we become more aware of the subtle tones which can be found within a black and white image. In this article I will share the technique I use that will help you create beautiful, striking and moody black and white images from your colour photographs.

Acrylic Painting - Planet

Acrylic paint is a great medium because it is easy to mix, quick drying and washes off! I started painting with acrylics a few years ago and sold some paintings in cafes. My preferred technique is to use fine brushes and toothpicks for tiny detail.

Shooting Light at Night

Daytime is not the only time to use your camera. The next time you are feeling bored on a Satureday night, pick up the camera and hit the streets for a light show. Slow down the shutter speed for cool effects. Be it city streets, a commercial building or the setting sun at the beach, images near dusk or into the night make striking images on film. The deep blue azure of dusk always seems to bring out the strongest saturated colors on print film.

Marvellous Menu Bars

Adding customised design to web menu bars can really improve the appearance of your website and the clients love it. Even a simple line drawing in a pastel coloured menu can add effectiveness and individuality to the viewers first impression of your website.

Identity: More Than a Name

As a business owner, you want to be sure people feel good when hearing your company name. An effective logo is a great way to ensure people feel good about SEEing your company name.

Creative Use of Depth of Field

Back in the 1930s Ansel Adams along with a group of his comptemporaries joined together to form the f/64 Group. The aim of the group was to emphasize and capture the maximum depth of field on film negative. The clarity of those images produced on these negatives were stunning. The detail tack sharp and crystal clear on the printed paper. One could lose oneself within one of Adams photos. I was awestruck looking at the detail in images from Yosemite National Park and photos from the Southwest U.S.

Effective Newsprint Ads

Designing in newsprint is different to other mediums because the final outcome depends on designing for highly absorbent paper. This means that the colours used will always be different from what was intended and designs that look good on glossy paper will not be as effective in newsprint..

God Play

I once read an article about how we could manipulate DNA to change the destiny of mankind. We could be free from illnesses and never die. We could also clone 100 Einsteins and so on. What does it mean to be able to "Play God"? Is it something good or bad?

Reducing Red Eye In Photos

How many countless photos have you taken at birthday parties, weddings, or bar mitzvahs that came back from your film developer with annoying red eye? The same thing can happen with animals, however, the result is usually a greenish or silvery glow. One of the most common problems novice photographers encounter when photographing people or animals is red eye. The problem is caused by the flash of the camera illuminating the rentina of the eye. With people the retina is made up of hundreds of tiny blood vessels. When lit by the camera's flash it reflects the red color of these vessels.

Capturing the Image

The entire process of capturing a photo is a different experience for every person. Sometimes the shot of a lifetime happens by accident; sometimes it has been planned out for days, weeks or even years in advance. Other times its something seen after the photo is taken, something hidden and brought forward from the background. Many people take photos to try and hold onto a special moment in time. A vacation, a birthday, awards, a new car, a wedding or even a new baby.

Cartoon Character Design

When I was a kid, the first thing I would do in the morning was rip open the newspaper and flip to the comics sections. Multiple bowls of cereal and lots of orange juice were spilled while scrutinizing the latest Calvin and Hobbes or Doonesbury. What still amazes me is the ability of Bill Watterson and Gary Trudeau to convey the emotions and thoughts of their characters through simple, clean line drawings. Artists like those guys (and certainly many others) are the real deal.

Interesting Group Shots

When we get together with family or friends and the camera comes out, we methodically line up, put our hands awkwardly to our sides or in front of us, and painfully grin. Group shots are challenging and often turn out mediocre and best. This is an opportunity to try something new.

Cross Processing

Cross processing is, as Forrest Gump would say, like a box of chocolates. You really don't know what you're going to get. And that's what makes it so fun. The results will depend mostly on what type of film you use and what your lighting source is .

Capturing Drama and Story on One Frame of Film

I have a personal favorite photograph and it hangs on my office wall. It's this black and white photo of the young girl and her little red wagon (Radio Flyer). The photo was taken nearly twenty years ago.

Creating a Greeting Card

Two months ago, a local bookstore needed several Christmas cards as their exclusive cards. They needed a combination or funny, sincere, and children cards. All were to be blank on the inside, so the only real design that had to happen was for the cover.

Implementing Design Principles in Abstract Art Creation

Any type of design today must look good aesthetically and be functional. What do we mean by "look good"? It simply means that the design cannot be too common and boring. Functional means that it must be easily understood and usable. This article is a description of my attempt to try to combine chaos and pattern into a piece of artwork.

Black and White Background with Colored Foreground

This is a simple technique to help make the subject of your picture stand out more. It involves converting the background of an image to black and white, while making your making the foreground in color.

T-Shirt Design

When designing a t-shirt for a small organization, it becomes important to build your design in a manner that gives the organization a personal touch. I have done many t-shirt designs, most of them for the mass public. This one was special in the fact that only thirty t-shirts were being made.

Music CD Design

Last year, I was approached about designing the cover for a free promotional CD. The timeline was short, but critical, and the printing budget was relatively small. This project was completed within two hours from initiation to completion and went to printing the same day.

Creating a Banner Advertisement

After Hurricane Katrina, I quickly organized a benefit concert to raise money for the Red Cross. Due to the short notice, using online advertising was the best way to quickly promote the concert and get interest. I decided to go with a banner advertisement. The primary things to keep in mind for banners is a graphic of small size, but eye catching enough to gain the attention of web surfers.

Photo Montage Fun

A montage can make an excellent design element for nearly any type of material – print, web, or even a beautiful piece of displayed art. For the designer or artist, this type of project may be a little challenging, especially the first time. However, with a little practice and a keen eye, the final product can turn out to be a masterpiece.

Illustration in Adobe Illustrator

When I first began my own business, Short And Sweet Web Design, I needed some mock ups for my website to show my clients what I was capable of. As my business caters to both corporate and personal websites, I felt that a page of illustration and customised graphics would help sell the personal website services.

Art is in the Process

The more simple a logo design, the more work that went into it. It's almost a shame that most people only see the finished product. Even if process work were made public, most people couldn't appreciate it. However, to the designer, the real art is in the steps taken to achieve the finished product. Somewhere along that process, the designer had an 'Ah-ha!'

Blister Packaging

One of the best things about working in an advertising agency is the variation of work available. I was able to work on blister packaging for Wattmaster tools as part of a product-launching campaign.

Fitness Business Radio Media Kit

Throughout my seven years in the design industry, I've worked with many clients who directed me through every facet of a project from typesize to colors used. So when a client places their 100% trust in me and my abilities, and gives me creative carte blanche, it's always special. This was the case for my recent collaboration with Fitness Business Radio.

Getting back to basics: Creating a logo from start to finish

When I began my career in the graphics industry, almost 17 years ago, I would approach the design of any new logo by first taking out a pad of paper and a pencil and sketching out basic ideas before diving into any real concept creation. As computers and design software became more and more a part of the design process I tended to find myself heading to the computer immediately to put together my ideas. This only tended to result in a lot of time spent staring at a blank computer screen. As my business expanded and time became a more precious commodity I began to head back to my early days and approached my designs again with a pencil and paper before sitting down at the computer. This not only gave me more free time but helped me to increase the profitability of my business. The following is an outline of the design process I now take whenever I am creating a logo for a client. I hope it will inspire some of you to take pencil in hand prior to sitting down in front of the computer.