Today turned into a lazy Sunday with a little turn-over for a nap before getting out of bed. Then it was off to get some breakfast and the restaurant was a bit crowded with a waiting line. Fortunately, the grocery was next door making it convenient to gather the fixin’s for Eggs Florentine and Champagne Mimosas to have brunch at home prepared by my wonderful wife Holly. That was followed by a couple movies on Netflix and the purchase of the New Your Times Sunday newspaper which I will retire too for the rest of this day after I finish this post.
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes in the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” John Lubbock
John was not an artist per but a very intelligent naturalist, banker, statesman and member of the British Parliament. He let no grass grow under his feet but knew enough when it was time to relax and recharge. As photographers and business people we can tend to let the business take complete control and forget to chill every now and then. Believe me when you take some time for yourself you come back rejuvenated and refreshed. Guess what? You also come back more creative.
Take some time.
Sit back.
Relax.
Come back refreshed.
I believe it’s time for me and the New York Times now, and then maybe a nap…. Bonus quote below.
“Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.” Ralph Marston
I was called on to capture some in-situ art pieces. The mandate was to show the pottery as art but also in place as decor. Of course budget was a concern as is often the case in shoots like this. So in finding the quickest, easiest way to capture the scenes I came up with mounting the Lumix GH4 with the 12-35mm f2.8 Vario lens on a tripod and using the Fiilex P-100 AKA ‘The Brick’ to light small portions of the scene and blend them together in post to gently highlight the pieces without overwhelming the scene…
Four exposures blended together to help light the subjects (pottery) keeping the ambiance of the scene.
Just a kiss of light brightens up the subject nicely…
The really nice part of the Brick is the ability to change the intensity of the light and the color temperature to add just a kiss of light where you need it. Here’s the description of the light from the Fiilex web site….
“The highly compact Fiilex P-100 is the most versatile solution for someone who is constantly on the move and lighting in unconventional locations. Fully dimmable and color-tunable to match daylight or tungsten, this brilliant LED features a spot-to-flood lens and runs off an integrated Li-ion battery. Easily modifiable, “The Brick” puts out 100W of high CRI (>90) light that can serve as either key or fill and will translate all your colors precisely. Revolutionize the way you light with the P100’s flat form factor – place it on almost any surface, mount it on your camera, use it in a three-point set, or simply hold it in your hand. With no bulbs to break and no cords to plug in, go anywhere knowing that you’ll be able to light your shots quickly and beautifully.”
P-100 LED Light from Fiilex. A little smaller than a standard building brick.
I’m enjoying the possibilities while working with LED light and seeing the results of color temperature changes immediately. Often when working on location mixed color from windows, incandescent and florescent lighting can be a problem to match without overpowering the scene.
If you are a photographer trying to sell your artwork and use Fine Art America to sell or want to sell your artwork I’ve got some information that will be extremely helpful for you if you aren’t already aware…
Fine Art America has a wonderful system that allows you to display your images in galleries, as individual pieces and even more important show what your images would look like in various treatments like framed, framed and matted, on canvas, as gallery wrap, acrylics, cards etc. You can keyword your entries and of course they have the shopping cart and fulfillment of your orders. If you were to try and build this kind of web site for yourself as a stand alone I would think it would be around $10,000 if not more. A bit out of reach for the average artist photographer. The problem is you are lumped in with over 100,000 artists selling their work. If you drive traffic to this site you are also competing with all these other artists whose pricing may be quite a bit less than yours…
My personal page on Fine Art America. Note the branding is for Bob Coates Photography not FAA.
You can have all the features available at Fine Art America in your own PERSONAL web space. Why is this important? If you drive traffic to your personal FAA web page ONLY YOUR IMAGES are available. For example, when you do a search for black and white images or use the navigation search bars on the side on my FAA site see the different results below.
Result from search on main FAA web site page. Note branding and results are from everyone on FAA.
As you can see Fine Art American now has the ability to allow you to have your own personal web space so when you drive traffic to the site it is to see your, and only your images. This takes away a problem I had with Fine Art America in the past. Here is the Admin page and the place to set up your own web site within FAA. You will still be seen on the main side with searches but people who come to this particular address where you have driven traffic will be your alone.
Look for the ‘Your Own Website’ option in your FAA Admin page.
This is your very own website. Take a look! It’s an extremely powerful promotional tool for your artwork. You’ve got all of the features of Fine Art America packed into your very own, fully-customizable website. You can login to your website here using your Fine Art America username and password.
It’s the Sedona PhotoFest May 2nd-5th hosted by the Sedona Arts Center… and I’ll be a part of the education.
First up I’ll be one of the Keynote Speakers thanks to Panasonic and the Lumix line of camera gear on Sunday May third. I’ll be sharing information on one of my favorite subjects, Photo-Synthesis, which is using multiple images to create a more artistic or painterly type final image using multiple texture layers in Adobe Photoshop.
Also on the calendar for giving presentations and workshops – Joyce Tenneson, Seth Casteel and Brad Buckman, Kelli Klymenko, Tracey Frugoli, Scott Stuhlberg. Sedona PhotoFest includes technical and artistic insights across a wide spectrum of interests including Portrait Photography, Underwater Dogs, iPhoneography, Fashion Photography and more!
The free days will be followed by my two day in-depth Photo-Synthesis workshop on May fourth and fifth where we’ll be hands-on taking photos including textures and then heading into the world of computers putting the images to use under my guidance. I’ve found this to be a great way to really start to make the Photo-Synthesis process your own. Two full days of photography and Photoshop instruction for only $250. I recommend that you are fairly proficient with your camera and have a decent grasp of Adobe’s Photoshop.
“Hi Bob,
I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your seminar this last weekend.
I thought you were a great presenter; humorous without being too flamboyant; knowledgeable; energetic; articulate with a fluid speaking style; and well prepared in your presentation. I was very impressed – which is usually hard to do. Bill came along with me, showing only a little interest, but was so excited after the first day, decided to sit in on the second day. The fact that you were able to keep him interested speaks volumes too.
Another thing that really impressed me was your ability to work with all the various levels of PS experience and juggle all the people in the group. I think everyone felt like they got something out of the workshop and everyone who needed it got some personal attention.” Sandy Miller Cookeville, TN
Interview with Frederick Van Johnson from TWiP (This Week in Photo) from the PPA
(Professional Photographers of America) International convention this past January talkin’ about photo art.
“Hello Bob,
Thanks for the resources! They will be useful.
I attended the Saturday workshop in Chattanooga. I enjoyed your slide show so much! And, I appreciated your sense of humor. Things weren’t going exactly as you would have liked during the morning session. The program just wouldn’t allow you to “step/repeat.’ You didn’t let it get you ‘rattled.’ You kept smiling! And, you know, that very thing HAS happened to all of us!
BUT…..most of all, I was delighted to know there are Professional Photographers out ‘there’ who shoot with a Panasonic Lumix Camera! Who knew? My colleagues in our camera club are primarily (make that exclusively) Nikon and/or Canon shooters! I own a Lumix G-3. I am still at the “Rookie Level.” But, I do love this camera! Take care, and thanks again,” Barb Conard
I’m not sure if I’ve addressed this quote before or not… But if I did it bears another look. Often new photographers are told to look for the light. May I suggest you look for the shadows instead? Shadows create form, depth and dimension. John Loengard, born in New York City in 1934 and Harvard class of 1956, was a staff photographer on LIFE magazine from 1961 to 1972, as well as LIFE’s picture editor from 1973 to 1987 and picture editor of People Magazine at its launch in 1974, is the author of eight books. John puts it another way…
“If you want something to look interesting don’t light all of it.” John Loengard
So I suggest looking into the shadows. See how a little light or a lack of light can help define and shape your subject.
The band Hotfoot out of Phoenix packed the house at Sound Bites Grill in Sedona last Friday night. Good sounds that make the feet move are the reason this five piece band filled the place.
Wall of Fame image for the band Hotfoot. All photos are captured during the live performance. Then each musician is isolated from their photo using masks and combined using Adobe Photoshop layers into another document. Lighting and shadow effects are used to add depth and dimension. Finally multiple textures are added in Layers with different blend modes to create the artistic rendition of the group.
Additionally I capture ‘straight’ photos for future publicity photos for when the band returns. Even these are worked using multiple captures as often the different band members are in a better position in alternate photos. For example there was one photo where three of the band members looked good but the drummers face was obscured behind his cymbals and one of the singers face was behind a microphone.
This is more for showing the restaurant in full swing with live music as the backdrop.
The photos were captured with the Lumix GH4 with the 35-100mm f2.8 Vario lens. This camera has enough Dynamic Range to cover the LED stage lighting with a little post processing knocking down the highlights and opening up the shadows just a bit using Adobe Camera Raw.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – Please remember that using the links to Amazon to make your purchases through this web site help support the ongoing education provided here. Thanks!
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