I believe I am the photographer I am today because of imaging competition.
It has pushed me to make better photos.
It has pushed me to increase my skills.
It has given me material to be visible in my community because of success and awards and degrees that turned into press releases.
Most of all… it has given me confidence!
I highly recommend getting into imaging competition if you are not already there. You can watch how it works and learn what the judges are looking for by watching the live streaming coming your way in early August. In addition watch for Booray Perry, Cr.Photog., CPP for a peek behind the scenes and interviews. The streaming is available for members of Professional Photographers of America (PPA) as one of many benefits…
The rest of the details are available on the PPA web site. Dates, times, instructions, etc… here.
I’ll be one of the jurors and look forward to seeing all of the images members have put forth this year for feedback. Remember this ‘competition’ is with yourself. Images are judged against a standard (see the Twelve Elements below) and not against each other… Until it’s time for the Grand Imaging Awards and the International Photo Cup.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
The Twelve Elements
1.) Impact is the sense one gets upon viewing an image for the first time. Compelling images evoke laughter, sadness, anger, pride, wonder or another intense emotion. There can be impact in any of these twelve elements.
2.) Technical excellence is the print quality of the image itself as it is presented for viewing. Retouching, manipulation, sharpness, exposure, printing, mounting, and correct color are some items that speak to the qualities of the physical print.
3.) Creativity is the original, fresh, and external expression of the imagination of the maker by using the medium to convey an idea, message or thought.
4.) Style is defined in a number of ways as it applies to a creative image. It might be defined by a specific genre or simply be recognizable as the characteristics of how a specific artist applies light to a subject. It can impact an image in a positive manner when the subject matter and the style are appropriate for each other, or it can have a negative effect when they are at odds.
5.) Composition is important to the design of an image, bringing all of the visual elements together in concert to express the purpose of the image. Proper composition holds the viewer in the image and prompts the viewer to look where the creator intends. Effective composition can be pleasing or disturbing, depending on the intent of the image maker.
6.) Presentation affects an image by giving it a finished look. The mats and borders used, either physical or digital, should support and enhance the image, not distract from it.
7.) Color Balance supplies harmony to an image. An image in which the tones work together, effectively supporting the image, can enhance its emotional appeal. Color balance is not always harmonious and can be used to evoke diverse feelings for effect.
8.) Center of Interest is the point or points on the image where the maker wants the viewer to stop as they view the image. There can be primary and secondary centers of interest. Occasionally there will be no specific center of interest, when the entire scene collectively serves as the center of interest.
9.) Lighting —the use and control of light—refers to how dimension, shape and roundness are defined in an image. Whether the light applied to an image is man-made or natural, proper use of it should enhance an image.
10.) Subject Matter should always be appropriate to the story being told in an image.
11.) Technique is the approach used to create the image. Printing, lighting, posing, capture, presentation media, and more are part of the technique applied to an image.
12.) Story Telling refers to the image’s ability to evoke imagination. One beautiful thing about art is that each viewer might collect his own message or read her own story in an image.
I enjoy creating new images using my process dubbed Photo-Synthesis. I use multiple texture files, Adjustment Layers, Layer FX, Layer Masks and more…
This is one of the classes I teach and as a Panasonic Lumix Luminarybased on Adobe Photoshop. If you have a photography group and would like to have a presentation made depending on the size of the group… Click on the link in the menu bar for a description of this or other programs I present.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – the light rays were created with a photograph of rusty galvanized roofing material and Photoshop Blend Modes…
Here’s a quote from the Dali Lama that captured my attention this AM…
“True peace with ourselves and with the world around us can only be achieved through the development of mental peace.”
It caught my attention because as I was putting together my morning meal I was suddenly overwhelmed at how fortunate I am.
Having a spouse and partner that complements and completes me.
To be a photographer pursing the career that keeps me challenged.
To live in a land where I can make choices to speak the way I wish.
To have a forum like this in which to share ideas about photography and life.
To be able to have a meal like this…
I’m not normally one to take pictures of my food and share it on social media… (OK maybe sometimes) But this was the spark that got me thinking about how truly fortunate I am and have been throughout my life. I think a large part of my good fortune comes from recognizing and noting gratitude on a regular basis.
Ever have one of those days when things just aren’t going right?
NO matter how hard you try??
“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer – and often the supreme disappointment.” Ansel Adams
Ain’t it great to know you are in good company??
We all have ups and downs. The secret is to not let the downs rule the day. Next time you are feeling like it just isn’t coming out the way you thought it would be good to remember the above words of one of the greatest landscape photographers of all time…
Been photographing the Phoenix Airport Hilton lately after their eight million dollar remodel. There are some photos it can be a little more difficult to make sexy but lighting and awareness can make them stand out.
Take, for example, a boardroom photo. Here’s a utilitarian room with office chairs around a large table. We looked at a number of angles and one of the things I thought set the room apart was the fact that A – it had a window and B – there were palm trees outside the window. The wonderful thing about collaboration is that some of my best ideas come from other people!.
Mike Manginelli has been heading up the photography project from the hotel side. We discuss each photo, the use, how they want to present it to potential clients then we set up the shot. Mike said, “Hey what if the photo was taken from here?” As soon as I set the camera in place I was all over it. Once that decision is made…
Then it’s time to make the room shine from a lighting standpoint. I work with multiple images for different exposures of different areas. Inside in shadow. Inside room lighting. Outside daylight needs a totally different exposure from indoors. And then some additional accent lighting which adds that ‘certain something’…
Here’s the base exposure. Curtains are closed so I can control the glare on the tabletop to allow the wood and grain to show and not be blown out from the reflection.
Added a flash exposure to highlight detail and throw some light into the shadow area under the table.
Curtains were opened to obtain exterior view. Flash added to curtains to not have trouble blending inside/outside from flair around window. A little of the reflection was allowed on the tabletop.
Final boardroom image with a Curves Layer to open up shadows just a bit.
Layers Palette from boardroom photo showing various Layers and how the Masks were applied.
A handy feature on my Lumix GH4 is the built in WIFI that talks to my Ipad (or Iphone or Android) via ‘Image App’ (free download from Panasonic) so I can control the camera without touching it. All controls including shutter release and bracketing are available on the phone or tablet. When shooting multiple exposures, making adjustments to the camera, like exposure changes, firing the shutter, etc. makes it much easier to blend the images together in post production when the camera is mounted on a tripod. I used the 7-14mm f4.0 lens for this. There is no distortion in the lines on this lens. It’s one of my favorites for architecture work requiring a wide angle view.
If you are a PPA member you’ll be able to stream the International Photographic Competition (IPC).
Even if you don’t have images in the competition there’s a wealth of information and ideas that get shared during challenges.
A challenge is put forward whenever one of the jurors doesn’t agree with the result of an image being accepted as a Merit or non Merit. The challenger states his/her reasons. The other jurors respond with their thoughts and the challenger has an opportunity to rebut then the image is scored again. Sometimes it seems as if the judging is moving quickly. But, please remember there are 7 sets of eyes, 6 jurors and the Jury Chair, and any one of those may challenge the result. Sometimes if an image goes by and a juror feels it was missed the image can be called back for further review. We are all charged with doing the absolute best for our makers while still protecting the value of the Merit which is the basis for earning the imaging degrees of Master of Photography and Master Artist.
By the way PPA members are invited and encourages to watch the process live. The event is held just outside Atlanta.
Here’s one of my images that was accepted into PPA’s Loan Collection last year. Here’s a link to all eight images that either were awarded a Merit or Loan Collection status.
I’m going to wax nostalgic on this Sunday’s Photo/Art Quote because of a quote from Alfred Stiegltiz who was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his fifty-year career in making photography an accepted art form.
Think about all the memories that you can relive through old photographs. By old I don’t mean ones that are a month or a year old. I mean the ones from your childhood or some time in your life when things were quite different than they are now. Good times. Or possibly bad times you made it through. Those memories are priceless. And a lot of people from the digital generation are going to miss out on those opportunities to relive the past in the future because we aren’t printing images and other than professional like ourselves people aren’t backing up that digital media often enough – or even at all!
“What is of greatest importance is to hold a moment.” Alfred Stieglitz
Now Stieglitz may not have been referring to holding the moments of memories. It could have been he was thinking of the moment the light was exactly in a certain form. Or an expression was just as needed to tell the story of a person in one photograph. I would like you think of this in saving moments of memories for people, including yourself, for an older age and future generations.
In many ways I believe this means printing images. At the very least it is a reminder to back up our files in multiple ways. And to remind everyone at every chance to remind them to make prints and back up their photo files.
Yours i Creative Photography, Bob
This is my sister Kathleen and myself in the early 80’s working for a bar called Jelly’s in the Caribbean on an Urban Cowboy night…
Photographer Kevin Ames and I were having a conversation about making people’s days better. I shared with him that when I travel I always wish the flight attendants a great flight before they have a chance to greet me. This really lights up their facial muscles, especially when they’ve had a day full of weather delays or been hassled by harried passengers who are delayed on their flights.
“Hey! Thanks for help keeping us safe.”
Kevin shared that he addresses all the TSA personnel with a hearty, “Hey! Thanks for help keeping us safe.” I added this to my travel routine and noticed a huge shift in attitude whenever I have shared this thought with TSA.
We all appreciate being appreciated and I would like to turn Kevin’s thought into a movement. Whenever you travel any people you come into contact with try to make their day a little better.
If someone is wearing a good looking outfit or any thing that you notice that’s interesting let them know. I know I’m on the outgoing side and you might not be but at the very least let’s try it on the TSA people. Make everyone feel a little better and it spreads… Believe me. Any time you can make someone feel a bit better it like dropping a pebble in a pond. It doesn’t look like much until you see the rings spread out from that one little splash. When there are lots of small compliments shared and the concentric rings start to intersect that before you know it someone will be sharing a compliment with you…
…And then I noticed there was a button hole sewed into one corner of my napkin!
This is a definite shirt saver especially during a bumpy flight…
Now this might not seem like such a big deal to you, but to my wife who lovingly takes care of keeping me presentable to the public, my being able to easily secure a napkin across the front of my shirt while eating on a sometimes bumpy airplane can save a lot of time for her.
It’s the little things I’ve started to notice now that I’m traveling quite a bit and it brought me around to thinking about small flourishes of customer service ideas for our photography business.
Here are a few things I’ve noticed on the last couple trips.
On this US Airways flight (now the new American Airlines) I was bumped up to First Class for my travel to Houston to speak and judge for the Texas PPA Summerfest. In addition to the cloth napkin with the buttonhole sewn in are the little hot towels that are served up to refresh you before the meal is served is a great touch.
On a trip to PPA headquarters in Atlanta, GA, the Hyatt Regency had my name on the television that stayed in place for the length of my stay.
We all like to see our name in lights!
At the Phoenix Airport Hilton in Arizona as I was checking in I was presented a dark chocolate caramel candy bar complete with ribbon and a personalized note letting me know they were ‘Glad I was staying here with them’.
So how can we use some of these simple ideas to keep us ‘front of mind’ with our customers? A monitor could be playing images from the client’s last session in a little slide show for them to see as they walk in the door. Or more simply, at a studio portrait session a chalk board could be utilized to welcome clients by name in writing. Clients could be gifted with some small item when they leave the studio. A very small but elegant looking frame could be gifted as your clients leave the studio with a small image from that day’s session.
How will you (or do you already) make customers feel special? Let me know here. We all become better when we share ideas…
The scene looks like it was taken from the pages of a Louis L’Amour novel.
A Western set awaits as the Arizona PPA put on it’s annual ‘Fall Fest’ and you just might want to put this on your calendar. AZPPA board member Bruce Roscoe has put together an event you won’t want to miss. He has contacts with lots of actors from Westerns who have period costumes to go with the setting at Canyon Creek Ranch in Black Canyon City, Arizona.
Bruce asked me to get together with some of the actors to give you a preview of what’s in store. With the trusty Lumix GH4 in hand and a video fluid head atop my tripod we endeavored to give you a taste of the event.
Promo for AZPPA ‘Fall Fest’ video shot with the GH4 and edited in Adobe Premiere Pro
Check out the video and if you’d like more information you can ride on over to the AZPPA web site link for more information pardner…
I will be one of about 5 instructors that will be on hand to share ideas about shooting, lighting, posing on this all day event. There will be lighting equipment from FJ Westcott to try out and work with.
Looks like it’s gonna’ be a blast!
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – Watching the video will be your first step and you’ll be one of the first to see what’s coming. Sign up early as this will surely sell out.
PPS – The beginning part of the video was accomplished by using the Time Lapse feature in the camera. Camera was hand held with an image being made every 2 seconds as we drove down the road.
For infrared conversion of my cameras I use LifePixel. Infrared allows you to put an older camera to use and opens up a new time time of day for productive image creation.
Fotopro tripods are well worth checking out. You can learn about the ones I use and recommend by clicking on the Fotopro Tripods link at the top of this page. If you want to see what other tripods might fit your needs check out the Fotopro.com website. Check back with me before you buy as a Fotopro Ambassador I’m able to get you discounted pricing including complementary continental USA shipping for my followers that you won’t find through retail outlets.
Learn Photoshop in a fun environment. Aaron Nace applies the right amount of fun with easy to understand and follow tutorials. Actions and brushes are included with lessons!
Lightning, waterdroplets, sound, time-lapse, HDR sequences, smiles and much more control for your camera!
Cameras Get Smarter -
A High Speed Smart Camera Remote
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Platypod has become a great resource for being creative in getting your camera gear easily into unusual places. As an Platypod Pro I get to work/play with the gear even before it comes out. Head over to Platypod, subscribe to the newsletter and you will get special discounts reserved only for subscribers.
