by successfulbob | Lumix GH4, Lumix Lounge, people photography, photography, photography education
I was working with a new lens the Lumix G Leica DG NOCTICRON 42.5mm/F1.2 Lens and is it sweet and fast. In this play session after a couple days of judging and presenting at the Tennessee Professional Photographers Association convention thought I’d try some fun stuff with Sarah Wykhuis. She was a great subject. It started in the hall when she was standing near a light. I set the camera for a high contrast black and white look.
Sarah in the hall. Kind of a Julia Roberts look don’t you think?
Then we went outside to shoot in the dark to see what we could see. It was pitch dark so we used the building lighting and fellow photographer and presenter Pierre Stephenson used his IPhone to add a bit of fill light.
I shot in RAW plus jpeg so I could get to all the info presented to the camera and was surprised at how much detail I was able to pull form the file. Camera was Lumix GH4.
I always advocate getting out to play. You learn the limits of your equipment, sharpen your skills and discover new ways of doing creative imagery.
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography
Holy crap! Am I tickled!!
The International Photographic Competition (IPC) with Professional Photographers of America (PPA) has been going on for a couple days now and I’ve got some news I want to share. I received top possible scores for an entry in the Master Artists category. All four of my images were accepted into the Loan Collection. Usually I’m very happy to achieve even merit status on my images… To go four for four Loan is freakin’ unbelievable. Here’s shot of my phone with the texts I received today from the judging at PPA.
This is amazing. The designation for this accomplishment is Diamond Photographer of the Year – Master Artist.
My IPhone with results form my Master Artist entries…
I’ll share the actual images with you in a couple of days when the results are set in stone. The competition is still happening in Atlanta and if you are a PPA member you can stream the judging and see behind the curtain what the process is. They will be judging over 5,000 images and finishing up on the 7th of August. I’m still going to be watching as I have a Photographic Open entry submission on which to see the results.
Quite a few of the people I have been coaching have had good results also. I think I’m more excited about their successes than my own.
Yours, in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | Lumix Lounge, photography education, photography seminar, success education
Been away a little bit as I flew across the country to present my ‘Fine Art Photo Synthesis’ program to the TNPPA courtesy of Panasonic Lumix. I was also invited to be a judge for their state image competition.
While I was there I had time to catch Pierre Stephenson’s program on posing and picked up a few new ideas from him. I love learning this photography stuff! You can pick up some ideas from Pierre and you don’t even need to see him in person. He has some online lessons here on his Facebook page.
Some of the attendees at the TNPPA photography convention in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Thanks to Dorma Tabisz for grabbing some action photos of me speaking!
It was a great convention held by a wonderful group of people. The southern hospitality was on display big time! We took a riverboat cruise as part of the activities and I had a blast. I’ll share some of the people images I captured during the cruise. I was running the new 42.5mm f 1.2 DG Nocticron Leica lens through it’s paces. Wow is that thing sweet!
Here’s a few comments from attendees…
“For the first time in over 40 years in our photographic industry I set through the entire program Bob Coates presented to our Tenn. Professional Photographers convention. Even strained my neck and kept my hearing aids in so that I didn’t miss a thing. Thanks Bob.”
Gary Moor M. Photog., Cr. FBIPP, FRPS, FMPA
“Bob, I sure enjoyed your program last night at the TNPPA. I am not a member and mainly shoot landscape but your program inspired me to try some new directions with my photography.
Thanks again.” Sincerely, Latta Johnston
“Your program was fabulous and held my attention with information I KNOW I can put to use immediately !!! I can now leave the show knowing my time was well spent !!! Thank you for your willingness to share!” J. Wade Tipton M. Photog., Cr., CPP, TCD, TSD, F-PPMo, F-PPO
Til tomorrow…
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography - art quote
Art museums.
Web sites with artists I admire.
Art image books.
Reading inspirational books.
Well lit movies.
Looking for shadows.
“Bob, What the heck are you talking about?”
I’m getting started with today’s Photo/art quote and the point is… Oh wait where’s the quote??
“All true artists, whether they know it or not, Create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness.” Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle is an author, The Power of Now and A New Earth with subjects on spirituality, inner thinking and power. In 2011, he was listed by Watkins Review as the most spiritually influential person in the world.
The point is I agree with Eckhart. But, I believe this only happens after lots of information is gathered and stored in the memory banks. Study images as much as possible. Study shadows and how the edge of the transition works ie how fast it falls off or ends. Think of it like this. Garbage in = Garbage out. Great visual information in leads to Great images out. Eventually.
Fill your head with great imagery whether it be from the Masters and Impressionists, movie makers, fellow photographers images, magazines, advertisements, etc… and that will begin to inform your image making.
What do you do to find inspiration? Share it here if you get a chance…
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | Lumix GH4, Lumix Lounge, people photography, photography
It was a blast creating images for the Greenfield/Weems real estate team photo session. While they need to project professionalism they want to add personality to their ad campaigns. Here’s an image that is just a bit different going all out for the personality!
Jolynn, Robin and Jackie from Greenfield/Weems Real Estate office.
I work in a fairly small (16’x16′) shooting studio so I take advantage of that and use my walls as lighting modifiers. In this shoot there’s one Paul C Buff light with a 7 inch reflector just to camera right pointing to the corner and ceiling of the room. This is metered to be about 2/3rds of a stop less than the main light. Another PCB light is forward of camera left just in front of the clients and pointing straight toward the wall. The reflecting light from these surfaces gives solid modeling and very soft shadow edge transitions. If I was photographing males or wanted a more dramatic lighting pattern I could lower the power on the fill light or increase the power on the main light or both. Since these images are going to be cut out I used a Super White background paper from Savage. Camera was the Lumix GH4 with a 12mm-35mm f2.8 Lumix Vario Lens. (24mm-70mm 35mm equivalent)
The clients were stripped out from the background and a soft drop shadow added.
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | architectural photography, commercial photography, Lumix GH4, Lumix Lounge, photography
The Hilton Phoenix Airport Hotel is going through an eight million dollar renovation. New colors. New decor. Some new layouts. Very bright, modern and soothing which will be a totally different look from the southwest theme that’s been there for years. I think you’ll like it!
Pool area at the Phoenix Airport Hilton Hotel.
New room decor with all new colors and furnishings. My wife walked in to the office while I was working on these photos and said, “I like that!” She stays there a lot when we travel for pleasure too.
These images are a bridge for the web site use while they continue the renovation. After the renovation is complete there will be a complete advertising and marketing image shoot to show you the entire new look. In the meantime this is a sneak peek into the all new color scheme at the Hilton Phoenix Airport.
This was photographed with the Lumix GH4. Easy to make multiple exposures for blending the various lighting situations throughout the room. There’s light from the exterior which skews toward the blue spectrum. Light from the lamps were florescent which skews toward yellow/green. Using multiple exposures and blending the color from the different exposures helps make the room look like it does to the eye. One exposure would never allow you to see the detail in the shadows and the highlights. There is an extra stop of light with the GH4 which also helps in this situation.
I stay at this property all the time. I call it my home away from home. Living in Sedona I usually need to be in Phoenix the night before a flight so I don’t get caught in any traffic problems. Staff here is extremely friendly and helpful and always greet guests with a smile… Check it out next time you are in the Valley of the Sun in Arizona.
by successfulbob | photography - art quote, photography education
I’ve decided to keep things light and airy this morning.
Found this anonymous quote about photography that I wouldn’t be surprised if it came from Steven Wright (who is freakin’ hilarious by the way)
“He had a photographic memory which was never developed.” Anonymous
Have a great Sunday!
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography, photography education
It’s right around the corner…PPA’s International Photographic Competition (IPC) August 4 – 7, 2014
at Gwinnett Technical College 5150 Sugarloaf Pkwy Lawrenceville, GA 30043. This is just outside Atlanta and if you are in the area you can attend as a PPA member. It’s an incredible education on imaging.
PPA Photographic Competition.
If you are not in Atlanta PPA will be Live Streaming the event… Here’s what will be happening.
Gotta tell ya I’m excited about the fact that the IPC is going to be web-casting this year’s Imaging Competition. And you should be too. This is a wonderful opportunity to see behind the scenes on how images get to Merit and Loan status.
I would like to share some information to help you understand some of the things you will see during the event.
First, I think that it’s important to know how the jurors came to be in front of your images. The process is very involved and those that have gotten to that level have worked extremely hard and put in lots of time and effort to be able to volunteer their time in service to the system. How do I know? I worked my way through the system and am an International PPA Juror.
First step is to be involved as a participant in the process by putting images in front of others for the feedback of imaging competition and showing some success. After earning at least ten merits potential jurors take time away from their business to attend the three day judging school to learn and practice. In addition, they have paid for airfare and lodging along with the fee to attend judging school.
After successful completion of judging school it’s time to put in more time judging at state competitions. Consider this the farm system where you go to get seasoned and experience. Potential judges work with International Judges during these competitions and are given feedback on how to better learn the skill. This feedback is also passed on to to IPC in the form of evaluations for review. A minimum number of states need to be judged and satisfactory evaluations received before a judge is approved as an International Juror. Again this involves more time away from the business and often added expense in travel.
Why do I share the information above? It’s because I would like you to understand the dedication jurors need to have. They truly care about imaging competition and are dedicated to doing a good job for you.
Let’s get to the process.
Six jurors and and a jury chair are assembled in place to view your image according to a certain lighting standard. The standards are set so you know how to view your image under the same conditions as the jurors before submission.
In the print room a curtain with a turntable is placed 6 feet in front of the jurors. Lighting is from prescribed angles and measures f16 100 ISO at one second in a room with subdued lighting.
In the digital judging room your image is shown on three monitors with two jurors in front of each monitor. Monitors are calibrated to 120 CDM2, D65 and color spaces recognized are SRGB and Adobe 1998.
The jurors have a scoring device in their hands and after seeing the image can make the choice of Merit or Non-Merit image. If there is a majority of four or more jurors who agree it is a Merit the image is considered a Merit for the moment. If four or more Non-Merits are indicated then the image is not considered a Merit for the moment. If there is a tie there is an automatic challenge called by the jury chair. One person will speak for the image and each juror will speak in turn giving their ideas on why they have made the decision they did. The the original person speaking for the image will be given the opportunity for rebuttal of all arguments given and the jurors will again put in their Merit or Non-Meirit to determine if the image will receive a merit.
If you remember I said a Merit was ‘for the moment’. After the result has been announced any juror or even the jury chair may challenge the result. That juror then speaks for or against the result and each juror in turn gives their feedback. The challenger is allowed a rebuttal and the scoring is recalculated. Although not often it is possible this could be challenged by another juror and the process is repeated.
Now here’s the part where you might feel things are moving fast… I remember seeing my first imaging competition and thought, “How can a decision be made so quickly???” Remember all that training? One decision has to be made using the twelve criteria. In the jurors mind is this image merit worthy or not? You have seven sets of eyes looking at the image including the jury chair. All votes are in. A decision is announced. Here’s the important part – any one of those seven trained people may challenge the result and the challenge process outlined above is done. In addition, at any time before each session is closed out a juror may ask to have an image brought back for review to challenge a result. No juror wishes to be haunted by an image that they felt should be a Merit and they didn’t fight for it.
There are over 5000 images to be viewed with the additional view of any image that made it to a Merit that is then judged for the Loan Collection. The process is similar but now their are even more eyes making the decision. As you can see with that many images it would be impossible to talk over every single image presented which is why it’s a great idea to order up the print critiques to get feedback on your individual images.
There is quite a bit more to this but I wanted to give you an overview and show you that there are mechanisms in place for the best review of images to detemine your Merits.
Enjoy the competition with yourself and even if you don’t have images in this year look around the various rooms there’s a lot of imaging education to be found there.
Yours in Photography, Bob Coates M.Photog.,CR.,CPP International Juror
PS – I’ll be watching too! I have a case in the Open category and the Master Artist Category. I will be judging images in Chattanooga, Tennessee on August 2nd but won’t be judging at National this year…
by successfulbob | photography
Earlier this month I mentioned a great way to give back to your community is to photograph NILMDTS sessions in a post you can see here.
I want to give a salute to NILMDTS partner Emotion Media. As a help to the photographers in preserving memories and helping grieving families they offer a free service to NILMDTS photographers making giving a slideshow of images with music to the families at no charge really easy.
All you have to do is log in to the Emotion Media web site. Select from the templates created specifically for NILMDTS slide shows. Choose your show. Choose your music. Upload your images. Title the show. And ask for a preview. In a little while you receive a link to watch the show. All OK? Approve it and the Show is processed and sent to you along with artwork for the label. Burn it to DVD and you are done. Takes very little time yet has an incredible impact for the family.
Won’t you give being a NILMDTS photographer a try?
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photographers health
High Intensity Interval Training…
That sounds pretty intense. “No way I want to do something like that!” I know that’s what I was thinking when looking for a workout program that would fit my schedule yet still be helpful in getting me fit.
ALERT ALERT! *Lawyers type notice. I am not a health expert. I didn’t even think about staying in a Holiday Inn Express last night either. I recommend you see a doctor before adding any type of exercise to your daily activities. Also when you first start any new exercise routine you should either get together with an athletic trainer or physical therapist to ensure you are doing any exercises with the proper form. It doesn’t do any good to do the exercises wrong and hurt yourself. Understood?
OK, that’s out of the way I’ll tell you how I’m putting my workouts together.
After poking around the World Wide Web for ideas one kept popping up that seemed like it might be very doable. The Seven Minute Workout. You’ll find lots of variations out there but the APP The Official 7 Minute Workout from Johnson & Johnson is the one I choose.
Screen grab from the 7 Minute workout page.
This what your workout instructor looks like on the screen of your device.
Cool part of this system is you don’t need any fancy equipment or go to a gym. You need your body. A room. A chair. Smart phone or Ipad. A clear wall. And, maybe an exercise mat if you have a hard floor. As you exercise with the program it tells you the moves you’ll be making. Times you through 30 seconds of the movements then gives you 10 seconds of rest and moving into position for the next exercise and starts you with a new 30 second clock and repeats until you’ve done the full set of 12 exercises.
7 minutes? OK that sounds a little too good to be true… It is. In order to really benefit from the program you should do the cycle three times in a row. And it will walk you through all of that. It will also track your progress with feedback from you and as this set of exercises becomes too easy it will set you up with more advanced exercises and sequences.
Here’s a link to a New York Times article about the program.
I highly recommend trying this out! (after you have seen your doctor!)
It’s easy. It eases you to deeper levels of workout. It’s super portable and there’s no investment except for the time you put in. I recommend you make it part of your daily routine and pretty soon when you miss doing your morning exercise for some reason, you’ll really miss it. Here’s to your health!
Yours in Photography, Bob
