TAB Photography

Kicking And Screaming Down The Aisle

2009-11-04T13:42:00.002-05:00

Speaking of Wedding Photography, I found an interesting article over at Digital Photography School with tips about creating imaginative wedding photos.
Here are some photos I've found from here and there that aren't your typical wedding pictures:

Quotable Quotes:

Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words.

~ Plautus

Yoink!

2009-11-04T13:28:00.000-05:00

Totally stole this from Nikonians' blog:

This week Ray passes along the latest photographic news pertaining to Nikon:
— WiFi on board Nikon's next generation DSLRs?
— Nikon Instant Rebates
— Nikon releases iPhone app
— Phase One releases Capture One5 Pro
— Inventor of the first digital camera honored
— OnOne launches Plug-in Suite 5
— Nikonians Annotate V1.05 released
— Nikonians Thanksgiving Sale ends November 29th
— Tammy McBrien wins Nikonians photo contest for September
Click HERE to download the video explaining all of the above.

Quotable Quotes:

Show me someone who never gossips, and I'll show you someone who isn't interested in people.

~ Barbara Walters

A Rose, Is A Rose, Is A Rose...

2009-11-04T09:27:00.002-05:00

Art is subjective.
Art is unique.
Are makes you feel something.
Art doesn't have to mean anything specifically.
It can.
Sometimes it does.
But really, who cares?!
Jonathan Jones has an awesome article over at Guardian.co.uk talking about how art doesn't have to mean something to be amazing.
And often, it doesn't.

Quotable Quotes:

"Walk tall and always carry a lightbulb"

~ Bob Dylan on what the "message" of his music is.

Blue 22! HIKE!

2009-11-04T09:00:00.002-05:00

We had features due for our Photojournalism class.
I won't lie, it was a struggle.

Jason Nalick looks for customers on a cloudy saturday

during A Taste of Suwannee in Suwannee Park on Oct. 24th.

Quotable Quotes:

“When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anyone deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something”

~ Dick Butkus

Art-See 3

2009-11-04T08:50:00.000-05:00

Have you ever watched the Alien movies ?

Well if you have then you've seen some of H.R Giger's artistry.

Giger has a much darker and more twisted view than most and it comes through beautifully in his paintings and sculptures.
He has his own museum in Gruyères, Switzerland.
It's a life goal of mine to visit this place before I die.
And, fun fact, rumor has it that our study abroad trip will be going through Switzerland next year.
*Squee!*

I... Kind-Of Do?

2009-11-03T23:26:00.005-05:00

Not really.
Jenni shot Michael and I in a faux wedding today.
She wanted examples to show some people for jobs so we, along with Allyson and Chelsea, helped her out.
It was so much fun!
The weather was kinda chilly, but it was a good time.
I'll link some of the pictures one they work them up.

Quotable Quotes:

"Love: A temporary insanity, curable by marriage."
~ Ambrose Bierce

And Now For Something Completely Different

2009-11-02T10:45:00.000-05:00

I'm putting a particular comic strip from XKCD on here for two reasons:
1. I love the comic in general.
2. This strip is amazing and I know some people who will be highly amused by it.

Click the picture for a larger view.

That is all.

Assimilation

2009-11-01T19:17:00.000-05:00

One day robots are going to rule the world with us as their underlings.
...
Okay, not really.
Hopefully.
BUT there are leaps and bounds in robotic technology going on.
Take this little guy for instance:

There's an article about this guy, called ROPID, over at Engadget.
I'm still trying to decide if I think he's completely adorable or more than a little creepy.

Quotable Quotes:

"Do you think we were all created for a purpose? I'd like to think so."

~Sonny, from I, Robot

Hopping On The Train

2009-11-01T15:24:00.004-05:00

To follow in the footsteps of Chelsea and Allyson posting color themed picture posts (green and purple respectively.
My favorite color, since forever, is red.
It's passionate, dangerous, sensual... all good things to me!
So here are some images that I liked in particular:

Quotable Quotes:

"But he's been pretty much yellow

And I've been kind of blue
But all I can see is
Red, red, red, red, red now
What am I gonna do?"
~ Fiona Apple, from Red,Red,Red

Art-See 2

2009-11-01T08:29:00.001-05:00

Deviant Art is an interesting place to browse, share, and even sell art.
There is a lot of not-so-good pieces on there, but now and again you can run across some very talented people.
My favorite artist I have found on there, hands down, goes by the handle Kmye Chan.
Here's just a few of her pieces:

She also has a website.
She is so detailed in her work and all her pieces feel... delicate.
As if you could touch them and they'd fall to dust.
I wanted to hire her to design a tattoo for me but she doesn't have time for commission work most of the time.
Though I still may get a design done based off some of her art.

I'm Not Stalking You!

2009-11-01T03:04:00.000-05:00

Taking pictures of strangers can be nerve-wracking.
It's more polite to ask, because otherwise you can come off as creepy if they notice you just clicking away in the distance.
However, Rick Sammon somehow makes it look easy.

I dunno... maybe I'm just more shy than I thought.

Quotable Quotes:

“The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything, except what is worth knowing”

~ Oscar Wilde

Kick Down The Door!

2009-10-31T23:48:00.000-04:00

I'm still just starting out in Photography.
Luckily, I'm in a wonderful program and am now seeking out where to intern as part of my degree.
Even still, people just beginning in this field realize very quickly how intimidating and hard it is to get out there.
For that, Clayton Spangler has a pretty good article over at Lexar giving some good advice on how to get your foot in the door.

Quotable Quotes:

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”

~ Mark Twain

And The Artists Keep Losing...

2009-10-31T23:19:00.000-04:00

I just learned that Roy DeCarava died the day before yesterday at the age of 89.
Click here for the PDN article.

Quotable Quotes:

To the question of what's personal and what's political, what's lyric and what's documentary, he offers back a teasing answer. It all is.

~ Richard Lacayo talking about Roy DeCarava

Art-See 1

2009-10-31T22:37:00.000-04:00

I'm going to start (attempting) tri-weekly artist highlights on here!
(And joy reigns over the land)
First, I'll start with David Bollt.
He is an amazing tattoo designer and artist.
I'm not a huge fan of his photography but his paintings/drawings/graphic design is pretty awesome.
It is gothic in style and can lean towards the more... sexual.
It's still fantastical, but nothing too insane.
If you like such styles I recommend him.

Daydream Believer

2009-10-29T20:33:00.001-04:00

I'm a huge dork.
This is no secret.
I embrace my dorkiness!
It's also something Michael and I have in common.
Anyway, we're already planning for Dragon Con next year.

It's a Fantasy/Sci-Fi convention here in Atlanta that comes every Labor Day weekend.
It's a blast!
And it's not just for hardcore fans, I'm pretty sure anyone would have fun there.
We're coming up with costumes for it and, while we're debating a few options, there is one in particular we both like.
Michael and I want to go as a Big Sister and Little Sister from Bioshock 2.

I've stumbled upon a How-To on making the Big Daddy costume and we'll take some tips from that.
I'm very excited about this!

Quotable Quotes:

"I sometimes go to my own little world, but that's okay they know me there."

~ Unknown

All The Small Things

2009-10-29T20:25:00.001-04:00

I've been trying to figure out how make pictures like this:

...ever since I saw this picture by Vincent Laforet in the Atlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP) festival guide.
Cooper posted a link about it over at his blog recently so I've finally learned the name of this style.
It's called tilt-shift photography .
Making everything look like miniatures.
I think it looks so cool!
I found this tutorial about how to do this in Photoshop.
You can also buy specific lenses for this... but I also found a YouTube video on how to make your own that I'm posting below.
I'm totally doing both of these things later.

Quotable Quotes:

"Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising."

~ Mark Twain

Magnify Me

2009-10-26T20:32:00.000-04:00

When I first started taking pictures as just a hobby I fell in love with macro photography.
I still think it amazing but only have rare chances to shoot it these days.
That and I rarely have such a lens available to me.
BUT I stumbled up on a video on how to combine images to get a similar effect.
I had a hissy-fit about it so I'm going to share it with you:

Quotable Quotes:

"The trick to forgetting the big picture is to look at everything close-up."

~ Chuck Palahniuk

Jill Greenberg Makes Me Smile

2009-10-26T10:21:00.004-04:00

A few posts ago I mentioned that my new favorite portrait artist is Jill Greenberg.
I've been looking her up a bit more and found out that she's also completely crazy.....

(Click HERE for t he article about this)

Apparently she did a cover-shoot for The Atlantic.

Being a hardcore liberal, pictures like the one above are what she turned in.

By the way, I love her all the more now.
(Thanks for the tip Gerald!)

Quotable Quotes:

" According to (Jill Greenberg), if The Atlantic didn’t want pictures of McCain with photoshop added horns, fangs, and blood, then they shouldn’t have hired her to take the pictures in the first place."

~ Dan Cheek

Double, Double, Toil And Trouble

2009-10-25T12:19:00.003-04:00

Halloween is coming up faster and faster!

Darren Rowse has an interesting list of things to keep in mind for shooting this spooky holiday.

Quotable Quotes:

"Boo!"

~ Ghost

Blurry Eyed

2009-10-25T11:40:00.000-04:00

I'm the first to admit I have a problem with manual focusing.
I have poor eyesight with no correction (no glasses or contacts as of yet).
And I can't hold still very well, my hands and arms tend to shake.
Needless to say "Doctor" was never a valid career choice for me.
BUT I'm trying to get better.
Paul Burwell has a couple of blog posts about shooting wildlife sharper.
A lot of his tips are quite useful.

Quotable Quotes:

Excellence is in the details. Give attention to the details and excellence will come.

~ Perry Paxton

When The Weather Outside Is Frightful...

2009-10-25T09:23:00.001-04:00

You'd think that living in Georgia you wouldn't have to deal with the harsh cold of Winter so much.
Not true.
And this year the temperatures are expected to be pretty heinous.
Shooting in such conditions can also be troublesome.
Luckily, David Duchemin over at Lexar has an article with a great list of tips and tricks for such instances.

Quotable Quotes:

"Winter is the season in which people try to keep the house as warm as it was in the summer, when they complained about the heat."

~ Unknown

Can't Get No... Satisfaction!

2009-10-24T13:21:00.002-04:00

As a photographer you are always trying to get "The Shot".
"The Shot" that perfectly captures the subject matter, the mood, the experience, the moment... everything.
And sometimes, not so often with studio photographers, the attempt to capture "The Shot" is stalled or halted by those who do not want any of this documented.
Even if we have the right to shoot somewhere/something we are at times bullied out of the area.
It's getting worse.

Urban75 has an article all about it.
My question is, if photographers protest in large groups, are we going to be hassled about taking pictures?

Quotable Quotes:

"All we demand is our right to twinkle."

~ Marilyn Monroe

No DOW Jones Here

2009-10-24T12:44:00.000-04:00

I love graphic design.
At times it can even outrank my love of photography.
That being said, like most interested in that field I've dealt with my share of stock image sites.
The top of the list, with the best images are Corbis and GettyImages.
Lately I've been wondering about how one would go about becoming a stock photographer.
After reviewing an article about this subject over at Photopreneur, I think I can mark that out as a possible career option.

Quotable Quotes:

"Look, I don't mean to be rude but this is not as easy as it looks, so I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't distract me."

~ Man In Black, in The Princess Bride

Jill Greenberg Makes Children Cry

2009-10-24T10:17:00.000-04:00

Jill Greenberg is my new favorite portrait artist!
I love what she does to them
The high contrast and extreme detail make the subjects seem almost tangible.
Two thumbs way, way up!

Quotable Quotes:

"Stop a moment, cease your work, and look around you."

~Thomas Carlyle

You...Light Up My Liiiiiiiiiife!

2009-10-23T17:36:00.000-04:00

Lightroom 3 Beta was just announced!

That's right!

Scott Kelby reviews it in his blog, it's got some nifty new features, I can't wait to check it out!

Quotable Quotes:

Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light?

~ Maurice Freehill

And The Winner Is...

2009-10-23T17:23:00.000-04:00

Hey guess what?
Photography = Peace!

Or something like that...

This month Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith, who created the digital sensor, won the Nobel Peace Prize in Physics!

Or half of one... the other half goes to Charles Kuen Kao.
Go check out the article on PDN for more info.

Quotable Quotes:

“If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another.”

~ Tenzin Gyatso

Canon Castrophe

2009-10-21T22:03:00.000-04:00

Everyone is talking about the the new Canon EOS 1D Mark IV.
Which makes sense, it's the latest and greatest Canon out there.
With it being such, they will be shipping them out everywhere...
Hmm, I wonder what would happen if any were damaged in shipping, even just slightly.
Maybe they'd sell that batch at a discount price, or refurbish them and use them as store models.
Or maybe...

THEY WILL VIOLENTLY DESTROY EVERYTHING WITH A HAMMER!!!

ParadozOff shows exactly what Canon does once a shipment is compromised.

Even as a Nikon user this hurts to see:

RIP $6000 L-Grade Telephoto Lens

Quotable Quotes:

"For some moments in life there are no words."
~ David Seltzer, from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Do What You Love

2009-10-21T21:35:00.000-04:00

I've been trying to figure out what I want to do after I finish the Photography program.
I was thinking about going to Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida for Graphic and Interactive Communication.
But I'm impatient to start my life.
Start a career.

Recently Finch, my PhotoJournalism teacher, showed a video about Sports Illustrated Photo Editors.
Now, I don't want to really work for that magazine, BUT I love the editing.
I would LOVE to start out as a retoucher, move on to a photo editor, and then eventually an art director.

It's becoming a goal, a passion.
And I am SO excited.

Quotable Quotes:

“The best careers advice to give to the young is 'Find out what you like doing best and get someone to pay you for doing it.'”

~ Katherine Whitehorn

PHOTOJOURNALISM RESOURCE!!

2009-10-21T21:27:00.000-04:00

I'm posting this as an aid to my fellow Photographers in the program.Eventful is a great site to find things going on in your area that you can shoot.
Things like festivals, sports, theatre, things with kids... it's just a ton of stuff.
Anyone else who knows of sites like this please either post a link or comment on this post and then link... I'm just trying to find things and help out anyone who is still trying to find places/events to shoot at.

Quotable Quotes:

"Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted."

~ Martin Luther King Jr

Bite Me

2009-10-21T16:13:00.000-04:00

Back to creepy-fun stuff!
The quarter before last I had to make 3 compiled images for my PhotoImagingI class.
It was fun, and my favorite had to be making Michael into a zombie...type... thing.
Here's what I did...

First off I had to find a decent stock image of mine to use:

This one was taken when we were messing around with lighting in our first Portraiture class.

After finding the base image I needed to find two more to add to it.

Peeling paint and rust seemed to look ideal for creating scars and/or gouges.

I resized them to fit the areas I wanted and then masked out areas with a soft brush to make them look more realistic against the skin.

I played around with their hue/sat to make them flesh toned and then brushed in a dark red overlay on the inset parts of the rust to make it look like blood and skin tissue. I altered the overall curves to give him deeper shadows in this face as well as in the scarring.

However he still looked like more of a mauled victim than the actual undead.

This is the final image. I left the red inside the same saturated color but tried to pale his skin tone out as much as possible. I think I may have gone a bit too far but I don't think you can really go wrong when you're making a zombie.

Overall I'm pretty proud of it but I want to get some more practice in doing things like this.
I'm thinking about doing a whole segment of zombie pictures of some of my friends and peers.
But we'll see if I ever get the time.

Quotable Quotes:

"Sorry we have to leave you here, but it just ain't right to eat your wife's and daughter's brains. Plus you're really disgusting and I don't wanna spend any more time with you."

~ Luke, from Undead or Alive

The Price Of Progress

2009-10-21T10:33:00.000-04:00

I was scoping around the 'net for some more creepy photography stuff so share, but came across something a bit different.
I'm sharing it because I think it's something that should be seen.
I'm not posting this to take light of it.
Most people have heard about Chernobyl.
It was there that a reactor in a nuclear power plant exploded leaving the surrounding town devastated and forced into abandonment due to the radiation.
Click the picture below for a photo-walk through the area 20years later:

Quotable Quotes:

“It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.”

~ Albert Einstein

Feel The Music

2009-10-21T07:21:00.000-04:00

I will probably continue on this string of eerie-things postings, because I find them entertaining and interesting.
However, that will not be the topic of this particular entry.
I have stumbled upon something that I just find way too cool not to share.

To quote their website: "Bare is a conductive ink that is applied directly onto the skin allowing the creation of custom electronic circuitry."

In other words, paint yourself with this stuff and you become one of the X-Men!!!!
...
Okay, maybe not so much, but it's still really flippin' cool.
Here's a YouTube video showing one of the ways it can work:

Quotable Quotes:

"Without the playing with fantasy no creative work has ever yet come to birth. The debt we owe to the play of imagination is incalculable."

~ Carl Jung

Finding Beauty In The Breakdown

2009-10-20T21:48:00.000-04:00

The dark and macabre has always been of interest to me.
I find it fascinating.
I've been searching around a bit and I've found someone whose art is very... intriguing...
Yea, that's a good word for it.
Her name is Alison Brady and she has a rather morbid taste...

I have to admit, I adore her work. I find it eerie and, quite a few times, hysterical in its satire.

Quotable Quotes:

"One need not be a chamber to be haunted,
One need not be a house;
The brain has corridors surpassing
Material place."

~ Emily Dickinson, from Part Four: Time and Eternity

"CHEESE!"

2009-10-20T18:17:00.000-04:00

The wind is getting chilly, the leaves are falling from the trees...
Ah! Fall is in the air!
And with that, Halloween.
I've been trying to work fun '90s references into my blog; so I'm going to refer you to Say Cheese And Die by R.L. Stine:

(Click picture for synopsis)

It was a book as well as part of the television show.
The episode can still be found in two parts here and there.
Though not in very good quality.
Fun fact! - Ryan Gosling is blonde boy in this. He was 16 at the time.

Quotable Quotes:

"I feel happy to terrify kids."

~ R. L. Stine

Waiting To Catch The Great Pumpkin

2009-10-20T01:41:00.000-04:00

For Photojournalism we must take a "feature" shot.
Meaning that it's more focused on human interest than anything else.
I'm debating going to a corn maze or something of the like soon.
I think I'll head up to Corn Dawgs.
It's a corn maze and pumpkin patch.
I need to get a pumpkin to carve for Halloween anyway.
Click on the picture below for the Corn Dawgs' site. (Picture taken from their site. Aka: not mine.)

Quotable Quotes:

"Happiness is found in doing, not merely possessing."

~ Napoleon Hill

This Is My Good Side

2009-10-20T01:15:00.000-04:00

Our next shoot in Portraiture is a high key/low key situation.
I'm going to attempt a low key with Michael as my subject.
But he's getting sick so we'll see if he's able to make it or if I have to think up something else for my assignment.
My sister, Allyson, is shooting me in low key as well which will be very interesting.
She's shot me before so I know it will be fun. I'm really looking forward to this week!
And while I may not be shooting her for this assignment, I have shot her in the past:

Quotable Quotes:

"Sisters annoy, interfere, criticize. Indulge in monumental sulks, in huffs, in snide remarks. Borrow. Break. Monopolize the bathroom. Are always underfoot. But if catastrophe should strike, sisters are there. Defending you against all comers."

~ Pam Brown

Sing Me A Song

2009-10-19T23:34:00.000-04:00

A very long time ago I took some pictures at The Celtic Tavern for a friend of mine, Steffen Hooson, who participates in their opin mic night.

It has taken me awhile to get work up the pictures and I still need a place to put them. Once I upgrade my Flickr account I'll post them there.

However, I am a little proud of his profile picture.Candid shots are always fun.

Quotable Quotes:

"I'm trippin' on my shoes...seems like I always do."

~ Steffen Hooson, Before You Make Your Way Home

Puppy Power!

2009-10-19T02:48:00.000-04:00

We did a pet photo shoot in my Portraiture class not too long ago and I loved it!
I love animals so I had a blast seeing what everyone brought in.
There were plenty of cats and dogs of course but there was also a turtle, gerbil, cockatiel, and a pig.
Yes.
A pig.
I shot a very adorable poodle/shitzu mix:

Her name is Java and she did so well!!
Aside from the fact that she was absolutely terrified of the balloons that were surrounding her...

Quotable Quotes:

Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.

~ George Eliot from 'Mr. Gilfil's Love Story'

Supporting Strength

2009-10-19T02:37:00.000-04:00

In the thread of missed things, I also missed the opening of:

Making Strides With Photography
at The Seen Gallery

Featuring work by: Susan Rosmarin

Exhibition: Fri, Oct 16 to Wed, Oct 28

I actually have a good reason for missing this one though.
If you click on the first link you'll see that Susan Rosmarin is using her work to promote Brest Cancer awareness.
I personally think this is a large concern that everyone, especially women, should be more aware of.
I've known both survivors of this disease as well as those who lost the fight.
This is something that is very close to my heart.
The only reason I did not go to this opening is because I want to experience this exhibit for the first time with my mother.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
For more information about breast cancer and ways to lower your risk for it visit BreastCancer.Org for more details or click on the previous link.

Quotable Quotes:

“We are not interested in the possibility of defeat.”

~ Queen Victoria

I Don't Wanna Grow Up

2009-10-19T02:29:00.000-04:00

I was able to do the children photo shoot, but I had to use the same little girl that Michael used.
Which is a no-no for turning something in.
SO I need to reshoot the assignment, but have yet to find a child.
Anyone out there who knows of someone who has a child between the ages of 1yr-6yrs and wouldn't mind driving out to the school this week during open labs in exchange for free pics of said child please let me know.
I am very sad I can't use anything I shot already.
The little girl, Anderson, was awesome!

Quotable Quotes:

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”

~ Pablo Picasso

Missed Opportunites

2009-10-19T02:14:00.000-04:00

So I *was* going to go to...

Two Distinctively Different Styles of Photography
at Besharat Gallery

Featuring work by: Parish Kohanim, Steve McCurry
...On Oct. 15th with Michael, but he was not feeling well and there was no way my car could make it at the time so that was a no go.

THEN we were going to check out...

SCAD-Atlanta Photo Exhibition

at Atlantic Station Shopping District

...On the 17th, which was a one-day only event, but it was freezing and by the time we were able to head out that way the temperatures where almost freezing and it had been raining/drizzling all day so we wimped out.

Yes.

I am ashamed.

Quotable Quotes:

"The world is all gates, all opportunities, strings of tension waiting to be struck."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Snap, Print, GO!

2009-10-15T18:58:00.000-04:00

Polaroid cameras are coming back!!!
This is exciting news since Polaroid ceased their film production about a year ago.

This will also be helpful since they will start releasing their film agian.
The most useful is the peel-apart film that allows the photographer to have the positive print as well as a negative they can use to print from themselves.
When using a 4x5 this is VERY useful.

Quotable Quotes:

“A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.”

~ Italo Calvino

Flick You!

2009-10-14T19:41:00.000-04:00

I've finally created a Flickr account !
So far it only has my top 10 best images I have... on my hard drive.
I say just on my hard drive because most of my images, the ones I like the most, have been taken on film and therefore not on here yet. I'll see if I can get some up though.

Quotable Quotes:

"A well-run group is not a battlefield of egos."

~Lao Tzu

Practice Safe Shooting

2009-10-14T16:59:00.000-04:00

I'm in lab and currently attempting to print for my pet photo shoot. I'll (hopefully) be posting pics of it tomorrow!
For now I'll just share the amusement of this:

(Click the picture for the link!)

Quotable Quotes:

"Don't worry, I saw Lord of the Rings. I'm not going to end this 17 times."
~ "Harry" from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Sequential Art

2009-10-13T22:53:00.000-04:00

I am addicted to web comics.
I keep up with over 30 weekly.
I could go on for pages about how comics are an awesome artistic medium and how the internet have given those whose work would be otherwise unseen a chance to grow and thrive in their endeavors...
But I'll save that for another time.

I just wanted to put up a "webcomic" that involves photography instead of drawing!
It's called A Softer World (that link will take you to the first comic).
It's dry, sarcastic, and at times can be crude, but I adore it and find the style very interesting.
Here's one of my favorites:

(Hint: If you go to the site and hover over the comic with your mouse there is more text.)

If you like this kind of humor then you should check out a book one of the creators' put together.
Overqualified is a book of absolutely ridiculous cover letters that the author actually sent to real companies, they are hilarious.

Quotable Quotes:

"I spent seventy years sitting around in classrooms, just learning. Oh, how can we live longer? Oh, how can we make ourselves more perfect?"

~ Joey Comeau from Overqualified

Buy Me Some Peanuts And Cracker Jacks....

2009-10-13T22:30:00.000-04:00

Tonight Michael and I went to George Pierce County Park to take some shots for our Photo Journalism class.
For class we have to have an action shot and a tagline along with it tell involving the who, what, when, where, how, and why.
More or less.
Here's the one I'm thinking of using:

Bryce Thorton (#8) and Joey Churchill(#11) of the Braves scramble for the ball during a tied 4th inning Tuesday night in their little league game against the Cubs at George Pierce County Park.

I know the picture is grainy but it was difficult to catch the action without so much blur, at a night game, and with a long lens.

I have even more respect for sports photographers now.

It's fun, but it's nowhere near easy.

Quotable Quotes:

“The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try nothing and succeed”

~ Llyod Jones

Not As Misanthropic As It Seems

2009-10-12T22:29:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow in Portraiture we are shooting children ages 1yr-6yrs old.
I've never been very good with kids in that age range.
It's not that I don't like them, I just don't know what to do and I know how uncomfortable I can come across.
So tomorrow would be challenging just for that reason alone.
However, communication between me and the mother of the child I was going to shoot got tangled and she took off of work for Wednesday instead of Tuesday.
I found this out a bit late tonight.
Though Jayne may have a friend coming with a little one so I could maybe shoot her but I was unable to confirm that since I didn't hear from the original mother I was talking to till very late.
I emailed Mrs.Harkins asking if I could shoot Wednesday during our open lab time but I don't know if that's allowed.
She hasn't messaged me back yet, so I'll just see what's up in the morning.

Quotable Quotes:

"The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another."

~ James Matthew Barrie

Circumventing The Inevitable

2009-10-12T14:29:00.000-04:00

You may be asking, "Tiffany, if this is supposed to be a blog mainly about photography, why have you not posted any pictures yet?"
Well that is a very good question random inquisitive guest!
The main reason is that I don't have a card reader on hand and have yet to move my current pictures over my hard drive. I'd rather keep this blog up with my current work rather than posting things I shot months ago.
Also, now that I have a camera at my disposal I'll be able to shoot more than just for the assignments given in my classes, something I'm very much looking forward to. Tomorrow I will be able to pull up my pictures and I will make sure to post them here.
I'll be posting images from the pet shoot I did for Adv.Portraiture, shots from my trip to the North Carolina mountains with Michael, and some of my sports stuff for my Photojournalism class.
But again, that will be tomorrow.

For now I'm going to talk a bit about Man Ray.

Man Ray is known more commonly for his photography, which is what I'll talk about here, but he also had painting, sculpture, collage, and cinematography under his belt.

I love his pictures, they lean mostly to the surrealistic side which I find fascinating. Especially given the time he worked in (the early to mid 1900s).

Here are some of his more well known pieces:

Man Ray, Le Violon d'Ingres, 1924

Man Ray, ‘Larmes’ (Tears), 1930

Man Ray, La priere (Prayer), 1930

I'm not usually a big fan of Portraiture, but Man Ray just has a way of taking the simplistic and making it appear otherworldly.

Quotable Quotes:

"An original is a creation motivated by desire. Any reproduction of an originals motivated be necessity. It is marvelous that we are the only species that creates gratuitous forms. To create is divine, to reproduce is human."

~Man Ray

Pardon My Preference

2009-10-11T17:44:00.000-04:00

It's finally time I talk about cameras!
Well, at least realistically what's in my price range.
I want to get the most bang for my buck without going broke.
...(Yay for alliteration!)
ANYWAY

Looking through Ebay, Craig's List, and Nikon, the best choices for my personal situation and preferences are between the Nikon D3000:

...and the Nikon D5000:

There both pretty decent cameras for their prices. I debated getting the D80 but it's double what each of these are so that's not happening. I'd rather spend my money on lenses than the body anyhow.

Now the D5000 is older than the D3000 by only a few months, but all in all it is the better camera.
Here is how the D5000 is superior to the D3000:

It's heavier and larger. (This may just be a personal preference but it's a plus for me. I like the heft)
It has more megapixels and better image quality.
It has video (which would come in useful for blogging)
I like that it has an LCD view finder
Lots of white balance options (that's more just to play with though. I set it custom 9xs out of 10)
Greater ISO

I'm still iffy on a few things with it though. The sensor is different and I'm not sure of the metering.
I should also point out that, even though it is more advanced than the D3000, it's not by much.
The megapixels are greater by 2 and the image quality is close to the same as well.
If you want the exact numbers side-be-side you can go over to Image Resource, select them, and see for yourself how they match up. And of course if you want to see them separately you can click the links above for the individual cameras.
If I can get the D5000 I probably will.
It's a bit less than $100 more for it compared to the D3000 and I think I'd get more use out of it as far as school is concerned.
Plus there are a few kits out there under $1000 that aren't too shabby. Click here for an example of one.
Unforntunatley that one in particular won't be up by the time I get the funds to afford it, but hopefully something of the like will.
With the holidays coming up a lot of good sales are coming up.
Not to mention Nikon Rumours is all in a tizzy about a possible (probable?) new SLRs coming out.

I'm not sure what that will do to the price of what I'm looking at, if it does anything, but there's hope.
And by the time I get my loans in there may be even more releases out there to hopefully lower costs, or maybe something will come out that I can afford that's even better than the D5000.
A girl has to hope.

Quotable Quotes:

"We're deathly afraid of that stabbing word "pretentious," the word that students use to curse each other's ambition. It's a young person's word, a shortcut-to-thinking word. I'm a big fan of pretension. It means "an aspiration or intention that may or may not reach fulfillment." It doesn't mean failing upward. It means trying to exceed your grasp. Which is how things grow."

~Warren Ellis [06/01/2009]

Buy, Buying, Bought

2009-10-11T13:37:00.000-04:00

Ah Ebay. It's like the thrift store your mother always warned you about.

But there are always those horror stories around about people getting scammed, the product being faulty, or that it will come to you in broken pieces.

This is why many people are hesitant to buy certain things from there.

Electronics being a big one.

Millions of people do it, but a lot of the people I've talked to, mentioning to them that it's where I'm probably going to purchase my camera, recoil in fear at the thought.

But I have bought things on there many times before, and have known others to do so.

There are just a few things you need to keep in mind before purchasing something like this:

Remember that rating is everything on Ebay.

Beside the seller's screen name is a number, that's how many people have bought from them. The number after that is a percentage of how much positive feedback they've gotten. You can click on the former and see their stats on how many positive, negative, and neutral ratings they've gotten and it lists all the comments that the buyers have left. Go through these at least 4 or 5 pages back to see possible issues that may crop up. The higher the percentage beside their name, the better chance you have at getting good service.

Read everything carefully.

Read the entire product description including the shipping and payment areas. You want to make sure you get exactly what you are expecting.

Communicate with the seller.

Especially if you are doing the "Buy It Now" option instead of attempting an auction. Either way, there is an inbox on each account for a reason. If you get poor or no communication with the seller beforehand then it is going to be nearly impossible to do so if something goes wrong in the transaction.

Always get the insurance!

Even if the seller does everything right on their end, and even if they don't, things can go wrong anywhere between when it leaves their hands to when it gets to your doorstep. If anything goes wrong or if their is something wrong with the product then you can get your money back. Which brings me to my next point..

Keep all of the information you get.

I even save a copy of the original add just to make sure. So that way, if the seller does wind up doing something wrong, or just trying to out-and-out scam you, you have proof of what they were promising. That way even if they try to ignore the issue you can take things up with Ebay and they will help get everything sorted out.

Now, all of these things are just to make sure you keep yourself safe in bigger transactions. Granted, more often than not, a lot of this is put to waste after you get your product and everything is just as it should be. But for worst case scenarios it's good to keep these things handy.

I'm ping-ponging between two cameras I may buy, from Ebay of course. Not just because it's easier and there are more options, but because many sellers there offer kits.
The kits I'm looking at have things like the camera body, 3 lenses, a handful of filters, a bag, memory card(s), mini tripod, regular tripod, card reader, lens cleaning kit, and a flash.
The prices being that of, if you buy the camera at a store or such, just the body and one lens.

I check on Craig's List as well and sometimes there are good deals, but it still makes me iffy.
You should be ready and willing to pay and pickup the item on the same day for one, else it could be gone to the next person who emails the seller.
There is also no guarantees, and usually you have to meet them one on one.
Being 5'2" woman and meeting someone you don't know to give them a reasonably large sum of money makes me nervous. Obviously I would never go alone, but all the same, I'm just not a fan of the site yet.

Okay, I just wanted to make a post dedicated to this because I feel that it's important. I know it has little to do with Photography or anything artistic really, but I promise to make up for it in my next post!

Quotable Quotes:
"- I think the whole world's gone mad.
- Uh-Uh. It's always been like this.
You probably just don't get out enough."
~Sexton and Death, in Death:The High Cost Of Living
by Neil Gaiman

Like A Carpenter Without A Hammer

2009-10-10T14:59:00.000-04:00

Being a Photography student is an interesting experience. Especially when you're in the Photography program at Gwinnett Tech.

The teachers, the classes, the classmates you meet... All in all it's a wonderful environment that I highly recommend to anyone interested in learning such a field.

But along with all of the good, there is also a healthy amount of stress.
There are, of course, deadlines to meet, rainy days where you can't shoot, having to re-shoot repeatedly to get that one shot, and the all-important critiques.
All of that comes with the territory, and none of it is anything terrible.

However, I have a bit of stress that has added to that over the past year I've been in the program.

I still don't own a digital camera.

That will hopefully be soon remedied, student loans and what not, but all the same it makes life a bit difficult.
Thankfully, through friends and the ability to check out cameras from the school I have survived enough to make it through to my second year in the program.

The head of my program, the lovely Mrs.Harkins, has allowed me to check out a camera until I am able to get my loans in.

I'm shooting right now with a Canon EOS Rebel:

It's not a bad camera really, but it's not what I've grown accustomed to. Most of my friends shoot with Nikon, and since I've mainly borrowed from them, Michael Terrell more often than not, I prefer that brand.
Even more specifically, I've grown used to using Michael's Nikon D80:

Of course the Canon here is a much older model, so it stands to reason that I've been spoiled by the D80's advancements. There are a lot of differences between these two models and I greatly prefer the Nikon.

I debated doing a D80 Vs the (original) Rebel, but the differences are so vast, it would be pointless. Plus it would shed a very unflattering view of Canon, which would be unfair since they do have models that both rival and surpass the Nikon D80. But beggars can't be choosers.

I'm still trying to figure out what to buy for myself, but I'll leave that for another post.

Quotable Quotes:

"Are you missing something?
Looking for something?
Tired of everything
Searching and struggling
Are you worried about it?
Do you wanna talk about it?
Oh You're gonna get it right some time"
~ Coldplay, How You See The World

Just Starting Out

2009-10-07T16:16:00.000-04:00

This is my first post for my Multimedia II class.

There's plenty more to come!

TAB Photography

Kicking And Screaming Down The Aisle

Yoink!

A Rose, Is A Rose, Is A Rose...

Blue 22! HIKE!

Art-See 3

I... Kind-Of Do?

And Now For Something Completely Different

Assimilation

Hopping On The Train

Art-See 2

I'm Not Stalking You!

Kick Down The Door!

And The Artists Keep Losing...

Art-See 1

Daydream Believer

All The Small Things

Magnify Me

Jill Greenberg Makes Me Smile

Double, Double, Toil And Trouble

Blurry Eyed

When The Weather Outside Is Frightful...

Can't Get No... Satisfaction!

No DOW Jones Here

Jill Greenberg Makes Children Cry

You...Light Up My Liiiiiiiiiife!

And The Winner Is...

Canon Castrophe

Do What You Love

PHOTOJOURNALISM RESOURCE!!

Bite Me

The Price Of Progress

Feel The Music

Finding Beauty In The Breakdown

"CHEESE!"

Waiting To Catch The Great Pumpkin

This *Is* My Good Side

Sing Me A Song

Puppy Power!

Supporting Strength

I Don't Wanna Grow Up

Missed Opportunites

Snap, Print, GO!

Flick You!

Practice Safe Shooting

Sequential Art

Buy Me Some Peanuts And Cracker Jacks....

Not As Misanthropic As It Seems

Circumventing The Inevitable

Pardon My Preference

Buy, Buying, Bought

Like A Carpenter Without A Hammer

Just Starting Out

This Is My Good Side