Synaptic Interrupt

Designs by Gloria J

2010-05-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

There's a new company offering a new product - "Designs by Gloria J". The product is called "Long Drive", and it's a seat cover that can convert into a bag (for the ladies) or resemble a towel (for the gents). Take a look:

http://www.designsbygloriaj.com

2008-09-30T20:25:00.001-07:00

The Mermaid

The Mermaid
Posted via Pixelpipe.

Dead Photographer Day

2008-04-24T10:11:00.001-07:00

My original photo concept for today needs more work, so expect it tomorrow!

Happiness in Slavery

2008-04-23T00:23:00.001-07:00

Freedom has as many definitions as happiness - we each have our own. Some of us long for freedom from responsibility for ourselves, from the day-to-day decisions, and from the costs that may result from our mistakes. To be free of decision, and choice, and responsibility can take this shape - that of bondage - so placing the responsibility on a loving "Master" as it was upon our parents during childhood. The irony of "Happiness in Slavery": Through our bonds, "give us free".

There is No Law

2008-04-21T19:49:00.001-07:00

Enjoy the Silence

2008-04-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

Another from the AZ Gunfighter series.

Big Man With a Gun

2008-04-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

I never did feel my Gunfighter series got enough exposure ... Maybe I'll feature a few of them this week.

Pretty

2008-04-19T21:55:00.001-07:00

A photo of my love - just because I'm always thinking about her and wanted to. We took this on the 18th (sorry about the late release, busy,. busy, busy day) sitting at road-side with her in the truck and me sitting just outside of it with my tripod. Rokama's a trooper to be sure - that was a 20 second exposure she sat still for.

Some tweaking was done in photoshop (contrast, and curves) HOWEVER the "Hearts" that you see are all a part of the ORIGINAL photograph. In other words, they were photographed that way - in camera - and no type of digital trickeration was involved in getting them there. Bonus points to anyone who can point out how I did it.

The Way I Am...

2008-04-18T00:05:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday!!

2008-04-16T23:04:00.000-07:00

'nuff sed.

Syrinx

2008-04-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

New day, new work.

On the Wings of Steam

2008-04-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

New day, new work. Model is Stacey.

Late to the Jabberwocky

2008-04-13T00:06:00.001-07:00

New day, new work. Various production problems in getting this out - at least it's BEFORE midnight of the following day I guess... From a sleep wrought with nightmares comes an image inspired by same. Nighttime HDR (High Dynamic Range) composited and edited by hand via Photoshop. 2 "texture" layers have been added so as to produce the final effect.

Millenial

2008-04-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

New day, new work - to a degree. Taken on November 3rd, 2007 at the Arizona State Fair.
I just realized (and can't believe) that I never shared this one ...

Taken with my Canon Digital Rebel XT
Post-processed (minor contrast and sharpness tweak only) in Adobe Photoshop.

Yes, Josephine

2008-04-10T09:11:00.001-07:00

New day, new work. HDR shot at night, and composited in photoshop.
Some nights are more exciting than others.

Slowly comes my night...

2008-04-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

New day, new work.

To him complexities seemed plain.

2008-04-07T23:10:00.000-07:00

New day, new work.

When the Devil is too busy...

2008-04-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

New day, new work - thought I'd share...

Size Matters

2007-10-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

Size Matters

One of the major issues facing consumers today when it comes to digital cameras is the number of megapixels they need to take a decent photo. I'm here to tell ya: That ain't what you need to be focusing on.

An example: There are 6 megapixel cameras out there which are interpolated to 12 megapixels. I don't care how wonderfully interpolated that photo is, it's still a 6 megapixel image. The Fujifilm E550 is a supreme example of this. Anyone with a copy of Photoshop can "interpolate" it to 12 megapixels themselves - and get better results most likely - simply by scaling/resizing (after all - that's what the camera's doing before saving the photo to your memory card). So purchasing a camera that gets it high megapixel rating via this method is not "The Win".

Then you have cameras which have the actual megapixels they advertise - the Kodak EasyShare Z1275 being an example. At least they're being honest and not yanking your chain - it's a true 12mp sensor. In short, you have 12 million sensor compressed into a space that's roughly 14mm square. Impressive, huh? Not really. CCD's - the components that record the color and intensity of the light that strike the sensor - have an optimal size that they work at and produce minimal error. 14mm of space is far too small for professional-level quality and reliability.

So what does size matter, anyways? Your photos still look good, right? Not really. Here's how it works. Let's say that you take a photo of good ol' uncle Phil. For some strange reason in the center of Uncle Phil's brown left eye (his right one is blue) there's a splotch of bright green (yes, this can happen in-camera as a result of error during image recording - but you won't see it and I'm about to explain why). The camera takes a look at this and uses a sort-of averaging/interpolating algorithm to decide that those green pixels should be more brown.

Unfortunately, the brown pixels in that area get a little more green, too.

The result is that your photos from that camera - no matter how hard you try - never match that clean, crisp, "snap" that you see on the magazine covers no matter how hard you try. During the noise-removal process (which I just described above) colors are blended together so as to cover up the camera's mistakes which sacrifices CONTRAST - which is invaluable for making your images "pop", or "snap" to where they have that nice 3 dimensional feel.

And the higher the megapixels in the tinier a space - the worst this effect will become.

OK. So. You lose a little contrast. You don't really care. You can blow your photo up to a nice 30x40 inch image and it will still look fantastic. You have a 12 megapixel camera dammit!! You get what you pay for! Unfortunately, I've seen a 4 megapixel image blown up to that size, too. It looked nicer than your 12 megapixel image. Not only that, but I opted for an 8 megapixel camera as opposed to a 10 megapixel camera and have more satisfying enlargements as a result. What gives?

Again, the size of the sensor. The images are more pure, have less errors and problems, and don't take on a "dirty" or "hazy" look as they are enlarged (again - this is a side effect of the lost contrast). You don't think it strange that you're buying a 12 megapixel point-and-shoot while many of the money-making professional photographers are still scratching for 8 and 10 megapixel equipment? You don't think it's odd that a 4 megapixel photo looks just as good as your 12 megapixel photo when enlarged? It really comes down to the same point:

When it comes to sensors (physical) size matters.

It's because size Matters that Canon has released their EOS-1DS Mark II and EOS 5D with a "Full Frame Sensor". The full frame sensor packs those same 12 megapixels (maybe a bit more at this point) into a space equal to a frame of 35mm film - allowing each individual CMOS to operate at its optimum size. This produces a much richer, sharper, and clearer image as well as a more detailed one that isn't suffering by having been stripped of the contrast necessary to get that smooth, professional look.

But you don't have to take my word for it.

_____

The photo accompanying this entry is of yours truly. This is from my last run of self-portraits - taken with the remote for the camera hidden in-hand on the opposite side of my body from the camera. The suit was purchased locally and tailored to fit, along with the shirt and I'm using my usual 3-light setup and Canon Digital Rebel XT.

The Arizona Center

2007-08-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

Several days ago I wrote an entry (not publicly visible) about my status as one of this nation's "wayward unemployed" - and in particular my reaction to it - was rather unhealthy and so something must be done about it.

So it was decided that for each day that I sat with nothing "more important to do" I would go out and do a little exploring of a known (or unknown) photogenic location here in the Valley of the Sun and bring back photos as proof.

This entry is surrounding one of those days.

Outside of this entry essentially providing photographic eye-candy to the casual onlooker and/or faithful reader (of which I have a few - Thank You!) - I thought I'd try to offer up a little bit of trivia about what was being seen. Perhaps a little dry and typical but occasionally such things are of interest. So here goes...

The Arizona Center is located practically in the heart of Downtown Phoenix, AZ. It's very near the Phoenix Science Center as well as the local Art Museums (the major ones) and is surrounded by the [not so] tall skyscrapers that create Phoenix's distinctive (if unimpressive), sprawling skyline. Once the home to a series of nightclubs and dining venues which made it "the place to be" on a Saturday night, it's now defined primarily by its movie theater surrounded by shopping, dining, and business offices.

Built on the site of a former river (strange how desert folk seem anxious to get rid of those) the AZ Center contains 3 copper statues portraying images of frogs in their natural habitat - meaning the habitat that was destroyed when they got rid of the water. The river was once lined with frogs, and the statues (one of which appears in the above images) were erected in their memory/honor.

The water features - including several waterfalls (two of which pictured above) became a major part of the design - also in honor of the water that once naturally flowed through there as well. You might also notice the 2nd of the three thumbnails above - a photograph of a symbolic globe being held by several people (also rendered in copper). This statue was mounted with a plaque that delivers a message about how the future of the environment is in our hands - and how we need to respect what we've been given.

This statue is mounted not 250 feet from the plaque honoring the river that used to be there - and the countless frogs that inhabited the banks when it was first discovered so many years ago. Believe me. The irony is not at all lost...

Good News!

2007-08-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

Good News...

OK, the good news is that I'm employed again! GO ME! The job should be enough to keep the bills paid - although I won't have the money available to pay models like I used to.

Granted - it's not as if I was constantly churning out beautiful photos of hot, scantily-clad women for you to peruse - but I was paying them and working to quietly perfect my new craft behind the scenes.

In addition, I have 2 interviews upcoming on Wednesday. Maybe it's not the best thing to be going on these interviews after accepting a job - but I need work! There is also no guarantee I'm going to get either of these jobs. They pay well, though (better than the current opportunity) - which will make a difference in helping me get "back on my feet" again.

In short: I shouldn't ignore it.

In Exploration...

My mission to get out and see bits of the Phoenix Metro Area and - more specifically - to photograph them has been going fairly decent. I'm not sure I can put together any kind of formalized presentation without planning and work but I'm having a good time, and getting some good shooting in.

The photo accompanying this post is from "Harper's Ferry" - the business park adjacent to "Tempe Beach Lake". The history of the area - once actually a river - is of some interest and has had a heavy influence on the buildings here. Right away I will point out some architectural elements like sails and metal-work that is reminiscent of a boat dock. Then we'll go from there.

Once upon a time - again - there was a river that flowed at this location. It was blocked off and eventually the City of Tempe decided to fill this particular area again to create a lake - but it could no longer hold water. As a result they had to do a lot of work to keep the water from seeping into the ground and - eventually - they were able to get it to fill.

When the river was a part of the landscape, however - there was a Ferry - Harper's Ferry - that crossed at the same point on the river that the office complex was constructed at. The architecture gives a majestic, but silent nod to this as well as does a fountain which was built nearby in honor of the Ferry's memory.

The construction is all very new - as can probably be easily told by looking at the photo. It was approaching [and not quite] "Golden Hour" when I took this but the math confirmed that this was the only time I'd be able to get the position I wanted while still capturing that gorgeous corona breaking out from behind the sail and mast - so I took it.

For anyone wondering, this is another of my hand-composited HDRs. I find myself more and more taking a liking to this particular style of photography [despite the fact that a single photo can easily take several hours to produce] and so it seems logical that more and more of these are popping up - and will pop up in the future.

Accepting Challenges...

I'm looking for challenges - ideas from those that are reading my journal entries. If you have any, let me know. I'll take the most interesting [and probable] ideas and set up a shoot - posting the resulting photo in a few week's time. If I get more than one really good idea, I'll work each one in turn until I've finished.

jya ne!

The Joy of Portraiture

2007-07-30T00:17:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I love about doing portrait work is - so far - the reactions I get. I'll be honest: When I nail a portrait and she's sitting there looking shocked at how good the photos came out I experience a sense of pride that's absolutely indescribable.

This sense of pride extends into and comes out of my glamour work as well. The women I've photographed thus far frequently walked away just as surprised, not realizing how they could actually appear to someone besides herself - who stared in the mirror constantly analyzing her flaws.

Other Completed Photos from this Portrait Series

But I think this is little new news. It's that sense of pride and accomplishment that keeps pushing me to make the next set of photos just that much better so as to please my customer - whoever they might be. That's part of the reason why the next bit of news I have to pass on might be of particular interest:

I've been asked if I would like a job with a local photography studio. They do fantastic work - work that I see as surpassing my own. They're shooting portraiture with medium-format cameras and expert lighting skills - indoors, outdoors, whatever - on high-quality slide film. The quality of the portraiture is amazing - but they don't shoot digital. This causes some of the skills I have to be beyond theirs (curiously) in that I can now apply some quality retouches that they are "unable to" (it can be done - but they charge an additional fee whereas I perform it as a part of my services).

Either way: If this turns out not to be a scam (possible) and I can get some additional, quality training on the lighting and proper ratios that they're using to achieve their "look" I'll be more than overly thrilled at what they're doing for me. I just have to wait now to get a phone call. Everyone: Wish me luck!!

The photos accompanying this post are of "Ro" - whom I met [effectively] on OK Cupid! / MySpace during the past several weeks. She made a special trip to Glendale, AZ from Salt Lake City, UT so that I could photograph her - paying both her airfare and my fee. "Flattered" is the least I can say about how that made me feel - and I'm happy to say she feels the results were worth every penny.

The little pink we-have-absolutely-no-idea-what-it-actually-is that is guest-starring in the above photos is "Squishy" - whom she received as a gift from me [I can't resist those stupid crane-games] during her first night in Glendale as we talked about the photoshoot ahead of us. I guess she took a liking to it because she insisted I get it in the pictures with her, too.