Pixel Crazy

Beautiful

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 18:10:06 -0800

Here's an image I took of one of my students.

This girl is so photogentic, I just love the feel of this picture, the peace and the smile.

Gorgeous

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:12:37 -0800

Here's an image I did during a recent photoshoot.

I wanted the model to cover all, but leave tat impression of nudity. I originally looked at the image in colour, but after taking a look at the result in B&W I decided that that was the better result.

Anyway, all comments welcome as ever

Stunning

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:46:55 -0800

Here's another technique gleaned from Scott Kelby's Photoshop CS3 Book For Digital Photographers.

On this one I used the skin soothing technique and I have to say it truely is fantastic.

The Team

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:36:02 -0800

Sorry for not posting recently. I have been very busy doing many non-creative things - Now I feel it is time to get the creative energy boiling again.

Recently I bought Scott Kelby's Photoshop CS3 book and took a technique he has in there for fine art photography, to create a presenational photograph. The picture you see above is of the team of teachers I work with (I am 2nd from the left) I used a tripod and the timer in my camera and too this shot without flash. The shadows from the natural lighting gave me the look I was looking for.

Then I took the inner glow framing technique and the extended bottom idea and made this a presentational photo. I liked the result.

I would like to add, that this book is incredible. It a great read, whether you are in front of your computer or lying in bed. It was so good I have ordered Scott's 7 Point System.

Black And White Beauty

Sun, 1 Jun 2008 00:20:58 -0800

One of the things I like about using Photoshop is that if you don't quite capture the perfect shot all the time, there is always something you can do to produce a stunning shot.

Here's one example. The background of this original picture was spoilt by the background lighting. It was too harsh and took away the impact of the subject. So with a little creative cropping I was able to save this picture from the trash can.

I was very happy with the result and the final pose.

Beauty

Sat, 31 May 2008 06:35:31 -0800

I came across the background here, and thought that it would make a great background for a prtrait shot.

I was very fortunate that I with a group of people and one of them volunteered to be a model. So I just want to thank Celcilia for being my model for this picture.

Another Heron

Sat, 17 May 2008 22:39:14 -0800

I really like this picture. I just love the way the heron is turning it's head. It's almost as if it knows I was taking a shot.

The Heron 2

Sat, 17 May 2008 20:54:10 -0800

Another shot from my walk around Olympic Park in S E Seoul last weekend.

Here, I cam across the heron in the long grass next to a little lake (probably more of a pond) - I guess it must be Heron season at the moment.

Tranquility

Sun, 11 May 2008 03:09:07 -0800

Having taken my little boy Barney out for a long walk yesterday (Barney's a Yorkshire Terrier) we went over the Olympic Park, about a 30 minute walk from my house.

While there I was so lucky to find a beautiufl blue sky and the greens of the vegitation and trees just really popped out at me.

It feels so "tranquil"

The Heron

Fri, 9 May 2008 21:31:34 -0800

A rather funny story to be told here.

I have lived near Seokchon Lake in SE Seoul for nearly 6 years now, and in that time I have never seen anything other than ducks and geese on or near the lake.

While jogging round the lake yeserday I was shocked to find this fantastic Heron just sitting at the top of the lake. Immediately a debate started in my head. Should I run home and get my camera (thus ending my badly needed jog) or should I carry on running in the hope that one day the heron would come back. Within 5 minutes the camera idea won and I sprinted home to grab my camera. Fortunately I keep my camera fully charged, so I quickly changed lenses and ran back to the top of the lake (about 10 minutes running from my house)

Fortunately, when I got back the heron was still there, and with my heart rate running round my body at about 150 b/Min I started shooting.

I was not entirely happy with the result. Using a big zoom lens (75mm to 300mm) fully extended, there was quite a bit of camera shake. I did not have time to get the tripod. But all in all I think this picture captured the moment, and just in case I do not see another herron there for another 6 years, I am happy with the result ^^

Jenny

Tue, 6 May 2008 22:13:29 -0800

Here's a picture of my Korean teacher - once again taken at a party, although I must point out that this party did not have a focus on drinking, beer was just accidently there ^^

But the serious point here, is that no matter where you are, and no matter what you are doing - just having your camera with you gives you some amazing opportunities to capture some wonderful pictures.

The Model 2

Mon, 5 May 2008 22:57:59 -0800

Here's another shot taken at the same drunken photo shoot as yesterday's post.

I don't condone drinking and doing a serious photo shoot, but what I do find is that the models' expressions are much more natural and relaxed.

The Model

Mon, 5 May 2008 07:14:18 -0800

Once again an opportunty arose from a night out drinking ... oh the demon drink does seem to produce some startling results.

Here's a picture of one of my colleagues taken towards the end of a welcome party for a new member of staff. Brent, the model's name, asked me to create a picture for his Facebook profile. - The results were this picture and the one to follow next time.

Spring Beauty

Sat, 3 May 2008 20:47:08 -0800

Here's a picture of my wife taken while the Cherry Blossom was out in full bloom.

Just wanted to share the beauty of Spring with you all (and of course my wife :-)

Contentment

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:41:12 -0800

Here's another student of mine. Again, I just love the expression on his face. It truly is a look of "contentment" - but then after quite a lot of alcoholic refreshment, I think we all were feeling very contented :-)

Contemplation

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 12:39:06 -0800

Here's an image of a student of mine - I love the look of contemplation on his face and I think the black and white touch just gives is a little something.

As always - comments welcome.

Barney

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:57:42 -0800

Here's a lovely picture of my little boy, Barney. He's becoming quite a little model these days :-)

Springtime In Korea

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 15:48:42 -0800

Here's another shot of the Daffodils I came across the other day.

The problem I have had with these images is that I took the photos in the middle of the day. This meant that the highlights are a little blown out. Fortunately, I transferred to RAW a few years ago and this has saved these images.

Adobe has done a great job with their Camera RAW software. I thank them very much for the work that they do.

Dafodils in Korea!

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:29:30 -0800

Now I am completely shocked!!

Whilst taking my little boy Barney for a walk this afternoon, I came across some dafodils growing in the park. Now for all those of you living in the UK and elsewhere that may not be such a big thing. But here in Korea - that is a complete shock.

I have lived here in Korea for 6 years now, and I have never seen dafodils growing.

That really made my day and put a very big smile on my face. It's amazing how little things can just make the day special^^

Spring 08 Is Here!

Mon, 7 Apr 2008 14:44:25 -0800

Well, it's official. Spring 2008 has arrived safe and sound here in Korea.

The above image was taken last Friday night - it was a little experiemental as I usually try and capture Cherry Blossom during the day as the sun is setting, but the problem I seem to have year after year is that the colour of the blossom does not look to good in daylight.

Having now shot it at night, I have discovered it looks better at night ^^

Anyway, welcome to Spring everyone :-)

Mr Lee

Wed, 2 Apr 2008 15:00:21 -0800

Again, continuing my my current theme of high contrast images.

This is a picture taken of my co-worker "Mr Lee" (his given name is unpronouncable^^) while we were out drinking last weekend. Again, I love the way the high contrast really brings out the details and although this effect requires dropping the saturation a lot, somehow the colour stll pops out.

Stop Taking My Photo!!

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 09:21:04 -0800

Continuing with my High Contrast theme, here's an image I took of one of my friends, Brent.

I like photographing Brent because he always pulls some excellent faces to make the photo more interesting :-)

Olympic Park Lake

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:52:00 -0800

Continuing my current theme of high contrast images, here's a picture of the lake in Olympic Park in South East Seoul.

After processing the picture in RAW, I then added a little work in Photoshop to finish off the image. The result ..... well I'll leave you to decide that ^^

NF Sonata

Wed, 5 Mar 2008 14:21:21 -0800

Here's a little experiment for you all.

This comes from experiementing to capture the Dave Hill look and I must once again compliment Scott Kelby's blog for putting me on to this technique.

I think the car comes out fantastic - but as always your comments will alway be appreciated.

To check out the method of this technique - Click HERE

The Wife

Sun, 2 Mar 2008 05:37:57 -0800

Here's a picture taken recently of my wife posing at a beach near Incheon in South Korea.

The original picture was taken during the missle of the day and so the lighting was a little too harsh. As a consequence I experimented in Photoshop to see if I could create something from this picture. I Found a perfect method. I changed the picture into a sepia pictur, added a little vignetting and hey presto! here's the result.

The moral of this story is that even if you wash out the colours by taking pictures at the wrong time of day - you can always use a little creativity to create something special ^^

The Woods

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:04:16 -0800

I have always wanted to take a good picture of trees, yet I have never been able to compose the shot well and end up feeling that the picture of worthy of having a "keeper" label.

However, last weekend I took a stroll to a local mountain and saw this shot, lined it up, and went for it. The result was possibly the best photograph I have ever taken of trees.

Now I feel justifed for never giving up with trees :-)

Beauty x 2 (number 3)

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 09:22:02 -0800

The 3rd shot from my recent photo shoot.

This time the venue was different, hence the background being a little lighter, but the shot was taken using the same procedure as before - point the flash to the ceiling.

Little was done on Photoshop except for a little skin smoothing and some cropping.

Beauty x 2 Number 2

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:44:56 -0800

Here's the second shot from my recent photoshoot.

Same processing as the previous shot, same camera and same venue :-)

Beauty x 2

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:15:39 -0800

Here's a picture of my wife (right) and her best friend Yoo-Jin.

As with my previous post, this picture was taken at a recent photo shoot I did. Again the set up was simple. Camera plus flash with the flash pointing to the ceiling. Once again, little was done in Photoshop except for a little cropping.

I hope you like it, and as usual all comment both positive and negative are welcome.

The Afgan

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:42:28 -0800

Here's another shot from my photoshoot last Saturday.

Here a shot I took of my griend Shane. Shane has a little Persian blood from his ancestors and I wanted to create a Middle Eastern feel - with Shane smoking a "Hooka" (I think you spell it that way)

Well, here is the result. Again, nothing was done in Photoshop a save for a little cropping. It is always pleasing for a shot to come out with little or no effort in Photoshop (and of course saves a lot of time^^)

"Discussion"

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 14:16:54 -0800

I love taking pictures of people, that I have decided.

Here's a picture I caught last night whilst out with friends. Nothing special to capture this shot, just pointed the flash to the ceiling and click there it was. No adjustments in the shop, just a little cropping to alter the image dimensions (I like breaking the laws of comformity)

"Traditional Lunar New Year Ceremony"

Fri, 8 Feb 2008 15:24:02 -0800

It's the Lunar New Year holiday here in Korea and I went with my wife's family her father's hometown in GongJu, southern South Korea.

Here is a picture of my grandfather in law (red hat) and my great uncle in law walking down from their ancestors tombs on the family's mountain.

This was a unique ocasion for me as I had never experienced a traditional lunar new year ceremony before. It is wonderful the way people in Korea follow their national traditions fully involving the grand parents and children. I just wish we did this in the UK, instead of modernising everything for the sake of modernisation and Europe.

"Paying Respects"

Sun, 3 Feb 2008 09:04:36 -0800

Here's a picture of my father-in-law paying respects to his mother in law who died last year.

In Korea it is traditional to visit the grave of your ancestors around the time of the Lunar New Year (which is next week) and pay your respects.

I processed this image by reducing the saturation, adding a little vignetting and bringing in a little 'copper' duotone - just a little though

"Korean Palace"

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:37:24 -0800

Tonight's post comes straight from my photo shoot south of Seoul where I came across this old palace / temple / Korean building.

This building was on the top of a hill and I needed to wait around for nearly 30 minutes before all the tourists had moved out of the way and I was able to get a clear shot.

I am now glad I waited, as I was able to add an aged look to the photo and without having any trouble with the clothing of the tourists spoiling the effect.

"Bridge"

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:34:48 -0800

Today's post comes from a quick photo shoot I did last weekend.

I came across this bridge in Olympic Park in Seoul. It was quite surprising that the autumnal colours had remained even though the winter has been upon us for 2 or 3 months now.

This Bridge has always caught my eye and it was nice to get a good shot of it :-)

Processing was done in Camera RAW, with a little desaturation, an increase in the shadows and contrast and finally some lens vignetting.

"moody"

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:46:51 -0800

Apologies for not posting recently. I have a lot of projects on at the moment and I just do not seem to have time to prepare pictures for my blog.

However, tonight's post is from my portrait portfolio and I tried a little trick learnt from the guys at Photoshop TV - Matt Kloskowski termed this trick "300" SO once again ...thanks to the guys at Photoshop TV.

"Westminster Palace"

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:40:55 -0800

The sad thing about this photograph is that the corner lights of the Palace were not working the night I took the photograph. However, in hindsight that is not all bad because it meant that I took a 'unique' photograph :-)

So here I present to you all a slightly imperfect picture of the Palace of Westminster at night.

"The Photographer"

Tue, 8 Jan 2008 14:18:30 -0800

Here's a pic of one of my best friends - Korean Photographer Mark Kim.

Here's Mark taking a picture of me taking a picture of him while on our "Seoul By Night" tour.

Seoul's a great place to shoot, particularly at night, and I and very honoured to be living in this such a great city.

"The Boat"

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 07:58:53 -0800

Apologies for not posting recently, I have been doing a crash course in Flash animation, and I am the kind of person who when he gets his teeth into something can't let go.

Anyway, a new week and a new post^^ Today's post comes from my recent holiday in Ireland (Galway to be precise) and I came across this little boat on the quayside looking like it desperately wanted it's picture taken. And so without further ado I did. I was happy with the result and strangely enough so was the boat.

I hope you al like it too.

"Sunset"

Tue, 1 Jan 2008 14:23:36 -0800

Today's new year post takes me back to Harbin in China and a sunset I caught as I was leaving the river (made famous by the ice sculptures in the winter)

"Jack"

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 13:40:21 -0800

Here's a little shot I took of my nephew, Jack.

The more I take shots of people, the more I appreciate the light that shines across the person's face.

It is amazing that the more you learn about photography, the more you realise that there is so much more to learn. When I first started, light was not important. Now that I have taken a more 'serious' interest in photography, light has become probably the single most important factor to me when I take a picture of a person.

"Sandy & Dew"

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 15:53:51 -0800

Tonight's post comes from a student party last night (hence no post last night^^)

Here are two of my English students - These days I am experimenting with different light directions in order to improve the quality of my portrait photography.

In Photoshop I reduced the saturation and increased the contrast to give this a little 'antique' feel. I was satisfied with the light that fell on the faces here and I like the way the brick wall behind the girls gives a slight rustic feel to the photograph.

"Night Time Waterfall"

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:23:52 -0800

Tonight's post comes from my "Seoul at Night" project.

This is a picture of the famous downtown stream "Cheon Gye Chon" in central Seoul. This is a very busy 'tourist' attraction that appeals very much to the residents of Seoul rather more than actual tourists.

I love the colours that come out here at night. The blues and the reds which contrast with the office buildings that surround this ancient stream.

"Christmas Barney"

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 14:14:59 -0800

Merry Christmas to everyone and thank you for visiting my little photo blog :-)

Today's post is a little something cooked up for Christmas. This is a picture of my little boy "Barney" in his Christmas coat.

I hope you all like it and best wishes for the season.

"Downtown Seoul"

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:45:09 -0800

Tonight's image comes from the downtown Seoul and my "Seoul at Night" project.

Here is another image of the Cheon Gye Chon stream running through central Seoul.

"Aged Process"

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:47:56 -0800

Tonight's post is an experiment. After watching Photoshop TV this week, Scott Kelby's tutorial inspired me to try something with a photo I was not sure about.

I therefore followed the tutorial on the photo and was very impressed with the result. You can see the original photo here.

Your comments as always are welcome.

"Architectural Beauty"

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:54:21 -0800

Tonight's post comes from my Seoul At Night project.

This is a picture of the Dongah Newspaper building in central Seoul. The shot was taken from almost ground level pointing directly upwards.

"The Team"

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:01:18 -0800

Tonight's post comes again from my recent Christmas Party.

This shot was taken using my favourite technique which is to bounce the flash off the ceiling. I find this technique works really well with people with strong cheek bones as it gives a great shadow detail across the cheek bones.

This picture was particularly satisfying as I had to do very little to the picture in Photoshop. I admit I had to back off the red a little as the girls in this picture had had a few beers and there was a little alcoholic flush appearing ^^ but apart from that - that was it :-)

As every your comments are always appreciated.

"Christmas Child"

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 06:25:23 -0800

Today's post comes following a two day break caused by my company's Christmas party where too much beer was drunk leaving me feeling very sorry for myself on my sofa.

So for all you guys who regularly check out my blog ... I apologise.

Today's picture comes from that very same party. Here's is a portrait of one of the children belonging to my colleague. I just love this picture because the little girl is waiting for Santa to appear and you can see the curiosity and expectation in her face.

I hope you enjoy :-)

"Hands"

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:56:47 -0800

Today's image is from the wedding album.

The basic picture is 'au naturel' all that was done in Photoshop was some heavy lens vignetting to place the emphasis on the hands and to give the picture some atmosphere.

I like this photo because it gives a sense of commitment and intention.

"China Beach"

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:19:17 -0800

Tonight's picture comes from the beach in Harbin (I know, Harbin is not a coastal town) - more the "riverside" in Harbin.

I have never been sure about this picture - somedays I look at it and think it is good, other days I look at it I think it is boring. But as a cultural piece of photography I think it is good. It captures 'old' China, the pre-modernised version.

I do not know how old the hut and sign are, but I know they must date older than 20 years. It won't be long before we no longer see scenes like this in China.

"Pure Beauty 2"

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:32:26 -0800

Tonight's post is yet another portrait of my wife.

I like the life in this photograph - there is an expression in her gaze.

"Korean Wedding Master"

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:57:29 -0800

Tonight's post comes from a friend's wedding I attended.

The picture is of the "Wedding Master" of a traditional Korean Wedding. The wedding itself is fantastic, full of colour (you can see the dominant red) and very ceremonial.

It is quite sad that in Korea, like elsewhere in Asia, people want to have a non-traditional white wedding. I know the movie stars have all these big, expensive white weddings, but nothing comes close to a traditional Asian wedding be it in Korea, Japan or China.

Hey ho, I guess that's the price we have to pay for evolution ...

"Lee Sun Shin"

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:30:39 -0800

Tonight's post is once again from my "Seoul By Night" portfolio.

This is the statue of Admiral Lee Sun Shin, one of Korea's most famous people and the inventor of the "Turtle Ship"

I love this picture because of the movement of the traffic on the right of the picture and the stability of the statue. Once again, little was done in Photoshop, save for the framing, which I am pleased to point out is pretty must all I had to do with most of my "Seoul By Night" project.

"Cheon Gye Chon"

Sun, 9 Dec 2007 14:11:45 -0800

Tonight's post comes once again from my "Seoul By Night" portfolio.

I love this image because of the movement created by the people at the edges and the lighting reflecting on the water. The sky and surrounding buildings give it an almost artistic feel.

With this image I was happy to be able to get it right in the camera first and therefore did pretty much nothing in Photoshop.

"Beauty In Blue"

Sat, 8 Dec 2007 14:44:38 -0800

Here's an image taken during my summer holiday in Ireland.

I wanted to make something out of this image and I remembered a tip I learnt from Justin Seeley of Photoshop Quick Tips using a masking technique.

My wife was wearing this striking blue dress and I wanted to bring out the fantastic blue. This technique just seemed perfect to bring out the colour. All I did was utilise the new black and white adjustment in Photoshop CS3 first and then applied a layer mask and coloured back in the blue. It's a simple, quick yet effective trick.

"Autumnal Tree 2"

Fri, 7 Dec 2007 15:55:54 -0800

Tonight's post come from a couple of weeks ago.

In one of my many night time shoots I came across this tree. It just looked fantastic with the street lights shining on it and the contrasting skyline.

"Beatle Mania"

Thu, 6 Dec 2007 15:09:58 -0800

Tonight's image comes from the same photo shoot as last night's post.

I had set out on a "Seoul By Night" project and outside the main exhibition centre in Seoul I came across this model of a VW Beatle. As a Beatle fan I just had to get this shot.

I am not sure the composition of this photo is good, but I do like the contrast and darkness in the shot.

As always, your views and comments are greatly appreciated.

"Korean Congress"

Wed, 5 Dec 2007 15:20:32 -0800

This was my first attempt at an HDR Image (High Dynamic Range)

It is a picture of the South Korean Congress building in Yoeido, Western Seoul.

I wanted to capture the dome at the top of the building as it is quite striking. To do this I took three shots, using the "3 clicks" method (take a shot and move on the length of exposure by 3 clicks) Then after uploading the pictures I did a small amount of RAW processing in Aperture and then exported the images as JPEGs to photoshop and used the new Photoshop CS3's HDR automate.

I like the result and was happy that the dome came out.

As ever, comments are always appreciated especially if you have any tips and tricks of using HDR ^^

"The Wedding"

Tue, 4 Dec 2007 13:45:08 -0800

Here's a picture of my wife and my neice.

Originally this photo was assigned to the "Keeper Folder" but not the "To Process" folder because the background was horrendous. But following a little bit of inspiration from the "Photoshop Guys" over at Photoshop User TV, I started thinking about what I could do with the background.

Removing the background was easy (Photoshop CS3 took care of that) I was left with a fantastic portrait of my willing models. Then, what to do about the background?

After that little bit of inspiration, I decided to use the background as a starting point for my finished background. I applied a lot of motion blur, then a little bit of feathering to the cropping and boom! I had a really interesting background for the portrait.

So, there you go guys, two lessons in one - if you have a "keeper" but a picture not really worth processing - watch Photoshop User TV for a little inspiration, secondly, if you have time and you want to play, then it's amazing what you can do when you let your imagination go.

"Busy Bee"

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 13:53:30 -0800

Today's post takes me back to my nature gallery and a shot I took this summer in the mountains around Incheon in Seoul.

I am naturally afraid of Bees, but somehow this one seemed so busy is was not bothered by me pointing my camera very close to it's workplace.

I it quite strange that when you are looking through the viewfinder of a camera, all fear often disappears in an effort to capture that one great shot.

"Barney In The Shower"

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 13:15:58 -0800

Tonight's post takes me back into my "Barney" file for a real favourite of mine.

This is my pet Yorkshire Terrier, "Barney" taking his weekly shower. What is really surprising is that unusually for a dog, Barney loves having a shower. When it's shower time all I have to do is say to Barney "shower time Barney!" and he runs straight in to the bathroom and sits in front of the shower.

I think this picture tells its own story of "Barney in the shower" :-)

"Olympic Park"

Sat, 1 Dec 2007 14:47:30 -0800

Here's a favourite picture of mine.

It is taken inside Olympic Park in South East Seoul. The time of day made this shot as it was taken just before the sun set for the day. The red in the sky is subtle because of the pollution in Seoul.

I often wonder what the image would be like if there were little or no pollution in Seoul.

"Family"

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:29:25 -0800

Tonight's image comes from the family album.

This time it's an image of my niece and nephew wearing a traditional Korean costume. The costume is called a "Hanbok" and is worn at weddings and national holidays. It is colourful and unique.

Jack and Lilly posed so well for this picture it was amazing.

Of course the background was developed in Photoshop, but Jack and Lilly have not been altered

"Barney Looking"

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:56:23 -0800

Tonight, I return to my animal portraits.

Here is another picture of my little boy, Barney. There's a story here. When Barney was a wee puppy 2 years ago, he hated having his picture taken. He was afraid of the flash and every time he saw a camera her ran away.

Now that he is two and a bit years old he loves having his picture taken. This boy is a REAL poser.

So, tonight's picture involved a little Photoshop work. Again I used a little lens vignetting and some unsharp masking. As I mentioned before, I think my workflow with my images involve this process a lot.

"Black & White Beauty"

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:29:39 -0800

Tonight's post was requested by my wife. Basically, she wanted me to post this picture of her to test the responses.

From the photographic point of view, I took this shot a year ago, I did not really appreciate the importance of light back then, but I still look at this image and think "I was lucky"

I confess this background was a window, which I masked out in Photoshop, but apart from that some desaturation and a little unsharp masking I have done very little to this image.

As ever your opinions will be greatly appreciated.

"Spring Beauty"

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:39:04 -0800

Tonight's photo comes from my Springtime archive and is a favourite of mine.

The model is my wife and I was lucky that I was able to capture the light on her face as well as the light coming off the cherry blossom in the background.

When I think about my photography I realise that although I enjoy taking pictures of landscapes, I do seem to have a large archive of portraits. As my knowledge of light and it's importance in portrait photography I am beginning to look again at portraits.

"Stranger"

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 06:20:28 -0800

Today's post comes straight from my archive of portraits.

I have learnt over the last year the importance of light and photography people. Now I understand why regular point and shoot digital cameras often result in poor snapshots of people when the flash is used.

This picture was taken using one of my favourite techniques of pointing the flash upwards to the ceiling and bouncing the light off the ceiling. I admit it does not work all the time (it depends of the reflective properties of the ceiling) but when it does, it results in some interesting pictures.

I confess I have no idea who the model is. She saw my camera and asked me to take a shot. I obliged and after an exchange of emails we said goodbye.

"Evening Time Tree"

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 07:24:37 -0800

This picture was taken during an evening walk with my little dog (Barney)

I took three shots at different exposures and then developed it in Photoshop CS3's Automated HDR - It was more an experiment really, but I was quite happy with the result.

It's amazing really what you come across when you are out for a routine walk with a dog :-)

"An Autumn Scene"

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 09:01:24 -0800

Today's post comes from about 2 or 3 weeks ago at Seokchon Lake in South East Seoul.

I just love this picture because of the colour in the trees. To me there is a simple background with the few buildings, yet the colour of the running track together with the colour in the trees just make this picture for me.

Processing this picture in Photoshop I increased the saturation a little and added a slight burn to the sky to add some contrast to the sky. Apart from that that was about it.

Thanks to all you guys who left comments yesterday. I really appreciate your views.

"Archie"

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 04:58:57 -0800

Here's a picture of my parents pet Welsh Collie, Archie.

Archie is a typical Welsh Collie in that he chases everything, cars, tractors, sheep, horses, other dogs etc. Yet at the same time is pretty obedient.

I was never sure what to do with this picture. I like it, I like the way Archie is looking: alert, sharp and watchful, but I do not really like all that white space in the background.

In Photoshop, I did a little unsharp masking (I think this must be a major part of my processing^^) and I did some lens vignetting to help reduce the white space behind Archie.

Anyway, this is my post for today, I hope you all like it and as ever if you have any comments or suggestions I would be very happy to hear them.

"Cold War"

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 04:49:37 -0800

Today's picture again come from the same photo shoot as my previous two posts.

This one is a self portrait (sort of) - My 'assistants' had gone to get more beer, so I set up the tripod to take a picture of my wife's friend Son Hee and myself. I had noticed that the back wall of this bar (for we were inside a bar) looked like it had been hit by bullets and the concept of this picture was born.

I set Son Hee up, pointed the flash to the ceiling and put the camera on timer and then arranged myself next to Son Hee.

Poof! went the flash (after 10 seconds) and I looked at the image on the little screen on my Canon EOS D350 and was really pleased with the result.

We only had time for one shot and out came this little beauty.

Later in Photoshop all I had to do was increase the exposure a little and just a slight adjustment to saturation (lowering) and I had this war like picture.

It always amazes me that the often elusive good shot is unplanned and unscripted.

"Close Friends"

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 13:49:00 -0800

Another shot taken from the same photo shoot as yesterday.

I like this photo too, I was very tempted to remove the flash reflection from the glasses of the guy, but the shot was so good without taking it through Photoshop I decided to leave it 'au naturel'.

Photoshop is my 'playground' I like to make the shot right in the camera, but if I want to have fun, or I feel my creative juices flowing over, then I enter Photoshop for a creative play around.

I hope you all like it

"Friends"

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 14:13:07 -0800

Tonight's post comes from a photo shoot I did a few weeks ago.

This picture I like because of the way the people are posing - you can see their smiles even though their faces are covered.

To capture this shot, I used a darkish room with my speedlite fixed to my camera, but pointing upwards to the ceiling (bouncing the light) As for a setting in my camera - all I did was to place the setting to "P"

As always, please feel free to post your comments :-)

"Clouds Above Democracy"

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:10:49 -0800

One of my favourite images. This picture was taken while on holiday last August.

It was taken from a Thames River Cruise boat and I was fortunate enough to capture the dark clouds gathering above Parliament. Afterall, London is famous for it's August showers.

London Eye

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 06:18:53 -0800

Today's posting come from the wonderful city of London.

The London eye must be one of the most famous landmarks of London. This image was captured using the usual night time photography techniques of a tripod and a long exposure time. As ever, little was done in Photoshop save for a little bit of colour brightening.

Pure Beauty

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 13:00:26 -0800

Tonight's post comes straight from the family album.

Here is a picture of my wife, taken at a recent wedding we attended. I was lucky that the lighting in the wedding hall was fantastic for capturing portraits (I guess I should be thanking the wedding photographer for that)

With this image, very little was needed in Photoshop, just a little unsharp masking and some softening of the skin tone. That it.

I love it when I need to do very little with Photoshop.

As ever, comments are always welcome :-)

Asian Autumn

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:06:02 -0800

Tonight's photo comes right out of the Korean Autumn.

A fantastic colour with an Asian Pavillian.

I Miss You

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:47:09 -0800

Tonight's picture comes straight frm my own archive of pictures of my pet dog Barney.

This shot was a complete accident (I hate to admit it) I was washing up in the kitchen, when Barney started demanding attention. He'd had a bath the night before and his hair was silky smooth - he just looked so cute. So, I grabbed my camera from the bedroom and called out to him and he started jumping up at the gate.

This was the best shot out of about 15 shots I took. In Photoshop all I did was a little unsharp masking and some burning of the edges. That was about it.

As usual any comments would be greatly appreciated and will go towards improving my photography.

The First Entry

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:58:00 -0800

This is my first entry, so please be gentle with me.

The above picture was taken in Southern Seoul near the COEX Centre and was part of my "Seoul By Night" project.p

I particularly like the way this building appears to be reaching up into the starless sky. Very little work was required in Photoshop here, just a little unsharp mask to help bring out some of the detail in the building.p

Please feel free to leave your thoughts and feelings about this picture. All comments will be greatly received.p