Product Photos

As we get into the commercial photography section I started looking at product photographs on the internet. The photo below is from the Eddie Bauer website . Like most of the product photos I have seen it uses a plain neutral background so the product being sold stands out. I don't know much about lighting techniques but they are all pretty similar using lighting that draws your eye to the product and isn't harsh or blown out. Of course the models are made to look as nice as possible but Eddie Bauer is an outdoors tore so they are not overly made up. They actually look pretty natural with their hair down and the casual clothes.

http://www.eddiebauer.com/catalog/product.jsp?ensembleId=45715&prodsearch=6&cm_cg=T95&cm_sp=REC-_-PDP-_-45708

 

 

 

Group Photo

Michael Chojnacki took this photograph of men from India. I love this because the looks on their faces looks like a bunch of business men. Of course they are not dressed the way we would in America but it's not America so it doesn't matter. The black and white works for this because the tones are so well done.

This photo came from Popphoto.com under the group photo challenge category.

http://www.popphoto.com/gallery/photo-challenge-finalists-group-portraits?i=397448&s=6

Paul Simon - Colorization

Paul Simon has a colorization technique that is really pleasing. Normally I don't enjoy colorized photos but his are all done with good taste, in my point of view. This particular photo is somewhat subtle compared to some of his other works but I really like it. The active gray sky over the aqua water really makes the water pop. The adding the color to the sand with the break with the foam between the water and the sand makes this a really nice photograph.


www.PaulSimonPhotography.net#sthash.Lnu3JFYm.dpuf

More Macro - Dragonfly

More macro photography. This was taken in Tampa, Florida. The photographer wasn't named but I found it on a macro blog. http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21828

I love they way this dragonfly looks like he has a fencing mask on. I really love dragonflies but am not second guessing my love after seeing one so close up. The photo is nice and detailed in the foreground and the background just fades away, as it should, to keep the subject matter the most important.

Product Photography

I love this photo of the engagement ring in the grass. There is contrast in the subject matter as well as the colors. This shot is from ThePrettyProduct in Lexington, Kentucky off of Etsy.com. I was poking around looking for product shots and came across this one. I like the texture of the grass and how the darkness of the grass and the color really make the ring pop. A very creative idea.

Tyohar Kastiel

This is a photo from Tyohar Kastiel  of Costa Rico. I love the way only the tongue is colorized. It really makes the point of the photo stand out. The mother washing the baby. The black and white works for the rest of the photo because there is so much texture in the fur. The baby looks annoyed by the grooming like he would rather be playing.

https://www.facebook.com/TyoharWildlifePhotography?ref=hl

Quantrell Colbert -Selfie

Quantrell Colbert took this selfie while on a movie set he was working on. It is a typical selfie using mirrors and everything already there. I really like it because he is not posed in a strange way and it looks really natural. I could maybe do a selfie that would turn out half decent this way. There is so much else going on in the background the person isn't the main focus.

Zev Hoover - Selfie

There was an article on the Pop Photo website on taking selfies. http://www.popphoto.com/gallery/how-to-take-selfies-pro-0?i=420834&s=8

Zev Hoover was one of the photographers featured and his ideas were interesting. He came up with this whole concept of making himself a littlefolk. He is doing a book "Adventures of the Littlefolk". It will feature him in various positions as a littlefolk. I think this is an interesting way to address the selfie and certainly is a test of his Photoshop skills. Some examples are below:

xristos sallas - Macro

Xristos Sallas, https://www.facebook.com/pages/XSallas-Photography/206561852717036, is another macro photographer from Athens, Greece. I don't know why I am critiquing creepy bugs this morning but look how cool this photo is. This is a Thomisus onustus female in extreme close up. It's face looks cat like and the entire thing looks metallic. He had to use a 90 mm lens and extension tubes to get this shot and of course a tripod. This is a great shot that not many people will even be able to get and that's why I like it. I love the colors, metallic quality and the creepy factor.

Chris Ross - Macro

Chris Ross http://www.aus-natural.com/ is a photographer from Sydney, Australia. He took this picture of the Jumping Spider in his backyard. What I like about this photo is it is so creepy. I am such a fan of macro photography that is mostly what I shoot when I am shooting on my own. I like that, because of the position on the page, the spider looks like it is going to jump right on you. The detail of it is really sharp in the foreground and then gets a little blurry in the background bringing the focus onto his creepy little face. The green leaf he is sitting on really contracts with the browns and grays of the spider making it stand out even more.

Howard Millard

Howard Millard http://howardmillard.com/index.htm is a digital artist. His work is mainly consists of Photoshop manipulation. Some of his artwork is really interesting but I have trouble considering it art since it is mostly done in Photoshop. I think that I have a brain block that if I can do it it can't be that hard and I don't always realize that there are many people out there that can't use Photoshop.

Joe Farace

Joe Farace http://joefarace.com/ocmx_gallery/personal/ is a photographer that has a varied portfolio but of course I am attracted to the more natural works. He has travel, people and fashion also on his website but I am interested in the personal photos. I love the colors in this one and also the subject matter. It reminds me of my long lost friend summer.

I also love this black and while photo of this old barn with the active sky. It looks like it's all alone with a storm getting ready to strike.

Jim Zuckerman

I ran into Jim Zuckerman http://corporatefineart.com/-/corporatefineart/galleryindex.asp?c=14624in a Photo Magazine. He does a lot of Photoshop manipulations and some of them are really cool but some others I'm not too crazy about. I can appreciate the artistry of them but they are still Photoshop manipulations and I guess I don't appreciate them as much.

 

 

 

 

He also has a huge portfolio of other work that I love mainly because they are nature photos and I know how hard it is to get some of the shots.

 



Tom Gillespie

Tom Gillespie http://www.fotoblur.com/portfolio/dalriada50?p=1 is a photographer I ran a cross in a photography magazine. I like his work because he uses subject matter that is identifiable but also photographed in an unusual way.

I like the barn door latch because it is just a good picture of something other people take for granted and would think is ugly.

 

 

I like the car bumper really for the same reason. Plus I love all the chrome.

 

Tom Bol

Tom Bol is a very versatile photography and covers many topics. This particular photograph is one taken a night with all the stars seemingly in motion. I am really drawn to night photography and would like to take some photos of the moon. I have tried in the past without much success but really need to break out a tripod and have a better understanding of the camera when it is not on auto mode.
The things I like about this photo is the subject matter, the beautiful blue night sky and the stars in motion.

http://www.tombolphoto.com/index.html
 

Mac Stone

Wow! I have been doing research on photographers and found Mac Stone. http://www.macstonephoto.com/artists-favorites I may have to buy one of his photos they are so amazing. You can't copy and paste most of the photos off his site but this is one of my favorites I got off his blog. I feel like this owl is going to attack me at any moment.

Ian Shive

I really like this piece by Ian Shive. I like the way it looks like all the trees are leaning inward toward the road. It almost looks unreal with the colors and somewhat unnatural way the trees are growing. Pretty interesting photograph.



Below is another example of his wok I think what I like about most of his work is that it seems to have a dramatic feel.



as does this one....

Susan Bloom

Sue Bloom is a local artist/photographer that teaches at McDaniel College. http://www.suebloom.com/   She also wrote a book on Digital Painting in Photoshop the is for sale on Amazon.com.

I first became familiar with her work last summer at Common Ground on the Hill she is one of the instructors. Susan Bloom teaches Digital Painting in Photoshop. Here is an example of one of her photographs that she has turned into a pastel painting.



As a lover of Photoshop I was very interested and even though I did not take her class last summer, mainly because I was trying to step out of my box, I did buy the book. After seeing all the work the students completed at the end of week art show I am considering taking it this year. It would be  a chance to spend a lot of hours with Photoshop and create some beautiful artwork from my own photos.

Robert Cable

Robert Cable is a nature photographer his work is very beautiful.   http://robertcablephoto.com/index.html

I like how this photo looks like it's a reflection in water but it's not. Maybe of his photographs are so colorful like this one that is what attracts me to them. I am really interested in nature photography more than any other subject matter.