The Key To Great Studio Photography Is In Well-planned And Well-executed Lighting. It Not Only Creates

Plastic shopping bags have become a fixture of modern life, but despite their convenience, their impact on the environment is tough to ignore. 

In his Plastic Bag Landscapes series, photographer Vilde Rolfsen draws attention to the issue by using colored lights to transform the bags into abstract images. See the rest below!

Plastic Shopping Bags Transformed Into Abstract Images

via AnOther Mag

SELFIES 2 the project continues...for now.

The backstory

Funny story about these orchids: I got one of the centerpieces from our student design show reception in April. It was the end of the night, and we were cleaning up the area, and there was a remaining orchid after all of the students and guests had theirs, so one of my colleagues said that I should take it home for my wife.

I know very little about flowers, but what I did know was that orchids were supposed to be finicky. It was a cold night, so I warmed the car. There was a support clip that the orchid stems were attached to a small rod on, to train them up. I set it carefully in the cup holder and began to drive home.

As I turned right at some point, my elbow hit the plant, snapping the stems almost in two in two different places. Aaagh! If not for bad luck I'd have no luck at all!

So I ran into the house, and grabbed some packing tape, wrapping it around the stems, propping them up. Yeah..that should work I thought to myself. Using the logic of a mischevious six year old, I brought the plant in and showed it to my wife.

She also was disappointed about my careless elbow, and slightly amused at my packing tape "cast." But we figured that we'd give it a go anyway. After about a week, one of the stems showed signs of dying, so I pulled it off and tossed it. The other seemed to be OK though, so I kept it in the sun and kept on watering it. 

It appears to have come through OK (knock-on-wood). You can see in the top pic the areas where both stems snapped, and the one surviving stem thriving with two flowers, and a new "bud" forming behind them. The tape is till in place (afraid to remove it for fear of breaking it again).

The photos

On a rainy Wednesday, I thought I'd photograph this survivor for kicks. Put a cheap poster board v-flat behind it, and propped it up on pizza boxes. Used only window light (which admittedly wasn't much on this very gray day).  

I also wanted to see under similar conditions what I could get out of the old iPhone 4 camera I have (5 mp). The bottom two shots are from the iPhone. They are a bit more contrasty, and have some noise in the bgnd, but look really good in average light conditions. There is also a bit of the flat and tape that got caught in the shot as the angle of approach is different with the phone (tried to smooth the tape on the flat out, and looks sad I know). The data on the iPhone shots is saying they are f2.8, and 1/120 to 1/60th of a sec? What that means on a lens that is a few mm is pretty relative, but still impressive. I imagine the Samsung and the iPhone 5 would look even better. 

Oh...and guess what happened next? The flimsy V-flat fell onto the plant. But alas— alive and well still. That thing is like ROCKY.

These 5 blend modes in Photoshop can be used for stunning results.

5 Blend Modes in Photoshop Every Photographer Should Know

Experimenting with "Lightpainting" product shots. Shot on a wooden stool in  a basement using some flashlights (both LED and regular).

Bgnd (for the beer) an iPad.

red led used on the V8 can (composited 3 shots)

LED light only on the persimmon, and a smooth plastic wall sheet from ikea on the stoool

a bit of post  on all.

Bottom photo is the "studio" where they were shot (a basement ;-) and the ‘high-tech' ;-) lighting tools (led flashlight, krypton bulb flashlight, iPad).

Just playing at this point. Still getting the hang of it all.

amazing...shared by my wife.

beautiful

Atypical by Pawel Nolbert

Raison D'etre...

Just to picture-share with family, friends, and other folks who may "get me." I post when I  have enough stuff to justify it, and when I have enough spare time. The subject content is dependent on my daily whim, and hopefully something you'll find moderately cool. I may share the occasional cool article as well.

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5 Tips to Immediately Improve Your Retouching

Celebrity portrait photography is tricky business, but Peter Hapak has mastered the technique.

His incredible portfolio will leave you wondering if there’s someone famous he hasn’t met. Check it out below!

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via It’s Nice That