tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92080124849220069732024-03-05T22:44:08.855-10:00An Otherwise Empty RoomMusings and teachings from the world of photography. Follow by e-mail to receive new posts. Navigate to the Gallery to view current artist portfolios on display.Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-58554984543931414062013-07-30T14:47:00.000-10:002013-07-30T14:47:38.466-10:00Tropical Storm Sunset Session<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
We always have a wee bit of wind here on Maui, but nothing compared to the gusts of Tropical Storm Flossie. This family braved the pre-storm wind the evening before it hit. You can see their great sense of humor in the way they engage with each other. It really helped me as the photographer that they were calm and went with the flow (no pun intended). This carefree attitude plus some gorgeous scenery made for some pretty excellent photos. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<br />I was telling you about their sense of humor? Look at these, the guys are a trip. The one on the bottom is my favorite!<br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<br />K.A.<br /><br />Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-63992238209270445542013-07-22T15:10:00.001-10:002013-07-22T15:11:39.605-10:00iPhoneography and the Best iPhone Photo Apps to Date<div style="text-align: justify;">
A while ago, I discussed the validity of iPhone photos, and it has since gone on to be my most-read entry by far. This highlights the fact that "iPhoneography" is real and it is here to stay. There is a consistent and intense argument over the staying power of the iPhone itself, but in the many years since it was introduced, its popularity has hardly seen a dent, so it seems safe to say that the technology will be around for a while. Every day, new apps are made to increase the ease of use and its range of capabilities, and it sees no greater development than in regards to its camera. Cell phone cameras are no joke these days, with all the available software out there, as well as all the adjustable lenses and filters!<br />
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And don't forget all the great things you can do after you have taken an image and played around with it. For example, you can upload directly to a number of printers, like <a href="http://photo.walgreens.com/walgreens/storepage/storePageId=Mobile" target="_blank">Walgreens</a>, and have your photos ready to go within an hour. Shoot, design and print, all from your phone...? I love technology!<br />
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I would like to especially thank Mr. Edward Baldwin of the Maui Camera Club for introducing me to some of these wonderful apps and letting me share some of his fabulous suggestions. Mahalo!<br />
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* designates my favorite apps/hardware.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sS6o6VaOkS49UVzSqgzTkWoSpCp7Mumcn2T5xCtpfQo-gUBGVOxsvWPlcTBU-dRTgEqEdNpEu_p-n_j8wnj6xv0KDbdcu_u6aO0ve2kjfSTLJ0-ebF-UWE5903Hq99wCcVh3zVkBIZg/s1600/featured_image_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sS6o6VaOkS49UVzSqgzTkWoSpCp7Mumcn2T5xCtpfQo-gUBGVOxsvWPlcTBU-dRTgEqEdNpEu_p-n_j8wnj6xv0KDbdcu_u6aO0ve2kjfSTLJ0-ebF-UWE5903Hq99wCcVh3zVkBIZg/s320/featured_image_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Manfrotto</td></tr>
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<b><u>*The All-in-One</u></b><br />
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Looking for the best Christmas present ever for your favorite iPhoneographer? Look no further than the <a href="http://www.manfrotto.com/klyp" target="_blank">Manfrotto Klyp</a>. Besides <i>looking</i> cool, it <i>is</i> cool. Case, app, light, hardware, tripod, oh my. Be warned: once seen, it cannot be unseen (have credit card ready in hand). </div>
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<b><u>Camera Manager/Interface</u></b></div>
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<a href="http://campl.us/" target="_blank">Camera+</a>: a suite of basic camera controls; functions that stand out are "photo flashlight," which allows you to use the flash as continuous fill light for your photos, and digital zoom with a stabilizer function, for those super-crisp macros.<br />
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<a href="http://www.procamera-app.com/" target="_blank">ProCamera</a>: a favorite for many users. It has a timer!<br />
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<a href="http://www.apple.com/apps/iphoto/" target="_blank">Apple iPhoto</a>: an in-house gem, particularly nice for the iPad. It has great slideshow and photo journal functions. A good bet, because they will often update to keep up with the competition.<br />
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*<a href="http://jag.gr/645pro/" target="_blank">645 Pro</a>: a comprehensive camera interface, looks like the real deal. It shoots in (unprocessed image data) "dRAW," and you can save to .tiff for high-fidelity files. Or, use <a href="http://jag.gr/pureshot/" target="_blank">PureShot</a> for a simpler process.</div>
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<b><u>Adjustment Software and Editing</u></b></div>
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*<a href="http://www.olloclip.com/" target="_blank">Olloclip</a> (lenses and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/olloclip/id646081887?mt=8" target="_blank">software</a>): consistently the highest-rated add-on iPhone lenses. There are many options, like macro, fish-eye, wide-angle, telephoto, and even polarizing filters to get those lovely skies and reflection-free photos. Use the case and the add-ons for even further fun. The software helps to correct distortions and to sharpen macro photos.<br />
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<a href="http://www.snapseed.com/" target="_blank">SnapSeed</a>: this is another fan-favorite. It has some fantastic filters, and for those view-camera fans, it does tilt-shift blur. It sports a great interface with nifty effects all in one. <br />
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<a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-touch.html" target="_blank">Photoshop Touch</a>: not the best yet, but considering its big brother, one day it will be, so learning to use it early may have its rewards. You can use some of the core Photoshop tools, and in a familiar "layer" format. Export to the Creative Cloud to use later with additional editing software. You can also try <a href="http://www.photoshop.com/tools/expresseditor" target="_blank">Photoshop Express</a> for a speedier, easier version, sort of like Photoshop Elements for your iPhone. My favorite tool from both of these is the dodge and burn, something I've been wanting to be able to do to iPhone photos for ages!<br />
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<a href="http://www.fxphotostudioapp.com/" target="_blank">FX Photo Studio</a>: another fan favorite. Some cool filters and effects, for a very cheap price.<br />
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<a href="http://afterlight.us/" target="_blank">After Ligh</a>t: nothing fancy about this one except for the fact that they have the best algorithm for adding light to your photos and lightening up dark images. Worth it even if just for this one function.</div>
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/slow-shutter-cam-long-exposure/id357404131?mt=8" target="_blank">Slow Shutter Cam</a>: slow down the shutter speed to create slowed-down effects or to capture more in low light.<br />
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*<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/touchretouch/id373311252?mt=8" target="_blank">TouchRetouch</a>: content-aware removal of unwanted items from your iPhone photos? No problem! This app is really, really, really good. </div>
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<b><u>Add Text and Graphics</u></b></div>
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*<a href="http://www.shapelyapp.com/" target="_blank">Shapely</a>: frame your photos into different shapes for a unique look, and add color, textures, patterns, and graphics to any shape. The sharing function is easy to use. </div>
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/word-swag-cool-typography/id645746786?mt=8" target="_blank">Word Swag</a>: adds text in a variety of fonts and designs.</div>
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/path-on-swipe-to-type/id596696015?mt=8" target="_blank">Path On</a>: add text to a photo using a path (similar to Illustrator). Use a wide variety of fonts or designs.</div>
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<a href="http://fxcamera.com/" target="_blank">FxCamera</a>: most of it is kind of generic, but its cool feature is called Voice Picture, where you can add sound (sort of like a caption), to any photo. Cool!</div>
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<u><b>Color Apps for Designers</b></u></div>
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<a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/kuler.html" target="_blank">Adobe Kuler</a>: generate color palettes. Sync your images with their palettes to the Adobe Creative Cloud for further use in other applications. </div>
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<a href="http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/try-on-colors/colorsnap-for-iphone-android-and-blackberry/" target="_blank">ColorSnap by Sherwin Williams</a>: I raved about this app just last week. I still can't get enough of it. Use your images on-the-go to get RGB numbers for use in editing applications. </div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Create Shapes</u></div>
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kaleido-lens/id520773150?mt=8" target="_blank">Kaleido Lens</a>: a camera add-on that lets you turn photos into kaleidoscopes. You can rotate your camera to create images that have different colors or patterns.</div>
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pic-stitch/id454768104?mt=8" target="_blank">PicStitch</a>: take a collection of images and turn them into a collage. Many designs available. </div>
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<b><u>Black and White</u></b></div>
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/camera-noir-b+w-photography/id653121289?mt=8" target="_blank">Camera Noir</a>: deep, dense and contrasty photos. The best quick app for black and white conversion. </div>
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Shutter Cam: slow down the shutter speed to create slowed-down effects or to capture more in low light.</div>
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<b><u>Hardware</u></b></div>
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Here's a few products to take your iPhoneography even higher:<br />
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<a href="http://joby.com/gorillapod" target="_blank">Gorillapod</a>: the best "tripod" product for iPhone out there. Check out all the different varieties.<br />
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<a href="http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/pocket-spotlight/" target="_blank">Pocket Spotlight</a>: an LED fill-light for your iPhone! (!!!) Easy to charge using USB.<br />
<a href="http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/iphone-remote/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/iphone-remote/" target="_blank">Shutter Remote</a>: for triggering exposures with no camera shake, or for when you want to be in the photo.<br />
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<a href="http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/camalapse/" target="_blank">Camalapse</a>: a rotating stand for time-lapse photos. <br />
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<a href="http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/glif-iphone-tripod-mount/" target="_blank">Glif</a>: a classic product, and always useful. Helps for impromptu propping up of iPhone for shooting or for viewing. <br />
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<b><u>iPhone as Supplementary Hardware</u></b><br />
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Developers out there are also recognizing the innate ability of the iPhone to function as support technology for larger, more complex systems. They have made it more accessible and cheaper for serious photographers to get their hands on technology and processes that raises the bar on their level of photography. A few of the more outstanding examples:<br />
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<a href="http://www.camranger.com/features/" target="_blank">CamRanger</a>: allows you to wirelessly control Canon and Nikon DSLRs with your iPhone or iPad. It requires an additional piece of hardware, but it is remarkable for a variety of uses such as HDR, time-lapse, focus stacking, and more.<br />
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*<a href="http://enlightphotopro.com/gear/ioshutterslr/" target="_blank">ioShutter</a>: I have raved about this product before. It hardwires your iPhone to your DSLR; think of it as an advanced shutter release for your camera. You have a variety of controls, including the ability to "clap to snap," or have the iPhone direct your camera to take a photo using sound as the trigger. It is a popular pick for photogs who want to do star trails. Speaking of star trails, check out the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/star-chart/id345542655?mt=8" target="_blank">Star Chart</a> for a real-time locator (and identifier) of celestial objects, and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/star-walk-5-stars-astronomy/id295430577?mt=8" target="_blank">Star Walk</a>, another favorite.<br />
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-photographers-ephemeris/id366195670?mt=8" target="_blank">The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE)</a>: this app allows you to plan shoots outside in natural light; it's a "map-centric sun and moon coordinator," for every place on earth at any time during the day.<br />
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<b><u>Additional Sites to Check Out</u></b><br />
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Favorite these sites so that you can always know when new, fabulous apps and products are released.<br />
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<a href="http://www.iphoneography.com/" target="_blank">iPhoneography</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.adorama.com/iphonetoolshed" target="_blank">Adorama iPhone Toolshed</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.photojojo.com/" target="_blank">Photojojo</a><br />
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The best part of iPhoneography is that new stuff is coming out all the time, so you never know what else might pop up next. Keep an eye out, exciting!<br />
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K.A.</div>
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Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-38329626003820471702013-07-14T15:21:00.001-10:002013-07-14T15:21:50.192-10:00The Best Color App You're Not Using Yet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can't quite remember when I discovered <a href="http://letschipit.com/" target="_blank">the ChipIt! web app by Sherwin-Williams</a>, but I was hooked. It's a simple idea: upload an image (or direct the app to a web page or web image) and it samples the colors, rendering a list of tones from the image with their corresponding S-W names. I then open this image in Photoshop and sample the colors to get an RGB value to use in some of my design ideas. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXHvU2-TKID9RFBspV_Uw9IcfbgrUeljKrd8Eo72TqYLitoE5pPCnKRAhHjEerRWTPEINwHf8RcP7knq5euHCpcvN1H8bBNtnOuW8LLk1J-6x-a_qnVfFUnV4sl-cimpFSsfd73fDgec/s1600/ColorSwatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXHvU2-TKID9RFBspV_Uw9IcfbgrUeljKrd8Eo72TqYLitoE5pPCnKRAhHjEerRWTPEINwHf8RcP7knq5euHCpcvN1H8bBNtnOuW8LLk1J-6x-a_qnVfFUnV4sl-cimpFSsfd73fDgec/s400/ColorSwatch.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I absolutely LOVE the palette it created here</td></tr>
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I was showing a colleague how to use this app today when I discovered that they had come out with an even better application, called <a href="http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/try-on-colors/colorsnap-for-iphone-android-and-blackberry/" target="_blank">the ColorSnap</a> for smartphones and tablets. Seriously, I cannot get enough of this app, I'm so hooked. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8TSzXvcTNimfnQwDFefHObQwJe48IY7P6FNntjszXsEYtaXAZOj5eReZoauzTgUfR1GW3KmGhfnU6aKvKvn4RwNe_3qSMraa3jLxkrVlKEcSGmoOkP_nA-y2wcM2PvKkkEcXsgsQkGg/s1600/photo+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8TSzXvcTNimfnQwDFefHObQwJe48IY7P6FNntjszXsEYtaXAZOj5eReZoauzTgUfR1GW3KmGhfnU6aKvKvn4RwNe_3qSMraa3jLxkrVlKEcSGmoOkP_nA-y2wcM2PvKkkEcXsgsQkGg/s640/photo+copy.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picking up color tones from random flowers during an outing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiF8s-NvVsFHP85jcwfIWviYS7-CvXK-99hhb1g6yL7M3mI55EWlYrJj316cHkje1KBEsoIng3F2hUbPmSB2u_h4fJDG7iImxDqT7O5EWsI_7n3s1aeCr14klW_UKQm8NP3On4MzFgtLA/s1600/photo-1+copy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiF8s-NvVsFHP85jcwfIWviYS7-CvXK-99hhb1g6yL7M3mI55EWlYrJj316cHkje1KBEsoIng3F2hUbPmSB2u_h4fJDG7iImxDqT7O5EWsI_7n3s1aeCr14klW_UKQm8NP3On4MzFgtLA/s640/photo-1+copy.png" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just plug in the RGB colors and you're ready to go</td></tr>
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Ever been out and about and seen a fabulous color and tried to take a picture of it so you can use it later in design? Well, now this app does just that, <i>and</i> provides you with RGB and LRV values. I find that it also works insanely well for color-balancing an image, when I am trying to remember exactly what shade the color was<i> in situ</i>. The app is free, you should download it. You're welcome.</div>
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Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-69381676029593138382013-07-13T18:49:00.001-10:002013-07-13T18:49:22.475-10:00Faking Photos Since the Beginning of Photography<div style="text-align: justify;">
There is some (deserved?) hostility towards Photoshop in regards to photography in this modern age; certainly there seem to be more negative feelings towards it rather than positive, cuddly feelings. Its use has been blamed on causing a variety of catastrophes such as <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/body-evidence/201106/whats-photoshop-got-do-it" target="_blank">raising the incidence of eating disorders in young females</a> to even increasing <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3292509,00.html" target="_blank">hostile tensions between unfriendly countries</a>. It has <a href="http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/newsgathering-storytelling/9289/l-a-times-photographer-fired-over-altered-image/" target="_blank">gotten people fired</a>; <a href="http://www.potsc.com/potsc/how-i-ruined-my-career/" target="_blank">ruined promising careers</a>. For photojournalists, its an inexcusable form of "artistic cheating."</div>
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However we feel about it, the truth is that photo alteration has been around since the beginning of photography, way before the digital age was even imagined. A variety of tricks have been employed over the ages to alter original images. For some of these images, <a href="http://blog.corbis.com/2011/florence-thompson-missing-thumb/" target="_blank">like Dorothea Lange's iconic "Migrant Mother,"</a> their sincerity and "purity" are forever asterisked, sort of like Barry Bonds baseball records. </div>
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I have many complex feelings about Photoshop, but that is not going to stop me from using it in my personal or commercial work, nor do I feel that photographers should "disclaim" their work when it is being used. People get to have their own opinions: is the camera a "documentary tool" only, or is it an extension of the creative mind of an artist? Can there possibly be a gray area? Check out this great BBC video on the history of photo alteration over the last one-hundred and fifty years:</div>
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Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-39531000334213748232013-07-07T18:03:00.000-10:002013-07-07T18:03:49.117-10:00Dramatic Sunset Portraits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The sun is the most powerful lighting tool in our arsenal. It is also one that we have no control over, yet it is also our most predictable one. Learning how to work with the sun is an outdoor photographer's top responsibility. </div>
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Back when I was in grad school, I faced a significant timing problem due to the fact that I worked full-time while going to school full-time. In case this doesn't already sound ridiculous to you, take into consideration the fact that my only real "free" hours in the day were around eleven a.m. to one p.m., at the height of the day, and this was in the Deep South. I didn't have time to hit the studio, so I often had no choice but to shoot during this time frame, and outdoors. I bravely fought with the sun for while, using all sorts of shade-producing devices and implements, but to no avail. And, assistants to hold stuff are virtually non-existent when you are a student. So, what I did instead was to learn as much about the sun as I possibly could ("know thy enemy"), and figure out how to work with it, instead of against it. I walked away from the lesson with <a href="http://www.anotherwiseemptyroom.com/2012/06/what-stays-and-what-goes.html" target="_blank">some of the most beautiful images I have ever created</a>. Ever since then, I have been a fan of utilizing the sun to create dramatic lighting presence in my photos.</div>
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The sunset sun can be as harsh as noon-time sun, especially if you are shooting directly into it. It can drown out all of your surroundings, create despicable shadows, and totally break apart your scene. Angling the sun, making use of its unique quirks can produce unusual yet appealing results. Here are a couple of shots from a session I had last week, when the sun felt particularly powerful:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQmySdXB7n8dUh56hyHk1yq1bLEp4uI3nGYhUqtV8H9pt8WZNUfRkOOeEvCjrMcDFyz0iaiIHHPeJP06KyIH-uREH3oXDp9JZoTKe5DkFsSSxxyVOs8tl6VTWmm6IjNyDAV4p-I_eZ1k/s1600/IMG_1608_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQmySdXB7n8dUh56hyHk1yq1bLEp4uI3nGYhUqtV8H9pt8WZNUfRkOOeEvCjrMcDFyz0iaiIHHPeJP06KyIH-uREH3oXDp9JZoTKe5DkFsSSxxyVOs8tl6VTWmm6IjNyDAV4p-I_eZ1k/s400/IMG_1608_pp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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In this above photo, I let the sun make a little jewel of itself, really heightening the sweetness and emotion in this photo. Exploring the different ways the sun can be used aesthetically can render some intriguing results.</div>
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In terms of background skies, clouds are a good thing, because they can act like giant diffusers. When the horizon is clean and devoid of clouds, the sun comes in too brightly, blowing out the delicate blues and shining harshly on the foreground. Using this to my advantage creates a strong counter-focal point for my portrait below, where the glare actually acts as a "bounce card," sending your eyes to her face instead of letting you linger too long on the background. I absolutely love all the flares; I know some people hate them, but they are just such a natural part of photography and part of the process of working with glass lenses that I embrace them wholeheartedly. Not to diverge from the topic at hand, but even multi-gagillionaire animated feature studios painstakingly add lens flare to their movies by hand, so why in the world would we photographers want to <i>remove</i> it? </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZAvEQzJ7wvoeYR4HsNrLZtVqZk273-47-TEcZN6BqdaQVHVnyYgYILSzVuHGTbRScqcQH4dzeRzjVmzn2C68KgGQKzAq868RuhW_BoJJmLd5h66xmGgNA9_QS6qiTlI6FhnEXSKzJYg/s1600/IMG_1626_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZAvEQzJ7wvoeYR4HsNrLZtVqZk273-47-TEcZN6BqdaQVHVnyYgYILSzVuHGTbRScqcQH4dzeRzjVmzn2C68KgGQKzAq868RuhW_BoJJmLd5h66xmGgNA9_QS6qiTlI6FhnEXSKzJYg/s400/IMG_1626_pp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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While making small talk with this family during the session, I learned that the mom and dad had always been disappointed by the terrible wedding pictures they'd had taken many years ago. To remedy that, I gave them an ultimate and romantic Maui "honeymoon" shot to celebrate their fifteen years together (and check out that flare!):<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtIC6Bp8Wlfq9sp8WBKxXTOJkdd17oIUwRlKC6pbFGP95F0KwMu2mDymHyDSSWiMtDe5Bz-LK0wQiTKbINXZvFEnnZZJsiNXaTeXzZ0oU372HMF5iGmVnhw3fHC_Npgsxs_zWr2waG3Y/s1600/SunKiss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtIC6Bp8Wlfq9sp8WBKxXTOJkdd17oIUwRlKC6pbFGP95F0KwMu2mDymHyDSSWiMtDe5Bz-LK0wQiTKbINXZvFEnnZZJsiNXaTeXzZ0oU372HMF5iGmVnhw3fHC_Npgsxs_zWr2waG3Y/s640/SunKiss.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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Lastly, the magic keeps happening even after the sun sets. From far beyond the horizon, its light shines just enough to create fantastic natural silhouettes that no artificial flash will ever replicate.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghh5wgeuhxwOLPA-QQykJGXTAZYrMl-Gw5PCqLOlrAauJ5u4V2Kdgj86qYXukl640b_cZbXBDZju1eXMXpxfwH7IU64YO-69spjAj6PwXstl-jIl0C4nfcJkbLHCSk54ey4vec_7Lx_dQ/s1600/Silhouette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghh5wgeuhxwOLPA-QQykJGXTAZYrMl-Gw5PCqLOlrAauJ5u4V2Kdgj86qYXukl640b_cZbXBDZju1eXMXpxfwH7IU64YO-69spjAj6PwXstl-jIl0C4nfcJkbLHCSk54ey4vec_7Lx_dQ/s400/Silhouette.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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K.A.</div>
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Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-89440672714735919772013-07-01T18:05:00.001-10:002013-07-01T18:05:46.937-10:00Smiling Pretty for the Camera<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Posing is a big challenge for both the photographer and for the client. The clients are dressed and ready to go, and generally they are just waiting for the command of the photographer. Photographers have long known that they the are not only the "button pushers" in the session, they must also sometimes function as hair and make-up artists, wardrobe stylists, psychologists, marriage counselors, nannies, and confidantes, amongst other roles. Besides "pushing the button," we must be aware of the dynamics occurring between the people in our photograph: is there tension, is there awkwardness, what about physical contact between family members? A successful photograph relies not only on an appropriate exposure, but also in the photographer making sure that the subject is relaxed, confident, and looking attractive (no loose bra straps, for example, or spinach in the teeth). I posted a video late last week about über portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz talking about the role of the "modern photographer." Basically, it is up to us to prove ourselves worthier than Uncle Bob with the new-fangled DSLR he just bought at Costco. And here's the deal: does Uncle Bob know how to photograph you in a way that diminishes that double chin you're sensitive about? Or give you tips on how to make that beer gut look smaller in the photo? Perhaps let you know that your skirt is see-through (and know how to fix it)? </div>
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We've all seen the huff-and-puff articles written by angry photographers wanting to educate their clients on what they are actually paying for (other than the photos). I believe, though, that what clients are really paying for is the fact that you are making them look <i>good</i>, in fact, making them look <b>GREAT</b>. Isn't that what we <i>all</i> want, really? Uncle Bob's not going to do that. He's going to set his camera on "P" and let 'er roll. Clients will pay a photographer to make them look better in photos than they usually do. So, when clients ask you why you charge what you do, you can look them in the eye and tell them, "because you'll never look better than I'll make you look, and there's no price you can put on <i>that</i>." </div>
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If they disagree, I hear Uncle Bob's got an ad on Craigslist offering free portrait services (he's putting his portfolio together)..</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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Different clients will have different levels of posing prowess. I always mimic the pose for clients before setting them in front of the camera, giving them a visual of the look that I am looking to create. The minute this young lady hit the pose I was looking for, I knew she was classically trained in either music or performance art. She laughed and told me, "both, I do ballet and violin." Talk about some stage presence! </div>
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Teenagers often have long, gawky arms and legs, so I find it important to give them a strong pose to work with that helps tackle the awkwardness of feeling so exposed. Having them tuck in their legs and settle their arms loosely helps tremendously with posture and making it easy for them to smile.</div>
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This pose here above is pretty standard in my repertoire. Right off the bat, I always give families one definitive pose to follow and to remember as we move through different locations. Everyone can fall in quickly when I call it out.</div>
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Magic happens when you least expect it. This one was a between-take that was powerful in its form. I have discovered many outstanding poses this way, and added them to my repertoire for when I'm looking for a more casual or unusual look. </div>
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Don't forget the head! A slight tilt goes a long way. For a stronger effect, have the subject hold the head steady and look straight at the camera, without a smile. When shooting pairs, like in this photo below, a slight head tilt really helps to make the pose more graceful and fluid.</div>
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K.A.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-58938206621406847932013-06-27T18:01:00.000-10:002013-06-27T18:01:10.257-10:00Ohana Means Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Taking family photos is a great thing to do while on vacation. You're relaxed, tanned, and have plenty of time to just take it easy and let the photographer do all the work. Besides, a beach background beats a studio interior any day. Many families take advantage of their family photo op to some alternative shots, like senior photos. This fantastic family from the midwest came ready and prepared for a fabulous shoot, including some fun props. We had such a great time!</div>
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K.A.</div>
<br />Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-32328257653165011542013-06-26T13:58:00.001-10:002013-06-26T13:58:48.429-10:00Smiling for the Camera<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Why does it seem like kids loosen up just when you're finishing up the session? </div>
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Recently, I photographed a Finnish family that was concerned that their photographs would look "contrived." They told me that, while the completely understood the reasoning behind it, they did not agree with the American tradition of forced smiling in photographs. While showing me photos of their children in their pocketbooks, I noticed all of the photos were taken candidly, and showing exactly the type of smiles and joy in the children's faces that all photographers strive for. Of course, this is nearly impossible to achieve during a scheduled session; because, for example, how do you get four people to laugh candidly during a family photograph at the same time? ("I'm a photographer, Jim, not a clown!")</div>
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Adults have long been trained to smile on command, but this can be a bizarre directive to give to a child. They have not yet gained enough experience in their life to understand what a "real" fake smile should look like. Yeah, I know how they feel. When did smiling become the status quo pose of portraits, anyways? I bet that we can nail down the moment almost exactly, probably around the 1950s or '60s, when cameras and film became faster, and we were able to get those candid smiles. But photography sessions are rarely ever un-staged. Imagine, photographers, showing up to a scheduled photo session and telling the family, "alright, I'm gonna stand over here for about an hour, and you guys are gonna run around while I take your photos. Ready? Go." </div>
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Usually, what happens during a session is that the kids force their smiles until they just simply can't anymore, and then as soon as they are released they run around laughing freely. I've tried gathering them back in again to capture some of that, but the minute I say "smile," their foreheads furrow, their eyes glaze and their smiles get stony. What to do?</div>
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Often times, I'll just let the kids be themselves, and lavish them with compliments. Photographs, we must remember, strongly profit from the confidence level of the subject. If the person in front of the camera feels empowered, their positive emotions will flow through the camera. Good, strong eye contact enhances that feeling. The smile no longer becomes as relevant, because the person has engaged with the viewer. I've noticed that when I do this, it is actually the tone of the session that will set the mood for the photos later on, regardless of how the kids look. During this session, when the whole family was laughing and carrying on, even the "serious" photos come across as mild and light-tempered. This morning, I photographed a challenging young boy whose mother was thoroughly distressed by the session. When she glanced at the photos of the child without a forced smile on his face, she said she didn't enjoy them because the child looked "sad." It was interesting, because these specific photos were ones I had taken after the session had officially ended, and the child asked if he had to smile anymore, and I said no. He promptly told me, "well, can you take a couple more? I feel more relaxed now that I don't have to pretend anymore." His words, not mine.</div>
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Food for thought. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ejMf-Y-4DvY0Awu4KZ_NsC0gOYybxm_0TXPgGw1JM4OPF_tf1lYOGqaoIOsukzrWvznOe5eFw6ZeKtJyyYxZkLERy1atIHMXI-mNR8X7TU0cWbl0rtHfTVZSgB2AjbQ5dvlOvTz3g4c/s1600/RedHair_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ejMf-Y-4DvY0Awu4KZ_NsC0gOYybxm_0TXPgGw1JM4OPF_tf1lYOGqaoIOsukzrWvznOe5eFw6ZeKtJyyYxZkLERy1atIHMXI-mNR8X7TU0cWbl0rtHfTVZSgB2AjbQ5dvlOvTz3g4c/s640/RedHair_pp.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-46730993149286868082013-06-24T16:46:00.000-10:002013-06-24T16:49:44.083-10:00Annie Liebovitz on Professional Photography Today<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #666666;">From </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">The Guardian</span></a><span style="color: #666666;"><i> </i>on Tuesday, June 18th, 2013</span><span style="color: #666666;">: </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">"Annie Leibovitz discusses the role of the professional photographer in an era dominated by smartphone cameras and image-sharing sites. Speaking at the </span><a href="http://www.canneslions.com/" style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">, Leibovitz argues that there is no reason to suppose that there will be any let-up in demand for high-quality stills photography."</span></blockquote>
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<!-- End of guardian embedded video --><br />Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-14002051195978617682013-06-06T17:21:00.000-10:002013-06-06T17:21:03.065-10:00Baby on the Move<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Babies go through a few unnamed phases: immobile, roly poly, sitting up, mobile, and catch-me-if-you-can. Last night I had a little catch-me-if-you-can, a genuine sweetheart, but completely unwilling to sit still. To boot, the trade winds were howling at twenty miles per hour, and all the stuff blowing around was certainly more interesting than me and my camera. Useless were my trusty standbys, such as whistles, rude noises, keys, and toys. The wind took my squeaker out of commission, too. If you have patient and good-humored parents, sometimes the best course of action is to just let the little ones do what they do, and click away, knowing that in the editing process a few guaranteed gems will pop up. As an added bonus, as they tire out and get bored (the kid, not the parents), you might get a perfect photo at the end of the shoot. Here's my selected favorites from the session:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmi4KeH-u961waeQwHDK7FkT5qARStnqPiQHjfPYv8ia9Gi7qZV22edgLQkjbzEmYRf7orHiyooiB96M0rckQOS8PFt57lj3CtrNSI-1eqRYLH90_br44837v1_lzvNfDXG2AM1tNKBaw/s1600/Baby2_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmi4KeH-u961waeQwHDK7FkT5qARStnqPiQHjfPYv8ia9Gi7qZV22edgLQkjbzEmYRf7orHiyooiB96M0rckQOS8PFt57lj3CtrNSI-1eqRYLH90_br44837v1_lzvNfDXG2AM1tNKBaw/s400/Baby2_pp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">On the move!<br />© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOTm7VXYnTXf8ZivZzO6xSQAHYec_OU9w9CGI67c7XPa-FUBok8WK1K5Qw8C6awVyycOmuxfK7bCPf45urj6mQ018Ue2XcMJfjwLAF-k0X27Ezb3p7IA_FeIRa5eJcK0-iirZuhf89fQ/s1600/Baby3_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOTm7VXYnTXf8ZivZzO6xSQAHYec_OU9w9CGI67c7XPa-FUBok8WK1K5Qw8C6awVyycOmuxfK7bCPf45urj6mQ018Ue2XcMJfjwLAF-k0X27Ezb3p7IA_FeIRa5eJcK0-iirZuhf89fQ/s400/Baby3_pp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">Baby photobomb!<br />© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQZry1miV_JvVLhNHHgqKnrk7tXr9vYI0yDtlnFvY-VM-jaiKTL7dK6wkyDQlr904MTnv_2GYnUqnEkJ2RCRp2NR0jYkANHszatcblpbv77MMv7ygQYPdtse_qPmP_Yyl2lZBVMx2Sq0/s1600/Baby_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQZry1miV_JvVLhNHHgqKnrk7tXr9vYI0yDtlnFvY-VM-jaiKTL7dK6wkyDQlr904MTnv_2GYnUqnEkJ2RCRp2NR0jYkANHszatcblpbv77MMv7ygQYPdtse_qPmP_Yyl2lZBVMx2Sq0/s400/Baby_pp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">Is there anything cuter than a happy baby covered in sand?<br />© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4BTxjBQSwUYArP8zz1IvUGxJuuFrAd_oQv-dyJxm-d9teRdiwKV5oN-4IIcPsArCzfEQMci1_BO8VDzi9yLljqQdOMWKE44Dp8TShYNRbO2g-DdXWL-RgxKvDochj5mIFIi2T7cfNOw/s1600/Baby4_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4BTxjBQSwUYArP8zz1IvUGxJuuFrAd_oQv-dyJxm-d9teRdiwKV5oN-4IIcPsArCzfEQMci1_BO8VDzi9yLljqQdOMWKE44Dp8TShYNRbO2g-DdXWL-RgxKvDochj5mIFIi2T7cfNOw/s400/Baby4_pp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">The sun may have been totally gone, but there was definitely sunshine in that smile!<br />© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<br />For further information on successfully photographing toddlers, I found these great articles which might be of some help to other photographers:<div>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/jeannineman/tips-tricks-on-photographing-kids/" target="_blank">A great Pinterest board on photographing toddlers</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.mcpactions.com/blog/2010/07/15/5-foolproof-tips-for-photographing-kids/" target="_blank">Some of the most realistic tips I've ever read</a></div>
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<a href="http://withheart.com/featured/toddler-picture-taking/" target="_blank">Simple advice, but sound</a><br /><br />K.A.<br /><br />
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Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-45281799948543769302013-06-05T14:59:00.000-10:002013-06-05T14:59:56.444-10:00Soon-to-be-Weds on the Beach<div style="text-align: justify;">
Here's a little sampling of a sunset session I did earlier this month. He'd successfully popped the question right before coming here, so the trip ended up being sort of a "pre-wedding"-moon! We had a beautiful evening with soft light and only a light breeze, all the right ingredients for magical moment-capturing...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUByf7NGYxfywCq9vWDpHqgZzyD9bUi-bnDMRX0_R6c3mR1NVXCiYJOr7WtRDmKELucbTv4BdH8K_64tlp1VEjsuFQcaXbDt4OhkxltEG3AUL64nIAS0MkE34Lm-WgoPvSEriRhuixT4/s1600/Couple1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUByf7NGYxfywCq9vWDpHqgZzyD9bUi-bnDMRX0_R6c3mR1NVXCiYJOr7WtRDmKELucbTv4BdH8K_64tlp1VEjsuFQcaXbDt4OhkxltEG3AUL64nIAS0MkE34Lm-WgoPvSEriRhuixT4/s400/Couple1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGktZ2lEv6_RrPZgBTMFMWscBNlopKcsqJLJo6wSpRFvDg2vy4HxDsDIgBVfxNfW0XoTPYGfwQ9iWakHcORP1je2PsalBqTlnrcWTRDHVvECOdZotZjxhaTM7DogzqU3hmgdwo0fP0oQ0/s1600/Couple2_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGktZ2lEv6_RrPZgBTMFMWscBNlopKcsqJLJo6wSpRFvDg2vy4HxDsDIgBVfxNfW0XoTPYGfwQ9iWakHcORP1je2PsalBqTlnrcWTRDHVvECOdZotZjxhaTM7DogzqU3hmgdwo0fP0oQ0/s400/Couple2_pp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWnLdy6Y0r5HfxwV89DP2RMFe8xiEQizpuOunuEoTdGzbtDbzNGQLsLoLoZrd46KiQT_8N1ektfX6qdUKhkrZ8FdgN6xZcNNud9vT0I-4zYRpX3jvw25dEN_3fg_YvIkogD1ePwZ0nEE/s1600/Couple3_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWnLdy6Y0r5HfxwV89DP2RMFe8xiEQizpuOunuEoTdGzbtDbzNGQLsLoLoZrd46KiQT_8N1ektfX6qdUKhkrZ8FdgN6xZcNNud9vT0I-4zYRpX3jvw25dEN_3fg_YvIkogD1ePwZ0nEE/s640/Couple3_pp.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPUpeV2ySY1paTZZE9-3N2Shr7JcGcyqO8JvHvzCbbcpBSWL7T4Goyg6ttRSyKTxgmQGCUkeYS9gcyC2UO9-tHdjpFEmOHonPEMAFUTAPgDLyx-RrzyIEPZC3kwp3dF99k3kKxBlo5bGs/s1600/Couple4_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPUpeV2ySY1paTZZE9-3N2Shr7JcGcyqO8JvHvzCbbcpBSWL7T4Goyg6ttRSyKTxgmQGCUkeYS9gcyC2UO9-tHdjpFEmOHonPEMAFUTAPgDLyx-RrzyIEPZC3kwp3dF99k3kKxBlo5bGs/s400/Couple4_pp.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBy592up3-5Hk3eRB7tEexcEo3vIhWPzbvbCcTSy-r5dEkh7CrXcdugj1mKfZmK8cWUZjWKFMSQigBAJQiIZXM4EhODj_HiIr86PlLE9zol8vgQo96o5-g5JYDl9kdXWqsc20f47VrqEE/s1600/Couple5_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBy592up3-5Hk3eRB7tEexcEo3vIhWPzbvbCcTSy-r5dEkh7CrXcdugj1mKfZmK8cWUZjWKFMSQigBAJQiIZXM4EhODj_HiIr86PlLE9zol8vgQo96o5-g5JYDl9kdXWqsc20f47VrqEE/s400/Couple5_pp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Wishing them all the best, and hoping they come back for <i>all </i>their anniversaries!!</div>
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Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-39837474823830684972013-05-30T17:43:00.000-10:002013-06-03T15:59:09.512-10:00Vintage Postcard Wedding<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last night, I was up at Kapalua Bay photographing an intimate wedding on the beach. The bride was wearing a gorgeous, ruffled creation and the groom a soft, wheat-colored suit with a polka-dot lining. The sunset light was gentle, diffused with a hint of glow, and as I surveyed the scene, all I could think of was those vintage-y Hawaiian postcards of golden sunsets with pastel-toned backgrounds and swaying palm trees. I've recently become a fan of <a href="http://www.kerneerickson.com/about-kerne" target="_blank">Kerne Erickson</a>, an artist who renders beautiful and nostalgic images like this one, reminiscent of old advertising posters. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9uUQuEDgVY0NUbzTsFTu4TeOcQCWdorP65Sl121917qkohCahb3S013P2qIrurgdhEapzfCwPTG0YYHO8-rYSQ-6nC9vBv29C27dkacbOrnliH49IYermxuOrUNVXBg4pLjmDRVXu0uI/s1600/Kerne-Aloha-Hawaii3-300x194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9uUQuEDgVY0NUbzTsFTu4TeOcQCWdorP65Sl121917qkohCahb3S013P2qIrurgdhEapzfCwPTG0YYHO8-rYSQ-6nC9vBv29C27dkacbOrnliH49IYermxuOrUNVXBg4pLjmDRVXu0uI/s400/Kerne-Aloha-Hawaii3-300x194.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artwork © Kerne Erickson</td></tr>
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As I was editing the photos from the wedding today, I decided to experiment a little with some of the filters in Lightroom, although the final images are really a complex composite of work in not only Lightroom, but also Photoshop and Portrait Professional. For those of you interested in the process beyond basic editing, I began by applying the Cold Process 3 Lightroom Color Preset to the photos, then went from there. I tweaked the levels, tonal range and saturation until I got what I wanted. The first one is my favorite photo, which was actually one I intentionally over-exposed (I already knew I was going to try to "vintagize" them today), while the others are straight-forward in terms of exposure. Goes to show how important the final output is to your shooting workflow! Drop me a line and tell me what you think about the effect. I'd love to hear thoughts on filters in general: can they be fun, or are they too gimmicky? There's never a wrong way, just a different way of thinking. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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K.A.<br />
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<br />Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-28501260723488329232013-05-19T16:07:00.001-10:002013-05-19T16:07:08.735-10:00Photographing the Martin Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
You may not believe it, but sometimes the weather isn't perfect in Maui. Especially last week, when it rained every single day. It can be frustrating for a photographer, because clients reschedule and cancel left and right, and I can hardly blame them. The Martin family is one of those clients I wish others could emulate. They planned their session far in advance, and left a nice margin between their session and the day they were leaving, "just in case." They were relaxed and took the weather in stride, which was a good thing because we had to wait until four o'clock on the day of their session to make sure that the weather would hold. It was still grayish and overcast when we set out, not necessarily a bad thing. As you can see by the photos below, the golden overcast skies made their skin tones glow, and no one was fighting a sun squint or had awkward shadows cutting across their faces. The family also trusted me to pick their location (Kapalua Bay), and to select a shot sequence list (aside from a few certain key photo arrangements they wanted). It is so fabulous to be able to photograph this way, because it frees me up to be really creative and to capture the family in a way that is aesthetically pleasing. For potential portrait clients reading this, I always recommend finding a photographer whose work and aesthetic you enjoy, and then letting them "do their thing." Try not to force a photographer to create a photo the way you want it to be, because chances are, it will not happen, and you will end up disappointed. As a photographer, I am quite confident of my skills, and as long as I know that my clients are aware of how I shoot and what my style looks like, I can guarantee that we will end up with a successful portfolio.</div>
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This session was particularly special because Mom and Dad were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary, and the family was traveling together for the first time in a long time. It had also been way too many years since they'd had a family portrait taken together. This first photo is a traditional "ice breaker" pose I almost always start with. It loosens people up, and it is similar to other poses I will be using later on in the session, so they can remember it and fall in quickly when required.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSk-ZK1OhHM-LmRplDJT3RMeXW7eqr92P0d5G81FiWpYa0rSwCFoKgBHzm7Jur5Zg6YBin9x4ae0gb9-RDihzjRbAWCND9KE-bNRMWGzFVfNH1xyqfiXDq7_atKB8RYMTyyHhsNj5WIA/s1600/Martin_2_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSk-ZK1OhHM-LmRplDJT3RMeXW7eqr92P0d5G81FiWpYa0rSwCFoKgBHzm7Jur5Zg6YBin9x4ae0gb9-RDihzjRbAWCND9KE-bNRMWGzFVfNH1xyqfiXDq7_atKB8RYMTyyHhsNj5WIA/s400/Martin_2_pp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZZFClCRSPs0T-E5GhCXzvuPAid8TiGrITzZNn29XpVLp07ZTiWXAhTTOXbYjClUqzcapx8Dt_lT73aq9GPYDJehJuhKFUQyYV_0fd7BLp63o3ndqhR0b4DxQnzUpL_bUtURq_jYllg8/s1600/Martin_3_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZZFClCRSPs0T-E5GhCXzvuPAid8TiGrITzZNn29XpVLp07ZTiWXAhTTOXbYjClUqzcapx8Dt_lT73aq9GPYDJehJuhKFUQyYV_0fd7BLp63o3ndqhR0b4DxQnzUpL_bUtURq_jYllg8/s400/Martin_3_pp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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A challenging situation that photographers face when photographing the different people of a family is how to politely ask individual people to either be in the photo, or to excuse themselves for a photo for a certain shot. In this instance, the daughter's boyfriend was traveling with the family, so it was understood he would be in some photos, but not all. What I recommend is the following:</div>
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<ul>
<li><b>Photographer</b>: discuss and lay out the shot list with the organizing individual (usually Mom) before the session, so you are all on the same page. As a bonus, you will know exactly what the client wants, and can avoid the disappointment of not getting a photo that the family wishes had been taken. Before the session begins, gather the people around and explain to them what you will be taking, give a general layout of your shot list, and tell them what is expected of them. Do not ignore special requests; sometimes these become the most cherished photos of the session. </li>
<li><b>Clients</b>: discuss the shot list with the other members of the family. Add that they are welcome to request special photos that are not included in the list. (As a photographer, I am paid for my time. Some photographers are different, they may charge for the number of people. Basically, when you set up a session with me, I photograph for 45 minutes to one hour, and get in as much as I can, so I actually request of families to get really creative and get in all those shots they want and take advantage of their time. A good client will allow that I am familiar with the location and with the time and will let me define the flow of the session around special requests. Discuss this with your photographer before the session). </li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLWbfjlEd49OEOyvvrELaueUTybiHVA-ori8T58QhgsNcxq8KdMlydw9zHjTQrlbbkG4P3hFI3rxnU9BCo708cyu5VesISLQpCGBIFstFPVBnLEfTSpgKCROYBcVILqYPyKBMJ7CN5g4/s1600/Martin_4_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLWbfjlEd49OEOyvvrELaueUTybiHVA-ori8T58QhgsNcxq8KdMlydw9zHjTQrlbbkG4P3hFI3rxnU9BCo708cyu5VesISLQpCGBIFstFPVBnLEfTSpgKCROYBcVILqYPyKBMJ7CN5g4/s640/Martin_4_pp.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiusMNmeo7sQTIYTIpB0aqfAuALc68tN-FbmMFtaKRgSCLqPoKBiUV483PQFwlLtI6rtPR0_xWEKqwOYYj-DIO3iH2CPc7qPYiq3xGUmVYemjbzkDqE58ENyeFO5nuz4nxJROaDJZynGg/s1600/Martin_7_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiusMNmeo7sQTIYTIpB0aqfAuALc68tN-FbmMFtaKRgSCLqPoKBiUV483PQFwlLtI6rtPR0_xWEKqwOYYj-DIO3iH2CPc7qPYiq3xGUmVYemjbzkDqE58ENyeFO5nuz4nxJROaDJZynGg/s400/Martin_7_pp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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As I was pretty sure would happen, the sun dropped below the cloud line and created this amazing, dazzling show of light before it slid down over the horizon. I could not have asked for better lighting, and I was able to get the clients these stellar family and anniversary photos. They were an absolute pleasure to work with, and I look forward to seeing them again next year!</div>
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K.A.</div>
Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-16703099027530801362013-05-14T17:41:00.000-10:002013-05-14T17:41:44.692-10:00Photographing Little Leilani<div style="text-align: justify;">
This morning, I got to photograph a sweet little Island Princess named Leilani. She was wearing the most adorable frilly pink dress, just absolutely dreamy. Parents will often ask how they should dress their children, and my first answer is "age-appropriate!" Let them be little kids. Let them be playful. Let the little boys come in with scabs and marker scribbles on their hands, the little girls with chipped glitter nail polish and their favorite red boots. They're not this cute forever. Letting them be themselves brings out the best in them. Not enough parents do photo sessions just for their kids, missing out on a tremendous opportunity to create permanent memories of such a short time in their lives. Consider booking an appointment just for your kids; do the family later. The photographer will appreciate having this time just to focus on your child. Being loose and having no time constraints brings out all those happy (photogenic) smiles. See? Isn't she the cutest? </div>
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K.A.<br /><br />Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-20725431664165186032013-05-13T12:08:00.000-10:002013-05-13T12:08:35.600-10:00Photographing Individuals<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am often asked if photographing "the famous" makes me nervous, and the answer is yes, although not for the reasons you would think. Photographing "professionals" is actually a piece of cake: the know what they are doing, they respond well to direction and posing instructions, they are not afraid of the camera, and they have been thoroughly "prepped" to look their best (i.e. makeup, hair, wardrobe, etc.). I only get nervous about the unexpected or unknown, such as impromptu shoots, or additional people, weather conditions, or other such matters. Photographing "everyday Joes" is definitely much more challenging, in this sense, than celebrities. </div>
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Very few people like having their portraits made, that's a fact. For some reason or another, our society correlates being comfortable in your own skin as a form of vanity, which is a negative thing. I truly feel sad for generations of women who are insecure about their physical selves because they were always convinced that being happy and decisive about their looks (and "over it") was akin to being vain. While I strongly wish that all women over the age of thirty should have a solid sense of who they are, are okay with the way they look, know what looks good on them and are instinctive about their wardrobe decisions, this is simply not the reality. More and more often than not, I see women reach high levels of anxiety and discomfort before, during, and after their photo session. Another photographer joked with me one time that being a portrait photographer requires you to be a trained psychologist 50% of the time: reassuring people, listening to their woes, telling them "no, you're not fat or ugly," or simply managing to work around a myriad of insecurities. Photographs and portraits are a fact of life, they will happen, and for those prospective clients out there reading this (and photographers who wish to make it easier on their clients), here are a few strong but simple tips to help guide you to success (and, ladies, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allison-tate/mom-pictures-with-kids_b_1926073.html" target="_blank">read this article</a> about <i>why</i> portraits are so important):</div>
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<li><b>Photographers</b>: never book for the same day. Allow one or a few days between booking and actual session so that the client has time to "set their mind" to the task. <b>Clients</b>: make time for your photograph. Find a photographer while you're on vacation, for example, so you can look fresh and happy. Try not to book on weekends; you'll be forced to "make time" during the week, and this will push you to be more responsible about how you look.</li>
<li>Strongly recommend to the ladies that they take their time to get their hair and makeup done, and get a professional manicure and pedicure. Have people you can recommend, with variable price ranges. For clients, if you cannot afford this, do it yourself. A little bit of care goes a long way. </li>
<li>Recommend that people wear what they feel comfortable in, not what is "trendy." Ask women, in particular, to choose between two or three different outfits. Ask them to wear colors that are good for their skin tone. For clients, you can ask someone you trust to tell you what you look good in. Ask them to be honest, and don't take it personal. </li>
<li>I've always been told to tell clients to wear minimal jewelry, but instead I have found that interesting jewelry helps to elevate the clients' confidence level, especially when they are "showing it off." Pose ladies, in particular, with an emphasis on wedding rings or other poignant jewelry. Clients, don't wear something that makes you feel vulnerable or "weird!" </li>
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This wonderful lady in these sample photos teaches volumes about being prepared for a portrait session. She may not be a celebrity, but she took the time to get her hair done (she did it herself), has on simple but appropriate make-up, got a brand-new manicure and pedicure (used a <a href="http://www.livingsocial.com/" target="_blank">LivingSocial</a> coupon!), and chose simple clothes in color tonalities that worked perfectly with her skin tone, body and shape. It made my job incredibly easy, because when I posed her, I did not have to worry about hiding bad nails, lopsided makeup, or wrinkled or hitched-up clothing. As I find it very important to include the hands in my portraits, the photos were instantly successful due to her bright nails and interesting jewelry. I was able to work with her in different environments and in different poses, without having to adjust for "inconveniences." </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</span></td></tr>
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She was definitely happy about her photos, and I did remind her that most of that was due to her, and thanked her for taking the time to prepare. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Canon EOS Rebel t4i (camera)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Canon EX 600EX-RT Speedlight (flash)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Canon 17-55mm (lens)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always photograph using manual settings. Usually, I photography at ISO 200, except at sunset, when I like to "soften" the images, and I use an ISO 400. I set my background first, usually around 1/200 or 1/125 for speed. Since I use a camera-mounted flash, I set that usually at 0 TTL (depending on the light--if the light behind the subject is strong, I bump it up all the way to 3 TTL), and then I work on my f-stop (usually between 5.6 and 14). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photos were edited using Adobe Lightroom 4, Photoshop 6, and Portrait Professional.</span></div>
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As always, come back for more tips on photographing people and taking portraits, and check out some previous posts by clicking on the different topic labels to the right. </div>
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K.A.</div>
Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-32316952510131191032013-05-09T17:46:00.000-10:002013-05-13T12:08:51.117-10:00Photographing Families<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well, hello there! This post is part of the foundation for a new collection of work that I'll be showing soon. I'm working on an introduction piece on photographing people, so come back soon to check that one out. I promise that it will be very interesting! Photographing people is always a challenge, but hopefully with a few tips here and there, you'll become great at it in no time. I'll be showcasing different sessions as often as I can, and I'd like to start with this one I did last night around the Ka'anapali area in West Maui. This lovely family, from Orange County, California, vacations on the island almost every year, and I had the privilege of photographing them during a gorgeous and luminous Maui sunset. I picked my favorite ones from each set.</div>
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We've all heard about the "Golden Hour" of photography, or that moment in time right around sunset, when the skies turn a beautiful and soft yellow, with pink and lilac undertones. It's important to remember that although the sunset is nice and all, using the light appropriately is more important. Using the sunset as a support light, rather than your main light, intensifies its effects, and shows off those colors behind your subjects. On western Maui, it is easy to offset your clients, since the sun usually sets slight off-center from the coastline. I use a soft ISO--400--and set my camera to manual. First, I find my correct background exposure speed (usually about 1/200 or 1/125) and then set my on-camera flash on 0 at TTL. I adjust my f-stop accordingly (usually 8 or 5.6, rarely lower, or else I risk lots of troublesome soft focus). For this shot, giving the girl something to hold on to made her hands seems less fidgety. Men and small children often don't know what to do with their hands, so I make sure to give them a pose immediately. I try to keep the hands in the photo whenever possible, I feel that they are aesthetically important, as well as grounding. </div>
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Babies are always a trip. Sometimes, you have to think outside the box to get them to do what you want. Try non-traditional poses. It felt awkward for the family to stand this way, but in the end, it worked, the light worked, and the baby was happy. Nothing matters in the end unless the photo works. </div>
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Is there anything prettier than this? Little girls usually love to feel pretty (who doesn't?), so complimenting them, and telling them so, helps bunches when producing these types of photos. Classical poses for women can be found all over the last thousand years of portraiture, from painting to photography. Study different artists that you enjoy. I particularly find much of my inspiration in dramatic posing from the 1920s and in post-Illumination French paintings and Art Deco. Don't be afraid of femininity or masculinity; make sure to flaunt those traits, such as beautiful, flowing hair, or well-toned arms and solid chins. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7I5VZONgqclag7RQV9fJDKWeRwCyqcW_GdBsSJ2r-1A1tNbe9iQMRsFJl0rDAh1R5igHP1PRCfNVlAp5KxxsNbGV2jYsgpIx2hQYbgTvIvvaqQq_2e4SMj0ybBW4-aMhk8a8a3dk4Lo/s1600/Poole_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7I5VZONgqclag7RQV9fJDKWeRwCyqcW_GdBsSJ2r-1A1tNbe9iQMRsFJl0rDAh1R5igHP1PRCfNVlAp5KxxsNbGV2jYsgpIx2hQYbgTvIvvaqQq_2e4SMj0ybBW4-aMhk8a8a3dk4Lo/s640/Poole_3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The big family usually strikes a chord of terror in photographers' hearts. I recommend getting this shot out of the way first. Get solid on your posing, and you can never act a fool enough while holding the camera (to get their attention). Adults and children both will be entertained, and not fail to smile. Wear a funny hat, sing, dance, do whatever you need to hold people's attention. Nail your exposure the first time, while they are getting ready, so that you can shoot off a string of photos to get the perfect one.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDvqSrNRtsslCOg3sHhkA4qnGsMoEtw0cSXprmitJAGX6vQszyNJ9tQVp3qfz2pvPr9hkeisUls2DOMyHZGZpBPELez7u9QBdfv4zPLmcq1C7KXka6iKT1g3KkvF2uePfs-jc1V0E1sU/s1600/Poole_4_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDvqSrNRtsslCOg3sHhkA4qnGsMoEtw0cSXprmitJAGX6vQszyNJ9tQVp3qfz2pvPr9hkeisUls2DOMyHZGZpBPELez7u9QBdfv4zPLmcq1C7KXka6iKT1g3KkvF2uePfs-jc1V0E1sU/s640/Poole_4_pp.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
These two photos here are an example of good, solid, old-fashioned posing. I know many photographers who shun traditional posing, or insist on being "modern," whatever that means. What I can tell you is that there is a reason why it works: it looks good, it makes people feel good, it's familiar, and if it's not broke, don't fix it. Remember, rules are made to be broken, but only if you know those rules inside out. Get your classical poses down before you attempt "modern" (again, whatever that is).</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1N9aIgQbwjhEw2cazoOjhERNdgvAUKkxoRd0FkNI1LUaDumUXmn8V4QLULuzg4jr2iOWkXMFbUmHG_qNcH5BfRFHhB-mbYCRyvG3DWT1seQfLTtsU2oXlXb9tgVzOhaLu0cMON50PfJo/s1600/Poole_5_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1N9aIgQbwjhEw2cazoOjhERNdgvAUKkxoRd0FkNI1LUaDumUXmn8V4QLULuzg4jr2iOWkXMFbUmHG_qNcH5BfRFHhB-mbYCRyvG3DWT1seQfLTtsU2oXlXb9tgVzOhaLu0cMON50PfJo/s640/Poole_5_pp.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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These last three are all samples of traditional posing in family photography. A few notes:<br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Watch those horizon lines. Keep them below the heads; this may mean getting down lower on the ground. Practice with this idea; you will see how the photo "weighs" differently with the horizon line above or below the head lines. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Be aware of the "Rule of Thirds." Use your space in a circular manner, and keep those horizon lines / trees / posts away from the center lines. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Use an "open book" design: think of the two halves of a book, opened, either laid flat or partway. Angle people in such a way that it appears like an "open book." This is also a good visual to give people so they understand how you want them to stand.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Pose in order of importance: grandparents, babies, couples, children, etc. in the center, and then radiating out. Resist the urge to throw babies off to the side, or split couples up (yes, you can break the rules, sometimes, but knowing when is dire). If one individual's presence is stronger than the others', put them front and center, and use their energy to focus the photograph. Usually, it's these folks who make or break the photo, so pose them accordingly. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Make sure everyone knows what to do with their hands!!!</li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aPXXXE1aElYlcI0zu8VuN9lSLizDx-f8H5e5byIzT9mowjHnzFDJMIKAgO80LJU49CJEiE1-ZgQ2nxT0LUbrMVooYwEPQ9ZEuvYkG1uf4n4JLNOl2Uf-LJWc7wUpB22_cPWLkNNHhfE/s1600/Poole_6_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aPXXXE1aElYlcI0zu8VuN9lSLizDx-f8H5e5byIzT9mowjHnzFDJMIKAgO80LJU49CJEiE1-ZgQ2nxT0LUbrMVooYwEPQ9ZEuvYkG1uf4n4JLNOl2Uf-LJWc7wUpB22_cPWLkNNHhfE/s640/Poole_6_pp.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEnQQuCHs2GAGfGSZQP1RYn1sACocuTmesYRHIFazbfI6iPIVd8D-fh69y8hYtfd0wjqwuIUT7ZdcPhYRVnnn_UkuADA2NBso-jBJt5XjdOoj9faBKZgXfZ3MYNozJifyCj8TWrYtV-Q/s1600/Poole_8_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEnQQuCHs2GAGfGSZQP1RYn1sACocuTmesYRHIFazbfI6iPIVd8D-fh69y8hYtfd0wjqwuIUT7ZdcPhYRVnnn_UkuADA2NBso-jBJt5XjdOoj9faBKZgXfZ3MYNozJifyCj8TWrYtV-Q/s640/Poole_8_pp.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97hUIKp-QG5gqD3jcb66D8JHdTBMDt1q95ZJocy0sAtLvdP99VbxOKOJuipRdbzJogWQNVzd7yuQ1hfOWzXPfxnkDgYX0LAHcqs7nOTwhITd1SEpkEx4a6udtKb04ht7l4zk3ewVHiPE/s1600/Poole_9_pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97hUIKp-QG5gqD3jcb66D8JHdTBMDt1q95ZJocy0sAtLvdP99VbxOKOJuipRdbzJogWQNVzd7yuQ1hfOWzXPfxnkDgYX0LAHcqs7nOTwhITd1SEpkEx4a6udtKb04ht7l4zk3ewVHiPE/s640/Poole_9_pp.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Katherine Agurcia 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Reproduction Prohibited</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Feel free to ask any questions, I'll be glad to answer! Stay tuned for more portrait series and tips. </div>
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<div>
<b><u>Technical information:</u></b></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div>
Canon EOS Rebel t4i (camera)</div>
<div>
Canon EX 600EX-RT Speedlight (flash)</div>
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Canon 17-55mm (lens)</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
I always photograph using manual settings. Usually, I photography at ISO 200, except at sunset, when I like to "soften" the images, and I use an ISO 400. I set my background first, usually around 1/200 or 1/125 for speed. Since I use a camera-mounted flash, I set that usually at 0 TTL (depending on the light--if the light behind the subject is strong, I bump it up all the way to 3 TTL), and then I work on my f-stop (usually between 5.6 and 14). </div>
<div>
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<div>
Photos were edited using Adobe Lightroom 4, Photoshop 6, and Portrait Professional.</div>
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<b>K.A. </b></div>
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Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-61410162087085960502013-02-17T11:44:00.000-10:002013-02-17T11:44:47.406-10:00"Necessary" Equipment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmE3nwo42g72Kq7PB-gjweh17QTXWS1og2GaVhMF-0CwPF75D-1V1Z2yjysA4lfck2bPMigCgO6-Ibikq6Xh_lBz_ZXQIgsLeMZx0k1L-J2g_EZKAnjoSuEGn-Sn9EQulEqPy5YcRYEaU/s1600/SamHaskinsQuote.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmE3nwo42g72Kq7PB-gjweh17QTXWS1og2GaVhMF-0CwPF75D-1V1Z2yjysA4lfck2bPMigCgO6-Ibikq6Xh_lBz_ZXQIgsLeMZx0k1L-J2g_EZKAnjoSuEGn-Sn9EQulEqPy5YcRYEaU/s400/SamHaskinsQuote.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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A question I get asked often:</div>
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<b>"What equipment is 'necessary' to be a well-rounded photographer?"</b></div>
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You're not going to like the truth. People sometimes think that if they have the "right" tools, then their work is suddenly going to be fantastic. The reality is that the work is only as successful as it can be in relation to the amount of effort that is put into it. Just like one can't run a marathon on a whim, and instead must practice and become disciplined, so it is with photography. A camera is not a magical tool that turns anyone into an artist; instead, it is a medium that an artist uses to create their vision. </div>
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A had a professor in college whose favorite question to new students was, "who controls the outcome of the image, the photography, the camera, or the subject?" This is a question I have posed before on this blog, and one whose answer I will reinforce again: it is, always has been, and always will be <i>the photographer</i>. Any romantic ideas to the contrary will only work against the photographer. There is a reason why professional photographers are often stereotyped as being bossy, pushy and rather cold. It is a profession that demands distance and emotional detachment. As unattractive as it sounds, it is necessary that we do not get involved in the nuanced drama of our surroundings. And yes, I do hear your grumbling murmurs of disagreement: "well, didn't it work for that one guy?" There are always going to be exceptions, and yes, a little affection for your subject can go a long way, but for the most part, these same photographers are still firm in their belief that they are the sole creators of their photo.</div>
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Before I go on, I want to make sure that we all understand (me and you, the reader), that my comments are directed at those who consider themselves "serious" photographers, as in, people who have not only invested "serious" amounts of money into their equipment, but also "serious" amounts of time, not only in the act of photographing, but also in research, printing, manipulation of the images, and in the creation of cohesive collections of work. Everyone has differing ideas as to what is "necessary" in an equipment arsenal, and I expect some argument from other photographers, but here is my personal list to cover all bases:</div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li>A computer. I consider this more important than a camera. Blasphemy, you say. Well, here is my logic. Cameras these days are cheap, and they are everywhere, even on your phone. Anyone can take a photo. What they can't always do is manipulate it, store it, and share it. A computer will allow you to do all these, and set you on a course for building your own studio.</li>
<li>Photoshop. I don't like the word 'purist.' To me, being a purist, as it is modernly defined, is exclusionary. As an artist, I am always intrigued by the potential for undiscovered tools. For a photographer, Photoshop should be a requirement, if only to fix pesky uneven horizons, or to equalize colors, or merely to prepare an image for print. Photoshop is expensive, user-unfriendly, and a hassle, but it is a <i>necessity</i>. </li>
<li>Okay, now you need a camera. Sure, a nice digital SLR is great, but I have also taught students with no financial possibility of acquiring one, and this did not stop them: they used old, defunct mobile phones, the photocopier at the library, a public scanner, and even old photographic paper. If you can't wrap your head around this, then you need to educate yourself and re-examine the history and definition of "photography." Thus, you will see why a computer and a means to manipulate and share your images is more important. Now, in case that you <i>can</i> afford a single-lens reflex camera, you don't have to immediately go in whole hog: just something that can shoot in manual mode will do, and preferably one that has interchangeable lenses.</li>
<li>Lenses: creative opportunities in photography abound with lenses (or the lack thereof: such as in pinhole photography). Plastic lenses can be as much fun as glass lenses. Keep in mind that the better the glass, the sharper and "better" the photos, and therefore, more expensive. In an ideal world, these are the lens sizes I would own:</li>
<ul>
<li>Wide-angle: at least a 10mm, for shooting interiors and architecture.</li>
<li>A variable lens, from at least 28mm to 70mm, preferably 135mm, for those "general" shots. This is a good carry-around lens that gets most jobs done.</li>
<li>A fixed 50mm lens, for food shots. Best lens ever for food shots.</li>
<li>A fixed 85mm lens for portraits. This is the magic size for getting the most realistic-looking portraits.</li>
<li>A zoom lens, 100mm-300mm. This is also a secret weapon for portraits. And, of course, for getting those far-off shots. </li>
</ul>
<li>A light source. I'm okay with speed lights, and they have their use, but I will exchange them for a single strobe any day. Any strobe will do. There are pretty cheap ones out there. The reason behind this is that offset light beats direct light any day. A set of strobes is invaluable. You get extra-credit for getting strobes that can hold a charge and can be transported outside without the need for power cables. </li>
<li>Stands of all kinds, and tripods. Rig your own, it doesn't matter. You need stands to rig your cameras, lights, and other photo stuff. Clamps, too. You can find some great DIY sites on the Internet; Home Depot is your new best friend.</li>
<li>A scanner. A good photo scanner can pull multiple duties, including as a camera! Add it to your now-growing studio for extra effectiveness.</li>
</ul>
<div>
What about a printer? Well, to be honest, I am always fighting with printers, and although I would love to have a fancy one in my home, printing has come so far and so cheaply that I leave it up to the experts, and I work with a few online that only accept work from professional photographers. Remember, printing is as much of a skill on its own as photography is, so it might not benefit you at all to do this yourself. Your time is the most expensive thing of all!</div>
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Although I have not endorsed specific products on these pages, I'd be happy to share my current preferences through private message or e-mail. Send me your thoughts and I'll reply as soon as I can. There are so many new products coming out every day that my preferences might change month to month. </div>
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Use this list as a blueprint to build your own arsenal of "necessities," and don't be shy about sharing your own list! </div>
Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-5702309495401776682012-10-13T09:05:00.000-10:002012-10-13T09:05:56.218-10:00New Artist<div style="text-align: justify;">
New artist is up on the digital gallery. The artist is Beth Maciorowski, from Northampton, Massachusetts. Take a look at her work <a href="http://www.katherineagurcia.com/anotherwiseemptyroom/featured-artist" target="_blank">here</a>, or click on the "gallery" button above. Drop her a line if you are interested in her work.</div>
Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-79405955515505525762012-05-31T12:37:00.000-10:002012-06-02T12:38:11.544-10:00What Stays and What Goes<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>"Pay attention to 'outliers.' They're your worst enemies. They're your best friend." ~John-Paul Caponigro</b></div>
</blockquote>
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Putting together a portfolio collection of photographs is hard business. Perhaps it's not quite as drastic as Sophie's Choice, but deciding which images stay and which images go can be an intense and excruciating experience. <a href="http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/8660/outliers/" target="_blank">Here</a> is a fascinating example of this process by esteemed photographer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Paul_Caponigro" target="_blank">John-Paul Caponigro</a>.</div>
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Celebrated photographer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansel_Adams" target="_blank">Ansel Adams</a> said once that "twelve significant photographs in one year is a good crop." Considering that the classic number of photographs in a portfolio is between fifteen and twenty, one can easily add up at least the time commitment that goes into creating a body of work, and that doesn't yet take into account the cost of producing them, or the effort put into working on them.</div>
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Many professional photographers separate themselves both academically and commercially from the herd by labeling themselves as "series photographers." These are the ones most likely to create cohesive bodies of work that will be published in book form, or exhibited as a collective in a gallery. Some photographers are content to produce "stand-alone" images, usually destined for the commercial market. </div>
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Usually, we all start out as photographers looking for "the one." This is our best one, our prodigal child. This keeper (at least in the beginning), is what usually sets the tone for future work. This progression is not unique to photography, but it is also found in other arts, including literature. For example, some writers might flex their muscles in various genre, until "breaking through" in one particular field, and then continuing in that direction steadfastly. </div>
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When I was working on my graduate school thesis, this is the photograph that became "the one:"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXtAvHW0Nl2I6N5KXz9syau1fFighZO-OViG1j2WYiYYTP2c8h8rGk2dm4mkyZhhdMonmJfW_BdLHNBHq8FYHkM7UUod_eM8A3ecojO4AYnl-9LZPSAjfpbFY7T5x2b19dUpw3bO7nOw/s1600/Maggie+PROOF.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXtAvHW0Nl2I6N5KXz9syau1fFighZO-OViG1j2WYiYYTP2c8h8rGk2dm4mkyZhhdMonmJfW_BdLHNBHq8FYHkM7UUod_eM8A3ecojO4AYnl-9LZPSAjfpbFY7T5x2b19dUpw3bO7nOw/s400/Maggie+PROOF.tif" width="300" /></a></div>
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I had been working in frustration for many months, trying to blindly find a source of inspiration, and when I saw this image through the viewfinder of my camera, I knew this was it. The next fourteen or so images came in skips and spurts, and the collection came together almost as if by magic:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOpNx9HAVKlS7ZpXxdHSQZNOVaJVrSBhd6kxYmkGlR2dyezca7Z-GMiBFKqU7dqF9A0S_aq9QIwdLt-F6g0SwsFEBX4s4BGPVCS6Rk277cjN1SI6jDOkfcBkyRNsNzsma8su1dJR8xPU/s1600/ThesisThumbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOpNx9HAVKlS7ZpXxdHSQZNOVaJVrSBhd6kxYmkGlR2dyezca7Z-GMiBFKqU7dqF9A0S_aq9QIwdLt-F6g0SwsFEBX4s4BGPVCS6Rk277cjN1SI6jDOkfcBkyRNsNzsma8su1dJR8xPU/s640/ThesisThumbs.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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Not that there were images that didn't fit. In particular, I had a hard time with these two:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJF-bZfCmjRaAV0Gje2go6THxwpDL97QjMgeb0Le8N3HPaA4XxJX6YoZpdIY4sYJp41bRfs_6i1gO7-8f2UGKpPt4R0LDgucNfun0t8aPqsMlXE1rQiQucon-vQtMjnFymTShAXxgJXA/s1600/Genevieve+Ladies+PROOF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJF-bZfCmjRaAV0Gje2go6THxwpDL97QjMgeb0Le8N3HPaA4XxJX6YoZpdIY4sYJp41bRfs_6i1gO7-8f2UGKpPt4R0LDgucNfun0t8aPqsMlXE1rQiQucon-vQtMjnFymTShAXxgJXA/s400/Genevieve+Ladies+PROOF" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The reason I cut this one is that I felt there was too much interaction between the main character and the secondary characters. I didn't like what the story line was alluding to.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwI7s4DFOypv_yp1EIG2OQv-Yz8s_jCa75UYo-vhp3WCZpR3FJ-k_2jTlorZ1j0MTI0MupO5N9NglYq5DcL4vau9FK-x857nH2JxQyMnhGnjIB8nsyJTuGVGS9w0Qz0_wz6FIPGrHqvHY/s1600/Mandy+Guests+PROOF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwI7s4DFOypv_yp1EIG2OQv-Yz8s_jCa75UYo-vhp3WCZpR3FJ-k_2jTlorZ1j0MTI0MupO5N9NglYq5DcL4vau9FK-x857nH2JxQyMnhGnjIB8nsyJTuGVGS9w0Qz0_wz6FIPGrHqvHY/s400/Mandy+Guests+PROOF" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is went along the same lines. I've always been wary about text in images; the subtlety of the collection would have been lost with images like this one.</td></tr>
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Sometimes even "the one" doesn't make the cut (like a company's founding father that is no longer 'with it,' sometimes the board of directors has to make the tough choice of edging him out). It is this realization and the consequent decision of what ends up on the cutting room floor, that can be the most difficult to process for an artist. Both as a student and as a teacher, I saw artists during critique do pretty much anything to sway their critics (usually peers, teachers, or advisory committees) to allow them to keep the images in the portfolio: some had long, emotional tales attached to these images, for some the sheer financial investment was enough, some saw something in the image that not a single other person saw, some were convinced that this one image was powerful enough to carry all the other images, even if it didn't fit. People cried, became enraged, begged, had fits, wailed, argued, pleaded, or become despondent. What was clear to me, immediately, is that all artists, at some point when putting together a cohesive portfolio, lose sight of Rule # 1:</div>
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<b>Do not become attached to your work.</b></div>
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We have heard it said from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhists" target="_blank">Buddhists</a> that <a href="http://viewonbuddhism.org/attachment.html" target="_blank">attachment is the source of all human suffering</a>. Whether or not we agree with the Buddhists, it is true that attachment can be deadly to the purpose. One of the best pieces of advice that I felt I was ever able to give to a student was to remind them that the point of photography was to tell the tale visually; if you need to attach a long, rambling account to the side of the image telling us <i>why</i> this image is important to the whole, then you've already missed the point.</div>
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Focus and intent are the two most important features of the collection. "The one" may help to add to guide the photographer in the direction that they want to go in, much like a plot line will tell the writer how his characters will act. One of my favorite photographers, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alec_Soth" target="_blank">Alec Soth</a>, <a href="http://littlebrownmushroom.wordpress.com/2010/09/16/on-lists/" target="_blank">used to carry a list</a> with him when he went out photographing; as a matter of fact, he turned it into his business card. In this way, he is not always setting out to photograph a specific thing beforehand, however if he manages to find it he will decide later whether it is a good fit for the "collection" or not. The idea of intent and focus have a direct correlation on Rule # 2:</div>
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<b>Shoot A LOT.</b></div>
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The more photographs you have taken with your collection in mind, the more you will have to choose from. Of course, this also exponentially increases the number of "outliers" in the bunch, images which for some reason or another, have captivated us so much that we have a hard time excluding them from the whole. Still, the amount of new and potential work far outweighs the risks of creating more attachment.</div>
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Another direct effect of shooting prodigiously with intent in mind, is the idea that, just as you get to know a person better by spending more time with them, the more you will become familiar with the tone, personality and weight of your project. Adjectives will begin to flow (melancholy, spirited, hopeless, lustful, complacent, for example). Physical attributes will emerge (strong verticals, color blocks, left-weighted focus). The more we become aware of these traits, the better we will be equipped to cut through our work. Strong pieces will be emboldened, and the strong pieces will support the more ambiguous ones. When we are finally ready, we can stride forward and apply Rule # 3:</div>
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<b>Kill Your Darlings</b></div>
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It is okay to love some of your work more than you love the rest, however when it comes to a portfolio, pieces that do not "play well" with the others do not deserve a spot. Perhaps these pieces will become symbols of new potential collections, or some may even be left to stand alone forever. It was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Quiller-Couch" target="_blank">Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch</a> who first posited this idea, in his enlightening passage on <a href="http://www.bartleby.com/190/12.html" target="_blank">style</a> in "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Art-Writing-Sir-Arthur-Quiller-Couch/dp/048645004X" target="_blank">On the Art of Writing</a><i>."</i> Since then, scores of artists have acknowledged that this is the key, the need to be bold, ruthless and decisive, in order to succeed. If you feel that your grouping would collectively suffer in poignancy by lack of dominant, stand-alone images, you are not thinking of or looking at the whole. For example, when we think of our favorite books, even though we may appreciate a few lines here or there above the rest, we do not usually think of the book individually by chapters, but by how it comes together as a unit. How many times have we thought, "well, that was a good movie, but all those special effects at the end really ruined it." Don't let your ego and your need for praise detract you from the storytelling. For that, there is always <a href="http://www.flickr.com/" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.<i> </i> </div>Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-64290913826658430302012-05-24T07:50:00.000-10:002012-05-29T07:51:50.597-10:00Legitimacy of Social Media in Journalism<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
"We also spent a great deal of time analyzing how we utilize and deploy photojournalists across all of our locations in the U.S. [...] We looked at the impact of user-generated content and social media, CNN iReporters and of course our affiliate contributions in breaking news. Consumer and pro-sumer technologies are simpler and more accessible. Small cameras are now high broadcast quality. More of this technology is in the hands of more people. After completing this analysis, CNN determined that some photojournalists will be departing the company."</blockquote>
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- <b>From <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/11/idUS39879393020111111" target="_blank">a CNN staff memo</a>, citing reasons for massive layoffs, 2011</b> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PheSw_w2qndIO_shM6nIE1WHJMkpUf1yeGmP0bFvGGTmNAnf6FjMDx4DyUmVZ7rJnnBYvIO-iKh9Rxa6SjooYlvPh1fQZ5sYeI_dhsb19f5QPvIJbOYbzJav6wvg3UB44R-DkDs8IY8/s1600/katrina-shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PheSw_w2qndIO_shM6nIE1WHJMkpUf1yeGmP0bFvGGTmNAnf6FjMDx4DyUmVZ7rJnnBYvIO-iKh9Rxa6SjooYlvPh1fQZ5sYeI_dhsb19f5QPvIJbOYbzJav6wvg3UB44R-DkDs8IY8/s200/katrina-shirt.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit <a href="http://stevebuttry.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/a-salute-to-the-times-picayune-i-hope-they-again-provide-an-example-for-journalism/" target="_blank">here</a>; T-shirt tribute after Katrina.</td></tr>
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This week, the <a href="http://www.nola.com/" target="_blank">New Orleans</a> <a href="http://www.nola.com/t-p/" target="_blank">Times-Picayune</a> announced that they were severely cutting back their print edition to three days a week, effectively eliminating daily print newspaper service for the city. Although other newspapers have been doing the same since the digital revolution, this is the first major American city to face the prospect of their direct news sources being available solely on the Internet.</div>
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Occurrences like these bring about legitimate questions, such as the impact on education, news dissemination to the poor, and further cultural detachment from the local environs. The American community's ties and access to the Internet have never before seemed so important, in an era when, for example, election outcomes can be determined by the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/13/pew-research-cell-phone-p_n_761760.html" target="_blank">percentage of eligible voting adults who own smartphones</a>.</div>
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Last week, we analyzed the rising use of iPhones for "serious" photography, and there is no type of photography more "serious" than <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photojournalism" target="_blank">photojournalism</a>. The debate has been raging, quietly, but there is a strong environment of polarity in this debate: people either love it or hate it. </div>
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The increasing use of social media around the world has put further pressure on photojournalists, whose numbers (in terms of gainful employment) have seen a drastic decline in recent years. In December of 2011, <a href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/business/2011/11/cnn-photojournalists-lose-jobs-cheaper-better-cameras/44906/" target="_blank">CNN laid off almost its entire photography cre</a>w. As more and more common citizens contribute to global digital journalism with their own pictures, professionals have seen themselves hard pressed to make a successful argument towards their usefulness. The term "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_journalism" target="_blank">citizen journalist</a>," is a catch-all term, which has existed for years, used to describe the local, first-person account of a newsworthy story by an untrained civilian. These citizen journalists, armed with web-ready mobile phones, are the new wave of visual newsmen, and a bane on the existence of professionals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpp4S32UDJortK5f2KDstRy9XlsrgEJeTSE03cojNGgvdwPEe380Zj01bB8-mpQ3rN55KC_HQsT7FEnS_x1NEtGvX6iQfZ92PAAfPjuENasgKQrYEpkwcKVyEc-eYAcMe3bDdA5aYexAw/s1600/grunts-life-337x340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpp4S32UDJortK5f2KDstRy9XlsrgEJeTSE03cojNGgvdwPEe380Zj01bB8-mpQ3rN55KC_HQsT7FEnS_x1NEtGvX6iQfZ92PAAfPjuENasgKQrYEpkwcKVyEc-eYAcMe3bDdA5aYexAw/s200/grunts-life-337x340.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit <a href="http://www.mactrast.com/2011/02/hipstamatic-photos-win-3rd-place-in-photojournalism-competition/" target="_blank">here</a>, © Damon Winter</td></tr>
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While most career photojournalists bemoan the death of their rubric, some, like <a href="http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/through-my-eye-not-hipstamatics/" target="_blank">Damon Winter</a> of the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/" target="_blank">New York Times</a>, see a window of creative opportunity, and have taken it to task. His portfolio, "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/world/asia/22grunts.html?_r=1" target="_blank">A Grunt's Life</a>," won an award from <a href="http://www.poyi.org/" target="_blank">Picture of the Year</a>. He is part of the derring-do new chorus of photographers, eschewing the pomp and circumstance of big cameras for the emotional pop and intimacy of "instant" formats. Even famed photojournalists, like <a href="http://www.pd-jkt.com/2011/02/25/james-nachtwey-has-a-new-hobby/" target="_blank">James Nachtwey</a> (today's generation's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Capa" target="_blank">Capa</a>), experiment with smaller formats in their spare time, and one must wonder how long it will be before they shed the heavy Victorian shroud of "seriousness," and embrace the possibilities of mobile "photography."<br />
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If we were to condense the unbreakable parameters of photojournalism, we would probably define a true photojournalistic photo as: un-retouched (or "raw"), well-composed, and un-biased. I believe that the public would like to think that we only truly have control over one of these parameters, but in truth the journalist also coherently chooses what he wants to photograph, which makes it biased towards their own aesthetic code, and "un-retouched" is really one big hippocratic ideal, because unless the photographer is plugging in his shutter speed and aperture at exactly the level of what the human eye sees, in those conditions, the effect is that the scene is ultimately "altered" and "touched up."<br />
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Damon Winter writes about this fact beautifully:<br />
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"People have covered war with plastic toy cameras. Most recently, <a href="http://www.erintrieb.com/" target="_blank">Erin Trieb</a> in Afghanistan. <a href="http://www.davidburnett.com/" target="_blank">David Burnett</a> used the tilt of his large format cameras to render major sporting events into miniature dioramas. <a href="http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.PhotographerDetail_VPage&l1=0&pid=2K7O3R13CHLN&nm=Paolo%20Pellegrin" target="_blank">Paolo Pellegrin</a> creates exquisite black-and-white images of major news events around the world that often more closely resemble paintings than photographs, using the same digital camera we all use. Each photographer uses a technique or tool that helps him or her to best tell the stories and all of their work has been acknowledged and celebrated. None of these techniques are grounded on the idea of visual accuracy but they are effectively used to tell stories, convey ideas and to enlighten, which is the real heart of our work."</blockquote>
Arguably, in working with mobile phones, and iPhones in particular, the un-nuanced parameters of photojournalism are greatly enhanced: applications like <a href="http://www.hipstamatic.com/" target="_blank">Hipstamatic</a>, for example, do not have integrated editing controls (not even cropping, which is popular tool for photojournalists, and a great reason for their harping by critics), and are only "modified" by internal filters which apply lighting, grain and vignetting effects at random. These photographs can also be "instant" story-tellers, by their inate digital properties that allow them to be uploaded to the Internet immediately. Is it perhaps this capability that most unnerves critics of the genre? Is it because the importance is no longer on aesthetic, but on accuracy and timeliness?<br />
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If so, we are only barely now embarking on a tremendous watershed moment. Perhaps what will be shed are the pounds of heavy equipment required these days for visual reporting. It would probably be a welcome change for photojournalists if their only equipment during travel and their stay in less-than-pleasant accommodations in war-torn places was a teeny little gadget that fit in the back pocket of their cargo pants. In the end, the debate over whether who the best and most sought-out photojournalist might not hinge on their talent, but on the speed of their Internet satellite connection.<br />
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<b>For more reading on this subject, the following articles might be of interest:</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.thewrap.com/media/column-post/cnn-lays-dozens-photojournalists-editors-32730?page=0,0">http://www.thewrap.com/media/column-post/cnn-lays-dozens-photojournalists-editors-32730?page=0,0</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.good.is/post/where-have-all-the-photojournalists-gone/">http://www.good.is/post/where-have-all-the-photojournalists-gone/</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2006/09/your-guide-to-citizen-journalism270.html">http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2006/09/your-guide-to-citizen-journalism270.html</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2007/07/stockwaves?currentPage=all">http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2007/07/stockwaves?currentPage=all</a></div>
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<br /></div>Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-88516577723834396892012-05-17T10:52:00.002-10:002012-05-17T10:52:53.486-10:00"iPhone-ography?" Is that even a Word?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKr0A_bKpqKRq2-Vvrl1avnwpFPjLeqAxMi_eSt34Fs8KRISDfLDnfMcPqBMjuZnITEAZEPP78t4-lkamadvH1lp3yR_8BEPHggUBpITBO1gM-GW3x7MAIkqspJHLPJJO2AzoLYYgzC10/s1600/timthumb.php.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKr0A_bKpqKRq2-Vvrl1avnwpFPjLeqAxMi_eSt34Fs8KRISDfLDnfMcPqBMjuZnITEAZEPP78t4-lkamadvH1lp3yR_8BEPHggUBpITBO1gM-GW3x7MAIkqspJHLPJJO2AzoLYYgzC10/s200/timthumb.php.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="http://www.thebeginnerslens.com/">www.thebeginnerslens.com</a></td></tr>
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There are a few things that instantly raise the hackles of any "professional" photographer. For example, ask one of your friends who considers themselves a serious member of this field about "<a href="http://youarenotaphotographer.com/" target="_blank">soccer mom" portrait studios</a>.</div>
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Everyone's personal pet peeves aside, nothing seems to be more contentious these days than "<a href="http://www.iphoneography.com/" target="_blank">iPhone-ography</a>;" or, more accurately, photographs taken, processed, and shared using an iPhone. With the recent $1-billion acquisition of <a href="http://instagr.am/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> by <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/facebook-purchases-instagram-photo-sharing-app-1-billion-182736026.html" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, the potential scale of iPhone-ography is just now starting to rear its (ugly?) head. Other digital apps, like <a href="http://hipstamatic.com/the_app.html" target="_blank">Hipstamatic</a>, are only helping to increase the availability of <a href="http://photojojo.com/store/" target="_blank">photo resources</a> on-the-cheap to budding "<a href="http://www.takeoffyourmommygoggles.com/consumers/what-is-a-fauxtographer-2/" target="_blank">fauxtographers</a>."</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyetYZ5VGe54HtqTmA50oRNKgUoUHz6zt9AXB99GHWmzghRJlO4jYfPvyg_QM-WlrS_STp1t1npRzlnOwetZvkLbK2zhesP-y8BLU7mogDloZJhyHdvg3fSuU5RofdWNp9mm3JDRJwNAs/s1600/photo(140).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyetYZ5VGe54HtqTmA50oRNKgUoUHz6zt9AXB99GHWmzghRJlO4jYfPvyg_QM-WlrS_STp1t1npRzlnOwetZvkLbK2zhesP-y8BLU7mogDloZJhyHdvg3fSuU5RofdWNp9mm3JDRJwNAs/s200/photo(140).jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo © Winder Holeman</td></tr>
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I recently curated a show for <a href="http://www.katherineagurcia.com/anotherwiseemptyroom/home-1" target="_blank">An Otherwise Empty Room</a> by a photographer that uses mobile phone media to capture his images. As I often would say to my students, I am fully convinced that the medium never matters, it's the concept, intent, development, follow-through and <i>result</i> that are most important. When I was looking at this photographer's work, I was not looking at the light flares, grain and vignetted edges that are so prevalent with mobile phone photo apps, but at his use of the frame space, of <a href="http://www.katherineagurcia.com/anotherwiseemptyroom/featured-artist" target="_blank">the way he carried an idea</a> from one frame to the next. To appropriate the saying, a thousand monkeys pounding away at a thousand iPhones would eventually produce one monumental image (or, according to the new popularity of the "abstract" aesthetic, maybe just one monkey and one iPhone), but this is a big difference from approaching the photo with a pre-conceived concept in mind. The development of this concept is what drives the push of the shutter, the eye looking for the right image to complement the work. I liken it to a writer searching for the right adjective to enhance the sentence.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from www.adgcreative.net</td></tr>
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If people are upset about iPhone photography, I don't know how they're even going to begin to feel about some of the products emerging on the market. I recently tested the new <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html" target="_blank">Creative Suite Photoshop 6</a> beta version, which introduces one of the most mind-blowing options I have seen on a digital manipulation platform: an actual tool to manipulate the depth of field (tilt/shift) of an image, very much like a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_camera" target="_blank">view camera</a>. Now, I own a view camera. It is an expensive, very much adored, custom-built cherry-wood 4x5 <a href="http://www.wista.co.jp/e_wista/e_show/e_camera/e_camera.htm" target="_blank">Wista</a>. I used this camera to photograph a portion of my thesis portfolio for <a href="http://www.scad.edu/" target="_blank">grad school</a>, and took some of my favorite portraits of all time with it. It is cumbersome, heavy, and must be handled carefully. As much as I love the tonal range and buttery <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeh" target="_blank">bokeh</a> of the view camera, it is a burdensome and costly process to product an image. At about $3 a sheet of color film, plus $3 per sheet processing (plus mailing fees, since very few of us live near a place that still processes large format film), not to mention the scanning (and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_scanner" target="_blank">drum-scanning</a> fees, if you are a perfectionist like me), you are not very likely to use the view camera as your go-to. When I played around with this feature, using images I took using a Canon 5D, my heart sank with sadness for my view camera, but my spirit stirred in excited anticipation for potential future projects.</div>
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"Buy the best and fastest computer you can afford," is what I tell people when they ask me to recommend a camera. Follow that up with a reasonably recent version of Photoshop, and learn how to use it well. The camera will happen one way or the other, where it's your phone or a photocopier, or even the built-in camera on your new computer. The idea is the <i>intent</i>. Process away on your computer to get a consistent <i>result</i>.</div>
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Why are iPhone photographs so compelling? Probably because they incorporate, at a flick of a finger away, all sorts of digital actions that take a long time to reproduce using Photoshop. The designers behind the scenes at Instagram know what they're doing. The better argument, I think, is whether an iPhone creates an artist, or an artist creates using an iPhone (a fantastic metaphysical question prevalent in the ever genre in the art world, in one form or another).</div>
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Until the day we all stop applying labels, may all iPhone "photographers," paint-by-number "painters," auto-tune "singers," and other <i>faux-tistes </i>carry on, the world is a richer place with your contributions.<i> </i> </div>
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</div>Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-68164719120931894682012-05-16T05:41:00.000-10:002012-05-31T05:56:24.627-10:00New Gallery Opening!<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Millions of men have lived to fight, build palaces and boundaries, shape destinies and societies; but the compelling force of all times has been the force of originality and creation profoundly affecting the roots of human spirit." </i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>- Ansel Adams</i></span></div>
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An Otherwise Empty Room has big news! As an off-shoot to this blog, I have started an on-line gallery also named "<a href="http://www.katherineagurcia.com/anotherwiseemptyroom/home-1" target="_blank">An Otherwise Empty Room</a>." In the tradition of some of my favorite photography heroes, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Stieglitz" target="_blank">Alfred Stieglitz</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Siskind" target="_blank">Aaron Siskind</a>, whose visionary ideas and pursuit for the excellence of photography within the fine arts propelled the craft further than anyone could ever have imagined, the gallery aims to give young up-and-coming artists a place to present their craft, in a traditional and curated format. </div>
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The space is a blank slate for artists, with little distractions, if any. It is a big white room, "otherwise empty," ready to be filled with the work of visual craftsmen. </div>
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The portfolio of each featured artist will be displayed for two months, and then it will be archived in a second gallery, until such a time as room as needed for other artists' portfolios.</div>
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The first featured artist is Winder Holeman, from Chicago, Illinois. His work can be seen <a href="http://www.katherineagurcia.com/anotherwiseemptyroom/featured-artist" target="_blank">here</a>. Please take a moment to view the images. </div>
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Thank you, and thank you again for supporting the work of independent artists. </div>Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-87884291789893306642012-01-26T07:08:00.001-10:002012-01-27T11:14:06.615-10:00Wall Portrait Layouts<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJyerOPqI10hscLGjAnBAZNsP7OFP-15HuqkooFlT_w-Lb2IliEdY_YZ1RspPqFTEeaWim5oR_N7PeQng4P-Di6TORnpICQI_Sn_cnbwBRE4NTrM43I3qpZ6qdtimpbdzHDAfmLDIopA/s1600/7308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJyerOPqI10hscLGjAnBAZNsP7OFP-15HuqkooFlT_w-Lb2IliEdY_YZ1RspPqFTEeaWim5oR_N7PeQng4P-Di6TORnpICQI_Sn_cnbwBRE4NTrM43I3qpZ6qdtimpbdzHDAfmLDIopA/s320/7308.jpg" width="273" /></a></div>My cousin recently asked me for some suggestions on how to select images for a wall portrait display, which is something we do on a daily basis at the studio where I work. If this task seems daunting to someone who does this on a daily basis, I cannot imagine how overwhelming it might be if you have never done it before. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Over the years, I have learned to appreciate the importance of simplicity and the power of the single portrait. Less clutter, more symmetry. One of the basic rules in photography applies to wall displays: a successful "image" keeps the eye moving in a circular fashion, has enough eye-catching elements to make full use of the frame, and has lines and angles that are always straight and balanced.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the studio, we make use of a wonderful program called <a href="http://www.timeexposure.com/portraitstudiosoftware.php" target="_blank">ProSelect</a>, which allows us to take actual photos of our clients' homes, and drop in to-scale portraits (in their actual frames!) to make a digital "blueprint" of the layout. While this is certainly convenient on a commercial basis, it is not accessible to everyone. A nice computer program might be helpful, but creativity and determination also go a long way. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">For a good starting point, I found a wonderful website article by interior designers <a href="http://www.sasinteriors.net/2011/07/creating-a-photo-wall-display/" target="_blank">SAS Interiors</a> detailing potential photo layouts for beginners, full of diagrams and photographs. My approach always begins with selecting the place where the photographs will be displayed FIRST. The layout will have a lot to do with which images make the final cut. This is also a good way to make your final selections if you are having trouble choosing from a large group of images that you want to display. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course, the layout is usually quite dependent on what you want to afford. I like to have the prices of a variety of frames on hand while selecting a particular layout. <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/decoration/10789/" target="_blank">IKEA</a> has been producing some pretty wonderful frames as of late, and at very agreeable prices. While it's always best to see the frames in person, the Internet catalogue at least provides prices and is a good start. I generally recommend sticking with non-nonsense frames, black or brown, so the frames will "age" better. I try to avoid trends (like white frames and in other non-conventional colors) because I consider my wall displays to be an investment that I wouldn't want to change often. <a href="http://www.crateandbarrel.com/decorating-and-accessories/frames-ledges/1" target="_blank">Crate & Barrel </a> is another one of my favorites; more upscale but the frames are wonderful for smaller arrangements, and they also sell small shelves that match their frames, for a propped-photo type of display. On that note, I also like collect Crate & Barrel catalogues and tear out the photos displays for future reference. (An Interior Design workbook is a topic for another day, but everyone should have one!)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another thing I try to remember if I like a particular layout of larger frames, but am concerned about the price of the photos, is that the frames don't necessarily need to be filled only with photos, but can also contain children's artwork, or perhaps coordinating and colorful fabrics, such as those designed by <a href="http://usstore.marimekko.com/fabric/" target="_blank">Marimekko</a>. If you don't like online ordering, Marimekko is also sold by Crate & Barrel, their corporate offspring CB2, and in limited form at IKEA. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Once the layout is decided, I usually realize that through the process I have subconsciously already made a few photo selections for the layout. The thing to remember is this: don't get held up on one particular photo if it just simply won't look good with other selections. It follows one of my life mottos, which is "kill your darlings," which stems from writing advice by William Faulkner, but I believe that what applies to passionate and creative writing applies to most any other creative endeavors in life. Therefore, remember to think about HARMONY, FLOW and COLOR when selecting your images. Choose images from the same photo session, or if in doubt, go all black and white (not to say that a mix of color and black and white is not acceptable, in reality it can be really harmonious). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lastly, a word on printing your images: this is where you should not skimp. It pays off to use the services of a professional photography printer. If you are printing yourself, find a local studio that guarantees acid-free paper and printing. There are also a great many places online that do a fantastic job, and it's worth a look at them. Most require a commercial contract, but if you are planning on printing often, this might be a good option for you. If you are printing through a photographer, make sure that they offer a lifetime guarantee on the printed images, acid-free paper, and professional digital printing. If you can select the option to mount the image on acid-free art board or some other sturdy base, do it. This way, the images will never buckle or bend from humidity and have less of a tendency of sticking to the glass.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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This past weekend, I celebrated the arrival of the New Year in sunny and warm Miami, Florida. Although I happened to come down with one of the worst sinus and ear infections in my personal experience during my time there, this did not stop me from enjoying some of the intense sights and colors that the city has to offer. During a visit to <a href="http://www.jungleisland.com/" target="_blank">Jungle Island</a> (formerly Parrot Jungle), I caught some fun angles of a few fantastic critters during a phenomenal behind-the-scenes tour:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plenty of parrots, macaws, and other colorful birds from around the world are found throughout the park. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorites, however, were the kangaroos. Loved every little fuzzy thing about them.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kangaroo feet.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cute little guy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YkyTmWIedzixlhxF4SlwTmFJLoyMy5aSLNZ0RMJY1EyO-dn8qNT9lyINIcjwEKU7a_7Z294_YgyNOd5ZzHxt5k4whtc7cgcSdwrly8K0qWE4MasXbJG582LS_2tJCZBAHNTsocwRk6s/s1600/Iguana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YkyTmWIedzixlhxF4SlwTmFJLoyMy5aSLNZ0RMJY1EyO-dn8qNT9lyINIcjwEKU7a_7Z294_YgyNOd5ZzHxt5k4whtc7cgcSdwrly8K0qWE4MasXbJG582LS_2tJCZBAHNTsocwRk6s/s400/Iguana.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are plenty of reptiles, too, including this prickly iguana.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99T-_wFOWw2_KBKPJuhL-TXylzA36TJe57HuY8MOIP7vK4-MkXTVPEMR_PMcyCTQmtewlaDn8k4QXpkK39YdQGe9eqL6_NMSFAoE7VhwD1l_S7zbd69zgv3xDsDwjYtvWIGOqwSKemyc/s1600/Alligator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99T-_wFOWw2_KBKPJuhL-TXylzA36TJe57HuY8MOIP7vK4-MkXTVPEMR_PMcyCTQmtewlaDn8k4QXpkK39YdQGe9eqL6_NMSFAoE7VhwD1l_S7zbd69zgv3xDsDwjYtvWIGOqwSKemyc/s400/Alligator.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Did you know alligators hiss when they're angry?</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com01111 Parrot Jungle Trail, Miami, FL 33132, USA25.786195 -80.175096899999971-11.461275999999998 -139.94072189999997 63.033666 -20.409471899999971tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9208012484922006973.post-64143275733695585932011-06-15T10:41:00.000-10:002012-05-31T05:57:17.787-10:00It's Always in the Details<div style="text-align: justify;">
Recently, I have become involved with a non-profit sailing club in D.C. called <a href="http://www.dcsail.org/">DC Sail</a>. In exchange for member fees, volunteer instructors teach underprivileged children and teenagers how to sail during the summertime. The club owns a collection of FJ Flying Scots and Juniors, as well as a 65-foot schooner named the "American Spirit." A couple of weekends ago, I photographed the schooner during a private charter as we sailed down the Potomac River, down to Old Town Alexandria, and back up the Anacostia River and past the Nationals' stadium. The photographs will eventually be used in a new website for the "American Spirit." </div>
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As always, though, my eye was drawn to the less obvious details of the ship; in this case, the lines, halyards, and ties. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjar8wT53_96vuAeKrz0Lp3JcsG9xPRC2uuTOkJg4i3TbHXKIR-jPJnfeRHHC1QFv1aZ6OgPuXgQ5OaET8tGILS9Md4yZ47R6KODQg2oyUJ7qE2CH7OMW574gxvuYB7VjFy3ZG7pLQGr64/s1600/DCSail_060411_0084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjar8wT53_96vuAeKrz0Lp3JcsG9xPRC2uuTOkJg4i3TbHXKIR-jPJnfeRHHC1QFv1aZ6OgPuXgQ5OaET8tGILS9Md4yZ47R6KODQg2oyUJ7qE2CH7OMW574gxvuYB7VjFy3ZG7pLQGr64/s400/DCSail_060411_0084.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a nicely-tied cleat hitch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-dqZmEv3GT97vzQwyBHYNmS3NdTBw0J6OPVqa9uUh5bFJYS2g4xIZCFatwGIxGdxbld-VS42FL9WmwGZYTdSMZbp21BfAqB_cuT-XXMh7g-Ze4TFWFbRhHufRwyTVPIwydGOMX7yo1E/s1600/VS5K0358_Sharpened.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-dqZmEv3GT97vzQwyBHYNmS3NdTBw0J6OPVqa9uUh5bFJYS2g4xIZCFatwGIxGdxbld-VS42FL9WmwGZYTdSMZbp21BfAqB_cuT-XXMh7g-Ze4TFWFbRhHufRwyTVPIwydGOMX7yo1E/s640/VS5K0358_Sharpened.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mainsail ties</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyq6-5Y1Sgsd6NTW5zEuSGAfEawctPVljo9J2YkYg1VeFQwQzflwq3PhD_xFHm-4ZUbW3_3fkPayvUgWK4ACnlwbRjGYIqtrtRzePrT4k3NSEelCLBlrPZNB9PbGSOsNO7l4BYv9-Mc4/s1600/VS5K0441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyq6-5Y1Sgsd6NTW5zEuSGAfEawctPVljo9J2YkYg1VeFQwQzflwq3PhD_xFHm-4ZUbW3_3fkPayvUgWK4ACnlwbRjGYIqtrtRzePrT4k3NSEelCLBlrPZNB9PbGSOsNO7l4BYv9-Mc4/s400/VS5K0441.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cleat hitch and coil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Katherine Agurciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756363493713304300noreply@blogger.com0