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Archive for November, 2012

For The Love Of Santa! 22 Crazy Christmas Decorations

30 Nov

[ By Marc in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

The holiday season is about friends, family, and feeling close to one’s fellow man. This is all well and good, but it’s also an excuse to go absolutely insane with decorations. After a couple of decades living in the same house, some people build up quite a collection of decorations, until it all gets awesomely out of control.

(Images via dontcallmebecky, manolaw, sweetfineday)

The top image showcases a truly wild light show that takes place annually at a private residence. Seeing just one corner of a yard is only a hint of what else they have up their sleeve, and you can see the rest here. The middle image is from the San Antonio River Walk, a festival that celebrates with an incredible array of beautiful lights, with a lot of the high class decorating that is not always present in these set ups. In New York, this glimpse at another private residence makes one wonder how much it costs to power all those lights each year. Click here to see more.

(Images via gridto, forwardeverforward, sketchysantas)

In Toronto, Canada, Benjamin Boake Trail leads to one of the most intense Christmas displays in the city. For sheer luminescence, it’s a difficult one to beat. The second house looks more like the Vegas strip than a place that someone actually lives, while the final image shows a tad bit more class.

(Images via mindlessmirth, villageorigin, christmaslightsetc, dontcallmebecky)

Most homeowners stop decorating once they literally don’t have an inch of their house left to color in lights… thankfully, not everyone does. Whether the house is plastered in lights like the top left example, or the lights leak out into the lawn like the house at bottom right, it’s amazing to see the effort some people put into their setup. Going a bit simplistic is better for some folks, as the top right and bottom left images attest.

(Images via fooyoh, timnealon, tampalights, welovedc)

If someone doesn’t own a house to decorate, or just wants to bring their zest for the holidays out on the road, there’s always the option to decorate a vehicle. This pickup truck takes the cake (and probably extra car batteries) for its intense setup that covers every square inch of its body. Not to be outdone, a blue sedan takes to the night with cool blue colors lighting up the street. A more humble Beetle sits stolidly as a piece of decoration, while a chopper makes waves with lights that make it appear like it’s simply an illustration and not an actual street vehicle.

(Images via gawker, coolfwdmail, 1funny, stickyboydaily)

When it comes to decorating, more is better, right? Some people definitely think so! This top house seems to have entire scenes going on, while the inside of this person’s house in the United Kingdom is filled to the gills, with an annual display they had to shut down after the power bill became too much to handle. The bottom house looks like it’s being weighed down by the incredible number of inflatable decorations they have in place. While the final home has a good mix between luminescent decorations and good old inflatables.

(Images via rofltime, californiathroughmylens, coolfwdmail, walyou)

Intense decorations can look classy, as these homes show. Using only white lights make this house stand out, and the snow around it only serves to help the image. Giant nutcrackers stand in front of the Mission Inn during their festival of lights in Riverside California, and they do just fine without any snow to help. The bottom house wins the award for sheer number of lights, yet they manage to keep it orderly enough to not look too garish. Last but not least, a large house stands adorned in classic decorations, with a faux tree made out of strings of light to decorate the yard.

Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebUrbanist:

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Holiday Giants! 31 Hugely Out Of Control Decorations

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[ By Marc in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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Posted in Creativity

 

Carnivorous plant timelapse sundew

30 Nov

Timelapse of a the carnivorous plant, known as a sundew or drosera capensis, folding over a fly. This is my first attempt at time lapsing one of my plants. Sorry it is jumpy in a few places, the camera occasionally focused on other parts of the plant or the fence behind, so I had to chop those frames out and reposition the camera so it would stay in focus. Notice just over 3/4 into the movie, on the leaf to the right, the tentacles move inwards aswell so its obviously caught something.

Not sure if this kind of clip makes any sense. Anyways, here are 5 different patches from clean to extreme.

 
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Posted in Nikon Videos

 

Eric Weber talks about headshot photography. Session 1

30 Nov

Eric Weber is one of the best headshot photographer’s working in the industry today. With over 30 years of experience, he has learned a secret or two about capturing you at your very best. This Denver Film and Digital Webcast is the first in a series highlighting Eric and his unique approach to headshot photography. To learn more, visit Eric at eweber.com.

 
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Posted in Photography Videos

 

Nice Visual Art photos

30 Nov

Some cool visual art images:

Dublin Contemporary 2011 – Iveagh Gardens In Dublin
visual art
Image by infomatique
A NEW VISUAL arts exhibition has opened in Dublin which features over 90 artists from five continents.

A major exhibition called The Office of Non-Compliance is housed in Earlsfort Terrace and I hope to publish some photographs later this week. The Iveagh Gardens are being transformed into a sculpture garden throughout the six-week event and I took the opportunity to photograph some go them. I assume that more are to be added, I will check on a regular basis.

Theme

The title and theme of Dublin Contemporary 2011 is Terrible Beauty—Art, Crisis, Change & The Office of Non-Compliance. Taken from William Butler Yeats’ famous poem “Easter, 1916”, the exhibition’s title borrows from the Irish writer’s seminal response to turn-of-the-century political events to site art’s underused potential for commenting symbolically on the world’s societal, cultural and economic triumphs and ills.

The second part of the exhibition’s title underscores Dublin Contemporary 2011’s emphasis on art that captures the spirit of the present time, while introducing the exhibition’s chief organizational engine: The Office of Non-Compliance. Headed up by Dublin Contemporary 2011 lead curators Jota Castro (artist/curator) and Christian Viveros-Fauné (critic/curator), The Office of Non-Compliance will function as a collaborative agency within Dublin Contemporary 2011, establishing creative solutions for real or symbolic problems that stretch the bounds of conventional art experience.

Venues and Programme

The main exhibition hub at Earlsfort Terrace, former home of University College Dublin, will provide a range of unusual spaces for mini solo exhibitions that range from large-scale installations to smaller intimate hangings. The Office of Non-Compliance, located within the Earlsfort Terrace exhibition site, will function as a promoter of ideas around a laundry list of non-conformist art proposals. This element of the exhibition will include ad-hoc, accessible structures for discourse around art and its place in society.

Extending its reach across the city, Dublin Contemporary 2011 will partner with four important Dublin galleries: The Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane, The National Gallery of Ireland and The Royal Hibernian Academy.

Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane will present a retrospective of the work of renowned Irish artist Willie Doherty. An exhibition of American painter Alice Neel’s striking, psychologically penetrating portraits will take place at The Douglas Hyde Gallery.

The National Gallery of Ireland will host works by a number of international artists as well as a new commission by the distinguished Irish artist Brian O’Doherty. The Royal Hibernian Academy will host an exhibition of works by American painter Lisa Yuskavage and a new commission by Irish artist James Coleman.

Dublin Contemporary 2011 – Iveagh Gardens In Dublin
visual art
Image by infomatique
A NEW VISUAL arts exhibition has opened in Dublin which features over 90 artists from five continents.

A major exhibition called The Office of Non-Compliance is housed in Earlsfort Terrace and I hope to publish some photographs later this week. The Iveagh Gardens are being transformed into a sculpture garden throughout the six-week event and I took the opportunity to photograph some go them. I assume that more are to be added, I will check on a regular basis.

Theme

The title and theme of Dublin Contemporary 2011 is Terrible Beauty—Art, Crisis, Change & The Office of Non-Compliance. Taken from William Butler Yeats’ famous poem “Easter, 1916”, the exhibition’s title borrows from the Irish writer’s seminal response to turn-of-the-century political events to site art’s underused potential for commenting symbolically on the world’s societal, cultural and economic triumphs and ills.

The second part of the exhibition’s title underscores Dublin Contemporary 2011’s emphasis on art that captures the spirit of the present time, while introducing the exhibition’s chief organizational engine: The Office of Non-Compliance. Headed up by Dublin Contemporary 2011 lead curators Jota Castro (artist/curator) and Christian Viveros-Fauné (critic/curator), The Office of Non-Compliance will function as a collaborative agency within Dublin Contemporary 2011, establishing creative solutions for real or symbolic problems that stretch the bounds of conventional art experience.

Venues and Programme

The main exhibition hub at Earlsfort Terrace, former home of University College Dublin, will provide a range of unusual spaces for mini solo exhibitions that range from large-scale installations to smaller intimate hangings. The Office of Non-Compliance, located within the Earlsfort Terrace exhibition site, will function as a promoter of ideas around a laundry list of non-conformist art proposals. This element of the exhibition will include ad-hoc, accessible structures for discourse around art and its place in society.

Extending its reach across the city, Dublin Contemporary 2011 will partner with four important Dublin galleries: The Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane, The National Gallery of Ireland and The Royal Hibernian Academy.

Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane will present a retrospective of the work of renowned Irish artist Willie Doherty. An exhibition of American painter Alice Neel’s striking, psychologically penetrating portraits will take place at The Douglas Hyde Gallery.

The National Gallery of Ireland will host works by a number of international artists as well as a new commission by the distinguished Irish artist Brian O’Doherty. The Royal Hibernian Academy will host an exhibition of works by American painter Lisa Yuskavage and a new commission by Irish artist James Coleman.

 
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Posted in Photographs

 

5 Big Tips to add Impact and Variety to your Wildlife Images

30 Nov

A Guest Post by Piper Mackay from www.pipermackayphotography.com.

Wildlife photography can be very exciting, which generally means your adrenalin is running on overdrive. It is too easy to be caught up in the action of the moment and just snap away at what you are witnessing. What you saw was so great, yet when you view your images they just don’t seem to have the impact that you experienced. I have put together a series of images of wildebeest, generally a very boring animal that is quite drab in color. This is to help illustrate how light, mood, and motion can bring powerful visual impact to your images.

Wildlife Variety

This is a Wildebeest for those of you who have not seen one.

Plan to go at the Best Time

Many species migrate or give birth at particular time in a particular location. Plan you trip around these extraordinary events. This was photographed during the annual wildebeest migration crossing the Mara River in Kenya. It has been said to be the greatest wildlife show on earth. The mass of the animals and the dust kicking up gives big impact to this image. Large numbers of any species will add impact.

Wildlife Variety 1

Backlighting and Side Lighting

It is natural to want the beautiful golden light on a wildlife subject as you see in the first photograph, but more dramatic can be adding backlighting or side lighting shown in the image below it. Take the safe shot and then get creative. Backlighting works great on the wildebeest beards and it also creates some rim lighting. Rim light is when backlighting creates a lit edge around the subject.

Wildlife Variety 2

Wildlife Variety 3

Wildlife Variety 4

Look for Moody Elements such as Dust and Fog

This is another great time to add backlighting or side lighting. Backlighting will generally create a silhouette so I generally prefer to use side lighting in these situations. The light filters thought the elements for dramatic light and you can still see the details in your subject.

Wildlife Variety 5

Add Motion to your Image with a Pan Blur

In the first image you can see the animals are in motion; notice I have a little backlighting going for added impact. However, by panning with the animals to create a blur in the background it shows a more dramatic sense of speed and motion.

Wildlife Variety 6

Wildlife Variety 7

To shoot a pan blur you need to slow down your shutter speed, 1/60-1/30 generally works, depending on the speed of your subject. You need to focus on the eye’s/shoulder of your subject, pan at the same speed as your subject while holding down the shutter. Yes, this takes lots of practice and you will delete hundreds of images, but when you get one that works it is very exciting. This is something you can practice anywhere so when the opportunity comes you are ready.

Here is another set of images to show the impact and difference between a fast shutter speed stopping the action and a pan blur to show motion. Notice in the second image the front wildebeest are in focus while the rest of the images has a slight blur giving the viewer a more powerful sense of motion.

Wildlife Variety 8

Wildlife Variety 9

Slow Down your Shutter Speed

Stopping the action of animals running through water with a high shutter speed makes a dramatic image, but slowing down the shutter speed will add a different impact and variety to the story. Different from a pan blur, here you hold the camera still and slow down the shutter letting the moving element create the effect of motion. Water works great as well as tall grass that is blowing or branches moving is a tree. In the first image my shutter speed was very high to stop the action and the explosion of water. In the second I showed down the shutter to create a different mood and show the spray of the water. In the third I slowed down the shutter just a little more to really show the blast of the water.

Wildlife Variety 10

Wildlife Variety 11

These simple tips will not only add impact and variety to your images but will make them stand out in a sea of imagery on the same subject.

Wildlife Variety 12

Piper Mackay is a professional travel and wildlife photographer whose work is heavily based in Eastern Africa. She is currently leading both wildlife and cultural safaris in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia. Her work is represented by Getty images and she is and instructor for the Travel and Editorial track at Calumet. View her work at www.pipermackayphotography.com.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

5 Big Tips to add Impact and Variety to your Wildlife Images



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Nature Shots AC1

30 Nov

Video test….Sample footage of Nature, shot in Hyderabad with Canon Powershot SX20 IS, edited in Sony Vegas pro 10. Music: Soundtrack from movie BRAVE HEART by JAMES HORNER. No copyright infringement intended. THANKS FOR WATCHING…..
Video Rating: 5 / 5

 
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Posted in Nikon Videos

 

Das erste Türchen des Adventskalenders

30 Nov

… öffnen wir morgen. Wir haben Euch ja schon vor ein paar Wochen verraten, dass es den Adventskalender, der sich im letzten Jahr großer Beliebtheit erfreut hat, wieder geben wird. Etwas auf die Folter gespannt haben wir Euch auch.

Aber mal ehrlich: Diese süße Ungeduld, die Spannung, was sich im ersten und auch im jeweils nächsten Türchen verbirgt, die sind es, die Adventskalender so großartig machen. Sich 24 Tage lang überraschen lassen und jeden Tag eine kleine oder große Freude erleben.

Wir legen auf die Freude noch etwas drauf und schonen zudem Eure Zähne, die in der Vorweihnachtszeit sicherlich mit genug Süßigkeiten zu kämpfen haben. Ab morgen stellen wir jeden Tag bis Weihnachten einen Künstler, einen Hersteller oder einen Service vor, der etwas für Euch in den Adventskalender gelegt hat.

Viele haben sogar mehrere Exemplare oder verschiedene Produkte zur Verfügung gestellt, die wir Euch in den Türchen ausführlich präsentieren und anschließend wieder unter allen Kommentatoren verlosen, an einigen Tagen gewinnen also mehrere Personen. Die genauen Gewinnspielregeln solltet Ihr Euch vor der Teilnahme noch einmal durchlesen.


Fotograf: Aileen Wessely | Modell: Sylwia K.

Wir waren selbst ganz überrascht, als wir nach der Vergabe aller Plätze einmal zusammengezählt haben: Der Gesamtwert der Produkte, Kunst und Dienstleistungen, die wir verlosen werden, hat sich im Vergleich zum Vorjahr mehr als verdoppelt. Wow! Vielen Dank an alle Sponsoren, die das möglich machen und uns ihr Vertrauen schenken.

Auch parallel zu dieser Aktion erscheint morgens jeden Tag ein Artikel, ganz wie Ihr es von uns gewohnt seid. Wir wünschen uns sehr – auch für unsere Gastautoren, vorgestellte Künstler oder Interviewpartner – dass diese Artikel trotz Trubel im Adventskalender Beachtung finden.

Jetzt aber: Wir freuen uns auf morgen, mit Euch gemeinsam dem Fest entgegenzufiebern und uns mit tollen Partnern bei Euch dafür zu bedanken, dass Ihr jeden Tag mit Euren Kommentaren und eigenen Beiträgen dafür sorgt, dass es kwerfeldein gibt.

Die beiden wunderbaren Weihnachtsmänner da oben sind übrigens von Fabian Stürtz, der sie uns freundlicherweise zur Verfügung gestellt hat. Danke, Fabian!


kwerfeldein – Fotografie Magazin

 
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Posted in Equipment

 

Celebrity portrait shoot – Full resolution Pentax 645D image

30 Nov

Check out the full resolution, 10mb Jpeg, from the Pentax 645D medium format digital camera. See the 645D here: goo.gl You can see the image on our flickr page – use this direct link: goo.gl Join our new Flickr forum: www.flickr.com www.facebook.com www.mattgranger.com https
Video Rating: 3 / 5

Behind the Scenes of a Fashion Photo shoot.
Video Rating: 0 / 5

 
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Posted in Nikon Videos

 

Using Image Watermarks In Lightroom

30 Nov

Custom lightroom image watermark opener1

The Watermarking feature in Lightroom was significantly overhauled in Lightroom 3. As a result you can now add sophisticated watermarks to your images on export either to disk or via the Print and other modules.

Not only can you add a text watermark to an image but you can also add an image watermark – and that’s what this post is all about – making and using images as watermarks in Lightroom 3 and Lightroom 4.

Create the Image

To use an image watermark in Lightroom you will need an image and for that you’ll need an image editor. You can use anything that can create .png images – Photoshop and Photoshop Elements are obvious contenders but basically any photo editor or painting program will do.

Unlike text watermarks you can’t set the color of an image watermark in the Watermark dialog so you need to get it right before you begin. For that reason I create two – one black and one white – which cover most situations.

Custom lightroom image watermark 1

I do this in Photoshop working on a transparent layer – the reason is that I want this transparency to appear in the watermark when it is placed over the image. So, even if I use a fill layer behind the watermark so I can see the design as I work, I’ll hide this before saving the image.

Custom lightroom image watermark 2

When saving the image I’ll save it as a .png format file – this flattens the image to a single layer but retains transparency – something that the .jpg format does not.

To create the image as a watermark open a module that has Watermarking such as the Print module. Click it to enable it and then choose Edit Watermarks from the dropdown list.

Custom lightroom image watermark 3

Click Graphic in the top right corner to select that as the Watermark Style. When prompted select the image to use. This image is dark so I chose the white version of the copyright watermark image.

If you cannot see the image, scroll down to the Watermark Effects area and adjust the Size so you can see the image. Set the desired size and placement using the Size, Anchor and Inset settings. Typically you will use the bottom left anchor point (or the bottom right) and move the image a little in from the edge of the photo.

Custom lightroom image watermark 4

Once you have the position and size correct you can save this as a Watermark you can use anytime in future by clicking the Custom dropdown list and choose Save Current Settings as New Preset and type a name for the preset.

Custom lightroom image watermark 5

In future you can select and use this watermark in any of the panels in Lightroom that support Watermarking such as the slideshow module here:

Custom lightroom image watermark 6

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Using Image Watermarks In Lightroom



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PhD LIVE part 2 of 2 .m4v

30 Nov

a comic satire based on the life of a common PhD student, inspired by Peepli Live Movie. This whole Movie was shot inside ICGEB, New Delhi campus with NIKON D90 and edited in iMovie Software.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

So, we reviewed the Nikon D7000 just a few days ago ( www.youtube.com ) and we liked it a lot. With the upgrades, it really has been upped a class, what with the 100% viewfinder, 6fps continuous burst, metal body, as well as 1080p video recording. So, it’s only natural that lots of people have been asking us – Canon 7D vs Nikon D7000: which one is better? Well, we take a look in this video by taking photos of a model named Kinki cleaning a BMW. In this Video: Nikon D7000 – www.digitalrev.com Canon EOS 7D – www.digitalrev.com Visit our online store: www.digitalrev.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5

 
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