Photograph of the Month “Daisy”

This month’s photograph is titled “Daisy.” I shot this in a local park recently, I like it because it’s simple and sweet. I hope it brightens your day through the coming winter months.

You will notice there are two versions of the photograph. This is due to the recent industry wide adoption of the “wide screen” format for laptops and desktop computers, as well as high end cell phones. I realized that at least thirty-three percent  of the visitors to my site are using the wide screen format and wanted to ensure they had the option of enjoying the screen savers I work so hard to produce each month.

One version is for the wide screen and one version is for the “narrow” screen us geriatric cases are accustomed to. Select whichever fits your need, I will continue to produce both wide and narrow screen versions until the new format becomes universal. You can view and download both versions from my portfolio galleries as well.

The wide screen format has a long history in the movie industry, most of us have seen Panavision movies at one time or another. The computer industry has adopted the wide screen format because it is the defined format of HDTV and the motion picture industry has adopted the wide screen as a standard format for movies.

It also forces all of us to buy new computers lest we be seen as being out of date dinosaurs. If you have twenty minutes you might want to take a look at this video called “The Story of Stuff.” It’s really quite enlightening and aggravating but it’s well written, thoroughly researched and very well produced.

Oh, well… as with any computer technology what is available today really is much better than what was available last month. I just wish it wouldn’t cost quite so much.

All images in my “Photograph of the Month” series are sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. You can click on the image to open in a new window or download; please, share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

Dean

ASID Lunch & Learn at Emser Tile

Wednesday was the first meeting in the ASID CA Peninsula Lunch & Learn Series and of course I was on hand to photograph the event.You can view the photographs by following this link

The Lunch & Learn events are no cost to members so we get a nice snack and become better educated about the materials and supplies common to the spaces we work in.

Industry Partners provide lunchtime seminars to showcase new products, teach product specification and/or application techniques at their facilities.

Lunch is provided, and designers gain in-depth information about a particular product, service or showroom.

This first meeting was hosted by Emser Tile. The presentation was by Daybreak Stoneworks. We learned a bout the damage improper care can cause to stone tiles, counters and tables, we saw a demonstration of the refinishing process and how effective it can be even on severely damaged stone, and we learned abot the proper way to care for stone.

I am glad to know the best way to clean the stone because so often I need to throw a quick shine on stone for the photographs without causing damage. It is surprising how easy it is to damage stone and the cost of repairs is rather steep.

Lunch was provided – sandwiches, sodas, water and cookies… no Vegan fare though. Oh, well, It won’t hurt me to miss a meal or two every now and then.

Off to the Races

Shooting Lunch & Learn for ASID CA Peninsula today then it’s up to the city to shoot tables at Dining by Design in the Galleria at the SF Design Center.

Fun times ahead. Look for the Lunch & Learn shots tomorrow afternoon. The Dining by Design shots must await publication before I can show them.

ASID CA Peninsula Design Chronicles Fall 2009

I am very pleased and proud to find that the image I created for Joseph Hittinger of Joseph Hittinger Designs is featured on the cover of the fall issue of ASID CA Peninsula Design Chronicles.

ASID CA Peninsula Design Chronicles Fall 2009 Cover - Joseph Hittinger Designs

It really is a wonderful image and I can see why Joe won the Silver for Kitchens with it. And yes, this is an HDRI photograph.

The Bridge of Reality and the Spires of Night

The Bridge of Reality and the Spires of Night - B/W - HDRI - Mary Avenue Pedestrian Bridge - Cupertino, CA

This is a pedestrian bridge that crosses over I-280 at Mary Ave. in Cupertino, CA.

I was surprised and delighted to find such a marvelous example of engineering and design in this application. The spires and lighting are dramatic and inspiring. I have seen other images of this bridge on the web, but none of them have been of the bridge in it’s full glory at night.

It was great to get out and shoot something for no other purpose than to interpret it’s form and function from my own perspective, with no concern for a client or expectations from outside parties. It’s creating spectacular images like this, of grand and dramatic structures that are well designed in both form and function that caused me to fall in love with photography back in the 1980’s.

I do love my work and find it very fulfilling but this is simply fun.

My Calling

Passage to Another Reality - B/W HDRI

After spending the last few weeks focused on the CEU I gave to ASID CA Peninsula on the nuts & bolts of interior design photography I need to refocus on my true calling, which is crafting powerful images.

This is an image of the gallery outside the San Jose Museum of Art, and it is an HDRI photograph. I like it because of the strong geometry, the rhythm and repetition of the round forms in contrast to the right angles.

The Reviews Are In on “Photography for Interior Designers”

The CEU I did for ASID CA Peninsula on Thursday was a rousing success. The attendees rated my performance and here’s what they had to say

(Yes, it’s shameless self promotion, but if I didn’t do it who would?)

The overall score for the CEU is 4.5 out of 5.

The score for quality of content is 4.88 out of 5.

Presentation skills ranked 4.5 out of 5.

Comments included

*         “excellent!,”

*         “practical and helpful” and

*         “this helped me look at photography in a different way, ”

*         “great content and visuals” and

*         “best presentation in years!”

I’m rather happy about this.

Photography for Interior Designers CEU Lecture An Overwheling Success

Last night at the Hunter Douglas Showroom in Milpitas, CA I gave a CEU lecture to the members of ASID CA Peninsula titled Photography for Interior Designers. The overwhelming positive response of the members who attended tells me I did a good job. I found that I enjoyed speaking to a room filled with eighty people.

I discussed subjects such as Photographic Composition, Styling for Photography and HDRI photography. These subjects are of importance to interiors designers because the quality of their photographs are important to the advancement of their careers .

At the encouragement of Marie Chan of Inter-Space Design, President of ASID CA Peninsula, I worked hard to ensure that all who attended left with a deeper insight to photography or a greater capability to either shoot better photographs for themselves or do a better job of collaborating with and directing their photographer on their next photo shoot.

After four months of work on the presentation actually giving the lecture seems anticlimactic. Regardless today I will begin the next phase of the project which is to decide if, where, when and how to arrange the next lecture on the subject; before the lecture even began there were requests to give another in San Francisco.

After all the work I did I want to make the most of it. So next week I will see what the future hold, right now. I have photographs of another prison to process and a residential walk through in Los Gatos, CA this afternoon.

Neo-Gothic Period Art

I am making a reference to Neo-Gothic Period art in the CEU I am giving for ASID CA Peninsula on Thursday. Since this is not a well known or understood movement I wanted to have some information about it available for the attendees.

Stephanie Evans - All Locked Up

http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/gothic/arthistory_gothicart.html

Neo-Gothic Art

Art movement that started in the early 1980s as part of the punk movement and later associated with Fantasy Art.

During the late 1990s it became recognized as a new artistic style. The term “Neo-Gothic Art” was coined by Charles Alexander Moffat, who wrote “The Neo-Gothic Art Manifesto“. Moffat remains one of the driving forces behind the style as an artistic movement.

Other artists include: Marilyn Manson, Victoria Van Dyke, Caroline Folkenroth, Stefanie Lynn Evans, Judith Weratschnig, Eliza Bathory, Floria Sigismondi, and Jeff Lowe.

The style is very popular in Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the United States.

Movement emphasizes the bizarre, obscene, sexual, blasphemous, mysterious, horrific and gender-confusion/androgyny.

The thing that I have always found surprising is the choice of Neo_Gothic as the description of the movement because the Neo-Goths, or Goths as they prefer to be called, are more inclined to revere the darker aspects of the human condition, and they seek out the night, shadows and darkness.

This is the polar opposite of the Gothic Period which revered light and the higher aspirations of humanity. Gothic cathedrals are not dark places, the architecture was developed in response for the desire to have many large windows to let light in.

I believe the attraction of the Gothic lifestyle for young people is the romance of sexual allegories that so many of the myths of Western Europe are built upon. The darkness of the mood and characterization of the movement, I believe, is an artifact of the entertainment industries tendency to revise history in pursuit of a compelling story line.

Photography for Interior Designers

I will be giving a seminar on Photography for Interior Designers on Thursday Nov. 12 from 5:30 PM to 8:40 PM Hosted by Hunter Douglas 1870 Milmont Dr., Milpitas CA, 95035.

This seminar is a CEU for ASID Members and provides 0.2 Credit Hours.

I will be discussing subjects such as compositional guideline to make your images better, Photographing Space: Techniques to help you showcase your talent, Staging and Styling for dramatic effect and New Technology: High Dynamic Range Imaging.

Attendance is limited to 85 people and costs $45.00 for members of ASID and $55.00 for non-members but you have to RSVP to the ASID CA Peninsula Chapter office with a check or card payment by Nov. 6

I have worked hard to make this a truly education experience for interior designers with any level of experience. This will not just be a show of pretty pictures. I will be explaining tricks and techniques that I have learned throughout my career and  employ to great effect on every photograph I create.

Here’s a copy of the promo announcement. I hope to see you there.

Dean

This two-hour course will benefit interior designers of all experience
levels. The guidelines and techniques discussed will be beneficial
when applied to either a professional photo shoot or when designers
photograph a project themselves.

Attendees will learn of compositional guidelines allowing them to
better direct and control the outcome of their photo shoots, the
logistics and principles of styling for an interior design photo shoot
will be discussed and designers will be instructed in the evaluation
and application of new photographic techniques helping them make
informed decisions and gain greater control over their photo shoots.

Bay Area photographer Dean Birinyi creates beautiful architectural
photographs that capture the emotional character of his clients’
work and communicates their talents and design concepts.  With
more than twenty years of experience photographing architecture
and interior design, Dean listens to his clients to integrate the solutions
for many different but equally important needs into any image. Dean’s
talent for storytelling consistently helps his clients win design competitions.