July 2010 Photograph of the Month “Temple Hoyne Buell Theater”

Temple Hoyne Buell Theater, Denver Center for the Performing Arts

Temple Hoyne Buell Theater, Denver Center for the Performing Arts

This months Photograph of the month is titled “Temple Hoyne Buell Theater”

This image is the last photograph I shot as a semi-professional photographer way back in 1992. I had been working for five years to build the skills and acquire the experience necessary to open my business as an architectural photographer and finally all my plans were coming together. I had one more goal to achieve before I went out completely on my own and that was to photograph one large, dramatic public works project.

I pleaded my case to the theater manager and he decided to let me do my thing. He was very kind because not only did he let me into the theater on a Sunday morning he gave me free reign to make any changes to the lighting that I needed. It took me about a half hour to figure out the lighting controls and once I had mastered them I was all set. I shot five different images that day, using my 4×5 camera and black and white polaroids, this is the single best image.

In fact it’s so good I have used it as the closing image in my portfolio ever since. It’s still one of my favorites and always will be.

I hope you like it.

All images in my “Photograph of the Month” series are sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. Please, share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

Please call me if you have any need for photographs and I will do all I can to help you.

Thanks,
Dean

Meeting with Patrice Greene Yesterday

I had the pleasure of meeting with Patrice Greene of DzignIT. We spoke for about two hours and I really enjoyed the afternoon.

At one point Patrice told me that she was a little disappointed with digital photography. I asked why and she showed me a few shots that another photographer shot where the color was not great.

Since I had my computer with me-as usual-I asked if I could see what I could do with them. It only took me a couple of minutes of “playing” with the color & contrast to make major improvements to the images. After was done Patrice was so impressed she ran a print off and immediately replaced the existing copy on her display shelf.

I pointed out to her that this was easy for me because I have been working with digital images on a daily basis since 1996. After fourteen years, I’ve developed some appreciable skills with digital photographs.

Many photographers want to do all of their work in the camera and leave it at that. My background of working in photo labs back in the eighties and early nineties taught me that taking a picture with the camera is just the beginning of the photographic process and that there is no photograph that cannot be improved in the darkroom, or on the computer.

Some photographers have objected to this, feeling that their creative opportunities and professional responsibilities pretty much come to an end once the shutter clicks. I like to point out that Ansel Adams, a well known and highly respected photographer wrote three books on photography “The Camera”, “The negative” and “The Print.”

As you can see according to one of the most well known and respected photographers of the twentieth century taking the picture is only part of the creative .

High Dynamic Range Photography of Interior Design

I was speaking with Meera Chawla after the ASID CA Peninsula board meeting yesterday and she told me that she was impressed with the crisp liveliness of my photographs when viewing my portfolio. I told her this was the result of my use of high dynamic range imaging.

High Dynamic Range Image of Residential Kitchen

The high dynamic range imaging allows me to create images of spaces as humans perceive them, with rich colors and a wealth of detail in both highlight and shadows that capture the delicate interplay of color and texture. This technique allows me to go beyond showing the furnishings and accouterments to communicating the mood and emotion of a space with unparalleled fidelity to the designer’s vision.

As I say in my seminar on photography for interior designers high dynamic range imaging will soon become the standard for interior design photography. I recognized it’s utility and value the first time I had the opportunity to work with it, this is why I have worked to master the technique. and now my clients can benefit by having photographs of their designs that contain a life and sparkle that was never before possible.

You can view more high dynamic range images of interior design in my portfolio galleries.

New Flat Rate Pricing For Interior Design Photographs

I’m proud to announce new flat rate pricing for single interior photographs with no time limits, no hidden costs and no restrictions. This gives interior designers an affordable and predictable cost to have great quality professional photographs of even their smallest projects.

Private Residence, Los Altos Hills

And of course you will still receive the unparalleled customer service for which I have become known.

In the past it was not possible to offer a flat rate price for photographing interiors because of the complexity of the supplemental lighting required; often simply unpacking and re-packing the lights & camera would take longer than shooting the photograph.

Now that I am using High Dynamic Range Imaging we work exclusively with available light to reproduce the atmospheric effects of the space with an authenticity that simply isn’t possible when using supplemental lighting. And this means we no longer have the artificial complexity of odd shadows or stray reflections being cast by the photographers supplemental lighting.

Please take a look at my new pricing. I’ve done all I can to structure my services to make it easy, affordable and predictable because helping you is why I am here.

http://www.djbphoto.com/DJBPhoto_Pricing.html

May 2010 Photograph of the Month “Stasis″

Stasis - Wide Screen

Stasis - Narrow Screen

This months photograph is titled “Stasis”

I have been planning this image for a few months now. I had shot some preliminary test images in February but wasn’t satisfied with the results.

There are some rather significant challenges involved with shooting high speed images of water drops. The technological challenges of timing are the least complex. I was not prepared for the amount of space that was required to shoot water drops and get the smooth gradient background I envisioned. I ended up buying a 40” x 60” print developing tray , painting it black and filling it with water – and it was just barely large enough to realize my vision.

This was  one of the single most challenging images I have ever created. The image you see here is the result of four days of hard work, in a wet, dark room. I must have shot 400 images before everything finally fell into place with lighting, precise timing, angle of view, size of water drop, and the distance it traveled to get the perfect splash, the perfect reflex splash, and the perfect pressure waves. I even had to control the surface tension of the water using soap, alcohol and temperature of the water. I am very proud of the result.

All images in my “Photograph of the Month” series are sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. Please, share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

You can download copies of all the Photographs of the Month by following this link to my website gallery.

April 2010 Photograph of the Month “Restraint 2″

High Dynamic Range Image of the Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay in Redding, CA

Narrow Screen Version

This months photograph of the month is titled “Restraint 2” I hope you like it.

I shot this image of the Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay in 2007 in preparation for a gallery showing. I first saw this wonderful creation in 2004 on a trip to Redding, CA to photograph the Shasta County Municipal Building. It made  a big impression upon me and I have revisited the site several times since then and each time I find a new view of the grandeur and majesty of this remarkable example of creativity and design; I never would have imagined to find such a work in Redding, but there it is.

Both March and April have been extremely hectic months. Beginning with shooting several last minute projects for the ASID Design competition, being voted onto the board of ASID CA Peninsula, previous commitments to the chapters student members and commitments to my favorite not-for-profit organization, along with some on-going and resource intensive technical challenges with my computer system I have barely managed to get Aprils photograph of the month out on the first day of May. But, as with all the things there is never a good time to do anything, so you do it when you have the chance.
All images in my “Photograph of the Month” series are sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. Please, share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

You can download copies of all the Photographs of the Month by following this link to my website gallery.

2010 ASID CA Peninsula Designers Challenge

2010 ASID CA Designers Challenge Fashion Show Winner

Last night was the 2010 Designers Challenge Fashion show for the CA Peninsula chapter of ASID. It was a lot of fun and I was very impressed by the high quality of the designs. I guess that’s what happens when you put a bunch of highly talented designers together on a project with instructions to “Be Creative.”

You can review more of the shots in my portfolio gallery by following this link.

An Avant Gard Triumph: prisencolinensinainciusol

OLL RAIGHT!

I’ve been trying to make this post for a few weeks now. Recently my wife sent me a link to this video on youtube. It’s called “prisencolinensinainciusol” and it’s worth your time.

This video went viral a few years ago. It is a song written by italian singer songwriter Adriano Celetano. It was written in the early seventies and it is a true Avant Gard masterpiece, made more so by the remarkable choreography and big band sound. In fact I believe this puts the song “Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict” on the album Ummagumma by Pink Floyd to shame.

Many people say the lyrics sound like american english to non english speaking italians, but when interviewed Mr. Celetano says the song was about “incommunicability” (he’s obviously comfortable with polysyllabic words) and the rational for the composition was to do something that was simply fun after working on two socially and politically motivated projects. The words are complete gibberish in any language but they are rhythmic and fit the music.

I’m sure he is quite proud that after forty years the song is still a big hit, but I doubt it would be quite as popular as it has been if not for the choreography.

The choreography that helps make this such a fantastic presentation was arranged by Raffaella Carra a diva of some repute in the Latin world. She was the first woman on Italian television to show her bellybutton and was promptly repudiated by the vatican.

Regardless take five minutes out of your day and enjoy both the song and the show. I guarantee you’ll be singing and dancing to prisencolinensinainciusol all day.

Eyes!

2010 Interior Design Student Career Forum Design Competition Winners

Yesterday I had the opportunity to help Lilley Yee photograph the winning entries in the Interior Design Student Career Forum 2010 Student Design Competition.

It was a lot of fun seeing the boards and the students who won definitely did a great job.

Lilley was surprised at how easily I overcame the challenges associated with photographing these design boards. To shoot something like this really requires a tripod and soft lighting. The glare from the acetate overlays the students used can pose a problem but after twenty-five years of photographing glass walled rooms, mirror or marble walls, and enamel kitchen cabinets I didn’t think about what was required, or how difficult it could be. I just did it.

Oh, well. Chalk it up to the benefits of experience, and move on to greater challenges.

I have the boards posted in my portfolio gallery but I won’t release them for public view until after the ceremony. You’ll just have to wait to find out who won.

Now, it’s back to the electron mines for me.

Ciao.

Joseph Hittinger Published using High Dynamic Range Photographs

Joe Hittinger had a project I shot for him published in Palo Alto Online.

It was a great project that I shot using the High Dynamic Range Imaging technique that is making such a hit with all my clients. I like it because I can capture the essence of my clients design with a degree of fidelity to their creative vision never before possible. And since the supplemental lighting I need is either minimized or in most cases unnecessary we no longer have to struggle with reflections and light stands and cables, instead we can focus all of our energies on the creative aspects of styling and composition.

Take a look at the project at Palo Alto Online. com or check it out in my portfolio. I’m actually using photographs from this project of Joe’s in my CEU seminar for ASID.