Johnny101 | STEEL VEiLS

Been a while since I posted anything here. Been almost as long since I took any pictures. Anyway, here's a couple from last month. Loaded with mistakes I'm kicking myself for now; but always a reminder that I have to keep all the details in mind.

no... not the classic novel, a Flickr group. It's a very cool concept, the more I think about it. It's a purely film-based group and it works like this:

Person A in City X shoots a roll of touristy photos. They then rewind the roll and send it to their partner, Person B in City Y. Person B then shoots the same roll of film, also with touristy shots. The film is then developed. The entire roll has now been exposed twice, making for some really interesting layers (sometimes). As Person B has no idea what's on Person A's film already, it's entirely a gamble. Sometimes, the shots work, a lot of the times, they don't. Regardless... I think this is a really interesting idea. So much so, that I might even give it a try someday.

i just had the most interesting idea...

no content for this; but the idea is to use my hasselblad to capture something moving relatively fast while at the same time grabbing a digital exposure. I can even do this using artificial lighting. so... here's the deal:

hasse with pw on lens, channel 2.
5d with pw trigger cable on channel 2.
strobes with pw's on channel 3. (pw's in relay mode move the secondary triggering signal to the next sequential channel in order to keep the timing in sync)

i can mount both the cameras on separate tripods, one right above/next/below/whatever to each other. trigger the action (model jumping, sports, whatever), click the shutter on the hasse which will fire the 5d; the pw on the 5D will send the trigger to the lights; all at the same time. i can then check the results on the digital which will give me an idea of what's on the film i just shot. :)

Been a while, but here's two from a recent impromptu shoot:



( plus one - *SAFE* )

Model: Meagan Filth (MM# 99917)
Canon 5D
ISO 50
1st
Canon 70-200 F4L
F8 @ 1/125
2nd
Canon 24-70 2.8L
F7.1 @ 1/125
X-Proc'd in post.

Real men of Geniuuuuuuuuuus!

Today we salute you, Mr Guy with a Camera.

Mr.GuywithaCameraaaaaa!

With your stunning high end gear and a sleazy moustache, you're the spitting image of a professional high end photographic artist.

It's pronounced artiste!

Canon. Nikon. Olympus. Chevrolet. You don't know how to use them, but you're out to get your model's number anyways.

We should get some coffee

Your antics might get you scorn from professionals, husbands, or policemen, but you don't care. All you're here to do is score with a hot chick, one photo at a time.

The camera loves you, baaaaabeeeee

So crack open an ice cold Bud Light, Avedon. 'Cause everyone knows, when you're on the prowl, nothing's better than a camera, and a restraining order

Mr. Guy with a cameraaaaaaa

Memorial Day Weekend Strobist Meetup.

Meet Jessie, first time model and social worker. She was a blast.



First off, here's a tip - when light is low and you know there are colors in the surrounding environment, use a flash to light them:
( 3 pics with descriptions )

So the art community is all a-buzz today with this "new" legislation (that actually stems from a dead bill posed back in 2006).

In short... artists' work will not be 'up for grabs' by the entire world if we don't act immediately. Online display is not a)considered to be 'published' or b) automatically an "orphaned work".

In super extra short, the original author, Mark Simon, clearly did not read all the material or is just trying to stir shit up.

Here's an excellent and well thought out response with TONS of more official sources:

http://maradydd.livejournal.com/374886.html

Strangely, her entry came up as #4 in a google search for "orphaned work copyright art".

I'm not Photoshop genius - in fact, I can barely manage to hack my through the menu system.... but as bad I might be, I'm not this bad:

A teaser from my shoot yesterday:



More to come later this week.

A very dear friend, supporter and source of inspiration has poised a questionnaire involving the affects of or on model-photography in relation to the mainstream media. This is a sociology experiment and is completely anonymous. For more information, see this post. Any and all input would be appreciated.

Here are some actual flood water pictures:

This, by itself, doesn't look like much of a flood picture, but I was on the bridge and the water just a few feet below the bottom of it. This was taken on Rte61/67 near 141 & 55.



( [ )

This town is flooded. I'm sure there are a ton of pictures documenting the flood which are far better than my rushed images. However, are there any which capture the amazing and space-like designs produced when a gas station is flooded?

There's a gas station just on the other side of the street from this little puddle of flood water. These designs were in the water.



I like this one because of the swirling action - it reminds me of a galaxy-type formation.

( {p.l.u.s.o.n.e.} )

These were shot this weekend at a local photographer's meetup. St. Louis Strobists; for those in the know.



( plus three different models )

A little test for myself. How do you define a white object against a white background, without using shadows? That's the trick: shadows define shape/structure/texture. Hrmm... After some playing, I ended up with this. Not great, but pretty close. Perhaps, once I get some more materials, I will reshoot this:

( thinking of an egg sammich? )

Here's the dam at the south-east corner of Lake Berryessa (Monticello Dam)



Now, I'm sure I've never told any of you this, but I tend to really, really hate pictures taken from an airplane out those little windows and whatnot. I never wanted to be 'one of those guys' in the plane, trying to contort myself just enough to get the shot... well, as it turned out. I became one of those guys when we flew over really beautiful mountain range:

( three snowy, aerial mountain shots )

Still more to come from this trip...

So, I didn't get a chance to shoot as much stuff as I wanted to in Sacramento last week. However, here's a few - with a few more coming throughout this week:

D-Terminal "centerpiece" in the DFW airport:



The fog the first two days was unbelievable!! One morning, I got up early (yes, me) and drove around a bit. I found this just a few blocks from the office, over a golf course:


That giant large lightsource is the SUN! Visibility, driving, was about 1/8th of a mile - crazy, I know!

( Plus a couple more fog-type shots - worth a look-see, imo. )

Pics of mountains to come later.

I mentioned earlier about shooting some knives a while back. Well, I revisited them tonight and found two that aren't too bad. I'll spare you all the technical jargon and just see what comes out of the ether...


Canon 5D
Canon 24-70 2.8L
ISO 400
f11 @ 1/160
( plus one after the cut... heh no pun intended )

Must.Take.Pictures.

It's been a while since I've shot anything that made me really happy. My last shoot's glory was short-lived after some re-examination; plus it really wasn't received too well in the various photo communities. Not that their opinions really mean that much - afterall, it's the internet. But, it is really nice to get cheers instead of jeers once in a while.

I shot some still-life, in my own little quirky multi-colored way, over the holiday but I never quite got anything that I really liked. I take that back... the first day I did it - I really liked what I had; but there were prop-problems. When I went back to fix those problems, I couldn't get the light to do what it was doing before. Very frustrating. It happens though, and it's a sign/reminder that I don't always know exactly what I'm doing when I go back to recreate a setup. Not that I'm clueless with the science of the shot, but rather, that I need to pay more attention to the fine details of a lighting setup. I see now why photoshoots are so often video-taped. I have a camcorder... hrmm... might be a good idea to start doing that.

Which brings me to my next topic... I haven't worked with a model in a long time. Hell, I haven't even spoken to one since shortly after the last shoot. I really need to get my shit together, I'm building a large list of 'to-do's with no one to-do them. heh.

So last Sunday, after all the snow, I went out and did some shooting. I wanted to try some more digital color infra-red work. So far, I'm mostly content with the outcome, which consists of this image and one more I'm still toying with.

I'm still nowhere close to representing the effects of true color ir film though.

( cut for pink trees... no seriously. )

TechInfo:
Canon 5D
Canon 70-200 f4 L
ISO 200
f11 @ 6 seconds
Hoya R72 IR Filter
Layer blending, Levels, Channels and Hues adjusted in post.

So... this has been in the works for some time... but it was a secret. Now it's out there!

Binary Studios merges with Steel Veils!!

All hail the new flesh!

Be sure to check us out on MySpace as well.

Old lens repair...

http://www.hermes.net.au/bayling/repair.html

This is a scan of my very first 100% self-made image. It was shot using my Hasselblad 500c w/80mm, Ilford HP5. Exposure was (I think, it was a while ago) F16 @ 1/2s. Developed in D-76 and printed using a 23C enlarger on Ilford Multigrade IV RC Glossy paper. I don't know the paper developer (not my darkroom). Paper exposure was F16 for 10.5 seconds, then 3 more seconds with a #5 contrast/color filter.

The image itself has some issues, like the cut off arch and symmetry problem, but I'm just too ecstatic with the overall process and result to not post this.

( 800x800 is probably too large for the friends page... cuz i'm a generally nice guy, here's your damn cut. )

Because of this experience, I am seriously - actively - determined to obtain my own home darkroom. I've done the window shopping, the research and had the conversations. I'm sold and ready to buy! The only "cost" to me now will be for chemicals (very reasonable) and paper (not so reasonable) - but still quite - QUITE more reasonable than developing/printing costs at any lab for 6x6 film.

My shoot the other night went very well. :) And I'm *very* happy with the shots! Although, now that I've color-calibrated my monitor, I have no idea how these will look to the rest of the world. :/ Oh well, who cares, they look awesome on my screen! hahaha

We only had time for one theme, but I'm still very happy with the versatility of these:



( +6 under here *NSFW* (duh, it's me) )

Pay the god damn writer!!

This guy gets pretty bent out of shape over payment arrangements, it's entertaining, but he also makes a damn good point! Getting "exposure" is not the same as paying someone for their services.

I'd like to capture your tranquil setting, wherever that may be. Where do you go to disconnect? What do you do there? How do you find your inner peace? Once you find it, that's the image I want. If it's on the beach, alone and staring at the sea; or curled up beneath a giant oak tree; or crouched in a corner with headphones and candles; whatever you do to find your own serenity, *that's* what I'm after. Take me on the journey to your calming place.

Not only is this a really informational video - but it's from a local photography studio. Even better! well, sorta - just raises the "competition" bar quite high.

I received an email from a model on MM the other day. In it, she gave me an amazing compliment. It seems almost like unfounded flattery as if she's trying to work some charm on me for her benefit. But whatever, I'm still taking it. I know that her compliment is just because she's new to the site, new to photography/modeling - but until she "learns better", I'm going to let this one feed my ego. Besides, it's awfully nice to hear such wonderful words from a stranger, when they align so perfectly with my end-goal (which I'm far from achieving)

"I really like your style, In fact you are the first photographer I have come across on here that defines the true meaning of Artistic Nude. I admire what you do. I am a fresh model, a new face bringing back the full figured women, to get these sickening anorexic models out of the spot light. I am a mold of clay waiting to be sculpted into a beautiful work of art. You inspire me to keep going at this."

The question is... will I be able to mold her into something she sees as beautiful as the "sickening anorexic" models with whom I've done bodyscapes?