Dia Sketch

I have been experimenting with different features of Paint.Net, and the paint sketch feature usually bothers me. However, applying it to the right photo makes it look like an artist really sketched it.

Hammer Head Studios and Pyure Salon

Yesterday I had a photo shoot with Richard Maurer of Hammer Head Studios. We photographed some of his amazing metal work that was procured by Pyure Salon in Maumee Ohio. The first piece that we photographed is my favorite and easily the centerpiece of the salon. It's where the nails dry and the conversation flows.

Next we have the steel dividers that separate each hair cutting station. Each station has a purse hook and a shelf built into the divider.

Every salon needs to display their hair care products, and these stainless steel shelves were specially built to do the trick. The color on the shelve is really a shiny stainless steel color, but it looks green in this shot due to the green coloring in the Pyure shopping bag and window tint.

Another shot of the shelves from the side.

I pushed the color on this a bit accenting the green from the windows reflecting on the steel.

Hammer Head Studio's did not produce this next sign, but I thought it was really great. The water flows over the Salon's logo giving a tranquil feeling and an awesome opportunity for photography. This first shot was taken at a high shutter speed which stops the water action and makes the logo look a bit like it's melting.

Here's a second look at this sign with the shutter open a bit longer allowing the water to mist over the logo.

Special thanks to the management at Pyure Salon for allowing me to capture some of the amazing artwork inside.

Award Winning Photographer

Patting Myself On the Back

Hey everybody, I'm an award winning photographer! For my first photo contest I received an honorable mention in the Art Center's photo competition. Watch me while I pat myself on the back. Thank you everyone who believed in me and my talent. Here's a link to my blog entry the week after I took this shot.

Frap Art

Frap Art

I have been experimenting with portrait photography lately, and I find it quite a challenge to get the framing right and to find a pose that fits naturally. The model in this photo was such a ham that he made this shot quite easy. I learned a lot from this photo. I really like the composition of this shot and the pose of the model, and I could have had the model be a bit more in focus by focusing on his eyes or nose. Also, I think an smaller aperture than F3.5 would have worked better. The shutter speed could have been reduced from 1/125 down to 1/100 to allow a smaller aperture. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this shot.

Aroma Sumatra

Aroma Sumatra

Lighting a subject is an art form in itself, and this lovely subject was no different. I set up some lamps and diffused the light with see through paper. The only problem was that the lights were not bright enough to show all of the details in the coffee beans. The skin tone on the model really came through well, and she was kind enough to get carpel tunnel from holding these Sumatra beans so long.