4th Plinth: Medium Format Result
As some of you know already, I did take part in the 4th Plinth Project in London. And as I posted about it, I wanted to now share some of the result from the day. I used a Bronica medium format (which uses 120 Film Rolls) and took a series of 12 photos.
Here it is, straight out from the scan, the best 5: (more…)
Some photographers to definitely check out! Part 1
The title says it all i suppose. All of these people are just amazing photographers and their work is definitively worth checking out. So let’s start:
- David Hobby a.k.a. Mr STROBIST:
He’s basically the guys that got me into flash photography. David created a Blog where he decided to share all of his secrets on how to use flashes to light your photos like a pro. And you know what, it is an incredible source of valuable information that any photographer would want to check out.
I particularly recommend going through the lighting 101 and 102 series!
- Chris Lopez: (more…)
News: Come and join me on the 4th Plinth!
Hi All,
this is a little unusual but I got a slot on the 4th Plinth in Trafalguar Square. It’s this coming Friday (9th Oct. 2009) between 7pm and 8pm. For more info, read on there: http://www.oneandother.co.uk – Thanks to my Girlfriend Ilana, it was her initiative (as always, she has the best ideas!)
Now, since i’ve been really lucky, it falls at the exact time of the weekly live show on Sky arts and will be streamed live (like any other “performances”) on the One And Another website as well as on sky arts. So there is a chance I’ll be interviewed as well! Me! Interviewed!? lol
Let’s really hope for no rain. Imagine the laugh! All soaking wet, for an hour up there on the plinth!
I will be doing a few things up there.
- I’ll be taking photos, of course, of you people and the surrounding! At the end of the day I am a photographer! And I will be using a very old medium format that used to be used by press photographers in the late 1940’s. It’s a Graflex Speed Graphic Press camera, and looks every little bit old like… really old! It will be my first use since a good friend of ilana’s mum gave it to me. And it produces massive slides almost the size of an A5!
- We’ll be doing a sing along on the song “Smile“, also known as the Charlie Chaplin song… Thx to ilana, cause i wouldn’t know how to organize that myself! So come along and learn the words, we’ll be singing our heart out! and follow her on twitter for the latest info about her upcoming events!
- I’ll be promoting a project put together by Jeremy Cowart called Help-portrait. The idea being to find people/charities that could do with free quality portrait and give them the photos for free. It will take place on the 12th December 2009 and this will be my attempt to get as many people involved as possible! We need photographers who are willing to give their time for free. We need Locations! Photographic Studios, empty rooms or any cool place we could use on the day. Of course, all that for free! And we’ll need people to photograph: charity, youth movement, people in need… Anyone in need! I even got a T-shirt made for that which i’ll be wearing on the day!
Here is a little video to explain all about the Help-Portrait project:
For more info, here are a few links:
The One and Another website, to catch the streaming live: http://www.oneandother.co.uk
The help portrait website: http://www.help-portrait.com
The help-portrait community website to get involved: http://community.help-portrait.com
the place I got the T-shirt made: http://www.eastlondonprinters.com (thx to Brian, you’re brilliant!)
My twitter (if you want to spk to me while i’m up there!): http://twitter.com/romainkedochim
And to spread the love, you can email or tweet and retweet this post using this shrot url: http://bit.ly/3wxPjJ
EDIT: a little review on londonnet as well http://www.londonnet.co.uk/news/2009/oct/smile-flashmob-heads-4th-plinth-trafalgar-square.html
Products: Laura Lee Jewelery
Some recent product shots for Laura Lee Jewelery. This is just a preview of the large collection she has in store.
And for the photographers out there, a little setup shot:
1 x580 EX-II in a softbox above DIY light tent made out of cardboard box and paper from the printer + piece of white Paper for the seamless background from a shop around the corner… Power varied between 1/4 and 1/2 and Aperture was around F/13 to keep most of the pieces in focus and sharp. And the speed was probably 1/200th Sec since I needed to kill all that ambiant light coming from the fluorescent light on the ceiling.
TinEye: Or how to see where your images have been used…
Wow peeps, I think I should have blogged about this a loooonng time ago. This is truly an exciting new tool that I advise you all to try.
TinEye is a reverse image search engine: you can find your photographs whenever, and wherever they appear on the internet. It uses a sort of “signature” of the image you submit, and then compares it to the signature of all the images referenced in their database.
In short, it works wonders! Check it out yourself with their Cool Searches. It will show you how powerful this tool is, and how amazing is the potential uses for this once it has crawled enough of the internet.
Idee Inc has come up with a free version of Tineye to start with, but they are hoping to offer a paid feature that will allow you to submit a group of images and then receive updates regularly of where and how it’s been used. There is even a plugin for both IE and Firefox!
So watch out! This is gonna be big! More info about this on their blog.
And here is a quick video presentation:
Flickr: How to make the most of it?
On Flickr, you can be a professional or an amateur. If you have great images, you will easily find an audience to share it with. And for that reason only, if you are into photography, it is a great place to be. I mean, people who go on flickr already love photography. But it is also a great place to learn and improve your skills.
So what is it that makes it such a powerful tool?
Well first, it is FREE.
And that, in my book, is an opportunity for anyone with a low budget. It allows you to share your photos with your friends. And it also gives you a chance to see your own evolution in the way you approach photography. You only need a computer and an internet connection.
More importantly, it is a real community.
It is a place where you will always find people interested in the same things and ready to answer what you would think is a stupid question. For that, the group feature is just an endless resource to explore. For example, I am part of a few groups myself, but there are 4 on which I spend most of my time:
- The “Strobist” group. its philosophy: “Less Light – More brain” – It will teach you all you need to know about flashes and lighting techniques. The place to start would be the blog though.
- The “Wedding Photography” group.
- The “Concert Photography” group.
- The “Pro Corner: Semi-Pro and Professional Photography/Photographer” group.
For all of these, I find something unique in them. I learn a lot from other people and from their mistake. And I share as much as I can. I believe strongly in the saying “What goes around comes around”. The more you give, the more it comes back to you. So one piece of advice: Get involved! You will meet interesting people, with the same passion as you, and who are really eager to share knowledge.
An important thing to bear in mind is that all of the groups have a set of rules of their own. Some allow only a certain amount of photo to be added each day by a member. Others ask for the information about the technique to be added to the description. Some ask for photos of cats only! You can find anything and everything. So obey the rules and all will be fine!
It is a place to get feedback.
Leaving a comment on a photo is a nice way to say, in a more personal way, that you appreciate it. But it is also a great way to get people interested in your own stuff. I find that most of the time, the more i comment, the more comments I get. And when I like a photographer a lot, I add him/her as a contact to be sure to not miss any upcoming photo. Most of the time they reciprocate, but it’s not a rule.
You can also, in most groups, ask directly for feedback about a certain picture. And people are usually happy to give you some constructive criticism. But beware! If you’re not someone who can accepts negative comments as well as positive comments, it might not be for you. People tend to be fairly honest in general, and if you ask what could be improved in your shot, people will tell you. I mean, you asked for it, right!
So I hope that all of you out there who haven’t signed up yet will. And Flickrmail me so I can check out your stuff!