Tag Archives: photography

A few critiques

Apr
01
2012
by Jessy | 0 Comments

Like many photographers I listen watch several of the online shows with Scott Kelby, RC Conception, etc.  Kelbys tip to have pro’s review you work is one of those things I have always been scared to do but finally decided to suck it up and try it.  On “The Grid” a while back Kelby offered to do some critiques on his show so I submitted these images.  Of course he told everyone how horrible they were.  Kelby provided some really great feedback about what is good and what is bad in the images as well as how to make them better.  His feedback and insight is very valuable.  I believe most of the people that were critiqued during that episode understood what Kelby was getting at with his critique and appreciated the feedback he gave.

I was also able to get a few minutes of Andrew Howells (from Aplebox.net) time to review my site.  He also provided some valuable insight and restated some things I had already known.  I have since cleaned up my site and the images on it per his feedback and feel better about taking another step forward.

My advice to others looking for the same feedback would be:

  1. Seek out people you trust for feedback.  Not friends and family, but others in the photography community that have more than their gut feeling of like or not.  This will give you more of the why and why not.
  2. Take their feedback as it is meant to be given.  When you ask for feedback and someone gives you an honest critique of your work it’s not all butterflies and kittens.  Sometimes things can sound very harsh, just listen to Kelby provide his critiques.  Remember that as harsh as it sounds it is meant to provide you with the information and the push you need to move into the right direction and away from what you are doing poorly.
  3. Final, but not least…Remember that their feedback is biased with their opinion.  With my critique from Kelby I had a laugh a little because an image he trashed during the critique is one I have actually sold some copies.  I have not sold hundreds of copies, but many more than you would have thought had you only listened to his critique.  I think Andrew said it well in his critique: “I don’t care much for the bright stuff but that’s just me, it’s not my style.”  He acknowledged that the work is good, but he prefers one type over another.

I hope that I am able to continue to get these random critiques as time goes on and my skills increase, this information and feedback is very helpful and valuable in my continued development.

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Red Stalagmite Image Sold!

Mar
10
2012
by Jessy | 0 Comments

I sold a 7.75″ X 8.00″ print of Red Stalagmite on FineArtAmerica!  The buy purchased with a black frame and white matting, I think it looks rather good like this.

 

 

 

This is the image but be sure to check out the announcement page to see the image of the frame and matting on it, gives it a very different look.

Announcement page

 

 

 

 

 

This image was taken last fall when my husband and I went to West Virgina for a weekend to hang out in a cabin with his family.  His parents and sister were already there.  Part of the trip for the weekend included going through Smoke Hole Caverns.  it was truly something to see and they had it lit beautifully inside so that I could get some nice photos.

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Selected by the judges as a community favorite

Mar
05
2012
by Jessy | 0 Comments

It seems that the same images are coming back again and again getting more and more well known in various photography communities.  My Cathedral picture taken at St. John the Baptists Cathedral in Savannah Georgia has now been “selected by the judges as a community favorite” per the email I received from ViewBug!  Its the same HDR image that won the HDR Photomatix contest on FaceBook.  I have also sold 3 copies of this images thus far…and finally printed one for myself.

Once again this is completely amazing to me and I feel so honored to have someone even like some of the images I have taken, let alone for them to win something.  The best thing of this is it keeps giving me more and more motivation to get out and take more images.  On top of that is creating and excitement to see what people will say about various images and takes on the locations that I shoot.

I hope I can keep getting all the criticism I have been, good and bad, it has definitely help me to grow in the photography field!

Thank you again to all of you that vote, view, and provide feedback (good and bad, without you bad ones I don’t learn anything!), its what helps me to keep growing as a photographer.

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A Barn in Kansas

Feb
25
2012
by Jessy | 0 Comments

Growing up there was this barn on the side of the highway by my little town.  It becomes one of those landmarks that lets you know you are close to home.  As I got older and started seeing things a little differently the barn become something more.  I always wanted to go look inside, see what’s there, etc.  Finally, last year at Christmas I asks my Dad to take me out there so I could take some photos.  This only prompted him to say “You mean to XXX’s barn?”  Of course we knew the family that owned it, if only I would have asked earlier.

I was able to get some great images of it with the snow all around, and I have found I am partial to the black and white, that must be how I’ve always seen it in my head as a child.  The barn is nearly 100 years old so I think the black and white is fitting.  For the images below, you can see them larger here.  I used a few presets that I have in Light Room and then of course tweaked them a little, I’m never happy with pre-sets.  I did import a few of them into Topaz BW but I decided that I liked them better straight from Light Room.  Take a look and let me know which one is your favorite.

 

 

This is the first image I completed.  This is HDR using Photomatix, I love how the sun turned out…

 

 

 

 

 

This is an image of the back of the barn.  Something about how the door was hanging from the hinge and resting on the ground drew my attention.  The red with the sun hitting it was so bright and beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

An image from the side in the snow path of the trucks and tractors.  Just to the right was a huge snow pile that I did clime up a little to get a different perspective.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This image is my favorite.  I used a few presets from Lightroom then  kept tweaking them until I was happy.  something about that old Black and White photo is how I have always seen it in my head.  It gives this image some of that old story and mystery to it.

 

 

 

This is a different Black and White process I did.  I love the sun as the focal point, but you cannot ignore that barn.  I think this makes a unique panorama of the whole place.

 

I will be putting these up on my fine art america site but I am still looking for another printer that is a little cheaper.  Fine art america charges so much and I get so little as I try to keep the costs reasonable.  If you have suggestions let me know! 🙂

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PlusOne Collection Book – update

Feb
25
2012
by Jessy | 0 Comments

The limited edition sale period is over.  Yes I had to order one, it’s the first book that my photography will be in so it is quite exciting for me.  Very soon the release of the standard print, ebook, and app will be posted and the ebook and app are extremely cheap with the funds going to a great cause.  I will be sure to keep you updated on the information about the release and any sales info I receive.  You can continue to check out the book site for information s well.  http://plusonecollection.com/

This is copied from a post Ivan Makarov put on G+, it really is great information about the limited edition sale, I had to share:

“The final number is in. A total of  195 copies of the Limited Edition of +Plus One Collection will be printed. The production of all those copies will begin this week, and we hope to ship in the first few days of March. By the way – today is the last day to pick your print, if you have a preference –http://goo.gl/j5Orv

Each copy will be numbered inside the book (1/194, 2/194, etc.). 

The first to order the book was +Alan Allum who also ordered another copy towards the end of the sale. The last to order was +Jim Patterson – literally with minutes to spare. 

Lots of cool stories – wives ordering for husbands, guys buying for their girlfriends, children buying for their parents and even my mom buying a copy in the last 30 minutes of the sale. 

I also know quite a few Googlers ordered their copies, including company’s executives. 

Approximately 65% will ship to US/Canada, with the rest all over the world – from Hong Kong to South Australia to Argentina and Poland. 

Don’t have the exact number of funds we raised thus far until all shipping expenses are paid for, but safe to say, we’ve raised over $10,000. “

As you see in the post he actually let people purchasing choose from 15 different prints which will be included in their order.  This is a great idea because it gives them that freedom but I’m sure it makes a lot more work and coordination for Ivan.  We will all remember his efforts for a long time to come.  If you are on G+ please remember to stop by and thank him for all of his hard work to raise this money for KIVA!

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PlusOne Collection Book from Google+ Availabe for Sale

Feb
09
2012
by Jessy | 1 Comment

The PlusOne Collection Limited Edition book is now available for sale!  This book is a collection of photographs submitted by over 520 artists on Google Plus.  The artists range from pros to amateurs.

Each book will be printed large (11″ x 13″ landscape), and on premium fine art ProLine paper. Each copy will be numbered and include a certificate of authenticity. In addition, each book will come with a tipped-in print of one of the images in the book (prints are 6″ x 9″ on 8″ x 11.5″ paper). Prints are printed on archival paper to museum standards using UltraChrome K3 inks and will last close to 100 years with proper care.

View the PlusOneCollection site to learn more about the artists and various book editions that will be released later on Feb 21st.

One of my own images will also be available in the book.  Below you can see my image.   

The orders for the Collectors’ Limited Edition will only be taken from February 9 through February 20. No orders for that edition of the book will be taken after that date, and only one run of the Collectors’ Limited Edition will be done.

 

The PlusOneCollection site is up and ready to take your orders.  Be sure to go there soon and order if you would like the Limited Edition book!

 

Thank you again to Ivan Marakov and his team for putting this together so quickly to support the artists on Google+ and a Kiva

 

 Other Facts

  • Collectors’ Edition of Plus One Collection printed version is being released on February 9 and will be available for order until February 20th. Standard edition and ebook will be released on February 21st
  • Collectors’ Edition of Plus One Collection will be fulfilled by our team (Ivan and the Crew). Standard print edition of the book will be fulfilled through the publishing company Blurb
  • Photographers of all levels are represented – established professionals, up and coming artists, and amateurs just picking up photography
  • Photographers contributing to the project are from all four continents, representing 53 countries. Less than 50% are from the USA
  • Photographs in the book are just as diverse, representing all styles of today’s photography
  • Book’s editor and project manager is Ivan Makarov – you can find him here
  • The book is designed by design professional, Andy Lee, who volunteered his time to put the book together
  • A team of 11 photographers chose the images for the print edition. The PDF and mobile app will include ALL photographs submitted to the project
  • The total team working on the project consisted of 15 volunteers – none paid
  • Google+ page is here

 

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Processing old images

Feb
08
2012
by Jessy | 0 Comments

I once read an article by Trey Ratcliff at StuckInCustoms.com where he mentioned that you should not process your images for a year after taking them.  This gives you time to learn new things and process them in a way that you are happy with.
Did i listen to him?  NO!  But, I did learn a  valuable lesson from all of this the other week.  While I am too impatient (yes, me, impatient…I think my parents told me that at least once a day growing up) to wait a year to process after taking them I have been going back and re-precessing a few old images.  The images below are not necessarily the exact files that I processed the first time but they are in the same group of raw files from the same day.

These images were taken about a year ago the day after I purchased my Nikon D7000 just so I could bracket and do HDR.  I of course processed them immediately, and learned Photomatix on the fly.  Knowing nothing about bracketing, hand holding for the images, and using these photos as my first lesson in Photomatix I would say they turned out well.

      

 

The images above have been sold and even won a few contests, but his weekend with some of the new things I learned from watching HDR tutorials by Brian Matiash and Trey Ratcliff I was able to produce images that impress me more.  The level of realizim is closer to what I prefer for these scenes while still capturing the dramatic affect.  I was also now able to see more images out of the series that I wanted to develop becasue my experience of composition has grown to better understand what I want/need and had in those images.

       

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Storm Breaks Image Sold!

Jan
25
2012
by Jessy | 0 Comments

I sold my second print on Fine Art America!  The image is an HDR of two people down the beach and the amazing clouds as the storm was breaking up.

Check the announcement page here: sale announcement

This image was taken the day after I purchased my amazing Nikon D7000.  Of course I got the camera just so that I could bracket and learn how to do HDR.  I barely put the camera down anymore, I have learned to love it so much.

I woke up very early, then had to wait for the storm to end.  Being paranoid about such an expensive piece of equipment I could not get myself to go to the beach with it still raining.  As soon as the rain subsided I was out the door and at the beach trying to figure out the bracketing.  I finally figured everything out and was getting some amazing shots of the pier when I noticed two people way down the beach, the clouds above them, and the sun breaking, it was just perfect.

Once again this sale is just amazing to me and I thank all of those that have been with me through the process, I couldn’t have done it without all of you!

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Cathedral Reflection Image Sold!

Jan
25
2012
by Jessy | 0 Comments

I sold my very first print on Fine Art America!  The image is a reflection of the cathedral in a window of a cafe.  This image was taken when I was in New Orleans for the National Geographic Photography workshop.

Check the announcement page here: sale announcement

I never would have thought to start looking in the windows and in different places for images if Tyron Turner had not told us to think of things like reflections and signs.  I immediately emailed Tyrone to let him know the amazing news but also to once again thank him for all that he taught us and his amazing support.  I never would have thought that someone as busy as he is would really take the time to continue and email the group months after the trip, but even to respond and be so excited for me and my sale!

Such amazing people have led me to this point in my life and I am forever grateful to them.  Thank you again to the buyer and all of those that have supported me through this process.

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onONe Photography – Focal Point

Oct
16
2011
by Jessy | 0 Comments

I participated in a photo contest recently that was based on using onOne Photography suite.  onOne has add-ins for Photoshop and Lightroom so that you can make all edits at once.  My favorite at this point has to be the “focal point” add-in.

This image specifically uses the focus add-in.  The entire image was in focus and it made nothing appear different or attractive about the image.  The image actually seems rather boring.

red plymouth in focus

 

 

The image below is done using onOne Focal Point.  This added oval focus areas on the grill with extreme feathering on the edges.  The focus put only on the front and grill of the old plymouth with everything else out of focus adds the much needed abstractions in the photo.  The image now has something that draws your eye to focus on an area of the image.

Red Plymouth onOne

 

 

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