Creating a Triptych in Photoshop

Shots from Ještěd

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Last weekend I was in Jablonec nad Nisou, a town in Northern Bohemia. Very close to there is a noteworthy landmark known as Horský Hotel Ještěd. 


This peculiar building is visible from kilometers distant, with its acute form puncturing the skyline. 


It is a television transmitter / hotel combination built by the communist regime in 1966 - the cold-war era. Apparently the Germans, a mere 20km or so away, were afraid it was some kind of weapon!


Anyway, the place is a great location for photography, and I hope you enjoy the images I captured there.

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Webcam 101 for seniors

Mindblowing analog photography

Jessica Eaton  just blew my mind. Literally.


"Using a wide array of experimental, analogue-based photographic techniques such as colour separation filters, multiple exposures, dark slides and in-camera masking Jessica Eaton builds images on sheets of 4x5 film that address fundamental properties of photography such as light, chance, duration, illusion and spatial relations. - Clint Roenisch, Gallery.
Eaton says; “I often set up parameters for phenomena to express itself. In the best of cases I push things so that the response comes in ways that I could not have thought up until I was shown it on film. Once you get to see or experience something you can use it. Then you can use it to see something else.”


Please go and check out her work HERE.

Lomography of the mind

Lomography. Although I have not dabbled in the field, the practice of intentionally using "inferior" cameras as a way to influence your art as a photographer has long interested me. I am referring to such cameras as Polaroids, Lomos, Holgas etc - which have various "handicaps" ranging from the in-body developing of the polaroid to the plastic lenses of the the Holga and Lomo.
The reason it interests me is that the machine, or tool used to create the image becomes an inherant part of the character and content of the image. Like a painter using a wad of tissue instead of a brush, or a sculptor using a shotgun instead of a chisel.


Now, I have said that this interests me - that is not to say that I am an advocate or promotor of the discipline. I am still on the fence as far as this is concerned. Can a musician add to his performance by using an inferior or out of tune instrument? I am not so sure, but then I am not so sure about my analogies, either.
I do not own any of these "toy cameras", as they are often referred to, so how can I experiment with this? Without investing in new equipment that I may not even want in the long-term, I guess I can only work with an inferior head. Yes, you heard me, an inferior head.

"But Edvar, you are a genius." I hear you say... "How can you have an inferior head?". Easy. Alcohol. Shoot photographs while inebriated. Let's call it "Alcoholography".
I predict that this will work much like playing pool. After a beer or two, my game will drastically improve, or at least change. The booze-buzz giving me confidence and a slightly different way of approaching things - less bound by logic and expectation. After another couple of drinks it will quickly degrade into chaos and misery. I just hope I don't break or lose anything.
So watch this space, I will endeavour to start my "project" this weekend.

A view from the top

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My first processed image from Český ráj. This was taken from the top of a sandstone cliff-encircled plateau that we climbed up to try and catch the sunset. Unfortunately we had walked several kilometres from the location of the car and had to descend the cliffs quickly to avoid injury or worse in the pitch black. The location we arrived at was a 2 hour walk from the car, so we took the advice of some locals and took a hunting trail through the forest. With just one 2 LED headlight and no idea of where the path would lead us , that was at the very least an.... interesting walk.

Download Windows 8!!!

Microsoft has posted a demo version of its next operating system, for developers! You can download Windows 8 !
The site below is in French, but the downloadable ISO files are for English language 32 and 64bit versions of the developer build of Win8.


Let me know if you decide to try it out!

Manual Photography Cheat Sheet

by Miguel Yatco

Click for original image

Český ráj - Bohemian Paradise

Český ráj

So, I am off to go camping in Český ráj again straight after work today. Český ráj means "Czech Heaven", and is a really beautiful region North of Prague, boasting castles, lakes, forests and interesting tall sandstone formations - so I am hoping to get some good shots this weekend. The weather forecast is good, warm with some clouds (ideal for HDR) and I am excited already!
Watch this space early next week for the results.

Vivian Maier, street photographer and nanny

Vivian Maier, an amazing, yet almost unknown street photographer; her negatives discovered in a box sold from a repossessed storage unit. Currently, Vivian Maier’s body of work is being archived and catalogued for the enjoyment of others and for future generations. This video tells the amazing story:

Advanced collage tricks - Photoshop Tutorial

Still as popular as ever, photomontage is initially one of the easiest techniques to learn. But achieving photorealistic results can be a challenge. In this tutorial, Mike Harrison shows you how, by blending a number of photos together. This kind of work always has a surreal edge, but with the images you’ll use, the environment and composition, you’ll endeavour to be quite subtle, too, which should add an extra intriguing quality to the piece.

The specific techniques you’ll learn will be how to specify a light source and apply realistic lighting and shadows to the objects, and how to use subtle effects like colour treatment, texture and adjustment layers to give a certain mood to the final image.Step 1 The first step when starting an image-heavy piece like this is to collate a variety of stock imagery that you want to use. Don’t worry about being exact in your choice of shots as there’s nothing stopping you, subsequently, adding or leaving out images. A website such as fotolia.com has plenty of images of animals, while for free images of birds, specifically, try sxc.hu. Read more...

Animated art by Micaël Reynaud

Micaël Reynaud is an incredibly talented gif artist. You can see more of his work on his Google+ profile by following this link..

That Hands

A photographer's frustrations

As an amateur photographer I mostly feel lucky to have discovered an activity which is not only fulfilling and creative but also gets me out of the house, and afterwards I have something aesthetically pleasing to hang on my wall, or someone else's. It is not all roses, though. Like anything else, photography has some frustrating elements, and I am (in no particular order) going to explain some of my frustrations here.

Perception of non-photographers
As many have said before, when we tell people we are photographers, or show them our work we are often assaulted with a phrase like "Wow, you must have a really good camera!". As if cameras are autonomous machines which only need to be purchased, charged and taken outside. A good camera does not make good pictures, a good photographer does - even with a lower quality camera.


Time as a harsh mistress
A photograph captures a single moment in time, and therefore (unless in studio conditions) can never truly be repeated. So often I find myself in the situation of seeing a great scene, and capturing it as best I can, only to later - usually in post-production - see that I could have taken the shot in a better way. A different composition, or different camera settings. I know this is what I should see as a learning experience, but it frustrating nonetheless.


The Photoshop stigma
Traditional analog (film) photographers have a host of darkroom techniques at their disposal to influence how the final print of an image will look. Many of these will be familiar to digital photographers, as they are emulated in photoshop; such as masking, dodging, burning, cross-processing etc. Yet for some reason, when I show anything which is anything other than a straight-from-the-camera untouched photograph, people tend to react with comments like: "Ah, that's photoshopped.", as if that is somehow cheating, or no longer real photography. I personally spend a long time post-processing my images to get them just the way I want, and I see that as a skill additional to knowing how to handle a camera and recognise and shoot scenes. You never hear anyone attack an analogue photographer with the slur: "Ah, that's been darkroomed."


Invisibility cloak
I love street photography. I love to see the images produced by good street photographers. I am not so good at it myself, as for some reason I draw too much attention from my subjects. People are curious and self-conscious by nature, and when they notice the camera they change their behaviour, stance and expression. I wish I had an invisibility cloak.


There are more things which frustrate me too, which I will not get into now. But please let me be clear, I love photography and would not trade it for anything. The joy it brings me is priceless and wonderful.


What frustrates you about photography?

Google reciprocity tools

How to Add Textures to photos in Photoshop

The Arts | 'The Digital Eye': photographic art in the electronic age | Seattle Times Newspaper

The Arts | 'The Digital Eye': photographic art in the electronic age | Seattle Times Newspaper

You can't trust a photograph — and that's what makes it so fascinating. Some surreal photographic visions involve no wizardry beyond elaborate staging. Other seemingly "natural" shots are the result of self-effacing camera trickery you'd never guess was at work unless you were informed about it. In "The Digital Eye: Photographic Art in the Electronic Age," the new exhibit at the Henry Art Gallery, curator Sylvia Wolf places the latest computer-generated advances in the medium in a satisfyingly deep context by prefacing the digital goods on display with two small galleries of work from the pre-digital age. Read more...

Eating is not a skill

OK, so be warned - this is a rant post. I know this and I don't give a shit.


I was never really a big believer in social convention, rules and etiquette, but there is a base level that is absolutely fundamental to me. Like holding a door open if someone is following you through it. Standing to offer a public transport seat to elderly, pregnant or disabled people, and so on. Even more fundamental than this: being able to eat using cutlery properly.
Last night, while enjoying a few beers and some food with my girlfriend at a long table in a basement bar in Prague, we were joined by a mixed group consisting of a Czech couple entertaining a Mexican girl and a Japanese girl. Being of a curious nature (sic: nosy) I was subtly observing them and listening in on snippets of their conversation.
The 2 visiting girls asked what typical Czech food they could order, and the couple suggested pickled sausages to the poor girls. That's jumping in at the deep end, I can tell you. But anyway, that's not what this post is about.
The Czech girl was sitting closest to me, and from the moment she started eating, she horrified me.

Doing it right.

First off, she was holding her fork like a left-handed person would hold a pen. Not only does this look retarded, but it made cutting her food an unnecessarily complicated operation. I watched with fascinated disbelief as she dumbly pushed her food around her plate, chasing it with her fork while trying to find purchase enough to hold it still and perform the necessay cuts.
Now I can understand that you may not react to this as I do, it could be quite personal to me. Granted.
What happened next, though, almost made me throw up a little in my mouth. While talking to the the visiting girls, she raised a slice of bread to her mouth and took a bite. Without removing the bread from said position, she chewed and swallowed, took another bite and repeated. Ew. Then she proceeded to SUCK the piece of bread. SUCK it. No biting, or chewing. What the FUCK?
So, I will end my rant there, as I am beginning to feel a little unwell again thinking about it.
Bon apetit.

How to fix the US Economy

by Brent Fishman (via Google+)

Over this past weekend when talking with friends about the economy I brought up three ways that if the US government even did two of these that within 2 years we will be out of debt.

LEGALIZE WEED
100% legalize it like cigarettes and beer is. Stop spending billions on a war you'll never win. Make it so you are 21 and over and able to buy it like alcohol. Open up government owned shops(hey look we just created more jobs) as well as the government grows the weed.(oh-m-g more JOBSwere also created) This will not only put more people to work in which we are having problems finding jobs for people. This'll hurt the drug cartels in which bring illegal weed from Mexico up to the US. This'll stop the worthless spending on this anti weed campaign that doesn't work since half the people who are fighting it do it them selves. But also will reduce those in jail because of either selling it or having it on them so now jail/prison cost go down.


Call Center Tax
This one may be harder but any call that originates in the US and is directly out of the country has a $5 tax on the company. The public will never see these fees but the companies who out source jobs and force 1000's out of work pays. This'll do one thing and that's force companies to bring call centers to the US which will bring JOBS and taxes for the governemtn which'll also relieve the need for the government to keep people on unemployment. Not only that but it'll also bring JOBSto construction companies to build all the call centers needed. 


The China Tax
This one is tricky as it'll strain relations with China(Sorry they don't care about the US they are attacking us already anyways) but this'll bring jobs as well as income in. Tax EVERYTHING that comes from china with an extra 20% tax. Any products that are either built or come from China will be forced to have this on top of what the pubic pays for now. This'll for abut one year irritate the public enough to stop using non American made products and force companies to get this... HIRE AMERICANS to work the factories and everything else. Hey look, MORE JOBS ARE CREATED THUS INCREASING TAXES THE GOVERNMENT RECEIVES 


Doing any of the 3 topics I've mentioned will stop this recession we are in as well as bring jobs and hope to America in the future... I so should run for government how old you need to be, look I've just ended out financial troubles. Oh yea I'd also double teachers wages as we need them to be wanting to teach not, not caring BC they don't get paid a dime.

New blog - new chances for sharing, venting and rants...

So...although I am savvy in most google products and a bit of a fan-boy, I never really got round to starting a blog. I never really saw the point, to be honest. Now, however, with Google+ kind of "unifying" my online efforts, I browsed through a list of other Google products and found Blogger amongst them. 
"Why not?" I thought, and lo and behold, here I am.
I am not yet sure what the leading theme of this blog will turn out to be, but it will likely feature a lot about photography, life in Prague, social commentary and random rants.
Watch this space!