Macro

Macro is an extreme close-up.
I believe these links deserve a close-up 😉

• Challenges: You can still submit, vote and see results on Celine’s blog.
• Eyey Opener: New tutorial seen on PetaPixel, called How to ‘Make Eyes Look Amazing’ In Photoshop added to the Tutorial page.
• May the 4th…: Another article on FStoppers that mixes photography and Star Wars action figures.
• Here comes the sun: Another PetaPixel tutorial to add sun beams to a picture (also added to the tutorial page)
• This is the end: I didn’t renew my Aminus account and don’t plan on adding anything new to it.
• No Surprises: FStoppers listed the 48 photographers to follow on 500px and *shockingly* I’m not in the list 😉 I already followed a lot but added some more with that.

By Sebastien Grobelny

Macro

Macro is an extreme close-up.
I believe these links deserve a close-up 😉

• Challenges: You can still submit, vote and see results on Celine’s blog.
• I finally created a page with tutorials I find useful. Don’t hesitate to propose your addition in the comments section. Last addition are “How to fix color banding” from FStoppers and “How to Enhance Detail and Texture with Intelligent High Pass Sharpening” from Vibranshot
• Vivian Maier: Thanks to Donald at 50’lux, I heard about Vivan Maier and I find the trailer and the story fascinating.
• The Clone Wars: It is no secret I’m a big Star Wars fan and I love to mix toys and “real” subjects, so imagine my joy when 500px did a blog post about Stormtroopers doing Awesome things
• Wild Portraits: Petapixel had a beautiful post on Intimate black and white portraits of exotic animals in captivity that I recommend for the beautiful pictures.

Kiss me

By Sebastien Grobelny

Macro

Macro is an extreme close-up.
I believe these links deserve a close-up 😉

• Challenges: You can still submit, vote and see results on Celine’s blog.
• Milky Way : Nice article from PetaPixel on how to pick your lens to shoot the Milky Way
• Into the wild: Wyoming is a beautiful state but Wyoming is a wild state as shown in this timelapse.
• Lighting: The Strobist offers a Ligthing 101 guide. More details can be found here.
• May the Force…: Loved this article on PetaPixel about movie scenes done with Lego including Star Wars and Indiana Jones. One day maybe I will be able to do something similar 😉

By Sebastien Grobelny

Macro

Macro is an extreme close-up.
I believe these links deserve a close-up 😉

• Challenges: You can still submit, vote and see results on Celine’s blog.
• Say it is so: Pixar is rumored to be working on Star Wars on Gizmodo!
• Say it ain’t so: I put yesterday a feed on PhotoStealers and am saddened to see that they have post everyday to report blatant theft and usually poor answers/explanations from the “alleged” thief.
• Pop-Photoshop: Guess that by now you have seen already this video clip where the singer is retouched “live”
• Are you smarter than a 5th grader?: This video answers the question “Can Video Games make you smart?”
• Hobbitown: Beautiful timelapse from the gorgeous New Zealand. Like the poet said, I believe I can fly!

 

By Sebastien Grobelny

Long Exposure #7 : My first critic

On Tuesday Celine took me to our first ever photo critic. There was a bit of frenzy on Monday night to pick up what we would present. I wasn’t initially supposed to go but with a little bit of pushing here and there, I was convinced into going. It was at the B&H Event Space.

I ended presenting from my Studio Projects gallery. The idea was that I thought that a lot of people would present travel and portraits and I also wanted to be able to progress on this with targeted assignments. Thought it would be more difficult to re-shoot a landscape in Monument Valley on a whim ;).

Here are the 5 shots I picked in the same order I presented them.

1$ bill detail shot with the 100mm f/2.8 @1/10s

Processing experiment with paint. Shot with 100mm at f/11 and 1/15s

Detail of my old AlienWare laptop shot with 60mm f/2.8 @6/10s

Detail of a Mc Donalds Angus Deluxe shot with 60mm f/2.8 @1/125s

Troopers and Vador with 100mm f/4 1/125s

I thought this would be one on ones, us versus the panel of critics. Instead the pictures of everyone where put up on screens and discussed by the critics and often times other participants. Celine went first, and I thought it went pretty well. I went close to the end and left with a ton of questions. I’m very grateful for the critics and the opportunity. I was able to see what I’m up against and how to better myself. I think I’m currently following a similar process than grief and am currently between denial and bargaining. I will eventually be there, but I will need some time.

Don’t hesitate to leave your critics in the comment section or if you want to get some constructive criticism put some links of your own there.

By Sebastien Grobelny

Macro

Macro is an extreme close-up.
I believe these links deserve a close-up 😉

• Challenges: You can still submit for Best of 40 (09/23-09/29), Theme 40 : Aquatic Life, Technique 20: Macro of Metal and Monthly Project 09: Photo Hunt on Photoblogchallenges. You can still vote until Sunday too!
• Stunning video of the week : Timelapse in Iceland
• Creativity is this weeks word on Scott Kelby’s guest blog wednesday. Loved the composite shots.
• Cuties of the week : lion cubs at the Miami zoo
• “These are not the photos you’re looking for”: Amazing renders (ie all computer generated images)
• Chris Hadfield is my new hero. Sounds like a very nice guy.
• Animated Fan letter to J.J.Abrams for rules to abide to for the new Star Wars

Into Darkness with a poll!

It may come as a shock to some of you, but I’ve never seen a Star Trek episode growing up. I was more a Star Wars child and even though I watched shows like Stargate and Babylon-5, I’ve never watched a Star Trek episode. Sure, I knew who Spock and Kirk were, what the Enterprise looked like, that the Klingon were the bad guys but not much more.
I discovered Star Trek very recently with the J.J.Abrams movies and enjoyed it.

Below is a video of how the last title sequence was designed.

And you, are you more Star Wars or Star Trek? (If you have the opportunity I suggest you have a look at Fanboys.)

Macro

Macro is an extreme close-up.
I believe these links deserve a close-up 😉

• Challenges: You can still submit for Best of 38 (09/09-0915), Theme 38 : Begins with “G”, Technique 19: Water Droplets and Monthly Project 09: Photo Hunt on Photoblogchallenges. You can still vote until Sunday too!
• If you ever owned some mischievous furry devils you should appreciate this cat vs human strip
• I love TED. They broach all the subjects from the mundane to the highly technical. Today, the art of misdirection
• Red Panda cub! (thanks Celine)
• The art of being a manager
• For the Star Wars fans who can’t wait the new episodes