So, if no one buys you flowers in a long time - partly because you told everyone it's a waste of money because they die(!) - buy yourself a bunch & if you get round to photographing them before they wilt, because you forgot to water them, then it wasn't too much of a waste of dosh!
Partly due to some renewed urge I've had recently to be shooting & then working in Photoshop & partly because of the ANTM images I posted, Paul & I finally got round to shooting something we'd talked, thought, forgotten about for the past couple of years.
We don't do procrastination by halves do we?! I blame it on Paul's mediterranean upbringing & my having lived over there for 8 years!
Paul took the shots & found myself in front of the camera modelling & then back to my regular position behind my 30" Mac screen post-processing! Here's what we came up with on our Friday night indoors...
I'll be the first to admit I'm addicted to watching America's Next Top Model. I drool over the Hasselblads & the array of lighting equipment and will often hit the pause button (if you're in the UK & don't have Sky Plus, get it!) when it comes to the photographs towards the end of the show.
The show has come up with a whole host of ideas for photo-shoots but strangely enough the ones that stand out the most to me aren't the ones shot with elaborately staged backdrops and a mind-blowing lighting set-up. Instead it's three uncomplicated photo-shoots, which had the simplest of final images, that I remember out of all the series I've watched. A selection from these 3 shoots are posted below.
Keeping it simple, uncluttered & straightforward is definitely something to keep in mind when photographing.
I don't particularly enter competitions but I recently entered an online competition which has been organized in Cyprus. Velvet Classic Competition
Below are four of the entries:
What time is it? My watch says 8.53am, my computer says 8.51am, my phone says 7.52am (still need to change that, obviously!)... tickets for Bon Jovi's only UK date this year go on sale any minute now... I WANT ONE (Ok, actually it's two!)
Edit: 8.57am ... "the number you have called is busy" GGGRRRRR! Let's hope my browser doesn't crash!
Edit: 9.02am I GOT TWO TICKETS!!!! WOOOOHOOOO! Can you believe I tried to get another two more IMMEDIATELY after my first purchase and nothing is available? Paul is going to freak at the ££££s I've just spent to see Bon Jovi AGAIN! Never mind :)
And here's the official account of what happened when the tickets went on sale:
BON JOVI SELL OUT THE ARENA AT THE O2 ON 24TH JUNE
Bon Jovi, the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world sold out their only UK date in ONE minute.
Tickets for Bon Jovi’s opening gig at The O2 arena this June went on sale at 9am this morning- thousands of fans jammed the phone line and internet to get their hands on the summer’s hottest ticket with all tickets being snapped up within a minute.
Bon Jovi, who sold over 300,000 tickets and 6 stadiums at their British shows last year, will be appearing at The O2 on Sunday 24th June. It will be the first time in 15 years that Jovi have played indoors.
As promised, here are a few more from my most recent photo shoot. Still more to come but right now I'm gonna head out, walk my dog & enjoy some of the rare sunshine we're having here in the UK!
Saturday morning and I'm in tears! Damn Bon Jovi! ;)
I'd purposely stayed away from Bon Jovi's website the last couple of weeks because, despite being a HUGE fan, I was expecting to be sorely disappointed when I'd hear their new song (You Want to) Make a Memory. Over the last few years the band seems to have turned direction from rock roots to pop poop. Some of you may argue this new release is still pop poop but it has to be one of the most beautiful songs they've released since Always. It's simple, poignant & Jon's vocals made me melt! The new album is due to be released 19th June & the single will be on iTunes on 17th April. If I've convinced you to listen... click HERE! Go on, you know you want to!
Other than that major news, there's one more little piece of information that I'm sure no else in the UK is at all interested in so please don't bother reading on! Bon Jovi are doing ONE gig in the UK this year... just the ONE. ARRRRGH! They're opening the new O2 arena in London & tickets are on sale online next Friday at 9am. Guess what I'm going to be frantically trying to get next Friday morning? I HATE buying tickets like this on the net coz it's a nightmare succeeding at it - everyone & his dog is going to be trying. Wish me luck!
Today I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with two very good friends who are both astoundingly talented photographers and who do just as well in front of the lens as they do behind it! As the photo-shoot progressed they did a great job of reminding me why I love photography, and especially working with people, so much.
Here are just a few of the shots that I've had the chance to look at & work on this evening but there are plenty more to sift through still! Check back again within the next couple of days....
Here's a long overdue Photoshop tip for teeth whitening in your portraits.
Make a rough selection of the teeth in the image, feather by about 5 to 10, go to Image>Adjustments>Selective Color. In the drop down box, select yellow & set to -100. Doing this once is normally enough but if the teeth are extra manky, brush vigorously twice! See image below for settings (and yes, I do have wonky lower teeth!).
These were a client's shoes which she bought along to a photo session. I thought they were simply beautiful so I shot a few of just the shoes for personal use!
Hope everyone's having a great Easter weekend... can't believe how great the weather is in the UK for this time of year!
We had a fun photo-shoot with Liz & Darren yesterday around the local university's campus. They were great to work with & didn't even moan when I asked Darren to do a running jump - although I'm sure they thought I was nuts!!
It was a bright but incredibly cold day in February when Paul & I shot Greg & Ellie's wedding. The couple braved the cold & the four of us ended up with numb fingers, red noses & some great shots! I finished designing their album today and it's been a pleasure working alongside this couple... thanks!
Someone remind me to never ask the guys at Big Folio to change my template again! Big Folio very kindly obliged about a week ago and I now have the amazing Front Street template. Needless to say, I think it's their best yet... thanks!
Resizing everything has been such a (worthwhile!) chore, especially when you have a couple of albums on the go and brides wanting them back as soon as possible! Anyways, it's all done now and I love our new website :)
I have a new toy! I need to get to grips with the program a little more still but here's the short slideshow I made with it earlier this evening...
