Some Smokin' Photos...

Though I've never been a fan of cigarettes or the smell of cigarette smoke, I do have to admit that (and please don't think that I'm creepy in saying this) that I'm absolutely fascinated by people who do smoke, and that I am often quite captivated by the appearance of people as they are smoking.

Please understand that this is not an endorsement of cigarette smoking. Anything but... I'm merely acknowledging a certain fascination of mine -- a fascination that (on occasion) has led towards some pretty decent photographs.



It's likely that a fair amount of my smoking fascination stems from the fact that both of my parents -- along with all of my aunts and uncles -- were and/or are relatively heavy smokers. As a child, I probably inhaled enough second hand smoke to choke a horse, and so I've never really had any desire to take up the habit. On the other hand -- while growing up -- I do remember being practically mesmerized at times with the way that my family members and relatives appeared as they were smoking, and I can distinctly recall one Summer evening in Northern Michigan (waaaaaaaay back in the early '70s) where my parents were sitting on the porch of our house, backlit by the setting sun, chain smoking furiously, and being surrounded by the most amazing streamers of swirling smoke imaginable. It was almost like some sort of CGI effect (this was waaaaaaaay before CGI), and in my head I can bring back the mental image almost as if l were looking at a photograph.

The amateur psychologist in me knows that what happens in childhood often leads towards paths, directions and habits later on in life, and it's probably fair to say that all of my formative years around smokers has led to my continuing fascination with people who smoke. At the same time, the professional photographer in me knows that present day habits and interests often lead towards subjects matters worthy of an image and -- myself -- I'm always looking for subject matters and people worthy of an image



A personal project that I've been working on in my spare time involves (and this should come as no surprise to anyone reading this post) people smoking.

Lots of people smoking.

Basically, as many people as I can find who are willing to be photographed smoking.

Interestingly, despite my fascination with cigarette smoking, I know relatively few people who actually engage in the habit, and so I've actually had to put a fair amount of time and effort into actively seeking out smokers. What this typically involves is my hanging out in some local bar or tavern, waiting for people to get loosened up a bit, waiting for myself to get loosened up a bit, and then -- if someone should fire up a smoke -- asking if I can take their picture. Amazingly (though not surprisingly), people who've been drinking alcohol really don't seem to mind having their picture taken.



Let me acknowledge that -- yes -- this is easily one of the oddest postings to go up on the blogsite, and quite a bit out of character with my typical writings. At the same time, my reasons for posting this article are fairly straightforward and simple. Aside from the fact that I get to upload some images that I think are fairly decent (it is MY blog after all), I would also hope that you (the reader) might also think about an interest or hobby that you have (please, nothing too creepy) and then see if you can use that interest to create a personal project of your own.

Personal projects are a great way of getting out of creative ruts and -- at the very least -- an opportunity to explore different looks, lighting set-ups, and Photoshop techniques without having a line-up of clients looking over the shoulder. Anything and everything goes with personal projects, and eventually, the skills learned on a personal project always (and I do mean ALWAYS) transfer over to the gigs that pay the bills.



Sooooooo... What key technique do I take away from my smokin' personal project?

Hmmmm... Not sure.

But I can guarantee that -- eventually -- some skill that I've sharpened while taking these photos will find their way into my everyday work. At the same time, I've met some extremely interesting people, visited some cool bars and taverns, and come up with a collection of images that I'm actually quite pleased with.

Matt

P.S.: If you have any desire or willingness to be photographed while smoking (and you live here in the Portland area), please, feel free to give me a shout.

P.S.S.: The image at the very top of this posting? Taken at the Makaibari Tea Estate in beautiful Kurseong, India.

P.P.S.S.: All the other images? Shot here in Portland.

P.P.P.S.S.: Another one of my fascinations? Well, I've gotta' admit, I really like tattoos... And myself, I'd have a whole bunch of them if it weren't for the fact that I'm allergic to tattoo ink (found out via an emergency room visit after a two hour inking session).

The $39.99 Insurance Policy...

In the photo that you see below, it should be fairly obvious just why a filter of some sort should be kept on the front of a camera lens at all times. Typically, it's a UV/Haze filter that's mounted on a lens for protection ($39.99 at my local camera store), though a polarizing filter will also do the trick -- that is, if you're the sort of person who really likes polarizing filters.

By the way, though this $39.99 filter was completely destroyed by my stupidity AND my dropping of a camera -- lens first -- onto the ground, the actual lens itself (all $800 of it) is doing just fine.



This is the third UV filter that I've ever busted, and so -- though a total of approximately $120 has been spent over the years replacing the filters themselves -- nearly $2400 worth of lenses have been saved by the relatively cheap glass.

As another quick side note, UV filters can be found for much, much cheaper than $39.99. I just happen to like the more expensive stuff.

Last Minute Link-O-Rama...

Life is still busy/crazy in the Global Household™, and so -- rather that my actually putting some time and effort into creating a real blog post -- I'm going to let other bloggers and commentators do the heavy lifting for me.  

Below, you'll see a listing of blog articles and websites that have caught my eye this past week.  I'm also going to toss in a little bit of gratuitous self-promotion, but I only do it because -- well -- because I can...

First up, Seth Godin has a truly great article up on his site that -- though it's geared more towards recent college graduates -- can be equally well applied to anyone with more free time in their lives than they know what to do with...

Secondly, Greg Christensen has a graphic posted on his blogsite which clearly illustrates the differences between marketing, PR, advertising, and branding.  Funny stuff, and oh so true...  

Thirdly, the folks over at Alexx Henry have really been getting the word out about their recently shot Living Movie Poster video.  Yes, this has already been posted all over the web, but it's still kinda' cool, and it points towards one of the directions in which imaging technology is headed.  Shot on a RED One, and then massively post-processed, edited, sliced, diced, etc, etc...

Fourthly, the TiltShiftMaker site is a quick and easy way for anyone to create a fake "tilt-shift miniature" image on their computer.   Myself, I can do a better job in Photoshop (i.e: duplicate layer, gaussian blur, layer mask, gradient, merge layers, adjust saturation, apply contrast curve, etc...), but the TiltShift website is quick and easy.  

Below is a half-way decent fake miniature of the Portland waterfront that I did via the TiltShiftMaker site.  Not great.  But not too bad either...

Best when viewed large.



Fifthly (and this is a gratuitous piece of self-promotion), the good folks at Nasty Clamps have been tweaking their website, and it's really starting to come together. The shopping cart and check-out system has become a bit more streamlined, and there is now the option for doing international purchasing and shipping. Unfortunately, due to customs, duties, VAT, etc, etc, the amount of international purchasing and shipping that can be done is a bit restricted, though I know for a fact (cuz' I'm one of the guys who's trying to figure it out) that Nasty Clamps is looking at an overseas retailer or two.

Lastly (and this is still a gratuitous piece of self-promotion), Nasty Clamps is on Twitter. You can check in on the Twitter feed by going here.

More later...

Matt

Catchin' Up On Stuff...

Life in Global Photo-Land™ has been kinda' hectic for the past few weeks (hence the lack of postings), though the craziness has all been close to home and not global in any sense of the word.

Briefly, the three sources of craziness and hecticness are:

1) Baseball

2) Reality TV

3) Clamps

Let's start with Number One...

And then move on to Number Two...

















Finally, it's Number Three...

The baseball craziness has all been due to... Errrrrrhhhhh.... Baseball (obviously), and a pretty decent Federal team which needs to have pictures taken. Myself, I don't mind taking the pictures, and I sure end up getting a lot closer to the on-field action that I ever have at major league games.

In terms of the "reality tv" stuff, well, I'm not really at liberty to say just who I'm working with. All I can really say is that I'm "on retainer" with a Colorado-based client for the next four months...





Just making "reality" while on set...

Finally -- in terms of the clamp stuff -- well, it's all coming together quite nicely. An official "Nasty Clamps" website can be seen by going here and (don't worry) it's not a porn site.






Very odd looking clamps which really make lighting and photography work easier...

...And they're Nasty!"

If you have an interest in reading one person's opinion of the clamps, photographer David X. Tejada has an excellent review on his blogsite. You can find that review by going here.

The official Nasty Clamps website is fully functional (still tweaking the final appearance), and will steadily improve as more photos, testimonials, and products are brought in. Please stay tuned, and thank you for your patience.

Matt

A NASTY update for this weekend...

Folks in the Portland (Oregon) area who'd like to see some Nasty Clamps in person (me in person, too) are invited to swing by Pro Photo Supply during the big Canon Days event this weekend. Myself, I'll be a featured vendor during the event. And if you can't make it -- well -- the clamps themselves do have a permanent residence in the store (look in the grip/lighting department).




Nasty Clamps.

Put 'em just about anywhere...


...Within reason.









If you'd like to stop by and say "howdy," I'll be at the store from about 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM on Friday (May 15th), and from about 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday (May 16th).

P.S.: If you'd like to be "Twitter updated" about Nasty Clamp appearances, events, and trade shows, please feel free to sign up as a follower of Nasty Clamps. The Twitter ID is -- funnily enough -- "@NastyClamps".

P.P.S.: Why are Twitter updates called "Tweets?" Shouldn't they be called "Twits?"

The Perfect (Yes... PERFECT!) Way To Carry and Store Your Gels...

Regular readers (or at least those with good memories) might recall a posting from about a year ago -- an article which described how travel-size Q-tip packs are the absolute best way to carry "AA" batteries while out on a shoot.

As a bit of an update to that article (and a very recent discovery), it's also worth mentioning that travel-size Q-tip packs are absolutely perfect (and I do mean PERFECT) for carrying around pre-cut gels for strobes. Honest, it's almost as if the folks at Q-tip and the manufacturers of portable strobes (Vivitar 285 strobes, at least) got together over beers one night and decided that they should form a mutual admiration society of sorts. Pre-cut gels that fit into a Vivitar strobe (and -- I suspect -- many other brands) also happen to fit into a Q-tip travel pack, and the fit is (here's that word again) perfect.



Other means for storing gels do exist. Business card holders work fairly well... CD holders are good, though kinda' bulky... Again, it's the size of a Q-tip pack (plus their price -- $1.39 at my local pharmacy) that really works in their favor. And did I mention that the Q-tip packs are made from a fairly dense piece of plastic AND that you (the photographer) will end up with more Q-tips than you'll ever know what to do with? It all just seems so... So.... Perfect.



Quick Tip: Label your gels with a sharpie so that you don't play the "gel guessing game."

In full daylight, it's fairly easy to tell a full CTO from a 3/4, 1/2, etc... But in a dark room (or outside at night), you'll never be able to figure out just what is what without some sort of system...

I, For One, Welcome Our New TRADE SECRET Advertising...

With the recent release of the TRADE SECRET Strobist Vol. 1 trading card set, photographic inspiration can be kept as close as your back pocket, gear bag, lunch sack, or any other place that a small deck of cards tucks away for easy access. Beautifully printed, designed, and illustrated, the cards are the creation of Zeke Kamm (of NICE Photography Magazine fame), and they make for a great addition to any photographer's arsenal of extra brainpower.


Please welcome TRADE SECRET as an advertiser on this site, and be sure to check out (via the active links in this post, or the really cool slideshow ad on the side bar) just what the TRADE SECRET cards have to offer, and how they might help you -- the photographer -- to put a little bit of extra inspiration in your pocket.

Matt

P.S.: A rather lengthy posting and review of the cards can be found by going here.