Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

This isn`t a place for pics of the family and kids, so to speak.

This is a forum for showing off your Most Excellent photo-editing: photos you`re most proud of shooting, inspired art and design work you`ve done, and all those image-based things worth bragging about.

SuN has provided us with a superb way to use the Web (maybe for the first time) to bring into the discussion graphics, pictures, images, and artwork. It isn`t all about text, anymore!

Here`s how it works (Mac users may have slightly different keystrokes):

• Upload your picture to a hosting place.
• Get the image showing the way you want, in your browser.
• Highlight the URL (the Web address for that page) in the browser`s address bar.
• Press Ctrl-C, or right click and choose Copy, to copy the URL to your clipboard (computer memory). It`ll stay in memory until you copy something else to the Clipboard, so don`t worry about it vanishing.
  
• Open this forum topic, then post a reply.
  
• Make up a title or name or short alternate text for your image.
• In that title (or just below it) assign a hyperlink:
• Type something for your title or description.
  
• Highlight a word or phrase in the title,
  
• Click the little "chain link" icon button on the reply editor toolbar.
• In the little dialog box, press Ctrl-V to paste in the link to the image from the clipboard, and press Okay.
• Your hyperlink will be "associated" with the text in the post, and people can click it live to see another window open, with your picture.
  

Most importantly, below the link, write a paragraph or so about why you really like the image---its best feature(s), the special skills you had to apply to that particular thing, why it was worth it. Be technical if you`d like, this is for graphics people and like-minded photography fans.

If you don`t have a place to host images, here are three, all FREE!

Image Hosting Made Easy at VillagePhotos
Photobucket
My Image Hub

(PS: You can post more than once, if you have many images you`re particularly proud of. )

Here`s an example (I`m into photorealism):

eBay ad of a 30-day clock, done in Paint Shop Pro.

I particularly like this because none of the elements in the pic co-exist. I shot the clock, inserted the glass of the front, created the reflections, and cleaned it up. I found a table on Google images, and shot some video tapes. Then I inserted the table, placed the clock and tapes in layers on the table. I made a fade background, then created shadows for the table legs (can`t see them well) and video tapes, and the bottom of the clock.

(The clock sold for $80), but I`m particularly proud of the reflections in the front window. It`s a layer of gray and a layer copied and reversed, where I clipped out the clock face. I grouped those two, and set them to about 50% transparent. It worked, and looks like glass. I did the same for the pendulum, but very subtle with even more transparency.

CraigL... I can tell it is not a real photograph. Maybe it`s because I have done similar work as a graphic designer... But really my comment it this... Great work. It is top notch. You could be employeed doing this if your timeline for the production is reasonable. Really. Great work.


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Vincent Wilcox (a.k.a. KRAKR)
Drummer
My band: Letters Make Words

I can tell it is not real as well. It is because the legs on the table are lighter as they get lower, and then there are dark shadows underneath. The lighting has to be consistent for the viewer to find it believable.

In addition, the clock is much clearer than the table. The table looks blurry compared to the tapes and the clock.

If you sell a lot of clocks, you might want to hang them on a wall, or invest in a real table to set them on. A lot of photo doctoring is unnecessary when you have a backdrop and proper lighting.

I shoot most of my work with two clip on lamps to direct the lighting to eliminate harsh shadows.

Unfortunately, most of my files accidently got deleted... so make sure you back up any digital work you do!

Okay, I thank you guys for the compliments, and yes, it`s not a real picture. :-) So...let`s add to this thread. This is a bragging forum, to post what you like, what you think looks great, images on which you spent some time working and/or playing, and you`d like to display the results.

Fiberartist, please do put something up via hyperlink to your own site, or anywhere that you have images available for public viewing via hyperlink.

Iouone2, same same... :-) This is just a gallery, really, for images that you`re not necessarily selling, although such examples are also welcome.

We`ve got, according to one search, over 45 photographers in SuN`s database. We have graphic artists, photoeditors, artists, and all manner of people working with visual media. I believe lots of folks would love to see examples, and in this Web site and how it`s designed, we can now "show and tell" about our images. 

I would love to post... but not until I re-photograph everything, because most of my files, unfortunately, got deleted! When I photograph my work, not only does it take up time, but it takes up a lot of space in my apartment due to the large backdrop (and holes in the walls for nails to hold up my work). I only do this about once a year or so, because the nailing is annoying to my neighbors, and moving around furniture is bothersome to my husband and roommate. Once I get it done, I will for sure post it up here!

I am also working on an actual product line for what I actually intend to sell. When it comes to fabric art, most of the public wants something wearable or functional around the house. When I do this, I have to test everything to see if it is durable and washable, etc. I don`t want to post up too many pictures of my failed attempts.

Also, do not take criticism as a bad thing... in art school, a big part of my grade was how I did in critique. I always did well, because I always have a way to improve for everything... of course, teaching me to criticize others may not have been the best thing... it is my biggest downfall in my day job!

Very cool wolf! :-) And yes, although critique is helpful and interesting, this is more an opportunity to just brag and talk about and share some fun pictures you`ve done in graphic art. There`s a member with the idea of selling downloadable backgrounds, all of which are very cool. But unless you visit the site and go through everything, there hasn`t until now been a way to simply put up something like that and say, "I really like this thing!"

Fiber... That`s a real tragedy, losing one`s entire portfolio! I can`t imagine what you must have felt, and can only hope it`s possible to recreate. Critique, as you say, isn`t bad. It`s often helpful. But I think what would be great would be to have something like the old "Modern Photography" magazine section, where people could put up pictures, explain how they took them, what tools they used, and what particular challenge was involved.

That`s what`s missing in this digital world---magazines, where readers could participate and share tips, tricks, knowledge, and so forth. We see it in all sorts of print and written material. Now we should be able to accomplish it with images, drawings, scans, and other graphic images.

Here`s another example:
Shadows on a mug

This was when I was learning how better to do shadows. What I like in particular is the darker shadow close to the base of the mug. It makes for an appearance that the mug is sitting on a semi-glossy surface. As you can see from the thumbnail, it was simply a mug on a white background. I learned a lot about gaussian blur, and some other neat aspects of light, while making this one.

Cool thread :-)

Here`s a couple photos I shot and really liked.
Auditorium
To be honest, I don`t even remember what I was doing when I shot this photo. It was when I was first learning photography, and I was just playing with settings on the camera.

And of course... I can`t post without slipping in a dog picture, right? I can`t help it that they`re so photogenic, and I do a lot of experimental photography on them *L*
Kira close-up
It`s so simple, yet, to me, it`s one of the better photos I`ve taken of her. She`s such a happy wiggly-butt. When she gets REALLY happy, she carries around her favorite toy while walking in quick circles. So the picture captures that part of her personality. I shot it in BW to keep the distracting colors in the background from taking away from the interesting details and textures in her face and the toy.



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Christina, what kind of camera did you use on the auditorium pic? That lighting was terrific! Was this a digital or film camera?

On the dog, I`m guessing maybe an SLR? The convexity of the face would suggest a wide-angle lens. Are you using a digital SLR? If so, do you like it? Can you truly see "through the lens" or do you have a small LCD screen you have to use?