Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ Category
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Introducing Olly Howe. Easily one of the best designers I have ever come across. And not to stroke my ego too much, but that is a huge compliment. So you can imagine my thoughts when Olly emailed me asking to collaborate with one of my latest photoshoots. Very very very very humbling.
I have never given any of my high-resolution photoshop files to anybody… ever. But I didn’t hesitate a second when Olly wanted to do his magic work to one of my Great Recession composites. The end result blew my mind. The attention to detail is just absolutely STAGGERING. Just look for yourself.



And a rundown of some of my favorite work displayed on his website:

Reason #14 why I’m a huge fan of Olly is he’s been featured in Advanced Photoshop magazine AND Computer Arts. My top 2 magazines for design/photoshop… well worth the $15 price tags. I’m looking forward to working on future projects with Olly, and if you want a photoshoot taken in LA, and further edited by Olly… well you know our contact info
I’m constantly asking myself “what’s the next thing?”
Because certainly shooting a car with a rig, or rim lighting a person for the gritty look isn’t going to be the “in” thing forever.
No technical process or technique can create an artistic expression; this is reserved for the creative mind.
This artist nailed both. I wouldn’t exactly call NuFormer’s building projections THE next thing, but it seems clear to me that this style is definitely not a fad, and it’s something very very big.
Enough personal insight, enjoy!
Projection on Buildings from NuFormer Digital Media on Vimeo.


After a raving review on on Zack Arias’ blog, I had to place an order and add Drew Gardner’s Location Lighting DVD to my collection. Today, I rarely drop a dime on ANY DVD… thanks to the invention of youtube and DV-R, but this one got the nod from my bank account. For $24.95 on the Midwest Photo Exchange, it’s a bit pricey for an amateur behind-the-scenes DVD, but very worth the cost if you’re a location photographer.
Drew is very passionate about his work. For instance in the beginning, he stresses how important it is to be in the right mood for a photoshoot. Listening to the right music, eating breakfast at his favorite place, wearing the right clothes, all very important to the end product of his shoots. Maybe a little glorified, but I understand where he’s coming from. If I shoot on an empty stomach, or in a bad mood, it can ruin a shoot.
But that’s not all you learn! These aren’t your everyday photoshoots. When a photographer has a paid crew, a Mercedes station wagon full of gear (including a Phase One camera, Elinchrom lights, smoke machine, etc), and a water buffalo all under his command, you know things are serious! Drew goes in-depth on how his photos are pieced together. Rather than setting up all the lights at once, he sets them up one at a time. Place, fire, adjust, fire, rotate, fire… OK, next light. Very insightful.
These are the final images and trailer from the two shoots covered in the DVD:


I’m definitely a visual person. I fall asleep anytime I try to read a book. So watching Drew’s steps from the minute he wakes up, to the beer at the end of the day, is very educational for me. If you’re in SoCal I’ll let you take a peek, but otherwise, buy your own!