Colleen and I got bored one morning, So we decided to have a photo shoot around the house, Enjoy.
All these were shot at 50mm f1.4. i just love the super soft depth of field that this little gem of a lens gives you.
All natural light with a very minor filter effect added using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.
Tuscany Photography Workshop
As Colleen and I headed over to Italy I had no Idea what was laying ahead of me. After what was to be honest a nice trip to Tuscany via Milan, Bryon and Kellie (viewfindercentre.com) Picked up us from the Train station. We promptly headed for II Poggiolo in San Quirico d`Orcia. An ancient village of Etruscan origins. Later that evening we went for the first best meal of my life (there were many more along the coming weeks). Day One. Sorted.
At the end of the workshop, I can say that alot of things had changed, me, my style , my work flow, my energy, my ambitions and my outlook. I can confirm I shall be there next year to keep working on my sun tan.
A massive thank you to all the students, Eric and Dan, I love individual way of approching photography, There is nothing like raw talent in this world, I can not wait to see where your work takes you. Sam, I love your passion and the way you tackle the things in front you, I can not wait so see what next year will bring !
I would love to thank in person everyone who contributed to the making it a success. You know who you all are. I really hope to see as many of you there again next year for an even bigger better workshop.
John, Ian, Eric and Dan, thank you for letting me steal your cameras from time to time. Below are a few shots from the week 
Thank you to Colleen, Magena, Iveta and all the other models
Please be sure to check out the links below:
Bryon Paul McCartney – www.bryonpaulmccartney.com/
Viewfinder Center – Tuscany Workshops - www.viewfindercenter.com
One a random cold night , we grabbed the camera and headed up to the woods !
Enjoy !!
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Nkwo Onwuka is ‘AFRO-BOHEMIAN CHIC’.
Winner of the Phoenix Award at Kulture2Couture 2007,in association with the Mayor of London’s office and the V&A.
The Nkwo collection features volume created with layers of tulle, silk and the softness and fluidity of chiffon in earthly warm colours. The vibrant print fabrics come alive, with bubble hems, frill details on the necklines, tulip skirts and dresses.
The ‘print’ embroidery on her pieces is proof of her distinctive craftsmanship as a designer. It is also an exquisite complement to the fabrics as it stimulates interest in the burst, neckline and waist line of her pieces. Her collection comes off as organic; reflective of the beauty of the African soil!
Photography Dave Piper
Models- Emma Kate Dawson & Lucy Nibblet
Designer – Nkwo Onwuka
Styling – GTE Styling
Its been a while since my last Photoshop blog, so i wanted to create something fun for everyone !! Because I am nice like that.. I thought summer style Party Promo Club might be just the thing to bring summer here ! Lets make a HEDKANDI STYLE PHOTO !!
So then STEP ONE !!
Find a model, my lovely model was Nicola Stevens, My photo was taken f4.8 @ 135mm, A little light from either side and a blue gel from the back. A fan was used to lift the hair. The photo was kept darker to enusre no detail was lost . I knew there was going to be loads of post pro , so i was not too worried about make up. It was more of a snap than a proper Photo Shoot…..
Once you have your photograph, Pop into into photoshop direct. Edit up the skin, Make up , body shapes, and all the stuff that you want to do. I use a few ticks using lens blur layers after a good going over with the stamp tool Blur sharpen, repeat… If you do wanna know more about this, section… fire me an e-mail or get a make-up artist !!
STEP TWO !!
Create 2 new layers -
Make some funky over lays and pretty patterns. This is very random and hit or miss. I kept very simple and created two quick elements that sit into my comp.
These elemets very very simple and created using the Brush tool and some very simple layer styles, a simple inner glow and outer glow, A flip into screen colour mode and your done.
Lets work on the lighting cord. (Pen tool> creat wiggle>remove sections behind arm>add layer style) I used a custom shape brush and a Wacom Tablet set on the airbrush mode to let me fade in and out, a nice soft brush does work well here.
Here I again made a custom brush for my fake Bokeh effect. (create brush shape>edit brush settings>paint>done !!) Once you have your settings for the brush its half the battle. You dont have to make your own brush.. but i think its cool. The settings… F5 will make your brush manager pop if you have not got it open. play around with some stuff in there like size and shizzle.. I dont really want to say what i used.. just play and see. Its a very very Powerful tool.
After you have made your layer, add about 3 or 4 more layers.. paint some whacky colours on there (one colour per layer) , Pop them into colour mode (blending layer) and see your Bokeh colour up !! This should start to colour your background photo now too..
STEP THREE !!
Colour up your photo and merge it all !!
You should almost have your comp done.. A few more colour layers set to Colour blend mode and some more whacky colours should start to build up the over all photo..
Dont be worried if your photo looks like this !! its cool.. Build it up duplicate the layer, add some Lens Blur, Screen mode , sharpen this.. add that and add back in your elements you make and Bingp Bango
Watch it all come together..
STEP FOUR !!
Opps.. ok .. so only 3 steps.. Erm.. ADD MORE LAYERS , work some cool layer styles and build build build !! Dont be worried about trying things ! I have about 20 odd layers in mine.. some pure blue layers, some blurred up layers. Lots of screen mode layers. God Bless the Alpha Channel !!
Thank you !! send me your versions !!
The first time I had heard of the The All Time Low was an album called Punk go Crunk, They did cool cover of Umbrella by R&B singer Rihanna. I am big fan of Punked up covers so I kinda thought I would be a fan of band live. Turns out the best thing about this band was how they party after the show. Which is not leave you in any doubt about how good they are live. Amazing, does come close to there stage presence. But the Double Jack that I was bought after.. well .. Thank you.
These photos are from the Birmingham leg of the Kerrang! Relentless Tour 2010 With The Blackout, My Passion and Young Guns.
All Time Low Hail from from Baltimore, Maryland, they formed back in 2003
So far they have 3 releases
These boys are ones to watch for sure. American Pop Rock for the Win. But when a band formed to play Blink songs and named them after a New Found Glory Lyric, It was never going to bad.
The band was eventually selected as Alternative Press Magazine’s Band of the Year for 2008
I have been waiting to catch these guys ! Tonight there are on the support bill for REEL BIG FISH.
Sonic Boom Six are a Ska-punk outfit from Manchester, and they are pretty cool.
“Grand statement time: Sonic Boom Six are, simply, the most exciting live punk band in the country. They cater for chin-stroking social commentators, wide-eyed rave kids and big-shorted punkers all in the space of a single gig and will – yup, will – own 2009″
- Scene 2009: Punk&Metal, NME (Jan 10, 2009)
“It’s taken a while but Sonic Boom Six are rocketing out of the underground – a hefty shot of ska-punk, hip-hop, reggae and even jungle in the mix, not to mention big, sinuous rock dynamics and hooks.”
- Tick, Tick, Boom!, Kerrang! (May 30, 2009)
“It might have taken until their third album for SB6 to break the UK underground’s glass-ceiling, but their massive grassroots following practically guarantees success for City of Thieves. The fact it’s a fantastic stew of punk, ska and hip-hop helps too; finally, their time has come.”
- The Panel, Music Week (May 02, 2009)
“This isn’t good, it’s way beyond that and deep into the realms of something special. A hundred word analysis cannot do this album justice, so let’s just say it’s one fucking excellent album and get on with our lives? Agreed? Agreed.”
- City of Thieves Review, Rock Sound (Jun 01, 2009)
“Sonic Boom Six have always been one of the most diverse and inventive bands to get lumped into the British punk scene. It’s smart, joyous music that has plenty to say and does so eloquently.”
- City of Thieves Review, Big Cheese! (May 30, 2009)
http://www.sonicboomsix.co.uk check there shizzle out !!
I forgot how much fun this band are, AMAZING LIVE SHOW. Once again, full access to photograph the band. LOVE IT.
The last band I had shot live was a good few weeks ago, since then LABB MAGAZINE has been my 100% focus, but tonight was so much fun. A couple of ciders, a couple of hello’s to old friends and in the pit and a punk rock show. The only downside of the night was the muppet in the crowd who chucked his drink all over me whilst I was working. But hay.. Thats Rock and Roll right. Thank you to the Tour Manager for sorting me out very last moment.
The Line up was Sonic Boom Six, Big D and the Kids Table and Reel Big Fish. Some how I did not expect sure a big crowd, but lots of cool people turned out in the cold.. and.. I was not the only fool in shorts, so that was nice.
Enjoy the photos, the full gallery can be viewed here.
A short walk from where I live is Warley Woods. I have done a few shoots round the woods and the attached golf course. When the snow came down during December, the golf clubs got put away and the seldges came out. Due to a massive work commitment it took me till Mid Jan to get out and about with the camera ! Please enjoy my winter photographs for 2009 and 2010 !
The above photo 8 photo montage of the from the top end Warley Woods looking away from Birmingham. The water tower would be in the far left section of the photo, Bearwood Highstreet is down to the right corner. It was created using the Photoshop Photomerge tool and Hugin.
These photos are from all over the park . Enjoy.
I have mean meaning to show this shoot of for a while now. This shoot started while having coffee with George Eko, and a couple of friends. We had a free day to work with Arabella (Adage , Birmingham), the day after we had received and e-mail from Hox (Birmingham) who were happy for us to use there collection. A single phone call had the location sorted.
On the day,George Eko was on hand to style and dress, Becky Hunting was on Make up and hair. Richard Battye was on the camera. Which left me to sort out the finer details and drink the coffee. I also did a bit Art Direction on the shoot. The Post-Pro was also done by me.
A big thank you to Carlo (once again) for helping arrange The Rainbow pub. Thank you to the staff at the Pub also !! Your all stars.
