North 47 CD Design - A Seattle band with a great sound!

So technically this post if from the Design side of the house, since it is more about the design than the photography.

I like the music its definitely radio material and they've got a potential to make it big. Here's a link to their fan page.

The lead singer's name is Sean and he's the man spearheading most of the bands business operations and finances.

his side business is selling antique cars, which is a dream job for most.

It was a pleasure working with the band on their album design and I hope to work with them down the road on further projects.

North 47










Designed by Made Media 2009

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Water Droplet Project

Another Macro Project.



Setup:

Canon 7D

Canon 100MM macro USM F2.8

Tripod

2 light stands and Boom arm

Ziplock bag filled with water

Black water tray

8x10 Photo of Seattle

ISO 100

F7-16

Cyber Syncs

Canon 580ex Mii



With the winter months trapping us indoors, that shouldn't be any reason to stop taking photos. I broke out the macro lens and played around with my own water droplet project.



Inspired by the movie Avatar and the amazing special effects of the luminescent environment produced by James Cameron, I was excited to create my own "Special Affects"



Here are some of my favorite results.







I Achieved this result by bouncing the flash off of the photo. I got creative and started bouncing the light off of various magazines to get the awesome colors.

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Future Photo Projects

1. Skyline water droplet project
2. Wedding Catalog
3. Car Catalog

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Sometimes its just fun to do a Photowalk

Stock Photography should be added to anyone's portfolio. its a great way to improve the "Eye" for photography and also a great method to learn new locations for your other assigments, such as engagement photos or headshots.

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Mytien Headshot

Location: Seattle, WA


Mytien shot in Jimmy's home. Setup was in the living room. It was a relatively tight space but nothing some muscle couldnt change by moving furniture.







Used a Canon 7D

Canon 580ex Mark ii

Nikon SB80dx

Cybersyncs

Beauty Dish with diffuser

Shoot through white umbrella

50mm F1.4

ISO 100

Shutter Speed 1/200

F2 to F5.6



The bamboo sticks you see in the background were already there. Sometimes you have to be resourceful and incorporate elements at the location. I think they added a certain element and color to the background. However the vase was full of rocks and weighed a ton.

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The Enormous Possibilities of Macro Photography

Location: Volunteer Park in Seattle, WA

Sub freezing temperatures, yet a handful of us dedicated photographers came out to Volunteer park for a Photowalk.

Volunteer Park

The idea was to get some cool macro shots, landscape, and to also scout the area for future photoshoots.

Luckily for us the conservatory was open and there was a wealth plants to photograph.

The tropical room did us no favors though when the moisture and humidity fogged up all of our lens.

I used this however to my advantage and took this interesting shot of the toilets inside the asian art museum. Who takes pictures of toilets? Well apparently I do if its interesting enough guess.

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Trin Headshot Photoshoot at Lincoln Park Seattle, WA

Location: Lincoln Park in Seattle, WA
Great park used for jogging, walking the dog, or catching the ferry. Brisk chilly day but loads of sun.


Trin was easy to shoot, she had a face that had a lot of range, which should workout well for her acting career. Her red hair combined with fair skin just popped in the photos. Here are samples of my favorite shots.

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Still Photo Permits! Do you need one?

The answer is no as long as your not section off public space from their intended usage.

(c) STILL PHOTOGRAPHY—

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Secretary shall not require a permit nor assess a fee for still photography on lands administered by the Secretary if such photography takes place where members of the public are generally allowed. The Secretary may require a permit, fee, or both, if such photography takes place at other locations where members of the public are generally not allowed, or where additional administrative costs are likely.

(2) The Secretary shall require and shall establish a reasonable fee for still photography that uses models or props which are not a part of the site’s natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities.

(d) PROTECTION OF RESOURCES—The Secretary shall not permit any filming, still photography or other related activity if the Secretary determines—

(1) there is a likelihood of resource damage;

(2) there would be an unreasonable disruption of the public’s use and enjoyment of the site; or

(3) that the activity poses health or safety risks to the public.

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My DIY Beauty dish! Total Cost $15 bucks!

Learned through a variety of posts. This is my version. Why Spend $100 to $275 bucks for a cheap piece of plastic to manipulate light?

Items can be purchases from Home Depot with exception to the CD spindle which can be found off any roomies desk. (Just don't leave the CD's falling all over his desk)

Items to buy:
Plastic Pot - $3
Black and white spray paint - $2
CD spindle - free
blue electrical square housing $2
Black tape $4
2 washers, Nut & a bolt $.75
white fabric from Joanns less than a yard $2

Total cost should be no more than $15, any more and you're doing something wrong

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Photo Jam Fun at UW parking lot

Great successful 1st Photo Jam @ UW parking lot C5.


It was hectic and we had so much equipment out that day. It was very fun, bumped up the music and turned it into a free for all photoshoot.



Click on the photos to view more great photos from that day.
Thanks to truong @ www.phophotos.com for bringing out all of his equipment! He's a passionate photographer and takes amazing photos.



These were taken with my ABR800 and Canon 7D. The quality of light on here is surreal!


Ni's yoiunger brother Vinh. This kid has incredible athletic abilities. He's got mad hops!



And Trina. The camera loves this girl!

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Event Photography for Exports Live at the WSTC in Seattle

This photo was taken of the Chairman of Exports Live a Government Agency that helps US companies learn and develop their business internationally. It was an impromtu photo using a black curtain as a backdrop. I had my canon 7d 580ex m2 flash on camera, eneloop batteries, and 70-200 f4 lens. Instead of direct flash, which I happen to hate dearly, I bounced off of the ceiling 25 ft high and got great top down lighting.

Click on the photo for more photos from this event.

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Glamour Shots is Hard work!!

Working with tight quarters, small strobes, an assistant, and 1 model.

Equipment:
Umberella softbox.
Shoot through umbrellas
1 Canon 580ex Mii
1 Nikon SB-25
Alien Bees cybersyncs
1 voice activated boom - (AKA Scott)

We shot for almost 2 hours. Before going into this there were already challenges with small spaces. My Canon 17-55 2.8 Is lens saved my life with its wide angle capabilities and super sharpness! We had to rearrange a few small pieces of furniture but nothing major. Of course we put it back where it started, cant be a slob.

We lucked out with the bright red couch that turned out to be a great backdrop. Got some pretty amazing shots, that we were both proud of.

My take away from this is to come prepared with poses and lighting styles on paper or from magazines, go through them one by one and it speeds up the shoot with little guessing.

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Photoshop Photo Hunt

Great Example of natural Photoshop retouching. See if you can find all of the subtle differences.

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DIY Light Box Explained

My project for the Vapor Pro Product shot was an adventure into Do-it-yourself ingenuity, stolen, I mean borrowed from the legendary David Hobby (King of cheap and lighting genius).

So instead of buying online on ebay or Adorama a light box that was 30 bucks or more and then have to wait for the shipping on it. I decided to build my own box out of

• Cardboard
• white construction paper
• and foil

Total cost $0

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DIY Lightbox Project

I'll have some photos of my Do it Yourself Lightbox soon..

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Great Article on the Genius Paul C Buff - Alien Bees and White Lightning

Alien Bees Head Qaurters

Great tour on Alien Bees headquarters.

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Schnaitman Wedding Shot on Sept 26, 2009

Dustin and Kim are good friends of mine. Dustin is actually my coworker and I was more than happy to be able to shoot his wedding.

I actually shot this wedding back on Sept. 26, 2009 but didnt post it up until now.  Interesting day, it started off bright and cloudy which wreaked havoc on my exposure, then it was slear and sunny which caused squinty eyes and harsh shadow.

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Test Shots with the Canon 7D, Canon 50mm f1.4, Alien Bees AB800, and 64" PLM

My photo buddy Truong and I were out at Alki on a cold chilly day in Seattle.  He was kind enough to let me try out his Alien Bees toys.



With no model, I forced the girlfriend to be a stand in model, and she was a trooper for enduring 4hrs of setups and shots.





We were out at Alki (Seattle's premiere in city beach)







The setup was very portable, including the Alien Bees Vagabond battery pack which can feel like a ton after hours of shooting.  We also used a nikon SB-25 for additional fill light and back light. and the results were great!

Here are some of the  results.







More at www.mademediaphotography.com

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Headshot In Seattle Under the Viaduct

I had a headshot today with a new client by the pier area. We were expecting some heavy rain so I used the viaduct as cover.  Turns out the weather was windy but the sun decided to poke its head out.

The pictures turned out great but the wind did drop one of my umbrella softboxes and bent the spines.  Lucky for me the SB-25 survived unscathed.

I used the my Canon 7D, with 2 Strobe flashes, softbox umbrella, white shoot through umbrella, 85MM 1.8 lens, my voice activated boom Mai, and 2 light stands.

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Made Media Portfolio Work

Visit my new Gallery Site at www.mademediaphotography.com

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1st Day on the Blog

Cant' wait to get the new Canon 7D, I ordered on Sept 27 and it won't ship until Oct. 26th from Amazon.  You're killing me Amazon!

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