PS Elements ain't PS

Apparently I purchased Photoshop Elements, not knowing the difference between that and the regular Photoshop. Elements doesn't have a 'Pen' tool, which was in the tutorial I was following. Well, without the Pen tool I wan't able to accomplish what I set out to do, but rather instead, I played around with layers, and made this funky layer then did some funky 'toy' effect. Oh well.

It kind of reminds me of the segments in a dinosaur display at a museum.

--large--
Original:

Phipps shooting perspectives from the past

Phipps Conservatory Outing, March 2007

Phipps Conservatory Outing, March 4th

Sunday morning, March 4th brought our group of seven to Phipps Conservatory in Oakland at 9:30 am. Tripods are allowed on Sunday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 am, and we found that we weren’t the only photography group utilizing this time. Phipps is a favorite destination for many, and you soon find everyone perusing one another’s equipment!

On this particular morning the staff members were busy taking out remnants of winter displays and replacing them with the fresh flowers for the Spring Flower Show. It was very interesting watching them measure and sort what will go where and considering the size of the blooms so that they are neither cramped nor too widely spaced. (I had occasion to return 2 days later and the changes were unbelievable!)

The new room at the rear is a lovely reproduction of the Rainforests of Thailand. There are interactive educational displays, misty streams, waterfalls and native bird songs. The Orchid and Desert rooms never fail to capture one’s interest as well.

At 11:30 we re-grouped at the entrance and headed out to lunch. We had an enormous booth at Jo Mama’s at Forbes at Oakland Ave. We had a great time and will be repeating the outing whenever possible!

Artwork tutorial

Can this be used in the book?

Doug

_________

Hi Doug!

You asked me if I could explain to you how I did some of the graphics in Predator Revealed. I'm not sure if you want me to write a tutorial on the entire piece or just aspects of it. I'm going to guess that you may have been inquiring about the grid pattern behind the panther, the one bleeding into the panther and the grid under his feet. I'll explain, below, what I've come up with in order to get this effect. I'm sure it can be done much faster/simpler in Illustrator... but I wanted to see f I could do it in PS4. If you want my tutorial on the sphere, let me know. I write down EVERYTHING I do! Too much other "real job" stuff bouncing around in my head to try and remember what I've done in my "play time".

DGP Tutorial (Distorted Grid Pattern)

Step 1. Open any image and duplicate the original layer. Name it "New Background". Hide the original layer.

Step 2. On the New Background layer, create a selection around the part of the image you want to morph into the DGP. Make sure there is no feathering on the selection. Either use your Polygonal Lasso Tool, the Lasso Tool or whatever tool you're comfortable with. Once you have your selection made, copy and paste your selection into a new layer. Name this layer "Work".

Step 3. Select the Pen Tool and on the DGP layer, begin drawing a grid pattern, back and forth (don't worry about making the lines equal distance from each other). Once you have a series of lines drawn horizontally across the page, continue the path (with the Pen Tool) bu now drawing intersecting vertical lines. When you get back to the beginning, be sure to close the path. Right click mouse> Make Selection> Feather Radius=0, check Anti-Alias box, New Selection> OK.

Step 4. Edit>Copy>Paste new layer (name = "DGP"). At this time you should have a grid-type pattern in your new layer. Hide lower layers, so as not to distract the eye. Does it look like a checkerboard of different colored off-shaped squares? It should.

(Optional step. You could do this after the next step if you like the result better) Step 5. On DGP layer; Layer> Layer Style> Bevel & Emboss (pick any numbers you like).

Step 6. On DGP layer; Edit> Transform> Warp... tweak to your liking. OK.

At this point you could add the bevel, mess with hue & saturation, add a drop shadow... whatever.

Final Step. Select> Load Selection. Edit> Copy. Open up the doc you want to place the grid into> Paste. Tweak some more.

That's it. Really easy. I've included a tiny graphic of Step 3. I converted the selection into 2 pt grey lines, just so you could see the shape.

Let me know if you want my tutorial on spheres. ENJOY!!! :-) Of course, if you have any questions, or I didn't make some step clear, you can always call me or let me know if you want me to explain better in Yahoo IM.

Heather

__________

Heather said:
Here is what I was able to do in the last 30 minutes.(see photo above) I was going fast, but the two techniques I used on your leave were the DGP technique I sent you last night and the Motion Blur filter with a hard light. It's not worth keeping... but I just wanted to show you how flexible this "trick" is.

Have fun with it this weekend!
Heather

PS. Hmmm... then what does it say that I can operate a PC almost as easily as a MAC? :-) Though I must confess that I have no idea how all you PC people are not ready to go absolutely "postal" with frustration at "freezes", "crashes" & "fatal errors". LOL!

Art and the artist's perspective

Possible title: Art and the artist's perspective; instructive views of photographers in action

Hi again Heather,

Indeed, would there be a market...?
That's the big question we need to research before we spend too much time.

I'm one of those who does not mind spending time on such an artistic pursuit
simply for the legacy aspect. All of my writing and artistic photography falls
into that category.
I also wouldn't be disappointed otherwise, my expectations are for a
good product that is artistic and interesting.

That said, I think that on this project I want to break that mold, and go for a
product that is marketable.

I have virtually no experience with marketing, but would be glad to learn.
Are you okay with the fact that I'd probably rely on your experience in that venue.

However, I do want to do research.
For one thing, for this to be marketable, perhaps it needs more than just art:
The idea of the 'art and the artist' should be not only a view that is fun,
but perhaps it could be instructive. So we could capture the aspects
of art, artist and instruction. There could be parts that are simply views
with poetry and/or creative wring. And there could be other parts which
instruct the user on rudimentary instruction on how to do creative
photography. An amalgamation of these aspects could make the project
more marketable.

What do you think? And I am always open for ideas/brainstorming.
I'm not a purist in any respect, so ideas are meant to laid out to
investigate possibilities. I'm not adverse to throwing out my ideas if
they are not going to put the project forward. But hopefully, together
we generate enough good/great ideas to generate a product.

Thanks.
Doug
___________

Doug,

Real quick, before I have to run... I like the way you're thinking!

To produce a book, for posterity alone, is quite a nice idea... but I'm a rather aggressive/competitive person and would be little satisfied with anything I produced simply claiming home to a dusty corner of my library. I certainly am not "puffed" enough to expect us to end up on the NYT Best-sellers list... but it would be marvelous to actually make a profit, enlighten readers and possibly teach one or two people. I like good deeds... so teaching/educating will always be a passion of mine. To combine our photography with our poetry with some insightful light instruction on technique with delicate humor with our passion for sharing beauty and optimistic thought... PERFECTION!

One important feature we'd need to agree on, very early... what type of images? Nature, Cityscapes, still life's, flowers, animals, bodyscapes, portraits, art (photomontages), etc. I, personally, do not think it should contain imagery of one style or subject... rather a developing collection of eye-candy for the reader... changing and morphing, one into the next... accompanied either by poetry or inner thoughts or instruction.

I believe we are on the same page, if I understood your email, below. I only wish there was a way we could incorporate music into the book.... I need to think on this more.


Heather
_____

A possible introduction:

Art is cannot be viewed as an idle luxury, but rather
a generous stylized effervescent splendor,
a sound and fury signifying vivacious sumptuousness,
a slice of life destined to expand throughout the sinews of our very soul,
without which there is no vigor for learning,
nor yearning for the breath and depth of that certain something other,
that untouched, yet unachieved goal that lingers, sometimes just
beyond our grasp, and with that extra bit of effort,
we can obtain that undiscovered consummate essence of life.

And we can show you how...

Doug

format of the book

I think I've become confused about where you want to use color. :-)

I was under the impression that you wanted to format the book in the following way:

• Left page: photo of the photographer
• Right page: photo the photog was shooting

• Each image would be centered or semi-top justified, allowing room under the image for a paragraph of poetry or "how to".

• Each page would be either a white or cream colored paper, with all the photos in color (I'd want to do my pics of myself in bw... I think it ads more impact.)

• Possibly using a colored band (maybe 1/2 inch wide) along the outer edges of each page... maybe to distinguish a different category/photographer/etc?

Of course we'd need to design a cover for the book.
__________

Doug said:
No, you are not offtrack.
I was only thinking of the background 'bokeh' I might use for the photos of the photographers,
as in that yellow background on the one Beatles photo.
I'm also still just 'brainstorming', the purpose of which is try to generate ideas,
and later, whittle them down.

I guess that site that started this whole thing was with the bold P.S. backgrounds colors.
Let's just drop that idea.

Thanks.
Doug
_____________

Heather said:
Doug,
No need to "drop the idea" as you put it. As you said... this is our brainstorming period. It's all very, very good! Any project, between two people, is like a beautiful tango... we each learn each others styles, moves and rhythms. That is what makes getting to know someone so wonderful... learning the dance steps. Hopefully, after watching each other and learning from each other, the finished result is something that makes people sit back and say "wow" with intense pleasure. :-)

An idea... to push your "bokeh behind the photog's pics" a bit more... what if we do keep our self pics in bw, but we could frame them with the colors from the facing page photo.

Such as this that I threw together really fast:

__________

Doug said:
Looks good.
We'll keep brainstorming.

_______

:: I made something for you...

... LOL!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/88dragon/4167235230/

:-)

This one is for DOUG! :-) You suggested it! www.flickr.com/photos/javadoug/ (I'm sure in jest) suggested I have someone photograph me during my shooting process. Not many people will follow me (anymore) to some of the places I go (I tend to be a "cranky" model!). My husband is a brave soul though and managed to capture me while I was shooting over the falls one evening. If he'd waited five minutes, he would have caught me laying on the rocks, trying to capture a caterpillar attempting to cross the creek.

Heinz Hall and red

Heinz Hall as venue

The Red Carpet Treatment

from javadoug's Photos by nobody@flickr.com (javadoug)

javadoug posted a photo:

Here I am at Heinz Hall, after a wonderful performance by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Most folks exit quickly, leaving room for me and my camera :-)

Heinz Hall Stairway

from javadoug's Photos by nobody@flickr.com (javadoug)

javadoug posted a photo:

My friend was hamming it up.

javadoug at Heinz Hall

from javadoug's Photos by nobody@flickr.com (javadoug)

javadoug posted a photo:

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performed works by John Adams...

pittsburghsymphony.blogs.com/outside/2009/01/the-music-i-...

resoundingly beautiful

from javadoug's Photos by nobody@flickr.com (javadoug)

javadoug posted a photo:

Let's place the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto next to the Mahler Titan Symphony, and see what we might find..

spiral staircase

from javadoug's Photos by nobody@flickr.com (javadoug)

javadoug posted a photo:

I'm blogging for the Pittsburgh Symphony!
pittsburghsymphony.blogs.com/outside/doug_bauman/index.html



And even at Phipps I might break the rule...

holding Santa's chair

from javadoug's Photos by nobody@flickr.com (javadoug)

javadoug posted a photo:

at Phipps Conservatory.
I really enjoy watching kids as they see Santa on the chair, and can't wait to go see him.

--------

Picasso:

Van Gogh



Monet

Heather said:

Yes... but they want to stimulate the brain. It's a matter of using the colors to ones advantage. Red IS a GREAT color to use in any entertainment venue. It creates excitement and stimulates the nerve endings... leading one to feel a sense of anticipation.

I didn't say it couldn't be used IN art... just not to back up a piece (as in matting)... UNLESS you're attempting to throw the viewer into a particular mental state. Picasso so OBVIOUSLY desired people to be overstimulated when looking at this piece. Not only due to the subject of the piece, but by his use of red and orange, accented by the death color, with a hint of green (considered a healing color)... he's always been a master at manipulating the viewers subconscious. Doug, with art (and photography), NOTHING should be accidental. I have never created an ad, a photo, or a painting w/o intensional use of colors. Look at Monet's piece closer... do you realize what he's done by using red? He's drawing you into the piece. Take away the red and you'd not even give the painting a second look. But by using red as a light framing, with a directional pull to it, he pulls your eye into the woman painting.

Art is about being positive!

Filming of a music video as a subject

Check out these photos, all by me.

The making of the music video "Harley Man"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24940973@N06/sets/72157621798241819/

It could occupy a chapter in the book, eh?

Not all the photos, but some with the camera on the right page, and the scene on the left.

here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUaXNnpnAG0

Self as the subject

And just how does one photograph one's self :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/javadoug/625898309/

There's rhythm in the air tonight, I can feel it in my bones, I had certain kind of feeling, a need to gather stones, I knew I'd find a few, but I never knew the thrill, as the balls shuffled and rounded always without spill So baby, here's my ticket, to juggle with my hands Here's a little fun right now, I hope it isn't bland You be cool for twenty minutes, your wish is my command It's not magic or a slight of hand, nor a clever silly trick, It's the nature of the business, It's the juggler's blues Juggler's blues (I wrote this version of the lyrics myself, it goes to the music of Smuggler's Blues by Glenn Frey)

Heather said:

Lol! Tripods are wondrous for self portraits!

FAQ art as perspective

It might be fun to have a PhotoFAQ: Frequently asked questions.

- Why do some photographers lie on the ground to take shots
- What's the difference between screens versus the viewfinder
- What's this 2/3 thingy, live view, and the latest on DSLR's
- What is scope, what is the zone, and how do I get there
- Who should I ask, what other resources are available. (flickr)
- When is the best time to shoot
- On a photoshoot, do people cooperate, or split up and go their own way
- Is bigger better?

Feel free to add your own

I'm watching Ferris Bueller's Day off, one of my favorite movies, and I see some really great photography in there, it's giving me more ideas...
Like the scene where the Ferrari goes through the window into the ravine, and they are standing there looking down at it through the broken window, the other window to the left is reflecting beautiful fall scenery.
Doug

Heather said:

Isn't it great where we sometimes get our inspiration!? Some of the strangest movies or music can move us in very interesting direction.

As for the FAQ... hmmmm. I'll have to think about that. I like the idea of us sharing some of our insight as to why we shoot/create the way we do... but I'll have to think more on the FAQ idea. How to generate the questions seems like the tough part to me.

----
Inspiration:

Up close with photograher, camera and animals

We could use some shots like this :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/91852112@N00/4181276090/




Heather said:

lol! Most certainly! We will have to keep this in mind!

Reflections

Then there are reflections....

I like to make the title something in the scene,

here I called it ...

Espresso Bar

http://www.flickr.com/photos/javadoug/3715173926/

Buggy

Another idea.

CMU has buggy in the spring.

And on Sat. and Sun mornings, they practice...

Note the girl taking a picture

http://www.flickr.com/photos/javadoug/2424439536/

And this one speaks for itself:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/javadoug/2423666233/

Heinz Hall

If they don't mind, maybe they could give you a handful of dates in January & February of when it would be best for them to have three of us in the hall. Of course, if it would help "grease the wheels", I'd be willing to donate some of the images to them to use on their site or for whatever they might have need.

I think the Warhol museum would be hysterical to shoot in. I must confess to not appreciating his work all that much... but it would be a very fun venue to shoot in. That being said... I doubt SERIOUSLY if they'd allow us to do so... especially if we're going to make money off the resulting images.

For that matter, and theatre venue would be fun to shoot in.. as would be the Childrens Museum. I'd love to figure out a way to get inside the "maze" you described to shoot from that perspective... VERY cool! I'm not a very big person, so can usually squeeze myself into and out of some very tight spots.

On top of that, I go completely deaf, dumb and blind when I get immersed in photography... it's been known for me to step out into traffic, onto RR tracks, fall off bridges (low ones thank heavens) and into lakes and rivers, etc because I just stop paying attention to everything except what I'm aiming the lens at.

On Dec 17, 2009, at 10:19 PM, Doug Bauman wrote:

I was thinking of getting in touch with my contact at the Pittsburgh Symphony, and asking about setting up an opportunity for me to go to Heinz Hall when there is no performance to take photos. I asked before and he seemed perceptive to the idea. If I can get that set up, would you be interested, and when would you be in Pittburgh? Wouldn't that be a great venue for artasperspective? Of course I can't guarantee he'd agree to it. But still, if you knew when you might be here anyway, I'd ask for that time frame.

I wonder if the Andy Warhol museum would let us do photography..? I'm thinking that they don't, but wouldn't that be great?

Doug

Pittsburgh Opera and the book idea

Good afternoon Doug

As for the book... yes, time is always an issue. Besides running with a local EMT team, I also conduct explosive searches (with K9's) for a firm located in California. I find myself on the road a good portion of the year. And I've recently been propositioned by DHS/TSA to go to work for them (thus the contemplative move to a new city). However, right now I'm in "down time", needing some time to get my body and brain back to normal after the last job we did. I will probably go back out on the road in late January or early February... so until then I have time to work on enjoyable and happy projects ... such as the book, should you so wish. And yes, the key to any successful venture (especially one where one hopes to make capital) is excellent marketing. I still, in my spare time, design sites and promotional projects (such as calendars and print ads) for a few wonderful clients, as well as photography & videography work for special events. I find myself, depending on what industry the client is targeting, having to learn some very strange facts about marketing to unique demographics. I've never promoted anything from the "arts" arena, so would have to do some research to discover the best way to promote a book such as the one we've discussed. First we'd need to decide who our target audience would be (age, gender, socioeconomic status, geographical location, etc). Then, after we decide who our market is, the rest becomes easier to decipher. As I'm in "down time" for the next couple months, I'd like to suggest we take advantage of that and possibly discuss all the possibilities of this book. Once I start back into my travel cycle, I'm pretty tough to nail to one spot, and I don't spend much time thinking about anything but the job.

I hope you have a great day! I look forward to discussing this more.

Heather

Doug Bauman wrote:

Good morning Heather

I'm sorry to say that I don't have any personal experiences with the Pittsburgh Opera, and don't know much about them.

If you like, I can try to research this for you.

How does one get to know someone else. I'd say that conversation is a big plus.

We've been doing that. We also both know Bob. You can find out about me from him,

but I wager you'd find out more simply by asking me, and reading my poety, viewing my flickr photostream,

and well, of course we should meet at Phipps or wherever.

I'm glad your interested. I am serious, and my only reservation is time, but I'm in no hurry.

I'm glad you like the idea, I thought it was a good one, we just have to pull it off and make it good.

I'm really pleased to hear of all your experience with publishing. I know that marketing is also

one of the most important parts of a project.

Well, got to run to work, let's keep talking.

Thanks.

Doug

On Thu, Dec 10, 2009 at 12:20 AM, Heather Orton <heather@88dragon.com> wrote:

Morning, Doug!

I have not seen Flickr in a few days, to see if you've posted your "play" with the template I emailed you. I do so hope you had some time to tinker with it. :-)

I know you mentioned to me your association with the Pittsburgh Symphony, and I expressed my interest. However, my true classical passion has always been with opera. Would you have any personal experiences with the Pittsburgh Opera? Is their troupe any good? I used to go to the opera quite often as a young adult, and was asked to give it up with my first marriage. I've never found the time to re-establish my relationship with opera... until just recently. My husband has never been to a good opera, and I thought The Marriage of Figaro would be a good one to introduce him into the entertainment value of opera (I hope). At least he will recognize Mozart! But if the PITT Opera isn't very good, then I'd rather wait and take him someplace else. Could you share any experiences you may have had with the PITT Opera?

PITT is one of the cities that my new employer has asked me to consider moving to and working from... so I'm trying to get my husband more interested in what PITT has to offer (to see if he'd enjoy the area).

Also, I had some time yesterday to think more about your book idea. I admit to not knowing you very well, so not sure of your intent. But I'll go out on a limb and say that if you truly were serious, I'd love to assist or participate. I did go through my portfolio and was surprised to find about a dozen photos taken of me while was shooting. 12 is certainly not very many... but it is a start! I actually have more than 12, but some were taken by Mr. Vishneski and thus not usable. Before moving to PA, from San Diego five years ago, I owned my own publishing company... creating (from concept to finished product) over 50 industry magazines, 14 weekly planners, countless calendars for clients, and even designed and produced a pictorial promotional book for one of my more affluent clients. So, I have and know how to use all the proper software... LOL! I think it would be a fun project to collaborate on.

I will be out of my office the next two days, filling in at the local FD for a couple of the EMT's who are out with something or other, and I have a class I'm teaching tomorrow night. I do look forward to hearing your thoughts on the PITT Opera though... and more about your book. And again, I hope you do play with the template! :-)

Stay warm!

Heather

See nature with a greater sense of introspection

St. Louis, Missouri
As a friend recently said:
Nature composes the most beautiful pictures. It only needs the eye to discover!

Photographers often see nature with a greater sense of introspection than others. We are forced to see things perhaps with a different eye, or a thought toward perceiving a more interesting perspective than we would otherwise. It is a different kind of force, a force of nature which is innate in us all, but only brought out in picture takers through conscience attention to the final product - the image we will produce, what it will look like. I find myself seeing in my mind's eye the final image that I have made, even before I have made it. This process of contemplating what 'might be' is an interective and self correcting feedback mechanism which permits us to constantly monitor a scene for distinctly unique patterns and aspects that we believe will be interesting to ourselves and others. We look for aspects of light, color and patterns, perhaps trying to step outside the box. The gateway arch has been seen countless times as an arch, from a far away view, but to me a more remarkable angle deserving of accolades of creative regard would be looking up from below. Choosing not only the subject, but angle, light, color and countless other aspects permits the maker of artistic compositions a freedom of degrees, releases the shackles of conformity, and sends us on a heart-searching, observation into the future of possibilities. Often, a mere glimpse of the perfect scene leads me to exclaim 'That's it, the perfect composition, just waiting for me to grasp and set in stone as my next masterpiece; I already see in on the internet, in a book or on a wall'

--large--

Art as Perspective

Good morning Heather.
I thought it might be useful to have this blog that only you and I can read...
I sent you and invite.
If you put this email address
javadoug.aap1@@blogger.com
As a BCC: send address, then emails we send to each other will automatically be posted to the blog.

Always use BCC so that just in case an email gets to someone other than us, they don't see it.

Oh, and remove all the forwarded stuff from previous emails

>you said

Like it?

Doug