Sweet...literally

8 portrait posing tricks to improve body shape and hide unflattering features James Paterson, digitalcameraworld.com

In this portrait posing tutorial we show you eight posing tricks you can try on any subject to improve body shape, conceal unflattering features and make them look their best.Regardless of what your model looks like, posture can make or bre…

SELFIES 2 the project continues...for now.

A 1950s Kitchen, Locked Away Since It Was Built Benjamin Starr, visualnews.com

Like walking back in time, furniture designer Nathan Chandler opened the door on a home he bought in 2010 and found the kitchen in nearly original condition from when it was built in 1956. For some reason the original owners built the house…

Neat

lovely

Charcoal Chicken - Graphique de Nancy

The backstory

Funny story about these orchids: I got one of the centerpieces from our student design show reception in April. It was the end of the night, and we were cleaning up the area, and there was a remaining orchid after all of the students and guests had theirs, so one of my colleagues said that I should take it home for my wife.

I know very little about flowers, but what I did know was that orchids were supposed to be finicky. It was a cold night, so I warmed the car. There was a support clip that the orchid stems were attached to a small rod on, to train them up. I set it carefully in the cup holder and began to drive home.

As I turned right at some point, my elbow hit the plant, snapping the stems almost in two in two different places. Aaagh! If not for bad luck I'd have no luck at all!

So I ran into the house, and grabbed some packing tape, wrapping it around the stems, propping them up. Yeah..that should work I thought to myself. Using the logic of a mischevious six year old, I brought the plant in and showed it to my wife.

She also was disappointed about my careless elbow, and slightly amused at my packing tape "cast." But we figured that we'd give it a go anyway. After about a week, one of the stems showed signs of dying, so I pulled it off and tossed it. The other seemed to be OK though, so I kept it in the sun and kept on watering it. 

It appears to have come through OK (knock-on-wood). You can see in the top pic the areas where both stems snapped, and the one surviving stem thriving with two flowers, and a new "bud" forming behind them. The tape is till in place (afraid to remove it for fear of breaking it again).

The photos

On a rainy Wednesday, I thought I'd photograph this survivor for kicks. Put a cheap poster board v-flat behind it, and propped it up on pizza boxes. Used only window light (which admittedly wasn't much on this very gray day).  

I also wanted to see under similar conditions what I could get out of the old iPhone 4 camera I have (5 mp). The bottom two shots are from the iPhone. They are a bit more contrasty, and have some noise in the bgnd, but look really good in average light conditions. There is also a bit of the flat and tape that got caught in the shot as the angle of approach is different with the phone (tried to smooth the tape on the flat out, and looks sad I know). The data on the iPhone shots is saying they are f2.8, and 1/120 to 1/60th of a sec? What that means on a lens that is a few mm is pretty relative, but still impressive. I imagine the Samsung and the iPhone 5 would look even better. 

Oh...and guess what happened next? The flimsy V-flat fell onto the plant. But alas— alive and well still. That thing is like ROCKY.

Photographers know “Kelvin” as the system of arbitrary numbers we change in camera to correct our white balance. In this article, you’ll find out what it all means and how to use it for better photos. | Tags: White Balance, Color Theory, Photography Fundamentals, Color, Kelvin System, Physics

Hot Pictures: Better White Balance With the Kelvin System - Tuts+ Photo & Video Article

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mco402Xx3D1rjfco4o3_1280.jpg

A great shot taken by a pretty great kid. He used a bridge camera to capture this spot  just feet away from busy traffic and city noise. The feeling of this lagoon-y area seems like the kind of secluded spot that you can refocus on life in.

homemade camera bag... 7 bucks from hardware store. SUPER tough, double stitched canvas (it is for tools y'know), strong strap. I custom cut some high density foam for the interior, and felted it for a custom fit to the camera. Its a great camera bag for when don't want to carry around the aluminum case (also a repurposed toolbox--with room for lenses, triggers, etc.)

Poster by Raquel Peixoto

Lettering for magazines by Jackson Alves