Starving Artistry

Photos Galore

// December 16th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Photo

So I’ve decided I really want a flash. Considering I got this camera for video stuff, I’ve actually been shooting a lot of photography, and the inflexible lighting situations are really just driving me insane. Anyway, here are some photos I’ve taken that I happen to like…

So a couple weeks back I did a family photo shoot for some Christmas pictures for a friend of mine. This is the youngest daughter, whom I happen to teach Piano, right before we started. I actually have my studio light on her, which is why I think the colors turned out so well. She’s sharp and in focus, and that makes me happy. =) Too bad the background is a little boring, but she looks good and that’s what matters.

So anyway, this past weekend Mo had a party to celebrate his 26th birthday (incidentally the same day as mine). I was excited to see his house, I had heard it was pretty big. That was definitely an understatement if anything. This is already a closer up shot than one of my others (check out my flickr page) but you can still tell it’s fancy schmancy.

So fast forward to this past Sunday, and we have the KTC Winter Concert which was held at a retirement home in Springfield. This first pic is one of my co-workers performing an impromptu duet. The lighting was weird in that place, with the big ol’ windows, and then recessed lighting using both incandescent and flourescent bulbs. So the pic has a yellowish glow to it, but I think it makes it seem appropriately warm compared to the stark wintery outside.

This is a little girl watching the performers from the stairs. I thought it was cute, although I wish I had captured where she was looking. I haven’t even edited this one, and it came out really well. I submitted this to our photo-a-week group.

And this is one of my guitar students. He claimed he wasn’t feeling well, but I think his expression is very appropriate to how most kids react when they have to perform. I maintain that it’s a very important part of learning an instrument though…

This week’s photo theme is “lights.” I want to get down to the mall to get some pics, but… I dunno if i’m gonna have time to…! We shall see…!

I’m Yours

// December 10th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Other

Muse Contest Video

// December 8th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Video

So per our usual last minute selves, Jabarie and I made this video for an entry to win Muse tickets when they come in March. Not that I couldn’t just go buy tickets… and I mean, I like Muse, but not that much. But, an excuse to do a video, is an excuse to do a video.

Actually, I suggested this idea to Jabarie when he first brought up the contest, but on the day of, he wasn’t really feeling it. I wanted to do it in front of my green screen, but since we weren’t gonna do it, i didn’t bring it with me. Of course, we ended up doing it…

The contest is that you have to perform a Muse song in one way or another, and you have to keep it under 60 seconds. So our concept is that somehow our bodies are making sounds, and we play the bass-line to “Hysteria” on our bodies. Then to sell the point, we had our various parts light up. Incidentally, we actually mapped out the bass line, so if you look at the info on the YouTube video, you can see which notes each color represents.

It was really, really, really hard to coordinate myself to do that. It took like, five million takes. I also wanted to do more with the video, but like I said earlier, it was very last minute (due tonight). Soo…. let’s see if we win this time around. If not, at least I have another pretty cool video.

During editing we started masking out our hands and stuff so they wouldn’t cover up the colors, but ended up deciding against it because it would take for-freakin-ever to do that, and I only had one night to edit. Besides, this way you see the colors better anyway. I also wanted to do more things for our feet, but again, ran out of time. You’d think that one day we’d actually plan ahead to do something and that way I’d be able to do everything I want with it…

I was originally planning on splicing up the actual Muse song to put into the video, but ended up using some synth sounds instead, so it feels more like we’re “performing” it, rather than just dancing to it. If you can call it dancing. I almost went back to the original recording, but even though this doesn’t sound as authentic, I think it helps sell the idea.

I also wanted to pan the audio so that my sounds would come out the left speaker and Jabarie’s out the right, but again… ran out of time / was too lazy to re-import into pro-tools and mix the audio in there. After Effects is definitely not made to do any sort of audio work. Sheesh!

Anyway, enjoy, and leave me a comment letting me know what you think!

Photo a Week – Week 1 – TREE

// December 6th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Photo

So Evan and I have been talking a bit about getting more into photography. So, we were talking about going on a shoot together, but since he went camping this weekend, he suggested a friendly competition between the two of us where we take a photo each weekend with a different theme. Then I figured, why not ask and see if more people want to participate? Anyway, our first photos are due tonight, so I’ve yet to see who is ACTUALLY participating, but should have at least 5 or so people.

Anyway, so first I tried to take pictures during the snow. I didn’t think they came out that well the day of, but upon closer inspection, I guess they aren’t HORRIBLE. Just nothing special. Here are a couple shots:

Make sure you click on the photos to get the bigger size & quality. Anyway, they’re completely untouched and whatnot. Still some pretty scenery. Today though, was the money day because it was so nice out. So I once again went to my back yard and around the house to snap some pics in hopes i would secure the one to use for the photo-a-week thing. With all the melting snow, it was very muddy:

Anyway, since it was so nice, I wanted to use the sun in my photo. I tried getting some where the sun was peeking through the branches. It’s kinda neat, the sun makes such a star-shape… check it out.

I kinda like that 2nd one, but I ended up deciding it needed more color. So i found the only tree on the block that still had some leaves and went to take a few pics.

I really liked the different perspective of that middle picture, so I tried it again on a different tree.

I think the leaves help make the pictures more interesting though. I dunno, what do you think? And which one do you think I went with for the “picture-a-week” thing?

Supposed to film with Jabarie tonight. Also taking some portrait pictures for a friend’s family! Busy Sunday…

First Snow

// December 5th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Video

So, I went outside this morning to take pictures of trees for our little photography competition (more on that later), but I totally failed. So I’m gonna try again tomorrow. But, I took some footage, but it was all of the same place… so then I took slow-motion footage. Which looks kinda normal. Haha. And then to make it more interesting, I reversed it (which, to be fair, does look kinda cool). But anyway, here is is. Not my piece d’resistance, but… whatever!

Also, thanks to Corina for finding me that song. It’s by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson, called “Winter Song.”