Fountain Inspiration!

This past Thursday I was in Elmhurst, IL. I was walking out of a meeting late that night when I saw a fountain that I pass every month. It struck me, and I was inspired.

I was hungry, irritable, but I had to take action! Maybe it was the lighting, maybe it was the mood I was in, but this fountain looked different, and it was beaming with potential.

I didn't want to take out my tripod - seeing as it is all aluminum and freezes my hands- I figured it would only take a few minutes to get a good shot.

I now shoot with a Fuji XT1 mirrorless. Before that, I used DSLRs, but my mentality has always been film. I compose and calculate each shot. That's how I started way back in the day, and its shaped me into the artist I am today.

 

The above pic is of a very modern sconce light. It has a purple hue to it that I embellished in photoshop. There is a tiny bit of light leak on the left side of the box, but I decided to leave that since that's the way the original came out.

The fountain pic - I had about 5 good ones from the 20 I shot. Took me about an hour to get all of these, and there were a few where the depth of field was just too much. I cropped a little of the bottom portion because there was a rusted pump that was a visual distraction.

This pic I love. I did try taking 7 shots of this type of this angle, but it wasn't working. There was a hot light above it, so I had to bring the exposure down some in PS. It was very important to have the composition and focus just right before going to the computer however. I rarely crop too much - what you see is what I shot.


When inspiration hits - its a wonderful feeling. Cheers to many more moments like these!

More shots on the way, thanks for reading!

Pics posted!

Hello interweb world:

New pictures have been uploaded to www.jimmychungtalent.com

These pictures have been taken over the past 2 months. Used a variety of techniques I am quite proud of.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in person and I'll walk you through each one.

I love pictures. Each tells a story, and each can be interpreted differently. I love still life, macro, and everything in between. I hope you like these too. More are on the way, but here is a sample. I'll be going through detailed explanations of certain ones of my choosing unless I get some requests in the comments. Enjoy!
 

 

Huge improvements in photography. Celebration!

Its 2:23 am on a Saturday morning. I couldn't be more amped.

Let me explain.

I've pursued photography, since I was in middle school. I've always had a knack for art, even though I wasn't the best artist by any stretch of the imagination (do ninja turtles count as an artistic flare?). I  wanted to doodle all the time. Maybe you were the same way.

I didn't draw this. But its damn funny.

I got into photography when I was young. My love for picture taking developed into using a camcorder. Time has passed, and since then, software has been introduced and incorporated... Now being an artform in itself.

There are the purists out there when it comes to software / altering images, and there are those from the school of thought that the technology is here, might as well use it (and or abuse it).

I like to think I am a mix. Down the middle, if you will.

I'm from the school of thought that photography is not meant to be a machine gun approach with fast shutter speeds, bells and whistles or with a "fix it in post" mentality (unless you are in sports photography, but even in that case, it still requires forming the shot with forethought). I also don't think, and never have thought art depended on spending tons of money to get top of the line gear. Undoubtedly, software and technology is here to stay... and I do believe it should be used as a tool to enhance a pic when appropriate.




Its kind of like guitar fx pedals. You can't depend on them to make you a great sounding player. In fact, its a true sign of an amateur of someone who hasn't mastered their foundation first, and just goes out throwing dollar bills to cover their temporary shortcomings.

Practice first, improve and incorporate new skills, repeat step one, etc. That's the way, in my opinion.

You can improve by watching expert Youtube videos, reading books, and diving into resources for other art forms for inspiration. There are no boundaries when it comes to advancements in your field of choice!

The new pics I have coming will be something... that I hope will make your eyes pop out of your skull. I hope these pics will make you tilt your head and say "hmm.." I hope these pics will be cortex tingling. I hope some make you say "I've been there, I've seen that, but I didn't think of it this way before!"




 That would be the ultimate compliment. That's kind of how music is, isn't it? Everyone knows the guitar has 6 strings. Everyone knows they have different, yet finite amount of notes. But man, that feeling I get when I hear a song that uses the same chord progression that I've heard or played a million times, but in a different way... Sends shivers down my spine. Be it the timing, passion, or voicing... that ONE note shown in a different light can rekindle your love for a passion. It can jump start your once lethargic inspiration. It can make you dig a little deeper in your craft, leading down a foxhole of challenging growth and eventual victories.

The band Royal Blood - I'm loving right now- really put my head in a tailspin this way. Man those guys rock!

ps. www.sweetspectacles is currently running! :)