Saturday, May 9, 2015

What's Going On?

Hey everyone! Many things to gab about today.

Recently I learned the importance of the watermark - other than the fact that I think its really cool lookin'.. But it serves a much bigger purpose to protect your creative work. If someone were to rip off and use your photos without consent - it would be on you to prove it. Having a watermark dissuades people from even thinking that, and moving on to the next victim. Also, you may be interested in knowing that if the picture were to be cropped so to no include the watermark - the damages you are entitled to in court are much much higher. Not that this is how I plan on making more money - but its good to know the government is on my side for this one.

So I painstakingly went though the process of watermarking the pictures I found best represented my photographic capabilities. It forced me to review my pictures and reflect on my technique. I have a long way to go, and I'm excited to improve!  The website is a work in progress but I must say, I am very proud of where it is at, at this moment in time.

What else is going on?  That is the title of this blogpost afterall!

In terms of magic and music, things have slowed down considerably, and its quite depressing. Its not what you think. I have an elbow injury that prevents me from practicing for fear that it will stagnate my healing. I've tried working through the pain before with other injuries, and man, was that a bad idea! I won't do that anymore. Its best to let things heal. As you can guess, I can't go to the gym either or work out at my leisure. I have to be careful. My body is itching to be more healthy. I find I get in a depressive, slow (NOT depressed) state, and I want to do things... less. So, I hope I can get better, quickly. All my creative endeavors depend on it! Who knew an elbow was so important!

One more note: the youtube channel is climbing swimmingly. If you want to partake in the awesomeness, head on over to youtube.com/jimmychungtalent! I'm making videos that will help people understand their cameras, among many other topics.

Hopefully your week is going well!


Friday, March 20, 2015

Dogs... are in pain.

Dogs had surgery yesterday.

When I get some more time - a lot more pictures will be posted here. Sorry, still settling in on how to manage all these projects going on.

Bye for now!

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Pastry Picture!

Janet started making these holiday pastries, and they are coming out better and better. I got the idea to photograph one of them in all their gooey, shiny glory. I set up my studio box, did a few test shots, and got a lot of images that I was decently happy with.

I used CameraRaw to edit a bit further. I hope you enjoy it!

Picture taken with a FujiFilm X-E1 + 35mm prime on a tripod.



Thursday, January 8, 2015

Photoshop "Phear"

I have been taking photos for a while now. I've even edited on the computer once or twice. Ok - hundreds of times. I've experimented with editing software that is for complete beginners (Paint, Preview) to even the more complicated platforms (seems that everything is so advanced now).

I've played around with Aperture - Apple's answer to their hobbyist consumers. Adobe Lightroom snobs will scoff that I even tried Aperture. Well, don't scoff until you really dig in. I used it for years, and learned a lot. You could say I built my foundation using Apple's editing software, and there is nothing wrong with that at all!

I've always had a nagging feeling in the back of my head to learn Adobe's platforms though. They have a reputation for having the software gear that only pros use. I want to be a professional in all that I do, especially in photography and videography. I would dabble in PS here and there, but it was just too damn daunting. Overwhelming. I mean, who needs 50 different ways to crop out a subject?

I know what you are saying - "I've been using PS for years! Its f*****g easy!" or "My baby brother who is 2 can use PS!"

In the past few months I have been doing a deep dive into PS Creative Cloud Suite. I started from the basics, analyzing photos with Adobe Bridge. I didn't think that software was necessary, but after studying it for 10 hours I found it was the absolute foundation for learning how to edit photos correctly. I learned how to use my camera more effectively because of Adobe Bridge and its associate program camera RAW. Great stuff. In fact, I would say I edit most of my stuff in camera RAW only because I don't want portions of photos to be cropped out, or edited heavily (in a noticeable sort of way).

This past week, I decided to finally make the jump and get into PS. I got the chills. "Will I be able to do this? I couldn't do it before.... I just have to push through."

I had to defeat this irrational fear of PS. Sure I was having issues with it, but it IS for advanced users! I know that going in. Being apprehensive is normal! I dove in - followed a tutorial step by step - and replayed it dozens of times. Ended up being over 2 hours, but I finally created an image I hope you'll enjoy.

Here's another that I made later on during the week.






I had to restart tutorials - restart my computer and pull my hair out due to crazy frustration... But I did it! Its all about gathering new skills and breaking down mental barriers. Cheers to getting better!