11.17.11 Decrep·It

::Before and After::

So on my way home from a wedding I shot last weekend I decided to take a detour.  I tried to go to the Davy Crockett museum in Tennessee, but ended up getting tired of the drive.  It gave me a good chance to scout though on the way and stop at places I wanted to on the way back.
This was one place I decided to stop at.  

Original Image

I got up and close and personal with this building; the shattered windows and wind blown sheets hanging over the windows made it more eerie than I wanted to face by myself.  As I approached he building I expected to see shadowy figures run past the holes in the plywood covering the door, or see the face of a witch in the window pointing at me and grinning.
I decided not to enter the building because I noticed alot of modern things around it and feared that either someone still lived there or that the owner came by frequently and would arrest me for trespassing.  After all the wheat farm in front of the building had been cut not too long ago.

So instead I ran into the field and took three photos so that I could start my image by making an HDR photo.

Same Image -1

Same Image +1

I put all three images together in Photomatix and came up with this HDR:

Rendered HDR image

It was not bad but still needed some work.  So I imported it into Photoshop.  I removed my car and the building behind it, along with the electric pole and wires.  I then adjusted the levels for the sky and trees, then adjusted the levels on the building, and lastly adjusted the levels on the grass.
Lately I've been driving around and staring at all the birds migrating.  For some reason I've been very fascinated by them this year.  I've been wanting to add them to a photo so I chose to add them to this photo.  Lastly I added some sun rays in the sky and put a gradient around the edges.  And I was finished.  Pretty easy photo to do, but I love the way it turned out.

Completed Image

11.08.11 Vampire Before|After

::Before And After::
So this week I've decided to add a before and after shoot from my Halloween Vampire shoot.
My first step in post processing was I made a copy of the raw image and increased the brightness.  I then put it into Photoshop and combined the lighter image with the darker image.
While adding makeup to the image we had decided to put a little drop on the top of her teeth to look like blood, but while I was working on this image I ended up removing that in order to make her teeth stand out more.  After basic touchups, and dodging and burning I took a white brush and created more light coming out of the lantern.  For a final touch I created a drop of blood and made it a similar color to the lips.
Some level and color adjustments later and you have the final image.

Before

After

10.31.2011 Halloween

::Photos Of The Season::
FANTiM.COM/52-11

So my plan this year was to take a different Halloween photo every week.  Unfortunately  there were complications with this plan.  So instead I did two weeks.  Still I think they turned out great.

Vampire Shoot

For my vampire shoot I put together a very creative team and the photo turned out perfectly.  The original didn't look much different then the end product.
Credits:
Lacy Garrison - Model
Stacy Lockhart - Makeup
Holly Stamey - Hair

For more photos from my vampire shoot you can view them at http://www.fantim.com/p680508153

Zombie Shoot

My other Halloween shoot was zombie themed.  This shot was inspired by "The Witch" from the left for dead series.  The red lighting on her dress was a mix of photoshop and a red glow stick.
Credits:
Lace Robbins - Model
Vapiai Caply - Makeup


For photos from the zombie shoot you can visit http://www.fantim.com/p512844628

Vampire: Behind the Scenes

Zombie: Behind the Scenes

10.01.11 Autumn

This last week I had a photo shoot with Autumn, so I've decided to include a before and after of the shoot.

And the final edit

8.3.11 Baby Photos

::blOg::

In tradition to my recent blog on baby photos I found another gem to share with everyone. I don't know who's luckier, the mom or the photographer who caught this shot. :P

7.1.11 Baby Photos

::blOg::

Whenever I am about to have a photo shoot I browse similar images to get some inspiration. I have a shoot coming up with a new born baby and her parents. This was actually supposed to be a pregnant shoot however the night of the photo shoot the baby was born.

Top 3 Classics
Anyways, here are the top 3 "classics" that I'm planning on staying away from.
3. Out of Control Family
What better way to capture your family than in their natural environment. Might as well take your kids to Walmart and have one lying on the ground throwing a temper tantrum over not getting the toy they want, while the other is walking back holding onto a Walmart employee cause they couldn't find you, and your baby cries uncontrollably while you look at pajama bottoms.

I'm not a big fan of this style because although it captures the natural energy of the family it leaves a sense of non-unity. The family aspect kind of goes out the door when you're loving your baby and let your other kids run rampant.

2. The Naked Family
There's something about a family that get naked with their baby that just doesn't appeal to my style of photography.

I think this style is supposed to be very raw, sweet, minimalistic, or something like that. But it tends to just look strange to me. Maybe it's cause I don't have kids and don't realize how fun it is to get naked with them.

But shouldn't there be a line not to cross here? For example...

So yeah this style just comes across as creepy to me.

1. Breast Feeding Mom
Can you imagine being an adult, going to your parents house with your significant other, and seeing this on the wall?

I have no problem with breast feeding. You're combining two great things, food and boobs. But is that something that needs to be captured? If my mom had kept pictures of me breast feeding lying around the house I think I would've been traumatized.

Some Good Ideas
Since I used these poor photographers pictures as references for what I don't want to do on my next shoot I thought I'd include a few shots of theirs that I do enjoy.

The Loving Embrase from "Naked dad squeezes naked baby too hard" photographer

I love the emotion in this photograph. The editing style too ads alot to that by bringing about detail in the subjects and the baby's eyes.

Smiling Baby is a Happy Baby from "naked African American family cuddles" photographer

Everyone loves pictures of smiling babies, and capturing that can at times be a challenge for a photographer. But the results are so good and you can't help smile when you see a baby smiling.

Hands Hands Everywhere from "naked families cuddle no matter how old your kid is" photographer

I have to admit this photographer had more maternity pictures that I liked than their baby pictures. But you can never go wrong with hands. They give a sense of just how tiny the child is. Including grandparents can also show a good contrast between the generations.

The Lomo Shot from "do what you want kids, this is only photo shoot is only costing me an arm and a leg" photographer

I love this shot. The natural nature of the shot, the low contrast, the backlight, the lens flare. And at the same time the subjects are doing what they do naturally. It's such a peaceful and great capture.

The Classic Movie Shot from "baby hungry!" photographer

Using brokeh along with creative cropping makes images like this very cool. There's not alot of posing in pictures like this, and that's a good thing because it allows the photographer to capture the natural characteristics of the subjects in the photograph.

Here are a couple other shots that I really liked too.

The Sleeper

A quick capture through the bars of the crib. If you think about it the only thing visible of the baby in this picture is the baby's head. Yet the environment captures something we're all used to seeing babies in and captures that artistically.

The Family Portrait
I thought I'd end with this one, just to get a smile out of you.

I actually love this shot. Yes the little girl looks like she's planning on eating your soul, but besides that it's very classy and entertaining.

::UPDATE::
A buddy of mine sent me this one.

03.12.10 Catwoman

FANTiM.COM/catwoman

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So today's image that we'll be looking at is the image that inspired my Catwoman photo shoot. It all started out when I saw the cover of this particular Catwoman comic book.

This was the original art work, by Adam Hughes. A mugshot of Catwoman.


This is my remake of the image. Now for some behind the scenes so you can have an idea of the post processing.

I had my model dowse herself with water for this image in order to get that just got arrested in the rain look. I actually used several different images and composed them together in order to get every piece of her in place. After the shoot I went through and redarkened the running mascara. Cropped it in tight, and made the mugshot sign by drawing it together on Photoshop. Had to draw the mugshot sign because I didn't want to spend the money to buy one.
To see some more visit http://fantim.com/catwoman

Here are some behind the scene shots.

Due to a double booking error in my studio I had to move my studio upstairs to this dining hall. Although I didn't have as much lighting control it was free and I got the shots I wanted.


Catwoman getting ready to go rob some stuff. :D

That's all for now.

-F

02.23.10 Disappearing

::Photo of the Week::

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Today's photo may not look like much, but it actually my first attempt at infrared photography.

The way it works is I use an infrared filter on my camera that lets through pretty much no light, and instead is supposed to be registering heat signatures. Since I don't actually have an infrared camera I am using my regular camera, and keeping the shutter open for a long period of time.
In return the technique is almost like taking a night photo, except the shot was taken during the day. The affect is always pretty interesting.

As I play around with it more I assume I'll be able to understand the variables better and get a better image next time. But still pretty fun for my first attempt. I stood in the frame long enough for the image to pick me up, then I moved.

I'm not exactly sure why half of the frame is darker than the other, could've been a solar flare, or perhaps was a result to the way I shuttered it. I ended up cranking up my ISO (Film) speed pretty high in order to capture the image easier.
T

02.03.10 Adam Sanders

::Foto of the Day::

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So today I have a few before and after shots from my photoshoot with Adam Sanders, and I also have some behind the scene photos taken by my assistant.

Before:



After:



I didn't actually do too much post processing on this photo. I just desaturated some of the color and adjusted my blacks. I like the way it turned it.

This was my first time using my new studio, so I was pretty excited about it. And loved the amount of control I had in the studio.

At one point though I accidentally shut the dressing room door, with all of Adam's cloths in it. This wouldn't be a problem except the door was locked, and I didn't have a key on me. So we had to wedge the door open with a credit card and a knife.
Behind the scenes:









hehe I like to work with my shoes off sometimes. You can see them in the background


Adam's manager going over wardrobe with him. I forgot to bring my little camera so the behind the scene photos weren't that good this time around.

That's all for now. Feel free to leave questions and comments.

F

02.02.10 Dy.Nasty

::Foto of thejavascript:void(0) Day::









So I'm back in America, and working on shoots again. I've been having my assistants take behind the scene photos of my recent shoots.
Today's images are from a new music project called Dy.Nasty. They are creating a new sound of acoustic hip-hop. I'll try to get some links for you guys later.

I took these shots downtown Nashville. Hope you enjoy them. For more check out fantim.com/dynasty
F

10.21.09 Sumo

::Foto of the Day::

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So this is one of my shots from my day at the Sumo practice arena. Six o'clock seemed way to early to wake up and take photos. Especially after working at a wedding the night before. But as they say "When in Tokyo.." So we arrived at the building where we were going to watch practice after roaming the streets for a while. I walked up to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. After walking around the building a few times we could hear sumo sounds from one of the windows. "What exactly is 'sumo sounds'?" you ask? It is the sound of raw meat slapping into raw meat at the speed of a football player.

We went back to the front where I rung the doorbell. The lock turned and the door slid open a crack, but no one looked out at us. So we opened the door and walked in.

We were given designated spots where we were forced to sit. We watched the practice matches, and all the training exercises the wrestlers went through. It was pretty amazing to see such large guys moving so fast. At one point I tried to move to get a better shot. I stayed near my designated spot, but scooted over a little to an unoccupied area. I was immediately yelled at by a sumo wrestler looking guy in sweat clothes to "please sit down" *translated from Japanese*. Embarassed I quickly sat down.

All in all an amazing experiences. To see more photos from the day go to http://fantim.zenfolio.com/sumo

10.15.09 Utsunomiya

:: Foto of the Day ::

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So I went out and took photos of Utsunomiya the other night, as my goal to take photos of the city before I leave it.
I haven't posted all the photos yet because of slow internet, but you can see them here. And more will be added later.

04.01.09 Contemplation Under the Pale Moon Light

::Foto of the Day::


ORIGINAL





So I took the original, added a moon, and added these power lines




I then changed the image to darkness by adding alot of black layers, and changing the filters. I actually had to do this for a reason, but I can't remember why.

I actually made this image two weeks ago, but it took me a while longer to post it than usual. Which means I have to post two photos this week.


AFTER


F