Our first Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale!!! Just use the coupon code "GAMI2016" for an additional 15% off your entire purchase! Yes, this includes our NEW Gamilight studio bundles, which are already at a great discount! Offer expires Dec 2nd so act fast! Check out the deals at http://www.infinitypointstudio.com/gamilight/
Gamilight Studio "Bundles" Coming Soon!!!
Testing out the new "Product Studio Bundle!"
A sneak peak at the lighting modifier bundles we are putting together for this weekend!
A bottle made from what!?!
Image credit Elijah Hoffman
I'm revamping my studio lighting a bit so I bought a used set of Paul C. Buff Einsteins this week. So far I'm liking them! Despite feeling like they are made of the same material as my old Tobor robot toy from the 1970s they are, functionally, quite good. Of course both umbrella holds have long-since broken off and the cases cracked but that's not really surprising because... well... they are made of the same material as my old Tobor robot from the 1970's. Although Tobor still hasn't broken yet so maybe it's not actually the same material.
But that's not why I'm posting. I bought the lights from a local product photographer named Elijah Hoffman. I checked out his portfolio and among his excellent work was this awesome product image.
That's not why I'm posting either. Did you see what the label says? Method is making bottles out of recovered ocean plastic!?!? That's awesome!!! I always wondered when we might reach a point where it's actually economically viable to "mine" our own garbage. Maybe we are approaching that point?
Anyway, random thought.
PS, Again, this image is NOT mine, it's the work of the talented and apparently un-taggable Elijah Hoffman. You can see more of his work here.
Knowledge... on demand.
Sometimes I forget just what an amazing era we live in. I was in Barnes and Noble yesterday thumbing through the photography periodicals when one in particular caught my eye simply for the absolutely AMAZING portrait it included. Have you ever stumbled across a picture and the first thought to flood your mind was "WOW, I must learn for this master!!" the moment you saw it? Well, that was me, and the photographer in question was Jake Hicks. If you aren't familiar with his work I highly recommend you drop by his website here.
Jake Hicks work (pictured above) truly is phenomenal and he has a wealth of information on his website. Seriously, check it out!
Scanning his work made me think again about adding diffusion filters to my shooting setup, something I had been considering for awhile now. So, long story short, in the process of researching diffusion filters I started researching ND filters (something ELSE I have been thinking about adding as my polarizer is woefully inadequate as an ND filter) which lead me to yet another awesome source of knowledge and inspiration; Shane Hurlbut and his website, Hurlblog. Shane is a cinematographer. Not just any cinematographer, but the cinematographer for movies such as Act Of Valor, We Are Marshall, and Terminator: Salvation. He's the real deal, and his website is stuffed full of information he is sharing with his readers.
It strikes me what a game-changer the Internet has become. Instant, on demand access to inside information from some of the most talented professionals in the industry... all at the click of a button. Most of these individuals have jumped on to this bandwagon too, Shane has a monthly service that gives you access to a crazy amount of info. Jake has a great tips page and holds regular workshops. And some of my other favorite artists, like Jeremy Cowart, Josh Rossi, and Sue Bryce have excellent educational resources as well. This is truly a golden age of education, it's just all self serve.
I know how busy life gets but I encourage you to take a moment and check out some of these resources. Or simply look up your favorite artist, I'd be willing to bet they have a lot of knowledge they are sharing on their pages too. I especially recommend Shane Hurlbut's page. It's not "still-image" photography centered, which is a nice change of pace and it really makes you realize the importance of nailing everything in camera. How better to learn these epic, cinematic compositions so many of us are going for then from a guy who's doing it for 200 million dollar film productions?
What are some of your favorite artists you have learned from? Have any great websites you have found?
My jump into full-frame; the Pentax K-1
One really AWESOME thing is that all my prime lenses (which I love) support full frame image circles (at least they say they do)! It remains to be seen how 15 year old film lenses render on a 36MP sensor.
"Will my inauguration into the elite club of blessed full-frame users be a revelation or just an incremental upgrade?"
"Pop-Art" Overload?
I’ve always loved the Lord Of The Rings films. Having not read any of the books prior to seeing the movies they were my only real exposure to the Tolkien universe, other than seeing the animated film “The Hobbit,” when I was very young, to which my only memory was of being completely, utterly terrified. Since then I have read a number of Tolkien’s books but, ultimately, they all end up playing out as a Peter Jackson film in my head... <click the pic to read more>
Going International
I have always been drawn to Europe. Now, for me, it’s not the idea of lounging on Mediterranean beaches or shopping in Paris that draws me there (awesome as those things may be). Rather, it’s things like heritage, legacy, and history that seem so prevalent anywhere and everywhere in Europe and yet so scarce here in the states that attracts me. I see a land full of reminders of the people who came before us… their legacies, their traditions, their stories, their lessons. The lives they left behind... <click the pic to read more>
First Look: Gamilight Octave 53 Octagonal Soft Box
I have been using Gamilight modifiers for a couple years now. I had done quite a bit of research (otherwise known as “obsessing”) on modifiers designed specifically for speed lights before finally choosing the Gamilight Square 43 for my “on-location” portrait shoots, and I have really been happy with it’s performance. So when Gamilight announced their new line of octagonal soft boxes I was really excited to try them out... <click the pic to read more>