foto Priority

Aaaaah…….., the good old days.

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The final SPW Studio Lighting workshop for 09 has been hailed a great success.

The workshop started promptly at 8:30am where a mix of new and familiar faces gathered at the new Light Pro Sydney studios in Artarmon.

The day began with a short presentation by Daniel Linnet running through some theory of basic lighting techniques. There was also a short slideshow of images from both Daniel’s and Scott McGale’s portfolio, showcasing some of their high and low key images to which the students will be shooting today.

After the initial presentation Scott McGale took the students on a walk through the huge Dragon image showroom, going through each light and explaining the effect they could expect to get when using it. Meanwhile, our two models for the day, Olivia and Tara were having their makeup done and choosing the first of about 3 outfits each.

By this stage it was obvious that the students where keen to start shooting! We broke up into 2 groups; 6 students in the low key set with Daniel and 6 students on the high key set with Scott.

Both Scott and Daniel got straight into it, starting with a blank canvas and adding one light at a time to produce the desired effect. The students were given plenty of shooting time. Of course, all this with the help of the ever-so hard-working-assistants for the day; Kieron Dobbin and Jose Fernandez.

Lunch was the usual SPW feast; wraps, sandwiches, sushi and fruit to fuel the students for the afternoon session.

There was a quick costume change for the models and then back on the sets for the afternoon session. Again, different lighting techniques explained and lots of time for the students to go one-on-one with the model.

For the finale of the day in the low key set, the props included a mini tramp and a smoke machine which produced some stunning images, as you can see in the images attached to this post.

The day finished at approximately 6pm (I reckon the students would have stayed on until 9pm if they could) and there were happy faces all round. That is, except for Daniel and I who were left feeling a little jealous that we weren’t getting the opportunity to produce some of the fantastic shots that the students were getting!

Check out the photos and behind the scenes from the day!

Jose

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Oculi Home

oculus oc·u·lus (ŏk’yə-ləs)
n. pl. oc·u·li (-lī’) – Eye.

I have often argued that for such a small nation Australia has some of the best photographic talent in the world. In all genres, if you look carefully at the who’s who of the influential photographers of our time, there’s bound to be an Australian or two in there, kicking butt on the world stage.

In the field of Documentary / Reportage photography the Australian collective ‘Oculi’ has fast become the go to destination for current local based (and International) content. Featuring the work of 10 local photographers each with their own slant on local events and culture, the Oculi site offers an inspirational narrative on current events as seen through the eyes of our great photographic artists.

Definitely worth a look.

Visit Oculi

Approximately every 8 weeks a new batch of SPW “Beginners DSLR Workshop” graduates go out into the world armed with their new cameras and enough new photographic knowledge and inspiration to make the most of them.

From chatting to the tutors and also the students themselves, one of the most beneficial, and I would say fitting ending to the course, is the Final Night presentations where each student brings along a selection of images created during the 8 weeks for a final slide show to music. Being able to see other photographers interpretations of the various exercises and subject matter as, well as uses of basic techniques in unique ways, often broadens the creative mind and can offer a new perspective on an otherwise familiar subject.

Images are created to be shared, to teach, to inspire and off course, to communicate the creators vision of the world. I always make a point to encourage ALL to attend this final night as the value gained from seeing the results of others often outweighs any that can be passed on verbally or by the written word. After all, photography is a visual medium.

For myself, the reward is seeing the quality of the images created and the breadth of ideas from a group who just 8 weeks earlier had little or no photographic knowledge. So it is with great pleasure that we present the first selection of our ‘Final Night Top 30′.

To view the image larger, just click on the photographers name below the thumbnails

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This set of Top 30 Images was selected anonymously from over 800 final night images presented. In the selection process we considered; initial impact, originality of idea/concept, technical execution, composition and overall mood and feel.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THOSE WHO MADE THE FINAL CUT!!!

by: Daniel Linnet

Our friends at Lexar Australia are extremely excited about the pending launch in Oz of the new 600X Pro cards. Tested and reviewed by Rob Galbraith the new cards blitzed all competing products in the market using the Canon 7D. I’m also excited about the speed and size improvements, now that I’ve just picked up my 5D MkII and am planning to shoot some video along with my usual stills. On location every minute counts!

The new Professional range also comes with revamped version of their best selling software Image Rescue + exclusive trial versions on Adobe offers on Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, Premier Elements as well as massive discounts off the full product with online downloads. See below for more details.  Now that’s value adding!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 | by Rob Galbraith
Lexar has taken the wraps off a new series of CompactFlash cards geared towards the pro digital SLR shooter. Called Professional 600X, the series will be available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities that relaunch Lexar into the speed race in a serious way.
The Fremont, California-based division of Micron has also unveiled the ExpressCard CompactFlash Reader, an ExpressCard/34 adapter for CompactFlash cards that gets the design right, as well as an updated version of Image Rescue that sports an all-new interface and more powerful photo recovery algorithms.

Products are shipping mid November.

See full review

Download Adobe / Lexar Special Offer details

Lexar Digital Photography – Pro Tips and Techniques

Daniel Linnet

And this time it’s going to be even bigger!

To be held at the new Light Pro Sydney studio in Artarmon on the 8th of November 2009. This time we will have access to even more lighting equipment, and triple the amount of space.

Every time I visit Light Pro (Dragon Imaging) I feel like a kid in a candy store, so we will make sure to do a walk through as a part of the equipment introduction. Not a sales pitch.

NEW Light Pro Studio - High Key Set

On the day we will run 2 sets, a high key and a low key, which will give a more rounded understanding of studio lighting possibilities.

Tutors for the day are Daniel Linnet (www.linnetfoto.com) and Scott McGale (www.scottmcgale.com)

- 2 Sets (high/low key)

- 2 Pro Photographers + assistants

- 2 models (Dancers)

- All demonstrations are tethered

- Hair / Makeup + Wardrobe Styling

- Introduction to Lighting basics

- Full Equipment walk-through

- Flash Metering techniques

- Home Studio setup

- Mastering Lighting Ratios to control mood

- Working with movement

- Invaluable pro tips and tricks, and ALL questions will be answered

+ PLENTY OF FREE SHOOTING TIME!

Numbers are limited to only 16 (split into 2 groups).

To attend this workshop you MUST have a firm grasp of your camera in manual mode.

BOOK A SPOT HERE

DOWNLOAD PROMO PDF

A few weeks back we posted a link announcing the Finalists and Winners of the 2009 Lucie awards, which we hope you’ve had a chance to check out. Well here are the best of show selections, curated by Miss Rosen. Enjoy!

Best of Show 2009 from Lucie Foundation on Vimeo.

view the 2009 Winners Gallery

"Pea in a Pod" - ©Anne Geddes

“The hardest thing in photography is to create a simple image” – Anne Geddes

AnneGeddes.com

Daniel Linnet - the Ballerina, Marquee

What started out as a simple sketch from a set and costume designer and very good friend of Daniels, James Browne, turned into and epic 18 hour shoot with a cast of thousands, a very talented creative team, months of pre-production and planning all followed by many hours editing and post-production.

We often joke that this series of images is like the gift that keeps on giving for Daniel, but in fact there is truth to that statement. Daniel has sold many prints, and more recently they were shortlisted for the London International Creative Awards.

Recently better photoshop magazine ran a story on the creation of Marquee where Daniel explains the thought and creative process behind the shoot, from behinning to end!

Jose Fernandez

DOWNLOAD THE STORY

Original Sketch by James Browne

"Che Guevara" - ©RENÉ BURRI

“One of these days, I’m going to publish a book of all the pictures I did not take. It is going to be a huge hit.” – RENÉ BURRI

René Burri Photographs