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Author Archives: Katie
Multi-Hyphenate Post #4 – Kapowing! – The Kapow Colour Pop
As a photographer working in the digital age, I’m a firm believer in the magic of Photoshop. A small twist here or there can make the difference between something good and something wow-tastique! If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m also a huge fan of colour. Turning the colours in my photos from normal to surreal is a constant of my work. In this installment of Kapowing, I wanted to share a simple technique to help make the colours in your digital photos POP!
I work in both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. For this “how to”, I’ve included screen shots and instructions on PSE, but if you’re an original Photoshop user, the instructions are pretty much the same.
It’s a very rare occasion that Kapow shares any of her techniques. So pick that jaw up off the floor and let’s get to colour poppin’!
Multi-Hyphenate Post #3 – Kapowing! – Kapowing Moments into your Vacation Photos
★ For many of us, vacations are few and far between. Taking a break from the daily grind is either nearly impossible for lack of time or financially infeasible. That’s why when I get the opportunity to get away, I savor every moment. Along with creating irreplaceable and epic memories, I like to capture my special “me” time in my vacation photographs. I used to simply point and shoot at places of interest along my journeys, but found that once I got home and printed the images, they lacked something. The photos were pretty (a landscape of the Paradise Pier at Disney’s California Adventure, a valley dotted with buffalo in Yellowstone National Park, et cetera), but they didn’t really tell the story of my adventure.
In recent years, I’ve tried to more consciously frame and capture moments along the way in a timeline; a day in my life told by the pieces of the day that I encounter. Going snap-happy on an adventure is easy, but is easy always best? Rather than hold my arm out in front of my face at the Continental Divide or trust some stranger with my camera to click a portrait of my husband and me in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, I like to spin a different angle on my vacation pics. Let me show you how I mean.
Multi-Hyphenate Post #2- Kapowing! – Kapowing the Everyday
Opportunity – it’s everywhere. That’s true for so much in life. A couple of questions I am often asked are: “Where do you get your ideas?” And “What is your inspiration?” The only answer I can think of is also the simplest: Well, everything! One of the first things a good photography teacher will tell you is to constantly shift your perspective. A common error is to center everything at eye level. Although this is not a bad approach in some scenarios, you may miss what’s going on around you. Today I wanted share a couple of Kapowing notes on being prepared and looking for the unexpected.
Kapow doesn’t take photos, she pounds life into paper, that’s what they say at least. A shopping cart, the sky above your car’s sunroof, the top of your dresser, a popsicle, these sorts of common everyday items can become eye striking subjects when posed or looked upon from an interesting perspective. I remember being tasked with assignments in photography class such as the oh so popular, “Take a photo of an egg in an interesting composition.” When handed this assignment, my fifteen year old brain reacted with an “oh yeah, right, an egg.” But I find myself challenging my developed skills with a similar mission on a daily basis.
Since I’m constantly looking for opportunity, I must at all times be prepared for it. My suggestion is to invest in a good, high mpx pocket camera. I’ve gone through a few of these, (since I beat them up more than my old school Trapper Keepers), and much adore my Sony CyberShot. Another awesome tool (thank you, technology) is the camera phone. Don’t be afraid to use it! I’ve seen some amazing things done with Blackberry and iPhone cameras. There’s even an entire movement right now surrounding the iPhone camera and its resulting art called “iPhoneography”. #TrueStory
So let’s say you’ve got your camera and you’re ready to go. I can’t tell you “what” to look for but I can show you what I’ve found. (^_^)
Multi-Hyphenate Post #1 – Kapowing! – The Making of a Brand and 3 Rules to Live By
Warning: This piece is unintentionally autobiographical. In order to fully explain my position, I had to delve into my own history. But pay attention, the rules are important.
It’s easy to find the value of a particular model of toaster; you do a quick internet search and kapow, you’ve got it. Unfortunately, making and selling toasters is not my forte. So how does a small town girl with a penchant and passion for photography go from doing portraits for her friends to establishing a brand, determining her art’s worth and begin selling her art online? Good question! I’m not here to give you a step by step guide for setting up your artistic career. That would be impossible. I am, however going to give you a window into Kapow.
In the early 2000’s you could find my physical presence at many functions in my small town. From local festivals to the county fair, I was displaying art and entering contests where ever and whenever they were available. Although in my town, with its mere 20,000 resident population, this exposure was “good,” it was not my target market. These functions offered me little success other than the personal satisfaction of getting my art publicly seen.
Around 2005 I came to the conclusion that I needed a more concrete goal. I asked myself, “What is it that I’m working toward? Do I simply want to share my art? Do I want to sell my art? Would I like my art to be a lucrative business that could support me financially?” With each goal a bit more difficult to meet then the last, it was easy for that little voice in my head to say, “Forget it, you’ll never get there. Make your art for yourself and be satisfied.” It seemed obvious to me at this point that my art was not sell-worthy, at least not in my hometown. Lacking confidence, I reverted to taking portraits and senior pictures for whatever money came my way. (Read the full article on Multi-Hyphenate Dot Com)
A new gig!
Hey peeps,
Kapow has been super busy with the new day job and all, but I wanted to share with you a new gig I’m contributing to, Multi-Hyphenate.
Here’s some information about the Blog-a-zine straight from the creator, Tyler Weaver :
“MH is a blogazine featuring articles by the new wave of independent filmmakers, comic book creators, writers, photographers, musicians, marketeers, and any other creative type as they navigate the murky waters of this crazed new media landscape.”
~ Copyright 2009 MULTI-HYPHENATE
I’m excited to be contributing to this collaboration. “Kapowing” – my new column on M-H will be running every Tuesday. Subject matter will vary, but all be very Kapowish. (~_^) Check out my first article that debuted last Tuesday here.
Trust me, you’re going to want to add a new bookmark to your browser – Multi-Hyphenat Dot Blogspot Dot Com.
★Kapow (”’)-.-(”’)
Year of Kapow
Konnichiwa Kapow friends.
With the new year begins a new 365 project; a new photo everyday all year long – My #POTD (photo of the day).
In addition to this massive undertaking, I wanted to try something new. A movement that I got quite heavily into at the end of 2009 was iPhone photo art. I’ve been testing quite a few iPhone photo editing applications, reading application reviews and what not, and discovered a sort of booming iPhone art movement among some creative artists. This year, I will be writing a review complete with edited photos every month about a different iPhone camera application. I hope to also spotlight artists involved in this movement of photography.
If you yourself are or know someone that has been dabbling in this field, zip me an email here. I’d enjoy speaking with them, hearing opinions and experiences and potentially spotlighting their work and endeavors on my site.
Happy Kapow Year my friends!
Don’t forget, ShopKapow is live! www.katiekapow.com/shop
★Kapow (”’)-.-(”’)
P.O.T.D. re-cap Week of November 1, 2009
After surviving the swine flu, Kapow is back with P.O.T.D. in full effect. I’m still creating with the 500 + photos I took in Minneapolis. I haven’t even finished going through the first memory card yet! I think this next week will mostly be photos of food. (We ate a lot there.) lol @TidyCat fattening me up for Thanksgiving Dinner I think. (><) lol
As always, feedback is appreciated and thanks for watching the P.O.T.D. on Twitter.
Cheers,
- Kapow
Sunday, November 1, 2009 – Minneapolis Pancakes
#POTD photo of the day: Believe it or not, this was the 2nd best morning in Minneapolis, http://ping.fm/s8I9j Pancakes on KatieKapowDotCom
Okay, seriously, you all know I *love* pancakes. There is no better food on the planet to me. Cakey, wonderful, goodness. I like all kinds. Mmmmm pancakes. Cakes that have been panned. These beauts are compliments of my dear friend @TidyCat. Thank you my dear.
Monday, November 2, 2009 – The Conversation Part 2
#POTD #photo of the day: Deja vou. 2007 in 2009? A new photo a different time. Part 2 on KatieKapowDotCom http://ping.fm/yvRbK
I took a photo very similar to this one when I had just bought my Canon Rebel XTi in 2007. It’s interesting, I had just started teaching myself Photoshop in the original piece. You can see a lot of progress in style development and technique. I’m thinking now, maybe I will re-shoot this every year, just to make a timeline and a series. Which one do you like best?
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 – O’ Donovan’s Glass
#POTD photo of the day: Some weird thing I thought was shiny and pretty while whiskey’d up. http://ping.fm/2nXGA on KatieKapowDotCom
I don’t particularly *like* this photo but, I do like the glass. @TidyCat and I went to this lovely Irish Pub in Minneapolis and this was a fixture on the ceiling in the pub. I did the limbo to take the photo lol.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 – A Drink for a Friend
#POTD #photo of the day: A drink for a friend. Let’s have another. http://ping.fm/zVkOE On KatieKapowDotCom
Classy. Very unlike me. Ha! See, I *can* do something other than punch color.
Thursday, November 5, 2009 – Best Breakfast
#POTD #photo of the day: They knew I was coming. They had #pancakes ready http://ping.fm/45ahN on KatieKapowDotCom
What the hell? Is this place heaven? I walk into my hotel room in Minneapolis to be greeted by a magazine featuring PANCAKES!!!!!!! Yes, I like it here. (^__^)
Friday, November 6, 2009 – Knock, Knock, Knock on My Door
#POTD photo of the day: My room’s at the end of the hall. A hallway and things on KatieKapowDotCom http://ping.fm/flfM2
I had a texture orgasm in this hotel. The Graves 601 Hotel in Downtown Minneapolis was quite the boutique chic experience for Kapow. From the mirrored art, to the textured paneled and painted walls, I was a photographer in heaven.
Saturday, November 7, 2009 – Light and Sofa
Happy Weekend! ^_^ POTD photo of the day: Light. Sofa. Minneapolis. Love. On KatieKapowDotCom http://ping.fm/Hsy16
Yes, I sat here. For almost two hours just enjoying the modern loveliness. I wish I could have stuffed this sofa in my suitcase but alas, it wouldn’t fit.
Thanks for visiting!
- Kapow
(All photos on P.O.T.D. are available for viewing in the gallery. Thanks for visiting www.katiekapow.com.)
#Kapowlloween 2009
Happy #Kapowlloween my #Kapowsketeers!
Here on KatieKapowDotCom I occasionally venture into some joint projects. For this Holiday celebration, I’ve teamed up with The Pointgiver ( @Pointgiver on Twitter ) for a photo inspired original short story, “The Station Pages”. The original photo, by yours truly can be found in my gallery, “Fireball Snuffed Out”. This photo was taken July 18, 2009 in Grants Pass, Oregon. It’s the site of an abandoned gas station.
The photo inspired Mr. Stephen Winters to write a short horror story filled with zombies and fun. The story is available for download in PDF on the goodies page.
Please let us know what you think about this joint project. All comments and feedback welcome.
Now presenting, “The Station Pages Project” – A joint venture by KatieKapow and the Stephen Winters, available EXCLUSIVELY on KatieKapowDotCom!
Do enjoy!
Happy #Kapowlloween 2009!
- Kate
#P.O.T.D. weekly re-cap, week of October 4, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009 – “Hello Kitty”
I was pushing myself again to do something different. I’ve always been interested in doing some sort of erotic photography. Nothing graphic, just art. The human form is intruiging and lovely. This week I dabbled a bit in some teasing sort of pieces.
Monday, October 5, 2009 – “Would You Like To Go To There?”
I love this place. I featured this shot in my last photo tech blog. The beautiful Lodge at Riverside along the Rogue River in Grants Pass, Oregon. I would love to live in this town again.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009 – “I Forgot Where I Was Going?”
Honestly, I forgot where I was going. lol Jet set Kapow? O_o
Wednesday, October 7, 2009 – “Lemon Lomo”
I took this on my Iphone last summer and turned it into a Lomo. I love Lomography and its little sub cuture.
Thursday, October 8, 2009 – “Behind the Lens”
My #HNT contribution for the week. Gaussian Blur for the win!
Friday, October 9, 2009 – “Peeking”
Is this my sexiest photo yet? I’m not sure. Sure do like the nets.
