Posted by Katie on June 1, 2010 – 6:47 am
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’!
Posted by Katie on June 1, 2010 – 6:41 am
★ 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.
Posted by Katie on June 1, 2010 – 6:24 am
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. (^_^)
(Read the full article on Multi-Hyphenate Dot Com)
Posted by Katie on June 1, 2010 – 6:18 am
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)
Posted by Katie on February 1, 2010 – 8:02 am
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 (”’)-.-(”’)
