Another one for this week...enjoy!

So I'm doing photos and writing for the newspaper here at Union...hope you enjoy it, always stoked to get feedback.

Photo Project

More Still Life

Used a different way of exposing color in this one. I like it...

Not really sure if theres much to say about it. The color/grayscale images seem to be working out for me. The framing and composition is satisfactory, and I like the slant to keep things interesting.

Still Life

An experiment in interesting perspectives on not so interesting items...

Was enjoying a fine ale when I decided to take a quick shot. Has a nice mysterious quality, althought the picture could be a lot sharper, just another example of how useful a tripod can be. Used a few filters to boost up the contrast on the bubbles. All in all, not a spectacular picture, but an interesting point of view on a glass of recently poured beer.

I love the repetition in this image. Next time, need to use a tripod and increase the f/stop to get all the lettering in focus. Artistically, theres something cool about it fading to blur, but I'd like to retain the typographic pattern for a bit. Textures real nice too, the light plays nicely on the wooden grain and the corner of the coins. The texture of the coins is beautifully grainy, if that makes any sense...

The exposure is unconventional on this one but I really dig it. Heaps of shadows, heaps of highlights, but it works well. And that one little dot of red on the cell phone really adds to the image I think...pretty stoked about this one.

Rocking the portraits

Man...I love this photo, I really do. I think its because although half of Brynn's face is hidden, you can tell she's smiling just from her eyes. Shes hiding most of her face, but just that little squint gives away the feel of the scene. And hey! it follows the rule of thirds! score! The harsh light that dominates the right side of the frame gives a sense of something that I can't quite put my finger on.
The detail on her hand is really nice too. I worked on this image for at least half an hour in camera raw and photoshop. Added a bit of smart sharpen to really bring out the ridges in her hand, and tweaked with the curves to give a good black and white rendering of this image...I've found that theres a lot more to converting color images to black and white than just punching the desaturate option.

Interesting shot, I like the light coming from behind along with the background, something about the beacon just makes the entire shot more interesting. Composition against the sky can definitely make for an interesting shot.

Another shot with an interesting background. The framing and saturation of the background makes it the subject of the image, whereas Brynn is almost a visitor to this scene entering from frame left. Another different yet interesting approach to portraiture with room to explore.

Portraiture meets landscape. Another shot where the subject is the landscape and the model is more a visitor or an accesory. I like the idea of framing someone against these infinite expanses of the sky and the ocean, it suggests elements of human fragility against nature.

Yet another instance of landscape meets portraiture...I'm really keen on this fusion, tends to work well. Brynn is a visitor to this sunset beach scene, however without her presence this photo would clearly be lacking.

An good example of irregular framing...if Brynn had been framed in the middle of this one, the photo would clearly be lacking. She's placed to the side, and it allows us to see down the scene, however her facial expression and position is enough to capture the eye. Another slightly mysterious portrait; what is she smirking about? I want to run on this idea of having one eye covered, it seems to work. Its interesting how moods can be expressed with only a fraction of one's face visible, same idea as the top image.

Portraiture Steeze

I still have heaps of recent work thats not up here. Get ready for a huge party

Interesting story behind this one really. It was taken while we were out at Minyon Falls, which I expected to be an awesome photo opportunity. I was really digging the light that was falling on Brynn, but every picture I took was, well, pretty miserable. I eventually got fed up and shot one literally blind, from the hip, and got this beautiful image. I'm not sure if thats ingenuity, luck, complete lack of photographic skill, or some combination of the three. Regardless, I love the gradation of light intensity, fading from strong highlights on the right side of her face to dark shadows on the left. She strikes a casual pose, and the background gives a very lush, warm feel to the image. I dig.

I'm honestly not an enormous fan of this image, I just like that its a different approach to portraiture. Instead of centering the subject in a typical setting with a typical camera angle, I tried something a bit different and I think its scratching the surface of something pretty cool. I'm not sure if the aviators add or subtract from this image, but regardless its definitely something to be explored in the future.

I really dig this image. If I may say so myself, its a photo where the foreground and background come together for the same purpose. However, should've used a tripod with a higher f/stop to catch more detail in the foreground rocks, but thats besides the point. Anyways, I like how the entire photo has a slightly mysterious quality to it. The POV is almost voyeuristic, as if you're spying on this girl who's walking on this abandoned beach, and the sky stretches on forever. Its intrigueing and makes you really question what this lonely girl is doing on a beach in the middle of nowhere.

I just really dig the idea of framing people against the moon. The concept needs a bit of work, but I think I've struck upon something with great potential that I want to explore.

I'm not exactly sure why but I like this image a lot...I think its a bit of an unconventional portrait, the pose isnt particularly flattering and its super close up, but it still makes for a beautiful image, full of detail that you don't usually find in a portrait.

So theres this song thats a bit emo and melodramatic but has inspired me in a way:

"Sent out the s.o.s. Call.
It was a quarter past four in the morning
When the storm broke our second anchor line.
Four months at sea, four months of calm seas to be pounded
In the shallows off the tip of Montauk Point.
They call them rogues; they travel fast and alone--
one-hundred-foot faces of God's good ocean gone wrong.
What they call love is a risk, to always get hit out of nowhere
By some wave and end up on your own.

A hole in the hull defied the crew's attempts, to bail us out.
It flooded the engine and radio, half-buried bow.

Your tongue is a rudder.
It steers the whole ship, sends your words past your lips,
Or keeps them safe behind your teeth.
But the wrong words will strand you, come off-course while you sleep,
Sweep your boat out to sea or dashed to bits on the reef.

The vessel groans; the ocean pressures its frame.
To the port I see the lighthouse through the sleet and the rain.
And I wish for one more day to give my love and repay debts,
But the morning finds our bodies washed up thirty miles west.

They say that the captain stays fast with the ship through still and storm.
But this ain't the Dakota; the water's cold.
Won’t have to fight for long.

This story's old, but it goes on and on until we disappear.
Calm me and let me taste the salt you breathed while you were underneath.
i am the one who haunts your dreams of mountains sunk below the sea.
I spoke the words but never gave a thought to what they all could mean.
I know that this is what you want.
A funeral keeps both of us apart.
You know that you are not alone.
I need you like water in my lungs."

Ok, so its a bit of a downer, but something about it really touches me. I see it as using a sinking ship as an analogy to a lost love, and it got me thinking. I love the idea of matching something as fragile as a relationship up against the ocean; infinite, and potentially furious. So after pondering these lines for a bit and thinking about that dichotomy between the ship and the ocean, and a relationship against the trials of life, I've decided to try out a very experimental and abstract piece that focuses on the possibility of love when faced with the unimaginably infinite nature and sheer enormity of life. It'll be dark, yes, but I think theres something there that I can explore. I want the photos to have a very lost and old feeling to them; sepia tones all the way. I'm considering using a faded background layer of a texture (crumpled, worn paper) to help add to that feel. Also considering using selective color and/or noise to add emphasis to certain parts of the scene. Example from previous work:


I've got a stellar subject lined up, and I want to focus on placing her in scenes that emphasize a sense of loneliness. I want to create scenes that overwhelm the human subject. I also have a concept regarding mirrors, maybe a photo that speaks on the frustration of looking for yourself yet not being able to find it? Anyways, I'll whip this up into a formal proposal soon. Comments appreciated.

Portraiture 2

I really like the transition from dark to light as ones eye moves across this image. Brynn is casually posing and looking towards the right of the image, which is much brighter and saturated. I've gotten really into this style of framing, with the subject on an extreme side and a compelling landscape filling the rest of the frame.

I love this photo. The look on Brynn's face, combined with the tones across her expression make a very elegant yet mysterious picture. Her face emerges from the blackness, and is contrasted well by the blue background (twilight sky). However I don't really like the flower...I couldn't edit this the way I wanted to without losing detail on the flower, and it just doesn't look right to me.

This photo really speaks to me on some level. Had to edit it a bit, which is why its such a strange aspect ratio, but I like the panaroma thing. The infinite nature of the clouds and the ocean contrasted against Brynns pose just works.

Mysterious and compelling. Brynns pose is enigmatic and really catches the eye. Placed against the blue of the ocean, this photo is one of my favorites.

Portraiture 1

I had a friend visit me here in beautiful Australia for a few weeks. She helped me realize how much I love photographing people, as she makes an excellent subject. Anyways, I took heaps of photos, editted a handful, so for a while you'll see lots of pictures of her on here. I think they all worked pretty well; if you think one is especially good or you find that one doesn't work at all, tell me. Anyways, here we go.

I really dig the framing of this. The color of the heart is bright and stands out real well juxtaposed to brynn's face. Her position next to the heart is mysterious, made more so by the fact that her eyes are hidden. Not a profound photo, but I dig how the shot is setup. I saw the pink heart carved into this wooden post and had to take an interesting photo of it

I like the lighting in this photo. It was exposed for the background, and therefore we lose all of Brynn's detail. Honestly, this wasn't really intended but as I was editting this I noticed what I could do with it. Although we don't see any of her detail, her silhouette is set against this beautiful backdrop. Brynns detail is sacrificed for the landscapes detail, which is striking. The clouds are clear and crisp, and the mountains are a bit softer, yet mysterious. I like it.


Ah, the typical Australian picture. I just love the colors in this picture, very rich and full. The light falling on Brynns face is dynamic and lights her well, and the expression on her face is priceless. The lush green background matches the feel of the foreground, and all in all its a pleasant photo.

Glass Phototask

Someone or something broke the back window of my van. Might as well use it creatively

Not a bad series of images. The left one is a good example of why one should always have a tripod handy though...I reckon it would've been a much more succesful image with a higher f/stop, however it was an awkward angle and thats the best I could've gotten without compromising my ISO speed. Still, I'm stoked. The other two photos I editted in a way to suggest a spiderweb, and I think it worked pretty well, definitely potential for a digital art project in these two images. Might work on that later. Anyways, I'm happy. Provided the window doesn't shatter I'd like to reapproach this subject with a tripod.

Phototasks

Got a lot of posting to do...however lets start with the recent tasks we did in photo studio

I chose to creatively document my van, and I think it went fairly well.

Ok so the top two aren't my favorite in the world but I mantain that they are a fairly creative way to look at a van. I like the top right image, just the idea of using a rectangular mirror to frame a shot. The image itself is almost a bit creepy, has a surreal, almost lost quality to it. The top left image is a part of the engine (I'm not mechanic) I like how the light falls onto this repeating pattern. The pattern leads the eye to the top left as it gets blurrier, which is a nice effect. The bottom left image I just thought was a cool , sorta mysterious way to take a picture of oneself. I guess the subject is more myself and not the van, but the van was a medium. Once again, using a mirror to frame a shot, I like that idea and want to investigate it further. Finally, the bottom right image is definitely my favorite. Circular patterns and a close up of a task you rarely think about, let alone take the time to examine. Pretty succesful little task overall; more than anything it taught me the value of going one step further after editting your pictures into composing them. Might have a go at that in the future, a set of composed images with one common theme.


This image could totally be a sunglasses ad, if I may say so myself. In all seriousness though, I really do like this image and I'm stoked with how it came out. Was cruising by and saw this shed with an interesting pattern on it, and sure enough the end product is quite compelling. Shot in RAW, I tried to really bring out the blue by boosting the shadows and messing with the curves. Also brought in a bit of a...gradient I guess you could call it over Kelly's face, I like the transition from dark to almost overexposed on the front of her face. Anyways I'm pretty stoked with these tasks; honestly I didn't think much of their value when I set out to do them, seemed like basic photoshop tomfoolery at the time, but sometimes the simplest tools are all you need I guess.

digital photography is fun photography

Welcome to my digital diary!

Still not sure exactly what to put here though, so things may be a bit ambiguous. I reckon I'll start with a pleasant introduction.

My name is Robbie Flick, I'm an amatuer photographer and an arts major. I've always been interested in this field, so a number of months ago I bought a Digital Rebel XT (cheapest SLR I could find) and a book and began teaching myself a bit of photography. I think I've got a pretty good handle on it, and I've got a lot of experience with photoshop, which definitely helps. Regardless, taking a real photography class with assignments should be very helpful. I'm delightfully stoked.

The tasks seem simple enough, yet still pretty inspiring. I've been taking photos for a while, but will only include photos taken this semester in my blog. I've been pondering my project, and I'm leaning towards an examination of the coastal life. I want to include surfing in my project, but a different more artistic investigation of it, not just shots of good surfing...I don't want to be the simple minded cliched surfer.

Anyways here are a few images I've taken recently, along with comments. Until I can afford some better equipment, all images posted will have been taken by a Canon Digital Rebel XT with an 18-55 mm lens (its pretty shitty but it does the trick...sometimes) and editted with Adobe Photoshop CS2.

We have a family of tree frogs that emerge every night from out apartment in Byron, which make excellent subjects. Snapped this shot late at night, with the light coming at a sharp angle from our porch light. I used a low ISO and a very slow shutter speed (more than a second I think) so I'm lucky the frog stayed perfectly still, but the result is a very warm and sharp image. I really enjoy the tones of this one, the frog is uniquely lit with a soft light, and I'm liking how only half of its body is visible.
Hoping to use a tragic accident to make a good piece of art. I like how stark this image is, I worked with the .RAW file a lot to make the wall a very particular color that contrasts well with the board and the grass. Its simple, yet (at least for me) its powerful, and thats what I like about it. Shot at evening with a pretty standard shutter speed and aperture.
The vertical pattern that the didjes make, combined with their unique almost surreal tone makes this one work really well for me. Shot in daylight at the Byron markets.
Another shot from the Byron markets. Pretty haggard looking dude with a sweet tattoo on his back...he turned around for just long enough to snap this photo. I like the contrast between the tattoo and the skin tones.
Shot at the quckie pro with a very low f-stop (couldn't tell you off the top of my head) and ISO at around 200 I believe. I just like the patterns in this that fade off into the distance, with Kellys name in the foreground as an international standard.

Anyways thanks for checking this out, hope its enjoyable, until next week keep taking photos and making art.
-Robbie