Over-Processed

For a while now I have been seeing photos around the internet, a lot of them band group shots, with a particular over-sharpened kind of desaturated look to them. Sometimes it works really well, other times it is wildly overdone and looks terrible, but regardless I was interested and wanted at least to know how it is done. So, with some experimenting, I figured it out. Or one of what I'm sure is many many versions of it.
For the image to try it out on, I set up a quick self-portrait in my cramped and cluttered studio apartment. To Try something else out, I threw some color-correction gels on my strobes that I recently purchased. The key light has a 1/4 CTO gel and the rim has a 1/4 CTB.


Please CLICK to see bigger.

It turned out kind of interesting. I am not completely sold on this kind of over-processed look, but it seems like people who are doing it are getting a lot more work than I am presently, so it is clearly not a bad technique to have in my toolbox, and when it's done well I think it has real potential.
So, what do you think?

Blow your mind: 5D Mark II

With the Nikon D90 in stores and the new Canon 5D Mark II shipping now, there are some extremely interesting new worlds opening to photographers as each of these DSLR bodies also shoots HD Video. As a skateboard photographer (one who hates sequences at that) I am not sure I am excited about the notion of skaters asking/telling you to just film a trick instead of shooting a photo, but having the equipment available for instances when a photo just is not going to happen may be a way for photographers to supplement their skate-related income, all while further flooding the already over-saturated skate-filmer market.

Concerns and points of interest are plentiful with this new technology, but it looks like the quality of the video is not going to be of concern what-so-ever, as is evident in this short film shot by photojournalist Vincent Laforet using the new Canon 5D Mark II. Check it out before the server gets overloaded again and have your mind blown.


View Hi-Def HERE