Tag: photography

September 8 2016

Beautifully Elegant Lifestyle Photography of Alice Gao

It’s been seven months since I proclaimed to the world that I want to become a photographer and since then I’ve scoured the internet, looking for various sources of inspiration. One of the photographers that I found, whose style I love is Alice Gao. I’m used to taking pictures of my family, I find it incredibly difficult to take photos of still life objects, or people interacting with objects. Gao makes it look effortless.

A few years ago, Design Sponge ran a post on a day in the life of Alice Gao. More recently, A Cup of Jo showed the inside of Gao’s Manhattan apartment (that blue velvet couch!). Then, just yesterday, Refinery profiled Gao in an article titled The Habits Of Highly Creative Instagrammers.

It stated, “If you’re not one of her 990,000 Instagram followers, maybe you’ve come across Alice Gao’s signature photo style in publications like The New York Times’ T Magazine or Kinfolk. With a sharp focus on dynamic travel shots, well-lit food snaps, and unique still-life photos, we can see how she’s accrued so many fans.”

I liked this Q&A:
One of your favorite photo subjects is travel. What are some tips for making those types of shots less touristy and more intentional?
“It’s a lot of patience: waiting for the right moment, the right light, or the right subject to walk through the frame to help tell a better story.”

Here are some of my favorite shots from Gao’s portfolio. Make sure to follow her on Instagram for more swoon-worthy shots. She makes life look like art. (As if her talent for photography wasn’t enough, her personal style is amazing, too.)

Photography

August 31 2016

What All Good Compositions Have

In my latest photography class on Lynda.com, I learned what all good compositions have. They are four things.

1. Clearly defined subject and background
2. Sense of balance
3. Point of view
4. Degree of simplicity

Seems simple enough, doesn’t it? (Joking!)

Photography

August 30 2016

Beautiful Portraits of Musical Artists by Danny Clinch

What makes a celebrity portrait stand out? I’ve been told that you have to have your subject get comfortable with you before you start snapping your shots. Makes sense, right? If that’s the case, it’s no wonder that such musical icons as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder have let Danny Clinch take pictures of them. The man loves music. (That’s the first line in his bio.)

“He listens to it, plays it, photographs it, and films it. Through this passion, Danny has established himself as one of the premier photographers across the entire music scene.” Clinch’s photographs have graced the covers of hundreds of album covers and have been in publications like Vanity Fair, Spin, Rolling Stone, GQ, and Esquire.

The man even plays harmonica professionally, in the Tangiers Blues Band, and will occasionally put down his instrument in the middle of the set, pick up his Leica, and begin photographing his band members. Talk about dedication to both crafts! “During times like these,” he writes, “Danny Clinch is a very happy man.”

I love how he lets each of his subjects’ personalities shine through. After thoroughly looking through Clinch’s website, I can clearly state that this man’s portfolio is insane.

Danny Clinch’s website

Photography

August 25 2016

What Makes a Successful Composition?

I just started a new photography class on Lynda.com called Exploring Composition in Photography. (I quit my Skillshare subscription and signed up for Lynda. They have tons of photography courses.) Photographer and educator Taz Tally shares these four things that help make a successful composition. I thought it was worth sharing.

Simplicity
Asymmetry
Eye Lines
Point of View

“In images where you put it all together, where you have nice simplicity, beautiful asymmetry, good eye lines and an interesting point of view, you can create successful compositions on a consistent and regular basis.”

Photo by NunoAndrade.

Photography

August 22 2016

Mother’s Shadow Art of Her Daughter is Adorably Imaginative

I’m loving these magical photos by Kelly Tan. The full-time mom, part-time photographer is the digital artist behind these pieces called I Have a Dream. Amazingly, she creates them using only her iPhone. In the image above, Kelly took a photo of her daughter on a rocking horse and then added in other elements. Her pieces take anywhere from three to four hours to complete. As she told iPhone Photography School, “Searching for the right raw images is important and also the most time consuming.”

Here are some more imaginative images from her I Have a Dream series. I like how she always shares the iPhone apps she uses as well as gives the photo credits. (Not that we could easily replicate her work.)

?I WONDER… ================================= •Apps used: ArtStudio, Snapseed, PS Express. •Photo credit: Personal stocks (my daughter with her blocks, wall 1), subziro (floor), sxc.hu (wall 2, giraffe) •Story about: imagination •About this picture: || One day, my daughter brought the blocks instruction for me, asked me to make a boat for her according to the instruction. But I told her…"Don't play what's there, play what's not there. The instructions just inside your/my mine. Then she made a giraffe for me. 🙂 ||12.03.2014|| ————————————————– ================================= •Momentage > @Lovepaperplane •Facebook Page > Lovepaperplane •Another IG Account > @love_paper plane ————————————————– ================================= Please don't claim this picture as yours. None of my artworks can be copied to reproduce/re-edit & used as stock unless you get my written permission. Repost with credit is no problem, thanks and appreciate for your cooperation. ————————————————– =================================

A photo posted by K∑LLY (@lovepaperplane) on Mar 12, 2014 at 4:32am PDT

=============================== I HAVE A DREAM 6 =============================== If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it. — William Arthur Ward. ————————————————– 2016 is the Year of the Monkey according to Chinese zodiac. The Year of the Monkey ? starts from Feb. 8, 2016 (the Lunar New Year / Spring Festival of China). Happy Chinese New Year to all my Chinese friends who celebrating this festival.???? ————————————————– Apps used: ArtStudio, Snapseed, PSExpress. Stocks resources: Personal stocks (girl, wall, monkey toy), @ _MDDX (floor), freeimages (monkey shadow). ————————————————– Please don't claim this picture as yours. None of my artworks can be copied to reproduce/re-edit & used as stock unless you get my written permission. Repost with credit is no problem, thanks and appreciate for your cooperation. ————————————————–

A photo posted by K∑LLY (@lovepaperplane) on Feb 7, 2016 at 9:40am PST

================================ I HAVE A DREAM 8 ================================ The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it. — James Bryce. ————————————————– – Apps used: ArtStudio, Snapseed. Stocks resources: Personal stocks (girl, wall, books, shadow), @ _MDDX (floor). ——————————————– Please don’t claim this picture as yours. None of my artworks can be copied to reproduce/re-edit & used as stock unless you get my written permission. Repost with credit is no problem, thanks and appreciate for your cooperation. ————————————————–

A photo posted by K∑LLY (@lovepaperplane) on Jun 29, 2016 at 4:45am PDT

=============================== I HAVE A DREAM 5 =============================== Children do not give up their innate imagination, curiosity, dreaminess easily. You have to love them to get them to do that. • R. D. Laing. ————————————————– I know some of you feel disappointing about my less posting and interacting in IG. Yes, I’m truly sorry on this. Actually I am trying to spend more of my time with my daughter. She is growing up fast and need more attention. I still love my editing, I never give up. Many edits are with me just I have not much time to complete or post it. ? Anyway, as always I am appreciate and feel so great that you all still loving my works and support me. ————————————————– Apps used: ArtStudio, Snapseed, PSExpress. Stocks resources: Personal stocks (girl, wall), @ _MDDX (floor), YBsilonstock (horse shadow). ————————————————– Please don’t claim this picture as yours. None of my artworks can be copied to reproduce/re-edit & used as stock unless you get my written permission. Repost with credit is no problem, thanks and appreciate for your cooperation. ————————————————–

A photo posted by K∑LLY (@lovepaperplane) on Jan 28, 2016 at 8:36am PST

================================= I Have A Dream 3 ================================= The child's naive dream of life is the only one worth having.– Marty Rubin. ————————————————– Apps used: ArtStudio, Snapseed, PSexpress. Stocks resources: YBsilon-stock (plane), freeimages ( floor, wall), personal images (kid-my daughter). ————————————————– Please don't claim this picture as yours. None of my artworks can be copied to reproduce/re-edit & used as stock unless you get my written permission. Repost with credit is no problem, thanks and appreciate for your cooperation. ————————————————–

A photo posted by K∑LLY (@lovepaperplane) on Sep 3, 2015 at 4:47am PDT

================================= ＷＨＡＴＡＲＩＤＥ！ ================================= 3-year-old kid always full of imaginations. When i brought my daughter to a playground. She took a spring rider and my daughter told me she was riding a flying dumbo, flying up up in the sky…lol. So, I did this edit for her since my iPhone camera can't capture her imaginative moment. ?? ————————————————– ================================= Apps used: ArtStudio, Snapseed, PS Express. Stocks resources: Personal stocks (floor, wall 1, spring rider, girl-my daughter), freeimages (wall 2, dumbo) ————————————————– ================================= IPhone shots > @love_paperplane Facebook Page > Lovepaperplane ————————————————– ================================= Please don't claim this picture as yours. None of my artworks can be copied to reproduce/re-edit & used as stock unless you get my written permission. Repost with credit is no problem, thanks and appreciate for your cooperation. ————————————————– =================================

A photo posted by K∑LLY (@lovepaperplane) on Sep 17, 2014 at 5:02am PDT

Hello and welcome to all my new friends who recently just followed my Instagram and facebook. Hope you guys really enjoy visiting my gallery. Take this opportunity to express gratitude to my existing and old friends who already following me some times. Thank you so much for your greatest & warmest supports. Since last 2 weeks this image was shared by some amazing people and page. I found American spiritual teacher– Marianne Williamson shared this on her facebook, meanwhile Womenyoushouldknow wrote an incredible article for me to reveal I am the owner of this image. An amazing woman/ psychologist from California- Pamela Shavaun Scott was giving a Ted Talk in Spain and this image was chosen for the close. Monica from Lifeoutofbounds also writing a beautiful article for me. I gained lots of new friends from one of the incredible app — @repostapp. Thanks to all of you who love this image so much. Me and my daughter feel truly honor and grateful. Lastly, other than thank you I really do not know how to express my appreciation to all of you. Just thank you and thank you. Your greatest supports really help and encourage me a lot. THANK YOU! ( Big Hugs?❤️)

A photo posted by K∑LLY (@lovepaperplane) on Jul 8, 2015 at 4:01am PDT

Make sure to follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

via Women You Should Know

Photography

August 10 2016

12 Nature-Inspired Art Prints

I’m always on the look out for some good art or photography to hang on my walls. This time, I thought I’d try to find some nature-inspired scenes. You know, beaches, animals, mountains. Here’s what I came up with.

“I have always found it a powerful experience to look into the vast horizon of an expanse of water. It reminds me of how small I am as a person in the world, and there is something both intimidating and reassuring in this thought. This view, no matter how many times I’ve seen it, never ceases to affect me. This photograph is about this feeling-just one small person looking out across the water.”
By Laura Bell.

Is this guy practicing yoga? Sharon Montrose is the best at capturing the adorable expressions of baby animals.
By Sharon Montrose.

Just a lone swimmer in a vast and clear ocean.
By Gray Malin.

Cloud watchers rejoice: Debbie Carlos’ dreamy poster is a window out to the beautiful heavens above, even on those bummer days when the sky is cloudless.
By Debbie Carlos.

The way the morning light shines off these trees is beautiful.
By Tordis Kayma.

This photo consists of long exposures of fireflies. Magical!
By Pete Mauney.

In this black and white image, the silhouette of ’20s mountaineer Thomas G. Hermans approaches a Paradise Glacier ice cave in Washington State’s Rainier National Park.
By Vintage Editions.

This is a composite of a series of star trails photographed from a mounted camera on the Earth-orbiting International Space Station, from approximately 240 miles above Earth.
By Donald Pettit.

“For this photo, I was standing in a downpour. Shortly thereafter the rain stopped, the lead-colored clouds were carried away and the lake restored its calmness again. Suddenly, the brightest sun showed up and its light glittered on the surface of the water. The dew on every plant began to evaporate, their scents carried away by the gentle breeze. I was in the midst of seasonal changes, summer enchantment.”
By Chikara Umihara.

What’s more arresting than a lone wolf standing in a bare forest?
By Lindsey Ocker.

This one straddles the line between art and photography. Which is it? (I believe it’s a photograph.)
By Tordis Kayma.

There’s nothing more beautiful than a colorful beach print.
By Wendy Laurel.

Life

August 2 2016

The Slow Process of Growing

It’s been about six months now since I announced to the world that “I want to be a photographer!” yet I feel stuck. My photos are still fuzzy, I can’t seem to grab the perfect shot. How long does it take to get the technical part down? Like growing vegetables in your garden, do you just have to keep watering your plants till you see signs of life? I see incremental changes, but I still throw 90% of the photos I take away. What can I do to change? Take more classes? Read more books?

Are you an aspiring photographer? What were some important lessons you learned along the way that kept you motivated? No one said that having a creative life would be easy but I never expected to doubt myself so much either. You see these beautiful photos on 500px or Pinterest and you say, “I can do that!” But then you try and the colors are all wrong or the angle isn’t right. I guess you could say I’m discouraged right now.

Any sound pieces of advice would be greatly appreciated.

Photography

July 26 2016

Beautiful Street Photography of Paris by VuTheara Kham

It’s not too often that I come across beautiful street photography such as this. Of course, it helps that photographer VuTheara Kham lives in one of the most photogenic cities in the world, Paris. With 1.2 million followers on Instagram, Kham takes photos that rise above the Instagram community because of their style and beauty. Whether it’s of a waiter taking his smoke break on a scooter or a woman on a balcony overlooking the opera house, Palais Garnier, Kham can make any scene come alive. My favorite photo is of two young adults riding a pink swing. The caption is perfect. “Above the clouds in Tuileries garden.”

Don’t these photos make you want to pack your bags and move to Paris? At the very least, they make me want to take up street photography.

VuTheara Kham Instagram and Facebook

Photography

July 25 2016

Before and Afters of Dogs in Adorable, Japanese-Style Grooming

If you love a good “before and after” series, you will not be disappointed with this one. Pet and lifestyle photographer Grace Chon is back with Hairy, a series where she takes dogs who are in a desperate need of grooming and transforms them into adorable creatures. All of these dogs weren’t just given the normal treatment, however, they were cut in a Japanese-style of grooming, with an emphasis on making the dogs look as cute as possible. Chon worked with the talented groomers of Healthy Spot in Los Angeles to make this series come alive.

If the name Grace Chon sounds familiar, she’s the photographer behind the viral series Jasper and Zoey. (It’s still one of my all-time favorites.)

I got a chance to catch up with Grace and ask her a few questions about the new series, Hairy.

What made you want to start this new series? How did it come about?
I think a lot of us have a fascination with before and after images because it’s always fun to see dramatic transformations. I had the idea of doing a before and after series with dog grooming because there’s something about it that’s so funny to me. Sometimes the dog looks so different and you wonder if it’s the same dog in both images. I wanted to capture that idea in the series, and have the after photos be really extreme by showing Japanese Dog Grooming cuts since they aren’t that common and the results are so striking.

How much time and effort went into cutting the dogs’ hair?
These cuts truly are works of art – each haircut takes about 2 hours or more, as the majority of the styling is all done with hand scissoring.

Can you describe the Japanese style of grooming?
The emphasis of this style of grooming is to make the dog look as adorable as possible by highlighting the uniquely cute characteristics of the dog. My personal take on it is that they make the dogs look almost like stuffed animals – cute overload!

What did you learn from shooting the series?
Grooming is definitely an art form. I don’t have dogs that get groomed, but watching the groomers up close made me realize how much time and dedication goes into a cut especially when the majority of it is being done by hand with scissors. The groomers I had the pleasure of working with are so creative and great at what they do.

Yuki (Before)

Yuki (After)

Athena (Before)

Athena (After)

Teddy (Before)

Teddy (After)

Herman (Before)

Herman (After)

Raider (Before)

Raider (After)

Rocco (Before)

Rocco (After)

Lana (Before)

Lana (After)

Grace Chon’s website and Instagram

Grooming credits:
1-Yuki by Alyson Ogimachi
2-Athena by Donna Owens
3-Teddy by Donna Owens
4-Herman by Cindy Reyes
5-Raider by Koko Fukaya
6-Rocco by Patricia Sugihara
7-Lana by Koko Fukaya

Photography

July 20 2016

New Aerial Photos of the Crystal Clear Blue Waters of Bora Bora

It was only a week ago that I found out about Gray Malin. He’s a photographer that take spectacular aerial photos of beaches around the world. He recently announced a brand new series, aerials shot of people swimming in the crystal clear blue waters of Bora Bora. While in some photos, you see a number of swimmers all snorkeling around reefs in still others you see a lone person surrounding with nothing but unbelievably clear water. (I love all that negative space.) These photos would look stunning hanging on any wall.

Gray Malin’s quickly risen to be one of top three, current photographers that I follow. (Of course, Max Wanger is first and Rodney Smith is second.)

On a personal note, back years ago, I went to Bora Bora on my honeymoon. The water there is really that clear blue.