So what’s in Creative Cloud?

I had signed up for a web presentation of adobe’s creative cloud, BUT I was late and got lost in the Facebook frontend (probably because I am not a facebook member) AND the twitter feed (#hashtag #createnow) was a bit incomprehensible. HOWEVER I am interested in the ideas of creative cloud, a kind of low-ish fee monthly rental that gives you access to the latest and greatest software, tools, and knowledge of how to use them. If you are a struggling creative type, or student, and can’t (or don’t want to) fork out the very larger sums of cash to access the adobe tools (they are particularly expensive here in Australia) then this service is likely to be of great relevance. In addition to providing all the adobe creative software aa downloadable apps (this give the impression you are running them in “the cloud” but in reality you are downloading the applications and running them on your PC or MAC you don’t have to be on-line to use them) you also get 20GB of cloud storage, and access to a broad range of tutorial. If you can visualise an amazing project you should be able to get it up and working in a fraction of the time it might have taken before and better still you will only have had to pay for a few monthly rentals fees. I think this is pretty brave, but sensible, marketing from adobe.

So far this podcast from TV.Adobe is the best summary for a new potential user of what creative cloud is and how you might use it and getting started.

Another Sand Goddess

Its the seventh day in a row the temperature has been over 30, so It was a perfect day for the beach and low with low tide close to midday was also a perfect day to rake another sand goddess. This one is based on one of the PRB Goddesses by Burne-Jones, with a profile portrait rather than front on view, this makes it quiet a challenge to “see” the image from the right place.


View 18/02/2013 10:50am sand goddess in a larger map

PhotoProject :: Waves Diptych 1

 

PaintProject :: Waves Diptych 2

 
Waves interpreted in acrylic paint

PhotoProject :: Birds in Flight Series (revisited)

Its been a while since I series of the Pacific Gulls, down on the beach. previously I used a series of 5 and cropped to the 4:3 format, focussed in the birds themselves. Here I am experimenting with a stronger 2:1 cropping allowing a bit more context as part of a larger picture in time.

PhotoFriday :: The Body

For PhotoFriday‘s topic The Body

I originally just wanted to photograph something a little different for this topic and my camera body was perfect but then I had the “bad idea” of making a simple stop motion movie using my artist’s manikin. This gave me an opportunity to experiment a bit more in Corel’s VideoStudio, and its upload to YouTube is a pleasure to use.

Do I really need another App?

I got a notification via google+ (which I must admit I seldom look at anymore) that +colby brown hade updated his list of 20 apps every photography should have. It’s good reading, it’s worth a look. I. decided to try Pixlr Express, from Autodesk, the AutoCAD & Sketchbook folk, who also wrote Pixlr-o-matic, which I did have installed for quiet a while.. The magic word was FREE download and it is impressive, having all the basic tools you might need to spruce up a photo before uploading it including a cool localized retouch tool. There are heaps of effect overlays and frames but sadly the controls are a bit small for my screen and my older eyes so I’m not totally convinced I’ll be using a lot. Both Aviary & Photoshop Express being much easy for me to read and use with my fat fingers. Still I think I’ll leave it on the phone for a while. My phone is becoming old, is locked back at android version 2.2.1 (by Telstra) and doesn’t have a lot of space 1.86Gb, so any apps I don’t use for 2-3 months end up getting deleted,

Such is life, but I have no plans to change phones.

PhotoFriday :: My Environment

Indoor multi-image panorama of my studio, aka my (creative) environment

I was inspired to take this photo, because I am currently reading “A Bigger Message: Conversations with David Hockney” by Martin Gayford and in the Chapter on Photography and drawing David Hockney points out ”…you can;t photograph the interior and get the outside as well” (one will be in silhouette and/or the other blown out. “yet … every serious photo collection … will have a group from about 1860 that show elaborate interiors with exterior views through windows”  “..in effect, these were made from several negatives – so in a way they are collages”

My plan was to light this like a movie set using spot lights and a desk lamp to bring up the interior and then just use multiple exposure, automatically chosen  by my camera, for each exposure. I held my camera vertically and zoomed in a little, to get 8 vertical exposures. I then ran them into autostich (without any exposure compensation. cropping etc). Having everything so close the parallax issues did create some artefacts (see angular mismatch in the vertical binds) which I am happy to leave unedited. Admittedly I did have to use a localised brush to “lighten and saturate” some of the view through a fly screen on the upper right of the window. Just to balance the exposures into the garden.. Whilst the joining has created a distorted perspective. I suspect Hackney himself would be the first to suggest that this actually makes the image more real and a more intimate look at my messy and yet creative environment. I guess the big question is would the purist think this is still a photo?

For PhotoFriday‘s topic My Environment

Head in the clouds