Making More Images

20 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in Art, Photography, photos, Portraits

≈ 22 Comments

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I have been a tad busy the last couple of days.  I decided to try the Creative Cloud and do photoshop, and as there are with any new things, there are problems.  I decided that since the only program I wanted was Photoshop, it seemed like a pretty fair deal.  You never own it, but you always get updates, that can’t be too bad.

So I have installed it, then looked for plugins that used to be there, and now they aren’t.  Though I wasn’t the only one with that.  It has been another huge learning curve.

Leanne Cole - Alice Looking

Here is one of the first images I processed with Photoshop CC.  It is another one of Alice, processed differently to the other one.

Today I was given an opportunity to photograph Emelia.  She was great to photograph again.  I have quite a few images to process, but I did do one.

Leanne Cole - Waiting for the Prince

This was one of the last ones we shot.  It was so cold this morning and everything was so wet from all the rain and the frost we had this morning.  She was fantastic and didn’t let it bother her.  Posing was great, all I had to do was tell her a story and she was there and she was that person.  Thank you Emelia.

We did many things, though the sun was out which made it hard.  I do love doing these images, but I need to find ways to do them when the sun is out.  Another thing I am finding is that I might have to start earning some money so I can get an assistant.  It would be great to have an extra person to help with fabric, or to hold something up to keep the sun off them.

I am feeling a lot more confident though doing the shots and I seem to know more of what I want.  It is getting easier and we did quite a few different set ups, which was really good.

It is getting better, anyway back to the images.

The Bluestone Building

19 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in Architecture, Deaf Children Australia, Melbourne, Photography

≈ 24 Comments

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There are more film clips today, however, I have chosen ones that don’t have much talking and they run for a very short time.  It seems there was something I forgot about when I put the clips up, how will deaf people hear them.  Such a silly mistake and I would like to apologise to the deaf community for that.  At this stage, I can’t get captions or subtitles for them, but we are working into it.  So, as I said, the clips for today are very short and don’t have a lot to say.

Leanne Cole - The BluestoneI took the above image a few weeks ago.  It is easier to take photos of the building for Deaf Children Australia now that it is winter here.  The trees have lost their leaves, and through the bare branches you can see the building.

Here are a couple of clips that were done the same time as the one from last week.  They talk in the clips how the building was about to celebrate 100 years of helping the deaf, so that would mean it was taken around 1960.

That is all they talk about really, how the building was about to celebrate that.  The clips are so short so you don’t really get much.

I have also mentioned how I want to change my blog around, and I am thinking of changing the day that I post about Deaf Children Australia, and I am going to start doing it on a Friday instead, starting next week.  Which also means there will be no more Friday reworks, though, I may do one on another day from time to time.

Leanne Cole - Bluestone with Color EfexI have upgraded to the Creative Cloud for Photoshop and it seems there are problems with Nik Software and Topaz.  You have to go through a bit to get it, but then I had Nik Software, I could open it, but then it would save it, so I had to go back to CS6, hopefully it will all get sorted soon.  The above image is done with Monday Morning.

My Wonderland

18 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by in Art, Photography, photos, Portraits

≈ 98 Comments

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Last Saturday I took Alannah out to the park and we took some photos.  She was very happy to let me, which was wonderful as every other time I had tried to get her to let me, she wasn’t keen.  After she saw the photos I took of her mum and Nicole, she was very keen, well seemed to be keen to let me do some.

Leanne Cole - Running Away

Leanne Cole – Running Away

This was the first image we worked on.  It was probably one of the longest.  Images like this do take longer than others and I think this one has worked really well.

Leanne Cole - Alice Alone at the Tea Party

Leanne Cole – Alice Alone at the Tea Party

We planned this one before we went, I took a teapot and cup and saucer.  Alice never did go to a tea party on her own, but I like this.  I love the story and the image.

Leanne Cole - The Princess Dreaming After the Ball

Leanne Cole – The Princess Dreaming After the Ball

We went back to her house and took some more photos.  We had originally planned to take some photos in the park with her deb dress, but with all the rain we have been having I didn’t want to risk ruining the dress in the mud, so we left it at her house.  Though afterwards she was happy to come back and get into it.

I do love this image, there is a peaceful serenity on her face, as if she is sleeping and dreaming after a beautiful night.

Leanne Cole - Princess taking a Break.

Leanne Cole – Princess taking a Break.

I did this image last night.  I really like the stairwell in her house, there is really good light on them.  So I asked her to sit on them and be relaxed.  I like the composition and I like the way she is engaging with the viewer.

I have also been collecting new textures for the images, and on the right I have blended some sheet music onto the wall.  It is the music or part of the score for Swan Lake, it seemed appropriate, though thinking now, perhaps the Viennese Waltz might have been better.  I should look for that as well.

If you like my facebook page you will have seen these images before, I have been posting them on facebook and putting some on the Fine Arts Portrait page.  The blog, I think is going to become more about these images.

This shoot was probably my most successful, I have learned a lot from the other ones and I am feeling more confident about what I am doing.

I have some free shoots to do, but I have enough of those now.  I need to start getting paid for them, so I am going to work out a voucher for people, so while I am still folio building people can get a reduced rate.

Getting a New Camera

I have decided to try doing the kickstart thing myself.  I can’t do Kickstart because it isn’t available to Australians.  So I thought I would do it this way.

I am looking for 35 people who would be willing to donate $150 each and in return you will receive a print, like the Alice one above, that is worth over $200.  The print will be signed and it will be part of an edition.

For every $150 that people contribute they will get another print.  I am going to do a set of 5, and if someone donates $500 then they will get the full set of 5 images.

If you would like to participate in this, then please, send me an email at leanne@leannecole.com.au and you can donate the money using the donate button in the side bar.

I will also let you know how it is going and give regular reports.

Influencing Me – Kirsty Mitchell

17 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by in Art, Artists, Influencing Me, Photography

≈ 114 Comments

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Recently, and I am so sorry to say, I don’t remember who it was, told me about today’s artist.  Also a photographer, and also someone with a similar style to Brooke Shaden, yet it is also very different.  Kirsty Mitchell’s work is very striking and very stylized.

Kirsty Mitchell Photography 6They are, I imagine very planned and from what I have seen take a lot of work to make.  I hope one day that I too can make images like this, but for the time being mine are a lot more simple.  Though, they are planned, well most of the time.

0A34BB2A3A lot of work goes into the images, and I feel admiration for this.  It is not something I am ready for, and I am not sure if I would do this, but do like many of the ideas.

kmwI thought this must have been set up, in that the model was put in after, but apparently it isn’t and there are photos of them setting this up for the photo.  I thought many of the images were composites, but they don’t seem to be.  Everything is done on set.  I was really surprised about that.

98769921DSo much work must go into it and I believe she has a massive team involved with the planning and the shoots.  I can only imagine how long it would take to do some of these shoots.  Simply amazing.

Now for some more work in a gallery.

Some really amazing work here, she is a very talented artist.

Oh dear, I posted and totally forgot to put in references.


http://www.kirstymitchellphotography.com/


http://curiouslookingglass.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/wonderland-kirsty-mitchell.html


http://www.elbiehairandmakeup.com/tag/kirsty-mitchell/


http://www.123inspiration.com/new-wonderland-photos-by-kirsty-mitchell/


http://www.socialphy.com/posts/art/19369/New-Enchanting-Wonderland-Photos-by-Kirsty-Mitchell.html

 

Weekend Wanderings – Flowers on Footpaths

16 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by in Floral, Melbourne, Photography, Weekend Wanderings

≈ 89 Comments

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Last weekend I took a couple of photos of some flowers, and since I don’t have anything else to show, thought I might show them here.  I have been trying to work out some posts to drop and I think the Sunday one is one that I might stop doing.  If I do keep doing it, it won’t be much.

Leanne Cole - Orchid 1I love these flowers and as we were walking past this florist in Flinders Lane I couldn’t resist taking some photos.  I might have to buy one one day and take some extra special photos of it.  I have seen some fantastic ones.

Leanne Cole - Orchid 2A close up of one of the flowers.  They are so delicate and beautiful.  I just wish they weren’t so expensive.

I don’t know what the etiquette is when it comes to taking photos like this.  I figure, why not, until someone tells you to stop, or maybe take some and buy a bunch of flowers.  I often think if you give some service back then why not.  People usually don’t mind.

I have been spending the weekend learning more photoshop skills and working on the photos that I took yesterday of Alannah.  It was great and she really enjoyed it, which is even better.  I have posted two of the images on my facebook page and they are getting some great  reactions.  I think this shoot is probably my best so far, though with each one I continue to learn more about what I need to be doing.

I have added them to my website as well 
http://www.leannecole.com.au/
, I have also added another link as well.  It was suggested by 87004 photography that I should push the artist aspect and the fact that I do have a Fine Arts degree, so I have now included my artist’s CV on there as well.  I think it is important to let people know that I am an artist and photography is my choice of medium.

I think it is Fathers Day in some countries, so Happy Father’s Day to those that are fathers.  Enjoy your Sunday.

Weekend Wanderings – City Streets and Lanes

15 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by in Art, Artists, Melbourne, Weekend Wanderings

≈ 102 Comments

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Last weekend I showed some photos that I took in the city.  I  have some more of those photos today.  We went to Hosier Lane to take a look around and when we got there we saw something that I haven’t seen before.  There was a graffiti artist up a ladder actually painting.

leannecole-sccity3374There were lots of people standing around, and they had photographers and a video camera set up.  They were making a documentary or something of the work.  It was quite amazing to watch it all happening.  I was lucky enough to be in the lane way the following day and saw it finished.

leannecole-sccity3798Quite an amazing piece of work.

I have more images of this in the gallery for you, plus an image of a tour group in the lane, the lane with no people, not an easy one to get.  I also have a photo of some graffiti that I took at Centre Place and I was asked if I could show the images of the heads of the businessmen that I showed you last week.

I went out this morning for another photo shoot and I need to go and start working on the images.  Have a great weekend.

ReWorking the Cathedral Doors

14 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by in Architecture, Melbourne, Photography, Reworks

≈ 128 Comments

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Almost 12 months to the day I went into the city and took some photos with friends and put them up here.  My processing was quite heavy and I thought I might try redoing one.

This is the image from 12 months ago.

Leanne Cole - Original Cathedral DoorsI was never happy with it.  I found it too saturated and perhaps too textural. This was a 3 image HDR, but with the rework I decided to do something different.

Leanne Cole - Reworked Cathedral DoorsI put two images together, so the stained glass was from one image and the outside bit from another.  I wanted to make the most of the stained glass, it was very hard to make it stand out more.  Though I think the rework is more successful at that.

I darkened the stonework more, and I brightened the stain glass.  In Camera Raw I added more clarity to the stained glass too.  I have done some blurring with the last layer of it quite low with only the glass in the door and the handles not being blurred.

That was about it.  Didn’t take long and that is something I am starting to understand, it doesn’t have to take a long time to do.  It should always be about the image and what the image needs.

On another note, now that we are looking at an image of the St Paul’s Cathedral, I have bad news for the photographers out there.  You do need a permit to photograph the inside of it, unfortunately it isn’t free any more and will cost you $5.  I have no idea how long the permit lasts, but when we saw it last weekend, we just keep walking past.

I almost didn’t post today.  I couldn’t think of what to do so I dove back into the archives and found this one.  I do know that I will stop posting every day, I just don’t know when.

I have had my fair share of revolting comments in the last week or so, people who feel that “it is just their opinion and they are just being honest”.  Like that makes a difference, as if them saying that automatically forgives them for being nasty or really critical.  If I go to someone’s site and I see an image I don’t like, I don’t say anything. It isn’t my image and I don’t know how that person feels about their work.  I am not about to bring them down by telling them what I think is wrong with it.  I had enough of that at art school.

When you attack my work, it is personal, it is always personal because it is my work.

Please, I would prefer silence, I can tell when a image is popular or not, I can tell by the amount of likes and the lack of comments.

My Website

I’ve been changing my website, I invite you to look


http://www.leannecole.com.au/

It isn’t finished, and still has a long way to go, but take a look and if you can think any anything that might improve it I would love to hear about it, doesn’t mean I will do it, but I do like suggestions.  I always like suggestions.

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