Archive for August, 2011
Hindu Pilgrims, The Ganges River
Photo of the Week 
0
Tue 08.16.2011
They look out into the Himalayan headwaters of the Ganges river, the vague reflections of their five lanky figures conspiring with the ripples of water beneath them. As the first rays of the dawning sun glisten on the vast sacred river, the little Hindu pilgrims stand at the edge of this “Ghat” at Uttar Pradesh in Varanasi – an iconic structure of steps along the coastline of the Ganges. This is their daily ritual bathing, which according to tradition is a purifying of the soul. I like to think, however, that the boys’ lithe figures and slight playfulness symbolize purity of friendship among children – and that this shot captures that ephemeral moment of bonding shrouded in the fog of nostalgia.
His Medusa-black hair is stained with thick playa dust – his piercing black-lined eyes rest intently in the direction of my lens. Even amid fire dancers, bare bodied beauties and thousands of bohemian Burning Man pilgrims, Eric Hudock cuts a striking outline against the stark landscape. Armed with my Canon 5DMII, I find myself invigorated by this close friend and muse, the subject of many of my fine art photographs. His striking features, complexity, and willingness to be vulnerable inspire my perpetual craving to explore the depth of human character.
I’m searching for the most unique, creative and visually appealing photographic interpretation of the theme “Muse.” What is your muse? Is it a person, a place or a thing? Let your imagination run wild!
THE PRIZE
We’re giving away three annual premium 500px Awesome accounts to 3 exceptional entries. The winning images will also be published on Catherine Hall Studios blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+! Thank you 500px for supporting the arts and sponsoring the contest!
HOW TO JOIN
To join the contest, you need to be in my Google+ Photographers circle. Leave a comment on http://bit.ly/GPlus-Original-Contest-Post and I will add you to the circle. I have to manually add you, so please be patient if you are unable to upload your photo yet. It may look like I live on G+, but I actually have a business to run – please excuse any delays *wink* :)
Steps
1) Add me +Catherine Hall to your Google+ circle.
2) Add a comment to this original post on Google+.
3) After I add you to my Photographers’ Circle, go to http://bit.ly/ExplorationOfAMuse2011PhotoContest
4) Click “Add photos”.
5) Caption: Add your Google+ name before your description. See example.
+Catherine Hall: Eric Hudock on the Playa at Burning Man. Eric is my muse…
6) Share this post with your friends!
CONTEST DATES
The deadline for entries is August 28 11.59 p.m. PST. Voting ends Sept 2 at 10 a.m. PST.
3 WINNERS
Voters determine the People’s Choice Award and each “unique” comment counts as a vote. The qualifying entry with the most number of votes wins – so please share it with your friends :) Here’s what qualifies as “unique”:
1) Multiple comments on the same photograph by the same voter counts as 1 vote.
2) Participants’ comments on their own entry do not qualify as votes.
Two other entries will receive honorable mentions. I will personally select two exceptional photographs based on their technique, composition, impact, creativity, visual appeal and effectiveness in conveying the theme.
500px
Please contact +Andrey Tochilin for any questions or more information about 500px.com.
OFFICIAL RULES
Eligibility
To enter, you must be at least 18 years of age.
Entry Format
Images must be 1920 pixels on their longest dimension and saved in JPG format.
Multiple Entries per Person
You may submit any number of entries into the contest.
Inappropriate Content
Obscene, provocative or otherwise questionable content will not be considered. Catherine Hall Studios retains sole discretion as to what constitutes inappropriate content.
Copyright
Any entry you submit must be a photograph taken by you. You must be the sole owner of the copyright of any image submitted. Your submission of the photograph is your guarantee that you are the author and copyright holder of the photo and have permission from said subject to distribute the image.
Ownership/Use Rights
By entering the contest, entrants agree to have their submitted photograph displayed on Catherine Hall Studios website and used by Catherine Hall Studios in promotions directedly related to the Exploration of A Muse Photo Contest. Catherine Hall Studios reserves the right to disqualify and delete any photographs, without notice, and for any reason.
Judging
The qualifying entry with the most number of votes will be the People’s Choice Award winner. Catherine Hall Studios will judge two other entries on the basis of technique, composition, impact, creativity, visual appeal and effectiveness in conveying the unique contest theme. All contest decisions are final. Entries that fail to comply with these Official Rules may be disqualified.
Winners
The winners will be notified by email within one week of the winner announcement date through Google+. Please note that the Peoples’ Choice winner of any Catherine Hall Studios 2011 contests are not eligible for another Peoples’ Choice Award; however, their image will be considered for honorable mention awards.
Disclaimer
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Google. By participating, you hereby release and hold harmless Google and Catherine Hall Studios from any and all liability associated with this promotion.
TWiT Photo Episode 19 with Jasmine Star
TWiT Photo 2
Fri 08.12.2011
Don’t miss a chance to watch or listen to your favorite photographers – download the TWiT Photo podcast on iTunes for free :)
The TWiT Photo chatroom was all abuzz with vigor with American Photo Top 10 Wedding Photographer Jasmine Star as our guest. Jasmine brought her bubbly forthrightness and infectious optimism to the show – and shared her truly inspiring backstory about how she quit law school to be a professional photographer. One of my favorite quotes from her is actually from her husband, J.D.: “I’d rather see you fail at something you love, then succeed at something you hate.” Check out her exceptional blog, where she shares her life, photography and tips.
Thanks Robert Simpson, Kevin Lindow and Kevin Lee on Google+ for spotting these great tips from Jasmine:
“ People choose a photographer as much as they choose photographs.”
“I’ve failed more than I’ve succeeded. And the more I fail, the more I will succeed.”
“KIR (keep it real).”
Oh, and the wonderful Alex Lindsay is standing in for Leo Laporte, who is serving jury duty! Find out more by watching the video here or on iTunes. Upcoming guest: Colby Brown.
Have questions, suggestions or praises? Please email photo@twit.tv.
It’s funny how love pulls us in different directions, but brings us together at the same time. Vicki and Jeff, who had an eclectic, fun wedding in San Francisco, is a great example of a couple who overcame all the odds of a long distance relationship. But thank heavens for technology – they met on MySpace, and countless emails, texts and phone conversations later (to be exact, four years), Jeff packed up his bags and moved to San Francisco. Here’s Vicki’s account of Jeff’s proposal:
“It was a day like any other, we cooked breakfast, worked out and cleaned. That day we found all our old love letters and finally put them together in one place. We decided to try a new restaurant that night and after a wonderful dinner we walked home. On the way home he began to tell me how much I meant to him and how much he loved me. I had no idea he was going to propose, I just thought he was getting way too mushy. We were finally at our door when I realized it was street cleaning the next morning and told him he had to move his car. After a small argument about when he should move it, he left and I waited at the door and when he came back he got down on one knee on our door step and pulled out the ring and popped the question. We joke that our proposal was very San Francisco, because only a San Franciscan would understand how important an open street parking is!”
Venue: Shakespeare Garden and The Exploratorium, San Francisco | Event Designer/Planner: Stephanie Anderson: One Fine Day Events | Photographer: Catherine Hall | Floral Designer: Sharla Flock | Invitation Designer: wedding paper divas | Cake/Desserts: Buttercream Factory | Wedding Gown Designer: Alfred Angelo | Bridesmaid’s Dress Designer: David’s Bridal | Jewelry: Made to order by two jewelry designers on Etsy.com
My Brush With The Law (Not Really)
Guest Posts 7
Wed 08.10.2011
Countless photographers have gotten into trouble with law enforcement – when you are in the face of a potentially great shot, common sense takes a backseat to the photo. I certainly am no stranger to being in situations at the wrong place and wrong time. Let’s just say I’ve trodden into the “gray” areas – and have used my feminine wiles more than once to get out of some pretty tricky situations. Still, all photogs get somewhat antsy when they see a cop and this immediately signals to them “something’s up.” Here, Photoshop Guy Dave of Kelby TV’s Ask Dave recounts an interesting encounter…
Follow Dave Cross on Twitter.
Post By Dave Cross
There has been a number of well-publicized stories about photographers having run-ins with the police. In a number of different cases, photographers has been detained, questioned and in some cases, threatened with arrest.
Here’s a couple of examples of recent cases, as reported on the Digital Wedding Forum.
After watching those videos, I must say that although the police did seem to push things a little far and were pretty harsh, in two of the videos I watched, the photographers were being pretty hard to get along with and in one case, they almost seemed to be looking for a fight (Um, I think I’m going to take a photo of some cops while I happen to have my friend with me video taping).
I’ve had a couple of discussions with people about this whole situation and agree with the concern many raise that law enforcement people often seem to take things a little too far, a little too quickly.
So imagine my surprise when I had my own photographer/law enforcement encounter in San Jose. Here’s what unfolded…
I was walking along a downtown street with my camera over my shoulder, at this point really just walking, not really thinking about shooting. I crossed the street at a point where the lightrail system runs, realizing as soon as I got to the other side that I probably shouldn’t have walked where I did. About 30 seconds later, in my peripheral vision, I saw a sheriff’s car stop, the deputy getting out and I hear “Excuse me Sir.
“Oh boy”, I thought, “I’m going to get a jay-walking ticket.”
Instead, the officer asked, “What are you taking pictures of?” As my mind raced, thinking about harassment stories I’ve heard, I find myself becoming defensive, saying, “Nothing really. Just looking for interesting things to photograph. Haven’t taken many photos actually.” He gets closer and after a brief pause, he says, “Well, you might want to check out City Hall – it has won awards for architecture and it’s a really interesting spot to photograph.”
Now, I’m pretty much speechless until he asks, “What are you shooting?” (pointing at my camera), to which I mumble “D300.”
Officer: ”What lens?”
Me: “18 – 200.”
Well, very quickly it was clear that he was a photographer whose “real” job was a Deputy Sheriff. We chatted for about 10 minutes about studios, lighting etc., at which point he mentioned that he was still trying to learn more. So I told him about D-Town TV and our other podcasts, and he pulls out his pad to write down the name (I realized later that observers probably thought I was about to get a ticket).
Here’s where it gets even more interesting, from a small world perspective: I tell him all our podcasts are on KelbyTV.com to which he responds “Oh, I just bought a couple of Scott Kelby’s books and joined NAPP.”
We exchange business cards; he invites me to shoot at his studio next time I’m in town and I walk away thinking, “How cool was that!”
So thanks, Deputy Sheriff Robert Eng for making my law enforcement encounter have a much different ending then I imagined when I heard “Excuse me Sir.”
