The Hand of Hands

This was a fun little experiment I did after seeing an example online. The trick is to shoot the mini hands at the correct angle which requires a bit of planning. I did not do it 100% right in this exercise if you look at the shadows but it gives it a bit of a surreal appearance.

Eye macro

I love to shoot eyes and once again my son Iain was my model. As a member of http://www.deviantart.com/ I get tons of inspiration from the many talented artists there. This is a shot inspired by the shot found below at this link: http://ketutita.deviantart.com/art/eye-27513785.

This is the inspiration shot.

I placed a medium softbox about 15 inches above Iain who was laying in the ground. I used a f/2.8 100mm Macro on a Canon 5D and shot as closely as possible. In post I did a good bit to enhance the contrast, color and contrast.

Here's my finished shot.

Here's the before and after showing the enhance clarity and contrast.

Fun with gels

Wanted to experiement using my new Sekoniq L-758DR light meter. I felt that doing something clever with gels would be fun and Iain (my son and always willing test subject) is always up for something a bit different.

I started off with a standard 48" roll of paper on a c-stand. Next came an Alien Bee B800 on my overhead light system. Iain picked the gel color and I clamped it on. Then to get a dramatic lighting on the boy to compliment the direction and mood of the shot I placed the main light just under his chin shooting straight up.

I used the L758 to meter and adjust the light rations and took about 8 shots... this one being the best combination of expression and angle.



Here's the final shot. Did the usual retouch job for extra punch.

More Portrait Retouching

Here's another shot of Mikhail's that I did work on. this beautiful face on portrait took about 15-20 minutes to complete and utilized many of the same techniques detailed in the overview below. Enoy.


Here's the before & after.


Here are the layers in PhotoShop.

Portrait Retouching

This is work I did for Russian Photographer Mikhail Parokhadov. This lovely young lady needed retouching to repair minor skin blemishes. I also did a bit of work with lightpainting to enhance shadow detail and even out a few hot spots on the forehead and cheek.


Click this image to see a full-size before and after comparison.


Click this image to see a detailed layer walkthrough explaining the work done to this image.

Online discussions regarding Mikhail's photography session can be viewed at Fred Miranda at http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/613871.

You can also see more of Mihail's work at http://www.photostudia.spb.ru/gallery/.

Wondering Design Logo and Business Cards

I just finished design work for Jeff Hunter and April Miklas of Wondering Designs. These guys provide cutting edge internet experience design and are young visionaries with an eye on the future. The challenge was to come up with a fun, organic and stimulating logo and corporate identity that echoed the spirit of Jeff and April's vision.


This is the front and back of the business card design.

Please visit Wonder Designs at http://www.wonderingdesigns.com/ to see how my artwork was cleverly integrated into their web design work and see lots more of the projects they are working on.

Wondering Designs is a collaborative design partner with Digital Video Arts and Astounding Images.

M Roadster Poster Design for Gordon Buckland

During Cars for the Cure on February 2nd, I met BMW officianado Gordon Buckland. This witty Australian had an insanely modified M Roadster that I felt was definitely worthy of a killer poster. Below is the final design. We are sorting out matting and framing options but this is sure to be a gorgeous piece once finished.

This is a conceptual visualization of the proposed matting and framing for the finished piece.

This is the full-size finished print.


This is the before and after.

See images from Cars for the Cure 2008.

2008 Cars for the Cure Charity Car Show: The Speed Brigade Girls

This years Speed Brigade girls were Jessica Barton and Hollie Winnard. Both of the beautiful ladies are sexy, smart and sophisticated showing what makes a Speed Brigade Girl so special.

Thank you both for representing Speed Brigade and Astounding Images at the show.

2008 Cars for the Cure Charity Car Show: The Cars

The 4th Annual “Cars for the Cure” Auto Show extravaganza was held on February 2nd 2008 at beautiful Colonial TownPark in Heathrow/Lake Mary Florida. This charitable event, with proceeds going to support the American Lung Association of Florida, raised over $70,000.

This is a very nice event, expecially this year with the beautiful weather. Rob Hodgson and myself started the event 5 years ago and with the help of the American Lung Association, it has blossomed into a massive event. This year we had over 150 cars, some of which I had never seen like the Bugatti Veyron, Mazerati MC12, and the new Mercedes-Benz Black Edition CLK63.

Enjoy some of the shots of the killer cars at the show. And if you like the looks of beuatiful women, check out my other post with the Speed Brigade Girls Hollie Winnard and Jessica Barton.