Photography is my current hobby, I’ve been lucky enough to get training time with some of the world’s best photographers.  (There’s a Canon Experience Center near me.)

So if you are an aspiring model, how do you get a good photographer to take your photo for free?

The answer is “TFP“, it’s a term used which basically means the photographer, stylist, make-up artist & model all work for free so they can use the results in their portfolios.

There are plenty of sites out there like Model Mayhem & MeetUp that will offer countless TFP shoots in your area.  (Your job is to find the best photographers in there.)

What I’ve learned is you just can never take enough shots.  Photographers need to get to a point where they could literally use their camera in the dark, so every adjustment is instant and not distracting to the shoot, and the models need to study what their angles and emotions look like when captured.

I recently shot a very professional model (arranged by Canon), while posing she suddenly ran through a whole set of emotions and boom, then back to normal.  It surprised me at first, but she realized I was shooting high speed, and she knew the best emotions that work with her face, and so it was fun to see someone work that must have done a thousand shoots before.

The point is, just get out there and shoot, then do it again, and again and again.  The pictures will keep getting better for everyone.

Every now and again you’ll meet someone very talented, you’ll form a team and the results make this whole process of Photography really fun.

PS. If you want dramatic shots, don’t be afraid to present your ideas!  It’s a collaboration and the photographer will enjoy the challenge.  (Just collect images up that you love on Pinterest for reference.)  In this photo below, I was challenged by the make-up artist to make a photo that was only red and white.

Original _M5A7842 FN2 - DP EDIT v02 @1080w

So… There’s nothing to stop you becoming a model, just start.

If you’ve ever taken an image with atrocious white balance, and, despite your best efforts at adjustment in Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw, found it shifting from one color cast to another rather than becoming neutral, today we’ve got a tutorial for f64 Academy to help. Some types of scenes are inherently more challenging to obtain correct…

via How To Fix Bad White Balance | A Simple 3 Step Method — SLR Lounge

Sangita’s Bench

April 29, 2017 — 1 Comment

One of my first “real” woodworking projects.

Continue Reading...

ZX Spectrum Next

April 29, 2017 — Leave a comment

Super excited about this project, it’s a new “enhanced” version of the Spectrum!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1835143999/zx-spectrum-next?ref=email

 

FPV Car Racing!

April 28, 2017 — Leave a comment

Perhaps you like the idea of FPV (first-person view) drone racing, but you’re a little uncomfortable with the thought of piloting a rapidly-moving quadcopter through the air. If you are, then maybe FPV car racing would be more to your liking. Although hobbyists have been doing it on a DIY basis for years, there’s a…

via FPV car racing is getting kinda gnarly — New Atlas

Some of my Favorite Books

November 14, 2016 — 1 Comment

Chris Anderson has worked with the best speakers in the world and despite all the books on how to give good TED speeches, he decided to write the official one. It really is on the money so if you ever have to give a speech, get this book!

Was a great book when it launched, some really simple concepts (like checking you have an audience before you make the product) that many people do tend to miss.

I’ve done a lot of pitching and this book explains why you can’t download a template pitch off the internet and just fill in your data. I think of pitching as telling a story and this book makes it really clear why the “Why” matters.

This is a short and very simple book that just reminds you that an offer can be improved, and offers ideas on how to think about improving it. It wasn’t a GREAT book, I just keep finding myself thinking about the ideas when I see someone pitching a product.

This is really a psychology book, with really interesting examples of how changing a few words can impact a business. A good example was “Will you call our restaurant if you can’t make your reservation” vs “Please call”. Saying “Will you” gets a commitment and can improve the business.

Seth Godin writes a lot of books, but this one remains one of my favorites thinking about teams and social groups.

Modern thinking on how to improve engagement.

Really excited to see the final version of Jeremy Snead’s TV show “Unlocked”, he’s managed to get an interesting cast of characters involved.

You can request pre-order notification here:  http://www.unlockedtvshow.com/preorder/

 

Red Dead Redemption 2

October 20, 2016 — Leave a comment

Let the countdown begin!   Just one more year…

Next ZX Spectrum

October 18, 2016 — 3 Comments

I’m really surprised to be typing that there’s going to be a new ZX Spectrum, it’s been FOREVER since my career really took off developing games for the original one.  My big break was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (called the Hero Turtles in the UK), that gave me a #1 Hit and plenty of work followed.

It’s now a museum piece of hardware and so I must admit I’m excited to see this team making a new one, it’s a retro dream!  (Heck, it even looks cool!)

They have a surprise in the FAQ that it will run ZX81 games as well.  Are you kidding?

I just signed up for their newsletter…  Will be interesting to see it develop.

http://www.specnext.com/

 

 

 

PlayStation VR

October 13, 2016 — Leave a comment

Exciting day.  Get to bring home this…

Caught in an Eve space battle!