Moved to Wordpress

I have officially moved to Wordpress.com.


You can find my new blog here at williamtwitty.wordpress.com

To Paint With Light

I found this creative video on YouTube featuring light painting.



As you can see, light painting can get pretty crazy. I plan to play with this method again soon. This quarter has been very busy at school, but hopefully I will find free time to paint with light once more. If you want to learn more about how to paint with light, click here to watch a tutorial.

The Mechanic

Well I updated my Flickr account. I have named this image The Mechanic. I took this shot of my father for my environmental assignment in photojournalism. This image is not the approved choice, but it is probably my favorite out of the bunch. Of course I am not done editing the image but this is the current result.

Newsweek’s Top Photo Editor Leaving

I found an article on PDN discussing layoffs and deep cuts in the magazine advertising industry.

“Newsweek’s director of photography Simon Barnett, a nine-year veteran of the magazine, says he will leave his position after the end of the year.Three other Newsweek photo staffers—deputy director of photography Susanne Miklas, photo coordinator Leah Latella, and senior photo budget administrator Peter Schleissner—lost their jobs in layoffs this week.”

It is truly terrible so many people are losing jobs in every market. A powerful blow to every company and employee. I hope this crisis is resolved soon.

Making Progress

Well unfortunately we weren’t able to attend the art festival tonight. It was just one of those moments where life and time had an argument and something had to be postponed. The good news is the deFINE Art Festival doesn’t end until the 14th so that gives us a little more time.

More good news is that I finally have my fill flash picked.

I also spoke with Mrs. Finch on my photo essay ideas but they aren’t sending off that strong of a vibe so I will continue searching for a story.

Today I plan on getting a lot done as far a planning and shooting goes. Brittany, Cooper and I will be spending the afternoon shooting (due to the beautiful weather). Also I have about three ideas for my photo essay which I need to clarify with Mrs. Finch. Later tonight we will be attending the SCAD deFINE Art Fine Arts Festival in Atlanta. I will be posting pictures later tonight of todays shoot and what I captured at the festival. For anyone needing further incentive to attend this thing, admission and food are both free!

New Banner & Template

Well I have tossed around WordPress’s list of templates and designs for a week now. I believe this template will be my permanent choice for my WordPress blog, at least until I can manage a server and all of the files on my blog and future website. I also updated the banner with my full name. I prefer this template simply because it is well organized and structured. It also resembles the template on my Blogger blog “Twitty Photography” so there isn’t much to change. Hope everyone likes the layout!

Holiday Portraits Begin!

Well tomorrow marks the first day of our Holiday Portraits! I don't know about everyone else but I am nervous as can be. This is a whole new experience and I am confident I will do my best, I just hope my best is good enough. I do know working together as a team will help everything go smoothly with everyone so as long as we maintain our efficiency as a group, we can fly through this. Let the shooting commence!

Fill Flash

Well I have had my Canon 580 EX II for about a week now and I must say I am enjoying this flash. One of our latest assignments in photojournalism is based on filling in light on a subject with our flashes. I have yet to have an image approved, but I am favoring these two photos.






I am also tossing around two ideas for my photo essay so I hope to talk to Finch tomorrow and get that taken care of. Lots to do in so little time! I wish the best of luck to all of you on your ideas!

Interview

Here is an audio interview. This stars Cooper Ricketts asking me what projects I have been working on and just a synopsis of news in the life of photographer William Twitty.

The interview can be found here.

Tamrac Ultra Pro 17

I found an article on PDN’s Gear Guide talking about Tamrac’s newest bag. The Tamrac Ultra Pro 17.
“…includes enough padded pockets, pouches and crevices to seemingly carry the gear of an entire team of photographers.”

I myself just have a Canon backpack designed for one SLR and multiple pockets for lenses, cleaning equipment, etc. The Ultra Pro can carry two SLR cameras, lenses and just about any other camera accessory while staying compact. This bag looks like a great investment.

Photo for a Sponsor

Well I went to a local skate park down the road from my home, and I took some night shots with my flash. I captured this image of young skater, Michael.



He is currently sponsored by Fickle Skateboards. After I took the shot, we exchanged contact info and his sponsors informed him they need a photo. Fickle promised to give my name credit for this shot so I provided the image. Hopefully this will help both of us in the long run.

Moving to Wordpress

Well I (as well as the rest of the class) am moving from Blogger to Wordpress. The move is currently unofficial but will be official in six days. For those looking for a more professional method of blog management, I recommend Wordpress. I will post on the day of my official switch to Wordpress and will provide links to the new blog.

Storm Chasing with Jim Reed

I found this video on YouTube starring Jim Reed, a weather photographer. He specializes in severe and unusual weather. I have always has a curiosity for chasing and photographing storms, but at the same time I don't think I will ever go to the lengths as some photographers like Reed.

Ditto

see more Epic Fails

I thought I might share a little holiday humor photo. This is quite possibly, the funniest Christmas light setup I have ever seen for a house.

Words of Wisdom and Experience

I found a video of Bruce Davidson speaking at Jackson Fine Art back in 2008.


I wish I was there to hear him speak more and talk to him. Bruce Davidson is one of my top influences in photojournalism. If I do make my career through photojournalism, I hope my photos speak to everyone as his do today.

Nat Geo: Photo of the Day

This is National Geographic's Photo of the Day. Such a simple and touching photo.

"My grandfather was born and raised on our New Zealand farm. He and my grandmother were married nearly 60 years. Preparing for a photo in the barley, my grandmother lovingly reached up to adjust his hat. This was his last harvest."

Testing Fill Flash

Ana, Amy and I went out shooting after class today. We decided to practice shooting with flash and prepare for our "Fill Flash" assignment in photojournalism. The assignment requires us to lighten a subject using a flash, without creating a harsh shadow casted to the background. It is different not using just available light on location, but I am enjoying flash. I still need more practice but I think I am getting the hang of it.






I prefer bouncing the light around much more than just a direct flash. Gives more of a natural feeling. I will be testing the flash at night soon, so I sense more awesome discoveries to follow. Practice, practice, practice!

Bullet Time

I am posting this simply to recall on the power cameras have today. This may be a video camera recording, but none the less representing the accuracy of a high speed camera. And by high speed, I mean 1 million frames per second. The video below shows a series of clips of bullets traveling through air and objects at super slow motion. I personally think this is very artistic.

Sigma At Its Widest

Sigma's website has an anouncment of their new 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM. I actually purchased a used 80-200mm Canon lens today so it feels nice to have an addition that adds variety to my shots. I would love a super wide angle lens like this Sigma lens one day. I am definitely keeping an eye on this one.

My New Flash

Well I finally purchased my new flash, the Canon 580 ExII. So far I haven't done much with it, but I can see the potential already. I purchased the flash from Showcase, but to save money in the future, I will be making most of my purchases from B&H. They have an EDU Advantage program for students and educators to save money on photography equipment. I checked and our school is on their education list so I would recommend setting up a student account on B&H's website.

Bruce Davidson

I would like to share one of my favorite images from one of my favorite photographers, Bruce Davidson.

Davidson has documented decades of American history and all of his photos tell a story. His documentation of Times of Change and The Brooklyn Gang are my all time favorite collections. Every picture speaks and tells some sort of story. These moments he captured in time are a wonderful way to look back into history. If you have ever wanted to go back in time, these photos are your ticket.

Creative

I love finding little creative and amusing photos like this.

:Enjoy_your_breakfast_ by *nocturnalMoTH on deviantART

For those of you who don't know much about DeviantArt.com, it is a website dedicated to artists uploading and expressing their work and talents. Since the website is built on art, there is a photography section to search through a list of artists from all over the world. Some are amateur and other are professional. The community is very friendly too. It is worth checking out in my opinion.

Flash Forward

I am finally getting my first flash for my Canon Rebel XS. I have my sights on the Canon 580EX II Speedlite TTL.

I have needed one for so long and I am tired of borrowing other flashes just to get buy. I recently gained money back from financial aid and now I am using that money to purchase this flash. I am very excited to start using this thing for our fill flash assignment.

Click the image for a demo reel from B&H.

Light Painting

Fabia Light by ~JogiART on deviantART

I plan on painting with light again very soon. It was one of the first things I experimented with when I first got my camera. I bet I can come up with some really creative stuff now. As soon as I get a flash for my camera, light paintings will be twice the fun for me.

Gallego Caldas Jordi

While I was browsing around on Photo.net, I came across some beautiful landscape photos by Gallego Caldas Jordi.


I like his work. I would recommend checking out his gallery. There are many more dreamy and surreal shots like the one above.

Happy Halloween

I wish a Happy Halloween to everyone! Today will be interesting. I work from 12-4 p.m. and everyone gets to wear costumes during their shift today. I will be the greaser running the register at the Winder Pizza Hut. After my shift I plan to go shoot and find a Halloween feature out there while all the kids are trick-or-treating. I know I can find something. I wish all of you good shooting and a great Halloween.

By the way, click here to see a funny scare prank fail.

Child Portrait Re-Shoot

The shoot was a success! It was a significant improvement from the last shoot. Special thanks goes to Jeremy and his nephew Abram.

Space Photo: Japan's Land Observing Satellite

National Geographic has a section on "Space Photos This Week" and the photos are definitely worth looking at. This photo of a basin in south-central Algeria was taken by Japan's Advanced Land Observing Satellite. If I didn't know any better, I would assume this was just a picture of some sort of a rock slab.

Re-Shoot: Child Portrait

Tomorrow's late lab will consist of me re-shooting the child portrait assignment. Jeremy offered to bring his nephew for me to photograph so I have a new subject now. I am excited for this shoot because I know it will be an improvement from the last one.

On a random subject change, I had a frightening experience today. For a few minutes, my flash drive was totally inoperable. Every file on it was showing up corrupt or no longer existing. I shut everything down, rebooted my system and thankfully the drive shows up healthy without any damaged files. Close call and a slap of reality to my face. I hope that never happens to me again or to anyone else.

Underwater Photography

I love to swim. There are many aspects of activities in my life I enjoy photographing, but water and my camera could never get along. I have always wanted to try underwater photography just to see what it is like. However, there will always be that one part of me that screams "Get the camera away from the water now!". I found this video on YouTube starring underwater photographer Wayne Levin discussing his experiences when taking photography to a whole new world. Perhaps one day I will gain the confidence and ability to try this out.

Proud

I am proud to see my animal assignment hanging in the classroom.


Photo by Cooper Ricketts

Many months ago I thought I would absolutely despise portraiture. I do not think it is the highlight of my future career, but I do enjoy it so much more than I expected. It feels good to be on the classroom wall again.

Small Cameras With Big Sensors

PDN caught my eye with a new article mentioning a new trend for portable cameras. The full article can be found here.

One particular camera that interested me was Lecia's M9. A full frame sensor crammed into a rangefinder camera body. Right now the camera runs for $7,000. More information on the M9 can be found here.

Denver Post Photogs Win Top Prize In E&P Contest

I found a simply awesome article on PDN.

"A panel of distinguished judges has awarded The Denver Post team of Craig F. Walker, Meghan Lyden, and Tim Rasmussen the grand prize in Editor & Publisher's 2009 Photos of the Year competition."

The team won $1,000, with a sample of their winning submission appearing on the November 2009 cover of E&P. $1,000 isn't a huge amount to win, but to have a submission make the front cover? That must feel incredible. I think this photo certainly deserves it.

Holiday Portrait Construction

Monday we began our set construction for GTC Holiday Portraits. So far I think progress is steady and I had a lot of fun setting up props and painting the gigantic present. I am looking forward to the end result of the set when it is finished building. On a side note, I am currently modifying the work order form to be as organized as possible while maintaining simplicity to the customers.

PDN: Photographer's Virtual Trade Show

I found an interesting event advertised on PDN. Its called The Photographer's Virtual Trade Show.

-The PDN Photographers' Virtual Trade Show is a FREE online trade show for professional and advanced amateur photographers.

The event takes place from December 2-3. I don't think I will be participating in this but it definitely seems like an interesting new way to attend a gallery and trade show.

Jazz Hands

This is a new photo I started working on this week. I have titled it "Jazz Hands" for now. Perhaps I will try a print if I ever get the chance this quarter. I have been saving a few sheets of velvet fine art paper for something special, so who knows.

Chase Jarvis & Superfad

I found this awesome video on YouTube of Chase Jarvis and Superfad teaming up to compose a "Kung Fu" project. 

There is an extended video that shows more behind the scenes footage of what it took to create some shots in this project. The video can be found here.

Andrew Kornylak

For those of you who don't know who Andrew Kornylak is, you should check out his website immediately. I found out that he is one of the photographers that will be showing at the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar on December 3rd. I have recently become a fan of his work. I can't wait to go to this seminar and for those of you not attending, I recommend you reconsider. This will be a great show.

If you would like to see more updates with Andrew Kornylak, you can find his blog here.

Backtracking

Well I am re-shooting my kid picture. It simply was a plane running on one engine 100ft above ground level. Basically I know I can do better than the last shoot, so I will do better. I'm going to find time in open lab to re-shoot and produce a better image. I feel better about this actually.

As for holiday portraits go, I am excited for us to start building the set. This shoot will rock this season!

Above New York

I added another photo to my night photography set on Flickr. I took this on my trip to New York back in May. I regret not being able to take more shots of the city (only two 2GB cards). I would love to return to that city and explore more of it. As I stood atop the Empire State Buidling and took this photo, I could see the flickering city life below. It was a magical experience.

I will be adding more photos to my Flickr account so keep your eyes open and I will keep you posted!

Low-Key Part 2

Well I recorded some activity during Monday's Low-Key shoot and put it together in a little video. Here it is!

In this video: Damian, Cooper, Brittany, Ana, Amy, Nicole, Lisa, Jeremy, Amanda, Debra

Canon's EOS 1D Mark IV

Photo District News has an article dicussing the release of Canon's 1D Mark IV.

The full article can be viewed here.

The body (only) will sell for $4,999 and will be shipped to U.S. dealers in late December. I am a Canon user so naturally I am excited to see what this camera can do. The unexciting part is the fact I am $4,999 short right now.

TIME Pictures of the Week

I am sure many of you have seen news websites that have a "picture of the week" category, but I somehow have never noticed the one on TIME's website. I would recommend checking this out for those craving some photojournalism.

So far, I am favoring this shot.

Low-Key

Day group's low key assignments were shot today. The shoots were a lot of fun to take part in and I saw some really creative ideas. Unfortunately my shoot was rushed towards the end with me being the last one to shoot. My subject was probably the messiest one of the assignment.

My subject originally included a paintball gun to go with the outfit, however a paintball gun is counted as a weapon on school grounds. The only items I could bring in were the battle damaged shirt and mask. Overall, today was a good shoot. I can't wait to start printing!

In this photo: Cooper Ricketts

Paintball Portrait

Well tomorrow morning is the "low-key" photo shoot. My model will be holding a paintball gun, with a battle damaged shirt and mask (orange paint spatters) against a black background of course. I have several ideas for poses so there will be a variety to choose from after tomorrow. I hope this shoot goes well for everyone tomorrow.

My Flickr Account

Well I have finally established a Flickr account. For those of you that do not have a Flickr and love photography, it is definitely worth checking out. This is one of my composition photos starring Cooper Ricketts. You can click on the image in this post and it will take you to my Flickr page where you can view more of my photos. This will serve as a source to upload and share my work online. I will be posting more images to my profile soon so stay tuned for more photos!

Equipment

Equipment is something I am running very light on right now. I am currently doing research on what lenses I will soon need. I am also going to need a flash mount at some point. The last thing I plan on doing is a student loan so hopefully I can find what I need before resorting to a student loan. Working at Pizza Hut can only help pay for so much.

Man Photographs Meteor Over Netherlands

I found an article on National Georgraphic's website and I think it is pretty awesome.

-"When amateur photographer Robert Mikaelyan went out to snap an old Dutch sugar factory on Tuesday, he captured a rare treat: a huge exploding fireball in the sky."

The full article can be viewed here.

Spot News

After Amy, Ana and I grabbed lunch today, we drove by the aftermath of a car crash. I attempted to capture some quick shots, but this one was the best I could salvage.


I was trying to stay concealed inside the car when taking the shots up close and I missed most of the important information. I have learned a valuable lesson. I must stay focused on capturing the moment at hand rather than fear being seen or not getting the shot.

"New Rule Bans Some Afghanistan Casualty Photos"

I found an interesting article on PDN regarding the release of Afghanistan casualty photos to the media.

"The U.S. military in eastern Afghanistan recently changed its media embed rules to ban pictures of troops killed in the war.-----The change occurred after the wide distribution of a photograph of a dying U.S. Marine."

The full article can be viewed here.

New Banner

Well as you can see, the new banner has been uploaded. I toned it down from the banner in the previous post below (with less crazy specular highlights). Maybe I will change the banner some more later down the road but for now, this is the latest update in my blog customization. Hope everyone likes it!

Blog Banner

Here is what I have so far for a new blog banner. I am still working on this one. I'm playing around with several ideas and having a hard time to make a decision. I hope to have a banner ready by the end of the week.

Sports Night

I almost forgot to share some of the shots I took from Winder-Barrow High's football game.

500 lb. tackle

One to defend another.

It was a great game and photographing the players was a lot of fun. I could really get used to sports photography. This was my first sports shoot and I am looking forward to more events like this to photograph.

Marking The To-Do List

Yesterday was our day to shoot the children assignment. Like my last studio shoot with my cat, the children assignment wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. A friend of mine (Becky) brought her 3 year-old daughter (Brooke) into the studio and while there were a couple of difficult moments, the shoot went smoothly. Here are some shots from yesterday's shoot.

Now that I have marked down shooting for this week's portrait, my to-do list isn't empty just yet. I need to get back to work on practicing with some methods I read for photojournalism. I also need to finish printing and mounting this week. I am starting a personal project this weekend. For now, it is code named "PH-Construct". I will be sharing more details on this project soon.

Photo Shoot, Then Upgrade

Well last night went pretty well. I shot my sports assignment at a football game. It was a nice moment too, since the game was at my old high school. It rained for about 10 minutes total, and I think I have a couple of good shots. I am looking forward to seeing which one I will use for Wednesday's photojournalism class!

I also took my PC over to a friend's house and I am finally running Windows 7 Ultimate. I must say it is very pretty and runs great. This photographer is very pleased.

Animal Photo Shoot

Looking back on Monday, I am pleased with how our animal photo shoot went. I brought one of my cats (Chewy) to school and brought him into one of the assigned rooms to begin shooting. Basically the shoot was adorable.

Next Monday we are assigned to photograph children in a studio. I am more nervous about this one, thus I am preparing for everything possible.

Post Recording of 10.1.2009

This is my first post.