Kids learn quick, don't they. Their brains are like sponges, true, but it also has to do a lot with how they learn. At the youngest age all children learn through play and fun activities. Otherwise they get bored, their attention span is very short and it has to be maintained and kids need to be constantly intrigued. Well, guess what, you can do that at any age. When I was a kid I loved to play with LEGO, I could spent hours and hours creating stuff. Photoshop is just like LEGO for me. I will use all and any elements, apply no rules and go full monty with its tools. Photo editing can have many forms, sometimes you need to create a more serious and realistic image, but there are times when you can cut loose and make something cool. And the only person that can stop you is yourself. Photoshop manipulations are amazing for learning and mastering photoshop and therefore mastering the art of photo editing. It is not about achieving realistic look, but about doing what YOU want and what YOUR imagination whispers to you. If you can do whatever you wish with an image, then any type of image or work that is thrown at you will be a piece of cake. Photoshop is not a superbly complex program, what is difficult about it is virtually unlimited combinations of tools and their usage. Photoshop tools applied in certain order with certain settings is the key to true mastery. Knowledge of tools and what they do will only get yo started. It is about what to do, when and in what order while being able to predict the outcome. On the other hand, through photoshop manipulations and compositing you will discover, accidentally or via research, new and amazing ways of working on photos. This program is like a jungle, no matter how basic photoshop video or tutorial I watch there is almost always something new that I discover. Take frequency separation for instance, which is a technique of splitting textures and tones into different layers, it is mostly used in portrait editing. But there are many ways of using frequency separation and there are numerous types of it. I use it in nearly every photo I work on, be it portrait, architecture, night photography, or compositing. Each of those types of frequency separation produces the same result, more or less, but could inspire your mind to come up with your own variations that could be applied in different situations. Photoshop manipulations will require you to scout the net for specific solutions, help you to find sources of stock images, perhaps even push you to enjoy new artistic areas, such as 3D. Not to mention that you will create some sick images for your models' and your own folio. Photoshop manipulations will also make you a better photographer, they will inspire you to shoot specific images for ideas that you or your model come up with. You will have to think how to set the lights to match light on stock photos or vice versa, which will watch you deconstructing images. How to pose, what props you need and what props you can photoshop in, etc. You will have to compose your images, which will develop and enrich your understanding of composition and balance in the image. By painting shadows and highlights by hand in photoshop you will truly understand how light works, which is so important. Photoshop is an endless source of skill improvement, however you look at it.
Contact me directly for one-to-one online photoshop tutorials via desktop sharing. Portrait photography service, Tokyo - website http://www.portrait-photography-tokyo.com/ Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/posts For more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ Fine art nude photography is hands-down one of the most difficult types of photography out there. There many factors that have to play in harmony together for the final image to be sensual, powerful, intriguing, natural and sexy at the same time. Your first barrier is your attitude as a photographer or an artist (or both in one, preferably). Model not only has to trust you implicitly, but she also has to feel completely relaxed and safe. Her body language has to be fluid and tension free, otherwise you are both wasting your time. If you work with professional nude models then they are used to posing nude and some of them are more comfortable nude than posing to portraits. But don't be shy asking models, who even specify in their folio or website that they do not shoot nudes, if they would be interested in such photoshoot. Remember that women (especially attractive women) are bombarded with all kinds of advances on a daily basis. Most of those advances are shocking or just plain sloppy, so naturally their defense and self preservation instinct kicks in, and rightly so. So what can you do then. Build your folio with quality images only: solid composition, good lighting and skilled editing. Those do not have to be nude shots, just images that will tell the model what type of person you are, what artistic sensitivity you have, and what drives your passion for photography. Let your images talk for you. If a model likes your photographs she will most likely be interested in working with you. Then make an effort to look through her folio and see what she likes. Ask her to send you sample images from the net or her own, so you can learn what is appealing to her. I cannot stress enough how important that is. Get to know your models' personality. It not only is essential for you to understanding them, but more importantly shows that you actually care about them as human beings, and not just as a subject for the lens. Then just ask her if should be keen on shooting portraits or street fashion, which will give you a chance to meet and connect. When you meet in person you have a ground to judge when (or if) is the right moment to ask her about a nude shoot. Remember, it is not what you say but when and how. Make absolutely clear what is the purpose of the shoot, how you will use the images and what images you will be publishing and where, and what she is getting out of it. Whether it is money or photos, you have to be clear about it. Just put all cards on the table so there is no guessing or misunderstandings. Do not surprise them with something they did not expect during the shoot. In best case scenario it will create a barrier and you will have to deal with fake and stressed body language. Remember they are nude, respect that. Next, you should have some knowledge of human anatomy and how light can affect it. Learn how muscles move and align, how body moves, what poses or angles are in symbiosis with give type of light. Watch professional dancers in slow motion and see how graceful their movements are. Observe women on daily basis and learn, how they react, what they do with their hands, how they tilt heads and what emotion caused it, how they smile or fall deep into thoughts. Those emotions can be evoked or ruined by words. Choose them carefully. You will be posing the model, yes, but photos should appear not posed and natural. Real life reactions are your best school of what is natural, but there are other sources of inspiration. Try to deconstruct fine art nudes from world class photographers (they don't have to be famous, they just have to be bloody good), especially the light and how it falls. Watch how women photographers capture nudes, they have different sensitivity and you can learn a ton. Unlike dancing, the trick here is to capture that balance in a single frame, a frame that is still, and viewer's eye has to glide through the image without abruptly colliding with composition issues. Stop thinking like a man, start feeling like an artist. If you really passionate about light and shadows, forms and creating, you will forget you have a nude model posing for you. You will need at least basic understanding of how light works and what can be done with it. In fact becoming obsessed with light is your aim. For me nude photography is all about game of shadows. I do not see body parts, I see lines, shapes and the power of composition. Imagine that light falling on model's skin is like lingerie. Dress your model with it in away that she is sexy as hell but sublime and feminine, she doesn't excite but intrigues and stuns, she is not revealing but alluring, she ceases to be a model and becomes a wonder of light and shadows. Contact me directly for one-to-one online photoshop tutorials via desktop sharing. Portrait photography service, Tokyo - website http://www.portrait-photography-tokyo.com/ Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/posts For more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ Oracle bone script is the oldest officially recognized Chinese calligraphy script, and it goes back all the way to Shang dynasty, starting around 1600 BCE. It appeared on animal bones (mostly ox shoulder blades) and turtle shells. It was used by priest diviners who were acting as oracles, and also were responsible for recording important state events. Texts were carved onto the bones and then heated up in fire until they cracked. Those cracks, their shape, and the way they visually interacted with the text were considered and interpreted as signs of the gods. Oracle bone script is often seen as pictographic writing but only a small percentage of characters that have been deciphered are actually of pictographic nature. You can read about this in greater details in my article on oracle bone script here. This is the first time I actually wrote oracle bone script on skin. I have been studying it a few years ago during master classes organized by a Grand Master Kajita Esshu of the All Japan Calligraphy and Literature Association, who happens to be my calligraphy teacher. It was a small group for those who wish to go beyond regular studies of Chinese calligraphy. It was a great experience to actually translated some of this ancient writing and find out more about ancient Chinese civilization. Oracle bone script, and any type of great seal script really, requires patience. Writing should imitate chiseled characters with fairly sharp lines well defined strokes. It should appear raw and unpolished, irregular yet harmonious. Writing on skin imposes many challenges. Skin is uneven, it stretches too especially when model changes her pose. Writing itself is quite tiring because positions I have to write in are uncomfortable. Models lay down for the most part of it, first reason is that it is comfortable for them (in fact it is so comfortable and relaxing that literally all of them fall asleep in a process) and second is that it minimizes body movement and heaving. Calligraphy that you see on pictures took me about 3h to finish. We had a great two days shoot with Naomi, who flew all the way from Kyushu to Tokyo. This type of shoot requires lot of preparations, especially on my side, and also photo retouching is not as easy. Skin retouching is time consuming and one needs a lot of patience for it, but skin covered in writing is on entirely different level. It is not just down to splitting tones and textures in photoshop via frequency separation, but also separating tones from one another and lots of fine tuning and very local and taxing dodging and burning, etc. Nude photography is unforgiving as there is no chance to hide body language imperfections with clothing. There is no fancy dress that will draw attention away from the model like in fashion photography. Working with flashes that offer no modelling light one has to know how light works and predict its effect. Low key dramatic photos are based on shapes of shadows, light fall off is usually quite dramatic so shadows are well defined and rapid. A centimeter of movement can ruin or improve a photo. Last but not least, if the model does not trust the artist it will show in the photos clear as day, just like a lack of skill and knowledge shows in writing of a Chinese or Japanese calligrapher who has not mastered his art yet. Models interested in Chinese or Japanese calligraphy body art please message me directly. You can find my portfolio here. Contact me directly for one-to-one online photoshop tutorials via desktop sharing. Portrait photography service, Tokyo - website http://www.portrait-photography-tokyo.com/ Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/posts For more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ How to improve your portrait photography through photo retouching and photoshop manipulation6/23/2016 I do not bother with story board when I shoot. I leave it for those who need guidelines find it difficult to shoot without following a plan. I do not plan, I react. It is the combination of what I see with what I know and the light that is being cast that makes my brain go creative mode. However, when you shoot for a specific concept, such as photoshop manipulation, it is good to know how to bring the base photo to as close as possible to what you need as your digital clay. Below you can see my latest photoshop manipulation of my self portrait. I wanted it to be dark and mysterious, like a scene from a fantasy game (think in terms of Greybeards from Skyrim). What I needed was a head and shoulders portrait of myself in something that would imitate hooded rags (I wrapped around myself black muslin cloth that I use as a backdrop for studio portraits), and a blend of evenly lit image with deep well defined shadows at the same time. I knew I will be going for an older and wiry face, with accentuated face features so that I can push those even further in photoshop via dodging and burning. But I also knew that I cannot make the photo too dramatic (too low key) because contrast is something that I will adjust as I create the photoshop manipulation. At the same time I needed my face to be lit well enough so I can easily edit it. It is much easier to darken things down rather than brighten them up. Shadowed areas have less defined textures and are less three dimensional. If you watch the below video, you will notice at the beginning the original photo, straight from the camera. I lit my face from a slightly elevated angle so the shadows amplify my cheek bones and jaw. I wanted the light more or less in the center so the face features will be more symmetrical and more powerful. I knew I will be cutting this photo out of the frame and since I did not have to deal with masking out hair I could get away without a back light. I used grid on my main light and the light that separates me faintly from the background is whatever light bounced off of the wall behind me. I needed catch lights in the eyes so I placed the softbox right above the field of view of the lens. Shooting with 85mm I had enough compression to get the light into a fairly low position. It was important because I did not want to use any fill light from underneath (it would ruin the shadows under the hood at the top of my head, and on the sides as well). Working with flash guns is tricky, because every centimeter of movement counts. You can ruin or completely change the mood in the photo or its composition by moving the light by literally a centimeter or two. Studio photography is amazing for teaching precision and understanding the light and how to control it. Photoshop is like a tripod. It will slow you down and allow you to analyze the photo you are editing. People who do not like to edit their photos and just run and gun will never ever truly understand the depths of composition. It is a mixture of talent, ability to sense the energy flow between the elements of the photo and hours and hours of hard work. Do not neglect your photo editing - it pays off and will aid you in growing artistically, not to mention it will help you a lot in improving your technical skills as a photographer. And remember - photo manipulation or editing is not there to rescue bad images, but to complete your artistic vision and imbue your photos with personal style.
Buy prints with my photography and calligraphy art - http://ponte-ryuurui.pixels.com/index.html?tab=galleries Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/postsFor more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ Chinese calligraphy is an ancient art, one of the oldest types of art practiced by human race. Its origins go back thousands of years back to Yangshao culture in China, or perhaps even earlier than this. Traditionally, calligraphy is practiced on paper, although poverty of some of the greatest Chinese calligraphers forced them to be creative with media. Some of them used palm leaves, others wrote with mud on temple walls. I often combine calligraphy with modern technology, and create custom backgrounds for my works inside photoshop. Occasionally you will see my calligraphy art on female skin. This type of photography art is very rewarding, but also really exhausting and time consuming. Skin is a very difficult media to write on. it is uneven, does not absorb ink well (if at all) and skin alignment changes depending on person's movement or position. Writing full body length in reasonably small characters takes anywhere between 2 to 4h. Writing position is extremely uncomfortable and unnatural. I ask my models to lay down so they can relax. It would be too tiring for them to stand for 4h and then still have enough of zeal and spark to do a few hours shoot. Photo shoots are long and can even take 10h or so in total.
Nude photography imposes other challenges. It is extremely difficult to capture well balanced and naturally beautiful body language because there are no clothes to hide any imperfections. I am not talking here about body imperfections but issues caused by highlights and shadows. Working with flash guns that do not have modeling lights in very confined spaces that we have here in Japan (the smaller the space the harder is to control light bouncing in the room), it is extremely tricky to capture the image I envisioned. I often work with deep shadows, low key and drama, and even a centimeter of movement, either of the light or a model, can change the entire mood of the photo and ruin the shot. My advice to anyone starting with nude photography would be to find a model that feels comfortable around you and vice versa. Make sure that you know what you are doing with lights. Beautiful girl in bad lighting will look bad. Make sure that your model is in a good mood, other wise do not even bother. If you are publishing her photos, make sure she agrees to it. Be confident but naturally confident. Women will sense immediately if you are fake. Be professional but at the same time make a mental connection with your model. Learn about female body and how to present it from angles that will make your model look sensual and not common. Each person has different body shape, so do not apply standards during your shoots. You can use them as starting point but two different girls will look differently in the same pose and light. Listen to your model suggestions and take them on board, you may learn something. I am shooting for female audience, I could not care less about men. In most cases it is women who understand and appreciate art, men just pay for it. Create for those who understand and enjoy it, not for those who buy it. There is a very fine line between delicate, erotic, and cheap. Learn how to walk that fine line but without crossing it. I am a multi-genre artist and consequently I have a few websites and few portfolio's. It was all too scattered so I decided to put all of my best work together in one folio, in separate categories. It took me a few days to update my entire portfolio on Smugmug. I went through all of my photos and picked those that I personally think represent what I do as an artist. New portfolio holds all types of photography: portraiture photography, architecture photography and cityscapes, street photography, photoshop manipulations and digital art, black and white photography, nature photography and landscapes, boudoir and body art photography, and Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art. All photos are in their original size at 300dpi. Some of the files are as large as 160MB, so if you are viewing them in original size it may take some times to load them up. All of the images are quality edits which is exactly why I uploaded full size files. Enjoy! Portrait photography service, Tokyo - website
http://www.portrait-photography-tokyo.com/ Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/posts For more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ If you are asking yourself this question then you are still in a shell of social bonds and "I do not think this is a good idea" zone. How the hell will you know if it is a good idea if you do not try it and see if you like it. What's more, who cares if others do not like it. Is it your art or what? Stay true to your artistic sensibility and style, but if you do not go outside your comfort zone EVERY DAY then how on Earth do you expect to improve or evolve as an artist? You master the rules to break them, you create in a way others don't not because you should but because your soul tells you to. If someone moans about that you shouldn't or whatever, just leave them alone and move on. In most cases they are stuck in a mud of their own miasma of toxic farts. Treat them like you do with anyone that steals your ideas - sprinkle them graciously with a tepid piss from a second step on your luxuriant porch. Wanna steal my ideas? Go for it. i am so absorbed creating that by the time you get it I will be light years ahead. This, however, is not an excuse for being ignorant. True artists deep inside are delicate people. So, you need to learn how to protect your creative core without it being indoctrinated by standards set by those who have no fucking clue what art really is. Artists perceive world on a different frequency and in a whole different range of colors. Yes, you will feel alone and misunderstood, and that is good, it will make you stronger and more sensitive too. Need a wall around your oasis? Build it. Need a shell? Grow the damn thing. Do whatever you have to to guard that core. Forget about opinions and what have you. Do your thing, but keep learning and researching, it is essential to constantly work on improving oneself. Stay open to what life brings with it, but be alert. Look up to those who are better, help those who struggle, and kill on sight anyone that tries to mess with your better half. Creative mind is like another world, you won't survive outside of it . You will die of boredom. We live in visions and that's out power, a power to switch all the surrounding bullshit off. Do not break that switch. Portrait photography service, Tokyo - website
http://www.portrait-photography-tokyo.com/ Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/posts For more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ 2D is too constrained, I am going 3D. After a long research and some trials with various software I have decided to begin my studies of Zbrush and Keyshot, two amazing programs for creating and rendering 3D art. Here is my first fully digital art and my first 3D model of a spaceship. Zbrush is a real jungle and the program is complicated and difficult like a school bus of frustrated women, but I am enjoying the creating process like a small kid a bar of chocolate that he was not supposed to eat. This also marks a beginning to a whole new project (and possibly some videos) whose current working title is "Tokyo 3017". That is right people, I will be landing my own spaceships all over Tokyo. The project will combine my photography art, photoshop manipulation and composite work, and 3D models. I may be throwing some cyborgs into the twist at some point. Hope you will enjoy it, and feel free to let me know what you think.
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography services in Tokyo website! This exhibition is one of the most interesting and impressive things to see in Tokyo National Museum in Ueno. The exhibited sculptures are superb, some of them are huge, others are smaller. Museum rotates items on the display every 3 months, so you can admire various masterpieces. Some of the sculptures can be photographed, so do not forget to bring your camera with you. The room with the statues has amazing energy, it is very peaceful and soothing. I have added my calligraphy to the below photo, written in cursive script, it reads 平穏, i.e. tranquility (heion).
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography services in Tokyo website! For those of you dirty minded bastards who need some clarification, the size of the brush does not matter. It is all in the quality of brush strokes, the power of line, how skilled your mind and arm is. Chinese calligraphy line can be powerful and mighty even if written with a tiny brush. The brush tip, its movement on the paper, the balance, quality of ink and paper, handwriting style, etc. it all comes together in the final artwork. Those are the elements that decide on how powerful your calligraphy art will be. 威 in cursive script - it means might, power, also dignity. I wrote in in one stroke, with a small brush. I wanted to express well defined and flexible line, continuum of movement, but at the same time an airy and light feeling to the whole structure of the character.
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography services in Tokyo website! Here is my new photoshop manipulation fantasy landscape art. I was thinking of compositing a Chinese or Japanese castle, since that horseback archer is a Japanese yabusame (horseback archer), but I decided to go for a collision of two cultures, so there is a Western European castle and a ship, and the archer. Planets of course - you guys know i love sci fi, plus those two planets frame the entire composition perfectly, and add a bit of a cinematic look to the whole image. It is not a complex manipulation, but it came out pretty cool. As always, I have recorded my photoshop workflow and you can watch in on my YouTube channel. Enjoy!
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! This is my first fully digital Chinese calligraphy art, based on a semi-cursive script form of the character for dragon (龍). I created it entirely inside photoshop from scratch using pen tool, textures and a bit of fun with selective toning, etc. I also added some dimension to the character, so it doesn't appear flat, and created an illusion of metallic material. The character itself follows traditional calligraphy rules to certain extend, naturally I added to it my personal calligraphic style, but I wanted to keep it in a modern feel, slightly leaning towards a logo design or some sort of an emblem. Hope you guys like it!
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! When I was younger I hated school with passion. Not because I do not like to learn, quite the contrary, simply school was too intellectually confined, lacking finesse, and rather dull. I teach photography art the same way as I would like to have learned when I was a kid. I teach not what I know but whatever is that interest you, bearing in mind your current level and skill. I also teach with the vision of post processing and image retouching, as I believe that post processing is equally, if not more important than taking photos, and I really mean that. The technical side of photography, like setting proper ISO, shutter speed and aperture is not that complicated, and sooner or later you will pick it up naturally with practice. Photography is an art, not a geek show. Leave the technicalities to those who cannot see a bigger picture. The most essential thing to master in photography is understanding the light (with the exception of portrait photography, in which case you also need to understand human psychology, to be able to evoke or comprehend their body language and reactions). You have to fall in love with light, learn how to adjust to it or control it. Light determines compositions, both during night and day. Photography does not exist without light, and good photography does not exist without understanding of how to capture it. I put a huge stress on composition, not in a technical sense, I rather emphasize the artistic feel of composition and how to sense balance in the image. I teach how to find a photograph in a mess of nothingness, a scene that is loud and convoluted, how to appreciate art in what you thought was mundane, how to see and compose with energy and aura of a scene, rather than place items on the crossing lines of rule of thirds, because the book or article told you to do so. In addition, I also teach post processing and advanced photoshop manipulation online via desktop sharing, so once you return home with your images that you took in Tokyo or any other place, we can continue the education through the internet. My experience and scope as an artist goes far beyond photography, which allows me to see a much bigger picture. I do not just teach photography, I teach art. Contact me for details here. Available photography workshops: portrait photography, street photography, architecture photography and night photography. My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! I was approached by Wendy Wu Tours in regards to writing a short article for their website about Japanese calligraphy and possibilities of studying it during your stay here in Tokyo. It would seem that more and more people are willing to discover the culture of Japan and are interested in all kinds of wonders, one of them being Japanese calligraphy. Links are below, so have a look and read, enjoy! Wendy Wu Tours are the UK’s leading China holiday specialist tour operator. Their blog gives an insight to China and the surrounding regions and is full of articles to help fuel your interest in this beautiful country, as well as tips and advice for your China tour. One of their most recent articles gives an insight into the historic art form of Chinese calligraphy and features comments from experts in the field. Wendy Wu Tours were kind enough to feature my work and free calligraphy tutorials in the piece alongside information on the history of the art and where you can learn more. You can read the article in full here.
Last year I was shooting hands of on of my body art models, she has really amazing hands. I just knew that at some point I will be using those images for photoshop manipulations. I have started to work on a new image yesterday, and I have just finished it. I created a cyber hand but while working on it I was thinking what way will I composite into an image. Then I thought, one cyborg is fun, but how about adding a size scale to the image by adding a smaller cyborg girl. So I grabbed the image I have created earlier on this week, and cooked something on the verge of fantasy and sci fi cyber reality. Below is a galery of few images in different stages, including some details etc. I am uploading a speed art video to my YouTube channel as we speak, so you can watch later on how I have created the hand, and then the final composite image. Enjoy!
Girls interested in a photo shoot - currently looking for female models in Tokyo area interested in cyber sci fi art, Japanese calligraphy body art, or portrait shots. I am always looking for new faces and bodies so e-mail me in interested. Anyone interested in learning photoshop, photo editing or photo manipulation - contact me directly and we can discuss private workshops My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! It is possible that computers and robotics will kill us all off at some point but I plan to have as much fun with technology as possible until it happens. It is all down to learning the tools and how to use them in conjunction with one another, and it can be overwhelming in case of programs like photoshop, but it can be learned, and once you do you just down want to go back (if you are interested in learning photoshop, photo editing or photo manipulation - contact me directly and we can discuss private workshops). The same as it happened with cameras, when the digital ones phased out the film cameras. I know that film is still in use, but in all honesty, why bother. Digital is far more fun, clean and does not honk. Digital art and the literally endless creative possibilities it offers is all too good to pass on. I am already working on merging 2D with 3D and going completely mental with my sci fi projects. Girls interested in a photo shoot - currently looking for female models in Tokyo area interested in cyber sci fi art, Japanese calligraphy body art, or portrait shots. I am always looking for new faces and bodies so e-mail me in interested. My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! Sci fi sexy cyborg girl photoshop manipulation speed art video
I decided to go fucking nuts with this one and spend tons of time polishing the details of the engine parts, armor and then blending the image with a background. The most time consuming part was creating the armor and all adding all the details, joints, engines, lights, lines, and so on. The final image is about 10,000 x 6000 pixels, so I am posting two 100% crops of the original image, so you can see some close ups. Good composite photography and photoshop manipulation are all about matching the light, perspective, and color. Having some sort of idea or a artistic concept of which direction to go with the image is also very helpful. Although I haven't used any reference photos, it often helps to look at some examples in case you need to get inspired. I have recorded a video on how tis image was created, from start to finish, and I will post it tomorrow on my Youtube channel. If you want to learn advanced photoshop and photo manipulation / composite photography, then check my photoshop workshops (one to one and online via desktop sharing).
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! I am working on a new sexy cyborg girl photoshop manipulation, and it looks like this one will be by far the most complex one have created so far. I am about half way through and I already started a 145th layer in photoshop. The more details are in a composite image the better, and the more work you put into polishing those details the better, and those details take a lot of time. I ve been working on this 6h so far, and it seems that another 5h or so should do it. Regardless the time spent, I love working on my hot cyber girl army and sci fi projects. Very relaxing and keeps me sane in this more and more retarded world. Anyways, I thought I will share with you an something that is being created at the very moment. If you want to learn advanced photoshop and photo manipulation / composite photography, then check my photoshop workshops (one to one and online via desktop sharing). My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! details
Flash photography has the great advantage of offering an immense control over light. You can sculpt it and bend it the way you want. It is great in working in confined spaces, where strobes would blast the place with light like x-rays. Flash throws some very hard light, but when softened up with some light modifiers like softboxes is just amazing. Here is a result of a short photoshoot at my place today, I added my calligraphy to make the image a bit more interesting and dill the negative space to the left. I dropped the opacity so the attention goes to the model, which is mirrored by the faded kanji (麗 - graceful). My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! model: Eccaia
Here is another image from the sci fi series of futuristic Tokyo. It is a photoshop manipulation of several images. First I digitally blended (watch my tutorial on digital blending in photoshop)a few photos in photoshop to get as much traffic and trains into one photo to make it look busy and crazy overcrowded. Then I added some spacecrafts (deviant art stock images, but soon I will be creating my own 3D art, so stay tuned). Finally I added some light effects, flares, toning, textures, etc. You can watch a speed art video (scroll below the image) on how this image was created from start to finish. I also created a special section on my YouTube channel devoted to speed art, digital art videos, and photoshop manipulation, because this is what in absolutely love doing! Enjoy! My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography website! Nude photography requires a lot of trust. Body art requires even more trust, as I have to touch my models to write on them, and sometimes I can write for a few hours, depending on the length of the text. Erotic photography goes further into the personal space of your model, so you really have to have her trust to be able to capture something truly exciting, but at the same time natural and not staged. Photography is the art of capturing the light and telling story with highlights and shadows. Why not convey something that entangles the mind, making you wander into the realm of eroticism.
model: Eccaia My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Working on photos and editing tons of shots may lead to tunnel vision and resulting in similar type of edits. Lots of people use presets, not even knowing what they do. That includes the professional photographers as well. Some people don't even possess the skill to edit their own work, which is pretty scary. It is like a cook who buys veggies on the market and calls for help to cook the meal. Learning and studying will develop your artistic vision, and it is most likely to change over the time. I learn new skills on a daily basis, and my photoshop techniques improve quite rapidly. I am often revisiting some of my favoring works and re-editing them applying what I have learned since I worked on them. Sometimes I give photos a new twist. All in all I love editing 1 photo in many different ways. It leads to amazing discoveries. In this case the reason for editing is complex. One, is that I love this shot. Two, is that I love this calligraphy classic, and three is that this very classic is one of the mandatory subjects for my Master Instructor exams in calligraphy this year.
model: Asuka / Japanese calligraphy - my copy of a Chinese classic Shu Pu from the early Tang Dynasty (7th century) by Sun Guoting, who was an absolute genius of cursive script. I am back from a two day marathon with ink and brushes. Oh it was FANTASTIC. We had over 30 Grand Masters coaching us in 4 Chinese calligraphy scripts. We studies clerical script, cursive script, semi-cursive script and standard script. It was amazing to listen to various points of view they had and just listen to them explaining or writing, correcting our works and so on. Writing on a floor from early morning till late evening is not easy, so I am dead tired, but it was well worth it. I have learned a ton and the event had definitely helped me a lot in preparation for my upcoming Master Instructor exams next month.
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art I have been studying a lot recently for my upcoming Master Instructor exams in Chinese and Japanese calligraphy. Lots of paper, lots of ink and lots of time, but lots of fun as well. I am off to two days national level seminar for aspiring Master calligraphers, organized by All Japan Calligraphy Art and Literature Association here in Tokyo. I am very honored to be considered and invited. There are limited spots there, and I am the only foreigner that has been offered this amazing opportunity. Wish me luck!
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art If you always dreamed of having a really good portrait photo taken then you came to the right place. For me portraiture is not just a headshot, it is far more than that. I am not just a photographer, I am an artist. I seek the real personality, the character, the mood, the perfect lighting, this one unique moment when I can capture who you really are. On top of this I offer high end photo retouching, so you will not only be portrayed looking at your best, but also will receive a fashion magazine quality level of photo retouching. Each client wants something else, and I tune and adjust my photography style and setup as well as the editing process and strength to every person individually. I ofer service for both those who live i Tokyo and those who travel to Tokyo. Contact me to book your photoshoot!
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art |
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AuthorPonte Ryuurui (品天龍涙) Archives
August 2020
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