Thursday, March 29, 2007

SMSC Student Show and Art Auction @ UK

A nice event if you can swing by...(especially during the Gallery Hop)...

"Work from UK facutly and students being auctioned to the public. Proceeds will go toward renovation of the Barnhart Gallery in the UK Reynolds Building, which houses the art classes and artists' studios for the university. Exhibit runs from 3/26/07 - 4/6/07. Student Center, 404 South Limestone."

The silent auction will occur at the Rasdall Gallery (located in the UK Student Center) during the Gallery Hop on April 6 from 5-8 PM. There will also be an award presentation at 7 PM. Regular gallery hours are Monday - Friday 11 AM - 5 PM.

To find out more about the SMSC (Studio Major Student Council) click HERE.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Spring Break | The Matrix: Reprinted

So I bet you're all wondering, "What does Prof. D do for Spring Break?" Well, I'm glad you asked. First, I shot a wedding and then edited all the photos with Adobe's Lightroom. Then, I did my taxes. And finally, I got to do what I wanted for a few days: test digital printing papers!

Yes, I know I'm a photo geek, but I had a great time testing out new media on my Epson printer. It's been a while since I've done this and I had been in the routine of using 1 or 2 different papers. The interesting thing is that there are a huge number of digital printing papers these days, which seriously outnumber the variety of traditional black and white printing papers. (A very simple comparison at Calumet is that they have 257 choices of b&w paper from 7 different companies while they have 491 choices of digital paper from 21 different companies.)

In grad school I had to do a toning project to sample different papers, developers, and toners. My professor referred to it as a "Matrix." So, I reinvented the project, this time printing digitally. I still have work to do, but as of today, I have finished 40 different samples for digital b&w prints. I'll also end up with 40 tonal varations of those papers. I've also tested 13 papers for color images with some more work to be done. In the end, I've tried around 50 different papers from about 15 different companies.

Now, why would I do this? 1) So I can know what paper will produce the perfect nuance and finished print from my printer. 2)So I can keep up to date with today's media options. 3) So I can pass my knowledge on to you, to make recommendations (as well as develop future class projects, when I finally get the chance to teach a digital class).

The biggest danger in such an undertaking is to lose sight of the ultimate goal, great photography. Never let technology, gear, or toys sidetrack you from producing strong images. Afterall, that is the true endeavor of the photographer.

Oh yeah, and I watched a LOT of basketball.

DIY Lens Hood

Here's a great link to a site that shows you how to make your own lens hood, for FREE! There are dowloadable stencils that fit a myriad of different camera lenses. And why would you want a lens hood? To prevent lens flare, silly. They can be a very handy tool to cut out extra light coming in the front of your lens creating various exposure problems, especially when the brightest light in your shot is somewhere in front of your lens. Check it out HERE.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

LensWork @ Low Prices

Back issues of a select number of LensWork magazine are available for $5 a piece. It's a great price for an excellent publication. You can even look at excerpts of the issues as PDFs. If you're intetested, visit LensWork or just click HERE.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

University Open (2nd Annual)

The second annual University Open is right around the corner. It is a show held by the LexArts organization recognizing strong student artwork form Kentucky Colleges and Universities.

There is NO REASON why you shouldn't get involved. It's simple, and FREE! There are also cash prizes for the best work, not to mention bragging rights for the institution that puts all the others to shame.

This is how it works: by March 22, you must register your intentions to be involved in the show. By March 28, you must drop off your work, framed and ready to hang. The work will be jurried on March 30. Notice of acceptance comes April 2. Awards will be given on April 13. And the UO will be part of the Gallery Hop on April 20.

I am stopping just short of saying that participation in the UO is mandatory. This is an excellent opportunity with nothing to lose. Be involved!!! For more information, click HERE.

How True