TIPS TIPS for photographers

[elmo]

very nice thread.brings back memories during high school/college days.my dad taught me the basics using a minolta slr. one major tip that sticked on me:if you have the time and patience,always use manual mode and never automatic. automatic impedes your creativity. my dad then was a professional photographer,had stints at miss universe pagents
and had a photo printed at a local newspaper during late 70s.well,those were the days!

I agree..full manual mode talaga ang magpapakita ng tunay na character ng isang photographer..(given na kabisado mo na talaga ung camera mo )

To think na homeschool ang photography sa iyo...siguro magaganda din mga shots mo..sana makita din namen ung mga shots mo sa photog thread...

 

[elmo]

Mastering the Zoom Effect

by Darren Rowse

Zooming-1Photo by GoGoJingo

If you want to have a little fun with your digital camera next time you go out with it have a go at experimenting with the zoom effect.

In essence what the zoom effect is is a picture which look like the subject is either moving towards or away from you with motion lines.

There are a number of ways to get this effect some are done while shooting the image and some afterwards through zoom blur post production techniques. I’m not going to talk about post production techniques here but will instead focus upon what to do to achieve the zoom effect while taking the shot in camera.

Ultimately what you need to do to get this effect is set your shutter speed to be a longer exposure and then while taking the shot (between when the shutter opens and closes) you will need to use your zoom lens to either zoom in or out from your subject.

That is the basics of it but in reality getting a good zoom effect takes a lot of practice and experimentation and/or a bit of luck.

Here are a few tips to help you improve your results:

Zoom-EffectPhoto by jahdakine
* Keep the Camera Still as you will be using a slow shutter speed any movement of the camera will significantly impact your shot. Ultimately you want to capture a zooming movement in these shots so any side to size or up and down shake will impact the smoothness of the lines in your image. Of course camera shake can also add interesting effects to the shot but it can also make the shot too blurry. To eliminate camera shake use a tripod or set your camera on a still surface.


* Lower Light Situations might help one of the problems with using longer shutter speeds is that you let more light into your camera. You can help your camera cope with this extra light by using a larger aperture (the larger the number the smaller the hole that lets light in) but in bright situations you still might not be able to use long shutter speeds without over exposing your image. As a result it can be easier to get well exposed zoom effect shots in lower light situations.

ZoomPhoto by GustavoBockos
* Lights are Fun taking the last point into consideration one of the most popular subjects for the zoom effect is lights whether they be city lights, Christmas lights, neon signs etc. They are often a good place to practice the technique and can produce pretty spectacular effects.
* Move the Camera Manually if you don’t have a zoom lens or your camera won’t let you zoom while the shutter is open (as happens on some point and shoot cameras) the other way to get this effect is to manually move your camera towards or away from your subject. Of course this introduces other camera shake (see above) but it is possible to get a nice shot if you’re good (or lucky).
* When choosing a shutter speed there is no one shutter speed that will work for all situations. Factors to consider will include the levels of light, the speed at which you’ll zoom etc. I generally would shoot at up to a second (or even a little longer) which is usually enough to zoom a lens from one end to another. The key is to experiment with different shutter speeds to see what works best.

ZoomedPhoto by Hugo*
* Work on Smooth Zooming to get nice smooth motion lines in your photo you’ll need to work at a ’smooth zoom’. ie you don’t want to zoom at one speed early on and then speed up and then slow down (see next point for the exception). This will make your lines a little jerky. Getting a nice smooth zoom technique takes practice.
* Pause mid-zoom another technique to experiment is to pause your zooming either at the start, end or during the procedure (while the shutter is still open). This will mean that what your camera sees at the point when you pause your zoom will be stronger and hopefully clearer in your shot.
* Fire your Flash another element that you can add to this technique is light. You can do this with virtually any light but the most common one is obviously the flash. Fire it during your long exposure and you’ll freeze part of the image while still getting movement behind and around it. Some cameras will allow you to do this using ‘night mode’.

ZoomingPhoto by espion
* Reverse the Zoom zooming in on a subject can give a different result than zooming out, especially if your subject is moving and depending upon whether you pause at the beginning and or end of the zoom. Experiment with both.
* Partial Zoom some zoom lenses have very wide focal lengths. I have a friend with a 28-200 zoom and he finds that using the zoom effect can be too much if he starts at one end and goes right to the other. For starters he can’t maintain a smooth zoom over that focal length but also it’s just too much motion for one image. Instead it can be more effective to only zoom part of your focal length range. If you have a 28 200mm try zooming from 28-100mm or from 80-200mm or even smaller ranges.

Most of all have fun with the zoom effect and experiment.

You’ll only really work out what works with your camera and photographic situation when you give it a go and tweak your approach as you go.

Read more from our Digital Photography Techniques Category

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/using-the-zoom-effect#ixzz0SnRbLl4o

 

[elmo]

ito ung intro dapat pala he he...


How to Get ‘That Zoom Effect’

by Guest Contributor

Here’s a quick tip on using the ‘zoom effect’ from one of our great forum members ‘morts‘ (also check out his Flickr Stream and Photography blog).

Anime Styley

It’s quick, it’s dirty and it’s REALLY REALLY EASY.

1. Frame your shot how you want it to appear
2. Set exposure to something greater than 0.5s
3. Mash shutter butan
4. Twist the zoom ring to zoom in or out slightly
5. Observe
6. Repeat if unhappy
7. Be pleased with yourself
8. Drink a pint

Here’s another example I shot a while back:

Primrose Hill Lights 3

Further Reading: for a little more depth on this topic check out our previous article - Mastering the Zoom Effect.

Read more from our Other Photography Tips Category

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-get-that-zoom-effect#ixzz0SnlCSaRY

 

[elmo]

Posing Tips for Portraits - Shoulders

by Darren Rowse

Head-And-Shoulders-PortraitPhoto by Sara Heinrichs

When taking head shot and upper body portraits of people one simple posing tip that I’ve picked up over the years is to angle the shoulders of your subject rather than to have them even or squared in your shot.

While the shoulders might not seem like an important aspect of a portrait they can actually set the tone for an image as they’re the widest part of your subject and they are visually what the main point of focus for your image (the head) is sitting upon.

Genearlly speaking, angling the shoulders slightly gives you shot balance and helps lead your viewer’s eye into the shot towards your main focal point. It also stops your subject seeming out of proportion as it lessons the width of the shoulders slightly.

Getting this effect might mean actually getting your subject to lean in one direction or another or it could simply mean getting them to turn their body a little so you’re not photographing them directly front on. Another technique can be to frame your subject slightly off center so that one shoulder is actually out of the frame.

Some believe that in positioning your subjects shoulders make the one closest to camera the lower of the two - but I’ve found that you can get an interesting effect by doing it the other way around too.

Of course - this isn’t a hard and fast rule and sometimes the completely front on symmetrical shot can leave a shot can have a very powerful (and often confronting) impact upon your readers also. So as always - experiment with posing your subject in a variety of ways and see what works best for you and your subject.

Check out more discussion on Portrait Photography check out the Photographing People Section in our Forums.

Here are a few shots that illustrate some of the different ways to angle shoulders to avoid the front on look.

Head-ShouldersPhoto by phil h
Portrait-SholdersPhoto by stoneth

Read more from our Portrait Photography Category

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/posing-tips-for-portraits-shoulders#ixzz0SnnzKTAd

 

[che123]

wow!

bute nalang nahanap ko to!!

nag uumpisa na kong magustuhan ang photography..

kakabili ko lang ng nikon d90 ko and im still enjoying it!!

nice thread!!

 

[elmo]

wow!

bute nalang nahanap ko to!!

nag uumpisa na kong magustuhan ang photography..

kakabili ko lang ng nikon d90 ko and im still enjoying it!!

nice thread!!

welcome!! sana ma apply mo tips..

 

[elmo]

update lang..

medyo busy na din ehh


12 More Photography Quotes You Should Know
from Digital Photography School by Darren Rowse
15 people liked this

A couple of months ago here at DPS we ran a post with 10 photography quotes from famous photographers that photographers should know.

Below I’ll share more photography quotes worth knowing but first - one of our readers (Ryan Coleman) put together the 10 quotes into a more visual form:
10 Photography Quotes that You Should Know
View more presentations from Ryan Coleman Design & Consulting | Freelance Information Designer & Facilitator.

Our previous article was really popular and one of the things that happened as a result of it was that readers went on to suggest a whole lot of other photography quotes that they thought were knowing.

Here’s a compilation of some of the best of those quotes that were submitted by readers (listed in no particular order):

1. “Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” - Peter Lindbergh (submitted by Brian)
2. “The important thing is not the camera but the eye.” - Alfred Eisenstaedt (submitted by Beate)
3. “There are two people in every photograph: the photographer and the viewer” - Ansel Adams (submitted by Scott)
4. “To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms that give that event its proper expression.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson (submitted by Kelly Anne)
5. “I always thought good photos were like good jokes. If you have to explain it, it just isn’t that good.” - Anonymous (submitted by Mei Teng)
6. “If your photographs aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” - Robert Cappa (submitted by Eddy) (note: as Matt pointed out in comments, Robert Cappa sadly died from stepping on a land mine ‘It is possible to get too close!’
7. “A lot of photographers think that if they buy a better camera they’ll be able to take better photographs. A better camera won’t do a thing for you if you don’t have anything in your head or in your heart.” -Arnold Newman (submitted by Matt Needham)
8. “Pictures, regardless of how they are created and recreated, are intended to be looked at. This brings to the forefront not the technology of imaging, which of course is important, but rather what we might call the eyenology (seeing).” -Henri Cartier-Bresson (submitted by Matt Needham)
9. “The word ‘art’ is very slippery. It really has no importance in relation to one’s work. I work for the pleasure, for the pleasure of the work, and everything else is a matter for the critics.” -Manuel Alvarez Bravo (submitted by Matt Needham)
10. “People say photographs don’t lie, mine do.” -David LaChapelle (submitted by Matt Needham)
11. “The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it.” - Ansel Adams (submitted by raisingladders)
12. “You cannot depend on your eyes if your imagination is out of focus” - Mark Twain (submitted by dannyboy)

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

12 More Photography Quotes You Should Know

 

[elmo]

natabunan na...

ito po update about flash

A Beginner’s Guide to Flash Photography
Modifying the Light of Flash
By BENJAMIN RIVERA
October 13, 2009, 1:58pm

Before we begin our lesson, let us take a look back to our topics covered in the past 24 months. (It is recalled that the first issue of this topic – “A Beginner’s Guide to Flash Photography” came out on October 30, 2007). So far, we have discussed in great detail every operating mode and many special features of the portable electronic flash that a budding photographer must know. With the awesome features and versatility of today’s current models, it is agreeable to say that this portable lighting gear is the most advanced gadget you covet next to digital camera.

State of the art as it may, yet true blooded artist-photographers realized that the light emitted by the electronic flash is not exactly the kind of lighting they yearn for. This ‘state-of-the-art gadget’ must still be improved in order to suit the quality of light the artist-photographers need. To fully understand their dilemma, we provided a list below:

1. The sharp and hard characteristic of emitted light of the electronic flash is not very well suited to use in portrait and other special application work.

2. The light of flash owing to its sharp and harsh quality has never been perfect to use in all shooting condition. Shooting with flash on very high contrast subject forces the photographer to compromise with exposure. These conditions often result in noisy deep shadows and wash-out highlights.

3. Even with a good external flash unit (one with a tilt/swivel head) at best, it could only provide illumination that is blasted, flat looking – essentially similar to point-and-shoot photos.

4. At a color temperature of 550 degrees Kelvin, its color is balanced for most subject, but may not be the best quality suited for – in terms of capturing warm skin tones desired by portrait photographers.
With these observations, smart photographers modify the quality of the light coming from their shoe-mount flash units and make huge improvement of their images. And there it goes, it was learned that the dilemma can be solved with two solutions: Problems 1, 2, and 3 can be solved by diffusing the light of flash; problem number 4 can be settled by employing colored plastic gel and/or colored filters.

Light Modifiers

Basically, a light modifier is anything that alters the light coming from the flash unit, either in form or in color. Normally, it is an accessory designed to work with hot shoe-mounted external flash units for DSLRs (or studio AC mains powered strobe). Photographers needing softer and more evenly lit flash photos look to a specific group of light modifiers known as diffusers.

DIFFUSER - The simplest and most basic form of diffusion is to use a tilting-head flash. It allows the flash head of the unit to be pointed upward or sideways to bounce light off of the ceiling or wall. The bounced light from the ceiling or wall provides a soft light illumination to the subject – thereby giving soft shadows.

Other diffusers are flash accessories that promise similar or even better results than the basic bouncing method – working in conjunction with external flash units to diffuse the light up, and be dispersed evenly. Some diffusers are also designed to provide bounce-like results outdoors, in rooms with high ceilings, or anywhere else that traditional flash bouncing is not possible.

Light modifiers designed for shoe mount strobes have been among the fastest growing types of photographic accessories for the past few years. Different models and make are now available in our local stores. For better appreciation, here are few models lifted from the net for the readers’ reference.

Light modifiers change the quality or color of the light.

• Gels - are used to adjust the lights color temperature and/or hue
Soft-boxes - increase the area or size of the light, thus softening it.
• Umbrella - acts as a highly portable, though less efficient, soft-boxes.
• Snoot - is an attachment to reduce the width of the beam.
• Diffusers - are used with portable flash either supplied, or purchased separately .
• Reflectors - reflect the light and are the most ubiquitous light-modifiers. They are often used for fill and are the only light modifiers which can be used with available light photography. Reflectors can be matt or silver, and can be colored to alter the white balance of the subject.

For comments, suggestions, and contributions, please call 5278121 local 384 or 5253085 or e-mail at [email protected]

link

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/224479/a-beginner-s-guide-flash-photography

 

[elmo]

Reflections – Reflectors and Available Light Photography
from Digital Photography School by Elizabeth Halford

A Novel Use for Reflectors (Image by mamma tang)



Note to self: tin foil does NOT make a good reflector unless your subject is blind or wants to be.

Aaaah the magical power of reflectors. Reflectors are an amazing, versatile and cheap solution to most natural light photography problems and also have their place in the studio although here, I’m going to stick to information on how to use reflectors in natural, available-light photography.

Reflectors do exactly what they say on the box: reflect light. They are used to aim light into the dark spots on a subject to fill them with light and diffuse unwanted shadows. As we read recently in Veronique da Silva’s post on available light photography, we can get stunning results when we position models back-to-the-sun and place ourselves facing the sun. To combat the subject being a back-lit silhouette, you can use reflectors to fill in and aim the light where you want. The result is a subject beautifully lit by the sun from both the front and the back.

What is ‘available light’?

I once had a photographer tell me he ‘only shoots available’ yet ‘always uses a flash’. I explained that available light means you only use the light which is naturally available and he replied, “yeah, but I have a flash so it’s available.” Fair enough as photographer Eugene Smith is famously quoted as having said that available light is “any damn light that’s available”. So let’s just define what this traditionally means.

Wikipedia defines ‘available light’ as: “…sources of light that are already available naturally (e.g. the sun, moon, lightning) or artificial light already being used (e.g. to light a room). It generally excludes flashes.” It’s not uncommon for photographers to get snobby about whether they are available only or strobe only and blah blah blah. But I just wanted to lay that foundation so you know where I am coming from even though not everyone will agree with my definition

reflector

Reflectors can be purchased or made of any reflective material such as poster board, a baker’s cookie sheet, a painter’s canvas or fabric. Although I wouldn’t recommend tin foil pointed directly at the noon sun (long story)! They can be round or rectangular, massive or small. The colour of your reflector will alter the light quality and can be used for different effects as follows:

* Gold – creates warm tones and makes your subject’s skin appear a bit more tanned
* White - Neutral colour effect. Gathers the existing light and softly fills in shadows to light your subject. Great for brides because they don’t alter the white of the dress.
* Blue – Cool tones
* Silver – Neutral in colour although brighter than white


Reflectors also produce flattering catchlights.

Reflectors which you purchase come in a wide range of sizes and effects. And if you don’t want to pay an assistant to stand and hold your reflector, Interfit makes really cheap and handy stands to hold them for you! Lastolite makes a triangular reflector with a comfortable grip handle which (in theory) could be held by the photographer him/herself if necessary.

12309In the reflector family, there are other items used to manipulate the light. These include black reflectors which do the opposite of reflect – they absorb stray light and translucent panels which can be used above the subject to diffuse harsh sunlight (much like a convenient film of clouds over the sun). You can even get huge translucent panels on stands under which you can place your subjects. I imagine these would be a must for wedding photographers who are forced to shoot outside, especially if you live in bright places like my native Florida. Not too necessary here in England where we should always travel with a panel to protect subjects from the rain!

For every problem which presents itself in the world of photography, there is an answer albeit usually expensive! However, reflectors offer massive benefits in exchange for a very small (and sometimes free) expense.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

Reflections – Reflectors and Available Light Photography



update lang

 

[elmo]

How to Photograph Flowers
from Digital Photography School by Darren Rowse

FlowerPhoto H@Ru

Earlier in the week I had the chance to sit down with a photographer whose specialty is photographing flowers. As I tend to do with pro photographers – picked his brain as we chatted and took as many notes as I could. Here’s what I gleaned from him and his flower photography experience:

By the way – he also recommended two flower photography books – Photographing Flowers: Inspiration*Equipment*Technique by Sue Bishop and Field Guide To Photographing Flowers by Rokach
Preparation is key

Getting your gear together and in working order, choosing the right lens, having a tripod set up and then preparing to take the image. Pause and examine your subject before pressing the shutter. Some questions to ask:

* how to crop it – get in close or take a wider angle shot?
* what is the focal point/point of interest? Insect, stem, colour, texture, shape etc?
* what angle will you shoot from to get the best perspective?
* how much depth of field do you want?
* how is the subject lit?
* which flower is the best specimen for your photo?
* what distractions are there in the background and foreground?
* which is the best format to shoot in? (horizontal or vertical)

FlowersPhoto Ozyman
Highlighting subjects

One of the questions above is worth a little extra consideration – ‘what distractions are there in the background and foreground?’

Gardens are filled with all kinds of potential distractions. They might be the tool shed, a fence, other flowers, the clothes line etc. A decision needs to be made whether you want to include these elements or remove them from your shot. Either option is legitimate but in most cases you’ll probably want to remove them unless they in some way enhance your shot. There are a number of options open to you if you want to remove distractive elements:

* move them – some distractions can be moved pretty easily so that they’re not in your frame
* move yourself – find a new angle to shoot from that has a less distracting background
* crop them out - go for a tighter framing of the flower either by using a zoom or moving physically closer to it
* use aperture to narrow depth of field – as we highlighted in our introduction to aperture, if you choose a wider aperture (small numbers) you’ll decrease the depth of field. As you do this you make elements in the foreground and background more and more out of focus.
* move your subject - I’m not a big fan of intervening in a scene too much but some photographers will move the flower to a new location for the shot. This might include getting someone to hold the stem on a different angle or could even mean picking the flower and taking it elsewhere. If you’re going to do this make sure you are aware of the environmental impact of your photography.

Flower-2Photo rosemary*
Don’t ignore the dead, marked or dying flower

Sometimes carcasses of flowers can present you with wonderful subject matter. While the perfect flower is the one you’ll probably be drawn to first sometimes the more interesting shot is the ‘ugly duckling’ beside it.

Identify a focal point

As in all types of photography you need to think about where you want your viewers eye to be drawn. Consider setting it off centre using the rule of thirds – but do find something in your frame that will grab your viewer’s eye and carefully think about how to position it.

Go abstract

Sometimes going in extra close and focussing in on a part of the flower can create wonderful and unusual images that take on an abstract quality. Look for contrasting colors, patterns and textures.

Flowers-PhotographyPhoto Auntie P
Focus is Key
Sharp focus is important in all forms of photography but in flower Macro photography it is crucial and even a tiny adjustment can have massive implications for your shot as the depth of field is so small. In macro photography your depth of field is a game of millimetres so attention to detail in focussing is something to be worked upon.

Identify the point of interest that you want to be in focus and then work hard to ensure that it’s as sharp as possible. This can be a real challenge, especially outdoors on breezy days where you’ll probably end up taking a lot of images and relying on luck to some degree! You can improve your ‘luck’ a little by photographing in a more controlled environment (taking flowers inside for studio shots, shielding them from wind or just choosing to do your photography on a still day).

photographing flowersPhoto StarLisa
Lighting

Ideally your subject will be wonderfully lit without you needing to offer any assistance, however the world of outdoor macro photography is often far from ideal and there might be a need to intervene with either artificial light or some kind of reflector.

Using a flash is something to experiment with. Generally you’ll find that direct flash on automatic mode might wash photos out a little so consider using a flash diffuser and/or bouncing your flash off another object. I find that the more subtle and indirect the flash is the more natural your shots will look.

Reflectors can also be handy in shooting flowers as they give a nice, natural, diffused light into areas of your subject that might not be getting natural sunlight. Experiment with different colored reflectors as they can really impact the colors in your shot.

Flower-PhotographyPhoto rosemary*
Lenses

Point and Shoot Cameras – if you’re shooting with a point and shoot camera with no interchangeable lenses you’ll obviously have less options here. You will probably have the ability to switch your camera into macro mode (which will allow you to focus a little closer and will tell the camera to use a large aperture giving you a shallow depth of field). Some point and shoot cameras do have the option of a macro lens attachment also to allow closer focussing (see your owners manual).

DSLRs – if you have a camera that allows interchangeable lenses (DSLR and some prosumer cameras) you might like to consider buying a purpose built macro lens. Most of the major camera manufacturers offer a range of them. For example offers a number including ones at focal lengths of 50mm, 60mm, 100mm (the one I own), 180mm etc. Each will have it’s own specifications and strengths (do some careful research before buying). Obviously a shorter focal length means you need to get physically closer to your subject to really hone in on your subject while longer ones allow you to shoot from further back (helpful when photographing insects).

I hope that you’ve found the above notes from my chat with a Pro Flower Photographer helpful. We did cover a lot more ground but I can only type so fast! Feel free to add your own flower photography tips in comments below.

Don’t forget to check out the two books on flower photography – Photographing Flowers: Inspiration*Equipment*Technique by Sue Bishop and Field Guide To Photographing Flowers by Rokach.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

How to Photograph Flowers

 

[bhooooooookk]

Ganda sana nitong pag aralan..
interesado pa naman ako sa photography,
kaya lang wala akong cam na maganda, digicam lang and cam ng mobile phone gamit ko..
pero naaapply ko naman ung mga nabasa ko dito.. TS

 

[Tobi]

Gusto ko rin sana sa mga pictures eh kaso mahal yata yung camera na ginagamit dyan hahahaha

 

[adieman]

actually, kahit anong camera naman pde mong gamitin.. ang pagkakaiba lang ay sa DSLR, kasi may ibang shots kang di pdeng gawin sa ibang camera..

anyway, kinukuha ko ang subject na ito sa UPLB.. heheh.. Devc 140 "Basic Photography"

 

[Tobi]

Wala man akong alam dyan...
parang nagagandahan kasi ako eh gusto ko din sana..

 

[eiZeru]

bookmarked it..! photography enthusiast here..! Ü
kahit siguro maganda point and shoot camera pwede na di ba..?

 

[elmo]

UP KO LANG!!..update ko ito mamaya

 

[em4d]

Nice,ang dami dami kong natutunan ngayon
ang ganda sanang magphotography kaso wala akong money na pagaralin sa mga school na UP,ADMU,LSU,etc

nice.

 

[mike013]

im using EOS 1000D with 18-85mm EFS
wanna see my photos? here oh click Me

ask me anything about photography and ttry ko sagutin lahat XD

 

[elmo]

sa wakas...ito na po update

25 Spectacular Light Painting Images
from Digital Photography School by Darren Rowse
100+ people liked this

Light Painting in its many forms has been a growing trend on Flickr and other photo sharing sites in the last couple of years.

These images are attention grabbing and full of amazing color, movement and detail. In this post we share 25 examples to inspire you.

Image by brentbat

These great images come from a variety of talented photographers including Brent Pearson (his image is above) who has written a great resource touching on the topic – Night Photography and Light Painting (one of the few resources we highly recommend).

Image by sebastien.b

 

[elmo]

An Interview with Set Designer Raffy Tesoro
from Digital Photography School by Darren Rowse
11 people liked this

In this post Dustin Carbonera interviews Set Designer Raffy Tesoro. Raffy has answered a number of questions as well as walking us through some of the shots he’s been involved with creating sets for.

Raffy.jpg

Everybody seems to be into photography nowadays. Everyone wants to be the person behind the lens and capture a beautiful frame. Everyone wants to be that person who’ll be praised by people because he was able to come up with a perfect shot, of course, with the help of the oh-so-powerful Photoshop.

Sadly, it seems that the name of the game today (for some) is not really how well you do in Photoshop, not how well you know how to get a good shot. For example, we need a surreal set for a model. We shoot a model and render a nice background. Less hassle, and faster processing, and viola! A nice photograph.

Then comes Raffy Tesoro– a man who I can say is the Creator…of set designs. He is a man in between worlds; a man who knows and loves to build his set by hand, but does not fail to see the ease of using a 3D world. I had a wonderful chance of interviewing him online and learned so much about a world not ventured by most.

As note, I did not edit his answers as they were perfect as they are, at least we get a grasp of Raffy Tesoro on a more personal approach.

1. How did you start in this industry? Why did you choose this path?

I guess I was just born into it. My parents are both artists. My mom is a fashion designer and my dad is a lawyer by trade but an actor & theatre denizen by heart. So I was learning how to bead and embroider when I was a kid and just kept moving on from there. As for production design specifically, I got into it because my friend Jay Tablante sort of egged me on into it. I started by making one set because I was bored and he thought I should just do it regularly. I think I was too stupid at the time to say no… and here we are. All in all I think that the path chose me more than I chose it.

0A9Z3754 copy.jpg

Art Endures – I made this shot in November 2008 with Jay Tablante. I wanted to show how beauty and art can and will survive the test of time. My reference was how archeologists dig up bones and pieces of the past. Clues to our history through art… which basically is the only thing that does survive. Well in this case… what if they uncovered a beauty untouched by time? To give it a sense of realism… I buried the model in 200 kilos of sand, flour and cornstarch. Then the rest was posted in.



* Photography: Jay Tablante
* Hair & Makeup: Lanie Acedilio for Paul & Joe
* FA: Genald Tungol for Whitewall Industries
* Model: Nadine Howell

2. Humble beginnings, a little history of who you are. Perhaps background on how were you as a kid?

Growing up was different for me. When most kids were out playing, I was helping my mom make clothes. At 12 or 13 I decided to try doing events and shows full time so I asked my mom’s director, Ogee Atos, if I could apprentice. I was basically juggling school, fashion shows, pageants, design and a whole gamut of things. Somewhere in between I was a bouncer, a dyer, a t-shirt maker, a talent agent, a bum, a secretary… whatever.. It seems like a lot of rubbish at the time and I was definitely finding my way through life but I wouldn’t change it for anything. All these experiences help me with my work, my passion and my outlook in like.

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Rogue – This was for Jay’s exhibit. He wanted to make something interesting so I suggested doing a comic book character. Together with Gelo Lico, we came up with this concept. It was kinda fun! I had to make that pillar and break it up so it would look more realistic. Gelo came up with the layout and I figured out the storyline and look.

* Photography: Jay Tablante
* FA/AD: Gelo Lico
* Model: Rhian Howell

3. Raffy Tesoro is synonymous to…?

Strange. That’s about it really…. ask my friends. I never get anything normal in this life.

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Rock & Roll – Nadine wanted a kinda rock & roll concept for herself. So I took inspiration from the old Rolling Stone mag covers and came up with this.

* Photography: Wesley Villarica for Parallax Studios.
* Model: Nadine Howell

4. Set design is…?



…is all about creating a world. May it be a glimpse, a touch… or an entire panoramic view of reality and/or fantasy. Production designers like to joke that our job was the first one ever since God created a world to his liking… lol. But yes, we create time (periods, timelines, etc.), space (rooms, worlds, props,) ideas (genres, concepts, fantasies) and whatever else. Production design isn’t only about making things to be placed in the physical aspect of the job… but also to design an aesthetic and create concepts that are pertinent to the work at hand. Its more mental than menial but don’t let that fool you… there’s a lot of hard, dirty, hands on work involved. PDs are usually the first on the set and the last to leave… plus there’s a lot of prep time before construction even starts. Photogs usually just have to show up and set lights, or MUAs just need to bring their kit and brushes. We’re there hours, even days before anyone else is. I’m not saying that our work is more important than anyone else’s in the team… but rather, everyone has to realize that each profession has its requirements. This one is ours. Gotta put in more time than the others.

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My Sorrow – This one was totally on the fly. Well okay not really… I made the mask and had the idea in mind… the execution of it was a bit of a bitch tho. We ended up using one light and even that was gobo’d. I wanted to convey a feeling of sadness and solitude with this but not make it come out so much in the expression. Actually the mask was there to show how we conceal our true emotions especially when it comes to our own sorrow.

* Photography: Genald Tungol of Whitewall Industries
* Model: Karen Pamintuan
* Makeup: Noel Flores

5. I think your Flickr site is just a little glimpse of your work and they sure are mind-blowing. How do you come up with these ideas? Any weird rituals before coming up with a design? Any memorable story?

Guh I really need to update my flickr more often. I just think them up! Okay that’s not the whole story but in a nutshell that’s how it goes. I can just be watching TV and I just start thinking that it would be fun to make people fly naked through clouds of creamy cocoa. But no… its more like a product of just being immersed in the arts for so long. The experiences, the lessons, aesthetics, rules, etc… all go in and out in a flash but leave a mark on the idea. A good example of this is a story I heard about this big company that wanted to update their logo… so they hired a very talented big name graphics designer to do it. During the preliminary meeting, she was doodling on a napkin while they were talking about what they wanted the new logo to signify. So at the end of the meeting she showed them her napkin doodle and voila… there was their logo. They loved it. But they didn’t want to pay her so much since they thought… she just scribbled on a napkin! To which she said that this design didn’t come out of thin air. Sure it was made out of nothing really… but behind it, her experiences, her travels, her studies, etc. That cost her a lot of time, money and personal investment. That’s what they were paying for. Her Vision. And this is something that most people don’t realize about artists. We may create something out of nothing… but that nothing had to come out of something.

As for my stories…. well… they’re just too weird to be published I think. Sometimes people think I make it up… but truth IS stranger than fiction sometimes…

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Power – This is part of my personal headshot project. I’m doing a series of head shots that convey a word and a story. I get actors to do the shots and work out the emotions pertinent to the word then get my team together to create the setting, graphics, styling, makeup and whatnot in order to complete the effect. This one is “Power”. I wanted to show how the use of colors, effects, layout and placement could control people’s minds. It’s a very effective tool used by authoritarian regimes.

* Model: Gino de la Peña
* Photography: Jay Tablante
* Makeup: Noel Flores
* Styling: Raffy Tesoro
* Graphics: Gelo Lico
* Concept: Raffy Tesoro

6. How is it working with one of the best fashion photographers (referring to Jay Tablante) in the local scene?

They’re the best? Wahahaha! No really, they are. I mean… with the likes of Jay Tablante, Wesley Villarica, Doc Marlon, Genald Tungol, Erik Liongoren, Dix Reyes, Neal Oshima, Wig Tysmans, Dominique James… All these guys are awesome.. I just can’t see how it can’t be fun and productive. But we can’t overlook the rest of the team either. The makeup artists like Omar Ermita, Xeng Zulueta, Josa Primero, or stylists like Hannah Sison, Guada Reyes… models, designers, art directors, graphics designers, and whoever else. I mean I could name all the guys I’ve worked with but that’s gonna be a long and boring read. Regardless, they’re all an intrinsic and important part of the project. You may have a great photog but if your model is bleh… you’ve got a problem. OR a lousy MUA but the model is drop dead gorgeous… still won’t work so well. We are only as strong as our weakest link after all.

It tends to spoil you in some ways since you can just pull something out of your ass creatively and they’ll understand you immediately. God knows how many times I’ve done that to a newbie and they would just stare at me, completely flummoxed by whatever insanity I was spouting out at the time. They all have their styles, their quirks and their perceptions… but what makes them good and talented is their versatility, smarts, creativity and experience. It’s hard to make anything that would please yourself if the people you’re working with can’t execute the vision to your liking. That’s just how it is. I’d like to think I give them the same options as well. Most of the time.

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Strings – Did this shot with Jay Tablante and a bunch of other photogs for our Singapore workshop. I created a concept for them where I wanted pure elegance… like timeless jewelry shots… but using only the simplest of materials… like white thread.

* Photography: Jay Tablante
* Model: Rhian howell

7. Any favorite style (?) that is you see is prominent in your work. It’s like if we see ___________, that’s Raffy Tesoro.

I don’t think I have any defining style really… other than that I like detail. Not just detail in the sense that oooh there’s so many things going on… but more like how the whole thing was thought up down to the last few bits here and there. I have some pretty ornate stuff and I also have a good number of minimalist work… since for me even the lack of detail is a detail in itself, as long as you thought about it first. Plus I always need a story or an idea in the shot. If it doesn’t than its just a snapshot, no matter what it is. Unless your concept WAS to make a snapshot…

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Temple Warrior – Made this for a fashion show some time back. Decided to give it an amazon feel… and like she was guarding something important. Heh.

* Photography: Jay Tablante
* Makeup: Omar Ermita
* Model: Michelle Fedalto

8. Opinion on the digital age: with advanced (?) technology on our side now, we can make sets through clicking. Some photographers even use shoot the model and render a 3D background. Any thoughts on this?

Not that keen about it. I don’t hate photoshop or digitech. They are tools just like any other. The beef I have with it is that its extremely abused and creates a veneer of laziness in everyone. I just love (insert sarcasm here) how people would shoot something… then when they check the LCD and see things off here and there… they’d just say, “oh we can photoshop that” instead of fixing it in situ. If that was the case… I’d solve every design problem with my favourite tool as well: A hammer. “Oh… wall’s not in the right place. A hammer can fix that.” Or, “Hey the model’s not in her light. No prob… gimme my hammer..” See what I mean?

Any good piece of art has to be convincing… and that means there has to be a healthy balance of all the skills, talents, tools and ideas involved. I use graphics if the shot calls for it. Same way that I call for a nude if I think the concept needs it as well more than “oh… the model’s hot, let’s strip her.” Believe me I’ve heard that line waaaay more times than I’d like to. But yes, there is a reason to making art… and doing it well means you have to draw the audience into the world you’re creating. A one-sided world made by one tool or thing usually doesn’t make it very appealing. Despite the fact that most who look are laymen, always remember that everyone has the capacity to detect a lie. If you look at it in a certain way, all forms of art are lies. So be a good fibber.

I’m a huge advocate of learning the old techniques. It instills discipline and a deeper understanding for the craft. I usually explain this to people when they question why I push for this by telling them about my Zombie theory. Imagine that you’re in a reaaaaaalllly bad B-movie situation where you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere and a gazillion shuffling zombies are comin round lookin for a lovely brrraaaaaainnns buffet. Guess what… you’re on the menu! This scene is never complete without managing to escape long enough to find a decrepit barn with a battered Ford inside. YOU’RE SAVED!!! Except when you discover that its a stick shift and you’ve only ever driven an automatic. Poor, poor you. Hope you find a shotgun…. except… dammit you don’t know how to reload the thing since the only time you’ve EVER used a firearm was for Time Crisis 2. And the list goes on and on…

Bottom line is: don’t gimp yourself by not learning the old ways. Yes, technology has made things more convenient, but to deny oneself of a proper learning experience isn’t good for the artistic technique or creative output. Its part of earning a proper education in whatever career you’re passionate about.

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Priscilla – This was for a men’s magazine that never launched. Got our friend Priscilla to model for us… and when I got to the venue I found out that it was basically a blank hut made out of concrete and steel pipes. So I had to make do with some wood, cloth and whatever else I could find to make this into something shootable.

* Photography: Wesley Villarica for Parallax Studio
* Model: Priscilla Mereilles
* Styling: Rachel Lisbeth So

9. (Cliche question, well, all of them are) Tips for the starters in this field?

Sure… this one’s easy. Don’t get into it. LOL. Unless you’re passionate enough, stupid enough and stubborn enough to really want to… then go ahead! I’m just saying this because a lot of people want to get into PD, Fashion, Photography, etc… because it’s hip, cool, fun… whatever. Sure it’s all that. But behind it is a LOT of hard work and a lot of heartache. Be prepared for it and don’t bitch when you find out the hard way. That’s just how life is. Well okay you can bitch from time to time but every artist needs to cultivate patience, discipline, mental stamina, open-mindedness, morality and thick skin with a thick skull to match. People are either going to love your work or hate it… but I take both as a compliment. The worst thing that any artist can hear is when their work doesn’t illicit an opinion at all. Ouch.

There’s that and there’s that one other uber-important aspect: Education. PDs need to know a lot about construction, safety, materials, surfaces, textures, spacial reasoning, etc… but you also need to know a little about everything. You’re creating a world after all, down to the pots and pans, nails, bedbugs and whatever else is there no matter how big or small. Like I said… you’re a god… even if its for a little while.

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Wedding Essentials – Did this for Wedding Essentials magazine. Made a few paintings for it and set the theme… kinda like sitting in an art gallery or something.

* Photography: Jay Tablante

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.