July 8th, 2010
A cookie in photography is short for cookaloris. It’s a technique where you shoot your flash through something with holes so the light that goes through creates a textured shadow. For example you can aim your light source at a piece of plywood, that has a bunch of random cut holes like this. Instead of an evenly lit background you can achieve a more varied image with shadows and highlights.
I like to use natural light as much as I can. In this one I’ve consciously used the shadows created by the sun coming through the trees as basically a gigantic cookie. Highlights and shadows create a patterned texture on the grass adding lots of depth to this photo. The red and green make for a great contrast. Flashes coming in from left and right, both at 1/2 power. One light to highlight Falon’s wavy hair and another one to create a rim light on her long legs.
Above: Falon Shrokman
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July 8th, 2010
Sorry I haven’t updated this blog for a while. I have been so busy watching the World Cup football games I can’t get any work done! But it appears my home country (The Netherlands) is going to the finals in Johannesburg!!!!! We even beat Brazil in the quarter finals. Come watch the World Cup final on Sunday. I don’t care whether you’re Italian, Argentinian, or Germanian, on Sunday you can all be Dutch. And you better be wearing orange! Unless you’re Spanish of course.
Above: Star Winters
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May 18th, 2010
It’s fun to shoot in old warehouses. You can walk around and discover cool little spots to photograph everywhere. We’re in front of an old freight elevator here which I thought would make a great backdrop.
I like the way the light falls on Amber’s hair. A little more than just a rim light, but not too much and some shadows are being cast on her face. Speedlites camera left and right. I forget what settings. Oops!
Above: Amber Curia
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May 10th, 2010
This blog usually functions as a journal for my photography endeavors, but I’m quite excited about this next project and figured it’s somewhat related that I decided to throw it in.
For the past three months architects and engineers students at the University of Pennsylvania have been working together on building mechatronic devices (think robots) to interact with actors in a play. Etudes were created and are loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s dream. They will be performed this Saturday by the Pig Iron Theatre Troupe at the Harold Prince Theater of the Annenberg Center.
The very avant-garde Pig Iron Theatre Troupe is highly renowned so we are lucky to work with them and Shakespeare was a rad hipster in his day so brush up on them here and here.
Being a roboticist by day and photographer by night I’m always interested in mixing the art and engineering disciplines. Often though when I look around and find these two disciplines combined it dilutes the two and the sum is less than the parts. The result usually being mediocre engineering and crappy art. It is difficult to find the right balance in which one discipline not only does not take away from the other, but that it actually enhances.
Adding technology may be fun for engineers, but may not work theatrically. What architects want to do, may not work engineering wise. Were we able to additively combine engineering with architecture with theatre? I’ll let you decide for yourself. Reserve your tickets here.
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March 10th, 2010
Photographers always get front row seats. Or we get to hang out backstage with the band. But what’s best is that sometime we get hired and get our own private show.
Above: Timaree Schmit
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January 7th, 2010
Meet my parents and my little brother. From left to right: Budiman, Marijetti and Johnny Sastra.
You must see these at higher resolution: papa, mama, the prince.
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December 7th, 2009
The great things about kids is that they are so expressive. They seem to be in their own little world. Unlike grownups they don’t mind getting their picture taken. They’re not so self conscious and they’re usually not that shy.
I like to get down on one knee when I photograph them to make myself shorter and see the world from their perspective. This little man below was being spun around by his dad. I tried blurring the background to emphasize that.
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November 26th, 2009
Today is Thanksgiving day so let’s give thanks to God and express our gratitude for all that he’s given us. Here’s some more single strobe hyperrealism. My gift to you.
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