Naina Redhu : Blog » photoshop

Photographs and Post-Production

Naina Redhu — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:45:55 +0000

If you’ve seen any of my photography, you know I’m in unconditional love with Post-Processing my images in Adobe Photoshop. Just as an example, this is how a typical image progresses. [ Of course each image is tweaked individually so no automated-actions. And post-processing would obviously depend on what I'm trying to achieve - sometimes the goal is to simply make the photograph more attractive and sometimes it is to achieve a particular look - vintage, retro, lights maybe, etc. and sometimes to create more focus on a particular element of the photograph. Most of my photographs or shoots are unplanned - more creative latitude. ]

I like the last one as the final. Don’t ask me why. If I like it a lot, I might post it to Flickr. In this case, I did post it to my Flickr Photostream.

How to become a photographer…

Naina Redhu — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:50:55 +0000

Shoot. Photoshop. Shoot. Network. Shoot. Talk. Shoot. Smile. Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Shoot.

That’s me in the mirror with my Fuji SLR film camera. I’ve used it for two commercial shoots.

When you’re starting and have no experience doing a commercial shoot, don’t diss another photographers work in THEIR face.

You don’t ever have ‘nothing’ in your portfolio. No commercial shoot? No trouble. Ask someone getting married if you can shoot their wedding. Ask someone who has a pretty house if you can spend eight hours shooting their living quarters – don’t forget to spend time first observing the place. Ask. Ask. Ask. The worst that will happen is that they will say ‘No’.

Photographers had their own darkrooms earlier, they used film and they were good with their art. You have the advantage of technology. You don’t need to invest in rolls of film or developing and printing costs anymore. You don’t need physical space for a darkroom. You do need to have the ‘eye’ for good composition & color. You do need to be more observant and you can carry your camera with you all the time.

Equipment DOES matter but only when you’re shooting for an advertorial that will finally be put up on a billboard or hoarding. If you’re starting out and investing in equipment, you’re wasting your money.

Don’t be a prick with all the supposed ‘attitude’ and arrogance. Be nice.

If you like the way something or someone looks, shoot. Wherever possible, ask for permission – nicely.

That’s me taking a break while shooting an Annual Conference for ICICI at Kumarakom, Kerala. On a boat in Lake Vembanad.

You can learn most of the technicalities involved in photography, but you can’t learn the art in it [ that's my personal opinion ]. You can’t learn how to breathe soul into a photograph. If the capture is no good, Photoshop isn’t going to save the photograph. And once you do get that commercial shoot and that first client who trusts you as a photographer, shoot. Industrial shoots where you’re shooting a factory floor, advertorials where you might be required to shoot a model or a spread for a magazine, food photography, portraits, being a wedding photographer – find what makes you passionate and focus – but don’t stop shooting everything else – the insights or ideas you sometimes get while shooting your least favorite setup can give you brilliant openings in your favorite setup. Shoot personal projects. Photograph your friends. Shooting flowers doesn’t mean you’re a sissy photographer – take what you get and make an opportunity out of it.

And I’m one more day closer to getting my Nikon D90 in my hands. Thanks Jaideep!

Passion, Web-Stencil Kit & Benrik’s Diary

Naina Redhu — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:00:57 +0000

Here are the photographs of This Diary Will Change your Life 2009, that I was to have shot this morning.

I follow Seth Godin’s blog regularly and enjoy what he writes. I have not read any of his books though. He’s mentioned something about passion in today’s post.

It’s more important that you be passionate about what you do all day than it is to be passionate about the product that is being sold.

Which, to me, means being passionate about life itself. And it’s easy to know whether you are living it passionately or not. I am passionate about what I do at aside but I am beset with doubt borrowed from external stimuli. After all, ‘design’ isn’t really something that can ‘save the world’, no matter what most overzealous designers believe. Design, however, does play a very important part in everyone’s lives – the moment we observe something that looks ‘nice’ to our eyes, we are attracted to it. And I could argue the case of design for a long time. Simply because I am passionate about it. And not all kinds of design, specifically logo design and photography and Adobe Photoshop!

Saw this nifty thing for web-designers : The Web Stencil Kit over at Design Commission. Pretty cool if you’re a web-designer and sketch your wireframes on paper. I for one seem to be moving more to paper – writing more, sketching more, doodling more. I’ve got two dozen Moleskines just waiting to be filled.

A short-term to do list off the top of my head :

1. Change / re-order post categories on this blog
2. Create a logo for nainaredhu.com
3. Create an image to use as a background across this blog
4. Design the main www.nainaredhu.com website
5. Get rid of the blog contact page and create a contact page attached to the main website
6. Edit image sizes to 500px across – on this blog