Sandwiching

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My parents have hired me to photograph some of the places they have designed for documentary purposes, but hopefully soon for their company website, Scott&Scott Architecture.

I have photographed interiors many times in Florida while I was still on the newspaper staff. But, somehow, this is different. I think maybe Florida had more light in general, and shooting interiors in a large room where there is little light like the one I attempted the other day is quite challenging. There's a reason why architectural photographers get the big bucks. It's like, wicked hard 'n' stuff.

My friend and colleague, TJ, told me about the "sandwiching" technique, used in Photoshop. The premise is that you shoot one picture with the light in a certain place in the very dark room, then your move the light to light another location in the room and shoot another picture. The camera remains on a tripod the whole time. Then, in Photoshop, you sandwich the two images together and viola, you have a perfectly exposed image.

I tried it out the other day and while I had no issues photographically, I could not get the sandwiching to look right in Photoshop. One of the challenges is that I am getting my lesson online from others who have done it and written about it in their blogs.

Like This Guy.

While I did attempt the effect without the blur, I couldn't seem to get it right. I did use the technique from that website to make a funky filter effect out for a portrait of Oliver though.

Egg Hunt!

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This morning was the WCNA's annual East egg hunt on the common. A small portion of the common is gated-off with tape into three sections. The sections are divided by age and filled with straw. Lots of straw!
Then, at a specific time, the kids are given the go ahead to ransack the area in search of tiny chocolate eggs. Some of the eggs are labeled with a letter. This means you've won a big chocolate bunny. Some of the eggs are labeled with a number and this means you've won a stuffed bunny! It's fun and of course includes the arrival and visit with the Easter bunny who rides in on a fire truck.

Waiting for the onslaught. I love the frog boots and the lower lip.

Chaos reigns

My neighbor and friend, Amy, with her son, Alexander!

Bunny winner!

Print Purchasing

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I am excited to announce I have set-up a website where my work can be purchased!
My regular photo/portfolio website, cydneyscott.com, which does not give the option to purchase, will connect to the print purchasing site from the "Buy Prints" link at the top. The nice thing about this new site is that I will be able to create password-protected galleries for my clients. So they can log on and see all their photos without sharing them with others.

Small Camera, Simple Light

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After nearly five months of recuperating after breaking my collarbone while learning to ski, I am excited at the prospect of holding my camera again. I mean, actually holding it up to my eye. The other day when I was teaching my photo class, one of my students had a technical question at the end of class. I took her camera and was actually able to lift it to my eye! Such excitement! It was like picking-up and old perfectly worn teddy bear somehow. It felt so great to be close to being able to shoot for real finally.

I went to visit a friend of mine the other day who is home with her newborn. I took this shot while I was there. He's cute as can be.

It can be done with just a simple Canon Sure Shot and some good window light!

Rocky Mountain (Sad) News

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About a year and a half ago, when I started networking to move on from The Palm Beach Post, the (Denver) Rocky Mountain News was one of the papers I got in touch with. When I watched this video about the paper's final days, I thought about all the newspapers in the country. I've heard that Hearst is considering closing the San Fransisco Chronicle, too. The Chronicle? The twelfth most read paper in the country?

You could plug a name of any number of newspapers into this video. I watch it and I see my newsroom. What used to be my newsroom. I wonder what it will be like when the rubble and dust and shrapnel of our economy clears. What papers will remain? What papers will come back? Will any of it return?

To me, newspapers are about connecting you with your community, letting you know what's going on, teaching you about others in your community, whether it be through an inspirational story or a tragic one. But, most important to me is something that will not come-up on blogs or websites. That's investigative journalism. Aside from the massive job losses and the community's loss of it's valiant daily informant, I think that's the worst part. The stories that make the reader mad or leave the reader thinking 'I don't want to read about this (scandal or that issue I didn't know about)!', the story that leaves the reader incensed to stand-up and do something. The story that enlightens us, holds a politician accountable for his or her actions, or calls out the local company for outsourcing.

I am not an economist, but I can't help but think, why is nothing being done to save our source of news? Where the hell are you going to read about what banks are being saved by the government or which car you may or may not be able to buy because the company is closing for good?

Not to mention, if the newspapers do rise from the ashes, it's going to be a hell of a rat race for all the journalists who lost their jobs and want so much to work at a newspaper again.

Watch it through the credits.

Final Edition from Matthew Roberts on Vimeo.

Food Photography

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Thanks to craigslist, I gave a second one-on-one photo lesson today with a woman who wanted to fine-tune her food photography. She writes a food blog and has been frustrated with her results. It was a really fun session, and I was especially pleased at the fact that Anna felt she had learned so much!

This is a quick pic I took with my camera. I only took two photos, actually. We really used her camera for the most part.