Younes Bounhar Photography

Friday Roundup

This is going to be a whirlwind post, I am up in Toronto for a conference. Barely got a connection, barely got the time.

So here are a few cool links I dug up for this week’s round-up.

First a bit of shameless promotion: I was interviewed this week on essential photo gear as their Nature photographer of the week, check it out if you are interested in knowing a bit more about me : http://essentialphotogear.com/blog/?p=483

if you haven’t checked it yet, Jack Hollingsworth gave a really terrific interview on this blog. It’s a podcast so you can download it to your ipod or computer and listen to it. Thirty minutes well spent : http://younesbounhar.com/marketingbusiness/focus-guest-jack-hollingsworth/

A hilarious video on youtube on the sad state of business, I won’t ruin it for you, just take a look: 

Jim Goldstein has a fantastic post on social media in photography, I know it’s a topic I’ve brought up a lot these days, but you’d better get the hang of it, that’s the way of the future! Some terrific and opportunities just on twitter alone. Check out Jim’s post here : http://www.jmg-galleries.com/blog/2009/05/28/the-birds-and-the-bees-of-social-media-connectivity/

And if you feel like joining twitter.com why don’t you follow me while you are at it : http://twitter.com/younesbounhar .

You’ll also be seeing a few links to Chase Jarvis’ blog. He’s an inspiration and an awesome dude. Check out this post on how to keep renewing yourself as an artist (only when he says it sounds a lot cooler): http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2009/05/shake-your-tree-today.html.

Last but not least, I don’t want to say much, but I would suggest you pick up your issue of this month’s Photolife…won’t say more until next week.

Have a great week-end everyone!

Posted on May 29th, 2009 in Friday Roundup | No Comments »

The Twilight Zone

I will be on the road for the rest of the week, so this will be a shorty. I will also hopefully get some time for Friday Roundup tomorrow. Next week is the start of the month of June, so look out for the first ever Monthly Calendar.

Today’s post is a quick follow-up to yesterday’s on shooting architectural exteriors. I received several questions regarding the lighting I used and  how I managed to get the exposure right. So here is the “secret” behind the scenes for these kind of shots.

It is very simple really: shoot it at twilight, in the 30min to 1h following sunset (depending on whether you are facing East or West).  Photographing buildings and cityscapes at those hours has several advantages:

- the sky has a deep blue colour that says “night”, yet it is clear enough that the building doesn’t disappear in darkness. You get well defined edges that emphasize the shapes of the buiding;

- the exposure is very easy to handle: somehow, at twilight, the brightness of the sky is roughly equivalent to that of the street lamps. So, no contrast nightmares or tough exposures: just meter off the sky or use your matrix metering and it’s in the box;

- from an aesthetic point of view, the effect is certainly very pleasing: the city lights aren’t the dominant source of light yet, therefore, you can still use daylight white balance and get perfect colours. Even better, use “cloudy” WB to enhance those yellows and really make them stick out from the twilight blue in the sky;

- I know I had another point but it is escaping me right now…mmm…ah well, I’ll get back to it if I think of it in the next little while.

Anymore tips you want to add? I’d love to hear your input.

Posted on May 28th, 2009 in News | 1 Comment »

Curves Galore

It was bound to happen. I have been pushing this little project for the better part of a year. Later, later, I thought. Always later. It’s funny how we often take what we have for granted. So yesterday, I “latered” no more. I packed my gear and headed for the Museum of Civilisation in nearby Hull, just across the river from Ottawa. This is one beautiful piece of architecture, it has curves that would make Monica Bellucci envious.

Read More…

Posted on May 26th, 2009 in Images Photography Tips | 6 Comments »

Out of Focus podcast: Jack Hollingsworth

Today’s post comes as a logical continuation of the recent entries I have been posting on the use of social media to develop a photographic business. Only this time there is a bit of a twist: this is not a written post, but rather an audio file, a podcast! A first ever on Out of Focus. I am looking forward to see your reactions on whether you actually enjoy the experiment and if you want me to continue with it.

Last week, Richard Wong addressed how Twitter can be harnessed to develop one’s brand and business. This week, renowned stock photographer Jack Hollingsworth speaks about the future of photography (and stock in particular). Jack also explains his views on how he sees the photography business evolving and the influence social media will have on photography.

Jack is one of the most well known names in stock photography. An early and very successful pioneer in royalty free stock, Jack sells stock through Getty, Corbis as well as through the many companies he has created and driven. A true pioneer, he continues to be an influential and outspoken voice in the field.

Please join me in welcoming Jack to the first ever Out of Focus Podcast!

Jack, your turn .  (length: 27min 35″)

Posted on May 26th, 2009 in Guest articles Marketing/Business | 4 Comments »

Photo of the Month and other business

Yes, I admit it. I’ve really neglected the “Photo of the Month” feature. Don’t know why really…just kind of forgot about it I guess. So here it is, yet again!

May’s photo of the month is really not in the style I have grown accustomed to. That said, it fits perfectly with my blog’s theme: out of focus. I have recently read Freeman Patterson’s “The Art of Seeing“, where he talks at length about opening your mind, expanding your vision and simply not taking anything for granted. As I was trying to photograph dew drops on a cool morning while camping last week, I noticed that when the pine needles were out of focus, the drops turned into nice specular highlights. Even better, I was lucky to get one drop that diffracted into a gorgeous little rainbow. The out of focus leaves emphasized the dreamy look.

On the  other business front, I want to make a few announcements:

In addition to the photo of the month feature which will appear on the last Monday of every month, the Friday Round-up will also become a steady fixture on this blog. Every Friday, I will post links to the blog posts I liked the most during that week and hope that you enjoy them too.

Given the large success of the twitter interview with Richard Wong last week, I have prepared another very exciting interview for tomorrow on the future of photography, but with a twist: tomorrow, I will air the first ever podcast on Out of Focus. My guest will be stock photo guru Jack Hollingsworth. So, stay tuned for a really exciting post.

Finally, yours truly will be featured in a couple of interviews on the triple dubya this week, more on that to come through the course of the week.

Have a great week everyone!

Posted on May 25th, 2009 in Photo of the month | No Comments »

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