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» Wednesday News Stuff

One would think it would be very hard to exceed the happy news from yesterday with the cool CS4 betas and the news that the iPhone is coming here to Sweden. There are however some pretty cool stuff running today as well!

• Backing up is really important to do and yesterday Scott Kelby posted his backup stratergy on his blog which is really a good one. Last Friday he had another post about backing up and the importance of doing do (sharing a nightmare story) and I call today another backup Wednesday because it is really important!
   
• About a week ago the talented artist James Quantz Jr. redesigned his site to make it much cleaner and simpler (and more stylish) to us viewers. I really think it turned out rather nicely and I think you should all go and look at his new site if not just to sit a while in awe to look at his work!
   
• If you’ve been paying attention to this site a bit recently you’ll have noticed a little change in the sidebar and overall width of the site. I’ve expended the width so I could fit a larger sidebar with two columns instead of extending the old one to be even longer. With it I also added some new sidebar content such as a twitter summary of my twitter page and a brand new poll and countdown. Some minor new cool things
   
• If you are trying to download trials from Adobe’s website you’ll be greeted with a not so nice statement that they are unavailable. Over at InDesignSecrets you can read what you can do and why this is happening.

» Artist Interview: James Quantz Jr.

It is monday which basically means following up the artist interviews we started last week! Just week we have an interview with extremely talented artist, James Quantz Jr. who is a master in his own creative field producing pretty unique photos.

Tell us a litte bit about yourself?

I’m a commercial photographer living in Columbia, SC USA.  I started more in the Fine Art area using a 4×5 to produce black and white prints for clients.  In the past year or so I have gravitated severely (you might say) to the digital end of the spectrum and creating more of a photo illustrative style imagery.

Do you have any formal training/what is your background in art?

As far as formal training is concerned, I did attend Portfolio Center in Atlanta for a few years.  Major aspects of that stint were learning studio lighting and styling.  From there I studied in the western US with two of Ansel Adams’ former assistants, John Sexton and Alan Ross.  With them I was introduced the the magical, interpretive lighting of the landscape using the zone system. Also image manipulation done the old fashioned way by dodging and burning in the darkroom.  Since then, I have basically self taught myself with the help of books, dvds, and a few seminars here and there.

What equipment do you use?

Currently I use all Nikon equipment(as my 4×5’s are busy collecting dust).  More specifically a D300 which I prefer because of the size and ease of use.  The image files from this camera are really amazing!  I do like to stress that as long as you have something functional it is not the equipment that makes the photographer or the photograph.  Some people really waste a lot of time on the "which brand is better" debate when they could be bettering themselves by just creating imagery.  I capture in RAW for the most part and use Apple computers.

Who is your biggest influence? Why?

I really couldn’t single out one big influence except my own imagination.  It is influenced, however, by everything!  Books, movies, tv shows, theater, art, photography, etc. can be used as an influence for imagery.  That is what I find so magical about using a tool like Photoshop.  As long as you open your creativity to the world around you there are really no boundaries to what can be created.  

Do you have any advice to aspiring artists?

Any advice would be directly related to what I stated before about creating imagery.  In order to be proficient doing so, you need to have control of the tools.  Be it the camera, lighting, or processing you need to do your best to learn as much as you can so you can execute your vision.  A musician needs to know how to play his instrument before he can create music and the same applies to photography.  The more you learn and practice the better you will become.

Do you have anything else you want to say?

Nothing else to say - I’ve got some images to create!

• Visit James Quantz Jr. Portfolio

» Tuesday Things

I know this is a very late post and I’m sorry for the lack of one yesterday. I’m in bed, at home having a cold which I’m really not wanting at all and need to get rid of by Friday and I was feeling such a headache yesterday that I couldn’t bring myself to any posting. However here are some Tuesday things!

Shoot better eBay product shots: a guide

The people over at Photojojo have a very good guide for all of you guys who are active over at eBay, Etsy or similar and who regularily takes product shots and sell things off them. The guide is basically helping you to improve your product shots to make them look much more professional and classy.

Artist Tip: James Quantz Jr.

If you haven’t already, you really should be checking out the works of James Quantz Jr. which are incredible photography/photomanipulations that are just plain awesome!

Adobe Middle East Design Conference

In the coming days Adobe is hosting the Middle East Design Conference over in Dubai with some of the world leading instructors such as Scott Kelby and Joe McNally as well as many more! Definately worth checking out if you are near in that area!