TUTORIAL: You Suck at Photoshop by Matt Bledsoe and Troy Hitch

A oldie (cut me some slack I only started this blog up three days ago and working through a serious back log of quality posting material.) but a goodie. Once again a tough call, as to whether this was better placed in the Comical category but there is a lot of solid Photoshop advice packaged in a black comedic box. The world of photoshop tutorials was ripe for a parody and Matt Bledsoe and Troy Hitch of the Big Fat Institute for Advanced Interactive Design delivered.   

Now in it's third season, you can find more in the series at his You Suck at Photoshop Youtube channel [link]Word of advice just don't recommend, it to your 8 year old who just got SC6 and want to learn how to use it.     

INSPIRATIONAL: Guy Walks Across America by Sam Griffith, Blake Heal and Peter Cote

The quasi timelapse come stop motion that spawned a million  (O.K a million might be slightly over stating it but....) copies and like any mold from which others are case and will for eternally be compared to, for very good reason. Two words, mind blown. Some derided the fact that it was commissioned by Levi's Jeans [link]. Somehow that devalued the ragtag artistic efforts of the six guys hauled up in a RV on a14 day cross country roadtrip of personal discovery, I beg to differ. I don't really care how art (you know, that thing that makes you stop, think/ponder and in the process alters in some way you look at the world (of which this video is an example)) gets financed whether it's an arts patron, that happens to be CEO of BP, or BP just short circuiting the whole redistribution of wealth, as long as it's not via you know say the proceeds of  blood diamonds from Angola.  

Directed by Sam Griffith [link] Produced by Blake Heal and Photography/Cinematography by Peter Cote
 You can find more work from this hub of creative talent at their production company Conscious Minds [link]. you can watch the behind the scenes in the video below if you feel the need to have the illusion shattered.  

 

EXHIBITION: Illuminati - RMIT Diploma of Photo Imaging Graduate Exhibiton

Gymnast by Jaimi Chisholm [link]

The 2012 graduating crew of the Diploma of Photo Imaging [link] at RMIT are putting on their show Illuminati at the Obsucra gallery details are below: 

               Place: Obscura Gallery - Beller House Suite 11, 285 Carlisle Street St 
                           Kilda East 3183 Vic 

Opening Night: 1st of December 

                Time: Kicking off at 6:00pm   

Exhibition runs from the 1st till the 12th of December.

I know by proxy (thanks Mike, Joji et al) how much more intense the workload of the Diploma of Photo Imaging is, compared to the BA (Photography) program at RMIT which reflects in the quality of work I've seen over the last two years. 28 students covering a wide gamut of genres from fashion to sport there will be something for almost everybody.

To get the full details and checkout all the talent on show then head to the Illuminati website [link]

Wishing the 2012 crew the best of success in what ever direction they take their careers

TUTORIAL: Pro Photographer / Cheap Camera - Chase Jarvis by DigitalRev TV

If you ever find yourself on a 40,000 dollar commercial shot with nothing but a lego camera and flash, then take a few pages out of Chase Jarvis' [link] book, it may just save the job and allay the concerned look of fear on the face of the art director. This also puts one of Chase's mantras to the test that the best camera is the one that is with you [link].

This is but one of many Pro Photographer / Cheap Camera series presented by Kai Wong [link] and the DigitalRev TV Crew [link] so check the rest out. 

COMICAL: Smoking Strobes Onelight Clamshell Lighting Tutorial by Michael Zelbel

I didn't really know whether to put this one of but many great Smoking Strobes lighting tutorials [link] by Michael Zelbel (if that really is your real name) [link] in the comical or the tutorial category, due to their ever so subtlety subversive presentation of technically correct information. His like the Ali G of the photography tutorial game poking fun of the authoritative photographer as youtube personality and lets be frank they are a dime a dozen these days. Having said that there is actually a lot of solid and technically correct advice.

INSPIRATIONAL: Femto-Photography by the MIT Media Lab’s Camera Culture group

Whilst Yogi, may be smarter that the average bear [link], his certainly not faster than your average photon but I guess that's really like comparing apples with flying saucers, although capture is invovled in both processess. My point is this is pretty crazy actaully been able to see the lighting effect as a result of a passing photon over various surfaces. Literally to be able to see the passage of light. The capture technology using a effective shutter speed of 2 trillionths of a second was developed by the MIT Media Lab’s Camera Culture group in collaboration with Bawendi Lab. I love how you don't have to be a rocket scientist to appreciate the beauty in the video but would have had to to design the technology.    

Here is the TED Talk given by  Ramesh Raskar talking about the potential of this technology with a much higher res image of the above video and a few others for good measure.

  

You can read the full scientific abstract of the experimental device here [link]

COMICAL: Photoshop Tutorial Rap by College Humor

The crew at College Humor [link] and their seemingly endless pots of gold have done it again with a rap inspired photoshop tuturial that is both eye popping catchy and educational. Mark Galer [link] the gauntlet has been thrown down good sir, the gauntlet has been thrown.

I know you're asking how could this get any better right? Well they did a sequel, although I have to admit it's hard to buck the age old adage of the orginal is always the best. Case in point.