Bamboo Abstract - Photography

Hi there,

Last week I went to a photo shoot at a very beautiful place in our town. This place is a some kind of university, with a beautiful botanic garden and a rare rural feel, right in the center of the city. I was strolling there numerous times, and I took several photos during the years. This time I wanted to explore other charming spots that were hidden from the eye. I will post the selected photos after I'll select the best of them. Meanwhile, I am posting today a beautiful and artistic photo from this place. I call it "Bamboo Abstract". I love it! Check it out :

If you love it too, you can purchase a print of this piece in my Zazzle Shop.

Until next time, have a great weekend :)

Johnny Winter's Show

Hi there,

Some of you may have noticed that I love Blues music. Fortunately I had the chance to attend the legendary Johnny Winter's show, in Tel Aviv. He looks old and tired, but I tell you, he still has the energy of a 20 years old. If you have a chance and you like Blues, don't miss his show. It's energetic and rough, like it should be.
I took some pics and I'd like to share them with you! Enjoy :)

A Saturday at the Local Dog Shelter

Hi there,

Last Saturday I've visited the local dog shelter, just wanted to help a little. I love to take pictures there, the atmosphere is great, and it is really easy to capture some lovely moments. I've posted most of my photos last week on DigitalDogPortraits.com, but today I discovered 2 more great photos, and I want to share them with you!

I think that the photos are very emotional and a little bit sad (take a look at the brown puppy's eyes).

If you want to see more photos from this session click here

Feel and Smell the Land

Hi there,

Another refreshing Saturday photo shoot in nature, another close-by location, another simple yet wonderful captures :)

Feel and smell those everyday treasures - the mud, the oranges, the flowers. Your head can really spin out of joy!

Take a look :

Smell the Citrus

Scent of a Wet Soil

Flight of the Bumble Bee

I say, if you want to feel wealthy, appreciate the simple things! What do you think?

Early in the Morning - Capturing Nature

Hi all,

Yesterday morning I woke up pretty early (for a Saturday). I took my camera, my dog and started exploring my surroundings. Winter arrived and gave me many opportunities to capture it.
Take a look at some photos that I took while I was strolling. Enjoy :)

Fotografei voce na minha ROLLIEFLEX

Hi there!

14 years ago or so, I've started to listen to Brazilian music, and immediately fell in love with the Bossa Nova, and with the unique voice and interpretation of João Gilberto. One of the first songs that I've heard was the classic Desafinado (written by Tom Jobim). I tried to understand the lyrics, back then they were all difficult for me... but one word was really strange and not logical - ROLLIEFLEX. I took a Portuguese dictionary, but it wasn't there... Google or Wikipedia in the late 90's were more like a science fiction... so I had to accept the fact that I won't understand the word.

Later on it was easy to understand and to find out what was ROLLIEFLEX. It was a beautiful German camera, created in the late 20's (it is still being manufactured). You can read about it here.

Anyway, last week a friend who is a photographer, showed me his latest purchase. It was a cute little Rollie from the 70's, I was so surprised, and the whole story with the Bossa Nova came back to me again. I told him about the song and he asked me what was the line about. Well... in the song it says "Fotografei você na minha rolleiflex, revelou-se a sua enorme ingratidão" which means I captured you in my Rollieflex, and revealed your enormous ingratitude. After that, I just took a picture with the camera, and quoted the same lyrics. It was kind of a closure :)

For dessert, please listen to this classic and beautiful song - Desafinado

Beauty is in the pine of the beholder

Hi there,

Today I will post here a photo from today's photo shoot. It was just a simple pine tree, nothing special, but the angle, the diagonal branch and the bokeh make the difference - as I said many times before , composition is everything. And by the way no filter was added.

Old Love

Hi there!

It's been a while since I posted my last post, I think it was over a month. Well... I've been really busy creating dog portraits for my new customers, and improving my site DigitalDogPortraits.com. It's not easy to create a website (without any experience), do my art and to market the whole thing, but it is really rewarding (at least mentally).

I just had to take a break from all this project for a few hours, so I took my camera and went to visit my brother who lives in the big city - Tel Aviv. There is a beautiful boulevard next to his place, so I decided to relax a little, to have a beer and to sit there on a wooden bench. All the people were walking calmly on this beautiful Saturday afternoon, so I just sat there and watched them. Many of them were young people, funny dressed, some young couples with their baby, hipsters, homeless and more. A lot of "Kodak moments" just by sitting there doing nothing. I decided to use my 50mm Canon lens, and to use only black&white filter. I wanted the shots to be more mysterious and nostalgic.

Suddenly I saw an old couple, they were walking towards me, holding hands, looking happy. I was a little embarrassed to point the camera in front of their faces, they were walking too fast... as they passed me I was thinking - I can't miss that! I must take their photo, it is TOO good! So I stood behind them, made a quick composition in my head and took the photo. It was really romantic and sweet, and it was like being in a time tunnel. Take a look at the photo :

Old Love

After I took the shot, I was reflecting on my life. Thinking about my recent lost love, envying the old couple for having each other, enjoying each other companion after all those years... This picture provoked all those thoughts and feeling... I knew I had gold in my hands :) and I wanted to share it with you!

Well, I hope you enjoyed the photo, until the next time... Have a great day!

P.S. You can purchase a poster of  "Old Love" on my online store.

  

REAL Blues Player - Robert "Wolfman" Belfour

Hi there,

Among my many interests, I love music, especially Blues. Unfortunately, not many authentic Blues players came to visit my humble country, and I had to dream or to find them overseas. You could imagine my surprise when I found out that Robert Belfour, an original Mississippi Blues player, will come to do one show here. To be honest, I never heard about him, but the critics, his appearance and his songs seemed to be perfect!

His style is down to earth Blues, no percussion, bass or electric guitar, just the acoustic guitar and his 72 years old voice. It is really difficult to listen to this style for a long time, even if you are a Blues veteran, but this was an opportunity that I couldn't miss. I was eager to hear him, and even more, to take some authentic pictures.

When we got there I was very surprised, we had to stand, there were no chairs or tables. If you ask me it was kind of strange - it was not a Rock show. It was quite crowded and dark, but I've tried to capture the best possible photos. It wasn't hard - Belfour has made 90% of the work.

Take a look :

Classic Blues Man

Blues in Blue

Robert "Wolfman" Belfour

The pictures were darker than I expected, but they deliver the mood and the personality of the artist. I think that using the flash could have "killed" the authentic atmosphere.

Do those pics make you feel the blues? Tell me :)

Live Statue Festival Sessions - Candid Shots

Hello again!

Last post we've been looking at some pictures that were taken during a statue festival. Even though most of the post was about lens comparison, the selected photos represented the festival's atmosphere (joy, drama, color). This time I want to show you 3 candid shots that I took during the festival. Those shots are somewhat the opposite of the whole event's atmosphere.


3 images of 3 women each one in a different life stage, pay attention to their eyes, their look.

The Old Lady

This lady was standing in the middle of the commotion. Her sad eyes and her posture caught my attention. The whole crowd was moving around her, talking, shouting, laughing. She stood still, just watching. It was quite difficult to capture her alone, without the movement around.

The Pottery Seller

As I was heading home, I saw the accessory stands. The pottery seller looked a little bit shy and gloomy. Her body language and energy were very delicate. I could sense that she felt a little bit out of her comfort zone.

Bailarina

The ballet dancer was actually part of the festival, a live statue. This one, just like the other two shots felt like a candid. Her look, is very penetrating, serious, stiff body language. This portrait is very appealing, I just can't get enough of it.

Last but not least, a bonus candid! Take a look at this :

An encounter between different generations. I just love this one, a lovely family moment in the middle of the crowded festive street.

The pictures that I've posted here, were a real treat for me. Everyone can take the common festival shots, the statues, the shows, but to my opinion they are less interesting. After I covered the regular festival shots in the first day, I visited the festival again - this time for the candid shots, and the action behind the scenes. It was far more enjoyable, and surely more unique. It is a real pleasure to find magical moments in the less expected places...

Hope you enjoyed today's post :)
See you soon!

Want to see more of my art? You are welcome to visit my online store and my facebook page.

Graffiti Exposition / Making a Digital Graffiti

Hi there!

Two weeks ago I was attending an international graffiti exposition at old Jaffa port. Many international graffiti artists spread around the dock, and were busy painting on the old walls, trying to make them look prettier and colorful. I was walking around, capturing them working on the graffiti, each one with his own technique and style.

Take a look at some of the gems I've found there, and see some artists in action :

This exposition inspired me to create some digital graffiti patterns, Here is one of them :

I like to create geometrical abstract patterns, and to play a little bit with some filters, in order to make them look more special (I've found that photo filter apps. can be very useful on digital art images).

Take a look at the following steps, and learn how to make simple but cool digital graffiti images.

Draw some geometrical shapes (doesn't have to be super sophisticated) 

Paint between the shapes (try to find matching and attractive colors)

Add a little depth between the shapes

Use photo filter app (instagram, pixlr-o-matic etc.) and choose a "grungy" texture
in order to make the pattern more urban

That's it!  Pretty simple, but very cool.

Thank you for visiting :)

You are welcome to take a look at my Online Store and enjoy (or even purchase :)) my art.

Vector Art - The Girl With The Pinkish Hair

Hi there!

I think I'm in love!

Well... at least I was astonished with the beautiful portrait of Charlotte Free made by Terry Richardson.
Richardson is controversial fashion photographer. His work includes aspiring models, adult movie stars, politicians, singers and more. You should take a look at his tumblr blog, it is quite interesting! (Be aware that some of his work contains nudity and sexual innuendos).

Anyway, back to Charlotte Free  - A young model , with a weird appearance and ever pink hair. Take a look at her photo.

Charlotte Free by Terry Richardson

Beautiful isn't it?

Well... I tried to recreate this portrait, using my new Illustrator CS5, I was really trying to give the portrait a full attention and respect, and to preserve her beauty. It was quite enjoyable too.

I hope that Charlotte will like my Vector portrait of her :) It's not like the original photo, but still...


Well, that's it for now,

If you want to see more of my art you are welcome to join my Facebook page, or visit my Online store.

Have a wonderful day!

Photography - Anti Beauty

Hi there!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder thay say, I must agree. Especially in photography, the most unatrractive scenes and objects, sometimes look apealing and interessting even more than our usual everyday eye candy.

In this post I gathered some of my Anti-Beauty gallery. Maybe you'll find some beauty here too...

I was strolling on a sunny day, looking for something interesting to shoot. It was hot and I couldn't find anything. All the flowers have gone, not a single color around, besides that dead boring brown. I thought to myself, if I can't find something worth shooting, I must find the beauty in the ugliness. Suddenly I saw a common housefly buzzing around a dried flower, with thorns around him. In my mind I was thinking, everybody wants to take the perfect photo of the beautiful flower with the bee or the butterfly around it, and I have the perfect opportunity to shoot the exact oppsite! so I did.




I hate to see garbage on the streets, it's an ugly habbit, just throw it to the near trah can, it's not so hard!
Saying that, I couldn't ignore the photo opportunity here... The red plastic cup laying there on the green grass. The contrast, the minimalism, the inappropriate object and the question : "why did you take that photo?!" all make it worth while.

Respect the elders!
Those two dead leaves were hanging there, in a majestic way. The sunlight was caressing them, showing every detail of their old being. All the young leaves were standing in the background in a perfect position, just to make those two oldies pop up even more.
What can I say, sometimes death is beautiful.

12 long years I was driving on the same road to the same job. Every morning I've noticed that wreck on the side of the road. Many times I thought to myself that I must go there, to look around, I really liked it, especially in the winter time. Last year I finally did. I picked a very cold and cloudy weather and examined the place.

The green grass carpet, and the grey clouds have created a perfect scenario. all I had to do was to find the right angles.

Take a look :

Well... I hope you enjoyed all the garbage and wrecks around!

Thank you for visiting my blog :)

You are welcome to visit my:

• Zazzle store where you can see more of my art.
• Abstract Art lens
• Pop Art lens
• Still Life Art lens