Dan Perovich's Cyberfront Property

Bed Jump: Attempt 1

On 01.14.10, In photo365, photography, strobist, By Dan Perovich

Photo365-20100114 – Bed Jump: Attempt 1, originally uploaded by HokiePerogi.
1/250 sec @ f/10, ISO 800, 50 mm (EF50mm f/1.8 II)

I read a blog post several weeks ago about a fun type of photo which lends itself to being taken in hotels. The best way to describe these types of photographs is “bed jump” pictures. It all sounds so simple: set the camera on the timer setting and then time jump on or onto the bed to coincide with the shutter releasing. This is exactly what I tried to do tonight. I set the camera up on a tripod and used a bare-bulb flash bounced off of the ceiling. After each of my first few jumps, I took the time to remake the bed as best as I could. It did not take me long to grow tired of this routine. I settled on just touching up the sheets between attempts going forward. It took me about twenty-five to thirty attempts until I was certain that I had a useable shot in camera. My 50mm f/1.8 lens limited how much of the scene I could fit into the frame. However, I like the end result. I named the photo “Bed Jump: Attempt 1″ because I know, for certain, this will not be the last time I attempt a bed jump type photograph. As soon as I have a wider lens with me during an overnight hotel stay, I will be bed jumping once again.

Tagged with: action • bare bulb • one light • portrait • self-portrait • tripod

Haunted Hanger

On 01.13.10, In photo365, photography, By Dan Perovich

Photo365-20100113 – Haunted Hanger, originally uploaded by HokiePerogi.
1/80 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 640, 50 mm (EF50mm f/1.8 II)

I went on a photowalk tonight around the hotel to find something interesting for today’s photograph. I was on the second floor of the hotel lobby when I spotted this light fixture hanging over the check in desk below. I snapped a few shots and hoped for the best.

It was not until I brought the photograph into Photoshop and started to play around with my new Wacom tablet and onOne PhotoTool 2 package that I was able to unlock the potential of this image. The first effect I applied was the upward ghosting of the light. This is most easily seen right above the light shades as a sort of lit fog. My next step was to add a defocus effect around the outside edges. The Wacom tablet and pen came in handy here when I needed to mask out the effect from the left-most and right-most lights on the fixture. The pen allowed me to work quickly but accurately to make sure the defocusing effect did not impair these two lights. Lastly, I applied the film frame around the image. I picked this particular frame because it adds an eerie feeling to the old style chandelier.

Tagged with: ambient • available light • Photoshop • PhotoTools 2 • preset • still life

Hotel Life: Toiletries

On 01.12.10, In photo365, photography, By Dan Perovich

Photo365-20100112 – Hotel Life: Toiletries, originally uploaded by HokiePerogi.
1/80 sec @ f/1.8, ISO 160, 50 mm (EF50mm f/1.8 II)

I am back in the hotel again for this week. I am beginning to think that I might do a mini-project within my Photo365 project capturing “Life in a Hotel”. It may wind up that I am staying in a hotel more frequently this year, so I should have amble opportunities to get some good shots.

This is a photograph of the bathroom toiletries provided at the Marriott I am staying in. The staff at this particular Marriott does a great job in making sure even the little things are perfect in the room. They never miss a beat in replacing any used items in this bathroom amenities kit on a daily basis.

There is nothing special here photographically speaking. Just another ambient-lit product shot.

Tagged with: ambient • available light • product • still life

Present Plant

On 01.11.10, In photo365, photography, By Dan Perovich

Photo365-20100111 – Present Plant, originally uploaded by HokiePerogi.
1/30 sec @ f/1.8, ISO 800, 50 mm (EF50mm f/1.8 II)

My brother gave my us a bulb kit as one of our presents for Christmas. He told us to get it planted as soon as possible. I heeded his advice and planted it this afternoon. I figured I would take a picture of it to show a before and after. If it grows like he said it would, it will not be long before I post a picture with a towering stalk coming out of the bulb.

Can you spot something a little bit off in the photograph?

Tagged with: ambient • available light • nature • still life

Tea’s Bloomed

On 01.10.10, In photo365, photography, By Dan Perovich

Photo365-20100110 – Tea’s Bloomed, originally uploaded by HokiePerogi.
1/25 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 800, 50 mm (EF50mm f/1.8 II)

My sister gave my fiancee a blooming tea set for Christmas this year. The unbrewed tea comes in a sealed pouch as single tea pot servings. Today’s raw tea was pressed into the shape of a heart. When the boiling water was poured into the tea pot with the heart shaped tea ball inside, it started to bloom. For the next few minutes, we watched as the tea flower opened up more and more to reveal red tea leafs in the middle. I was snapping frames through the entire process. Unfortunately, we did not pick an ideal location to brew the tea in order to keep the background of the photographs clear of clutter. In today’s picture, a candle “photobombed” the shot. However, I did realize this issue during the shoot and tried to make adjustments to minimize the distractions as best as I could. Believe me, it could have been a whole lot worse with a slightly different angle.

Tagged with: ambient • available light • Christmas • still life

Christmas, A Little Late

On 01.09.10, In photo365, photography, By Dan Perovich

Photo365-20100109 – Christmas, A Little Late, originally uploaded by HokiePerogi.
1/80 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 3200, 50 mm (EF50mm f/1.8 II)

Today was my family’s belated Christmas celebration. I had the camera out to take a few pictures when my nieces and nephew started to tear into their gifts. I did not have an “extravagant” light set up like I did for Christmas morning over my fiancee’s sisters’ house. Instead, I relied on the natural light coming in from the windows in my mom’s living room and a higher than normal ISO. Overall, I am quite happy with the quality of the photographs, even at the higher ISO’s. Maybe I have been too picky in the past on the 7D’s low light performance. Is it possible that I am a pixel peeper? Please, do not let it be so!

Tagged with: ambient • available light • Christmas • portrait

The Off-White Sea

On 01.08.10, In photo365, photography, By Dan Perovich

Photo365-20100108 – The Off-White Sea, originally uploaded by HokiePerogi.
1/60 sec @ f/1.8, ISO 800, 50 mm (EF50mm f/1.8 II)

I guess my creative juices are not flowing today. I figured there would be plenty of subjects to photograph at my Mom’s house this weekend. Unfortunately, all I was able to find today was this ship that I used to have in my room as a kid. I cloned out some clutter in the background using Photoshop and added a vignette in Lightroom before exporting the photograph.

Tagged with: ambient • available light • still life • vignette

Flower, In Space

On 01.07.10, In photo365, photography, By Dan Perovich

Photo365-20100107 – Flower, In Space, originally uploaded by HokiePerogi.
1/80 sec @ f/1.8, ISO 1000, 50 mm (EF50mm f/1.8 II)

This weekend we are at my mom’s house in Hillsborough, New Jersey to celebrate a late Christmas with my side of the family. This is a view from my mom’s kitchen looking into the dining and family rooms. I like the bokeh created by the flames in the fireplace. Can you tell if the flower is real or fake without zooming in on the picture?

Tagged with: ambient • available light • bokeh • flower • still life

Jim’s

On 01.06.10, In photo365, photography, By Dan Perovich

Photo365-20100106 – Jim’s, originally uploaded by HokiePerogi.
1/4 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 5.1 mm

Tonight I headed into Philadelphia with a few coworkers to do a cheesesteak challenge. The plan was to two hit up two cheesesteak joints in close proximity and eat a cheesesteak from each place in order to compare them. Luckily, I had someone willing to split a sandwich at each place with me. The two joints we went to were Jim’s Steaks and Ishkabibble’s.

Today’s photograph is of the steak we ordered at Jim’s Steaks. The Cheese Wiz is spread with a butter knife directly onto the bun before it is loaded with your meat and vegetables of choice. In this sandwich, we ordered onions and mushrooms. I have to be honest though, this steak was very dry compared to the one at Ishkabibble’s. And even though I have not had Pat’s or Gino’s in a few years, I am almost certain that a cheesesteak at either one of their establishments would be better than the two I sampled tonight.

The photograph is a no thrills snapshot. I did not want my sub-sharing partner to have to wait while I took tons of pictures of our rapidly cooling sandwich. I at least tried to spice up the picture with a couple of “creative” edits in post-processing.

Tagged with: ambient • available light • food • Leica • point and shoot • still life • vignette

Viva La CI Nation

On 01.05.10, In photo365, photography, By Dan Perovich

Photo365-20100105 – Viva La CI Nation, originally uploaded by HokiePerogi.
1/20 sec @ f/2.0, ISO 400, 5.1 mm

My cigar-loving new boss asked if I wanted to take a ride with him tonight out to one of the best cigar warehouses that he knows. I jumped on the opportunity to spend some quality time with him to discuss work, career, and technology. The trip took us an hour and a half to reach Bethlehem, Pennsylvania from Mount Laurel, New Jersey. The store was quite impressive. From the outside, it certainly did not look like much. But the inside was a different story. I am not a regular cigar smoker, but I can imagine the feeling of coming to a store such as this one to a cigar-lover like my boss. He was like a kid on Christmas morning seeing all the presents and not knowing exactly where to start.

While my boss walked around the store trying to figure out what to buy, I circled taking pictures with the Leica point and shoot. Cigars International logo of a cigar-smoking, stubble-ridden smiley face caught my attention several places on the selves. However, it was the logo on the shrunken hand baskets that got my primary attention. With this photograph, I wanted to have the basket, with logo, as my subject. However, I wanted to include the environment these baskets were in. The endless selves of cigars in the background was my way of sharing the atmosphere.

Tagged with: ambient • available light • landscape • Leica • point and shoot

Dan Perovich's Cyberfront Property

May 22, 2009 – May 21, 2010