Paid $50 for 2 years term for the Domain Name Bensphotography.kiwi.nz with Freeparking on a $19.00 monthly hosting plus GST. It all equated to $79.00 all up initially but for the very small space, limited number of pages and bugger all widgets, I opted to change to Fatcow as host and carried my Domain Name with me and at $5.00 a month with quite a large space and unlimited widget, I am satisfied. Click on the link below for my new website. I am in the process of constructing it and you will notice some changes of improvements.
Bensphotography
Roar your barrel roar, Trice a call of old, Roar your names afore, Hearken their hearts are cold, Tread softly on thunderous paws, Savour your journey looking ahead, Sights to see wonders to awe, Pay homage before you seek to bed.
Wednesday, 25 June 2014
Wednesday, 11 June 2014
Ilan Wittenberg Frelance Photographer Research





Surface Research;
Surface research of Ilan Wittenberg resulted in these web image of varied photography genre indicating his freelance capacity with images ranging from portraiture, sports, boudoir, nature, landscape, architecture, weddings, new born babies, politics, sports, glamour and charitable services. Ilan moved to our own New Zealand from Europe of Israeli decent. He worked in a well paid business but was dying on the inside with his creativity urges threatening to derail his livelihood. With the support of his family he made the move to quench those creativity urges but it wasn't all roses in the beginning. He threw everything he had into his photography achieving several honours and awards which over time reflected on his business and success followed. Ilan was awarded Qualifications in Portrait Photography and through a demanding qualification process, gained professional recognition by the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP).
Sports Photography Genre Portfolio Printing Prep
Print preparations according to Print Restrictions
Selected my images for my first set of prints for my portfolio and added minimal enhancing in PSD.Psd image>Layers> flatten layers> Image>Image size>180 resolution>H21cm >W29.7cm (Set the lesser of the two dimensions but when setting the width alters the height from 21cm to 19.8cm)
> Image>Image canvas>set height to 21cm> select centimeters> select white for canvas extension colour> ok> Image> mode> check RGB colour> check 8 Bits/channel.
Create Print Guide Layer
File> new> title> custom> width 110cm> height 21cm> resolution 180 (make sure that the height and width are set to centimeters and resolution to pixels> background content to white> ok.
Go back to chosen image; Select> all> edit> copy> open print guide layer> edit> paste> move into place with move tool.
Repeat process accordingly and distribute evenly on layer.
Layer> flatten image> file> save as> title> tiff format> save.Copy to pendrive and arrange for Caroline to print and get advise on colour caste, type of paper and test printing. Which paper type would give preferable colour cast on my print. Create another print layer and select parts of colour contrast extremes and paste on new print layer for print test.
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Artist Tanu Gago's Visit
Tanu Gago came for visit on Monday and talked about the direction he's taken in his practice. He is formerly trained as a movie maker but because of the competitive nature of the industry, he opted to utilise these skill in photography instead. He produces works when commissioned for Gallery and sometimes for billboard on issues he is passionate and familiar about. His works relates from his perspective as a South Aucklander Pacific Islander gay artist person. He talked about the simplicity of getting your foot in the door 'as easy as an invitation for a cup of coffee'. He works as he would in a movie settings and preparations just to capture one image. Locations at family homes, family members for models, utilising what is there on offer, staging and preparations for weeks on end. I feel that there are many social, economical, political, sporting and personal issues out that has a need to be voiced and this could be a forum to highlight them.
Photography
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| Tanu Gago |
Monday, 9 June 2014
Sports Photography Genre Portfolio - Rugby Practice
1. The Eye of Rugby;
ISO 1600, Av f/4.5, Tv 1/60s, 5184x3456, 2.68MB. I noticed this potential image as I approached the Rugby Field. I saw a horizontal strip of light from the field lights, liken to blinking darkness.
Experiment; Set up tripod at optimum vantage point and experimented with my camera settings, hiking up my ISO a couple of times, setting my shutter speed to 1/60s to capture the minimalist of movement blur and opened up my aperture to f4.5 until I got the image I was looking for.
2. Tree Light;Experiment; Set up tripod at optimum vantage point and experimented with my camera settings, hiking up my ISO a couple of times, setting my shutter speed to 1/60s to capture the minimalist of movement blur and opened up my aperture to f4.5 until I got the image I was looking for.
ISO 3200, Av f/4.5, Tv 1/60s, 5184x3456, 2.93MB. I looked up into the trees trying to gauge the light source and noticed the branches were highlighted in a circular pattern, so I hiked up my ISO to 3200 to define the highlights.
Form; Tripod, camera, wide angle lens, rugby field, field light, rugby players, speed light.
Context; Sports photography genre, a kiwi winter pastime, fitness, winter sports, practice skills, coaches, professionalism, rehearsing moves, training.
3. Movement Blur
ISO 2000, Av f/6.3, Tv 1/20s, 5184x3456, 3.91MB. Set up tripod close to the peripherals of the light illumination anticipating the coming actions. Adjusted my camera settings capturing several flash and blur images.
Content; Image 1 is in landscape orientation, silhouette and a strip of vertical light on the bottom third. silhouette of spectators at bottom/right RoT intersection an a lamp post at same vertical RoT. Dark foreground with bridge
rails silhouette, strip of light, lamp posts and silhouette rugby players and spectators mid ground of image and pinprick lights and darkness in background and a long DoF.
Image 2 Has tree branches sprouting from bottom L/H dark corner towards the top of image and rounding down around the field light source with the highlighted tree branches seeming to circle around the light source. Long DoF, light source position close to R/H bottom RoT intersection.
Image 3; Motion blur utilizing field light, foreground has grass lawn of the rugby field, mid ground has motion blurred rugby players in action with coach and manager observing the training. The dark background is running along top horizontal RoT.
Image 4; Similar to image 3, blurred and flash, half of image is field and grass in foreground and image is weighted to the background of image with blurred rugby players in action closely scrutinized by the coach. The dark background is on the to horizontal RoT but the effects of winter on the tree lines is clearly visible.
4. Flash and Blur
ISO 200, Av f/4.5, Tv 1/20s, 5184x3456, 3.59MB. Attached the speed light to camera at the most powerful setting.
Wednesday, 4 June 2014
Photographer Tanu Gago Research
RESEARCH:
Tanu Gago was born in Samoa of Samoan decent and adopted by a Samoan relative and his Maori Irish wife and lived in Manukau City, South Auckland with 12 culturally diverse siblings. His art reflects on his unique perspective of life in South Auckland's multicultural diversity and engages with urban social issues including the fluid nature of ethnic and gender identities. He holds a Bachelors degree in Performing and Screen Arts with a major in writing and directing for screen. Tanu Gago is a photographer who also works in film. His culture is one of the driving forces behind his artistic expression. He sees photography as the ‘one shot’ opportunity to tell a story and to use a single frame to convey an entire universe of ideas to the viewer. His latest work "Tama'ita'i Pasifika Mao'i" commissioned and exhibited by the 2014 Auckland Festival of Photography at the Silo Gallery.
CONTEXT: Tanu, a Pacific Gay Male have struggled over time to identify a clear distinction of Pacific masculinity he feels comfortable relating with and is a provocative and political visual artist.
CONTENT: He challenges how Pacific women are depicted as symbols of Pacific tourism or as living on the fringes of contemporary society and how they are represented with the desire to move away from cultural stereotypes, propagated by the media and in advertising images he is keen to expunge.
FORM: Tanu utilizes the readily available key rooms in his family's houses and backyards and conveys his messages with minimal addition to the scenes. Family members are also employed to communicate his intentions.
EVALUATE: Long DOF, Fast Tv, Introduced lighting, Large colour pallet, Open composition, Very textural, Images has fore-mid and background, direct and diffused light.
Auckland Festival of Photography
South Auckland based photographer Tanu Gago has been commissioned as the artist for the 2014 Auckland Festival of Photography Annual Fine Arts Commission by Sacred Hill. It is the first year that Sacred Hill Vineyards will present the Annual Fine Arts Commission for the Auckland Festival of Photography.www.photographyfestival.org.nz.
Sacred Hill founders, David and Mark Mason, with friend and winemaker Tony Bish, began with a simple philosophy of making more wine than they could drink, and sharing the rest. The winemaking generosity continues. www.sacredhill.com.ENDS © Scoop Media Auckland Festival of Photography interview with Tanu Gago
Into the Atmosphere on Vimeo
Tanu Gago was born in Samoa of Samoan decent and adopted by a Samoan relative and his Maori Irish wife and lived in Manukau City, South Auckland with 12 culturally diverse siblings. His art reflects on his unique perspective of life in South Auckland's multicultural diversity and engages with urban social issues including the fluid nature of ethnic and gender identities. He holds a Bachelors degree in Performing and Screen Arts with a major in writing and directing for screen. Tanu Gago is a photographer who also works in film. His culture is one of the driving forces behind his artistic expression. He sees photography as the ‘one shot’ opportunity to tell a story and to use a single frame to convey an entire universe of ideas to the viewer. His latest work "Tama'ita'i Pasifika Mao'i" commissioned and exhibited by the 2014 Auckland Festival of Photography at the Silo Gallery.
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| Falency, Moe and Nana |
CONTENT: He challenges how Pacific women are depicted as symbols of Pacific tourism or as living on the fringes of contemporary society and how they are represented with the desire to move away from cultural stereotypes, propagated by the media and in advertising images he is keen to expunge.
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| Vicky and Genevieve |
FORM: Tanu utilizes the readily available key rooms in his family's houses and backyards and conveys his messages with minimal addition to the scenes. Family members are also employed to communicate his intentions.
EVALUATE: Long DOF, Fast Tv, Introduced lighting, Large colour pallet, Open composition, Very textural, Images has fore-mid and background, direct and diffused light.
Auckland Festival of Photography
South Auckland based photographer Tanu Gago has been commissioned as the artist for the 2014 Auckland Festival of Photography Annual Fine Arts Commission by Sacred Hill. It is the first year that Sacred Hill Vineyards will present the Annual Fine Arts Commission for the Auckland Festival of Photography.www.photographyfestival.org.nz.
Sacred Hill founders, David and Mark Mason, with friend and winemaker Tony Bish, began with a simple philosophy of making more wine than they could drink, and sharing the rest. The winemaking generosity continues. www.sacredhill.com.ENDS © Scoop Media Auckland Festival of Photography interview with Tanu Gago
Into the Atmosphere on Vimeo
Sunday, 1 June 2014
Sports Photography Genre - Portfolio - Kids Rugby
Experiment with flash and blur by setting my flash at 1:1 strength but image was overexposed, so reduced strength 1:2 and Av at f/16 for long dof, Tv at 1/40s to capture motion in image and ISO at 100. Incorporated panning with the shots. Sun is low so put sun behind me. Use wide angle lens. Use automatic WB
Evaluate;
Green grass rugby field in fore ground and rugby playing kids in mid ground with shadowy row of trees in the background. Motion blur in the
activities and the background indicating movement in image. Tried panning in first image and without in second image. My horizontal rule of third is off in first two images but very satisfactory in last image. The colour caste looks yellowish but the red, black and white looks vivid. Will do custom WB to get better colour caste. Accomplished the long dof but would close aperture probably about two more stops to get a longer dof. In 2nd image, I lined the action to incorporate the goal post and in 3rd image my composition combined action and the injured
player on ground and a referee that did not notice. It was about late morning wintery breeze but the sun was low and harsh casting long shadows across ground.
Research;
Look at any sports photograph, you will find the flash and blur technique utilized to covey motion in the image. The flash and blur photography technique can create some of the most amazing and exciting photographs, be it that it is mostly experimental. Combining a slow shutter speed which blurs the action of your image with the action stopping properties of the flash, which freezes and sharpens the moving image.
Context:
Grass roots, age level, through the ranks, future and growth, local, South Auckland and Auckland multicultural rugby, Over reacting, passionate supporters and parents
http://photography.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-use-flash-with-a-slow-shutter-to-create-motion-and-ghosts--photo-95
Evaluate;
Green grass rugby field in fore ground and rugby playing kids in mid ground with shadowy row of trees in the background. Motion blur in the
activities and the background indicating movement in image. Tried panning in first image and without in second image. My horizontal rule of third is off in first two images but very satisfactory in last image. The colour caste looks yellowish but the red, black and white looks vivid. Will do custom WB to get better colour caste. Accomplished the long dof but would close aperture probably about two more stops to get a longer dof. In 2nd image, I lined the action to incorporate the goal post and in 3rd image my composition combined action and the injuredplayer on ground and a referee that did not notice. It was about late morning wintery breeze but the sun was low and harsh casting long shadows across ground.
Research;
Look at any sports photograph, you will find the flash and blur technique utilized to covey motion in the image. The flash and blur photography technique can create some of the most amazing and exciting photographs, be it that it is mostly experimental. Combining a slow shutter speed which blurs the action of your image with the action stopping properties of the flash, which freezes and sharpens the moving image.
Context:
Grass roots, age level, through the ranks, future and growth, local, South Auckland and Auckland multicultural rugby, Over reacting, passionate supporters and parents
http://photography.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-use-flash-with-a-slow-shutter-to-create-motion-and-ghosts--photo-95
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