Jeff Atkisson Extreme Design

New Site !!

jatkiss — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:52:28 +0000

Hey Everyone !

If you want to keep up with me from here on out, come on over to the new site.

www.jeffadesign.net

Hope everyone has had an amazing year and I look forward to more posts on my design journey there!

- Jeff

Istock and White Background Shoots

jatkiss — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:37:23 +0000

First off, let me just say I am seeing lots of visitors here and I appreciate your checking out my blog. Please make sure you drop a line and say hello.

I have been doing a ton of shooting lately and I am about to do a pretty substantial upload this next week for my house of worship series. I have been doing a ton of studio shoots this last week, most of them related to house of worship, but when I start out with my models I have been trying to start with funny faces. Mainly to get everyone comfortable with each other. I”m including a shot of my model Katie who I have known forever and her faces shoot. The house of worship shots are even better that this.

This is what I have learned when it comes to white rooms and avoiding blowback and CA. By the way CA in white rooms is horrible, tends to hit the hair and is rough to get rid of. I”m getting closer to what is working

1. Make sure your subject is at least 4-6′ away from the background or you will get blowback which creates CA.

2. I have set my background lights to F11.5 so not a full 2 stops like what is normally advised…but I”m working in a smaller room too.

3. Lighter Skin, adjust your front lights…believe me it’s not one setting fits all.

4. Watch for CA…CA is the devil…hate it !!!

Here is the latest.

Well this is it for now, will let you know which pieces make it in !! Still waiting to find out on the lightning shot.Will let ya’ll know !! Please post and say you have been here !!

- Jeff

White Background Shoots

jatkiss — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:17:13 +0000

Well everyone I have started shooting in a studio. Just purchased my White Lightning Strobes and I have been trying to get the settings dialed in so that I am set for a serious run on some great additional shots for stock. I am fighting the allusive CA right now that has plagued me a little bit, but I think my white background strobes are just a little overpowered right now. If I back those off, I”m hoping to loose the CA.

This has been an expensive month for me in regards to my business, I bought the strobes, and then I had a computer crash so I was forced to buy a new macbookpro…I know seems like a rough life LOL…but I really din’t want to make this expendature right now. I have just hit my 20th sale on Istock…which isn’t bad when you see that I only have 7 images approved right now. Hoping to get some of these white images in and also a lightning shot that I took a few weeks ago at camp.

I will post what I have learned in the white background shoots soon. Here’s a shot from what I have been working on.

I hate being this busy!

jatkiss — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:31:02 +0000

Well it’s been a couple months since I have been able to really do any of my photography which is what I love. I have my strobes, I have my backgrounds, and I AM REALLY READY TO SIT DOWN AND WORK !!! Work has been so busy lately that I just haven’t had time though. We had an incredibly long week last week, and I”m still trying to recover. Got a few shots of the rig, but again nothing that is stock worthy. It’s kind of crazy when you start to look at images from the angle of what would be approved for stock and what won’t. I”m really really looking forward to doing a ton of isolated High Key stuff because I’m hoping that will bring the level of what is approved up even more. It also means I should have the right lighting almost every time.It’s frustrating to me to finally have the right gear lining up and not having the time to use it…but that should change after I get back from camp. Should be able to breath a sigh of relief then !! I also have a couple more umbrella’s that I need to purchase that I thought came with my purchase.

In the mean time I have been trying to line up some models but animal, AND people. I”m totally excited for some of the animals I have been able to find, dogs are pretty easy, but I want ones that can wear costumes. The best one that I found was access to a rabbit !! WHOO HOOO!! AND THE RABIT WILL WEAR COSTUMES !!! YES!!! Anyway I will put a couple pics of the bunny’s up here with my students, although probably just the guys, because…lets face it…I don’t want to be creepy.

So anyway, my day job keeps me busy, and last week it was Hillsong United. I handed my camera off to one of my students and he got a couple shots that were pretty good. Although at 100% there is no way they would be accepted let alone the 800 ISO they were shot at. Thought I would put a couple pics from that up.

Should have a post of the lighting rig from camp next week !! Hope to spend some time doing some pictures that could work for stock !

Hillsong United 1

Studio Strobes Purchased!

jatkiss — Sat, 23 May 2009 05:00:43 +0000

Well I took down my main website and I think I am going to maintain a creative blog for my main business site now. The best news is that my studio strobes arrived today !! I am totally excited as it opens a TON of opportunity for me in regards to the stock photography I have been working so hard on !

Been a crazy couple months with projects at work, but I”m finally getting the tools that I need to be successful with the stock stuff ! Hopefully it will end the lighting rejections and I will be able to get even more imaging approved. Have quite a bit to learn when it comes to high key lighting and photoshop, but once I get it, I”m set ! Working on a total rebrand ! it’s coming soon !

My One Eye'd Pug was my first model !

A Night Shoot

jatkiss — Mon, 04 May 2009 05:13:11 +0000

As I sit here about to goto bed, I have been having a pretty steady stream of sales on Istock. Mind you a steady stream to me is at least 1-2 a week. My goals are pretty simple, and I know that as I work up the capital I will be able to get the tools to eventually streamline my stock submissions a bit more. I should be able to purchase my studio strobes this month and I am very excited because I have really waited a very long time for these. I’m pretty sure I’m buying some Alien Bees!

Well, I went back to one of my favorite places to shoot today. Lake Eola…I see this place at a different angle every time I go back. I think I may actually shoot some bird photography here also because the birds are so used to people you can get REALLY close.

The sky didn’t really do what I wanted it to…but I was able to get one shot that MAY be usable for stock. Just waiting to see what a couple of my mentors say, before I take the time post processing.

Here is the one I think may work! Hope you are all doing well in your stock adventures…it’s a SLOW process everyone, don’t get frustrated if you have decided to start. Ask TONS of questions and in the end, keep working at it!

4 New Images Approved !!

jatkiss — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 21:03:16 +0000

I”m pretty excited because after a couple resubmits I now have 4 more images approved. It’s been a long process for me because a ton of stuff have come up at work. If you want to see the images check out the links below !! They are part of my Orlando Series and many of you have seen the images already, but here are the links anyway !! I am waiting on one more image for approval of the Orange County Courthouse.

Through this process I have learned even more about clone stamping, CA removal, and patch tool. It’s amazing what a little photoshop can do. Below are the links.

Eola Fountain

Orlando Building 1

Orlando Dynatech Building

Orlando Suntrust Building

Thank you everyone for all the support lately I TRUELY APPRECIATE IT !!

Well Here is Hoping

jatkiss — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:20:08 +0000

I have sent 4 more pictures from Downtown Orlando to Istock. I am learning a TON of stuff when it comes to Istock in general. The biggest one being how to remove CA. First off I would like to say that CA is the devil…if the filter in photoshop won’t remove it, then it truly sucks because you have to remove it by hand…and that is very rediculous. I think I”m going to go reshoot the train at Church Street Station today, and I MAY reshoot the courthouse…but I”m not positive. I don’t want to take too long because I have plans tonight.

This is what I have learned so far in regards to stock:

ISO 100 ALWAYS

Mirror Lockup is a must

F8-F11 only (sharpest point of the L Series Lenses I am using)

CA is common on buildings especially against a blue sky…be ready to deal with it.

Tripod must always be used

Make sure you turn noise reduction and sharpening off within your in camera settings.

That’s it for today…ohhh by the way I got my 5th sale today and I only have two images up on the site. My friend Jan Tyler has been an incredible encouragement to me and really has helped me out a ton in regards to photoshop. Yeah if you don’t have photoshop to fix your images up, it’s going to be a difficult path to do Stock Photography.

I will post the images up as soon as they get approved. I am pretty sure these 4 are strong enough to all make it. We will see though.

NEW IMAGE APPROVED!!

jatkiss — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:16:36 +0000

I”m so excited because I have my second image approved for ISTOCK. It’s a series I plan to continue to work on as I have so much access to production gear and it was the only image that ISTOCK approved from my video switcher and audio console series !! . I”m heading out today to potentially get the Lake Eola sunset, but mainly I am scouting for the week after this one so I can find some good spots and imaging downtown Orlando to fill out the Orlando lightbox. Here is the link if you guys wanna check out the video switcher !!

- Jeff

13 uploaded, 13 denied

jatkiss — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:21:00 +0000

Well they were all denied, but I know I can get one through without a problem. 12 of them, I may just leave alone and rework later, because I’m not sure I am going to be able to get them to a point where the inspectors will approve them without blasting a ton of light at the consoles to get that shutter speed up. So if I have to do that anyway, might as well redo it. Been an incredibly long day, but we finished up a stage changeover at work, so that kept me up late. I”m up too late now as it is. More later !!