RUSSELL PERKINS CREATIVE JOURNAL

The Russell Perkins Online Store is LIVE!

2010-12-21T19:05:00.000-08:00

I'm pleased to introduce the Russell Perkins Online Store! I know it has been a long time coming, but I finally sat down to put it together and after weeks of setting it up, it went LIVE last week. Special thanks go out to Patrick Lee and Joe Sanders for helping this dream become a reality! To celebrate, I am offering a 30% discount on ALL PRINTS in the store for the first 30 days. This offer ends on January 11, 2011. If you find a print that you're interested in, use the promo discount code photogoodness when you checkout to apply the 30% off discount. I figure if you're going to do anything - do it BIG, right? And speaking of BIG, the print sizes I am offering are 24x36 and 48x72. Why no small prints, you ask? I am a strong proponent of the cinematic experience. If I love something, I LOVE something and want to be able to enjoy every aspect of it. The core foundation of the store is to provide conversation-starting, limited edition, museum quality archival prints that make an impact. I will be updating the collections on a periodic basis with new additions and have provided a mailing list at the bottom of the home page for anyone who would like to receive news about this as well as any future sales and special offers. Just enter your email address and click 'Subscribe'. I've done my best to offer a plethora of various work I've done over the years so there's something for everyone. If you don't see a particular print available for purchase in the store, feel free to email me and I'll see what I can do: russ@russellperkins.com
Enjoy,
-Russ

My Facebook Photography page gets a Facelift...and then some.

2010-10-31T01:54:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

Happy Halloween! This year, I noticed that there were quite a few preemptive Halloween parties going on - some of which were a week early! I also saw kids trick or treating at Starbucks during the daytime....take your pick as to which part of that sentence doesn't seem....well....uhh...traditional.

While no ghoulish fun this year is particularly exciting to me, I AM excited to share with all of you that my Facebook Photography page has been updated with a massive overhaul! Essentially, I wanted to tie all of the various aspects of my Photography together into a cohesive presentation for everyone who loves the art of Photography, is interested in booking me for a future gig, or is interested in getting to know a bit more about me. What is new you ask? Allow me to explain...

For newcomers, there is a "Welcome" tab. Folks who have already "liked" my page can access this page too and you all should because of the goodness contained within. There are 3 sections to the "Welcome" tab: The first section is a gateway to all 9 photo albums (6 new albums added!). All albums contain samples of my work in various genres of Photography to give you all a good idea of what all I shoot. The 2nd section is VERY cool. It's called "Look Behind the Lens" and is an in depth insider pass to every aspect of my work. This tab includes multiple features including behind the scenes videos, links to interviews, specific gallery links, sneak peaks to new projects/features that are coming soon, and much more. This tab will be periodically updated with brand new features, so it will certainly be fresh and entertaining to visit on a regular basis. Also, a commenting section at the bottom is available for you all to leave feedback regarding the content on this page, so feel free to participate as I would love to hear your thoughts! The 3rd section in the "Welcome" tab is titled "model profile" and is an interactive slideshow, showing sets of a model who I have worked with. This too will be periodically updated, so make sure you check back every once in awhile for that too.

In an attempt to make it more convenient for you to stay in touch with me, I've integrated both my creative journal blog and my twitter page directly into my Facebook page as tabs. I've also created a tab titled "Network", which has links to every social outlet I am a member of. This enables you to get connected with me whether you're on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Vimeo, Blogger, or visiting my official website. Basically, pick your poison and I'll be there with some fun stuff for ya! Last, but not least, there are "share" buttons for all of these new additions, which I hope you guys use to help spread the word about me and my work! If you happen to really like something, you can post it on your wall or tell your friends to come check it out.

Well I think I've babbled on long enough. Go check it out and please leave comments/criticisms - the more feedback I have, the better experience I can strive to make.

MY FACEBOOK PHOTOGARPHY PAGE: http://www.facebook.com/russellperkinsphotography#!/pages/Russell-Perkins-Photography/108612719172229

Later,
RP

My work is published in the 10th Anniversary Issue of Performance Sound & Auto Mag!

2010-10-21T19:00:00.001-07:00

What's up, guys! Hope your Oktoberfest (yes, I spelled it zee German way) is going zestfully well. While you are all contemplating your Halloween costumes, I'm happy to announce that my work of Marie Luciano has been published in the 10th Anniversary Issue of Performance Sound & Auto Magazine! Special thanks to Randi Bentia over at PASMAG for his interest in wanting to use it on such a special occasion for their company. In other news, keep a sharp eye out for an announcement regarding the released update of my Facebook Photography page...I've been hard at work with my web master in doing a major overhaul to the site to give all of you more of an interactive experience on what the "Russell Perkins photography experience" is all about! At the current rate of implementation, the update could be completed in just a couple of weeks (crossing fingers and toes). I'll be sure to let you guys know when it's up and running in all of it's glory, but until then, enjoy my shot of Marie in PASMAG below:

Interviewed in iCandy Magazine!

2010-09-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

Salutations, my fellow peeps! Well summer is officially over and fall has been ushered in. It's reaching the end of September already as I type this - the year has really gone by in a blip. Last week was an exciting week for me as I had the opportunity to do a photo shoot with Australian super model Sophie Turner! Despite minor setbacks of MUA & Hairstylist issues, we managed to create some exceptional imagery, which I will be posting samples of just as soon as I finish editing them. In other news, I was interviewed regarding my Photography career in i-Candy Magazine, which I am excited to share with all of you. You can read it here:

Your browser does not support iframes.

Britney Spears Before/After

2010-08-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

I had posted this on my Photography Facebook page awhile back and thought it'd be good to repost it here for the folks who missed it. It's a real world example of before/after shots of Britney Spears, who was gracious enough to allow these samples to be viewed by the public:

Your browser does not support iframes.

Yet another example of an idealized final "product" of the commercial industry that everyone strives so hard to be like.

For all you AT-AT lovers out there...

2010-08-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

A colleague forwarded me this video and I had to post it for you all to check out. Some folks have pet dogs while others have pet cats.....but what about the family pet AT-AT Walker from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back? Major kudos go out to Patrick Boivin, the creator of this video:

He was also kind enough to post a behind the scenes video, which is equally as cool:

Patrick has some equally cool other works up, which you should check out on his youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/PatrickBoivin

iPhone resurrected!.....kind of.

2010-07-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

This particular blog post technically isn't what I normally talk about regarding my creative work, but it IS creative nonetheless AND it could help some of you guys in the future if you run into this same problem, so read on:

Last weekend, I went with my girlfriend out for a dip in the pool. She had found these cool circular floating chair mesh thingies for us to use, so we brought a bunch of swim stuff out with us, picked a spot to temporarily claim our own, and jumped in the pool to combat the summer heat. After about 20 minutes of soaking, we decided to switch it up and get in the hot tub. On the way out of the pool and into the hot tub, dread swept over my body as I had realized that I LEFT MY iPHONE IN MY SHORTS POCKET! Needless to say, the phone was not responsive, so we left the pool early and I began looking for help online. I came across some helpful youtube links that talked about placing the phone in uncooked rice inside of a tupperware container for 3 days, which would dry all the water out of the phone. Looking at my screen, there was enough water to make it look like a lava lamp, so naturally I wasn't thinking that this would help. Buuuuuut I was open to it seeing as how not so much was my iPhone in a state of uhhh being alive. I took my sim card out and placed it into a tupperware container that was partially filled with uncooked rice. Then, I unscrewed the 2 screws at the bottom and carefully popped open the casing of my iPhone. Seeing as how I didn't buy insurance for the phone (for those that DO have the insurance, the lovely folks at Apple/AT&T DO NOT cover water damage under their insurance clause) and the period for my warranty had expired, I didn't have any qualms about opening my iPhone to help the water air out. I made sure not to pour the rice into the guts of the phone and then sealed it. I left it for 3 days and then took it back out. To my surprise, the water had indeed evaporated, including the water behind the screen! It did leave a small chlorinated stain on the screen, but that was all that was visibly left behind. After placing the SIM card back into my iPhone and closing / screwing it back together, it would not turn on.....NOOoOoOoOoOoo! It turns out the battery had died during the 3 days it was drying out. Once it was charged for a few hours, it turned on, but it would only show the Apple logo before shutting down after a few seconds, so I went back online to see what else I needed to do. As it turns out, the water had shorted out iPhone's OS and thus, the software and firmware had to be restored. I found this GREAT article that thoroughly explains the various steps for how to get this done:

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Your browser does not support iframes.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Miraculously, my iPhone once again WORKS....for the most part. I still have all of my contacts, 95% of all of my apps, all of my text messages from the last time I backed them up on iTunes, and the functionality is all there. The one glaring issue that remains is, I cannot talk to people using it as a regular phone. The iPhone is perpetually in a state when headphones are connected to it, thus making it impossible to use the normal mic to hear/talk to people when they call. I can switch it to "speaker" mode, which allows me to talk to folks and I can plug in my apple ear buds, which allows me to talk to people using the built in mic on the headphones. So, I'm trying to figure out this last remaining bug. Despite that one remaining issue, I am very impressed with how well it has recovered given the fact that it was under water for approx. 20 minutes and it isn't water proof! I've ordered the iPhone 4, which I was planning on purchasing anyway and so this phone should allow me to get by until it gets delivered, but wow what an experience!

Have a good one!

I love the smell of Napalm in the mornin'...

2010-07-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

What's up guys! I thought it'd be fun to show the release trailer I created for "Brave Arms" which was simultaneously launched to the public with the game in open Beta form.

I don't know how to make the quality better here on Blogger, so you can check out the high quality version here:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/video/video.php?v=133847043314618

OR you can view it on youtube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=962BCVZrN0M

The initial "carpet bombing intro" was designed to give that over the top persona that Brave Arms represents. I designed the particles coming together to from the Brave Arms logo as a visual metaphor that represents the untapped gaming community on Facebook coming together to partake in the goodness of Brave Arms. I don't know if people could see that or not, but that was the idea behind it :)

Photographer Interview and "Brave Arms" Launches in 24 Hours for Facebook

2010-07-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

I apologize for the nearly 2 month delay in updating my blog! Work has been taking up almost all of my time lately with "Brave Arms" getting ready to go open Beta to the public and my Photography going into overdrive thanks to the awesome summer weather. I have recently been interviewed regarding my Photography career, which I am excited to share with all of you. You can read it here:

Your browser does not support iframes.

Also, I thought it would be fun to show the announcement video for "Brave Arms" - the 3D Social Shooter game for Facebook. It launches tomorrow (July 15th) and is FREE TO PLAY, so if you're tired of Farmin' your 'ville, head on over for some manically charming action. Enjoy!

*NOTE: For better quality video, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0bJSukYuPM

BEFORE/AFTER: An Inside Look

2010-04-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

(click on the image for a larger view)

Hey welcome back!

The other night, I wasn't feeling tired and for some reason had a desire to do something creative. I ended up rummaging through some of my archived photo shoots and came across a set that I did with model Brittany Blunt awhile back. The concept for this particular set was a bit of a "Backstage Glam" approach; the idea being that the models were in the middle of getting ready for their big shoot. Even though I loved the idea and got great poses from Brittany, I was unhappy at the time with my post-production process. So, I decided to try and tackle it again seeing as how it had been 2 years since this shoot had taken place and I was feeling particularly saucy!

As you can tell from the "Before" photo on the left, the raw composition, lighting, and color provide the basic foundation for what, in my mind, will be the finished commercial image. The word "raw" has become somewhat of a cornerstone in the digital era as every visual industry (Photography, Movies, Television, etc.) creates raw assets that will later be enhanced or expanded upon. An example is that in movies/television, it's common to see fragments of sets built with a bunch of green screens representing where the digital FX gurus will take over. Basically, it's a starting point. :)

With this shot, I knew that my main focus was the model and the prop elements that supported the "Backstage Glam" idea were secondary. However, the shot on the left was lit too brightly, causing the model and props to compete with each other for the viewer's attention. Also, you can see too much of the background behind the vanity mirror, which diminishes the visual impact of the overall shot. One of the things I teach to new Photographers is, to always decide what your focus is. A shot with too much visibility going on loses impact and thus the viewer's interest, whereas a shot that specifically controls what the viewer is supposed to see, maintains their interest and allows them to "fill in" the dark areas with their own ideas based on what the light areas reveal.

After adjusting the levels, brightness, and contrast, it looked better, but it lacked the commercial look we all see in a Victoria's Secret poster or a fashion ad. I decided to experiment with various photo filters and was delighted to find that the color began to take on a "hyper-real" version of itself. Upon seeing this, I created a new layer and filled it with a blue color, which overlayed the photo filter, which was overlaying the original photograph. As I type this, I just remembered what my college buddy, Jeff Herndon, who is a phenomenal concept artist, said one day after returning from his oil painting class: "to maximize the realism of a person, add in random colors like reds, greens, blues - colors you normally wouldn't associate with human skin pigmentation and your eyes will interpret them as shades of light". That kinda-sorta applies to this example, but from a stylistic point of view.

I plan on posting more samples from this set on my website www.russellperkins.com in the featured section once they're ready for viewing!

Yay creativity,

-Russ

Brave Arms Customize Trailer Released in first Facebook Beta Test

2010-04-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Today marks the first step of the Brave Arms Beta testing. 3G Studios (the company I work for) briefly opened our client server to the masses to collect technical issue feedback from folks who own various hardware configurations. After just 1 hour, we had over 3,000 users successfully download our engine. This is encouraging news as the game isn't finished/released yet, but interest is apparently quite high!

As an Easter Egg bonus for those who pro-actively downloaded and tested the app, I created the 2nd trailer for the game, focusing on character customization, which loaded up and played after the installation completed. As a side note, the British voice over throughout the trailer is none other than yours truly! From what I've seen so far, feedback from folks have been delightly positive, so I guess I did my job.

The company I work for recently moved into much more plush digs and the Audio Room at the time of recording the V.O. hadn't been set up yet, so I improvised by taking a few pieces of wall foam, a portable mic, and a flashlight to read the script, and created a mini-sound booth that BARELY fit my head. Unbeknownst to me during the recording, the Project Manager took a picture of me with my head shoved in the flimsy contraption, which I have attached to this Blog Entry for your viewing enjoyment!

For those who missed it, 3G Studios will be making the download available again multiple times over the coming weeks with bug fixes so get signed up if you haven't done so already and check it out here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/bravearms

Any feedback is most welcome!

Best,

Russell Perkins

My First Blog Entry

2010-04-02T13:52:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Today marks the first day of launching the blog portion of my www.russellperkins.com site. I've been meaning to do this for some time, but have been too busy to actually take the time to set it up until now. The purpose of this particular blog, is to give all of you a bit of an insight as to who I am, behind the scenes of what I do in the Entertainment Industry, and techniques that I've learned and can share to those who are interested.

I'll have much more interesting topics to post in the coming weeks, so be sure to check back often!

Until then,
-Russ