Rob Has A Camera!

New Website

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:28:00 +0000

If you're still following my blog you might have noticed I have done anything with it in a while. I got busy with going back to school and didn't have a chance to update this for a while.

However, now I'm back to doing photography for the summer.

Also, instead of posting on this blog, I'm going to concentrate on keeping my work at my new website at http://www.shadowofheaven.com/

Please make sure to visit me there!

NEW SITE!
http://www.shadowofheaven.com/

Goddess

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:57:00 +0000

The pose in this is very powerful and assertive. She seems to screams for adoration and worship. The cloth draped around her waist remind me of Greek goddess. As much as I love the pose the background is what excites me most. The clouds turned out much better in this one then in the piece My Wife. I want to keep experimenting with the background of the image and will include more images of skies in my work in the future.

Embrace

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:56:00 +0000

Even though this is from the same photoshoot as The Red Corset, it turned out very different. This photo is very blunt with its sexuality. Also there is a lot more contrast and darkness in the in the figures. There more that I can say about this piece but I want people to draw there own conclusions from it.

I'm getting a better idea of my process now. I know it took a while (2 years) but I think I'm finally figuring out a system to make work the way I do. I've also found a better way to work the backgrounds of each piece to show more depth then they have at times in the past.

*I've noticed that this image appears really dark on some monitors, while this is a darker piece you should still be able to see quite a bit of detail in the shadow areas if your monitor is adjusted properly.

The Red Corset

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 16:37:00 +0000

I named this one the red corest for obvious reasons. The corset is what your eyes are drawn to at first. Afterward the eyes wonder to other area and the scene can be taken in fully. The corset also represents sexuality which is enhanced by the color red.

The colors in this piece remind me a lot of my Our Lady of Rapture. The background turned out different in this one as I increased the amount hat the wall showed up. I think it helps to anchor my work when I have a defined background. Otherwise everything starts to look a bit bland. have many more photos from this shoot that still need to be finished. I hope that they turn out as well as this one.

Pleasure

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:07:00 +0000

The hair is my favorite part of this photo. There is so much energy in it that it really makes the piece, without the hair it would be boring. Needless to say that there were a lot of shots involved before we were able to capture this one. The thing I enjoy most about working with nudes though is the way the lighting hits the skin and captures the innate beauty and lust of the body. I've been exploring the concept of the world that I'm trying to create and found that my common thread among my work is allure. With this discovery comes erotic and nude images. What better way to allure man then through beautiful flesh and the hint of something more.

While working towards evolving my style I'm trying to do more with the background then just leaving it plain and empty. I've experimented with this piece and tried to bring more contrast into the space around the model. I want to work on this more but I'm backlogged as it is with photos from several different shoots that I need to catch up on, I wish I had more time to work on my portfolio.

Let me know what you think of this one.

King and Caretaker

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:21:00 +0000

I really enjoy working with the king in this world I'm creating. I could talk about the characters in this but instead I want each person to have their own interpretation. I took this a few months ago and finally had a chance to complete it. My work is starting to evolve slowly and its interesting jumping from pictures that I've taken recently to ones that I took when the perspective I had was slightly different.

I'm still trying to figure out what I'm trying to do and I get closer to the answer all the time. I figured out that I'm creating another world that is full of sin, religion and lust. The world is one that I paint with vibrant colors to make it more alluring the same way that people take pleasure in their sins. I'm still trying to put the rest of this into words and will write more on it later.

Clouds 1

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:31:00 +0000

I know I just posted an image but I wanted to put this one up as well. I actually finished this photo a while back but was debating whether I should post it. This is my first real attempt at an HDR panorama. I really like the results and it reminds me of a series by Alfred Stieglitz called Equivalents. With this series Stieglitz shoots just clouds and does an absolutely amazing job.

I'm thinking about starting another series of nothing but clouds similar to this photo. Let me know what you guys thinks.

PS. - I know there are a few watermarks on this one but with this type of image I'm afraid that someone might steal it and use it on a different website if I don't take precautions.

The Look In Her Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:46:00 +0000

NSFW - Click to view full image (contains nudity)

This photo is inspired by the by one of my favorite artist, Jan Saudek. He has several works that are very similar to this, such as Ida as the Playcard (warning contains nudity). I very much enjoyed working with this model and have several more peices coming from this shoot.

I liked being able to combine opposing emotions in a single piece. I love the lust, passion and the alluring quality of the top portion of this. In the bottom part there is the shy personality that is almost hidden and neglected. Overall I think that combining these gives this a good visual appeal that takes the viewer's eyes from one personality to the other and back again. It also lends to the strangeness that works well within the world I'm trying to create.

Kendra

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:23:00 +0000

Its been a while since I posted any photos but things have been so busy. I still have about five photoshoots worth of pictures that I need to work on.

This photo is from one of the other photoshoots that I'm still working on. Its a portrait of my friend Kendra that she wanted done for her husband. I'm still working on the other photos from this session and another session that I had with her. Hopefully I'll be able to finish them up soon.

David and Wife

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:45:00 +0000

Waited a while before posting this as I was working with a client to create this photo and I wanted him to see the print before he saw the digital version.

It was a challenge working with a client that had a specific idea of how he wanted the photo to be done and still create a piece that works well in my current portfolio. It was also a lot of fun creating a triptych as well. Composition changes greatly when dealing with 3 individual works that need to have a strong look when displayed both individually and as a group. What I loved most about working on this piece though was the flexibility that a triptych gave when working with color. This allowed multiple colors for the background across these pieces and gave me some play in tying the pieces together by crossing colors from one piece into the other. Also the fact that the color is slightly different in the middle piece helps to draw the focus to the center photo which is the more dramatic out of the three.

Blessing

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Thu, 07 May 2009 05:16:00 +0000

Finally did the color version of this image and it turned out to be very intense. The calmness of the atmosphere is disturbed by the background that surrounds the characters. The red gives the image an ominous feeling and is meant to convey that there is not something right with the situation. I tried to portray the glow from the characters as a type of fire and leave it to the viewer to decide if this is the flame of God or if its something less then holy.

My Wife

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Sat, 02 May 2009 20:20:00 +0000

Wanted to experiment further with colors and backgrounds. Used a picture of my wife that I took a while back and blended in some recent cloud photos that I took. I'm really happy with the results and look forward to a photo shoot I will be having later this month so I can continue to experiment.

Terry

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Sat, 02 May 2009 07:47:00 +0000

Did a portrait of my friend from the last photo shoot I had. Played around with the color for a while and gave him 3 versions so he could decide which one he liked the best. My favorite is the one with the red shirt, however I do like them all lined up together too. Might work better in this format if I color the first one as well and let the colors contrast and complement each other in the different versions of the photos.

Why did you kill him?

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:13:00 +0000

This piece has taken me a long time to complete. The idea behind it was to capture more emotion then I have been doing in some of my work. Just being behind the camera became an intense experience while photographing these models.

I wanted to capture anger and rage and to be able to feel it pour out in the photo. This made me concentrate on capturing the image at just the right moment. I had to work with the models to bring the real emotions out to the surface. It felt like being a director in a movie. As much energy that went into making the exposure the majority of the time was spent post production.

I had the photo session for this originally in January and have been working on the final image on and off since. Making the background just right was the most difficult part and working on it made me realize that in the future I would like to experiment with having a more dynamic setting. This will complicate things with my process but overall I believe it will help my art. I am very pleased with how this background turned out though. Overall I believe it helps convey the emotional exchange between these individuals.

Deep in Thought

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:36:00 +0000

I've been trying to get work done more often lately to expand my portfolio. I hope to dedicate myself enough to get at least one work done a month. This may seem slow but I work full time and have other projects going on as well. Not only that but the process I use is very time consuming and I normally only use one picture from any one portrait session.

Currently I think it would be a good idea to bring out more emotion in my work and that is what this became about. The feeling in this piece is subtle enough to convey the emotion without being overpowering. I would like to do some more work with emotion in the future though as I really think I need to capture some stronger emotions.

The colors in this piece did turn out really well though. I enjoyed having to color the tie separate from the shirt as I feel they really compliment each other very well. Also they are brought out nicely again the opposing background. In the future it would be nice to try a portrait with and elaborate costume that would take even more effort to color. I would love the challenge of a complicated and intricate piece to color in this style. Also it would allow a lot more variety in the color of a single piece. Another piece I would like to work towards is a full nude. This would allow an intricate working with the coloring and tones of flesh. If anyone happens to know anyone that might be interested in doing a picture in this style with full nudity please let me know by emailing me at robhasacamera@gmail.com.

Man with Knife

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:00:00 +0000

In this work I wanted the viewer to become an onlooker, a voyeuristic viewer powerless to prevent any action but too curious or consumed about what was happening to look away. The view from the back emphasizes this as animosity and leaves us asking who this person is or what emotions are occurring in this moment. More then anything I wanted questions to occur when viewing this piece. I wanted each person to interpret the image their own way, adding a piece of themselves to the image.

One thing I got to do while working on this piece was to streamline my process. I want to be able to easily reproduce this style to make it easier to refine and experiment with it. This gave me the freedom to do something different with the background. I enjoyed how it turned out and believe the stark red adds heavily to the strong emotions I’m hoping to invoke.

Blessing (test)

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:41:00 +0000

This piece is currently a work in progress. At one point I decided to experiment a bit and deviate a little from my regular style. I enjoyed the experimentation of it and like the results. The sepia tone turned out better then I would have expected and has several rich tones to it. The selective focusing helps to blur out the unnecessary details. it also helps to provide the work with a more antiquated appeal.

I may incorporate some of these techniques into future pieces. I am still gong to work on this one however and hope to Have a final version ready within a week or so.

Self Discovery

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:55:00 +0000

Been very busy lately. Just got done working on a side project for extra money. No it wasn't art related, however I'm using the extra money to get some new lighting equipment and a Lensbaby. Now that I'm done with that project for the moment I can get back to working on my photos.

I wanted to create a piece that made people feel strange. The person portrayed is staring at himself but doesn't give any indication of a reaction, he's literally frozen in place. This figure on the ground is slumped and pale leaving a question of whether he is alive or not which could be the very horror that the standing figure is facing in his mind. This work was more of a color experiment then anything else. I wanted to go a different direction in my color without making to drastic of a change at one time. It was very difficult to keep a neutral tone to the background and still have the color stand out strong like this. I really enjoyed how it turned out overall however and I will continue to experiment with color in future photos. Also when I get my new equipment I'll most likely try out different lighting techniques as well. Ill be very excited when I get the Lensbaby as it will afford a chance to try doing softer photos to see if they can work in this world that I'm trying to create.

Claimed by The Hatter

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:12:00 +0000

I have always been fascinated with the world and the characters created in Lewis Carol's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. More then anything though the Hatter at the tea party (aka the Mad Hatter) has held my interest. I love the unique personality and the unreasonable logic that he puts forth. I also enjoy the variations and diversity he receives when portrayed in other works, especially when he plays the role of a villain. So when trying to think of the title for a piece that involves madness the Hatter from Lewis Carol's book eventually came into mind. The person portrayed in this piece shows someone that has just broken the edge of his sanity. He is a normal person just like Alice that has gotten himself thrown into a world in which he doesn't belong. Stress and confusion eventually bring him over the edge and he finds that he can be just as inflicted with madness as any other character.

Color selection was difficult for this piece. Lately I have been trying to expand my color palette while striving to keep colors looking bright and passionate. It is especially challenging to create works as such and keep enough diversity to make sure they don't all blend together entirely. The red shirt again in this piece becomes a symbol for aggression and acts like a warning. The background compliments the shirt and helps to highlight the character further. With the colors I really wanted to create that out of place feeling and make the viewer feel that something is not quite right.

Righteous Kill (The Slaughter of Man)

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:01:00 +0000

This photo continues the tale of the Self Appointed King portrait that I shot last year. Here our king has proclaimed himself a righteous man and found it to be his duty to rid his kingdom of the wicked.

Emphasis has been placed on the king in this work with the golden glow that surrounds him. He still carries the mark or royalty with the purple shirt he bears and everything about him is brighter. His pants are a better blue and his clothes are lighter in color. The man on the ground however is wearing much darker clothes. His pants on comparison aren't as bright and the dark red shirt he wears carries a foreshadowing of the blood that is to be spilled.

The thing I enjoy enjoy most in this photo is the pose that the characters are in. The king has a a great amount of tension on his form as he rises on the tip of his shoe before he strikes. The sword is pulled back as far as it will go like an arrow before its shot. The entire time though his face his calm and cool portraying him as someone that his only carrying on his duty. The man on the ground however is confused and struggling, the toes on his feet bent back as he struggles to get away.

The photo also has excellent angles that leads the viewer around the photo. The figures are connected were the hands cross paths and the viewer is guided to the man on the ground by the sword's tip. Altogether it creates a triangle shape that also helps to break up the frame.

I hope to keep up he story of the king in future works and also plan on expanding some of the other characters that I have shot as well.

Righteous Kill (BW Version)

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:29:00 +0000

I know it has been a while since I have posted last but I've been a bit busy. I went on a trip recently with some friends and I have also been working on my portfolio site. Not only that but I've been having problems finding models. In fact in my new portfolio site I am building a form for potential models, this way I can keep doing my photos. I'll make sure to post a link to the site when I have it done.

Currently I'm working on the photo that you can see to the left. Before we began the idea was that I was going to be knighted but part way through the shoot the idea changed quite a bit. I'll talk more about this photo once I get the color version done. The title may end up changing by then too but we'll see.

Melancholy Lust

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 02:34:00 +0000

This one turned out a lot different then I originally planned. I was going to do a portrait where my wife appeared in it twice but after shooting for a bit this started to develop instead. I really enjoyed how it turned out though, I had to spend quite a while making sure that every detail was right. The background colors were an experiment. In this I'm attempting to do more then just single color backgrounds so I can diversify my work. Also there is a lot of play with the skin tones to make them contrast from each other. My wife's skin tone in this is very pale and brings thoughts of purity overshadowed by a morbid feeling. I believes this plays well with the overall aggressive sexual part that I play in the picture and helps provide this image with its dual meaning. The background also fuels this duality with its brightness sounding an otherwise dark scene.

Here is another image from this photo session that I enjoy even though I don't believe in fits in the series at the moment. This was actually a test shot from the shoot to get the lighting worked out but it ended up turning out really well. I ended up using it to test some new techniques that I'm developing. I may work more on this one later and repost it as a self-portrait in this series.

The Harlequin at Play

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:55:00 +0000

I know its been a while, but I was finally able to get this one done just yesterday. Things have been busy lately and I just didn't have a chance to get it done any sooner.

Right now I'm playing with the idea of double portraits as a way to some multiple personalities. I enjoyed the idea of the Harlequin because to me he's a prankster and at the same time can be very serious. However serious he may become though he's always playful and enjoys pranking and showing off, even at his own expense. This image displays that dual personality and evokes feelings of curiosity and sadness that are both present within the character. One sad lost in a bitter emotion but another side of the same individual is unable to understand the feeling and is even of the verge of interrupting what should be a private moment.

This work shows a vibrant display of colors that remind me of works by Gilbert and George*. I struggled with this one to keep the colors clean while trying to give them a depth that draws the viewer into the image.

I enjoyed doing this picture a lot and I am also working on a triptych using some photos from the same shoot. I also plan on experimenting a bit more and will post the results as I finish them.

*some images on the the Gilbert and Geaorge site may be offensive to some people, view with care and not at work

Saint No. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 07:53:00 +0000

Just finished this image. I'm really happy with how this one turned out. I believe that this image really captures the essence of the religious glow and the halo works quite nicely with it. I've been reading a lot about the halo as a icon on wikipedia, and think I will end up doing a few picture similar in this nature.

I believe the lighting is the strongest part of this photo and I'm glad that I did light test before the shoot because it made things so much easier. The cloth that is draped around the figure also turned out well as a result of this and makes the figure more three dimensional and real. The colors are also very strong and helps to separate the image from the background. The background color also brings to mind fire, as if the figure is surrounded or baptized by a holy flame.

Our Lady of Rapture

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:08:00 +0000

I Got to shoot some new portraits on Christmas weekend. This is the first one I finished. I also got a few artbooks on Chirstmas morning. I received books about Jan Saudek and Loretta Lux, and also got Twilight: Photographs by Gregory Crewdson and Graphis Photography Annual 2007. among the books I enjoy the one about Jan Saudek the most. It's an enormous book with images spanning his photographic career. I've looked before at Jan Saudek's work on his site*, but being able to see his work large and up close is entirely different then seeing images online. His work is a real inspiration for the pieces I'm creating right now and the book is really helping me refine my own style as well as borrow from his.

The idea that began the work on this image was when I was thinking of a mistress or seductress that would fit in this world that I'm creating. After the shoot though this image stuck with me above all the others and seemed to capture a moment of pure ecstasy and of course rapture. It reminds me a lot of Edvard Munch's Modanna. I chose red for the dress to inspire temptation and lust from the viewer and the wall was colored to contrast it and complement it. Blush was added to the cheeks to emphasize the overall feeling. I really enjoyed how this one turned out and only hope that future images can meet this type of mark.

*some images on Jan Saudek's site may be offensive to some people, view with care and not at work