I particularly like the way they used a two camera setup with varying exposure to make a "talking head" style shot more interesting.
This is a great business model as well.
Portrait Professional 12—first impression
in Photography
I've only edited a few images with Portrait Pro 12, so I'm sure there's a lot more to learn. My first impression—interesting and slightly disturbing at its extremes.
I think I've learned enough editing a few photos to get a general sense of what this app does well. I'm not sure yet if the relatively minor issues are mine or whether the app has a few tricks that I still need to learn.
Other than some confusion about the version I was purchasing (which was clunky and cost me an extra few bucks), the app has been stable. I haven't yet used the plug-ins for Lightroom and Photoshop.
Like Photoshop, this app can create atrocious results, but Portrait Pro's sliders give you a lot of control. Someone with decent Photoshop chops will recognize what Portrait Pro does after experimenting with a few images. This is a good thing. It's easy to tone down the effects, which can be dramatic.
This shot of my daughter looked nice, but my daughter and her friends felt like it didn't look like her.
Photoshop
Portrait Pro 12
The results can seem clownish at the default settings. I took this really mundane shot of my wife in the yard to see what it would do with a snapshot. The final shot looks heavy-handed when compared to the original (though most post-processing can seem that way when compared directly with the initial capture).
Original snapshot
Portrait Pro 12
Portrait Pro doesn't do anything that you can't do without it, but it expedites a lot of the typical adjustments you'll make to most people photos. It does a great job on skin, provided you fiddle with the settings appropriately. I can see using this for the first pass at least, and, like many Photoshop actions or Lightroom presets, experimentation in Portrait Pro might spark an idea or might highlight an aspect of the image that could benefit from more attention.
I've found some odd color artifacts when making many of the facial modeling and hair coloring adjustments, though these become noticeable only when trying to make fairly drastic changes. The uneven hair adjustment artifacts are evident in the hair below; I could have corrected this easily in the app or in Photoshop, and I probably will go back and make some additional changes later. Even with the most significant artifacts, I found that the "modeled" face offered some interesting potential when saved as a separate image and overlaid manually in Photoshop.
From my brief time using the app, it seems like images shot straight on will work best. I struggled with facial geometry in a shot where the model's head was tipped toward the camera, for example. I don't see Portrait Pro replacing Photoshop for regular image adjustments, but I can see using it all of the time for skin, eyes and teeth.
Here's an image that I thought might particularly benefit from Portrait Pro. I've included the "original," which I made black and white in part to avoid some of the color issues in the capture. I don't like the amount of contrast I used initially, so I've toned that down when re-editing.
As shot
Photoshop
Portrait Pro, converted in Photoshop
No doubt that these quick experiments don't represent what can be done with Portrait Pro 12, and I look forward to trying it out on a few other shots over the weekend.
Beauty and photo-manipulation
in Society, Photography
In the spirit of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, here's another interesting video that shows the dramatic effect of post-processing, underscoring the disconnect between natural beauty and the constructed image.
While I manipulate tones, color and contrast, the extent of photo manipulation beyond that is to remove blemishes and stray hairs. It's much easier to make adjustments to lighting or to shoot from a different angle than to spend a lot of time in post-production; I enjoy shooting more than editing, so I focus on time with the person I'm photographing instead of Photoshop.
Dove real beauty sketches
in Society, Photography
What a fantastic concept.
Welder's mask
in Photography
I took this while shooting portraits for a Portland private investigator, whose office is in a fantastic old building with a wood and metal shop.
Infrared landscape
in Photography
Shot near Ashland, this was taken with an old 30D, converted to shoot infrared.
Low light rework
in Photography
I'm taking a break from an MBA assignment to rework a photo from a fashion shoot for Rofe Designs this summer. With fashion, color accuracy matters, so I often find that I can create a more compelling image when I rework it for my portfolio or for the model.
Without all of my studio gear, I used sunlight and reflectors for outdoor shots like this image from my "Fashion" section. Inside the cabin, I used a single lamp and let the light fall off. I processed the image in black and white, adding a slight warmth to the black to give it an antique feel.
Model's bag (a photographer's perspective)
in Photography
If you search for "model's bag," there are several good links that offer advice from a model's perspective. I share a similar list with clients and hope that it's helpful to you:
Basics
Skin and make up
- Oil blotting sheets
- Q-tips
- Tweezers
- Make up brushes
- Concealer
- Powder
- Foam wedges
- Mascara
- Lip balm
- Lip gloss
- Lip color palette
- Eye shadow palette
- Moisturizer
- Eye drops
- Tissues
- Make up remover
- Razor
Hair
- Brush
- Bobby pins
- Hair ties and bands
- Accessories
Clothes
- Undergarments in nude, black and white
- Heels
- Sandals
- Casual shoes
- Socks
- Strapless or tube top
- Hosiery in nude, black and white
- Basic black dress and skirt
- Basic white top
Miscellaneous
- Phone and charger
- Contact information and directions
- Mirror
- Toothbrush
- Floss
- Clear deodorant
- Personal care items and medications
- Mints
- Band aids
- Sewing kit
- Lint remover
- Music player
- Pen
- Payment or voucher
- Comp card or portfolio
- Shot list
- Petty cash
- Ibuprofen
- Water bottle
Beyond the basics
- Robe
- False eyelashes and applicator tool
- Small, plastic palette
- Necklaces
- Earrings
- Glasses
- Scarfs
- Hosiery
- Distinctive clothes (maybe vintage, ethnic or atypical in style or material)
- Hats
- Double-sided tape
Before shooting, don't...
- Wear tight clothes - that leave marks on your skin.
- Use sunscreen - which will clump when combined with powder.
- Apply foundation - without asking about make up.
- Use harsh astringents or scrub your face - leaving red, blotchy skin.
- Forget about your nails - ask or use clear polish.
Guys can use a subset of this list with simple substitutes for basic t-shirts, dress shirts, tank tops, jeans and slacks.
I'm definitely an over-packer, but I'd rather have something I don't need than need something I don't have. I hope this is useful!
Professor's journey shapes student experience
in Résumé
David Altman described his first year teaching as more exciting than he could have imagined. It was punctuated by two nationally competitive grants to study the protein myosin, a family of motor proteins that are core pieces of cellular machinery.
When you clicked on the link to read this story, myosin was at work. It is the cell’s motor, responsible for muscular contraction among many other cellular functions.
“Myosin’s got this elegant simplicity,” Altman said. “I want to understand how the motor works.”
Collaborative research
As part of Willamette’s Science Collaborative Research Program, Altman works with Jared Green ’11 and Jesse Sant ’12. The team spent the summer building an optical trap in Collins Science Center, using a laser to examine myosin’s behavior. They will analyze the motor’s range of motion and perform experiments to study its function in retinal cells.
“I’m really excited to use the lab for my senior project,” said Green. “David and I sat down and came up with a really cool idea. We’re going to look at how the molecular motor works in endocytosis within eye cells.” Endocytosis is how cells absorb molecules from outside the cell.
“Jesse will use the lab for his junior year ATEP, Advanced Techniques in Experimental Physics, which I’ll be teaching next semester,” Altman said.
The research he and his students are doing now will act as the springboard for future projects, continuing to study myosin not just in its original form but also working to engineer specific behavior. Likewise, Altman would like to see Green’s work become the framework for a model of myosin function within eye cells.
Altman’s journey
Altman’s own intellectual voyage mirrors many students’ college journeys. “I like exploring as many things that I don’t understand as possible,” he said.
“I started working with optical traps as an undergraduate in Chicago, where we studied the dynamics of colloids – the dispersion of small particles in liquids,” Altman said. His optical trap experience paid off in graduate school at Stanford, when he was asked to be part of a biochemistry team. Ultimately his work led to collaboration with a group in India, beginning Altman’s focus on molecular motors in cellular systems.
Altman’s passion for intellectual exploration has influenced his students. The team visited Stanford to create motor proteins using the university’s specialized equipment, and the trip was transformative. “Just sitting in on some of David’s conversations with his colleagues and seeing the immersion you get in grad school where you’re constantly talking and reading about all of these subjects was really cool,” Green said.
Green’s goal is to become an educator, a goal which was well-served by working with Altman through SCRP. “Having a research background and being able to bring a lab to a department would be an advantage,” he said.
Outside the lab
Even the staunchest researchers need a break from the darkened laboratory space required for such optical trap experiments. Altman often meets with students outside of the Collins Science Center to discuss the team’s work or occasionally to jam.
“Willamette has been fun in that you get to form really close relationships with a lot of professors,” Green said. “I first got to know David when we played in a band last semester at Wulapalooza. It was called ‘Dr. Altman’s Bird Refinery,’ and we had a really good time.”
Altman is a percussionist. “We’re looking at playing bluegrass this year,” he said.
When not in the lab or teaching, you might see Altman downtown at Governor’s Cup, Venti’s or Tangled Pearls, a new knitting shop. “Our lab in general has become a big fan of Clockworks Café,” Altman said. “That’s become a regular meeting spot.”
Whether in class, working in a lab or chatting over coffee, Altman appreciates the opportunity to get to know students personally. “The interactions in the small classes at Willamette were so wonderful,” he said. “I definitely ended my first year thinking I’m in the right place.”
Watkins' research presents a challenge for current cosmological model
in Résumé
According to Richard Watkins’ latest research, nearby galaxies have an enigmatic “flow,” like billiard balls rolling on a slightly tilted table – motion that challenges the current cosmological model.
Watkins, a physics professor at Willamette University in Salem, Ore., is at the leading edge of research into the movement of galaxies. He works with Hume Feldman from the University of Kansas and Michael Hudson from the University of Waterloo to use satellite data to draw conclusions about how galaxies flow.
In 2001, NASA launched the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), which measures remnant light from the Big Bang. This light loses energy as the universe itself expands. By measuring tiny differences in the resultant low-frequency microwave radiation, WMAP’s precise scans define parameters of mathematical models of the universe.
WMAP image of the universe's matter density at 380,000 years
According to the prevailing model, the expansion of space causes all galaxies to recede from each other. Galaxies also flow towards areas of higher concentrations of mass because of gravity. The model makes very specific predictions about how galaxies should move based on expansion and gravity. Scientists refer to any additional movement as “peculiar velocity.”
Watkins’ team measures this peculiar velocity by directly comparing previous surveys of differing volumes of space from “nearby” galaxies – within 163 million light-years of Earth.
His team calculated that nearby galaxies are flowing quickly, at the very edge of consistency with the prevailing model. “What’s the likelihood that a universe with the WMAP parameters could give us this big of flow?” Watkins asked. “It’s less than 2 percent.”
The simplest explanation for the flow found by Watkins’ team is that we live in a statistically unlikely volume of space. “If you had a hundred volumes, you’d expect one or two out of a hundred to be moving with this velocity,” Watkins said.
A researcher from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Alexander Kashlinsky, takes Watkins’ results much further. Kashinlisky cites Watkins’ work in a recent article as potential support for Kashlinsky’s notion of “dark flow.”
Kashlinsky’s team uses a different technique to look much further away on a much larger scale. In their latest paper, the team claims to have found evidence of a large flow of galaxies that is in roughly the same direction as the much smaller flow measured by Watkins’ team in nearby space.
While Watkins’ measured flow is improbable but within the bounds of the prevailing model, Kashlinsky’s results would require a major revision. Kashlinsky suggests the flow “might provide an indirect probe of the Multiverse,” a theory that suggests that our universe may be part of a higher dimensional space in which there are many – or even and infinite number of – other universes, potentially with different physical laws.
His results have met with some skepticism in the scientific community. Several physicists have taken aim at Kashlinksy’s conclusions, specifically the way he computes the level of uncertainty in his calculations.
According to Watkins, figuring out uncertainty on such extreme scales is difficult, and his next step is to use computer simulations to test his team’s assumptions. Watkins also expresses some reservations about tying his team’s results to Kashlinksy’s conclusions.
“There may be some process that we don’t understand. Perhaps something that occurred between the Big Bang and now to cause this peculiar velocity, but you don’t need something radical to explain our flow.”
Scientists remain conflicted about the extent, direction and cause of the flow. “We need more data,” Watkins said. “This is an indication that something is not quite right. Right now, it’s just a hint.”