[ravnostic]

The Rainbow Festival is kind of like a gay pride festival, only with artisans selling wares instead of police agencies from around the nation hawking jobs, and local talent manning the stages, instead of 80’s has-been performers overcharging so as to be listed, just one more time, as a ‘headliner’. In short, it’s for the people.

This year it’s October 1st and 2nd. It’s held in downtown’s Heritage Square, a uniquely preserved part of Phoenix’s past, and right off the light rail line, but also with 15K local parking spaces.

http://www.rainbowsfestival.com/

Costs about $450 to rent a space, but it’s a two-day festival (8 hours per day) and last year over 25K attended. I’ll be pricing to break even if I sell 1/4 of what I plan to bring (I’ll be investing around $1000 total). Which means, of course, I may not break even (I’ve heard stories from other photogs, so I’m not getting my hopes up.) But if I don’t try, put myself out there, I’ll never know.

We’ll see! I’m excited…I’m scared…I’m working hard on putting this together. Next paycheck, mid August, I’ll have the funds for the booth (deadline is Sept 1st or it costs $200 more). I got a great deal on foamboard from the dollar store (for backing in the matte packaging, so things don’t get bent)–10 20×30 boards at a buck a pop (1/3 of the Michael’s craft price). I may need more. I’m trying to get everything as cheaply as I can, but will be spending a full $3-400 on the prints, top-o-the-line-quality only on those. Most everything will be smallish, but I’ll take orders for larger sized items. That should keep my expenses down, as I have no idea what people will want larger prints of so to invest in that kind of cost is premature until I can determine interest levels.

Well wishes are appreciated!!! TYVM!!

[ravnostic]

I was gonna say that you were either very brave, had a couple of bodyguards with you or you’re crazy to be down there taking pics at night ! 😆 (great job tho!)

Takes a local to appreciate the risk factor–thank you!! Pretty sure it was a combination of ‘brave’ and ‘crazy’. Melissa Etheridge, eat your heart out!

[ravnostic]

There is a lot of win this week. A LOT.

Agreed. One of those weeks when I wish there was a ‘vote for everything but this’ feature–would save me a lot of clicking time (in fact, might save me ALL clicking time).

…and the liters haven’t even jumped in yet.

[ravnostic]

It’s a Bee that inspired the “A”s tonight

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ennuipoet/6030893574/in/photostream/lightbox/

The portal in question is a portico that used to lead to a manor house in what is now Fort Tryon Park in Manhattan. I love the light in this shot, I have to go back same bat time same bat channel to reshoot with better alignment.

Like, very much. 🙂

My b’s are interior shots of the Central/Jackson underpass used in my 2nd photo. It was at 1a.m. I first shot there; but upon going home to process, discovered I’d gunked up my lens and everything had fuzzies. Went back at 3a.m.-ish. And it really isn’t a nice neighborhood. Both sides of the tunnel smelled like pee, and during the entire time, I’m checking up and down the tunnel for nefarious lurkers (didn’t see any,though, **phew**)

Processed each a bit differently, but it’s not mirrored; shot from both walkways, facing north:

http://fossilspringsaz.com/pics/2011/aug/10/portal03sml.jpg
http://fossilspringsaz.com/pics/2011/aug/10/portal04sml.jpg

Bigger:

http://fossilspringsaz.com/pics/2011/aug/10/portal03lg.jpg
http://fossilspringsaz.com/pics/2011/aug/10/portal04lg.jpg

[ravnostic]

They’re heeere….

I went to matshopdotcom and ordered an assortment of mattes:

5 12x16s (8×10 photo size)
6 5x21s (3x 3×4.5)
25 6x6s in black (4×4)
25 6x6s in asst. (4×4)
20 7.5×13.5 (4×10 panos), textured grey
20 7×9 (5×7) textured black (it’s wrong side up in the photo-oops)

all for $70, which I thought was a good price. I got as wide an assortment as I could buy on ‘clearance’.

Now I just need to take pictures good enough to put into them!! (Okay, I have a few planned). I figure to rent a booth at the rainbow festival this year and see what happens. That chart thingy in the pub thread? This is where I either follow the dotted line up, or drop down to “I suck”. 😛

[ravnostic]

… I’ve decided not to use the shot I was asking about, so here’s an early B:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42385982@N06/6026254880/lightbox
That was the “negative” version. Since I’m not entering it, I won’t bother uploading the positive one.

If you have trouble figuring out what that is, here is the answer:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42385982@N06/6030173947/lightbox

Ha! 😆 I was actually thinking it was some mutant eggshell thingy.

[ravnostic]

I figured /p/ was the point where you go professional or not, and if you did then you follow the dotted line up and become, well, an asshole.

or that the ‘one’ shot that got published went nowhere… thus leading to the ‘I suck’ mentality. 😥

[ravnostic]

plastic shopping bag (meah–like the subject, though):

http://fossilspringsaz.com/pics/2011/aug/08/ml012.jpg
http://fossilspringsaz.com/pics/2011/aug/08/ml013.jpg

and FINALLY one that I actually think is pretty good. The texture worked well with the subject:

http://fossilspringsaz.com/pics/2011/aug/08/ml014.jpg

(A visit to the dollar store, and a piece cut from a chinese-style plastic ‘to go’ container.)

[ravnostic]

Incidently, O, what are you using to hold your material in the proper focal position? I bought a small wood frame (99 cents, Michael’s Crafts–you can see it in ML010–window is 2-3/8 x 3-3/8) and some binder clips.

Ha! That should read as two-and-three-eighths by three-and-three-eights.

Curses! Emoticon’d again!! 😛

[ravnostic]

My first effort. Details in the description. Off to try other textures…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52058597@N08/6023254171/

//edit: For what they’re worth (and it’s not much):

I recently bought a bag of tech-clean non-lint wiper cloths (such as we use at work in the cleanroom environment) for my camera lenses/sensor. This is one of those:
http://fossilspringsaz.com/pics/2011/aug/08/ML002.jpg

This one is using a meshed material used in sewing, for pattern-making:
http://fossilspringsaz.com/pics/2011/aug/08/ML006.jpg

Seems the goal here is to focus as clearly as possible on the foreground element, while maintaining clarity of the background element–kinda tricky with gauzy materials, finding that right focal point.

Will try further/harder, may do gooder/fail better.

😉

//further edit: I like these slightly better.

This is using a type of gauze called a mirasorb sponge. There’s a lot of cellulose-type fibering, which appeared to really tweek the image anywhere near the edges of it. A Gaussian blur? 😆
http://fossilspringsaz.com/pics/2011/aug/08/ML008.jpg

Same scene, but with a few layers of a very loose gauze:
http://fossilspringsaz.com/pics/2011/aug/08/ML009.jpg

Parchment paper**:

http://fossilspringsaz.com/pics/2011/aug/08/ML010.jpg

http://fossilspringsaz.com/pics/2011/aug/08/ML011.jpg

Incidently, O, what are you using to hold your material in the proper focal position? I bought a small wood frame (99 cents, Michael’s Crafts–you can see it in ML010–window is 2-3/8 x 3-3/8) and some binder clips. Once I’m in the general position, I broaden out the clips’ doo-hickey-wire removal grasps to hug the tin sides of the lantern, and fine-‘toon’. Thus far, I can angle, *moderately*, the entire contraption. I’d like to see if I can get the exact focal point nailed down, mark the interior, and come up with a better way of being able to position the frame correctly without having to fiddle with it so much, and also be able to position the box at more extreme angles (I’m thinking wouldn’t a lightning picture done with this process look phenomenal?)

I’ve got something of an advantage as well–as yet; I’ve misplaced the brass screws that held the Darlot to the box. So at the moment, I’m just using the 2 4-inch lens configuration, which look like this: |)(|

This arrangement puts my current focal point about 2 inches behind the lens, giving me (correct me if I’m wrong, please) an f/.5. I get a ton of light; exposures for these shots have been as little as 1/640th second at ISO 100. I’m going to play around the complex when the sun goes down.

I’ll take the Darlot apparatus to ACE and see if I can find the right sized screws so I can remount it without damage–I’ll lose the f/stop, but I think I’ll gain quite a bit more–including (I hope) reduced CA.

**and here is where I learned that having the sun in a scene where you are trying to focus upon a piece of paper is not *such* a good idea. Parchment paper does take a while to burn–but it can, and does, given time. Oops!!

[ravnostic]

So even when you don’t think you have anything for a contest, try and find/shoot sometihng anyway. You never know what will happen! 🙂

So much this. I was thrilled to have managed to break the top 10–sports not being my thing, I just went and took pictures an anything sporty. That the one that did well was staged doesn’t bother me a bit. There were 20 others similar with the kids in various states of play, so I like imagining that maybe I’m getting better at identifying good composition. 🙄

Along the same lines, today’s photo excursion was all about getting stuff for ‘Where the wild things are’, out in the desert.

Hoped for a bobcat//left disappointed.

But I got other shots that will work for other contests, so to me, that’s a win. I will continue to try for wildlife that aren’t quail, rabbits, and prairie critter type things. 😉

[ravnostic]

So now we have the answer to “Where does he get such fabulous toys?” 😀

Jealous, and I’d have mortgaged my left ventricle for the mirror.

[ravnostic]

Michael’s Crafts sells wood boxes for cheap that I’d bet you could work with orionid for a more stable and permanent rig. I’m kinda leaning that way myself, should the focal length not work out with the projector. I think I’ll play with this idea a bit this weekend.

[ravnostic]

Very cool! If I re-assemble the magic lantern projector, I bet I could make it work for this effect–it’s got that honking 4: magnifying lens that would blow up the darlot reflection and put it into a nice focal range. Definitely on my ‘hey you gotta try this’ list. You find the most creative ideas! 🙂

[ravnostic]

” If they are all swimmy and look little little rolled up condoms or donuts, then that’s bad bokeh.”

lol

thanks, E

[Author]

Posts