Ron, The surface is a manipulated detail of the Disney Performing Arts Center in LA and the shadow is very close to a natural shadow I shot. The light sources are direct lights which on a silver vehicle diffuse a bit. I was trying to keep the shot on the moody side at the expense of shadow detail, so the tire detail was lost. Normally, I like to see tire detail, this time I thought I'd try something a little different. By the way, the vehicle is a unique 1954 Corvette built for the design staff at GM with subtle differences that quite honestly I don't know for sure what they are. Thanks for the comments! Jim

asmp, Very pretty light! Jim

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sami

Long time lurker, first post. Walking around with the P45+ and the 80/1.9.

Kurt

Hi

Your shot reminded me of a Stingray from the Route 66 TV shows. However, thinking further about it, I decided that I wasn´t sure about the differences between Corvette and Stingray, so I had a look at Wiki and am still somewhat bemused.

They say there that the show ran from´60 until ´64. The first C1 Corvette Series seems to have existed between ´53 and ´62, followed by the C2 Series called - I gather - Corvette Stingray, which ran from ´63 until ´67.

Do you know which car was in the show, or did they swap models to stay in line with Chevrolet marketing? Was the car never a Stingray at all?

Rob C

Love the feel of these two, sami.

@Sami & Kurt,
Very nice work, love the toning and DOF.

Rob, I'm not an expert either, I do know that GM sent the show a new vehicle each year. Jim

Thanks for your reply, Jim. I live on a small Spanish island, but there are at least two Corvettes/Stingrays here: one, an early model with the depression along the sides, lives in a motor museum attached to a top hotel; the other, a later 70s model, belongs to a collector who actually drives these things on the road. Great cars to see, if not to feed! I have no idea how he navigates the thing through these narrow roads, but perhaps he uses it for special routes only...

Rob C

Here are some images from my shoot yesterday . All taken with the Hasselblad H3D II 39 and the 100 mm 2.2 .

I have to say, I love this forum and particular this threat ... please keep up posting your work it's such an inspiration . Greetings from london.

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Mamiya ZD, 80mm AF

[FYI, nude image]

Steward and Frank, Thank You for Your kind words!

And couple more...


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sami

Old church from France, region of Les Landes.

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RZ/110mm P45

Ray

Nice shot, Michael, I know the feeling well: I have to get out of bed at least twice every night!

This, believe it or not, is a JOKE, folks...

Rob C

Great shot Michael

Some more fashion stuff
Did these with the P45 while my P30 was being repaired..:+}
ADFII 55-110
:+}
Snook
just hope the copy cat in here does not try and copy them...:+}

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Sorry double post

Nice pics and what copycat?

Thank you..:+}
The one blamed for always copying other photographers.. we know who he/she is..
He has copied a lot of my ideas from my website.. A compliment to me but a pain when it is then seen all over and then he/she takes credit for the idea...

Snook
Some more from the series

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thanks:)

Er pot calling kettle, that pink on one side bluish on the other side light has been done a million times before, not to get to into detail here but you haven't done a thing that a million other people haven't already done.

First shot with the roller blades....
With all due respect Snook, you called it on yourself, but that SCREAMS David Lachapelle, same pose, same effects even the same star earring he uses a lot.

I remember you once mailed me very angry that I copied your work while at that moment in time I did not even know you, I did not even knew which photos you talked about.
In the end it appeared that I shot a series on a junkyard, actually that is next to our studio (2 minute walk), and you shot in a similair setting a session.

When you call that copycatting (and I don't know if you mean me) than EVERY PHOTOGRAPHER that shoots models is copying another photographer.

Copycatting for me is copying an UNIQUE idea (and to be honest I don't see those arround that much) and making an EXACT copy. In other words lying the two pictures on top of each other and seeing an identical pose/setting etc.
Not crying that someone shot a gray background with a fashion model while you also shot that same background with a model, there are a million photographers out there shooting graybackgrounds with models.....

As pointed out before me, what you showcase here is wonderful but it's NOWHERE unique the multicolor setup has been done since the 70's.

Making unique work is incredible difficult nowadays, and with the internet we all look arround and pick up ideas and setups that we incorperate in our style, that's life, if you think you are unique and don't want anyone to pick up ideas then don't share.

When I try out something new and post it online I see it being copied almost identical in the next days and weeks, I really don't give a you know what as you say it's the biggest form of flattery for me it just raises the bar to find something even more challenging to produce and even harder to copy.
That's the game nowadays, stay on top of it and you'll always have work, cry about it and people will slowly ignore you and move on.

The writen word always come out harscher than it's meant so read three or four times before responding agressive, because this doesn't deserve an agressive response it's just reality.

I would like to add that if you did not posted the comment about the copycat I would have responded that I loved the first shot and that it had a very David Lachapelle like vibe which I my book is a good thing by the way.
Adding the copycat comment is in my opinion just putting your own work down instead of getting the wow effect it would have had without that comment.

By the way, just to add.
I don't know if it's the same Snook but on Retouchpro there is thread about the multicollored shadows I know you hang arround there also, maybe that was the inspiration ???
and that's not a bad thing, again we all pick up ideas....... I know I do


The effect is a simple color trick.
If you use the connected secondary color and the primary opposed to that color connected through your blackbody curve or in simple words.
Use Yellow and blue OR magenta and green, OR red and cyaan
And mix these two together with normal white light you will have an almost normal exposure on your model but a bicolor shadow and a tinted left/right side.

To make the story complete this dates back to the time when Technicolor was used.
They shifted the color channels and added colorchannels to get a certain technicolor look.
Instead of for example using RGB you can also use RRGB or RGGB etc.
This is a very simplified explanation of technicolor (if you want I can explain in depth).

However by understanding how color works and knowing that each primary and secondary are connected through the white point so if you balance those two you will get a perfect mix of white light when combined with white light on the model.

This works best with a large soft lightsource or ringflash on the model and two spots with gels aimed slightly from the sides.
Again it's a very very old trick but it still kicks if used correctly and you did that here, so great series.....

But don't blame someone else if they also do it.
I sometimes show this during workshops on a white wall, it's amazing to see the effect especially with jumps.

Looks like I got the flames going and did not mean too..
In any case I never said I invented anything.. Just sometimes do not like to show work as I have seen it copycat-ed? sp...:+}
Just so you all know I did not come up with this concept at all just added my view to it..:+}
Specially b/c I decided when to snap the picture which make me the photographer.
Where I live they all copycat everything and literally want us photographers to try an copy the light of the "Big" photographers all the time. really frustrating artistically but pays the bills and keeps us on our toes b/c "usually" the big photographers are chosen for their particular look they have whether it be lighting or angle or emotion they get from the model.
I have become the man of all types of lighting as I am challenged to copy the big magazine spreads but with usually Ugly models, bad hair and make-up and specially "Bad" clothing or should I say nothing even close to a Gucci type product..:+}

Yes Frank I did hound you a long time back as you often ask me stuff over at Dpreview and you even commented to one time about my "JunkYard" series I did, which I never saw anywhere else by the way , and then suddenly a couple weeks later you had done the same images and were posting them everywhere. You even put the same mixed Lucis art effect I put on mine. Actually just saw them commented on another forum the other day. I am sure if we compare exifs on the shots , your were done way after mine..:+} So yes I may have been bitter and when I saw some other guys the other day in here hounding you for copying other photographers "style", it reminded me of the past.
In any case I chose not to name you but I guess you figured it was you? Maybe your consciences?
In either case it was just a little stab not meant to be painful..:+}
Snook

The funny thing is that the post you are talking about is a LONG time ago and was not the first series I did on that location, as mentioned before the location is only 2 minutes away from my studio.

Look I can take some critique and I can take hints or small stabs.
But I just don't think you can call someone a copycat because they do the same setting as someone else did. It's simply not done, I don't know where I'm being accussed of copying other photographers I would love to see that (or I missed it probarbly).
The truth is and never ever do mysterious about it I have my inspirations, I love David Lachapelle, and I love Douglass Bizarro.
From both I borrow and steal, like everyone does if you claim you don't steal from anyone you are not connected with reality. I also will never ever say that it's not true when it is........
Why should I, there's nothing wrong with it, as long as you don't xerox and idea and sell it as your own that's just stupid and bad.
HOWEVER what I do try and I think that I succeeded in that is getting my own look and style, and of course that will use elements from the people I love.
Just compare it to music, I love Queen and I hear alot of influences of them in the other music I love, is Mika for example a copycat of Queen ??
Well some say and some say not, for me it doesn't matter he has his own sound, his own look and I LOVE to hear Queen in it, someone who never heard of Queen would probarbly never guessed it.
In your carreer you work towards your own style but that style will ALWAYS include elements from other photographers, it's simply impossible not to.... point me to one photographer NOWADAYS who is really unique and doesn't look like anyone else.....
Calling someone a copy cat is often in my opinion just a way to put someone down without a reason, UNLESS again they xerox and idea and that is in my opinion always a bad thing, always bring your own style to it (or in other words, BE INSPIRED AND INSPIRE OTHERS)


The story you refer to is changed to your advantage here.
I did post on DPreview in the past (sometimes sill do), BUT I also post on other forums, always have been posting and more active than on DPReview.
When I got a mail without any explanation and only very agressive language blaming me for copying, to be honest I was blown away, I did not understand were it was coming from, I did not know about which pictures it was and asking nicely did not get a good response so I did the research myself and found out that under your name there were shots on a junkyard but TOTALLY different than from what I had done.

My shots....




Your shots.....
http://www.ericknorpp.com/ for example 318

As far as I can see the only thing is common is a female model and an old car.
But I could be wrong.
ANYWAY..... when you search online there are probarbly thousands of photographers who did the same thing and probarbly WAY WAY before we did.

Just realise that although you probarbly won't admit it you and I work in similair fields and it's very common that sometimes we will think of the same things and do it.
This does not mean we copy each other, sometimes it's just the simple unconcious or pure luck factor that makes two people do something that looks similair.

I could also say that you copy me because I went to MF and you followed, however as far as I remember I helped you out with your quest for MF and I did that without stabs or whatever.
I would love to be respected the same way as I respect your work, that's not so hard, we are on the same communities, we work in almost identical scenes with models and I think we have a scary similair taste when I browse through your work I see ALOT of shots I also did or that are similair, I don't even want the Exif information because I really don't care, when you browse my work you can see the same and you know that you shot them later or earlier without probarbly ever seeing my shots.

When you browse the portfolio of a TOTAL stranger who doesn't know you or me, and we don't know I bet my RZ67ProII on it (and that camera is dear to me) we will find shots that LOOK like they are copied straight from my or your website.

Again I hope that this explanation makes clear what my opinion is about this, I like to be working on making photographs and sharing them online or selling them but I don't really am the kind of guy to roll arround and stabbing people for something that happened years ago.....
So the ball is in your court, I never felt any grudge against you although we started out on the wrong foot, let's hope that you can set aside your "pride" or "ego" or whatever it is that's acting up and keep it positive in the future

Like you said it was a long time ago....

Just thought about it when people mentioned it earlier in this post with the caged girl shot's you did.
One thing I think your wrong about and that is I NEVER try and copy anybody. And most of my work on my sites was for Jobs as My private or personal work is not thrown around the internet.

So even if Admire some ones light or shot they got, I would never try and copy anyone.

Most of my work starts with what's called a reference but in the end it is tweaked by me and sometimes things do not work under the circumstances of which you went or to shoot.
That's what makes a good photographer in my mind.
In any case all water under the bridge..:+]
Snook

this Snook guy is just a child.

If you look at his DP review he was ripping everyone and anyone and got into a heated conversation with James Russell but was going under a different name. Now he is here and starts the same shit from DP review. He was vulgar and insulting people there and changed his name and came here. Some guys on DP review investigated him and it turned out he is some former male model that left the Miami market bankrupt to start elsewhere.

Snook, get over yourself. You're not doing anything new. NOT A THING! you're copying Nick Knight, LaChappelle and anyone else you think you like their work. and actually doing it poorly! Get into a big market like NY, Milan, Paris, LA or London and see how you fend for yourself. You would be starving in any large market.

No offense to people in smaller markets, but this guy thinks he is Meisel or Klein in some 5th rate market. He would never make it in NY, Milan, or Paris.

Before you start chewing people, look at your work. I would love to see EXIF here and see who shot it first, but I am almost certain it wasn't snook. Plus Meisel has done a Junkyard every few years from Vegas and Miami to NYC and Milan. Check the historic pictures of Italian Vogue.

What a Joke!

JT

ditto... maybe without being so straight forward.

Agreed

When someone copy "your idea" it is a complement and a sign of admiration for your work. It is only when they do it better than you when they become copycats and thieves.
http://AndreNapier.com

[quote=Frank Doorhof,Aug 27 2008, 10:03 PM]
First shot with the roller blades....
With all due respect Snook, you called it on yourself, but that SCREAMS David Lachapelle, same pose, same effects even the same star earring he uses a lot.






Well, Frank, as I am obviously barred from taking the holy man´s name in vain any more, I can only thank you for doing so on my behalf.

It does scream the name, it is still as vulgar as the original, and I fail to see why anyone would wish to emulate the mannerisms; they are the very first things that attack the retinas. Like acid.

As they say, just my two-cents worth.

Rob C

Well we can discuss taste whatever we like but I for one LOVE that style
But than again I also respect people who don't.

Amazing pics

How do you get the wierd painting-like, contrasty colour? or is there a thread here that deals with it.
I'm seeing great tonality which is what you lose when you push colour.???

I'm hoping to copy you
Dirk

Alright guys take a chill pill...

It doesn't matter if you try and copy or not, most copying is done without realizing it and most work is copied to some extent or another. When I look at your work I see lots of other peoples pictures recombined slightly and there is no hint of your vision, if you want people to not copy people you have to work on your vision, the only way to copy that is to become you, i.e. impossible.

I like some of snook's work AND franks.
But this over a junkyard idea? Jesus, when i first
started photography it was one of the first ideas
i had as soon as i drove past one. I would have
thought EVERY photographer that has seen one
has most likely thought "would that work for
a shoot?" as that goes through my head EVERYWHERE.
We're all scanning our surroundings for ideas so
it's pretty safe to say any location concept has mostly
likely at the very least been considered by a LOT
of people.

dirkpieters ~ looks like some (but not only) low opacity lucis as
snook said.

Now back to the posting pics already!

Did not have lucis that time.
So that's handy work, later I found Lucis and was thinking, damn that saved time lol.

Mamiya ZD camera. 150mm AF

[FYI nude image]

P.s. my previous post contains an error - it was also 150mm AF, nice lens.

Dirk, If you download the most recent version of Camera Raw and play with the sliders you can get results like the images I've attached. Jim
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Hi,
I've been visiting the forum 1 month ago, when I purchased Hasselblad H3DII31. It's a wonderful place to learn and share works.
Now, my first contribution.
Hasselblad H3D31 HC80 (all)

And what a start love the semi night ones wonderful work keep em coming

Nice to see you do calm as well! I like that.

One question: the reddish colour above and beyond the right-hand pair of jeans...

Rob C

I am in complete agreement with the above. It's kind of sad that this forum is starting to take a turn for the worst. Constructive criticisim is one thing, but this is pathetic. I used to read dpreview until the trolls started to ruin the forums. I was hoping things would be different on this forum. I also read about Snook's pathetic posts on dpreview.

Who's the real copycat? Most artists use other artists's work for inspiration. In my opinion, I think Frank's work is really distinct, beautiful, and as one post earlier mentioned, very recognizable.

Frank has really made great contributions to this forum and other forums. He has written many great reviews of medium format cameras and equipment and is readily available for questions and help. Frank, I hope you don't take this sort of trash too personally.

Rich

http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=DkV3qYAoxpE

wow, is this a PR text ? snooks portfolio is not bad and he sure is less of fake fashion photographer than mister frank. i bit my tongue if anyone can tell where mr franks work is published, in real magazines not just on LL and DPR... ? this is the true web phenomenon self appointed experts. so maybe snook is a child but it seems clear he tries to survive buy selling his work and not workshops and dvds what is the real reason why mister frank spends so much time online.

This sort of belligerent, ill-informed garbage is slowly driving me away from this once great site. It's not just you csp - whoever you are - there are quite a few crawling out of the woodwork just lately. Did they start banning people from DP at last?

I do not wish to play the police by any means, but I would be very careful with all kind of attacks, aggressions, bad-mouthed posts and personal attacks, like they happen currently and frequently: Michael will certainly not tolerate this much longer.

It would be a pity, nevertheless right to do so.

Best regards,
Thierry

This discussion leads me to my first post here, to bring it back on track.

It's all about balance. Do what you want, don't hurt anybody!

Mieze, Singer of German Band Mia for ZeitMagazine. Mamia AFD with ZD back 45/2.8. f11 1/125.


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Hope you enjoy it!