deviantART: by:Davou

Well, no not the only way, but definately a good starting point if you dont know where to begin in portraiture. Deviant art calls it spontaneous portraiture, I call it the best way to be lazy.

Sometimes its important to sit down and maticulously decide how an image will look when its finished, but more often than not, you will end up stuck at some point. Maybe you will get blocked, maybe you will sucessfully acomplish the image you 'planed' and you will then pack up the gear. And even if you can continue going after your idea has been spent, 'Spontaneous portraiture' is a very nice way to get things done... Its both relaxing and if done right, aesthetically applealing.

In fact, its my favorite way to photogrpah a person... I much prefer to plan the location and activity, then let the subject engage it as they normally would, than to maticulously control each and every detail of the models actions. For instance, if I were to take photos of a musician, I might as them to play music for me. I wouldnt say 'hold your guitar thusly and dont smile' because for me it feels un-natural.

A spontaneous portrait does not mean that your photo was not planed, it means the subject was not riggorously controled. It lets the viewer get a glimpse of the subject bieng who they want to be.

Instead of trying to control the image, spontaneous portraiture has you waiting and searching for that moment when a person looks their best. That half second they spend smiling before saying something for example.

All in all, spontaneous portraiture is just about the best way to get an idea about the subject; it's honest. Devianart however has a gallery called 'spontaneous portraiture' that is filled with snapshots. I hope a look at some truely spontaneous portraits will realize that spontaneous portraiture does not mean that the photographer spontaneously decided to take photographs, but rather the subject was captured in a spontaneous way.

Features

~Davou Feature-Buddhism|Islam|Judaism|Christianity http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/12383026/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/12383026/ Sat, 31 Mar 2007 13:28:53 PDT
Buddhism for the new age. (yes I am Mahayana' buddhist)

"Mandala (Sanskrit maá¹á¸ala "circle", "completion") is a term used to refer to various objects. It is of Hindu origin, but is also used in other Dharmic religions, such as Buddhism. In the Tibetan branch of Vajrayana Buddhism they have been developed into sandpainting. In practice, mandala has become a generic term for any plan, chart or geometric pattern which represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically, a microcosm of the universe from the human perspective.

A mandala, especially its center, can be used during meditation as an object for focusing attention. The symmetrical geometric shapes tend to draw the attention towards their center. Psychiatrist Carl Jung saw the mandala as "a representation of the unconscious self," [1], and believed his paintings of mandalas enabled him to identify emotional disorders and work towards wholeness in personality. [2]"

-[link]

How can I start this feature without touching upon some traditional buddhist art. Out of the norm for me, but here goes... Traditionally a mandala is impermanant... Images representing them lack this visceral beauty, they are none the less, still stunning.

View this image to get a feel for its beautiful impermanance... All it takes is a gust of wind.

An adorable mandala and aesthetically appealing too... all hail the god of chocolait and his mathematical fractal form.

A cool twist on a mandala... Perhaps its broken in the sense that its not a 'weak' (think fragile) as a 'traditional' peice?

I cannot look at something as minimalisticaly appealing as this (colors) and not be pleased. If I passed this peice by, my fiance would have cast me a frown, butterflies are gorgeous, and its a good thing that they were set to rest on this work.

RANDOM FACT: Did you know that the swastica (as it is used by the nazi parties) was first used by buddhists? Dogma has it that when the buddha puts his foot in the sand, he leaves a footprint distinctly swastica shaped.

Buddhism has no comandments.... No laws or rules.... Only suggestions. At the forefront of those suggestions, the buddha teaches that no man (or woman) should blindly accept all the suggestions contained therein (or elsewhere). If a suggestion seems ridiculous then toss it asside and take from the person who made it only things that will benefit you. For this reason, it is not uncomon to find a buddhist who accepts jesus as their savior.

Things can in fact be different, but not diss-seperate from each other. A ducks feather and a ducks foot are both the same very different; but they are both a duck's. Incidentally your own logic and compassion can be applied seperately, but one must remember they are both parts to the same whole (a self that doesent exist

)
... ]]> ~Davou Double exposure howto http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/11211056/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/11211056/ Wed, 27 Dec 2006 12:11:49 PST
-First, open the images you want to create the multiple exposures with in photoshop.
-Next pull those images into one file on seperate layers.
-Duplicate each of those players.

(the following has to be done for each layer you place above the background)
-de-saturate the duplicates.
-select each (color) layer, and add a layer mask.
-Copy the black and white layer that corresponds to the layer youve created a mask on.
-select that layer mask.
-goto the channels pannel, and deselect all channels save the layer mask channel.
-Paste the monochrome image (from the copy) onto the layer mask.
-re-activate the other channels and de-ativate the layer mask channel.
-Delete the black and white layer.

If you have done the above properly, then the images will be exposed only in the highlights, and the shadows will have little to no exposure.

If you feel that the double exposures are too 'thin' you can increase the strength of the additional exposures, by duplicating the layers that have been 'masked in'.

If this is not clear, please leave me a comment on this journal, and I will create a deviation with images to show this step by step.

]]> ~Davou HDRI photography http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/10385277/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/10385277/ Sat, 21 Oct 2006 17:51:43 PDT
-Wikipedia-

This feature exhibits some of the best HDR photography here on deviantart. These gorgeous images are an amazing advancement in photography, and rather than comment on the images.

Rather than describe them all, Ive asked the artists to doso, and I will post their comments here.

"(forgive me for my bad english).

For my HDR I used Photomatix to create the HDR photo from three shots (-2, 0 amd +2 stops of exposure) and then I worked on in in photoshop. The shots were in colour but I'v desatured to increase the "hdr taste". I didn't use a tripod but only a holy "auto-alling" function in photomatix could help me to do this one. The lens used is a Peleng 8mm fisheye. The camera is a 350D."
-Pupazzaro-

I can't say that I have the most professional approach when it comes to HDR photography. For me, it is A LOT of trial and error, because not everything belongs in HDR, and if it does, not every photograph is post-processed in the same way. I guess my first advice would be to treat every photo as an individual project when shooting in HDR. It does take more time than a regular photo, and it takes a lot of creativity. My method is to upload and merge the photos using a program called Photomatix, and make any adjustments in photoshop. The adjustments that need to be made vary depending on the photo. Sometimes levels, sometimes contrast, sometimes color balance, or sometimes a simple touchup.

Aside from this, I can't give much more advice. Like I said, I'm no professional by any stretch of the imagination, and I learn a little more every time I process an HDR photo.
-nny-

"This photo was done by taking 3 bracketed exposures with 2 stop intervals in shutter speed and a constant aperature of f5.6. But then all I had was a few different images, so I merged them using Photoshop CS2. In PSCS2, I used the HDR dialogue box under "automate," and selected the images I wanted to be merged. Now that my image is merged, its basically just a 32 bit, floating point image, which is almost completely unusable in PS. I then switch to 16 bits, because thats the most range I'll need in the DR values to create an nice image.
I can't say that I really have a favorite HDR image, but I think that all of these other images in the journal are quite good.
For me, the allure of HDR photography is it allows us to see greater depth in our environment than we would be able to see with our naked eye. Its not just capturing, but enhancing and creating.

-Patrick Lewis (=ThePatriarch)"

Thanks for the feature.
"I am thoroughly enjoying the 'New Look' that HDR enables. The eye has a fine dynamic range. Film very small. Digital a touch more. HDR toning and mapping is a true digital darkroom beting the range of the eye. I have got lazy and typically use my Canon's three brackets 2 stops apart. However, with patience I will go for up to 10 shots, one stop apart. I use Photomatix to merge and map. A tip- use a very solid tripod, mirror up, cable release - so shots are cleanly aligned."

~Davou Cinematography series http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/10307968/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/10307968/ Fri, 06 Oct 2006 20:22:10 PDT -wikipedia-

The notion that something as intangable as an idea can be a possesion would have been unheard of before the era of reproducable image and print. Did Gutenberg print his name on the first bible he printed? Did he think to himself that it would be un-just for someone to reproduce the book?

This series celebrates the freedom of information/ideas/imagery by appropriating compositional elements from material that has fallen out of copyright, or has never been in copyright at all. This is my interpretation and modification of other peoples work, and by mechanical abstraction (the abilities, in-abilities, limitations and effect of devices and the way they display/capture light) turns them into an image that represents the evolution of freedom in intelectual resource that belongs to neither me, nor the original creators of the now free work.

My medium is photography, and my tools are the camera, the computer and the ideas that have fallen into the public domain. By incororating multiple exposures, differing the times on those exposures, interupting portions of the frame with my hands/fabric/paper/frennel-lens and by altering the focus/angle of the image, I was able to create abstractionist images using cinematography that has fallen into the public domain.

My applauds go out to all the people that create free thought/idea/art. Stock artists who freely distribute their images. The million of minds that work together to operate GNU and open source projects. The innumerous that work together to create the second comming of the library at alexandria (wikipedia). The importance of learning, taking, giving, tapping, and exploiting free thought is imeasurable.

Be sure to go enjoy the work that has become public ([link] redirects to the videos that journal formating has made it hard to share.) and appreciate the means by which google is able to share it with you. They were key in these images, and are invaluable in this modern day where intertainment and learning can be hard to find.

The series will continue.

]]> ~Davou Five self portraits (feature) http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/10271628/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/10271628/ Tue, 03 Oct 2006 13:39:21 PDT

]]> ~Davou feature 'Six' [photography] http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/10078139/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/10078139/ Fri, 15 Sep 2006 07:45:06 PDT

A fairly popular peice, this image is one from a series of rather attractive fashion work.

proof that an SLR is not needed to make great photographs. This deviant has masterfully executed an architectural peice... Something I for the life of me cannot do.

simogol has taken portraiture and done something irregular with it... I want everyone who reads this to appreciate how rare good and individual portraiture is on devianart.

not nearly enough fav's and comments on this peice of work... Composition and tone nearly punch me in the face.

yummy delicious contrast.

decide for yourself? I happen to really like the simplicity and implied tention this work generates

]]> ~Davou Montreal feature (photography) http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/9815550/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/9815550/ Tue, 22 Aug 2006 12:03:28 PDT

CORNER HOUSE by ~Statyk is an honest photograph of an honest town... The colors are skillfully subdued so as to draw attention to the subject rather than the mood.

looking at Spiral Stair by phre3d is like eating a peice of cheese. It tastes good, its satisfying, and it would go with just about anything. his image of a staicase makes use of something particularly rare on deviantart, low contrast. compositionally flawless, and timless to boot!

not to be outdone by the above peice, phre3d' Blind alley is yet another photograph that might be mistake for a Eugene atget peice (should the viewer not know cars where around paris at that time). The softish focus of this image injects it with an aged feel, and ensures that viwer wonder if what he/she is seeing is a glimpse into the photographers dreams.

alleyways in montreal are particularly gorgeous in the older quaters of the city, and I doubt if photos of this place will ever feel 'overdone'. Alley by ~omeletteman shows a skill in selecting perspectives (focal lengths) and angles. I love how the person (man/woman?) in this photo is walking in the oposite direction from where the photograph has been tilted. theres only one flaw in this photograph... the burned out sky.

POPS by ~chauz is a deliciously crowded photograph. I like the way the artist has used lots of elements (the textured floor) to create what is essentially a minimalist photoraph. The floor is completely overepowered with the checkered pattern, and in turn, it becomes a mundane casting for the benches... The benches here are the only important point of focus, and they are skillfully repetitious.

Montreal: Step to Suffocate by *Calzinger a person whose not afraid to break the rules... There is a particular law that prevents people from taking photographs in out metrosysytem.... its a shame, because its got some of the most gorgeous architecture in the city. Calzinger is good at making the ordinary interesting, take a look at the rest of his gallery to see

]]> ~Davou Pinhole photography http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/9732167/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/9732167/ Tue, 15 Aug 2006 02:47:34 PDT

Pinhole photography is the most barebone basic form of light capture and recording available. What it consists of, is building a light proof box, and adding a small apeture through which light can pass, and in turn, expose a medium.

If anyone wants to try this, here are some instructions! [link]

this time, make your own judgements, and remember, these photos were taken with boxes cans and other scrapped material.

]]> ~Davou Tmax 100 Feature http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/9705874/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/9705874/ Sat, 12 Aug 2006 19:19:52 PDT

7am by ~MrGerard is gorgeous in its use of grain and composition. the elements of watter, path, horizon, clouds and snow all drag the attention of th viewer into the challet. And the grain makes it feel like some strange dream... kinda like I got to use someone else's eyes for a few seconds, and they took me to a place that Ive never been before.

Print: Rose by *silverandsorrow mmmmm, traditional prints are delicious, and this one is melt in my mouth delicious! If i said "this image is soft" most people would immediately think about the sharpness, but to those of you who were able to see how smoothly the gradient moves from a perfect white to a perfect black, cudoes to you! The formal lines of the tables surface are very representative of conformaty, and are immediately broken into a million peices by the random and carefree curvature of the rose. Traditional printing is hard, and seriously, if you have nothing good to say about this print, then keep your damn mouth shut.

Ghost Dance by ~apolloslyre Photographers that know to bend down and shoot from close to the floor are few and far between. People always see things from eye level, and showing people a lower angle lets people see the world in a way they only did when they were small Nostalgia permiates this photograph and I can almost hear music comming from that window... Creepy, eerie, ghostly music!

00005 by =suzums A STUNNING landscape whose far away vantage of the village shows us just how far and detached from the third world we are here in north america. I wouldnt like to see any more series from this trip for one reason... Not because the photograph is ugly... In fact, the uglynes is what makes me love it so much! its a controlled aesthetic, and sets an almost un-approachable mood! but because seeing only this shot leaves me wondering, and thats a truely fine thing to do with a photograph.

Tabbran had three shots that I wanted to include in this feature. Unlike the last deviation I feel these images are much stronger when linked together. These kinda images are best kept away from the majority of deviantart photographers because they are soo difficult to pull off. Tabbran pulls it off incredibly well, but should the majority of people decide they want to emulate him, deviantart would quickly fill with crap.

Untitled No1 by ~dindon Nothing makes for a nice composition like repetition and perspective! Minimalism is the most beautifull thing in all of art... I really wish I was talented enough to say more about this photograph, but I'm not... If you see this post Dindon, well done :bow down:

I dont know much about ballet, but I hope that my exploratory series will correct that. ]]> ~Davou ballet-ballerina feature (photography) http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/9677846/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/9677846/ Thu, 10 Aug 2006 12:40:44 PDT
Mood: Enthusiastic

Extatic

Ballerina by ~13-KiTTy-BaD-LuCk is about as close as your going to get on deviantart to the single image I had in mind when I decided to start this series. I fell in love with 'pointe' work, and decided that my key image would share the enthusiasm I have for the art via demonstration of the significant strength required to engage in 'pointe'

ballerina by ~photosbytim is a very well exposed photograph on the technical side of things, and in my oppinion has done very well what it seems to have set out to do. The light wide angle of the photograph really plays twods complimenting the models formlyness, and goes a long way twords demonstrating the importance of legs in dance.

The Ballerina by ~synthesize is a carefully post processed work that pays more testiment to the photographer than the model and the beauty of the art. It demonstrates his ability to be a non conformist and a conformist all at once. The models apathetic gesture and expression are completely typical of deviantart, while his approach to capturing a ballerina in a moment of stillness is not.

Ballerina Highlighted by ~dreamland is a skillfull representation of both figure, and movement. The vignetted edge draws the viewers focus inwards t'words the movement, and the heavy contrast between a light background and dark model creates a container to keep our attention in. The washing out of details going t'words the bottom suggests and upwards movement, and via distration keeps our attention on the models face. A face which is locked in deep focus on the art. The whole photograph workds t'words pulling the viewers attention into ballet , and keeping it there.

Technically flawless execution of an idea... I LOVE sepia toned photographs, and I love subtlety. This photograph combines the two and adds a very nice hint of movement in order to show us the importance a ballerinas control over her body is. The girls face then shatters that importance, and tells us that shes not working, but playing.

Ballerina by ~fashionablyloud this relatively unknown deviant has a masterfull graps on tonality, and captured a ballerina in a way that I hadnt thought of... She showed us that even when not dancing, the ballerina has total control over her feet, and grounds herself in a way that is both beautifull and stable. As a martial artist, this inspired me to no end. My personal tastes lean a little more to low key photographs, but this deviant obviously has a masterfull grasp over midtoned shots. A+ work.

ballerina by ~desperated A traditional print is particularly not easy to pull off, and this deviant has the skill required for it in spades. Desperated Is another relatively unknown deviant whose work deserves more attention than it gets. This particular capture shows us a budding ballerina, so entranced by her dance/game that shes for... ]]> ~Davou Feature http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/9636487/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/9636487/ Tue, 08 Aug 2006 00:47:56 PDT
Mood: Benevolent

Extatic

Hey hey everyone who watches me, and a special happy hello for everyone who cares about my art when there isnt a pretty girl in front of my glass

I wanted to share with you some features... PLEASE take the time to look at these peoples work, and if possible, send them some love in the form of Favs and watches and comments.

Elira is the single most masterfull black and white portraitist Ive seen here on deviantart.

Glitterinthegutter is like a little sister to me on deviantart, and I can see her photography improving by leaps and bounds.

dechobek has a skill in capturing emotions like no one I have ever seen before. He deserves much more attention than he gets, but sadly, his gallery has no bobbies and the population at large here on deviantart might not notice him quickly enough because of it.

PenelopeMitZ... every one of her compositions are flawless.

another very kind and enthused deviant who deserves attention, if not only because (# 464 Deviation Comments) she takes the time to comment on other peoples work.

]]> ~Davou alright! PRINTS http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/8125652/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/8125652/ Fri, 10 Mar 2006 21:18:46 PST
Litterally I found a place that will print an A4 print for 80 cents on photo paper.... its a pretty sweet deal... It lets me sell the prints at an amazing 5$ per 8x10 lol....

Then if someone wants a smaller print, I just create an image that has as many smaller prints as I can fit on it... then I sell them the one, and have one or more left over to use myself

anyhow, im relly excited... no one I have offered to sell a print to so far has turned it down

... If anyone more important that a friend/family member asks for the print, I will definately get them printed at a higher quality. ]]> ~Davou 100 deviations http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/8038443/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/8038443/ Wed, 01 Mar 2006 14:41:21 PST ~Davou 2000 pageviews http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/8007918/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/8007918/ Sun, 26 Feb 2006 11:25:27 PST ~Davou Whats beautifull about my photos? http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/7884572/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/7884572/ Mon, 13 Feb 2006 15:15:25 PST

And they are in fact.. All the models I have shot so far, are beautifull, and any guy who would end up with them are lucky! Some of them even already have a significan other, and cudoes to those lucky guys...

As for me? Im not lucky to have nat... not at all!!! Natasha is my fiance by the way... I can spend the rest of my life shooting gorgeous models, and capturing images of beauty, airbrushing them to flawlessness... And I will never feel lucky to have nat.

Why is that? because... because im not lucky, I'm Un-deserving... I have not done enough good things in my life, to deserve to be able to lean forward in my bed and nuzzle a nose againnst a woman as perfect as natasha... I dont think anything I could do in a million years would warrant me to deserve it.

Looking into my love is like looking into the sun.. it burns itself in, and becomes almost permanant... I have a strange feeling, that when I look at her, in 50 years... Im not gonna be able to see any chance in her face... My heart will have been blinded, from looking into the sun... into the body and face of the MOST beautiful girl in the world.

let me ask you all something.... how often do you remember to tell the sun how bright it is? How often do you pat a flower on its blossom and say "your a pretty little thing?"... its not really the same with natasha... she deserves to hear how I feel, and If I ever forget to keep telling you, just how lovely I think you are... Then please forgive me...

all my work, no mater how hard I try, will always pale in comparison to the beauty I see when I go home, and find her giving me the puppy eyes.

[link] ]]> ~Davou Valentines day set http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/7845621/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/7845621/ Thu, 09 Feb 2006 10:38:48 PST ~Davou your art is not yours http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/7832854/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/7832854/ Tue, 07 Feb 2006 20:44:42 PST
[link]

be carefull about who has control over what you have said and done. ]]> ~Davou woot woo http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/7690304/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/7690304/ Wed, 25 Jan 2006 20:34:10 PST ~Davou important change http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/7652840/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/7652840/ Thu, 19 Jan 2006 21:36:23 PST
[link] ]]> ~Davou people suck http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/7214054/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/7214054/ Sat, 03 Dec 2005 17:29:11 PST
Regardless of the fact that there is a post growing from her head, back lighting problems, camera shake, wrong white balance, poor use of flash, no visible effort at lighting, absolutely no sense of shape-tone-perspective-framing and worst of all, the entire library suffers from a lack of indvidual pictures. "this day of the week starts with a 'T' Now I can make a completely new photograph when I expose my nipple to the camera."

granted, most people on here are not photographers, and chances are the large portion of those people who view your art will not be capable of critiquing a photo for all its qualities or lack thereof. However, those people who supply the photographs, should be aware of at least some of those things.

man, I need a word for the people I'm ragging on... The ones that litter their self portraits in places they don't belong... well, lets just call them exhibitionists, so that we don't go and say something mean un-appropriately.

These 'exhibitionists' make me upset to no end! What they are is models... No more, no less. They are obviously not photographers, and I would be ready to argue with anyone that disagrees.

Their photos usually have most if not all of the following qualities.

1-a nipple
2-more than one nipple
3-flash
4-an arm connecting the camera and the subject.
5-distracting elements in the background that go unnoticed due to breast'al distraction.
6-off color whites
7-pouty face
8-Incredibly overdone makeup
9-intellect-less expressions.

What makes me upset, is that they could contribute to photography by acting as models for people who can take photographs. now, I make no assumption that I know much about photography, But the small pieces of knowledge that I have captured are constantly affronted by the exhibitionists. If only they would do as so many deviant-art models have done, and work in conjunction with a great photographer, they would make me happy, and keep deviantart free of things that can barely even be considered smut, much less art.

You know who you are, and you know who you aren't. ]]> ~Davou published! http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/7189846/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/7189846/ Wed, 30 Nov 2005 21:22:15 PST ]]> ~Davou New camera http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/6984905/ http://Davou.deviantart.com/journal/6984905/ Mon, 07 Nov 2005 19:58:59 PST
I promis some interesting shots to come. ]]> ~Davou