Tweenbots are go!

I have posted robots here before, as well as on some other sites, as it is a photographic subject close to my heart. That is why this site and it's theme - will people help a box of cardboard if it has a face? - made me smile.

Tweenbots - Robot/People art by Kacie Kinzer

PotD #52: Cotton Candy

This is a shot taken at noon, in full lught of the sun. Something had to be done. Turning it down dark brought out the strange quality of the snow, making it look like silk. And that is todays lesson. If you take a bland picture, tweak it until it becomes interesting. There are no rules. Good luck!

PotD #51: Mirror

If all else fails, take a picture of yourself.

PotD #50: Hot In The City

At the moment, I try to make most of my pictures look like postcards from the sixties, with lots of yellow, and faded colors. Normally, I draw my pictures beyond satuation. And like always when you do something by habit, it is good to try the total opposite, and see where that gets you.

For more faded pictures, check out my contributions to ShutterCentral for the past and next couple of days.

PotD #49: It's A Jungle Out There!

Organic is always good. And on a day when the weather just is not good enought for being outside, you can find organic inside. In your house plants. And since good pictures of beautiful flowers has been done and done, why not try to do it differently. Picture the stems, the foilage, play with lightning, fix motion blur. See jungle! See jungle! Go join your gang yeah, city all over! Go ape crazy! Yep, that last part is a reference.

PotD #48: Coffee Is The Answer

And if coffee isn't the answer, then there is something wrong with your question in the first place. Apart from that, did you ever stop and think about design? Everything in your home is actually a product of someones artistic talent. Or lack thereof.

With this in mind, you can look at your household appliences as if they were statues, or big buildings. With the added bonus that you can easily light them, and photograph them from points that would require a crane and some expensive permits had they been actual buildings. Is that a Frank Lloyd Wright in your kitchen?

DUC Hunt

"OK, I want to start shooting with any old DUC I can get my hands on. Where can I find one?"

The easiest way is to ask around. Some of your friends and neighbours are bound to have a scrap pile. There's no telling what you may find there, and ususally they're glad to get rid of the junk. You can't beat free when it comes to pricing.

Flea-markets are another way to find good DUCs. The downside is that you can't always test the camera, because the batterries are dead, there's no memory card etc etc. It's more of a gamble. If you think you can live without the money, buy it. That way you will not regret it later.

Also, eBay, Craigslist etc are good hunting grounds. Unfortunately, the really nice DUCs dosn't get listed so very often. After all, would you take your time to put up an item you expect to fetch at most $2?

There are different types of DUCs. Maybe some of the stuff you already has got lying around at home contains a camera without you realising it.

• Most likely your cellphone has got a built-in camera.
  
• Maybe your computer or computer monitor has a built in webcam? Not as mobile, perhaps, but useful for studio shots.
  
• If you got a digital video camera, chances are you can take stills with it.
  
• Do you have kids? Then perhaps some of their toys can take pictures. Go look in the playpen.
  

There. You probably found something lying around you never thought about to use for serious photography. Now, get out and get shooting!