Ellen Kooi

 

Ellen Kooi (1962) was born in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. She attended the Art Academy ABK Minerva in Groningen and has been a resident of the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam.  She lives and works in Haarlem, the Netherlands. Ellen has been in numerous exhibitions worldwide and her work can be found in various private and public collections.

The large-scale panoramic photographs by Ellen Kooi challenge viewers to see the world as a dramatic narrative and seek the border between fantasy and reality. Same as I trying to create with my photographs taken in studio just with a different purposes.

She’s photographs are more like stories created on camera when usually the main subjects are often young girls or boys, fitting together perfectly - creating a dramatic and poetic scene mainly the Dutch landscape.

Through numerical manipulation, the artist manages create almost surrealistic palette which disturbs the otherwise almost perfect landscape.

 

Kooi situates people in natural settings and through distinct technical feats creates narratives that recall fairy tales, movies and dreams.

As I read using a large format camera, she sets up elaborate lighting to create a set within the natural landscape. She stages the character to dramatize and bring into focuses the moods and stories of the scenes being created. Every photograph tell a story; some are absurd, some are mysterious and some are magical.

Hours of setting control over lighting and arrangement of her subjects are part of each photograph. 

Compere to my work all E.Kooi photographs are very bright and sharp, you can hardly see any manipulation process. All chosen objects and surroundings create perfect landscape - the streams that flow calmly between verdant banks and the wooded areas with their neatly-planted rows of trees. In this tranquillity occur some events that are mysterious and playful, but somehow manages to calm the entire scene.
 

I very much like Kooi`s idea, something what I wanted to achieve, but unfortunately wasn’t lucky with wheatear conditions over a Spring. Mainly my project photos consists of studio and home shoots, what somehow I have to put together with nature surroundings, from different days and locations. 

 

In this - portrait is joined together with spring flowers, creating ideal pattern all over my daughter’s skin leaving her surrounded by fantasy.

Its maybe not the best example comparable to Kooi`s work, but as I said, even if I having same ideas my style varies for lots of reasons.

 

Similar with Oleg Dou I found this Netherlands photographer after a while searching internet regarding my main subject…children, fantasy and real world.

More from her:

http://www.beaumontpublic.com/exhibitions_past.php?64
http://www.ellenkooi.nl/
http://fotofestiwal.com/2011/en/exhibitions/main-programme/out-of-life/ellen-kooi/

Recent studio shoots

There is some pictures from my last weeks work in studio. All photographs taken by college equipment at  studio. This is  rough material, what will be manipulated and post processed to suit my main theme.

 

 the only thing I improve, light balance with Curves tool:

All photographs are unfinished, but as taken in studio with white background gives me perfect material to work with.

Oleg Dou

“I am looking for something bordering between the beautiful and the repulsive, living and dead. I want to attain the feeling of presence one can get when walking by a plastic manikin…” /O.Dou/

Struggling to find new research subject and listing names of photographers given me in college year ago…covering most main themes I went straight to portraiture photographers – typing each name to Google find out more. None wasn’t making much impression to me, till I typed name Oleg Dou…and find UNBELIEVABLE young and talented artist who`s mystical and disturbing works with powerful way grabed my attention.

Born in Russia -Moscow in 1983 he has always been interested in human individuality and self-expression. Inspired by culture of fashion and surrealists mainly shocked people trying combine reality with artificiality.

Creating different designs for many years he started photography in 2005. Many interviews given by him he not call himself as photographer, he more likely to be an artist who finding ways how to create digital design with his modern and stylish photo manipulations embracing a strange and new take on art.

As you can see Oleg Dou combines conventional photography with graphic rendering techniques. A lot of effort is put on the pictures to produce matching portraits of an unsettling nature -showing some sort of emotional sadness.

"I worked hard to create my own style and technique. The main tool is computer photo-manipulation and a mix of several photos. "Creation brings me enormous pleasure. I am stubborn, ambitious and optimistic by nature; I like being different — and my work, I hope, reflects these features of my character." /O.Dou/

Discovered in 2006 by Liza Fetissova, Oleg Dou is represented today by galleries in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Russia and United States. His worked has been published in a lot of international reviews. He is one of the most promising artists of his generation. In 2011, the Artprice company, leader of the information on art value, has graded Oleg Dou in the top 3 of the under 30 years old photographers the best saled in public auctions. One of his images will make the cover of an extensive “Frozen Dream, contemporary art from Russia" book, from TransGlobe Publishing and Thames & Hudson.

Oleg Dou was selected by Adobe to create a box cover for Photoshop CS6. Watch the story of awesome product meets outstanding Russian talent:

As an artist, the most important goal of Dou’s work is the experience that he wants to awake from his audience. 

I have same wish, but its still far to go.

I wish I have such a talent to do such a things, it’s hard to compare with any of my work even it is involves some digital manipulation. 

Taking pictures with Hasselblad, Oleg Dou working with latest versions of digital software’s and having a time of his life as a great, young artist.

 More from him you can find on some of my links.

 http://olegdou.com/
http://1347.portfolio.artlimited.net/ 
http://www.rtrgallery.com/html.php?lang=en&id=21 
http://colourandform.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/oleg-dou/ 

Canon 5D in practise

The EOS 5D is a 12.8 megapixel digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera body produced by Canon.

The EOS 5D was announced by Canon on 22 August 2005.

The EOS 5D is notable for being the first full frame DSLR camera with a standard body size -as opposed to the taller, double-grip "professional" camera body style. 

Canon 5D camera is a main part of college studio and I had a pleasure to try it out. Comparing to my semi-professional Nikon D3000 it’s hard as difference is mostly in everything. Trying to research more I was reading lots of articles from different links on internet to bring more light on the subject.

Considering that, the D3000 is a high-performance DX-format SLR that delivers superb images and boasts a range of functions, which make photography simple and fun and Nikon's intelligent Guide Mode offers incredibly user-friendly in-camera assistance, enabling even beginners to capture wonderful images and be  more perfect for shots that you are not sure how to take – Canon on other side is the Power to Create. Canon is proud to present the highly anticipated EOS 5D`s. With supercharged EOS performances and stunning full frames, high-resolution image capture, the EOS 5D is designed to perform ideal for shooting weddings in the studio or out in the field, and great for still photography.

On 17 September 2008, Canon announced the camera's successor: the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, flowed by the latest version - called -Canon EOS 5D Mark III on 2 March 2012.

The Canon 5D must be one of the most popular DSLR camera for wedding photographers since its launch. Its full frame and good noise control at high ISO are main reasons why wedding photographers love this camera. The image quality is truly professional quality - as long as you get your bit right, what I as a Nikon lover found a bit frustrating. 

The downsides are the size and weight – perfect for studios, as you more or less keep it on the stand, but hardly handy for moving around. But not matter what this camera delivers all it promises- easy to use, there are no shocks to the system when upgrading from other Eos dSLRs cameras. The camera feels solid and sturdy, the shutter's noise is 'cushioned', and there is none of that annoying delay between pressing the shutter and the image actually being taken. Auto-focusing is fast and accurate and the lens gives great quality and sharpness. I have not yet used all its functions, but I will have fun learning if I will get to studio again.

http://web.me.com/videoman69/Steve_Huff_Photos/CANON_5D.html

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Digital-Camera-Body-Only/dp/B000BLCDKI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1335465086&sr=1-1

http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon_EOS_5D-vs-Nikon_D3000