Radios!

Love these and the idea of using rubber to case things.I also like these. Very aesthetically pleasing!

Unusual

Came across this and thought that it's unusual yet humorous. It reminds me of Alice In Wonderland and you could imagine it being developed further into this sort of theme.

In 2006, I made a portrait of my friend Sophie for my personal exhibition at the Emmanuel Perrotin Gallery (Miami). Three large statues of Sophie stood alone in the gallery space: each offered a particular definition.
When Thierry Costes proposed that I contribute to the space drawn by India Mahdavi, he referred to pieces that I had already produced. But while visiting the restaurant's contsruction site, spanning three floors, I realized that a vertical opening would be more spectacular and do the space more justice, as if the sculpture was pre-existent.

Xavier Veilhan, avril 2009. http://www.veilhan.net/

Précédente

10 Shots From 10 Feet!

Found an article which encouraged readers to take the challenge. So here's my results!!

http://digital-photography-school.com/take-a-shot-within-10-meters-of-you-right-now-and-share-it-with-us

Jimmie Martin

"custom hand painted furniture
a mix of victorian classic style with modern urban decor."

http://www.jimmiemartin.co.uk/

4 Easy Tips to Photograph Your Product.

I came across an article which gives 4 easy to follow tips on how to photograph your product to enhance sales.

1. Turn Off the Flash
Start by turning off your flash. 9 times out of 10 glare (caused by the flash) on your product is going to make the image look amateur and as a result lower the buyer’s confidence in the quality of the product as a whole. Wait until daytime, turn out any lights in the room, and pull a table up close to a window or doorway. Photograph your product there in the soft difused light. Diffused light isn’t only flattering light for skin tones and face shapes, it’s just as powerful a photographic tool on your pretty product.

2. Remove Distracting Elements
I can’t even believe that I’m forced to point this out. Sheesh people. :) Remove anything from the photograph that doesn’t add directly to the feel/concept of the image as a whole. Obviously this includes any kind of mess or clutter that is in no way related to the product, but also, this applies to elements you’re tempted to add to the image just for the sake of creativity. I know it’s our tendency to attempt to grab the buyer’s attention by utelizing our creativity to create a “catchy” image. Remember: 99.9% of the time what we think is going to be “catchy” ends up being a turn off to buyers as it simply looks cluttered and distracting. Not to say that there’s no good in staging.

3. Utilize Simple Staging.
Simply placing your product on a piece of glare free fabric (or paper) can be sufficient. A a simple complimentary pattern may add a little punch without feeling too busy. Having a model wear the product (if applicable) rather than just photographing it lying lifeless on a table can add dynamic. The trick is to attempt to be creative without getting out of control. Your product should be the focus of the image.

The rule of thumb should be, if your staging is distracting from your product, or if your eye isn’t immediately drawn to your product, but first drifts to another part of the image, then you need to back off of the staging. Be sure to get an outsider’s opinion. Sometimes we get so caught up in the concept we’re going for as photographers that our judgment can become clouded.

4. Employ Creative Use of Depth of Field to Highlight Product Detail
Use a low aperture to create a shallow depth of field to highlight the elements that make your product special. Since people can’t physically handle your product, you’ve got to make sure you show them everything there is to show. . . including the details. If you’re not familiar with controling depth of field check out this article from the DPS archives or simply switch your camera over to Aperture Priority and make sure your aperture (fstop) is dialed down to the lowest possible number your lens allows.

Full article at: http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-your-product-to-enhance-your-online-sales-in-4-easy-steps#ixzz0JXndpoG6&D

New Take on the British Power Socket

Art Wolfe - Landscape Photographer

check out more of his photos on his website: http://www.artwolfe.com/index.php#mi=1&pt=0&pi=2

Unknown Quote!

I found this quote ages ago but I can't remember who it was by but it was in reference to sustainable design.

"Perfect is the enemy of good. If we wait around for the perfect solution we will probably do nothing"

It really reflects my view on sustainable design and why I don't strive to design in the area of sustainability. There is always going to be someone out there who would point out all the negatives of a 'sustainable' product and criticise it for not being completely sustainable. But then if we did all wait around for the perfect solution then we wouldn't be getting anywhere and the environment would just be getting worse. We learn from our mistakes so even if we are just taking small steps towards sustainable design then it's better than nothing!

Dundee Views!

A wee while back I went for a walk to practice my photography skills and ended up Law Hill. To my amazment it wasn't actually that far away and I don't know why I hadn't made the effort to go before. The views from up there were amazing but unfortunatley my camera couldn't capture the amazing views as well as the eye could. Most pictures have been posted onto my flickr account with some still to be uploaded. It was definately worth the hike and I will definately be going again with camera in hand.

New Photos Added To Flickr!

I've added some new pictures onto my Flickr account.

I have a lot more to add but i've already used my monthly limit so i'll just have to wait till next month to upload them.

This picture was taken just for you Steph!

Handmade!

Last month I watched Kirsty's Homemade Home on Channel 4 and I was inspired alot every week but I eventually managed to make something from one of her shows.

This is a bedside lamp in which I made the Lampshade and attached it to a base which I bought. It was really easy and fun to do but it was the nice little sentimental touch added to it which finished it off.

It's a great way to reuse and old lamp base without throwing it out and you can customise it to suit any room.

The kit that I got supplies a sticky back plastic in which you can attach wallpaper, fabric or any other material of your choice.

London!

London is awesome!!!

I came back from the city last week and I can't wait to go back again sometime soon. The culture is completely different compared to here in Dundee and it's such an inspirational place to be in. It's always constantly busy everytime of the day and the architecture in some of the areas is awesome.

Although I didn't visit any of the galleries and museums, which I wish I did, I went into Selfridges and Harrods which are very inspirational retail environments. The high quality furniture in both stores is amazing and i can't wait until I make some high end commercial products.

I also visited the Muji store in Kensington and Habitat in regent Street.

I must say that I wasn't impressed with the Muji store and the products it was selling (sorry Steph) but it wasn't what I was expecting. Although the stuff was very nice it wasn't inspirational and didn't make me go wow!

On the other hand, Habitat was amazing. It had a nice open atmosphere with all the products displayed in a nice little setting to show the usuability of the items. The home department was nice and calming and encouraged customers to browse and try things. I really liked it there.

The picture above is of Regent Street taken just off of Leister Square.