Food Photgraphy.

Pecan-caramel cinnamon bun

Chocolate chip cookies

Creme Brulee

Chocolate ice cream with pirouline

S'mores

Nutella and banana sandwich

All of these photos were taken on a simple white countertop, and I used paper towels to blend the background in with the plates. I only used a dampened light source along with sunlight, using a white sheet of paper to soften the illumination. At first, I was worried that some of the photos would look overexposed, but then I realized that the intensity of the light only added to the appeal of the foods. All foods are in their natural state, and were not altered in any ways artificially, meaning they were safe to consume after the shoot. I tried to make the food look as appetizing as possible, and I truly enjoyed photographing my favorite desserts. My favorite, of course, was the ice cream photo, because I love the great detail in the scoop, and the lighting and focus seems perfect.

Become Someone Else.

These photos are from a campaign to "Become Someone Else", and it was created by the Lithuanian Agency called Love for Mint Vinetu. They stated that, "When one reads books, he/she starts living it and identifies (or not) with main hero." So these photos actually encourage people to try and have different personalities, and fully dwell into what they read.

Watermark.

Diptychs.

'Ladies Man', S. Ray 2011

For this photo, I used a spray deoderant can and showed the "after-effects" of smelling good. I love the lighting in this picture, since every face is lit, and i believe that it is a little humorous and makes the veiwer laugh a bit.


'Swag.', S. Ray 2011

This photo shows the influence of music on a person. It shows how someone can be inspired just by a simple song, and it holds a very deep meaning to me. My life revolves around music, so this is my personal favorite.



'Tae Kwon Do Skills', S. Ray 2011

This photo was a humorous one, showing the adverse effects of people that try playing around with Tae Kwon Do weapons. I myself am a black belt, and I have never had this happen to me, but I have seen it happen, and it is always hilarious.

Selective coloring: "Christmas".

Portrait object series.

Antiques 2011, S. Ray

For these photos, I used a black background and an old antique camera i had lying around in my attic. I decided to make the camera black and white in all of the photos, using selective coloring to do so. I honestly really like these photos, especially since not all of the pictures are symmetrical.

Romain Laurent series photography.

Romain Laurent is an extraordinary French photographer that loves to make his viewers think in depth about his photos. He conveys a surreal sense of humor in many of his images. He has worked for some of the world’s largest ad agencies and fashion magazines, and his work has been commissioned by companies such as Microsoft, Nissan and the Discovery Channel.
Laurent’s fantastic and quirky perspective is always conveyed in his pictures.In this collection are the latest, most recently created photo session of this photographer – about people who are not afraid to walk under the slope and have their own opinions.

http://www.en-derin.com/artworks/creative-photography-by-romain-laurent

I was attracted to this artwork because his sense of humor combined with illusion makes the viewer wonder and be creative. His photographs made me curious about the underlying meaning of professional photographs and about how every shot you take can be a work of art. I love his concepts and his beautiful photography still amazes me.

Favorite photo.

I really like this photo because, as a child, I grew up watching spongebob, and I even remember how excited I was for the first episode. I am definitely not ashamed to say that I still watch it, and this picture reminds me of my childhood and all the memories I had as a kid. Although this photo does not have much artistic quality, besides the dark background, it means a lot to me.

Surrealist photo montage.

Bending Gravity, 2011

To take this photo, my subject leaned onto a chair and put one foot against a brick wall. Another friend held the balloon horizontally in place. After the shot was taken, All objects were removed and another shot was taken of the background  only. this way, I could crop out my other friend, who was holding the balloon, and the chair, which held my subject in place. Then, I rotated the picture to make it look as if he is walking up a wall. I think my picture makes the viewer think between what rules the world follows and what rules we want to follow. It shows that rules can be broken, even with good intentions. I did not expect my picture to look like this, however, I expected it to look much cleaner, and I didn't realize that the sleeve was cut off when I shot the photo. I had to recreate his arm, but it still looks fake to me. All in all, this picture took a lot of hard work, and a 30 minute drive to pretty much the coolest city in Jersey, Westfield.

Buttons for breast cancer.

Surreal photo theme and idea.

The theme for my surreal photo montage project will be illusion. I plan on tricking the viewer into believing a seemingly impossible occurence is happening. To get an idea of what I will attempt, take an example of a bunch of balloons filled with air tied to a man's feet. You take a photo of him laying down with the balloons tied to his feet, delete the background and change it to the picture of the sky, and it looks like the man is being flown by balloons. I plan to take a much more complex take on the illusion element, and tell a story with my illusion.

I have decided to photograph a friend taking a 'step' onto another ground. The other ground will simply be a wall, and the subject will lean back parallel to the ground on a chair, so that it looks like he is walking up a wall. He will also be holding a balloon, which another person will pull horizontally so that it is also parallel to the ground. I will take two photos on a tripod, one without people and the other with, so that I can cut out the chair and the person holding the balloon. Then I plan on rotating the image so that the wall looks like the ground. I am not completely sure what other surreal elements from other sources I will use, but I like my idea very much for a surreal photo.

My Childhood Memories.

Surrealist Artists.

Christophe Huet is a French artist who uses CGI and Photoshop to create incredible works of art. He often uses a mix of photos and CGI and some works are actually 3D rendered. When he was young, Christophe Huet wanted to be a musician but this education turned out to be too hard for him. He then decided to change his interest from music to photography. He passed his photography exams, and has been retouching photo’s for more than 10 years now. He has worked for big companies such as Nike, Motorola, and PlayStation. He also has a very clear philosophy: he’ll refuse any job that degrades certain people in any way. Likewise, he always tries to make some extra time for jobs associated with cancer, aids, and ecology.
Unfortunately, Huet is a very mysterious and enclosed artist, and not much more biographical information is available on him. His art is very appealing, however, and he is apparently a very successful photographer.

Philippe Halsman (1906-1979) set the standard for celebrity portraiture. From the 1940s until the 1970s, his portraits of actors, intellectuals and politicians appeared on the covers and pages of the most popular magazines in Europe and in the US. He arrived in New York in 1940, with little knowledge of the English language, no money, no contacts, and a camera. Within two years his work appeared on the cover of Life magazine, starting a 30 year association with the magazine. Life published 101 covers by Halsman: a record unmatched by any other photographer in history.
Halsman grew up in Riga, Latvia, and began his photography career in Paris in the 1930s, contributing to Vogue and other fashion magazines. He neglected the old fashioned portrait style of soft focus and favored dark, sharp images, and soon gained a reputation as one of the best portrait photographers in France. However, with the invasion of France by Hitler's troops, he was forced to flee to America, with a visa obtained by the help of his friend Albert Einstein.

In 1958 Halsman was listed in Popular Photography's "World's Ten Greatest Photographers", and in 1975 he received the Life Achievement in Photography Award from the American Society of Magazine Photographers. He also held numerous large exhibitions worldwide.

Artist’s Name: Christophe Huet

Title: Tomorrowland

Date: 2005

Description: A floating car waits quietly by itself under a streetlight on an autumn night.

Analysis: Although the car is centered horizontally, the rule of thirds is used vertically, and the viewer is instantly attracted to it. The loneliness of the subject tempts the viewer to infer what may be going on in the photo.  

Interpretation: In my honest opinion, I think this photograph depicts the future as a very gloomy and lonely place. People nowadays seem to get so caught up in worrying about their future that they forget to appreciate the little things and give value to the most significant things happening today. It almost shows a disconnection in its entirety from any kind of happiness at all.

Judgement: I find this piece to be extraordinary. It is beautiful and almost seamlessly edited-It actually looks like a real picture! The artist’s use of the elements of photography really invites the viewer into the piece, and I think that the mix of the low key surroundings with the streetlight really compliments the car. I honestly love this piece and it makes me wonder even more about what our future may look like.  

Artist’s Name: Philippe Halsman

Title: Dali Atomicus

Date: 1948

Description: Dali, the famous surrealist artist, is suspended in the air along with spilling water, cats, and a chair. A canvas is being suspended as well, but the stand is floating off somewhere else. The disorder of this image gives it its interesting quality.

Analysis: This interesting piece is so eye-catching due to the fact that there is no specific focal point. All elements of the work are interesting, and the arrangement of the objects makes the viewer see a calamitous, disorganized side of the famous Salvador Dali. The lighting element is perfect, even though shadows are visible, and in short, the piece is beautiful.

Interpretation: I believe this piece is trying to show the extremely hectic yet enjoyable lifestyle of Salvador Dali. His smile and mustache show his friendly and comical nature, and the floating canvas along with him painting shows his dedication to art. The cats, chair, and water show that he doesn’t need to be organized in order to make beautifully organized artwork.

Judgement: Personally, this piece is amazing for its time and the fact that all of this was done in one shot blows my mind. The difficulty of this shot was astronomical, but still, Halsman manages to capture it. I find it very interesting because of the flying water and cats. I enjoy how it truly portrays a day in the life of a great artist.

Both artists are extremely unique but different. Halsman is an artist who left his wealth in France and came to America with nothing, and still quickly rose to fame by his beautiful works of art. Huet, on the other hand, is an artist who went through formal education for his profession and became a professional photographer and CGI/Photoshop artist. In Halsman’s work, you can tell that everything is very carefully planned and meticulously structured. Huet, likewise, uses computer technology to make his own photographs surreal. His use of editing and technology is completely different from Halsman’s “one-shot” photo style. Sometimes, Halsman must even take up to 30 shots in order to get the right one. Huet can just change editing with the click of a mouse. Both styles, however, are beautifully interesting, and their influences are totally different. Huet is truly a pioneer in his style, being one of the first to publicize editing and use of CGI and Photoshop to this scale. Halsman seems to be influenced by other artists of his time, including his good friend Salvador Dali.

Where I'd Rather Be.

Partner Portrait.

Shopper's Paradise, S. Ray



Insomniac, S. Ray

Both of these collages were taken very spontaneously and without previous thought. The mall setting almost creates a leading line toward the roof or into the store, and the portrait displays the life of a typical sleep-deprived teenager.

Photo Walk 10.7.11.

30 DAY CHALLENGE.

Portrait Series 2.

The photo on the right is high key, while the photo on the bottom left is more low key. On the top left is a more neutral photo, and all photos together compliment one another to amplify the beuaty of each.

Potrait series 1.

I made these photos darker to show the true emotion and feeling of the person captured. All three are sepia colored and give off an eerie and sad feeling towards the viewer.

Self Reflection.

Photo Walk 9-16-11.

Artistic Inspirations

Blue Guitar, Pablo Picasso

Picasso's interesting use of color and interpretation of emotion strikes me as a very outstanding quality of art. All of his work seems to make me think about the underlying message of it.

The Starry Night, 1988 Vincent Van Gogh

 

 Van Gogh uses dark colors beautifully in his painting, and this one in particular is probably my favorite painting of all time. I love the way the night blends in with everything else.


The Grotto of the Loue, 1864, Gustave Courbet

Courbet is a phenomenal painter, and this painting in particular is a very special landscape portrait. It makes me visualize the outdoors and nature's beauty.


Migrant Mother, 1936 Dorothea Lange

 Dorothea Lange was an extraordinary photographer, and this photo proves it. I love the way that she captures the mother's full emotion. It makes viewers wonder about what she is thinking.

3D Street Art, Edgar Mueller

This is also one of my favorite works. Mueller combines stunning artwork with a 3-dimensional illusion that would amaze just about anyone. It's no wonder why this is one of my favorite artists.

My name:                                          Shagun Ray.

Childhood ambition:                       Becoming a doctor…haha.

Fondest memory:                            Weekends at Disney land back in Florida.

Proudest moment:                          When someone uses my rare-but-amazing advice.

Biggest challenge:                         Growing up.

The alarm clock:                             is what keeps my life in order.

Perfect day:                                     Being anywhere at all with nothing but my best friend.

Indulgence:                                      Spending money.

Favorite movie:                               Fight Club or Catch Me if You Can.

Soundtrack:                                     Coyote theory or two door cinema club.

Inspirations:                                     To become successful and known, and never lose sight of my dreams.

My life is:                                           going somewhere, but I want it to stay right where it is.