by Grryo Community | Jun 18, 2013 | Featured Articles, The Temples
“Splash Dance” – The Art of Water Dancing by Dave Temple, “Kewiki”
The first time I saw Jordy Bouchal, I knew I was on to something special. While I had seen water droplet pictures before, there was definitely something magical about his art. These were not just ordinary water droplets. Jordy’s ability to create shapes and figures from nothing more than water was astounding. I had to reach out to him and what I learned boggled my mind.
The following is an interview I had with Jordy. He was gracious enough to share with us some of his process, artwork and overall passion for what he does.
K: Kewiki J: Jordy
K: Tell me a little about yourself.
J: My name is Jordy Bouchal and I’m 30 years old. I’m from south of France in a town called Perpignan.
K: How long have you been into photography?
J: I started photography one year ago. I really love macro photography of insects, but recently became interested in water drop photography.
K: What influenced you to get into photography?
J: I was a skateboarder for more than 15 years. In skateboarding we used video a lot and I made a lot of video montages. I met a lot of great skateboard photographers and it made me want to start.
K: Tell me about your current art of water dancers. They are beautiful!
J: I discovered this are a few months ago. I saw pictures on the Internet and wanted to try it. I made my home system above my sink, but it didn’t seem to work. After a lot of trial and error, I finally invested in a machine that let me control the flow and timing of my water drops within a thousandth of a second. It allows me to synchronize the water valve, flash and camera.
K: That sounds complex!
J: It is! I originally started with milk because it has a higher viscosity than plain water. It’s easier to get a good collision. I like the look of water because it’s transparent, but plain water just doesn’t work. So to get water consistency to be the same as milk, I had to mix water with xantham gum or guar gum.
K: How are you able to get such unique and complex shapes?
J: The shapes of collisions depend on the consistency of the mixture, temperature, height between the valve and surface and the setup of the stopshot in milliseconds. For color I use food dye, ink, paint and/or flash gels.
K: What kind of camera equipment are you using to accomplish this?
J: I use two YN560II speed lights and two flashes from my Nikon R1C1 macro kit. My camera is a Nikon D5100 and my lens is a Nikon 105mm AF-S F 2.8.
K: Wow! This is a real science then! Thank you again for sharing with us and inspiring us with your incredible work.
J: You’re very welcome!
Below are examples of Jordy’s setup and works of art.
Jordy’s Setup
Azur Rain
Carousel
Jellyfish
The Mexican
If you’re interested in seeing more of Jordy’s work, please check him out on Instagram or you can contact him if you’re interested in learning more about his work. Thanks again to Jordy for sharing with us!
Editor’s Note: The above images are not captured with a mobile camera.
by Grryo Community | Jun 12, 2013 | The Temples
Keep Calm and Shoot On by Holly Temple
Nokia Lumia 920 Tricks and Tips
I came into this Windows Phone challenge gung ho. Like a freight train. Like a bull in a china shop. You get the idea. I was excited and ready to go! I shot my first decent picture within 2 hours of opening the box and was chomping at the bit to start posting. Apparently, I’m also an eager beaver with metaphor usage.
I’ll be honest. I had a good few days of shooting, mostly with the native camera, when I decided it was time to try some other camera apps. And I started struggling. The excitement was waning with each unfocused-missed-the-moment-just-not-right shot. I think that happens to all of us at some point though, not just in mobile photography. Actually, I’m pretty good at jumping into things only to fizzle out shortly after. Not happy to admit that, but there ya go. It’s just how I work.
Around that time, I decided to step away for a minute. What I didn’t mean to happen was stepping away for about 4 days. I didn’t realize it had been that long, but when I picked up my Windows Phone again, I had a missed call from an unknown number 4 days old. Oops. It was time to get serious again. That day I installed several more camera apps and took my little (not so little) neon yellow girl for a spin that evening. The mosquitoes had a good dinner as I stood in a field behind our neighborhood trying every single camera app I had. I don’t have specific complaints about some of them, they just didn’t feel right to me. On the other hand, I’m not fond at all of apps that make you choose a filter right then or you can’t save it and move on. Unless I was using it wrong, which is totally possible with the phone’s learning curve.
Then it happened. I opened Clever Camera and took a shot. And I got that feeling. I fell in love with that camera so hard it’s ridiculous. I’m actually dreaming of taking trips to different countries just to shoot with Clever Camera. No joke. Autofocus is great, but manual focus really lets you get in closer. I love being able to control it. There aren’t many editing capabilities within Clever Camera, but it does have a lovely soft vignette. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with each shot.
Will I abandon my other smartphone for the Lumia 920? Not quite. But, because of the awesome chance to participate in this challenge, do I plan on always having the Windows Phone with me from now on for photo opportunities? Heck yes.
by Grryo Community | Nov 22, 2012 | Featured Articles, The Temples
Casting Dreams with Photographer/Designer, Josh Strandell by Dave Temple *Originally posted on We Are Juxt on June 19, 2012
Kewiki’s Introduction
His name is Josh Strandell, known to the Instagram community as @dream_cast. He is an extremely talented designer/photographer. When I first saw his work on Instagram, my jaw literally dropped. Then, I found out he is only 13. Needless to say my jaw was dragging by then. This kid has a huge amount of talent and at such an early age. If you are on Instagram, definitely check him out! I had a chance to chat with Josh. See the interview below.
K: Kewiki J: Josh
K: First of all, I was blown away that you are only 13! How did you come up with this style of artwork?
J: Everyone always seems surprised when I tell them my age. As far as style goes, I tried thinking of a style that seemed fresh and unused.
K: It’s very unique! Who would you say has had an influence on your work?
J: Matt French (@mattfrench) has really inspired me into photography. @nois7 has also inspired me into designs.
K: Do you have any favorite pieces of your work?
J: I’m not sure which piece of art is my favorite. They are all beautiful and inspiring.
K: So how do you come up with your ideas? They’re all so different, but carry similar themes.
J: I think of an idea that soon gets bigger and bigger. Sort of like a snowball rolling down a hill. As I think of all of the ideas, I piece them together to make a somewhat dreamy design.
K: You certainly have done that! So can you shed a little light on the apps you use to achieve these masterpieces?
J: Some of the most used apps that I use are “iDesign” (a great app for adding shapes and designs). I also use “Snapseed” for adding my grunge effects. But, a magician also has a trick or two up their sleeves!
At the end of the interview I knew I was in the presence of greatness. Josh’s imagination surpasses the imaginations of so many of us. His work will inspire you and stir different emotions in you. But, then again, isn’t that the goal of every great artist?
To check out Josh’s “Dream Cast” Instagram, click here.(http://statigr.am/user/dream_cast)
by Grryo Community | Nov 15, 2012 | Featured Articles, The Temples
From Producer to Creator by @Kewiki
@Kewiki Introduction
Kevin Kuster is a name you may or may not be familiar with. But if you don’t know him now, you will. He is one of the many individuals involved in a monumental project started by the one and only Josh Johnson. I first met Kevin through Josh’s feed and really found him to be a fascinating and amazing photographer. I had a chance to catch Kevin before him and Josh left for Brazil to speak to the Brazilian Instagram group.
Q: Tell me a little bit about yourself. What do you do for a living?
A: For most of my career I was the Senior Photography Editor for Playboy Magazine, and Managing Content Producer for Playboy digital. Although most of my career had been focused on managing and producing, I am now focusing on being the content creator with my own photography and directing. I’m a partner at a startup studio called Creator Gallery in North Aurora, IL which is just outside of Chicago. This is a very exciting time in my life, and mobile photography has added to that excitement.
Q: Where are you from?
A: I was born in New York City, raised in Chicago, and went to school at the University of Kansas. It was quite a diverse move for me, and everyone asked “how does a city boy wind up in Kansas”. It’s a great school for art and design, plus, in addition, I got to see some of the best college basketball in the world. Go Jayhawks!!
Family, etc.
I’m from the typical Irish-German family. My mother never forgets anything, and my father is detailed and passionate. This combination has served me well in my career. I have one son, and he has just started to show an interest in photography and the arts.
Q: If you could recommend some of your favorite feeds on Instagram to new users, who would you recommend and why?
A: I am really a big fan of several people on Instagram; however, the following photographers never disappoint me with their images. Jason Peterson, @jasonmpeterson, has an amazing approach with black and white images. Richard Koci Hernandez, @koci, has to be one of the best street photographers ever. Lucho Marino, @lucho_marino is a wonderful portrait photographer. Martin Reisch, @safesolvent, often makes me say “how did he do that”. Mr. 007, @mr007, is truly inspiring and very creative. Of course, the #jjcommunity, @joshjohnson, inspires me each and every day. In my opinion, it is the epicenter of what snap, edit and share is all about.
Q: We see your name a lot on @joshjohnson’s feed. Can you tell us how you’re involved?
A: That’s actually a very interesting question. I contacted Josh a few months back after the Aurora, Colorado movie theatre tragedy. I sent him an email encouraging him to do a forum supporting all those who were touched by the tragedy or who might have lost a loved one. I told him that photography and images can change hearts and minds, and I asked him to use his platform to spearhead a measure of healing. After a few communications, he invited me to come on board to help them develop #jjcommunity and the new app we are creating. Since joining him as the Chief Editor we have added three core members (Emily Gomez, @ohemg87; Michael Petuzzi, @yomap, and Jackii Sovern, @jsovs), as well as 76 photo editors to help review the thousands of image we receive daily. In some of our daily forums we can receive up to 25,000 images.
We’ve also just started a charitable foundation, @jjfoundation. This will be where we post and hopefully sell images and collages to raise awareness and donate all proceeds to charity. We’re also getting ready to begin a new mentor sponsorship forum. This is a very exciting endeavor for us and mobile photography, in general.
Q: I interviewed Josh a couple of months ago regarding the new project he and the team are working on. Any updates you can give us?
A: Although we are still working on several plans, directions and a new app for our #jjcommunity, we’re very aware that what we currently have is working well. We hope to continue to add new programs and events each month and completely expand and add our own touch to the term community. To date our @joshjohnson, #jjcommunity feed has received about 20 million submissions. That’s a lot of really dedicated followers who are passionate about photography, and specifically mobile photography.
Q: Any final thoughts you’d like to leave for new users?
A: Yes, welcome to the future!!! Mobile photography is exploding, and will only get bigger and bigger. Mobile photography is defining how we create and connect like never before, introducing people to their inner creativity. As for me personally, mobile photography and editing on my iPhone really put the fun back into photography. Josh and I fly to Brazil in a few days to speak at a mobile photography conference and are very excited to be right in the middle of the mobile photo explosion. Soooo, start shooting, try out a new app, and jump on board the mobile photography wave!!! I can’t wait to see your images, read your comments and hopefully see you at a local Instagram meeting in Chicago.
Conclusion:
Thanks Kevin for taking the time to fill us all in on the exciting things you’re doing. Below are some of Kevin’s favorite shots. Be sure to check out his feed at Kevin Kuster.
by Grryo Community | Nov 12, 2012 | Reviews, The Temples
Back in July I wrote a review of ColorStrokes for iPhone. At the time, ColorStrokes was only available for the iPhone. Well MacPhun, the makers of ColorStrokes, FX Photo Studio and other great apps has released a brand new iPad-specific version of ColorStrokes. The already easy to use app looks even better on a bigger screen and is much easier to use with an interface custom-tailored for larger screens. The functionality of the app is the same as before, so there isn’t really a big learning curve. But for those of you who love spot color photography or even colorization of photos with extreme detail, then this is the app for you. Definitely check it out. It will help kick those spot color photos up a notch!
– Kewiki
