Mostly about photography

Guilty Pleasures

2011-06-06T12:29:00.007+03:00

So tell me, what is it? What is the thing that we all just LOVE to do? That makes us forget our problems and puts our minds at rest? The thing that women love to do just as much as men, even if some of them would not readily admit it? The thing that, when you're done with, you feel pleasantly exhausted and a little guilty, but you can't wait to do it again? You all know what I'm talking about, don't you? It should be quite obvious by now... It's shopping !!! Don't we all just love it?

I can't think of anything else that makes so many people happy by parting them with their cash. Well, maybe one thing and, of course, that's photography. Just buying basic equipment will leave you poor, yet with a smug grin on your face... But let's get back to shopping. Because lately it has become most people's favorite pass time. We shop 'till we drop, and when we become penniless, we proceed with a good session of window shopping, making plans for such a time when our credit cards will decide to cooperate again. We feel empowered just knowing that we can bring home a bunch of stuff, most of which is utterly useless, but it's pretty to look at and to have around. Does my cat REALLY need another toy? He (yes, it's a he) doesn't even touch the last one I bought for him. Well, I hope he'll like this one better, 'cause I'm definitely buying it.

It's soooooo cute, how could he not like it? And what about those gorgeous shoes I saw earlier? I keep telling myself they're too expensive, but it's like talking to a brick wall. I want them, and that's that. I'll just eat less, I DO need to guard my figure...mmm, that reminds me that I should check the cookies department... maybe they have something I haven't tried yet... what was I saying about my figure? Oh, yes. My figure needs THOSE SHOES. Time for another shopping session, I guess...

bare necessities

2011-05-29T16:35:00.002+03:00

So we have our food and our water, and that is a good thing, because we don't go hungry. And we have faith, and that is even better. It means our souls are safe. A good shelter is also most important to our well-being. But nowadays, there's another thing taking over our lives, sometimes even surpassing more critical ones... the need to communicate.

People of genius made it possible and we LOVE every bit (or byte?) of it. Every "happening" must be thoroughly advertised on Facebook, no deals are sealed unless previously discussed on-line, most meetings take place in front of a web-cam... you see what I'm getting at. It has become reflex to open the laptop, maybe even more so then opening the fridge... because you can go on for quite some time without food, but you are dying to see who else added you as a "friend", how many more "likes" your fan-page has received, what your relatives from overseas have been doing and what on Earth was Princess Beatrice thinking wearing that hat at the royal wedding. And let's face it, it's not bad at all (the information, not the hat).
Besides keeping us entertained, our on-line activities also boost our businesses, cultivate our tastes, make us smarter and more educated, or at the very least more informed. A moderated dose of web interaction has become, for more and more internauts, the any-time equivalent of the morning coffee. Well, maybe it won't alleviate your head pain - the web is caffeine free - but it will lift your spirit, the way a good talk with a close friend sometimes does... Because it is the easiest, fastest, most hassle free (and cheapest, right?) way of making new friends, most of which are people you've never personally met (and probably never will), but whose "electronic" paths momentarily connect with yours, converging on a mutually interesting... something: a nice picture, a good movie, an idea, or maybe a good food recipe. One thing got harder, though... just you try explaining to your grandma' how you made hundreds of friends by sitting in front of that screen in your room. Yeah, that never gets old...
So, there it is, the thing that we are slowly but surely beginning to NEED: THE INTERNET. Besides faith, food and water, of course.

| flickr | | website | | twitter | | blog | | youtube | | facebook |

Dark magic

2011-05-26T21:07:00.001+03:00

It used to be simple. Simple, but not easy. It used to be somewhat magical, too. I close my eyes, and once more I enter the dark room with a troubled heart and a mind full of the same old questions: "Did I nail the exposure? What if something has happened to my film? And ufff... the focus..." As the door shuts behind me, the familiar humid warmth welcomes me and tells me that I'm home again. Even the slightly stinging chemical smells feel like the sea breeze to a sailor returning to his beloved boat. I turn off all lights (but not the deep green one) and wait for a couple of minutes for my eyes to adjust. And when I start seeing the tips of my fingers as I wave them in front of my face, I think "...here we go..." and open the camera to remove the precious roll of film, one of only four that contain all the hard work that went into a full day of shooting. And I take extreme care when inserting the roll into the developing tank (we don't want nasty air bubbles in there, do we?), then I pour in the processing solutions, with an almost ritualistic precision and timing: developer first, waiting, then the stop bath and rinsing, then the fixer, more waiting, and finally the washing with a bit of non-ionic solution. It is now that my heart jumps the most... as I remove the film from the tank in full daylight and I hastily check each of the 36 frames. It's ok, I reassure myself: the developer did a good job, the pictures seem crisp and contrasting enough, but of course, I'll only have the final proof when I'll hold the photo - ON PAPER - in my hand. And yes, this is going to be the fun part. I leave the red light on this time, I prepare the processing baths, then I begin the painstakingly slow process of adjusting the exposure intensity, color filters and so on... When I emerge from the dark room after a few hours (how time flies!), I feel a bit tired and hungry, but satisfied as I glance once more at the string of photos drying on the rope....
Yep, it used to be just like that. Now, of course... things have changed. I look at the tiny SD card that contains my (roughly) 2000 pictures for the day, I transfer them to HDD with a few clicks, I fire up Photoshop and load one of them up, and with a few more clicks I get a better result then I could ever have hoped to get the "old school" way. And if I want a printed copy, that will take yet another couple of buttons pushed. And I think this is a good thing, because it's safer, easier and more accessible then ever before. It is all those things and more, only... it's not magical anymore.

Claudia Veja Images

| flickr | | website | | twitter | | blog | | youtube | | facebook |

Old city new

2011-05-23T21:50:00.004+03:00

Why is it that every photo shooting day feels like the first day of my photographic life? Is it just me or does everyone else feel like this? A feeling of new and undiscovered, like there's a whole new world out there, waiting to be unveiled through light and color. I start prepping the gear, going through the motions with the kind of automatism that comes with years of repetition, and then the not-yet-taken pictures start hovering somewhere in a corner of my mind. Then I stop for a moment and look out the window, and I see the same city, yet I know that today it will be different. I know that because it's been different every time. Somehow, every photo-session brings something new and manages to surprise me. The city is as moody as the girl next door, and it shows. Some say that it breathes, that it has a life of it's own, like some giant living organism that coexists quietly along us... and through us. People and cars and clothes and shoes and smiles and trees and asphalt and old buildings and a lonesome puddle catching a glimpse of light... they're never the same. And I know that when I will lift my camera to compose the next shot, all of that will fall into place like a huge puzzle that never assembles the same way twice. I know that every shot I'll take will be a singularity, a never-before-and-never-after event. And that makes it special, and worth taking.

Claudia Veja Images

MOUCHATON The Mastermind/ Eminenta cenusie

2011-05-22T01:05:00.005+03:00

TEAM MEMBER: MOUCHATON
AGE: 5 MONTHS OLD
ASSIGNMENT: ENTERTAINMENT

At just a few months old, little Mouchaton is becoming a handfull... of joy :) He likes exploring EVERYTHING, he has to see EVERYTHING, and he MUST be included in every activity we undertake. He wakes me up in the morning by rubbing his furry ears against my face and purring... you could die from the cuteness. Too bad I'm too sleepy to snap some pictures :) He likes watching TV, although he's not so easily amused anymore and a harsh critic (he might fall asleep in the middle of the action). He likes his high places, he's always on top of the furniture, and he LOVES the family dwarf hamster. Sometimes I fear he would LOVE it with a side dish of tuna. The hamster, though, in spite of being the size of a ping-pong ball, valiantly ignores the cat's efforts and keeps spinning his hamster-wheel.
Oh, and another thing about the cat. He is very much a part of the team. Just this morning I was preparing the gear and he was like really helping. You know, messing up the cables, getting into my camera backpack and refusing to come out, scrambling the charged batteries with the not-yet-charged ones, sharpening his claws on the diffusers, and all those other helpful things that cats do. And I was enjoying every minute of it. So yeah, that's his job: entertaining. Somehow, he always manages to make me forget about troubles and brings the sun out.

PRESENTING: TEAM MEMBER MOUCHATON :

See a large view and more here

Here is when he was still so very easily amused:

Stephie (U know, our teenage daughter) just came from a fashion show and undone her hairdo and it looked huge (here I don't think is quite obvious how big it actually looked/was) and we felt that a few pictures with our new little cat were a good idea. Muchaton fell asleep very shortly after we stared and did not mind at all the lights or anything else for that matter. He trusted Stephie completely already.

Here I found him staring at me from out laundry basket :)

NEW GEAR

2011-03-29T03:47:00.003+03:00

I'm looking to buy new gear. AGAIN and again.

Now I'm looking to buy photography gear. No I'm not selling the 1Ds Mark III. But buying new stuff, yes. All the time.

Looking for :

Canon BG-E4 Battery Grip for Canon EOS 5D
+ 2 of the Canon BP-511A Lithium-Ion Battery (7.4v 1390mAh)

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) or 7D (maybe).

Canon EOS 5D Mark III when will be available !

And soon some video stuff also. Not sure exactly what so I'll get back on about this.

I don't know about you but this buying thing never ends. I am happy that most of the gear I have is top of the line so I don't have to sell it after a while. But never the less there is no more then a few months and I have to buy something. Lights, lens, batteries, you name it. If I were to count how much money we've spent on equipment... Oh and a new computer is necessary for the 3D and video stuff. That's another round of "little" spending !!!

Oh well if you have what I need and you or someone else you now is in US (MN, CA), UK (Oxford) or Spain (Sotogrande) (where I have people who can buy for me) or somewhere around Cluj-Napoca or Bucharest (yeah right) let me know.
Thanks.

Claudia Veja Images

2011-03-28T20:40:00.007+03:00

Claudia Veja

2011-03-17T20:00:00.008+02:00

In Spanish Claudia Veja means Claudia can see. Claudia Sees ;)
Isn't that amazing for someone who since always was doing visual stuff and now has an image related business to be born with a name like this? I think it is really cool and I don't think I could ever get board with any of the visual stuff.

Any way I just wanted to share this "Claudia Veja" thing with the people I "see" in my blog's stats ;).
Stay beautiful and have a great day everyone !

I can see you !
Claudia Veja :)
(Claudia Vede)

| flickr | | website | | twitter | | blog | | youtube | | facebook |

Retouching Editing Restoring & Digital Enhancement by Claudia Veja Images

2011-03-10T19:15:00.003+02:00

DETALII

Editing, Retouching, Restoring Images is not easy work but mostly is how far are you going with it.
I find that extreme composites with cool looking conceptual finish are great but extreme editing such as removing face features entirely, removing wrinkles completely or softening skin like it would be about some aliens in a fine art kind of project when in fact is about a portrait session are by far the most common "gone to far" kind of editing out there.

More about this you can find on my website at the Retouching & Editing page.
Hope the Gifs work. Enjoy !

Retouching Editing Restoring & Digital Enhancement by Claudia Veja Images

Q. from CosteVlad :Vazand galeria mea crezi ca as avea sanse sa incep o cariera in stock si sa fac asta toata viata. p.s. Mi se pare ca stilul pe care l-am adoptate este asemanator cu al lui Yuri Arcurs.

2011-02-28T15:19:00.002+02:00

Big changes in the stock photography industry so no one can be sure if this is something to make a living from and for the majority probably not but if you want it as a hobby why not.

About your gallery it is way to early to say. When you'll have around 500 images is more likely to say something about a style or anything really.

Ask me anything

Cum ai ajuns sa vinzi pe http://www.gettyimages.com/ pentru ca am inteles ca este destul de greu.

2011-02-26T22:45:00.002+02:00

There are more ways to be a "Getty Images" images provider, but right now this would be the easiest way to have your images sold there: http://www.flickr.com/groups/callforartists/

In 2004 when I first realized that Getty is the best agency out there and I decided to see how stock photography would be for me it was a totally different story.
Since then things have changed immensely and changes are still huge today on every level and not only for stock photographers but for journalist too and photographer in general. Any way Stock Photography is not what it use to be and no one can tell you for sure what it's going to be like in the future.

Ask me anything

Sleepless Nation

2011-02-22T06:51:00.002+02:00

I'll have to make some images about this thing.
I find plenty of friends and friends of a friend (that have to go work next day, really) on-line at 4-5 in the morning posting funny stuff or commenting and I know it for a fact that they were not just wakening up or something.
I know I am. I re enter a more normal program but sooner or later I find myself again working late. So late that is morning ! I thought it's just me and a few crazy once but I have numerous networking sites (not only facebook) to prove me that is not just me at all. Far from it. What's going on people?

unimportant stuff ? what do you mean ? what is really important and what's unimportant ?

2011-02-22T03:22:00.001+02:00

This is a good one but at the time (when I said that I should concentrate only on important stuff) I was referring at stock photography to be honest and to the photography business in general.

At that point I didn't invest any more money then the semester's photography exhibitions (huge) expenses and the too many roles of film that I was using every day (like they were digital or something) . But important stuff it would have been to by a digital SLR camera that was already available (especialy that I had plenty of money from the real estates hobby I was doing back then).

Now, important stuff (business wise) would be kind of the same, only maybe its time for some video investments too.
See? I need the 10 years perspective again...

The truth is that always with investing like with giving it comes back to you ten times more :)

Ask me anything

If you could go back in time 10 years and tell your younger self something, what would it be?

2011-02-22T02:07:00.001+02:00

Then I was a student at the University of Photography and Videography so I already knew which way I wanted to go. I had faith but I'd just say this:
"Get busy. Don't lose time with unimportant stuff!"

Ask me anything

Ce crezi despre galeria mea de pe shutterstock? http://www.shutterstock.com/g/costevladionut

2011-02-22T01:52:00.001+02:00

I see you have a model that you can easily work with
I'm referring to her : http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-70866070/stock-photo-closeup-of-a-smiling-caucasian-woman-eating-a-chocolate-against-white.html

...and you could try some more concept like images. Think like a designer would to find out what type of images are needed out there and still missing. Try new things along with the usual style.

Think more careful about every little space in your frame so you include only what's important (good stock images must have a clear message no matter how small).

Good light !

Ask me anything

16 THINGS about me

2011-02-18T00:11:00.002+02:00

16 THINGS reposted from my flickr account where I've been asked (severel times like most of us there) to say 16 things about me. Here it is:

1. I have a daughter that I'm really proud of.
2. My husband is the best man I know.
3. I like nights more then I like mornings.
4. I find to be a powerful person someone who can afford to listen, forgive, forget, believe, understand and help those around and I consider to be a weak and desperate person someone who would give ultimatums, hide under party times or cool faces and destroy any glimmer of hope of others.
5. No question about it, I am not a serious person. I'm serious.
6. My kitchen wall is yellow. Still.
7. The only scary movies that I really like are the Scary Movie series ;)
8. My personal record number of films that I watched in a week was 38 (at home off course) and for one day was 7 and I really like to try harder next time.
9. My favorite comedies are Office Space, Parole Officer and Stranger Then Fiction.
10. I find philosophy, logic, emotional intelligence to be the best "tools" in life but with out faith and especially love, life would not make sense at all.
11. I know that a person with character is something that is very, very rear in real life. I also know that we don't judge our selves with the same eyes that we judge the people around us. All in all I don't put my trust in any human been including myself when it comes to expecting the right thing or stuff like that.
12. I am a perfectionist so if I have to write something (right) it will take a while. :D
13. I really love to dance and I think that you can tell a lot about someone if you watch them dancing....except me cose I know this so I pretend to be different then I actually am.
14. One of the things that I really don't like at all is the fact that clothes have that irritating tag inside witch will end up against the skin making me crazy and most of all that no one from the industry, no matter how famous/good or cool, would consider at least a soft material or some easy way to remove it without ripping the material off. Really annoying and surprising.

15. I have the believe that often real stories would seam so made up that is better not to tell them at all .

16. IF you happen to find any misspellings, contextual errors or any other kind of text-related mistakes, you can blame MS Word or little green men from Mars, but not me. Because I don't make mistakes. Because I'm perfect. That's all.

Let's talk prices for photographs

2011-02-07T08:31:00.004+02:00

This saying describes perfectly how I always think.

In my other post here , I wrote about the importance of knowing how to talk /deal with prospective clients and I mentioned that, I would talk more about the importance of the prices.

When you charge a rate that you feel is underpaying you, you become a pain in the ass to the client and yourself. You begin to despise what you have to do because it feels like cheap labor. Your creativity suffers along with your work performance. Instead of focusing on the job at hand all you do is worry about the guy down the street making more money than you.

When you work on high standards every single detail matters, and for that reason only, and the task of explaining the client about certain aspects takes a lot of determination and confidence in what you say.
The photographer deals not only with the model (who can be or not be the actual client) but also with agencies, collaborators, artists (makeup, hair, styling, creative) and also his/her team. That's a lot of people to deal with but most important of all is the actual client and the relation between them all.

Usually the main priority of the client is the price and then the product/service to be acquired. Prices are very important. They talk about your business and they keep clients away or bring them back again.

There is no client who would say when do we do that photo session or when can we have those images before a "Request For Bid". No way ! That would be very rear indeed and I totally understand why. But asking the right price and knowing all about it would not make your client totally understand it as well. It's again up to us (our agent) to know how to talk about it.

When I started the photography business I was sure that shooting a Vogue cover would get me so much money and that the model on the cover are paid a fortune as well. Not always true. For instance a model could be paid even less then a hundred dollar for a cover if is not a super model when for a fashion show she could get hundreds of thousands. Advertising campaigns or a fashion designers would have huge budges. Editorials are more opportunistic then strategically planed so the final work is not that certain and prices ten be a lot lower for that. On the other hand, like I said earlier, ad agencies when contacting the photographer already know what they need and the price usually goes sky rocketing because they are always looking for bigger, better and more shocking then the last campaign so the price would do the same.

One might think that is all about the client but like in the magazine cover case there is not about that but about the type of work that needs to be done and the standards to be fulfilled.

Other type of works in the photography industry like the stock photography have quite exact ways of determining the price (agency type, license type, exclusivity or not, size, territory, time...) or it use to be like that, before the micro and macro stock were so much alike.

Interestingly enough only after Istock "created" the very very low prices for a download of the today's micro stock industry I've learned about photographers earning millions from doing just that.

I would be very interested to know how many millionaires are there from photography today .

TO BE CONTINUED

From my other blog : (Some of the) Movies I like

2011-01-27T00:13:00.002+02:00

THE LINK to the "full" list : HERE

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Charles Chaplin

How to Steal a Million (1966)

Small Time Crooks (2000)

Ratatouille (2007)

Salt (2010)

Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)

THE LINK to the "full" list : HERE

Facebook strikes again !

2011-01-04T04:30:00.000+02:00

I like facebook but I dislike the violations that occur there all the time even if I might believe this statement: "We didn't do it on purpose,".

After quietly on February 4th '09 Facebook updated it’s terms of service to grant itself an unending and irrevocable license to use all content uploaded despite the media scandal that followed, Facebook continues to raise concerns related to the privacy of its users' personal data and more recently (starting on October 1st, 2010) they strike again with the "Download in High Resolution" link/button available to anyone viewing an image.

Though the final image still remains small, there's a link below-right to "Download in High Resolution" for any users to save the image at the higher resolution (and no options to prevent it except for deleting the image). I'm sure no one likes or needs this as I would prefer the images to be displayed in High Res (as promised) and to be protected from "save image as" all together like on a much better site for images sharing as flickr is. Not a perfect site either but far better in this department.

The terms updated on February 4th '09 are still claiming the rights as follows:
"For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like photos and videos ("IP content"), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings: you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook ("IP License")."

The images recently uploaded are available for download at the high resolution with this "Download in High Resolution" link/button with no warning about it or any options at the privacy settings page. Like in the other cases Facebook steps all over our rights and probably soon this type of behavior will have to change or else.

I've been under the mistaken impression that Facebook has all along been storing an original-resolution copy of each image it receives, and was just not making it available. That isn't the case. In fact, for most photos, Facebook's servers never even see the original image. Its uploading tool first compresses each picture file on our computer, to shorten transmission time.

Also is good to know that the option of uploading at high resolution is not only unnecessary or against your rights (no options to choose who you share it with or if you do or not) but also misleading for everyone. The "high resolution" image that you get is not actually the original one so you (if you would think to opt for this for storage purposes) will and up with a compressed file (lot less quality) just at the same pixels (size) but no larger then 2048 pixels.

So no matter how you look at this "feature" you can't like it. or not as it is today.

Read more interesting stuff about facebook here.

How to tell your client what they need to know

2010-12-16T18:27:00.000+02:00

How to tell your client what they need to know and who should know better

Over the years I've learned again and again that clients, don't always know exactly what they like or need from the photographs they plan on creating in a photo session (clients that by a stock image usually do know because are not the actual clients but the agencies working for then thank God :) for that) and it's up to the people in the industry (advertising agencies, photographers, stylist etc) to make sure of what is important and what's not on their behalf. How to do that and how to tell your client about that it can be an important part of this job of creating the needed images.

When talking about the photo sessions ahead with a client is very important to have great instincts to see what they actually need or even what they like and that can be achieved best with "talking" over images and asking details to be specified about what part of the images they like when they point to a certain image done by you or someone else.

Even so if they, for example, decide along the way (before the shooting) that something is to much trouble (or as cost, props or what ever the reason) to go for, most of the times even when you recommended that to be done because you knew (and they knew if were thinking more about it) it's what they really needed in the end they'll ask for it one way or another and in some countries would expect it any way and even in the same price. In some situations you might be able to do that with editing but mostly not.

The same thing happens with the type of photographs they want/need.
At a business profile type of session you theoretically don't need to ask what type of images are you looking for right? Wrong.

If it's a woman especially, she might like the fashion or stock alike type of images and make suggestions along the way (at the photo session) regarding that even thou you know exactly what she will actually need for the media. The smart casual type or even the stock alike would work as well but the fashion would be inappropriate. How to prevent this confusions to happen or how to delicately point this "minor" differences it's up to photographers.

That is why is very important before hand to talk details and know what your clients want, what they like and what they need eventually for the main purpose of the session(s) and what other "hidden" purposes might be there too.

If you know all this, the smart way is to be very clear about what they (really) need especially if there is a case like in the example above where it's kind of standard and you just can't send out to the media images done in an artistic or fashion type of lighting. Images where your female client is in an elegant dress with a sweet or flirting kind of expression for example when the image purpose is a PR article or a business profile in a magazine. If you would do that guess who would eventually be blamed for it? Not the agency, not the art director but the photographer. Go figure.

Fortunately I always insisted on making my clients state clearly (in writing preferably) what is needed and pointed out to the bits that I suspected to be just part of what the client might like for fun or something. It's also (or I make it) a matter of prices and this way I discourage the all included type of thing. I give you an example:

At a corporate session the head managers came with a funny idea besides the concept images and the business profile pictures that we needed to do and that wasn't for any other purpose then the fun of it. Obviously I like the elements of fun at a session and I encourage the ways that spices things up but usually this could be an opened door to a disaster. Accepting an idea that can not be done properly (best results) would be held against the photographer for not telling how things are.

I accepted the idea only because wasn't that hard to integrate in the schedule (in that particular case) but I remind focused to the main point of the sessions and pointed out the possible outcome.

Any way, the idea is that the photographers are responsible not only for the quality of the images but very often are indirectly (or by contract) responsible for what images are done. Making sure of the needs by helping the client to "figure it out" and clarify things that look similar to an untrained eye but are very different in fact. The instincts to see what the client might ask at some point are also very good to have when negotiating and scheduling everything.

Talk about pricing your services and negotiating prices... In some countries (UK for instance) what you talk directly it's already like a contract when in other countries only what is written it counts and not even that so be very careful what you sign. That it might be (very) different then what was talked up to that point. Also don't hesitate but don't rush things and don't miss any of the situations that might be a sensitive case. Sleep over things if important sums and multiple tusks ahead.

Where I was born (and in other countries too) it is more then certain (as in more no. of images for instance) its expected to be delivered in the same price and also things can be changed quickly. If the contract is not clear on any type of changes and what how the price will change as a result to that you might be forced to do it in the same price even if you'd have to work more. But because we never can think of every single situation out there that is why it is best to ask a 20-30% higher price in certain countries or for certain clients for the situations that might be out of the contract stipulations so things can be fine even if ...

A very typical misunderstanding (no matter the country) is when time is discussed. Business people have very limited time on their hands so 4-6 hours of photo session for just a few final images sounds more then they would expected or would agree just like that. Also makeup for man which are not politicians or presidents (they very soon find out that makeup makes huge difference in appearance and that man needed too) it can be difficult to be included in the needs for a session. So, like I said, it's best if we know what they need more then they do (and I guess is the way it should be) but we point to them every little detail in advance so we are not responsible after words if things are not done a certain way or we just say NO when things are different then the professional way.

Most of the times standing firm on your ground would not only create the respect needed on your photo sessions but would make them trust you as someone who knows best and dose thing the right way.

I hope I made some points you might need in your business.
If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

Stock Xpert vs Think Stock

2010-12-12T19:10:00.001+02:00

I know how things work in this world but still I can't find (and it's been a while since) the reason why someone (with knowledge) would turn into dust a very good source of income for the agency especially like StockXpert was.Why would Getty buy it and then destroy it?!

I know that, from the outside, things might not be the same as from the point of view of then new owner (Getty Images). Still, I can't believe they did this, only to start a bran new project with lower traffic and lower prices like the ThinkStock site.
I am curious what could it be. Really !

Although the Thinkstock earnings have been rather pathetic since the transition, the other day's record sales (or should I say glitch) would almost have made up for it.

Until further data/news (explanations) I have to say it's to bad Stock Xpert was put down.

explored images on flickr

2010-11-03T22:19:00.000+02:00

1. You wait for a silence I wait for a word, 2. The Winner Takes It All, 3. Même la vie impondérable, 4. Untitled, 5. You are my hiding place, 6. I’ll be your cigarette. Light me up and get on with it, 7. When I look into your eyes then I find that I'll do fine., 8. Canon and Nikon can be friends,

9. The Cutest and The Youngest Photographer Ever, 10. When You're Smiling, The Whole World Smiles With You, 11. Immaculate dreams, 12. Apocalyptic sky, 13. Stephie cosy on an icy blue ladder with a watermark tiara ;), 14. Look into my eyes, tell me what you see?, 15. Not me. I'm so "environmentally friendly" right now ! View LARGE !, 16. The ground beneath her feet,

17. Born again, 18. Losing track of time, 19. sweet harmony, 20. Snow... Lots of it ..., 21. Happy New Year !, 22. See you there !, 23. natural vs strobe light in a bright sunny day, 24. I like it ! The bright lights beckon me...,

25. Don't cha, 26. survival techniques ;)), 27. "Dream team", 28. Life is now or never, 29. See tears that flow like rivers from the skies. Where it seems there are only borderlines. Where others turn inside, 30. let's get this party started, 31. knowledge is everyting, 32. And the smart choice is. . .,

33. Fun at the dentist?, 34. Shiny Happy People - no worries whatsoever - the girls in this one. boys coming next ;), 35. Untitled, 36. What Would Life Be Like Without Music?, 37. young gentelman, 38. lifestyle, 39. real life painter LOL, 40. The heavens declare You are God,

41. Pink Cadillac, 42. who's the vampire here?, 43. How do you like my new lipstick?, 44. egyptian queen, 45. "shoot an apple off my head - trusting you completely" NOT ...LOL, 46. love ... blue, 47. turtle ninja, 48. looking to the future,

49. midnight kiss HAPPY NEW YEAR ! 2009, 50. magic night of The Unconquerable Sun *, 51. I could kiss you right now, 52. OUT LOUD, 53. gothic wind, 54. Have you seen my newspaper ??!, 55. tick tack since 1999 - photography porfolio VIDEO, 56. My daughter and Lady Lara @ my wedding,

57. full size sample 1DsIII at iso 1600 ;)), 58. I LOVE U (VIDEO), 59. generic in (VIDEO), 60. caciulitza, 61. old woman, 62. land art, 63. me inside, 64. that special day,

65. darius 2000, 66. thinking about what to say, 67. haapy little tunder, 68. atractive, 69. in my hand the little cat with a pink nose, 70. coffee? tea? me?, 71. light blue portatit of a seductive woman, 72. selfportrait - a glimmer of hope to hang on to,

73. girl and the purse, 74. photo-for-HANNA-2005, 75. the kiss (gustav klimt), 76. green vibe

Ignorance is bliss. Or is it?

2010-10-23T03:18:00.000+03:00

Ignorance is bliss. Or is it?
"Where ignorance is bliss tis folly to be wise" True. True. Knowing and then deciding to ignore someone in need (someone close to you) for instance it's a totally different thing then wishing not to have learned the truth. Things like "Humans are innately inhumane. Fact that explains much of the misery and suffering in the world" Knowledge is not happiness. Knowledge is burden. I wish I'd be a child again.
Ignorance is bliss.

Color IQ Test

2010-04-04T03:40:00.000+03:00

A great Color IQ Test HERE

SELL / BUY images

2010-04-04T03:37:00.001+03:00

If you have some great images (photographs, illustrations, logos or even footage) it's time to do some money selling them.ASK ME HERE if you have any questions on details about how or just try directly on your own at some of the best stock agencies in the world:

YOU ARE LOOKING TO BUY SOME IMAGES FROM THE BEST?

You can ask me photography related questions

2010-04-04T01:40:00.000+03:00

U can ask me photography related questions right here

Natural vs Flash/Strobe Light in a Bright Sunny Day

2010-04-04T01:31:00.001+03:00

meta data here

These 2 images are from an event that I've been at and the little girl (not kin on posing at all as you can see) was just passing buy. The shots are one after the other, seconds apart.

I have a new tutorial on my website's tutorial page : "Premises . of . good. pictures." that I've been asked to share but this images have a little something that I wanted to share as well so here it is:

I'll be talking about the use of natural light (left) and the use of camera strobe / flash(right) in a bright sunny day. Because what its best to do when there is not enough light, I think was enough said before (like on how not to get that darker background as a result of the sync speed duration which is most of the time way to short when a longer time would make a huge difference) but not that much about the use of a flash in a sunny day. Keep in mind, when reading, that at events, 90% of the time the aperture is the element that dictates the rest of the settings (shutters speed, flash and so on) and is usually on the widest available.

Using flash when the existing light is not enough is quite often & expected but when there is "to much" (like in this case) that's not a time, presumably to think about using an extra light source. Why would I want that? Well when for instance the subject it's in a "deep" contrejour and you don't want/like that but you have no choice, then the use of a flash (when a reflector might be not enough or possible) can make a huge difference if used correctly.

The short, simple solution of this problem usually dose not involve a flash because it's easy to compensate the exposure so the subject is well lite but then the background would probably be to light in a sunny day. If you like the "natural light only" you could* compensate with the camera settings. If you work on manual then that's no-brainer. If you work on aperture priority then just hit the +++ button on your camera to find the right compensation depending if you use the reflector as well or not. The other simple solution that would involve the flash would be to put you flash to HSS (high sync speed) but why & when to use the extra light at all it's up to you or your needs.

I used to totally really hate the camera strobes (flash) even since I was shooting on film. But where you have no light at all or when you have to much light* this might be the only solution if you use proper settings with your flash so it's not so obvious. I find it impossible to edit out a bad flash kind of lighting.

Like I said it was a bright day and I prefer the sun as a back light (anyway) because even like this she is and most people are not able to keep the eyes fully opened. A reflector might do even worse in that matter and also might not be enough to compensate the downside of having the sun in the back like the flash would.

The reason I'm usually using the flash in contrejour is that when you compensate in such a way that the face is well exposed then the background is to light and sometimes I don't want that or it's not suitable for the type of images I have to do. The background is blown out quite often then and what I actually want is an extra light to compensate the light that's missing from the face and not change the exposure (so the background stays the same exposed or even darker). The "too much light" its easy to solve with the HSS if you need a shorter then the sync speed duration which makes the background dark(er) again.

When using the camera strobe if you wish to have a lighter background you need to change the exposure (not the aperture) to keep the shutter opened for a longer time and shorter for darker and use the HSS if you need a shorter then the sync speed's duration. Usually even on a bright sunny day the High sync speed would be just fine and what it's needed not to blown out the frame.

In 90% of times (in contrejour situations) and in outdoors situations when working with models I work on the smallest F number (2.8 or even more opened).
First I find the exposure needed for the background and over all image according to the needs or what I prefer for that shot (darker or lighter) and then find the extra light (flash) needed on the face at the aperture preferred.

The choice to like the image on the right or on the left is a matter of taste. It's true that good taste come from culture, knowledge but after a certain point it's just a matter of purpose of the image (type of photography).

It's always important what type of photography we would be doing. On the left is a more artistic, natural or stock alike type and on the right is a more fashion look I think.

The post production would obviously be according with the final purpose of the shot.
Any way light it's always the most important aspect in photography and strobes, flashes or any extra light are tricky because the eye it's more used to the natural light.

Sell / Buy images

2010-04-03T23:31:00.003+03:00

Facebook claims rights over the photos and videos you upload

2009-10-14T20:48:00.000+03:00

Facebook claims rights over the photos you upload on the site! Rights like worldwide license to use for instance.

"For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like
photos and videos ("IP content"), you specifically give us the
following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings:
you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any content that you post on or in connection with Facebook ("IP License"). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it."

Statement of Rights and Responsibilities

TUTORIAL - Photoshop editing (or how not to get carried away) - PART 2

2009-01-22T11:42:00.002+02:00

I just realized that I deleted this from you tube and now the text wasn't making any sens but I'll upload another video. and replace the one is missing. I deleted it because it wasn't obvious how I did a few steps especially the sharpening part and I wanted a much clear video about my typical work flow.
Meantime you can always visit my site : www.claudiaveja.com

2009-01-11T19:46:00.002+02:00

Photoshop editing (or how not to get carried away) -
p h o t o s h o p
t u t o r i a l s
a n d
r e l a t e d
s t o r i e s

1. What I started with and how many steps it took to get to the end result.
2. How I did it and WHEN is time to say ENOUGH. Story board (the steps) for this image.
First of all I'd like to say that Adelina and Robert are by far over the average (beauty-wise), as you may already very well know, and that was exactly my reason in choosing them for this photoshop editing tutorial. Because after the editing is done in such a manner, the end result doesn’t give away much about the actual process.That's a good and bad thing at the same time. It's good when an image editor does something that isn’t really obvious, but it’s also bad, because it gives false impressions and it contributes to this "image" we have about how we all should look like.

As you'll see in the video they don’t really need any editing in the fist place (Adelina for instance never has any problems with her skin or hardly anything else as most models generally do) and the shot was taken in the studio, so the photo wasn’t asking for any editing whatsoever. The original image was spot on sharp, WB-ed and well lit, so it made the perfect candidate to begin from and that was my other reason for choosing it as a starting image. This exercise is intended to demonstrate some Photoshop editing techniques that I normally employ, but only up to a point. Beyond this point lays that place where editors of gossip magazines usually go to feed us (meaning normal people, innocent enough never to suspect there is a difference between reality and the actually published photos) more and more reasons to believe that the stars and the celebrities are so much better looking then they really are... Just don’t get me started....

I'm sure you already know that Photoshop can do wanders. This is not to show what Photoshop can do when Photoshop is really asked for (bad lighting or maybe gorgeous models having a bad day :) ). I only intend to demonstrate some techniques that I use (that would be in depth in part II) .

So here it is - the first part of this tutorial - that shows WHAT I did starting from that photo. I will soon post the second part about HOW I did it.

The steps :
Any image, no matter how good it is to begin with needs some editing. The way I do it is not necessarily the perfect way, is just my way.

1st step (after RAW processing) is cleaning up the dust and/or scratches if it is a film scan, correcting skin imperfections and removing any other things that don’t belong in a good picture or in the picture we need to create.
2nd step is adding anything that might improve the picture, in this case some hair. Closing their eyes also gives it a nicer feeling.
3rd step is sharpening (only) the important parts of the image. In this case the faces and some hair. (*Ah yes I DO (and not just I) do sharpening before curves but not before noise reduction when needed. But that's another story all together.)

4th step is adding some contrast to the image and if the WB was not correct or corrected in the RAW format, then this is the time to do it.

5th step is about defining the interest zone with light and shadows in the right places. In this case the faces were brightened and the rest was darkened in 2 separate steps.

6th step is about color and is done with previously prepared versions (in different colors) made from the Raw or in a safe for editing techniques. This is not really necessary or recommended when doing stock for instance but can be fun for internet only projects. In this case I wanted some more colour on the lips so I played (in 2 steps) with the curves. This wasn’t really necessary, except maybe in the cropped version of the photo, where it does make a difference.

After this, your editing will depend on what you want to end up with. If you sell the image as stock, this would be the end of the image editing. If it's an art piece, this would be just the beginning... One might continue with some vignetting, texturing, layer combinations...
The sky is the limit.

Mostly about photography

Guilty Pleasures

bare necessities

Dark magic

Old city new

MOUCHATON The Mastermind/ Eminenta cenusie

NEW GEAR

Looking for : Canon BG-E4 Battery Grip for Canon EOS 5D + 2 of the Canon BP-511A Lithium-Ion Battery (7.4v 1390mAh)

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) or 7D (maybe).

Canon EOS 5D Mark III when will be available !

And soon some video stuff also. Not sure exactly what so I'll get back on about this.

Oh well if you have what I need and you or someone else you now is in US (MN, CA), UK (Oxford) or Spain (Sotogrande) (where I have people who can buy for me) or somewhere around Cluj-Napoca or Bucharest (yeah right) let me know. Thanks.

Claudia Veja Images

Claudia Veja

Retouching Editing Restoring & Digital Enhancement by Claudia Veja Images

Q. from CosteVlad :Vazand galeria mea crezi ca as avea sanse sa incep o cariera in stock si sa fac asta toata viata. p.s. Mi se pare ca stilul pe care l-am adoptate este asemanator cu al lui Yuri Arcurs.

Cum ai ajuns sa vinzi pe http://www.gettyimages.com/ pentru ca am inteles ca este destul de greu.

Sleepless Nation

unimportant stuff ? what do you mean ? what is really important and what's unimportant ?

If you could go back in time 10 years and tell your younger self something, what would it be?

Ce crezi despre galeria mea de pe shutterstock? http://www.shutterstock.com/g/costevladionut

16 THINGS about me

Let's talk prices for photographs

From my other blog : (Some of the) Movies I like

Facebook strikes again !

How to tell your client what they need to know

Stock Xpert vs Think Stock

explored images on flickr

Ignorance is bliss. Or is it?

Color IQ Test

SELL / BUY images

You can ask me photography related questions

Natural vs Flash/Strobe Light in a Bright Sunny Day

Sell / Buy images

Facebook claims rights over the photos and videos you upload

TUTORIAL - Photoshop editing (or how not to get carried away) - PART 2

Looking for :

Canon BG-E4 Battery Grip for Canon EOS 5D
+ 2 of the Canon BP-511A Lithium-Ion Battery (7.4v 1390mAh)

Oh well if you have what I need and you or someone else you now is in US (MN, CA), UK (Oxford) or Spain (Sotogrande) (where I have people who can buy for me) or somewhere around Cluj-Napoca or Bucharest (yeah right) let me know.
Thanks.