I have been a fan of Trey Ratcliffs for some time now. Trey is one of the pioneers of HDR photography, and he has been instrumental in making this sort of photography popular and known by the masses.

For a while HDR has been regarded as a sort of artificial or unrealistic school of photography.
It was frowned upon by the photography establishment and until now not seen as a legitimate form in its own right. Many such photographers thought that the extreme dynamic range possible with HDR made the photographs “unrealistic” and not true to reality.

Until HDR emerged, everyone was used to the fact that a taking a photo meant committing to a certain exposure. Anyone who has tried photographing outside from whithin a building knows that the final photo either shows a proper lighting of the interior OR the exterior. That is, either the interior darker details are visible and the outside is a white blur OR the outside bright details, clouds etc are visible and the interior details of the room are a dark blur.

Traditional photography means you have to chose. But in real life we don’t have to chose. The eyes adjust to the proper sensitivity according to where we focus. The combined experience is that we can see BOTH the details in the clouds outside AND the darker details of the interior room. HDR works the same way – you get the best of both worlds, and a photo that is closer to the experience that you actually had when you were there.

Trey is a nice guy with a mission to promote HDR photography. He runs a blog at stuckincustoms.com that has tens of thousands of visitors every day, but decided to help other HDR photographers spread their work and generate traffic to their sites. So he created HDRspotting.com which works as a traffic generation engine. It’s a community by invitation where members can upload and share their work.

I have posted numerous HDR photos to HDRspotting.com, and as a result thousands of people have now seen my photos of the fairy tale castles and landscapes that are so common in Scandinavia it’s almost hard to spot them. Here’s an example of what I mean: the lake pavillion in central Copenhagen. Visible from a unique angle this winter because of the prolonged frost that made walking on the lakes possible.

Enjoy!

Pillory project day 3

I’m using Rembrandt soft pastels for the new Pillory project. I like the dusty feel when I smear the color unto the canvas. Not like the greasy feel of traditional oil pastels.
Soft pastels create a dry look, almost silky, making it hard to resist touching the canvas.

I can blend the colors very easily by rubbing my fingers.
When I need a glossy area of color I use acrylic paint or an Edding permanent marker.
Coupled with delicate white lines, this creates a perfect shiny effect on the blurry background of soft pastel.

The result is a shallow depth of field – like shooting portraits with a 1,2f aperture: A super sharp and crisp face on a blurry background.

“No more cubicles” from Artworks by Carl Frederik Waage Beck

When it comes to worklife, I figure there are 2 kinds of people:

Type 1. Those that work the punch-in/punch-out job, and prefer it this way.
Type 2. Those that work the punch-in/punch-out job, and want to leave and be their own boss but feel they can’t.

Who feels more pain? Probably type 2. Pain comes from wanting what you cannot have.

There could be a trillion reasons why you might feel quitting just isn’t an option. Some common reasons are:

a. The mortgage due next week.
b. No time for moonlighting on my escape.
c. Fear of the unknown.

These are absolutely valid reasons, don’t get me wrong.

a. The mortgage is due, and if you’re like most people are, it has been due ever since you landed your first job. And as your paycheck increased over time, so did your mortgage. Net result – higher turnover in your household economy, but about the same level of free funds.
The constraint is the same as it has always been.
If you’re looking to change this, what you need is some more wiggle room in order to gain momentum for your escape. That means reducing your mortgage.

b. No time for moonlighting? Well, that’s why it’s called moonlighting – put in the hours if you’re serious about escape. Reducing time constraints is another option, but this may not be possible for you in your current job. Maybe the solution would be to switch to an interrim punch-in/punch-out job that is less demanding on your time. Going from 80 hours/week to 40 hours/week makes a big difference in your time schedule, but most likely won’t cut your paycheck in half.

c. But what’s on the other side? That’s for you to decide, but you probably have an idea, otherwise you wouldn’t feel this longing. Help yourself visualize the other side by describing what you’re aiming for. Most important – What is that you want to give to the world? What is it that you can do, that will make someone elses life better/easier etc?
What will your time schedule look like? What will your work environment be like? – a desk in a shared office space or working on the fly at the local café?
The more detailed, the less frightening.

Plan your escape and you will find the resolve to execute it.

best regards, Carl

“Working under constraint” from Sketches By Carl Frederik Waage Beck

So your boss gives you an assignment –
1. “I need something, on my desk, whenever you feel like it”
2. “I need a presentation, on my desk, whenever you feel like it”
3. “I need a 5 slide presentation, on my desk, whenever you feel like it”
4 ” I need a 5 slide text-free presentation selling our product, on my desk, whenever you feel like it”
5. “I need a 5 slide text-free presentation selling our product, on my desk, in 1 hour”

Which assignment is more likely to ignite your creative spark?
Which is more likely to make you get it done anytime soon?
Which is more likely to focus your attention on the assignment?

Freedom is great, it’s the very reason why I don’t do 9-5 very well.
Too much freedom though, can kill the creative spark, make you apathetic, and make you less likely to focus your attention.

Cure? – Create rules, constraints and time limits on your work. and stick to them – well at least try to.
Afterall you’re the Boss, no?

This little watercolour above sums it up nicely.
For those receiving the post in your email inbox, remember to enable pictures or click the blue bolded header in the top of the mail.
Enjoy!

I decided today that I was going to get started on my HDR journey, and I have now spent a great deal of time on Trey Ratcliffs excellent blog “Stuck in Customs”

Trey makes some amazing HDR photography and I really encourage you to check it out. Temples, Fireworks, Sunrises – it all looks great!

Anyhow, since the COP15 riots in front of Forum things have cooled down here considerably.

So the weather was stacking up for some time in front of the screen. With the help of this cute little piece of software Photomatix it is possible to stack together 3 differently esposed photos into one.

And Voila, you have the detailed contrast of the dark areas without the bleeding whites in the highlights.

Remember, this is an early effort into HDR, but comments and suggestions for improvements are welcome.

Enjoy!

From Photography by Carl Frederik Waage Beck

Dear friends,
I spent some time the other afternoon experimenting with some 2 bit sketching.
Enjoy this lovely naked lady as she emerges in front of your eyes.
Best regards, Carl

From Sketches By Carl Frederik Waage Beck

Unemployment among new Danish graduates has tripled since last year.
And now I know people that are feeling the job-market effects of last falls decision to let Lehman Brothers fail.
The jobmarket is impossible with hundreds of applicants for each advertised job.

Another strategy is to apply for those open positions that aren’t advertised. Unsolicited application.
At least then it’s possible to stand out from the crowd. You are the crowd of one.
Make it a special crowd, make sure your asset is loud and clear.

Focus on the one thing that makes you special, makes you unique. Your Key Performance Indicator.
Enjoy!

K.P.I. (Key Performance Indicator) from Artworks by Carl Frederik Waage Beck

“The 12th imam?” From Artworks by Carl Frederik Waage Beck

Dear friends,
these days something is happening in Iran which hopefully will improve the ability of thousands to speak their mind and express themselves however they see fit.

I am not trying to promote a certain political view here, but when artists, writers and people in general are prohibited from expressing themselves the way they see fit, that is a concern to me.

I encourage you to do what you can to make this change possible:

• Set your timezone on Twitter to “Tehran” which will make it harder to track the people actually tweeting from Iran.
• Re-tweet important messages and tweets on the development in Iran.
  
• Tweet the following message: “See how you can promote free speech in Iran http://bit.ly/uBnMZ Pls RT #IranElection”
• Share this post on Facebook and Twitter.
  
• Search for #IranElection on twitter and you will see a live view of the change in progress.

best regards, Carl

Hi all,

I am happy to be able to tell you that the church council on monday decided to cooperate and let the 50 Iraqis stay in Brorsons Church.

This will not influence the reception in celebration of the “Frelservalg / saviour 2009″ exhibition being held on thursday 28th from 5 pm-8 pm. I hope to see you all!

Best regards.

Carl

Below is an excerpt from a support site http://kirkeasyl.dk/ that discusses why this action was taken and how you can contrbute.

The Danish government has signed a repatriation agreement with the Iraqi authorities, and will begin the dispatch of the 282 Iraqi asylum seekers, who have been living at Danish asylum centres for many years. We are a group of people who neither can, nor will tolerate the dispatches. For this reason we support the group of Iraqi people who have applied for asylum in “Vor Frue” (ed: now Brorsons) church in Copenhagen.

As citizens, we must take action, when the Danish authorities fail in protecting people who need protection.

Our demand is permanent residence, since:

• Iraq is a country in war and chaos. Going back, the Iraqi risk their lives.
• Denmark took part in starting the war in Iraq. We have a direct responsibility for the tragic situation, and for a situation where it has not been possible for the Iraqis to go back.
• The Iraqis have wasted enough years. The Iraqi refugees have waited for up to 10 years in the centres. These have been years where they have been living in fear for their future. Years, where their children have grown up in Denmark. Years, where humans and minds have been worn out. We have to give them back their lives.
• Previous dispatches have revealed that the Danish authorities send people back without taking any responsibility for their lives.

Who can take part? Anyone who can vouch for this statement and who wants to be part of ensuring permanent residency for the Iraqis.

Den danske regering har underskrevet en hjemsendelsesaftale med de irakiske myndigheder og vil påbegynde udsendelser af de 282 irakiske asylansøgere, der i mange år har siddet på danske asylcentre. Derfor bakker vi, en gruppe der ikke kan eller vil finde os i udvisningerne, op om den gruppe irakere, der har søgt asyl i Brorsons Kirke i København.

Når de danske myndigheder fejler i at beskytte mennesker, der har behov for det, må vi som borgere træde til. Den danske befolknings solidaritet er afgørende for irakernes mulighed for opholdstilladelse.

Vores krav er opholdtilladelse til irakerne fordi:

• Irak er et land i krig og kaos. Irakerne risikerer døden ved at tage tilbage.
• Danmark var med til at starte krigen i Irak. Vi har direkte medansvar for den tragiske situation, og for at irakerne ikke har kunnet rejse tilbage.
• Irakerne har spildt nok år. De irakiske flygtninge har ventet i mange år – nogle mere end 10 år i centrene. År hvor de har frygtet for deres fremtid, hvor deres børn er vokset op i Danmark, hvor mennesker og psyker er slidt ned. Vi må give dem deres liv tilbage.
• Tidligere udvisninger har vist at de danske myndigheder sender mennesker tilbage, uden at tage nogen for form ansvar for deres videre skæbne.

Hvem kan være med: Alle som kan stå inde for dette grundlag og vil være med til at sikre irakerne permanent opholdstilladelse.

اللجوء في الكنيسةـ اسمحوا للاجئين العراقيين بالبقاء

وقعت الحومة الدنماركية اتفاق ارجاع قسري للاجئين مع الحكومة العراقية، وتنوي المباشرة بارسال ٢٨٢ من طالبي اللجوء العراقيين، الذين بقوا في معسكرات اللجوء الدنماركية لسنوات طويلة. نحن مجموعة من الناس التي لا تستطيع ولا تحتمل الابعاد القسري هذا. ولهذا السبب نحن ندعم المجموعة العراقية التي طلبت اللجوء في كنيسة “سيدتنا العذراء” في كوبنهاكن.

كمواطنين دنماركيين يجب ان نقوم بما يلزم، حين تقدم الحكومة الدنماركية على عدم حماية الناس المحتاجين للحماية. ان مساندة الشعب الدنماركي حاسمة في امكانية حصول اللاجئين العراقيين على اقامة.

نحن نطالب باعطاء اقامة للاجئين العراقيين للاسباب التالية:

ـ العراق في حالة حرب وفوضى، والعراقيون يتعرضون لخطر الموت في حالة عودتهم

ـ كانت الدنمارك مع القوات التي ابتدات الحرب، ونحن نتحمل بذلك المسؤولية المباشرة لهذه الحالة الماساوية، وكذلك المسؤولية في ان العراقيين لا يستطيعون العودة

.

ـ لقد بدد اللاجئون العراقيون عدد كاف من السنوات، فقد انتظروا لسنوات طويلة، البعض اكثر من عشر سنوات، كانوا خلالها خائفين على مستقبلهم، وكبر خلالها اطفالهم في الدنمارك، التي سحق فيها الانسان وتدهورت حالته النفسية، لذا يجب علينا ان نعيد لهم حياتهم

.

ـ ان اجراءات الابعاد القسري السابقة اثبتت ان السلطات الدنماركية تعيد الناس قسريا، دون ان تتحمل اي نوع من المسؤولية حول مصيرهم بعدها.

من يمكنه ان يكون معنا:

كل من يستطيع ان يتبنى هذا المبدا، ويساند حصول اللاجئين العراقيين على اقامة دائمة

So you’re not rich, and don’t want to spend all your money having a professional mounting your canvas on a wooden frame.

Professionals usually charge 5-6 dollars per meter of wood used for the frame, so it quickly adds up.

Doing it yourself is easy, and can save you a lot of money. In the case of the canvas I am stretching in this video, I would have been paying 25-30 dollars to have it mounted.

Given that I can do it in 15-20 minutes myself, it makes a nice saving of 75-120 dollars per hour of work invested – tax free!

Here’s how to go about it