More than half way into the year and a good chunk into the summer, our Project 366 continues to roll on. Here’s a batch of mid-summer photos. Let us know which ones are your favorites in the comments below all the photos!
July 15, 2012
At the Bottom by Jen Gallardo
Fancy Footwork by Anthony J. Merced
Week 28 was more difficult than other weeks simply because it was hard to focus with sweat falling into our eyes! Luckily we braved the heat wave to come up with last week’s photos.
July 8, 2012
Brunch Sliders by Jen Gallardo
Mushroom & Blue Cheese Burger by Anthony J. Merced
Ice Age Continental Drift Movie Poster
Executives at Fox weren’t floored by the results but Ice Age Continental Drift was strong enough to take the number 1 spot in the box office this weekend. Opening at 46 million, the film was on par with the original back in 2002. However, that film didn’t have the benefit of 3D openings. Overall business was down compared to the same point last year. While that’s a bit unfair considering the fact that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 had a monumental opening weekend, it does show that audiences were not enamored by the post-holiday releases.
Week 27 shows off some of the brighter sides of summer. We’ve been so caught up in enjoying the weather that we’re behind on posting photos!
July 1, 2012
Beach Bag by Jen Gallardo
Green Flowers by Anthony J. Merced
We’re officially at the halfway point of the year and going strong. The weather is holding up to produce some interesting photos and we’ve only just begun what’s already been a very hot summer. Let us know which of this week’s pics are your favorite.
June 24, 2012
Letters in the Dark by Jen Gallardo
Sunday Foosball by Anthony J. Merced
As I’ve mentioned before, retouching is nothing new in photography. Cameras capture something close to what our eyes see, but sometimes not exactly quite right and we work in post to add that “human” quality. Or sometimes, we are trying to make up for user error; perhaps our exposure was off (too light or too dark) or maybe our white balance (the photo is too “cool” or too “warm”). Other times, we retouch because it makes the subject more…palatable. Let me explain.
On many occasions, I’ve been asked by my friends to take headshots for them. Some are actors looking to break into New York City’s theatre world while others are simply professionals in need of a photo for business purposes. None of these friends have explicitly asked me to retouch their photos, but I have gone ahead and added some “digital makeup” to augment their photos. I believe a headshot should show the person in their best possible light. If I can do something to help that, I will.
That said, I think there’s a very clear line here. People should still look like themselves. Anything I could potentially do with makeup — mask a pimple, smooth and even out skin tone, reduce shine — I’m comfortable doing in retouching. Most of my friends who have received my retouched photos do not realize they’ve been retouched. The idea here is to be subtle lest people look at their photos and think, “Gee, do I really look like that?!”
To drive home this point, I have a couple examples of helpful retouching and one example that, to me, is clearly distortion.
Example No. 1 of Retouching - Slight Retouching
Ted Movie Poster
The grip that younger audiences had on box office numbers has finally loosened, allowing for the rated R comedy Ted to become number one in the box office. Scoring one of the best openings ever for a movie of its rating, Ted proves that the Family Guy audience won’t just sit on the couch all day. Instead, they’ll actually get up and pay for a ticket to see a crude comedy that saw mostly positive reviews despite its raunchy nature. Along with a strong opening from Madea’s Witness Protection, the combination of older demographics made it the most successful weekend in the history of June cinema.
We are rapidly approaching the halfway point of our Project366! Check out week 25 and tell us what you’d like to see more of from us.
June 17, 2012
Custom Photo Magnet by Jen Gallardo
Sunday Candy by Anthony J. Merced