A struggle for a simpler life captured with a camera

czwartek, 31 stycznia 2013

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Shooting glass

One of my best photographic experiences was a one day workshop with Łukasz Kuś dedicated to product photography. Up to that moment I always considered every white space with overexposure a mistake. And then I learned that it can be a useful tool – it makes the viewer focus their attention on the subject.

Another great thing Łukasz showed us was a simple technique to photograph glass so that there are no reflection in the object. Here's what we did:
– place a one color background behind the object,
– place a bouncing boards or any other one color objects on both sides of the thing photographed (the color of the objects will be reflected in the glass),
– place your camera in from of the photographed object,
– you can use on or two light sources, but they have to be placed so that the light bounces back against the background (we used on lamp placed on the left, it was separated from the object by one of the black bouncing boards).


środa, 23 stycznia 2013

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Studio at home #1

That's what you can do if you've got:
a room with a window
a bounce board on the opposite side
a model between them
a piece of white cardboard or a white wall behind him
a camera in front of him.

Next time I will also remember to iron the model's shirt before shooting.

wtorek, 22 stycznia 2013

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Super easy apple tart

I think Aldona was the first among my friends to lay her hands on Kukbuk – a very hip cooking magazine. I still don't have my own copy but yesterday at BAL I managed to flip through it. Beautiful photos, refined design and clear visual communication immediately won my attention. The way the dishes were presented was really clever. The idea I appreciate the most is giving two ways of making on cake: for maximalists and for minimalists. One was a complicated recipe for a yeast cake with plums (optionally with apples), the other one was a simple tart. Here is the second one as I memorized and modified it.

You will need:
french dough (enough to cover Ø21mm baking tin plus some extra for the top)
one apple
one tbsp of 30% cream
one tbsp of caster sugar
1/2 tbsp of butter

Roll the unfrozen dough to make it thinner. Make little holes in it using a fork. It's a way to make sure that the tart will be crispy, not wet. Spread the butter in the tin. Be generous. Fill the tin with the 3/4 of the dough. If you have more than one sheet, make them overlap a bit. Spread the cream over it.

Heat the oven. 180°C is the right temperature even if the package says something else.

Cut the apple in the slices and do it the way you like. I like half moons so that's how I did it. Place the slices on top of the dough. Put it in the oven for 10 minutes.

In the meantime prepare long and thin stripes of dough. Take the tart out of the oven and use the stripes to make a grid pattern on the top. Put in the oven for another 10 minutes. If the tart is still wet at the one of this time, leave it in the oven for a couple more minutes.

Decorate the tart with caster sugar, let it cool & enjoy your super easy apple tart!

poniedziałek, 21 stycznia 2013

I like imagining myself in 40 years, an acknowledged designer and photographer, talking about my inspirations and influences. Acne Paper would definitely be among them.

I don't know if there is any other magazine that I adore so much as an object. The paper, the size, the color, the typography. In the last issue they've got me at Baryshnikov. I'm constantly amazed by his dancing and acting skills (go and see young Baryshnikov's solo). He is in such a good shape in spite of his age (65 years for a ballet dancer? it's like being a dinosaur).

His portrait as well as many more in this issue were taken by Brigitte Lacombe who is my number one photographer right now. I spent solid 30 minutes staring at Vito Acconci's portrait not sure if I should cry and laugh hysterically (I'm never gonna be as good) or gasp with amazement (happy that such a beautiful thing can exist).

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