02.04Stock Photo: Think Summer – Margarita

As I look out my window here in Omaha Nebraska there is very beautiful softly falling snow. The trouble is, although I like snow, I think I’ve had enough this year.  So this stock photo is for everyone (like me) who needs a few minutes to think thoughts of summer.

 

Notes on the Photography:  This was a pretty simple set-up. Soft box and fill card. It did require some post processing to get the saturated colors I wanted. I used little egg-white to get the salt to stick to the rim nicely.  One of the enjoyable aspects of stock photography is the ability to experiment with the shots. On this shot I liked the limited depth of field– I intentionally let the salt on the front of the glass go soft and kept the focus on the rear rim and the stem. If this were shot for a client, I might have had to hold the focus from front to back, and it would have changed the dynamics of the entire shot for me. When I am working with a client on an advertising assignment I take an entirely different approach. Rather than experimentation, the shot is driven by the clients objectives. My job is to produce a final image that combines the aesthetic the art director wants with the technical requirements of the client.  To get to the desired result, it may take a combination of multiple shots and post-production work in photoshop. In the end my job is not only to make my client happy, but to make their job easier too.

This shot along with a similar take was used for a piece on many  NBC affiliates web sties : NBC Summer drinks It can be licensed from Corbis here: Margarita on Corbis

Omaha Nebraska commercial Photographer and Photoshop expert Philip Nealey specializes in People, Lifestyle and food photography. See more work at nealeyphoto.com or his blog at unsharpmasked.com

 

Posted via email from Philip Nealey

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01.30Food Photography: Pancakes

I have recently been working on updating my portfolio of food photography. My focus while shooting stock photography over the past several years has been people and lifestyle, but really enjoy shooting food (I enjoy food in general), and have included it in my stock photography. For over eight years, I was business partners with a very well respected food photographer in Chicago. We worked closely with many great clients including McDonald’s. My main job was working with him doing retouching and digital imaging. Food photography is a collaborative process from the styling to the post-production, I learned a lot from him and while observing some of the best food stylists in the business at work. I am very exited to be working in this area again both behind the camera and the computer. So here’s a pancake shot for you.

FYI: The food in this shot is edible– sort-of. The pancakes are sprayed with a substance that stops the syrup from soaking into them so I didn’t eat them. It is also true that motor oil has been used (yum) as syrup because it evidently does not soak into the pancakes, but I have never seen it used personally. Currently the trend is toward more “natural” styling so some techniques are not in favor anymore. The use of Freon to freeze ice cream nice and solid is now frowned upon– for obvious reasons (this I have seen done). For this shot the syrup is made from colored corn syrup, which is what most “pancake syrup” is made with anyway — It’s just a bit thicker so it flows slower… and it’s real butter too.

 

Philip Nealey is an Omaha Nebraska based commercial Photographer and Photoshop expert specializing in food, people and lifestyle.

Posted via email from Philip Nealey

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01.11Photo: My little assistant

When I was setting up for the corporate portrait session from the last post, my little girl was in the studio and wanted to be my assistant. She was very diligent helping me set up, and used a couple of her stuffed animals for stand-ins, then came over to the camera and I let her take a few shots. She also modeled a bit for me (she is already an old pro).  I asked her to sit down one last time without her props, and she happily obliged. This shot was on the monitor in Adobe Lightroom when my client came in– he liked it so much he asked if he could use my “test” shot for a web site.

There are two things I really like about this particular shot as well. First, I haven’t done many “low key” (as in dark background and dramatic lighting) shots recently and it’s a nice change. Most importantly, she was very relaxed and having fun and it comes through in her expression– even though she’s not smiling. My goal with every one of my subjects is to make them feel comfortable and have fun too.

 

 

Philip Nealey is an Omaha Nebraska based commercial  Photographer  and Photoshop expert.  See more work at nealeyphoto.com or his blog at unsharpmasked.com

Posted via email from Philip Nealey

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Filed under: Photography, photo post | 2 Comments

01.07Case Study: Corporate Portrait

This is a recent corporate portrait for  a friend of mine, Mark Johnson of Mark Johnson Communications. We used just a small crop of the image on his business cards. The final image will be used in other marketing material. As you look at the other images you can see the progression of the concept. First the image was retouched and ‘processed’ for the business cards. We had a very short turn around time for the cards, they needed to be hand delivered on Friday Jan. 8th. We shot Monday afternoon (Jan 4th) , I did the retouching, placed the photo in the design, received final approval and uploaded the press ready files by Tuesday (Jan 5th) afternoon. The client received the business cards today (Jan 7th) and was very happy with the results.

I developed the final concept based on the fact that Mark’s main talent is writing, thus the books (I should have had him write this post). I wanted the whole image to have a slightly “illustrative” quality so I kept the books in sharper focus.  Also as you can see– the version of the image for the cards was in a warm toned black and white but I added back some subtle color in the skin tones and the books. The project is in progress so look for more in the future.
Thanks to Mark and talented designer Colby Shenkle for giving me some creative freedom on this project.

 

Business card designed by Colby Shenkle

Philip Nealey is an Omaha Nebraska based commercial Photographer and Photoshop expert, who would be happy to provide you with a new corporate portrait or headshot for any use including your social media profiles. See more work at nealeyphoto.com
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Filed under: Photography, Photoshop, Retouching, Retouching skin | Post a comment

12.18Photo: Red and White Tulips

Here is the second in the Tulip series. Fine art photo of red and white tulips A tulip is a perennial plant in the genus Tulipa.

This photo can be licensed from me or it is now available as a fine art print on Imagekind.


Philip Nealey is an Omaha Nebraska based commercial Photographer and Photoshop expert .

Posted via email from Philip Nealey

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12.18Photo: White Tulips

A while back I did a small series of floral images. While there’s probably more photos of flowers than anything else, I still like these shots. Here’s the first in this series of white tulips. Let me know what you think.

This photo can be licensed from me or it is now available as a fine art print on Imagekind.

Philip Nealey is an Omaha Nebraska based commercial fine art Photographer and Photoshop expert .

Posted via email from Philip Nealey

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12.08Photo: Snowy day in Omaha (Elmwood Park II)

So in honor of our snow day here in Omaha. I am posting some photos from an earlier storm. Here is another one. This photo was also taken in Elmwood park, Omaha Nebraska.

See more of my work at nealeyphoto.com If you are interested in prints contact me here.
Philip Nealey is an Omaha Nebraska based commercial Photographer and Photoshop expert .

Posted via email from Philip Nealey

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12.08Photo: Snow Storm Elmwood Park Omaha

So in honor of our snow day here in Omaha, I am posting some photos from an earlier storm. However I am planning on going out to take more photos today.

See more of my work at nealeyphoto.com
If you are interested in prints contact me here.

This photo was taken in Elmwood park, Omaha Nebraska.

Philip Nealey is an Omaha Nebraska based commercial Photographer and Photoshop expert .

Posted via email from Philip Nealey

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12.08Stock Photo: Boy with a Piggy Bank

This is a stock photo of a boy holding a piggy bank in one hand and some money in the other. This stock photo can be used to illustrate several topics including: personal finance, saving for the future, making financial decisions, planning for the future and accounting.

You can license this stock photo for your next project at Corbis
Philip Nealey is an Omaha Nebraska based commercial Photographer and Photoshop expert .

Posted via email from Philip Nealey

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12.02Stock Photo: Young boy at the beach

A stock photo of a young boy at the beach with pail and shovel under blue skies.
Gasparilla Island State Park is a Florida State Park located south of Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island off Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound. Activities include swimming and fishing along with shelling, picnicking, and viewing the Historic Port Boca Grande Lighthouse. Visitors can also enjoy snorkeling, and nature study.

This stock photo can be licensed from Getty Images

young boy at the beach with pail and shovel
Philip Nealey is an Omaha Nebraska based commercial Photographer and Photoshop expert .

Posted via email from Philip Nealey

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