Designer or Photographer?

Designer or Photographer? The lines are blurred. I was introduced as "the photographer." I take photos of people dressed as deer. I come in with a dress shirt and sweater and leave with a sweat-soaked t-shirt. My white balance is better with my cell phone than with a DSLR. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistic's Occupational Outlook Handbook, I am a dying breed about to see a huge payday.

Sno-Kone Ornament

Sno-Kone Ornament

I thought this was very cute and clever ornament idea implemented by our Leads Specialist.

Solitude

Solitude wdsiemer

Natural Bridge State Park (Journal)

Natural Bridge State Park
(Journal)

I went here a few times a while back, but I thought I'd pay another visit with renewed perspective. I had great weather, met some nice people, and received a good workout by hiking all the trails.

Here are some textures I found along the way...
All images are property of wdsiemer ii

Olympic Full Moon

Pretty cool shot.

Nathan Spotts's Portfolio

If you "Like" Adobe Creative Suite on Facebook, you saw these beautiful, imaginative landscapes by Nathan Spotts. I have written before I have always loved artist's renderings of distant worlds, but this is a surreal perspective of our own existing world.
Nathan Spotts's Portfolio

Unrealistic Scenes by Nathan Spotts
(image via http://www.nathanspotts.com/)

Nature Photography

Check out a friend's website... Yvonne does a lot of nature photography and classes.
http://www.imagesbyyvonne.com/galleries/images/callaway-gardens/

Copyright Images by Yvonne

Photoshop Actions

Like Instagram?


There are many websites that feature customized Photoshop Actions that can alter your photos-- from sepia to vintage effects.

100 Free Photoshop Actions

Flowing River

Flowing River

Rivers forming tree-like figures on the desert of Baja California, Mexico. Photograph courtesy Adriana Franco/National Geographic Your Shot.

Invitations by:

Invitations by: ___________________

To people outside the design field, I'm pretty sure graphic designers are people who create invitations and flyers; just as photographers are people who create Glamor Shot portraits.

They make freelance design jobs more abundant, so no complaints. Flaky wanted to do something nice for her son Crinkles, so she had these invitations made for a birthday party at Walt Disney World.

Custom Cards by... wdsiemer ii

High Speed Photography

High Speed Photography
By IR Cincy Jim

A friend's mom's husband. Check his stuff out...Really cool photography!
[View Gallery]

From IR Cincy Jim's Flickr

Dirty Mind Photography

Dirty Mind Photography
I was writing a piece a while back to go along with the Designs We've Seen (a lot) Series, titled Photos We've Seen (a lot) Series. However, it seems most photos are overdone and cliched. Cityscapes, angelic photos of babies, hands in the shape of hearts, monuments, leaves, etc... etc...

One on my list was people's photographic humor in using the Washington Monument as a phallic device by means of background/foreground illusion. Then the other day, I see this photograph of the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial statue in Washington on USA Today's website. Dirty mind.

Photo Restoration

Some personal photographs I retouched a bit. Before and After. Scanned in high-res/shown in low-res.

Photograph Restoration 1. wdsiemer ii

Photo Restoration 2. wdsiemer ii

Making A Photo Uniquely Yours: An Initiative

While everyone else was taking photos of the White House, I took this textured photo
of the brick from the park across the street. This is a singular experience. -wdsiemer

Making A Photo Uniquely Yours: An Initiative
William D. SIEMER II

Everybody takes photos of statues, monuments, historic buildings and landmarks. There are probably millions of people with similar photos of Times Square or the Washington Monument. On my recent trip, I took some photos like these for keepsakes, but I find myself doing it far less often. I want to experience a trip through my own eyes, not a camera viewfinder. Therefore, when I take a photograph I feel the scene was important enough for me to want to share its beauty, ugliness or message.

So, next time you go to take a photo of something famous, think of turning the camera around and taking a photo of the unimportance of its surroundings, of a piece of chewed gum sticking to the wall, or of the simplicity of the ground you are standing on. It will make the photo unique to you. It will make you unique...

To say--"I visited the Eiffel Tower, but instead I give you a photo of a strange bug at its iron feet." Everybody has seen photos of the Eiffel Tower, and can easily access them online, but not everyone has seen a photograph of that exact bug.

You capture a singular moment; a mystery that is otherwise easy to solve. Only you know the answers, reasons, feelings or location behind your image. Give it a try!

Photo Fun Club

Art in the Parks: Photo Fun Club

Photo Fun Club
The Photo Fun Club will be exhibiting with the Hamilton County Park District for the first time at Sharon Centre, May 9 through June 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. The 28 members of the club have a vast amount of experience and pride themselves with excellence in the field of photography.

The show can be viewed in the Wildlife Viewing Room and the auditorium. Members and adult guests are welcome. Their number one goal is to have fun, shoot pictures, share and enjoy photography.

Get Directions to Sharon Woods

National Geographic Photos

I am a huge fan of National Geographic and Traveler magazine. Each edition features amazing photographs and compelling articles. The articles I read in Traveler are as close as I'll get to a lot of places in this world.

Make sure to visit their Photography section. Great inspiration and desktop wallpapers.

The following is a photograph from National Geographic Paris Catacombs. Under Paris lies a secret artistic culture and huge cemetery of lost remains.

Deceptive Display
Behind the neat stacks of skulls, tibias, and femurs in the Paris catacombs lies a chaos of bones. In the 18th and 19th centuries the city dug up millions of skeletons from over-flowing cemeteries and poured them at night into old quarries.

Hand Model Failure

Hand Model Failure

Some time back, I was at a photography studio for product packaging. The studio usually has hand models on call, but on that day they didn't anticipate the need for one.

For the last few shots they needed someone to hold/present the product. Since I was there they asked if I could do the favor. I was hesistant and told them my hands are not attractive. They look down. "Ughhhh." "Yeah, very ugly hands." "We'll just pass on these shots for now."

And so my dreams of becoming a hand model were crushed... All those nights of practicing hand gestures through shadows on the walls, pointless... My steady hands, wasted talent.... All the lotion, let's not go there...