Carrieta Photo Blog

Platinum Printing Classes Coming Very Soon!

Carlos Arrieta — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:00:10 +0000

Hey Everyone, I just submitted my class proposals to Rayko Photo Center for the platinum palladium printing classes. Yes, there is more than one. One class will be digital negative to platinum print and the other will be medium format/4×5/8×10 traditional black and white negatives to platinum printing. Whats so different when using actual negatives, well how about selenium toning the negatives for contrast control in the print. Or pushing and pulling the shots just for the platinum print process. This is the part were you dear reader say, “Carlos that sounds crazy, fun, but crazy.” I just quietly nod. Here is an example from my student and newly addicted platinum printer Hiroshi Suzuki. This is his first completed print and I must say, I’m a pretty good teacher. He has gone on to make more, and I’m excited to see what he and all of you come up with. Expect and lookout for the classes in the Fall 2012 schedule.

Best – C.

George Eastman’s Kodak Creation

Carlos Arrieta — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:00:53 +0000

Due to the recent sad news of Kodak filing for bankruptcy, here is a great PBS video that reminds us of the great rise of Kodak, the obstacles overcome, and the urgency for for experimentation in photography and in business. Historically interesting and overall inspiring, I hope you enjoy this George Eastman video as much as did.

Favorite Line is in part 2: Photography, “a little black box held by someone you knew.”

Just off the Heels of Rayko’s Plastic Camera Show, I found this:

Carlos Arrieta — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:33:22 +0000

Michelle Bates, 2010′s featured artist in the Rayko Plastic Camera Show recently gave a TED talk. If you don’t know Bates, you don’t know plastic cameras as she is the official spokesperson for the medium. I was lucky enough to talk with her last year and help her with some scans for a future project which I cannot mention here but yes it involved plastic cameras. Enjoy everyone and if you were not at the show, you should definitely check out Rayko’s Plastic Camera Show in San Francisco which is up now! It’s real life Instagram. Ha.

Michelle Bates

Carlos Arrieta — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:33:03 +0000

Alternative Process Kids Time to Show Your Aces!

Carlos Arrieta — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:12:16 +0000

I’ve got a new years resolution for you all. Submit work to more shows! This is the year to get all that great work you guys were working on in my alternative process classes shown to the world. Just remember to give me a mention when your all famous. To get down the fame road, you have to take baby steps. Here is your first. The Center For Fine Art Photography is having a call for entries for BW silver prints and a separate Alternative processes show. Here is the LINK for the info and some details below. Good luck everyone, and yes, you will be competing with me so bring it!

Mark Your Calendar iPhone Shooters!

Carlos Arrieta — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:33:14 +0000

iPhotomania, the app company that brought us Touch Retouch, is bringing us something amazing on January 17th. The new app is called AntiCrop and as the name denotes, it is for uncropping images. Or actually extending the canvas of your image, then smartly cloning and healing the newly added area. Those of you familiar with Photoshop CS5 know content aware fill can be used to do this, but this has never been available on the iphone until now. Watch the video below for a demo, and if you say, “Carlos I have CS5, and don’t know what content aware fill is?” You should take my photoshop workshop at Rayko Photo Center to realize its vast potential. Also, iphotomania, please make a free form transform or perspective correction app please. Have fun out there!

Happy 2012 Photo Followers!

Carlos Arrieta — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 01:24:13 +0000

(Source: tastefullyoffensive, via missredaholic)

This is just a friendly reminder to those of you creative photographers out there, “keep it fun in 2012.” So many creative people I meet take their artwork way too seriously. Remember, that a big part of art is enrichment. For your life in its creation, and for those that chose to enjoy what you’ve created. It’s easy to lose sight and I’ve been guilty of this as well so, my biggest resolution of 2012 is to actively try to keep photography fun!

Who’s with me?

-Carlos

Happy Holiday’s Everyone!

Carlos Arrieta — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 04:37:55 +0000

Thank You All for keeping my dream alive of being the zaniest photo instructor in SF. In 2011 I taught a couple of new classes, iPhone Capture and Process & Digital Negative to Tintype in addition to my usual repertoire which you all know. In addition, 2011 was the year of the Platinum Print Process, as I spent many a weak late night struggles playing that out. A big thank you to one of my awesome students Dave Schoenwald for helping me figure it out and getting the secret sauces from New Mexico. Thank you to Ann Jastrab for being the resident go to expert on whether we were golden or not, and mostly shaking your head at Dave and I and saying, “it’s ok, but it can be better.” When we finally got it, and we got the thumbs up from Master Platinum Printer Jastrab (master ppj), it was all the sweeter. 2011 was also the year of the Tintype, which was a both fun and exhausting and I would like to say thanks to my alt. process intern Emily Voigtlander for all the stellar plates she coated and for mixing those stinky raw eggs for the Albumen class.

In 2012, I hope to offer platinum printing as an affordable workshop with material kits to be sold at Rayko at reasonable rates. Also, the infamous Photoshop Level 2 or Photoshop For Professionals, not sure what to call it, may rear its airbrushed head out in the second quarter. In addition, if you have taken two or more of my classes, there is a special FREE printing session in the works for you guys (more on that later). Thanks for sticking with me, reading this blog, and I hope to see you at Rayko Photo Center in 2012.

Happy Holidays, Keep Creating, & All the Best,

Carlos

iPad 2 Accessories For Photographers

Carlos Arrieta — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 04:06:08 +0000

Congrats on your new iPad 2. You will be using it for the web, watching movies, playing with fun photo and non-photo apps and much more. But if your a photographer (and surely you are or you would not be reading this), you are going to be doing some pretty cool stuff with it. Lets talk about some gear you may want to consider buying and why.

1. Camera Connection Kit – If you want to buy Apple’s own camera connection kit which attaches to the bottom of the dock near the home button of the iPad, you will only be able to connect SD cards (the small memory cards that go in DSLR’s) or you will have to bring your USB cord to connect to the iPad via USB which will not allow you to shoot while things are downloading. Drag. However if you use SD cards then this is your best bet coming in at $29.

But if you have the 5D Mark ii or any other CF (compact flash big blocky data cards), don’t buy this. Instead buy this,

It has the CF card reader and the USB in one unit rather than having to carry two little pieces around. It costs $29, and you get it from micgadget.

2. Storage – you are gonna need to store your images and video you capture either with your iPhone or iPad. Unless you went money bag spending and bought the 64gb iPad2, your gonna need to manage the data on your wonderful iPad. Yes you could use the still buggy iCloud service or you can use flickr, 500px, picasa, etc. to upload via the internet, but that sucks up data usage on your celluar plan. Instead I recommend using a portable hard drive for the iPad. I know what your saying,

a. I don’t wanna carry something else around or b. What, shut up that is awesome I didn’t know that existed.

In either case, you should consider this awesome option. The Seagate GoFlex Satellite ($199) for 500gb or the HyperDrive ColorSpace for the iPad2 ($399).

Both devices are wireless and create a secure password protected network so you can stream items from the hard drives. The major difference is the Hyperdrive has a screen and you operate it like a beefy iPod which lets you manage your content on the go on the actual device. The GoFlex has a free app that you can manage your content through the iPad2. There is a slight lag when doing this on the GoFlex but the $200 difference doesn’t justify it for me. The cool factor of seeing your images coming off the data card then editing before putting them on the iPad nice, but again, still not worth the high price tag to me. What is the kicker is you can put a data card directly into the Hyperdrive and you have the images ready for editing on the iPad.

The real bummer (at least for now, update is rumored to be in the works) of both is that you cannot transfer data from an iPhone or an iPad to either device unless you have a computer. So basically, what you would use this for is carrying a bunch of images with you that when you have the time you can edit or view without using your data space on your iPad.

Awesome Holiday Gift for Photographers 1

Carlos Arrieta — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:59:18 +0000

Camera Pillows

You can buy these awesome plush pillows from user intheseam on thier etsy store.

Click Here