Adam Elmakias is cool. (Release the RAW)

Adam Elmakias has started doing this thing (I’ve been calling it a photo challenge) he calls "Release the RAW” where he releases a RAW file of one of his images and you get to take it and edit it and submit it to the twitter thread and he reviews them the next week on Twitch (and also uploads it to Youtube) and also screen-records himself editing it.

It’s SUPER COOL.

I tried the first couple but have been off of it the last few.

It’s really cool to see the thread of everyone’s edits, but my favorite is seeing his final edits on his Insta and trying to replicate that on my own, then watching him go through it. I’ve already learned a ton just from watching two videos. I also like that I can read the metadata in Lightroom to see what equipment/settings he used to catch the shot.

I think I’m going to start doing blog posts posting my edits and some cool stuff I got out of that week’s challenge.

If anyone reads this and wants to join in, links are below for what you’ll need:

Adam’s Twitter (Where he shares the dropbox link for the RAW photo)

Adam’s Insta

Adam’s Twitch

Adam’s Youtube Channel

-KP

I'm Back!

Not that anyone looks at my website anyway (I know I don't), but I've finally got all the technology needed to continue working on my photography. Which means, when I get organized enough, I can start posting things to this site again.

YAY! 

In all honesty, it's been kind of rough for me lately, and Ive been lacking motivation to do....really anything. But I'm going to try to get back into this, especially since summer/busy work season is coming to an end. 

Adv. Studio (Thank You, Chris Smith)

This semester is my last here at NKU, which means it’s also my last semester as a photo student. I’m glad I chose to pursue this minor. Since I pretty much finished up the classes for my major last semester, this semester has felt like I’m a photo major. Part of that is due to my Advanced Studio class. Fridays at 9am. Until 3pm. Sounded scary at first, but it wasn’t! That time frame allows you to get your work done to your best ability and lets you focus on one project at a time. It also gives you a week to shoot the project (helpful).

Chris has been an awesome professor and makes sure we're really learning stuff, which I have (yay!) Thanks, Chris!

I learned that I'm really bad at telling people how to pose. I learned that all ads are photoshopped. ALL OF THEM. I learned how to use strobe lights (very cool). Lighting is everything. I discovered I am capable of recreating an ad. I learned that if I put my mind to it, I CAN make it to class at 9 and make it through the whole 6 hours. I learned I’m not awful at photography!

Below is a gallery of final/semi-final products from each project we did.

My favorites are: the first portrait, the middle two white-backgrounded fashion shots, and the propped Jones Soda shot.

Me? Homecoming Photographer?

I am currently the Director of Public Relations for APB (the Activities Programming Board). Among other things, one of my jobs is to photograph our events (YAY for getting paid to take pictures!)

This past week was Homecoming here at NKU, which is put on by APB. Therefore, I got to take a bunch of pictures at the different events – which was different than normal because of how many people showed up to the homecoming events! So sometimes I was a little bit anxious about taking pictures and CONSTANTLY criticizing myself. Looking back at all the images I got, they’re OK….but most are not up to my own standards I put on myself. Whether it be a blurry image, poorly composed, “why did I have it set like that?”, etc. But it was experience, which is never a bad thing.

My biggest struggle was photographing the Nearly Naked Run (an annual event where people race in their underwear). First, I was super uncomfortable looking at/taking pictures of guys in their underwear (not a pretty sight). Then it was figuring out what setting to best capture the race, should I have moved from my position at the start/finish line? Should I have gotten more audience reactions?

The best photo-op was the concert – rapper, K Camp. Nobody was allowed to stand past the stage line, except for me J Being able to be the only one past the human-barricade made me feel like a “real band photographer”. I’m not entirely happy with all the photos, and would have liked to move around more, but that small privilege gave me a confidence boost I needed.

I’m looking forward to more opportunities like this one after graduation!

-KP

K Camp & his photo/video person (AKA my competition)