Getting my home studio ready.

Hello,
I have finally gotten a light stand for my softbox. Yey I am very happy about that I have now been re-arranging the furniture around a bit in my office slash junk room to also now be office/studio/junk room it is a good thing it is a big room so that I can manage to have a combo room like this. I was for a while thinking that I should get the one bedroom apartment next door as my studio since then I have more space and close to home but there have been guys working on that apartment for the last couple of days so I guess we are getting a neighbor and it will not be called Helens Studio I am afraid. Shame but then I at least have everything I might need close by and I can sit and edit images in my tracksuit bottoms!! So I guess something good comes out of that. :-) I also would not have this great combo room or should I say would not need to have a combo room. I actually have a whole apartment in one room because this room has the en-suite bathroom I have the refrigerator in here as well, that is solemnly due to how they have built the kitchen in this Egyptian apartment not the most cleaver design made in Egypt not like the pyramids. The previous tenants had the refrigerator in the living room but I do not want to sit and watch TV next to the fridge. So instead I have very easy access to cold refreshing drinks in my office :-)
Anyway now I need to get a background drop for my home studio. I have just noticed that our walls have the same colour, light yellow, as the ceiling. Is that normal? I thought most apartments had the ceiling white? Anyway not our Egyptian apartment, there might be a slight shade difference but not a lot that is for sure.
The other day I met a friend that have lived in Sharm el Shekih for years I think from its start of being a tourist destination, I ran into him by accident but I took the great opportunity to ask him where there is a fabric shop in Sharm. I am now going down there next week to take a look and see if I can find anything that will work as a great backdrop for my studio. Wish me luck I got a feeling I might need it. If I can't find anything in Sharm that is suitable Cairo is my next bet to finding one unless I simply paint the wall  :-)
I also need to get hold of a model so that I can try it all out. Let me know if there are any takers out there that lives nearby. My hubby is very resistant when it comes to me photographing him unless he is on the golf course then he does not mind too much since he is busy golfing. He just does not have the patience to stand/sit still for even 5 minutes. The best picture I have of him is one I took years ago in England we were there on holiday he had no idea I was taking a picture of him it's on my night stand now. I can not for my life remember where the soft copy is right now otherwise I could show it to you now.
Hope you are having as good a day as I am.
All the best till next time.
Helen

Kids give the funniest comments

As I showed you earlier in a previous blog I made Pop Art of a family portrait that I got sent to me by email. When the eldest son in the picture, he is 5yrs., saw the image his spontaneous comment was "Mamma how did this happen we look like a cartoon" I will have to agree with him Pop Art does give you a cartoon feeling doesn't it? Mum in the family liked the image anyway she is using it as her avatar on Skype at the moment. :-) Maybe next step is to print it on Canvas?

My Swedish Smultronställe!

Every time I go to Sweden to my home town I always try to take some time to stop by one of my Photography "Smultronställe" It is a Swedish word that does not have a direct translation into English but I googled it for you and this translation fits very well to what I mean.  Smultronställe is a Swedish word that means an idyllic spot on Earth. It also means "a place where wild strawberries grow". Smultronställe is a beautiful metaphor that lacks an English equivalent. It is a special place, unique (even if) only to you, it can be a local forest, a bench, a tree, or your favorite vacation spot.
The image below I took there at sunset in May 2010. This is a place where I don't bring many people I have only brought 1 outsider part from family to this date and I think I will keep it that way.. :-) so sorry guys....
I know however that I am not the only person that knows about this place because I can see traces of where people have had BBQ's but I have never seen anyone there. You also need to be properly dressed to get there you cannot just think oh I will go to that place right now. So that rules out all the housewives that walk around in high heels and wake up with make up already on. If you are not wearing the right kind of foot wear you will not reach my "smultronställe". So some planning is needed and it is in the middle of absolutely nothing. You will not find it unless you know it is there. I have my mum to thank for showing me this place years and years ago.  
I do have a few other places that I also always visit when I am in the area that I can tell you where they are they are not such a secret. 

My "Smultronställe" .

Taken at a place I go every-time I get a chance no exceptions!

The ones below are taken by Mälaren in Köping.

Buy My Prints

http://www.redbubble.com/people/hshippey

New York Skyline!

The other week I sold an image to a travel site called Haute Compass, they just launched their website this Monday so please take a look at what they have to offer that can be suitable for you.http://www.hautecompass.com/new-york.html

This is the image I sold.

This got me thinking that I need to change my own website a little bit, I want to add a gallery where people and companies can buy my images that they see straight from the website with paypal. I have had these thoughts a long time I have even started a few times with different kinds of designs but never finished I never could decide upon which design I liked best, as well as its been a bit daunting to get all my images together and categorize them etc.

But I have now picked up again on one of my old designs and started to finalize it. It wont be changed just yet. Don't worry of course I will let you guys know when the new one is up and running.

In the meantime you can look at my current web page for information, www.shippeyphotography.com

Below I have added a few more New York images that I have taken.

I guess no one can buy images off you if they do not know you have them!

If there are any images on this blog or on my website that you like and would like to query how much they are to buy please do not hesitate to contact me with an email or email me a description of what you are looking for and I will send you a few sample images that fit your description, that is exactly what Haute Compass did it could work out for you too!

Email: infoATshippeyphotographyDOTcom 

Take care for now.

I guess I better get back to my website design.... :-)

Helen

A few New York images.

I got T-Shirts made!

Hi,
When I was on my holiday I didn't only buy photo gear for myself I also bought company T-Shirts.
What do you guys think?

I personally love the shirts which is good since it is me that will be wearing them. :-) I just need to make sure I don't grow my hair too long since then the website will not be shown on the back.

I still would like to get a great pair of trousers with loads of cleaver pockets that I can wear together with the T-shirt on photo shoots. I did find a Hugo Boss pair while I was in the UK but to my surprise they were too long in the legs! Since when have I had that problem? Never. I didn't get them so still need a comfy and cleverly made pair of trousers, but still nice and fashionable not a pair of combat trousers for photo shoots.

All suggestions are welcome and if I can buy them in Egypt even better!
Cheers,
Helen

I Won a little soft camel.

Before I went on holiday I entered my picture of the Tanoura Dancer into a Photo Competition that Longwood Holidays had,  I just found out recently that I was one of the winners in the Pro's section of the competition. Yay!!
http://www.facebook.com/notes/longwood-holidays/at-last-our-photo-competitions-winners-announced/150971841599274

I have also today uploaded some more images to my RedBubble account so please feel free to peruse it when you have time!
http://www.redbubble.com/people/hshippey

Looking for new great Art work for you walls?

Hello,
I have just started to post some of my images to http://www.redbubble.com/people/hshippey there you can buy my images in anything from greeting-cards, posters to canvas. Please take a look and who knows maybe there is something you like there....
Keep on looking there a bit now and then I will post more and more images as I get more time.
It is my birthday today so I promised myself to only work a half day so I better get out of the office now.
Catch you all later.
Helen

Spring cleaning!

Yesterday I had a day off with my husband and guess what we ended up doing? Spring-cleaning of my office! or should I say Autumn cleaning due to the season. We cleaned all right and it was needed it wasn’t my initial intention when I started I only planned to do some dusting... then one thing led to another.
In my office I have loads of boxes and even two spare Hästens beds stacked against one wall. I have had them all there for 2 years now and learned to live with it. The building quality in Egypt are not great so we do get a lot of sand into the house through the windows even though I have taped over most of them. So I wanted to get all that sand that had accumulated while we were on holiday cleaned up and in order to do that I needed to move a few boxes and before I knew it I was surrounded with boxes up to my elbows and my husband walks in thinking it is a great idea to move all the boxes and give it a thorough clean behind them. Which in hind sight it was I had to take away a few spider webs and lots of dust not so nice but I am glad that I at least now breathe in non dusty air for a while. When we were up in the middle of everything and it all looked like there was no end to the mess I was thinking of you guys and that I wanted to take a picture to show you our progress but I could honestly not find my camera at that point of time so there are no images for me to show you I am afraid. I love how it all turned out, we re-arranged the way the boxes were placed, now they take less space since we boxed them higher than before we now did it all the way up to the ceiling. I can now even take a few dance steps if I would feel the urge in between my photo editing. Might do me some good so that I wont get too stiff? So maybe not such a relaxing day off but very constructive!
What do you do on your day off?
Tomorrow it is my Birthday and I am planning to take the afternoon off to celebrate myself :-) I think I will go kayaking on the Red Sea it was a long time since I did it last and I really enjoy it. I might also take my husband out in one of them tandem boats where you both pedal. Not sure of their name unless it’s a tandem boat maybe?
Take care for now.
Cheers,
Helen.

Made Pop Art of a family portrait.

Yesterday I posted a Pop Art image that I had just made. Soon after that posting I got an email from my sister asking me to make pop art of an image that she had attached. Now it being my sister you cant really say no now can you? Especially when I had said how quickly I made it. I take back the quick part now! Knowing myself I never let anything that I am not proud of out of my hands and therefore I take time and care to make sure its good. So it was not quick at all. I also had a power cut in the middle of it that made me very upset since that made me loose some of the work I had done. I always try to save my work quite often but you will always loose some. I know that we very often especially now during the heat of summer we have several power cuts a day so you need to prepare for it but you will never get used to it. It irritates me very much every time.

I worked on the above image this morning then after lunch I made up a little studio here in my office I am now looking at the images I took and I see that I have a big blob of dust on all the images so therefore its on my sensor. I am so glad that I bought the Visible Dust Loupe 7x while I was in England. I ordered it on-line and had it sent to our address in England it is great to use. So much easier and quicker to see the dust what a time saver its expensive I agree that is why I was hesitating but its totally worth every penny in time you save and that you do not need to be as worried to change lenses due to dust coming onto your sensor since it is now easy to clean it. I give it 5 starts out of 5.

I use it together with Dust aid platinum strips. I have posted blurb about them earlier. 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Visible-Dust-Sensor-Loupe-7x/dp/B0017KT21K/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1284121861&sr=8-1-fkmr2

Hope you all have a lovely day.

Helen

Pop Art!

I was inspired by one of the recent issues of Digital Photo Magazines to make Pop Art with one of my wedding images that I took recently of a wedding in England.

To my surprise it was not too difficult to do it took time to do but only due to that I was using so many different layers in Photoshop inorder to obtain as much detail in the wedding dress and in the suit. You can basically make it as quick as you like depending on how detailed you want your final image to be.

I have already showed it to the client and they loved it. But I can also appreciate that this is not a style for everyone.

I also showed it to my hubby and now he wants me to make one of us from one of our wedding photos. I also just had an email from my sister where she sent a picture of her family wanting to know how they would look with the Pop Art effect. Maybe this is my new nice? or maybe not. I did enjoy making it though but then I have only made this one image so far....

We'll where it takes me.

All the best,

Helen