My latest victim…

[nicolas claris]

My latest victim is a Lagoon SIXTY 7
I shot her in the Balearic Islands a few weeks ago.
Let's see some

INTERIORS

On deck

At sea

 

[Asher Kelman]

Everyone,

Here I would like to draw your attention to an effect I have seen in cave painting of paleolithic ancestors in Lascaux, France!

Look at the feet of the woman. There’s a certain staccato appearance of the build of her legs with overlapping lines and shading.

This provides a feeling of movement and transience, as if she is a visitor who can even walk though walls.

The prehistoric painters did that too. Perhaps equally by chance. But the result is the same.

Asher

 

[Andy brown]

My latest victim is a Lagoon SIXTY 7
I

View attachment 2699

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Nicolas lovely work as always, a quick throwaway comment - I like this image very much and I understand why you’ve included the rocks but for me a crop which removes the rocks improves the simple elements of the image.
Obviously with your large crisp files you have plenty of options for cropping.
I’m sure you’ve already thought this through and like to leave options for the creative team who will utilise the images as they see fit.
I’m just saying the simple elements of the swimmers, the water and the boat are enough.

 

[nicolas claris]

​

Nicolas lovely work as always, a quick throwaway comment - I like this image very much and I understand why you’ve included the rocks but for me a crop which removes the rocks improves the simple elements of the image.
Obviously with your large crisp files you have plenty of options for cropping.
I’m sure you’ve already thought this through and like to leave options for the creative team who will utilise the images as they see fit.
I’m just saying the simple elements of the swimmers, the water and the boat are enough.

Hi Andy,
Thanks for passing by, commenting and the kind words
I understand your comment about the rocks, but:
- The client's brief before the shoot was a simple word "Freedom". Not that simple in fact to include this with yacht pictures!
Therefore the rocks are important, beside their lovely colors, their presence shows that thanks to be a catamaran, the boat can anchor very close to the shore.
That's a good point for freedom…
Also the swimmers are not lost in the sea, there close to shore and boats in the same time.

This is one of the very first shot I did when we arrived with the chopper, and I thanked my luck seeing the scene that was not predicted nor foreseen, the swimmers were not part of the team but tourists…

And BTW, even if the shot is for marketing, I'm not always happy when a creative team crop my pics!
I may crop myself before delivering files, but that's my privilege
Very few can really find a pic in the pic. Marine, my wife does…

 

[nicolas claris]

Everyone,

Here I would like to draw your attention to an effect I have seen in cave painting of paleolithic ancestors in Lascaux, France!

Look at the feet of the woman. There’s a certain staccato appearance of the build of her legs with overlapping lines and shading.
…This provides a feeling of movement and transience, as if she is a visitor who can even walk though walls.
… The prehistoric painters did that too. Perhaps equally by chance. But the result is the same.

Thanks for the comment Asher, but I'm not sure I get it!
My intent was a motion blur to lessen her presence and add some life in the shot…
The good point imho is her left foot that does not move, this adds to the wished overall effect…
Also I paid attention that her presence do not hide important part of the interior design.
The fact that she stands close to the center adds to the floating sensation .

As said in my reply to to Andy, she's free!

 

[James Lemon]

Very nice ship! Personally I think someone made some poor color choices with the exterior furniture accessories and seating.

 

[nicolas claris]

Very nice ship! Personally I think someone made some poor color choices with the exterior furniture accessories and seating.

Ah!
Not me, but I won't tell her! I want to keep my job

 

[James Lemon]

Everyone,

Here I would like to draw your attention to an effect I have seen in cave painting of paleolithic ancestors in Lascaux, France!

Look at the feet of the woman. There’s a certain staccato appearance of the build of her legs with overlapping lines and shading.

View attachment 2706​

This provides a feeling of movement and transience, as if she is a visitor who can even walk though walls.

View attachment 2707​

The prehistoric painters did that too. Perhaps equally by chance. But the result is the same.

Asher

Yes the blur is a nice touch and I really like the images but the boat in the background is too much of a distraction.

James

 

[nicolas claris]

My latest victim is a Lagoon SIXTY 7
I shot her in the Balearic Islands a few weeks ago.
Let's see some

INTERIORS

​

@Asher Kelman : As I know you like stiched pictures, let me tell you that this is one, quite tricky in an interior shoot.
Made of 2 horizontal 25 mm shots
Stitched with Photoshop (Lightroom did not provide a satisfactotry result)

 

[Asher Kelman]

INTERIORS​

​

@Asher Kelman : As I know you like stiched pictures, let me tell you that this is one, quite tricky in an interior shoot.
Made of 2 horizontal 25 mm shots
Stitched with Photoshop (Lightroom did not provide a satisfactotry result)
[/QUOTE]


This interior is well done as it provides an impression of fabulous interior design and luxurious comfort.

Photoshop has an advanced algorithm and it’s certainly needed here to deal with the angles.

Do you have PTGUI or Autopano Giga as the angular and shift calculations are far more customizable?

Asher

 

[nicolas claris]

View attachment 2709
​

@Asher Kelman : As I know you like stiched pictures, let me tell you that this is one, quite tricky in an interior shoot.
Made of 2 horizontal 25 mm shots
Stitched with Photoshop (Lightroom did not provide a satisfactotry result)

This interior is well done as it provides an impression of fabulous interior design and luxurious comfort.

Photoshop has an advanced algorithm and it’s certainly needed here to deal with the angles.

Do you have PTGUI or Autopano Giga as the angular and shift calculations are far more customizable?

Asher
[/QUOTE]
I have Autopano Giga, but use it only for far more complex to built image such as this one

 

[Tom dinning]

I’ve been thinking .......

any photo might be worthy of comment, or warrant one.
Anyone can make a comment.
Comments don’t necessarily have value in their wording or intent.
Not all comments have equal credibility or acceptance.
Freedom of speech doesn’t necessarily apply.
Freedom to not speak does apply.

my thoughts aren’t always welcome.
They tend to run along the context and content line with little or no reference to technical or aesthetic aspects.
The intent of my comments is to present ideas that might aggravate readers into thought.

For example:

I find the content of the images rather pretentious. Such luxury is demanded by the few who can afford it and desire it.
I see it as flaunting.
this doesn’t reflect on your intent, Nick, or the quality of the images. You do what you do and do it to the satisfaction of your clients.
my comments are only a reflection of my values and effect your images have on me.

 

[nicolas claris]

I’ve been thinking .......

any photo might be worthy of comment, or warrant one.
Anyone can make a comment.
Comments don’t necessarily have value in their wording or intent.
Not all comments have equal credibility or acceptance.
Freedom of speech doesn’t necessarily apply.
Freedom to not speak does apply.

my thoughts aren’t always welcome.
They tend to run along the context and content line with little or no reference to technical or aesthetic aspects.
The intent of my comments is to present ideas that might aggravate readers into thought.

For example:

I find the content of the images rather pretentious. Such luxury is demanded by the few who can afford it and desire it.
I see it as flaunting.
this doesn’t reflect on your intent, Nick, or the quality of the images. You do what you do and do it to the satisfaction of your clients.
my comments are only a reflection of my values and effect your images have on me.

Tom,
your thoughts and comments about comments are quite understandable and I agree with that.
About this picture, I can quite understand.
My role is indeed to satisfy my client who wants to please and seduce his customers.
This is an advertising photograph, it must be attractive, but mainly for the marketing "target". It will not be exhibited in an art gallery!
This work is the one that feeds me, it has no artistic pretensions.

Otherwise, may I suggest you to pay a visit to "Un peu de rouge, pourtant." or "NOIRS" instead.

 

[nicolas claris]

Yes the blur is a nice touch and I really like the images but the boat in the background is too much of a distraction.

James

James
As explained to Tom (read above) this is a photography for marketing, it has a target (clients to buy a 3 millions USD yacht) among a market with very strong competition …
I could have very easily cloned out that boat, but it does show 2 main "advantages of this boat:

• It shows that in this boat you have a 360° view (on landscape/seascape) which is rare on monohulls
• It also shows that a catamaran (with 2 tulles by definition) is capable to be moored closer to the shore than a monohull (power or sail boat)

This is why I did keep/include it in the picture…

 

[Tom dinning]

Tom,
your thoughts and comments about comments are quite understandable and I agree with that.
About this picture, I can quite understand.
My role is indeed to satisfy my client who wants to please and seduce his customers.
This is an advertising photograph, it must be attractive, but mainly for the marketing "target". It will not be exhibited in an art gallery!
This work is the one that feeds me, it has no artistic pretensions.

Otherwise, may I suggest you to pay a visit to "Un peu de rouge, pourtant." or "NOIRS" instead.

cheers, Nick.
irrespective of what you intended for the images (and I did assume they were ‘work’ photos) my thoughts still wonder into my own realm of understanding. It’s a technique I value. It enables me to be free of your intent and simply react to the photo as I perceive it.
i have no reason for guessing what you might be doing with these photos. I’m more interested in my own thoughts.

I remember both sets of images.

Again, my thoughts on these are of little relevance to others since they are mine and bear no resemblance to photographic critique or commentary. More likely they relate to my limited experiences with life in general.

it’s not that I don’t appreciate your images. On the contrary, I value their stimulation and the opportunity to allow my imagination to wander freely among the waters of far lands. I thanh you for that more than simply giving me visual pleasures or technically accurate pictures.

tom

 

[James Lemon]

James
As explained to Tom (read above) this is a photography for marketing, it has a target (clients to buy a 3 millions USD yacht) among a market with very strong competition …
I could have very easily cloned out that boat, but it does show 2 main "advantages" of this boat:

• It shows that in this boat you have a 360° view (on landscape/seascape) which is rare on monohulls
• It also shows that a catamaran (with 2 hulls by definition) is capable to be moored closer to the shore than a monohull (power or sail boat)

This is why I did keep/include it in the picture…

Makes sense. Looks like a great time and awesome water craft.

James

 

[nicolas claris]

Thank you @James It's always nice to exchange feeling on a particular image

 

[Robert Watcher]

Top quality professional work Nicolás. Of course nothing other than that would expected from your paying clients.

Back in my studio days - in the early 90’s I was hired to provide photography for a sailboat manufacturer for their colour sales brochures. I truly appreciate the challenge in doing this kind of work. You do it so well. For me this genre wasn’t my specialty, and so it was an ever greater task of learning before shooting. The interiors were especially challenging to light. I was using a Hasselblad SWC ultra wide camera to take in as much as I could in the small spaces.


Unfortunately the manufacturer never did produce the brochures because they hadn’t considered the enormous cost of colour printing and settled for a simple black and white fold out. I got paid, but was greatly disappointed that I didn’t have the tear sheets and samples to add to my portfolio. In a lot of ways, I valued those more than money with special commercial assignments.

Thanks for posting. BTW I often notice your work on Instagram Feed

——-

 

[Peter Dexter]

Nicolas you seem to be using a drone for some of these or did you have a friend in a small plane? Most impressive. If the former you certainly have the technique down pat.

 

[nicolas claris]

Nicolas you seem to be using a drone for some of these or did you have a friend in a small plane? Most impressive. If the former you certainly have the technique down pat.

We're oftenly asked by prospective clients if we shoot with a drone…

Then…

Drone or helicopter for aerial shots?
Our experience is that booking a helicopter saves time (versus renting a chase boat, that by the way do not permit aerials) if the pilot is experienced for this job. A drone might be fine for video but not for photos, while we fly our drone for video, the photographer cannot shoot (waste of time) otherwise he would be in the frame and vice versa… In the helicopter, both can work at the same time with high-end cameras and lenses.
Also, for the drone (we do own one) one has to hire a pilot (for security, the drone’s pilote should always watch and follow the drone itself and not the screen in his hands), which adds to the costs…
So we do use our drone (with a pilot) from time to time in the vineyards because the needs aren’t the same…

Plane? they cannot fly with so (even no) speed. A good chopper pilot, places us down to a precise feet in height or distance. You'll never get that with a plane!

For boats, helicopter is the way to go Depending of the boat size and needs, for both video and photo shoots, 45 minutes of flight around the boat are sufficient.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Nicolas,

I am renting my first drone and technician for photographing a coastal area that wants sculptures near my large sculpture, “Puff of Wind”. I will receive geo-tagged photographs and will work on my 2013 Mac Pro cylinder computer with photoprogrammetry to build a 3 D model of the coast and the bluffs above the beach and ocean.

I guess I could use a helicopter, (I even speak passable French), but am not sure I could hold on and actually shoot at the same time!

I am in awe of your athletic ability to follow tall shops from the air while essentially hanging out of a clattering helicopter!

Asher

 

[nicolas claris]

Nicolas,

I am renting my first drone and technician for photographing a coastal area that wants sculptures near my large sculpture, “Puff of Wind”. I will receive geo-tagged photographs and will work on my 2013 Mac Pro cylinder computer with photoprogrammetry to build a 3 D model of the coast and the bluffs above the beach and ocean.

I guess I could use a helicopter, (I even speak passable French), but am not sure I could hold on and actually shoot at the same time!

I am in awe of your athletic ability to follow tall shops from the air while essentially hanging out of a clattering helicopter!

Asher

Asher,
I think that for such a job, a drone will do the trick!
We have made a lot of pictures in the vineyards with a Pentax GR attached to a drone and since it was with no models and wasn't about printing bilboards, it was perfect!
You can use the burst shooting function, it allows you to focus on the location of the drone and get a real database for photoprogrammetry.
Be careful with the autonomy, generally 20 minutes maximum per set of batteries.

When it comes to helicopter shots, be aware that you should avoid bending outdoors, but stay seated with your back to the inside. The more you pull out the camera and the lens, the more wind blowing from the props will make the camera vibrate. It's quite convenient to just have the feet steped on the helicopter's skids wile keeping the body inside.
When I started my aerial shoots (a long time ago!) I was making the mistake of bending too much outside, it is a beginner's mistake that is not only very safe but especially technically bad.

 

[nicolas claris]

Top quality professional work Nicolás. Of course nothing other than that would expected from your paying clients.

Back in my studio days - in the early 90’s I was hired to provide photography for a sailboat manufacturer for their colour sales brochures. I truly appreciate the challenge in doing this kind of work. You do it so well. For me this genre wasn’t my specialty, and so it was an ever greater task of learning before shooting. The interiors were especially challenging to light. I was using a Hasselblad SWC ultra wide camera to take in as much as I could in the small spaces.


Unfortunately the manufacturer never did produce the brochures because they hadn’t considered the enormous cost of colour printing and settled for a simple black and white fold out. I got paid, but was greatly disappointed that I didn’t have the tear sheets and samples to add to my portfolio. In a lot of ways, I valued those more than money with special commercial assignments.

Thanks for posting. BTW I often notice your work on Instagram Feed

——-

Thanks Robert!
I do remember when it was usual to have brocures printed in B&W for costs reason!
Color shooting was also expensive, but I do understand your frustration!
I don't feed anymore my Insta account, I keep it alive but do not post, it takes time and the return is not so good, as is the interaction with followers.
I may be wrong but I don't feel it to be efficient…

 

[Asher Kelman]

Asher,

I think that for such a job, a drone will do the trick!

We have made a lot of pictures in the vineyards with a Pentax GR attached to a drone and since it was with no models and wasn't about printing bilboards, it was perfect!

Excellent choice: fixed sterling lens and compact!

You can use the burst shooting function, it allows you to focus on the location of the drone and get a real database for photoprogrammetry

Be careful with the autonomy, generally 20 minutes maximum per set of batteries.

We’ve hired the drone company for 1 hour of shooting. I better check it's actually one whole devoted hour and not his set up time!

[He better have spare batteries. I will ask about that and the make of camera and make software can handle that brand and file type!]


What software do you use?

When it comes to helicopter shots, be aware that you should avoid bending outdoors, but stay seated with your back to the inside. The more you pull out the camera and the lens, the more wind blowing from the props will make the camera vibrate.

I will remember that!

It's quite convenient to just have the feet steped on the helicopter's skids wile keeping the body inside.
When I started my aerial shoots (a long time ago!) I was making the mistake of bending too much outside, it is a beginner's mistake that is not only very safe but especially technically bad.

“Very safe”, did you mean that?

Asher

 

[nicolas claris]

“Very safe”, did you mean that?

Asher

I said " is not … very safe"

 

[nicolas claris]

What software do you use?

Asher

Shoot raw, developp in Ligthroom CC

 

[nicolas claris]

Also be very carefull with light metering, shooting from above with sunny weather is tricky…
A lot of drone shot with auto metering brings burned whites…
As the drone is moving around, the scenery changes all the time, so does the light…
If the operator is not very experienced (you don't know in advance!) ask for auto-metering but have a setting of metering with -0,7, you will have some room for adjusting eventual underexposed pics…
Recovering burned whites may show difficult…

 

[Asher Kelman]

I said " is not … very safe"

Haha! The “only” is used up with the word “only”!

 

[Asher Kelman]

Shoot raw, developp in Ligthroom CC

For photoprogrammetry?

 

[Asher Kelman]

Also be very carefull with light metering, shooting from above with sunny weather is tricky…
A lot of drone shot with auto metering brings burned whites…
As the drone is moving around, the scenery changes all the time, so does the light…
If the operator is not very experienced (you don't know in advance!) ask for auto-metering but have a setting of metering with -0,7, you will have some room for adjusting eventual underexposed pics…
Recovering burned whites may show difficult…

Great to know!

I am using the pictures to make a 3D model with Pix4D.