Category Archives: General ramblings

For all the stuff that doesn’t fit elsewhere!

*Moving upward and onward!

by in General ramblings, Photography gear, Photography tutorials, Postprocessing techniques, Software tutorials / reviews and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment
backyard shenanigans

don’t worry, there were no kids harmed during the photoshopping of this image.

Hello everyone!  You may have noticed that I’m quietly adding content to the site.  This is being done to try and make a more complete resource for those visiting the site to reference specific tutorial articles or find gear reviews, etc.  The biggest changes are the new “Tutorial” “Review” and “MyGear” pages up at the top of the page.  I will be trying to catalog the more popular tutorials and reviews for easy reference, and the new gear page has allowed me to link certain cameras, lenses and miscellaneous gear that I use to my affiliate links at B&H.  Yup, you read that right.  I’ve finally succumbed to the monetary necessity of trying to make a little coin to keep the site going.  Read on for my reasoning and ever cheesy gratitude…

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*Problems reading this? You’re using Internet Explorer aren’t you.

by in General ramblings | 7 Comments

It has been brought to my attention that my site is difficult to read for certain folks due to the text shrinking down to a minuscule font size. Turns out that WordPress, (at least certain themes, mine being one of them) does not play well with IE (most complaints I’ve been able to find site IE8). A fix? Unfortunately not really, although make sure those of you choosing to use IE, to set your browser’s default text size to 100% and that IE 8 is not viewing the site in Compatibility Mode as this renders the site as if it was being viewed in IE 7, which might be causing problems. Of course, if you are using IE, you probably can’t read this :). You can always use Firefox or Chrome too, they’re both free, and probably more stable anyway.

I’m sorry for the compatibility issues, I will continue to try and find a fix, but it seems like IE is going to have to update its compatibility before these types of problems will go away entirely, unfortunately.

Cheers and happy shooting,

Tyson

*Shooting Levant for the ELK Collective

by in ELK Collective, General ramblings, Travel and tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

ELK - Levant

Portland has become a Mecca for young, inspired chefs. The relatively affordable overhead alongside a genuinely interested food culture makes for a ripe proving ground. Aesthetics and spacial design can be the difference between one restaurant’s success, and it’s failure as there are so many quality venues boasting inventive, unique or simple, well done fare. Scott Snyder the owner and chef at Levant recognized the need to design his space around his vision, and ELK obliged in spades.
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*Topaz Labs and 500px team up and offer discounts

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topaz

Any of you who have read my blog somewhat regularly know that I love and use Topaz plugins.  Topaz Labs offerings are realistically priced, and offer unique, quality plugins.  They now have a program set up through the end of March which offers 25% off any Topaz plugin or bundle and a 3 month gift code for 500px as well as a 10% discount for current Topaz users for upgrades to a 500px “Awesome” subscription (normally $50/year) which allows users to host and sell their images through their own, modified online portfolio and store hosted by 500px.  You can see all the Topaz plugins on offer by heading over the the Topazlabs.com website (click here) USE COUPON CODE “500px” at checkout to get the 25% discount and 3 month 500px gift account.  For existing Topaz users looking to upgrade their free 500px account to an Awesome account, use code 10AWTL at 500px.com upgrade page HERE.  For those not familiar with 500px, it is a very high quality photo community that enables members to share, and sell images through their own, user modified galleries and portfolio pages.  I’ve used the upgrade discount myself from my free account, and have spent a little time now getting to know the ins and outs and it looks promising 🙂

Here are a couple past articles outlining and reviewing my favorite Topaz Plugins:

Topaz DeNoise

Topaz B&W Effects

Topaz Clean

Using Topaz Clean3 as a Fractalius like plugin for Mac users

Happy shooting,

Tyson

*Shooting the Kennedy School

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the kennedy school

The historic John D. Kennedy Elementary School, in North East Portland, Oregon was given to the Portland Public Schools in 1913, finished and opened in 1915 and functioned as an elementary school until 1975.  For anyone residing in Portland, the name McMenamin is synonymous with appropriated derelict properties which are converted into theaters, restaurants, breweries, bars and hotels.  The Kennedy Elementary School is one of the more unique and enjoyable of the many, and continually growing list of properties owned and operated by the McMenamins which started as two brothers, raised in North East Portland, who opened the Produce Row Cafe in 1974, but I digress.  The Kennedy School (as it’s known to Portlanders) has a theater, multiple bars, a courtyard restaurant, soaking pool, gym and many guest and conference rooms, all residing within the original framework of this old school.   The Kennedy School recently built a new wing of guest rooms and I was asked to shoot the new hotel room additions for the company that handled this and other McMenamins property redesigns, my friends at WCI. Here are a few shots from the Kennedy School’s new hotel rooms.

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*Share the love, Alien Skin plugins 30% off!

by in General ramblings, Postprocessing techniques, Software tutorials / reviews, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

share-the-love

 

For the next week, Alien Skin is offering 30% off of all their wonderful plugins.  I use and love Exposure 4, Snap Art and Bokeh 2 personally and feel that Alien Skin does a wonderful job at providing a really solid product for the money.  You can download free trials of any of their plugins before buying if interested by going here Alienskin.com!  While you’re there, download their free iPhone app Alt Photo, it’s radical.

 

You can read more about my personal take on some of their plugins below:

Alien Skin Exposure 4, it just keeps getting better!

Alien Skin Bokeh 2!

Alien Skin Snap Art, release your inner artist!

 

They’ve also just released Eye Candy 7, which is a plugin that is gaining fanfare for graphic designers.  Unfortunately, I’m not a good person to ask about it, but it does seem to be getting a lot of praise, so it may be worth a trial for those interested in that type of stuff.

 

Happy Valentines Day to all, and I hope all is well for everyone.

 

Cheers,

Tyson

*Shooting a residential project for the ELK Collective

by in ELK Collective, General ramblings, Photography tutorials and tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ELK Collective Design

Interior design is something I rarely thought about until I started dating my wife years back.  Her eye, attention to detail, intentional purchases regarding furniture and design elements as well as a desire to shift everything in our home around on a regular basis has led me to gain a better understanding of the importance of personal space.  We spend so much time in very few places, which for most of us are our homes, offices and the like.  Mrs Squeeze’s ability to build a continuity of style in our home has allowed me to recognize nuances and features in other’s homes now as well.  My friend and fellow ELK Collective collaborator Megan and I spent a day documenting a residential project she has worked on over the last couple years.  It is a modern, warm and inviting space that balances linear design with an asymmetrical balance that certainly proves both fashionable and functional for a young family.  C’mon in to see more…

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*Published!

by in General ramblings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lensbaby macro converters published in new book

As many may know, I’ve done some testing and reviewing of and for Lensbaby in the past.  They even used a shot I’d done for a 6 month run in various magazines advertising the Lensbaby’s ability to key in on a “slice of focus” which was really cool.   Author Corey Hilz contacted me to gain permission to use another of my Lensbaby images in his new book “Bending Your Perspective, 2nd edition” which I happily agreed to.

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*Shooting tattoos

by in General ramblings, Lighting tutorials, Photography tutorials and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Tattoos by Josiah Laughlin Photography by TysonRobichaud

Shooting art can be a tricky task. Replicating the colors, texture and vibrance all while lighting it properly and controlling detail ruining reflection is challenging. Every canvas provides it’s own nuances and unique elements needing to be worked around, especially a canvas that is 3 dimensional and isn’t entirely static. All of these tattoos are original works by my friend Josiah Laughlin. He tattoos here in Portland, Oregon at Imperial Tattoo, and this is an ongoing series we’re collaborating on to document his portfolio. C’mon in to see more of his work and read through diagrams on how I shot them.

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*Shooting Xico PDX, Southern Mexican cuisine and Mezcal

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Xico on Division

With the aroma of freshly made corn tortillas and chile rubbed rotisserie chicken wafting through the warm and inviting space occupied at 3715 SE Division Street in Portland, you may just find yourself transported to a lighter and more festive locale.  Xico (pronounced “Chico”) is a respite from the grey winter gloom reflecting off of the wet Portland sidewalks, there to warm and whet your appetite.  For those who’ve not been fortunate enough to spend time in Mexico, you should go ahead and just take my word for it, it is the next best thing.  For those who have, this restaurant combines elements of traditional homemade southern Mexican dishes with the libations to accompany them providing a great way to relive past travel memories.  I was contacted by Liz Davis, manager of Xico, to shoot some of the authentically inspirational culinary creations that she, chef Kelly Myers, and owner Daniel Thomas have brought to life here.  I’m a self admitted non food photography professional, but with some other recent restaurant type work fit firmly under my belt of late, I was excited by the challenge and after meeting with both Liz and Dan, I knew that their vision was something I wanted to help capture for them, the fact that they fed me and gave me liquor didn’t hurt either.

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