November 16, 2011

Sydney


Two days ago, I turned 20.

     As a birthday gift to myself I had gotten tickets to see Bright Eyes live in concert in Sydney. I made my way there by bus (a 3.5 hour trip). While I was in Sydney I met with Ally for the first time and we had a small photoshoot. She is such a lovely person, inside and out. Unfortunately the 37 degree weather meant I really hadn't the stamina to shoot for very long.



     The concert was magical. I didn't bring my camera with me because I wanted to focus on the show (plus I don't think they allowed semi-professional cameras into the venue.)
      Conor Oberst touched my hand, and played some of my favourite songs. I left the theatre filled with admiration and a strange sense of hope that I would one day have such an impact on people - through photography, or whatever - because I need to. Life is so fleeting. 



     The next day, I had breakfast/brunch with another friend I had only spoken to online. Meeting for the first time, I was surprised with how well we got along and how amazing it felt to talk to someone so freely and carelessly. There's no substitute for a truly meaningful conversation.

     Afterwards I met with twins Rachel and Christine Chung and had another mini photoshoot. The girls were so nervous, but they were fantastic. I haven't edited those shots yet, but they'll be up on my facebook page / flickr as soon as I do.

     In the past two days I've had some of the most unforgettable and life-changing experiences in my life so far. I've not felt this inspired in a very, very long time. 

I hope everyone else is doing well,

Danièle
xx

November 02, 2011

FAQ


Since I get quite a few questions via different mediums (Tumblr, Formspring, Flickr, Blog comments) I thought I might compile a set of them and keep them altogether. There's a link I added down the right of the page for future reference.

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(via Tumblr) Anonymous asked: 
Can I blog your photo(s)?

     I get this question a lot. I don't mind people blogging them as long as there is credit given and a link to my website/flickr!

(via formspring) Anonymous asked: 
what websites do you use? links?

     Tumblr: http://lymerence.tumblr.com 


(via formspring) Anonymous asked:
Do you shoot in RAW or JPEG and do you always use your 35mm or do you have more lenses? 

     I tend to shoot JPEG so there's less data to deal with - usually when I'm shooting self-portraits or just-for-fun photoshoots. When I am shooting a proper shoot (especially paid shoots) I will shoot RAW and bring along extra memory cards! The main thing is if you are doing any post-processing (or think you will) then I would recommend you shoot with RAW. You lose a little bit of quality each time you edit and save over a JPEG so shoot RAW to save quality. For the past year and a half I've only been shooting with my 35mm - simply because I don't feel like changing it. I'm quite comfortable with a prime lens and zoom lenses feel really odd in my hands now! I do own a 18-105mm though. It came with my D7000.

(via blog) 'daniele martinie fan' said... 
Im going to take photos for my school magazine (probably next week). I have always wanted to this and finally my dream has come true. This is first time im doing it & I’m very excited. But im nervous as well. Its all about portraits & nature. So i am hoping to get your suggestions/tips about how do you take yours


     That's great! It's all about practice and finding your style and your 'feel'.
     For portraits, I suggest you take photos of anyone and everyone to practice getting the right angles, lighting, poses etc. Lighting is really important. When you look at people in general you won't notice things like shadows and angles, because our visual system ignores that information. The camera picks all of this up so you have to train yourself to notice the little details (it can make all the difference!)
     For nature, I guess I tend to look for patterns. Plants tend to follow perfect mathematical rules of symmetry that can be very striking in a photograph. Again lighting is always important and can be used to your advantage. For example, try looking out for patterns of shadows cast by trees.

(via formspring) Anonymous asked: 
Do you know any good free Lightroom presets?

     I use presets of my own, and mostly tweak it after applying them. Each individual shot would be differently exposed etc. so it's not always helpful using a preset! You can download some of the ones I use here: http://www.danielemartinie.com/downloads.html 
     Otherwise, maybe peruse some photography blogs for presets that other photographers have recommended/uploaded.

(via formspring) Anonymous asked:
Would ou recommend a 35mm prime lens for fulll body portraits? 

     It depends where you're shooting and how close you can get to the subject. Anything wider than a 35mm will make your subject look distorted (like exaggerating their nose or other features) particularly if you're standing close to them. I would probably go for a 50mm or 85mm prime, or a zoom within those ranges. That gives you the flexibility of positioning yourself according to your surroundings i.e. studio vs. field.


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If you also have a photography-related question, ask me here and I'll be happy to answer it!

November 01, 2011