Bringin' film back

If you've been following my blogs you know I'm on this crusade to shoot more film (as opposed to digital photography). For some reason I thought it would simplify my life but it's a pain in the ass to process the film, then find some where that will actually print from the negatives. Only the local universities have darkrooms that will allow you to do that. But the nice part is your shooting FILM!
The color is 1000 times better. The quality is unrivaled. You have to actually pay attention to the scene and anticipate how the light is affecting the exposure. The funny part was every time I took a picture I looked at the back of the camera expecting to see the shot I just took. What a nasty habit I've created. Anyway, it was the first time I shot with this particular film camera since college, the Nikon N90. So excited to see it still worked and wasn't leaking light, haha. Images came out amazing. Now I just have to find a darkroom.
 
 

A sunday in the studio

Here's the set up....
 

Here's the result....


 

Need I say more?

A fly on the wall

Tampa's lack of creative food and beverage concepts can sometimes be..uninspiring. I think most "Tampanians" are overwhelmed with the large number of chain restaurants in the area that demand for unique food joints just isn't there. And the worst part is people are actually satisfied with these chains.
I recently moved into downtown Tampa with hopes of being exposed to a little more restaurant culture in downtown, Ybor and surrounding neighborhoods. I think I've found my first one. 
I've known about The Fly Bar for sometime now but just recently started going (about 3 times now). Every time I'm met with awesome food and drinks. Even the art work in the bathrooms (below image) is awesome! I wish there were more places like this where art and music are celebrated in a restaurant/bar setting. 
 

It's gettin' Clammy in here..

I really hate the word clammy. But anyway...Let's talk photography.
Classic beauty lighting aka the "clamshell". What is it? Simple. One large soft box over head and one smaller (or similar size) soft box at a much lower angle (of course these don't have to be soft boxes, but as you know they provide "softer" light). Positioned just right, the two lighting sources form the shape of a...you guessed it, clamshell. This technique gives the subject a nice texture to the skin and provides a nice sparkle in the eye. I usually set the top light 1-2 stops hotter than the bottom.  

The above image shows the classic set up for clamshell lighting. Notice I also have backlights flashing behind me. Depending on the look you're going for these can add another dimension to the image. 

The image to the left shows the clamshell setup using back lights to highlight the sides of the face. Yea this may be a bit extreme but sometimes head shots can be so boring. Don't be afraid to add in a bit of flavor every once in a while. 

Notice here the back lights are turned off and the back ground was given a bit of light. These examples used the same clamshell lighting technique but yielded two different results. Have some fun. 

A 4000 year old drink

 Photography by Dylan Melcher. 

There's a few things the Chinese do right; Mass production, modern day Communism and green tea. How do I know? I spent over 200 days in Tianjin, China- a little city outside of Beijing with 13 million residents. And I consumed a lot of green tea. But since I've been back in the US I reverted back to pounding coffee 4 times a day. But today I tore open a pack of Bigelow's Green tea w/ Peach and I'm lovin' it. It sparked my interest a bit on the benefits and drawbacks. When I googled it, I was met with a slew of information on the benefits.. Helps prevent cancer, helps fight acne, helps in weight loss etc. But as the adage goes, everything is good for you only in moderation..
According to http://www.newscientist.com/, "While the polyphenols in green tea are credited with preventing heart disease and cancer, it seems they can cause liver and kidney damage if consumed in very large quantities.."
So, just keep your green tea consumption to a moderate level. 

Cheers!