2011 NYIP Holiday Video Awards

Just when you thought it was safe to watch online videos, along comes the 2011 NYIP Holiday Video Awards.... In the spirit of the season, we chose the following videos in a number of specialty categories, and congratulations to all of this year's HVA winners. It's truly an online red carpet gala, and Happy holidays from everyone at the New York Institute of Photography!

 

 

 

Best Musical Extravaganza: Christmas Vacation Lip Dub from "Beauty and the Beast" National Tour

Cheesiest Christmas Video: Merry Christmas from Sharm el Sheikh

 

Most Magical Video & Still Photography: Cassandra Bromfield's 2011 New York Christmas Windows

 

Best Seasonal Promo Video by a Photographer: David Sanchez's Feliz Navidad 2011

Best Holiday Photoshop Application: Merry Christmas from Bruce Parsons

 Most Likely to Die Because of a Video: Santa Base from Team Jalapenos

Best Holiday Song Parody Performed by an Inn: 12 Days of Christmas - Snapdragon Inn Holiday Video

We're the New York Institute of Photography, a distance education school teaching photography since 1910 - over 100 years of knowledge and experience. Listen to the following podcast to learn more about who we are and what we do.

Audio Link: WHAT IS THE NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF PHOTOGRAPHY? [20:58M]

Taking Photography to the Streets (Down Under)

Shopping Rush - photograph for Melbourne Street website by Will Watt

The streets of Melbourne, Australia is a central subject for Aussie photographer Will Watt. You can see his work featured on the Melbourne Street website. In our featured video, provided by the always-excellent Shutterbugs group, Will talks about how he first became interested in photography (his tale will likely jar a few of your own childhood memories loose), what he loves about the streets of Melbourne, and how he likes to keep his work fresh and post a new photo each day on his website - this is a great goal for any photographer.

 

We're the New York Institute of Photography, a distance education school teaching photography since 1910 - over 100 years of knowledge and experience. Listen to the following podcast to learn more about who we are and what we do.

Audio Link: WHAT IS THE NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF PHOTOGRAPHY? [20:58M]

Photographer Meets Music Video

Photo by Jeremy Cowart

Still photography brings a moving dimension to our Video Pick this week. Jeremy Cowart's "They Will See God," is a moving tribute to individuals who have survived difficult life struggles and natural disasters. Born of the Nashville photographer's experience taking pictures of natural disasters in Haiti and Franklin, TN, Cowart's photographs capture the tragedy of devastation and the exhilaration of the human spirit. 

This socially conscious photographer is not alone, by the way. Check out Help-Portrait - they're a worldwide groundswell of photographers who give of their time, gear, and talent to give back to people in need.

Join the conversation on Twitter.  Follow along with Facebook.

Tune in on YouTube.  Visit the Official Site at NYIP.com.

Lots to Be Thankful For

Photo: Janika EvansAnother Thanksgiving is rolling around. It wasn't hard to find a featured video for our official NYIP holiday post. Thanks to Utah photographer Janika Evans, she created a stop-motion video that captures the beauty of the holiday with a spirited group of (photogenic) young children. 

All of us at the New York Institute of Photography are thankful for our curious and artistic students, our talented instructors, our amazing student advisors, and our Facebook, Twitter, and blog followers. We hope you and yours will have abundant food, lots to be thankful for, and teriffic photo opportunities this holiday season.

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Tune in on YouTube.  Visit the Official Site at NYIP.com.

Photographing Water Reflections to Mirror the World's Beauty

Photograph: Dichotomy by Stefano Corso
A still lake, pond, or puddle .. the reflections of solid objects in water ... that's been a favorite subject for countless painters and photographers. Capturing the shapes and colors of trees, rocks, and people in softer, muted hues is what reflection photography is all about.

There are many good tips about the best conditions and techniques for taking photographs of water reflections. Here are a few tips I snagged from a Photo.net forum string:

• The best reflection shots happen with well illuminated subjects against a clear blue sky. That means the sun should not be in front but in back of your position.

• Its often more interesting to have something in the water itself be visible, either by sticking or growing out of it. 

• Shallow bodies of still water make for excellent shots, including small ponds and even puddles.

• Use a tripod. Smooth out the water a bit with long (1 to 4 second) exposures. Stop down. Use f/16 or smaller for great depth of field. Expose for the reflection and then drop down on shutter speed.

• Polarizers are worthwhile when working with reflections because they help control the amount of reflected light you get. 

In my Video Pick for this week, I wanted to show some photographs that Suellen, an otherwise unnamed photographer from Canada, shot on a beautiful Thanksgiving Day on Lac Philippe in Quebec. I was struck by her skillful piecing together of the shorelines in multiple images - the strong line emphasizes the strength of the real-life shapes on top of the shoreline and the symmetrical-but-shimmering reflection in the water below. These pictures, even though taken of a still and quiet series of reflections, show tremendous drama, movement, and color. So go out and take some water-reflection pictures to capture the natural majesty of this colorful season!

Join the conversation on Twitter.  Follow along with Facebook.

Tune in on YouTube.  Visit the Official Site at NYIP.com.