Phil's Photos - New photos and new gear - 12.18.07

[PhilHolland]

Well as some of you noticed it's been a long time. A very long time. I apologize for that and I promise I'll be more active here in the future with crits, posts, etc. I live a busy lifestyle (who doesn't) with a full time career in film, a freelance artist, photographer, and director, and I think I still have a somewhat healthy social life

I'm starting a new thread with some of my work from the last few months. I'll keep it brief and just say that I haven't done very much freelance work this year (compared to last year). I decided on creating photographs for the reasons I wanted and working on projects that seemed interesting to me. It's been rewarding and challenging. I'm working to improve everyday much like my painting.

I have couple little tutorials and things I'll put up soon too.


p01 - Ice and Fire - This is an experimental abstract piece that I'm currently trying to get put up at the Getty.
Click here for the whole gallery.


p02 - Out of Black - I started a series of landscapes that emit a similar mood. This was my first successful attempt in my mind.


p03 - Cant - I experimented a bit more and this photograph.....


p04 - Ingression - and this photograph pretty much show exactly what I'm going for.


p05 - Feather


p06 - Lamp Shade


p07 - Jagoda


p08 - Alley Cat - Taken in Canada.


p09 - Blue Fox Drive-In - I just sold a 120 inch of this print and I love seeing prints that large. There really aren't many drive-ins left and seeing a single screen one is a pretty bizarre thing. The movies playing were X-Men 3 and Posieden and you can read that on the big print as well as the snack bar in the back there.


p10 - Whidbey Lagoon


p11 - Whidbey Ebb Tide


p12 - The Getty Villa - The Getty Villa re-opened this year. There's more photos on my site from there.


p13 - Stephanie


p14 - Olivia Accordian - No flamingos were harmed. Honest.


p15 - Bellybutton Thief


p16 - Amber


p17 - Dream Weavers - The title card says it all, but I was really interested in creating a conceptual abstract piece and producing this photographically. This would have been easy to paint honestly, but I wanted to make this real.
Click to see the images


Click to watch movie
p18 - Exemia - This is a completely abstract film I made. Just experimenting.


Click to watch movie
p19 - Santa Monica Pier 06.01.06 - This one is more of a documentary/theme piece.


p20 - Tweehouse

Finally my most recent work.


p21 - The Victorian


p22 - Tiny Tree


p23 - Exodus


p24 - Harbinger


p25 - Big Boy Spike - I made this dude when I was 5 and never really photographed him. When people come to my place I always get asked about him. Basically I used to go to Bob's on Friday nights, which was hot rod night. They sold these banks. One night we went there after I saw Gremlins and bought this giant Spike doll. But his was rubber and his body was rigid plastic and sort of sucked. So I basically ripped off their heads and created this mutant that now guards my home.


p26 - Cake


p27 - Amanda Sweets - More here from the shoot


p28 - Maggie


p29 - Maggie Bubbles - More here from this shoot

There's a great deal more on my site. phfx.com

And a wee bit of a life update for those who know me. I'm still with Rhythm and Hues (7+ years!). We are finishing up on Night at the Museum right right now, we are knee deep in Evan Almighty and preproduction has started on The Golden Compass. It's going to be an exciting year here and it's really been a fun one for me so far.

After so long all I can say is hello again. It's good to be back.

Phil

[Le Gab]

It's great to have you back!

Not much to say, i'm quite speechless. Most of these i know from phfx.com and eatpoo.com. What I, for one want to see is really new stuff.

Really digging the mood landscapes. Are they shot in hdr? The toning is quite rich for rgb.

Cheers!

[klips]

pld:

That about sums it up. You have the most incredible composition and colour balance, it shows me a lot about where I need to improve my skills. Thankyou for posting these, I am sure to return!

[eazym]

Wonderfl landscapes

[Apfe]

wow! I really really like your photos, they all have some kind of special feel/mood. How do you do you accomplish that? Is it due to your camera/lens, or do you do it in photoshop? I bet especially pic. 02-04 didn't look like that from the camera

I have watched the old photos that you have posted here some time ago, like a zillion times You are somehow able to make even a simple picture of someone's face stand out extremely much!

I you have the time, I would appreciate any tips of how to make my photos seem just a little more professional. They all seem a little dull like anyone could have shot them with any camera...

My camera is a Canon 350D with the standard 18-55mm lens - should I use flash for my portraits, and should I shoot in the RAW-format?

Thank you in advance

[stine]

wow. just wow.
great stuff. those landscapes are just stunning and your portrait work shows so much personality and emotion. flawless. thanks a ton for sharing!

[sezcat]

woah.

[andres_pad]

*dies*

[born_stubborn]

i second everybody before me...like...fuck .. ur good

[JustinBeckett]

Amazing work like always Phil, Can't say much more. Your a true inspiration to me, everyday.

I am a regular to your website but i thought i would let you know these are great by posting here. Can't wait to see what else you come up with.


~JB

[Oblio]

look who's back. i kept score with your website.. but .. i never got to say that i missed you
i hope all it's cool for you, frate.

oh.. 1st november.. we'll be back with the self portrait day... plan it already - i want to see your mug there twice (photo and painting )
see you soon

[Morbid]

It's all awesome. My favourites have to be Ingression and the abstract movie, the rotating smoke in slomo was pretty awesome. Hope you'll post again soon!
I would be very happy to hear some info on the abstract work, or is it a secret?

[ukanfoff]

wow, some day ill get to that level someday...

[PhilHolland]

Le Gab - New stuff it is then!

klips - Thanks. Study illustration more than photography when it comes to composition and color. It will help speed things up

eazym - Thanks!

Apfe - Mood is generated from composition, light, and color. So some of that is accomplished with the lens, some in photoshop afterwards. Most of it comes from composition and light. I checkout out your work here on CA. I think my biggest advice to you would be to explore your subjects, compositions, and framing a bit more. Find an interesting contrast in your foreground and background. Separate your colors and textures. When you really focus on the subject itself your photos will "pop" a lot more.

stine, sezcat, andres_pad, born_stubborn, ukanoff - Thanks!

JustinBeckett - Thanks man. I work hard at creating something new everyday. That keeps me alive I guess.

Oblio - OBLIO!!! Man I miss you guys. I may have to get into the self portraits again. I haven't drawn myself in a long while.

Morbid - Thank you. Well I'll give you a hint. That's certainly not smoke!

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This updates for the gents!

At work and need to make the typey quick. (cracks fingers) I'm currently working with a burlesque show in Beverly Hills. The club they are showing in is called Aqua. It's a glitz and glamour hollywood dive. I went there one time and witness a photographer getting tossed out of the club because photos are not allowed and they protect their clients rights. However, I'm working for the ladies and get the privilege to shoot in there. As some of you may know I cut my teeth doing low light band work a few years ago and I always said that was difficult to shoot. However, this is FAR more so. Low light, changing lighting conditions, fast movement, and almost zero mobility for me while shooting. In fact I'm in the pillow pit with the crowd and am crouched, laying down, kneeling the whole gig. You can't really block the crowd from viewing the show. I saw the show opening night and knew it was going to be a challenge. I don't really shoot events like this anymore but the dancer I who knows me is extremely passionate about her work (she choreographed the show) and I enjoy working with people who give it their all. I will be shooting the event itself a few more times and I'll be doing some other photo shoots with the dancers of the show.


B_01


B_02


B_03


B_04


B_05


B_06


B_07


B_08


B_09


B_10


B_11


B_12


B_13


B_14


B_15


B_16


B_17


B_18


B_19

There's a bazillion more photos on my site. I'll have more work to show soon. Night at the Museum and Happy Feet are pretty much done and I'll have a little bit more time on my hands.

Cheers!

[Apfe]

wow, once again an impressive update, Phil! Your photos are just so unique and creative compared to many others (mine aren't an exception at all).

thank you for your tips, I will try to have that in mind next time I go shoot!

The photos I've posted here (until just now) are quite old, and all shot with a compact camera, so they are nothing special. I was very new at photography back then - and still am - so I still just experimenting and learning

If you have the time, I would really appreciate if you had a look at my newest work: http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=80548

I hope there is any progress to track

[mollyduker]

What you manage to do in terms of lighting always amazes me. Especially those landscapes. I love looking at your work! Completely inspiring. Out of Black and Ingression are my favorites. Thank you for sharing your work!
-Mollyduker

[Le Gab]

Breath taking, man!

So, please tell us more. What lenses are you using? Do you shoot semi tele? I guess not since it looks like a preety dark place, so you need all the light you ca get. What aperture are you shooting at?

B10 and B16 are my favorites. Not neccesarelly the best, there are others even better but the fact that the dominant ligth gives them a certain color hue makes me like.

Really cool update!

Give more!

[klips]

Once again a masterful set, although you show up in B_04 . What range of settings are you using in this light?

[PhilHolland]

Apfe - Thank you so much. I'll go and take a gander.

mollyduker - Thank you. If you like the landscapes then this update's for you.

Le Gab - Here's the info you want sir. I have 20 lenses now, but for the Blackout photos I used a 35mm f/1.4L, a 50mm f/1.4, and a 85mm f/1.2L. I shot wide open to about f/2.8 for the low light stuff. In general I shoot with primes way more than zooms. I only own two zooms.

klips - Other than what I metioned to Le Gab up there I was shooting at ISO 400-800 with shutter speeds ranging from 1/60th - 1/500th of a second. Just depends.

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Here's a mixed bag of nuts.


nov01 - The Getty. I'm always here drawing and studying. This particular day I was studying skin tones from Bougereau, landscape palettes from Cole, and light from Gerome.


nov02 - Santa Monica, Washington Pier at 5am. If you look closely you can see that guy who is actually trespassing on the ladder. That gate isn't supposed to be open either.

The next four shots are from my fictional reality landscape thingie. There's actually a huge theme to these, but the basic idea is that these are very real landscapes, but made to look rather surreal. They are mostly directed towards evoking certain emotions.


nov03 - Tetanoid.


nov04 - Felter.


nov05 - Septicity.


nov06 - Terrene. (about 10mm)

Those are in the same project as the Ingression, Cant, and Out of Black pieces.


nov07 - Harvest Moon. At 5:35am. The moon was huge this night. Also shot in Santa Monica.

Toby shot his final project for NYFA this weekend. I played a mobster thug. (I'm always that guy btw)


nov08 - Julian plays Jimmy the snitch.


nov09 - Toby directing. Notice his index finger technique. Very important.


nov10 - Julian after I beat him up.


nov11 - Jaime as a POLICE officer. He's undercover.

Also, last but not least I went to Michael Hussar's opening night of his Red Red Robin gallery show. Michael is an amazing painter and his work is very much worth seeing in person. For those of you in the Los Angeles area you should go take a look. He's showing at the Mendenhall Sobieski Gallery (link) until December 10th.

nov12 - There are more photos from the show here.

Cheers, hugs, and sucker punches.

[Lauren Short]

fuck yea

kickass 10mm shot, and nice exposure of the moon. what were your settings for that one? (i usually try to expose the moon at daylight exposure but not too sure if it'll work to the same effect as your pic)

[Le Gab]

Brilliant, just brilliant!

[morf]

i really like your stuff! way you use colors and everything. keep them coming, i want to see more.

cheers
-morf

[m@.]

Wow, so much beauty here, great inspiration!

[PhilHolland]

injection223 - Ah. There's a trick here. It's essentially a high dynamic range photo. The trick is multiple exposures.

Le Gab - Thanks.

morf - Thanks. More is here.

m@. - Thank you.

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Well I've been talking about doing this shoot for around a month and we ended up shooting this bloody thing at 1am, but I'm glad it's finally finished. This is a one off concept and it took way longer in post than it should have.


von01 - Aluminum Man and Dragon Boy. The final image. Click here for bigger.


von02 - I took a few candid shots while we set up. I ended up recruiting Julian to be Aluminum Man because Jay said he could come play. Toby eats pizza.


von03 - This is the first time I've ever wrapped a man in aluminum foil. As you can see he was really happy about the whole thing.


von04 - Toby is happy about his fire stick.


von05 - Ah. Useless trivia. I was a member of the Cousteau Society many moons ago. Shoulder deep into it. This book is from my full collection that I still have from when I was a child. I chose the submarine cover as a nod to Wes Anderson's film Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. "What happened to Jacqueline? She didn't really love me." This movie hit close for me. If you haven't seen it yet please do. It's extremely good.

Here's a few more from the Spring City enviroments. These take a bunch of work.


von06 - cruor inflorescence


von07 - atop substratum


von08 - ternion - Some of you have seen this in another form. I need to put up a higher rez one of these. All of the blueish white colors are emitting from individual flower buds. You can't really see that here.


von09 - widowed fringe


von10 - vanished byway

Hope you like them.

[ukanfoff]

GREAT SHOts.n editing

damn.. i gotta get into photoshop a lot more.
damn.. i shoulda taken photo major instead of traditional illustration for 5 years..
damn damn damn....

[PhilHolland]

ukanfoff - I wouldn't say that. I do come from an illustration background. For me painting, photography, and film making are all in the same mental space for me. All of the rules of composition, color, rhythm apply across the board. And I'd even say having an illustration background pushes you ahead in many ways versus a lot of photographic courses. For the Aluminum Man and Dragon Boy photo I sketched out a thumbnail about a month ago before I took any of the photographs.

Quote me on this.

Think less about the medium and more about the image.

[ukanfoff]

wow food for thought.. thanks man..

yea thats true. less on medium and more on image..
i did the art thing in sf academy of art.

i learned a lot though.. but painting and illustration isnt me.. but i still do once in a while.



,self taught in photo cause i dont wannt spend anymore time in college .,yea in some ways i carry over the painting stuff to photo.


what kinda editing u used in p04? hue and burn tool?

ukanfoff - I wouldn't say that. I do come from an illustration background. For me painting, photography, and film making are all in the same mental space for me. All of the rules of composition, color, rhythm apply across the board. And I'd even say having an illustration background pushes you ahead in many ways versus a lot of photographic courses. For the Aluminum Man and Dragon Boy photo I sketched out a thumbnail about a month ago before I took any of the photographs.

Quote me on this.

Think less about the medium and more about the image.

[Lauren Short]

awesome shots once again. your illustrative/portrait shots are always solid

multiple exposures you say? so is it a composite of images then? it sounds pretty intriguing

[claudeEGYPT]

von08 & von09

Please post the high resolution, i am also interested in knowing what kind of lighting you had + how far did your photoshop touch ups go on these?

[PhilHolland]

ukanfoff - Even though it's not for you, you're still pretty good! I never burn. p04 is a combination of color correction, multiple exposures, and some layer masks. That's the basic idea.

injection223 - Thanks! Look up "high dynamic range imaging" on google. That will start you on a long journey.

claudeEGYPT - I'll put some high res shots up soon for ya.


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I hope everybody had a good Thanksgiving. Last Thanksgiving I went on an overnight hike/shoot. I shot the sunset at one location and the sunrise miles away. (And then had to walk back -> doh!) This and this were from that. Last year there was nice weather and the hike was illuminated by the full moon. Plus it was territory I grew up in and was extremely comfortable with.

This year's Thanksgiving was a very different experience. 20 to 30 degrees fahrenheit in thick fog and terrian that I was not familiar with. I even came across an emu while shooting these. There were several locations. Scorched earth, frosted soil that cracked under your feet, and ancient oaks.

These will be my last nature landscapes in 2006.


1. Valley of Cessation - Click for bigger.


2. Gray Colossus - Click for bigger.


3. Somber Exequies - Click for bigger.


4. Forsakened Fixtures - Click for bigger.


5. Cultivated Cadaver - Click for bigger.


6. Enduring Survivor - Click for bigger.

Phil