Design Rehab

Inspirational?

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:44:36 -0500

Here is our newest member joining our rehab center. She is coming to us because of her overdose on Picnik.com, horrid use of the erase tool, and self proclaimed inspirational work.

Actual quote: “I love to take pictures. I love to catch moments that speak more than a thousand words, or drop you speechless. my goal: to inspire. =]

I’m an aspiring photographer, and I have been inspired. ;)”

Do you find their work inspirational?

Hire Inspiration Photography: We’ll erase part of your hand, jacket, dog, and hair. Don’t worry we realize this looks bad.

Actual quote: “don’t like how this one turned out….might edit it again ;)”

This technique inspires me to learn how to use proper editing techniques.

Hire Inspiration Photography: We love selective color but don’t know how to use it. We saw that your skin and the wall were both red so we thought we would bring attention to that.

Last but not least…..

Hire Inspiration Photography: …..or on a second thought, don’t.

brianlogan: So true am ! right fellow Designers!

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:54:35 -0500

brianlogan:

So true am ! right fellow Designers!

Do's and Don'ts

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:56:00 -0500

In portrait photography there are no black and white “rules” but there are do’s and don’ts. Here’s some examples:

Do:

Take photos in focus
Use good lighting
Crop your images
Try creative new things
Draw attention to the subject
Respect the artistic work of others

Don’t

Snap a photo without focusing on the subject
Use on camera flash for lighting
Distort your image by stretching them out unnaturally
Put your subject in a unrealistic environment
Cover the image with text and graphics taking attention from the subject
Use graphics that are under Federal Copyright laws

Are these photos following the do’s or the don’ts?

Real photographer making a living producing images like this. With a fast growing clientele. True story.

CAUTION! Baby on board but there is no photographer in sight!

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:41:00 -0500

CAUTION! Baby on board but there is no photographer in sight!

Angry!

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:54:00 -0500

I feel like the cookie monster threw up every cookie he ever ate and added Bella De Soto’s name to it. This website literally makes me angry.

I condensed the view of this website and you can see by the scrollbars I’m still only showing about half of the width of the page.

Web Designers: Don’t look at the source code. Just don’t. Inline styles galore!

You can edit the textareas, which are supposed to be used as input fields, but instead are used to display paragraphs. Also, the mailto’s in this website are a spammer’s dream, I can only imagine the mailbox of bella@bellads.info is never used and completely full.

I needed to give my pissed off eyes a rest, so I visited a site that understand user experience, calls to action, clear navigation, and a purpose:

http://boagworld.com/

Color, Lighting, Effects. Oh My!

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:43:00 -0500

Anyone can take one bad photo, but it takes true ignorance to take several, ruin the original color and put them into a portfolio.

Noticed the blurred vignette on the beautiful brick wall and the horrible shadows on this girls face. Nice model effect with the wind blowing, too bad this photographer could never get her a modeling job, any agency would think she has liver problems with how yellow she is.

Tip for Photographers: Color constancy and lighting is key! If you get those right you won’t feel the need to overcompensate with effects, vignettes, etc. When shooting be aware of your light source and when editing try for natural skin tones first.

View this link on how to correct skin tones among other things in Photoshop.

Digital Photography School Case Study

Bonus Image:

I’m watching you…

Just Because You Can...

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:04:28 -0500

Doesn’t mean you should.

We get making your point, but this has just gone too far.

One of the most important things to know in web design, is if you distract from a good user experience in any way, the goal of the website is immediately undermined and derailed. This person appears to care more about rainbows that could cause massive seizures than getting their message across. Oh and click on the door… we dare you.

Good Luck?

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:29:13 -0500

I’ve heard it’s good luck if it rains on your wedding day. I don’t think holding an umbrella on a sunny day counts. Next time turn them around and use a shade tree if it’s that hot of a day.

If you get stumped again check out The Wedding Blog of Darren Hull Studios for some wedding party posing tips.

Not All Logos Are Created Equal

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:20:38 -0500

Your company’s logo isn’t something to take lightly. Obviously. Consider someone who does quality work, as found on sites like Dribble, before choosing a graphic designer. We also suggest checking out their personal portfolio ahead of time. If your potential designer wants to just jump right in without understanding you or your business… run away.

As a Dribble nibble we give you the following logo made by Simon Walker.

Pink Monster Strikes Again!

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:21:46 -0500

Starting a photography business out of spite just creates more pink monsters. If you think starting your own photography business will save you money, think again.

20 Myths About Becoming a Pro Photographer.