Cody in the Sand

Cody in the Sand
Originally uploaded by Anthony L. Solis.

The flip-flops with the tie just crack me up.

New model work

I Want You
Originally uploaded by Anthony L. Solis.

Elyse was happy with the last set of photos I did with her, so she wanted some more. This is her and her boyfriend Cody, who is also a professional skier. I spent about two hours with them at the beach and got some pretty good shots. This one was toward the end of the shoot. Elyse had grabbed Cody's tie and it looked great (she may have just been adjusting it for him). I had her grab the tie and pull him in closer.

More with Elyse

Elyse
Originally uploaded by Anthony L. Solis.

This was a candid moment I caught of Elyse. She was adjusting her hair and I just kept shooting. I had to do a lot of work with the skin tones once I converted it to black and white, and the background had to be darkened a bit.

I'm not sure if this is my favorite picture from our photoshoot, but it is my favorite pose.

A real photographer

Elyse
Originally uploaded by Anthony L. Solis.

I met Elyse through a co-worker and was asked if I would mind taking some head shots for her. She's a pro-skier and needs some pictures to give to prospective sponsors. I've never worked with a model before, but Elyse was nice and patient for me.

We ventured to downtown Santa Cruz where the clock tower gave me an interesting backdrop.

Boom

Boom
Originally uploaded by Anthony L. Solis.

I decided to take a photo from The Roots concert I hadn't posted yet and play with some tweeks. Here I blurred the background, changed the color and popped the foreground with a warming filter.

Say Hey (before and after)

Say Hey
Originally uploaded by Anthony L. Solis.

This photo had lots of work done to it. I made a four-tone blur map and added a lens blur to the image. I then used Selective Color to separate the tones better. There's a layer that darkens the edges and one that adds a cooling filter while masking out the ares that I used on my blur map. I wasn't going for a realistic look to this one. I tried to make it seem off, just a bit.

Candlesticks always make a nice gift

Candlesticks always make a nice gift
Originally uploaded by Anthony L. Solis.

Bull Durham fans will get it.

Looming Bridge with Palms

Looming Bridge with Palms
Originally uploaded by Anthony L. Solis.

A nice afternoon under the Bay Bridge in San Francisco.

Say Hey

Say Hey
Originally uploaded by Anthony L. Solis.

This photo had lots of work done to it. I made a four-tone blur map and added a lens blur to the image. I then used Selective Color to separate the tones better. There's a layer that darkens the edges and one that adds a cooling filter while masking out the ares that I used on my blur map. I wasn't going for a realistic look to this one. I tried to make it seem off, just a bit.

AT&T Park

AT&T Park
Originally uploaded by Anthony L. Solis.

I wish this day had turned out better but the Giants lost to the Dodgers and let L.A. clinch a playoff berth. God I hate the Dodgers.

Bush on Tap

Bush on Tap
Originally uploaded by Anthony L. Solis.

A spectator watches the 95th annual Bay to Breakers on Sunday, May 21, 2006, dressed as President George W. Bush while drinking a beer.

Roads of Perspective

Roads of Perspective
Originally uploaded by Anthony L. Solis.

This is a shot that I hadn't liked until I started to "fix it."

See the original here.

I fixed the distortion and cloned out the water bottle. I used a gradient map and channel mixer to convert to black and white.

I find it very interesting how well received this shot is. Really, the original shot was just uploaded to get a few more of my photos online. I never liked it or thought it was very good. I really only "fixed" it because I was bored. I still look at this photo and see how much I didn't like the original. I'm very glad that a lot of you do, in fact, like it.

Boats on the Wharf

Boats on the Wharf
Originally uploaded by Anthony L. Solis.

This is an oldy, but goody. It's from the first time I took my camera outside to take pictures. It's a photo I want to go back to, maybe at dawn, and try to get a better, or different, exposure.

Ordering prints

I've priced my prints, but I am still working on setting up a shopping cart. Head over to the order page to see the price list.

San Francisco

I went to the Giants game this weekend (I hate the Dodgers) and will hopefully have some of those photos posted here in the next few days. By the way, I hate the Dodgers.