Blog

4th of July

M. Duane Pyant — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:38:57 +0000

Danny Glover reads Frederick Douglass, "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" (July 5, 1852) from Voices of a People's History on Vimeo.

Form Follows Function

M. Duane Pyant — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:06:05 +0000

Beauty in design results from purity of function.

The form follows function axiom is interpreted in one of two ways–as a description of beauty or a prescription for beauty. The descriptive interpretation is that beauty results from purity of function and the absence of ornamentation. The prescriptive interpretation is that aesthetic considerations in design should be secondary to functional considerations. The axiom was adopted and popularized by modernist architects in the early 20th century, and has since been adopted by designers in a variety of disciplines.

Taken from a passage of the book, Universal Principles of Design.

Photography

M. Duane Pyant — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 22:28:48 +0000

There is something to be said of a great natural photograph. It invokes dialogue central to the subject. The viewer is left to ponder the complexity of the simple, as oppose to the superficiality of digital enhancements. The ubiquity of graphic pieces passed as photography has numbed us to what photography really is. Photoshop is a powerful tool, yet if left in untrained hands and minds, it yields a new subgenre of what I deem pseudo-photography. To the self-proclaimed photographer, Photoshop is not to be relied upon to create photographs, your camera is.

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra

M. Duane Pyant — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 15:39:10 +0000

I had a blast last yesterday. It started with attending the dress rehearsal in the morning. Christopher Warren-Green in his inaugural season as music director, lead the orchestra in a mighty program. The concert featured its concertmaster Calin Ovidiu Lupanu as soloist for Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major, Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Oveture, and selections from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet suites. I was fortunate enough to have met both Maestro Green, and Concertmaster Lupanu that day, and they were gracious enough to sign my program. I had the best seats in the auditorium. I wanted to be respectful as possible, so I only snuck a few pictures from my BlackBerry during the rehearsal, and one before the concert started.

Mastered Photography

M. Duane Pyant — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:24:41 +0000

Here I show the differences between mastered and unmastered images. Notice the differences between the top and bottom. The key areas of focus are here eyes, lips, skin and tattoos. Subtile changes make a drastic difference.

"Face Off"

M. Duane Pyant — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 07:48:14 +0000

I was reviewing some old pictures and came across two that had what the other was missing. In this video, I take the face of one picture, and place it on another. Click here if you are unable to view this on your mobile device.

Imahn and Starleigh: Pre-game

M. Duane Pyant — Sun, 23 May 2010 01:28:43 +0000

Last week I had an opportunity to partner with JNSQ Models, as they prepared for a fashion show. These two, Imahn and Starleigh modeled jewelry of a local area [Charlotte, NC] designer. These are a few pictures before the show.

In the chair early in the morning, Imahn is getting her hair done.

Starleigh, having already finished her appointment, discusses the next move with JNSQ Models owner Ana Ogbueze seated next to me.

After leaving the salon, we head over to the studio of renown make up artist, Joy Randall. She is seen here applying body paint and art to the model, along with her assistant, Johnatha Camp.

Joy is seen here finishing the back of the piece.

Johnatha places finishing touches on Starleigh's top.

We are ready to head out to the show.

Asahi Pentax

M. Duane Pyant — Tue, 04 May 2010 19:11:22 +0000

I purchased some new (kind of) equipment a few days ago. Some of the equipment dates back to the late 70's, yet works better than this new technology. If you have something proven, why not continue using it?

All photographs are taken with my DSLR Pentax K20D (2008- ), with an Asahi 50mm 1.7f manual lens. The camera featured in this photo is my 35mm Pentax Me Super (1980-1987).

Abstract, until you notice it is the mud under my Honda.

Just to give some perspective, I show you some more dirt...

This is when I cranked up the test, showcasing the depth of field of my lens. Notice how the shamrocks are blurred, as is are purple flowers in the back. Only few inches separate the purple flowers from the shamrocks, yet it seems farther. This is a real shallow depth. In conjunction with executing the rule of thirds, the focus is further narrowed to the lower left. By the use of depth and the rule of thirds, I capture my subjects with greater emphasis and control.

Notice how the honeysuckles in the middle are less than one inch apart, yet the blur is sharp. Sharp blur... what a paradox.

Color helps too in this example. If you know the name of this flower please inform me. Until then I will just call it an Omega plant.

Obviously the dog is the subject here. Your depth fluctuates depending on you proximity to your subject. I was standing at least 15 feet from the dog. This is a more deep image. Compare the sharp subject with the plastic gutter and wall in the back.

Case Study: Bunny Logo pt.I

M. Duane Pyant — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:52:53 +0000

Here, I create a bunny logo for my friend. The video is a part of a series illustrating, pun intended, the design process from concept to completion.

Case Study: Walls Memorial Capital Campaign Logo

M. Duane Pyant — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:56:02 +0000

Here, I employed minimalist principles in designing the official logo for a campaign of my former church.

This is technically a logotype, using text to make the logo. I used the acronym of the church, WM, and their colors burgundy and gold. Either way you turn it, the logo still reads WM. The bottom text however, sets the orientation, forcing you to read from burgundy to gold.

Making a Birdie

M. Duane Pyant — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:06:30 +0000

Spring time is here, and its prime time for golf. Get some clubs and call me. I don't, and can not spend all my time in front of my Mac, but I could spend all day on the course (of course)!

Prune Your Tweets

M. Duane Pyant — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:15:05 +0000

Last night I was editing my site and wanted to change how my tweets appeared. I could not access my Twitter profile for a while. That whale does not need to be carried by a flock of misguided birds. If all the unnecessary tweets would be deleted, and or if their post frequency would slow, Twitter would not act up (as much I suppose).

v., pruned, prun·ing, prunes.
v.tr.

To cut off or remove dead or living parts or branches of (a plant, for example) to improve shape or growth.
To remove or cut out as superfluous.
To reduce: prune a budget.

Noticing the default graphic whenever Twitter is overloaded, I decided to create a title graphic for this post. I used Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop CS3 for the project.

Layer Study

M. Duane Pyant — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:25:00 +0000

I manipulate three layers to create one image in Adobe Photoshop.

Visual Problem: Dark Eyes

M. Duane Pyant — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:41:27 +0000

This photograph was edited and posted to my portfolio last year, and is part of my remastering project. Here, I demonstrate a simple way to lighten a subject's eyes in Adobe Photoshop.