xynn tii imagery.

College Sucks & Epic Hotel Pics

Not too long ago, I took some interesting night shots of and around a luxury hotel in dwntwn Miami called Epic.  I really look forward to sharing them but the school semester is coming to close and finals are approaching. It’s sad to say, but I’ll be the happiest guy in Miami when this semester ends. =_= Summer time in Miami is the best because an entirely new breed of photo opportunities come around, mostly on the beach. *Patience Xynn Tii, patience. ^_^

Venus: Where Have You Been All My Life?

Well, even though she received an irreversible spanking in the Women’s Finals of the Sony Ericsson Open on Apr. 3, she’s still the best in my book. c; Venus Williams would have earned her fourth Finals win at this event had it not been Belgium’s Kim Clijsters with the blowout; Yea, it was pretty bad. In fact, the match didn’t even last an hour. But personally, I saw it as a plus because it was a sauna out there and my skin tone is clearly not meant for long-term sunlight exposure. >_<

However, for others that paid hundreds of dollars for a ticket, the ass-whooping was a serious disappointment. Too bad; Maybe they’ll learn to play it safe by watching it on tv next time right? But beyond all the complaints, this photo opportunity was great and I really enjoyed myself. I was treated so well by the Sony Ericsson staff who registered me as press right on the site. c;

How Did I Make The Court So… Colorful?

I really wanted to spice up this photo by expressing, through color, how powerful Venus’s serve is. So I took to the court, literally. I added a gradient using the same colors that Venus is wearing within her outfit, to make the feature look like it belongs in the photo. So, that calls for my fav ➡ Color Efex Pro is seriously the best I’ve ever had. What was so great for me with this image is that I exposed myself to seldom-used presets of Nik Software. [By the way, Color Efex Pro is a Photoshop Plug-in, and it's really sexy to me!]

1. First, I used the quick selection tool and outlined Venus’s body, making it a separate layer from the rest of the image. This is to ensure the gradient effect will not expose to her shoes and legs.

2. Next, I outlined the part of the court in which I want the gradient to appear. In this case, the middle of the court will be the target. Once selected, I fired up Color Efex Pro and chose the preset called “Graduated User Defined”. You’ll definitely have to make some initial tweeks to the controls to get the gradient angle you want.

3. Finally, the photo needed some pop within the details, so I used the following presets to get everything just right: Contrast Color Range and Tonal Contrast. Pro Contrast was the last touch, which helps with color correction. c;