I stumbled across this image from 2012 recently and for a good few minutes I couldn’t remember where it was… or what it was. The keyword suggested maybe a bank (“banke”) but then it hit me… Hotel Banke! Well done Hotel Banke, cool foyer.
This is the beach in Nice, France and it seems to me to be one of the worst places to try and fish… well, obviously from a scenic point of view it’s a lovely place to fish but busy, noisy, filled with the remnants of the day’s sunbathers. If you were a fish would you choose here or just along the coast?
Next up from the Earth’s Landscapes Alive: Genesis Series is “Game of Thrones. France.”
Mont Saint-Michel is one of my favorite places to visit in Normandy. It’s always captured my imagination because, as I a kid, I loved castles. Well, I still love castles. While not exactly a castle, this location is very special because when the tide comes up, this whole place becomes an island. There are many reports of people dying trying to get off the island as the tide is coming in. (Give it a sec to load 🙂 )
Continuing the theme, here is another image from the special animated creations for the recent drop on OpenSea.
What a crazy couple of days! Those of you who read the last newsletter or some recent posts will know that I launched a new collection of NFTs on OpenSea this past Tuesday. It’s my fourth drop overall after some experimentation previously on Foundation, MakersPlace and another on OpenSea. They were all great learning experiences (and exceeded expectations) and this week was no different.
The short version is that in 2 days, split over the 50 Cities/NFTs in the collection, over $1million USD was processed. My thanks to any of you who got involved, it’s really incredible and we are full of gratitude. Today, along with there being some items still available on the first and secondary markets, there are 4 auctions ending (LA, Moscow, Tokyo and Paris) if you want to get involved in the fun.
As I’ve mentioned in previous mails, I think NFTs are certainly something artists and collectors should be getting involved with now. The potential is huge, and I think it will be a big part of the art world in the future. That, along with giving back to other artists, is why I’m now investing in other NFT projects. I know it can be a bit daunting though, so I’ll be producing a bunch of how-to videos and recaps of my experience so far for Passport Subscribers. There are already 3 or 4 available which can be viewed after signing up ($9.99 a month, cancel any time, and on top of those NFT videos you get access to all of my tutorials to stream, preset downloads, eBooks and a weekly video which can be anything from processing tips to behind the scenes of helicopter rides in 360.). Once you’re in there, check this page for quick links to the previous NFT videos.
In terms of getting yourself involved in this drop… it’s fairly simple. You’ll need an electronic wallet (MetaMask is one that works with most NFT sites, others are available so definitely read some comparison articles). You’ll also want a way to get Crypto in/out from the “real world” and services like Coinbase are used for that (again, there are alternatives so do a bit of reading to see what’s best for you). If you’ve got questions, drop into my new Discord collectors group where there are a bunch of awesome, friendly people who will be happy to help. Feel free to join and just lurk or chat too as you ease yourself into this wild new world as a collector or creator.
*On re-reading this I just realised I automatically #’d NFT… too much posting on Crypto Twitter. Time to go take a solo lockdown walk…
Hey all you awesome Passport Members will get access to a new how-to video, just like every Sunday… or in this case, Monday. Today you’ll see my fairly extreme edit of this photo from Paris near the Louvre. Enjoy!
In today’s video, you’ll see me do a rather aggressive HDR treatment and then do some final alignment in Photoshop.
I took this around midnight one evening while I was meandering around Paris. It’s really such a beautiful city to get lost in. Here’s a hot tip, btw. A lot of times. these photos will come out quite “orange” so it’s good to set your camera’s white balance to Tungsten to push the colors back into the cooler area.
If you’re a Passport Member then you’ll see a fun sneak peek of an upcoming drop over there. I have a new strategy that will either be awesome or crash and burn. We’ll see! 🙂
Here’s a sneak preview of the drop and a little bit about the pricing strategy. I don’t really know if it will work or not. I have very low expectations… so I guess we will see!
In today’s area for Passport Members, you’ll see how I combined 5 raw files from my old Nikon into the final scene!
Today’s how-to is a pretty simple one. I chose to really emphasize the way the water looks and the reflections.
This is one of my favorite areas of Paris where the Seine splits to go around this island. As with most places in the city, I just randomly walk from place to place, getting lost, and trying to find new perspectives.
While on the bus tour across Europe, we made a quick stop in Nice for breakfast and a beach walk. The beach is super popular, but the only bad thing is there is no sand. It’s one of those beaches with big rocks that makes walking a little challenging, and certainly not smooth enough to lay out a beach towel and relax. Maybe the French people have inflatable things to lay on out there. I don’t know… I don’t understand the French. 🙂
