nido
tips for living a creative lifestyle
zine
eye candy
A look at the people and work that capture our visual world
In this issue ...
Atlanta photographer Neva Spell shares her personal views from behind the lens
We delve into our bag of tricks and come up with some of our favorite original PS brushes
Neva Spell was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. For the past 20 years, she has worked as a barber, owning and operating Norcross Barber Shop. The shop is her day job, but her heart belongs to photography. This is her story ...
(Click on thumbnails to open larger image)
My love of photography started about 30 years ago. I had always been a coloring book enthusiast as a kid, and while in college, took a drawing class that taught me the rules of perspective, and a class in color analyzing that taught me a lot about color theory.
My first camera was a Pentax Spotmatic F. Because it was completely manual, it forced me to learn the basics. While I struggled at times with the correct settings, I never stopped trying.
Going digital
My first digital camera was a Canon Power Shot G2. It’s a nice point-and-shoot camera but I wanted to step up, so I upgraded to a Canon 20D. Great camera! I shot with that camera for about two years until I decided I wanted to take my photography to the next level.
My philosophy has always been, you get what you pay for. That's why I bought a Canon EOS-1D Mark III. This is a powerhouse of a camera, with a very wide range of speed and ISO settings that allow me to do everything I want.
My inspiration
Since I started working with digital cameras, my main focus has been macro/super-macro, sports, abstract, and architecture. I would like to do more portraits and landscapes and experiment with altered art using my photos as the subject. I use Photoshop with several different plug-ins to manipulate my photos, but it all starts with a good subject.
When I photograph, I look for patterns, shapes, colors, lighting, and current trends/fads, all of which have to come together to make one good photograph.
If I could go anywhere and photograph anything I want, my three favorite subjects would be a daytime football game (I've shot night games, and believe me, if you can shoot football at night, you can shoot anything), western subjects such as horses and landscapes, and coastal areas such as Savannah or Charleston.
My biggest inspiration has been my fellow photographers on Flickr. Flickr is a neat way to meet people from all over the world who have the same interest. I can keep track of the work of other photographers, helping me learn new methods, styles, and techniques.
Getting serious
Neva's Equipment
Canon EOS-1D Mark III camera body
Canon EF 100mm F/2.8 Macro USM
Canon EF 85 mm 1:1.8 USM
Canon EF 70-200mm 1:2.8
Canon EF 100-400mm 1:4.5, 5:5.6
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 IS USM
Tamron 28-200 1:3.8-5.6
Sigma 17-35mm 1:2.8-4
Canon Extension Tube EF25
Manfrotto Mono Pod and Tri-Pod
I started getting serious about photography about 2 years ago and put some of my photos on the wall in my business to get feedback from my customers. As my talent has matured, I'm getting more commissioned work and have also sold freelance pieces. My biggest seller at the moment is my handmade greeting cards, though my goal is to get more of my bigger pieces in retail stores.
I belong to two artist groups that keep me busy with art exhibits. I find this a great way to get my work to the public and to get to know other artists.
My advice to anyone wanting to get into photography would be:
1. Buy a good camera. There are plenty of them out there, but keep in mind that your expense will be in the lenses, so start with one brand and try to stick with it so you can swap your lenses between camera bodies.
2. Study your manual and start shooting.
3. Get to know other photographers by joining local artist groups or Flickr Groups.
4. Read, read, read about photography. There are many great magazines and books on the subject. My favorites are those from England such as Digital Camera World and Practical Photography.
Hobbies and other crafts
In addition to photography, I enjoy needlepoint, cross-stitch, crewel, and sewing. I also love to write, and have started my own newsletters and written articles for newspapers.
More of Neva's images
(Click on thumbnails to open larger image)
To view more of Neva's work, visit her Flickr page, Neva Spell Photography.
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Photoshop Tips & Tricks
If you're like us, two things you can never get enough of are fonts and Photoshop brushes. That's why when we couldn't find what we needed in brushes, we started creating our own. The following are 5 sets of our original Photoshop brushes. You're free to download and use these brushes, though we would appreciate a credit back to nido-zine if you use them professionally.
NOTE: while these brush sets are zipped, some of the file sizes are large (as are the brushes), so if you're not using a broadband connection, it could take awhile to download them.
Set 1 - Fancyscript. Set includes 31 brushes
View brush set
Download brush set (422 kb)
Set 2 - Eqypt. Set includes 12 brushes
View brush set
Download brush set (789 kb)
Set 3 - Line art. Set includes 63 brushes
View brush set
Download brush set (4 mb)
Set 4 - Botanicals. Set includes 6 brushes
View brush set
Download brush set (2.9 mb)
Set 5 - Words. Set includes 20 brushes
View brush set
Download brush set (1.5 mb)
