"Connecting Ends" Thesis Exhibition

Connecting Ends is the name of our 2013 Thesis Exhibition. 

Location: SVA Gramercy Gallery 209, East 23rd Street, New York, NY

Reception: Wednesday, October 23rd, 2013, 6 – 8pm

On View: Thursday, October 23rd – Saturday, November 10, 2013

Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday 9am – 7pm, Saturday 10am – 6pm

This is our thesis exhibition featuring my 19 other classmates and I. On the reception night we had many famous people come which was exciting. I have some very talented classmates!  Below you will find portions of our thesis projects.  I've included a summary of each of my talented classmates and a link to their personal websites. I hope you enjoy seeing the talent!

Two Beautiful Daughters Shelly Au

Two Beautiful Daughters is a series of images depicting how China’s rapid growth has ushered in the destruction of history and communities. The artist finds hope and courage through the chaos and brokenness of demolition.

Where has Shelly been?

Like many blogs plagued by busyness, they die! Over the course of getting my Masters in Professional Studies from the School of Visual Arts in New York while holding a full time job left me zero time for a blog these past two years.

Now that I have finished my degree with honors, that my first group show in New York is up, and I'm one of three finalists in the 2013 Adobe Design Achievement Award student contest in the photography category, I feel like I'm ready to launch this new blog.

My vision is to help those of you who have a passion for photography and don't know what to do with it. I'm here to help you!

You ask: Shelly, why are you doing this when the competition is SO great with everyone having a camera?

ANSWER: because I believe in giving back! I don't want to be the photographer that hides his secrets but to help push you forward! I want to help change the world, and I'm not going to do it by hoarding my secrets!

So if you have any questions for my blog posts, please email me at: Studio@ShellyAu.com

Shelly Au, Katrin Eismann (Chair of the program and Photoshop Diva), Alice Kivlon:
Alice and I received the Paula Rhodes Honors Award

Tomorrow: I will talk about my group show and the amazing talent in our group show.

5 Take Aways from Week 4

1. In Lightroom: create virtual copies does not take up any space!  This alone is worth buying Adobe Lightroom 3.
2. In Lightroom create a normal processed image, then create a virtual copy and then BE CREATIVE!  You'll be surprised!!!  Really!
3. In my ISO TESTS, that shooting in ISO 800 had noise on my Canon 5D Mark II, but I was able to use the Noise Reducer in Lightroom and the image looked GREAT!!  I used to only go up to ISO 400 but now after all the tests, I feel comfortable bumping it up to ISO 800 if necessary.
4. That my Canon 5D Mark IIspot meter is 1/3 stop underexposed.  So that I should always overexpose by 1/3 stop.  Bottom line is when I shoot in Manual mode that I should always go right 1 click (1/3 stop).
5. Lastly, I've learned how to measure RGB and LAB values to determine the true speed of my camera.  And that each camera is different even if it's the same Canon 5D Mark II.  I'm sure you are saying "Shelly....what the heck are you talking about?".  Yes, I know!  I'll have to explain myself one day and show you my revised homework to explain how to find your true speed of your camera.

Hope this has been helpful for you all.  

Required Books for my Masters Degree in Digital Photography

Many of you have asked me to keep sharing about my things I've been learning from my Photography classes.  So I thought I've give you my required book list.  The cool thing is that you can download it straight to your computer and use the Mac or Windows PC App and read it on your computer.  Or you can read it on your iPad/Kindle.  Amazing these days being a college student with all your books fitting on your iPad.

Thank you Steve Jobs!  We will miss you!

(Also available for iPad/Kindle App for desktop/or Kindle itself)