Sometimes it just hits you. I'm in the middle of a shoot last night with the fantastic Comedian, Writer, Guitarist, all around Artist, David Bowers, and we're trying a few looks, but nothing is coming. I'm not happy with the lighting, but even that's not what's on my...
Aleksandr Karjaka
The Masks We Wear
Halloween is around the corner and I'm seeing novelty and character masks in every Duane Reade/Walgreen's/Ricky's out here. Personally, I'm not one to try those on while waiting to buy some seltzer and a Reese's peanut butter cup at the Duane Reade across the street....
The Masks We Wear
Halloween is around the corner and I'm seeing novelty and character masks in every Duane Reade/Walgreen's/Ricky's out here. Personally, I'm not one to try those on while waiting to buy some seltzer and a Reese's peanut butter cup at the Duane Reade across the street....
The Imprint of the Print
Soooo I waited to write this post till today, and for good reason. I'm sitting in Hell's Kitchen wrapping up a meeting master printer, graphic designer, typeface and information layout specialist Matthew Maslanka of Maslanka Press. That beautiful Karjaka logo that you...
Curiously Cropping
"Fill the frame", he'd say in that Ukrainian accent of his. "Allllleks, look at this photo you took. The action, the story is over here, (pointing to the upper left hand corner of the photo) yet you chose to fill your frame with grass and nothing. Get in closer. Fill...
The Value of Your Website
Ok, so here's the rub... how do I cover this in three paragraphs and not overwhelm you or me by writing this. We've gotten quite a few questions about the new design and who did this dope work? The man of the hour is One Creative Tech, Mr. Jose Valenzuela. This got...
Pro Tips: Test Shoots And The ROI For Your Client
In the Karjaka household the motto was "Practice makes for improvement, not perfection." As artists or moreover, humans, we have a quest for perfection, secretly. I know I do. We search for the perfect brush stroke, financial portfolio, apartment setup, relationship,...
No iPhone Cover, No Problem. No Instagram Filter, No Problem.
I haven't used a cellphone cover for the last 5 years. Apple is a company focused on design, and the iPhone is one of their flagships. Sleek, Slender and Sexy. Why then would I put a cover on it? No longer sleek cover in this plastic shell, bulky in my pocket and,...
Feel the Frame Advance & Sound of the Shutter
My favorite feeling in the world is advancing a frame on my Nikon F. It's a manual advance and it sings to my heart each time I rip one over. The sound of the shutter opening is a close second. For me, on the other end of that frame advance is possibility. It's...
Not All Facelifts Are Bad
It's all about presentation. An update. A lift. No different than your own portrait timeline, I get a facelift every three years. Well... not me per se, but my website. The internet as a platform is constantly evolving, as is the quality of content being put out...