The Art We Breathe

Free MP3 Download - The Curtain Closes

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:36:00 +0000

I've decided to put my new song up for download. I am planning to release a full album at some point, so consider this a teaser.

Also, feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think!

To download, right click on the link below and click on "save target as" or "save link as" depending on your OS.

The Curtain Closes

©2009 Kevin Cloutier. All Rights Reserved.

New Music - The Curtain Closes

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 03:43:00 +0000

For those of you who do not know, I love music—I love to play it and I love to write it. I've always found writing music to be the perfect outlet to express what I'm feeling.

I recorded a new song tonight, hope you enjoy:

The Curtain Closes

HDR at Night

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:07:00 +0000

This is an HDR image processed from 4 photos in Photomatix and Lightroom. I wish I had gone a few stops darker so I could have retained more detail in the highlights of the building, but I was in a hurry ;)

This is my church, Impact Family Church in Alachua, FL. If you're in the area and don't have a home church, definitely come by! Check out the website for more info.

Road Trip - Winter Bible in Tulsa, OK

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 05:35:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I went on a road trip with a few friends to Winter Bible Seminar in Tulsa, OK. I decided to go with black and white images because I feel it portrays the timelessness of a trip like this where great memories are made. Enjoy!

Early morning after a drive through the night.

Steve at Waffle House.

The four of us at RHEMA Bible Church. Mike took the shot of me (3rd from left in case you don't know me...).

We rented a house for the week. This was the backyard.

At Cheddar's. The waiter was a...very interesting guy. Crazy hair...

Rainbow Panorama

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:32:00 +0000

(Click on the photo to view larger version)

I took this panorama several months ago but never got around to processing it. It's a stitch created from 17 photos.

Parking Lot HDR

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:48:00 +0000

(Click on photo to see larger version)

I took this photo quite a while ago, but I don't remember if I ever got around to posting it. It was taken in the Santa Fe College overflow parking lot. It's an HDR image made from 3 bracketed exposures. The flares in the streetlights are caused by the long exposures. I processed the shot using Photoshop CS2's HDR plugin (this was before I had Photomatix). It turned out well but it wasn't nearly as intuitive as Photomatix.

Road Trip: New Orleans and Texas

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:35:00 +0000

I just returned from a road trip to New Orleans and Texas with my family. We stayed two nights in New Orleans and then spent a week in College Station, TX visiting some friends of ours.

While in College Station, I met up with fellow photographer and blogger Sarah Giles. Check out her blog here: Butterfly Chaser Photography

My sister (L) and Sarah (R) at a coffee shop in College Station. It's not a great shot, and sorry for the blur—it was a last minute shot in a low light coffee shop ;)

Sarah showed me around Bryan, the city right next to College Station. She let me borrow her 50mm f/1.4 which is an amazing lens. My brother kindly tagged along to model.

Here's a few from the shoot:

Click Here to See a Gallery of Photos from the Trip

Angels We Have Heard on High

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 02:04:00 +0000

I've been working on an arrangement of Angels We Have Heard on High, so I figured I'd post it. It's recorded in Garage Band and it's not very polished, but I like it alright. Let me know what you think. (If you're reading this on Facebook or and RSS viewer, you may need to click here to listen to the song).

Angels We Have Heard on High

My Mom's Last Gift to Her Children

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 03:45:00 +0000

It has been a difficult few months, and the holidays have brought with them many memories and emotions. As most of you already know, my mom passed away on September 6th of this year, having had a stroke two days before.

Christmas was always a very special time for my mom, and nearly every Christmas memory I have has something to do with her. She loved decorating the tree. She made several kinds of delicious Christmas candy. She helped us make and decorate Christmas cookies. On Christmas Eve she would bake cinnamon rolls. She hand made stockings for each of us.

Needless to say, this Christmas season has brought each of these memories forward. I'm so blessed to say that each and every one is a fond memory.

This evening (Christmas Eve), as my family gathered to read the account of the birth of Jesus, a new memory was created. Traditionally, we open one gift on Christmas Eve. This year, however, my dad said that he had a gift for each of us to open.

Dad went to the closet and pulled out a box. First, he pulled out a bag with 6 boxes of Junior Mints, one of my mom's favorite candies (one for each of us). He had found them in my mom's closet.

Then he pulled out six wrapped gifts. They were calenders that my mom had made for us on Shutterfly with photos of our family from this year. Making calenders was one of her favorite things to do.

Dad then explained that they had arrived via UPS on September 16th. When he saw what they were, he logged into Mom's Shutterfly account to see when she had made them.

She made the calendars on September 3rd—the day before her stroke.

This was her last gift to us.

I am so thankful for my mom's life. She loved us, her children, dearly. She was a tremendous giver every day of her life. How perfect then, that on the last day of her conscious life, she gave us one last gift.

Debby & Justin

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 17:18:00 +0000

I met Debby through the Next Generation Art Show, a new annual art show in Ocala for college students to showcase their art. Debby and a few of her friends put the show together, and did an excellent job. There were a ton of excellent paintings, photos, sculptures and designs.

Debby and Justin make a great couple and it was a fun shoot. We met in Gainesville and walked around UF Campus, mostly around the Reitz Union.

theBUSINESS—Choosing a Name for your Business

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:07:00 +0000

This is the first part of a series I'm starting about the business side of photography. The first installment is about choosing a name for your business. Although this is geared towards photographers, the basic concepts are relevant to any small business. Enjoy! - Kevin

There are several things you need to think about when choosing a name for your business:

What kind of work are you going to be doing?
Who is your target audience?
What does your brand name say about your business?
Is your brand name something that you will like years down the line?
Does your name stand out? Is it memorable? Is it easy to spell?

Let me explain each of these a bit more in depth:

1. What kind of work are you going to be doing?
Although your name does not necessarily have to spell out your specific line of work, it can be beneficial to tie it in with the general idea of what you offer. You definitely do not want it to misrepresent who you are or what you offer.

2. Who is your target audience?
Or, more accurately, who are your clients? Are they engaged couples? High school seniors? Art buyers? Magazine photo editors? Are they young? Old? Do they prefer rock music or classical? The most powerful tool you have in business is your knowledge of your clients. How does this relate to your business name? Read on...

3. What does your brand name say about your business?
This is where points #1 and #2 come together—Often times, the first thing a potential client will see is your name. Whether you intend it to or not, your name will tell your client something about your business. You want your name to be something that appeals to your target demographic. For example, if your clients are mostly large corporations, a name like "Freakin' Awesome Photography" would probably not be appropriate, whereas if you were shooting mostly high school seniors it may be appropriate...maybe ;)

4. Is your brand name something that you will like years down the line?
This is something I struggled with when I was trying to come up with a name for my business. I came up with several ideas that I liked, but it took me quite a while to come up with something that I knew I wouldn't grow tired of down the line.

5. Does your name stand out? Is it memorable? Is it easy to spell?
You want your name to be something people will remember. A lot of business is gained by word-of-mouth, so if people cannot remember your name, you're out of luck. Also, you want to make it as easy as possible for people to find your website. Try to keep your name relatively short and easy to spell.

As I said, when I was looking for a brand name, I came up with several ideas that I ended up scrapping. One of those was "Photogiraffe". It was something that I had said jokingly to a friend of mine in high school. I thought that it was witty and would make a great name. However, after thinking about it, I decided against it because I knew I wanted to eventually work with some higher-end clients that might not find the name amusing. Also, it did not represent my style of work. If most of my photos contained light, humorous imagery, that name may have worked, but most of my work displays a more serious tone.

I stuck with "The Art We Breathe" for several reasons. First, it immediately connects me with my clients: The Art WE Breathe. The idea is that we're collaborating together to create art. Also, it immediately identifies that I am an artist (and a photographer when I tack "Photography" on the end...). I also knew that it was something I would still like down the line, and I still do!

The bottom line: Put a lot of thought into your name and make sure it represents you and your business.

I hope you enjoyed this first installment of theBUSINESS. Let me know what you think! Do you agree/disagree on any of these points? Do you have any additional thoughts? Leave a comment!

Happy Thanksgiving!

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:25:00 +0000

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - Kickoff to a Cure

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:39:00 +0000

I recently designed a poster for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Every year they have a fundraising event called "Kickoff to a Cure." It is a fun event where people from the community purchase tickets and watch a Gator game at Touchdown Terrace at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. They have a silent auction, a live auction, and a ton of food from restaurants around town.

I designed the poster for next year's event:

They invited me to this year's event on November 8th. It was a lot of fun and the food was great. From what I understand, they raised over $65,000 that night!

Matt, a friend of mine from class, and his girlfriend Renee came along with me. I took a few photos of them while we were there:

Bridal Portrait Session - Lesley

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:16:00 +0000

Here's some shots from a recent bridal portrait session I shot. We were originally going to shoot at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens but due to the weather we ended up shooting at the Gateway Grand in Gainesville.

Getting married? Know someone who's getting married? Book your wedding now with The Art We Breathe Photography!

Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:07:00 +0000

I shot this for a brochure that contains a map of all the independent coffee shops in Gainesville, FL.

JPG - Vote Now!

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 18:20:00 +0000

Hey, I'm giving JPGmag another try. I have two photos in the running and I could use your votes!

You have to sign up for an account at JPGmag.com in order to vote.

Thanks!

Theme: Severe Weather

Theme: Beloved

Senior Portraits - Paul!

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:43:00 +0000

Seniors - When you get your senior photos done with The Art We Breathe, there's no huge cheesy "2008"s or standardized backdrops—you get a photo session that is tailor made for you.

Click Here to Sign Up!

Even though the Summer Senior Portrait special is technically over, I'll honor those rates if you enter this code in the comments box when you sign up: BLOG1016

Here are some shots from my latest senior portrait session with Paul:

Wickett Groves - More shots and behind the scenes!

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:59:00 +0000

A while ago I posted shots from a shoot I did for class (Click here to see the original post).

Well, here's the website I designed - Wickett Groves.

Here are a few more shots from that shoot and some behind the scenes photos:

These first two did not make it onto the site, mostly because of time constraints. I had a very limited amount of time to design the site, so I didn't get to include as many photos as I would have liked to.

These next ones are of Kade, the one-year-old son of my models, Phil and Krystal. He really enjoyed playing with the oranges:

Here's the main shot that I used for the front page of the site, without the background removed:

And finally, here are the setup shots:

My makeshift boom stand - a ping pong table!

And here's a close-up of the umbrella:

Jake La Botz

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:16:00 +0000

About a month ago I had the privilege of meeting and taking photos of Jake La Botz. Jake is an excellent blues musician and actor. You might recognize him from his most recent role in the new Rambo movie.

In recent years, La Botz has been touring the country (and now Europe as well) playing in tattoo parlors. Last month he played and did an interview at Anthem Tattoo in Gainesville, FL.

La Botz was very relaxed during his interview. He definitely knew what he was doing!

Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the interview:

Here are some shots from the show:

Wickett Groves

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:37:00 +0000

I'd apologize for my lack of posts recently, but I think if you read my previous post you'll understand that things have been a bit crazy lately.

Anyways, here's a preview of a project I did for school. It's for a site advertising a fictitious Blood Orange grove. I'll hopefully be posting more of these (and the website that goes along with it) soon:

I Love You Mom, You Will Be Missed Dearly

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:00:00 +0000

Early this morning, my mother passed away. Although I am not in the state of mind to share all that's on my heart, I will at least say this—

My mom was a giver. All of her life she considered others above herself. She will always be loved and dearly remembered.

I take great comfort in knowing that my mother loved Jesus above all else and is now enjoying the presence of God! Though her body has died, my mom—her spirit—lives on and will continue to live forever.

I appreciate everyone's prayers and support throughout this ordeal.

I love you mom!

Janet Cloutier — November 19th, 1960—September 6th, 2008

Photoshop Tutorial (class project)

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:01:00 +0000

Well, school has started again (hence the less regular posting...sorry).

So, while you wait for me to actually process some photos (I have some interesting ones coming soon, stay tuned), here's a project I just finished for school.

I designed this photoshop tutorial site for my Web Design II class. Enjoy:

Self Portrait - New Strobe Test

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:54:00 +0000

I just bought a used Sigma EF-500 flash and wanted to put it to the test.

Here's the rundown on how I lit it—

I used the new flash as the main light, diffused through a white umbrella. The rim lights are created by snooted Vivitar 285HVs behind the subject (me!) at 45º angles.

The Vivitar strobes were triggered by Cactus V2s and the new strobe was triggered via its built in slave (it fires when its sensor sees another flash pop).

Pre-Fay Sunset

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:46:00 +0000

I always love the weird weather that comes along with tropical storms and hurricanes. The low, quickly moving clouds often make the light change in ways we usually never see. I happened to look out my window yesterday evening and saw the following sunset:

Biplane

noreply@blogger.com (The Art We Breathe) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:50:00 +0000