As 2013 rapidly approaches we have just today launched the new AmbientLife main site with lots of new great new changes, new galleries including ‘US Automotive’ and ‘Personal Projects’, with over 150 additions to our automotive catalogue of syndication and client work.
We would like to wish all the great people that we have met and worked with over the last 12 months a very happy New Year and we look forward to a truly inspired 2013!
As 2012 grows to a near and Christmas approaches we would like to take the opportunity to wish all our clients and our colleagues a very merry Christmas and a peaceful and fruitful New Year.
2012 has been a very eventful year for Ambientlife and has seen our company complete projects and commercial shoots around the globe as well as Tim continuing his work in delivering seminars in the UK, Europe and the US. We have seen great success from the training video’s that Tim recorded in the US earlier this year as a guest of Scott Kelby and Kelby Training and there are plans to return to the US in early 2013 to record some further classes to add to the catalogue of work available online for people to view. 2012 also saw Tim continue his work with some of our long established clients such as Aston and Jaguar as we strove forward to support these clients with their media requirements such as the exciting new ‘Aston Legend’ book that Tim is currently working on and is expected to be published world wide in 2013, and work for Jaguar to support their needs at international trade shows and motor events.
Tim - “Its been an amazing year that all started off really in the US with the launch of the video work we recored for Kelby, never one to be completely comfortable in front of a camera and more at home behind it I think, but this work has received great reviews across the globe and I am very touched and pleased that so many people have written to me since their release in February to say that these classes have really helped them understand light and look at photography in a different and new way, very well worth while and satisfying.
Its been a busy year with our automotive car work as always and we have had the addition of some pretty big projects that have stretched us at times but its all been a great learning curve in life and one that has lead us to meet some amazing people and visit some remarkable locations and places around the globe. Probably one of my biggest challenges this year has been to start work on the ‘Aston Legends’ book. I remember the first production meeting for this at Aston and at the time it was described to me as like ‘eating an elephant’ one mouth full at a time…lol
There is a huge amount of work to do as you simply don’t realise just what goes into filling a 400 page book until you actually sit down and start to plan it out but I am glad to say that we estimate that we are over 50% of the way through now and its very exciting indeed and I look forward greatly to see the completed book available and on the book store shelves, personally this is a life time goal for me and one thats been very satisfying indeed.
The year ended commercially for us in California shooting various work throughout the area and visiting some truly amazing locations such as Death Valley, LA, and Yosemite National Park. Throughout all our work it would not be possible to achieve the work that I do without the support of those that we work with and most of all my life and business partner Jess who simply is the most supportive and amazing person in her own right with her brilliant behind the scenes work on logistics and locations as well as bring the glue behind the scenes that helps keep everything together and me on the straight and narrow.
The year end is almost here and myself and Jess have taken some time out to be at our home in Switzerland to enjoy this festive period with friends and family not to mention catch up some skiing in the Alps where I hope to survive another year…!
I would like to personally wish all the people that we have met this year a very merry Christmas and a very peaceful and happy New Year as we look forward to many more adventures and challenges ahead of us.”
Kelby in the US this week launched the 4th and final video in the series of films that car photographer Tim Wallace created in the US with them recently. This forth video looks in depth at the post production side of car photography and takes an image from class number 3 where Tim worked in nothing more than available light and looks at how we can adjust and improve that image to really bring it to life and add some drama and impact. Tim also looks at some further techniques and talks through how he not only approaches his post production work but also points out a few things along the way that photographers should be thinking about regarding their work all the way back to the point that they are taking the image with the final edit in mind.
All the classes have been receiving excellent feedback as photographers and keen amateurs around the World follow the series on Kelby Training.
Kelby Training – Post Process For Automotive Photography with Tim Wallace Checkout our four exciting classes online here
What Scott Kelby himself had to say…
“Congratulations once again on your classes Tim, people are absolutely loving them, and so am I, big time!
I really love your teaching style, and you come across great on camera. You sir, rock!
-Scott
Your humble student
The Wallace Classes Available on Kelby
The four classes that are online with Kelby Training from AmbientLife are;
1. How to light a car using multiple lights
2. Lighting a car and shooting detail with just one light
3. Shooting cars with only available light
4. Photoshop techniques for Car Photographers.
Behind the scenes during the US filming
All of the filming took place in Ybor near Tampa Florida at a location known as ‘The Trolley Barn’, a location made famous in its use during the filming of ‘The Punisher’ a few years ago. October in Florida is still pretty hot and during our first week the weather was indeed very humid with the whole team really feeling that heat inside the barn. Our choice of cars over the term of the shooting was a Ford Mustang V6, a Dodge Challenger, and a Cadillac CTS.
If you would like to watch how we worked with these cars and made the best use of our lighting then please join us online at Kelby Training where you can review and enjoy all 4 video classes, each of which is around 45 minutes to 1 hour in duration.
Kelby Training – Inspired Light with Tim Wallace Checkout our four exciting classes online here
DLSR Magazine Malaysia publish a 10 page feature on the work of automotive car and commercial photographer Tim Wallace this week. The magazine interviewed Tim for their ‘Pro’ feature and talked with him about his background, his drive, how he approaches his work today as recognised force in the commercial photography industry and just what the story is behind some of his strong views within the industry.
Read the full interview here online 
Recently Tim was approached by Nikon and asked if he would hold a series of inspirational based talks regarding his work within the World of commercial photography. Following some discussions we are pleased to announce that Tim will be holding the first of these talks at the UK largest photographic trade show next month, ‘Focus’ at the NEC in Birmingham. Tim can be seen on the main Nikon stage at 12:45 and 16:00 on Sunday 6th March to host the first two of his talks entitled ‘Inspiration Included’
2010 has been quite a year for us at Ambient Life and has seen photographer Tim Wallace work with some amazing clients and some amazing people, this presentation that we call 43 seconds is a short burst of just some of the work shot by Tim during 2010.
Why 43 Seconds?
The average time that a client or designer takes to decide if they like your style of work is 43 seconds, many photographers argue that it’s simply not possible to get across your message in this short amount of time. Creativity is the fundamental key to any successful commercial photography when mixed with a strongly defined shooting style. Commercially it is very important for client to choose a photographer based not only on their obvious technical ability but most importantly on their ‘style’ of work, this has been the main driving force behind all successful photographers for over 100 years and one that is just as important to day as it ever was with the age of digital technology. True creativity still exists in the capture and control of light with your subject mixed with a strong creative vision of the world.
This year Tim has been touring the UK to deliver the 2010 ‘Inspired Business’ seminars in association with Calumet UK and Tim was in Edinburgh today which marks the penultimate venue in this years tour.
Only one more venue, Liverpool, remains and Tim will be there on Weds 17th November as this years seminars draw to a close. The tour this year has been our most successful to date and already plans and details have been discussed for the 2011 Road Show as well as some exciting 2 day ‘Live Shoot’ seminars with Land Rover again and the addition of some further dates to meet demand including a ‘Live Shoot’ special event at Jaguars Headquarters. Tim will also be involved and hosting events in the US and Europe next year with various sponsors including Hasselblad. Details and dates will be available on our ‘seminars’ page on this site once confirmed along with instructions on how to book to avoid missing your place.
The current 2010 UK Tour will be discussing the important issues in regard to making your first moves towards starting out in Commercial Photography and this year Tim is covering such topics as;
*Building an efficient Workflow
*Buying equipment
*Making a business plan
*Tax and VAT
*Building a portfolio
*What it ‘really’ takes to be a commercial photographer
*Marketing yourself
*Presenting work
*Pricing work and quotes
The Inspired Tour
Each year Tim delivers a UK tour of venues around the UK from London to Scotland and talks in depth about subjects such as workflow, commercial photography, business development, and how to improve your technique. The tour events are very soundly based on commercial photography in general and also take an in depth look at many aspects of the photography business. These tours are very popular and please note that availability is to restricted numbers.
These talks take a rare insight into the world of commercial photography through the eyes of a professional working in this environment both nationally and internationally, and offer people the chance to gain further knowledge in what it takes to become a success in a career that is notorious for its high failure rate.
Tim discusses many aspects of photography including work-flow and how he approaches it for maximum efficiency, equipment in respect of DSLR Vs Medium format as well as lighting and just how he feels that shooting styles have changed over the last 10 years. He also openly speaks about the industry and personally talks through some of his own work, explaining his thought process and how he approaches a shoot and well as his own experiences of how to first approached the commercial market as a new comer. Finally we look at digital as a whole, some techniques Tim uses in Photoshop that he designed as well as looking at the importance of a fluid professional work-flow, discussing if it is still a ‘pure’ medium and how to regain that ‘shooting on film’ feeling that many professionals feel has been lost.
If you wish to book a place on any of the events mentioned on this page please contact the marketing department of Calumet UK who organise our placements on these seminars or visit the dedicated Calumet Events pages.
bookings can be made here Calumet Events Online
In the world of photography there are few names that more respected and synonymous with photographic quality more than that of Hasselblad and their monthly publication ‘Victor’. In this months November edition we are delighted to announce that photographer Tim Wallace has received the Hasselblad Photographer of the Month Award and has again been featured with his work in the infamous Victor publication based in Germany.
The publication has a truly Worldwide readership including art directors and agencies and is the central showcase for what is perceived to be the best work currently being created within the industry. It is rare for a photographer to be chosen to be featured from the thousands of submissions that are made each month, and back in April of 2010 Tim was awarded a 16 page feature to showcase his work, one of the largest to ever be given. This additional award from HOC has meant that he is again featured in the November edition which sets somewhat of a record for being featured not only twice but also in the same year. The winning piece of work was shot as part of a project that Tim worked on recently entitled ‘Little Miss Innocent’, a retro modern look at the fashion industry of the 50′s and the use of fur at this time and received the most votes globally from the public to pick up the prestigious award.
Tim- “I’m delighted and somewhat humbled to receive this award especially as it was made for a subject base that is not strictly within my specialist field. ‘Little Miss Innocent’ was a project that I worked on recently to shoot a modern retro style group of images to show the use of fur within the fashion industry in the 50′s period. I wanted the project to have a modern twist and yet maintain quite classic feel in some ways, I feel it has a good mix of both and while being controversial it has really been well received which is always great to see. Victor, and having work published, is one of those career milestone moments I guess and I fully appreciate that many photographers never see their work appear in Victor so to have so twice is a real honour and I can honestly say that I am both thankful and lucky to work with some amazing people.”
Read the full Victor Edition Online Here
20 years after the first Photoshop was unveiled, CS5 is launched with many new and improved features
Adobe have unveiled the latest edition of their popular image editing software. Photoshop CS5 includes new features such as Content Aware Scaling and has made improvements on older features. Also unveiling Creative Suite 5, Photoshop will be available as both a standalone programme or as part of the suite.
Press release:
London, UK — April 12, 2010 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® Photoshop® CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended software, must-have releases of the professional industry standard for digital imaging. With millions of users celebrating the product’s 20th anniversary this year, Photoshop CS5 builds upon a rich history of innovation and leadership with groundbreaking features and performance gains that boost creativity and workflow efficiency. Packing in more technological advancements from Adobe Labs than any other release and incorporating enhancements to everyday tasks requested by the Photoshop community, the software has greater intelligence and awareness of the content within images, allowing for complex and magical manipulation in just a few clicks. Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended delivers everything in Photoshop CS5, as well as advanced tools for 3-D which address the unique needs of the video, Web, medical, manufacturing and engineering industries.
Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended will be available as stand-alone applications or key components of the Adobe Creative Suite® 5 family (see separate releases).
“The past two decades have demonstrated an amazing interplay between customers who want to push the limits of their personal creativity and a passionate team of Adobe engineers who make those visions a reality,” said Kevin Connor, vice president of product management for professional digital imaging at Adobe. “We experienced this firsthand when we posted a ‘sneak peek’ video of the team’s work on the Content Aware Fill feature a few weeks ago. It quickly became the number one viral video online, with close to 2 million views and its ‘magic’ was one of the top trending Twitter topics of discussion. This version of Photoshop has some of the most innovative and extraordinary technologies to ever come from our labs and clearly customers are already clamouring for it.”
Redefining the Image-Editing Experience
Now a native 64-bit application on both Mac and Windows®, Photoshop CS5 delivers superior tools and creative control so users can perform advanced image manipulations and compositing with ease. Revolutionary image intelligence behind Content-Aware Fill magically removes any image detail or object, examines the surroundings and seamlessly fills in the space left behind. Lighting, tone and noise of the surrounding area match perfectly, looking as if the removed content never existed. New Refine Edge makes nearly-impossible image selections possible. This innovative technology precisely detects and masks the trickiest types of edges, such as hair and foliage, while eliminating background colour contamination.
For photographers, Photoshop CS5 now offers next-generation high dynamic range (HDR) capabilities. When combining multiple exposures into a single HDR image, Photoshop CS5 preserves the full tonal range of a scene with unprecedented speed and accuracy. The new HDR Pro offers exceptional ghost artefact removal and greater tone mapping and adjustment control. With HDR toning, users can emulate the striking look of an HDR image with any single-exposure image.
Photoshop CS5 provides revolutionary tools that maximise users’ creative impact. Breakthrough painting capabilities include a Mixer Brush that blends an infinite combination of colours onto a single paintbrush tip, and Bristle Tips that offer lifelike brush strokes. Puppet Warp gives users the power to precisely reposition or warp any image element, such as straightening a bent arm in a photo or manipulating the landscape to generate a new perspective.
“Since its inception, Adobe Photoshop has been a key tool for pre-and post-production work in the motion picture industry,” said Jon Landau, Academy Award winning producer of Avatar and Titanic. “With Photoshop CS5 Extended, Adobe gives filmmakers new painting, HDR and 3-D tools that will help them push the limits of creativity. Faster performance with cross-platform 64-bit support and tight integration with other Adobe Creative Suite 5 software makes Photoshop CS5 an even more powerful tool in a filmmaker’s arsenal. Photoshop empowers filmmakers and creative professionals in virtually every other industry to turn their imagined ideas into onscreen reality.”
Community Involvement Drives Enhancements
In addition, more than 30 features and enhancements requested directly by the Photoshop community have been added to this release, including automatic image straightening, rule-of-thirds crop tool, colour picker and the ability to save 16-bit images as JPEGs. The goal of this engineering effort was to address seemingly minor enhancements that directly impact everyday workflow, but aren’t always at the top of the development list for a new release. A new customisable Adobe Mini Bridge panel is also available directly in the software for faster file browsing and management.
Taking 3D and Motion to the Next Level
Photoshop CS5 Extended includes everything in Photoshop CS5 plus tools for editing 3D and motion-based content. With new Adobe Repoussé technology, users can easily create 3D logos and artwork from any text layer, shape or mask, as well as twist, rotate and extrude designs for different looks. To mirror the realism and appearance of 3D objects, a new materials library offers a breadth of rich options, including chrome, glass and cork. Users can also enhance the appearance of 3D objects by quickly creating shadows with the new shadow catcher. For motion content, tools including paint, text and clone can be used directly over multiple frames of a video sequence with ease using single-key shortcuts.
Adobe Photoshop Family
Building upon the 20-year history of Photoshop innovation and leadership, Adobe offers a line of Photoshop solutions for every level of user. Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended software are at the heart of the Photoshop family, providing unrivalled power and editing freedom. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom® addresses the workflow needs of serious, amateur and professional photographers, helping them find, manage, enhance and showcase images in powerful ways. Adobe Photoshop Elements software provides accessible tools and sharing options for photo enthusiasts. Snap-shooters can quickly and easily share and edit photos with simple gestures using the free Photoshop.com Mobile application on their iPhone or Android™ devices. Photoshop.com completes the Photoshop line providing an online photo sharing, editing and hosting resource for all.
Photoshop CS5 Pricing and Availability
Adobe Photoshop CS5 and CS5 Extended are scheduled to ship within 30 days with availability through Adobe Authorised Resellers, the Adobe Store and Adobe Direct Sales. Estimated street price for Adobe Photoshop CS5 is £548 (ex-VAT) and £794 (ex-VAT) for Photoshop CS5 Extended. Upgrade pricing and volume licensing are available. For more detailed information about features, OS support, upgrade policies and pricing, please visit www.adobe.com/uk/products/photoshop/family/
About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Adobe revolutionises how the world engages with ideas and information – anytime, anywhere and through any medium.
Adobe today announced the Lightroom 2.7, Photoshop Camera Raw 5.7 and DNG Converter 5.7 Release Candidates, available for immediate download on Adobe Labs. The updates add raw file support for nine new popular camera models, including the Canon EOS 550D, Sony A450 and Olympus E-PL1. A full list of the newly supported cameras is below.
The term ‘release candidate’ indicates the updates are well tested but would benefit from additional community testing. Adobe encourages photographers to try out the newly added raw file support in this update and provide the product team with feedback so they can create the highest quality experience for customers working on a variety of hardware and software configurations.
Photoshop Lightroom software is today’s digital photography workflow solution, allowing photographers to quickly import, process, manage and showcase images. The Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in provides fast and easy access within Photoshop to the raw image formats produced by many leading digital cameras. Adobe’s Digital Negative (DNG) format is a publicly available archival format for the raw files generated by digital cameras.
The Lightroom 2.7 Release Candidate is available as a free download for Lightroom 2 customers, and the Photoshop Camera Raw 5.7 Release Candidate is available as a free download for Photoshop CS4 customers. The DNG Converter 5.7 Release Candidate is also available as a free download for all customers. Click here for more information and to test out the updates: http://labs.adobe.com/. Feedback can be provided on the Adobe User to User forum (http://forums.adobe.com).
In addition, photographers can also participate in the Lightroom 3 beta program and try out the new features in Lightroom 3 beta 2 for free.
To learn more and download Lightroom 3 beta 2 visit:
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom3/
Newly Supported Camera Models
Canon EOS 550D (Digital Rebel T2i/ EOS Kiss X4 Digital)
Kodak Z981
Leaf Aptus-II 8
Leaf Aptus-II 10R
Mamiya DM40
Olympus E-PL1
Panasonic G2
Panasonic G10
Sony A450
Photographer Tim Wallace is the driving force and creative thinking behind Ambient Life.
An award winning photographer he is probably best known for his commercial car and advertising work.
Tim works with many well known brands and clients such as Aston Martin, Land Rover and Kenwood in the US, and has recently been named as one of the ten photographers to be selected by Hasselblad for the quality of his work and creative vision to represent their new 'Pro Team' to be launched in 2010.
