Nightpixels won the people photo challenge #1: red. I asked him to answer a few questions, and this is what he told me:


WHO ARE YOU? My name is Allen Parseghian, I am 38 years old, married with no children and I live in Southern California. I am of Armenian descent, if it were not already obvious from my last name (99% of the last names ending with "ian" or "yan' are Armenian, e.g. Kirk Kerkorian, Ara Parseghian, Cher Sarkisian, etc.). I am an Aerospace engineer and I work for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. I did my undergraduate studies at Berkeley and my graduate studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) both majoring in Electrical Engineering.

Vatican Museum Stairs Looking up

WHEN DID YOU JOIN DGRIN? WHICH FORUM(S) DO YOU FREQUENT MOST? I joined dgrin in March of 2009 and the main reason for that was I wanted to start participating in photo contests in order to push my Photography skills. I mostly hang out on the dgrin challenges forum but recently I have found myself lurking on the People forum just as much if not more. Currently, I am obsessed with People Photography and I am in the middle expanding my people photography collection.

Swinging Silhouette (SOOC)

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY? DID YOU HAVE ANY PHOTOGRAPHY TRAINING? I got into photography about a year and a half ago (summer of 2008), something I never considered doing in the first 36 years of my life. Physics, Math, Baseball, Soccer and Video Games were the only things I cared about until one day I was browsing through some pictures on pbase.com and was so impressed by some of the pictures I saw that inspired me to start giving photography a try. Knowing myself, I knew I would be able to create some stunning and jaw-dropping images, if I dedicated some serious time to it. It is now the biggest thing in my life and I cannot see it change anytime soon. When I first started, I was mostly interested in photographing landscapes, then I started showing interest in creating composite images every time I had some crazy imagination just like these ones:

To learn more about how I create these shots, you can go here.

I am now more into portraits and people photography, because I feel like it is the most moving form of photography out there. I have not had a formal training in Photography. The way I improve myself is mostly through books and the web including participating in photo contests. I have attended a few seminars held by NAPP in the Los Angeles Convention Center in the past year and a half which I have found quite helpful, especially for how little they cost. I just launched my photography website last month which has been done all by me from scratch. Check it out at: www.nightpixels.com.

Paris Through the Eyes of the Gargoyles of Notre Dame

WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU HAVE/USE? This is the list of all my equipment:

Camera:

Canon EOS 5D and Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Lenses:

Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L 2 EF (USM), Canon 24-105 f/4 L EF, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Autofocus, Canon 2x EF Extender II

Other:

Canon Speedlite 580EX2 Flash
Gitzo GT3530LS 6x CF Systematic Video Tripod
Really Right Stuff Quick Release Clamp Ball Head
Really Right Stuff Quick Release Body Plate
Canon Timer Remote Controller TC-80N3
B+W 77 mm and 82 mm Kaesemann Circular Polarizer
Think Tank Pro Speedbelt/Speed Changer Plus Lens Cases

Mono Lake Tufas at Sunset

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE THING/SUBJECT/PLACE TO PHOTOGRAPH? One of the things that I love to photograph are the Mono Lake Tufas, especially at sunrise or sunset. They are one of the most amazing things that nature has to offer. Gargoyles of Notre Dame of Paris are the close second. How can I not mention the Venice Grand Canal while standing on the Rialto Bridge. Currently, I am more into portraits.

Columns of Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PHOTO? The most incredible photograph I have ever laid my eyes on is from another fellow dgriner by the name of PaulThomasMcKee and here is the photo: http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/167...967_JuJjP-A-LB
If I were to pick my own most favorite photo, it has to be my Montmartre Stairs of Paris, France:

WHAT'S THE BEST ADVICE SOMEONE HAS GIVEN YOU PHOTOGRAPHY WISE? WHAT'S THE ONE THING/ADVICE THAT YOU WANT TO GIVE OTHER'S? The best advise I have been given by that someone was to keep participating in photo contests because that is how you will improve best. I agree with that advice 100%.
I have come to learn that Photography is all about lighting and composition. Keep asking yourself what you can add to or subtract from your subject to make it look more interesting or how you can modify the light in order to make your subject pop more just like I did with this shot which I took yesterday for the dgrin challenge #38:

In here, my (ONLY) light sources which are some candles in colored glasses are actually part of my composition. These are the types of experiments you can do in order to make your photographs look more interesting. Here are my setup for this shot:

Last but not least, we live in a digital age, so improve your Photoshop skills as much as you can, because having strong Photoshop skills can make a world of difference in your photographs.

Sumptuous

WHO/WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES IN PHOTOGRAPHY? Just about anybody who has ever clicked on a shutter button has the potential to inspire me. You, the one who is reading this text right now!

Venice Grand Canal at Sunset, Venice, Italy

SO WHAT ABOUT YOUR WINNING ENTRY?"Lady with Parasol" was shot in Pasadena City Hall which is one of the most popular places to do wedding photography shots or just about any shots in the Los Angeles area.

Its beautiful arches and the garden in the middle make for great compositions. Here is an HDR shot of the same arches I took earlier this year at nighttime:

I always had this vision of photographing somebody from behind while walking through these arches. Maybe it is the love of Math inside me that made me think of this shot and the symmetry that comes with it. I already own a red parasol which I sometimes use for photography purposes. Considering the theme of this challenge, it was the perfect time for me to bring it out and use it. I asked the model to wear a red dress and gave her the red parasol and asked her to take a pose that looked like she was walking with confidence, where in reality she was just standing there. I wanted the perfect composition for this shot so I did not want the model to move. When we got there, it was around 4 PM which was almost near the sunset time, so the sunlight had begun to turn gold and soft. I asked the model to stand where there was a good cast of sunlight so the red umbrella would glow. I took a few shots with various exposures until I was happy with the result. The Exif is as follows: Exposure Time 1/400 sec, Aperture: f/2.8, ISO 100, Exposure Bias: -1/3, no flashes or reflectors were used for this shot.
As for the post-processing, I used Gaussian Blur in Photoshop CS4 to blur the background a little more than it already was in order for the subject to stand out more. I increased the saturation of yellow on the ground where there is sunlight to make the tone of the image warmer. I cropped the photo 8"x10" to remove the additional arches/columns on the sides so the viewers' eyes are drawn straight to the subject instead of wondering around. I used LAB sharpening to make the subject pop more. That is about it as far as the post-processing goes.


If you want to see more of Allen's work, go to his website: www.nightpixels.com
Comments? questions? post them here!

For more info on the people photo challenges, go here. Why not participate yourself?!?!

Very cool. Allen and Ivar, thanks for doing the time for doing this bio!! Allen, I've always been impressed with your images, now I'm doubly impressed given how recently you began doing this. You are gifted and talented person.

Fun to read about your background and see your work. Great stuff -- I love the last shot. The lights and shadows are perfect. Can't wait to click on your website and see more of your stuff.

Oh! Very interesting! It's always great to read more about the person behind the lens. "Sumptuous" has to be my favorite one up there!

Well good grief, how in the world are any of us supposed to compare with a bio like that? Awesome pictures, and quite an impressive bio too!

What impresses me about you is the fact that you are not limited in one form of photography. You have been able to produce stunning images in all areas of photography. Quite an impessive educational background on top of a highly challenging and respectable occupation.

Thank you for the kind words, much appreciated!

Thanks for sharing your photographic story. your shots are amazing, and definitely an inspiration to me!

Originally Posted by redcargurl Thanks for sharing your photographic story. your shots are amazing, and definitely an inspiration to me!

Thank you, Erin.

Originally Posted by coldclimb Well good grief, how in the world are any of us supposed to compare with a bio like that?

Really impressive gallery of photos you have Allen. You're very talented.

Thank you Dave and Shawn!

Well done.

Originally Posted by dlplumer Well done.

Thanks Dan. Now enter something in the high-key contest, please.