Find Your Style, Then Try Something New

Robert Cornelius January 23, 2018

As photographers (or artists in general), we're all searching for that elusive "style" phenomenon everyone talks about. We want to have our own "style" with hopes that one day people might look upon our work and say things like, "hey, I like your style...." There is no formula for finding a style; you basically just have to create, A LOT. Keep shooting the things you love to shoot and editing the way you love to edit, try different things, fail, try them again, and your style will sort of naturally grow into a thing. One day it will just be there like a stray dog that falls perfectly into your life like it was always there. You won't even realize it happened. (Disclaimer: You might, however, notice a new dog in your house ... just an observation.) You can't force it (I don't believe anyone who goes out looking for a new stray dog finds one), just work and the style will come. (Disclaimer 2: Maybe this analogy is crap? ... because unlike a "style," if you want a dog, just go to the shelter and get one.)

"The Winds of Summer" featuring Madeline Shayne Photography

Create a Safety Net

Robert Cornelius March 7, 2017

If you're in the gym and trying to lift something heavy, odds are you need a spotter. Even if you fancy yourself to be a big strong macho man (or woman). You may think you can just do it yourself (and maybe you can), but wouldn't it be safer to have an extra set of hands to yank that weight off your chest if you try to bite off more than you can chew? Perhaps you and your silly pride can struggle through it, but odds are you're going to have bad form; the sloppy reps just aren't going to deliver the results you were hoping for. Creating a piece of artwork is no different. Sure, you can do it all by yourself and get something done, but it's always a good idea to find an artwork spotter to have your back.

"The Dragon Slayer" featuring Amy Wilder

Frankensteining Your Model

Robert Cornelius January 17, 2017

I had the pleasure of shooting with Amy Wilder again! It is always such a joy to shoot with someone who is so on top of their shit. This girl knows how to work it. Normally when I do a shoot I'm trying to get as much "right" in one frame as possible. Aka the face, pose, hair, dress, whatever other magical elements that I'm capturing in camera, all to my liking in one shot. Very often I can get pretty close and only end up adding a bit of extra dress here or a hair flip there. Although apparently there are those other times when your model gives you too many perfect pictures and you just cannot decide what to use ... so you go nuts and just combine many shots ... so. many.

"Finders Keepers" featuring Amy Wilder and Thomas Willeford

Using Different Colored Lights For Composites

Robert Cornelius September 21, 2016

As some of you may recall, one of my very first blog posts (my 4th to be exact), was about compositing. I talk about compositing constantly in many of my posts, because I guess it's sort of my "thing," but I figured it was about time to share another of my handy dandy tricks for pulling off convincing composites. So here goes nothing ... well I mean here goes something ... it's compositing tips and tricks for working with different colored lights! Or just faking the colors later. ;)

"The Delicate Warrior" Featuring Kim Henry

How I Created Wings From Light

Robert Cornelius April 18, 2016

Okay let's just start right off by saying this image is not just my baby. Anyone who has ever heard of the light painting extraordinaire Eric Paré would see this image and think, "Ummm Robert? You totally ripped off Eric's work." To which I would kindly respond, "Good job for knowing who Eric is and for being able to spot his work ... because this is his work!" Well, it's half his work anyway. You see, this new image is a collaboration Eric and I created together. If you aren't one of those people who knew right away Paré must have been involved (or at least have heard of him/seen his masterpieces), then you need to drop everything and check him out!!! Eric is an extremely talented, passionate, and creative photographer who specializes in light painting. Rather than trying to delve too deep into an explanation of his process, I'll just have you put your eyes on this brilliant video he recently released....

"The Secret Doorway" featuring Kara Markley

8 Steps To Creating a Fantasy Lighting Effect

Robert Cornelius February 1, 2016

One of my ABSOLUTE favorite things to do in Photoshop is to play with lighting effects. Whether that be to make something glow, create a spotlight sort of effect, or set my hands on fire, I'm always so impressed with the many ways Photoshop allows you to alter lighting. Because of the skills I've gathered for bending light to my will, I no longer look at an image I've taken and think, "Oh man, I wish I would have brought some flash equipment with me so there could be light spilling through the archway from behind her." I now just think, "Wouldn't it be simply fantastic to have some magical light coming from behind her? Yes, yes it would ... I think I'll add some." Don't get me wrong it's always going to look better if there was actually some real light falling on your subject from the get-go, but that's not going to stop me from adding a bit of illustrative oomf to my images whenever I see fit!

The Watkins Glen Flickr Gathering

Robert Cornelius December 14, 2015

The. Internet. Is. The. Best .... I can't even begin to figure out how to put into words how I feel about the weekend I spent with a bunch of crazies from the internet. (Ok that's not true; apparently I begin by talking about how I don't know how to begin ... that's how I begin .... ok but seriously let's begin.) Last month I had the absolute pleasure of hosting a photography meet up/gathering/photo-adventure-camp-for-adults with about a zillion unbelievably talented photographers, all of which I met on the internet. (Excluding my brother Daniel who also attended ... I met him in a hospital this one time before the internet was really a big thing.)

Why You Should Always Reach Out to People

Robert Cornelius December 4, 2015

Sometime I find myself floating randomly about the great vastness of the interwebs, creeping in all the artsy inspirational corners with no end in sight. Nobody really knows how one of these aimless info-gathering binges begins; they just happen (usually when I need to be getting something done). A few months ago, during one of these time-sucking-internet-benders, I stumbled across a digital artist/finisher/retoucher named Mykie Rogers (Mykier) who left me thinking, "Whoa dang, this guy is awesome." I was just going to breeze by and continue on my digital journey to see what rabbit hole I'd click down next, but then I thought, "You know what, self? This guy seems like a pretty righteous dude. Why not just leave a nice comment saying how I think he's fantastic?"

The Making of The Mistress of Mischief

Robert Cornelius September 30, 2015

I'm seriously struggling here, people. Usually while I'm dreaming up/shooting/editing a concept, my head is swimming with ideas for what to write about on the blog. This one has me stumped. It's quite rare that I'm creatively stranded when it comes to making images, but apparently blog posts are a different creative animal. I have so many ideas for shoots ready and waiting to be brought to life, plus I'm pretty good at coming up with something on the spot (or just shooting something and figuring it out later). However, here I sit in my editing cave and I still have no clue what this blog post is about...

Storytelling Through Images

Robert Cornelius September 10, 2015

One of my biggest goals when creating artwork is to tell a story. I strive to activate imaginations and spark creative thinking. I want my viewers (that's you) to see my images and begin to ponder what is going on. What happened before this, what's happening now, and what will happen next? All of these questions and desires are precisely why I create, and why I was so excited when the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet came to the studio to create some promotional art for their upcoming ballet, Coppélia.

I call this beauty "Theia." Theia is the name of a Greek titan/deity/goddess of the moon! I thought it would be cool to create another character from Greek mythology to go along with this image.

5 Reasons You Should Shoot With A Cosplayer

Robert Cornelius August 24, 2015

If you follow my work at all, you've probably realized by now that I did a shoot with Lopti of "Some Like it Blue." For those of you who don't already know, she is a cosplay artist/model/awesome person. What is cosplay you ask? (Well ... you ask if you don't know yet.) It's a word that's firmly in my vocabulary, but I say it to some people and they look at me like I have tentacles coming out of my head ...... which ironically is just the sort of thing a cosplayer might do, but anyway ...

"The Fall and the Flames"This is actually a fancifully edited outtake from this shoot that I did with Nathan Worden. — "The Fall and the Flames"
This is actually a fancifully edited outtake from this shoot that I did with Nathan Worden.

Just Because Everyone Else Is Doing It ...

Robert Cornelius August 7, 2015

Have you ever noticed a pattern in photography? ... And by a pattern of course I mean the same technique done by tons of photographers? Maybe I'm just living in a bubble, and I only really see images that are in my "niche" (if I have such a thing), but very often I see the same thing done over and over and over again. Just because everyone else is doing something, doesn't mean you have to do it too ... BUT it certainly does not mean that you can't or shouldn't do it!

How to Create a Magical Forest Scene

Robert Cornelius July 8, 2015

Obviously one of the most important pieces you'll need when creating your own gorgeous woodsy wonderland is a top-notch image of a forest (or other natural setting of your choosing). Unfortunately, I have been crazy busy with life, work, vacations, and side projects, so I didn't have the time to shoot my own background image. I thought I would turn to one of my photography friends to see if someone would be willing to donate an image to my cause.

A Fun Trick for Turning Pictures into Paintings

Robert Cornelius May 15, 2015

I recently had the absolute pleasure of meeting and shooting with Mackenzie Johnson! If you haven't heard of this lovely young lady, kindly press play on the video below .... I'll wait. So as I'm hoping you've gathered, she is an INCREDIBLY talented singer songwriter/sensational Youtube STAR! You can expect me to gush all about her and how phenomenal she is in future posts, but for today let's get down to business and learn how I made her portrait into a painting!! Not everyone is a painter, but with a little time and patience I believe anyone can achieve this effect.

How Collaboration Can Make You a Better Artist

Robert Cornelius April 17, 2015

If I were to always do everything by myself, well that would be rather lonely ... but also I'd miss out on a lot of opportunities to learn and grow as an artist. I absolutely LOVE to collaborate. Whether it be with a makeup artist, hair stylist, costume designer, cosplay badass, graphic artist, model, or other photographer, I always feel such a creative charge when I can throw an idea at another human and have that idea bounce back at me with even more imagination.