How to create a High resolution Motorola phone image

To create a high resolution image show casing the curves and detail of a product is so important and with no better way to show this then photographing a phone in all its glory.

This motorola phone is a sample of what is possible, you can purchase it on amazon by searching "motorola X pro Unlocked phone" (that is where I purchased mine)

These images are shot using a main light source diffused with panel to show the gradients on the product. The results are what you see.

20 images stack focused, means that there are 20 images taken at various focusing points on the phone, afterwards its compiled into photoshop where they are blended, and aligned to show 1 clear image of the product, once that is done processing the image is cleaned of dust and specs then resized for web.

For purchasing right or if you have a product that you need photographed please send us an email:

products@ellteephoto.com
instagram.com/ellteephoto

Valour Magazine 1st Edition.

Regards from the studio, this time its to bring you some mockups for Valour Magazine's first edition. 

I hope to bring you some more of this shoot and upcoming shoots as we plan and prepare for each. 

This photo shoot was put together by our team stylist Such.A.Betty, the theme of the shoot was "nude coloured" and you can see from the images we used contract with the color to form a story line along with the theme color. 

I put together a mockup for them to see an idea of how you can use the images, I kinda like it this way even if it may show more of the "contrast" of the images, as opposed to the "color" aspect. 

Photography is all light and shade, isnt it? 

See below for some behind the scenes of the photo shoot. 

Cheers, Levi [LT]
http://ellteephoto.com

Essential oil for your beards - in photographs!

I know it's been a while, but I just took these images and I wanted share them with you.


My friend just launched his NEW beard care product company and you should check him out.

Not only is he the first hasidic beard oil company, he is the first to provide his expertise and and knowledge to the forefront of the beard essentials.

https://samsonanddelilahnyc.com/

Cake Smash - Ethel

DRAMA of the WEEK: 

Here are the pictures from the winners of our latest giveaway that we did with Spice & Bangles. 

Issue: 

Ethel, (at almost 1 year old) decided she didn't want to get dirty with the creamy-sweet-smooth-triple-chocolate layered cake!

Yes we still struggled to make a mess.

So we went with the "Fork & knife" look on this one, Still not much of a cuteness mess, but we got a few more pictures. 

So we called in reinforcements hoping for a joint childish playground of "smash cake" activities to help produce those cute photos that you see everywhere - Ethels baby cousin Zissy to join in the fun. 

Still used most of the paper towel and not much to clean up. 

Idea: Lets just write up a post about what happened instead of saying it was a fail - lets call it a success! 

What do you think?

Interview - Sheldon G Levin

Sheldon G Levin.

Santa fe, NM.

Shelly, a man who's been wounded in war, while serving in the elite force skiing the alps, hes also  traveled 57 countries, worked on computers from when they were in separated in different rooms, lived in Israel for awhile, after retiring he started his own business and bargains for government projects.

A "Mathematician" working in Radial technology and research.

Shelly closes the new blinds that were installed that morning.

Born in 1926 April 15th, "I was a tough kid" he say's remembering the trouble he made in his younger years, I had a lot of energy, but I was strong willed and even the training in the army was easy and doable, "I've even carried a friends backpack while he was barely making the training". He goes back to tell us the story, "Never smirk your sergeant" - they were in training and the sergeant warned another soldier about doing a "military pushup"  - and he smirked.

"Do you think its funny?"

"Yes"

"Do 10 and show us all"

"So I did it, and it wasn't that difficult either but it was worth it just to prove him wrong."

Skipping a few months, he was wounded in the shoulder and was sent to the hospital to heal - he recounts that it was the best thing that ever happened to him "I was able to choose to go back to school, which I did for free and after 4 years I had my degree"

"I loved what I did, I had the best life, Charlotte and myself traveled the world 57 countries "

He would work on government projects and he would make up a project based on what he wanted to do, and where he wanted it to take him. If he got the winning bid thats how he would travel.

As a hobby, he also would love to bring along his camera and record photographs.

He showed me a roll of film he's had developed/retouched/digitized and printed on portfolio board, I myself really enjoyed the time he took to take us back with him to those places where he took the pictures, it was a RollerFlex with color film, back in 1947 -Shelly was 20 years old then.

Europe was a different world then how it looks today, you can see the clothes, cars, the glass milk bottles, the toys and kids playing on the street. The difference really explains how far we've come.

Its like a flashback in a different planet - no electricity, phones, internet.

People would go to the market place to shop, try to put food on the table for their kids.

Simply. Life. Living.

-----

Walking Sandy along behind his home.

Moving on a few years, he's now living in Espanola, NM - On a comfortable plot of land, which he purchased 30 some off years ago, he has a well for water, electric backup generators, Heated solar system, 5 computers, an old dark room, now a digital camera office, 4 photo printers, a heated Jacuzzi, vegetable garden, tomb stones for late personal pets, a sound system that can buy you a car.

And a gun at every door.

(We stopped to Davven Mincha as we watched the sun set)

Currently, he spends time studying Tanach, Chumosh, listening to some old street Jazz music from the record player with his dog

He's a regular at the Chabad of Santa fe, New Mexico.

This week while you are all celebrating Simchat Torah, Shelly will be with on foot in the air, dancing with the heavy Torah scroll and remembering the good of which Hashem has blessed him with.

Kein Ayin Hora, at 87 and a recent travel to Namibia with his son, he doesn't plan on stopping his yearly trips and hikes and seeing the world.

He will tell you, "I've seen the most remarkable places in this world, hikes the beautiful places, and enjoyed some of the best sceneries  and I thank god I was able to, and given the chance to have done that."

What I felt the most inspiring was his appreciation for the opportunities that god has given him, from the places he's been to the people he's met.

He won't ever take it as "luck" or "happen to come by" - He will tell you "I was lucky to have lived the life I had - we were poor, very poor as a child, army no one had money either but at least I was able to travel on the army airplane network. - wounded in the army gave me free education, got married and traveled with little money, work/travel/work/travel"

"After I retired, getting a pension in the country, I started my own business and bargained for government projects and thats where we really made money"

A blessing from the man who grew up during the war, he watched as the world digitized, technology has grown leaps and medicine is available almost everywhere.

"Live life, learn, work, explore, don't spoil yourself by being comfortable in one place and steal yourself of the places you can see in the world,"

Shelly tells his story. (Photo of the Lubavitcher Rebbe can be seen on the wall)

Shelly's own printed images on the wall in his home.

A Painting that was made from an image he took on film. Painting by a talented Israeli artist. 

Here are some photo's from our experience shooting a .22 with Shelly.

He likes to teach the bochurim that come to visit how to shoot a rifle and use a scope.

His home truck, not really used for far distances. 

Short break for the Mincha prayer.

Old printed images from his rollerflex back from his travels through Europe in the 60's

Should I do this as a series? Your opinion matters.

Happy holidays!

Makeup Portfolio Fun - Pink

Today the photos will have to speak for themselves.

We did a photoshoot with no plan, and used intuition and instincts for whatever we felt would be good.

We didnt use any words like "We cant do this" or anything, everyone just threw ideas into the air and this is the outcome.

I think its quite amazing what you can come up with if you just let it be, and breath the air with no pressure for a outcome.

Makeup artist are also artist, and so are stylist.

Credit:

Makeup - Esty Lipkind

Model - Rachel Lipkind
Stylist - Sarah Fehler
Photographer - Levi Teitlebaum

Photography tip - Eye contact.

Here is a small tip on photography that I put together.

It a general guideline for any type of photography but here I used children as an example.

Eye contact is something I like to have in most of my portraits and it shows a serious, soft, calm yet personal photograph.

After that I also like to show some storytelling, emotional images which are not looking into the lens.

For this reason, when im shooting little kids, I ask the parents to go far away so I can have their attention at me and not at someone behind me.

How do you get a kids attention when your shooting?

Meet Leon Fradkin 93 - Like I met him.

Leon Posing with his Manischewitz and empty glass.

   The story of this man starts back in 1920 - Leon Fradkin was born Belitza, Ukraine. Having lost his birth certificate he adopted the 20th of February as his legal birthday. Moving with his family to the USA while still very young till they moved back to Ukraine then escaped to England before the war, and later on he started his business in the suburbs of Philadelphia with his wife and started his own family.

He braved opening design studio with his wife, being a commercial industrial designer and with living through many years has given this man a wealth of knowledge and opinions for many topics of conversations, his wisdom and perspective is inspiring and I would like to share that with you. 

Aside from him, my own personal reason to visit him aside from being quick friends and building a relationship with him and listen to be inspired by his stories, I was told that he has never put on Tefillin thus being called a "Karkafta". The merit of helping someone who has never put on Tefillin in his life is very special. (unfortunately this visit wasn't his time to put on Tefillin - but i'm hoping to go again soon)

Leon is a man of funny thoughts, imaginative vocabulary and an expressive tongue. He's a learned man with knowledge in so many areas, he has lived through break-through technology and is amazed to learn everything he can, including a photoshop class, he uses Skype, just upgraded to Fios internet for his computer, and flat screen TV - Wireless headphones, a Cell Phone, speed dial on his home phone, and voice recognition while calling the gas company to change info about his account.

Leon and his granddaughter Rebecca Forstater.

Humour:

(He's got so many one-liners that hes said during my visit, I will try to repeat most of them.)

As I arrived and got into the car, we start talking and he says "My late wife told me that I have poor memory, so since my birthday is in February, she had an idea that we have our kids in the same month so I could remember their Birthdays."

"...And thats what we did, they were all born in the month of February" (Sadly, she also passed in February)

He plays ping pong with the most interesting outfit - a hard hat, which he says "I once tripped on someones foot and i'm afraid of falling" - he also has a waistband with pockets of soft cushions, "If I fall it will soften the impact on my back" - then he adds...

"Well, I think it also gives me leverage over my opponents because I look ridiculous"

He even had a sip of alcoholic beer and said "Lechaim" with us, he also put the bottle back in the fridge and said "I'll save that for later" and disappears into the TV room with a determined look.

Leon Fradkin poses for a photo-op in his Ping pong outfit.

Family:

He has raised a wonderful family to which he has given his confidence, showed them love, prized them as precious and loved them for who they are, for their goals they have made and cultured them along to many grandchildren and to a future similar to his own in many ways.

He has written this letter to his children this past year:

"My dear children and grandchildren,

       Speaking for my lovely louise and myself ... We are giving to each of you a gift of $10,000. Why now... And if not now ... when... Well, I would like to be around to hear your thank you or read your thank you note. At 93 is it a bit difficult to remember birthdays and at 93 only the heavens know how many more Happy Birthdays I will be around to sing.
       This gift is meant to cover all the birthdays I will now longer remember and will miss I will like one favor from all of you. On March 25 Louise and I exchanged our wedding vows and for 64 years we shared a life of happy moments. and wonderful experiences. When I asked my lovely wife several years ago what she would like for her birthday. She answered “I want to be with you.” What beautiful music to a husbands ear!
        We would like that on March 25th for the next 10 years that you do something very nice for yourself and your partner and ... to a complete stranger and if the stranger asks why? tell them ... Because once upon a time we had a grandmother and a grandfather that loved us very much...

Grand pop Leon... "

(See photo below)

Health:

Sir Fradkin lives alone, and takes care of himself, feeds himself and doesn't let anyone help him besides an occasional skype call to his grandchild for help on using the Microwave.

He likes Soup, Tomato with Olive oil and Garlic,and raw onions. He also puts Hummus and Veggie chips on his plate - Always has desert. Now thats a golden rule in his house.

Also, he only eat with a fork, whether the toast or chips  (See photo below)

Creativity:

I asked him three questions:

1. What does "Beauty" mean to you?

"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder" - "My teacher told me..." "he said that when I see the beauty in a salt shaker, your eyes will open to see the beauty in everything in this world.

2. How do you get through creative blocks?

"I always learned to see a 'face' in everything I see, in the dirt on the floor, like kids do in the clouds in the sky" "Can you see the face in this painting?" (See photo)

3. How do you handle yourself when you are in a bad mood?

"I go on a walk.. thats what I would always do, the fresh air and seeing the outside would take away anything negative and put me back in a good mood"


Romantic:

Leon has lived a life with his beautiful wife for many years, sometime after their 50th wedding anniversary he was asked to submit a little tidbit for "Happily married past 50" here is something he wrote the following:

“In every marriage there are times when argument and anger threaten to bring on a degree of dissatisfaction... I decided early on I had two choices: to stew with my anger or to give Louise a kiss and make up. In most cases I choose the kiss. Now i have added a 10-second  hug with the kiss. It is amazing how 10 seconds of her warm body melts away my anger.”
Leon Fradkin
Married to Louise. March 25, 1948

Charity:

While trying to convince him to put on Tefillin, I was exploring all my tactics to convince him to put them on with me, I did the "I'll make you famous", also the "My mom would be proud" - None were successful.

A friend of mine gave me advice, said I should write a letter to the Lubavitcher Rebbe's and let him know the situation that I was  in, so I explained to Leon how the Lubavitcher Rebbe, being the leader in this generation he cared for every single person and took time to answer and personal question or request with answering him personally with love and care.

I told him how proud he would be if I would have the chance to let him know that I was with Leizer ben Chaim and that I wrote to the Rebbe that if maybe somehow he would get some instant inspiration or I would choose the right words to convince him to change his mind.

As I was saying how the Rebbe in his later years would stand for hours and give a dollar to anyone who came to see him, and thousands of people all got a chance to see him for a short moment to ask, relate, or pride the Rabbe with any good news.

"So let me give you a Dollar for Charity" - He took out his wallet and gave me a dollar, and I asked him to sign it for me. (See below) I told him "It states that no harm will come the way of a traveler who is on the way to do a Mitzva " And the importance of being a messenger to do a Mitzva for him.


I spent about an hour with him and chatted many different topics from creativity and religion, about what keeps him happy, his vision and ideas for the young who are starting out in this world.

Autographed dollar bill he gave me. It says "Safe trip" Leizer - In yiddish letters.

I will leave you with a few more images from my stay below.

Handing me the "Mitzva" money.

Reading a poster sign he collected from the IDF 6 day war. 

Dinner is served. 

Eating dinner. 

Living space. 

Photo-op. Dressed in his Ping pong outfit holding a Tanach and his blood pressure machine.
 "Hey lets do it like this" - Leon

Portrait of Leon Fradkin

A portrait he showed me from his younger years. 

What a wonderful man, a well lived person, a kind individual, soul searching, and such a jew.

Hes got yiddish in his vocabulary and old jewish folk songs humming in his head.

Meeting this man has put new perspective in my life, and I hope I was able to translate that over to you in this short little space on my blog.

He always repeated "Talk slowly, clearly, and distinctly." - Be understood, proud. Talk to be heard.

(I so much more to write about him, but I think think this is enough for now)

"Time to say Good bye" - He wanted to stand on the steps so we would be the same height.
 I printed this image, and sent it to him. Its now on his fridge.

Rebecca Forstater

My connection to meet his man - was back from my trip in January when I took a trip with artists from the USA for a free trip to Israel with the Birthright program.

Joining us was Rebecca Forstater - An artist sculpture that uses clay and ceramics as her medium, she is a crazy creative and true artist who thinks and breathes what she loves to do, she is a fearless girl with no shame being different and every conversation she has a smile.

She also loves everything pretty, kind and weird.

This post is about her Grandfather, Leon Fradkin. 

-------------------------

To a new day filled with new inspiration.

If you know someone that I would enjoy meeting, please send me a message.

-Levi T