Visual
Effects Photography
Visual Effects are a major part of the success of the 20 highest grossing movies of all time.
All of these films either feature heavy visual effects as a main attraction (like "Avatar", "Lord of the Rings" or "Star Wars"), as support of the movie (like "Titanic") or are entirely computer generated animated films (like "Toy Story").
To create all these visual effects and combine them with the live action shot on set, a lot of elements and references need to be captured photographically for the production of computer graphics (CG). This is called Visual Effects Photography.
This VFX photography is of technical nature and requires professional equipment and sound photographical skills combined with knowledge of computer graphics and visual effects.
Visual Effects are a major part of the success of the 20 highest grossing movies of all time.
All of these films either feature heavy visual effects as a main attraction (like "Avatar", "Lord of the Rings" or "Star Wars"), as support of the movie (like "Titanic") or are entirely computer generated animated films (like "Toy Story").
To create all these visual effects and combine them with the live action shot on set, a lot of elements and references need to be captured photographically for the production of computer graphics (CG). This is called Visual Effects Photography.
This VFX photography is of technical nature and requires professional equipment and sound photographical skills combined with knowledge of computer graphics and visual effects.
VFX
Photography for Roland Emmerich's
"2012":
HDR texture shooting in a residential neighborhood
of L.A. with a Nikon D3 and the excellent AF-S
Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 GED tethered to a laptop and
remote controlled on a movie crane (2008 /
2009).
VFX
Photography for Roland Emmerich's
"2012":
HDR texture shooting and HD reference filming at
Ontario airport (2008 / 2009) with Canon EOS-1DS
Mark III and the back then just released Canon
EOS-5D Mark II with real big glass, the Canon EF
600mm f/4 L IS USM.
Police are always present to secure the set, no matter if you are shooting between airplanes on the taxiways or lugging a crane through the neighborhood.
Police are always present to secure the set, no matter if you are shooting between airplanes on the taxiways or lugging a crane through the neighborhood.
VFX photography includes a variety of
elements:
- digital backgrounds, environments and elements for matte paintings and CG scene creation
- digital HDR (high dynamic range) panoramas for CG lighting and scene creation
- Texture source images for computer generated assets
- still and moving reference footage for realistic CG and animation
- digital backgrounds, environments and elements for matte paintings and CG scene creation
- digital HDR (high dynamic range) panoramas for CG lighting and scene creation
- Texture source images for computer generated assets
- still and moving reference footage for realistic CG and animation
Michael
Grobe has been using photography to capture moments
and turn them into lasting memories since he was 14
years old. He was first introduced to photography
by his father who had an
extensive collection of photography books and was
himself an avid photographer. After grasping the
concepts of shutter speed, aperture and focal
length, Michael soon worked his way through his
father’s collection of works from Feininger,
Hedgecoe and Mante and began to express his own
creativity through photography. Today, Michael is
able to use his passion for photography as a
fundamental part of his profession in the world of
visual effects for feature films.
VFX
Photography in New York: Filming background plates
with an ARRI 435 35mm film camera on top of
skyscrapers over the streets of Manhattan
(2007).
VFX
Photography for Roland Emmerich's
"2012":
High resolution (40k x 6k) HDR panorama shot as an
element for a matte painting with the Canon EOS-1DS
Mark III and the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM.
VFX
Photography for Roland Emmerich's
"2012":
High resolution (14k x 7k) 360° HDR environment for
lighting in computer graphics presented here as
tonemapped Quicktime VR in LDR (low dynamic
resolution). Shot with Canon EOS-1DS Mark III and
the Fisheye EF 15mm f/2.8 on 360precision Adjuste
Mk II panorama head.
3D VFX
Photography in Munich: Filming stereoscopic
background plates with 2 RED mysterium X cameras
mounted on a Screenplane Production Rig
(2010).
