Web Tips Magazine has been doing a lot of Flickr Focus on individual photographers.  This time we decided to do one on a group.  The Tilt Shift Maker group.

What is tilt-shift photography?  This type of photographic technique that is used to create special effects when taking pictures.

Wikipedia states

“Tilt-shift photography” refers to the use of camera movements on small- and medium-format cameras, and sometimes specifically refers to the use of tilt for selective focus, often for simulating a miniature scene. Sometimes the term is used when the shallow depth of field is simulated with digital postprocessing; the name may derive from the tilt-shift lens normally required when the effect is produced optically.

It’s a really cool way to turn your photos into miniature models.

Web Tips Magazine thought it would be really fun to share some of the photos that we’ve found, but before we do that, we found a Photoshop Tutorial for you here to try it yourself.  You can even buy the app from iTunes for your iPhone/iPad.

If anyone saw the article last week of “From the City to the Mountains”, you may have recognized this week’s Flickr Focus photographer – Francisco Diez.  Not realizing we were choosing photo’s from the same person until we were uploading to the blog, we just picked the best pictures to go with our subject and it just so happened, that Francisco had about 3 or 4 of those pictures we used.

We instantly thought, we’ve got to do a Flickr Focus on this guy, he’s amazing!  :)

Francisco, currently residing in New Jersey, is no stranger to traveling around the world.  With pictures from places such as Italy, London, Hong Kong and China, to name a few, Francisco’s fantastic talent with a lens will never disappoint.

It’s just like visiting these places through Francisco’s eyes.  He not only captures some magnificent places and moments in time but gives you spectacular detail on the pictures your viewing – way better than anything you’d find in a travel guide.  If your getting ready to head out on an adventure this summer, take a look at Francisco’s photostream and bookmark where exactly you want to go.

Since it’s been a week or two since Web Tips Magazine has created a Flickr Focus.  We searched carefully to find the perfect person to focus on this week.

Meet Sean McGrath.  Sean is a web developer who handles everything from the front end to the back end, even iPhone Apps.  Sean lives in a small city of Saint John, NB, Canada where he has been his whole life.  

Sean’s love of computers, programming and all things creative is what got him interested into photography and developing.  Photography started as a past time but with the amazing eye and skill Sean shows through his photo’s, we sure hope that he continues to increase the time he dedicates to it.

We recently had a chance to engage Sean a little to find out what drives him, inspires him and we’d like to share some of his quotes with you now…

Q:  Who inspires you and why?

Sean:  ”Everyday people in the world that can rock it just as well as the big shots, especially in photography.  There are so many people out there, that few have heard of, that are just killing it right now.”

Q:  Any personal or professional goals for 2010?

Sean:  ”I’ve currently challenged myself to do a 365 project, and while only 30 days in, it is proving to be a massive challenge.  Seeing that through to the end would be amazing, so for right now – that is my goal.  I’m really hoping that it pushes me further as a photographer and gets me thinking in new and creative ways.”

Well Sean, we’ve seen some of your 365 pictures on your Flickr page and we can’t wait to see the rest.  You have the skills, now you have the fans.  We’re looking forward to seeing more of Sean and his works.  Visit Sean’s website to see more.

Here are some of our favorites from Sean’s Flickr collection.  Thank you Sean for sharing your inspiration with us so you can continue to inspire us all.

This week we’d like to focus on Paulo Brandao.  Paulo is originally from Coimbra but currently resides in Caldas de Reis, Spain.  Working as a graphic designer Paulo has an amazing eye for catching the moment whether it is an insect enjoying the breeze or a fierce lightning storm dramatically approaching the city. Especially appealing about Paulo’s portfolio is the breadth of subject and style. He seems to have the ability to take on any subject and produce an interesting angle, effect or color spectrum, which results in a collection of eye candy.

Check out the small collection of Paulo’s stunning photography below and then head over to his full Flickr set to check out his extensive collection!

About Flickr Focus

Every week we will showcase a fantastic photographer from Flickr’s creative commons selection. Flickr provides both amateur and professional photographers an exceptional platform to springboard their careers and share their work with like-minded individuals, and with some absolutely exceptional work on display coveringe just about every category you can think of.

Do you know someone who deserves to be included in a Flickr Focus feature in the future? If you do please leave a link to their Flickr stream in the comments below – no promises but we will certainly check each and everyone.

Every week we will showcase a fantastic photographer from Flickr’s creative commons selection. Flickr provides both amateur and professional photographers an exceptional platform to springboard their careers and share their work with like-minded individuals, and with some absolutely exceptional work on display coveringe just about every category you can think of.

This weeks focus is Valentin Ottone, an incredibly talented photographer from Chevilly-Larue in France. Valentin manages to capture his subjects attitude and surroundings in stunning detail, with edgy appearance, large and appropriate use of black and white images, and amazing use of shadows, his images speak volumes for this very talented male. Enjoy the small selection of images below and then hop on over to Valentin’s full collection on Flickr.

Valentin also has a MySpace page where you can read more about him, his music and his photography.

Do you know someone who deserves to be included in a Flickr Focus feature in the future? If you do please leave a link to their Flickr stream in the comments below – no promises but we will certainly check each and everyone.