http://jfrancis.cgsociety.org/gallery/ jfrancis's gallery of images en-us 120 http://jfrancis.cgsociety.org/gallery/810577

Model Jennifer Anne Black poses in a 3D environment inspired by the now defunct Pussycat Theater chain.

I like to use CG not to create obvious fantasy worlds, but to create real world props and sets that could have been shot practically if not for logistics or expense.]]> Sat, 26 Sep 2009 01:13:08 +0000 http://jfrancis.cgsociety.org/gallery/743110

The first in my 'Nothing is Real but the Girl' series. Named after the 1999 Blondie song, this series is characterized by the blending of my live action photography with my 3D CG environments.

Is it a 2D photomanipulation over a matte painting made with 3D tools? Is it a 3D CG image that includes a photographic subject? I'm going to call it 2D, because my hope is that the typical viewer will accept my work as a photograph.

My philosophy is to use 3D CG to 'fly under the audience's VFX radar.' No matter how well you render a robot, the viewer will evaluate the work as VFX. If you render a painted wooden wall and some throwing knives, hopefully the viewer will evaluate the work as an image -- one with nice production value and a healthy budget for props and styling, but an image nonetheless.

Photography by me. Nikon D200, natural light.
3D CG background by me. Maya / Maxwell renders. Photoshop / ArtRage texture map preparation.]]> Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:55:57 +0000