December 2007 Archives

David Maisel - Danger Zones

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on December 31, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

David Maisel

David Maisel - Danger Zones by Megan Gambino

From the website: David Maisel doesn't consider himself an environmental activist. Yet his large-scale aerial photographs of strip mines, a bone-dry lake bed and man-made evaporation ponds can be viewed as indictments of our indifference to the planet that sustains us. Once you figure them out, that is. The photographs call to mind everything from blood vessels to stained-glass windows. "They might be mirrors into who we are as a society and who we are in our psyches," Maisel says.

Photographer Robert Adams Rages Against Ecological Ravage

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on December 31, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Robert Adams

Photographer Robert Adams Rages Against Ecological Ravage by Farah Nayeri

From the website: Yes, that is a fundamental problem. What I would like to do is do what art has traditionally done: Find a way to an affirmation.

More Robert Adams

Digital Storage Solutions On The Road; Options Galore For The Traveling Photographer

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on December 29, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Digital Foci Picture Porter Elite

Digital Storage Solutions On The Road; Options Galore For The Traveling Photographer by Jack Neubart

From the website: How can you make the most use out of that limited quantity of memory cards when on the road, especially on a long trip? The answer: a portable drive. When connected to a host computer via USB 2.0, all these devices are recognized as an external drive—but not immediately in some cases: it may require activation of a USB function on the device. Adding to the utility of many of these portable devices is a built-in card reader/writer that is immediately recognized as such by the computer as well. These drives seem to work equally well under the latest versions of Windows XP and Mac OS 10.4 (but confirm compatibility with older operating systems before buying the unit).

Textures II

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on December 28, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Texture By Michael Smith

Textures II by Howard Grill

From the website: In my last post, I presented some of Cate's images that I found mysterious and ethereal and which motivated me to contact her in order to find out about her post-processing. I mentioned that I don’t usually write about Photoshop techniques in this blog, but, every so often, I do find something that is directly Photoshop related that I would like to share. Needless to say, this is one of those times.

Print Pricing

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on December 28, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Paul Butzi

Print Pricing by Paul Butzi

From the website: Just recently I had an inquiry from someone who had seen my prints in the most recent show. The background here is that when I show stuff locally (that is, within the Snoqualmie Valley for the Sno Valley photos) I tend to cut prices. Maybe it's silly but I think of it as a way to give back a bit to the communities in which I've been photographing. (I also let people know that if it's their property that's pictured, I'll give them a print free. Crazy, I know.)

Print Pricing Redux

From the website: Thanks to all for the interesting comments on my Print Pricing post. There’s a lot of food for thought there.

"Afternoons with Worsom"

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on December 27, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Worsom

"Afternoons with Worsom" by Will Okun

From the website: Everyone on the Westside of Chicago knows Worsom. As the sole photographer for the Chicago Defender, one of the oldest African-American newspapers in the country, his camera is omnipresent at any community, political or sporting event of importance. He is a talented and respected portrait photographer, and his pictures hang proudly in a dizzying number of Chicago homes. Worsom truly is a modern day "Picture Man."

purpose 6

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on December 27, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

purpose 6

From the website: It is understood that photography maintains a close relationship with memory. So much has been written on the idea of the trace, the imprint, the index... Quite rightly, the documentary power of the photographic image has been emphasized. We have perhaps insisted less on the fact that memory continues to work, long after the production of images and their diffusion. Far from being frozen, it participates in the movement of history, whether personal or collective, that we carry like a banner and a burden, and which is a fundamental part of our identity.

Peter van Agtmael - War Photographer Revealed

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on December 26, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Peter van Agtmael

Peter van Agtmael - War Photographer Revealed by Joerg Colberg

From the website: In our ongoing series recognizing today's top professional photographers, Joerg Colberg speaks with Peter van Agtmael, a 26-year-old graduate of Yale University who has spent the majority of his young career in hotspots like Iraq and Afghanistan. Van Agtmael was named one of "25 under 25 - Up and Coming American Photographers" by the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University in 2006 and won a World Press Photo award in 2007 for General News Stories.

Behind the Lens with Jasin Boland

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on December 26, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Jasin Boland

Behind the Lens with Jasin Boland by Zach Honig

From the website: This month we focus on Jasin Boland, an Australian-based motion picture stills photographer who's worked on such films as The Matrix, Ghost Rider, and The Bourne Supremacy. Boland recently returned home to Australia's Gold Coast to meet his new baby son, Hunter, following the completion of filming for The Mummy 3 in China. His work has been published in newspapers, magazines, billboards, and movie posters all around the world. Boland was able to take some time out of his schedule to share details of his life as a motion picture stills photographer.

Jan von Holleben - Dreams of Flying

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on December 25, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Jan von Holleben

Jan von Holleben - Dreams of Flying

Andy Ilachinski - Micro Worlds Portfolio

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on December 25, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Andy Ilachinski

Andy Ilachinski - Micro Worlds Portfolio

From the website: "Far away in the heavenly abode of the great god Indra, there is a wonderful net which has been hung by some cunning artificer in such a manner that it stretches out infinitely in all directions. In accordance with the extravagant tastes of deities, the artificer has hung a single glittering jewel in each "eye" of the net, and since the net itself is infinite in dimension, the jewels are infinite in number."

Are You Talking To Me? You Already Know The Best Advice You’re Going To Get

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on December 24, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Jack Hollingsworth

Are You Talking To Me? You Already Know The Best Advice You’re Going To Get by Jack Hollingsworth

From the website: Call it instinct or intuition, but something is telling you what pictures you should be taking. I call it the quiet little voice, and when it talks, I try to listen. The problem is, as we move on in our careers, or our hobbies, other voices take over, and we often stop listening, or listening enough, to the guiding voice that comes from within.

A List of Fun Photo Sites

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on December 24, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

ReflectionMaker.com

A List of Fun Photo Sites by Brian Nizinsky

From the website: It's always nice when a talented group of programmers decides out of the goodness of their hearts (or maybe the rush of caffeine) to create wonderful free sites that provide hours of photo fun. It's amazing to think that some of the things these sites do for free in seconds, people used to pay for and wait whole minutes to get (you remember "software" right?).

inkAID

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on December 22, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

inkAID

From the website: inkAID is a remarkable collection of water based ink jet receptive coatings which allows artists and photographers to utilize a nearly limitless variety of substrates for their work. With these coatings, images can now be printed onto virtually any substrate which can run through your ink jet printer. Comprising Clear Gloss, Clear Semi-Gloss, White Matte, and Iridescent Metallic coatings, with inkAID the only limit is your imagination!

5B4 Best Books of 2007

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on December 21, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

a shimmer of possibility by Paul Graham

5B4 Best Books of 2007 by Mr. Whiskets

From the website: OK...the end of 2007 is nigh and although there are still two healthy weeks left I have decided to put out my "Best Of" list now instead of spending my New Year's Eve huddled over a keyboard since I'd rather be drink in hand trying to make that Terry Richardson clown puzzle sign Ole' Lang Syne. (Maybe that's an image best put out of your mind ASAP.)

The Sunday Times best books of 2007: photography

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on December 21, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

The Genius of Photography by Gerry Badger

The Sunday Times best books of 2007: photography by Martin Parr

From the website: This Magnum photographer singles out the volumes that most inspired him in 2007

Interview: Denis Reggie

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on December 20, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Denis Reggie

Interview: Denis Reggie by Howard Wallach

From the website: One of the things I often suggest in my lectures is that photographers should diversify their intake of information. Rather than concentrate on the purely technical, people should gather right brain knowledge about artistry and sensitivity to moment and the ethereal qualities that make much art so interesting. I think we are what we eat and that means we need to make time for galleries and museums and observing fine art.

Jonathan Harris - The Whale Hunt

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on December 20, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Jonathan Harris

Jonathan Harris - The Whale Hunt

From the website: I documented the entire experience with a plodding sequence of 3,214 photographs, beginning with the taxi ride to Newark airport, and ending with the butchering of the second whale, seven days later. The photographs were taken at five-minute intervals, even while sleeping (using a chronometer), establishing a constant "photographic heartbeat." In moments of high adrenaline, this photographic heartbeat would quicken (to a maximum rate of 37 pictures in five minutes while the first whale was being cut up), mimicking the changing pace of my own heartbeat.

Ted Kawalerski- Top to Bottom, the Hudson River

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on December 19, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Ted Kawalerski

Ted Kawalerski- Top to Bottom, the Hudson River

Diane Varner of Daily Walks Photo Blog - Interview

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on December 19, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Diane Varner

Diane Varner of Daily Walks Photo Blog - Interview by Jennifer Apple

From the website: Diane Varner posts photos to her blog Daily Walks about once a week and I always look forward to seeing her latest work. Her hyper-real photography is stunning and makes me meditate on each image longer than most photography does. It is this mesmerizing nature of her work that I find so deeply appealing. There is such a satisfying moment of balance and beauty that the details, colors and textures of her art reveal and celebrate.

Control and Creativity: A Match Made in Heaven

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on December 18, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Mark A. McGuinness

Control and Creativity: A Match Made in Heaven by Mark A. McGuinness

From the website: Some people think of creativity and organization as opposites. But Mark McGuiness believes that concentration is a must for the best creative work. If you don't consciously make time for being focused, you're vulnerable to interruptions that can stop your creative flow mid-stream.

Alison Jackson - Confidential

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on December 18, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Bush Chokes on a Pretzel by Alison Jackson

Alison Jackson - Confidential

NSFW

From the website: Alison Jackson creates films, photographic images and sculptures about our fixation with fame and celebrity culture. These Mimeses use look-a-likes of celebrities and public figures to create a photographic or filmic image, which challenges the observers' perception of reality by creating a false reality. Only on second or third glance does the viewer question the truth of what they are seeing. Jackson describes her work as an exploration of what we see and what we imagine, the interplay of our voyeuristic needs and our urge to believe, challenging the photographs' claim to tell the truth. Jackson is an astute observer of the contemporary cult of celebrity. Her reinterpretations of familiar media images have shocked, provoked, amused, and most importantly caused an entire generation to re-assess its perceptions and expectations of modern-day Icons.

Threshold at the Camera Club of New York

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on December 17, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Carolyn Monastra

Threshold at the Camera Club of New York

From the website: The Camera Club of New York (CCNY) opens the doors to its new space at 336 West 37th Street with an exhibition, Threshold, highlighting the work of seven photographers. The opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, December 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. The show runs through Saturday, January 26, 2008.

El Lissitzky - Fold-out Photomontage

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on December 17, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

El Lissitzky

El Lissitzky - Fold-out Photomontage

Didier Massard - Fairy Tales

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on December 15, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Didier Massard

Didier Massard - Fairy Tales by Nicole Pasulkaqwerty

From the website: Didier Massard's photographs look like they could have been on the cover of your favorite book as a child, or come straight out of that weird dream you had last night. Massard's "tabletop" photography captures locations that he's imagined, built as models, lit, and then brought to life.

Photo Histories - Tales from Photography

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on December 14, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Philip Jones Griffiths by Graham Harrison

Photo Histories - Tales from Photography

From the website: Before digital technology has transformed photography into something new and very different from what we understand it to be today there are accounts to be told by some of the great practitioners of the medium and by the many talented individuals who have found photography capable of challenging notions, revealing truths, and enriching people’s lives with insight, knowledge and at times great humour.

Joel Meyerowitz Interview (Part 1)

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on December 14, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Joel Meyerowitz

Joel Meyerowitz Interview (Part 1) by Michael David Murphy

From the website: That's exactly, precisely what it was for me. In that particular period of the 70s, when John Szarkowski was at MOMA, some of the underlying themes of his philosophy dealt with description. Description was what photography did - first and foremost. You press the button and the camera describes what it's pointing at. That's all it really does. It's what you point it at, and how consistent you are, and how interesting you find subject matter that gives your work a dimension, and a shape, and a reason for being. But in the beginning, all the camera does is describe what's in front of you. You can't make it more than it is; it just is what it is.

Joel Meyerowitz Interview (Part 2)

Robert Glenn Ketchum - Master Of Transitions

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on December 13, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Robert Glenn Ketchum by Cynthia J. Woolley

Robert Glenn Ketchum - Master Of Transitions by Wesley Pitts

From the website: After 40 years of developing a signature style and body of work, Robert Glenn Ketchum found himself confronted by dramatic and simultaneous changes in his personal and professional life, which precipitated a departure and reinvention of his photographic expression. What followed was an entirely new direction for both himself and his image-making technique and vision.

Robert Glenn Ketchum

Pinar Yolacan - Maria

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on December 13, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink

Pinar Yolacan

Pinar Yolacan - Maria

From the website: The icon of 'Maria' Jesus' mother is ever present in Bahia. Women wear necklaces with her face on them and have posters and cards with her image plastered on the walls of their homes and stores. Obviously none of my models look like these traditional depictions of 'Maria', so I am referring to this religious icon when I call the women 'Maria'. The title is also a commentary on the colonial process of renaming (or creating an identity for) people.

New Path Taken—An Interview with Marc Yankus

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on December 12, 2007 6:00 AM | Permalink