photographers: observer or active participant?

Are photographers observant witnesses, or do they play an active role in the situation they're recording?

This New York Times article on the role of photographers during last month's Mumbai train station attacks stopped in me in my tracks for several reasons.

The first, because of personal curiosity, a particular photographer "...invoked the name of Ganesh, a Hindu deity, for protection when he had to use a flash." Ganesh is revered as god of the arts - at least he is in Thailand - it's interesting to note that this photographer appealed for protection from this god of all the other possible Hindu gods. I would like to have read more information about this particular choice; if it was because of Ganesh's direct connection to the arts (photography) or if there was another reason for it. If he needed protection, is he an observer or participant?

Another section that jumps out is the one beginning "Surprising in an era of camera phones and point-and-shoot pocket-size cameras, there are very few images from the attacks aside from those taken by Mr. D’souza and Mr. Prabhu."

This seems a tad 'western mindset' to me. What the writer is describing is "citizen journalism," something that has emerged over the past few years because easy access to digital recording devices, whether it be a cellphone with photo and video capability, or a Canon 5D. These things are easy to buy now - and cheaply (relatively) in America. However, it's not so much the issue of having these devices ready at hand but in my opinion the issue of, were people in Mumbai felt compelled to record such a tragic event as it was happening? When it comes down to it, is it a question of getting the shot, or of survival? It brings back the image of the Japanese photographer, lying in the streets of Burma, getting shot by police as he, ironically, got his shot of the massacre.

But really, it comes down to this - are photographers observant witnesses, or do they play an active role? I'd like to think that the last part is the truth, but the article quotes "Both photographers were tormented by the passivity of their jobs — recording the bloodshed without any power to stop it." This troubles me, since I can't even imagine what it would be like to be in their situation, to be witness to the deaths of 163 people without being able to stop any of it.

I've often struggled with the role of the photograph - it captures a moment, but does it compel any action? I don't know the answer, but this line helps me to think that there is importance to photography, "...millions of pixels of evidence that will remain part of the indelible record... Their photos, some of them unpublished, provide detail and precision that is lacking from other witness accounts. "

You can view some of Sebastian D'Souza's images from this terrible tragedy, along with other photographers accounts, here.

Terri Fullerton - Bird

This image in Terri Fullerton's Kingdoms in Your Chest project is absolutely macabre but is beautifully composed and shot. I like how the camera is focused on the texture of the bark juxtaposed with the way the burning/vignetting on the top corners make you hone in on the bird. This is very nicely done.

I found her work in the Hey, Hot Shot! monthly eblast where she was given an honorable mention for her submission to HHS!'s volume iv, edition ii.

I'm not sure I understand the other projects on her site, particularly Falling in Love at the End of the Universe, but like this pigeon image, the tonality and composition are really pretty.

Xmas Wish List: more

While I'm at it, here are some other things I'm hitting Santa up for this year:

Imacon scanner

Crumpler 5 Million Dollar Home bag

Nikon 50mm lens

1 TB External Hard Drive

Polaroid transfer machine + Polaroid film

Lifetime supply of custom framing

Xmas Wish List: Photo Books

**Cape Light
Photographs by Joel Meyerowitz
One of my most favorite photography books, and I still don’t own it.

**Travelers
Photographs by Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz
Miniature scapes in a "snow globe" environment = Fascinating. This book is getting a ton of buzz; I can't wait to get my hands on a copy.

Domestic Landscapes: A Portrait of Europeans at Home
Photographs by Bert Teunissen
Beautiful, nostalgic environmental portraits of people and their homes.

Hellen van Meene: Portraits
Photographs by Hellen van Meene
Simply beautiful portraits. The blasé attitudes of the subjects, in tandem with lighting and texture, play so much into the overall mood of the images.

Nicaragua: June 1978–July 1979
Photographs by Susan Meiselas
I just really like her work, and my selection is most likely influenced by the fact that I’m traveling to Nicaragua next week.

People of the 20th Century – Volumes 1-7
Photographs by August Sander
My dear friend and fellow photog, Marisa, owns this, and I wish the set was small enough for me to hide in my bag so that I can borrow them indefinitely ;p August Sander is probably the only photographer I really remember from the History of Photography course I took back in undergrad.

The Places We Live
Photographs by Jonas Bendiksen
I’m fascinated by the concept and multiple definitions of home. This is just one book of many in this list that explores this topic.

Tinyvices: Amelia's World
Photographs by Robin Schwartz
Ok, I confess, the chimp got me.

View PDN’s picks: http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/features/featured-in-print/e3i0731a97427122625299575f27caced9f

View Aperture’s selection: http://www.aperture.org/books/books-new

** Indicates the books I would really, really like to get as a Xmas present.

Annie Liebovitz on Portraits

She says it so much better than I ever could! (read my posting on Portraits)

"My work is criticized sometimes for being too on the surface, but I sometimes find the surface interesting. To say that the mark of a good portrait is whether you get them, or you get the soul or whatever, I don't think this is possible all the time... Can you imagine getting the soul every single day?"

Hear the entire interview here.

Source: PDNPulse.

Fancy features on new Olympus E-30 digital SLR ?

Olympus has released information on its new SLR offering, the E-30, which promises to deliver to the new generation of visually acute consumers. This new SLR features the following... It sounds cool, but I'm not sure how I feel about having these built into the camera.

Art Filters
* Pop Art: Enhances colors, making them more saturated and vivid, creating high-impact pictures that express the joyful, lighthearted feeling of the Pop Art style of the 1960s.
* Soft Focus: Creates an ethereal, otherworldly atmosphere that renders subjects in a heavenly light without obscuring details.
* Pale & Light Color: Encloses the foreground of an image in flat gentle light and pastel colors reminiscent of a flashback scene in a movie.
* Light Tone: Renders shade and highlight areas softly to lend an elegant air to the subject.
* Grainy Film: Evokes the feeling of documentary footage shot in monochrome with grainy, high-contrast film.
* Pin Hole: Reduces the peripheral brightness of an image as though it were shot through a pin hole, connecting the viewer intimately with the subject at the center of the picture.

Multiple Exposures
...alter space and time by combining images shot in different locations and moments, lending your photos another dramatic dimension. For instance, take one shot of the full moon with the E-30 and the image will appear on the camera’s LCD. Then take another shot while the moon still appears on the LCD and superimpose a close-up of an owl perched on a tree branch. The two images will merge together seamlessly to form one dramatic image that has the haunting effect of a Halloween night...
The E-30 can combine up to four images in a single photograph, overlaying various subjects to create a montage that blends all the elements together.

Not only does the E-30 include these nifty image-altering features, it also has a swivel LCD screen like most HD video cameras have these days. Ooooh!!

Olympus says, "The creative possibilities are endless and only limited by your imagination."

I hear you, loud and clear, mon frere.

Paranoid about plagiarism

I've always been paranoid about posting my images online for fear that they'll be stolen and used without my knowledge and/or permission. As such, the images on my website are teeny (suffering the risk of lost detail in my images) and programmed so that they cannot be saved by a mere right-click of the mouse. A new colleague advised me that at this point in my career, I shouldn't focus on this and that I should be posting at 600px resolution so as not to obscure details and the full effect of my images.

However, Kevin German's recent experience with blatant theft of his images - from a friend of his! - is making me totally paranoid again; it's unbelievable that this happened. Read his story here.

anticipation 2008

All images copyrighted Tara Kocourek 2008






All images copyrighted Tara Kocourek 2008

SI SE PUDO!!!!

WE DID IT!! Last night, Barack Obama was voted in as the 44th president of America. It wasn't even a tight race; he won by over 180 electoral votes. My friends were crying for joy; he represents so much hope and and signifies the beginning of an entirely new cultural shift in the United States. Sebastien was spot on when he said that this is our generation's movement, our contribution to the cultural history of the USA. My family, which is largetly Republican, asked me why I voted for him. As a multiracial, multicultural person, how could I not?? I present the following excerpt from the New York Times; this expresses it better and more succinctly than I can:

“People feel he is a part of them because he has this multiracial, multiethnic and multinational dimension... He represents, for people in so many different communities and cultures, a personal connection. There is an immigrant component and a minority component...

... a successful negotiator of identity margins...

... for America to choose as its citizen in chief such a skillful straddler of global identities could not help but transform the nation’s image, making it once again the screen upon which the hopes and ambitions of the world are projected."

I got some great shots from our mini-election party at an Irish pub in VA, the swing state that voted Democratic from the first time since 1960. I'll post these shortly.

Graphic from Washington Post online, 11/5/08

ArtsVote2008

Americans for the Arts has released a side-by-side comparison of the presidential candidates stances on federals funding for arts and arts education programs. You can probably tell who I'll be voting for.

just an average friday night

Holy moly, Friday night eye candy. I covered the Saks Mens Fall 08 Collection runway show and party for DC Magazine last night. These guys were the crowd favourites.

How to Photograph Your Home

Apartment Therapy posted an entry with instructions on how to photograph your home. To me, their tips seem basic but I can see how it would help. I think they left out the most important tip - to use their own site, and encourage readers to reference other interior design sites or magazines for ideas. Best tip I have is to select the images you're really compelled to, and figure out how to recreate the shot. You'll teach yourself to see differently and strengthen your compositional skills.

For example, in this image, instead of shooting the sofa and windows dead on, the photographer was likely positioned at or near the corner of the rug. Just look at the lines on the ground. From this angle they were able to get a larger area of the room in the frame, and has also created some lovely leading lines.

Image from Desire to Inspire.

dc art celebrity geek weekend part 2

I totally had a DC art celebrity geek weekend. This is what happened on Sunday:

KELLY TOWLES
Sunday was Adams Morgan Day Festival, an annual event that shuts down 18th Street NW between Columbia Road and Florida Ave, and opens up with stalls filled with food, crafts, jewelery, art, and just random stuff. One highlight/lowlight of the day: street karaoke with someone singing Ashley Simpson's awesomely bad "Pieces of Me".

However, I got to joke around about how awful the singer was with none other than DC's own Banksy, Kelly Towles. I've been a major fan since he exhibited at Adamson Gallery where I used to intern. Unfortunately, I was no longer at the gallery when his stuff was there, but it was magnificent.

Since then, I've kept a cellphone photo gallery of his random street art. I so, so desperately wanted to say to him "Look! Look at all the photos I have of your stuff on my cellphone!!" but my boyfriend, catching on to the beginnings of what could best be compared to a tween reaction to The Jonas Brothers, deftly averted the conversion to Kelly and his wife's new venture, De*Nada Designs.

To my chagrin, Kelly told us that he has retired from street art and has been working full time on projects with music bands and the De*Nada clothing line (from which my loving boyfriend bought me two tees to commemorate this awesome occasion).

But, Kelly could not have picked a better time to step back from the popularity of his work. Best to step out when you're at your peak, than to fade way unremembered.

Image from Kelly's site.

dc art celebrity geek weekend part 1

I totally had a DC art celebrity geek weekend. This is what happened on Saturday:

GREG FERRAND
I finally had the opportunity to buy a Gregory Ferrand original (it's my goal to start buying originals rather than reproductions) - and not only was it an original, it was the DRAWING he uses as the blueprint to his final paintings! I first saw his work at his OCCOA exhibit, and he's also been a faithful participant of Artomatic for the past several years.

Greg's paintings are amazing. the characters, which actually look like him, are so strong and emote so much - there is an amazing range of emotions that is read in his characters. his narratives are simple and straight forward, yet graphically very strong and definately emotionally charged. My all-time favourite pieces are Backward Isn't Forward, of which the original drawing was already sold when I ran into his stall at Arts on Foot, and Brilliant Girl Faces the World. The change in style is evident between the two, the latter of which is from his earlier collection, moving from starker imagery with high contrast, to muted, diffused, and more blended color compositions.

The drawing I bought served as the basis for the painting here, My Daddy's Somebody. The strength of the horizon, use of negative space, and tension in the characters are still very evident even in the sketch.

Most of Greg's original paintings are sold out (boo) but he's gearing up for a solo exhibition at Hillyer Art Space in March 2009 (yay!). I am absolutely saving up to buy a painting - something I should have done in 2002 when I was first introduced to his work.

Image from Gregory Ferrand's website.

"A Day in the Life of Maxim.com Photo Editor"

This is kind of a cool read. I know a guy who used to date the VP of Penthouse or Playboy or something, and I was really surprised that the veep of such mags was actually a woman. Do they help keep things tasteful and respectful, or are they just as raunchy as the couch-surfing college boy? Who knows, but this article on Maxim's female photo editor makes it all seem like any other person's day at the studio.

Image © Brian Berkowitz

photo shower curtain

This is kitschy yet kind of fun - Urban Outfitters is selling a shower curtain with one of Patrick McMullan's Studio 54 shots. Buy it here.

Read the PDN post on this here.

Image from Urban Outfitters.

FOTOWEEKDC - My submission experience

I completely forgot about the FOTOWEEKDC deadline, and got the reminder email just in time.

The image selection process
I spent Monday night scouring through my images, and settled on 4 to submit. Ok, so it wasn't that easy to do. I wanted to submit a personal essay on my trip to Honduras, but wasn't able to pull a story out the images i wanted to use. This, for me, is my biggest problem. I do really well with taking individually strong images, but I am sort of lacking in the storytelling realm and putting a set of images together as one body. It's a problem I also have with writing =) Once I came to this conclusion, I decided it would be better to do just individual images, and submitted one fine art image, and three landscapes. I've never thought of myself as particularly strong at or interested in landscapes, but I seem to take a lot of them now for my personal work.

Pro or Amateur?
After 2 hours I've finally picked my final images. Now I'm hustling to resize and label my images, and for some reason or another start looking at the rules of the competition. I was ready to enter as a professional, but according to FOTOWEEKDC (and I wonder if this is true across the board), a professional is someone who makes 50% or higher of their living from photography. Hm, not so much an adequate description for me, so I entered as an amateur. I'm not really sure how I feel about being labeled as an amateur, but whatever.

My wallet
So my submissions made it in just minutes before the midnight cutoff when I see that the deadline has been extended to September. All that rushing! But no worries, I was able to submit mine at the original fee of $10/image, whereas now it's $15. That's $20 in my pocket for the next competition fee.

Expectations and Judges
I'm not sure what my expectations are for this competition. This is the first time in 7 years that I've competed; the first was in about 2000 when I sent some work into Photo Review, of which Kathy Ryan of the NYT Magazine was head judge. I was disappointed of course that I didn't win or even get a mention, but it was then that I realized how important it is to study the judges of the competition. All the images that were successful were very photo-journalistic and documentary in style, whereas mine were definitely abstract and fine arts-based. I did take a quick glance at the judges of FOTOWEEKDC; most are gallerists or curators, photogs or editors, and for the most part all are involved in commercial photography.

I have no idea how my images will be received. I love them, but will the judges?

love this photo!

Gorgeous!! Photograph by Shiho Fukada for The New York Times.

Love the corner to corner movement of dark to light, hue of the grass, simple composition, and graphical element of the treeline in the distance.

See the complete slideshow here.

georgia/russia crisis

it makes me so sad to see that this terrible conflict is taking backseat to olympic coverage. to read that russia is blatantly ignoring cease-fire opportunities and continues to needlessly bomb this poor country is simply abhorrent.

the new york times published this heartwrenching collection of images of what's going on over there.

i don't mean to be such a downer, and i love watching the olympics, but this story shouldn't continue to be overshadowed.

image by george abdaladze for the associated press.

dont believe the story behind this image

controversy surrounding the zimbabwean baby image has erupted and been contained. read the articles on this story from the poynter institute.

Image from Poynter Online.

how to look like a real photographer

A cute, tongue-in-cheek commentary on how people hold their cameras these days.

expanding on this, it's not just an issue of how cameras are held. anybody can look like a photographer, whether it be the traditional khaki safari vest-wearing middle aged man to the artsy hipster wearing extra-skinny black jeans. it always comes down to substance. the manual can show you how to hold a camera, but it also used to show the user basic composition. the manual for the first camera i got back in 1994, the canon rebel eos, had a brief set of instructions on how to compose the image. however, the manual for the digital snapshot camera i got in 2005, the sony cyber-shot dsc-t30, does not. does this mean that photography and cameras are moving towards being a tool to just recording daily goings-on, rather than a tool to investigate and capture nuances of the same activities?

the olympics start today!

yay for the olympics!

i'll be paying most attention to the swimmers since it's the only sport i really understand (makes me think about my 'glory days' as the co-captain of my high school varsity swim team).

savor these images of british olympic hopefuls, taken by nadav kander and published in the daily mail online.

heathrow terminal 5 reputation staked on new photo campaign

london's heathrow airport is taking an innovative approach to managing and enhancing the poor reputation of its terminal 5 operations through daily image campaigns. these images were actually taken the previous day, and are of real life people in their real life situation at t5.

with the onset of web 2.0, where the web is basically a community tool, blogs and social networking sites have opened up avenues for consumers to post comments - negative and positive - on their experiences. thoughts and ideas can't be controlled and people are smarter consumers now than they ever have been. maintaining brand control as they've done in the past is something that a lot of companies are struggling with.

i'm impressed that heathrow has taken such a creative and innovative approach to showing its customers that they are concerned and are taking real steps to improve their product. most of the time, this is done through online responses - for example, tripadvisor allows management responses to negative review - but there is nothing more tangible than an image, let alone real-time images. i'm eager to see the results of this campaign.

the site, Terminal 5 is Working, just launched this week.

thanks to PDN Pulse for the heads up and for the image.

"...favors safe streets and finds no romance in poverty"

says q. sakamaki, whose book "tompkins square park" recently hit the stands. an award-winning documentarian, sakamaki's photographic coverage has taken him from the brothels of south asia to war-torn areas of africa. however, it's this photog's set of images from this manhattan neighborhood that has romanced the new york times. the streets of new york city have provided inspiration to many an artist, from joel meyerowitz to weegee to andy warhol. i feel that all have, in some way, tried to portray the reality of this city, but it's difficult avoid its seduction. its this seduction, the obvious awe and love that is felt through images of the city, that makes it hard for me to believe sakamaki's quote, as beautiful as it sounds.

it's hard not to be pulled in by the 'plight' of the situation and it most often starts as awe and disbelief. i felt this in honduras; i was in shock by the living (or lack of) conditions that people in the two mountain villages we visited lived in. in a nutshell i sincerely felt that i needed to be the visual conduit between their lives and potential financial donors back in dc. i shot my ass off, and everyone was so gracious about having their photo taken, even the man who was writhing from a bullet being pulled out by the doctor. i admit that i totally fell in love with the project, i was so compelled by everything i saw and committed to producing the most poignant images i could. this is the'romance' that sakamaki refers to in his statement; there is absolutely no romance in poverty, but there is a period where the photographer falls in love with the subject/project; otherwise, there would be little personal motivation to shoot at all.

Chinese citizen photographer sent to work camp for posting images from May 2008 earthquakes

The Chinese government has ordered Liu Shaokun, a school teacher from the region destroyed by earthquakes back in May of this year, to be "re-educated for a year" for posting his images of the disaster online.

"[Liu]was detained on June 25, and the principal of his school was told that he was being held for “disseminating rumors and destroying social order,” [Human Rights in China] said in a statement."

Parents of the children killed in the collapsed school building believe that this is the government's way of redirecting attention from accusations of poorly constructed buildings in the area.

affordable art fair slideshow

I posted some info on New York's Afforable Art Fair show about a month ago. I wasn't able to go, but just happened upon a slideshow of some of the pieces for sale at Domino's website, my interior design reference almanac.

My fave of the slideshow is this lil' Frenchie.

project friendship

3191 is a daily project/blog maintained by a pair of friends who live 3191 miles apart. The concept is to pair a set of images taken on the same day, from their respective parts of the world. I have no idea if the images are staged, or the amount of effort that goes into pairing the images, and I'm not sure if I really care to know. From a creative perspective, I'm absolutely curious to know, but from the viewer perspective, I really don't care because the concept is really lovely and warm. What's special is that it shows the depth of their relationship and a real effort to stay in touch with each other through visual means.

PS. I picked this particular image because I'm sitting at my desk and am completely starving. The asparagus looks delicious.

Image copyright of Stephanie Congdon Barnes and Maria (of port2press.com)

thai coke cans

Yay Thailand! I was caught off guard when I first saw Coke cans with Thai writing circulating here in DC. In celebration of the upcoming Olympics, Coca-Cola has distributed commemorative cans with logos from all over the world. You can see more by clicking on the Beijing 2008 link at their website.

I really like the design of the Thai page; it's fun and cute and I love the purple, but I do need to point out some discrepancies in the information on this page:

1. You could see fruits and veggies on a bike, but more likely on a truck bed. we're catching up with the world, and not as primitive as one might think =p

2. Actually, for those who don't take spicy food very well, I wouldn't suggest drinking coke since the bubbles can make the effect worse. try eating plain rice or having some kind of dairy product to neutralize the burning sensation in your mouth

3. One might see rickshaws, but not really in the city unless you're in touristy areas. I wonder if they mean tuk-tuks, which is basically a motorised 3 wheel, open air sister to the golf cart

4. Very upset about their inadvertant plug for elephants on the streets of BKK. This is animal cruelty at its worst, and to even mention it on their website promotes this horrible tourist-centric practice. Shame on Coca-Cola

5. I can't believe they left out the motorcycle taxi experience! Fastest way to get around BKK for sure (but not necessarily the safest)

bubble calendar

oh my, how much FUN is this?? A calendar made of bubble wrap!

thoughts on the image fulgurator

Seb and I spent some time talking about the impact of this thing. In contrast to the article I linked to yesterday, it simply shouldn't be compared to graffiti. Graffiti is art made on top something that already exists, a finished product. However, this tool doesn't allow the photographer the chance to even have a final image, stamping its presence onto the oblivious photographer's image. It's invasive, and indicative of where technology is moving. Just last night I saw a news article on TV about head-mounted cameras being piloted in Plymouth, England - the journalist noted that surveillance cameras are rampantly used throughout the UK. Protection or invasion? Will the Image Fulgurator move from stamping on another image, to collecting the image into its own camera?

just in from g4 - "Modified Camera Ruins Other People's Pictures"

Holy shite - this German fotog has figure out a way of infiltrating your camera by projecting his images into your lens when your flash goes off. He calls it the Image Fulgurator.

Watch it here:

inspired by wood marquetry to try something new

I just registered for a month-long course in Stone and Wood Carving at the Corcoran College of Art + Design. Description says: This short course focuses on direct carving in stone and wood. Students will explore abstract and objective forms while working on personally designed projects. There will be an emphasis on mastering carving techniques, including hand and power tools, and on exploring concept and composition within the subtractive context.

I've been itching to try my hand at a new medium; I feel its because I view photography as a literal art form since I mainly work in documentary or portraiture, not so much conceptual art. I became interested in woodwork because of this article in NYT about a woman who has essentially resurrected the popularity of the historical art of wood marqetry. In a nutshell, wood marquety is using wood veneers to create a scene or piece of work. The terms used for this is inlay and outlay; I don't know what they mean, but to me, I understand it as kind of a collage of wood veneer - each piece of veneer has a unique quality of grain and each piece contributes to a different section of the scene.

Take this detail of “Slab City” (2007) by Alison Elizabeth Taylor (which has been the centerpiece on my computer display for a month now). It's absolutely fascinating. Each section is a completely different piece of wood - the shadow under the van, the detail in reflection of the landscape on the car door - my untrained eye counts at least 8 different types of wood just in this part alone. It's like a sophisticated jigsaw puzzle!

I doubt my wood carving class will even broach the topic of wood marquetry, but not to worry, it's exciting to be creating something new!

Photo: Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery

stars at twilight - so lovely

found this ivy jacobsen print while scanning the internet for inspiring diy projects. it's so serene and moody and aquatic. love it!

open collective circle of artists (OCCOA)

I'm so so excited to be getting a 14x14" print of Michele de la Menardiere's Gayatri! I first met Michele through OCCOA, a local artist circle here in DC that is run by uber-talented Richard Swaine. I am honored to be the first photographer inducted into OCCOA back in 2002, and to be in the company of some very popular local artists such as Matt Sesow, Dana Ellyn, and Gregory Ferrand (who each exhibited in Artomatic 2008 as well!). It's so exciting to see the connections among the DC art community, and shows the support structure that is weaved throughout this city.

$170 Millon Park in NYC

The New York Times published an article about the highly anticipated High Line Park that will be built along the west side of the city. It's a very interesting read, but the slide show is what really caught my attention. The images are illustrative of the architects' visions of the park, but are beautiful in their own right.

What is gorgeous about them, in particular the three that I've posted here in this blog, is the use of mixed media: illustration, blueprint, computer assisted drawing (CAD), and photography.

My favourite is the first one. I love its simplicity, collage-like feel, and it's one-dimensionality (which is really cool given that most architectural specs are rendered in 3D), and how this very basic impression is elevated by the subtle yet detailed blueprint lines on the bottom and sides which requires the viewer to look closer at the image. I'm also drawn to the juxtaposition of the organic aspect of trees and soil against the rigid lines of the blueprint. The layering of the trees is also quite pretty. The colour scheme is what first drew me in - I'm very into the complementary relationship between deep pinks/purples and green right now - and the stark white background highlights the colours.

Whether or not the park will actually turn out like the images in this slide show, I'm excited for it to be built and to take a stroll down its walkways.


All images: Design by Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Courtesy of the City of New York.

uh oh - disney and child porn?

looks like a photo producer at disney's hollywood park got caught with 3 child porn videos...

flickr sucks (says its creators)

Interesting news - the creators of flickr, international photo sharing site phenom, have passed the reins onto someone else because their jobs "sucked."

I can't imagine why... dealing with creative commons, lawsuits, use of images without model releases or permission (such as the Australian advertising company that used a Flickr photo for a national Virgin Mobile campaign)...

I have to admit, I've steered clear of Flickr; I'm very protective of my photographs and don't want to have to deal with the above. I love the community concept and am awed by how far reaching its popularity is. I'm interested to see what ideas the new general manager has in store for this site.

The demise of street photography

This Village Voice article exemplifies why I'm not really into doing street photography in the US: The NYPD Harasses a Photographer at Coney Island
In the places I've traveled to most people don't take issue with photographers shooting in public. Of course, there is random demand of being asked to pay after you've taken someone's photo, but that's just commercialism rearing it's lovely head. Quite honestly, if something is in the public domain a photographer has every right to capture it on film/digital so long as they are polite and discreet about it. Why don't we read articles from Laotians complaining about western tourist-razzis shoving themselves between Laotian monks to get "the shot"?

Affordable Art Fair

Wish I could be in NYC to check this weekend to check out the Affordable Art Fair, which ends this Sunday, June 15. Check out scultpure demonstrations and tips for starting your own art collection on Saturday, or explore printmaking and children's art on Sunday. Have fun!

idea visualization and connection

This photo from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology depicts creative thinking and strategy in the works. I'm fascinated by a lot of things, most of them being things that make me wonder: how they hell did they come up with that?? A previous manager tried to teach me this brainstorming exercise, in which you (duh) brainstorm and then find the links between seemingly disparate ideas. It's easier to picture it through this photo. See the lines between the stickies? That's what I'm talking about!

Why am I writing about this? Well, it's because I'm trying to figure out how my various passions and interests complement each other. Aside from pure eclecticism and randomness, there has to be a connection or intersection between my love of photography, belief in arts administration and artist support structures, work experience in business consulting, and foray into interactive marketing, obsession with interior/surface design, thirst for knowledge about the creative economy, and burgeoning interest in design management and strategy. The links are there, I know it, I just have to figure out what it all leads to...

Justin Guariglia – Ten Tips on how to photograph a foreign place from the inside

Justin Guariglia offers his tips on taking culturally accurate travel images.

To me, most of these tips are common sense. Some just crack me up. Par exemple, tip #1: "Have an interest in the culture you're photographing". Well duh, you made the effort to get all the way out there so I assume the traveler/photographer has some sort of interest. But I can see this being applicable to a fotog who has to come up with a story on small town-nowhere.

Buuuut, the more I read these, the more I feel that they are valid and good advice for all travelers, not just ones with cameras in hand.

The one I am most impressed by is #6, See movies or work of photographers from the region to get to know culture’s visual aesthetic. I simply hadn’t thought about this before, and I think its great research to do before traveling somewhere.

For techy people, refer to #s 4 and 5. Some people think that the more equipment they have the better the shot, and this (to a degree) is just not true. Photography is an aesthetic perception of one’s surroundings or ideas. One thing I didn’t like about the Karnow lecture was her comment that she is good at manipulating a situation to make it look real. Yuck, I hate the very idea of it. I love natural lighting and have only started using flashes November of last year. I love my SB-800, but you won’t see me trekking around Peru with 5 additional artificial light sources.

Tip #3 is vital in order to get a good local sense of the place. For example, the Lonely Planet guide was my father’s bible when we traveled to Vietnam. We hit all the restaurants it recommended and I really wasn’t impressed at all. About a week into the trip I caught a terrible cold in Hoi An and craved nothing but pho (beef noodle soup). We made our way to a local noodle stand where no tourists were seen. To the amusement and amazement of the shop owner, I devoured three bowls. That was the best damn soup I’ve ever had, and we wouldn’t have found it in Lonely Planet. Lesson of the story: you can use guidebooks to a certain point, but talk to the people there if you want a true experience.

Along with that is #8. At the Nat Geo lecture with Catherine Karnow back in February, she suggested walking around for the first few days with camera in tow but not shooting. This helps to slowly integrate you and not come off as the asshole travel-paparazzi (my interpretation of her words) to the locals.

#9 also stands true. Landscapes are beautiful, but that’s because you are experiencing it. Show people experiencing the beauty (or ugliness) of a place. It can only make your image stronger.

(P.s. I left out #10 because although I am guilty of this, I also feel that as a photographer you should be mindful and selective of the images you capture, and shooting on auto-mass mode doesn’t necessarily a good photo make).

Guariglia will be presenting a lecture at National Geographic on his experience photographing inside a Shaolin temple, whose monks rarely allow cameras into their environment. Let's see how he's incorporated his travel shooting tips.

Letter Cloud

This installation by Erin Shie Palmer is so cool. I have no idea what its like in reality, but the sense of mobility, airiness, and movement is effectively captured in this image. Unfortunately, I couldn't find much information related to the artist's intention behind this installation. You can experience this installation at the Wing Luke Asian Museum, said to be the only Asian American museum in the US. Though the majority of the collection are historic relics, but I hope that more Asian American-made art will be displayed in the future.

persons never existed

really creepy but totally fascinating: maleonn's series "persons never existed" are created from cut-out images of people fixed to his lens and juxtaposed against mounds of earth. though digitally created and completely macabre, these images are utterly beautiful. check out his site; i also love the second hand tang / nostalgia / book of taboo series.

another year goes by

I turned 28 yesterday. I've officially been photographing for half my life.

My father's gift to me when I turned 14 was the Canon Rebel. It was among the first of this model and hawked by Andre Agassi (what is it with tennis players and cameras?). I used it on and off until about July of 1994. We were moving from Australia to Thailand the next month, and I wanted to photograph everything about my life before I left. We got to Bangkok in August, and that camera was my saving grace. Even though I was half Thai, I was completely unprepared for the cultural shock of living there. I enrolled in the basic photography course at my school, and was addicted. Didn't stop shooting, ever. Except for one time when I tried to photograph the school musical production Hair (PG version)- I was a freshman, and a senior who happened to be working on her IB Art thesis in photography, was there shooting and gave me and my camera the evil eye. In hindsight, I should have defied the high school power chain and stayed to photograph, but whatever. I digress. The next year, 10th grade, I enrolled in Advanced Photo. I still love the work I created back then - in fact, one of my images from India (1995) is hanging at Artomatic this year. By then I had exhausted all the photo course offerings, and I wasn't enrolled in the IB program.

I put down my camera and stopped shooting until 1999, my second year at AU. I shot non-stop for two years, completely immersing myself. But, again, after finishing undergrad I put my camera down and stopped regularly shooting until late 2007.

At this point you must be wondering, where is this going? Well, I see a trend. I get bored. Very bored. And right now, I'm feeling bored with photography. I see the same images, same style of images, and little deviation. But even the deviants get stuck in a style. Quite honestly, I don't fit into either mainstream or deviance. I never have. I am told my work is great and that I'm great to work with. Why isn't this enough for me?

It's distressing because photography is how I define myself. Now, how do I define myself by something that doesn't challenge me anymore? It's either complete immersion or nothing. I find myself thinking, for so long I stood as an observer. For me the camera served(s) as a fence. I saw over it, but I didn't stepp over it. But I've changed and grown; I want to participate, I want to be involved. I've moved past that fence.

So what to do now? I don't know. I continue to be fascinated by images, and even more so by artist biographies. I love to create, I love to make things. Maybe I'll explore other media and find my way back. Maybe it's something I'll keep as a personal tool, rather than a career. I don't know, but I have faith. This isn't the end of this blog, but the end of a phase of observation. From my now on, this blog is going to be about other photogs' projects that I consider as different, and my new projects and how I find they challenge me. It's time to figure out how to participate and capture.

quote of the day

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes - Marcel Proust

(Fits in with my previous posting, as well Geoff Dyer's observations on photography)

Thoughts on previous post, "What a cool life"

After I posted this earlier today, I kept thinking about what I had written; that I wanted to be better than Paul C. Pet. I wondered if it really was catty of me to say that, or if its just the reality of the industry right now. I feel that photography is at a point where there are few new revelations - people have taken photographs of the same image for centuries. I've had so many conversations with my boyfriend about this, how the world of photography is shifting to where success is dependent on the photog's perspective of the subject, and how the audience responds to it.

Geoff Dyer makes a great point in The Ongoing Moment (which won the ICP Infinity Award in 2006), stating:
"The only way to do this ("...to look at photographs to see what new knowledge I could derive from them") was to see how different people photographed the same thing."

I don't fully understand how I feel about this; it's not new to the field, and it's something that will most certainly continue into its future. All I can do in response is to continue learning and keep pushing myself to see in different ways.

what a cool life...

I found Paul C. Pet's images through Corbis but wasn't able to find an individual or personal site with his work. In any case, this is who I aspire to be. Actually, his work inspires me to produce better images than him (sounds catty, but this is how I motivate) and to continue traveling. Throughout the 14 years I've been shooting, I've toggled between fine arts and fashion and portraits and photojournalism and documentary... you get the idea, I'm kind of all over the place, but travel photography - the more I see images and travel and read and just live - I really believe that this is my niche. It makes sense, it encompasses who I am and what I love doing and I what I want to communicate.

m.i.a.

i've been m.i.a. the past few weeks. undergoing a lot of changes and events - started a new job in the internet marketing industry (woohoo! so far, i love it), helped get things going for artomatic... ran around finishing bits and pieces for my exhibit at artomatic, and just enjoying some peace after the first day of artomatic. i never realised how much of a production this event is; it's been an amazing experience just learning about all the pieces of arts administration, from logistics to set up to marketing, and i'm excited to continue volunteering/working in this area.

hanging art, salon style

Almost finished hanging my photographs at artomatic. it's been a busy few days, and just a couple until friday's opening party.

Come check out my work on the 9th Floor, 9NW B3.

From what I've seen so far, the work is pretty good, and funny enough I seemed to pick the "photographers" quadrant since there are many photogs exhibiting in that specific area. It's a weird but nice feeling to see my images blown up - I've only ever printed to 16x20 before now, and up on a wall. The last exhibition I had was back in 2002.

Marisa and I were very inventive in hanging our respective prints, using archival tape, and then placing velcro on the taped part to adhere to the wall. It actually works really well. I still have a couple of prints to hang since the velcro ran out, and I still need to make a sign and update my statement and pricing guide.

I think that's actually the hardest part, the pricing, since many people don't understand what goes into it (much like bidding on work) and balk at a price they don't expect.

*gasp* shadows!

Came across this website for NYC clothiers, Pencey. I love the photos - a very refreshing move away from the soft focus/even lighting/non-shadow imagery that is everywhere these days. Super simple yet effective.

making a bid

A couple weeks ago I was asked to submit a bid for an intl company with offices in DC. They wanted interesting images of the city (DC) for their website. I was given a 5 day deadline to submit the estimate, and final images were due exactly 12 days after the bid was sent in. I called my friend and AU classmate Tanya, who is a freelance photo producer in NYC. She recommended I use BlinkBid to create the estimate (also recommended by A Photo A Day blog, and was super helpful in helping me breakdown the pricing, especially the usage terms.

This part proved to be the trickiest because no photographer wants to give up the rights to the images they created. However, in this instance, I was encouraged by several photographers to include a buy out option, which basically means the client buys the rights to the image. This is often costly to the client. Again, I got some great advice from APAD - one of their Google group members suggested that photographers ask their client(s) if they want to be able to sell the photos to a third party. More often than not, they don't. That essentially means that they do not really want the buy out, but just freedom to use the images. The opposite of a buy out would be rights managed. In the bid I put together, I gave a usage term of 2 years, with renewal due at that time. This would require diligence in keeping up with your books and going back to the client to negotiate this renewal. For me, I thought that a buy out would be most appropriate for this job.

So I created the bid, broke down the usage terms in plain English and provided a cost of how much the buy out would be. The entire bid was submitted for $5000, perhaps too under-competitive. A few days later, I followed up with the point of contact - the due date for final images was fast approaching and at that point, I had about 10 days left to shoot, not including my full time job, Artomatic, and prepping my prints for the AOM show. I received a polite email saying that the deadline had been pushed back and that they would get back to me with more information.

It's now been a week and no word. I don't mind since it was a really good learning experience to put this thing together and understand how BlinkBid works. However, it does frustrate me especially since I can imagine the client balking at the price bid - which according to my NYC counterparts, is pretty damn reasonable for a short time frame and buy out. I'll post updates to this story if I hear anything back from them.

artomatic

Woohoo! I just accepted an invitation to be co-chair of the Artomatic Marketing and Development Committee. As much as I love creating art, I think that arts administration and advocacy are an incredibly important support structure for artists. I'm learning a lot from the past few months I've been working with this organization; from reaching out to potential sponsors, and applying for my first arts grants, to social networking - a lot of very cool stuff going on behind the scenes to bring together DC/MD/VA area artists.

This year's show is taking place from May 9 through June 15. You can see my work on the 9th Floor. I'm heading to NYC tomorrow to print the images I'll be exhibiting. Super exciting!!

f*ckin awesome

best photo essay i've seen in a LONG time. felt like i was on the boat getting seasick while at the same time stifling my giggles at the irreverent portraits (checking out photographs is not in my corporate job description).

sadness tinged with beauty

Is it so terrible of me to think that this photo is beautiful when the subject is suffering? Tyler Hick's amazing photograph of the effect of the global food crisis in Haiti makes me feel like a hypocrite. Is it through gorgeous imagery of terrible situations that we can focus attention on global issues, or does it serve as another beautiful photograph to admire and move on from?

busy sunday

1) I woke up this morning at 7:30AM in a total panic about whether or not to frame my photos for Artomatic. I still haven't come to a decision, but I did select my space (as well as Marisa's) on the 9th floor. We got core wall space (sweet!), and the best thing about our spots is that we won't need to buy additional lighting - a green and frugal move. All that's left to do is finishing the touch ups, send images to the printer, and hang em up.

2) Finished editing the Saks Beauty Bar images for DC Magazine. Hope to see them published in next month's issue.

3) SONGKRAN!! Thai New Year is probably the most festive and crazy Thai holiday. Over there, traffic is blocked for hours because of the water fights in the middle of the streets. Also known as the water festival, water is used to wash away the bad luck from the previous year - most typically from the monks, but the water fights could suffice. At Wat Thai DC there were no water pistols, just stall after stall after stall of food. I did some shooting, but mainly ate. Am feeling very full and very happy.

Flickr contest

So I kind of mentioned in yesterday's posting that my two submissions to Rob Haggart's A Photo Editor Flickr contest didn't make the cut. Boo hoo. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed; I went in with a let's see what comes of it/probably not much attitude though secretly, of course, I was hoping to make it through to the final selection. I just came across Liz Kuball's blog and I really like her writing style - down to earth and a touch sarcastic. I especially love her posting on not making the cut for the same contest.

So here's the posting, all I can say is "word."

photo blogs

It's become a daily habit of mine to check out the following photoblogs. I'm sure they are quite well known in the industry but for those who are like me and just starting to realise the wonder of cybercommunities, here's a quick synopsis:

[EV +/-] Exposure Compensation
This site is becoming one of my favourites. Miguel Garcia-Guzman covers a broad selection of photographers and styles, tips, and resources that always brings me back to his blog.

A Photo Editor
Rob Haggart's tongue in cheek site is very very informative about editorial photography. He recently held a Flickr photo promotion effort (my submissions didn't make the final cut, but its ok), which according to him "connect(s) photographers with buyers for FREE". I also really enjoyed his posting on photographers' websites.

Mrs Deane
A European take on the photo industry, and features a more international spectrum of photographers out there.

Conscientious
Jorg Colberg has some great insights, particularly on portraiture. However, the more I access this site, the more I notice that it is quite narrow in focus. The photogs profiled have feature aesthetics and subjects, particularly desaturated, low contrast portraits and landscapes. It's indicative of the market - lifestyle photography is huge right now and it seems like everyone is jumping on this bandwagon. My concern is that such profiling drives a very particular look which then affect the acceptance of other styles and visions.

The Year in Pictures
Hosted by James Danziger. Has interesting fodder, especially his insights into the industry as a leading New York City gallerist. As an aside, I personally believe that he has had a strong influence on the success of The Sartorialist.

Subjectify
I don't view this blog often, but it does feature some interesting photographers and I like her discussions.

eco-friendly photography

(image borrowed from American Photo Magazine online)


It's hard for me to differentiate which is worse for the environment, digital or darkroom photography. As a lab assistant during university, I was aware that dumping exhausted darkroom chemicals down the drain was not exactly environmentally friendly, and wondered where the barrels of used negative processing chemicals were taken when filled to the brim. I can only imagine how much waste is produced by factories that making silver gelatin photo paper.

Digital photography has created its own set of issues, from energy output to paper waste. American Photo Magazine offers 13 tips to be a green photographer, and like many other publications and organizations, guides the photographer to offset their carbon footprint. I am in complete agreement that we, people as a whole, should take responsibility, but to place the burden on the consumer alone seems unbalanced.

I first started thinking about this a while back when the Australian airline Qantas announced it would provide ways for its customers to offset their carbon footprint: Under the new program, Qantas and Jetstar passengers can elect to offset their share of flight emissions on an ongoing basis by making a small contribution through qantas.com and jetstar.com. But what happens if Qantas fails to achieve all the initiatives outlined in this press release? How are they held accountable (is it possible to)? And is it fair that customers are solely responsible for paying to offset their footprint? I personally think that Qantas should donate a portion of each sale rather than ask customers to fork over additional dollars. It should be an incentive that the customer takes on his/her own. Interestingly enough Qantas recently announced that it is added a slew of new services and features to their economy flights - which I'm sure require a lot of energy use etc.

So going back to American Photo, I would have liked to read in the article how the American Photo office is implementing their own advice. Additionally, I would like to see how companies like HP, Epson, Nikon, Canon - any establishment with a foothold in digital photography - is taking steps to reduce or offset their carbon footprint.

I believed that every individual - within reason - needs to take responsibility for the environment, but companies should share the burden with their customer base.