Read the full story here.
Photo courtesy of PDNPulse
Friday, January 16, 2009
Inauguration Week events in DC
DC is blowing up with all sorts of events to celebrate Inauguration Week! Check out DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities' calendar of events for arty happenings.
I'll be heading over to the Art of Change Ball on the night of the 20th, which was put together by my fave, Artomatic, as well as a slew of other local arts organizations.
Other arty events that have caught my eye include:
ManifestHope: DC from Saturday, Jan. 17 through Monday, Jan. 19 @ 3333 M Street NW
X - DC's only 24 hour Inauguration Party on Saturday, Jan. 17 @ BeBar - cnr 9th & N
Inaugural Opening Concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, Jan. 18
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Cool artwork for the Grammys
Check out the cool artwork that was done for this year's Grammys. These protraits by Spinner are made up from a list of 15 songs that inspired the musicians.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Airport fashion
Airport fashion: a fun photo essay by Elizabeth Lippman for The New York Times. Lord knows I prefer to wear comfy clothes on planes, especially during the 24 hour door-to-door trip back home to Thailand, but sometimes it's nice to look good. Especially if you're a celeb hounded by the paparazzi when leaving the airport. But I'm not quite there yet.
First step in mastering studio lighting, for cheap
PDN offers cash-strapped (and/or fiscally-conscious) photographers a way to set up their very own studio for around $3000. Two guys were recruited to outfit their own studio, and the comparison between the products they bought and the thought processes behind their choices are super helpful because not only does it recognize the important fact that not all photographers shoot the same way, it offers readers like me a choice.
Most, if not all the equipment was bought online at eBay or craigslist, and while I do like shiny, new things, the breakdown of their research and decisions as well as their “Buyer Be Wary” caveat, helps someone like me who is not confident in hunting down quality bargains from these sites.
I found especially useful the section on buying a lighting kit; I’ve casually browsed lighting kits in catalogs from B&H and Calumet for several years now and I still have no clue on the difference between a must-have and a nice-to-have-but-not-necessary. Yes, I admit I’m afraid of studio lighting and gravitate towards only natural lighting opportunities, except for when I shoot events (yay for mastering the Nikon SB-800!).
But, after seeing Julia Fullerton-Batten’s website and reading that she uses at minimum 7 flash heads I realized, well, I need to up my game and just learn. I did take an undergrad course in studio lighting & large format (combination class) but at the time I was more interested in honing aesthetic vision than I was in developing technical ability. I see now that excluding one from the other was a huge mistake on my part, and because I lack developed skills in artificial lighting I feel that I am certainly at a disadvantage.
Using this guide, especially the lighting kit selection, I feel that this will help me take the first step in the direction of mastering studio lighting.
Image by Irving Penn
Monday, December 29, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
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.
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