I'm Hungry. Food Photography.

Truth be told, three things inspired this blog entry: 1) Rachel's blog on the subject, and 2) New York Magazine, and 3) my hunger.

Like travel photography, the goal of food photography is to make you want to eat the food you're looking at. I first saw this Hannah Whitaker photo from a new pizza joint called "Co." (pronounced "Company" they tell me), and I thought I must go there. Her photo made me very hungry.

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Photo by Hannah Whitaker

I did go there on opening night, and it was delicious. Hannah, you might recall, took the photo of the bunny with the rainbow on its side. However, there was no rabbit pizza to be seen anywhere.

Then I saw this Christopher Anderson photo of an egg, and a woman eating a steak, and I started to get very hungry.

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Photo by Christopher Anderson

Mr. Anderson seems to like a harder light than Ms. Whitaker. The steak is looking medium rare. I'm usually more of a medium guy, but heck, I'll take it. Also, who are these people that get to be photographed eating food? I'd like that job, please.

Unfortunately, it's expensive to eat out in the city, particularly when one is contemplating lunch. Since I refuse to eat "street meat" like my compatriot, Thom, perhaps it'll end up being this. Sorry, no photo credit:

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By
Allen Murabayashi
on January 6, 2009 | Comments (0)

Pete Souza Named White House Photographer

A huge congratulations to PhotoShelter user, photojournalist, and educator Pete Souza who was named White House Photographer for President-elect Barack Obama this weekend.

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Photo by Pete Souza

The appointment coincides with the recent release of his book, aptly titled "The Rise of Barack Obama." Souza actually starting photographing Obama when he was first elected as a senator for Illinois.

More from the NPPA.

We look forward to wonderful pictures for many years to come.
By
Allen Murabayashi
on January 6, 2009 | Comments (0)

PhotoShelter Goes to the Movies

Happy New Year!

One of my on-again-off-again traditions is a movie marathon around Christmas. This year was a bit unusual in that I started the day before and continue on the day after because I just can't get enough. Here's the run down:

I started the Christmas Eve evening with a quick bite at Momofuku Ssam, a famous foodie restaurant by David Chang in New York City, and by golly, there was a theatre a block away.

Let the Right One in
I had no idea what this movie was about -- I just happened to have some time to burn before movie #2 started, so I walked in, and from the opening frame, I was enthralled. The story and acting were amazing, but equally as impressive was the cinematography. It's easy to be impressed by the cinematography of an epic adventure, but for a "quiet" movie, the camera work really blew me away, and made me reconsider how I'd like to approach my own photography in 2009.

Two thumbs up. (I'm Siskel and Ebert)

JCVD

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Photo by Peace Arch Entertainment

Yes, JCVD, as in "Jean Claude Van Damme." I know what you're thinking -- JC peaked with Timecop in the 90s. So you might be surprised to find him starring in a parody about himself -- a down-and-out, washed up actor who returns to Belgium after losing out on an acting part to Steven Seagal, only to wind up in a case of mistaken identity during  a post office heist.

Two thumbs up.

Valkyrie
One of my biggest pet peeves is Scientology, but I'm a sucker for action movies. This particular movie had a slow start, but picked up in the end. I also like how the History Channel tries to come out with programming that coincides with blockbuster movie releases. Perhaps you caught "42 Ways to Kill Hitler" or the upcoming armageddon movie "2012."

One thumb up.

Seven Pounds
When I first saw a preview for this Will Smith movie, I thought that it had the potential to be pretty good. Then some plot busting details started to come out like how he plays an IRS agent in the movie. My skepticism started to build. But I'm a Will Smith fan, and I'm also a fan of his dog, Luigi, from The Dog Whisperer. So I sucked it up and watched it. And it was ok, but in truth, just load it in your Netflix queue.

No thumbs.

The Wrestler
I have two words for you: The Wrestler. If there is one movie you see all year -- nay, all decade, go see The Wrestler starring Mickey Rourke. Mickey plays a washed up professional wrestler, whose hayday was in the 80s, but is no relegated to backwater, local wrestling venues. Rourke apparently put on 30 lbs for the role, and brother, the guy can flat out act.

Two thumbs emphatically up.

Continue reading PhotoShelter Goes to the Movies.
By
Allen Murabayashi
on January 2, 2009 | Comments (1)

In Memoriam: Sandy Colton 1925 - 2008

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In a time when photography has become ubiquitous, and where cellphone cameras outnumber "regular" cameras by orders of magnitude, it's often hard to remember what photography used to be. We take photography for granted nowadays -- we're surrounded by  photography every day, and it's easy to glance at a war photo without thinking anything of it.

But to get to this point, there were many others who blazed the trails ahead of us.

Sandy Colton was a former war photographer for the Stars and Stripes during the Korean War, and later its chief photographer for the Pacific edition. Like his good friend, Eddie Adams, Sandy helped legions of young photographers and photo editors define the discipline of photojournalism. And perhaps more significantly to him, he is the father of Jay and Jimmy Colton -- two kick ass photo editors (Time and Sports Illustrated respectively).

Every year that I've attended the Eddie Adams Workshop, I've had the opportunity to observe Sandy, who without fail, listened to the presentations from the seats by the barn door. He interacted with the old timers and the neophytes alike. And every year, his son, Jimmy, would pay tribute to his father and best friend.

This year, Sandy left the hospital to attend the workshop. His support of Eddie's vision and the fellowship at the event were that important to him. It's a level of dedication that seems rare nowadays. The industry has lost a giant.

Rest in Peace, Sandy.
By
Allen Murabayashi
on December 29, 2008 | Comments (0)

Alice Smeets Wins Top UNICEF Photo Prize



PhotoShelter photographer Alice Smeets recently won first price in the UNICEF photo of the year competition. Alice and her agency "Out of Focus" document social issues "to produce a constant testimony of the cruelty but also the beauty that the human race faces every day."

"The young Belgian photographer Alice Smeets is the winner of the international photo competition "UNICEF-Photo of the Year". Her winning picture shows a girl in the largest slum in Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. Although she has to live between dirt and rubbish, the girl is wearing a clean white dress with matching ribbons in her hair whilst walking barefoot through the mud."

Congratulations to Alice!


By
Allen Murabayashi
on December 22, 2008 | Comments (0)

APA National Photo Competition & PhotoShelter Users

The APA (Advertising Photographers of America) celebrated the opening night of their National Photo Competition and I'm pleased to report a number of PhotoShelter users and friends that won some of the awards this year.

Fellow Eddie Adams alumnus, Tom Sperduto, won the Grand Prize for his image of an ultra marathoner. I had a chance to chat with Tom at the Eddie Adams Workshop this year, and he told me that he wasn't only photographing the ultras, he was running them too! Go ahead, you can buy a print by clicking on the embeddable image below!



Sue Barr took first place in the Lifestyle category -- and that lifestyle stuff is hard too shoot! Sue has an awesome PhotoShelter customized site that she blended seamlessly into her own website.

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Continue reading APA National Photo Competition & PhotoShelter Users.
By
Allen Murabayashi
on December 19, 2008 | Comments (0)

Kristen Ashburn's I Am Because We Are

You might have seen my old post about Madonna's documentary I am Because We Are that featured work by my dear friend, Kristen Ashburn. The good folks over at powerHouse books in Brooklyn are working with her to publish the book version. Incidentally, you can catch the documentary on the Sundance channel this month.

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If you love photos, you should buy this book.
If you love people, you should buy this book.
In other words, you should buy this book (it's a great holiday gift).

Kristen self-financed all her work in Africa -- a true freelancer. And if you're really feeling like a bad ass art collector, you might want one of her limited edition prints, like the one below. You can check out a whole gallery of prints here.


By
Allen Murabayashi
on December 10, 2008 | Comments (0)

Now that's what I call "spot news"

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PhotoShelter user Sandy Huffaker was chillin' at his computer yesterday when he heard a "sputtering jet." The jet turned out to be a FA-18 Hornet which crashed a mile away from his house in San Diego killing three civilians on the ground. His first-person blog account is here. It's definitely worth a read, and you can see the above photo at a much larger size.

This morning as I was riding the subway, I glanced over at a guy sitting next to me, and recognized Sandy's photo on the cover of the New York Times. A big congratulations to Sandy, and we're all glad that he's safe and sound.

UPDATE:
Ronan Gray wrote in to let us know that he was also on the scene. His viewpoint is below...incredible stuff.


By
Allen Murabayashi
on December 9, 2008 | Comments (0)

All I Want for Christmas - PhotoShelter Style

Banging your head trying to figure out what to get your friends (or yourself) for the holidays? Not only are PhotoShelter users great photographers, they're also pretty entrepreneurial as well. Here are a few gift ideas created by the PhotoShelter community.

1. Gura Gear
Wildlife photographer Andy Biggs started his own line of photo bags this year, and was showing it off at the PhotoPlus Expo in Oct. They are super lightweight, and have a side-flap-style opening, which is pretty darn handy.

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2. Books
Former PopPhoto contributor and HDR enthusiast, Jack Howard, penned a book entitled Practial HDRI: High Dynamic Range Imaging for Photographers. He's been writing about HDR for years, so this is the definitive guide to this cool technique.

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Of course, let's not forget Darrell Young's great book Mastering the Nikon D300 and the upcoming companion book on the D700.

3. Honl Flash Products
Turkey-based photographer, David Honl, created a set of flash modifiers (snoots, grids, etc) for your flashes. If you're a Strobist enthusiast, you're going to want grab a few of these. I use it. Shouldn't you?

4. Strobist Lighting Video
Speaking of the Strobist, David Hobby (aka Strobist) created a fantastic DVD series that teaches you how to light like a pro with inexpensive flashes. The DVD is now back in stock and ready for order.

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5. A Beautiful Print
BCS? Lame! Here's a beautiful print from Texas-based photographer, Darren Carroll. Great for any Texas football fan:



Got a great gift idea that we should add? Lemme know!





By
Allen Murabayashi
on December 8, 2008 | Comments (1)

2008 Thankful Things

In the spirit of last year's 2007 Thankful Things, I belatedly decided that more thanks were in order for 2008. No matter how bad things get with the economy, we still have many things to be thankful for. So without further ado, a few things that I'm thankful for.

In a year when we shutdown the PhotoShelter Collection, my staff has continued to show their incredible dedication to the company and the customers. For that, I'm eternally grateful.

The incredible myriad of people that use PhotoShelter. Sometimes we hate you. Mostly, we love you!

My parents for continuing to send those chocolate covered macadamia nuts from home (Hawai'i) that keep us going during the day.

Speaking of Hawai'i, local boy, Barack Obama in the White House.

Devin Harris. NJ Nets are 2 games above .500! OMG! Brook Lopez is a legitimate big man!

A McDonald's coke with extra ice. And for the former Coca Cola manager for explaining to me why McDonald's coke tastes to much better than anywhere else (answer: very strict, very frequent quality control tests).

Landmarc Brunch.

Keeping Buster's out of my building.

Laura's acupuncture on my ailing back.
Cheri's massage on my ailing back.
Duggan's chiropractic work on my ailing back.
Darryl's training on my ailing back.

Embeddable Slideshows!

Sushi. I hope I don't kill all the tuna.

Battery Park Cinemas.

The Dog Whisperer, Dexter, Forensic Files, Top Chef, Project Runway. I still think Kenley is a bitch. She needs the Power of the Pack!

The blue pillow I cover my eyes with while I sleep.

All the wonderful photography I was able to view this year.

Josh getting another great show to write for: Lie to Me

Everything in its right place.

Happy Thanksgiving.
Allen
By
Allen Murabayashi
on December 1, 2008 | Comments (0)