July 2008 Archives

Check out the Eastman House's photostream, now on flickr.

My favorites are the autochromes.

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Cowgirl, ca. 1910

FYI:

Photography's earliest practitioners dreamed of finding a method for reproducing the world around them in color. Some nineteenth-century photographers experimented with chemical formulations aimed at producing color images by direct exposure, while others applied paints and powders to the surfaces of monochrome prints. Vigorous experimentation led to several early color processes, some of which were even patented, but the methods were often impractical, cumbersome and unreliable.

After decades of wishing for a practical color process, photographers were thrilled when Auguste and Louis Lumière announced the invention of the autochrome process. The Lumière brothers, inventors of the motion picture camera, presented their invention to the French Academy of Sciences in 1904. The process used a screen of tiny potato starch grains dyed orange-red, green and violet. Dusted onto a glass plate, the dyed grains were covered with a layer of sensitive panchromatic silver bromide emulsion. As light entered the camera, it was filtered by the dyed grains before it reached the emulsion. While the exposure time was very long, the plate could be processed easily by a photographer familiar with standard darkroom procedures. The result was a unique, realistic, positive color image on glass that required no further printing.

George Eastman House has significant holdings of autochromes, including over 3900 examples by amateur photographer Charles Zoller of Rochester, New York. The museum also holds autochromes by Edward Steichen among others.

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Woman in Oriental inspired gown, sitting in wooden throne, 1915

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Woman posed as Sphinx, ca. 1910

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Costumed man examining jewelry, ca. 1910

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Genre scene, woman in kitchen peeling vegetables, ca. 1910


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Native American Man, ca. 1910

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Dancer wearing Egyptian-look costume with wings reaching to the floor, ca. 1915

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Couple, ca. 1910



I vote for the Sphinx.
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Alright, guys. Since I'm hanging you out to dry on a restricted diet of blog posts, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. And believe me, I've thought hard about doing this, because it feels like I'm all but giving away Grandma's kugel recipe. You'll never come for the High Holidays again.

But here goes. It's NotCot. It's an aggregator.

Tagline: For your ideas + aesthetics + amusement.

Here are five reasons to love it (and these are just things that showed up there today)... try the randomizer to really blow your mind.



1.  Helpful things, like printable vintage postcards.
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2. Beautiful things, like  Alexander Pasevin's work.

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3. Hilariously amazing things to people like me: The My Little Pony Project.
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4. The  I-don't-know-quite-how-I-feel-about-it-but-there's-a-puppy thing.

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5. Obama things. natch.

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I'm going to ask you to emulate this brave, brave, kitten and hang in there for the next 48 hours; blogging speed will be rather diminished, as I attempt to take all my belongings from one place and put them into another place.

Madness!

I will be back online just as soon as I find a new neighbor from whom to steal wifi.

In the meantime, I shall feed you packing peanuts instead of the edible kind. Haven't you heard? Styrofoam is all the rage!


See you soon.

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This is hard to explain. Does pretending to be a photographer make you want to buy a car? That seems crazy to me, especially because Subarus are so sensible.

Maybe it's a Canadian thing. I don't understand the Sumo wrestler.

Help?
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These images are from 1910:

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Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii, View of the Monastery from the Solarium, 1910. Digital color rendering.


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Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii, The Emir of Bukhara, 1911. Digital color rendering.


"The photographs of Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944) offer a vivid portrait of a lost world-- the Russian Empire on the eve of World War I and the coming revolution. His subjects ranged from the medieval churches and monasteries of old Russia, to the railroads and factories of an emerging industrial power, to the daily life and work of Russia's diverse population."


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There's technology involved here. Check it out. Feels like the Wizard of Oz.



Thanks, Scott.
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Find more photos like this on SLIDELUCK POTSHOW

Could we love the folks at Slideluck Potshow more? No, we could not. They are the best and the brightest and they believe in pictures and excitement and foods. Two thumbs WAY UP. If you're anywhere near Brooklyn this Saturday, consider checking out the show.

Here are the official details from the brilliant faces behind the curtain: Alys Kenny and Casey Kelbaugh:

Hot Town!  Summer in the City.

For the first time in New York, Slideluck Potshow will be venturing from isle of Manhattan and into Kings County.  It will also be our first outdoor slideshow potluck in NYC.  We invite you to join us on Saturday, August 2nd, for Slideluck Potshow XII at McCarren Park Pool in Williamsburg, Brooklyn!

For those of you not familiar with this venue, it's a gem of the Moses/LaGuardia era.  It opened in 1936, in the middle of The Great Depression, and was designed to get people's minds off the economy.  Here we are, 72 years later, hoping to do the same.  In the last couple years, the giant pool has lain empty, but has been filled with the sounds of great live music.  This is the last summer before the city converts it back into a swimming pool and they have a fantastic line-up:  Devo, M.I.A, Gogol Bordello, The Black Keys, DJ Shadow, Wilco, and What!?  Slideluck Potshow?  Like any truly historic occasion, it will smell of barbecque.

SLIDELUCK POTSHOW XII
Saturday, August 2nd, 2008
6:30pm Potluck
8:30pm Slideshow
Nearby Afterparty to follow


RSVP

*RSVP Required. You will be asked to log in to our new Network to rsvp.  The event is listed in top left of page.  Check out what we have going in New York and elsewhere, and don't forget to join the NYC group!

This our first venue in New York where capacity is not going to be an issue, so you are welcome to pass this invitation along to others that would enjoy a participation-based event such as this. Membership will not be required at this show, though there will be an area reserved only for Slideluck Potshow Members.

If you have not become a member, we encourage you to do so now and enjoy the benefits!  
Thanks for your time and we hope to catch you poolside.

More info here

McCARREN PARK POOL


Ooh, I'm gonna tie this back to PhotoShelter here. We like to talk about ourselves. Here are some pictures from Marc McAndrews' project, Brothels, which will be shown at Slideluck. So consider this a SNEAK PEEK.


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It seems like everything this week is coming up taxidermied. Strange.


Also: When did clear shoes first arrive on the scene? So iconic.

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I guess Ben Stiller wasn't kidding when he made a movie about kids sleeping at the Museum of Natural History; they really do that! Boy, am I out of it.

I got several emails yesterday pointing me to natural history museum pictures (all excellent), and I also searched PS's archive; I found myself awfully charmed by Landon Nordeman's Sleepover series.

Children = innocence and wonder, etc. Lovely.


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Nordeman has tons of great work; check it out.

also:

Here is the most charming email I got regarding the AMNH:

hey there, rachel...

i was inspired to email you because of your taxidermy mention recently. i figured you would know the work Bettina Rheims did back when i was a kid, nineteen eighties, and her series "animals' is pretty amazing stuff. i was familiarized to her work through an inspired style assignment i had last year at school. Colorado Mountain College, i am still in my infancy as a wannabe photographer. polaroid type 55 is cool stuff and i wish i could do more of it. here is my feeble attempt at copy-catting. my teacher didn't like the teeth. he wanted them to be sharp. i think i got a b.

anyways, i thought you might enjoy.
cheers

p.s. flyfishing is all the rage.....check it out.

Copi B. Vojta


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I think the teeth make the picture.
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Good:

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Bad:

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Two interviews in one day! Fun!

We just spoke to a photographer who's working on self-promotion; now we'll speak to a photo editor who can help you with your edit.

Stella Kramer is a Pulitzer Prize winning photo editor who has worked for many top industry publications, and one of a few who has gone on to consult and lecture as well. She began her career at Vanity Fair, was a photo editor at Newsweek, and served as Director of Photography at Brill's Content. She has also worked as a freelance photo editor for major publications including The New York Times, People, Entertainment Weekly, Sports Illustrated, and Money. She clearly knows the industry inside and out, and allowed me to ask her a few questions about her experiences.

zip zip:


How did you get started as a photo editor? Was there a particular niche that was most interesting to you, or did you fall into it?

I got started as a photo editor in a sort of roundabout way. I was asked by the temp agency I went to work for whether I wanted to work for companies on Wall St. or for midtown magazines. I chose the latter, having majored in journalism/political science in college. My first gig was in the photo department of Vanity Fair, where I simply kept track of film that came in and sent it back.

From there I went to a promotional department at Time Inc., gathering images for use in TV commercials. After I cut a direct deal with them to get out from under the temp agency, I worked there for about a year. My next gig was PEOPLE magazine, then Sports Illustrated. That's how I started. I really hadn't known that there was such a thing as a photo department, since I didn't come to it from school or from a photo agency. I was lucky, and it proved to be a great fit for me.

I was always most interested in photojournalism, but each job I've had (entertainment, sports, business, etc.) has had its moments. I went wherever I found work. It wasn't until I got to Newsweek that I got a real chance to work with news. We did an incredible cover story called "Murder: A Week In the Death of America" that won several awards.

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photo by Eugene Richards

That was really thrilling for me.

What's the most rewarding project you've worked on?

Without a doubt, the most rewarding thing I've ever done was the work I did at The New York Times related to 9/11, both the "Portraits of Grief" project I worked on for several months, and the initial editing work I did on the day of the attacks.

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photo by Ruth Fremson/ The New York Times

It was the first time I felt like a real journalist, and working for such an important and professional publication like The Times was extraordinary. There was so much film that came into the newspaper that day (after all, the attacks were the most photographed event in history) from staff, freelancers, and just people off the street; I cannot remember how much I saw. I can't even really separate events of the first week-- all I remember was long hours, not leaving the building, looking at film, and stumbling home to cry and watch cable news late into the night.

When I was asked to work on getting the photos for the "Portraits of Grief", I didn't realize I was going to be part of something that would become almost a sacred rite for some people.  It was so difficult getting the photographs from family and friends that were of happy times (weddings, births, graduations, etc.), and cropping them down to obituary photos.

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from "Portraits of Grief"


It became vital to me that I had a photograph to go with every bio, as I wanted people to look into the eyes of those killed, so that the event wouldn't become an incomprehensible statistic. How could you not feel the impact of the event when you saw people who might even have been your own family?  The work took its toll on me emotionally, and I will never forget it.

I also discovered an amazing photographer, Michael Lisnet, who had been shooting the scene at Ground Zero for days and I was able to get The New York Times Week In Review to publish an essay of his work.  I am very proud of that.

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photos by Michael Lisnet


What is an ideal assignment for you-- how much involvement do you like to have in the development of a story; do you consistently work with the same stable of photographers?


My ideal assignment is one that I help bring into being, from discussing the idea to choosing the photographer, to being at the shoot and collaborating with them, to editing and presenting the photographs to the editors. Having some autonomy to do my job without interference. One great example is a shoot I did with Nathaniel Welch, who photographed Chris Brown for me when I was at PEOPLE. It was a great time all around.

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photo by Nathaniel Welch

Sometimes I've gotten to be there from the initial editorial meeting, sometimes I've jumped in when the story has been turned over to me to visualize. But being able to come up with creative ideas and choose the right photographer is the best part of Photo Editing. That, and the excitement of seeing the images for the first time. Depending on where I was I might use a lot of the same photographers. But the best part of having had a varied career is that I've worked with a wide range of wonderful photographers: from still life shooters to conflict photographers and everyone in between. I couldn't have asked for more.

What does your career consist of now-- are you able to cobble together both consulting/teaching with editing work?

Nowadays I spend more time working with photographers than editing for a publication. And with the way things have gone in publishing I have the better end of the deal. I am involved with creative work, and creative people. I am not just the data entry person, inputting images to show to editors who won't listen to my opinion. Photo editing has changed so much that there is less autonomy than ever, and that's too bad for everyone.

Working in magazines for so many years allows me to explain from the inside out how magazines approach photography. I know how important a strong, tight edit is. And with fewer pages in magazines, there is more need than ever to be able to present a strong project, whether it's for print or for the web. Too often I find photographers unable to focus their essays, choosing the wrong photographs or adding text where it isn't needed in order to explain what their stories are about. I'm hoping to show people how you can tell a story without words, in a complete way that gives the viewer everything they need to know.

I love looking at photography and showing people a different way of looking at their own work. I think there is even more need now for photographers of all levels to open themselves up to other eyes.  And anyway, it's so much fun!

--

Take a look at Kramer's site, portfolio, and upcoming events. Or contact her for a consultation.





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I received an introductory email from Dan Saelinger the other day (that's him, above). Turns out he shot the cover of July's Self-Promotion themed PDN, and was using some newly-inspired guerilla tactics to get himself out there; he sent me some promos and said some humorous things. And you know what-- it worked! Saelinger turns out to be an incredibly affable guy, and was kind enough to share some knowledge about his journey through the wilds of this industry we call photo.

Without further ado.... Q&A! GO!


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How did you land the PDN cover, and how did the shoot come together? How did the experience change your approach to self-promotion?

Jeanine Fijol called me for that assignment out of the blue one day. I had never published in PDN before; she found me through one of my promos-- since the shoot was about self-promotion, I guess you could say things came full circle! Jeanine came to me with a pretty specific idea and we were fortunate to have Keren Sachs at Martha Stewart lend us her promos. I was excited to see one of mine among them. It's nice to know your promos don't always end up in the wastebasket! Anyhow, it was really inspiring seeing all these great promos, and it really hit home how special your work needs to be to compete in this industry.


What are you hoping to accomplish with the new promos you made-- what's your target audience?

I have a several-pronged approach to my own promotion. The promos I sent to you are my email promos. Actually clients can even make an instant version of them on my site. When you browse images, there is an option to save an image, and it automatically downloads in a nice little promo-card format. I also send out traditional mailers, normally two to three times a year. In the spring I sent out a mini 5x5 book with 25 images in it. In the next month or so I'll be sending out an accordion-style promo with about 10 images. I prefer sending out a sampling of work as opposed to a single image or spread. Since I shoot a variety of subjects, it allows me to bring it all together in a nice package. I try to keep the mailing reasonably tight, targeting ad agencies and magazines.


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My favorite one you sent me is the bunny money/ antler hair... what's the story of those images-- are they personal work?

The images you mentioned were both shot for clients. The bunnies were shot for Maxim for a story on how to multiply your money. The antlers shaved into the man's head were for Field & Stream for a story on boot camp for hunting. Both were tons of fun to shoot and I think good examples of what can happen when you get the opportunity to really play with the concept of a story.


It looks like, although you do have some advertising clients, that most of your professional work is in the editorial field.

I've been shooting professionally about 3 years, so as I think is the case for most photographers, I'm still cutting my teeth on the editorial, finding my vision and honing my skills. I see myself ideally shooting a combo of the two. Obviously with editorial there is a bit of freedom in the assignments that can make a job more enticing, making up sometimes for the lower rates. Though I've gotten to the point where if the price isn't right or the job just doesn't seem rewarding enough, I'll pass.

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Popular Mechanics/ Inc, 2006/2007

I just remember being younger looking at all these amazing photographs in magazines and thinking, I want my name in here.  I guess it's a little bit the idea of getting recognition, and the thrill of knowing you have an image that hundreds of thousands people are going to engage with.

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Nike, 2007

You seem to have good relationships with many magazines, whom you shoot for repeatedly (I'm seeing Maxim, Men's Journal, Prevention and some others appear again and again in your portfolio)... how do you keep these relationships fresh?

Repeat clients have really been key in my success and sustaining and growing my business, and I feel very fortunate to have such a great clientele. I like to think that I am pleasant to work with on set and give my clients something they are extremely happy with. Keeping it fresh is definitely important, and I do try to approach each new assignment independently from past assignments. I've gotten annual feature packages multiple years in a row and I'll look what we did before and look to push it in another direction, explore something maybe we didn't the year before. I also try to make sure my lighting and style are constantly evolving in new directions.

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Maxim, 2006

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Money Magazine, 2008

Are there specific photo editors you love working with?

Of course I love all the photo editors I work with!

(ed note : touché)

I get so many great assignments from so many amazing photo editors. I definitely want to give a shout out to Amy Berkley at Field & Stream. She gave me my first major editorial assignment and we still work together pretty much every month. Amy strives to keep the art fresh, giving me latitude to be creative, and it's allowed us to collaborate on some pretty great images. I've found the longer you work together and the more comfortable the relationship, the more creative the collaboration becomes.

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Field & Stream, 2007

It's pretty hard for me to distinguish your personal work from your commercial work, which a good sign that a photographer has found his or her niche in the industry. What do you like to shoot best? Still lives, landscapes? It seems like you do a bit more portraiture in your personal work, but it's pretty close, otherwise. Do you agree?

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personal work, 2008

Yeah they do intertwine quite a bit. I think like most photographers, I like to shoot everything. Commercially speaking, still life has definitely been my bread and butter.

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personal work, 2008

I started the portraiture as way to get comfortable with people in front of my lens again; actually, when I was in school, I shot only people and fashion, but when you get out you get pigeon-holed very quickly. I wanted to go back to something I was very excited about when I started out.

The landscape work started off as a way for me to get out of the studio and work solo on my "art." Now I'm showing it in my book; in fact one of my landscapes recently got picked up for a big ad campaign.

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Savannah, Georgia, 2004


Have you had a rep for most of your career-- does that keep you from promoting yourself?


I was very fortunate and very lucky to get a fantastic rep at the beginning of my career. Clare O'Dea (my agent) has been a huge proponent for consistently promoting my work. We have pretty regular conversations and maintain an ongoing advertising plan. I think there is a general belief among photographers that if you have a rep you can sit back and wait for the work to roll in. Where in reality, it's really a matter of combining your efforts so that both rep and photographer are promoting the work.


I LOVE this fish image: tell me how you made it!

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I was shooting something totally different that day - can't even remember what - but it involved water in plastic cups, I think. Anyhow, it just struck me it would be cool to put a goldfish in there. So I ran to a pet store and made it happen. It's just a simple plexi background, no digital tricks, just straightforward, somewhat-still life.


Did your Dad's love of hunting affect your work? I'm seeing a lot of animals, nature, and fishing references in your pictures...


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Field & Stream, 2008

Haha, I guess I do have a lot of that in my work. Truthfully I think it's from shooting so much for Field & Stream, which is appropriate since my dad has been subscribing to it since I can remember.

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Field & Stream/ This Old House, 2006




See more of Saelinger's work here.



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I can't help myself: Here are three from Hiroshi Sugimoto's Diorama Series:

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Earliest Human relatives, 1994

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Cro-Magnon, 1994

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Neanderthal, 1994


Dioramas

Upon first arriving in New York in 1974, I did the tourist thing. Eventually I visited the Natural History Museum, where I made a curious discovery: the stuffed animals positioned before painted backdrops looked utterly fake, yet by taking a quick peek with one eye closed, all perspective vanished, and suddenly they looked very real. I'd found a way to see the world as a camera does. However fake the subject, once photographed, it's as good as real.

- Hiroshi Sugimoto



There's a wonderfully in-depth interview and behind-the-scenes piece about Sugimoto's work at PBS' Art 21, here.
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Holy Diorama!

The American Museum of Natural History has long had a history of teaching through visual means-- their famous dioramas were preceded by slide lectures given by museum founder Albert Bickmore to New York City schoolteachers.

Now, as a part of the new online exhibit, Picturing the Museum: Education and Exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History, an unbelievable archive is available for viewing and download. The images are broken up into four categories: Dioramas, Education, Exhibition, and Exhibition Preparation.
 
This is a deep, deep archive. I've spent hours looking through already.

The Exhibition Preparation Images are my favorite. Here are some highlights:

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Mr. Christensen applies the skin of a roan antelope to the manikin, 1939


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Museum staff cleaning elephant skin, 1933


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African Lion Group in Preparation, 1935


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Mounting Timber Wolf-Burlap, saturated in liquid plaster of paris is used to cover skeleton to form a base or armature on which to model in clay, 1947


002A7133_l.jpgInstallation of Bald Eagle Group, Bird Hall, 1962


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Woman planning exhibit for Biology of Man Hall, 1961

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Mr. Barnum Brown at work on fossil land tortoise (Colossochelys atlas), 1930


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Grizzly Bear Attack posed during construction of Grizzly Bear Group, 1941



Some of them even have a sense of humor, which I appreciate.  There's something so strange about taxidermy. I'm simultaneously revolted and fascinated by it.

In any case, see more of the archive here.
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Oh boy, I upset people with that last post. Let's change gears and see what the Germans eat. And the Americans, and the Japanese.

And how much does it cost? What do people love to eat the most?!

Tell us, Peter Menzel.

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Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide

Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07
Favorite foods: fried potatoes with onions, bacon and herring, fried noodles with eggs and cheese, pizza, vanilla pudding.


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USA: The Caven family of California

Food expenditure for one week: $159.18
Favorite foods: beef stew, berry yogurt sundae, clam chowder, ice cream


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Japan: The Ukita family of Kodaira City

Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen or $317.25
Favorite foods: sashimi, fruit, cake, potato chips


I love that Japanese teenager, clutching her crisps for all she's worth. Also, those Americans look like a picture in my seventh-grade health class text book.

See many more foods and cultures in the extended gallery of this work on Time Online. Some people don't eat very much at all, let alone crisps.



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Deutsch Magazine
would like to raise Vogue its Persians. This is the cover. Click on the jump to see the pics from inside.


Not for the weak.


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All this talk of projectors has made me think of, um... projecting. And not in the psychological sense, although I do plenty of that. The slide projector has really been an incredible tool since it came on the scene, and someone who has used it well consistently is artist Lorie Novak.

I started to make projection work when I was in grad school, and people always thought it was derivative of Novak's work, which I had never even seen. Funny how that happens. Here are images from two sets of her work; these up top are from Out of Darkness: Projections on the Night Landscape, 1987-1991.

I believe most of these exposures were several hours long.


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Black Spring, 1990

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Family, 1990

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Midnight Swim, 1990

(night swimming!)


These below are from Novak's project: Interior Photographs, 1983-1998.


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The Barbeque, 1983

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My Mother, 1984

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Uncle Sam, 1983

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Mirror Image, 1983

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Fade Out, 1990


Here are two of mine. I had to dig through the vault to find these. Both are circa 2001, I believe. I sometimes projected images into my bedroom, and also just used the powerful light of the projector to make images in the dark. In the second one, which was a several minute exposure, I danced back and forth over the bed. I was wearing something glittery and gold, hence the trail. Also I seem to have liked flamingos.


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You guys know what I'm going to say next: Send me images using projections!


I'm so predictable.
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I've watched ten Mad Men episodes in the past week, and I'm all but dreaming of Don and Peggy. For those of you who don't know, Mad Men focuses on the advertising industry in the early '60s in New York, and the resulting campaigns.

One of the home runs Don Draper hits the first season is the campaign for the first slide carousel from Kodak. It's pretty interesting-- watch the clip above. My one complaint: those images do not look rich enough to be Kodachrome.

I know Mad Men tries to be historically accurate, so I searched for the original 1961 ad, but no dice.

I did find these early ads:




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This one above is from 1963

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I also found this very interesting article about the history of Kodak over at Creative Pro, which includes other slide projector ads from the same era:


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Mmm I love me a slide projector.
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An email from a certain Glenn Glasser arrived in my inbox last night. Full text:

Not sure if I sent this to ya:

http://www.thedailyevie.com/

g


Being the naturally curious person that I am, off I went to discover this new online world. I ended up somewhere between the Cabbage Patch and Cindy Sherman's closet.

I'm not sure if I can really describe the perplexing magic that's being made on this site, but I'll give you four images and their titles so you can have a little parse (the one above is gravy). Then the rest is up to you.


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Evie at Fashion Week, NYC

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Truman Capote

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Weekend Witchy

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Dance Fever



I do not know who runs this site, but I have a hunch the person in charge may sign their checks "X. Roberts". One clue is that Mr. Toledano shows up on the side bar; perhaps this is a high-brow crew.

In any case, I shall continue to happily contemplate the mystery. And those orange leg warmers.


I can't wait to have children.
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It was a banner weekend for The New York Times Magazine, surprise surprise; I don't think I've seen a more arresting cover image in quite some time. The article, Children of God, discusses the world that is the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints-- both inside the sect's walls, and out.

Stephanie SInclair of the VI Network took these pictures, and they're stunning. See some of my favorites below, and all of them here in handy slide show format.

The Young Women of the F.L.D.S.

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LeAnn Jeffs, 17 (center), and her 1-year-old daughter were removed from the Yearning for Zion Ranch after it was raided by Texas law-enforcement officers in April. She now lives in a rented home in a San Antonio subdivision with her mother, Sally, 52 (right), and some of her 14 siblings. A friend, Joy Darger, 25, is at left.

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LeAnn Jeffs and her daughter in their living room.

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Before dinner, four sons and a son-in-law of the convicted F.L.D.S. leader Warren S. Jeffs prepare to sing a hymn in a house in New Braunfels, Tex. Portraits over the mantel are of the former F.L.D.S. prophet Rulon Jeffs (right) and Warren S. Jeffs, who replaced Rulon after his death in 2002.

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LeAnn braids her hair.


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A trampoline provides entertainment for the 13 children living at the house in New Braunfels. Pictured here, jumping, is Teresa Jeffs, 16, Lenora's sister and a daughter of Warren S. Jeffs.


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Josephine Jeffs, 15, a sister of Teresa, Lenora and Hannah, in New Braunfels.


Also-- BONUS!

In what seems to be an exclusive online feature, Sinclair goes behind the scenes on the Yearning for Zio Ranch. I wonder if these were a late edition, they were shot very recently:

Inside Their World:

On July 17 and 18, the photographer Stephanie Sinclair was allowed to visit the Yearning for Zion Ranch near Eldorado, Tex., and given rare access to the members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or F.L.D.S., who live there.

Members of the polygamist sect dispersed after the state seized its children, but a few reunited families have returned since the Texas Supreme Court ruled in May that the state overstepped its authority. Sinclair, who made her visit before a Texas grand jury indicted Warren S. Jeffs, the sect's leader, on new charges of child sexual assault, followed ranch residents as they went about their ordinary routines -- picking vegetables and milking cows in the community garden and dairy; spending time in their homes; and, these days, meeting with the court-appointed guardians who continue to have a duty to represent the interests of the children.


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Leona Steed, 61, and her granddaughters Angela Steed, 12, left, and Janey Steed, 13, spend the morning picking no-heat jalapeño peppers at the Yearning for Zion ranch.

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Vilate Jessop, 6, holds her sister, Tammy Steed, 8 months, at the dairy.

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Natalie Keate, 6, takes a break from feeding milk to the calves at the dairy. Facing her is Willson Jessop, 4. In the background are Carlene Jessop, 27 holding William Jessop, 2, and other children from the ranch.

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Radiance Anne Johnson, 6, takes a photo with a cellphone while her mother, Patricia Johnson, carries her younger daughter, Elizabeth, 2, up the stairs of their home.


see more read more
!
| Comments (1)
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Wow! Just got an email about some Aperture Foundation-sponsored ebay auctions. I had no idea they had an ebay presence; does everyone, am I missing something?

Go check it out if you're interested and have some extra cash-- there are some good things here.

(Unnecessary) Screenshot:


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Dear Summer Santa,


please bring me

1.

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and 2.

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kthxbye.
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Nerve has a pretty fun design issue online right now, and one of the highlights is a design quiz. I thought it was going to be all gravy, but I got some wrong.

boo.

Here are some of the easier ones.

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Q: This font combines uppercase and lowercase letters into a single character set, and is named after a German modernist design school of the early twentieth century (not a British goth band).

A. Siouxie      
B. Cure        
C. Danse        
D. Bauhaus



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Q: The logo shown above, now the insignia of the New York Yankees, was originally designed in 1887 by this jewelry company, which put it on a medal given to a police officer shot in the line of duty.

A. De Beers    
B. Zales        
C. Jared        
D. Tiffany



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Q: Designer Ross Lovegrove has spent his career creating high-concept industrial works like the lighting scheme above, but his best-known creation is this iconic portable electronic device, patented in the U.S. in 1978.

A. The Nintendo Gameboy        
B. Simon        
C. The cordless phone  
D. The Sony Walkman



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Q: This tuxedo-style suit for women was created in 1966 by Yves Saint Laurent, and is credited with breaking the mold for androgynous modern-day pantsuits and power suits.

A. Le Smoking  
B. Le Sizzle    
C. Le Pantaloons        
D. Le Roux


Go test more of your knowledges here. There are twenty of 'em.





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I was going to do a "night swimming" post, after the sara hair debacle below, and because everyone has a night swimming picture, and because I stayed up late watching Mad Men and they were talking about night swimming at the kitchen table.

And the first image I thought of was this one, above, by Dru Donovan. Even though it's probably day swimming in reality, I love it anyway and was going to include it.

But then I looked at the new B&W work on Donovan's site and was mesmerized because:

1. It's rare to see this kind of intellectual cleverness in a black and white format.
2. These are just WEIRD and wonderful. I feel like the Talking Heads should make an album to go with each one. Or Beck or someone.
3. They are a nice arty complement to Felix Larher's work, which I just posted, and I like momentum.

Anyway- you decide what's going on in these, cause I can't tell ya.

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Night Swimming pictures will go up next week. Which means you should send me yours this weekend.

Here are some other rad people who enjoy the black and white medium.


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I appreciate humor in fashion. I think Vogue's got the right idea with those Persians; anyhoo, it's Friday, and I thought I'd throw some Felix Larher on the block. He's French, and he can get Claudia Schiffer to molest the Pink Panther. So points for that.

A few points detracted for the sh*%$y scans, though.

But still. It's like Bill Owens meets Terry Richardson.


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this one doesn't have the *funny, exactly, but this lady looks like new-dag-on-the-block, Sarah Stephens.



Wait, could it be!? Or do not all beautiful brunettes resemble one another?
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Here we go. Spurred by a reader's astute suggestion this morning, I think we should discuss retouching. As said reader noted:

"now that "retouched" is almost required/automatic-- how do you find a retoucher? How do you work with them?"


Friends, I haven't the foggiest. What if you were me and you wanted to make Sara here's hair green? Bad things would happen:

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And yet, I'd rather not pay an outrageous hourly rate for this hair color. I'd like to just buy a box at Rite Aid, as it were. Is this a simple question of Photoshop workshops? I sort of think not... I think many photographers are happy to have a basic knowledge of Photoshop, but need a little help once in a while.

Conversely, if you do your own retouching, you can jack up your invoices to outrageous sums, and many PEs won't be the wiser. Trust me.


What say you?


I suppose you could always team up with this guy.


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Need a trophy for your wall?

I KNOW you all are very diligent and remember to constantly apply for exhibitions and competitions and grants, and maybe even a residency or two; even so, I thought I'd remind you. There's nothing like getting into a little juried show to make your mother proud. And also to further your career.

Here are four stops for you to make on your journey. I just found #1 today, hence the renewed excitement:


1. photography grants and awards blog

2. marketing photos with mary virginia swanson

3. NYFA

4. FJORD (excellent listings section)



Also, this is still a good list to look at.


Feel free to email with more!

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Ok; I was trying to find these Persians for you from Vogue yesterday, but there was a fail; luckily today other folks came through for me with some scans. And good lord, are these things worth it!

They even persian-ed out Karen Elson's hair!

It looks like Creative Director Grace Coddington was behind this cat lady shoot...

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She's looking pretty ravishing for 67.

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Pumpkin looks good, too.

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*Look at her cat drawings! I can hardly stand it.

*I wonder if Steven Meisel likes cats.

*I hope my hair fades to red in time for Fall.
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I'm moving next week. I've lived in my current apartment for over two years, and I'm in quite a tizzy, throwing out and recycling and paring down. It's strange to look through all you've accumulated in the last year and figure out what to keep. Also, nostalgia-inducing.

I was in such a mood last night when I came upon an old box of hair dye. Dark Brown. I'm no stranger to new hair colors, but this seemed like an especially apropos moment to take on a new guise. This morning, I'm not so sure. I look different. Really different.

SO, this made me think about photography, naturally. In particular, Hendrik Kerstens' portraits of his daughter Paula. They're like paintings. They're beautiful; I like to see her change.

You can see lots of these and read more about Kerstens at the Witzenhausen Gallery site (incidentally, they rep a ton of good people)... but here are some of Paula that I really like.

"Brace" just kills me.

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black cap, 2006


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pullover, 2007


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pimp up towel, 2006


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pimp up cap, 2006


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pimp up peel, 2006


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blond, 2007


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pimp up louis, 2006


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brace, 2005


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cap, 2001


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hairnet, 2000


"One day Paula came back from horseback riding. She took off her cap and I was struck by the image of her hair held together by a hair-net. It reminded me of the portraits by the Dutch masters and I portrayed her in that fashion. After that I started to do more portraits in which I refer to the paintings of that era. The thing that fascinates me in particular is the way a seventeenth-century painting is seen as a surface which can be read as a description of everyday life as opposed to the paintings of the Italian Renaissance, which usually tell a story. Northern European painting relies much more on craftsmanship and the perfect rendition of the subject. The use of light is instrumental in this."


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bathing cap, 1992


___


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sigh.
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These pictures blow me away. Excuse the pun.


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From Wired's Nuclear History Gallery.


Above:

Operation Upshot-Knothole, conducted at the Nevada Proving Ground between March 17 and June 4, 1953, consisted of 11 atmospheric tests: three airdrops, seven tower tests and one airburst. Upshot-Knothole involved the testing of new theories, using both fission and fusion devices.

House No. 1, located 3,500 feet from ground zero, was completely destroyed on the first day of testing. The elapsed time from the first picture to the last was 2⅔ seconds. The camera was completely enclosed in a 2-inch lead sheath as a protection against radiation. The only source of light was that from the detonation. Frame No. 1 (upper left) shows the house lighted by the blast. Frame No. 2 (upper right) shows the house on fire.

Courtesy National Nuclear Security Administration/Nevada Site Office

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Holy amusing, there's an eye-opening article in the Times style section today about brides asking their bridesmaids to undergo botox and breast enhancement surgery to prepare for their big day.

Couched quietly in this big dose of crazy is one rather reasonable lady:

"But for every accommodating pal, there's another who feels going under the knife is beyond the duty of bridesmaid. Becky Lee, 39, a Manhattan photographer, declined when a friend asked her -- and five other attendants -- to have their breasts enhanced. "We're all Asian and didn't have a whole lot of cleavage, and she found a doctor in L.A. who was willing to do four for the price of two," said Ms. Lee, who wore a push-up bra instead."

What, ho! The reasonable lady here is a photographer. Fantastic! I thought I'd honor Becky Lee and link to her website, but I could only find a Rebecca Lee. I googled "becky lee photo"... but got nothing.

Let this be a lesson- if you are a photographer, you must be google-able. Otherwise you'll lose press and or jobs. For serious.

Now, for less serious: some of my favorite wedding moments from the PS collection.


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These ladies did a really nice job of matching.

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Uh oh.

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I think this last one is a metaphor.

Cheers!

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I've been waiting to post this PS image from Paul Zhang for a while. The caption really surprised me.

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The dance teacher corrects dancing placement for one blind dancer pair at an activity center for the disabled in Beijing, September 24, 2006. More than 40 eyesight-challenged take part in this "blind dance team" with a weekly Latin dance gala.


Love it. See more from the series here.


Reminds me (a little) of this.


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Mr. Toledano's essay made me nostalgic. So does New Zealand photographer Ben Smith's work; he captures emotion beautifully. Here are six images from him, three each from two projects.


The first three, from the project:

'Power to the Ba'ath' Series One
"Unity, Freedom and Socialism!!!"
Syrian Arabic Republic


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The next three, from the project:

'Mishwaar'
Sahraneen Sahraneen
Hama, Syria

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Mishwaar_2.jpg

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see more.

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Don't miss Phillip Toledano's photo essay Days with My Father. Seriously amazing.

His editorial work is killer too, if you're not acquainted.

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After all the (panda)monium(!) this morning, I went in search of more animals; specifically, I'd seen a fashion story in Teen Vogue (at the doctor's office, natch) that featured a cool teen and an Abyssinian. And our sales team informed me that grown-up Vogue had a story featuring a cat this month, too.

But, alas, neither of these were revealing themselves to me online, and the walking to the newstand/scanning thing may take another day.

But sometimes, your failure can bring a gift. And mine surely did; I found the behind-the-scenes of the cover shoot area of Teen Vogue. It appears that the production team simply hands an intern a digital camera at these things.

Still, it's interesting to see Patrick Demarchelier at work. I appreciate his sitting-down approach.

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I don't get the knit-hat-in-summer thing.

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It takes a village to shoot a fresh young thang.


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After all my hard work searching through these images, I found what I'd wanted all along; animals!

And Ellen Page.


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Teen Vogue tells us that this is a "ranch where classics like Lassie and Old Yeller were filmed. We too had a few puppies on set."


See more cover gals and puppy faces here.

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Today's a little slow in the brain-area; we're going to start out slow and smooth with a selection from Cute Overload.

But we're going to make it all game-show in here: GUESS THE MAMMAL!!


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day 1


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day 2


Hint: It's also known as an  Ailuropoda melanoleuca.


Additional serious cuteness and all your answers, after the jump.



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I don't even really understand this:

1. Why would they remove that gentleman

and

2. Why would they leave his knee behind?


I am forever perplexed.



Thanks, Marc.
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I don't know if James Horan intuited that I spent much of my childhood watching and re-watching a VHS tape called Ballad of the Irish Horse, but he was right on the money when he thought I might like the book project he's been working on, about the culture of the horse throughout Ireland.

Horan is self-publishing this book through Blurb; take a look at many more images on flickr. I hope this story gets picked up by some magazines in the States-- lord knows horses (and unicorns) are hot right now. In any case, info from Horan, and some images:

----

I'm Irish and from a small town called Limerick. I studied fine art print making in college and then decided I wanted to become a photographer. I worked for six years with a news agency called Press 22; after this I went to Sydney, Australia for four years and worked as a staff photographer for the Cumberland newspaper group. Now I'm working in Dublin, Ireland, shooting Press and PR.

When I came home to Ireland last June I found myself looking at it with fresh eyes. With so much change going on in the country and the "Celtic Tiger" economy in full effect, I decided to document one aspect of my culture that has remained largely unchanged but will most likely fade into the history books.

From the tweed-suited old gentlemen and gypsies at the traditional horse fairs of Spancil Hill and Ballinasloe, to the Adidas-clad youth from deprived and working class suburbs of Limerick and Dublin, I have met fearless, competent riders-- all of whom are down to earth, kind-hearted people who love their horses. Most of the people I have photographed have no formal equestrian training and keep their animals in homemade stables or on green areas in housing estates.


hPicture-6.jpg The project centers on the monthly Smithfield horse market; it's one of Dublin's oldest traditions, dating back to the 17th century. Dealers come from around Ireland to buy and sell horses, but the market is also popular with local teenagers keen to show off their ponies and their bare-back riding skills on the cobbled stone square.


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In recent years the Smithfield area has been redeveloped for modern high-density inner city living with apartments, cafes, hotels and a cinema-- all of which contrast greatly to the horse market. The introduction of The Control of Horses Act has effectively outlawed these kids, and the closure of the market is a real possibility.


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The Smithfield Horse Market.

hPicture-21.jpgThe Smithfield Horse Market.

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Vicar Street Stables, Dublin, Ireland.

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Vicar Street Stables.

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A sunny day in Finglas, Dublin, Ireland.

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Every October, Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland is host to the ancient October Fair, one of the oldest horse fairs in Europe; bathed in history, it dates back to the 1700s. Today the ever popular fair is still held, along with a festival that attracts up to 100,000 visitors from all over the world.

hPicture-7.jpgThe Ballinasloe Fair.


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Johnny Mac from Moyross, Limerick, is pictured at the Spancil Hill horse fair, County Clare. Buyers and sellers of horses and ponies gather each year on the 23rd of June for the famous Spancil Hill horse. At one time, Spancil Hill was said to be Ireland's largest fair with buyers from Britain, Russia, Prussia, and France competing to purchase the best stock for their Imperial armies.


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Tommy Gallagher from Mayo is pictured at the Spancil Hill horse fair, County Clare.


See more!

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I've been waiting for a while now for Kelly Shimoda's cell phone text message project to hit the airwaves, and today my wish was granted. Check out her blog full of these things; she's been documenting her friends' best messages since March 2007.

I am proud to say my own phone made it into this project. It's included here, but I'm not telling which it is. Bwahaha.

Here are some of my favorites.

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Twenty-first century culture; you gotta love it.
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This one took me a while. Thumbs up, or thumbs down?


Produced by:

Advertising Agency: Euro RSCG, Singapore
Art Director: Wee Loi
Copywriter: Uma Rudd Chia
Released: December 2007


Still confused? Explanation after the jump.

*It is interesting how snapshotty they kept this image. Stock, mayhaps?



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The New York Times had a "pictures of the day" slide show yesterday, which I don't believe is actually a daily occurrence, although they do always have interesting imagery that's sort of hidden back in the slide show section. You've got to troll through a bit to find it. In any case, July 21 had its own gallery, and it was quite a day. The lead image above is rather heartbreaking. The caption:

Filipinos tried to put out a fire with buckets of water in a slum in the capital, Manila.

Photo: Dennis M. Sabangan/European Pressphoto Agency


Then there were about seven other images of things happening around the world, including this one:

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Photo: Jason Lee/Reuters

A subway employee tried to maintain order as passengers crowded into a train during rush hour in Beijing. The passengers halted subway service and forced workers to close off entrances for safety on the first day of pre-Olympic traffic restrictions.


And THEN, these two images, sort of couched in there. One from Obama's Day, and one from McCain's.


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Photo: Staff Sergeant Lorie Jewell/U.S. Army, via Associated Press

Senator Barack Obama, left, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president and David Petraeus, the top American military commander in Iraq, surveyed Baghdad from a helicopter.



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Photo: Brian Snyder/Reuters

Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president and former President Bush answered questions from reporters at former at Mr. Bush's residence in Kennebunkport, Maine.




Who's the war hero now?


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From the Apollo Missions Panorama Site:

"On July 20, 1969 the first man stepped on the moon. During the next three years, six missions to the moon were made and a total of twelve astronauts walked on the moon. During these missions thousands of images were taken, most of them with the "Hasselblad EDC", a special version of the Hasselblad 500 EL."

There are also tons of amazing images available from all of these mission at the Project Apollo Image Gallery. Here's a selection from the Apollo 11 mission.


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Buzz Aldrin uses a triggerless Hasselblad camera during EVA training. April, 1969.


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Neil Armstrong practices collection of contingency sample during EVA training in Houston. April 18, 1969.


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Launch team members view the Apollo 11 through the firing room windows. July 16, 1969.


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Apollo 11 as viewed from an Air Force EC-135N plane


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View from Earth orbit, July 1969


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Earthrise sequence - Earth emerges over lunar horizon


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Inspection of Lunar Module "Eagle" after undocking, July 20, 1969


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CSM "Columbia" over Craters Taruntius K, Taruntius P, and Dorsum Cayeux (in Mare Fecunditatis). Partially visible are craters Anvil and Taruntius H.


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Aldrin backing out through LM hatch.


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Armstrong photo of landing site from a distance.


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Armstrong in LM after historic moonwalk.


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Aldrin in LM after moonwalk


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View of full lunar disc during return trip.


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Apollo 11 crewmen await pickup by helicopter following splashdown. July 24, 1969.


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Offloading of the Mobile Quarantine Facility from the prime recovery vessel, the U.S.S. Hornet, to be sent to Hickam AFB, Hawaii. July 24, 1969.


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Apollo 11 astronauts examine film rolls. August 3, 1969.


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Astronaut Neil Armstrong cuts his birthday cake as he celebrates his 39th birthday inside the Lunar Receiving Laboratory. August 5, 1969.


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Apollo 11 astronauts examine a lunar sample. September 15, 1969.


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Apollo astronaut reunion at Johnson Space Center. August 22, 1978








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Hi Rachel,

After reading your blog over the last months and relating to your love of
all things 7th grade, I thought I would send you my own unicorn. I captured
it in Costa Rica and there are 2 special things about it: the first is that
I was actually riding saddle-less on a horse on the beach when I shot this
picture one-handed with a 20 year old Nikon FG. The second is that when
people see it they are always surprised and excited to find out that there
are unicorns in Central America.

Yay.
Sincerely, Karen E. Evans
http://psc.photoshelter.com/user/eekphoto



I think Karen really gets me.

Also.


UPDATE 1, courtesy of Kevin Miyazaki.


UPDATE 2. Unicorns= trend. Check THIS out.
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Cousin Becky sent me an email about an hour ago, and now my life will never be the same. Here's what she told me:

"Hello Cousin One-

Have you played around with the "PicLens" add-on for Firefox? If not, I think you should 'cause it just might rock your world."

Thank God for cousin tips. PicLens is pretty damn enjoyable. It makes things look seriously cool. But officially, here's what it does:

"Full-Screen, 3D -- PicLens transforms your browser into a visually stunning experience for finding and viewing online photos and videos. Our "3D Wall" lets you effortlessly search and zoom your way around thousands of images, videos, news feeds, sports feeds, and more. See our demo."

OK, here is my three-pronged, first fifteen-minute experience with this thing.


1. I go to google images.  I search for "unicorn" (naturally):

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2. I go to my Flickr account. I flip through everything in 3D and feel a pervading happiness.

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3. I go to PhotoShelter's homepage to see if PicLens works, and not only does it, but it also  pulls up captions in the most pleasing manner.

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Try it
?! It's hard to mess up, promise.
| Comments (3)


Oreo Elevator from CL on Vimeo.


I found this video on a creative Brazilian site, and as enthralled as I am with the actual concept, it gets even better with the Babelfish translation. See for yourself:


"One of the traditions oldest in 'biscuit terms' (it looks at that this valley a thesis) is to dive a Oreo in milk. Perhaps in Brazil you do not have much here this custom, but into the United States this if transformed into practically an icon of the pertaining mark Kraft Foods. Based in this, the DraftFCB of New York used a panoramic elevator to create an unusual media, demonstrating to the slogan 'Milk's favorite cookie'."


I always liked Double Stuffed best. Can't get too much of a good thing.
| Comments (1)
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PhotoShelter's Shoot! The Day event went down yesterday at Shoot Digital studios, and though I was shamefully late to the festivities, I did successfully convince Emiliano Granado (that dude above) to send me some goodies. I felt that I needed some visual representation of the awesome-hood. If you'll recall, there were expert panels and shooting teams getting down to business all day; here are some of the portraits that came out of the Granado camera.


His file names were so funny that I just decided to leave them as-is. Recognize some of these folks?


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brent_super_assistant

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mike_the_infiltrator

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charlie_the_quiet_one


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norman_nikon_stud

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annie_are_we_on_time*

*my personal favorite.

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ryan_profoto_god

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Thoughts:

I continue to be obsessed with those shoes.
I want guitar hero.
I like mike.

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photo by Glenn Glasser

Charlotte Kemp Muhl, Model and Musician (above left), and Sarabeth DeLeury, Philosopher and Actress

I know I highlight NY Mag's Look Book (and in turn, Glenn Glasser) nearly as often as it's published, but I just CANNOT help myself this morning; it's the BFF edition! There are three interviews, so go check out the others too. But this one-- this one, folks, is just priceless. Welcome to Monday.

____

You two seem, um, very close.
CHARLOTTE: We're not lesbians, we're business partners. We're about to make a music video with my boyfriend, Sean Lennon. It's going to be us hunting Sarabeth; she'll be Diana.

How did you meet?
SARABETH: We met first at a friend's house. Charlotte walked in with one of her breasts hanging out and someone said, "Hey, your breast is hanging out," and she said, "That's okay, I have another." CHARLOTTE: She's the coolest person in the world, and I have really good taste. SARABETH: We became best friends and traveled the world together. We went to Europe and to L.A., where our car was seized. We both had mental breakdowns.

Breakdowns?

CHARLOTTE: Breakdowns and breakthroughs. SARABETH: We have this very interesting cyclic cycle of energy when we're together that sucks in the most interesting people. CHARLOTTE: We're friends with Sean Parker, who invented Napster, who just sold his business for like a billion dollars and always carries around a syringe filled with antidote.

What do you do together, other than attract interesting people?

CHARLOTTE: We used to play a lot of chess together in Washington Square Park with all the homeless men. But then Yoko Ono got me into Go, a Japanese chess game that's more sophisticated.

Do you have summer plans?
CHARLOTTE: We go upstate to this amazing nature preserve and share clothes and money in this utopian way. It's a beautiful farm that Yoko has landscaped, and we eat watermelon and make art. SARABETH: We're trying to create a new way of moving forward as a collective so we can make money and help people.

Tell me about a crazy thing you've done recently.
CHARLOTTE: We saved a deer that got hit by a car. We found it on the side of the road. It was foaming and bloody, and we laid on it and hugged and stroked it. It got up twenty minutes later; it had regained its energy.




I think I'll adapt this into a screenplay and retire.
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Final countdown, guys: Shoot! The Day is Sunday. Are you all signed up?! If not, you lose. It's all booked up. Oh WAIT! I thought of a way you can come!! VOLUNTEER!

Look how happy it's making those ladies above. That could be you. But with more photographers and maybe some beer.

Give PhotoShelter's lovely Andrew a shout if you'd like to help out.


Here's the line-up for Sunday, shamelessly copied from Allen's blog (all clever jokes are his, I cannot take credit):


Rob Haggart from aphotoeditor.com (and former Director of Photography from a little magazine known as Men's Journal) will present his famous "Editorial Bootcamp" presentation, and then he's going to moderate an editorial buyer panel including:

Yeah, that's right, just a few photo editors from some of the largest and most influential magazines in the world.

Angela Natividad from adrants.com is going to lead an ad agency panel with an equally stellar grouping including:


Then Rachel Rein, Art Buyer at Hill Holiday, New York,  is going to present "From Start to Finish: Finding the Perfect Stock Photos for a Major Campaign," which will highlight an agency project that employed stock photography for a major telecommunications provider.

But we're not done.

On the photographer side of the fence, we have:

  • Jazz Mandair and Gautam Pai from JaincoTech who will be discussing strategies for effective keywording.
  • PhotoShelter co-founder, Grover Sanschagrin, will take you through his very popular "Killer Websites for Photographers" presentation that he's given around the country
  • Apple will be presenting a workflow seminar using Apple Aperture
  • and Nikon's Sam Garcia will round it out with a discussion of photography in the digital era.
And in case you get bored, you can head on over to the tradeshow room where the following companies will be presenting their wares:


And then when it's all done, we'll pony up to the bar and raise our glass to the new wave of photography that you're helping to create.




VOLUNTEER, YO!




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Speedy things!

A: a speedy movie
B: a speedy project

A.

 
Take a gander: C'était un Rendez-Vous - 1976 French Film

Director/driver: Claude Lelouch
Run Time: 9 min

Translates into "It Was an Appointment." It is one the most classic/controversial short films. Its a fast pace film seen through the eyes of the driver, cruising through Paris streets at 140mph with his 275GTB Ferrari early in the morning.

Trivia:

- The car that was used in the filming was a Mercedes-Benz 450SEL and the sound of 275GTB Ferrari was dubbed.

- Some independent groups calculated the car never exceeded 85mph, which the director denies.

- Lelouch was arrested shortly after the film was screened but was later released without charge.

- Three people were in the car, with Claude Lelouch at the wheel


B.

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We are looking to recruit a motivated team of runners who are extremely physically fit both in terms of running at speed and endurance to be part of Martin Creed's Work No. 850 which opened at Tate Britain on 1 July 2008.

Work No. 850 centres on a simple idea: that a person will run as fast as they can every thirty seconds through the gallery. Each run is followed by an equivalent pause, like a musical rest, during which the grand Neoclassical gallery is empty.

You will be expected to sprint for a distance of approximately 86 metres through the gallery. You must be able to complete the 86 metre sprint in less than 15 seconds. At the end of the sprint you will walk back to the start point and repeat the sprint approximately every 2 minutes (ie around 15 sprints) during a ½ hour period maintaining a consistent speed for each sprint.

For our core team of runners we are looking for a minimum commitment of 4 x ½ hours sessions per day with rest breaks in between. We need you to be able to commit to at least 3 days a week (could include weekends) until 16 November 2008.



Ready, set, GO.
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Ok, I got a little too excited about the CNN headlines, and I've spent the last hour looking through the PhotoShelter collection. I was originally going to illustrate this story:

Obama may be a socialist, McCain says

I think I'd go with one of these two images for this one.

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Anyhoo, once I got started with the Barack imagery, I couldn't stop. Because there's some funny/awesome stuff in the collection.

Here are my top six.

1.

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2.

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3.

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4.

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5.

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6. requisite baby shot.

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Sometimes, when I need a good belly laugh, I head over to CNN to read their headlines.

Here are my favorites:

Sky diver misses target, hits band
Yikes! 8 ft. snake found in laundry
Fat, floppy bellies win this contest 
Man counted calories, subtracted pounds (they have an amazing grasp of the obvious)
Obama may be a socialist, McCain says


It's good to know the most trusted name in news is bringing us these important stories. I did them the favor of illustrating this one:


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Did you see Batman?


Holy cow it's Friday.


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This is Ryan Pfluger. He's awesome. He's a photographer. I was delighted to hire him to write a blog at Nerve.com; he makes beautiful, intimate work that invites the viewer into his world.

Ryan made a really nice transition into editorial work after graduating from SVA's MFA program last year; I squeal with delight every time I see his name in a magazine, and I squealed super loudly yesterday, when I saw he'd taken David Carr's picture for The New York Times Magazine's excellent cover story this week.

I think it's really beautiful.

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David Carr, for The New York Times Magazine.


After I finished squealing, I emailed Ryan and barraged him with questions. He placated me with some answers and some outtakes, and now I share them with you. Huzzah!

How did you get this assignment for the Times? What is your history with them-- I know Kathy Ryan was your mentor when you were at SVA-- how has that relationship translated?

Well, after shooting for the Times last August, I'm kind of just in their archive of photographers to use. Besides Kathy, I've met with most of the photo department at the magazine, so they are familiar with my work. Kathy Ryan was my mentor while doing my Masters at SVA last year, and she has continued the relationship. While being one of the most influential photo editors in NYC, she is also the most grounded and down to earth. She is wonderfully supportive of my work, and always interested in seeing what I'm up to.

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Kahlief for The New York Times Magazine, 2007

This seems like a great story for you to shoot, given your personal work about your own father. Was that a consideration, do you know, when you were given the assignment?


I believe it was a consideration. One thing about the Times Magazine, is that they really fit the right photographers with the right assignments. They really take in consideration everything the photographer has done, and really makes sure their work and history will match. 

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Ryan and his dad.

What specifications were you given for this portrait, and how many setups did you try? Can you share any outtakes?

Pretty much do what I do.  I'm a very laid back photographer.... I'm not one to give a lot of direction, with the exception of where I want people situated.. after that I leave it very open.  I like to think my work is pretty soulful and intimate, and I always try and establish that with my subject regardless if they are a close friend, or its an assignment editorially. I attached a few of the outtakes.. I usually just move around with my subject and chat about their life. That's a whole lot more interesting to me than contrived poses or something.

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outtake 1

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outtake 2

Lame gear question- how did you shoot it? camera/ lights?

I use a Mamiya RZ and strobes.  I don't use a lot of lighting, usually just one or two.  I like working with natural light.

What were you shooting today for OUT Magazine? How is the editorial work coming, can you pay the bills? Doing any commercial work? Any new personal projects/other exciting things in the works?

I was shooting Aaron Yoo (from Disturbia and 21) and Jonathan B. Wright (Spring Awakening). They are in a movie together with Michael Cera called Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. We just chilled out in Brooklyn by the water and fooled around. I'm a big fan of Aaron's work so it was fun to hang out with him. The editorial work is building better and better. It does pay the bills, really well sometimes and sometimes it's really bad (it takes awhile to get checks nowadays).

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Gus Van Sant, Paper Magazine, 2007

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Ed Westwick, 2008

I'm hoping to branch into commercial work as well. I'm not one of those photographers who thinks it's selling out or anything doing magazine and commercial work. I'm still who I am and I photograph the way I want to. 

As for personal work, I started a project about two months back entitled "Edited".  I'm photographing all the photo editors/curators/dealers in New York that I can. It's all about turning the lens on the people who are currently making decisions about photography. Most photographers don't even know what half these people look like. They are all environmental portraits in their homes, studios or galleries. I've already photographed people like Kathy Ryan, Brian Clamp, and Brooke Nipar. George Pitts, Leslie Martin and Tim Barber are also some of the people that are future subjects.

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Brooke Nipar of MissBehave

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Brian Clamp of Clamp Art

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Stephen Schuster of Mass Appeal



See Ryan's website. Read Ryan's blog.





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I love to know the secrets behind an iconic photo shoot, especially when the shoot involves my most obsessively-listened-to-as-a-teen album, Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville.

New York Magazine spoke recently to Phair about the reissue of her classic album, as well as the documentary coming out about its making. Read the full Q&A here.

Here are the sexiest most photography-relevant bits:


It was interesting to learn from the documentary that you were pretty surrounded by guys on the making of Exile. One amusing instance of which was the shooting of Exile's cover photo...
That was so funny. I turned in a still from a friend of mine's student film for the cover of the CD -- it was an orgy of Barbies floating in a pool. Matador was like, "What the FUCK is this?!" They called up Nash [Kato, of Urge Overkill] and asked him to help. So he comes to me and goes, "Lizzy, listen, the record's great, but they're not digging this. Why don't you go into the photo booth, take off your shirt, leave on your necklaces." And before I went into the bathroom, he was like, "Oh, and remember to put lipstick on your nipples," because I have very light-pink nipples, and I figured it was some weird porno thing he knew about. Like, "Wow that's why the nipples always look so good!" So I went in the photo booth, and for the first couple of shots, I was sort of shy. He really wanted me to just be like sex.


And you were down with that?
Oh, completely. I was always game to try fun and somewhat reckless things. And the last shot was just sort of wow-- and that became the cover. And that one little nipple showed, which was a big deal later on-- over the years various major labels recropped it. But it's back! Now you can enjoy the nipple.


rock.

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This
is an interesting bit of guerilla panda marketing that's making its way around the interweb.


I'm not sure what it's selling, but a little google search revealed that Tugg also likes to save babies.


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anyone?


UPDATE.
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I'll go where you're going, Mad Men train. You make Gossip Girl look like child's play.


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Who knew there were so many flavors of sheep!? From the UK Telegraph:


It wasn't an easy project. Paul Farnham, a fashion photographer who trained with Annie Liebowitz, attended mucky agricultural shows to get his ovine portraits. Often his car got stuck in muddy fields and had to be hauled out by labouring tractors. His studio was a construction of hay-bales. His backdrop, rolled cloth.

It was, he says, nothing like his normal fashion shoots. But there, again, in some ways, it was precisely the same. "The majority were fine, they would turn up and walk straight on to the backdrop," Farnham says. "But some were crazy. Every time you moved away they would buck and run. It was a bit like shooting models, really." He's proud of the new perspective that emerged from these trials, admitting: "For me, most of these shots deserve to be in frames on people's walls." And if you consider the wider story of his subject, you might agree.

There are more than 1.2 billion sheep on earth, one for every six humans, if we wanted to share.


Here are some of the sheep models (they love diet coke and cigarettes):

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Border Leicester

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Kerry Hill


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Hebridean




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Wensleydale


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Rough Fell

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Portland

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Zwartbles

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Lincoln Longwool

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Manx Loghtan

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Jacob

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British Rouge


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Welsh Mountain Badger Face (Torddu)



I think Mr. Kerry Hill is the most handsome. But Zwartbles clearly has a better name.
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Yossi Milo
continues to knock 'em out of the park; there's an opening and book signing at the gallery tonight in Chelsea for Asako Narahashi's water series.

These calm me. I was so riled by those bulls.

From the press release:

Asako Narahashi's series half awake and half asleep in the water is a collection of C-Prints of various coastal sites in Japan. Since beginning the project in 2001, the artist has photographed over fifty locations with a Nikonos 35mm waterproof film camera.

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Jonanjima, C-Print, 2002

Narahashi floats chest deep in the ocean while facing back towards the shore, her camera held half-submerged in the water. By watching the waves without using the viewfinder, the artist times her pictures according to the swells of the ocean tide.


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Momochi, C-Print, 2003

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Mekari, C-Print, 2004

From this vantage point, waves washing against the lens of the camera create unexpected relationships between water, land and sky. With the water in the extreme foreground, the ocean dominates the view and distorts the customary perspectives of bridges, airplanes, buildings and mountains. The images are suspended in moments of uncertainty, leaving conflicting sensations of calm and growing apprehension unresolved.


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Yunohama, C-Print 2004


Asako Narahashi was born in 1959 in Tokyo, Japan. She began experimenting with photography in the mid-1980s.


If you're in the fair City tonight, take a look:
6-8pm, 525 W 25 street.
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It's a bullish morning, my friends. As such, I thought It'd be fitting to post some pictures that came through the queue from Pamplona this week. The San Fermín festival ran from the 6th-14th of July, and it looks to have been a rather lively affair.

These images are all by PhotoShelter photographer Rafa Rivas, who is a correspondent in the Basque Country for Agence France Presse-AFP.


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A Dolores Aguirre fighting bull falls at the Estafeta curve during the sixth encierro of the San Fermin festivities, on July 12, 2008, in Pamplona, north of Spain.


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Participants run ahead of Fuente Ymbro fighting bulls during the third encierro of the San Fermin festivities, on July 9th.


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A man jumps from the Navarreria fountain as people celebrate the Chupinazo, a rocket that opens the San Fermin Fair, on July 6th.


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A Fuente Ymbro fighting bull arrives at the bull-ring during the third encierro of the San Fermin festivities, on July 9th.


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Spanish matador Salvador Cortes waits prior to fight two Uceda Leal fighting bulls, during the sixth corrida of the San Fermin festivities, on July 12th.


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Runners arrive at the Pamplona bull-ring during the seventh encierro of the San Fermin festivities, on July 13th.


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French bullfighter Sebastian Castella looks at a fan who wants to shake hands with him at the Pamplona bull-ring, prior to fight two Fuente Ymbro fighting bull, on July 9th.


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Spanish matador Jose Miguel Perez "Joselillo" reacts as he received three warnings for failing to kill his second bull "Guindoso" during the sixth corrida of the San Fermin festivities, on July 12th.


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A Fuente Ymbro fighting bull gores French matador Sebastian Castella during the third corrida of the San Fermin festivities, on July 9th.


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Two runners fall in front of three NuÒez de Cubillo fighting bulls during the last encierro of the San Fermin festivities, on July 14th.


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Spanish matador Miguel Abellan poses prior taking part in the first corrida of the San Fermin festivities, at the Pamplona bull-ring, in the Spanish city of Pamplona, on July 7th.


All images copyright Rafa Rivas/PhotoShelter.


See more here.
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1. It confuses me, to begin with, that Urban Outfitters is a purveyor of cameras
2. It confuses me that the Rolleiflex is miniaturized
3. It confuses me that it is digital
4. It confuses me as to whether it shoots square

Help me, Urban Outfitters:

Now, many of the original's unique features (and all of its charm) can be yours in a retro-miniature package too awesome to believe! A 5 Mega Pixel camera with autofocus technology, the Rollei Mini allows you to shoot from a distance of 4 inches to infinity, saving each image to a Mini SD Card. Still the undisputed choice for portraits, the camera features an up-facing 1.1" square display for waist level shooting, which encourages your subjects to go on looking and acting naturally instead of posing for the camera. Crank lever 'film advance"; JPEG image format; 4.9mm F2.8 Lens; 1/15-1/2500s Shutter Speed; Automatic While Balance and Exposure Control; Auto power-off. Imported. Wipe clean.


Yeah, I don't believe it. Do you?

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I was happily perusing the Spiegel Online photo galleries this morning, as Germany has had yet another fluffy cute white explosion, this time in the form of seven (v. rare) white tiger cubs.

Remember Knut? I guess now that he's an adolescent, everyone's forgotten him. Man, it's rough to be a child star. One day you're on the cover of Vanity Fair:

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And the next, you're a ratty dude just roaming around the zoo:

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Anyhoo, this post isn't about Knut. It's about seen.by, which I found by way of Spiegel Online. Specifically, on a side bar that promised me this:

"The international gallery for fine art: present, collect and rate the works of thousands of artists on Germany's largest independent website for photography."

WOW, excitement is now! I went to check it out. Looks like this:


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Seems like a decent repository of German photographers. I had fun tooling around. And look, the Germans are just like us! I found lots of fire and animals and floaters. But also some other, awesome things, like ladies with red lips (robert palmer style) and dalmations that match the ground.

Eins zwei drei, check it out!


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photo by Helmut Sasse


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photo by Jeanine Unsen


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photo by Marisa Rosato


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photo by Moe


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Clayton Cubitt
called my attention to this awesome, anonymous, animated floater. I have confusion with gifs, so he tried to help me out:

"It's just an old stereo image with the animated gif set to bounce back and forth between the frames. Easy trick, but always fun."


Agreed. I bet that guy wants to swim already, though.
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Glenn Glasser was kind enough to share his camera porn with me today. Here are his fantasies, both small and large.


First, the Samsung point-and-shoot. Info:

Samsung is indeed cranking out a 14.7-megapixel point-and-shoot, but the US name will be TL34HD. While it's hard to say if nearly 15-megapixels in a shooter this size is overkill (though signs are pointing to "yes"), users will also find a Schneider lens with a 28mm wide-angle focal length and 3.6x optical zoom to complement the 3-inch VGA monitor around back. Furthermore, the cam features a 720p movie mode at 30fps, and you'll likely be thrilled to know that the movie stabilizer and optical zoom can be used while logging clips.

Available in September for $329.95.




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Next, an 8x10 from Kipp Wettstein:


This 8x10 is a portable, wide-angle camera using a molded carbon fiber cone attached to a body plate machined from a solid block of aircraft aluminum. In the pursuit of freedom from optical distortion, I didn't compromise weight on the lens. It's a schneider 165mm super angulon and at four pounds, its weight nearly matches that of the camera body. This camera pushes the limit of hand-held practicality but I designed it for myself as a simple, compact but capable camera to be used on a tripod in the field. It focuses by use of a screw-assisted sliding mechanism that keeps the lens steady down to a minimum distance of seven feet. It fits comfortably with two film holders in its custom shoulder bag.


sigh.


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This:

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photo by daveandmairi



Was taken from this:

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Wendy Connett/PhotoShelter




The Burj Dubai is the tallest man-made structure on Earth. Good for taking pictures from.


Holy Dubai, I need a cocktail.
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O boy, our countdown to Shoot! The Day is getting shorter and shorter. Time for another inquisition, this time with the leader of our Business Group, Erica Freudenstein. Erica is New York based, and knows from corporate photography; her clients include AT&T, Charles Schwab, G.E., Deloitte & Touche, Foot Locker, McDonald's, Paine Webber and SAP America.

Whoa, that was a mouthful. Hear more from Erica below.


You have a lot of really varied, interesting work; it seems as though you're able to balance both editorial and advertising photography. How do you make it all work, is there one that you prefer?

I like both. With editorial, I enjoy walking into an unknown situation and creating something out of nothing. Depending on the magazine, I can really push the envelope to find the single image that will tell the story.

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With advertising, the projects are longer, and I enjoy being immersed in the branding process. My goal is the same, finding images which in this case, tell the client's story in a compelling, and hopefully innovative way.

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Do you make it a point to go out and create stock, or do you just use outtakes from other work? If yes, what's your process for that?

I will sometimes make a point to go out and shoot specifically for stock, and often my personal work may be used for stock. With outtakes, I am very careful about protecting my clients, and my subjects. However, if I have something that will work, I will make it available to be licensed. I also will make portraits of notable people and celebrities available for news stock use.


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outtake, Forbes

What's the most interesting commercial project you've worked on recently?

Most recently, working for General Electric, I liked the confines of keeping everything bright and open. It was a challenge sometimes, as we were working with less than perfect locations, but it suited my style and it was a great group of people.

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How did you get started as a photographer?


Well, when I was a child, I stole my brother's camera. He wasn't interested in it. I started getting my first editorial assignment while I was still a student at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. The first magazines I worked for included Philadelphia Magazine, Regardis, and Glamour.


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This is Thomas Prior. On the left, 18, the right-- 28. This in itself tells a pretty nice story, and stories are something Prior is apparently exceedingly good at. He sent over his blog this morning and I've been completely mesmerized ever since.

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I'm not sure if I know Thomas' work or not. I think I've seen this shot before. It's an object on fire, so obviously it's my kind of thing. His portfolio is pretty strong.

His bio:

"Tom is 28 years old and lives in Brooklyn. He graduated from School of Visual Arts in 2002 with a BFA. He currently assists and prints for fashion photographer Luis Sanchis who lets him shoot behind the scenes photos and travel to kick ass places around the world."

Luis Sanchis! I adore Luis Sanchis. Which is a rarity for me among fashion photographers.

Anyway, the blog... the blog is amazing. I know there are a proliferation of these situations out there today, and every photographer's gotta have one, rah rah rah. But Prior makes the most of his.

He takes incredible, lyrical shots from his everyday life, and behind-the-scenes stuff on shoots with Luis, and updates us on his own projects and progress. You really must check it out. There's tons of stuff to see.


Also I went a little nuts and reproduced some stuff below. All the words are Prior's.


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July 4th

Some firework photos from Friday. All exposures were made between .5 and 8 seconds using boulders and a water bottle for my tripod.


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Dubai. On the first day we had a 4am call time. Shot from the car on our way to the desert.


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The weather in Dubai is incredibly humid making the air super misty. Construction crews work 24/7 and light up the night.


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This was around midnight on the beach in front of our hotel. We wrangled up some floodlights from the gardening crew and lit the sand and water behind. Took us a long time to get it right cause most of the extension cords weren't working and we were all pretty tired.


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Andrea on a Luis shoot at a Bay Ridge motel last week.


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My mailbox at 7:30 yesterday morning.


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California Salt Mine. Photo from an Italian Elle shoot a few months back.

(Luis Sanchis in red)


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We had to wade in on the second day. Your feet would get salty and pants would dry into a rocky shell.


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Hung out at the view by Alan's house last weekend. Perfect temperature and amazing soft light. Handheld this 1/20 sec at f1.2 and the big version is actually pretty sharp!


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Nick and I went home to visit Ma. We made the annual trip to the filthy OTB in Suffern, NY. We all made losing bets on the Derby.


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She gets super stoked watching the race. There was a female horse (rare) that came in second then broke its ankles. Some men killed it on the track. She wasn't too happy about that.


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Male model waiting.


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Shot designer Yigal Azrouel for Nylon Guys a couple months back. I'm not going to bother posting the tear sheet cause they printed the photo 3 inches tall...bummer...Here's the one they picked to use.

 
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...and the one I wanted.


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Broke down and bought an Epson 3800 today! I got so much new shit I want to print. 6 times faster than my old beast and I can make 16x20s now at home.


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All the photos I like since march this year. Time to edit.



see more.
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Martha's Vineyard

Looks like animal pictures were all the rage in 1939, too. Who took this one?

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Which master of American photography is this? The answer surprised me....
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Wow, thought I, as I groggily looked at nytimes.com first thing this morning; they're pulling Eggleston pictures for the front page! Oops, not so fast, Gonzales-- this picture is a contemporary news image, shot for the Times by Michael Nagle. The caption:

Muhammed Matloob, who manages a gas station at Coney Island Avenue and Lewis Place in Brooklyn, is out of 4s for his regular pumps and 5s for his diesel.

That image could be thirty years old, if not for the gas prices. Does Nagle keep Ektachrome in his fridge?

What color photographer worth their salt does not have an image from the pump? Lord knows I've shot hundreds of 'em.


Here's one of my favorites:

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Martin Parr, Woman Gassing her Car, 1999

That one also looks way older than it is.

But this one is older:

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Russell Lee, Filling station and garage at Pie Town, New Mexico, 1940



A quick search of the PS collection, and we've got a bunch, too. I like this one from Havana.

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Nicholas Weissman, Havana, 2007



Where are your pump pictures?

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Holy Granola; So, guest blogger Allen brought you a few of our Shoot! The Day (which is Sunday!) group leader interviews (Mr. Black and Mr. Strobist) while I was sunning myself out East, and now I'm going to take up that interview baton. Except not really on this one, because Allen pretty much conducted the whole thing. I just put in some pictures.

Suffice it to say: This interview is with the awesome Glenn Glasser. He's a leader!

Heeeeeeeeeeeeere's Allen. And Glenn.....

Everyone seems to be a few degrees of separation from Glenn Glasser, perhaps in part because he's a gregarious and genuine person. I first met Glenn last year at a PhotoShelter event because he was friends with a college classmate of mine, and since then, his career has continued to blossom. Most recently, he's one of the regular photographers for New York Magazine's "Look Book" where they take photos of people on the street who are typically very fashionable and get their story.

Glenn is leading our "Active Seniors" shoot on Shoot! The Day
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You're a successful New York photographer, and you also have a ton of work in the PhotoShelter collection. Is stock photography something you've always considered to supplement your income?

I started out in this game like most others, by assisting. The photographer I worked with used to derive a majority of his income from stock sales. I was fortunate to learn at an early stage in my career to get a model release from everybody I shoot. Every camera bag I own has a few folded releases tucked in somewhere. You just never know.

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You shoot "The Look Book" feature for New York Magazine. what is the process like to stop people in the street and take their picture? what's your standard gear set-up?

Photographing passersby against a seamless has always been a project of mine.  The setup is very dependent on weather and is usually placed in the shade with a flash fill set slightly above ambient.

Approaching people on the street has almost turned into a game and requires a great deal of patience for the right person to walk by. I am always surprised by the number of people who are willing to pose. I never have any set up shots on the seamless-- I just try to create an environment where the subject is comfortable.

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Alexander Weiss, Painter, Khadda Madani, Boutique Owner and Designer, and Their Son, Haytham.

"My wife mainly wears her own designs."

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Brett Kane, F.I.T. Student
"I think about clothes all the time. Like, literally all the time."

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Irvin Andrew, Maître d' and Personal Concierge
"I roll out of bed, I want to look good. I go to the deli, I want to look good."*


You shoot a ton of pictures of your family, especially your grandparents. were they a natural subject for you? do you have to direct them?

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I am fortunate to have all four grandparents around and they are more than generous to pose for me. I have always been fascinated by old couples and the love that they represent.  My grandparents are my heroes-- and looking up to them as subjects is very natural. I document their stories on audio and video-- and from time to time capture how they live and relate to each other at home. I don't have to direct them so much as I have to speak loud and clear-- because I'm often dealing with a 96 year old man who refuses to wear a hearing aid because he thinks it will make him look too old.

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With seniors-- they have survived, worked hard, lived through war, made difficult choices, adapted, overcome, witnessed an explosion of technology over a lifetime, laughed, cried, built, understood, reflected, and are now eager to impart. I often take ample time during my portrait sessions to genuinely hear their stories.

You did a series of photos with your grandfather and a very attractive model for his birthday. Can I be your grandfather?

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My mother's father, Poppy, was turning 92 and I wanted to do something special for his birthday. So I hopped on a jet blue flight to Hallendale Beach, FL with my good friend Kelly Sebastian and gave him a model for a day.  They walked on the beach and smoked cigars, went shopping together at Publix, and at the end of the day-- they got into bed together and spooned. I can only hope my grandson does the same for me.

How do you drum up new business? do you actively send portfolios out, or is it getting to the point where people know your work and your phone is ringing off the hook?

I think that it's important to be honest with yourself in this business and have an idea of what you want to say. It will only be a matter of time before others take notice and that phone call comes from a photo editor. I still get goose bumps, BTW, with any commission. Fame and fortune don't happen overnight, and our job is a lonely profession that requires patience and a constant work ethic. I've found that most of my work has come from meeting people-- face to face.  I know it's a novel concept, but actually meeting people works. I work from about 250 names and addresses that I would like to work with, I always send out handmade mailers, and I periodically call people to chat about things other than work or getting work.  It's not the most sound formula, but it's just what feels comfortable-- and I feel very fortunate that all if not most of clients are repeat business.

Your website is pretty cool. is it pretty easy to update for you? What has been the reaction of art directors and buyers to it?

Sincere thanks fer the nod on the website-- it's been a labor of love. I designed and built it with a finished back end-- it's the easiest site to update and i can place images on a private and secure address for clients to view images.


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Go team go!
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More music! This is all over the interwebs today. I'll quote the press release, because my tiny brain does not parse technology well:

Radiohead just released a new video for its song "House of Cards" from the album "In Rainbows".

No cameras or lights were used. Instead two technologies were used to capture 3D images:
 
Geometric Informatics and Velodyne LIDAR. Geometric Informatics scanning systems produce structured light to capture 3D images at close proximity, while a Velodyne Lidar system that uses multiple lasers is used to capture large environments such as landscapes. In this video, 64 lasers rotating and shooting in a 360 degree radius 900 times per minute produced all the exterior scenes.


Watch the making-of video below to learn about how the video was made and the various technologies that were used to capture and render 3D data.




also: this screenshot is really pretty.

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Speaking of music and photography, Porter Gifford sent me a rather lovely presentation this weekend. It's a photo story about little league set to music; although it sounds like it could be cheesy, try to watch this thing and not get a little choked up.

I have to say, the orange uniforms are what got me. I was quite the little leaguer myself. We were orange too. Our team was Yummy's, sponsored by the local ice cream shop.

Good times.
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I was be-bopping on the subway yesterday to Depeche Mode's photographic, and it was like a lightbulb went off! Or a flashbulb; there are so many great songs with photography as a theme. I spent last night running the batteries down on my ipod just to bring these songs to you this morning. I'm not sure I would say this is a definitive list-- clearly you're going to need to tell me which ones I'm missing (hint: The Kinks).

Also, some are more literal than others. You may be forced to use your imagination at points.

In any case, here are my ten, in order of no real importance, except that Wilco is my favorite, and this youtube video is actually from a Polaroid commercial that was never aired. So it's interesting x 2.


1. wilco, kamera


2. depeche mode, photographic


3. def leppard, photograph


4. death cab for cutie, photobooth


5. outkast, hey ya!

don't be frightened that there are no pictures; outkast is clearly on top of their copyright stuff on youtube.

6. the smiths, paint a vulgar picture


7. weezer, photograph


8. elliot smith, pictures of me


9. jack johnson, f-stop blues


10. the cure, pictures of you


Oh, Robert.
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Since I was on a plane on the 4th of July, and because Apple releases the new iphone today, I thought I'd do a little nod to Americana and all things consumer and awesome. Actually, it's Steve Schofield's nod, in his project The Land of the Free. Hint: He's a Brit.

From his statement:

"My practice is concerned with exploring the fascination that the British public has with American popular culture and the sub-cultural world of fandom. In the images, I have shown people in their own homes and environments wearing costumes that they would be dressed in to attend events with other like-minded individuals. It seeks to offer a glimpse into seemingly ordinary lives of my subjects and allows the private to become public. The work hints at the depth of people's fantasies and the methods they employ to adopt this culture as part of their own lifestyle as a means of escapism.

The work makes a political reference to globalization and America's ongoing ability to infiltrate all cultures via various channels of media. Much of daily life is influenced by 'Americanisms' whether through language, food or fashion, which can often be traced back to music videos, the Hollywood film industry, advertising and American sitcoms."


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If I were to dress up like so, it would be as Odo from Deep Space Nine. 'Cause everyone loves a shapeshifter. And you?
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Ooh, we were so excited to see aerial photographer extraordinaire Cameron Davidson's work in the August issue of Vanity Fair. You know, the one with the starlets we talked about yesterday. Cameron kept away from the starlets and went closer to the stars (sorry, it's Friday) to shoot incredible aerials demonstrating the luxe life that is Hamptons real estate. The results are beautiful, green, dollhouse-esque images that I just adore.

I asked Davidson a million questions about this shoot and his photography career, and he obliged me, even though he was on deadline for another project. Class act!

Up up and away:


Tell me about this assignment for Vanity Fair. How did it come about?

Richard Villani, the previous Photography Producer for the magazine phoned me in May and asked if I was interested in shooting the Hamptons piece. Richard was in the process of leaving the magazine so I ended up working with Mark Jacobson, a picture editor. Basically, the idea was to show this amazing real estate from a unique angle. The deadline was short as the story was planned for the August issue.

Richard and I spoke about the properties and how best to show them-- ie., low altitude versus higher overall views. It ended up being a mix. I think the magazine wanted a grand overview of the properties and a consistent viewpoint. These are incredibly expensive and expansive homes. The grand overview seemed to be the right approach for this story.

How did you scout the actual locations for the shoot, and what gear did you use?

The initial list given to me was scouted using topozone and google earth. I then flew to Long Island and scouted the locations by car, using my GPS to plot each location. I also used SunPath to check where the light would fall during the morning. I planned my flight schedule around each property.


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Ron Baron's East Hampton house


My gear for this shoot was pretty simple - two Canon 1Ds III bodies, my trusty 35mm f/1. 4 "L" and 85mm f/1.2 "L" lenses, my B+W polarizers and my Ken-Lab gyroscope. I'm not a big zoom guy, it is easier to move the helicopter closer or further away. I also use the 24mm f/1.4 "L" and the 135mm f/2.0 "L" lenses.


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Seven Sisters houses


How long was the shoot?


Two days. Mark and I spoke after the first day of the shoot and I went back to the Hamptons to shoot some additional material that we felt would strengthen the story. There was one shot I really wanted to get of the Seven Sisters houses in the first shoot that did not happen due to the weather closing in on us. The second shoot was at sunrise and the light was perfect.


What is your working history with Vanity Fair?

Ann Schneider, a picture researcher for the magazine phoned me two years ago looking for a dramatic aerial of New York City for their green issue. It was pretty cool shot that the magazine had retouched to show what Manhattan would look like if the polar ice caps were to melt. A couple of months after that ran, Sasha Erwitt, a picture editor, called me to shoot a grounded yacht "The Legacy" north of the Florida Keys.

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The Legacy

The Legacy had run aground in a protected zone and the owner was unable to move the boat for close to a couple of years. I flew to Key West and charted a helicopter to take me out to the boat. We shot everything from a few feet off the water to several hundred feet above the ship. The magazine ran several images from the shoot in January 2007, and it helped complete the story. 

A couple of months later, I was in NYC and had a a chance to meet Sasha, Ann and Susan White, the Director of Photography. Last summer, I was assigned to shoot the Anne Bass estate in Northwestern Connecticut. That was a great shoot. I shot at sunrise. The estate is designed around an early American Village and was quite stunning in its layout. It was also the first time I had shot medium format digital in the air, which was a eye-opener in terms of quality but a bit too slow for the way I shoot.

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Ann Bass Estate

Which pilots do you fly with?

I have a long list of trusted pilots that I keep and go to it first. For flying in the Mid-Atlantic I always fly with Steve Bussman of Heloflights in Virginia, or Helo Air in Richmond or Hampton Roads Charter in the Norfolk area. In NYC I fly with a couple of guys out of Teterboro or I will fly Steve and his Hughes 500C up to the city. I also fly a lot with the Chief Pilot for a division of Bell Helicopter.

For the VF shoot I flew with Michael Demarchi of Centennial Helicopters in Danbury, Ct. for two reasons-- I had flown with Michael before on the Anne Bass story. I liked his style of flying for the camera and I trusted him. I did not want to fly with a pilot from Long Island given the nature of the assignment. Is it always the same person? No, I fly with a lot of motion picture pilots who know how to fly for the camera.

How have you been able to combine your love of flying and photography so well-- was there a "eureka moment", or did you always know this was what you wanted to do?

The love of aerials came from my first National Geographic assignment in southern Maryland. Bob Gilka, the former Director of Photography, gave me the go ahead to charter a Jet Ranger from the DC area to shoot a Great Blue Heron rookery along the Patuxent River. I fell in love with the combination of being able to shoot a graphic image that also conveyed important story information. Plus, I love to fly and there is nothing better than being in the back seat of a turbine helicopter, working as a team with a pilot you trust and creating images that show the world from a slightly different perspective.

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Mountain Top Removal

I've been lucky to shoot aerials for some amazing magazines and clients. Audubon published a personal project on Mountain Top Removal last year along with giving me several assignments that featured my aerial work, Field and Stream sent me to Wyoming last year for a project on the affects of gas drilling on wildlife migration, Wired has sent me to Arizona for an all aerial story. For many years I shot stories for Smithsonian that included aerials and the Geographic has assigned me to shoot the aftermath of several natural disasters for the magazine-- Hurricane Andrew, Mississippi River Flood and Western Wildfires.


What's your favorite image from the VF story, and what's your favorite image from your portfolio?

My favorite image from the story is either the lead spread or the second spread that shows the estate along Mecox Bay.

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Mecox Bay spread


From the current portfolio, I'd say, a low-level aerial of White Pelicans in ground effect flying over the Gulf of Mexico coastline that I shot last fall for the Ducks Unlimited annual report.

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Can you show us any outtakes From the Vanity Fair shoot?

Oh yeah, how about Mobile Homes along the Hamptons coastline or some amazing hedgerows?

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Yes, I love this hedge!

....ahem.

How did you became known for aerial photography do begin with? Are you a pilot?


I have my license but am not flying much these days. I'd like to get back to flying later this fall. I need to become current again and do a new check ride and take a new medical.

I'm not sure how I became known for my aerials other than lots of promotion, getting lucky with some of the contests and a couple of very nice profiles. I've shot four aerial books and have a couple in the works right now. I'm in the design stage for a book on the Chesapeake Bay and should have it published by Spring.


 
Want more? Check out Davidson's personal site, and his work in the PhotoShelter collection.


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But look who's popped up again...

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PhotoShelter's own Daniel Boud shot Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, the Director of Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art for Time Out Sydney recently. As you may recall, there was some hullabaloo over this horse piece from Sydney's recent Bienale.

Macgregor addresses this controversy in the interview, as well as the recent Bill Henson conflagration. Some excerpts:


That work (Novecento the Horse) has drawn complaints. Was that the plan?
People get quite hot under the collar about animals and they're wearing leather shoes! Novecento is a dead animal - a horse that died of old age and would have ended up at the knackery. Yet as art it's an extraordinary piece - the immobility of it, the fact it's looking back at the 20th century and the revolutions that went nowhere. Nobody complains about the stuffed hide of Phar Lap...

So you'd never show a controversial work to stir up controversy?
No, but it is in the back of my mind. I'm always careful not to do things for the shock value because people very soon see through that. That said, at the MCA for Biennale we've got how to make a bomb, the Cattelan horse, Jesus Christ on a bomber - any of these things could trigger a discussion, a debate, outrage or controversy.

Where do you stand on the Bill Henson saga?
Henson's work, is triggering apprehension in the community at the moment yet five years ago it didn't and in five years time it might not. I believe very strongly in what that artist is trying to do and I'm prepared to defend it. The whole Henson issue was about the police actually seizing the work. But in my opinion, 20 police going into a small gallery and seizing art already cleared by the classifications board as PG, is an overreaction.



I must say, this portrait is rather arresting. Boud talks about snapping it on his blog.

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He's kind enough to include a shot of his assistant standing in. Love that. He should have been in our contest.


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The story of the shoot:

"I took along some lights and Craig for some assistance. After scouting around the MCA for a bit we decided the best and most obvious place to photograph Ms Macgregor would be underneath the taxidermied horse which has become a focal point for the Biennale. It's a work called Novecento by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.

After firing off some test shots with Craig we waited for Elizabeth to arrive. I ended up shuffling the lighting at the last minute to make the back light more even and add a bit of a hair halo effect. After she arrived i snapped off about a dozen shots and it was all done and dusted."



Giddyup.

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From Sports Illustrated:

"This panoramic view of Yankee Stadium on July 4 was shot using GigaPan technology. You can zoom in on any detail - from Alex Rodriguez approaching the plate in the first inning against the Red Sox to the façade of the new Yankee Stadium beyond leftfield. Taken by a robotic camera, the photo was shot over the course of 10 minutes and consists of 124 frames stitched together. Carnegie Mellon developed the GigaPan technology last year in collaboration with NASA."


Holy GigaPan Technology! This is fun, you can spy on A-Rod. Where's Madge?


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Ooh, this thing has its uses. HELLO, Kevin Youkilis. You are my hero.


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Vanity Fair is a Goldmine today.

After Fox & Friends doctored photos of New York Times reporters (see below), VF came to the rescue and parodied 'em right back.


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There are THIRTEEN of these, my friends. I wonder how many freelance design dollars that equals. Let's hope this was an in-house job. In any case, I'm glad the national news discourse has reached the level of Garbage Pail Kids.

Truly.


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Mr. O'Reilly

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Mr. Wallace
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It's that time again; VF is bringing us the Hollywood class of 2008! Holy Emma Roberts, we're excited.

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The only slightly depressing thing about this issue is that it makes me feel very, very old. At least half these folks were BORN IN THE NINETIES.

Mark Seliger shot the seven images in the main piece; I find some very successful, some a little less so. Let's look at them in order of appearance, shall we?


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Amanda Seyfried, Emma Roberts, Blake Lively, Kristen Stewart

From the Q&A
VF: Favorite Designer?
Amanda Seyfried: Miu Miu. I can't afford it."

liar.


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Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Zoe Kravitz, Emma Stone, Olivia Thirlby


Officially the cutest bunch. The best kids always climb trees.


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Jessica Szohr, Penn Badgley, Blake Lively, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick, Leighton Meester, Taylo