Shoot The Blog

Photography Grants and Awards

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:46:47 -0500

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!

Vogue and the Persians and Grace Coddington

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:43:46 -0500

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...

She's looking pretty ravishing for 67.

Pumpkin looks good, too.

*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.

Hendrik Kerstens: Paula

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:18:22 -0500

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.

black cap, 2006

pullover, 2007

pimp up towel, 2006

pimp up cap, 2006

pimp up peel, 2006

blond, 2007

pimp up louis, 2006

brace, 2005

cap, 2001

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."

bathing cap, 1992

___

sigh.

Wired: Nuclear Blasts Show Terrifying Power

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:55:28 -0500

These pictures blow me away. Excuse the pun.

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

The Times, Breast Enhancements and Slaves of Honor

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:10:27 -0500

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.

These ladies did a really nice job of matching.

Uh oh.

I think this last one is a metaphor.

Cheers!

From the Editors' Queue: Paul Zhang

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:06:28 -0500

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

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.

Six from Ben Smith

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:34:51 -0500

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

The next three, from the project:

'Mishwaar'
Sahraneen Sahraneen
Hama, Syria

Phillip Toledano: Days with My Father

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:32:22 -0500

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.

Behind the Scenes with Teen Vogue and the Cover Gals

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:25:55 -0500

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.

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

It takes a village to shoot a fresh young thang.

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

And Ellen Page.

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.

Morning Quiz: Guess the Mammal

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:50:22 -0500

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!!

day 1

day 2

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

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

Photoshop Disasters: Man Overboard!

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:00:47 -0500

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.

James Horan and Irish Urban Horse Culture

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:02:18 -0500

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.

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.

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.

The Smithfield Horse Market.

The Smithfield Horse Market.

Vicar Street Stables, Dublin, Ireland.

Vicar Street Stables.

A sunny day in Finglas, Dublin, Ireland.

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.

The Ballinasloe Fair.

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.

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

See more!

Kelly Shimoda and the Art of the Text Message

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:19:48 -0500

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.

Twenty-first century culture; you gotta love it.

Wonderbra Safety Line: Do You Get it?

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:40:14 -0500

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?

NY Times Pictures of the Day: July 21

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:19:09 -0500

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:

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.

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.

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?