Friday Happy Hour: Photographers Who Play With Their Food

Hungry? We have food photos that might not increase your appetite but they are visually stunning. Also some crazy camera news (rumors?) from Sony in the word of iPhoneography, and a few other photo series that peaked our interest this week.

Photographers’ series “Meals Interrupted” encourage us to play with our food

Husband and wife photography team Davide Luciano and Claudia Ficca have shot a picnic swarmed by bees, a totally roasted dinner spread, and a pink-theme birthday party totally soaked. The color-coordinated photos are all shot overhead and styled to look like a total mess. “The idea of working directly with bees was very daunting at first,” Claudia told Gothamist. “But once we were in the apiary and the bees were buzzing all around us, it turned out to be very soothing.”

FlakPhoto’s “Making Pictures of People” explores why we make portraits

What compels us to look at pictures of people? When is a photographic portrait successful? Does portraiture tell us more about the person sitting for the camera or the image-maker behind the lens? These are the questions that Andy Adams and his collaborators from the online art space FlakPhoto ask in their exhibition Making Pictures of People. This series of photographs and interviews with the image creators has been in the works since 2000. “Consider these interviews as you would a gallery talk, an occasion for the artists to share their creative motivations, the way they see the world, and the things that inspire their approach to portrait picture-making,” says Andy. “Their images are just one part of the story — their voices add a unique dimension to understanding the work.”

Making Pictures of People was created in conjunction with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, and shown there August 9, 2013–January 19, 2014.

Rumors suggest Sony is releasing revolutionary “lens camera”

sonyalpharumors got some backlash for suggesting that Sony is working on a revolutionary “lens camera” – a smartphone-attachable lens – but looks like the rumors might be true. Along with the new pics, the folks at sonyalpharumors also shared some previously unknown model names as well as a few details, like that the first lens will feature a 20.2-megapixel sensor and Zeiss glass found in Sony’s powerful RX100 Mark II compact. Essentially the lens camera would turn your iPhone into a compact camera. No word on release date or pricing yet. (via PetaPixel)

In development: BlinkLink burns your photos after 100 views (or less)

As a side project, hacker Clay Allsopp created BlinkLink, which lets you create a link, to a photo let’s say, that sets to self-destruct after a certain number of pageviews (that you designate). But here’s the catch – you can set your photo to rise from the ashes when a new person tweets the link. This increases scarcity, and thus often what drives people to want to see and share something. It’s essentially a way of encouraging viewers to send your content viral. Allsopp says he doesn’t have any definitive plans for the future of BlinkLink, but he’s paying attention to how people are using it so far. (via Co.Design)

Video tutorial: Create mood, atmosphere, and drama in Photoshop

The Photoshop pros over at Phlearn recently released a video tutorial on how to create mood, atmosphere, and drama in your images. “Photos straight out of the camera can be boring at times and it can be hard to know what may make them more interesting. By adding color and contrast to the image as a whole you can make your subject stand out a bit better in a few easy steps.” Check it out here.

Photographer Erin Brethauer documents Camp Lakey Gap for autistic children & adults

Last week photographer Erin Brethauer hosted The New Yorker‘s Instagram feed from Camp Lakey Gap in North Carolina. The camp is specialized for children and adults with autism. “Lakey Gap pushes many of the campers to break from their shells and develop relationships that sometimes elude them in everyday life,” says Erin. “It’s a special thing to witness.”