Archive for August, 2009

christian weber

I liked this photo series by photographer Christian Weber, Speak + Spell . Hands are so expressive:

anna hurtig

I came across this photographer Anna Hurtig on Onexposure, and I really loved her creepy/moody child portraits. Too many photographs of children are cutesy and boring (ahem, Anne Geddes), so I like seeing a photographer be a little more creative with their subject matter.

Check out some of my favorites from her collection:

the dave hill look

Everyone seems to be crazy about the “Dave Hill look” these days. They use Photoshop and other plugins like Lucisart or HDR programs like Qtpfsgui, to try and duplicate his style, but I’ve read a couple interviews with Dave Hill himself and he claims lighting is really what makes his shots. I believe it. Lighting a photo well can make so much difference, most amateur photographers tend to focus on learning how to use their cameras, and Photoshop, which are both very important, but for some reason neglect to learn proper lighting techniques. I always maintain that the major difference between a slick commercial looking photo and a snapshot really just falls to professional lighting most of the time.

There’s a huge post at retouchpro.com about “The Demystification of Dave Hill“, check it out if you want some insight into how other photographers interpret his workflow and process.

Take a look at some of Dave Hill’s photos, and you’ll see what I mean. Obviously he does a lot of dodge and burn in post, but his photos are well lit from the start and that’s what gives him the basis to accentuate the details. I’m usually not really into commercial photography, but I can’t help but appreciate the skill it requires to get a photo that looks like this. Here are some photos from his website to give you an idea of his style:

polaroid pogo

I was pretty sad about the death of Polaroid film, but it looks like the company is trying to fill the gap with their new PoGo portable printer and digital camera/printer. What makes this product cool? It’s inkless. Meaning you never have to refill the ink. They use something called Zink, or Zero Ink technology, where the paper has heat activated dye crystals in it that make a CMYK print.

So basically with the printer, you take a picture with your camera or your phone and it can be sent to the little printer via cable or Bluetooth. The other thing that I think that is interesting is, while I loved Polaroid, I didn’t really have a great Polaroid camera, so if I could shoot on my digital SLR and get a cute little instant print out of it with all the control of an SLR, it just gives me a whole bunch of creative possibilities. The camera/printer combo is essentially like a Polaroid camera point and shoot.

I’d love to test it out and see what it’s like, because I haven’t seen it around these parts yet, but it’s definitely something I’d keep my eyes open for. While it obviously doesn’t completely replace instant film, it’s an interesting alternative that I wouldn’t mind adding to my collection of cameras and printers!

wasabi flash

I’ve been meaning to post about this photographer I found on flickr for some time now, wasabi flash. Flickr is such a great resource for finding new photographers! I love finding random photographers that may or may not be working as pros or artists, but are still making amazing collections of photos.

Check out some of my favorites:

20 x 200

I’m really excited about this website I just found called 20×200. I’ll paraphrase from their about page, but basically what they are is a virtual art gallery. They bring together artists and people who want to buy art via the internet. It doesn’t sound too complicated, and it’s not, but it’s a great idea because their site is so well designed and nice to look at, and more importantly, they feature some really amazing art.

The line in their description that really summed it up for me was, “We’re really excited about creating a place where almost any art lover can be an art collector.” Too many people worry that they can’t afford really great artwork and it’s only for serious collectors, but you can have a house full of amazing art and not have to spend all your savings. They believe everyone needs art (and I have to agree) and they make it affordable and attainable.

Each week they offer two new prints, a photograph and a work on paper. The prints start at $20 editions and range upwards to $2000, so you can pick the size you need for your space and budget.

There’s a lot of amazing work on the site, and since they update so frequently, it’s well worth going back often and checking to see if anything catches your eye. At those prices, there’s no reason to have bare walls!

Here are some random photographs I liked from their recent editions, you can see how the work varies, so there’s something for everyone:

bruno dayan

I am in love with the colors in this set of photos from fashion and editorial photographer, Bruno Dayan. I should add, this guy is a master of lighting. Amazing:

tom tveitan

Came across this cool photographer Tom Tveitan. I like his style, I especially love his sense of composition. He’s not afraid to try interesting crops and framing, and it works. Check out his website, and some various samples of his work below.

diana mini

Lomography fans are excited about the release of the new Diana Mini. It’s so cute, I need one! Basically, the cool thing is not only the small and compact size, but the fact that you can shoot in square frame (just like the regular Diana) AND flick a switch and shoot half frame. This is pretty cool, because you can get 72 shots on a regular 35mm film roll.

Some other cool features include the B setting for long exposures, tripod mount, cable release attachment (which is new), and of course, the ability to take multiple exposures, which is one thing people love about lomo cameras. It’s a wide angle lens, and there’s a flash attachment (pictured above). So many possibilities in this tiny little camera!

Here’s some sample photos from the website, check them out and get excited about this cool camera:

valerie enriquez

I loved this photo set “Raise Ravens” by photographer Valerie Enriquez. Mmm grainy black and whites, my favourite. Makes me think of travelling. I am fascinated how only five photos can communicate so much: