So you think Photoshop is the master manipulator?
Sunday, October 9th, 2011The fat lady never had it so good
Saturday, August 14th, 2010I’ll post no images out of respect for David Leventi’s copyright notice, but you must check out his series of opera houses. Stunning!
Photos by ballpoint
Thursday, August 6th, 2009 
Spanish artist, Juan Francisco Casas, won many awards for his painted reproductions of photos, but he takes on an unheralded tool in this new series of artwork: the ballpoint pen. For those who ask “Why?” I suggest that art is art because of the human touch. As the Biblical God breathed life into Adam, so an artist’s skilled touch makes something into art. The resulting artwork may be beautiful, but its context can make it awe inspiring.
Casas’ website has more examples of his artful touch.
Alice through Burton’s Looking Glass
Monday, June 22nd, 2009 
I can’t remember so much color in a Tim Burton film, yet here’s the full spectrum in these images from his Alice in Wonderland. If any director should do Wonderland, it’s Burton whose artificial surrealism is a treat to behold. In any case, I am a fan of his work and especially his muse, Johnny Depp. More images at ComingSoon.net.
Power of the people
Monday, June 15th, 2009
It doesn’t matter whether you support defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi or declared presidential winner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad—or if you are totally ignorant of the politics or history of Iran—the fact is, democracy stolen is freedom stolen. At this time, current evidence suggest that the June 12 presidential election in Iran was a fraud. Thousands of Mousavi supporters certainly subscribe to that point of view and have take to the streets this past weekend.
Again, The Boston Globe stands tall with its posting of excellent photojournalism from the news wire. The coverage is especially exemplary considering that as the Iranian riots were occurring, U.S. television media devoted their airtime to the rehashing and analysis of the Letterman vs. Palin brouhaha.
In this case, new media provided a window into the live events at the time, particularly Twitter. It was chilling to read the events unfold as they happened. Rumors, accounts of protestors escaping militia and police, and the clampdown by the state were made more powerful because they were often first-hand accounts. (To view current tweets concerning Iran’s disputed election, visit this link on Tweet Grid.) In fact, even before the news wire photos were posted, Iranian photo blogger Amir Sadeghi posted perhaps the most iconic image of the riots (see below) on his blog Tehran 24.
It’s sad when in a world of 24-hour news television, we must turn to alternative sources for news coverage. The only thing we can count on is that television news will cover the coverage they missed out on.
One in 8 Million
Friday, June 12th, 2009 
The New York Times’ series “One in 8 Million” features a story of a New Yorker every week. This multimedia gallery of photos supplemented by audio clips of the subject could easily qualify as a museum quality installation on your personal desktop. This utilizes the most intimate forms of media (audio and photography) in delving behind the facade of these people’s public lives. Highly recommended. Link
“It’s Amazing” flip book style video
Thursday, June 11th, 2009 
In an attempt to keep things upbeat in this often downbeat state of current affairs, I submit to you the “It’s Amazing” video by Jem. Made from 25,632 photos, this video takes advantage of depth of field and the “flip book look” of a high quality digital camera (and large memory card). (I’m assuming this is a digital camera because using film would be just mad.) Get your groove on.
Female celebs remake famous images
Friday, May 15th, 2009 
Photographer Amy Spencer shot a great series for the current issue of Glamour: today’s female stars posing as classic images of female powerhouses. This shot of Alexis Bledel as Rosie the Riveter is my favorite by far. It’s a great idea for a photo series to pay tribute to the women in the original images, but I hope it doesn’t get over done by copycats. Link.
Take a step back (into the atmosphere)
Thursday, April 30th, 2009 
Boston.com has emerged as the top showcase of photojournalism lately. Their latest series is by Jason Hawkes who shows us The Big Picture through photos of man-made and natural landscapes from miles above the Earth. This photo is of tomatoes on the banks of a river in France.
Imagine the when Google Earth will give us live satellite images. No matter how bad your day is, you can find yourself on Google Earth and zoom out to give yourself some perspective. Suddenly, big problems are tiny specs in the big scheme of things. Changing your perspective is a matter of bending time and space, but imagine when you can share it with others on a screen.
I wonder how technology such as this will affect people’s own belief systems.
A year in photographs: 2008
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 
This is one of my favorite photos from 2008. See the gallery of astonishing and often heart-rending photos at boston.com.