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Archive for March, 2014

Spite Houses: 12 Structures Built Just to Annoy People

31 Mar

[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

Spite Houses Main

These houses, apartment buildings and commercial structures weren’t built as they are because the owners really loved the view or particularly wanted a five-foot-wide house just inches from the neighboring building. They came into being out of pure spite, or gleeful revenge, or the desire to seriously annoy adjacent property owners and city planners. Here are 12 amazingly spiteful structures, starting with a very recent example that riled up members of a certain infamously hateful church.

Gay Pride Flag Spite House Across from the Westboro Baptist Church

Spite House Gay Pride Westboro 1

Spite House Gay Pride Westboro 2

A house across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church compound is now one big gay pride flag thanks to a man whose nonprofit group Planting Peace purchased the home and painted it in rainbow colors. That’s probably not exactly a welcome sight for members of the church, who are known for their virulently anti-gay views and for picketing military funerals. Five local Kansas City painters declined to participate in the job after learning what Jackson had in mind, but ‘Equality House‘ was finally completed and unveiled in March 2013. The house got lots of attention for the right reasons, but of course, the church had a typical response to it: “We thank God for Sodomite Rainbow House!” they said in an email to TIME, claiming it helps bring attention to their message.

Pie-Shaped Montlake Spite House, Seattle

Spite Houe Montlake Seattle

Measuring just 55 inches across its narrowest point, this wacky pie-shaped house was reputedly built to cut off a larger home from the street. According to local legend, a neighbor approached the owner of the land to purchase the plot in 1925, but at an insultingly low price, spurring the owner to build the ‘Montlake Spite House‘ in retaliation. Another story claims that the house was built when the wife of the owner was given the tiny, awkardly-shaped lot in the divorce settlement, while her ex got the rest of the property. The most recent homeowner has said that for the most part, the narrow profile of the house wasn’t a problem, except when she was cooking: she had to stand to one side to open the oven door to avoid pinning herself to the wall. The house recently sold for almost $ 400K.

Hollensbury Spite House, Alexandria, Virginia

Spite House Hollensbury

John Hollensbury, the owner of the white and red houses pictured, was sick of loiterers hanging out in the alley. So he built the Hollensbury Spite House, a 7-foot-wide, 25-foot-deep dwelling in the Old Town district in Alexandria, Virginia. The house’s two main walls are the brick walls of the adjacent structures, making it more of an enclosed alleyway than an actual house, but it has been used as a residence ever since.

The Skinny House of Boston, Massachusetts

Spite House Skinny Boston

Boston’s narrowest house measures just 10.5 feet across at its widest point, with the smaller portions about 6.5 feet wide, and can only be entered through a small alley. The four-level house was built shortly after the Civil War when two brothers inherited land from their deceased father. The legend claims that while one brother went away to serve in the war, the other built a large home, leaving the soldier little more than an alleyway. So when he returned, the soldier built the narrow house to ruin his brother’s view and cut off air and sunlight to the larger home.

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Spite Houses 12 Structures Built Just To Annoy People

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[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Aperitif: Diese Woche auf kwerfeldein

31 Mar

In der letzten Zeit hätte man hier und da meinen können, wir würden uns Themen für die jeweils nächste Woche überlegen, so schön konnten wir zusammenfassen, was vor uns liegt. Das war aber nur Zufall und jetzt sieht man das auch mal sehr deutlich.

Denn diese Woche gibt es eine gut durchgeschüttelte bunte Mischung von allem. Zum Beispiel: Große Männer, die an Maschinen hängen und direkt daneben kleine Plastikfiguren, die Filmszenen atemberaubend nachstellen. Und nach langem Warten die Bilder vom Weltenbummler „new legs“, die wir Euch schon letzte Woche versprochen hatten.

Katja blickt zurück auf den dritten Monat ihres 365-Tage-Projektes und Martin muss sich fragen lassen, ob seine Heimatstadt Karlsruhe für spannende Straßenfotografie taugt. Persönlich wird auch ein weiterer Bericht über ein 365-Tage-Projekt, der sich aber viel mehr ums Geschichtenerzählen und Seelenaufwühlen dreht.

© Lina Scheynius

© Marcel Pommer

Wir zeigen endlich mal wieder Aktfotografie. Viel gibt es ja nicht in diesem Genre, das uns begeistert, statt den Wunsch zu wecken, sich irgendwo zu verstecken und zu weinen. Wir haben zwei dieser Perlen für Euch gefunden, angehaucht und blank poliert. Nur im übertragenen Sinne natürlich: Gucken erlaubt, aber bitte nicht grabschen.

Und wir starten schließlich eine neue Leseraktion! Zum Warmwerden nach so langer Zeit beginnen wir mit einer einfachen Aufgabe, bei der jeder mitmachen kann, der beim Verlassen der eigenen vier Wände nicht nur den Schlüsselbund in die eine Hosentasche und das Portemonnaie in die andere stopft, sondern sich eine Tasche umhängt.


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The Worst Mistake a Travel Photographer Can Make

31 Mar

As a travel photographer and photography teacher, I meet a lot of photographers on a daily basis. Whether they’re amateur or pro, newbie or experienced, first-timers or old-timers, they often have one thing in common: too much gear.

The pro shooters who join me on my photography tours in Southeast Asia tend to look more like pack mules than people: they’re loaded with lenses, lights, filters, and a veritable menagerie of photographic accoutrement – you know, the kind of gear that makes you look like you know what you’re doing.

Travel photography mistakes 02

Being comfortable with your equipment allows you to compose your images better and faster.

The problem? None of them ever use any of the gear they’ve broken their backs to bring!

Ok, fine, there might have been one guy, one time, who made it a point to use every single lens he’d brought with him. But normally I see people sticking to one or two lenses per shooting session, never giving the extra gear a second thought. This is actually a really good thing, and all the more reason to ditch the extra baggage, and rely on one or two lenses alone.

Why am I so anti-gear?

1. Gear is heavy!

How are you going to move your feet, get down low, and capture your subject during the millisecond when the light is just right?

The first thing I teach beginning photographers is to get moving – move quickly, get close to your subject, and don’t be a lazy photographer. When you’re weighed down with kilos (pounds) of heavy gear, you’re not free to respond as each moment arises.

Travel photography mistakes 01

Having less gear allows for freedom of movement and enjoying interaction with the locals.

2. Gear is expensive!

I don’t mean you shouldn’t buy it because it’s expensive; I mean you shouldn’t bring it because it’s expensive.

As a travel photographer, I’m often in remote parts of the world where getting your gear stolen or damaged is a very real possibility. You can’t focus on the photo you’re taking, if you’re constantly worrying about your stuff getting jacked.

3. Gear is distracting!

If you have one or two lenses with you at any given time, your choice in a shooting situation is simple – A or B. If you’re hauling around 12 different lenses, you’ll not only face a major crisis every time you want to take a photo; you’ll feel the need to constantly switch lenses precisely because you brought so many lenses in the first place.

You’re also much more likely to use the wrong lens, in the wrong situation, just because it’s there. Bring less gear and eliminate the chance of making silly mistakes by 300%.

Travel photography mistakes 04

Keeping the same lens allows to react faster and more flexibility.

4. Gear makes you lazy!

I think of gear like a crutch. Instead of improving your skills, you become a slave to the latest and greatest gadget, thinking it will improve your craft. The thing about gear is that it takes years, even decades, to learn how to use a single piece of equipment masterfully. After 20 years of shooting with a certain lens, your brain begins to think in terms of its focal length. You effectively merge with the lens, become it.

That’s basically a hippy-dippy way of saying you should be a gear monogamist. Sure, you might play the field every once in a while, experimenting with a 35mm or 100mm lens, but you should remain faithful to your main squeeze in order to truly master her.

My main squeeze for the past three years has been a 50mm lens. Once in awhile I also use my 35mm and 100mm lenses, and it’s this trio that I plan to focus on for at least another decade in order to fully master their potential.

Travel photography mistakes 03

Knowing your equipment allows you more anticipation for better results in your composition.

A true travel photographer, or any photographer for that matter, is one who can capture a moment and communicate with his or her audience without the burden of a crap ton of gear. You’re much better off choosing one or two lenses and mastering them than you are having 17 lenses you can only sort of use.

All the photos in this article were taken during my photography tours in South East Asia.

How much gear do you bring with you on a shoot? Which lens can’t you live without?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The post The Worst Mistake a Travel Photographer Can Make by Etienne Bossot appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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31. März 2014

31 Mar

Ein Beitrag von: Alexander Rentsch

© Alexander Rentsch


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Olympus updates OM-D E-M1 with electronic first curtain ‘anti-shock’

31 Mar

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Olympus has updated the firmware for its flagship mirrorless camera, the OM-D E-M1, adding a mode that’s designed to eliminate image blurring due to ‘shutter shock’ by using an electronic first curtain at speeds below 1/320sec. The update also adds more options for audio control during movie recording. It’s available to install now, using the ‘Olympus Digital Camera Updater’ program.  

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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10 Bad Photography Habits and How to Break Them Now

31 Mar

There are some very common habits that we develop as photographers. Especially in the beginning when there is so much to learn! Among the tips and secrets to good photography, a valuable one is to avoid bad habits that will be hard to shake off later. Bad habits are fairly common to create, as we  create habits in everything we do. Continue Reading

The post 10 Bad Photography Habits and How to Break Them Now appeared first on Photodoto.


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Bags for Phoneographers with Style

31 Mar

We’re here to stop your pants from falling down (due to your pocketfuls of phones, lenses, lights and don’t forget that backup battery).

Check out these smartly sized bags to carry your smartphone and all its smartcessories. Scroll along to find out how to win one of your own.

Regular camera bags are big and boring (plain black? no thanks). The Plaid Camera Satchel is plaid(!) and just the right size for your tiniest phoneography gear.

The Any Bag Camera Bag Insert will take on the look and style of any bag in the universe! Just slip it into any bag and give your photoing gear an extra-cushy safe ride.

The iPhone Lens Wallet has been specially formulated to fit the Photojojo Phone Lens line, plus a 10-12x telephoto lens and a mini tripod. So many goodies, all in one place.

PHOTOJOJO

It’s so easy, so very easy. Simply pin one, or three, of our bags and we’ll give away one of each bag to three lucky pinners. Look, we even put easy peasy “Pin it” buttons right here (look down).

The Plaid Camera Satchel
$ 75 at the Photojojo Shop

The Any Bag Camera Bag Insert
$ 69 at the Photojojo Shop

The iPhone Lens Wallet
$ 15 at the Photojojo Shop


© laurel for Photojojo, 2014. |
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Shockproof flagship: Olympus ‘drops’ new Tough TG-3

31 Mar

TG-3_BLK_RIGHT.png

Olympus has announced the Tough TG-3, which takes its place as the flagship in the company’s rugged camera lineup. The TG-3 sports a 16MP BSI-CMOS sensor and 25-100mm equiv. F2.0-4.9 lens, plus a 3-inch LCD, GPS, and Wi-Fi. It’s waterproof to 15m, shockproof to 2.1m, crushproof to 100kgf, and freezeproof to -10C. The TG-3 supports a new Light Guide accessory, which turns the built-in LED lamp into a macro ring light.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Tsunami Ark: Handmade Flood-Proof Floating Wood Capsule

31 Mar

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

tsunami floating curved capsule

Former Facebook and PayPal employee Chris Robinson is two years into an epic backyard project rising behind his home in Palo Alto: a structure dubbed the Tsunamiball.

tsunami proof disaster capsule

A veteran of Silicon Valley with no nautical or construction experience, Robinsin met his wife in Fukushima and, after seeing the disaster unfold, set to work trying to solve the issue of tsunami-proof architecture.

tsunami capsule outer hull

tsunami proof house detail

His capsule is 22-foot-long, 10-foot-wide, 8.5-foot-high and built of plywood and epoxy, envisioned in Adobe Illustrator, vetted by engineers then slowly constructed by hand. The inspiration? Seaworthy escape pods and spherical treehouses. You can see a video of the building process over at Wired – additional videos available on Tsunamiball.com.

tsunamiball

tsunami home fish eye

So far he has finished most of the hull but still needs to add buoyant insulation, a structural keel and an electric motor fueled by solar batteries. While his own California home is unlikely to ever go underwater (at least not literally), Robison plans to test the seaworthiness of his creation in the nearby Pacific Ocean, and then perhaps rent the place out on AirBNB. Maybe it can also serve as a prototype for a new kind of disaster-resistant design for coastal areas.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

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Olympus brings PEN style and 5-axis IS to Stylus SH-1 travel zoom

31 Mar

OLYMPUS_SH-1_SLV_Rside.png

The Olympus Stylus SH-1 may look like a PEN mirrorless camera, but it’s actually a compact travel zoom. But it has inherited a pretty big feature from the PEN: 5-axis image stabilization. Other features of note include a 16MP BSI-CMOS sensor, 25-600mm equiv. F3.0-6.9 lens, touchscreen 3″ LCD, limited manual control, 1080/60p video, and built-in Wi-Fi. It will be available in May in black, white, and silver for under $ 400.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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