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Posts Tagged ‘Christopher’

Michael Christopher Brown on war, trauma and bearing witness

29 Jan
Photographer Michael Christopher Brown’s work has taken him all over the world, from conflict zones in the middle east to post-Castro Cuba. Often shooting with just a smartphone, Brown’s work is characterized by an intimacy and immediacy that in some cases, makes it difficult viewing.

Getting close to the action has its risks, as he found out in 2011 in Libya, where he was seriously injured in an attack that killed fellow photographers Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros.

Michael’s ‘Native America’ project focuses on the people and cultures of native American reservations across the USA

In the years since he returned from Libya, Michael has traveled all over the globe, but his latest commission brought him all the way back home. Starting in his home state of Washington, Michael’s ‘Native America’ project focuses on the people and cultures of native American reservations across the USA.

Funded by a grant from Sony in 2017, the project has taken him to 16 reservations in seven states. Despite the challenges faced by the native populations inside the reservations, Brown describes the project – which was shot using the Sony a9 – as a ‘celebration of life’.

We sat down with Michael recently to talk to him about his career up to and including the ‘Native America’ project.

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Sponsored content, supported by Sony. What does this mean?

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Chances are you’ll never see Dunkirk the way Christopher Nolan intended

22 Jul

What happens when one creator’s artistic vision comes into conflict with prevailing standards and industry mores? Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk gives an insight into the chaos that is wrought as the industry retreats from film.

Christopher Nolan is famously attached to large-scale film when it comes to his productions. For Dunkirk he shot with a mixture of 65mm film and the taller, squarer IMAX 65mm filmstock—a decision that had unexpected benefits. Problems arise, however, when Nolan’s film choice collides with an industry that has largely gone digital—with 2K and 4K projectors being the norm, many theaters simply can’t show the film the way it was shot.

Film fan and president of the University College London film society, Anton Volkov, has put together a great infographic showing not only the different aspect ratios of the formats on offer, but also the relative sizes of the formats from which they’re being projected.

Translation: You end up seeing a different amount of the picture, depending on where you see it.

The digital formats in the infographic above are scaled based on IMAX’s assessment of the pixel-equivalent resolution of the different film formats (Experts at RED appears to suggest lower numbers for film resolution, which would mean the digital formats are slightly under-represented and could be considered closer to the size of 35mm).

Volkov also illustrated the different aspect ratios using this short GIF, from the NolanFans forum:

Note also the shape of the 35mm image. It looks like it’s been horizontally cropped to a very square format, but has actually been horizontally squeezed onto the film using an anamorphic lens (an asymmetrical lens that captures a wider field of view horizontally than it does vertically). This film is designed to be projected with another anamorphic lens to ‘de-squeeze’ the footage back out to its full width.

Of course, even if you are lucky enough to find somewhere able to show 70mm IMAX (we can’t, here in Seattle, as our local IMAX cinema has gone digital-only), there’s still a question mark about whether you’ll be able to appreciate the full resolution.

If you’ve seen the film (whichever crop of it), let us know what you thought?

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Readers’ Showcase: Christopher Michel

31 Jan

Readers’ Showcase: Christopher Michel

Sunrise over Bagan, 2012. Photo by Christopher Michel

It’s telling that DPR regular Christopher Michel corresponded with me about this piece while he was en route to Antarctica. He considers freelance photography his third career, one that has taken him to the proverbial ends of the earth and beyond. From a U-2 spy plane to the North Pole, he’s searched all over for stories and images that inspire. See some of his work here and find out more about him in our Q&A.

You can see more of Michel’s work on his website and follow along with his adventures on Twitter. Would you like to be featured in an upcoming Readers’ Showcase? Let us know! Be sure to include your DPR user name and a link to your online portfolio.

Readers’ Showcase: Christopher Michel

Union Glacier Camp, Antarctica, 2013. Photo by Christopher Michel

Tell us about yourself and your history with photography.

I’m on my third career. After college, I flew for the Navy as a Navigator and Mission Commander aboard P-3 Orion Sub-Hunting Aircraft. After a tour in the Pentagon, I went off to grad school and became an entrepreneur. And for the past 8 years, I’ve been a freelance photographer and writer.

Readers’ Showcase: Christopher Michel

Moscow subway, 2014. Photo by Christopher Michel

When did you know you wanted to pursue photography as a career?

In 2008, I took stock of my life and decided that my real passion was telling stories through images and writing. I’d been taking photographs since 1998 and with each click of the shutter, my passion grew. Today, I better understand why I love photography so much. It isn’t about magnesium bodies or polished glass – nor even about great images. It’s all about where my camera takes me – and it has taken me to places I couldn’t have even imagined. Some of those places are physical but many more are emotional – conversations, friendships, and adventure that just wouldn’t have been possible without my camera and a deep commitment to story.

Readers’ Showcase: Christopher Michel

Spacesuit Selfie aboard a U-2 Spyplane at 70,000 feet, 2012. Photo by Christopher Michel

You’ve been to some pretty remote locations. Where have you traveled to photograph, and what have been some of your favorite locations?  

Well, I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a chance to photograph some of Earth’s most extreme locations – from the jungles of Papua New Guinea, to both Poles, and to the edge of space aboard a U-2 spy plane. Antarctica is my favorite place on Earth – I’m actually writing this from Ushuaia, poised to embark on my 5th journey to the Crystal Desert.

Readers’ Showcase: Christopher Michel

Morning Kora in Lhasa, Tibet, 2010. Photo by Christopher Michel

What’s been the toughest assignment you’ve taken?

Fortunately, my toughest assignment was also one of my favorites. I was asked to be HH The Dalai Lama’s photographer during a three-day visit to the United States a few years back. It was an incredible opportunity to spend time with someone who has influenced the lives of millions – and he didn’t disappoint. He’s one of the kindest, nicest, and most caring humans I’ve ever met… calm, spiritual, compassionate, and full of love and humor. Everything you might imagine.

Readers’ Showcase: Christopher Michel

The Edge of Space in a U-2 Spy Plane, 2010. Photo by Christopher Michel

(cont.) So, why tough? Well, juxtapose this serene man against a backdrop of super celebrity and hyper-security. Imagine thousands of followers and fans everywhere we went – from street corners to massive venues. Imagine celebrities, motorcades and lots of armed State Department Security people. And then there is me – often finding myself between HH and all the people who want to be close to him. So, it was an almost overwhelming contrast between serenity and pandemonium. Unlike many other shoots, I had access but very little control over where I was or where we went. I tried as hard as I could to both capture the moment and blend in – I succeeded most of the time but not always. 

Readers’ Showcase: Christopher Michel

An emperor penguin jumping out of the water, 2013. Photo by Christopher Michel

Where would you like to go that you haven’t been?  

High level – everywhere. The more I visit a place, the more I feel that I’ve just scratched the surface. But someplace completely new? Well, I’d like to do a piece on the Ocean’s explorers – telling the story of the scientists and submariners who research Earth’s last great frontier. So if any explorers out there want a photographer to come along, I’m game.

Readers’ Showcase: Christopher Michel

A DC-3 in Gould Bay, Antarctica, 2013. Photo by Christopher Michel

What do you shoot with?

I use different cameras for different purposes.  

Walking around:

  • The Leica Q and/or Leica M240 (50MM Noctilux and 35MM f/1.4) 
  • General assignments (Congo, etc)
  • Carrying both Leica Q & Sony A7RII (w/ Sony FE 24-240mm). 

If I’m in more extreme locations, I use the Nikon D4 (foul weather) & D810. I’ve also been shooting the Mamiya 7II – captured some really unique shots with it at the North Pole.

Readers’ Showcase: Christopher Michel

Sunrise at Torres Del Paine National Park, 2013. Photo by Christopher Michel

Do you take on personal projects in addition to assignments? Do you have any you plan to work on in the near future?

Yes. I mostly freelance so have an opportunity to pick stories of interest and then pitch them! I’m just back from a very interesting assignment in the Democratic Republic of Congo for IDEO.org and the American Refugee Committee. Coming up: Antarctica, Indonesia, and Svalbard.

Readers’ Showcase: Christopher Michel

North Pole, 2015. Photo by Christopher Michel

What role has social media played in developing your ‘brand’ and business as a photographer?

Hard to say. I get lots of licensing requests from my work on Flickr. I have 1.8M followers on G+ – not sure it has made much of a difference. So, I think it is helping but it’s hard to quantify.

Readers’ Showcase: Christopher Michel

Democratic Republic of Congo, 2016. Photo by Christopher Michel

What advice would you give an aspiring photojournalist?

Well, I can say what’s worked for me. Tenacity & Love. Tenacity to get the assignment, shot and story. And love for the process and for the people I encounter along the way. I feel like I’m learning every day from the pros in the field.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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A Quiet Collapse: Christopher Nunn’s ‘Falling Into the Day’

27 Sep

Christopher Nunn descirbes his photographic style as ‘quiet and simple.’ This rings true throughout his project, Falling into the Day, a look into the life of his friend David, an artist living with Alzheimer’s. Nunn answered some questions for us about his work – see a sample of images from ‘Falling into the Day’ and learn more about the project. Read more

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Matthew Christopher: Photographer of Abandoned Places

24 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

Some of the locations have storied histories, and others remain a mystery – photo shoots of spaces that must remain off the map to avoid disturbing delicate or dangerous ruins, or trespassing on private property.

Matthew Christopher has taken pictures of it all, from prisons and hospitals to churches with basement meth labs to deserted transportation infrastructure and now-demolished architecture. When he got in touch with WebUrbanist, a balance had to be struck between secrecy and revelation.

But beyond simple still images, he has escalated his photography to fully-interactive, (click here to see them embedded on his website:) three-dimensional online panoramas – these compelling variants are part film, part photo, and provide an really impressive sense of spatial immersion (hint: be sure to go full-screen for the full effect – these are high-resolution!).

Some of these places are in the middle of preservation battles as well, their futures as uncertain as their histories. A few are publicly known, leaving Matthew able to discuss them, like this prison and this state hospital. He also has both prints and books available at this store on his website.

Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebUrbanist:

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Wars show through the physical devastation they leave behind. In many cases the effects can be seen decades later.
Click Here to Read More »»


24 Stunning HDR Photographs of Abandoned Places

Something about the vibrant colors, stark contrasts and vivid depths lends abandonments to pictures using HDR photography techniques like few other subjects.
Click Here to Read More »»


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[ By WebUrbanist in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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fashion photoshoot with photographer Jason Christopher

17 Oct

This is a behind the scenes video of a fashion shoot I did for a clothing designer. We shot it at a lounge in Los Angeles called Elevate.

Full guide at: www.dslrtips.com / DSLR Tips: How to blur action shots for a feeling of speed
Video Rating: 4 / 5

 
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Magnum Photo’s Christopher Anderson on QTV

17 Dec

www.youtube.com/qtv Host Jian Ghomeshi sat down with one of the famed photo collective members to talk about photojournalism, objectivity and the art of taking a photo.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

 
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