Month: December 2013

  • Urban Wraps: Neighborhood Scarfs Make Videos Wearable

    [ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

    scarf

    Cut. Print it. That’s a wrap. One section (or scene) at a time, these designers are turning areas of Brooklyn into fashionable products that abstract the motion and colors of a place, converting them into a physical scarf.

    neighborhood scarf design dumbo

    nice city urban scarf

    First they film a given neighborhood; next they stretch out and process the results; finally they print it out along the length of the scarf. So far they have five to sell but hopefully more to come.

    wearable city apparel design

    The Brooklyn Block “are a passionate bunch with back ground in interaction, architecture and urban design” whose “goal is to create remarkably thoughtful and exploratory products.”

    neighborhood printed scarf 1

    neighbordhood printed scarf 2

    neighborhood printed scarf 3

    One could accuse them of being a bit gimmicky, but a few brief rebuttals for would-be critics: first, on the aesthetic side, the scarfs are quite attractive, and second, on the conceptual side, there is something to be said for the patterns and colors of a place, whether the memories they conjure are consciously or subconsciously recognized. Finally, “The Brooklyn Block offers products that tell stories” – if nothing else, these are neat conversation pieces for those curious about their origins.

    Share on Facebook





    [ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

    [ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]


    WebUrbanist

  • 7. Türchen: Wetplate Berlin

    7. Türchen

    Nostalgie liegt in diesem Türchen und die Möglichkeit, einmal eine alte Fototechnik zu erleben, ja sogar mit nach Hause zu nehmen, denn der in Berlin lebende Fotograf Daniel Samanns beherrscht das historische Verfahren der Kollodium-Nassplatten-Fotografie und hat sich bereiterklärt, das heutige Türchen zu füllen.

    Das Kollodium-Nassplatten-Verfahren, oder Ambrotypie, wie es auch genannt wird, nutzte Sir Frederic Scott Archer bereits 1851. In diesem chemischen Prozess wird das fotografische Material (Klarglas oder schwarzes Glas, Blech oder Acrylglas sind auch möglich) innerhalb einer Zeitspanne von maximal 15 Minuten in fortwährend nassem Zustand beschichtet, licht-sensibilisiert, belichtet, entwickelt und fixiert.

    © Daniel Samanns© Daniel Samanns

    Daniel Samanns stellt auf den traditionellen Formeln basierend alle notwendigen Flüssigkeiten und Emulsionen selbst aus den jeweiligen Rohstoffen her. Dabei entstehen einzigartige Resultate, die in dieser schnellen und bunten Welt etwas entrückt wirken und verzaubern.

    Für unseren Kalender hat Daniel eine Nassplatten-Sitzung in seinem Atelier in Berlin Kreuzberg in den Kalender gelegt. Der Gewinner erhält aus zwei bis maximal drei Belichtungen, fotografiert mit historischer Holzplattenkamera, ein Portrait von sich im Original, als Ambrotypie im Format 18 x 24 cm. Die Sitzung dauert zwei bis drei Stunden, in denen Ihr in dieses antike Verfahren Einblick erhaltet und selbst portraitiert werdet.

    © Daniel Samanns© Daniel Samanns

    Der Gewinn umfasst nur die Portraitsitzung, nicht jedoch die Anreise nach Berlin! Wir denken aber, dass sich für so ein einmaliges Erlebnis auch eine kleine Reise lohnt und Berlin ja auch sonst viel zu bieten hat. Mehr über das fotografische Verfahren, die Portraitsitzung und viele tolle Fotos findet Ihr auf der Homepage von Daniel: wetplate-berlin.com. Bei ihm könnt Ihr das Handwerk auch selbst erlernen und an einem Workshop teilnehmen.

    Um die Portraitsitzung zu gewinnen, schreibe einen Kommentar unter bürgerlichem Namen und gültiger E-Mail-Adresse bis heute um 24 Uhr. Danach verlosen wir sie per Zufallsgenerator unter allen Kommentatoren. Die genauen Gewinnspielregeln findest Du hier. Viel Glück!


    kwerfeldein – Fotografie Magazin

  • Phantásien. (One-way)

    Ein Beitrag von: Marina Refur

    Erst hat es so lange gedauert, bis sich die Blätter endlich grün färben wollten und nun wandeln sie sich schon wieder in rot, gold, braun und der Wind trägt sie sanft zu Boden. Beinahe lautlos. Nur manchmal hört man ein leises Rauschen, das verträumte Klänge aus dem Wald hinüberträgt.

    Klaviermelancholie. Den Kopf verdreht und das Herz noch schnell in die Hand genommen, renne ich los… Phantásien. One-way. Zumindest für die nächsten Stunden.

    courageofothers © Marina Refur

    Phantásien? Ohja! Sie warten sicher schon auf mich. Lange war es mir gar nicht so bewusst, aber es gibt wohl kaum ein Buch, das mich gleichermaßen in seinen Bann zieht und mit dessen Charakteren ich mich stärker verbunden fühle als mit denen der unendlichen Geschichte.

    Fuchur, der gutmütige Glücksdrache mit seinem silbrig schimmernden Fell und den flauschigen Ohren, die zerbrechliche Kindliche Kaiserin, die auf einen neuen Namen hofft, Atreyu, der mutige Krieger mit seinem Pferd Artax, der starke Steinbeißer und all die anderen wundersamen Geschöpfe Phantásiens.

    Sie alle teilen das gleiche traurige Schicksal: Sie exisiteren nur, solange die Menschen träumen. Geraten sie in Vergessenheit, wird Phantásien Stück für Stück vom Nichts verschlungen und kann nur gerettet werden, indem die Dinge neu entdeckt und benannt werden, um so in unser Bewusstsein zurückzukehren.

    Wer träumt und in die Welt der Fantasie eintaucht, begibt sich just in diesem Moment auf eine Reise in seine eigene Innenwelt. In das unendliche Phantásien, das in jedem von uns schlummert und darauf wartet, gerettet oder einfach noch ein wenig schöner und lebendiger zu werden.

    oceanicsecrets © Marina Refur

    growtilltall © Marina Refur

    Aber wie ist das nun mit der eigenen Fantasiewelt? Wo und wann begegnet sie uns und was passiert, wenn wir anderen einen Teil davon zugänglich machen?

    Oft sind es Assoziationen wie seltsam, zauberhaft, mystisch, verstörend, unerklärlich oder wundersam, die mir im Zusammenhang mit meinen Bildern entgegengebracht werden und nicht selten folgt darauf die Frage nach ihrer Bedeutung. Doch muss es denn überhaupt immer für alles eine Erklärung geben?

    Muss Kunst immer eine Botschaft überbringen? Oder kann sie auch einfach um der Kunst Willen bestehen? Liegt die Faszination nicht auch oft im Zauber des Unerklärlichen und Rätselhaften?

    ivorychild © Marina Refur

    swansneck © Marina Refur

    Wenn ich fotografiere, ist das für mich sehr viel mehr als das Bild, das ich am Ende des Prozesses vor mir auf dem Bildschirm sehe. Es ist eine Selbsterfahrung, ein Ausflug in eine bunte Welt, der mich nicht selten zu den tiefsten Gefühlen führt, die in mir verborgen liegen.

    Ich lasse mich dabei gänzlich von dem leiten, was mich inspiriert und berührt und verliere darüber oft jegliches Gefühl für Raum und Zeit. Ich hüpfe durch den Wald, renne mit dem Wind um die Wette und küsse in den frühsten Morgenstunden die Blumenwiesen wach.

    Ich lache, träume, weine, friere, liebe und bin einfach völlig bei mir. Nur ich und meine Träume. Ich empfinde die Fantasie als das Intimste, Ehrlichste und Unbefangenste in uns, wenn man sie denn lässt.

    lastteaparty © Marina Refur

    Mir ist es wichtig, meine Emotionen und Ideen so einzufangen wie sie sind, ohne sie durch den Filter der gesellschaftlichen Normen und Zwänge zu drücken und ohne abzuwägen, welchen Eindruck dieses oder jenes Bild anschließend bei Außenstehenden hervorrufen mag.

    Natürlich gelingt das nicht immer, aber nur dann stellt sich das unbeschreibliche Gefühl ein, einen Teil meiner Seele befreit oder das Bild direkt von der äußersten Zellschicht meines Herzens abgezogen zu haben, wenn ich anschließend einen Blick darauf werfe.

    Es geht mir bei meinen Bildern gar nicht so sehr um die eine Aussage, die später eindeutig und unmissverständlich darauf zu erkennen sein muss. Es geht nicht um das Körperliche, nicht um das, was sich an der Oberfläche befindet. Viel mehr geht es um das, was den Körper lebendig werden lässt. Es geht um Emotionen. Um die Fantasie. Um das, was der Kopf denkt und das Herz fühlt.

    awakemysoul © Marina Refur

    Ja, ich gebe zu, mitunter brauche ich manchmal etwas Mut, um mich auf die Reise nach Phántasien zu begeben, schließlich weiß ich nie so genau, was mich dort erwartet, doch bisher habe ich es nie bereut. Je öfter ich in dieses Land der unbegrenzten Gedanken eintauche, umso vertrauter wird es.

    Seine Gerüche, die Lichter und Farben, das Gefühl, allein und dennoch völlig geborgen zu sein. Was mich anfangs selbst noch ein wenig ins Staunen versetzte oder schlichtweg überraschte, fühlt sich mit der Zeit vollkommen vertraut an.

    Seltsam erscheint irgendwann gar nichts mehr. Ich genieße es, mich dabei noch besser kennenzulernen, mich gehen zu lassen und mit kindlicher Naivität erforschen und erträumen zu können, was ich selbst nicht für möglich gehalten hätte.

    reverence for fallen trees © Marina Refur

    Ich lerne, mir zu vertrauen, mich auszuprobieren und auch in die dunklen Ecken zu schauen, wohlwissend, dass ein gutmütiger Glücksdrache nur wenige Meter entfernt aufmerksam über mich wacht. Dieses anmutige Geschöpf wird mich nach Hause bringen, wenn ich erschöpft bin und genug gesehen habe.

    Wenn ich einen Teil meines Herzens auf einer Wiese verstreut, den anderen im Wald begraben und den Rest hoch in die Luft geworfen habe und vor Glück oder Zerstreuung den Heimweg selbst nicht mehr finden würde.


    kwerfeldein – Fotografie Magazin

  • DPReview is hiring! Senior UX Designer wanted!

    DPRlogo.png

    DPReview is hiring! We’re looking for a Senior UX designer to shape the next generation of content and community tools for our large and passionate audience of photographers and camera enthusiasts. Candidates will have the rare ability to influence the product at all levels and to create a new user experience for a top 1000 website. Click through for more details. 

    News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • 30 Street Photography Images to Inspire You

    Street Photography – that subject that makes many an experienced photographer run and hide. Done well, it documents daily life, society as we know it today.

    Today I want to share some street photography images I found particularly good for different reasons. Whether you do this type of photography or not, appreciate the art and skill and enjoy these images. Notice there are a lot of black and white images. It’s pretty common for street photography as it really narrows down to the subject, light and shape.

    By publikaccion

    By Stepan Mazurov

    By praline3001

    By Chris JL

    By Pavel P.

    By Thomas Leuthard

    By Thomas Leuthard

    By Thomas Leuthard

     

    By gato-gato-gato

    By Pavel P.

    By Chris JL

    By Hamed Masoumi

    By Ines Njers

    By gato-gato-gato

    By Geraint Rowland

    By Thomas Leuthard

    By Thomas Leuthard

    By Takeshi Garcia

    By Eric

    By Phil Hilfiker

    By Charly ‘n Paris

    By micadew

    By Mario Mancuso

    By Chris Ford

    By Rakesh JV

    By Björn Bechstein

    By helmuthess

    By DaiLuo

    By Emanuele Toscano

    By Thomas Geiregger

     

    Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

    Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

    30 Street Photography Images to Inspire You

    The post 30 Street Photography Images to Inspire You by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.


    Digital Photography School

  • Street Photography – Weekly Photography Challenge

    Something that tends to strike fear into the heart of many new photographers is street photography. So today I’m going to urge you to get out of your comfort zone and go try it. I teach a travel photography class and when I share my photos of different exotic places, it’s always the street photography, and in particular the people photos, that get my students most excited.

    Taken during a photowalk in Portland, OR. This guy was stopped at a light and I took about 20 photos of him in 30 seconds. Made him laugh! If he had minded he would have said something, or gestured - if you get my drift.

    Taken during a photowalk in Portland, OR. This guy was stopped at a light and I took about 20 photos of him in 30 seconds. Made him laugh! If he had minded he would have said something, or gestured – if you get my drift.

    To me, it’s the people that make a place what it is; they are the essence, the culture. But that fear of photographing a stranger, in a public place, and actually having them see you take their photo is a biggie. Am I right?

    Getting outside your comfort zone, doing something you don’t normally do, stretching your limits – that’s where real growth will occur. If you want to take your photography to the next level, give it a try and push yourself a little. You don’t need to travel to do this kind of photography. The two images below are done in my own city.

    I was basically running behind these guys with a wide lens. Good timing is everything in street photography.

    I was basically running behind these guys with a wide lens. Good timing is everything in street photography.

    The other approach is talking to people. I chatted with this guy for 10 minutes. Then gave him $  2 for his newspaper (how he makes a living) and took his photo.

    The other approach is talking to people. I chatted with this guy for 10 minutes. Then gave him $ 2 for his newspaper (how he makes a living) and took his photo.

    Yesterday I posted 30 inspiring images of street photography, go have a look to get you fired up. Then find some a friend to go with you (even if they aren’t taking photos) and hit the pavement.

    Your challenge this week – street photography

    Get out there and walk around. Photograph what grabs your eye including architecture, traffic, people along the way – everything! Be fearless, you can do this!

    To help you out – here are some other great articles with more tips to get started and overcome the fear.

    Further reading to help you gather courage for street photography

    • Using Street Photography to see Beyond the Ordinary
    • 103 Things I’ve Learned about Street Photography 
    • My 30 Day Adventure with the Fuji x100s
    • Seeing and Street Photography 
    • How to Approach Street Photography in 12 Easy Steps
    • Terrified of Street Photography? So am I – here’s how I do it!

    Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

    Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

    Street Photography – Weekly Photography Challenge

    The post Street Photography – Weekly Photography Challenge by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.


    Digital Photography School

  • TIME’s top photos of the year

    lb_lopez.jpg

    Each year TIME picks 10 images from 10 photographers to represent some of top news stories of the year. From the massacre at the Westgate Mall in Kenya, the Boston Marathon bombings, to the recent typhoon in the Philippines, the collection highlights the work of seasoned photojournalists. Learn more

    News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Strange Photography Classes You’ve Never Considered

    Sure, you know all about f-stops and composition. You’ve taken classes on lighting and landscape photography. But there’s a lot you don’t know — and a long list of photography classes and workshops that you’ve never even considered.

    Here are a bunch of them.

    Photograph Ghosts, Ghoulies and Things That Go Bump in the Night

    You might have taken a photography class that taught you how to shoot a still life but how about a workshop that will show how to shoot dead things — or at least create photographs that appear to contain dead things?

    Night photographer Lance Keimig runs three-night workshops among the historic monuments of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Participants have both classroom and field instruction where they learn how to shoot tombstones and mausoleums by moonlight. Ichabod Crane’s headless horseman is also expected to make an appearance and strike a pose. Just don’t ask him for a headshot.

    Slightly less scary are Vintage Vixens’ Halloween-themed workshops. Instead of creeping around a graveyard in the middle of the night, you’ll be standing around a stately home in Baltimore, photographing models dressed in Gothic Halloween costumes.

    And if that still sounds a little creepy, you can always fake it.

    The Spirit Photography Workshop at George Eastman House will teach you the basics of making wet collodion tintypes. With that knowledge under your belt you’ll be able to create the kind of spooky ghost imagery that had 19th-century viewers reaching for their Ouija boards.

    Beware of the Bears

    Wildlife photography workshops are a dime a dozen (or, more accurately, several hundred bucks a session) but if you’re looking to focus on one kind of wildlife in particular, you can do worse than shoot bears.

    The American Bear Association combines lessons in the natural history of the American Black Bear with an opportunity to photograph the animals in their natural environment. The Black Bear Photo Workshops are held at the 360 acre Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary in Minnesota. The workshop lasts for three days, and provides an opportunity to photograph the 50 bears known to frequent the park — as well as other wildlife, including whitetail deer, wolves, chipmunks, butterflies and birds.

    If you’re looking for something a little more adventurous than Black Bears though, you could take a trip with the Aperture Academy to Norway to photograph polar bears. The academy is runs by master photographer Stephen W. Oachs who takes photographers out to the Svalbard archipelago of northern Norway. Home to about 3,000 polar bears, the archipelago contains one of the world’s largest concentrations of very dangerous, giant-clawed bears.

    You’ll be cruising the fjords, shooting in 24-hour sunlight and in addition to photographing very strong and very hungry carnivores, you’ll also have a chance to capture some more sedate glaciers, walruses, reindeer, arctic foxes, whales, seals, puffins and fulmars. Dress warm but try not to look like a seal.

    P-P-P Picture a Penguin

    Photographing both Black Bears and Polar Bears would be one way to produce some interesting black and white photography. But when you’re finished in the Arctic, you could head to the other side of the world and put both colors in one picture by photographing penguins.

    They’re not as savage as polar bears and their teeth aren’t quite as sharp but they are picturesque and they come in more varieties. The trip to the Falkland Islands, which includes a couple of days in Chile, provides an opportunity to photograph Rockhopper, Magellanic, King, Gentoo and perhaps Macaroni penguins too. The trip is timed to coincide with the breeding season so there should be lots of chicks to shoot, as well as striated caracara, skua, pied oystercatchers, upland geese, kelp geese, Falklands flightless steamer ducks, black-crowned night herons, and dolphin gulls.

    At $ 4,795 a head (with a $ 200 single supplement) the nine-day January trip isn’t cheap but the next outing is already nearly fully booked.

    Capture a Speeding Car

    Penguins aren’t known for their speed so if you’re looking for something with a bit more adrenaline, you could go for one of the many car racing workshops.

    David Allio’s career as a  professional motorsports photographer spans four decades. He has been the official track photographer for at least ten different racetracks and the official series photographer for the NASCAR Winston Racing Series. He takes photographers out to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the Neon Garage to learn how to shoot Superspeedway races and drag races. He also runs trips to various sites to run short track oval auto racing sessions.

    Classroom topics during the two-day program include: working safely in a high speed environment, lens selection from fisheye to super telephoto, workflow and software, copyright and licensing, preparing photographs for publication, high speed action in low light, establishing your own personal style, and editorial responsibility.

    A visit to a Vegas race track is unlikely to be relaxing but Michael Chinnici’s 24 Hours of Le Mans workshop not only lasts nine days but manages to combine high-octane subjects with more sedate wine-filled touring. In addition to photographing the Porsches, Audis, Ferraris, Peugeots, Aston Martins, Bentleys, BMWs, Maseratis, and Corvettes that take part in the 24 hour road race, participants will have an opportunity to photograph the streets of the old city, visit Mont St Michel Castle and take part in Loire Valley wine tours. It’s not Vegas, but that might be a good thing.

    Old Folk Get to Preserve Their Memories

    Although most of these workshops are aimed at reasonably experienced photographers who want to improve their skills and shoot something different, it’s not too hard to find classes aimed at young beginners just beginning their photographic journeys.

    Finding a workshop for old beginners starting their photographic journeys is a little harder.

    But that’s what Singapore’s Housing and Development Board offers. In addition to the regular sessions on parents and children, and seven steps to better photography, the board also offers 2.5 hour classes on “Silver Photography for Seniors.”

    The seminar introduces basic concepts in photography such as camera handling, how to scene functions and composing pictures. The jargon is kept to a minimum and the memories are preserved forever.


    Photopreneur – Make Money Selling Your Photos

  • What The Duck #1146

    wtdlogo_big.jpg

    We’ve come to the end of another week here at dpreview, and as our thoughts drift to weekend shooting opportunities, it’s time to take things a little less seriously. Aaron Johnson’s comic strip ‘What the Duck’ is just the thing, taking a gently satirical look through the lens of a photographically inclined waterfowl. You can find it published here (and in our newsletter) every week; we hope you enjoy it, and your weekend.

    News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • There can be only 1: Polaroid licensee withdraws Nikon-like camera

    im1836.png

    Sakar International, which makes cameras under the Polaroid brand name, has agreed to stop selling the model at the center of a patent and trade dress dispute with Nikon. A New York court issued an injunction stopping Sakar from making, selling or advertising the Android-powered iM1836, based on an agreement reached by the two companies. Nikon claims the interchangeable lens iM1836 infringed design patents and ‘trade dress’ (appearance) of its 1 System.

    News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)