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Archive for July, 2014

Just Add Monsters: Chris McMahon’s Modified Thrift Store Art

27 Jul

[ By Steve in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

Chris McMahaon Empty Swing monster thrift store painting
Artist Chris McMahon looks at cheap thrift store landscape paintings and sees something missing. Then he paints in the hidden monsters for all to enjoy.

Chris McMahon Empty Swing monster thrift store painting original

Artist Chris McMahon first began buying thrift store landscape paintings for economic reasons: often costing a mere dollar apiece, the paintings were far cheaper than new, unused canvases and McMahon saved plenty by covering the dime-a-dozen scenes with gesso and starting anew. That all changed one day when McMahon bought a landscape scene that caught his attention – not for what it showed but for what appeared to be missing. Check out the original “The Empty Swing” painting above and you’ll probably agree, though McMahon’s “completion” of the scene might not sit well with overly imaginative squeamish types.

The Mountain Monster

Chris McMahon Mountain Monster painting

“I’ve always liked giant monsters,” admits McMahon at his website, Involuntary Collaborations, “from rubber-suit Godzilla to Cloverfield.” We think The Mountain Monster, above, is a worthy addition to the pantheon. Stalking ominously through a backlit landscape of stunted conifers and fetid mist, the crazed creature appears to fit the scene perfectly. One wonder if the original artist would agree should they be presented with McMahon’s respectful augmentation.

The Swamp Monster

Swamp Monster thrift shop painting Chris McMahon

Somehow the swamp monster in the eponymously titled painting above, McMahon’s third such dip in the Involuntary Collaboration pool, doesn’t seem all that monstrous given he (or she) is giving the viewer a friendly wave. Even so, the scene is disconcerting to say the least. “This is the first one that I added my signature below the original artist’s,” states McMahon. “I feel better if the original artist has signed his or her landscape – that way it doesn’t look (as much) like I’m taking credit for another person’s work.”

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Just Add Monsters Chris Mcmahons Modified Thrift Store Art

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[ By Steve in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

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How to Photograph Beverages – Video Tips

27 Jul

Earlier I shared a collection of some great images of beverages. If you want to know more about how they may have been created, check out these video tutorials.

Photograph I offer you another drink! by Ivan Gevaerd on 500px

I offer you another drink! by Ivan Gevaerd on 500px

This first video by Phlearn features photographer Rob Grimm, and walks you through how to photograph a beer bottle and glass of beer. I used to do food photography and beverages were part of that. It’s a very specialized, and highly detailed area of commercial photography that requires a lot of lights, reflectors, and patience. A shoot like this might take several hours to get it just right, and it’s a game of inches moving things into the right places.

See more of Rob’s amazing drink shots on his website.

This next video is by Phillip McCordall as we demonstrates shooting a bottle using a slightly different lighting setup and approach. It’s well done (aside from the slight echo in the audio) and has some good tips.

This last one is by The Slanted Lens and go over how to photograph a bottle and combine it with a photo of a person for the final image. Lighting is key when photographing any kind of beverage. More good tips and a little fun at the end of this one.

So if you are doing this week’s photography challenge, beverages have a watch of these videos and remember to share your images on the challenge page.

The post How to Photograph Beverages – Video Tips by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Readers’ showcase: Landscape photography

27 Jul

In all the talk about new gear, and which brands are best it’s easy to overlook the end result of our shared passion – the pursuit of stunning images. Among our large community there are some incredibly talented photographers who share their work in our forums, galleries and photo challenges. From time to time we like to showcase some of the best work on our homepage. This week we challenged users of the landscape photography forum to submit their strongest shots, and the results were impressive. Click through to see more.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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browserFruits Juli, Ausgabe 4

27 Jul

Na, wer von Euch muss gerade in dieser erstklassigen Sommerhitze den Schreibtisch im Büro oder die Bank in der Uni-Bibliothek zum Lernen drücken? Die daheimgebliebenen Teile der Redaktion leiden mit Euch! Lasst uns also gemeinsam die Flucht planen. In den Sommerurlaub, eine Fantasiewelt oder das nächste Fotoprojekt. Das Fotospecial sammelt schon einmal Inspirationen für Euch. Vielleicht ist ja der Funke dabei, der Dir die richtige Eingebung für unseren Wettbewerb „Kreativität entfesseln“ mit Wacom gibt? Nur noch gut zwei Wochen habt Ihr Zeit, mitzumachen.

 

Fotospecial: Die Flucht

Flickr

500px

 

Deutschsprachig

• Reto Camenisch bezeichnet die Veröffentlichung der Aufnahmen, die Magnun-Fotograf Jerome Sessini in der Ukraine als einer der ersten an der Absturzstelle von Malaysian-Airlines-Flug 17 machte, als „moralischen Totalabsturz“.

• Experimentierfreude und Lust auf alternative analoge Verfahren? Dann ist der 3-minütige Crashkurs Cyanotypie von Spürsinn genau das Richtige für Euch.

• Alejandro Cegarra gewann den diesjährigen Oskar-Barnack-Newcomer-Award. Seine Serie „Torre de David“ dokumentiert das Leben von 2000 Menschen in einer riesigen Bauruine in Caracas.

• Jaja, 365-Tage-Projekte. Macht jeder. Aber wer schafft es schon, wie Yutha Yamanaka jeden Tag ein surreales Werk am Start zu haben? Eben.

• Wusstet Ihr, dass viele kleine Wasserlöcher in unserer deutschen Landschaft nicht einfach winzige Seen, sondern ehemalige Bombenkrater sind? Der Fotograf Henning Rogge macht sie sichtbar und öffnet uns die Augen.

• Die ZEIT zeigt anlässlich einer Ausstellung in Bonn 14 der sagenhaften Portraits August Sanders und versetzt den Betrachter augenblicklich um 100 Jahre zurück.

• Die lebenden Bilder von Andrew und Carissa Gallo werden auf Ignant gezeigt. Eine sehr schöne Serie, die die windige Landschaft Islands zeigt.

 

International

• Das AnOther Mag beleuchtet in Bildern und vier Kurzinterviews die nächste Generation der Fashion-Fotografen.

• Ein Tag im Leben eines Hochzeitsfotografen scheint in Spanien zwar deutlich entspannter zu sein als in Deutschland, trotzdem lässt sich aus den Ausführungen und Arbeitsproben von Manuel Orero noch einiges mitnehmen.

• Warum ein Bild, das viral geht, dem Fotografen außer einem Adrenalinschub kaum etwas bringt, vor allem keine Verkäufe, kaum neue Fans und sonst nur eine ganze Menge Ärger.

• Wer die Performance-Künstlerin Marina Abramovic noch nicht kennt, dem (und allen anderen natürlich auch) empfehlen wir dringend dieses aktuelle Interview. Und natürlich den Film „The Artist Is Present“ über ihre Arbeiten, aus dem auch Fotografen schöpfen können.

• Sicherlich erinnert Ihr Euch noch gut an das Polaroid-Jahresprojekt 12.12, das Marit im April vorgestellt hat. In der neuen Ausgabe „12.12 Men“ machen sich nun ein Jahr lang 12 Männer daran, das Projekt mit kreativen Themen, Ideen und Bildern zu füllen.

• Blake Andrews in seinem neuesten Blogpost über eine neue Garry-Winogrand-Retrospektive in New York und die Uneinigkeit der Kommentatoren über Qualität und Bedeutung seines Werks.

• Kunst und Fotografie Unterwasser: io9 hat eine Sammlung diverser Galerien zusammengestellt, die Ziele für Taucher und tiefblaue Inspiration für uns sind.

• Nosemouth kennt Ihr schon, oder? Wenn man halt morgens aufwacht und das dringende Bedürfnis hat, Bilder von Promis in Photoshop zu verschönern.

• The Makeout Project. Viel Lippenstift und hingebungsvolle bis erschütterte Blicke der Modelle.

• Irgendwann in den letzten ein oder zwei Jahren hat sich im sibirischen Niemandsland ein Erdkrater aufgetan, der jetzt entdeckt wurde. Was erst einmal unspektakulär klingt, sieht auf Fotos vom Ort des Geschehens aber hochspannend aus und beschäftigt ab sofort ein ganzes Rudel Forscher, das den Krater genauestens untersucht.

• Ken Heyman ist eine 50 Jahre alte eigene Arbeit mit dem Titel „Mothers“ in die Hände gefallen, die zeigt, was es heißt, Mutter zu sein und Kinder aufzuziehen – überall auf der Welt, überall etwas anders und doch wunderbar gleich.

• Arthur Tress hat die Albträume von Kindern in surrealen Fotomontagen festgehalten, die einen packen und nicht mehr loslassen, so echt und erschreckend sind sie gelungen.

• „Wenn Deine Gefängnis-Zelle ein Fenster hätte, welchen Ort aus Deiner Vergangenheit würdest Du gerne sehen?“ Dieser Frage geht eine Initiative nach, die Mark Strandquist 2012 ins Leben rief und durch die vielen Gefängnisinsassen ein kleiner Traum erfüllt wurde.

• Hier werden zehn zeitgenössische Fotografen aus Dänemark vorgestellt, die Ihr kennen solltet. Magnum-Fotograf Jacob Aue Sobol wird wohl der Bekannteste aus der Reihe sein.

• Graham MacIndoe wollte keine Doku über Abhängige machen. Stattdessen nahm er die Drogen selbst, wurde abhängig und fotografierte sich dabei. Die ganze Zeit über dachte er daran, wie die Fotos wohl für Außenstehende wirken. Wie wirken sie auf Euch?

• Shotkit ist eine sehr ansprechend gestaltete Seite, die sich nur der Frage „Was ist in Deiner Kameratasche?” widmet. Besonders gut gefällt uns, dass dort auch in diversen Foto-Genre gesucht werden kann.

• „Finding Vivian Maier“ wird immer öfter kritisch beäugt und John Maloof für sein egoistisches Vorgehen hinterfragt.

 

Neuerscheinungen und Tipps vom Foto-Büchermarkt

buchtipps

• Was trägt der Mensch im 21. Jahrhundert? Wie finden die Fragen unserer Zeit, politische Umstürze und technische Neuerungen Eingang in die Mode? Und wie lässt sich Kleidung überhaupt immer wieder neu und spannend fotografieren? Die Arbeiten von 36 jungen Fotografen aus aller Welt geben einen Einblick in mögliche Antworten. „New Fashion Photography“* ist im Verlag Prestel erschienen, umfasst 224 großformatige Seiten und ist für 34,95 € zu haben.

• Bertram Kober widmete sich auf einer Reise durch zwölf Länder der immer wieder fesselnden Ästhetik von Sendemasten und Empfangsanlagen, die gern wie moderne Skulpturen und raumgreifende Installationen die Umwelt in gigantische Kunstwerke verwandeln. „Transmission“* ist im Verlag Kerber erschienen und zeigt die Serie auf 112 Seiten, etwa A4. Preis: 38 €.

 

Zitat der Woche

Ohne Foodblog is’ man heute ja wie früher ohne Mofa.

Marcel Pommer –

Mehr Zitate

 

Videos

Food-Fotografie mal ganz anders, nämlich abstrakt. Dokumentation über die Arbeiten, den Prozess und die Philosophie von Ajay Malghan.

 

Erinnert Ihr Euch an die fantastisch anderweltlichen Aufnahmen des Projektes „Skinwalker“, die wir hier ebenfalls schon vorgestellt haben? Hier ein ebenso beeindruckendes Video des Prozesses, das durch gekonnten Einsatz von Musik Spannung erzeugt.

 

* Das ist ein Affiliate-Link zu Amazon. Wenn Ihr darüber etwas bestellt, erhält kwerfeldein eine kleine Provision, Ihr bezahlt aber keinen Cent mehr.


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Vanguard releases new Alta CA tripod kits with pistol-grip head

27 Jul

Tripod and bag manufacturer Vanguard has launched a new range of tripods that are fitted with the company’s latest pistol grip style GH-30 head. The aluminium Alta CA leg-set comes in three or four-section options to achieve maximum heights of either 1565mm (61.6in) or 1550mm (61in) though both models are designed to carry a payload of up to 11lbs (5kg). Click through for more information.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Three Tips to Help you Capture Beauty in the Everyday Moments

27 Jul

When it comes to creating family photo albums, there can be a tendency to create a book filled with your family’s “greatest hits”, the best moments of the year, if you will. Of course, those special moments like birthdays, vacations, and that one perfect Christmas card photo are important to include, but for most of us, they really don’t do a good job of capturing the little moments that make up the majority of our lives.

MeredithClark6

The other day, I was looking through a photo album with my four-year-old daughter Lizzy. As usual she skipped right past all the formal photos of her and her sister, and went right to a candid snapshot of her crying on the floor when she was about two. She’s heard the story of why I took that photo a number of times, but she always asks to hear it again, and so I told her;

“You were crying because I made us blackberry cobbler with whipped cream for breakfast one morning, can you believe that? I thought it would be a special treat, but you just wanted cereal like you had every day, and you were so mad at me that I’d made you something else!”

We both sat on the couch long after that laughing, talking, and telling stories about what Lizzy was like when she was two. To her, those are the important pictures – not the sunset sessions, not the formal portraits of her and her sister, not the perfectly composed family photos (which carefully observe the rule of thirds). To her, the little day-to-day moments really are the big things in life. They are the things that she remembers, and the more I think about it, the more I have realized that they really do belong in our family photo albums, perhaps more than anything else.

So, without further ado, here are my top three tips to help you capture the moments of beauty in the everyday:

1. Tell a Story

MeredithClark1

Look through the camera with the goal of capturing what’s happening in your life right at this moment. Maybe it’s the way your girls are sitting together, heads touching, reading a book. Maybe it’s the collection of coffee mugs on your table that speak to late nights at work. Maybe it’s the dirty feet of your kiddos hanging off the swings that speak to summers spent playing in the backyard.

MeredithClark2

Maybe it’s the collection of bottles drying on the counter that you really wish would hurry up and dry so that you could put them away and not look at them again until tomorrow. I’ve been there. Trust me when I tell you to take a picture of them before you put them away today. Because in a few years, when your kids are older and bottles are the last thing on your mind, you’ll look back on that photo and instantly be transported back to what life was really like with a young baby, counter full of bottles and all.

2. Look For Beauty Everywhere

MeredithClark3

It can be easy to overlook people, places, and things that you see every day, but there’s still beauty there if you take some time to look for it. Last fall, I was commissioned by a client to take some photos of the town that we live in. At first, I had a very difficult time thinking of any place that I’d want to photograph, because everything just felt ordinary to me. I wanted to do something unique and special, and had a difficult time thinking of how to make that happen. It took a few weeks of walking around town while holding my camera, shooting nothing, and sighing heavily before I started to be able to look at things with fresh eyes. I began to see color texture, and character, even in the old wooden house that I drive by all the time. It may be a normal and everyday thing for me, but that doesn’t mean there’s no beauty in it.

MeredithClark4

Is your dinner preparation particularly colorful? That can be beautiful. Are your kids holding hands on the couch one morning? That can be beautiful too. Is that homemade vanilla ice cream slowly dripping down a waffle cone? There’s beauty there. Those weeds outside that really need to be mowed, but in the meantime have grown into tall, prickly, textured creatures? I think they can be pretty beautiful as well.

MeredithClark5

3. Sit Back and Watch

One of the best ways to make sure that your family photos truly capture your family’s personality is to make sure that you include many candid photos. But of course, capturing true candid shots can be easier said than done, especially with children around! My best tip is to spend a lot of time sitting, watching, and holding your camera. It may not happen the first time you bring out your camera (or even the second!), but as your family realizes that you’re not going to be saying “Look right here and say cheese!” over and over, they’ll start to relax and do their own thing, and that’s when the real magic happens. Quietly pick up your camera and start shooting. You’ll start to see their real smiles and expressions, and when it comes to photos of your family and friends, those genuine smiles are always the best ones!

MeredithClark7

For more family photo ideas and projects check out these articles:

  • 10 Ways Photography Makes You a Better Parent
  • How to Create a Family Photo Essay
  • Documentary Photography – Six Tips for Creating a Legacy

The post Three Tips to Help you Capture Beauty in the Everyday Moments by Meredith Clark appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Photocatalytic Concrete: Air-Cleaning Building Absorbs Smog

27 Jul

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

smog canopy forest inspired

Featuring 100,000 square feet of smog-filtering surface area, this structural facade will break down harmful oxides in sunlight to improve air quality all around it.

smog absorbing building design

The building, designed by Italian firm Nemesi & Partners, is being created for an exposition in Milan themed around planet-friendly sustainable designs.

smog sucking facade exterior

The amorphous and organic form is both a reference to trees and other types of air-purifying plants but also a way to provide a maximum amount of exposed surface.

smog building interior shadows

Like a forest, this facade will cast complex shadows and provide shade in and around the building. Its form references both nature and man-made land art.

smog converting architectural facade

Rooftop solar panels tucked out of view will add a further but less-visible green dimension, generating electricity for the building below.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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Liebe und Schmerz auf Skandinavisch

27 Jul

Die skandinavischen Landschaften sind so schön und immer, wenn ich wieder Fotos aus dem hohen Norden sehe, möchte ich aufbrechen und diese unglaubliche Natur selbst erleben. Solange das nicht möglich ist, bleibe ich, wo ich bin und begnüge mich mit Bildern wie denen aus der Serie „Scandinavian love and pain“ von Maxie Fischer.

In Reykjavik saßen wir mit Isländern in einer Bar und sprachen über Norwegen. Über Merkwürdigkeiten und wie wir uns das Land eigentlich vorgestellt haben. Über die Regenmassen der letzten Monate, was gesellschaftlicher Wohlstand wirklich bedeutet und wie viel Platz ein jeder für sich braucht.

Die Bilder aus der Serie „Scandinavian Love and Pain“ folgen diesen Gedanken. Sie entstanden zwischen Oktober und Dezember 2013 und zeigen Ansichten aus dem Westen Norwegens, der Gegenden um Bergen, Voss und Flåm sowie aus dem Westen und Süden Islands, aufgenommen auf einer Tour von Stykkishólmur über Vík bis zur Gletscherlagune Jökurlsálón. Sie zeigen aber auch Momente zwischen Hingabe und Einschüchterung, hervorgerufen durch landschaftliche wie gesellschaftliche Schönheiten und Gewalten.

Eine Landschaft von oben.

Schneebedeckte Berge.

Nebel über einem Wald.

Auf einer Straße erhebt sich ein Schwarm Vögel.

© Maxie FischerEine große Welle auf dem Meer.

Ein schneebedeckter Berg von oben.

Eine Hütte auf Stelzen in einer Nebellandschaft.

Eine Tür mit beblümten Vorhängen in den Fenstern.

Eine gewundene Treppe von oben.

Ein Portrait eines Mannes an einer Wand.

Ein Blumenstrauß in einem Fenster.

Ein kleines Dorf im Tal zwischen Wäldern aus der Ferne.

Nebel über dem Meer.

Nebel über dem Wald.Eine regennasse Straße.

Ein Haus am Meer.

Eine Berglandschaft.

Maxie Fischer studiert an der Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie in Berlin. Sie arbeitet analog und digital. Weitere Arbeiten findet Ihr auch auf ihrer Webseite.


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Photographer hits #1 on Reddit with Mt Fuji picture, and quickly regrets it

27 Jul

British photographer Kris Boorman summited Mount Fuji in 2012 and took a photograph from the top, showing the shadow cast by the giant mountain at sunrise. The image has since been used as a background for the Bing search engine and last year won a competition held by Gettty Images. A couple of days ago he posted the photo at low resolution on Reddit, and within a few hours it had garnered more than 6000 upvotes. Although this might sound like good news, Boorman quickly came to regret posting the picture. Click through to learn why. 

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Finding New Photography Locations Just Got Easier With ShotHotspot

26 Jul

There are many ways to go about finding photography locations, but if you’re struggling to find new locations I’d suggest giving ShotHotspot a try.

shothotshop

Five Reasons to check out ShotHotspot?

#1 Great search functionality

shothotspot

Search locations, keywords, and type of photography

The standout feature of ShotHotspot has got to be the search functionality that they have built into the site. Much like Stuck on Earth the photographs they are using come from Flickr and Panoramio, but unlike Stuck on Earth and other outlets ShotHotspot allows you to search based on keywords, style of photography, location distance, and gives you full control over how strong the matching system should be.

shothotspot4

Search within a drawn box

As if that wasn’t enough, it gets even better!. Say you’re not exactly sure what the location that you want to search is called, but you have a general idea of where it is located on a map, you can simply draw a box and search only within that box for photographs taken there and still have access to the various filtering options.

By far they have one of the best search engines I’ve come across for finding locations to photograph, and with time it will only get better.

#2 Crowdsourced corrections from all visitors

One of the problems with pulling data from sites like Flickr and Panoramio is that you rely on the accuracy of the photographer’s location data and key wording. ShotHotspot occasionally will ask for your help in order to help make the location data better. It does this through a simple “Help us Out” box that asks for various information about the location that you are currently browsing.

shothotspot5

ShotHotspot asks for help from a human brain when it needs it

#3 User generated hotspots and information

On top of crowdsourcing for location corrections, ShotHotspot also allows its users to add hotspot locations to their database and edit information about current hotspots that they currently store. This allows for a massive worldwide approach to finding spots to photograph, and determining which ones are better than others. As a user you can add things like type of suitable photography, best time to visit, equipment required, cost of entry or even a general description of the location.

shothotspot6

Add information to locations to help make the database stronger

#4 Integrated with The Photographer’s Ephemeris

While the search functionality is probably the best feature of the site there are a couple of other cool additions that only add to the experience. The first of which is that HotShotspot is directly hooked into The Photographer’s Ephemeris. This allows you to get information on sunrise, sunset, anything else you’d like to know about the location with the click of a button.

shothotspot7

Clicking on the sun/moon calculator will open The Photographer’s Ephemeris

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Get all the details you need to plan for your shoot

#5 Integrated with Wikipedia

Finally ShotHotspot has also tapped into the gigantic database of Wikipedia for information about the locations it has in the database. Not every location has a wiki page so you’ll find some that are empty, but more popular locations will have a vast amount of information for you to browse through.

shothotspot3

Information from Wikipedia with a link to the Wiki page of the location makes it easy to find out more about where you’re going.

It’s still early, but I think ShotHotspot is a winner

In just a few minutes I found two locations I didn’t even know existed less than 20 miles from my house. I’m not saying that this will happen for everyone, but it’s a great sign for a site that’s only just getting started. Check out ShotHotspot and then come back here and let me know what you think.

The post Finding New Photography Locations Just Got Easier With ShotHotspot by John Davenport appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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