Instant Photo camera

As of february 21, 64 years ago the first instant camera with self-developing film was presented by Edwin Land who was the co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation.
There is more info at this site
http://www.photography-news.com/2011/02/polaroid-land-camera-model-95-64-years.html

Karl Bulla

Karl Bulla was a Russian photographer, he is sometimes called the "father of photo-reporting in Russia".



This was a self portrait he took.
There is more information and pictures at this site.
http://www.photography-news.com/2011/02/in-photos-remembering-karl-bulla-father.html

Barney

Matthew Barney is an artist I studied a little bit in Art History. His work is incredibly imaginative and totally out there. If there was ever a person who drew from imagination and made a print, film, or sculpture it would be him. One of his pieces of work is on display downtown and it truly is breathtaking. He's married to singer, Bjork, so from that alone you can probably imagine just how "out of the box he is" His latest work is "The Cremaster Cycle" it's a film and it was also made into portraits as well as sculpture. He studied at Yale and is very well trained. Look him up if you're into the whole "crazy dream stuff", I'm looking back at some of his old work to draw inspiration for some of my projects later this semester.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Barney

Dada

My next project is going along the lines of "dreams". I wanted to take a picture to create a dream sequence, however, I thought that would be a little bland and I wanted to make it even more out of the box by adding a little Dada-inspired art into it as well. Dada was a type of art movement in which artist like Man ray and Duchamp were well known. I plan on mixing dreams and a little bit of dada by simply re-enacting a dream and taking a picture of it. I will add a slight twist to my project but I don't want to give that away just yet so you'll have to stick around for it. But here is some Dada work and a link explaining in detail what it is.

http://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/dada.htm

Rachel Hanson Photography

you need to check the lady out!!! on facebook or flicker!!! under rachelhanson photography she is now a student at Stevens point Wisconsin and i also went to high school with her in Barron Wisconsin. she is amazing and is vary good at what she does! she has recently started taking wedding and couples that are turning out vary well!! don't for get to take a look! love her!

Stuff i will never be able to afford

I know know there is always a fight between Canon and Nikon, oh who is better, its like Apple and PCs, which we know Apple's rule. ANYWAYS I am a Canon person, i have had experiences with Nikon, my first camera was a Nikon D50, it was awesome, at least i thought, after 2 of my lenses broke, after not having them for that long. Thus with 1 lens left, i sold it, and purchased my Canon 40D, with 4 lenses and new flash, nothing has broken, and i love it.
but before another tangent occurs, here is some new stuff from Canon : D

http://www.photography-news.com/2011/02/canon-expands-world-famous-eos-system.html

photographer sues Rihanna

I thought this was pretty funny

"In court documents, the photographer claims Rihanna asked director Melina Matsoukas "to create a LaChapelle-esque music video" and says "prior to the hiring of Matsoukas, another well-known director was asked to create a LaChapelle-esque inspired music video for Rihanna and that director rejected the offer."

A source at LaChapelle's studio told celebrity blog Radar that initially fans thought he directed the video, and LaChapelle tweeted: "The next time you make a David LaChapelle music video you should probably hire David LaChapelle."

Here is a link to the article, it also has photos of which Rihanna copied in her music video.
http://www.photography-news.com/2011/02/did-rihannas-s-video-copy-david.html

Long Exposure Nightscapes

this was on of the news feeds on my yahoo homepage the other day.

"While on a trip to the beach recently, I played around with long exposures at night time and realised it was possible to photograph nightscapes so they look as though they are taken during the day. Take the nightscape image shown below for example. As you can see, landscapes that would normally be photographed during the day, can look quite dreamy when taken at night with a long exposure." (Tanya Puntti)

http://www.slrphotographyguide.com/blog/how-to-photograph/nightscapes-longexposure.html

the link to the article has more examples and tips for 'nightscaping'.

TRL

This is a type of film camera I've not only wanted to shoot with but also buy. TRL cameras, unlike the ones we use for class, have TWO lenses (hence; twin reflective lens). I've posted a link where you can find out more about this type of camera, its use and its history. If you're feeling a little bit daring, try shooting with one some time!

http://www.tlr-cameras.com/

Which is better...?

The "maybe canon"--->
My "baby"----->
For those of you debating on whether or not get a Nikon or a Canon (like I am) I've done research to help you decide on maybe which is best. These are digital cameras, so if you were thinking of taking digital after photo 2, this might be something you want to look at. I personally, am I Nikon girl (D3000) and I like it, I was debating on a Canon (and still sort of am) so if you've got any advice, please let me know!

http://www.digital-slr-guide.com/canon-vs-nikon.html

Valentines Spirit

In the spirit of valentines I'd like to post a little tradition that I found cute and decided to partake in with my boyfriend.

"In recent years, a new romantic custom has developed for Valentine's Day. Couples engrave their initials on a lock, and attach it to the railing of a bridge. Then they throw the key into the river below - to ensure that the ties of love can no longer be broken." (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,14791312,00.html)


Picture above is of the lock that me and boyfriend attached somewhere...

The Work of Art in the Age of Google

50% zoom, Can you Identify this painting?
I read a NYT article recently about this, see it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/07/arts/design/07google.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1

It seems the future of art history is in google. Google's new art project allows you to zoom in and see details that one would probably not notice even if they saw a work in person. Only a limited number of museums have the google street view type of museum walkthrough, and those that do have a limited number of works that you can actually zoom into to see it in all it's glory.

This presents a few obstacles in my view. One, that this could forever alter the way of looking at and experiencing art (hence the title that refers to the Walter Benjamin essay The Work of Art In the Age of Mechanical Reproduction). And two, Why should anyone bother going to the museum if they can see the image on Google from home without the $10-20 entrance fee?

I am an art book collector, so I rarely see my favorite art in person. But, it is important to experience art in person and to recognize how it impacts you differently in a book or on a computer screen vs. how it was originally intended. This is why I think it is so important to take students on field trips.

Eyes in the back of your head?

An NYU professor, Wafaa Bilal, has implanted a camera to the back of his head. The camera takes a photo every minute (except he covers it when in classes). This performance(?) has struck a large debate over privacy limitations. Read an article about the problems he has had as his body rejected part of the implant, or see the images he has captured.

Alec Soth: Rockford Group Portrait

I had the pleasure of meeting and spending some time with Alec Soth a few years back. I must say he is one of my favorite Portrait Photographers (he does a little of everything and does everything well).

I was excited to see he was in the Rockford area recently doing a group portrait of the unemployment situation (from the perspective of the employed). It is real interesting because it includes recordings of the subjects thoughts on the situation. See the new york times article HERE.

See Soth's website here.

Christo & Jean Claude

This Piece is actually created by an environmental artist,Its a husband and wife team that adds different things to the environment to create a piece. "...their work includes...enveloping eleven islands off Florida with pink fabric" The only way to really view this is either being there and viewing it from above of from photographs like this one.

Online Portfolio

If anyone is interested in making an online portfolio with their work check out this website. It's good for networking and looking at other peoples work, too. Doesn't hurt to pick up some ideas on what you can add or take away from your portfolio...maybe talk to other artists and hear what they've got to say about your work too.

http://www.bigblackbag.com/

Some of what I hope to be doing....

For my projects this semester I'd like to really venture out of what we learned in class and incorporate different and fun techniques in the photo making process...one of the various things I'd like to do is Sabattier or Solarisation.

I've posted a like if you're interested in leaning more, or maybe learning it later and using it in your own work.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Photography-The-Sabattier-Effect

Evironment Considerations

http://lornali.com/sustainability/indigenous/powerful-images-of-the-amazon-rainforest-by-daniel-beltra

Daniel Beltra is an assignment photographer for Green Peace , working principally on Conservation Photography. A member of theInternational leage of Photographers, Beltra has won the Prince's Rainforrest project(PRP) award at the Sony world Photography awards and the inaugural "Global Vision Award" from the Pictures of the year international . In 2006 his work on the Amazon Drought won 3rd prize in the World press pohoto awards nature Series category, as well as the Golden Award in the China press international Photo Contest. His career started with photos of bombings by the Basque separatist organization Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) while he was a student at theComplutense Univerity of Madrid. what i like about this photographer is that he working toward an environmental solution by depicting our deminishing rainforrests.

Vivian Maier

Currently on show at the Chicago Cultural Center (ignore the commercial in the beginning)

Ezra Stoller - Architectural Photographer #2

As many of you may already know I really enjoy architectural photography. As I was browsing through some of my favorite galleries websites I came across this exhibition of work by Ezra Stoller at Yossi Milo Gallery in New York.

Stoller's work includes images from many famous buildings commissioned by the architects (including some of my favorite architects: Frank Lloyd Wright, I.M. Pei, & Paul Rudolph) all in black and white (most of the work from the 40's-60's).

I wish I could live in any and/or all of his images.