Thursday, July 28, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Hal Fedora - Just a Photograph
Hal Fedora began taking my workshops a couple of years ago as a beginner to photography. His first workshop was to the Salton Sea. He also took my Oregon Workshop, my Eastern Sierra class and Street Photo Workshops. With enthusiasm and desire to explore he has found a vision and regularly shoots projects of his personal interest.
Check out his gallery HERE.
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| Hal Fedora Photo |
WHAT IS STREET PHOTOGRAPHY? - London Street Photography Festival
WHAT IS STREET PHOTOGRAPHY?
"Stare. It is the way to educate your eye, and more. Stare, pry, listen eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long." Walker Evans
Street photography is a tradition nearly as old as photography itself. As soon as cameras and processing techniques became portable and practical enough to leave the confines of the studio (around the 1870's) photographers began documenting the world around them. In particular they photographed urban areas where life moved quickly and the urge to record and document change and progress was instinctive.The style has been made famous by some of the best known photographers of our time including Eugène Atget, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus, Garry Winogrand and Martin Parr although it has not always achieved the recognition it deserves.
Early photographers made street photographs for their personal interest, but it was with studio portraits or artistic landscapes that they paid the bills or acheived artistic recognition. Fifty years ago a street photographer was a street-vendor who took your picture at a tourist attraction then charged you for a print or Polaroid copy. Today, a common misconception is that street photography is somehow related to street art (graffiti etc.) or street style images.
"there is something exciting about being in the crowd, in all that chance and change - it's tough out there - but if you can keep paying attention something will reveal itself - just a split second - and then there's a crazy cockeyed picture!" Joel Meyerowitz
So what is Street Photography?
Street photography captures people and places within the public domain. More specifically street photography is defined by LSPF as “un-posed, un-staged photography which captures, explores or questions contemporary society and the relationships between individuals and their surroundings.”
"there is something exciting about being in the crowd, in all that chance and change - it's tough out there - but if you can keep paying attention something will reveal itself - just a split second - and then there's a crazy cockeyed picture!" Joel Meyerowitz
So what is Street Photography?
Street photography captures people and places within the public domain. More specifically street photography is defined by LSPF as “un-posed, un-staged photography which captures, explores or questions contemporary society and the relationships between individuals and their surroundings.”
Street photography does not need to include people although it usually does. Situated in public environments – which are often but not exclusively, urban – street photography is perhaps more easily defined as a method than a genre. Subjects and settings can vary greatly but the key elements of spontaneity, careful observation and an open mind ready to capture whatever appears in the viewfinder are essential.
Another key aspect of street photography is the sense that the captured scene isunplanned, with an absence of prior arrangement. Thus, generic scenes from pre-planned public events do not have the same feeling of chance encounter and spontaneity as the activity being photographed is pre-planned. However if a photographer knowingly attends an organised event he or she could still capture a spontaneous and unrelated street scene.
Another key aspect of street photography is the sense that the captured scene isunplanned, with an absence of prior arrangement. Thus, generic scenes from pre-planned public events do not have the same feeling of chance encounter and spontaneity as the activity being photographed is pre-planned. However if a photographer knowingly attends an organised event he or she could still capture a spontaneous and unrelated street scene.
In reality there is flexibility, and when it comes to the festival we plan to encourage dialogue and experimentation within the genre.
See Wikipedia's definition of street photography
What constitutes "the public domain"?
The public domain is any public space including streets, beaches, parks, museums and galleries, country lanes, countryside, roofs of buildings… you get the picture.
What constitutes "the public domain"?
The public domain is any public space including streets, beaches, parks, museums and galleries, country lanes, countryside, roofs of buildings… you get the picture.
When is a photograph not a street photograph?
This is a hard question to answer and the source of intense debate among photographers. Street photography can often cross over into other genres such as urban landscape, portraiture and photojournalism. In fact, it can be categorized more a way of working than a genre in itself. The general consensus however is that images should be spontaneous with minimal interaction between subject and photographer.
What about a portrait taken on the street?
Purists believe that if you alter the subject or the environment in some way then it is no longer street photography. We take a slightly broader view in that so long as the image upholds our core definition of street photography it does fit the tradition. Generally speaking if you ask someone to pose for a photo it would be considered a portrait rather than a street photograph but it really is open to interpretation and depends on the individual situation. The following photo we could categorise as street photography because it could be argued that although the subject has interacted with the photographer, it is candid, unposed and captures a moment as it happens.
What about events?
Events can be complicated. If you go to a protest march and photograph demonstrators that would generally be considered photojournalism - you are there specifically to document a particular happening. However, if you capture a unique moment that is more about society or a particular individual than the protest itself, then it could fall within street photography. But this is again open to interpretation and experts may not reach agreement.
Do I need a specific camera to take street photographs?
No. Many street photographers like to use rangefinder cameras but street photographs can be made on SLRs, four thirds systems, compact cameras and even Lomos or mobile phones! The ultimate street photography camera used by the masters is a Leica rangefinder M7 (analogue) and M9 (digital).
We're big fans of the Olympus PEN too! Choose a camera that you feel comfortable with using and that allows you to react quickly when a picture appears in front of you. You should also consider it's weight and portability (you may be carrying it around all day) and how easily it allows you to blend into your surroundings. Many photographers find this 'invisible' approach works for them, although others such as Melanie Einzig like to get close to their subject which is also effective for the more confident photographer.Images by Eugène Atget (copyright V&A images), Joel Meyerowitz, Paul Russell, Nils Jorgensen, Toby Smith, Brett Jefferson Stott, Alexandre Buisse, Melanie Einzig
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Stieglitz And O'Keeffe: Their Love And Life In Letters -NPR
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| Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Alfred Stieglitz attached this photograph to a letter for Georgia O'Keeffe, dated July 10, 1929. Below the photograph he wrote, "I have destroyed 300 prints to-day. And much more literature. I haven't the heart to destroy this..." |
From 1915 until 1946, some 25,000 pieces of paper were exchanged between two major 20th-century artists. Painter Georgia O'Keeffe and photographer Alfred Stieglitz wrote each other letters — sometimes two and three a day, some of them 40 pages long.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
‘The most telling pictures are in the least likely places’ - Street News Service
‘The most telling pictures are in the least likely places’ - Street News Service
"I was just a kid, wandering my way through, figuring things out," remembers David Burnett of his first job: an internship at Time magazine. "It was a hell of a lot of fun. I was not a great photographer, but I got a little better while I was there. You don't have to be the star the first week you're taking pictures. You just have to work hard and get to the point you're putting everything you've got into your pictures. It's not like a chemistry class where you can learn it; you just have to feel it. That takes a little while to get in touch with."
"I was just a kid, wandering my way through, figuring things out," remembers David Burnett of his first job: an internship at Time magazine. "It was a hell of a lot of fun. I was not a great photographer, but I got a little better while I was there. You don't have to be the star the first week you're taking pictures. You just have to work hard and get to the point you're putting everything you've got into your pictures. It's not like a chemistry class where you can learn it; you just have to feel it. That takes a little while to get in touch with."
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
The Liberated Camera - The Online Photographer
By John Kennerdell
—David Hockney.
Composing on the LCD screen—for me, I mean, not her—served two purposes: it let me maintain eye contact (and a smile) with the woman, and it helped me get in close without having to practically rest my chin on her husband’s shoulder. - John Kennerdell
"I've finally figured out what's wrong with photography. It's a one-eyed man looking through a little 'ole. Now, how much reality can there be in that?"
—David Hockney.
Composing on the LCD screen—for me, I mean, not her—served two purposes: it let me maintain eye contact (and a smile) with the woman, and it helped me get in close without having to practically rest my chin on her husband’s shoulder. - John Kennerdell
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Carlos and Jason Sanchez
Portrait of John Mark Karr, the man who (falsely) confessed to killing JonBenét Ramsey in 1996.
Carlos and Jason Sanchez are Canadian fine art photographers known for their large-scale dramatic images.
BASETRACK | 1-8
BASETRACK | 1-8
Basetrack is an independent, civilian media project, funded by a 2010 Newschallenge Grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
This is an experimental media project, tracking the deployment of 1/8
– 1st Battalion, Eighth Marines, throughout the duration of their
deployment to southern Afghanistan. A small team of mobile media
operators is embedded with the battalion, transmitting their reports
and reflections from Helmand province as they travel across the
battalion’s area of operations.
Basetrack’s forward team is supported by a network of technologists,
analysts, artists, and journalists, working around the clock, from
around the world, to connect over a thousand Marines and Corpsmen to
their families, and to connect a broader public to the longest war in
US history.
Basetrack is an independent, civilian media project, funded by a 2010 Newschallenge Grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
This is an experimental media project, tracking the deployment of 1/8
– 1st Battalion, Eighth Marines, throughout the duration of their
deployment to southern Afghanistan. A small team of mobile media
operators is embedded with the battalion, transmitting their reports
and reflections from Helmand province as they travel across the
battalion’s area of operations.
Basetrack’s forward team is supported by a network of technologists,
analysts, artists, and journalists, working around the clock, from
around the world, to connect over a thousand Marines and Corpsmen to
their families, and to connect a broader public to the longest war in
US history.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Daylightmagazine.org
Daylight Community Arts Foundation (DCAF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to publishing in-depth photographic essays on important issues of the day via Daylight Magazine (print) and Daylight Multimedia (online). By reimagining the documentary mode through collaboration with established and emerging artists, scholars and journalists, Daylight has become one of the premier showcases for contemporary photography.
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| Maggie Smith |
Thursday, July 7, 2011
New Tools to Tell an Ancient Story - NYT - LENS
Photojournalist Kadir van Lohuizen is spending 40 weeks traveling up the Pan-American Highway from Chile to Alaska. His reporting medium: a $3.99 multimedia app, Vía PanAm.
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| Kadir van Lohuizen/NOOR |
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Facing Change: Documenting America - The NYT
A collaboration to facilitate the archiving and publication of a new documentary photography project was announced today by the Library of Congress and the photography group known as Facing Change: Documenting America.
Archiving, Publishing Collaboration with Major Contemporary Photographers Announced by Library of Congress.
Facing Change - An F.S.A.-Style Collective for Troubled Times
Archiving, Publishing Collaboration with Major Contemporary Photographers Announced by Library of Congress.
Facing Change - An F.S.A.-Style Collective for Troubled Times
Developer Trays: Recording the Photographic Process - TIME
“From the mid-nineteenth century until today, silver gelatin printing has been one of the most utilized photographic processes. From classic reportage to fine art photography, the majority of it was performed in a black and white darkroom until the mid-1970’s. As recently as 2000, black and white darkroom classes still served as the location for introduction to photography courses. The digital advances in photography over the past ten years have been remarkable. I am photographing available developer trays so that the photography community will remember specific, tangible printing tools that have been a seminal part of the photographic experience for the past hundred years. By titling each tray with its owner’s name and the years in which it was used, I reference the historical significance of these objects in a minimal manner that evokes thought and introspection about what images have passed through each individual tray.” - John Cyr
Read more: http://lightbox.time.com/2011/07/05/developer-trays-by-photographer-john-cyr/#ixzz1RGPgaQV2
Read more: http://lightbox.time.com/2011/07/05/developer-trays-by-photographer-john-cyr/#ixzz1RGPgaQV2
Monday, July 4, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
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