The Story of Stuff

Annie Leonard makes a compelling argument to end the current cycle of world production and consumption. Take the time to watch, it's well worth the 20 minutes. You may even think twice about that next shopping spree.

Choice and Vision with Santa Fe Workshops

For a week in February I was fortunate to be one of 14 lucky photographers to attend a Santa Fe Workshop lead by Gregory Heisler. The workshop was titled Choice and Vision and set out to challenge our preconceptions of how to create intriguing and creative photographic images, something it did way beyond my expectations arriving at the campus.

Gregory Heisler is an excellent teacher and was extremely open about demystifying working at the highest levels of the photo business. I also got to spend the week with some amazingly talented and like minded photographers, which I'm know made the whole experience all the more memorable.

If you're a photographer or just interested in learning more about photography, I would highly recommend taking a Santa Fe Workshop. It could truly be a life changing experience.

TED Talks

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. It's a conference that is held in Monterey once a year at which speakers are invited to speak on any number of subjects for a designated amount of time, no longer than 18 minutes. The timing is strictly enforced so one day can contain numerous lectures. There is an incredible list of names discussing an endless list of fascinating subjects. The cost of attending the conference is $6000 but, luckily for us, the best speakers are filmed and posted online. If my post about personal fabrication piqued your interest, you can even see Neil Gershenfeld speak on the subject...mind blowing stuff indeed!

Kim Keever

I'm stealing this post from a friend over at Darkened Forest, a very cool blog. Kim Keever is an amazing landscape photographer. What makes his landscapes all the more amazing is that he creates them in giant water tanks. I've seen the use of 'cloud tanks', a similar process,to create stormy sky's in movies, Poltergeist and Independence Day for example. Keever definitely takes it to the next level.

Bug Labs

This relates to my earlier post about personal fabrication. Bug Labs is selling a system of gadget components that allows you to create you own personal gadget. So if you want a camera with GPS unit and motion sensor you can build one. Simply purchase the base unit and appropriate peripherals and hack away. They also provide user friendly software so you can write you own apps to run on your gadget. Although, they say you might want to wait a couple of months if you have no programming experience, while they build an experienced developer community.

Wayne White

They say a picture paints a thousand words. Wayne White literally paints them. Apparently he buys thrift store paintings and adds his own touches, namely words. A great concept and very successful execution.It's hard to find many examples of his work on the web but here are a few.

Taylor James

Taylor James are a top photo rendering house, you may well recognize some of their work. The best part of their site is the Case Study section, where you get to see how it's done. They are also doing some cool stuff mixing photography with CGI, they call it 'Real World Rendering'.

Fab

This is a little different from my usual posts because I am asking you to read a book. For me, this book is a must read. There is a revolution coming and it is a manufacturing one. Imagine being able to fabricate anything you can think of at home, using simple desktop devices and software, a custom built one off just for you. This book describes how this might become a reality and does it in such a way as to make it accessible to anyone. I did a bit of digging on the web around the subject of Personal Fabrication and there are already affordable Home Fabricators, like the one below, available for purchase. So 'Goodbye' Computer Revolution and 'Hello' Fab Revolution.

Blurb

Maybe it's just me, but there's something special about a hard bound book. It feels important, perhaps because it's so hard to get one published. Now you can publish your own at Blurb. This site allows you to layout a book, using their well designed downloadable software. You can then have it published as a hard bound book with a dust cover. They offer a variety of size options and even have a forum for selling your book to others. I know Apple has been doing a similar thing for a while but this a very well thought out site and well worth a look. Looking at this site, I am wondering if the old school publishing industry's days are numbered.

Joey Lawrence

No, not the teen heart throb. A seventeen year old wunderkid photographer. To us older photographers he's looking like the Tiger Woods of photography. He has a definitive style and sensibility beyond his years. Having said that, the look gets old after a while. It will be interesting to see if he is mature enough to explore new directions in his work. Check out his blog and videos of some of his shoots.

Fecal Face

Don't be put off by the name. This website opens a window on the world of low-brow art. It's my favorite site at the moment, especially the video section which shows visits to some of the artist's studios. The above image is of Shepard Fairey at work, he's the guy responsible for the Obey Giant.

Nastuh

This German visual effects artist has a fascinating website that allows you to see the before and after of his work on many of the ads he has done. While you watch the ad in the right-hand frame you can see the footage he worked from in the left-hand frame.

SuperTouch

Interesting and edgy art blog....

Page Turner

Interesting digital illustration and even more interesting flash effect when you turn the pages of the book.

Brain Box

Fun illustrator and animator...the show reel should make you smile.

Folding Chair

A very playful, and perhaps practical concept.

Loretta Lux

Loretta Lux's images of children are both beautiful and haunting at the same time. There is something jarring about these serene photographs and it is that juxtaposition that makes them so intriguing. She is obviously using digital retouching as a means to create them but it is her subtlety in doing so that adds to these understated but fascinating images.

Kahn/Selesnick

These two artists have been working together for 28 years and have built up a body of work that has it own unique spin on reality. It's difficult to descibe their panoramic images without using words like 'surreal' and 'fantasy' but they are certainly fascinating and in some ways disturbing.

Thomas Herbrich

This photographer specializes in 'special effects' photography. The fact that he only produces 20 images a year is a testament to the thought he puts into each one. The best thing about this site is the fact that each photograph has a link to show how he did it. It's amazing that in this day and age of digital wonders, the best way to get super realistic images is still by building and photographing models.

Worth 1000

Firstly, let me say this site is HORRIBLY designed, especially considering the subject matter. (It's been redesigned since this post, looks much better). However, it is a clever concept and some of the work is inspiring , in a popcorn sense. You may have seen some of this stuff passed around through email due to its entertainment value. But, if you dig deeper you'll find a section that also allows budding graphic designers to perhaps see their ideas come to life. Companies put a up a brief for logo designs and anyone who wants to can enter the fray and upload their design solution, seems like a good deal seeing as the prize winner only gets $150. Interesting concept though and some of the designs aren't bad.....while others are, as you'd expect, TERRIBLE!