Daylight Magazine produced a great tribute and informative video on the life and legacy of photojournalist Helen Levitt:
Earlier in the month, there was an inspiring day of events with Mary Ellen Mark in Austin.
The new Austin Center of Photography brought Mark to town for their Icons of Photography lecture series (to be followed by Alec Soth in June).
The more interactive and introspective event was the Texas Monthly Talks interview I sat in on at the KLRU studios.
Mary Ellen repeatedly lamented on the current state of publications–how much of her work wouldn’t be possible for photographers to get assigned to today (such as essentially being granted by a magazine to cover prostitutes in Bombay for 3 months). She’s disappointed that magazines very rarely publish lasting images, reminiscing on Life magazine publishing W. Eugene Smith and Robert Capa images regularly. She believes most of today’s magazines aren’t interested in reality, they are interested in commercial illustrations, and are underestimating their audience. It was insightful hearing her articulate the difference between reality based reportage photography and illustrative photography. To stay faithful to reality, Mark often uses a Polaroid 20×24 camera with 2 assistants (since it weighs 235 pounds).
Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy: Los Angeles, Califorinia, USA 1978
tbg inc., a landscape architecture firm, hired me to photograph some informal headshots of their employees in their backyard.
i made use of a westcott sunlight reflector and a diffusion panel for lighting these portraits. it was nice to be without cables, cords, and clutter of strobes while making use of available light.
The Knot Texas featured a recent wedding I photographed with Sharon Nicole in a 5 page editorial feature.
See the online story here.
Many thanks to my 2nd photographer Sharon for providing some of these great images and to the event planner Carmela Hartman for pitching the story. It was a beautiful wedding at The Wildflower Center with aspects of a traditional Chinese ceremony.
product shoot for a national candle company based in austin, lights out.
the brushed metal and metallic labels made for some nice and shiny images.
add a plate of acrylic underneath and you get a subtle reflection as well
ok, time to catch up on the many months of silence.
prepare yourself for a plethora of updates in the next day or so.
A great couple and a great location at the new Design Center of Austin.
Thanks to Katie Hayes for the support and some beautiful 2nd photographer imagery.
Following up on simplifying equipment, thanks to my fellow classmate Mark for pointing me to this article, Less Gear Equals More Enjoyment. Brian Auer speaks to National Geographic legend Sam Abell about his simple equipment approach to photographing.
And I love the comment from Rafael, sharing Sebastião Salgado’s wisdom that taking 100 images in 10 seconds was not photography but diarrhea.
within the last few months, i’ve shifted from primarily shooting with zoom lenses to shooting with two fixed lenses. and that’s pretty much all i prefer now when i shoot digital.. canon’s 24mm f/1.4 L and their 50mm f/1.2 L.
not only do i gain a simplified and expected perspective, but the images are tack sharp at 100% and have a quality of light and color that can’t be beat for this range of equipment. i used to load myself down with 2 heavy cameras with zooms and often would be fighting with my gear. i now have to physically move in and out a lot more but it keeps me and my eyes active and i like traveling light. i feel i can focus on the picture making process much more.
one of my professor’s in my master’s program, homer sykes, has frequently reminded me to slow down and not shoot like i’m handling a machine gun, to be more thoughtful and purposeful with my images. and i think the switch to fixed lenses has helped me do that. i don’t feel like i need to shoot every detail, interaction, etc. anymore. and visually, i’m giving myself a little more breathing room.
the switch to film has helped me slow down even more (partially because i pay a few dollars for each image in film, developing, and scanning) i should be getting the film back from the texas-mexico border shooting in the next two days and will share some of that shortly.
in the mean-time, enjoy two images from a recent wedding from my two favorite lenses
Canon 5D, Canon 24mm f/1.4 L:1/200 sec at f/2.0
Canon 5D, Canon 50mm f/1.2 L: 1/400 sec at f/1.8
It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose your animal cookies.
One of the most painful effects of the financial turmoil for me has been the recent bankruptcy of the Mother’s Cookies company. After 92 years of creating my favorite animal-shaped food, they’re abruptly shutting down and discontinuing the cookie, citing increased production costs and the credit freeze.
So hurry while supplies last at your local stores. Or order online to preserve these treats for future generations.
Read more here.
