pictures to prove it™

i was fortunate to see this work as Stephanie developed it. her persistence was intimidating and the work is stellar.

some people know, and maybe some don’t, but actor jeff bridges is a pretty interesting photographer. for a few years now he has been documenting the films he has been in and the results are pretty cool. it’s an insiders view.
The Dude is a-ok in my book.

peep here to see his Crazy Heart snaps. and here to see Ironman.

this unique site provides an opportunity to buy prints from some fabulous photographers and support some worthy causes.

http://collectdotgive.org

these images by Chris Jordan are the most distressing environmental work ive seen in recent memory. the work is powerful in it’s design and message. It is worth your time. view this and share it with everyone you know.

MIDWAY

Chris Jordan said:

“These photographs of albatross chicks were made just a few weeks ago on Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.

To document this phenomenon as faithfully as possible, not a single piece of plastic in any of these photographs was moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way. These images depict the actual stomach contents of baby birds in one of the world’s most remote marine sanctuaries, more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent.

~cj, October 2009″

Chris also has this video on youtube. post it everywhere you can.

Joey L’s latest creation: Nikon Girl.

(via Charlie Shoemaker)

Andy Spyra.

Cheryl Jacobs (Nicolai).

i stumbled onto Cheryl Jacobs’ website when someone (thanks Praveen) posted it to one of the many listserves to which i belong to. she photographs children primarily, but seems to dabble in photographing faces of all ages.

her work is… ummm… lovely. classic. beautiful. personal. soulful. joyous.i could add to the list for the rest of the afternoon, but i think she’d be better represented if you just took a look at her images yourself.

the images are simple and honest in a way that you know will stand the test of time. and that should be enough to inspire you to take a look at them, but the most powerful pixels on her site are the ones in this post that she used to launch her blog. i’ve copied them below.

(she and i dont really photograph the same things, but her ideas ring true in my ear. i think they are applicable for anyone who wants to use a camera, regardless of subject matter)

“What Every Aspiring Photographer Should Know

These are my thoughts, nothing more and nothing less.

I get asked all the time, during workshops, in e-mails, in private messages, what words of wisdom I would give to a new and aspiring photographer. Here’s my answer.

- Style is a voice, not a prop or an action. If you can buy it, borrow it, download it, or steal it, it is not a style. Don’t look outward for your style; look inward.

- Know your stuff. Luck is a nice thing, but a terrifying thing to rely on. It’s like money; you only have it when you don’t need it.

- Never apologize for your own sense of beauty. Nobody can tell you what you should love. Do what you do brazenly and unapologetically. You cannot build your sense of aesthetics on a concensus.

- Say no. Say it often. It may be difficult, but you owe it to yourself and your clients. Turn down jobs that don’t fit you, say no to overbooking yourself. You are no good to anyone when you’re stressed and anxious.

- Learn to say “I’m a photographer” out loud with a straight face. If you can’t say it and believe it, you can’t expect anyone else to, either.

- You cannot specialize in everything.

- You don’t have to go into business just because people tell you you should! And you don’t have to be full time and making an executive income to be successful. If you decide you want to be in business, set your limits before you begin.

- Know your style before you hang out your shingle. If you don’t, your clients will dictate your style to you. That makes you nothing more than a picture taker. Changing your style later will force you to start all over again, and that’s tough.

- Accept critique, but don’t apply it blindly. Just because someone said it does not make it so. Critiques are opinions, nothing more. Consider the advice, consider the perspective of the advice giver, consider your style and what you want to convey in your work. Implement only what makes sense to implement. That doesn’t not make you ungrateful, it makes you independent.

- Leave room for yourself to grow and evolve. It may seem like a good idea to call your business “Precious Chubby Tootsies”….but what happens when you decide you love to photograph seniors? Or boudoir?

- Remember that if your work looks like everyone else’s, there’s no reason for a client to book you instead of someone else. Unless you’re cheaper. And nobody wants to be known as “the cheaper photographer”.

- Gimmicks and merchandise will come and go, but honest photography is never outdated.

- It’s easier to focus on buying that next piece of equipment than it is to accept that you should be able to create great work with what you’ve got. Buying stuff is a convenient and expensive distraction. You need a decent camera, a decent lens, and a light meter. Until you can use those tools consistently and masterfully, don’t spend another dime. Spend money on equipment ONLY when you’ve outgrown your current equipment and you’re being limited by it. There are no magic bullets.

- Learn that people photography is about people, not about photography. Great portraits are a side effect of a strong human connection.

- Never forget why you started taking pictures in the first place. Excellent technique is a great tool, but a terrible end product. The best thing your technique can do is not call attention to itself. Never let your technique upstage your subject.

- Never compare your journey with someone else’s. It’s a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every runner has his own pace. Your journey is your journey, not a competition. You will never “arrive”. No one ever does.

- Embrace frustration. It pushes you to learn and grow, broadens your horizons, and lights a fire under you when your work has gone cold. Nothing is more dangerous to an artist than complacency.”

- Cheryl Jacobs

Daidō Moriyama (born October 10, 1938) is a Japanese photographer noted for his images depicting the breakdown of traditional values in post-war Japan.

i think this interview (from the fabulous blog Conscientious) with chris anderson speaks honestly and deeply and i think we will all be better off if we read it, think about it and discuss it.
——–
he says “The death of journalism is bad for society, but we’ll be better off with less photojournalism. I won’t miss the self-important, self-congratulatory, hypocritical part of photojournalism at all. The industry has been a fraud for some time. We created an industry where photography is like big-game hunting. We created an industry of contests that reinforce a hyper-dramatic view of the world. Hyperbole is what makes the double spread (sells) and is also the picture that wins the contest. We end up with cartoons and concerned photographer myths (disclaimer: yes, there are photographers doing meaningful work)

Of course I am worried about how I will make my living now, and I worry for my friends and colleagues too, but I don’t really care about the future of photojournalism. The soul of it has been rotten for a while.”

read the entire interview here.

Irving Penn, one of the 20th century’s most prolific and influential photographers of fashion and the famous, whose signature blend of classical elegance and cool minimalism was recognizable to magazine readers and museumgoers worldwide, died Wednesday morning at his home in Manhattan. He was 92… (continued here)

(from the NYT)

i think my first experience with learning about Irving Penn was different than most. I stumbled into an article in the Democrat-Gazette about Fernand Fonssagrives, a photographer who spent the last 30 years of his life in Little Rock, Arkansas, which happened to be near where i was going to college. Fonssagrives first wife was Lisa Fonssagrives, who after their divorce became Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn by marrying Irving Penn.