Photos From A Plane

Manhattan, originally uploaded by Richard-.

Photos from a plane (as this one by Richard Wanderman) always fascinate me -- they show our world in way that is vaguely familiar, yet rarely seen by me. Whenever I fly, I enjoy coordinating my view with my expectations based on my travels and study of maps.

The Passage of Time

Living Room HDR (By Hand), originally uploaded by Terretta.

Reportedly, it took Michael Sean Terretta several hours to do this picture. I too have spent many hours working on a single picture -- sometimes they come out, sometimes they are discarded.

Photos to Paintings

. Dog Walking II - Scratch ., originally uploaded by 3amfromkyoto.

Stuart Lee (a/k/a 3amfromkyoto) enhances many of his photos by adding a textured layer, desaturizing the colors and washing the image with a tint that ages and mystifies the finished product.

Shock Value For Political Purposes

READ MY LIPS! Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld dismissed insurgents as "dead-enders." In 2005, Vice President Dick Cheney said the insurgency was in its "last throes." Now, those descriptions lie buried beneath thousands of bodies in Iraq., originally uploaded by Gail Orenstein.

Gail Orenstein has devoted herself to taking shocking photographs, usually of "sex workers", and using those photos to deliver political messages. These photos and the associated subject matter is certainly NOT for everyone; however, Gail's work can be recognized for its consistency of message delivery.

Psychological Photo

10.2006 007 self-concept, originally uploaded by Matilde B..

"Psychological" pictures I find very intriguing -- sometimes they are uncomfortable, sometime they are insightful, but often they are very interesting.

From a Photo To a Fantasy

Friends & Acquaintances, originally uploaded by Gale Franey.

Gale Franey is an artist who turns photographs into illustrations full of fantasy, adventure and wonder.

Kris Kros and HDR

Joe Dejesus (a/k/a Kris Kros) is a master at developing HDR images. His work has been featured in The New York Times and is an inspiration to me, and I belive, to others as well.

An Artist's Expression

At the Academy Awards earlier this year, originally uploaded by Terry_Lea.

Terry Lea has brought a smile to many of us with her Squirrel Pictures -- she uses photos of squirrels and then alters them to become entertaining pictures. She proves that an artist's imagination can transform simple photos into works of art, political commentary, satire, or whatever the artist wishes to express.

Silhouettes

When we were kids, originally uploaded by Arnold Pouteau's.

Arnold Pouteau's style is very interesting -- I intend to try it also. Backlit figures in action on a reflective surface with an shadow; simple and elegant.

Rebekka's multi-image technique

uh.. thats MY glass, silly.., originally uploaded by _rebekka.

Rebekka uses this wonderful technique of photographing herself in multiple poses (using a tripod) and then combines the separate photos into one composite picture -- I hope to imitate her soon.

Diane Arbus

cropped faces, originally uploaded by elinar.

Last evening we saw "Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus" at the Angelica -- this is a homage movie to photographer Diane Arbus.

Movie Synopsis: In 1958 New York, Diane Arbus, the daughter of a posh fur store owner, is a housewife and mother who works as an assistant to her husband Allan, a fashion and advertising photographer. One night, Diane's eye is caught by a strange-looking mask the size of a man's head. Later, when Diane gets her first glimpse of her new neighbor, Lionel, in the nighttime street, the mystery only deepens. He is bundled up in coat and hat, his face obscured by a scarf and mask. Only his eyes are visible, frankly returning Diane's fascinated gaze. Over the next two weeks, Diane becomes keenly interested in her neighbor's comings and goings--his footsteps on the stairs, the music playing from his attic apartment, etc. Investigating a backed-up bathroom sink one day, Diane traces the problem to a plumbing pipe linking their two apartments--a discovery that leads to yet more tantalizing clues about the man upstairs. Eventually, tentatively, Diane makes her way up to Lionel's ornate door wearing the Rolleiflex camera that Allan bought her years ago, as yet unused. Diane, however, will not take Lionel's photo that night or the next, when he invites her into his home. It is the beginning of an adventure that will take Diane into the underground worlds that have always called to her--and into a compelling intimate relationship that will transfer her life and her art forever.

How I became aware of HDR

1925 Ford Model T "Fordor", and 1929 Ford Model A "Woody" HDR, originally uploaded by Terretta.

This is one of the first HDR photos that I saw, and I fell in love with this technique instantly.

Hey, I also took that picture

street art, originally uploaded by little bookworm.

It is exciting to see someone else's photo showing a scene that I previously noticed -- I am curious who is the artist who made this piece of street art.