The man above is Robert Cornelius, one of the earliest pioneers in the field of photography. His contributions helped usher in the age of photography, and this particular photograph of him from 1839 is an important bit of history: it is thought to be the first photographic portrait of a human ever made.
Continue reading Is this the first ever (self)portrait … «Is this the first ever (self)portrait …»
Wow, well seems there are other people out there that like the topic other then me. Thanks for all the links to other examples. And pointing out that there is actually an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art called fake it.
Before there was photoshop, there was Man Ray. One of the world’s most original photographers, Ray was tireless experimenter. In fact, his work was so inventive that he eventually left the camera behind altogether, creating his surreal “Rayographs” entirely in the darkroom.
More about Man Ray soon (first need to check out about image rights etc)
OK the price isn’t for everyone….. But if this came with an interchangeable lens and Viewfinder WOW
P.S. I would love to see that lens bought out in a Sony A and E mount
photo magazine from 1941 with photo manipulation tips
The other day I came across some examples of “Photo manipulation” prior to Photoshop. Image manipulation in the dark room is nothing new but it took a whole lot more patients, skill and time. NO undo or save button. Much has been made over Photoshops ability to distort reality, and perhaps lower the standards for image capture as young photographers assume they can “fix it in post.” However, almost all of these abilities have existed as long as there have been photographs to alter, albeit with a little more manual labour. As people were not as aware of the the possibilities photo manipulation was a powerful tool for both propergander and art alike
Continue reading Before there was Photoshop….. «Before there was Photoshop…..»
Helmut Newton (Helmut Neustädter) was born into a Jewish family in October 1920, Berlin. This German-Australian photographer is best known for long prolific photography career, his erotically charged black-and-white photos were a mainstay of many fashion magazines for decades.
I have been interested in Newtons work since I saw the exhibit “Big Nudes” in Hamburg about 15 years ago. About 10 years ago I discovers a small publication of his advertising work for German ceramics manufacturer Villeroy & Boch, which rekindled my interest in his work.
Warning this blog contains images on a sexual nature
One of those spur of the moment E-Bay purchases. I have had an idea in the back of my head for a while. A shoot with my 3 year old daughter. She loves bubbles (well what 3 year old doesn’t) but I didn’t want to spend 90€ on a half decent bubble machine. So I picked up this one for €19.00. I like the idea of it being battery or mains powered so I could theoretically shoot my kids any there with it.
Diane Arbus was born as Diane Nemerov in New York, March 1923. An American photographer known for her black-and-white square photographs of “deviant and marginal people (dwarfs, giants, transgender people, nudists, circus performers) or of people whose normality seems ugly or surreal”. A 2006, the motion picture Fur, starring Nicole Kidman as Arbus, was based very vaguely on her life.
After reading the A99 Handbook a few times I was very happy to see Eye-Fi card support for slot 1 🙂 me happy . I was I bit bummed that the camera didn’t have any Wi-Fi …..
LINK Sony A99 Handbook. LINK
A few other things that I noticed
I picked this up on E-Bay last week as a spontaneous purchase. It cost me about 90€ but usually sells for around 99€ (only a minor saving). I have been looking for a cheap powerful ring light for a wile. I have a powerful ring flash but its minimum setting is to powerful for any narrow D.O.F with out adding an ND filter. I laso wanted something that uses mains power so I don’t have to think about battery packs when I’m in the studio.
I have mixed feelings about Walimex products.it can be very hit and miss with their quality control. We have had large Octo-boxes simply fall off the studio flash…. and that was from the supposedly PRO range. But then their air cushioned large light stand was a great buy and has outlasted even more expensive brands.
Continue reading Walimex Beauty Ring Light 50W «Walimex Beauty Ring Light 50W»
The name “Bang-Bang club” was mainly associated with four photographers active within the townships of South Africa between 1990 and 1994, Kevin Carter, Greg Marinovich, Ken Oosterbroek, and João Silva. I first stumbled upon this group of war correspondents when I found a film called “The Bang Bang club”. The film is based on the lives of these 4 photographers during the period of transition in South Africa, from the apartheid system to government based on universal suffrage (from when Nelson Mandela was released from prison to the 1994 elections). This period saw a lot of black on black factional violence, particularly fighting between ANC and IFP supporters, after a ban on both political parties was lifted.
Ken Oosterbroek, João Silva, Kevin Carter and Greg Marinovich as depicted in the film “The Bang Bang club”
WARNING the following blog contains images of a disturbing nature
