Posted: April 24th, 2013 | Author: Steph | Filed under: Photography, Typography | Tags: Ampersand, Emily Blincoe, Let's Be Brief, This & That | No Comments.
The Ampersand has never been adverse to the odd makeover. As a typographer’s favourite, its history is cited to date back to 63 BC and was actually the 27th letter of the English alphabet up until the 19th century.
Photographer Emily Blincoe adds to this graphic symbols interesting lineage. Blincoe creates a series of visual puns that help to keep the ampersand young & beautiful. Visit Emily’s suitably titled This & That blog for more.
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Originally published on LBB
Posted: March 5th, 2013 | Author: Ansel | Filed under: Environment, Photography | Tags: Jim Richardson, National Geographic, Photographing the Night Sky | No Comments.
Night-time photography is a passion worth sharing. Jim Richardson is the contributing editor for the National Geographic magazine. His photojournalism is recognized for its exploration of environmental issues and advocacy for the night sky. Richardson’s efforts to democratise the art of night photography also stands out. I’ll let Jim do the talking from here on in:
“Arizona Sky Village in Portal, Arizona, is a dark-sky housing development. Every house has a telescope built in, and one of the streets really is named Milky Way, which I wanted to show. A little pop of flash did the trick. I don’t know where else in the world you can get this picture.”
My standard exposure (the one I keep in the back of my head) for the Milky Way is 60 second, f/2.8, and ISO 6400. It makes the southern Milky Way shine like a brilliant cloud. But that’s with a 14mm lens on a full-frame sensor. You can’t go much longer than that before the stars start streaking visibly. And if you shoot with a shorter lens, the acceptable exposure time goes down.”
“For me the revelation came the first time I took a photograph of that galaxy and realized that just because the visible universe is so far away didn’t mean I needed a big telescope to photograph it. No, what I needed was a wide-angle lens because it is so huge—and we live in the middle of it. When I show young people my first published picture of the Milky Way I like to point out that this is their home.”
Posted: December 7th, 2012 | Author: Ansel | Filed under: Photography, Society | Tags: Franck Bohbot, Ouzin | No Comments.
Ouzin works boulevard voltaire. Photographer Franck Bohbot met him in 2011, in Paris. Other than that I know no more, but this feels like the beginning of a story yet to be told.
Posted: October 30th, 2012 | Author: Ansel | Filed under: Architecture, Photography | Tags: Matthias Heiderich, Ost | No Comments.
Maybe it’s the architecture of East Berlin. Maybe it’s the fact the streets seem so clean. Maybe it’s the sky that is always so blue. Whatever it is, photographer Matthias Heiderich frames it all beautifully.
Posted: September 21st, 2012 | Author: Ansel | Filed under: Photography | Tags: Paul Octavious, Scouts | No Comments.
Scouts by Paul Octavious makes me wish I’d earned more badges when I had the chance. By the looks of this motley crew, my chance might have come again.
Posted: September 7th, 2012 | Author: Ansel | Filed under: Photography | Tags: Benedict Redgrove, Starcity | No Comments.
If you’ve followed the recent Mars landing with any level of interest, then you’ll be more than interested in these images from the Starcity series by Benedict Redgrove.
The very idea of space exploration has a lot to thank Johnny 5 and Short Circuit for.
Posted: August 25th, 2012 | Author: Steph | Filed under: Art, Photography | Tags: Juno Calypso, LCC | No Comments.
As you may or may not know, we also run: Let’s Be Brief (LBB), which features all kinds of clever and creative wonderfulness and today we have a little treat for you. Taken from one of LBB’s Q&A’s with creative talent, we feature Juno Calypso – a recent LCC graduate – who we feel is tipped for the top. Please see the interview below.
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A few weeks back I toddle off to the LCC Accelerator Originators graduate show 2012 to see the latest of crop of graduates. One of my stand-outs from the exhibition was Juno Calypso.
Juno’s framed photography graced the back wall of the gallery space with a party tray installation piece of an oversized slice of cake, jam tarts, Battenberg’s and a saveloy. Across from the installation there were two screens with images of a glamourous lady looking contemplative.
The first thing that struck me was the theatre of the whole installation. The artist had clearly thought about both the experience of the voyeur and the quality of the photography, which wouldn’t be out of place in a glossy editorial.
On further investigation, Juno Calypso is indeed theatrical, with her recent work featuring herself as the fictitious character Joyce;
“Joyce is character through which I perform critical studies into modern female rituals of seduction and beauty – her glazed appearance acting as a mirror to the exhaustion felt by whilst bearing the dead weight of constructed femininity.”
Juno’s work is a clever juxtaposition of glamourous editorial style photography that tells the very real, yet fake story behind the current western ideals of ‘femininity’.
We were very curious about Juno’s inspiration and motivations, and had to find out more…
Q) Tell us something about yourself and your work?
I’m a London born artist, working with analogue, large format photography, and also digital video. At the moment my work focuses on a self-portrayed character named Joyce.
Q) Your work is as strong visually as it is conceptually. What was the process of you deciding you wanted to be an conceptual artist?
My BA degree really fuelled that process. I came from a slightly commercial background so had good technical knowledge, but then they really pushed me in terms of research and critical thinking. You never felt like a student, you were taught to present and view yourself as an artist straight away.
Q) Your work explores ideas of ‘femininity’ and female representation: what initially drew you to the subject?
It’s always been at the centre of my work, but I suppose this project is the first time I began to critique the construct of femininity. Previously, my only desire as a photographer was to create images of women looking hyper-alluring and flawlessly beautiful. But it came to the point where I had to face criticism and question the stereotypes I was perpetuating.
Q) You are carrying on the tradition of the likes as Cindy Sherman – by becoming the subject – when did you first start this process and why was it important to do so?
It started in two stages. I was a teenager during the dawn of camera phones and social media, and so like many others I spent a lot of time just photographing myself. Not necessarily out of vanity, but as a form of self-exploration – just seeing what you look like to other people.
Then halfway through my degree I used myself as a stand-in for a model I was supposed to photograph the next day – and that’s where the process began, where Joyce was born. When people responded more to the images of me clowning around, I realised this was an important step in my work.
Q) We’re living in interesting times concerning representation of the female image through popular culture from Beyoncé to TOWIE. What do you think will be the impact on young women growing up is such an image conscious culture?
I think you can already see the impact. When I was a kid everyone was worried about what effect Barbie would have. Now look at us. But I don’t think fake tan or silicone is the problem – adornment is a human ritual that exists in every culture. The problem is that women now have little choice – consumer culture is teaching women to be repulsed by their natural body, and that spending money is the only solution to low self-esteem.
Q) As an artist what impact would you like your work to make?
To make people laugh at themselves and the absurdities of modern life.
Q) You’ve recently graduated, what’s next?
My work is being exhibited at a group show right now at the Simon Oldfield gallery in London which is up till the end of July. Then later this summer I’ve been thinking about taking Joyce abroad somewhere – maybe go in character to a holiday resort or cruise ship and see what images I can create there.
Q) Lastly, what’s the best thing about being a woman?
Women’s humour.
Posted: July 25th, 2012 | Author: Ansel | Filed under: Exhibitions, Photography | Tags: Terry Obiora | No Comments.
“I explored the stalls (around 30 in all) and I was genuinely blown away by the craftsmanship of the medals, swords and other items that were on display. I hadn’t expected this at all, I have no interest in anything related to war or the army, especially modern warfare and the tyranny it brings to the people it’s supposedly there to ’liberate’ and protect.
Yet here I was in awe of the hidden treasures that seemed to be littered everywhere I looked; one of 500 swords issued to Napoleon’s officers, an Indonesian ritual blade, a Masonic sword, tools of death and resurrection for collectors and historians alike. Like a kid in a candy shop, I embraced my inner nerd and became completely absorbed…” – Terry Obiora
Posted: July 18th, 2012 | Author: Ansel | Filed under: Events, Photography | Tags: Bushey Military Fair, Terry Obiora | No Comments.
Sometimes you just have to suck it and see. With camera in hand, Terry Obiora did just that. Here are some of the results, along with a few words from Mr. Obiora himself:
“I had been aware of the Military Fair at the end of my road for quite a while and had often had intentions of popping in to have a peek at this group of collectors of all things military. In all honesty, I expected it to be peppered with a smattering of gun nuts and Nazi over-enthusiasts. So, when my son popped in to the Fair on route to meeting his mates to go skate boarding, I immediately received a call from him urging me to come and check it out. I was pleasantly surprised…”
Posted: May 29th, 2012 | Author: Ansel | Filed under: Art, Photography | Tags: Benoit Paillé, Self-portrait tourist stranger | No Comments.
Snap. You’re on candid camera. Benoit Paillé skilfully initiates the holiday photo to treasure during his brief encounters with strangers in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Each subject was given control of the shutter release in order to give him / her the opportunity to choose their ideal holiday pose. Holiday photos never looked so good.