Boing Boing » photography

Vintage photos related to bugs

David Pescovitz — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:49:59 +0000

House of Mirth asked dedicated vernacular photo collectors to share their favorite vintage snapshots with an insect theme. Above is Robert Jackson's pick. Right is a snap from Pat Street's archives. "Bugs - They fly, bite and pester & sometimes people take photos of them"

Clayton Cubitt: "On the Constant Moment"

Xeni Jardin — Wed, 15 May 2013 00:44:31 +0000

Photo: Clayton Cubitt.

A beautiful and thoughtful essay by Clayton Cubitt on the changing nature of the art of photography. Snip:

Henri Cartier-Bresson believed that the photographer is like a hunter, going forth into the wild, armed with quick reflexes and a finely-honed eye, in search of that one moment that most distills the time before him. In this instant the photographer reacts, snatching truth from the timestream in the snare of his shutter. The Decisive Moment is Gestalt psychology married to reflexive performance art in the blink of a mechanical eye. It is the creation of art through the curation of time.

Vintage behind-the-scenes photos at the American Museum of Natural History

David Pescovitz — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:44:30 +0000

From the American Museum of Natural History's excellent photo archive. Seen above, a millipede installing a model of a man in "The Forest Floor" diorama, 1958. (Thanks, Stacey Ransom!)

Musicians in their studios

David Pescovitz — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:04:02 +0000

The Wire posted a small photo gallery of electronic and avant-garde musicians and their studios, including Atom, Pierre Henry, and Terry Riley. Above, JG "Foetus" Thirlwell's Brooklyn studio photographed by Daniëlle van Ark. At right, Madlib at home in Los Angeles, shot byJeremy & Claire Weiss. "Studio Envy"

Guatemala: Waiting. Snapshots from Ríos Montt genocide trial courtroom, verdict imminent

Xeni Jardin — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:15:30 +0000

Photo: Xeni Jardin

[Guatemala City] -- Above: Elena Caba Ijom of Nebaj, El Quiché, Guatemala, reads news about the trial as all of us in the courtroom here await a verdict in the genocide trial of Rios Montt and Mauricio Rodriguez Sanchez.

The judges are expected to announce their decision at 4pm local time, despite new calls for annulment from a lower court.

Ms. Caba Ijom told this reporter she was 8 years old when her entire family was killed by the Army in 1982. Soldiers then tied her hands and feet and threw her into a river, breaking her legs.

"I survived," she said.

Photo: Xeni Jardin

There are well over a hundred Ixil here, many reporters from Guatemalan and foreign press, international observers, and supporters of co-defendants Ríos Montt and Rodriguez Sanchez.

The former US-backed dictator and his then-chief of intelligence are charged with genocide and crimes against humanity. Both men say they are innocent.

Photo: Xeni Jardin

Above, Maria Sajiq (L) and Ana Laynez Herrera of Nebaj, Quiché, Guatemala (R). Ms. Sajiq was among the survivors Miles O'Brien and I interviewed in Nebaj recently, for a PBS NewsHour report.

Here are more snapshots I’ve tweeted from the Ríos Montt genocide trial. And, here are more on Instagram.

FOLLOW THE TRIAL ONLINE:

Follow the proceedings with live-tweets from the courtroom by NISGUA, Plaza Publica, and the OSIJ's trial monitoring account.

You can also follow them and others on this Twitter list I made.

Watch live video feed here or listen to live audio feed here.

PREVIOUSLY ON BOING BOING
• Guatemala coverage archives
•1983 "MacNeil/Lehrer Report" on debate over military aid to Ríos Montt's regime
• 1982 MacNeil/Lehrer on reports Ríos Montt committed atrocities against Ixil Maya
• "I am innocent," Ríos Montt tells court in genocide trial, breaking silence
• Ríos Montt trial enters final phase, 75 years sought for genocide, crimes against humanity
• The science behind historic genocide trial of General Ríos Montt: PBS NewsHour video report
• Guatemalan Government declares State of Siege after Mining Protests: PBS NewsHour video report
• PBS NewsHour reporter's notebook: Guatemala—Why We Cannot Turn Away

Apple's man behind the camera

Rob Beschizza — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:17:10 +0000

Peter Belanger reveals the technical complexity behind Cupertino's cooly minimalist advertising. [Michael Shane at The Verge]

A train hopper's photos

David Pescovitz — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:30:38 +0000

When Mike Brodie was 17, he hopped his first train and instantly fell in love with the freedom of riding the rails, sans ticket. Shortly thereafter, in 2004, he came upon an old instant camera and quickly earned his nickname of The Polaroid Kidd. Eventually, he "upgraded" to a 1980s camera and 35 millimeter film but continued to ride the rails and document what he saw. The result is a raw, gritty, beautiful, and often inspiring collection of snapshots now compiled into a book, A Period of Juvenile Prosperity.

You can also see a selection of these photographs at Mike Brodie Photography. (via So Bad So Good, thanks Dave Gill!)

Winner of the 2013 Pulitzer for Feature Photography

David Pescovitz — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:17:19 +0000

Javier Manzano won the 2013 Pulitzer Price for Feature Photography for this photo of two rebel soldiers in Syria, taken on October 18, 2012. Yes, those are bullet holes. All of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize Winners were announced on Monday.

Vintage cyanotype photos

David Pescovitz — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:54:23 +0000

Over at House of Mirth, esteemed vernacular photo collector Robert E. Jackson posts about the allure of collecting cyanotypes with some wonderful examples. The ghostly image above is from the collection of Erin Waters. Jackson posted this fascinating bit from the cyanotype Wikipedia entry:

The English scientist and astronomer Sir John Herschel discovered this procedure in 1842. Though the process was developed by Herschel, he considered it as mainly a means of reproducing notes and diagrams, as in blueprints. It was Anna Atkins who brought this to photography. She created a limited series of cyanotype books that documented ferns and other plant life from her extensive seaweed collection. Atkins placed specimens directly onto coated paper, allowing the action of light to create a silhouette effect. By using this photogram process, Anna Atkins is regarded as the first female photographer.

"Collecting Cyanotypes"

Big pictures of small change

David Pescovitz — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:49:40 +0000

Artist Martin John Callanan and the Advanced Engineered Materials Group at the UK's National Physical Laboratory used an infinite 3D optical microscope to capture 400 million pixel images of the lowest denomination coin from many currencies. "The Fundamental Units"

Sokolsky's surreal girl-in-a-bubble Paris fashion photos, 1963

David Pescovitz — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 23:52:09 +0000

For the 1963 spring collection fashion editorial in Harper's Bazaar, Melvin Sokolsky photographed model Simone d'Aillencourt in a bubble, dreamily floating around Paris. All of the stunning images have been collected in a limited-edition art book packaged in a die-cut lucite slipcase.

"Harper's Bazaar 'Bubble' Spring Collection"

Paris 1963: A Limited Edition Art Book

Guatemala: photos from the Rios Montt genocide tribunal

Xeni Jardin — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:42:51 +0000

Fredy Peccerelli of the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation (FAFG) testifying Wednesday, April 10; Rios Montt at the defense table in the background.

I'm in Guatemala with Miles O'Brien, working on a report for the PBS NewsHour on the genocide trial of Jose Efrain Rios Montt, who ruled Guatemala from 1982-1983, and Jose Mauricio Rodriguez Sanchez, his chief of military intelligence. They are being tried here in Guatemala City for genocide and crimes against humanity.

Above and below, some stills from the video we've been shooting inside the courtroom. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for snapshots throughout the day. And if you're interested in monitoring the trial, listen here, watch here, or follow this Twitter list I threw together.

All photos: screengrabs from video shot by Miles O'Brien.

CC license: Non-commercial sharing with credit is okay. For commercial use, ask.

Former General and de facto dictator Rios Montt listens to a prosecution witness.

Ixil massacre survivors, witnesses for the prosecution, who testified earlier in the trial about their experiences during the war.

An Ixil Maya woman assists another witness from her community with "Beats by Dr. Dre" headphones supplied by the court for translation audio from Spanish to Ixil.

Rios Montt enters the courtroom with his daughter, Zury Rios, who is a prominent political and social figure here in Guatemala. Her husband is former US congressman Jerry Weller.

The in-court setup of the "Genocidio Nunca Mas" live video streamers.

There is a strong presence of armed security personnel inside the courtroom and throughout the building.

Judge Jazmin Barrios, center.

Time-lapse of a particularly intense aurora borealis display

David Pescovitz — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:53:01 +0000

Photographer Göran Strand created this stunning time-lapse video made from photographs of the aurora borealis as seen from Östersund, Sweden on March 17, 2013. The video consists of 2,464 images taken over four hours. The extreme intensity of the aurora borealis display resulted from a huge solar storm spurred by two solar flares that erupted on March 6.

Snowflake electron microscope photos

Mark Frauenfelder — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:34:42 +0000

Twisted Sifter has a great gallery of snowflake and ice crystal electron microscope photos. At this level of magnification, the ice looks like metal that has been machined by space aliens.

25 Microscopic Images of Snow Crystals

Photos of 1970s American culture through an environmental lens

David Pescovitz — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:10:25 +0000

In 1971, the US government's Environmental Protection Agency sponsored a photography project called DOCUMERICA to capture on film the impact of pollution, waste, and environmental dangers on American life. The result is a stunning portrait of 1970s American culture. A selection of those images -- more than 20,000 in total -- is now on view at the National Archives in Washington DC. They've also released an exhibition catalog with text by the EPA's first director, Bill Ruckelshaus, who was in charge during the DOCUMERICA project.

Above: "Children play in yard of Ruston home, while Tacoma smelter stack showers area with arsenic and lead residue” (Gene Daniels, Ruston, Washington, August 1972). Right: “Young woman watches as her car goes through testing at an auto emission inspection station in Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio" (Lyntha Scott Eiler, Cincinnati, OH, September 1975).

"16 Photographs That Capture the Best and Worst of 1970s America" (Smithsonian)

Searching for the Seventies: The DOCUMERICA Photography Project (National Archives)

"Searching for the Seventies: The DOCUMERICA Photography Project" (Amazon)

Global children with their favorite toys

David Pescovitz — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:27:29 +0000

Gabriele Galimberti photographed children around the world posed with their favorite toys and possessions. At top, Pavel (Kiev, Ucraina). Above, Maudy (Kalulushi, Zambia) and Noel (Dallas, Texas). "Toy Stories"

Photos & Recaps from the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament

Amy Seidenwurm — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:10:09 +0000

I start the New York Times Crossword every day (I can't always finish) and have often fantasized about throwing down with the real puzzle masters at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Photographer Rufus Mangrove was there last weekend, and his artful shots of the event make it look like a blast.

Check out Eric Berlin and Rex Parker (my favorite crossword blogger) for more info and insight into the tournament. See you next year?

Tricky Dick meets RoboCop

David Pescovitz — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:19:04 +0000

Richard Nixon and his pal RoboCop in 1987. Photo snapped by Chuck Pulin during a charity event promoting the movie's VHS release. (via Mental Floss)

Shuttle Discovery, just chillaxin' at Udvar-Hazy (photo)

Xeni Jardin — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:29:44 +0000

Bryan Jones shot this lovely portrait of Space Shuttle Discovery at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. This companion site to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum opened in 2003, and is located near Washington Dulles International Airport. The shuttle arrived there about a year ago.

Starry night: skies over New Zealand

Xeni Jardin — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:32:33 +0000

Photo: Ngauruhoe Rise, a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial (2.0) image from astronomr (aka Jason Brown)'s photostream, shared in the Boing Boing Flickr Pool. Another beautiful shot, showing trails as the stars move across the sky, is here. Photographer Jason Brown has a blog with more wonderful astronomy photos, and says,

The first processed shot in the thousands of pictures we took on a ridge under Tongariro, 9 March 2013. In Maori legend, the mountains were once gods and warriors of great strength. Seven mountains once stood next to each other around Lake Taupo. All were male except for the beautiful Pihanga. One night the mountains fought fiercely for her attention. There were violent eruptions, smoke and fire as the land trembled under the violent battle. In the morning Pihanga stood next to the victor, Tongariro, who became the supreme leader of the land. Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu stood a respectable distance behind but Tauhara – unable to completely leave his love – sat smouldering at the northern end of the lake. Putauaki (Mt Edgecumbe) headed north towards the dawn, and ended up 160 kilometres away, while Mt Taranaki dragged himself south, his tears creating the great Whanganui River as he went.

National Geographic's Tumblr

David Pescovitz — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:02:05 +0000

National Geographic has launched an excellent Tumblr of archived photos, called National Geographic Found. No, the above photo isn't from last year's Folsom Street Fair but rather a 1966 shot of some gents in London. (Photo by James P. Blair.)

Interview with author of The Art of Clean Up

Mark Frauenfelder — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:56:56 +0000

I can't wait to show Ursus Wehrli's book, The Art of Clean Up: Life Made Neat and Tidy, to Jane because her mind works this way. Here's a photo of her dinner place setting when she was five.

Is there a practical purpose to the book?

No. I don’t like to work with a moral goal in mind. If people see my work and like it I think that is ok. Of course, there are a lot of issues that come with it: we are living in a very complicated world and I realised the more topsy-turvy our world becomes the more satisfying it is to see these tidied up situations. It’s kind of reassuring to see these pictures even if it doesn’t make sense at all. I think it speaks to our complicated world because our days are full of decisions and sometimes it is really hard to decide what is right, what’s wrong and we have to fight against the mess and the chaos. I wouldn’t say it is a manifesto for a neat world, but I’m happy if it makes people think about the balance between chaos and order. Of course, we realise we need both poles and it’s the balance that makes life worth living.

Interview with author of The Art of Clean Up

Caturday

Xeni Jardin — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 16:14:18 +0000

Two cat portraits shared in the BB Flickr Pool by reader __AK__.

Photography exhibition under the sea

David Pescovitz — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 19:38:34 +0000

For the last two months, Viennese artist Andreas Franke has had a new show of photographs on exhibition near Barbados. Thing is, you needed to SCUBA dive to see them. The photos hung on the hull of the Stabrokikita, a 365-foot Greek freighter that was deliberately sunk in 1978. Franke's photos of Rococo-inspired scenes are superimposed with underwater photographs, adding an atmospheric surreality to the final image. Seemingly, viewing these images 120 feet underwater would add to their dreaminess. This is the second series in Franke's "Sinking World" project. His first collection of images were displayed earlier this year on the USS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, a massive military ship that in 2009 was sunk to the ocean floor and became the second largest artificial reef in the world. Those photos have since been recovered and displayed at The Studios of Key West art gallery. "The Sinking World" (via CNN)

Same couple pose as 9 different fashion-followers

Mark Frauenfelder — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:05:09 +0000

Nacho Rojo is is photographer in Madrid, Spain. In this series, Rojo photographed the same two models posing as nine different fashion-following couples.

(Via 22 words)

Stunning snake portraits

David Pescovitz — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 19:09:55 +0000

In 2011, photographer Mark Laita created Sea, a book of stunning portraits of strange ocean creatures. Now comes Serpentine, in which Laita points his lens at a stunning series of snakes. Above, Rowley’s Palm Pit Viper (Bothriechis rowleyi).

Serpentine by Mark Laita (Amazon)

"Snakes in a Frame: Mark Laita’s Stunning Photographs of Slithering Beasts" (Smithsonian)

Slinkachu's "War Child" photos

David Pescovitz — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:13:53 +0000

More "tiny people" installation photos by Slinkachu, whose work is compiled in several books including the recent Global Model Village. The pieces featured above and below were commissions for "20 Years of War Child," an exhibition at the British Music Experience museum running until March 28.

The Glif: quickly mount an iPhone to a tripod

Cool Tools — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 21:18:18 +0000

I use my iPhone to shoot video because the quality is excellent and I like the many different inexpensive video apps available for the iPhone (such as stop motion apps). I also like being able to email iPhone videos or upload them to YouTube directly from my phone instead of having to first transfer them to a computer.

The main drawback with using the iPhone to shoot video is that you can’t put it on a tripod — you have to hold it in your hand or precariously lean it against something. The best iPhone mounting solution I’ve found so far is the Glif, a tiny hard-rubber clip with a metal 1/4″-20 thread that attaches to any tripod mount. Simply slide the iPhone into the Glif’s slot and you’re ready to go. (The Glif was one of the first breakaway hits on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter, taking in almost $130,000 more than its $10,000 goal in late 2010.)

The Glif has one other function: it’s a “kickstand” that lets you use your iPhone as a mini-display on your desktop or airplane fold down tray.

If you want to use the Glif when you’re on the move, pay the extra $10 for the Glif Plus, which includes a separate plastic piece that locks your iPhone onto the Glif so there’s no chance of it falling off. - Mark

The Glif

Sunset, Santa Monica Pier

Xeni Jardin — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:20:23 +0000

From the Boing Boing Flickr pool, a lovely photo of one of my favorite places in greater Los Angeles by Shabdro Photo, a Boing Boing reader and photographer.

Sci-fi scenes that use real ocean life as props

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:33:31 +0000

Jason Isley is an underwater photographer, which means that the strange and wonderful creatures you and I go ga-ga over are really just part of a workaday routine for him. This is a fact which has gotten him into fights on the Internet ...

I made a comment online recently that I was growing tired of nudibranches and was immediately bombarded with abuse and comments from ‘nudi-lovers’. Allow me to clarify: It’s not that I actually dislike the little flamboyant slugs, but once you have shot a few thousand images of nudies and other common macro life, I was running out of ways to maintain my passion for photographing them. I’ve shot them from countless angles and under a variety of lighting configurations. I know there are now lots of different techniques and gadgets to spice things up, like snoots, external macro diopters, and bugeye lenses, but for me, I really wanted to do something entirely different.

The result: A clever, cheeky series of photos that pair real underwater life forms with little miniature figurines from the hobby store and the toy store.