ithis, ithat, iphoneography

I really should be writing a letter telling people to stop buying apple products after I’ve been without my computer for the last 3 weeks, but instead I’m promoting photographers using their products.  I shoot film…mostly, and I love it, but I’m not a traditionalist by any means.  Shooting with iphones on the street makes a lot of sense to me, probably in the same way that shooting with a Leica on 35mm film made sense 60 years ago.  Small, light, compact, easy to handle, decent picture quality, and quiet.  Some of the photos I’m seeing people take with these just could be done waving an SLR or dare I even say an M6 in someones face.  So,  I’ll keep shooting film like some kind of old ludite, but I’ll keep enjoying the shots some of these guys are getting.

Here are some of the best: (pointed out to me by Gilles)

www.flickr.com/photos/mishobaranovic/

www.flickr.com/photos/sionfullana/

www.flickr.com/photos/50721844@N03/

flash

I mentioned in an earlier post that I love dissecting Philip-Lorca’s lightwork, so I had to give it a try myself.  I brought my digital camera with a long lens, my metz 45-cl, triggers, a shoot through umbrella and a roll of duct tape.  I found a nice busy spot on George Street in the center of Sydney and taped my flash with the umbrella to a tree.  I was a bit nervous to start shooting, but once I started I actually found it hard to stop.  I’m a bit of a wanderer and not used to sitting in one place to shoot, so I really enjoyed the pace.  Funny enough, most people noticed the flash and looked behind them and really didn’t notice me standing there with a camera pointed in their face.  Most of the shot were rubbish, but a few turned out OK.  Would be great with a second flash to create a more surreal studio look.  Here’s one of my favs from the day.

Oh…sorry, I know this doesn’t fit the “traditional” definition of street photography but…you’ll have to excuse me while I have a bit of fun!!!

The Truth

THE TRUTH MAGAZINE IS NOT ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY, RELIGION, POLITICS, CELEBRITIES, SPORTS, FACTS, FASHION OR FICTION.

“WE ALL KNOW THAT ART IS NOT TRUTH. ART IS A LIE THAT MAKES US REALISE TRUTH, AT LEAST THE TRUTH THAT IS GIVEN US TO UNDERSTAND. THE ARTIST MUST KNOW THE MANNER WHEREBY TO CONVINCE OTHERS OF THE TURTHFULNESS OF HIS LIES.”

PICASSO , 1923

Interesting idea and concept. I personally like the idea of a magazine that shows the type of photography that I like and gives an avenue for fellow street photographers to get their work in print.  Should be interesting….I think I’ll buy mine today!

Richard’s photos on flickr: here
How to buy: here
Richard Payne’s website: here

Big in Japan

I got the style but not the grace
I got the clothes but not the face
I got the bread but not the butter
I got the winda but not the shutter
But I’m big in Japan I’m big in Japan But heh I’m big in Japan

Tom Waits

I’ve always been a huge fan of Daido Moriyama.  In fact, I almost dropped $200 dollars on his “Farewell to Photography”,  which may not seem a lot to some, but it certainly is to a guy who doesn’t own a camera worth that much.    I found this blog while looking for some of his photos.  Some of the photography is fantastic and with a good sense of humor.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

http://street-level.mcvmcv.net/

Street Photography Publication

” “I am actually a reluctant publisher. I consider myself a photographer first and foremost,” says Turpin. “But I started Nick Turpin Publishing because I felt very frustrated I couldn’t buy the kind of photography I most admired – magazines rarely featured street photography and the last major street photography book, Bystander, was published in 1994″ “

I stumbled upon this web site today.  It’s by Nick Turpin who is a phenomenol street photographer.  He has started a quarterly street photography publication…what a great idea.  It also has link’s to In Public’s 10th year anniversary book, which looks absolutely stunning.  here are the links:

Publication: http://www.nickturpinpublishing.com/

Nick Turpin’s work: http://www.in-public.com/NickTurpin

mykriteek.com

Check this one out! Interesting site with 90 second critiques of flickr photos. Interesting opinions.

www.mykriteek.com

Coffee, Radiohead and Trent Parke

Trying to get myself back into the flow on a Monday morning.  A combination of a strong cup of coffee, Radiohead and Trent Parke’s beautiful photos from Dreamlife should do the trick.

Trent’s portfolio photos can be found on Magnum’s website.  If you’ve been living in a cave and haven’t seen them, it’s well worth a look.

http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/C.aspx?VP3=ViewBox_VPage&VBID=2K1HZOWL3QKGJ&CT=Search&DT=Image

August Contest

Here at five streets we will be honoring some of the greats of street photography by holding a contest each month selecting the five best street photos based on creating new images with that photographers technique in mind. The goal is not to duplicate the images of the greats but to use their ideas and techniques to develop our own.

Where to start???  Who better to start with than Robert Frank?  As an “outsider”  Frank’s view of America in his book “The Americans has had a lasting influence on street photography with it’s symbolism, blurred figures, and choice of framing and camera angles.

See the contest page for entry requirements.

A small sample of Robert Franks work