May 23, 2008
Shootsac
The Shootsac is designed to hold your gear but stay out of the way. It's not designed for transport; instead it's designed for quick access to lenses and anything else you might need in the field. It's inspired by a Prada handbag, and is designed for women, though I don't see why a man couldn't use it (aside from the girly covers). But, if it's functional, why not?
There also giving away some awesome Canon lenses in the month of May, to those lucky enough to order a bag and be selected.
June 18, 2007
Trash the Dress: Alternative Wedding Photography
Trash the Dress, is quite the interesting project. Photographers take pictures of brides in an artful way that more often than not destroys the dress. There unfortunately isn't a gallery page, but the Photographer of the week page shares some shots.
“First and Foremost, Brides and Photographers that participate in TTD sessions do it for beautiful art. It is not an attempt to destroy the dress, but rather an attempt to create something memorable. To quote a good friend, we just want to let the bride enjoy herself and her gown, and get away from the “Don’t get a spot on my dress” mentality. ”
I haven't decided yet if this is the opposite of Wedding Photography, or if it should still be considered a subset of it. For one, it still involves a bride (and optionally a groom), in a wedding dress. It also shows off a brides commitment to the groom. "I won't ever need this dress again, might as well trash it." But, it still goes against traditional wedding photography in a big way. I love it.
Update: They've moved to http://www.trashthedress.com
December 12, 2006
The Non Beauty in Beauty Photography
The amount of post production in fashion photography kind of takes the "beauty" out of creating images with a lens and film/sensor. Fortunately for some, tools like Photoshop and techniques like this (photoshop tutorial on achieving smooth skin) help sell products and make it possible to save money on the costs of making the images used for advertisement campaigns.
Unfortunately for others, especially impressionable young women, the editing and post production sell the idea that we are not beautiful enough, and that we must live up to some unachievable standard.
This isn't to say that I'm not a fan of fashion photography, beauty photography and other forms of photographic expression (even the use of post production techniques). However, it is my feeling that the industry should play a bigger part in making sure that impressionable young women are aware of these techniques so that they stop doing stuff like this.
Though it doesn't solve the "runway model" problem, where models appear in uneditable forms (i.e. live action), fashion photographers have a great new way to take an already good looking model and make him/her look that much better. I'm all for post production in fashion photography because it has this amazing ability to sell products and keep models alive while doing it, but I'd really like to see more ad campaigns and fashion photography that promotes the natural beauty of people.
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