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happy halloween from megan senior

the amazing megan senior sent me this image today as a halloween card. i couldn't have chosen a better image if i'd tried. i love her pictures.

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matthew genitempo

i spotted these two pictures next to each other on matthew genitempo's flickr page. i thought they made a pretty stellar diptych even if he didn't necessarily plan it that way.

chicken hut

while running an errand for work this afternoon, i passed by these doorbells on the corner of the street. the low afternoon light was hitting them so perfectly. since i've been shooting graffiti pictures recently, i naturally reached for my camera, but of course the only camera in my bag was my cell phone. i kind of love it anyway. especially considering i've been shooting black and white and the color in this photo is so unbelievable.

synecdoche

the word synecdoche has been playing on repeat in my head since watching the below preview for synechdoche, new york yesterday. there was an animated discussion about how it should be pronounced, and i couldn't for the life of me remember what the word meant or why it sounded familiar to me, and now i can't get it out of my head.

syn·ec·do·che
pronunciation:
\sə-ˈnek-də-(ˌ)kē\
function: noun
etymology: latin, from greek synekdochē, from syn- + ekdochē sense, interpretation, from ekdechesthai to receive, understand, from ex from + dechesthai to receive; akin to greek dokein to seem good — more at ex-, decent
date: 15th century

1: a figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole (as fifty sail for fifty ships)
2: the whole for a part (as society for high society), the species for the genus (as cutthroat for assassin)
3: the genus for the species (as a creature for a man)
4: or the name of the material for the thing made (as boards for stage)

— syn·ec·doch·ic \ˌsi-ˌnek-ˈdä-kik\ adjective
— syn·ec·doch·i·cal \-ˈdä-ki-kəl\ adjective
— syn·ec·doch·i·cal·ly \-ki-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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kristin capp

a few years ago i came across a book of photographs called americana by kristin capp. i was mesmerized by the simple beauty of the subject matter reflected formally and admiringly in kristin's images. when i stopped into a local bookstore this weekend, spoonbill & sugartown, i chanced upon her earlier book hutterite in which kristin explores a secluded community of anabaptists in the northwest region of the united states.

i have an ongoing fascination with religious groups such as the hutterites. more specifically, i am intrigued by the idea that ritual can be a powerful mechanism in confronting life's milestones. i've been lucky to have had the opportunity to photograph three hasidic weddings that i found to be amazing displays of such rituals, but those experiences were at most mere glimpses into the secrets of that community. kristin delves much deeper.

these are simple photographs in both theme and execution, that is, simple in the best understanding of the word. kristin enters a community clear of the clutter of the modern world and focuses her camera on the most basic human themes of family and faith. most striking to me is how these photographs very much concern the strength of women and the roles women play in the home. women are not afforded equal status with men in the hutterite community, yet the women in her photographs exert a strength and confidence that implies equality can be achieved through alternate paths.

despite having published two books, kristin capp is not a widely known photographer. but, for me, both in mood and theme, kristin's images go directly to the root of why photography inspires me. her photographs are a pleasure that i return to again and again.

jon huck

photographs from jon huck:

these are some fun portraits of people with their daily breakfast. bon appetite.

spinto band mask contest

catharine told me about a neat contest that the spinto band is hosting. unfortunately i just noticed that the deadline was yesterday. which means i totally dropped the ball. but maybe if you hurry they will kindly accept some entries a little late?

details:

here at spintoband hq, we believe a little honest competition never hurt anyone. with that in mind, we would like to announce to the public a little contest. we call it:
print out the official roy spinto mask here http://www.spintoband.com/RoySpintoMask.pdf utilize the mask in a photograph capturing roy in an interesting, creative, and funky-fresh manner. for officials rules and a peek at the 2006 competition winner, click here! if you need further instructions, there's a dot on the moon-map to fulfill your quandries!

please email your entry to spintoband@gmail.com with the subject "ROY MASK PHOTO." all entries must be in by monday september 29th. a panel of expert judges from around the world will then vote to see which roy photo puts the biggest smile on their face.

contestants will be judged on awesomeness, absurdity, ingenuity, artistic flair, and sticking the landing.

grand prize: 1 winner- a brand new iPod, the entire park the van catalog (including the new spinto band cd, moonwink), a spinto band t shirt, 2 tickets to a spinto band concert near you

first prize: 3 winners- a signed vinyl copy of the spinto band's moonwink, a spinto Band t Shirt, 2 tickets to a spinto band concert near you

second Prize: 5 winners- a spinto band t shirt, 2 tickets to a spinto band concert near you.


best of luck,
the spinto band

some selections from their 2006 contest are on flickr.

friends forever & gecko

i found these two videos via some grad school research i've been conducting of late.

above/ excerpt from friends forever
director marçal forés
producer ania nakov
cinematographer eduard grau
production designer marketa korinkova
editor miikka leskinen
sound recordist sara lima
sound designer chu-li shewring
composer natalie holt
online editor/colour grader martin cobelo weisz
writer melanie martinez

below/ gecko
written and directed by theresa von eitz
director of photography kristijan-jaak ruudi
camera stuart bontley
editor sergio vega borrego
composer kylie earl
sound post production ricardo fonseca



both films were created at the national film and television school in the uk.

mandy lamb

photographs from mandy lamb:

i'm recreating the three above images in the same order i found them on mandy's website. what struck me in the sequence was how the shape of the cottage seemed to evolve from one photo to the next until it finally took the shape of the hanging net. also: the scale of the cottage strikes me as being off in a way that is very photographic. it looks smaller than life.

(and i'm a sucker for a dog picture.)

jens windolf

whale aka catharine maloney tipped me off to these charming/hilarious photo-collages by jens windolf.

his images really speak to the two dimensional nature of photography. by juxtaposing two incongruous photographs, jens manages to challenge the viewers expectation of visual resolution and steer the narrative in an entirely new direction.

jens is also a member of fjord photo.

malia james

photographs from malia james

above: i like the birds on his teacup and saucer. i like his just barely visible wedding band, the hair in his eyes and the mirror behind his head.

below: i lke the way the flash vingettes the text on the wall and how it illuminates just a few of the letters effectively turning them from black to white. and of course i love the little creature peeping its head into the bottom of the frame.

malia's blog is here.

thomas macker

photographs from thomas macker

neither of these images is completely succeeding to me, but i seem to be drawn to them anyway.

above: the idea and the gesture are admittedly less than original, but i can't resist the ripples of the water and the cool blue color palate. here the dark space at the top of the image really works for me.

below: the bright eggplant color of the girl's bathing suit bottoms as well as the unidentifiable turquoise object on the dock begin to engage my eye. but i guess something is off in the composition, or i can't read enough into the gestures of the subjects. plus, the dark mass at the top of the photo feels overwhelmingly large, or, alternately, the black void is not large enough. in either case i wish the figures were more centrally placed so they would look more like they were caught in the headlights of a car, almost as if they were being hunted.

thomas's flickr page is here.