Posts Tagged ‘Photography’

The master of now

21st August 2009 by Ana

picturenarrative / some rights reserved, used with permission

When I visited the This is Now Flickr group for the first time, I expected to find more pictures like this, very Henri Cartier-Bresson. I do love all the creative photography you can find there, but, sometimes, to capture the essence of now, you don’t need the most fancy equipment or photo manipulation software.

Sometimes, the smaller your camera, the better, so you may be able to hide it while you tiptoe towards your subject, hoping that they won’t notice you. This is how the French photographer, one of the founders of the the world-famous Magnum Photos agency, composed his jaw-dropping portfolio.

His pictures look like drawings; an astonishing combination of geometric shapes and human detail created in one click. I remember when I first saw Behind the Gare St. Lazare projected on a big screen during a photography lesson, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Almost 15 years have passed and I still get goose bumps when I look at it!

“To take a photograph means to recognize – simultaneously and within a fraction of a second – both the fact itself and the rigorous organisation of visually perceived forms that give it meaning. It is putting one’s head, one’s eye, and one’s heart on the same axis.”

Henri Cartier-Bresson (22.08.1908 – 03.08.2004)

You can find Ana on Twitter and on Flickr.

tagged black & white henri cartier-bresson Photography street photography

This Is Me, Now

17th November 2008 by Aimee Marie

Hi! My name’s Aimee Marie & I’m a photographer & writer from London, England. I feel privileged to have been invited to guest-blog here at This Is Now & hope to share inspiration, creativity & visual-awakenings from the amazing This Is Now Flickr Pool!

I currently run my own photography & lifestyle blog at aimeemarie.com, but my passion began many moons ago, when I won my first 35mm point & shoot camera in a raffle when I was about 10! I began snapping away at anything & everything & soon moved to digital photography a few years later. I have some photography qualifications, but I wholeheartedly believe that you don’t need a grade on a piece of paper to tell you how good you are, as many people on Flickr have proved!

The photo below is from my Final Major Project at college, where I decided to concentrate on the Seven Deadly Sins– a subject which has been covered many, many times — but this time, with a twist. For me, the desensitization of the Sins is now. Society as a whole has been blinded by the mass-production of items that we covet & instead, we just see all these lovely, colourful things that we own & adore, forgetting that about the greed & gluttonous side of things.

I think it’s also very apt that I’ve heavily photoshopped this image, as we live in a time where perfection is something that many people now have a deep desire for & strive to get through surgery & enhancements.

All that from a bunch of shoes, eh?

tagged aimee marie blue colourful green Photography pink red this is now yellow

Subject and Object as One

11th November 2008 by tikichris

Here’s another shot by yours truly that made the cut and has been included in the This is Now Flickr pool. The photo, of a young woman seemingly immersed in Monet’s Water Lilies (also known as Nympheas) was taken at l’Orangerie in Paris during my summer 2008 visit.

What caught my eye when I took the shot was the contrast between the woman in the foreground and the painting in the background. I like how she forms a warm and distinct vertical to the painting’s cool broad horizontal field. Still it’s pretty neat how, despite the difference, she appears to have melded with the painting as if to suggest a singular image. That line of gold trim at the bottom of the painting does a lot for this image as well, neatly dividing the elements while unifying them. Oh and did you notice the way the woman’s left leg is slightly askew? I think that’s what really makes this picture a winner.

tagged art l'orangerie monet nympheas paris Photography tikichris water lilies

Express yourself

11th November 2008 by Joan Mercadal

“I don’t want anyone to appreciate the light or the palette of tones.
I want my pictures to inform, to provoke discussion – and to raise money”.

This are the first words you can read if you enter my website. It was said once by Sebastiao Salgado , wich is probably my favourite comtemporary photographer. It tells exactly what I think about how a good photo should be.

Sometimes we care too much about cameras, lenses, computers or software and we forget about the real meaning of the image. You don’t need always a beatiful landmark, a perfect lightning or a stunning model to create a good photo.

Don’t you agree?

tagged croc shoes Joan Mercadal Photography

Hi!

7th November 2008 by tikichris

Hey, I’m Chris Osburn (aka tikichris) and I’ll be guest blogging here from time to time. Although this is my introductory post, it’s not my first. I started posting here on the 4th but there was just too much of an Election Day buzz in the air for anyone to bother reading about lil ole me.

Now that the world’s settling into the news of major change in the United States, let me take a sec to tell you a bit about myself. I’m a London-based writer/photographer doing my best to cover London’s food and art scenes … and to have as much fun as possible in the process.

With respect to photography, I kind of take the monkey with a typewriter approach. Street photography is my main love but I honestly enjoy shooting in a variety of styles, contexts and settings. My next ‘big’ photo project is a summer 09 exhibition at Leeds College of Art and Design, which is to lead me back to my childhood home in the American deep south to capture the region’s transition from its agrarian roots to the commodity/service industry culture of today.

See more of my photos on my Flickr photostream.

tagged blogging chris osburn Guest-Blogging Photography tikichris

Election Day Anticipation

4th November 2008 by tikichris

It’s the Tuesday that the whole world’s been anticipating for months! Americans are going to the polls to elect their next president. Whoever wins, history has already been made and will be made when the final votes are tallied. Will the United States see its first African-American president or its first female to be elected to the Executive Branch of the US government? Either way, the world is watching … right now!

I think this photo, Neon America by eliz.avery, best sums up what much of the world will be doing today, tonight and well into the wee hours of tomorrow morning.

tagged America Barack Obama Joe Biden John McCain Photography presidential election Sarah Palin tikichris vote

An interview with Nat Von

29th September 2008 by Kai Chan Vong

I caught up with Nat Von this week to ask her a few questions…

Her photo which got onto the blog (see right) was entitled ‘Hiding’.

Hi, can you tell us who you are and a bit about yourself?

My name is Natalie Vaughan and I’m seventeen years old senior in high school. I live in Pleasanton, California. Photography is my passion and I plan on making a career out of it. I am interested in “This Is Now” because it’s a fun group to share photos in.

Why are you interested in ‘This is now’ and what does it mean to you?

In my mind, ‘This is Now’ refers to new, hip, modern photography showing unique and interesting images. There is so much going on in the world everyday that I think it is cool that people capture these events artistically through pictures.

Tell us about the selected photo, did you plan it out, what was involved in it?

For the picture, I was trying to think of a cool way to photograph myself with the lollipop. I looked through my closet and tried to find bright clothes and accessories to match it. After getting everything together I went in my back yard, put my camera on my tripod and took the picture. It was fun photoshopping this picture too because I had a lot of colors to work with.

What do you think of the group on Flickr and do you have any other favourite photos?

This is a great group with a lot of awesome photos. Photographers have put some of their best images into this group and I think it’s a great opportunity to view what other photographers see in the world today.

What is your best tip for creating a great photo or picture?

Do whatever cool idea pops into your head and develop your own unique style.

Thanks Natalie! Everyone at ‘This is Now’ thinks you’re doing amazing work. Keep it up and we hope to see more great stuff soon!

tagged Interview Photography

We were at Twestival

26th September 2008 by Kai Chan Vong

Last night we were at Twestival, seeing old friends and making new ones. We had cameras in our hands at all times to capture as many of the cool moments from the event as possible to share with all of you!

We just wanted to let you know, we were all thinking of all you wonderful photographers and readers from around Europe… chatting about how amazing your photos have been and how the project has gone so far with all your incredible submissions to the Flickr group!

So from all the team, thank you for making it such an awesome start. So keep up the good work, becuase we’re all looking forward to seeing more new photos… so far it’s beyond anything we could have imagined!

If you’re interested in seeing more photos from twestival, you can find a whole lot more on Flickr.

tagged event Photography twestival