Archive for 2012-05-06

Saul Landell Photography

By | Published 12 May 2012

http://www.flickr.com/photos/saul_landell/


Saul Landell, a photographer from Spain is a fascinating photographer who produces some mesmerising images, not just photographically affluent, but in both post production and adding back stories to his images.
It's very complicated to explain how fascinating his work is without seeing the images yourself, so feel free to have a look and get back to me on what you think. And of course, give him all the support you can, it's what us photographers thrive on.

Here is the description to his page of images, this was originally in Spanish and just put through google translate, so apologies for any inaccuracies. But i feel it very important for you to read what he has to say about his images as it is the most accurate manor of explaining them:


"Between the real and the possible ... could well be that the definition of what I do, pictures that are made from other images, dreams and fantasies that disturb, exploring the intimate space. I have no answers, if any more questions, just trying to explore in order to have referenceswhen I play live, the contemporary generation that calls me, I'm a tell stories .......... improbable stories, impossible more characteristic ofsurrealism or magical realism that rampant urbanization and asepticareas. I go for self, trying to explain what separates man from reality. I find irresistible abstraction ability of photography to perceive reality in spite of being a fiction, so the mirrors, water, horizon and dream places, intimate ....

In the urban culture to globalization and its imposition of trends andstyles that match a consumer society ... back to the intimate and evenkitsch, I roads and paths and overcome by "pure" art and photographyofficially my seat is in the caboose of the train of the photographic art, I'm no photographer, I'm just a craftsman of the visual.Thanks to come up here and be my accomplice, thanks for makingmagic with me through your eyes"(1)


(1) - http://www.flickr.com/people/saul_landell/   (12/May/2012)

(All rights to these images are reserved and are the property of Saul Landell)
(All images sourced from http://www.flickr.com/photos/saul_landell/) 














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Flickr's dead, long live 500px!

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Image sourced from: http://fadedandblurred.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/500px-flickr-title1-600x375.jpg


The long anticipated fate of Flickr seems to be neigh, after many months from Yahoo to gather the once unprecedented photographic pace and presence, it seems there isn't much left that they can accomplish. Flickr has recently gained a Myspace like feel, with masses of advertisements littering each page and a lack of substantial updates to lift this site into the modern age.
Coupled with the lack of a powerful iPhone, iPad and Android phone applications, people don't feel much need to keep their images on this site as no-one will see them anymore.

This has all accumulated into a vast shift into a new website called 500px.com, giving it the new brand of the world biggest photographic community. Granted, this hasn't been the easiest of battles for 500px, many other web based image sharing sites have popped up around the internet but none had much clout.
What sets 500px aside from all other photo sharing websites is its understanding of how much of a visual art photography is. By removing all unnecessary text it has the resemblance of a flipboard, with various different sized images which span the pages, allowing an uninterrupted viewing of photographs.
Along side this they promote an online portfolio which can be linked to potential clients and the option to sell your images on canvases through the site. Along side the massive influx of hits the site is gathering, its potential has moved from the amateur photographic market to the professional market as well, due to its unprecedented platform to not only advertise images, but to also make money on them without having to leave the comfort of your own house.

Screenshot from 500px.com


On a social scale 500px allows a new method of "liking" someone's images, in the same manor you would on Facebook or twitter, this allows a faster paced consumption of images by the public. This has given way to the opportunity to reel in feedback for your latest images within minutes of posting an image, something that blows flickr out of the water. Maintain a blog, write on a friends wall, view their activity, newsfeed style and even view their friend photo's all without leaving 500px.com, giving it a seamless consumption and sharing of images. Exactly how the twenty-first century method of sharing images should work.

Screenshot from 500px.com


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Simon Norfolk

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The work Simon Norfolk produced in Afghanistan is a body of work which massively inspired me, to the extent that hours after seeing just one of his images I bought his book and never looked back. This Man’s perspective of war is refreshing and admiration.

The reason why I feel his work has inspired me to such a great height, even though it isn’t in a field which overly interests me is his mentality behind the images. He went to Afghanistan with the mindset of living there and experiencing what its like to be in this war-zone, to hear peoples stories and to literally feel the pain the people are going through. This gives his images an almost empathetic feel to how he’s shown the place. Not the stereotypical approach we seem to be feed from the modern day media. Whom quickly venture out of the compounds of places like Camp Bastian and snap away at the most horrific things they can find, while under huge protection from the military.
Norfolk has taken an almost parallel approach to Afghanistan, he hasn’t gone out there to snap the complete opposite to exactly what he hates that the media portray, because he is almost admitting in his images that this horrific side to a war zone can definitely not be avoided, but he has portrayed it in a way which almost finds unseen beauty about the places where this devastation has occurred.

(Image sourced from http://www.lensculture.com/norfolk_images/norfolk_1.jpg) 
This can be seen to its full potential with the covering image for his book “Afghanistan Zero” This image incorporates the story of this man, who is a balloon seller, which was illegal in Kabul at the time of this image. However now they line the streets, only making pennies, but making many children happy. (1)
The second thing to note when looking at this image is pretty obvious, the massive destroyed building to the centre of the image. This is something Norfolk cant hide from his images, and would be very wrong to avoid, but by not making a massive deal out of it makes the destruction seem more depressing and morose.
Finally is the beautiful dramatic sky and general colours of the image, this adds a strange feel of warmth to the feel of this picture, making one confused as an image of this magnitude and story would normally be portrayed in a much colder and depressing status. 

Is his work Art Photography or Docummentational Photography? I came to the conclusion that his work is definitely Art Photography. This is due to the mannerisms he has in the photographs, he hasn’t taken advantage of the Afghan people or the surroundings, he has shown many different aspects to this war zone, both beautiful and disgusting.
Now that is something I want to open up to debate with everyone on this blog…
Is his work Art Photography or Docummentational Photography?

You can find this book on Amazon for just £40 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Afghanistan-Simon-Norfolk/dp/189923554X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336826310&sr=8-2


(1) – Afghanistan Zero, Simon Norfolk, 


(All rights to these images are reserved and are the property of Simon Norfolk)

(Image sourced from http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_llmgg9b9RL1qitnd4.jpg) 


(Image sourced from http://blog.camera80.ro/images/2006/december/simon-norfolk-5.jpg) 


(Image sourced from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88awlG1sy8JYxzdRzIm4-cYX-kMUoGDmnmurGEhAelE5e5NKVMgJLLj7brKujV81DMrgKvUellem0IXFtdjrHSa9lF2l8BCGkwPlOZmYUbuLqbT-SE3MQN_VrwEDULeEGeW6Xcnjkrcda/s1600/simon_norfolk2%255B1%255D.jpg) 


(Image sourced from http://codeless88.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/simonnorfolk1.jpg) 


(Image sourced from http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_llmgg9b9RL1qitnd4.jpg) 


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Follow on @BiggerDimension

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The twitter feed us up and running nicely, follow us on @BiggerDimension to be kept up to date with the latest Photography News and reviews!!

(All images sourced from http://www.twitter.com/BiggerDimension) 

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Nadav Kander

By | Published 10 May 2012


One of my biggest influences has to be Nadav Kander, the way his images look and feel is something I’ve always been in oar of. I would like to specifically talk about his work done in China, the Yangtze River series as I have recently bought his book, something I should have done a long time ago as he is one of my favourite photographers.
This series of images is like nothing I’ve ever seen before, it doesn’t feel to me like he had a pre conceived stereotypical feeling towards the place what so ever, the images are some what neutral, both in feeling and political stance, which for one is very rare when talking about any sort of image produced in China.
Each image seems to bleed onto the next in the way it has been composed, exposed and most importantly what it is portraying. This is something to be massively admired because as photographers we are always trying to make a big deal and to dramatise everything we see, however these images have a feeling of what I will call, “child like documentation”, by this I mean that its as if the photographer knows nothing of the atrocities which may have gone on in these places, as if he hadn’t read/heard anything of china, and this was almost like a study of a totally unventured place or how none of the pictures are trying to make us feel any particular feeling towards these scenes. This is something, I feel, to be massively admired and is very fresh, because all of our lives we are looking at images which are produced to sway our perception of something, where as these images purely and simply document Yangtze River. But in a way which is so powerful that they teach us so much, without trying to sway us into a certain feeling we “should” have towards the place. 
I would categorically recommend everyone to get his book Yangtze- The Long River! It has been my biggest visual and photographic inspiration in years, i promise you will adore his work :)

(All rights to these images are reserved and are the property of Nadav Kander)

(Image sourced from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3lk03i15VWNAPqVlt0BVLB6YzGoO6KjFykC3OLhdbDBN2Podbp0klZXbby_j4TKmAsvkpZM6-GxDxDoiB1Bl0QM3rifYzR61TWZiqym_lN-lREXiYlZPBkblyUqxB8DEGS3rDYej6L-Q/s1600/Nadav+Kander+-+Yangtze%252C+The+Long+River+-+Changxing+Island.jpg) 

(Image sourced from http://www.artdesigncafe.com/IMG/jpg/Nadav-Kander-Prix-Pictet.jpg) 


(Image sourced from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkoMaYrdMa14AIQgm3xk_tS2U32RZiPpxffj0aA1HUMBHOy3c5UZz2OB1KOPZDJi5OAOJyiXxeopx36ITHiBX5zJKduqKnZYFiIVU96urcFJV4Q3mijYPCGUW1q7WD_dnecIxzZLGmiiB/s1600/nadav+kander+yangtze1+-+mouth+%2528wusongkou%252C+where+river+meets+sea%2529%252C+near+shanghai.jpg) 

(Image sourced from http://www.curatedmag.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/yangtze-longriver-front.jpg) 


(Image sourced from http://www.dailyicon.net/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/yangtze05dailyicon.jpg) 


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Delta Heavy - Get By

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Saw this music video today and loved what has been created by Ian Robertson. Dubstep tracks have a habit of lacking in music video's, and this is a refreshing approach to making the music more appealing and "main stream"
In essence, sick video, check it out!


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