Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
In their new short film series Masters, Frame.io asked the world’s master filmmakers: “Why do you do, what you do?” In the first episode of this inspiring series, award-winning director Mark Toia shares his experience that will motivate you if you ever feel you’re creating art in vain.
Toia came a long way from a steelworker to an appreciated and paid artist. A teacher once told him that art doesn’t pay… But he couldn’t have been more wrong.
I guess most of us expect the items with Leica’s logo to be expensive. But this “fake Leica” that doesn’t even take photos will surprise you with its price tag. It’s a stainless steel sculpture, a mash-up of several Leica models. It’s made by Chinese artist Liao Yibai and reaches whopping $99,995.
Artist Matthew Mohr has created an interesting and unique piece of art. His project titled As We Are features a 14-foot 3D interactive human head. It was assembled from a skeleton covered with ribbons of LED screens. In its neck, there’s a photo booth where the visitors can capture 3D photos of themselves. Once they do it, the giant head displays their face, turning them into a statue.
Since the interactive head combines technology, interaction, and art, it’s also called “the ultimate selfie machine.” However, its purpose is more than just taking a selfie. It serves to amuse people, but also to evoke some discussions and consider how the idea of self-representation has evolved.
Photography at it’s core is an art form.
As photographers, we sometimes get so caught up with the aesthetic or technical challenges of creating pretty pictures that we forget that art is supposed to challenge us intellectually, to help us see things in different ways, to inspire debate.
Advertising photographer Tim Tadder’s recent project “Nothing To See” aims to do just that.
“Nothing To See” is an artistic statement on the current state of politics in America – a protest of sorts, but also an invitation to action…
I find calligraphy wonderful, and it remains something I’d like to learn. So naturally, I was enchanted by the combination of calligraphy and photography. Mexican artists Said Dokins and Leonardo (Leo) Luna combine calligraphy and light painting.
Their project is named Heliographies of Memory, and they use calligraphic movements along with lights and long exposure photography. As a result, they create amazing “calligrafitti” at the iconic sites. They are only visible after the photographic process, and invisible to the naked eye while the process lasts.
If you’re looking for inspiration, knowledge, or want to trace the history of photography, here’s something for you. Europeana Collections’ impressive digital gallery features 2.2 million images, covering the first 100 years of photography. Among the featured names, there are Man Ray, Julia Margaret Cameron, Eadweard Muybridge and Nicola Perscheid, to name a few. The photographs come from 34 countries, and many of them are free for the visitors to download and use.
The Guggenheim Museum has a real treat for all art lovers and book worms. They have released an online library containing over 200 art books, both modern and historic. You can find the works about the art and artists from various fields, and of course – this includes some photography books as well.
Where do you get your inspiration? Do you feel like you’ve hit the wall with your photography from time to time?
There’s no doubt that photography is a pretty specific form of art. It focuses on the existing moments and scenes, and it’s up to us to interpret and capture them. Each of us has our own vision and use different methods to do it. While it’s certainly great that photography is specific and different from other visual arts, it can sometimes be a problem, too.
Photographers tend to be isolated in the world familiar to them. We mainly get inspired by other photographer’s work. And although it’s very versatile – it’s not limitless. This is one of the reasons we can get stuck in a rut. Because of this, photographer Ted Forbes created a fantastic, inspirational video to encourage you to seek inspiration beyond photography.
Photographers are found in abundance. Exceptional ones, though are extremely rare. Even in the most respected organizations, few can captivate the viewer by evoking wonder, curiosity, and inspiration. Only a handful of highly evolved photographers can capture imagery with the potency and emotion that wins Pulitzers.
I’m constantly tuning my receptivity to human emotion. My excitement for photography is deeply rooted in desire to be emotionally captivated. Many photographers employ plenty of hacks and are able to cobble together striking imagery. Only a precious few, however, know how to set pictures on fire and make meaning resonate.
It’s understandable that the great unwashed masses of the larger population might not appreciate contemporary art. But you’d think that photographers, who are creatives in their own right, would appreciate the art and creativity of others in all of its various forms. What I’ve seen instead is that, when it comes to much contemporary art, most (but not all!) photographers tend to dismiss the work outright. Instead of being more open to contemporary artwork than nonartists, photographers actually tend to be more dismissive.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
Find my work on My website or follow me on Facebook or My page
