The Canals of Bruges #11
Photo of the Day
Number 11 in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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JR’s Inside Out Project
French photographer JR, the winner of the 2011 TED Prize, is spearheading a global, collaborative art project focussed on celebrating humanity around the world.
Head to the Inside Out Project to start participating. The steps are simple: create a portait, upload it and when it is printed and sent back to you, post it in your community. From the site:
People can participate as an individual or in a group; posters can be placed anywhere, from a solitary image in an office window to a wall of portraits on an abandoned building or a full stadium. These exhibitions will be documented, archived and viewable virtually.
The project already has plenty of life as you can see from the uploaded photos already posted.
Worth watching to learn more about the project is the following video that follows Inside Out as it takes shape in Tunisia:
Follow the Inside Out Youtube channel to see more about the project as it progresses.
The Canals of Bruges #10
Photo of the Day
Number ten in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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The Canals of Bruges #9
Photo of the Day
Number nine in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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The Canals of Bruges #8
Photo of the Day
Number eight in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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Photographic Rube Goldberg Machine
I’m a sucker for a Rube Goldberg machine, but when it comes with a photographic theme to it, even better.
The Canals of Bruges #7
Photo of the Day
Number seven in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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A Year in the Life of a Remote Camera
It’s amazing all the critters you can spot with a remote camera in Banff National Park in Canada. This video shows the animal and human traffic through a clearing for 365 days in under five minutes.
The Canals of Bruges #6
Photo of the Day
Number six in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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The Canals of Bruges #5
Photo of the Day
Number five in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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The Canals of Bruges #4
Photo of the Day
Number four in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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The Canals of Bruges #3
Photo of the Day
Number three in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium. This one features the town hall rising in the background.
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What It’s Like to Work for National Geographic
If you’ve ever had any notion of making a career out of travel photography, at some point, you’ve probably wistfully stared into the distance and fantasized about working for National Geographic. That fantasy might have carried with it notions of endless travel to exotic locations full of interesting locals who are all too willing to have you point you camera in their direction. That was my naive fantasy anyway. I couldn’t have been the only one, can I? Anyone?
Celebrated NG photographer, John Stanmeyer, is here to dispel any illusions you might have about the prestigious publication. In his new blog series, he discusses what’s involved in producing a National Geographic article from start to finish from the perspective of a photographer. In this, the first of the series, he writes about the genesis of stories and how those ideas start to take shape via extensive research and planning.
It’s a good window into the process used by some of the world’s best photojournalists and I’ll be sure to keep up with the rest of the series.
Northern Lights Time Lapse
A bit of time-lapse eye candy from Agust Ingvarsson:
AURORA ISLANDICA – a Northern Lights Timelapse from Agust Ingvarsson on Vimeo.
The Canals of Bruges #2
Photo of the Day
Number two in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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How Eric Kim Shoots Street Photos
Street photographer Eric Kim has posted the following video showing his point of view when he hits the streets with his camera.
It’s an interesting glimpse at how he works: spot a subject, walk confidently and purposefully toward desired vantage point, snap, move along (brief small talk optional). It’s fast and generally not too intrusive and the results are not too bad. See the photos on Eric’s blog.
I’ve rarely used this kind of approach myself – I prefer to ask permission and that has its good and bad sides. On the one hand, well, you’ve asked permission. People appreciate that and some people are decidedly unwilling to allow photos – asking permission avoids trouble. Another big bonus is that you often get a chance to get to know someone you would have normally just passed by. That can lead additional photo ops or even better, friendships.
On the bad side, you’ll often miss shots and the shots you do get after asking for permission can sometimes look posed and stilted.
Either way, I suppose it’s good to be able to work both ways: slowly cozy up to a subject until you can call each other pals or try Eric’s way and be a stealthy photo ninja that has left the scene before they even know a picture was taken.
Mitch Dobrowner’s Storm Photography
Just found this interview with Mitch Dobrowner at F-Stop Magazine. Mitch is a fine-art storm photographer and in this interview he discusses how he got into the field, his process, and how he has made a name for himself. It’s a good little read, but if you want a quick photo fix, skim through the little slideshow of his images for some stunning work.
And if that’s not enough for you, check out his portfolio for plenty more ominous clouds filled with darkness, evil, and tortured souls. Or maybe just darkness.
The Canals of Bruges #1
Photo of the Day
Starting today and going on for a dozen or so posts, I’ll be showing off some of my photos from a recent trip to Bruges, Belgium. Frequently dubbed the ‘Venice of the North,’ I couldn’t help but capture a few shots of the canals that criss cross the city. This series focuses on those waterways. Enjoy.
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Rob Hornstra in Sochi, Russia
Rob Hornstra is a dutch photographer whose current project is to document the city of Sochi, Russia before the Winter Olympics of 2014. His method is one of slow journalism that involves visiting and re-visiting areas over the course of years instead of days, weeks or months.
There’s some good behind the scenes time spent on him working on location and getting the locals comfortable in front of the camera as well as insight into how he has financed his projects and brought them to fruition in this age of self-publishing.
And I get a special bonus when watching this one. At about 14:30 of this video, Hornstra is shooting a lounge singer whose last name is not too far off from mine: Sasha Savchuk. I’m told that Sawchuk derives from Savchuk, so, Sasha and I are probably very distantly related. Very.
Via Gill Moore’s twitter.
Senior Dogs Across America
Nothing better than a good dog who has lived a good life. I remember my old dog Arthur in his later days wasn’t as mobile as his younger self, but he was just as loyal, caring and generally awesome. Hard to believe it’s been almost five years since he’s been gone. Still love you buddy! *sniff*
Anyway, what’s prompted that little outpouring is Nancy LeVine‘s beautiful series of photos: Senior Dogs Across America.
It’s easy to tug at the heartstrings of dog lovers with this subject matter, but Levine has done a great job to capture the dignity and still-present joy of these lovely beasts.
How an LCD Screen Works
Time for some hardcore nerd action now. Engineer Bill Hammack shows you just what you’ve always wanted to know: how on earth a Liquid Crystal Display works. Well, it’s probably not what you’ve always wanted to know, but it’s interesting stuff for us nerds who like to know how stuff works.
Besides, don’t you want to know what makes that glowing rectangle you’re staring at for 90% of your day tick?
I’m not sure if there’s anything sadder than sitting at home on a Saturday night and learning about the functionality of LCD displays or not. If there is, it’s probably sitting at home on a Saturday night and blogging about the functionality of LCD displays. But hey, here we are!
Beneath Meknes’ Koubbat as-Sufara
Photo of the Day
Koubbat as-Sufara is a hall that was once used for the reception of foreign ambassadors, but the creepy crypt below is an even better sight. Through it was only used for food storage, it has the atmosphere of somewhere more likely to be haunted than a simple granary.
There were very few visitors present during my time there, so it was relatively easy for me to run around popping off flash bursts to light this lengthy hall.
Click to see a larger image:
Bodmin Moor’s Cheesewring
Photo of the Day
The Cheesewring is a rock formation sitting atop the barren hill of Stowes Hill in Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. According to good-old Wikipedia, it’s named after a cheesewring, “a press-like device that was used to make cheese.”
Almost unbelievably, this is a natural formation. No ancient astronauts came down to pile these giant stones onto one another – this is all the result of weathering. The hill has a few other strange formations like this one and there’s a stone circle not too far away as well.
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Chesterton Windmill
Photo of the Day
Here’s another one of my experiments in using a single flash to light a scene in dozens of separate photos later combined. This one is of the Chesterton Windmill which stands by itself in a field not too far from Stratford-upon-Avon.
Click to see the image on a black background:
Darby Sawchuk is a Canadian-born photographer who currently resides in Manchester, England. He has travelled to over 40 countries and is always adding more to the list. He creates stock for multiple agencies and is available for assignments.
+44 0790 992 8932
