written by: Maxwell MacKenzieMy father, a Marine Corps combat fighter pilot flew F-4U Corsairs in the Pacific in World War II. The Corsair had a 13-foot diameter propeller and was the fastest aircraft in the world. Some versions were equipped with over 2,000 horsepower, giving them a top speed of nearly 450 mph. It was a difficult plane to fly and especially tricky to land on a rolling carrier deck. After the war he, wary of the new and often unreliable jets, became a helicopter pilot and instructor. Dad was very proud of his skill. On my weekends with him he would take Read more »
written by: Jonathan MorseUpon the invention of the photograph, it was said: From this day on, painting is dead! But I maintain that all of the visual arts are inextricably linked and that photography is just one of all the media available for human mark-making. Going back to our cave dwelling ancestors, we all have felt the need to depict, represent and present a vision. My photo training at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, NY (thanks to such photo-luminaries as Nathan and Joan Lyons, Syl Labrot and John Wood) instilled in me the Big Tent approach to the medium: photography is not Read more »
An Interview with Oliviero Toscani
written by: Jesper Storgaard Jensen, Oliviero ToscaniSex, diseases, grief and human dramas of any kind. No issue is taboo for Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani. Jesper Storgaard Jensen spoke to him about provocations, taboos and why… “When I start a new project where creativity is involved, I don’t have any guarantees whatsoever as to how it will turn out. I don’t want to have that certainty. Because creativity means entering unchartered territory. And when you speak about creativity you shouldn’t look for consensus, because that simply leads to mediocrity. So…listen to the marketing guys and then go in the complete opposite direction.” Oliviero Toscani looks relaxed, and Read more »
An Interview with Ed Freeman
written by: Ed Freeman, Paul SchranzToday the old adage,“You only get to go around once in life” is often irrelevant, as a number of highly accomplished photographers came through a doorway into a second career. This observation led to the first of a series of questions we recently asked Ed Freeman, whose earlier incarnation was musician, arranger and producer named on some pretty famous record albums. PS: From a successful career in the field of music, how did you move to photography? EF: I’ve been playing instruments since age six and taking pictures since age ten. Both have been central to my life ever since, Read more »
My fascination with light started early in my life. When I was about five years old, I was sitting in a room by a window with shuttered heavy curtains, leaving only a small distance in between them, where a miracle was happening: I could see the movement of dust in the air. I was mesmerized, not just by seeing the dust, but feeling something powerful and beautiful for the first time: light. I left the room, not knowing that for years to come light would keep stealing my attention. And from the light circles on the bazaar’s floor, reflection of colored Read more »
The Story of “The Bridge at Hoover Dam” Photo Essay
written by: Jamey StillingsIt is at the intersections of nature and the hand of man that the greatest visual, philosophical, environmental and political energy exists. At these intersections, we discover something important about ourselves and our relationship to the world. Early in the first quarter of 2009, the studio phone went silent; no portfolio requests, estimates, or assignments. Nothing. I have been through a few recessions and each has presented a new and unique set of challenges. The Great Recession of 2009 would be no different. I decided immediately to capitalize on the slow period, turn it to my advantage creatively, if not Read more »
An Interview with Kevin Then
written by: Kevin ThenMany wedding photographers work with an established scenario carried out in a predictable way. Kevin Then, however, is a photographer whose work redefines the genre of high-end wedding photography. Named Hasselblad Master under the Wedding Social category in 2008, Then has continued to demonstrate aesthetic brilliance and command of the latest photographic technological developments in fashion and design. The result is an international client base and invitations to speak about what he does to raise the bar for excellence in wedding photography. Some photographers, especially those whose work is recognized internationally, may find that a particular style is associated with Read more »
Speed of Light
written by: Duncan Beebe, Christy Lee RogersKnowing that light travels slower in water than air is the first step toward understanding the magic behind the luminous photography of Christy Lee Rogers. Rogers is a photographer and filmmaker from the island of Oahu, Hawaii. In her hands the play of light, water, color, movement and optics combine in elegant underwater photographs. Her new series, Odyssey, explores the quiet battle between spirit and flesh, depicting inner adventures and couplings of mythological figures drenched in color and frozen in time. Rogers’ methods have long been as mysterious as her photography, but for the first time she is willing to Read more »
Iconic Images of Moto Racing's Heyday from a Master Photographer
written by: Chuck Graham, Jesse AlexanderStrolling through photographer Jesse Alexander’s Carpinteria, CA studio of black and white motor racing images is like taking a step back in time to the sport’s infancy. Mostly self- taught, Alexander has been a photographer since high school, evolving into a photojournalist and fine art photographer. His primary focus on motorsports began in the early 1950s, with the birth of the sports car movement in the United States. The walls of his studio are adorned with portraits of legendary motor racing personalities and dramatic action imagery throughout Western Europe and America. Racecar drivers such as Phil Hill, Alfa Romeo, Johnny Read more »
written by: Justina HanI began photographing in Asia about ten years ago. I started doing documentary photography in New York when I was studying photography, and moving on from there I photographed in Vietnam, Cambodia and, of course, Korea, where I was born and raised. In the past four years, I have photographed very extensively in Bhutan, the last Buddhist kingdom of the Himalayas, and that work has resulted in two gallery exhibitions and a book, called Simply Bhutan—Land of the Thunder Dragon. I think all my Asia work is similar in theme. I like to photograph people in their everyday lives, not Read more »
