Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Spontaneous Photography Thoughts

Friday, December 16, 2011

Photography, Technology and Connections in the Name of Art

I find it awesome when the digital and “real” worlds intersect for collective benefit, especially in the name of art.
Two Winston-Salem Arts Institutions
I just had the pleasure of attending a free lecture hosted by SECCA — The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art — about select photographic works of our city’s Arts Council (full disclosure below). Because of technology, a passion for art, and social networking, the experience became amplified. And that sort of thing gives me hope for the world.
Several items from the council’s photography collection were to be on display at a local gallery, and Michael Christiano, Curator of Education at SECCA (check them out on WordPress), gave a crash course in photographic appreciation to start the evening off.
In the span of 20 minutes, he covered many of the greats — Robert FrankEdward WestonJerry Uelsmann (my all-time favorite & inspiration) — along with several others, highlighting how the collection’s works being shared were representative of the media’s progression over time. In a larger sense, this collection and these artists aside, it was a notable reflection on how the technology of photography lets us put form to something intangible like memory.
Think of a photo that ever brought a “wow” from your lips.
Kiss Me Like You Promise Me Heaven in Your Lips
Kiss Me Like You Promise Me Heaven in Your Lips - © Sion Fullana. All Rights Reserved.
Considering such technology didn’t even exist two centuries ago, it’s rather an amazing jump in human communication that we practically take for granted nowadays, what with cameras in our phones and everywhere else.
But it’s that jump in communication having to do with photography that compels this post. Because of my growing interest/obsession with street photography and iPhoneography (thanks toInstagram and appreciating the art of others), I, of course, had to snap the below image with my phone just as the lecture was getting started. The meta-ness of the moment was too great not to indulge:
Meta-techno-photography moment captured. Click for the full conversation.
A photo from my iPhone at a lecture on photography prior to a photography exhibit that I later published via a photo-sharing app. Now you're reading a blog about it.
Naturally, this immediately went up on Instagram.
The evening progressed; the lecture was great; we perused photos and headed home. Later that night, @lindsyarb — someone I’ve never met except via Instagram — noticed the photo, asking to know more about the event and who hosted. Turns out we’re all in the same city, so I shared SECCA’s details and she signed up for their mailing list.
Instagram Conversation

Did you catch what just happened there?

Through technology, interest in art is shared and fostered — relative to the local community, no less — connections are made, and we actually live through a jump in human communication… not over the centuries, but over wi-fi and social networks in real-time… through a shared appreciation for the creative spirit fostered by photography.
Now that’s art. Or at the very least, I’ve got a little more hope for the world. 
Have you ever made a real-world connection via social media? Is there an Arts Council or equivalent in your city, and do you take part? How have you come to be inspired in an artistic fashion, and do you enjoy sharing that with others? Let us hear from you in the comments!
Full disclosure: I work for a company whose parent is also parent to a corporate donor to the Arts Council. This post is not intended to promote either company or this collection, but rather to expound on the general idea of technology as a facilitator for interest in the visual arts.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Hey Look, A Photo Booth! This is Private... Right?


    Dec 08 2011 21:12PM 7.453 cc94094a,
    Me and the Mrs. having fun in the photo booth. Good clean fun.
    So I was at this fundraiserlast night, which was a huge affair and likely a roaring success. I’m very proud of our community for coming out to have a fun time while supporting a good cause and enjoying the downtownnightlife. There happened to be this photo booth setup with props and instant prints — you get behind a curtain, take 4 digital photos in 10 seconds, and get a printout instantly. It was even free! (Or, included in the price of the event ticket). Totally fun.
    And hey, you can even go online to view them the next day. The guy handing my prints told me so, and there’s a website on the back. Easy-breezy! Cool!
    I hope he told everyone else this, because everyone else’s photos are there as well. What looks to be every… single… photo. My guess is that these have been screened for gang signs, product placement and, um… body parts, but I wonder if everyone realized their snapshots would be available for the world to see the next day?

    Congratulations, You’re Famous!

    If there was a sign stating these would be online, complete with social sharing buttons on every pic’s page, I didn’t see one. Not that I’d ever do anything at a public event that I wouldn’t want, you know… public, but being behind a curtain in a booth implies an idea of privacy, especially when you walk away with the prints in your hand. That is no longer so in our technoconnected world, and to assume otherwise is naive.
    Click for full size (new window)
    Say, there's no way someone's gonna post this on a blog, right?
    I’m even writing this post from the photo’s page, since it offered the option to share via WordPress (along withTwitterFacebookTumblr and Posterous). I later came to WordPress.com to add photos and links. Man, WordPressrocks.
    Don’t get me wrong — I think the modern photo booth is a fantastic idea and I hope the venture and this local franchisee makes a million bucks. What with the rise ofvintage effects and retro cameras now supercharged with the speed, portability and low cost of digital photography, I think it’s wonderful to bring back an “old-timey” experience, and especially to make sharing easy. But I gotta wonder if — and do hope — everyone else pictured is cool with that.
    What do you think? Have you ever been in a “for-real” photo booth that uses film? Or have you ever done one like this with digital prints and social media capability? Does this raise privacy issues, or should we all assume we’re free game? Tell us in the comments!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Black & White iPhoneography - Photography Editing Tutorial Video


    Here’s another fantastic tutorial video from Guy Yang of The Beginner’s Lens on a subject I’m obviously interested in: black & white iPhoneography, that is, photos taken with the iPhone in grayscale, then intensified into expressive art with selective adjustments (brightness, contrast, sharpening, etc.). Guy takes you through a very thorough step-by-step overview using Filterstorm in this 15-minute professional-level clip, showing how to transform a regular snapshot into a striking composition with selective edits. Note: viewable free for a limited time only.
    iPhone Camera Essentials from The Beginner's Lens (new window)
    "This video is all about editing – in particular transforming some of your less than fabulous color photos into stunning black & white photos, all from your iPhone." via iPhone Camera Essentials
     As a graphic designer for many years, I’ll say it’s still amazing to me how we can achieve these results so easily now with just a few minutes, and app, and a thumb — whereas 5 years ago, this required either a PC running full-on Photoshop… or a dark room and major skills. I elaborate more on this in a discussion about Instagram, and am still very much into that experience, more all the time. See also: Become Popular on Instagram.
    What did you think of the video? Have you explored iPhoneography? Do you think black & white is more enjoyable than color, or vice versa? What tips and apps do you prefer for editing? Who inspires you? Let us hear from you in the comments!