The 1985 Amiga computer launch conference, demonstrated its graphics software by having Andy Warhol photoshop Blondie's lead singer, live, on his first ever computer.
Photography struggles with truth as a concept. With other art forms, truth is generally a non-issue. We do not question whether a painting is real. We do not question whether a dance is real. We are generally able to discern fictional texts from nonfiction; furthermore, we’re generally able to sift through multiple nonfiction texts and combine them with our own experiences to arrive at a conclusion of truth. But not with photography.
Casio, known today for rather pedestrian point-and-shoot compact cameras, wasn’t always that way. In the late 1990s, they were at the forefront of digital imaging, but now, that’s no more.
This video shows how video came to be what it is today. It's fascinating to learn how the concept of a fax machine invented in the 1800s was developed to become the broadcast on TV we grew up to watch and love.
How could we pass K without perhaps the last word going to the most iconic of iconic brands? Yes, this installment of the A to Z of Photography outlines the rise and fall of Kodak. Can the phoenix arise from the ashes of it's photographic self-immolation? Yevgeny Khaldei accompanies Kodak and, whilst not a household name, his signature image is one of the the most recognizable. Read on.
Digital photography in the 1990s was a wild ride, full of innovation and quirks. Here are five iconic digital cameras from the 1990s, each unique in its own way.
Whether you’ve thought about it or not, psychology plays a huge role in successful photography. Even when considering technical aspects of photography like composition, exposure, depth of field, etc., psychology is part of the “why” behind proper camera settings. It's no surprise then that color plays a big role in emotionally provocative photography, and Michael Carroll recently published his book, “Retrographic” to document a project in which already emotionally-charged photographs from history are colorized to evoke even more emotion.
How much would you love to study with Ansel Adams? This photographer did.
It's been 9 years since Australian photographer Alexander Khimushin left home to travel the world, and he's since been to over 80 countries. While many travelers prefer short-term sightseeing tours, Khimushin is a firm believer that off the beaten path is the only way of traveling. Meeting indigenous people all over the world was the most inspiring part of his journey. This realization led to a personal project called, "The World in Faces," which he started around three years ago.
At the turn of the 20th century, the Industrial Revolution had led to a need for workers, and in the pursuit of cheap labor that was less likely to unionize, many companies turned to hiring children, often putting them in dangerous conditions for long hours and low pay. As the cries for child labor reform began to grow, one man's photos helped to humanize the movement and spur the change. This great video tells the story of his work.
Before baby monitors and viral livestreams, a glitchy black-and-white camera pointed at an empty coffee pot ignited an internet revolution. This is the surprising tale of how a thirst for caffeine birthed the world’s very first webcam.
Ah, the selfie stick. And here we were thinking this was a new invention! Taken in 1934, Helmer Larsson and his wife, Naemi Larsson, show true human ingenuity as they pose for a portrait together in Wermland, Sweden, using a literal selfie stick. I think this is the first photograph I've seen where a selfie stick doesn't make the user look like an absolute tool.
The story of Polaroid offers a fascinating insight into the evolution of camera technology. Once a titan of the photographic industry, Polaroid failure to innovate and anticipate the shift to digital led to its bankruptcy, but a return to analog processes has breathed new life into this former giant.
This week we turn to a train wreck of an image — yes the iconic photo "Train Wreck at Montparnasse Station"! But before we get to that, step back to the dawn of photography and understand the principles behind tilting and shifting the lens relative to the sensor. Some of the highest profile photographers use tilt-shift lenses in their day-to-day work, so find out why that is.
The Victorians ushered in an era of dramatic change, principally in the application of science, but being able to do this (literally) on an industrial scale. The impact upon society was tumultuous - throw science, invention, industrial processes, and money into the mix and the way countries developed forever changed, forming the basis for the world we live in today.
With camera technology as good as it is nowadays, it can be easy to forget just how quickly things have advanced in the span of just a few short decades. As a case in point, this fun video reviews the Sega Digio SJ-1, a nifty point and shoot camera from 1996.
Light is the currency of photography, it's how you use it that defines your creative outputs. As we reach the letter E in our alphabetical journey, what better place to start than with exposure? Joining it, faster than a speeding bullet, is Harold Edgerton.
What once was old and lost can be found new again, can’t it? That’s what photography is all about, after all. Sealing something in time. A visual tomb, preserved without the breeze of the next day to blow it along, but never suffocating. Alive. It's funny that this is how I felt when I stumbled across photographs from The National Gallery of Australia’s "Colour My World" exhibit.
Most people never think about what lies behind the small window twinkling with bright light above them at the cinema. Even fewer have had the opportunity to see the projection booth where are all the magic happens. Now that almost all major chain Cinemas have converted fully to digital, most people will never get that chance. K. William McMillan's video gives a glimpse into that world through the eyes of Projectionist Michael Roussete.
The coronavirus pandemic has led to massive shutdowns across the world, with the everyday lives of many people coming to a complete stop. Paris is one such city, with its historic and vibrant streets now standing quiet and devoid of much of the life that normally fills them. This video explores the city and shows just how remarkably different it is due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Early digital cameras, despite their limitations, were a marvel of their time, offering a glimpse into the future of image capture and paving the way for the advanced technology we enjoy today. This fun video takes a look back at one such camera.
Photographing war has a long history dating back to at least Mathew Brady's photos of the American Civil War. Some images become inextricably linked to the events they portray. So what is it about this image that makes it so powerfully representative of the First World War?
Photojournalism helps to shape our collective consciousness. In thinking about how important photojournalism is, I’ve often found myself considering what happens when amateurs with amateur equipment find themselves in extraordinary circumstances.
It is easy to take for granted how easy it is to preserve our images these days; after all, we can create multiple copies of our photos in multiple locations with just a few clicks of the mouse. It was not always so easy, and as this great video shows, the process of preserving historical photographs can be incredibly delicate and require a highly skilled hand. Check out this great video to see the process in action.
You might think that when a piece of art is finished, it is done in every sense of the word, now a static object — unchanging, permanent forever. But it’s anything but; in fact, all art is fleeting when you place it on the timescales our planet runs on. Just how do climate and art interact? What can art tell us about climate, particularly as it continues to be at the forefront of discussions of the future of humanity?
Ebru Yildiz is a photographer based in New York. She shoots portraits and live music events and has clients like the New York Times, Rolling Stone, NPR, and Pitchfork to name a few. One of the places she's shot a lot of work at has recently closed their doors. The venue, Death By Audio in Williamsburg, has been one of the most vital underground music venues in the NYC community. It occupied a large warehouse on the waterfront from 2005 until 2014 and hosted bands who due to their performances there later enjoyed international acclaim. Bands like A Place to Bury Strangers, Jeff The Brotherhood, and Lightning Bolt and many more graced the stage in this venue.
In this article we turn to the society photographer, and fortune teller sounding, Madame Yevonde, but before her another Japanese brand that bit the dust. Yashica were prominent in the post-war photographic world, but when did they cease production?
In 1980, philosopher Roland Barthes published a book that would shift our understanding of photography. Drawing on Barthes' words, Jamie Windsor asks the question: How much control do we have over our photographs?
Where do the foundations of photography lie? If the physical principles of the camera had been understood for millennia and chemists had known for some time that silver reacted to light, what then led to a convergence of understanding in the 1830s?
So how did one of the most admired cinematographers of all time revolutionize both cinema and television with two vastly different styles?
