Around the Net

Around the Net, September 15, 2011

September 15, 2011 by Younes

So I finally fixed my issues with this blog feature (I am sorry for the disturbance it may have caused in your RSS feeds). For some reason, my wordpress theme interpreted multiple links in a post as me YELLING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS. I wasn’t.

Now that everything is (seemingly) back in order, let’s proceed on to this week’s bounty of interesting tidbits on the interwebs.

  • First off, pure genius. I don’t own any wacom products but feel I may be swayed soon. I actually have no need for this as I can’t draw for sh!t, but, man this is awesome! Imagine yourself drawing on paper, regular paper, with a regular pen, then putting all of that into your computer without scanning or losing any details. Keeping layers too. It seems I can’t write for Sh!t either so, please watch this…just awesome: the Inkling by Wacom.
  • If you haven’t heard his name before, that probably means you have lived in a cave for the last half century or so. However, just in case you haven’t or if you haven’t been on his website for a while, get ready for a massive dose of inspiration. James Nachtwey doesn’t need any introductions, so here it is. Hang on to your seats.
  • Last week, Chase Jarvis spoke to Pulitzer Prize winner and photographer/videographer guru Vincent Laforet on his blog. When a Pulitzer Prize winner speaks, you listen (or in this case, read).
  • I have been doing a lot of architectural photography of late (behind the scenes, more on this to come soon), and with it comes quite a bit of research, both to learn and for inspiration. My go-to source for this is without a doubt Dezeen. This week they feature a regional library in Hungary that is sure to leave you in awe. Delicious design. (can there be such a thing as delicious design?).
  • On the bidness side of things, promo materials are part of the reality of any commercial photographer. Some people prefer the traditional route. Others go all out and let their creativity take the lead. If you’re looking for some new ideas for your promos, take a look here.
  • Still on the bidness side of things, Maria Brophy is the wife and Art Manager for renowned surf artist Drew Brophy. Her blog is a great source of all sort of business and management advice that applies directly for photographers, without all the hoopla and empty crap that most marketing so-called “gurus” throw at you out there. In this post, Maria discusses how over-extending yourself could hurt your career.

Voila! That’s it for this week!

Around the Interwebs- September 1, 2011

September 1, 2011 by Younes

SEPTEMBER 1ST!! ALREADY??!

Ok, morning freakout over.

Twilight on Bab Boujloud in the old medina of Fes

Bab Boujloud, one of the main entrances to the old medieval medina (city) of Fez, Morocco, photographed at twilight

Second instalment of Around the Net today, a feature where I curate a few interesting links I gleaned around the interwebs over the past week or so. So, without further ado:

  • I want to start with this article I read on aphotoeditor.com. There are two reasons for that: first the photography project of Massimo Gammacurta’s is just mindblowing. Second, the article highlights an important principle of commercial success in photography (or any business venture): it takes time, and lots of it. We often expect or wish for overnight success, but in reality, except in a few circumstances, you just have got to put in the time to make it happen.
  • From the behance gallery, I want to present you the unbelievably creative work of Dominik Smialowski. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, so I won’t say what the work is about. I promise you though, it’s worth a few minutes of your time.
  • I only recently found out about Andrew Zuckerman’s work, especially his Wisdom project, but it seems I can’t go a day without seeing something of him our about him. In this video interview, he discusses the value of curiosity and rigor in his work. To quote him directly: “What gets projects done for me is not inspiration. I have no idea what inspiration really is. I know that I get really curious about things, and when that gets mixed with rigor, a project gets completed. And that’s basically it, it’s that simple. When curiosity and rigor get together, something happens. And when one of these things [isn't] there, nothing happens, or the project doesn’t really reach people”. More from the guy himself right here.

That’s it for today, see you all next week. And don’t forget that there are two more spots left for my Morocco tour. Cut off date is coming really soon, so please come and join me and Amanda in an unforgettable experience, I promise!

Around the Net

August 24, 2011 by Younes

With the wealth of information that flows through our lives these days, I find that we end up being flooded to the point we (and I mean *I*) don’t know where to look anymore. So, I’ve decided to revive a feature I ran sometime ago, where I “curate” a bunch of links from around the net on things that I think are worth taking a deeper look at. These may be collections of photos, a new photographer, an interesting story or anything that tickles my fancy really…I’d love to know if you find it useful. I’ll try and get it going once a week whenever possible.

Ready? Set. Go!

  • This guy is one of the most acclaimed photographers on earth and there is a reason for that. Steve McCurry’s photographs never miss to elicit strong and powerful emotions. I particularly like he thematically curated posts on his blog. This time, it’s the power of hands: http://stevemccurry.wordpress.com/2011/08/19/power-of-hands/
  • No paraphrasing here, just a straight quote: “Kingsley’s Crossing is the story of one man’s dream to leave the poverty of life in Africa for the promised land of Europe. We walk in his shoes, as photojournalist Olivier Jobard accompanies Kingsley…”. Poignant.: http://mediastorm.com/publication/kingsleys-crossing
  • The future of cameras? http://www.artefactgroup.com/wvil/ Wi-fi viewfinder, multi-platform lens mount, instant connectivity…that would be pretty sweet. If this is something that interests you, I suggest you dig down Thom Hogan’s website (http://bythom.com) as he offers an interesting view of his thoughts on the future of cameras.
  • I love browsing Behance from time to time as there are endless sources of inspiration in the galleries. This photo essay documents a terrific project for solar powered lamps in poor rural areas. Wonderful Imagery: http://www.behance.net/gallery/Cambodia-by-Moonlight/1942349
  • If you aspire to become a commercial photographer, I highly recommend this great feature on Rob Haggart’s famous blog A Photo Editor where Bill Cramer, photographer and agent goes into the nitty gritty of pricing, bidding and negotiating a commercial photography contract. http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2011/08/16/real-world-estimates-bribes-and-kickbacks/

That’s it for today. I’d love to know what you think of this feature!