Posts in Photography

My friend Cameron Ballensky has been in town visiting for a few days, so we’ve been out and about shooting loads of film. Me, mostly 35mm, him Polaroid. After seeing some of the unpredictable results yielded by certain films he uses, I was really turned on by the idea of exploring this format myself (also two of my favorite photographers, Reuben Wu and Neil Krug, have inspired this in me as well). Cameron mostly get’s all of his film through The Impossible Project, a company that now produces Polaroid film, and as I was exploring their site, I came across the beautiful work of Chloe Aftel, a Los Angeles based photographer and film director.

Browse through her beautiful body of work on Flickr.

Chloe is also part of The Impossible Project’s launch of a new instant film material for 8×10 cameras (image below). More info can be found here.

My name is Michael Chase, creator of Area of Interest. Today, as a guest on ISO50, I’ll be going into the process of how I create an image.

The first part of creating an image is finding a good location to shoot. It was difficult to tell if Coyote’s Pool was still open for business because it was so run down. Paint was flaking badly from underneath the awnings. All the old banners were sun bleached and fraying. Barbed wire covered one side of the roof which I assumed was to keep bar patrons from climbing onto the establishment. As I walked closer to the building I began to wonder if “Coyote’s Pool” was slang for public outdoor toilet based on the smell of it. I was sure it would yield some great textures and there were plenty.

Some of the most fascinating textures were on the tables in the patio area. This is the original image taken from one of the tables. I’m always on the lookout for cracks, splits, flakes, discoloration, residue, splatters, splotches, and other signs of decay. I use these sorts of textures to highlight the subject of impermanence which is the central theme of my work.

Occasionaly I’ll dramatically alter colors and levels while editing to give myself ideas of which direction I’d like to go next. Sometimes a simple thing like flipping an image or inverting colors can spur me into a completely new direction.

Lately I’ve been working a lot with layering filters and gradient fills. I’m fond of the unusual color combinations that I’ve stumbled on which can really make an image pop.

I tend to make a mess and work backwards. Once I’ve gone too far I’ll strip back until I find a good balance. I know I’m close to being done when I keep returning to the same image over and over. Then it’s subtle level, hue, and lighting tweaks here and there to give the image the atmosphere and mood I want to present.

Here’s a time lapse of the entire process.

Thanks to Jakub and ISO50 for letting me stop by and do this guest post.

If you aren’t following Tim Navis (@navisphotography) on Instagram you’re blowing it. Above are some highlights, all fit nicely in line with his overall aesthetic. Must have a print of that top one.

More over at his Instagram Feed and blog

Friend of the blog and Tim Navis collaborator Cameron Ballensky shares some beautifully shot images of his camera collection. I first met Cameron when he assisted Tim on the Tycho shoot, this guy is a technical wizard. He was the one in the car doing donuts around us to kick up the dust in this picture; came out amazing.

Lots of other goodness at his blog

djkidsl – If you’re looking for epic imagery with a good amount of manipulation then this feed is exactly what you’ve been looking for.

lukeatencio – Floating cube structures accompany most of this feeds images and I only seem to love them more and more.

trevorpowers – Not only does he make excellent music under the name Youth Lagoon but its also nice to follow this feed when Trevor hits the road.

ISO50 on Instagram.

@iso50 – Scott Hansen
@heatheredpearls – Jakub Alexander
@acornell – Alex Cornell
@beamercola – Beamer Wilkins
@cbergquist – Charles Bergquist
@B3PO – Jonathan Marsh
@navisphotography – Tim Navis
@hallwood – Seth Hallwood
@nitemoves – Rory O’Connor
@rfissmer – Rob Fissmer
@tavcalico – Tavish Calico
@antiautomation – David Auerbach

If you think you’re having a rough start to the week, flip through the portfolio of photojournalist Lynsey Addario. The images Addario captures may not inspire you directly per se but, at least you’re not one of the victims in some of her photos. What she is doing is completely mind blowing to me. As a photographer, I live to capture moments as intense and raw as these but at what cost? It looks that Addario really puts her life on the line to capture images and stories that she can share with the rest of the world. Here’s a snippet of who Lynsey Addario is taken from her website’s bio:

Lynsey Addario is an American photojournalist based in New Delhi, India, where she photographs for The New York Times, National Geographic, and Time Magazine.

Lynsey began photographing professionally in 1996-with no professional photographic training or studies-and started photographing conflict and humanitarian issues. In 2000, she traveled to Afghanistan under Taliban rule to document life and oppression under the Taliban. She has since covered conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Darfur, and Congo, and shoots features across the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa.

Addario’s work is NSFW. I selected images that would compliment this blog’s style. But be warned, there is a lot of gruesome photos. I honestly can’t put her work into words. It’s an experience that made my heart drop, eyes widen with jaw on the floor.

View the rest of Lynsey Addario’s work at her website.

circa_1983 – Not only should you follow circa_1983 but you should check out his website

almond_surfboards – Even if you don’t surf they make it look like candy.

johncurley – I love it when someone can make something soo noisy and blurry soo appealing.

Really enjoying the work of Los Angeles based photographer Nicholas Alan Cope. There is a sense of eerieness in his work, as well as just the right amount of “darkness”, although there are a few examples of his work I came across that were a bit too much and gore for my taste. All in all, impeccable use of lines, tones and texture.

Caleb Owen Everitt is one of those designers who has such a dialed in style, you can almost instantly recognize his work when you see it. Not to mention, he has some of the coolest clients in the game from Hufnagel to Deus Ex Machina and many more. His work is always a great source of inspiration for me.

Posted by Tav Calico

Blog favorite Matthias Heiderich is having his first solo exhibition in the US:

Gallery Carte Blanche is pleased to announce the opening of Spektrum Berlin, Matthias Heiderich on Thursday, July 19, 2012.
Featuring the work of German-based photographer Matthias Heiderich, in his first solo exhibition in the United States, Spektrum Berlin challenges visions and stereotypes of Germany, in particular East Berlin, through colorful eye-popping urban architectural photography.
Viewed together or individually, each of Heiderich’s images transform the banality and universality of buildings into a mosaic of geometrical shapes, reconstructing the world we live in into an abstract canvas of lines, patterns, angular compositions, and vibrant colors. Saturated to the limits of reality, Heiderich’s prints, emerging directly from a 1980s color palette and influenced by 1950s and 1960s color photography and polaroid images, look at an industrial past with a present freshness and optimism for the future.
Self-taught, Heiderich doesn’t often play by the “rules”, however the influence of German photographic tradition is apparent in Heiderich’s work. Invested in the same rigor and pragmatism as Bernd Bechers, Heiderich creates systematic photographic typologies of industrial buildings and structures, emphasizing how each building is a product of human mind and skill. Following his natural instinct for composition, in series after series Heiderich experiments, searches for individuality, and cultivates a unique style and sensibility.

Spektrum Berlin, Matthias Heiderich opens on Thursday, July 19 and runs through September 13, 2012. The opening reception will be held on Friday, July 20th from 6pm–9pm.

Gallery Hours:
Monday-Friday 11am-7pm
Saturday 11am-8pm
Sunday 11am-6pm
Closed on Tuesdays

Location:
973 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA, 94110

For more information visit www.gallerycarteblanche.com or call 415.821.1055