Exhibition with F:ers
Remember the outdoor exhibition Planket Gbg? Tomorrow, from 12-17 pm, its arranged at Majvallen in Gothenburg, Sweden. At least two F:ers participate: Markus Andersson and Markus Jenemark. Don't miss it!
- Nenne G
08 August 2008
Alice
Alice in her party dressShe thanks you kindly, so serene
She needs you like she needs her tranks
To tell her that the world is clean
To promise her a definition
Tell her where the rain will fall
Tell her where the sun shines bright and
Tell her she can have it all
Today
equipment: equipment: hasselblad, tri-x, saliva, ovenpaper, viradon, plastic foil and some inspiration from The Sisters of Mercy.
Foto8 award
Foto8 Award & Summer Show 2008
We are pleased to annouce that the winner of the Foto8 Award for 'Best in Show' at this year's Summer Show, goes to....Guido Castagnoli for his image: Street to the main station, Shimada City, Japan 2007 taken from the series Provincial Japan.
We are pleased to annouce that the winner of the Foto8 Award for 'Best in Show' at this year's Summer Show, goes to....Guido Castagnoli for his image: Street to the main station, Shimada City, Japan 2007 taken from the series Provincial Japan.
The judges were impressed by the high standard of all the work but they were particularly drawn to the colouring and mysterious 1950s, bleached effect of Castagnoli’s print, commenting: “This is an image that will continue to be intriguing each time one looks at it. It is both strange and beautiful.”
stay tuned for more from Guido in the Fblog, soon....
congratulations!
/from jo-urnalist's desk/
(F)riday's Daily Print
© jeanne wells
Peas!
If you are not a Daily Print subscriber and would like to be, go here to find out more. But of course there are folks who just like to see the Friday F Blog special, and that's so much fun, too --
Thanks all!
07 August 2008
invited guest: Phil Bebbington (I)
"I live in Bath in the UK and spend as much time as I am able on the Greek Island of Crete. I have been visiting for about 10 years and during that time have been trying to record the Crete I love.. The Crete away from the beaches and tourists traps. The real Crete, the Crete that seems to be in decline. The villages there seem to be slowly emptying with the youth of Crete preferring the promise of the city or even the mainland and Athens.
In these images I am trying to capture the life and the death of Cretan villages. The death in respect of the villages emptying and becoming full of old people or babies. The life in the images…. suggestions to the soul of the place and the people that although gone living on.
I feel in these images that the black and white emphasise the decay and dereliction whereas the colour counter that with a suggestion of life…a window into what was. The colour of personal effects shining through the greyness." - Phil Bebbington
It is a pleasure to see Phil's pictures from Crete, where he has spent so much time and thoughts. I am glad to be able to present some of his pictures here. More to come from Phil and Crete in the coming days on The F Blog.
Pictures and text © Phil Bebbington
Have a look at Phil's site philbebbington.com and blog terrorkitten.com/iblog
invited by ulf fågelhammar
long live Magnum !!
This summer an official news comes from Magnum:
"After viewing over 200 candidate portfolios, organised under the Presidency of Stuart Franklin, Magnum Photos is pleased to announce the following decisions:
MEMBER status was voted for: Antoine d’AGATA, Jonas BENDIKSEN and Alec SOTH. Their portfolios can be consulted on www.magnumphotos.com/photographers.
The following new NOMINEES were announced: Peter VAN AGTMAEL, 27 years old, American-Dutch: www.petervanagtmael.com and Olivia ARTHUR, 28 years old, English: www.oliviaarthur.com ".
congrats!!! :) and well, well: Alec Soth as our special guest in the Fblog is here :)brought to you by the front journalist ms jo
book review: Lennart Nilsson Stockholm
Lennart Nilsson Stockholm.
Photo: Lennart Nilsson.
Text: Johan Erséus.
Photographic editor: Anne Fjellström.
Published by Bokförlaget Max Ström, 2008.
ISBN: 978-91-7126-083-3.
Stockholm, Sweden. Although I do not live there, I am fascinated by the many excellent photographic depictions of the city. Henry B Goodwin’s Vårt vackra Stockholm (1920), Gunnar Smolianskys fotografier från Slussen i Stockholm 1952 (2002) and Micke Berg's Stockholm Blues (1994) are photo books that I repeatedly return to. Now there is another excellent portrait of Stockholm and its inhabitants, with photographs by Lennart Nilsson.
Spring in Stockholm © Lennart Nilsson, 1956.
Lennart Nilsson (born 1922) doesn’t need to be presented to a Swedish audience. He is, without doubt, Sweden's most famous photographer. At the very least his photographs of the inside of the human body and the beginning of life have fascinated hundreds of thousands of people. Nilsson’s famous book, A Child Is Born, is published in four editions and translated into 20 languages. For his work he has received many awards and prizes, among them The Erna and Victor Hasselblad Foundation's Photography Award in 1980. British Museum and Tokyo Fuji Art Museum are two of the many places where his work can be found. His new book, however, is made up of lesser-known images from his time as a photojournalist in the 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s.
In addition to Swedish newspapers Vecko-Journalen and Se, Nilsson also worked for international magazines, Life Magazine and Look. From his extensive records, Anne Fjellström has selected and gathered a large number of photographs taken in Stockholm to create the magnificent volume Lennart Nilsson Stockholm. In addition to the photographs, Nilsson, with the aid of Johan Erséus, tells about the photographs and their history. 
Lobotomy operation of a criminal © Lennart Nilsson, 1950's.
The photographs of Lennart Nilsson Stockholm reflect not only the official polished façade. The book is far from a nostalgic recap. Keen-eyed Nilsson, instead, depicts both the front and rear faces of society at that time. The pictures show the unexpected, as well as the everyday - people in Stockholm, their life and living. Homeless, cleaners and postmen are portrayed as well as film stars, politicians and princes; both the working and upper class. Lennart Nilsson shows a Stockholm in celebration but also in work. The 1953 masquerade at the Royal Opera is intermingled with reports from the daily lives of contemporary postmen. The city's poor and homeless are included, as well as the officials of the Bank of Sweden and unique images from the salvage of regal Wasa.
The Salvation Army is the theme for one of the most interesting series of pictures. In the late 1950s Nilsson spent three months together with the Salvationists to document their lives and work. From the extensive material of 4,500 photos, 13 have been selected for the book. "Strangely enough people in the Salvation Army accepted my presence and my cameras," said Nilsson. It shows. The proximity to the Salvationists is striking, the pictures incredibly strong. At the same time, the pictures are artistic in the highest degree. The question is whether I have seen a better-illustrated reportage.
Salvation © Lennart Nilsson, 1950's.
"I came with a Slumsyster to a compromise wooden building at Södersjukhuset. When we came in we saw four small feet stand out under the sofa. The children were afraid that it was the father who had come". © Lennart Nilsson, 1950's.
Lennart Nilsson Stockholm is a personal portrait of Sweden’s capital and its inhabitants. But not only of Stockholm. At the same time many of the photographs give an overall picture of a departed Sweden. And in some ways, also of today’s Sweden; although it has been half a century since most of the photographs were taken, much in the book is recognizable from contemporary Sweden. This is a book out of the ordinary, a book to study again and again. I strongly recommend it to everybody that is interested in Photography as Art and/or in Stockholm and it's history.
© Lennart Nilsson.
Links: Ulf Fågelhammar, author of the F blog, met Lennart Nilsson in May 2008. Check out his reports. If you have the possibility, I also recommend you to visit Kulturhuset in Stockholm and see Lennart Nilsson's large photo exhibition "Somewhere in Stockholm". The exhibition ends September 7. And do not miss Lennart Nilsson’s official homepage.
- Fredrik Skott
06 August 2008
F is for Fall-in
fall-in thinking? the weather is not summer one, indeed. looking for a shelter. /warsaw
05 August 2008
About: The F Blog
Photo: Fredrik Skott, author of The F BlogThe Swedish Photo Magazine Kamera & Bild has published an article about The F Blog. It is already on the magazine´s site on the web and the paper edition of the magazin will soon be out. We decided to make a version in English based on our answers from the interview given to the magazine.
About the basic idea of The F Blog
Love of photography is the essential ingredient. The photographic image is powerful - an equally important link for communication between people as the written word or language. We want to present and promote good photography by offering a platform for photographers to show their work.
In Coa Valley, Portugal, archaeologists found stone carvings dated 25,000 BC. They exist in the open - an early exhibition of images. Pictures - the first children's drawings, Starry Night by Van Gogh, giant pictures on advertising boards, graffiti - we are surrounded every day by thousands of images.
The F Blog is about the photographic image, once explored by the ancient Greek philosophers. Aristotle wrote about the pinhole, the enigmatic dark room, and the camera obscura - the light's ability to reflect and rebuild the surrounding world in images. The magic lives on to this day, even if the technology is refined.The F Blog draws its energy from this source, fascination before the photographic image, and dedication to its performers and its ability to communicate.
About why it was started
From the beginning it was supposed to act as glue between us, who were in the Gruppo F. A spot on the web where we could present our photos and tell about good photography on the net, but within a week it had evolved into something so much more… in such a large group, there was a lot of ambition and it just exploded- in a positive way!
About the name “The F Blog”
We were twelve photographers who exhibited at Gallery Korn during late winter of 2006 and the exhibition was called F12. When we started the group, we knew that twelve was an elusive number and Group F, or rather Gruppo F was more appropriate. In connection with our website, we created the blog in which only the “F” remained: The F blog.
Then there are a lot of good words (some bad too) that begin with F. As fotografi, form, färg, facts and fantasi! Not to mention förälskad, fördomsfri, folk, fresco and färdkost. A fanfare!
(fotografi=photography, färg=colour, fantasi=fantasy, förälskad=in love, fördomsfri=unprejudiced, folk=people, färdkost= lunch pack)
About the authors
We are 21 photographers/authors who publish on The F Blog. Two-thirds (14) of us are from Sweden, four are from the United States and three are from Poland. We are between 23 and 57 years old - nine are women. It is good that we are a diverse and large group. It gives the blog pulse, energy and variety. In addition to us who publish there are many photographers who send images or texts.
About changes of the content
The F Blog is changing all the time; developing without any specific direction, or in many different directions. We, who run the blog are far from being of the same taste when it comes to photography. The diversity is our strength.
The changes are also naturally due to that new members have joined and new formations have emerged, both within and outside the blog. Some of the blog-members have taken a timeout and then they come back with new fresh ideas. Even the communication with readers and their contribution has affected us in new directions.
About invited photographers
First and foremost we think of the pictures we have seen of the photographer, what they give us as viewers. Sometimes we want to present a series of photos from his or her work. But in most cases, we ask the photographer to choose from among his or her images. It feels right. We are not "curators" and it will be a direct communication from photographer to photographer/author.
About Graciela Iturbide winner of the Hasselblad award 2008
It was great that Graciela herself chose a few photos and that she gave us an interview. She is an example of a photographer who is not exposed on the Internet in any significant degree. It is great to be able to present such photographers for our readers-but they need not necessarily be famous.
About what we want to give our visitors
If we in any way can contribute to bring an interest in photography as art form,then we have succeeded with the blog. The meetings between unknown and famous photographers is very stimulating and inspiring. It is developing on a personal level.
The word inspiration is a good summary. We also want to develop our reader’s ability to "think with their eyes" borrowing a few words from Kurt Bergengren.
About the reactions
Many people have written, and praised The F Blog, which makes us happy and gives extra energy to continue this project.
About our plans for The F Blog in the future
To make a book would be fun. We talk a lot about it and we are about to establish contacts. We really hope to be able to realize the idea of a book and also strengthen the ties between our virtual blog and the physical, "real" world.
There are many ideas for exhibitions based on The F Blog. In the blog's archives there are more than 6,000 photos… The blog as such, we would like to reflect what is going on in the world, how we think in pictures, and what it means. It does not mean that we only show documentary photography. On the contrary - what we might call the “state of the world” is sometimes a glance in a portrait, a mood, and a photographer’s way to see…
We would also like to tell more about photography as an art form and its history. We do that already to some extent, but it would be great to be able to present original articles by different authors. The language of the blog is English, which opens up great opportunities. More than one billion people can read the F Blog.
About the strategy
We do not have a clue what will appear on the blog tomorrow. None of us has a direct information about what the other authors are up to, so it is just as exciting for us check out the blog every day. You never know what to expect. All are not involved even in the biggest interviews. So, there is no strategy.
We have a motto, which means that the blog should be "unpredictable, unpretentious and unmatched." We strive to be self-confident and humble at the same time. To not know what comes next is a part of the blog's charm.
Quite often a series of blog posts arises in response to images or texts that someone posted. It becomes a spontaneous chain of inspiration / associations - a creative chaos.
About our visitors
Our visitors come from all five continents. Still, about half of our visitors are from Sweden, but we are glad to see that we get more international visitors day by day. Most visitors in addition to Sweden are from the United States, Poland, Italy, Canada and Denmark. But it varies, depending on what happens on the blog. Quite a few are from Mexico, Taiwan, Hungary and France.
quotes of the professor (1)
The great photographer Christer Strömholm has said: "Imagination is more important than reality". The professor agrees and adds: "Reality is more important than fiction".
04 August 2008
03 August 2008
Summer Solstice
Everything that has passed has fittingly passed. 
You travelled
on one side the sun at its grandest
don't drown the poem
everyone sees visions
Summer solstice
your life is what you gave
the warm water reminds me each morningPhotos © Alek Lindus
Words from poem by © George Seferis
02 August 2008
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