16 November 2007

Advent

Stieglitz about Paul Strand:

"... The work is brutally direct. Devoid of flim-flam; devoid of trickery and any 'ism'; devoid of any attempt to mystify an ignorant public, including the photographers themselves. These photographs are the direct expression of today..."

Straight photography was born.

Read more about Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Gallery 291 and Camera Work on the F Blog. Just type the words in the field up left saying "search this blog"

educational aids

work of the lecturer of structural engineering is not really linked strongly with artistic photography. During preparatory works for new lectures of water tanks I realised, that those two of my passions are connected by two persons - Hilla and Bernd Bechers. Their typology of industrial buildings may serve till today for the SE lecturer as the base for the general characteristic of advanced industrial structures.
It's also the memento -even for making inventar I should take LF with me :)


pictures by Bernd and Hilla Bechers.

15 November 2007

regarding hunting seasons and other delights...


The annual elk hunting season has just passed.
This is the time when we men pretends to be real MEN,
go out in the woods drink vodka and shoot things.

Sometimes even elks.

Fjärde världen (fourth world)






A Swedish hip hop group.
Photographs by © Saga Berlin

Saga says: " My idea for the pictures is based on the group´s lyrics and the band members every day life. They are three very different persons, the only thing they have in common is their background and their great love of music. I built a living room that could belong to each one of them. They could bring things from their own living rooms. Things that should tell something about their personalities including other random things. I fixed some furniture and the lighting. The idea was that all three of them should be able to feel at home in that room although it is very different from their own places.

The title of their new album is "World´s end" and I felt like I wanted to make it less dramatic and visualize the fact that "world´s end" is closer to our living rooms than we realize."

14 November 2007

round trip (leaving Copenhagen)

Photographer: Benny Persson
Swedish title: På returbiljetten

invited guest: Mike Peters - Coney Island 2007

Coney Island 2007
Photographs © by Mike Peters



For me, Coney Island in 2007 was an easy choice, in what was reportedly the final year of Astroland before being demolished to make way for something a bit more homogenized. Rubbing elbows with the hoi polloi of Coney Island is preferable to being in the presence of the hoity-toity of any other place.
I was well aware of the images created by the many photographers that preceded me to Coney Island over the past 100 years. I felt confident that I would simply work as usual and make myself ready to receive the images that presented themselves to me. In my days of shooting, I met many other photographers working this same small patch of ground. In the end we all put our own signature on what we do and make different images that will appeal to different people.
What you read into the images I present is based on who you are, where you came from, and the sum of every experience you have ever had up to the moment of viewing the image. What you bring to the experience matters a great deal.
As an observer of the scene, I can only photograph what I see. Expressions, body language, sartorial presentation, and a relationship to foreground and background are the raw materials that I have to work with. In the moment of pressing the shutter, I don't have time to judge or think, only to react to the geometry of the frame and the feelings that compel me to make the exposure.
Every image I make is a subjective impression of what I see. I choose a subject that I respond to on basic emotional level, and in the end by the choices I make at the moment of exposure and through the process of scanning, I’m really saying more about myself than I am about who I am photographing. I do not pretend that any of my images give any insight into the people or places that I photograph. There is always more going on than anyone can ever realize.




more pictures of Mike you may find at his web site.
invited by Marcin Górski

travellin'


Steam

General view of one of the yards of the Chicago and Northwestern railroad, Chicago, Ill.
Delano, Jack, photographer.
CREATED/PUBLISHED 1942 Dec.
See more color pictures by Jack Delano and others at Library of Congress

Journey

Picture by Darren Hepburn

13 November 2007

invited guest: Terje Hellesø (part two)

Small Tortoiseshell (nässelfjäril)





Seagull





Malva alcea (rosenmalva)


"I find my personal landscape in nature. That is where I have to be. Whether in the forest, by the coast or in the mountains – I have to be in a real landscape to get a sense of not being there. Looking for interesting motifs is not important, my main object is to reflect my own being through the images I always carry with me. It is a process of transformation. I am looking for signs in nature, signs that I need in order to create my own, personal pictures."
/Terje Hellesø




weed




toilet on the mountain side





Arctic Tern (silvertärna)





Red-throated Diver landing (smålommen landar)

Terje Hellesø homepage (in Swedish)

gruppo F inbox - Bill Schmidt




literature and photography



A couple of weeks ago at the library I stumbled upon these books written by the Swedish author Ivar-Lo Johansson (1901-1990). I guess they are almost forgotten and unknown by the public in these days, but the books had a great impact when they were published, especially the book about old people´s homes (Old age,1949)

In the introduction to this volume containing all four books, the writer describes the cooperation with the photographers. Yes, these books could also be seen as books of photographs with text by Ivar Lo-Johansson. Many of the photographs are truly unforgettable and my guess is that they will be remembered even longer than the text.
In any case, it was a brave and progressive project. The author tells about visiting over 1 000 old people´s homes in all of Sweden, travelling 3 000 km with the Swedish Romanies (gypsies) to Camargue in southern France or living with "les clochards" of Paris. The book about the landless peasants was part of his own life - he was brought up by parents that once were "statare".

Find out more about Ivar Lo-Johansson




Photographer: ©Gunnar Lund (from the book about the landless Swedish
peasants known as "statare") - 1949





Photographer:©Sven Järås (From the book "Old Age", 1949)





Photographer:©Tore Johnson, from the book "Unknown Paris"-1954- the picture
shows firemen carrying a young woman drowned in the river Seine.






Photographer: ©Anna Riwkin-Brick from the book "Road of the gypsies" -1955.

12 November 2007

invited guest: Terje Hellesø (part one)

Swift




self portrait




Malin

Terje Hellesø has been working as a nature photographer since 1983. His wife, Malin Hellesø also works as a photographer. Terje has published several books with his photographs and thoughts about Nature photography. One of his latest projects is ”My Year” – containing 365 pictures – one picture each day of the year. The project has been presented in a major exhibition already visited by 70 000 people. Terje Hellesø has published over 5 000 pictures through the years in various magazines all around the world. Just one word from me: Respect! invited by ulf fågelhammar

Roe Deer




Mushroom





European Ash (Fraxinus excelsior)

More pictures by Terje Hellesø on www.helleso.com
and stay tuned for part two of the pictures Terje selected for the F Blog.

09 November 2007

Invited guest: Hin Chua

Hin Chua It's all about the trees

Hin Chua: I'm an Australian currently living in London. Recently I spent quite abit of time wandering round various parts of the world and noticedthat I was increasingly drawn to photographingtrees and ourrelationship with them and how they fit in (or don't fit in) with ourhuman environment. Sometimes, we almost seem to be at war withthem,it's certainly an interesting relationship.
Invited by Joanna Kinowska