Rainy Day
Archive for the ‘Photography’ Category
Google Cultural Institute
So I’ve discovered a website/application so mind blowing, I have to climb to a top of a mountain and shout it to the world. Err, maybe we’ll just skip the whole mountain climbing business. But I simply have to share it with y’all. It’s called Google Cultural Institute.
On their About page, Google describes the project as:
Google has partnered with hundreds of museums, cultural institutions, and archives to host the world’s cultural treasures online.
With a team of dedicated Googlers, we are building tools that allow the cultural sector to display more of its diverse heritage online, making it accessible to all.
Here you can find artworks, landmarks and world heritage sites, as well as digital exhibitions that tell the stories behind the archives of cultural institutions across the globe.
This idea of sharing knowledge and making the world’s treasures available to everyone is great. I think it’s a beautiful example of how the internet can be a force of change, serving the greater good. (Not that I’m opposed the wasting hours and hours watching funny cat videos…:P ) What Google is doing here is an amazing thing for those who don’t live in areas where art museums or other cultural attractions are available. If I want to see famous artwork I don’t have to throw down a bunch of money, pack my bags, and fly across the country (or ocean) to see it. Google is bringing it to me, in the comfort of my own living room, and they’re not charging a dime for it. That’s pretty neat.
Aside from the convenience of what they’re doing, I also think it’s going to revolutionize education. Part of why I was so struck by the Cultural Institute is that it makes so very much possible for educators. In the example of an art teacher, such as myself, who uses Art Project (a subsection of the larger Cultural Project), I can show famous artwork to my students in a format that allows them to get up close and personal, zooming in to ultra-high quality photos so close they can see individual brush strokes. They can virtually tour museums. The students can also pick and choose items to compare side by side, activating higher thinking. Teachers and students can curate their own lists, whether it’s their favorite items, art from a specific period, or pieces that support a current unit in the curriculum. On top of that, they can search pre-organized sets or look at collections put together by other people. And best of all, Google has gone ahead and made print-outs and lesson plans available to educators. I’d call that more than just a nifty tool. It’s fantabulous.
(See more About Art Project.)
But I realize I’m rambling when maybe not all of you care as much about how teachers can use this. I’ll let Google’s promotional/how-to videos speak for themselves, and let you imagine the possibilities.
P.S. Expect to see more content from Art Project featured here, on my blog.
P.P.S. Google didn’t pay me anything to post this. I’m just really excited about what they’re doing (can you tell?) and want to share it with others.
Undiscovered Photo Legend
A friend directed me to a pretty neat post at Messy Nessy Chic’s blog. It’s about a prolific photographer whose work was never discovered, yet her pictures iconically capture the era she worked in. “…in 2007 a Chicago real estate agent and historical hobbyist, John Maloof purchased a box of never-seen, never-developed film negatives of an unknown ‘amateur’ photographer for $380 at his local auction house…”
The holy grail of never-developed film rolls that started the journey of discovery.
It turned out be the work of Vivien Maier, who never shared her photos with anyone. Read the rest of the story on Messy Nessy Chic…
… and enjoy this clip of the documentary film they’re making about her.
Vivien Maier
Gallery
Canyons
I went for a walk yesterday and found myself attracted to the patterns and shapes carved into the furrows at the bottom of the field. As the water flows downhill it erodes intricate layers into the soil. When I started to take pictures up-close with my camera, I was struck by how they almost become miniature canyons.
O’Keeffe Corn
I was out taking some photos this evening, and ended up taking some macro shots of cornstalks. Some of the resulting photographs reminded me of Georgia O’Keeffe’s work, specifically her flower abstraction paintings. The up-close cornstalk images with their wavy leaves, streaks of color, and organic depths reminded me of some of O’Keeffe’s iris paintings. If I had the time I would try painting some of the corn photos in her style.
The Black Iris, Georgia O’Keeffe, 1926, oil on canvas, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
Welding Sparks
I noticed a lot of people have been discovering my blog through search engine results for “welding,” or “welding sparks.” Not wanting to disappoint you with my Welder post, I decided to oblige with some of the photos I took for reference when painting that commission. I hope this helps you, mysterious Google searchers.
A big thank you goes to 4th Street Fabrication for making these photos possible.
P.S. Don’t worry about that “never look directly at the arc while welding” thing. I was wearing a welding helmet when I took these pictures, so my eyes were protected. The screen on my digital camera was bright enough for me to see through the darkened lens, and thus I was able to see what I was taking pictures of. My eyes were protected and perfectly safe.
Christmas Light Splendor
I’ve gone to see the downtown Caldwell Christmas light display several times now. One of those times we brought my dad’s nice camera and took some pictures. I found myself often drawn more toward the light reflections in Indian Creek than the actual lights themselves. I loved how the colors of the lights were drawn down into the water, where they shone with brilliance and blended together like the Aurora Borealis.
Phantom Silk
Tonight I went to an event called Winter Charity Ball. It’s put on by Delta Tau Delta for the campus community. To get in, you bring an unwrapped toy or a minimum $5 donation, which go to support needy children through Toys for Tots and The Salvation Army. It helps provide children with gifts during the holiday season.
The event is super classy, with formal attire. There’s a live band, swing dancing, refreshments, and general socializing with great ambiance. I went in a silk gown that ripples beautifully in the light. Afterwards, as I walked back to my room in the dark, the lamps lighting the sidewalk cast a beautiful glow on the moving silk. The bottom edge of the gown rolled in waves with each step, and I couldn’t help but admire its beauty. I thought it was very inspiring, so I pulled out my camera, turned off the flash, switched it to multi-capture mode, and started snapping pictures as I walked.
With the poor, night lighting, and the constant movement of my steps, the pictures produced phantom waves of the rippling silk. The images are very abstract and gorgeous, so I wanted to share. This sort of random inspiration is the reason I decided to start this blog and share the everyday beauty from my point of view. I’ve created a slideshow of the best shots from my walk back. I think they are best appreciated out of context, when you don’t look at them for a physical subject matter, but instead appreciate the abstract gradiants and the veins of light. Enjoy. 🙂
Springtime
Spring has slowly and sneakily crept up on us. It has been coy, hiding its face behind rain clouds, cold winds and bitter temperatures, but it’s just around the corner. For weeks, no, months, it has played with us. But I think it’s fair to say that spring has finally sprung (knock on wood), even if it chooses to manifest itself as constant spring showers.
Winter wears me out. In Idaho winter means gray. Color is seeped out of the world and everything becomes monochromatic. Gray, gray, gray. So when I first spot a tuffet of green grass or a yellow crocus peeping timidly out of the ground, I get really excited! I’ve been photo-documenting some of these precious signs of spring, celebrating each piece of evidence that winter is finally on the way out. I hope they give you cause for hope too.
A Field Trip
Today the weather was fantastic, and I went on a little field trip with my Shutterbug friends. It’s a campus photography+walking club. I took a lot of photos I’m pleased with. The setting seemed really conducive to sepia toned shots. It evokes the nostalgia of carefree afternoons at the lake.
Memories were made today. 🙂
Jump Creek Canyon
Over spring break I had the opportunity to visit Jump Creek Canyon and do some hiking. While there I couldn’t resist taking some pretty photos. In particular, I kept taking photos of a friend as he approached the canyon edge. It was a majestic pose, perched precariously next to the drop with the canyon side opposite. This overlook triggered a memory of a famous painting from art history, and I kept taking photos in an effort to capture the similarity. Turns out I was right, and the pictures reminded me of Wanderer above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich.
In looking through the multitude of photos, turns out one of the pictures mirrors Wanderer perfectly! He didn’t even know I was taking pictures, and this snapshot replicates the Wanderer’s pose down to the walking stick! What a coincidence. Have you ever intentionally or unintentionally replicated a famous piece of art?
Wet Weather
I’d have to say this is probably the wettest winter in my memory (not saying much). So much rain, hail, sleet and snow, it’s a good thing I bought a pair of rainboots last fall. 🙂
I know this news is over a week old, but I wanted to share one particularly fun day I had last Wednesday. As I was walking back to the dorms from my class, I noticed a large cloud dumping a sheet of rain nearby. I went to my room and grabbed my camera, and headed out to try to capture the shot.
After I got to the front of the building I noticed some other nice storm cloud formations. I was particularly attracted to the contrast of one heavy, black cloud against the blue sky and fluffy white clouds behind it.
After taking a few snaps of that there was an ominous rumble – thunder! Disregarding all instincts to run from the trees and take cover, I instead continued to try to capture some nice cloud photographs. I was momentarily distracted by some really vicious looking thorns on a nearby tree.
It was just about then that the clouds began to dump hail on me! I skedaddled back to the dorms for a brief respite from the worst of the weather and double-checked that my camera wasn’t wet. As the hail gathered on the ground outside I noticed I was more than a little wet. Then, as I went back upstairs I ran into a friend who, by chance, was looking for me! She claimed she was looking for me because she knew I wouldn’t mind running around in the rain with her – and she was right! I switched into my rainboots and off we went, back out into the rain.
So we walked, ran, skipped, and maybe even danced a little bit in the rain. As we inhaled the smell of fresh rain (the hail had changed to rain) and relished the refreshing drops on our faces, it was good, carefree fun. Eventually I bid adieu to my friend and went back for my camera. I had spied some more beautiful cloud formations, and the puddles were making fantastic ripples from the still falling rain. I discovered my “continual” shot mode on my camera and spent a few minutes gazing into the murky yet reflective puddles. 
I finished the afternoon – and the storm – rejuvenated and content, having spent some quality time with a friend, my camera, and Mother Nature, and I hope you enjoy the pictures I took and my unexpected adventure. May you all weather your storms and come out with rainbows.
Ansel Adams Continued
Since my last post was about Ansel Adams, I wanted to share some photos I stumbled across today. I took these about two years ago on a trip to Yellowstone National Park. Talk about a place of beauty. Everything seems so pristine, it’s truly overwhelming. I experimented with the grayscale feature on my camera as I took some photos. I wanted to capture that Ansel Adams-ish feeling, and I think I somewhat succeeded.
Please note that on two of these photos I slightly manipulated the contrast to better imitate the vintage style of Ansel Adams.
Ansel Adams
One of my greatest sources of inspiration is nature. In a world becoming increasingly industrialized and fueled by time, I lament that so many people are too busy to open their eyes to the beauty of nature. One artist, photographer Ansel Adams, shared my love of nature and spent his fair share of time admiring it. Adams’s photography captures the feeling of the sublime in nature – the breathtaking enormity of the grandeur of the world.
I love his photography because of the crispness of the images and the rich contrasts of black and white. When I look at his photography I sometimes feel as though I am seeing the world for the first time. That feeling of stepping outdoors on a cold day, when the air is perfectly clear and frost is on the ground. Your senses are heightened to an unusual awareness of everything around you as the nerves in your skin tingle gently. As you inhale the freezing air gently bites, reminding you of the systems at work internally. Externally the air is still and quiet, the absolute lack of sound like a bucket of water dowsing you into alertness. It’s as if time stands still and the world has crystallized into a state of perpetual tranquility. That’s how Ansel Adams’s photographs make me feel.
The Tetons and the Snake River by Ansel Adams. One of my favorites.
I hope that you, too, will enjoy his work. You can some of his work and information here, here, here, and here. Search engines will also bring up a wealth of ways to admire his legacy.
If you use Google and customize your page, I highly recommend the Ansel Adams Nature Photography of the Day gadget. Each day a new Ansel Adams photograph is displayed on your iGoogle page. Sometimes they’re repeated, but all of the photography is so stunning I don’t mind looking at the same ones.
Fantastic Photography!
It recently came to my attention that I have a lot of incredible photographers in my life. Really, if I ever need any photos taken I’m going to be hard pressed to choose! I’m continually impressed by their high quality work, so I’d like to share them with you. Enjoy!
- My uncle, Bruce, who has a Flickr account as well as an economics-centered blog.
- Long-time friends and previous employers, Country Studio Photography.
- A high school friend, Photography by Kirsten JayLene Preheim.
- A college friend, Photos by Freddie.
- Ampersand Studios did my cousin’s engagement and wedding photos, and I always enjoy checking out the Ampersand blog.
Cara Barer Photography
While blog-browsing this evening, blogger grooveTOAST led me to Cara Barer’s website. This photographer arranges books and such into attractive new sculptural forms, and photographs them from selective perspectives.
“I arrive at some of my images by chance. Others, through experimentation. Without these two elements, my work would not flow easily from one idea to the next. A random encounter on Drew Street with the Houston Yellow Pages was the primary inspiration for this project. After that chance meeting, I began the search for more books, and more methods to change their appearance.
I realized I owned many books that were no longer of use to me, or for that matter, anyone else. Would I ever need “Windows 95?” After soaking it in the bathtub for a few hours, it had a new shape and purpose. Half Price Books became a regular haunt, and an abandoned house gave me a set of outdated reference books, complete with mold and neglect. Each book tells me how to begin according to its size, type of paper, and sometimes contents.”
Looking through her gallery exposed me to a form of art I had never encountered before. Such encounters are a pleasure, and experiences I hope to chronicle and share to the like-minded. That is one purpose of this blog.
Maze by Cara Barer
Art Perspective 
Written
on July 12, 2013