One more and then to my shoots !

If you were to ask me what I thought the most influential, land mark, nude picture was I would have to say Man Ray. This image is just iconic. I studied it in school, it comes up just about everywhere when you google famous photographers, But lets ask ourselves why ? why is this image so spectacular ? what makes this image so different from all the other nude work out there ? I think for me it really comes down to how we perceive the female figure today vs. how it was perceived back in 1918 when Man Ray started his photography career.


Through out the Era's their have been adaptations of this iconic image which are very impressive, but for me nothing beats an original. (Below Photo courtesy of photographer: Alexander Kharlamov). One cant help but wonder, with the advent of so many photographers in todays era... will the envelope get pushed further in the next 70 years ? how will our children perceive todays art form ? Undoubtedly from a technological and perceptional standpoint our ideas have most definitely changed from 70 years ago, but was it for the better ? that's for you to decide.
 

As promised I will be showing pictures from at least a couple of my upcoming shoots this January so stay tuned for those.

Under water fun !

Ok today I figured I would throw up another one of my favorite photographers. This Photographers name is Todd Essick and you can find his work here

Todd's work speaks for itself, its unique, fun, and full of mystery. I would love to sit in on one of the shoots just to see how they go. Its sometimes difficult to find models and Todd's out their finding them willing to do under water shoots, nude, with no air tanks, and oh yes... SHARKS !

On a more technical note I would love to see how he lights his subjects because this is a realm that I've never done before without personal intentions, I will say though that under water shoots are not as easy as they would seem and even harder to color balance. let alone firing strobes, the last time I checked pocket wizard had not come up with under water accessories.

For all you photogs out their thinking you have a hard environment to shoot in, just go to todds website and imagine how wrinkled your shutter fingers would be trying to get the perfect shot under water.

Fun Fact !

Here’s a fun fact, are you a star trek fan? “Live long and prosper” well that’s exactly what Leonard Nimoy is doing. As a teen ager Leonard nimoy found his love for photography, and frequently photographs the human figure, and for someone who is usually in front of the camera he really does a pretty good job behind it as well. Be sure to check out his work here

Next up !

Ok moving right along, This next photographer pushed the boundaries for his generation. Helmut Newton has published many books in his career and I am a proud owner of a few of them. The book featured above was a special addition named "Sumo" although they have made many copies of this book and can be purchased quite reasonably on amazon, this book is a numbered edition featuring a wide selection of over 400 pictures, most of which are published for the first time, covering every aspect of Newton’s outstanding career in photography: from his stunning fashion photographs, which pointed the way for generations of photographers, to his nudes and celebrity portaits. "SUMO" is a titanic book in every respect: it is a tribute to the twentieth century’s most influential, intriguing and controversial photographer. Measuring 50 x 70 cm (20 x 27.5 inches) and weighing approx. 30 kg (66 lb.) And oh yes... did I mention a numbered version to 10,000 has a price tag and networth of $15,000 ?

Tribute to one of the greats !

I figured i would do my first couple blog posts from those artists that im sure we have all known or at least recognized their work and in my case gathered much inspiration from over the many years. This Picture was taken by one of my favorite photographers Mrs Ellen Von Unwerth, The image was in one of her many published books. The book was called "Revenge" and was published in 2003.

As for the characteristics or my infatuation with the image... The image has an antique feel with black and white, but also has a nice amount of grain hinting that it was not taken with a modern day digital camera,  the lace corset is also not a modern day piece of attire, but more of a collectable "camp" brand corset which are very nice and very expensive if you happen to be shopping for one. The truncation of the head works wonders in this image and leaves so much to imagination that i find myself just staring at it. Im also a big fan of the lighting within this image as well. theirs great shadow detail and a fair amount of contrast for a seemingly over cast sky. I would Love to hear your thoughts on the image ! are you familiar with her work ?