Oh Polaroid, my new Love!

This year at MADFest at Harrow campus (University of Westminster) there was a pretty nice workshop organised by Keyphoto Impossible Instant Film. As we arrived quite late it was the first and the last one we took part of. Everyone who wanted could lend a camera, take pictures and later on have them pinned up for the exhibition. A few hours later, while rushing to work I received a phone call from Kate, stating we had won the competition. My first reaction was what competition?! Then she said we had won a polaroid camera. You can only imagine how happy I was, I bet my hyper ectsatic reactions were hard to be ignored by people around me! The competition photos, (on the first one you find me in the left, Andrew in the middle and Kate in the right):

If it hadn't been for that competition I probably wouldn't never end up betraying my beloved Nikon after years of loyal services. But relationship with Polaroid is so exciting! It's full of surprises. One polaroid phrame requires the kind of preparation and attention which digital photography with it's perfection and comfort made us forget about. I really love it! And although it is not the cheapest hobbies it is so worth it. Soon I'll post you the polaroids I took during my summer holidays ;)

PS! the book above is The Polaroid Book by Taschen which I discovered to have at home in Rome, there are some pretty awesome polaroids, unbelievably good! I'll try to post some here as well.


XX


PS!PS! Don't forget to support CN on facebook here!

About the "vintage photo effect" we all like so much

On my way to Sanremo at the Fiumicino airport

Have you noticed how suddenly on all photo sharing sites people have started massively pubblish, like and share photos of that strange ruined-effect? Analog photos (or the effect obtained by photoshop) have been popular among photographers for some years already but it is only now that, thanks to blogging and tumblr-ing, this technique has become a trend and a really hot one! But why? Ten years ago (digital) photo perfection was the ultimate goal and now that we've reached it, we suddenly venerate those kind of photographs which look like if they've been thorn out of our parent's youth photo albums. Is it just nostalgy? Or are we simply tired of those super- clear, professional and flashy pictures?

There are many programs and aps you can download/buy online for your computer or phone so an analog camera is only an optional. Pentacom is a site, for example, where you can modify your pictures for a small price, it's used by known fashion blogger The cherry blossom girl.
So far I've been digging the sharp and vivid effect on my photographs but now I feel like to experiment and change. I was thinking about starting to use pentacom too but then I found this tutorial for photoshop on SpoonGraphics! I found it really easy and I warmly suggest to all of you who have the program. If you should have any questions about photoshop use this support service site.

Do you like this retro effect?

"Stare. It is the way to educate your eye, and more. Stare, pry, listen eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long."

* the picture above & the title is a quote from Walker Evans.

This week a photography course was held at our school. Our visual arts education teacher invited a social documentary photographer, Andrea Mosso, to share his professional experience with us. While showing us his work, which I found really impressing and emotionally involving (in the early nineties he documentated the tragical situation of homeless children and their lifestyle both in Bosnia and Romania, for example), he talked about how to prepare a good reportage and it is the accurate homework and research which makes the difference. And how the choice of different techniques and the composition can affect the results of your work. I was really inspired by it all and it gave me a whole different enthusiasm and energy to approach photography. We decided to start a little project which consists in a representation of the school as a space and the meaning of it (to us). But I'm not that enthusiastic about it. Therefore I shall do also a reportage on my own and I thought about a neighborhood as a space. Garbatella, of which I've previously written (and posted pictures) about here, is full of colours and it's really hard not to get inspired by it. I started today and as soon as I'll finish my reportage I'll share it here. In the meanwhile I thought I'd share some useful tips (which I found from Brian Q. Webb blog) to make some good street photography.

1. Always, always have a camera with you. The reasoning behind this should be a no-brainer and if you’ve followed the prior two tips, should be a non-issue. If all you have is a pro-level dSLR with a huge white (or black with a gold ring) f2.8 telezoom and permanently fixed battery pack, then you might want to invest in something smaller and more portable as a “back up” that you can carry in your messenger bag or coat pocket.

- so true, you cannot afford to miss "the perfect situation". And practice practice practice! That's what makes the difference.

2. Be proud! Yes, it’s a bit cliché, but confidence is key. You will be treated according to how you behave. If you’re off at a distance, half hiding behind a wall and sniping away with a 400mm cannon, you will be treated with suspicion and possibly confronted (not to mention eliminating the environment component of street photography). If you walk around pretending to be a ninja, imagining that you won’t be seen not only are you self-delusional, but once again your behavior will be met with suspicion and you will probably be confronted. However, if you keep your camera out and photograph confidently (respectful confidence, not obnoxious confidence) chances are that not only will you be left alone but that you will be ignored. The people around you will assume that you are doing what you are supposed to be doing. Counter-intuitive perhaps, but true.

- I personally have some issues when it comes to taking pictures of people I don't know. I'm just too shy! But it's also true that a photographer should not be noticed by his models, otherwise they won't act naturally. So be invisible!

3. Use a fixed focal length lens. No, fixed lenses aren’t a quaint novelty. Generally speaking, they are faster and stop-for-stop sharper and cheaper then their zooming brethren. From the perspective of street photography, it lightens your load but more importantly it teaches you to pre-visualize your composition. Being able to know what you’re going to get before raising your camera to your eyes to shoot mitigates the need for you to make compositional adjustments and speeds up execution, an important skill in a pursuit where the moment must be captured, not created. In addition, using a fixed focal length lens allows you to make use of zone focusing (including hyperfocal technique) eliminating even more time from execution.

4. Leave your camera at home. Find a nice city street with loads of foot traffic and a comfortable place to sit. Now, grab a latte, relax, and people-watch. Practice reading people’s motions and interactions. Developing the ability to predict human behavior is key in being able to capture that decisive moment, much more so then something like shutter lag.

- I think this is the most important point. The capability of observing a situation and getting to know it.

For some more from Brian Q. Webb blog read here!

Check out Joel Meyerowitz, the man from the clip above.

Who is your favourite (street) photographer?

The Red Affair

This post should have been dedicated to the "excursion" we did with my class on Saturday, in Parco della Musica, which is a large multi-functional public music complex, (continue reading about it here!), projected by Renzo Piano, and where the annual International Rome Film Festival is held. I am sad to announce that somehow I managed to format my card and there are no pictures. This is actually catastrophic. But I will return there, definitely. To make it up now, somehow, here are some snapshots of the new Campari Calendar 2011.

After Salma, Eva, Jessica, Olga.. who did you think they could possibly come up with? No one from that league. For their 12th edition of the calendar Campari chose to interrupt the femme fatal tradition and to incarnate itself for the first time in a fascinating male figure. The name of the man who perfectly fits for the job? Benicio del Toro. Ladies and Gentleman, let me present you... the snapshots of backstage of the "Red Affair" (the actual calendar is out on the 21st of October).

The photographer, Michel Comte.

































I personally find backstage pictures much more intriguing, I think it's because the "process of making it" is usually much more interesting than the final result itself. You can see my post of the last year's Campari Calendar and the backstage shoots with Olga Kurylenko (the ultimate James Bond girl) here!

So.. what do you think? Front camera versus backstage, which wins?

New York, New York.. I've got you under my skin

.. and thanks to her even more.

This isn't going to be long.
I was thinkig for long how to write this post, how to describe well enough this young photographer with who's work I'm in love with, but there's nothing much to say actually. Except that she's got a huge talent. I mean really huge !
She mainly takes pictures of every day things and doings. It's the way she catches them. The ordinary moments in her photographs become so special. Makes you want to slow down with the rush and enjoy simple things like walking (and not running!) in the city or having a lunch at the park, too. Just like the people in her pictures..
She's got two blogs: one in black & white and another in colour.
You must check them out to understand what I'm talking about, definitely!

Photodiarist black & white (check!)
Photodiarist in colour (check!)

Here are some shoots she made of Bergdorf Goodman's (department store in New York) holiday window displays. I find them sensational. She could calmly shoot the next Vogue issue editorial, in my opinion.

Which was your favourite photograph taken by her (seen on her blog)?

You should see her older post too, there are some fantastic pictures taken on her trip to Morocco, definitely check them out and Stockholm pics are also great!! (love the yellow)
;)

I just thought I'd mention it..

“My technique is the absence of technique,” said Mr. Richardson, “The lens is my eye, my charisma, my ability to capture moments of truth, whatever they may be, picture angles, use of color, light, scenery—these have always been the essential aspects of my photographic art.”

Today Pirelli released their 37th calendar.

(click!)

Let the fresh air blow in and make you forget about where and what you live in: The New York Minute: 60 Artists from the New York Art Scene

THEY'RE HERE! The pictures! So finally I manage to post about the exhibition I saw about a week ago. It was a very interesting exhibition, as the artists were all americans and mainly from New York, I could feel a different energy from the usual european contemporary artists. Mainly because the subjects. America is such a large country with so many cultures all confused and mixed together, convinced in the need of all being one nation. That in the other hand is not so positive as it is easyly stereotypes you and kills the creativity flow that the mix of cultures offers. But in the other hand it feeds the sensitive artists, all extremly influenced by it. Infact artist is the one that comunicates the "emotional-state", let me call it this way, of the society. Artist is like a mirror that reflects everything there is "in the air" through his works. And it was interesting to feel different " air", from over the Atlantic.
On the pictures you see Concetta my friend, we had so much fun and we are going to see another exhibiton together again quite soon!