Thank You Kodak

Through the loupe
A year ago I met Stacy Mehrfar for a drink at the Half King in Chelsea. We'd known each other since our early days printing in the color darkroom at the ICP, but on that day Stacy was in town from Sydney, where she lives with her husband Gavin. As we were catching up over a drink and talking about her new adopted country, she mentioned a strange phrase, Tall Poppy Syndrome. Tall Poppy Syndrome is an Australian societal phenomenon where people who are seen to be successful are resented by their fellow citizens. Having been raised in a country that preaches the religion of individual success (USA! USA! USA!), this concept was foreign to me. As we discussed it further we decided it would be a great structure for a photo series about Australia.

Switch to a year later, I'm in Australia and we are about to head out on the second leg of our photographic road trip exploring the land Down Under.

Mostly unshot film
This project was made possible in large part because of the support of my chairs at SVA and Parsons and the folks at FotoFreo, but there's not a chance in hell we could have pulled it off without a generous film sponsorship from Kodak. As long time Kodak shooters, Stacy and I are thrilled to have their support for this project.

Ready for processing
During our first leg of this trip into the Australian Bush and Outback, we shot hundreds of rolls and sheets of Kodak Portra 160 and 400NC. Yesterday we picked up the processed film and were thrilled with the negatives so far. We'll be posting some early scans of the film in the next week. Stay tuned.

4x5 negatives!
Thank you Kodak!

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Tales From FotoFest

The stage is set for portfolio speed-dating
I've always wanted to go to Houston for FotoFest. The shows, the people, the line dancing. One year I'll get down there. In the meantime I asked a two friends, Phil Toledano and Justine Reyes, who attended the portfolio reviews this year to report back from the trenches. It's been a few days since they returned home, but you get the idea.

Phil Toledano
Now I know what it?s like to be a cow at the meat-yard, waiting for the compressed-air bolt to the forehead.

Fotofest is a very interesting experience-it peels back the little band-aid the covers the giant weeping rash of desperation that all (ok-most) of us suffer from. Of course, it?s useful-for some of us, it?ll crack open a career. But (to quote George Bush, which I try and do as much as possible) make no mistake-we?re all down here dancing about like monkeys, selling our wares. Is this a little bleak? Well, I suppose so, but then again, I am the Morrisey of photography.

Sometimes I?m asked what I hope to get out of a meeting. Honestly? The only thing I?d like to hear is something along the lines of: ?I?ve never seen genius of this importance before in my life-hang on, let me get the curator of MOMA on the horn? That would be great. Or a screaming artgasm ?when harry met sally? style, reviewer white-knuckling the sides of the table.

But I?ll settle for a group show in Nebraska.

Now, don?t get me wrong, I?ve had a good time, and I?ve had some lovely conversations with some people who seemed (at the time) interested. I also met some really great photographers (red Sonja and death reyes-shout out to my peeps!)

We all ask each other how it?s going, and it?s a question I find very hard to answer. Some people liked my work, others, not so much. You really don?t have any clue. It can take a week, a month, or a few years.


Justine Reyes
Last day at Fotofest. Trying to summarize this experience seems like an extremely daunting task at the moment. I am exhausted. Being a first timer I guess I didn?t quite know what to expect. For only four days a lot is packed in. I met with ten reviewers today alone and then did an open portfolio night.

On the good side I have gotten to know some really lovely people, talented photographers and critical thinkers. It has been fun looking at people?s work and getting feedback on my own.

On the bad side there is at times this odd competitive/aggressive energy that I naively wasn?t expecting to encounter.

All in all I am glad I got to come and be a part of it although I don?t think I will be able to process this experience fully until after I return home and escape the vortex that is Fotofest.

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Add the Model Look to Your Portraits with These Photoshop Tips

Having a ?model look? to your portraits is a bit more than just great lighting and using a sharp lens ? while you can create stunning, magazine-quality photos with just your camera, you can bring out the true beauty in your images using a few simple Photoshop techniques. 1. Soften the Skin Having professional-grade camera [...]

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.

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Tales From FotoFest

The stage is set for portfolio speed-dating
I've always wanted to go to Houston for FotoFest. The shows, the people, the line dancing. One year I'll get down there. In the meantime I asked a two friends, Phil Toledano and Justine Reyes, who attended the portfolio reviews this year to report back from the trenches. It's been a few days since they returned home, but you get the idea.

Phil Toledano
Now I know what it?s like to be a cow at the meat-yard, waiting for the compressed-air bolt to the forehead.

Fotofest is a very interesting experience-it peels back the little band-aid the covers the giant weeping rash of desperation that all (ok-most) of us suffer from. Of course, it?s useful-for some of us, it?ll crack open a career. But (to quote George Bush, which I try and do as much as possible) make no mistake-we?re all down here dancing about like monkeys, selling our wares. Is this a little bleak? Well, I suppose so, but then again, I am the Morrisey of photography.

Sometimes I?m asked what I hope to get out of a meeting. Honestly? The only thing I?d like to hear is something along the lines of: ?I?ve never seen genius of this importance before in my life-hang on, let me get the curator of MOMA on the horn? That would be great. Or a screaming artgasm ?when harry met sally? style, reviewer white-knuckling the sides of the table.

But I?ll settle for a group show in Nebraska.

Now, don?t get me wrong, I?ve had a good time, and I?ve had some lovely conversations with some people who seemed (at the time) interested. I also met some really great photographers (red Sonja and death reyes-shout out to my peeps!)

We all ask each other how it?s going, and it?s a question I find very hard to answer. Some people liked my work, others, not so much. You really don?t have any clue. It can take a week, a month, or a few years.


Justine Reyes
Last day at Fotofest. Trying to summarize this experience seems like an extremely daunting task at the moment. I am exhausted. Being a first timer I guess I didn?t quite know what to expect. For only four days a lot is packed in. I met with ten reviewers today alone and then did an open portfolio night.

On the good side I have gotten to know some really lovely people, talented photographers and critical thinkers. It has been fun looking at people?s work and getting feedback on my own.

On the bad side there is at times this odd competitive/aggressive energy that I naively wasn?t expecting to encounter.

All in all I am glad I got to come and be a part of it although I don?t think I will be able to process this experience fully until after I return home and escape the vortex that is Fotofest.

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Halloween in Harlem Prints Now Available on 20x200

Untitled (Hulk) and Untitled (Powerpuff Girls) from my Halloween in Harlem series are now available from 20x200. I am a big believer in the 20x200 mission of (limited editions × low prices) + the internet = art for everyone and was flattered when they asked me to participate. For my 20x200 edition I made the decision to offer C-prints which meant hand printing every last photo. It almost killed me, but I am in love with the final prints. Check out the 20x200 site to see (and purchase!) the editions.

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Evolve or Die

© Mona Lisa Productions

I'm a bit of an evolution junkie. I'm particularly fascinated by the idea of evolution in real time. We tend to think of evolution as something that happens over millions of years, but there is evolutionary change happening right under our noses. See this story on Live Science about fish in southern Mexico who are adapting to a centuries old, yearly religious ceremony practiced by the Zoque people. As part of the ceremony, the Zoque stun the fish with a plant toxin. Most fish knuckle to the toxin, float to the surface and are eaten. The fish that have developed a resistance to the toxin live to swim (and reproduce) another day.

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How to Add a Panning Effect in Photoshop

Adding a panning effect in Photoshop is a great way to take a stationary subject and give it some movement and fluidity. This not only creates a more interesting photograph to view, but also helps to tell a story in a more visual manner ? such as a car that is parked compared to one [...]

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.

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