Are luxury photography books recession-proof?
Six-figure sums are routinely paid for limited-edition photography books – and publishers tell us they’ve mined art gold

“Spending £1,000 or more on a book is an investment,” Taschen says. “A number of people are looking for a safe place to put their money, and the success of our limited editions have shown time and again that prices are often doubled, tripled or, in the case of Sumo, multiplied by 10. And while you’re waiting for your money to grow, you get to own something beautiful and rare. That’s what I call a good investment.”

Woh, I find this truly compelling, exotic and intriguing photowork. Check out the slideshow :  “Small world competition 2009″

The Sochi Project

In 2014, the Olympic Games will take place in Sochi, Russia. Never before have the Olympic Games been held in a region that contrasts more strongly with the glamour of the Games than Sochi. Just 20 kilometres away is the conflict zone Abkhazia. To the east the Caucasus Mountains stretch into obscure and impoverished breakaway republics such as Cherkessia, North Ossetia and Chechnya. On the coast old Soviet sanatoria stand shoulder to shoulder with the most expensive hotels and clubs of the Russian Riviera.

Photographer Rob Hornstra and writer/filmmaker Arnold van Bruggen plan to document the changes in the area around Sochi over the coming five years. The Sochi Project will be a dynamic mix of documentary photography, film and reportage about a world in flux; a world full of different realities within a small but extraordinary geographic area.

www.thesochiproject.org

BJP | Fire and ice

Photographs of her daughters bought Sally Mann critical acclaim and the wrath of the religious right in the 1990s. Now she is back with an equally intimate portrait of her husband

As you might know, I work with a digital camera and an analogue camera : a Rolleiflex 2.8A

I just learned that Hellen van Meene makes her great photographs with a Rolleiflex 2.8F

Now I’m reallly interested to see her work. When will it show in the Netherlands?

More Rolleiflex posts ? Click Rolleiflex category.

As I am setting up a photo/video studio in the ecdpm office, locaton : the attic, I thought I should compile and share some basic information as quick reference/toolkit for myself and my fellow studio user, the “corporate videographer” and others that take an interest.

Photo.net | Why go into the studio?

Shortcourses.com | Continuous lights

Photoplace | studio opstellingen

Working with equipment, model and light :

I find this workshop by Ken Henderson quite good,  see the video tutorials

Part One : explaining high, mid, low key

Part Two : explaining (flash) umbrella’s, background and camera angle

Part Three : explaining the soft box, the importance of the eyes and skin tone readings

Part Four : explaining back grounds, gels, effect lights, ‘French flag’,

Part Five : explaining skin highlights and catch lights in the eyes and basic accessories

Part Six : slide show/explaining his portraits and technique

Part Seven : light meting head light and back ground light

Part Eight : light height, mood, expression, smile

I will add to the above these coming days.

(In my own studio I work with Profoto. Some video’s are availabe here).

BJP | Shot from the hip (Photographer profile)

Native New Yorker Bruce Gilden is unapologetic about his in-your-face approach to street photography. He tells Diane Smyth why he’s getting closer still

Honestly, the first time I saw how he is working, in one of his video’s (see link in a previous post), I was in shock. I will never adopt his style, yet can not deny that his results/his photographs are very intriguing. Hate him or love him, but check out his work!

Related reading my post in category “street photography”

Taryn Simon exhibits her startling take on photography — to reveal worlds and people we would never see otherwise. She shares two projects: one documents otherworldly locations typically kept secret from the public, the other involves haunting portraits of men convicted for crimes they did not commit.

With a large-format camera and a knack for talking her way into forbidden zones, she photographs portions of the American infrastructure inaccessible to its inhabitants.

http://www.ted.com/talks/taryn_simon_photographs_secret_sites.html

BJP | Franke & Heidecke facing the end