Our three-day walk—or is that falling flat face—down fad memory lane concludes with another selection from four summers ago. You remember the craze, right? Or did you forget? (Please do.) Nate Bolt shot self-titled “Road […]
Category: Media
Flickr a Day 205: ‘Planking on the Metro’
What better way to have fun underground in Washington, D.C. than, as the self-title describes, “Planking on the Metro”. Today’s selection is the second of three (see Day 204 for the first) of photos recalling […]
Flickr a Day 204: ‘Planking’
Some fads are short-lived, while others you wish hadn’t been even that long. There is my reaction to planking four years ago. I was oblivious to the thing until someone commented on a pic of our cat Kuma posted to my social network. For fun, and no other reason, we begin three days of selections searched using the “P” word.
First up, from Patricia van Casteren, is the appropriately self-titled “Planking”, which she shot on June 21, 2011, using the Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. Vitals: f/6.3, ISO 200, 1/500 sec, 210mm. “Even the polar bears are totally hooked on planking these days”, she says, providing reference to a Wikipedia article for folks who don’t know what the hell the thing—also known as the “Lying Down Game”. I am surprised to see the origins go back more than three decades, given the sudden surge in popularity four years ago.
Flickr a Day 203: ‘Smartphone Teen’
The best portrait photography is candid. Better still: Something so natural it looks like a still for advertising. Pabak Sarkar evokes both qualities with self-titled “Smartphone Teen”, which takes the Day for clarity, color, contrast, and […]
Flickr a Day 202: ‘Two Sport Athlete’
Photojounalism evokes some of the best storytelling. Because what are the pics about other than tales to tell? Alongside his professional business, Zach Frailey works part-time for the Kinston Free Press. “Two Sport Athlete” takes […]
Flickr a Day 201: ‘Selfie and Friend’
Please, someone move me to a French country villa with farm animals and cats, because the photostream of Nebojsa Mladjenovic is so evocative of a simpler and happier life on the farm. I wonder: How […]
Flickr a Day 200: ‘Carry a Longboard’
Our two-hundredth selection in the series comes from Steve Corey, who creates interesting art by bleaching out much of the color and drawing detail—and the eye’s attention to it—in shadows. Clever still, self-title “Carry a […]
Flickr a Day 199:’Green Houseboat’
Vibrant colors make this pic our Saturday pick. Ian D. Keating shot self-titled “Green Houseboat”, which is “accessible from the pier. Fisherman’s Wharf. Victoria, BC. Canada”, using the Olympus E-PM1 and M Zuiko Digital 40-150mm F4.0-5.6 […]
Flickr a Day 198: ‘Folklore and Youth’
Nothing produces a portrait like a prime lens in competent hands. Marjan Lazarevski shot today’s selection on May 27, 2013, using Canon EOS 600D and EF 50mm f/1.8 II. Vitals: f/2, ISO 800, 1/500 sec. But self-titled “Folklore and Youth” takes the Day as much for the contextual storytelling around it.
Based in Skopje, Macedonia, Marjan often captures moments that illuminate local culture. “Macedonian national costumes are part of the material culture of the Macedonian people and they are important branch of the Macedonian folk art”, he says.
Meet the Fujifilm X-T1
Someone please explain the mysteries of retail marketing and sales, because they baffle me. Last week, I quite unexpectedly purchased the Fujifilm X-T1, which got clumsy break-in during San Diego Comic-Con 2015. The story I tell is true, a point necessary to emphasize because I wouldn’t believe it if not for my real-life experience.
Last November, I asked: “Fujifilm X100T or X-T1?” After making comparisons, seriously evaluating my budget, contemplating my past experience using the X100, and considering the benefits of nearly-silent leaf shutter and ND filter to compensate for the Southern California sun, I chose the fixed-lens camera. Besides, I have used only mirrorless digicams since Sigma DP1 in early 2008 and, with brief Olympus PEN sojourn, only non-interchangeable lens shooters.
Flickr a Day 197: ‘Love Coffee’
There’s nothing remarkable about self-titled “Love Coffee”. How many times have you seen something like this shared socially online? Daily? Raise my hand, as an affirmative. But how often did you see something like this […]
Comic-Con House of Worship
I lied, but didn’t mean to. Turns out that my “Final SDCC 2015 Reflection” isn’t. I have another. Whether or not you believe in the existence of God, or some kind of deliberate creator, ponder this observation: Comic-Con, more than any other gathering, reveals how much human beings need to worship. Some evolutionist might argue that such innate genetic trait leads us to manufacture deities and religion. God believers could point to the fallen human condition and idolatry replacing pure faith.
Whether you accept either, neither, or something else, nevertheless ponder what San Diego Comic-Con and events like it represents: People gather to worship what or whom they see as being greater than themselves—fictional superheroes, artists who create them, writers who tell their stories, actors who portray them, and directors, producers, showrunners and others who bring them to film and to video.