While this series favors candid and street photography, often the most challenging art is produced in the studio. “This shot honestly took almost an hour-and-a-half to get perfect’, Robby Mueller says of self-titled “Nerf Gun […]
Category: Storytelling
Flickr a Day 166: ‘Life Through the Eyes of the Orphan’
Photos of needy children in some developing countries are so often cliché. Sad face, wide eyes, and even emaciation. Self-titled “Life Through the Eyes of the Orphan” takes the Day for being something more. You […]
Sunday Haiku
I never could understand the idea of Haiku, and really still don’t, but I heard something about the Japanese poetry on the radio last week that made me wonder about writing some. Just as an experiment. I don’t get the whole syllable thing, and don’t even try, instead focusing on juxtaposition—a concept core to my prose style.
Any coaching would be appreciated. As a writing experiment, I work fast, banging out the would-be Haiku rapid-gunfire like. I put together this lot in less than 10 minutes.
Friday paycheck
Sunday best
Church tax
Taste of blood
Torturer smiles
Water drips
Flickr a Day 165: ‘Let Me Ride–West Village’
As an artform, iPhonography is more than just about the camera or the shooter. Post-processing matters, too. That my friends is justification for picking the fifth subway pic featured in this series (see Days 24, 45, 72, and 155 for the others). Ryan Vaarsi captured self-titled “Let Me Ride—West Village” one week ago using iPhone 6 Plus. Vitals: f/2.2, ISO 100, 1/15 sec, 4.2mm.
The photo takes the Day for composition, color, and contrast that looks more like film than digital. Ryan got the classic look in part by applying the VSCO Cam app‘s A1 “analog” preset. The app is free, but most presets cost something. A1 is among a collection of 12 for $2.99. iPhone users can shoot straight from the app or edit existing pics.
Flickr a Day 162: ‘The Difficult Way to the Top’
The photostream of Georgie Pauwels just kills me. Picking a single pic is burdensome because her smartly composed street photography captures character and evokes emotion. I debated between today’s selection and self-titled “Finally Spring“, both […]
Flickr a Day 160: ‘Every Little Piece of My Heart’
I came across the photostream of Lotus Carroll about a month ago. There was never a doubt that she would be featured but more question: “Which piece of art?” For weeks, I kept her Flickr open in a browser tab as reminder. Had intellect triumphed over intuition—post immediately rather than wait—I would have missed delightful self-titled “Every Little Piece of My Heart”, which she shot on May 18, 2015.
Lotus used Canon EOS 5D Mark III and EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens (gotta love Canon L) to capture today’s selection. Vitals: f/4, ISO 640, 1/200 sec, 88 mm. You might think she performed some Photoshop montage magic, but this is a clever natural shot—a backdoor selfie with focus on her eight year-old. The self-title punctuates meaning. Visual storytelling is rarely this good…unless it’s another pic from her fabulous Flickr.
Flickr a Day 159: ‘Fruit Stand around Gulou’
Although self-titled “Tiger the Dog” appealed to be selected, cuteness could not prevail over composition and color. “Fruit Stand around Gulou” takes the Day, also for lighting and being interesting. Jens Schott Knudsen captured the moment on Nov. 8, 2014, using the Sony Alpha ILCE-7R, a magnificent full-frame mirrorless compact that is primped for street photography. Vitals: ISO 1600, 1/160 sec. He may have used a manual lens, which would explain why f-stop and focal length were not measured.
Jens lives Beijing, China, which is where he captured today’s selection, but he is from Haderslev, Denmark. For a real treat, and to get some insight about his photographic heritage, click through to his November 2013 blog post “50 years Ago“.
Flickr a Day 157: ‘Lost’
Three words describe the photography of Roland C. Vogt. Stark. Somber. Sad. Colors and hue evoke how I often imagined Eastern Europe looked like before the Wall fell in Germany, where he is from (Freiburg […]
Flickr a Day 156: ‘Street Lads’
Some pics jump from the photostream and demand to be chosen, as is the case with today’s selection. Simon Evans shot self-titled “Street Lads” on Sept. 20, 2014—around the time that he started blogging—using Fujifilm X-Pro1 and Fujinon XF 27mm F2.8 lens. Vitals: f/5.6, ISO 800, 1/450 sec, 27mm.
The pancake lens makes the Fuji mirrorless camera a relatively smaller shooter—well, compared to bulky dSLRs—while offering dramatic benefits of hybrid optical and digital viewfinder. Motion more typically describes Simon’s street shots. The Day Maker is rare exception. “This is what happens when you give in and ‘spare a bit of change'”, he jokes.
Flickr a Day 152: ‘Unexpected Wedding’
Self-titled “Tightrope Walker Cat” demands to be chosen, but I reluctantly pass, having featured felines on Days 38, 51, and 143. Instead, José Manuel Ríos Valiente wins with “Unexpected Wedding”, for candid capture and contextual caption that […]
Flickr a Day 151: ‘Sometimes Life Hurts’
There is an art to shooting with models. The style of Jonathan Emmanuel Flores Tarello reminds of Day 89 photographer Gabriela Camerotti: Dreamy and ethereal, with a touch of fantasy. I chose today’s selection, which is among […]
Flickr a Day 150: ‘Fischer am Nebeligen Erlaufsee’
Self-titled “21er Haus“, at Museum moderner Kunst, Wien (Museum of Modern Art) in Vienna, Austria—taken just 5 days ago—seemed sure to take the Day. Jakob Hürner used iPhone 5s, which produced a photo that is remarkably balanced […]