Summer Snapshots

Here are a few vernacular photographs I've found on the internet with that Summer atmosphere that i miss.

Lula Magazine Spread

I received a brief recently to produce a double page magazine spread for a publication of my choice. I chose the fashion magazine Lula as I adore its feminine, nostalgic and whimsical style. The magazine often features editorials that reference past styles, so I chose to do a 60s influenced shoot. I wanted to draw upon the magazine's playful quality and so set the shoot in a sea-front arcade. I'm pretty pleased with the images from the shoot, I love the bright colours and kitsch, retro feel. 

Alex Prager

One of my favourite photographer at the moment is L.A. based art photographer Alex Prager. Her cinematic images portray a strange world in which wig-wearing, heavily made-up characters star in scenarios with dark and mysterious undertones. I love how she constantly references the 50s and 60s in the choice of styling, and also in the aesthetic look of her photographs which often resemble Hitchcock stills. According to Prager, one of the reasons for this referencing of the past is because she believes the 60s and 70s have more aesthetically interesting and beautiful elements, particularly colour. For me, colour is one of the most striking elements of Prager's work. Influenced by Richard Billingham, her work uses an almost childlike colour palette of intense reds, blues and greens, creating an interesting contrast to the darker themes of danger and death.

Sunset

I went down to the beach at the weekend to photograph the sunset. I wanted to reinforce the tranquil atmosphere so used a slow shutter speed which softly blurred the water. Although landscapes definitely aren't my strongest genre of photography, I find photographing them very relaxing in comparison to fashion, and am fairly happy with how these images turned out. 

The Little Sea Maid

"They had splendid voices, more charming than any mortal could have; and when a storm was approaching, so that they could apprehend that ships would go down, they swam on before the ships and sang lovely songs, which told how beautiful it was at the bottom of the sea, and exhorted the sailors not to be afraid to come down. But these could not understand the words, and thought it was the storm sighing; and they did not see the splendors below, for if the ships sank they were drowned, and came as corpses to the Sea-king’s palace." 

The Little Sea Maid by Hans Christian Andersen

Cecile Bortoletti

Wayne Levin

L'air du Temps by Nina Ricci

I've been looking into perfume videos for a university project, and this one below has to be my favourite of all time. The mystical imagery is completely enchanting.

Turning Google Street View Into Art

I'm fascinated with Google Street View, how you can travel the world without leaving your computer seat, so I was pleased to find 'The Nine Eyes of Google Street View, a project by Canadian artist, Jon Rafman who has turned the captures of Google Street View into a form of art. He has selected captures from Street View that range from beautiful landscapes to documentary photographs that make a social statement. Many of the images appear to have a carefully crafted composition, looking as if they were taken by a professional photographer. These stunning images, captured by a machine, challenge the concept of art and the artist.