Thursday, January 31, 2013

Sydney Harbour Bridge - at Night



This photo is taken from Circular Quay, near the Overseas Passenger Terminal. Looking North.


I took 17 shots of the bridge at night while my parents were taking a walk. Most of them came out blurry until I found a pole to stabilize my camera on. Earlier that day, we had climbed the bridge itself.

Photographer and Portraiture Guru - Imogen Cunningham

Born - Portland Oregon, 1883

1901 - Bought First Photograph

1909 - Scholarship from Pi Beta Phi to Dresden Germany for Photo Study

1910 - Dream
       

1913 - Brooklyn Academy of Arts and Sciences

Ms. Cunningham was a renowned photographer of industrial landscapes, botanical studies, and various portraiture (focusing on hands, face, or natural nudity). She went through several periods of various photography subjects in her life. Her first nude shot was on a campus in the wood of herself.

1909 - 1923 Local Photography (Early Nudity)

Most of her work consisted of shots from sitters in their respective homes or in her own living room, as well as shots of subjects in the woods surrounding her cottage.

1922 - Portrait of Margrethe Mather and Edward Weston

She also won critical acclaim for her nudist photography, but she would not revisit that style for another 53 years.

1920s
     1923 - 1925 Botanical Photography
           Cunningham spent most of the time specifically on a study of the Magnolia Flower
     1925 - 1930 Industrial Landscapes

1929 - Edward Westen ("Most innovative & Influential Photographer in America - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Weston#cite_note-1) nominates 10 photographs, of which Two Callas was shown in an exhibition.

1929 - Two Callas


Agave Design 2



Alta on a Beach (Nudist Series)


1927 - Gas Tanks


1930s
    Human Form photography
       Here Imogen switches to portraiture photography, particularly of hands and close up face shots.
       Work for Vanity Fair to photograph Movie Stars without makeup

Martha Graham 1931


Cary Grant - 1932


1929, George Warburg, Cellist


Self-Portrait 1933


1940s
     Street Photography
     Invited by Ansel Adams to be on the faculty at the California School of Fine Arts

Couple on the Street c late 1940s, early 50s


Double Image


1950 - 1970
     A mixture of all previous styles, and a return to nudity. She died in 1976, taking photographs right up until her death.

Haight Street c.1968


Lovers in Trinity Churchyard, NYC 1956


Marjorie Fairfield Osborn, 1976


Phoenix on her side 1968


Self Portrait?



Photographs taken from wikipedia.org and http://www.photoliaison.com/Images/Imogen_Cunningham_Album/index.htm

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Fly Proudly



The Australian Flag flying over Darling Harbour in Sydney

About the Picture:

Australia is a democratic country in the southern hemisphere that was a former colony of the British Empire. Although independent in all respects, it still recognizes Queen Elizabeth II as the Head of State, and is therefore a member of the Commonwealth of Nations (former British Colonies). The largest star at the bottom is the Commonwealth Star, and the constellation on the right of the flag represents the Southern Cross Constellation. 

I stood for about 1 hour along the harbor side taking pictures of this flag in the wind in both black & white and in color to get the flag in a perfect position. I ended up taking about 760 photos of the flag on my Canon DSLR, and only about 5 made the cut.