A short tribute with a glimpse of the superb photos taken on Hollywood movie sets by Bob Willoughby, who died recently. I’d never heard of him, looking forward to seeing more of his photographs.
Bob Willoughby
December 23rd, 2009Hunters of Greenland Photographs
December 8th, 2009An exceptional set of photographs by Ragnar Axelsson of Inuit subsistence hunters, out on the ice in Greenland, hunting as they have for the past 4,000 years. A great book about these amazingly hardy Greenlandic hunters is This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland by Gretel Ehrlich.
I’m sure you’ll agree that Icelandic photographer Ragnar Axelsson is a superb photographer. For more images by him, check out his website:
Eloquent Charis Wilson, Model, Edward Weston’s Inspiration, Dies
November 25th, 2009Charis Wilson, Edward Weston’s wife and subject of many of his superb nude photographs, has died in Santa Cruz, California, at the age of 95.
Charis Wilson, Model and Muse, Dies at 95
At 90, she was a lively, vital part of the 2007 documentary about her & Weston, “Eloquent Nude: The Love and Legacy of Edward Weston and Charis Wilson,” an award-winning film by a great team in Portland, Oregon at nw Documentary arts & media
Crankster
November 4th, 2009Great set of cartoons in the Nov. 1 New Yorker from Roz Chast, long a favorite of mine. Here you’ll see a selection of six ‘toons from:
Crankster: “Selected images from ‘Crankster, the Anti-Social Site for Networking’ by Roz Chast.”
The two-page cartoon in the print version has 24 of Chasts’ social misfits. What a fun sendup of Twitter, Facebook, etc.
(Via New Yorker Humor.)
Roy DeCarava, 1919 – 2009
October 29th, 2009The great Harlem photographer is gone. There’s a fine slide show of his superb photos in the New York Times blog, Lens
NYC Harbor Photos
October 27th, 2009I’d love to be in New York City this month, to visit friends, and to catch this great show of waterfront photos at the Museum of the City of New York. Historic photos are on display with recent photos documenting lighthouses, ships, and more, by husband and wife team Lens Jenschel and Diane Cook. I’ve enjoyed their work for a long time. Cook’s black and white photos really shine in this exhibit.
New Book, Great Color: Alex Webb & Rebecca Norris Webb
October 17th, 2009Here’s a fine sample of Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb’s collaborative Cuban photo project, Violet Isle.
Master Camera Repairman, Marty Forscher
October 12th, 2009What a gifted camera repairman New York City’s Marty Forscher was. He passed away Sept. 30. I’d heard of his Professional Camera Repair Service, but didn’t know anything about the legendary Forscher until I read about him in today’s New York Times. What a talented, amazing person.
Irving Penn
October 8th, 2009One of the greatest photographers of the 20th century, Irving Penn, has passed away, at age 92. Although he’s best known for his fashion photography, I like his still lifes best. He was also a master printer. The slide show of his photographs here is short, but what great images.
Sam Harris Photos
October 8th, 2009Here’s a fine slide show of personal photos from Sam Harris, taken after he and his family moved to Australia.
A glimpse of Anne Frank on Film
October 6th, 2009I’ve never forgotten the visit I made to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam years ago, and seeing this brief image on film of Anne Frank brought back memories of that deeply moving experience.
Willy Ronis
September 18th, 2009Willy Ronis, the gifted photographer who serendipitiously captured the lives of working class Parisians in post-war Paris, has died. The legendary photographer was 99.
(Via New York Times.)
“Meow Spoken Here”
September 15th, 2009Guitar Legend Les Paul Dies
August 14th, 2009Les Paul was a gifted designer of electric guitars, and was a brilliant “tinkerer” whose innovations for recording studios made him a giant in 20th century music. He was 94. Until recently, he drove into NYC every week to perform. I greatly enjoyed seeing the documentary “Les Paul – Chasing Sound” (2007) on DVD recently.
(Via New York Times Music)
Globe Thistles Photo Set
August 13th, 2009Warren, Connecticut: Major authors like Philip Roth and Francine du Plessix Gray live in the countryside near my friends Richard and Anne Wanderman. We were at a potluck at Richard’s friends Adil and Zarinna the other night; Richard and I made a return trip to photograph the globe thistles down the road from Adil’s at Gray’s home. As we photographed, a group of bikers passed by, and a chipmunk took at look me as I photographed him on the stone wall.
Photography: John Delaney’s Kazakh Golden Eagle Nomads
August 10th, 2009A superb black and white photo essay:
John Delaney – Kazakh Golden Eagle Nomads
(Via burn magazine.)
John Hughes, Director of ’80s Comedies, Dies
August 7th, 2009It’s sad news that the superb writer and director of some my favorite comedies passed away yesterday during a visit to New York City. I’ll be watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Planes Trains and Automobiles, and Uncle Buck again soon, in tribute to this gifted filmmaker.
John Hughes, Director of ’80s Comedies, Dies at 59: “Mr. Hughes helped define a generation with films like ‘The Breakfast Club,’ ‘Sixteen Candles’ and ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.’
(Via New York Times)
10 Useful Travel Gadgets Under $50
July 23rd, 2009Top 10 Travel Gadgets Under $50: “Here is a list of the 10 gadgets, all under $50, that I either own or have been lusting after.”
(Via Frugal Traveler)
Julius Shulman, Photographer of Modernist California Architecture, Dies at 98
July 18th, 2009Another exceptionally talented photographer is gone; Shulman was very active in photographing architecture well into his 90’s.
Julius Shulman, Photographer of Modernist California Architecture, Dies at 98: “Mr. Shulman’s photographs depicted modern houses as the ultimate expressions of modern living and helped idealize the California lifestyle in the postwar years.
Glastonbury Music Festival 2009
July 1st, 2009The Big Picture has a fine set of photographs showing the fans and musicians at Somerset, England’s Glastonbury Festival. Looks like a lot of fun in a beautiful setting.