Array ( [0] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 70620 [post_author] => 25605 [post_date] => 2016-11-07 15:18:14 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-11-07 20:18:14 [post_content] =>When viewing Richard Koci Hernandez' new photography series "Chasing the Hatman," one can't help but recall the classic images of throwback espionage films where a shadowy figure in a hat appears with mysterious demeanor and unknown motivation. The same fascination is ever present in Hernandez' work, peppered with an Alfred Hitchcock touch to go along with his contemporary style, his method elevates this series' photographs into a higher creative level. In Chasing the Hatman, he finds random hat-wearing strangers and captures them on his camera. The end result is a set of inventive collective work sizzling with all the film-noir feels, just looking at each images, one can easily envision a stirring narrative.
[caption id="attachment_71790" align="alignnone" width="999"]
© Richard Koci Hernandez[/caption] How did you come about with the idea for "Chasing the Hatman" series?
The idea came to me only recently, I've actually been working on the series for more than 20 years, Believe it or not, mostly subconsciously. For 20 years, I've always known I had a particular interest and fascination in men wearing old nostalgic hats but never really asked myself to internally investigate why that was the case until about two years ago. I would venture to say that I would still not know why if it hadn't been for people continually asking me why I had such a fascination with man in hats. For the better part of 20 years, my work was largely unseen outside of my intimate family and friends so once I started posting my work on social media a larger audience was able to see the trend and that's when the questions started coming.
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© Richard Koci Hernandez[/caption]
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© Richard Koci Hernandez[/caption]
Why?
I think I was afraid of the answer. I think I still am. It's such a visceral attraction—one that often has me going to great lengths to capture the "man in the hat"—that I've jumped into oncoming traffic and put myself in harm's way to get the shot.
I knew it was something deep inside me. I avoided thinking about the why for so long, but I've finally come to terms with the answer.
First, it's not a fashion statement and it's not about the hats themselves—it is about the man under the fedora. It's really about looking for the father I never had. I'm searching for my dad and in a twisted way a man in a hat is the ideal 1950s stereotype of a father figure.
So, I keep coming back to the streets, searching, searching, searching...
Once I finally realized why I was chasing the hat man, It seemed appropriate to gather a few into a series.
Tell us the process on how you shot each images?[caption id="attachment_71793" align="alignnone" width="1000"]
© Richard Koci Hernandez[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_71794" align="alignnone" width="685"]
© Richard Koci Hernandez[/caption]
Well, I never go out and look for images I prefer the images come to me, And as arrogant and pompous as that sounds it's the truth of how I work. I very rarely venture out of my house with the camera purely to make photographs. My photographs are a byproduct of my normal life, going to the store, meetings, getting gas, changing the tires on my car etc. the mundane actions of life- but always being open- aware- with a camera in hand. So the hatmen present themselves to me and then I usually go out of my way to follow them several blocks until I get them in the right light or situation. Sometimes, More often than not, I see light-- interactions between the darkness and the light-- contrast, and geometry or a place or situation and usually, very patiently wait--often hours-- for the right person or moment to happen within that space.
From a creative perspective, share to us what you learned while shooting this series?[caption id="attachment_71795" align="alignnone" width="847"]
© Richard Koci Hernandez[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_71796" align="alignnone" width="1000"]
© Richard Koci Hernandez[/caption]
That nothing beats being ready at all times, you never know when the hat man will show up. ALWAYs BE READY! I don't believe much in a lot of inspirational mumbo-jumbo, I often believe as many other people have said before all you really have to do is just be ready to do the work!
How different is "Chasing the Hatman" from your previous works?[caption id="attachment_71797" align="alignnone" width="1000"]
© Richard Koci Hernandez[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_71798" align="alignnone" width="1000"]
© Richard Koci Hernandez[/caption]
Not very. There is a continual thread throughout my body of work. That is the fact that I shoot mostly in black and white, My images are very contrasty, focusing mostly on geometry, light, composition, the anonymity of my subject matter in the form of a silhouette– usually. I also tend to create digital images that try their hardest to emulate the analog print with the borders, dust,Grime, dirt and scratches. So this series resembles most of my other work.
As a photographer how do you know a subject is worth creating a photo series about?[caption id="attachment_71799" align="alignnone" width="1000"]
© Richard Koci Hernandez[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_71800" align="alignnone" width="1000"]
© Richard Koci Hernandez[/caption]
When you know it's the right thing to do, basically your gut, your heart, your artistic intuition, call it what you want- but it will tell you it's the right thing to do and you'll know it. Sorry to sound so 'new agey' but I believe this to be true -with all my heart.
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© Richard Koci Hernandez[/caption][caption id="attachment_71802" align="alignnone" width="1000"]
© Richard Koci Hernandez[/caption]
Sometimes we need to deconstruct things to see them in a different light. The process of learning how things come together starts with knowing each components that make it as a whole. For photographer Todd McLellan, who is beginning a five-year tour traveling “Things Come Apart” with Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and has spent his career deconstructing gadgets and photographing the organized pieces, deconstructing normal household objects has become an art that he has explored through the years.
[caption id="attachment_71267" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Power drill made by Ryobi in 2006. Component count: 216. © Todd McLellan[/caption]How did you come up with the idea for "Things Come Apart”?
It came together fairly organically. I had started a collection of old items from my past or from things I had collected. They were hanging around my office waiting for the right opportunity. I wanted to document them in a way that gives them a new life. The standard product shot was boring and thought an ‘assembly’ diagram style shot would look fantastic. It required WAY too much digital, which carried itself away from their simplicity. At that point I frustratingly laid them out and took a shot. This was something I could build on and really told the story of each object and its design. The images of them flying mid air are just that. We dropped them from a ladder and captured them falling. It was a departure from the more organized layout. I am a gemini.
[caption id="attachment_71268" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Mechanical watch made by Vostok in the1990s. Component count: 130. © Todd McLellan[/caption]How different is this from your previous works?
I have always documented or photographed objects as a whole. I’ve always been interested in the outwardly design of pieces form cars to telephones. The "Things Come Apart” series was a more intimate, hands-on look through my photography than previous series.
What are the fascinating discoveries you had while working on this series?
I started with mechanical objects and thought I was going to stop there. I imagined newer technology to be rather boring on the inside. Continuing the project I had a great discovery of the modern design and how we were able to create all these magnificent pieces in such a small capacity. There were so many interesting discoveries and that changes every time I recall them, but one of the most fascinating were the arms on the typewriter. It was amazing how they articulated to get each letter on paper.
[caption id="attachment_71269" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Smartphone made by BlackBerry in 2007. Component count: 120 © Todd McLellan[/caption]In a creative angle, how did your photography style evolved during the making of "Things Come Apart”?
Looking back I became a lot more tight with my designs. Creating boundaries and rules and working within them. It helped continue and give each of the photographs a precise look complimenting their overall design.
Explain to us briefly, the process on how you set up each images?
I have to be part of the process from start to finish. I disassemble and lay them out. Without the understanding of how they are assembled one cannot truthfully lay them out in a way that makes sense to how they were once whole. I make sure to organize the pieces in sections of how they were taken out of the object. My process usually involves starting in the composition from the shell of the objects. From this point I can move outwards. This can be seen in the disassembly videos created.
[caption id="attachment_71270" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Lensatic compass made by Indian Nautical Instruments in the 2000s. Component Count: 33. © Todd McLellan[/caption]What are the camera, lenses and other gears you used for the series?
The major part of the shoot involved the camera and lighting. I used Hasselblad 555ELD medium format camera with a Phase One digital back for the first 25% and the other 75% I had switched to a Hasselblad H5D digital camera. My lenses varied from a 50mm to 120mm Macro Zeiss lenses. I strictly use Broncolor Scoro S 3200 RFS 2 for lighting each of the pieces. The falling images relied heavy on the Broncolor Scoro packs for their high-speed flash to stop the pieces midair.
[caption id="attachment_71271" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Flip clock made by Sanyo in the 1970s. Component count: 426 © Todd McLellan[/caption]What is the prevailing message you wanted to convey with "Things Come Apart?”
It’s always been about seeing objects around you in a different way. It was always a shame to see this older technology that is perfectly usable yet antiquated on the side of the road. I hope that we get an appreciation what has made or makes your life easier everyday.
[caption id="attachment_71272" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Rotary telephone made by Northern Electric in the 1980s. Component count: 148. © Todd McLellan[/caption]Lastly, tell us about your upcoming projects?
I am continuing taking things apart and have been working with Popular Mechanics exploring new and exciting objects monthly. I have also been working in live action slow motion filming. Exploring the slow motion of objects changing forms before our eyes.
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Bicycle made by Raleigh in the 1980s. Component count: 893 © Todd McLellan[/caption]To see more of Todd McLellan's works, please check out his official website. [post_title] => Reconstructing the Creative Inspirations Behind Todd McLellan's "Things Come Apart" [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => reconstructing-the-creative-inspirations-behind-todd-mclellans-things-come-apart [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2016-10-10 12:32:26 [post_modified_gmt] => 2016-10-10 16:32:26 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://resourcemagonline.com/?p=70622 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )[2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 70436 [post_author] => 25605 [post_date] => 2016-09-26 15:13:25 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-09-26 19:13:25 [post_content] =>A human chain connected through varying levels of personal relationships takes starring role in Jens Juul's 2016 Magnum Photography Awards' portraiture series winner; "Six Degrees of Copenhagen". Capturing raw moments of his subjects, Jens was able to present a unique kind of portrait series that allows viewers to look beyond the personalities of each of his subjects. Taking place in the city of Copenhagen - which would seem like an orderly and cosmopolitan city to most, the series offers a glimpse at the character of the city previously unknown to many, through the dramatic portraits Jens Juul has shot and compiled altogether.
[caption id="attachment_70437" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
© Jens Juul[/caption]How did you come up with the idea for “Six Degrees of Copenhagen”?
Although the idea seems almost obvious in our age of social media, the notion first surfaced in 1929, when Hungarian author Frigyes Karinthy wrote a short story called “Chains.” In it, he prophetically described how new ways of communicating and traveling had made the world shrink. All of a sudden, having acquaintances in other parts of the world became more common. Thus, Karinthy wrote, you could point to a complete stranger on the other side of the planet and realize you were no more than six levels of connection away by virtue of chains of friends.
[caption id="attachment_70439" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
© Jens Juul[/caption]This was the basis for my project, “Six Degrees of Copenhagen.” I did not approach the idea scientifically, but rather saw it as an almost magical way to travel through the city and meet its inhabitants. So, each person portrayed here is part of a chain of acquaintances, simple as that. I began by approaching a stranger on the street and after photographing them, they recommended someone else in their network who I could portray in the same way.
[caption id="attachment_70440" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
© Jens Juul[/caption]I like to photograph people whom I don’t know beforehand. It begins when I stop people in the street. Still, I like to have a context, some kind of story-line to follow. When I fell upon the intriguing thought that every person on the planet is connected by, at most, the sixth degree, I had what I needed.
[caption id="attachment_70448" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
© Jens Juul[/caption]Have you ever shot a similar series taken from other cities?
No, all my projects have been taking place in Copenhagen, or in the suburb. You don't have to go to war zones and distant places to experience drama and the unknown - odds are, they are just around the corner.
[caption id="attachment_70441" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
© Jens Juul[/caption]Explain to us the creative process on how you shot each images?
For those strangers who accepted to be photographed, things progressed quite directly. I would invite myself to their home so that the session could take place in the comfort of a familiar, safe environment. A visit could last from a couple of hours to much longer, depending on how long it took to break the ice and get just the right shot I was looking for—raw, yet intimate.
[caption id="attachment_70442" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
© Jens Juul[/caption]Still, despite some differences, I should say that everyone I worked with was incredibly open. Although the pictures were highly personal, the fact that each subject was recommended by a friend meant they felt taken care of.
What are the fascinating discoveries you had while shooting this series?
My Photography is all about people that I on some way, is fascinated by. Whether it’s about documenting what’s in front of your eyes or, in my case, working on a project where you are portraying people, it really comes down to a feeling, an interpersonal decisive and fascinating moments: does my subject seem approachable or not? When I approach people in the street, I am faced with the challenge of having 10-30 seconds to read them and become intrigued. Once the connection has been made, the decisive (photographic) and fascinated (personal) moment comes much later.
[caption id="attachment_70443" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
© Jens Juul[/caption]The kind of photos I take demand letting our guards down. This naturally brings me quite close to the people I photograph within a few hours (or even faster, sometimes).
I genuinely believe that what makes me able to take the pictures that I do is not so much the equipment I bring, but my ability—and more importantly desire!—to speak, ask questions and do a lot of listening. Meeting people I don’t know and getting to take in their life stories in generous gulps really fascinates me.
[caption id="attachment_70444" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
© Jens Juul[/caption]In my experience, if you truly listen to people, and show them respect, they meet you with trust. With this trust, magic happens and fascinating moments will occur.
As an artist, how important it is for you to let your images narrate a socially relevant story?
Every portrait tells a number of stories. They both tell the story of that particular person portrayed and the situation at display. But as part of a series they are also part of a bigger narrative. They tell us how it is to be part of this particular tribe, living in this moment of time.
[caption id="attachment_70445" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
© Jens Juul[/caption]As a photographer I like to think that my pictures will remain interesting even in the future, by telling stories that are universal to us as humans. I think that is the point - that photography and portraits in particular makes it possible for us to relate to people we don't know. And that is how personal portraits are socially relevant no matter the context.
[caption id="attachment_70446" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
© Jens Juul[/caption]Lastly, tell us about your upcoming projects?
I am working on a more classical street photography project. Recently I was at the biggest Scandinavian music festival, Roskilde Festival, and I spent six days wandering around the camp area with my camera, capturing all the laid back craziness going on at a festival like that. And I will visit the festival again next year....
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© Jens Juul[/caption][caption id="attachment_70449" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
© Jens Juul[/caption] [post_title] => NSFW: Following the Visual Trail of Jens Juul's Portraiture Series "Six Degrees of Copenhagen" [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => nsfw-following-the-visual-trail-of-jens-juuls-portraiture-series-six-degrees-of-copenhagen [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2016-09-27 11:07:10 [post_modified_gmt] => 2016-09-27 15:07:10 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://resourcemagonline.com/?p=70436 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 1 [filter] => raw )[3] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 69751 [post_author] => 25605 [post_date] => 2016-08-25 12:26:27 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-08-25 16:26:27 [post_content] =>It is every photographer's worst nightmare to work hard and gather likes on their Facebook page only to wake up one morning and seeing it completely wiped out from Facebook. Imagine 2 million 'Likes' to go along with it. Such is the case of Singaporean photographer, Willy Foo... except Foo wasn't really all that innocent here. As it turns out - he had a brush with intellectual property violations reported by the artists whose videos he republished, which the social media giant finally responded to.
“The account was disabled as a result of repeated intellectual property violations,” a spokesperson from Facebook was quoted by Tech in Asia. Facebook adds, “We take violations of our standards seriously, and that is why we remove content, profiles and Pages that violate our standards when we are made aware of it.”
After a bit of probing online of various news outlets including Tech in Asia, it wasn't too hard to find a few examples of video content that was apparently uploaded by Willy Foo to his Facebook page either without proper credit to the original content creators, or uploading to his page without their permission and making it appear to his 2 million followers that the video was of his own.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKpxd8hzOcQ[/embed]The video above created by a Canadian firm 2D House was among those reported lifted by Foo and posted it on his Facebook page. “Indeed this is our video and the Facebook page and Willy Foo have both used it without permission,” 2D House owner David Dvir, tells Tech in Asia.
To his defense, Willy Foo insists he was merely helping the original content creators by exposing their work to his 2 million followers and states that he always includes the link of the original owners to his caption. “Often they would write back to thank me,” Foo says. “Unfortunately, not everybody will see it that way.”
While there are other individuals whose works Willy Foo had shared on his Facebook Page, who offered to help him convince Facebook to overturn the banning of his Facebook page, it seems it has come a little to late as it is with finality that Willy Foo's Facebook Page and its 2 million followers has seen its last of days.
The Singaporean photographer is still looking at the sunnier side of things. “I was semi-relieved that I don’t have to struggle everyday to find three pieces of content to post. So I took a good one month break from social media,”
Playing the Do-gooder, Naive Role Doesn't Hack it for Foo
As part of the creative industry himself, Foo should know better than dangling the "I was just trying to help fellow photographers get some exposure" card. First, it is so easy to share original content through Facebook by simply clicking the 'Share' button straight from the owner's Facebook page - rather than downloading it and uploading it to appear as his own while masked with a short citation caption very few people would notice or bother to read. Facebook content pirating has been a major concern for YouTube artists, who often see Facebook views on illegitimately shared content surpass the views they receive on their YouTube channels. When many rely on the monetization tools on YouTube, watching someone else get views for their work is akin to watching money drain from their bank accounts.
We wish Willy Foo the best during his 'break' from social media and also for him to realize the repercussion of using a Facebook Page with a large following in an irresponsible manner. Amassing two million followers is no easy task and it is a shame how all that went for naught because Willy Foo threaded a taboo territory -- of infringing copyright and dismissing the hard work of his fellow artists. May this all serve a lesson for everyone to protect their own work and the artistic vision of others as well.
[post_title] => Photographer Willy Foo Loses 2 Million Follower Facebook Page After Repeated Intellectual Property Violations [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => photographer-willy-foo-loses-2-million-follower-facebook-page-after-repeated-intellectual-property-violations [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2017-01-31 16:26:25 [post_modified_gmt] => 2017-01-31 21:26:25 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://resourcemagonline.com/?p=69751 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )[4] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 69747 [post_author] => 25605 [post_date] => 2016-08-24 12:46:21 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-08-24 16:46:21 [post_content] =>Instagram has changed the way how people prepare for a meal. Yes, there are folks who still recite their grace before taking a bite, but for most social media savvy individuals, taking a photograph of the food served in front of them becomes an automatic task. How many times you hear a friend of yours say "Wait a minute, I will just take a picture of it," each time the waiter hands over a plate at the dinner table when you're out with friends? Someone always takes the lead and before you know it, everyone is taking their mobile phones and shooting their own food photos.
Thanks to this habit, the #FoodPhotography hashtag is ripe with some excellent images for those who like to eat with their eyes. Get ready to drool because it appears that more and more people are getting a dig, not only of appreciating good cuisines, but also of the stylistic manner of photographing food.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BJWsy23gtF5/[/embed]Because what we see at mealtime also represents the culture of different countries, viewing various food photographs on Instagram also exposes us to the varying palate of people from other nations. From Mediterranean food, to Italian, to Indian, Persian and Asian, the lists go on and further reminds us that the world is filled with 'Eat, Pray and Love' destinations. Who wouldn't mind traveling the globe just indulging in the 'Eat' part?
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BJXHwaAh2-o/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BJWrYAljg7u/[/embed]It seems that foodies has now mastered different techniques of shooting food pictures. A whole cadre of food photographs appears taken in different creative angles. Apart from inventive angling, lighting also plays a vital part such as other aesthetics like the table cloth, plate designs and even other props that includes utensils and even a hand trying to cut a bit. All these comes into play in composing a well-crafted food photograph.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BJXJ9xPg_kY/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BJXJ9rIh-l8/[/embed]The more ingredients, the more eye popping colors contributes to the visual appeal of every food images.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BJXJwFtDKuu/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BJXK0avB3_m/[/embed]It comes as no surprise that more and more food establishments are even asking popular food instagrammers to dine at their restaurants for free and to some in exchange of posting some of their dishes on Instagram. Many people get their idea where to eat through social media and Instagram is among the most popular medium to check out what's hot in the food industry. Thinking where to take your date for tomorrow night's dinner? Well, Instagram has got the answers.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BJXL1NYjfzd/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BJW0Yb1hbVb/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BJWon6oBj9b/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BJXMVFFjJod/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BJXMwxdgU2h/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BJXMvo9AVit/[/embed]Just remember not to take too much time taking pictures of your food, because it is still better to down your meal while it's hot - or cold in the case of deserts. Yum!
[post_title] => Feast Your Eyes on Our Latest Favorites from #FoodPhotography [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => feast-your-eyes-on-our-latest-favorites-from-foodphotography [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2017-01-31 12:30:02 [post_modified_gmt] => 2017-01-31 17:30:02 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://resourcemagonline.com/?p=69747 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )[5] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 69059 [post_author] => 25605 [post_date] => 2016-08-09 12:26:24 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-08-09 16:26:24 [post_content] =>Sitting alone and listless on airport lounges while waiting for your flight can become quite dull and rings most true for travelers who can't wait to reach their destination. With a camera on hand, sometimes we can't help but search for interesting subjects to shoot and cure that little stretch of boredom. Such is the case of the Instagram users who took these images for our featured hashtag of the week: #AirportCarpets. Because who would have thought that taking a photograph of airport carpets can be Instagrammable, right? It turns out, a lot of passengers are doing this practice while whiling the moments until boarding time.
Here are some images of this week's featured hashtag #AirportCarpets
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BCoLkWwCuSn/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BHvn04oA73W/[/embed]As expected, feet take the starring role along with the many intricate and colorful patterns of different carpets from airports around the world.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BGMmpoUm8ud/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BEjJBmjKM--/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BDwS4OLsor9/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BAHiX4_kf7j/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BAFFJC2wEtH/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/9YTcigrEME/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/7xKoNLI7PE/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/5z3jhjhjjF/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/6Ilx0SO7a2/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/2pAXOkRGWe/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/zNpIvJQfMz/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/ypapvmPQmh/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BIfE_5_jRCc/[/embed]Stay updated next week for our next featured #hashtag. If you have an interesting hashtag in mind, please let us know on the comments section.
[post_title] => Enjoy The Quirkiness of Travel Art with the Best of #airportcarpets [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => enjoy-the-quirkiness-of-travel-art-with-the-best-of-airportcarpets [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2016-08-09 12:27:57 [post_modified_gmt] => 2016-08-09 16:27:57 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://resourcemagonline.com/?p=69059 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )[6] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 65977 [post_author] => 25605 [post_date] => 2016-06-09 11:16:09 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-06-09 15:16:09 [post_content] =>The possibilities of accumulating new ideas from having dinner with friends can be boundless. Discussion over a sumptuous meal can range from finally realizing your political clout, to listing down highly recommended films to planning the next trip and sometimes just like what happened to Lauren Purnell, it can kick start a brand new creative passion. As she relates to Instagram blog how she got the idea to starting her Culinary Canvas Instagram feed after a dinner with friends: “I turned my leftover food it into a tree… and I just called it the spaghetree.”
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BEd2_azjL6o/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BDwI45HDL-o/[/embed]Her first creation in that dinner table instantly became a hit, thus the 23 year old London-based artist from Canada started crafting her imaginative ideas from leftover food. Digging more creative juices from her day job as a brand strategist, Lauren eventually filled her Instagram feed with a visually pleasing collection of art images that has now garnered almost close to 10,000 followers.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BDdUffhDL6R/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BCGez79jLwC/[/embed]“I love the idea that my pieces could inspire people to stop wasting food,” she adds, as she explains that the colors produced by the skins of fresh fruits and vegetables brings out the a more livelier appearance and texture to her art.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BBgAfpKjL45/[/embed]Since we can't recycle leftover food and eat it again, it is a comforting thought to learn that an artist like Lauren has found a way to 're-purpose' it and show her Instagram followers how one can create art even from the most bizarre of materials.[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/__NHRpjL_G/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/-zTnW6jLzc/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/8TL16njL2T/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/7hyv-oDL6p/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/7W8doajL5S/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/3_i1r9DL4Q/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/3yhHGKjL32/[/embed][embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/-jk2pEDL3g/[/embed]To view more of Lauren’s Leftover food art, follow her @culinary_canvas on Instagram [post_title] => Instagramer Lauren Purnell Showcases Leftover Food with a Visual Cause [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => instagramer-lauren-purnell-showcases-leftover-food-with-a-visual-cause [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2017-01-31 15:06:36 [post_modified_gmt] => 2017-01-31 20:06:36 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://resourcemagonline.com/?p=65977 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )[7] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 66843 [post_author] => 25605 [post_date] => 2016-06-06 11:45:20 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-06-06 15:45:20 [post_content] =>"How can you express everything that you want to somebody you love, knowing that if you don't, that might be the last opportunity that you have? That is a reality that we all face, but for BASE jumpers, the risk of death sometimes results in something amazing and unexpected - love. This is the real story of a pure love between two friends in the face of risk and tragedy," reads the Vimeo caption of this archival GoPro footage of BASE jumping partners Matt Blank and Ian Flanders' many adventures all over the world.
When Matthew Blank and Ian Flanders set off for a routine jump to a river sandwiched between two towering mountain canyons in Kemaliye, Turkey almost a year ago, there were few doubts in anyone's minds that the two would pull it off smoothly - like they always did in their past hundreds of base jumps all over the world. But as fate would have it, a freak accident happened when Flander's feet got entangled with a parachute chord spinning him to his death in the rocky gorge below.
What is impressive with this video pieced together by filmmaker Anson Fogel was it showed the moments before Flander's death jump. In a scene filled with tense, Matt describes the seconds before Ian's leap of death. "We were jumping off a cable car. Incredibly easy, one of the easiest jumps we've ever done. He gave the fist and the five like he always do. He turns around and do a backflip"
Matt and Ian's partnership goes way back when they first met in 2004. They started off as rock climbing buddies but eventually fell in love with the sport of BASE jumping when they figured they could just fly straight to their cars from any peak they conquer. "Climbing is the kind of sport that is fun to have done, but not to do in the moment," Blank tells LA Times. "When you're freezing your ass off at 2,000 feet and have a day or so to summit, you want someone who is humorous."
This video takes the viewers in a front row seat along some of Matt and Ian's thrilling jumps as they always embed a GoPro camera anywhere they went. In the middle part of the video, the emotional part starts to crept in as we listen to Matt read his letter to Ian, expressing his true feelings to his climbing and base jumping partner. That said, watching this archival footage of the duo's many thrilling jumps all over the world will give the audience an idea at how Ian lived his life to the fullest and how he died doing the thing he love the most.
Anson Fogel's "We Were Knights" video compilation of Matt and Ian's many escapades truly brings out the best way to honor Ian's memory and the sport he really loved.
[post_title] => Archival GoPro Base Jumping Footage Pays Tribute to Matt Blank's Rock Climbing & Jumping Brother, Ian Flanders [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => archival-gopro-base-jumping-footage-pays-tribute-to-matt-blanks-rock-climbing-jumping-brother-ian-flanders [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2016-06-06 11:45:20 [post_modified_gmt] => 2016-06-06 15:45:20 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://resourcemagonline.com/?p=66843 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )[8] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 66604 [post_author] => 25605 [post_date] => 2016-05-13 12:22:37 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-05-13 16:22:37 [post_content] =>Adventure junkies will soon have a cooler toy to play with in documenting their exploits, as the GoPro media team just unveiled its newest baby: the company's first 6-camera spherical array, the Omni.
Designed to shoot videos in 360 degrees, it is GoPro's answer to the VR question on the tip of everyone's tongues. The video was shot by extreme athletes Jesper Tjader, Halldor Helgason and their equally adventurous friends and uses showcases the new 360 rig at the course used for the Suzuki Nine Queens freestyle skiing event. Testing the main capabilities of the GoPro Omni to the hilt - the team came up with a footage showing a mind-blowing 360 degree view of freestyle skiing. This short video instantly give justifications at the early raves the Omni got from the fortunate ones who have tried it so far. Expected to hit the market soon after further improvements is made on the camera, the Omni should shake things up in the sports photography industry and give GoPro the boost it needs right now.
"This video was produced using prototype Omni units. Expect significant improvements to the overall output quality upon the product release." -GoPro
Early retail inclusions of the Omni includes its bundled 360-degree video editing software, Kolor - which will allow users to put together separate video recordings into one collective spherical video. Excited buyers can pre-order now at a price of about $5,000 but the final released date is scheduled around the third week of August.
[post_title] => GoPro Publishes 360 Degree Video Taken on the Omni, Their New 6-camera Spherical Array [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => gopro-publishes-360-degree-video-taken-on-the-omni-their-new-6-camera-spherical-array [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2016-05-13 12:22:37 [post_modified_gmt] => 2016-05-13 16:22:37 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://resourcemagonline.com/?p=66604 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )[9] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 66329 [post_author] => 25605 [post_date] => 2016-05-05 12:13:42 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-05-05 16:13:42 [post_content] =>Outside the virtual world when someone barges inside your house or office to expose security flaws, a series of criminal cases usually awaits that burglar. In the world of computing networks and the internet, a virtual trespasser can actually earn money and recognition for doing such an act - ONLY if they do so with the exclusive aim of only exposing the security faults and without any intention of taking advantage of the breach and to steal data by hacking into other users' database.
This practice is known as "White Hat Hacking" - an internet slang used to describe a computer hacker who follows an accepted set of ethical standards in penetrating and testing the security of an organization's data and information system. Thanks to them, various organizations can easily recognize their IT's security flaws and quickly make corrections and improvements based on the findings of these 'white hat hackers'.
Early this year, a 10-year-old whiz kid earned the attention of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg after he hacked into the Facebook-owned photo-sharing social media app, Instagram. The 10-year-old 'Mr. Robot' from Helsinki, Finland named Jani, discovered a way to delete all Instagram written content just by merely modifying a few lines of code. "I would have been able to eliminate anyone, even Justin Bieber," the pre-teen white hat hacker told Finnish newspaper Iltalehti.
According to a report by FORBES "Jani verified his report by deleting a comment the company posted on a test account. A spokesperson confirmed the bug was patched in late February and the $10,000 reward handed to Jani in March. The problem lay in a private application programming interface (the slice of code allowing certain outside access) that wasn’t properly checking the person deleting the comment was the same one who posted it, the spokesperson added"
In the last few years, Facebook has discovered a few young white hat hackers from its 'Bug Bounty' program the technology giant launched in 2012. According to their Facebook post in 2013 "329 people have received a bounty so far. Some are professional researchers; others are students or part-timers. The youngest bounty recipient to date is 13 years old. These researchers are spread across 51 different countries. Only 20% of bounties paid out so far have been to US-based recipients. Our largest single bounty so far has been $20,000."
10-year-old Jani (full name withheld) now officially becomes "Facebook's youngest white hat hacker". When asked what he wants to do with his reward, Jani tells Iltalehti, that he plans of buying football gear, a new bike and new computers for himself and his brothers. Something tells me this won't be the last time the computer world will hear about Jani.
[post_title] => Facebook Rewards 10-Year-Old 'White Hat Hacker' with $10K for Discovering Instagram Security Defect [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => facebook-rewards-10-year-old-white-hat-hacker-with-10k-for-discovering-instagram-security-defect [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2017-01-31 16:26:39 [post_modified_gmt] => 2017-01-31 21:26:39 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://resourcemagonline.com/?p=66329 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )[10] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 65453 [post_author] => 25605 [post_date] => 2016-04-18 12:41:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-04-18 16:41:00 [post_content] =>In the last couple of years, photographers have found Instagram to be an effective medium in marketing their brand. A lot of talents are being discovered through this social media tool and that pattern of unearthing individuals with the flair for photography is likely to continue for many years to come. This is the reason why you should take your Instagram feed seriously, and not limit it within your circle of friends and take the time to curate the content. For photographers who want to reach a wider audience and stretch their possible clientele, pimping up your IG is a must. Doing so isn't a walk in the park either - as it takes discipline and by diligently following a proven process. So what are those? Below are some of the ways on how you can stand out on Instagram and gain a large following through sheer creativeness.
Treat your IG as your Online Portfolio
For example, let's say you are a travel photographer. Lay out a strict rule to only upload images which you think best illustrate your job. Resist uploading 'selfies' or 'group' shots of you and your friends or other pictures that veers off your audiences’ awareness from you’re being a travel photographer. There is no shame in "cleaning up" your Instagram either to make sure the current content fits in the vision you have of your brand. In the case of our example, focus on posting spectacular landscapes, city scenery and other candid images you took while on the road. If they see that your feed is composed exclusively of travel images, there is a big chance they will scroll and view your other photographs because you have gotten their attention already. This same strategy of treating your Instagram as your online portfolio also applies to other artistic work such as a fashion or wedding photography, portrait or even a painter – you can make your IG as your online artwork portfolio.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BCeZvqnyyvw/[/embed]Post Images Evenly and Not Too Often
Post regularly with consistency but not too much. One of the biggest mistakes we see is when someone rarely posts to Instagram (goes silent for a week or more) and then uploads five or more images at once. This kind of thing is often considered "spam" and will even lose you followers.
Remember, Instagram is not Facebook (despite being owned by them), so do not flood your feed with dozens of images posted at the same day. By uploading photographs that are thinly spread out in a week is the best way to keep the interest level of your followers in a constant and engaging line. Uploading too many pictures on your Instagram might tire them out and chances are, as mentioned already, you might lose more followers than what you gain.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/4OWLGWSytk/[/embed]Select the Right Filter for Every Image... Even if That Means No Filter at All
Smart filter selection can also elevate your images and garner more "ooohs" and "aaahs" from your viewers. There are two ways to go about it, either you stick with a personal theme on all your IG pictures by just choosing one filter for all images, or you delegate one filter for each type or style of image. A recent study made by researchers at Yahoo Labs and Georgia Tech where they analyzed more than 7 million images on Instagram brought up some interesting results. According to their findings, filtered images attracted more engagement than unedited photos, and filters that intensified the exposure, contrast and warmth had the highest engagements. The study also suggests that by using the right type of filter, a selfie will increase its chances of being viewed by 21% and 45% more chances of getting comments.
Also, the researchers found out that filters such as Rise, Hefe, Mayfair, Valencia and Nashville are the top choices to get more likes, views and comments. Other warm-colored filters such as Aden, Slumber and Lark also produces more engagement over the extremely saturated filters such as X-Pro II and Lo-Fi which usually attracts lesser engagements. This however, is no means a rule of thumb for Instagram. It still all depends on your style and the appearance and composition style of the photographs you upload.
All that said, sometimes a filter is not necessary at all. If you are uploading images that you took on a pro-level camera, you probably have a method for editing those in Photoshop. In those cases, keeping your images exactly how you would show them on your website or portfolio is the best decision. No need to fix what isn't broken.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/8-OvdZyyts/[/embed]Get Noticed
If your Instagram caters to a particular niche, make your presence felt by 'liking' and 'commenting' on other related photographs found in Instagram. For example, if you are a travel photographer simply explore the #travel hash tag and start getting noticed by igniting stimulating conversation with other Instagrammers who share your passion for photography. This way, the user themselves and their followers will start noticing you and eventually they will find their way into your own Instagram wall.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BAERu7zSyvD/[/embed]Engage with your Followers
Take time to reply back to your followers. Although this can become time consuming when you reach five digit following, you should still try and do your best. Make sure you engage once in a while to at least some of them. This will make you appear closer to that audience and make them appreciate you and your craft more. Remember that you are building your own brand and keeping an open communication with your prospective clientele will help a lot in the long run.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/4raspCSyt2/[/embed]When You are Including People, Make Sure There is a Story to Tell
Images showing people produce a lot of engagement on Instagram. If you are a professional photographer though, make sure to limit your 'people' shots to photographs that reveal a more interesting story. We're not talking about the ordinary party pictures, or a group of people from your work or a bathroom selfie. We're talking about 'people shots,' images of those doing interesting things. Unfamiliar situations given a story are hugely engaging, and even giving a voice to those who are generally ignored (like a window washer, garbage man, etc- like Humans of New York) is a great angle to work. In my case as an example, I uploaded a picture of a group of kids seen playing 'real world' games as opposed to the normal gadget-crazy lifestyle exhibited by young children nowadays. That's a story, and it's worth telling.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/_OmOEcSyvR/[/embed]Determine the Best Time to Post
There are varied studies made trying to determine which day is the best to upload images on Instagram. If you follow our previous advice of not posting too often, then this becomes a key piece information for you. Some say Thursday is the most engagement-heavy day to post on Instagram - maybe because most of your followers are already tapering off with their work week and have more time to scroll their Instagram feed even while at work as opposed to the busy first few days of the week. Others say Sundays are the best day to get noticed because the number of images uploaded are lesser. Less competition means more chances of getting noticed. To make sure, use the Statigram platform to learn your history of posting, engagement activities and other stats pertaining to your Instagram account, to determine which days you always attract the most audiences.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/64JEIbSymq/[/embed]Think Outside the Square
Sometimes you need to provide a different format into your Instagram feed other than the square photos. Now that IG has made it easier to upload landscape shots, why not try something better; widescreen shots showing a cinema-like scene of some of your favorite photos. This will make a few users to take notice and instantly click on your profile to check out not only your recently uploaded image, but also the rest of your pictures.
Even better, upload images whose orientation takes up more screen Real Estate at a time. When putting content on Instagram, you want limit the amount of screen time you share with others. The more space you can take up on the screen at one time, the better.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/5HICNDSyvB/[/embed]Do Not Bastardize the use of Hashtags...
Do not flood your Instagram photos with a long list of hash tags. While hash tags help you get noticed by other people, it is important to keep the use of them in check. One major tip: after including a few in the image description, write the rest of the hashtags you want to include in the comment section. This way, the hashtags won't appear on the IG feed of others - therefore, they won't become annoyed by your seemingly endless stream of hashtags.
...& Only Use Appropriate Hashtags
Use only the hashtags that apply to or directly describes your images. Examples of this are the name of the place, the type of activity seen in the photo or any theme (such as #breakfastAbroad, for example). There are many interesting hashtags out there, select and use the appropriate ones that accompany your images perfectly.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/2UVzVLSyvQ/[/embed]Compose an Engaging or Informative Caption
Showing off your work in Instagram is also a chance to share some interesting tidbits, or history about your image (this links back to the previous tip about telling a story about the people in your images). Always try to exert effort in composing an informative and engaging caption to accompany your pictures. This way, your viewers will not only find your Instagram cool to look at but they will also see it as a medium where they can learn new facts about you and the people or places you photograph as well.
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/22Cxy9yykh/[/embed]Never Ever Buy Instagram Followers
Never, as in never ever. Why? Because you will only be cheating yourself. People and brands notice when your follower count is high, but engagement numbers are low. This always happens with fake likes. Besides, garnering real followers is the utmost validation that your images on Instagram are really works of art, and standing out through sheer creativity is a wonderful achievement in itself.
Parting Thoughts
Now that I have came up with this list, judging from my minimal engagement and low following count on my own travel Instagram, it is high time for myself to practice what I preach by following all these tips on how to standout in Instagram. If you know of other ways, please let us know in the comments section below.
[post_title] => 12 Simple Rules That Will Help You Stand Out on Instagram and Gain More Followers [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => 12-simple-rules-that-will-help-you-stand-out-on-instagram-and-gain-more-followers [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2017-01-31 16:16:45 [post_modified_gmt] => 2017-01-31 21:16:45 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://resourcemagonline.com/?p=65453 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )[11] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 65415 [post_author] => 25605 [post_date] => 2016-04-14 10:43:56 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-04-14 14:43:56 [post_content] =>People who attended the recently held F8 Facebook Developers Conference had a glimpse at the future of social media video, as Facebook unveiled its 360 degree virtual reality camera called Surround 360. But before you start digging money out of your pocket, you might want to know that Facebook has no intention of putting the gadget on the market itself. Exclusively releasing it as a prototype, the technology giant is instead releasing Surround 360's design specs, hardware and software information to the public for free. “We’re not going to sell the camera. The intent of the 360 camera, called The Surround 360, is to entice developers to take Facebook’s design and run with it. We’re trying to help create a great reference device,” explains Chris Cox, Facebook’s Chief Product Officer.
Wired describes the cool gadget as:
"Built from off-the-shelf hardware worth roughly $30,000, this black circular camera—with its 17 evenly spaced lenses—looks kinda like the flying droid that descends onto the ice planet at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back (though it lacks those insect-like dangly legs). Drawing images from all 17 of those lenses, it produces 360-degree spherical video for viewing both inside virtual reality headsets like the Samsung Gear (stereoscopic 3D) and on ordinary smartphones, tablets, and PCs (monoscopic). Similar videos are already popping up in News Feeds on the Facebook social network."
According to Facebook, their engineers spent more than $30,000 for all the software and hardware materials used in creating the camera. Facebook, however, assures the public that once developers came together and purchase the raw materials in large volumes, coupled with modifying the design formula, the cost could significantly go down - making it more doable for start-up technology companies to create, develop and sell it in the market for a more affordable price. During a brief showcase of the prototype at Facebook's headquarters, reporters saw how Surround 360's video images appear crisp and moving seamlessly without any visible shortcomings, coming at par with other HD video cameras in the market today.
By creating this prototype and releasing its design to the public for free, Facebook aims at increasing the social media engagement for 360-degree videos and everything related to virtual reality. They believe that this medium will become the new driving force that will attract more people into Facebook's social network.
Tim Bajarin, Creative Strategies' President of Market Research explains that Facebook "want(s) to give developers to make as much content as possible. They need to get tools like this in front of developers to expand the market." Judging by the excitement generated by Facebook's Surround 360 at the Developers Conference, it is easy to assume that the future of 3D videos is getting more exciting and technological advanced than ever before.
[post_title] => Facebook Creates 360 Degree 3D Video Camera and Will Give Away the Design for Free [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => facebook-creates-360-degree-3d-video-camera-and-will-give-away-the-design-for-free [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2017-01-31 16:26:42 [post_modified_gmt] => 2017-01-31 21:26:42 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://resourcemagonline.com/?p=65415 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )[12] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 64747 [post_author] => 25605 [post_date] => 2016-03-29 14:34:50 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-03-29 18:34:50 [post_content] => Any photographer would tell you how difficult it is to penetrate the world of lifestyle and fashion photography. Pitted against tough competition that comprises a huge roster of skilled lens shooters around the world requires hard work and a unique skill set. This is the reason why the selection of Michael O'Neal (@moneal) as the subject of Adorama's 12th episode of its much acclaimed web series "Through the Lens", gives the much deserved recognition to O'Neal's body of work in the field of fashion and lifestyle photography.Born and raised in New York City, Michael is now based professionally in San Francisco, where he previously worked as a creative director for Apple. Since becoming a freelance photographer Michael has collected a wide range of clients that includes; Nest, Mercedes Benz, DSW, Refinery 29, Sightglass Coffee, and Vogue Magazine.Amassing a major following on Instagram that numbers almost 700,000, Michael’s work is so sought after that it has been covered in Vogue, Huffington Post, Definition and more. In “Through The Lens,” Michael discusses the trajectory of his successful career that started at the inventive office of Apple, as well as offering useful tips on how to separate one's work from the rest of the pack - something any aspiring photographer would find worthy of emulating.It is also important to note that Michael left his high paying job at Apple in order to pursue a freelance photography career. To this day, he looks back to it as a very courageous thing to he had done while at the crossroad of his life. “I was sitting in a meeting one day and it just clicked,” Michael tells Huffington Post in a 2013 interview. “I have to go. I’m not getting any younger." he adds when asked about his freelancing career “There are upsides and downsides, but more than not I feel really happy and like I’ve been spiritually reborn to be doing this for myself. It’s very liberating to make your own rules and carve out your time.”Achieving success meanwhile, has not stopped Michael from further enhancing his craft and spreading his vision behind the camera “I don’t take it for granted. I feel blessed to be alive and get paid for carrying a camera around.”"'Through The Lens' is a web series presented by ADORAMA. It looks at the evolving aesthetic of photography as seen through this generation's creator class."To see more of Michael O' Neal's impressive works, just head over to his official website. [post_title] => Adorama's 'Through the Lens' Puts the Spotlight on Michael O'Neal's Fashion and Lifestyle Vision [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => adoramas-through-the-lens-puts-the-spotlight-on-michael-oneals-fashion-and-lifestyle-vision [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2016-03-29 20:04:45 [post_modified_gmt] => 2016-03-30 00:04:45 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://resourcemagonline.com/?p=64747 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )[13] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 63928 [post_author] => 25605 [post_date] => 2016-03-28 16:02:26 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-03-28 20:02:26 [post_content] =>Digging and exploring the bottom of the Earth not only puts the lives of miners at risk every second, it also exposes them to acquiring life threatening health conditions, even long after they get out of the mining pits. It is definitely one of the toughest jobs a man can have in today's world. Given the pitfalls and dangers that follow miners every minute of their shift, the injustices they battle each day pile up like heaps of soils being dug from the ground. Literally and figuratively, they are digging their own graves each day they go to work. Photographer Thom Pierce travels into the heart of South Africa to search for a trail of miners physically destroyed by an inhumane working environment created by profiteering mining companies. Shooting his camera along his journey, Thom meets up with surviving miners who have developed serious health conditions and widows who could only speak for their departed husbands. Through Thom's camera work, we see a glimpse of the real-life struggles of miners who are in search of justice they now see as more elusive than any of the Earth's rare elements.
[caption id="attachment_64204" align="aligncenter" width="900"]
Dyamara Jibhana & his brother Phillip - Mr Jibhana is 65 years old and worked in the gold mines for 39 years. He has silicosis and received no compensation.[/caption][caption id="attachment_64214" align="aligncenter" width="900"]
Mthuthuzeli Mtshange is 58 years old and worked in the gold mines for 35 years. He has silicosis and received no compensation - Queenstown, South Africa[/caption]How did the idea for shooting "The Price of Gold" come about?
I read about the silicosis story in one of the national papers and decided to take a short trip to the Eastern Cape to investigate. From that first trip I produced a short series that was run in a few publications. I was then contacted by an organisation called the Treatment Action Campaign, who do amazing work here in South Africa. They wanted to know how we could extend the project to work around the court case and raise public awareness. We came up with the idea of photographing all of the named plaintiffs in the case, and TAC organized funding and travel arrangements while I got to work finding the miners. I managed to get all of the portraits taken a couple of days before the court case started. Together with TAC, we put on an exhibition of the photographs next door to the courtroom, in a totally dark room, with only the lamps from miners helmets to see the images and the sound of the miners breathing in the background. It is a really powerful piece of advocacy which we hope will travel round the world.
[caption id="attachment_64205" align="aligncenter" width="900"]
Kenneth Nonuseko-Nqose is 57 years old and worked in the gold mines for 19-years. He has TB-Silicosis and received no compensation. Cofimvaba, South-Africa[/caption][caption id="attachment_64215" align="aligncenter" width="900"]
Noebejara Tau with his wife. Mr Tau is 70 years old and worked in the gold mines for 28 years. He has silicosis and is unsure if he ever received any compensation - Mafeteng, Lesotho[/caption]How important it is for a photographer like you to document socially relevant issues?
For me, it is really important. Photography is such a powerful way to engage an audience and good photography can draw people in to a story that they might not otherwise find out about. I love editorial and portrait work but one of my biggest passions is to work on important social stories and present them in an accessible way to a new audience. I have always engaged with the world in a very visual way and I think that many other people do too. While it’s great to read stories or watch documentaries, there is an immediacy to photography that can’t be achieved with words or film. In a second, a photograph can grab your attention and make you want to find out more.
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Makatleho Selibo is the widow of Mahola Selibo who worked in the mines for 33 years. He had silicosis and received no compensation.[/caption][caption id="attachment_64216" align="aligncenter" width="900"]
Nosipho Eunice Dala is the widow of Zwelakhe Dala who died in 2015. He worked in the gold mines for 28 years and developed silicosis. He received no compensation.[/caption]What are some fascinating discoveries you had while doing this series?
I learned a lot about the people I was photographing and the injustice of their situation. I was amazed by the attitude that they took towards the situation. Mostly, they don’t want revenge, just justice. The way that people have been treated directly translates to how they value themselves and it was incredibly sad to realize how low many people’s expectations are for the quality of their own lives. Professionally, I learned how a story can be told in an indirect way, by presenting the people, their lives and their families. We didn’t need to show miners at work or sick people dying in their beds, just real people in their real lives. As an audience, we can all relate to the feeling of having a family and a home, which brings us one step closer to empathizing with the person in the photograph.
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Manthatuda Josephina Lebina is the widow of Liphapang Lebina who had silicosis and received no compensation. Maseru, Lesotho[/caption][caption id="attachment_64217" align="aligncenter" width="900"]
Patrick Sitwayi & Asive Bingwa. Mr Sitwayi is 57 years old and worked in the gold mines for 22 years. He has silicosis and received no compensation.[/caption]While this series will absolutely help in spreading information about the miners' Class Suit, are there any developments in the case?
We are still waiting for the judges to come back with a decision. It is expected anytime now and I have been told that we will get a couple of days notice when they are ready. I will head up to Johannesburg to be there when the decision is announced and will make sure I tweet about any developments (@thompierce).
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Mask Somi with his wife, Magumede Nyaka. Mr Somi is 58 years old. He worked in the gold mines for 19 years. He has silicosis and received no compensation - Bizana, South Africa[/caption][caption id="attachment_64218" align="aligncenter" width="900"]
Sekhobe Letsie is 72 years old and worked in the gold mines for 38 years. He has silicosis and received no compensation.[/caption]From a technical standpoint, tell us the process on how you shot the images in this series?
Well, mostly the rooms are dark and small and so you don’t have much choice but to use a wide lens and a light. All of these portraits were shot using a 35mm lens on a Nikon D800 and lit with a Profoto B1 using as large a soft box as I could fit in the room. I had to hand hold the camera and squeeze myself into some tight spaces to get enough room. Getting a sharp focus is hard work when you’re bent backwards over a stove, trying to keep the camera still. Outside was hard work because there was no time to wait for good light (the whole series of 56 portraits needed to be shot in 20 days, over 5,000 km) so we had to deal with hard light and high winds. Thank goodness for high speed sync and assistants to hold the lights.
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Matiiseto Nong is the widow of Samuel Leponesa Nong who had silicosis and received no compensation. Mafeteng, Lesotho[/caption][caption id="attachment_64219" align="aligncenter" width="900"]
Nanabezi Mgoduswa with his wife, Nokwanda. Mr Mgoduswa is 48 years old and worked in the gold mines for 21 years. He has silicosis and drug resistant TB. He received no compensation. Bizana, South Africa[/caption]Lastly, care to share your next photography project?
I am working on a couple of editorial jobs over the next few weeks, it’s great to be contacted by photo editors who like ‘The Price of Gold’ series and can see my style working in their publications. After that, I am heading to Lesotho for a new project. I can’t really say too much about the project at this stage but it is very much dealing again with social issues but in a different way aesthetically. The intention at the moment is for it to be a book and exhibition in collaboration with the American writer Will McGrath.
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Matsekelo Masupha is the widow of Mokonyana Robert Masupha who worked in the gold mines for 29 years. He died in 2008 at 49 years old. He had siliscosis - Lesotho[/caption][caption id="attachment_64220" align="aligncenter" width="900"]
Mama Gangi with his wife, Matshozi . Mr Gangi is 60 years old. He worked in the gold mines for 19 years. He has silicosis and received no compensation - Kwagorha, South Africa[/caption]To keep updated with the developments on the miners' class suit, check out Thom Pierce's website and twitter for more information. [post_title] => Thom Pierce Documents the Struggles of Miners in "The Price of Gold" [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => thom-pierce-documents-the-struggles-of-miners-in-the-price-of-gold [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2016-03-29 02:22:32 [post_modified_gmt] => 2016-03-29 06:22:32 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://resourcemagonline.com/?p=63928 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )[14] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 64185 [post_author] => 25605 [post_date] => 2016-03-23 17:19:30 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-03-23 21:19:30 [post_content] =>There are parts within our world where children are forced to act like adults and grow up fast to deal with the many difficulties surrounding them. Seeking some answers to these questions through his photography, Photographer Sander Troelstra charted the streets of Durban, South Africa to document the plight of children who tend to roam the streets at night. "I am always looking to answer the questions I ask about the people I capture at a certain moment. Because: who are these people? They are born somewhere in this world, but why are they there? Do they have control over their life? Are they free? And what is the exact definition of freedom? What is worth fighting for? Loving, believing, trusting people? When society goes to sleep, they stay awake. At night, the empty streets are their domain and they roll as they like. At night, they feel that they really exist, that they are somebody, that they matter. But with this life come the tough values and harsh rules of the streets. In order to stay safe, to stay alive, they have to join a gang and stay in groups at all times. Brutal violence, rape, knifings, drug abuse, AIDS and tuberculosis are their everyday reality. They are the children of the night." Sander explains the story behind his engaging series he calls "Children of the Night".
How did the idea for "Children of the Night" came about?
I made this series during the last year of my study at the Photo Academy of Amsterdam.At that time I was looking for subject of theme's that suits my interest. My work is always about people, freedom, survival and transience. When I heard about the street kids of Durban by the Dutch NGO Be More there was a 100% match. The NGO could use the photos in change for accommodation. I booked my flight and jumped in the plane.
How did you select the locations where you documented these children?
Be More has a collaboration in South Africa with a local NGO, I got introduced to the local organization Umthombo, who is looking after the street kids of Durban. They have a so called safe space in the heart of Durban's most dangerous streets where the kids and gangs rule. They gave me a room in their facility. The workers at Umthombo are former street kids and know their way in the streets and have respect of the gangs. At Umthombo they know all the places and hangouts of the kids and make their rounds to check on their health and injuries every day.
Share to us any realizations you had while doing the series?
I worked closely together with Siya,(28 years old in 2010). A former street kids who changed his live after being shot by the police. The bullet pierced his body without doing any fatal damage. He met in jail many other street kids being paralyzed because of the violence. He realized that he was very lucky he could still walk. Then he started to work for Umthombo and try to help the other kids to turn their backs to the street life.
Together with Siya I roamed the streets of Durban and got to know everything about the street kids and their ways of survival. During the day it was hard to find them because they hide and lay low but when society goes to sleep, they stay awake. At night, the empty streets becomes their domain and they roll as they like. Now you know how I came to the title of this work. 'Children of the night'.
During my second stay I started to walk the streets with Siya on most nights. The photo of the boy doing a mime act will always stay with me. We found him at this crossroad working alone at night trying to make a little money. Instead of begging or stealing he did a mime act when the traffic lights turn red. He has a small whistle in his mouth that he blows synchronously with his movements of the act. You could hear this sound in the car and that’s how he got extra attention. We already met before and he was okay with me photographing him.
What are the initial reactions of the children when you first told them you will photograph them?
Very different. It took time to get to know them. I brought disposable cameras and gave them so they could make their own photographs. I developed those immediately and the next day they had their own pictures. They liked that. After that they started to know me and slowly they agreed on being photographed by me.
Tell to us the technique you used in shooting the series?
I worked with a Hasselblad 503CW and used film. 400 ISO tri X for the square portraits. The other work I made with then my just purchased Nikon D700. For light I used the Elinchrome Ranger quadra. Very nice 400 watt light that fits in my bag pack and has a remote trigger. When photographing, Siya assisted to point the light. This worked great and he really liked to help.
Lastly, what are your next photography projects?
I just finished a very big project where I made a photo-book and curated the exhibition 'Cor Was Here' in Huis Marseille, museum for photography in Amsterdam. This is a series about the local hero photographer Cor Jaring. I followed him 2,5 years in the last part of his life and after he passed away I showed his interesting life by making a book and exhibition 'Cor Was Here'. We became very close and for me this was a very personal photo project. At the moment I am doing research and doing different photo projects. I just traveled two months in Indonesia and work with local tribes in Nusa Tenggara. Which was really interesting, I had the change to meet some medicine man and spiritual people. I also follow a gypsy circus in France who I visit every year. I also work together with the new Outsider Art Museum in Amsterdam. We are working on a great series of portraits about the Outsider artists.
To see more of Sander Troelstra's work, please check out his official website.
[post_title] => Sander Troelstra's "Children of the Night" Series Depicts the Challenge of Surviving on the Street Alone [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => sander-troelstras-children-of-the-night-series-depicts-the-challenge-of-surviving-on-the-street-alone [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2016-03-23 15:23:19 [post_modified_gmt] => 2016-03-23 19:23:19 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://resourcemagonline.com/?p=64185 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )) 
