State of the Art

How Pro Photographers Use Their Cameraphones

2009-11-17T11:28:52-05:00

Professional photographers are quickly turning the iPhone into standard camera equipment, using it not only as a visual notebook and a method to free their minds from creative stumbling blocks, but also for their commercial work. Below are three pros who have integrated their cameraphones into their daily routine.

Robert Clark

New York photographer Robert Clark enjoys the distinction of being the first photographer to shoot a commercial assignment with a cameraphone, his commissioned book Image America. “It’s loose and free, stream of consciousness photography,” he says. “I just treat it as a visual diary, taking notes on my own life.” Other photographers, who at first discouraged him from using a phone camera, changed their minds when they saw the results. “National Geographic photographer David Alan Harvey thought it was the best work I had ever done,” Clark says with a laugh. (above: ShakeIt Photo app)

Melissa Lyttle

When St. Petersburg Times (Florida) sta“ photographer Lyttle shot an actual assignment with the iPhone camera, she found an unexpected surprise. “It’s like it freed something up in my brain,” she says. “Some sort of blockage ... it took all the rules that I subconsciously impose on myself in my regular photographic life and it threw them all out the window. I felt really free to just go and play and have fun and not take myself or my photography too seriously. In a lot of ways it was like some sort of visual yoga.” (above: CameraBag/Helga app)

James Duncan Davidson

Anyone who has felt the heft of a Leica rangefinder knows how a well-made camera can inspire your shooting. Similarly, Davidson finds the iPhone’s interface to o“er a unique way of imaging. The mix of the large screen and touch focusing now also found on compact cameras provides an intimate interaction that encourages creativity. He considers it a kind of digital Polaroid camera. “I’m finding it to be a really wonderful tool for sketching ideas,” he says. “It’s useful as a piece of serious thinking gear even though it’s not a serious production tool.” (above: CameraBag/Lolo app)

To read more about how professionals use their iPhones to capture stunning images read our feature: "Photographers And Their iPhones"

Top Five iPhone Camera Apps

2009-11-16T10:32:43-05:00

The iPhone, introduced in 2007, is not only the most popular cameraphone on Flickr, it’s actually the second most popular camera of any type (in first place is the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi). One reason: the abundance of apps available. Here are our top five picks.

Pano ($2.99)

Create seamless panoramic photos right in your iPhone. debaclesoftware.com

CinemaFX ($0.99)

Get 21 visual effects inspired by major motion pictures. nexvio.com/product/CinemaFX.aspx

TiltShift ($1.99)

Simulates a tilt/shift lens and gives your image the “scale model” look. Sounds like a toy-camera look, i.e. unsharp and vignetted, when in fact it’s the subject that ends up looking like it’s a toy rather than real. imimux.com/tiltshift

QuadCamera ($1.99)

Create a collage from four to eight shots taken in a row, apply effects. artandmobile.com/quadcamera

CameraBag ($1.99)

Convert images automatically to classic photographic styles. nevercenter.com/camerabag

To read more about how professionals use their iPhones to capture stunning images read our feature: "Photographers And Their iPhones"

Photo Essay: Ian Fisher: American Soldier

2009-11-05T14:26:00-05:00

Denver Post photographer, Craig F. Walker spent 27 months following a young man as he went through all the stages of joining the US Army. The story follows Ian's arc as he graduates from high school, goes through is training, deploys to Iraq and returns to his family and his soon-to-be wife. The series is very long, but most of the images are very poignant, with excellent captions. There is also a series of videos to accompany the photos if you're interested, but the photos themselves paint quite a picture. Find the rest of the series here.

Chris Jordan's "Midway" Documents the Plight of Albatross Chicks

2009-10-21T17:52:01-04:00

This series of rather disturbing images was taken on Midway Atoll, which as the artist puts it, is a "a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific." Each image depicts the remains of an albatross chick that was killed by their own mothers who mistook trash floating in the ocean for food and fed it to their young. It's a problem that affects tens of thousands of the birds a year.

When documenting it, Jordan left his subjects untouched and unmoved. As it says on his site, "not a single piece of plastic in any of these photographs was moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way." Keeping that in mind, it's morbidly impressive just how much plastic some of these little birds were able to injest before they died from poisoning or choking. Some of the birds remain relatively identifiable, but perhaps the most powerful images in the series are those where the bird has decayed so badly that the feathers and bone mix in with the plastic, making it difficult to determine where the remains end and the trash begins.

The series includes 25 images, which you can view on the artist's site. The subject matter is certainly no departure for Jordan. He has often used his creative vision to point out the flaws in what he calls, "American Mass Consumption." He's currently showing his series, "Message in a Bottle" at The Mariners' Museum, Newport News, VA until December 30th. There is also a great blog he did about the project on his site with video and recounts of his experiences.

Visit his official site here

How a Photograph Becomes a Record Cover

2009-10-21T09:52:22-04:00

Downloading music has never been easier, which means record labels are doing everything they can to keep consumers in the habit of buying albums. That means album art has never been as important as it is right now. We took a look at how photographs from Clay Patrick McBride became the album cover for Kid Rock's Rock N Roll Jesus LP. Click here (or the image) for the full story.

Welcome to the New American Photo

2009-10-20T16:15:07-04:00

For more than 30 years the magazine has been exploring the art and culture of photography, and we’ll continue to do so for years to come. In this issue you’ll find stories on subjects that have long inspired you as well as new topics, all covered in a fresh way that’s meant to fuel your passion for shooting.

On page 32, you’ll discover the latest work by Markus Klinko and Indrani, including shots of Naomi Campbell taken exclusively for American Photo, paired with behind-the-scenes stories from the photographers themselves. They also share a never-before-seen image of Lady Gaga that upholds the singer’s risqué reputation. One of the most captivating elements of the feature is a timeline that shows how the photographer and art director came into their own as an image-making force.

Back in August, I spent 20 minutes on the phone with Chase Jarvis, and something just clicked. His die-hard enthusiasm for cameraphone photography — as well as the compelling nature of his iPhone photos — was so infectious, I couldn’t deny we had a feature brewing. It doesn’t hurt that Jarvis is so endlessly quotable: “The best camera is the one that’s with you” and “I think of my iPhone photos as a visual journal.”

This wasn’t the first time that the idea of featuring cameraphone photography in the issue had come up. Earlier in the summer our photo editor, Chelsea Stickel, sent me a note about iPhone camera accessories and apps, and photo director Larry Nighswander recently became addicted to iPhone photography himself and was brimming with ideas too. See the results of our staff and contributor fervor for this topic on page 56.

And there’s much more to discover: close-up looks at the photographers who make the photos in our new Focus department; the Editor’s Choice gear reviews you trust; software tutorials in Digital Darkroom and the “Who Shot Rock?” feature, with “Behind the Lens” commentary from Albert Watson, James Mollison and Nitin Vadukul about photos they shot of rock-and-roll icons.

We’re eager to hear your feedback about the wealth of information in this issue, our new look and suggestions for stories you would like to see covered in these pages in the coming months. Send your comments to us at editor@americanphotomag.com.

10 Things You Wouldn’t Know About This Photo (Unless We Told You)

2009-08-04T12:11:53-04:00

Photographic team Markus Klinko and Indrani made the image here in 2006 for V magazine, which invited a number of noted photographers to shoot their own interpretations of a V cover. “Mostly, I love it because when we were shooting it we had no idea if we were getting anything good,” says Klinko, the half of the team who takes the pictures. For Indrani, who helps create the mise-en-scène for the team’s images and does post-production work, the photo “brings back memories of happy chaos.” Sometimes, that is the recipe for creativity.

1. Apocalypse Wow

“The idea was to visualize a post-apocalyptic world where young people reassert their individuality by putting together pieces of clothing and making it chic,” says Indrani. “It really came together when we saw the location we were shooting at.”

2. Heavy Metal

That big steel object is not a flying saucer, but a piece of machinery at an abandoned military base near Palm Springs, California. “The movie studios often use this place as a location for science-fiction films,” says Klinko.

3. Deadline, EOD

The team spent most of the day shooting actor Jason Statham for another magazine, then made this shot at the end of the day. “We had 45 minutes from start to finish before the sun went down,” says Indrani.

4. Girl Models

The team spent the previous day casting at various Los Angeles agencies. “Most were very young, like 15, so that meant their mothers were also there,” says Klinko.

5. Boy Model

The lone boy in the shot was found shopping at a Palm Springs supermarket prior to the session.

6. Dust in the Wind

The clothes were styled to look haphazard, but cool. Just before Klinko began shooting, he asked the models to rub dust in their hair to look authentically disheveled.

7. Light Show

“We put a ton of light inside the big metal thing,” says Klinko. “We had lamp heads and battery packs all over the place.”

8. Camera Trick

This is really two photos. Klinko shot with a Fujifilm GX680 medium-format SLR with a special adapter that allowed him to shoot two separate images—one of the scene’s right half by sliding the back to the left, the other of the left half by sliding the back to the right—without repositioning or pivoting his camera. The two perfectly aligned frames were then stitched together in post-production. “That gave me a single image with a huge amount of visual quality,” says Klinko.

9. Teamwork Matters

Klinko and Indrani were once romantically linked but are no longer; nevertheless they have managed to maintain a fruitful professional partnership. “But we argue all the time,” says Klinko. “She hates it when I use complicated cameras. She wants me to keep everything simple.”

10. Editing Is Hard

While Klinko and Indrani loved this image, V chose a different one by them. “So it’s published here for the first time,” says Klinko.

—David Schonauer

Where to Go and What to See

2009-06-10T17:24:32-04:00

This week, gallery-goers should head out to Rochester, NY for a recreation of the significant 1975 exhibition, New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape. Showing once again at the George Eastman House, the selection includes more than 100 photographs from the original show from photographers such as Robert Adams, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Frank Gohlke, Henry Wessel Jr., and John Schott (who took the above picture). New Topographics was revolutionary because it demonstrated a new way of photographing landscapes, marrying documentation with fine art aesthetics, and its influence is still felt today. The exhibit opens on June 13 and runs through September 27, after which it will tour the US and Europe.

Follow the link below for details about this and more photography events.

New York Events

June 10
Looking at Music: Side 2
Opening
On view through November 30
Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53rd St

June 12, 7-9
Etsuko Ichikawa: Glass Pyrographs
Opening and artist's reception
On view through July 11
Randall Scott Gallery
111 Front Street, 2nd Floor

Ongoing Exhibitions

Ruth Raskin: From Selma's Kitchen
On view through July 4
Soho Photo
15 White Street

Arlene Gottfied: Bitter Sweet
On view through July 4
Soho Photo
15 White Street

Other Events

June 11, 9
SlideLuck PotShow
Reception and slideshow
Rapture Gallery
303 East Main Street, Charlottesville, VA

June 13, 6-9
Fridgeir Helgason: Nordic Mood
Opening reception
On view through July 31
Gallery Skart
2324 Michigan, Santa Monica, CA

June 13
New Topographics
Opening
On view through September 27
George Eastman House
900 East Avenue, Rochester, NY

Ongoing Exhibitions

Michael Peck: Pieces of Denver
On view through July 18
Camera Obscura Gallery
1309 Bannock Street, Denver, CO

Yoav Horesh: Intransition; David Akiba: In Plain Sight
On view through June 27
Gallery Kayafas
37 Thayer at 450 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA

Lisa Jack: Barack Obama, The Freshman
On view through July 18
M+B Gallery
612 North Almont Drive, Los Angeles, CA

Edward Steichen: Episodes from a Life in Photography
On view through November 8
Williams College Museum of Art
15 Lawrence Hall Dr Suite 2, Williamstown, MA

Hiroshi Watanabe: Ideology in Paradise
On view through August 22
Kopeikin Gallery
8810 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, CA

Philomena O'Dea: Organic Cosmic Mandalas; Malgorzata Mosiek: Leaf in the Water
On view through August 16
Filmmakers Galleries
477 Melwood Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA

Doris Jew Conrath and Jim Stone
On view through August 22
SF Camerawork
657 Mission Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA

Polaroid Lovers, Hold Onto Hope! Euros Try to Make Instant Film

2009-05-26T17:21:21-04:00

he New York Times reports today that a group of European scientists and salesmen are trying to revive instant film in an old Dutch factory that once produced Polaroid material. They think there is a market for people who love analog photography and value the retro art look of Polaroid, which discontinued manufacturing of its film stock last year. Let's wish them luck! There really is something kinda wonderful about the tones and emotional impact of Polaroid imagery. The problem is that Polaroid made its own chemicals, and these new guys in the Netherlands can only try to duplicate the brew. At least they have some of the original equipment in the old factory, which was saved only by accident. In 2005 an American entrepreneur, Tom Petters, bought Polaroid's name and assets, but he was later indicted for running a Ponzi scheme, which seems to be what everyone private equity firm was doing for the past few years. Because of his current troubles, Polaroid was eager to sell its Dutch factory.--David Schonauer

Where to Go and What to See

2009-05-26T16:50:38-04:00

It's a good week for gallery events outside of New York, and one of my favorites takes place in Boston. On May 30, the Museum of Fine Arts will exhibit a collection of Edward Weston's photos from Mexico, taken during the mid-1920s. This focused selection of images—titled, Viva Mexico!—highlights the legendary photographer's transition from soft pictorialism to a sharper aesthetic. Above are two portraits from the exhibition, which runs through November 2.

Follow the link below for details about this and more photography events.

New York Events

May 28, 6-8
Miles Aldridge: Pictures for Photographs
Opening reception and book signing
On view through June 20
Steven Kasher Gallery
521 West 23rd Street

May 28, 6-8
J Henry Fair: Industrial Scars
Reception
Gray Krauss LLP
207 West 25th, Suite 600

Other Events

May 29, 6-8
Travelogue
Opening reception
On view through August 1
Anderson Gallery
907 1/2 W Franklin St, Richmond, VA

May 29, 6-8
Vern McClish: Appalachian Families and Faces, 1971-1975
Opening reception
On view through July 17
Stuart's Opera House
52 Public Square, Nelsonville, Ohio

May 30, 6-9
Kate Breakey
Opening reception with the artist
On view through July 15
Stephen L Clark Gallery
1101 West Sixth Street, Austin, TX

May 30
Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams: Natural Affinities
Opening
On view through September 7
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 Third Street, San Francisco, CA

May 30
Edward Weston: Viva Mexico!
Opening
On view through November 2
Museum of Fine Arts Boston
465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA

Counterpoint: Why The Abu Ghraib Photos Should Not Be Released

2009-05-25T10:46:41-04:00

In yesterday's New York Times, author Philip Gourevitch puts forward the case for keeping the never-seen images of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib prison locked up. The points are well taken, and echo the arguments that President Obama made during his national security speech last week: 1) the images will not tell us anything we don't already know; and 2) they will enflame America's enemies and put American troops in danger.
     Gourevitch knows the subject: he authored a book with filmmaker Errol Morris called The Ballad of Abu Ghraib, telling the story of the soldiers who took the images that helped turned public opinion against the conflict in Iraq. As he says, he "spent more than a year living with the photographs from Abu Ghraib...." Like the president, he does not specify exactly how the images would endanger troops; no one has yet presented evidence that the photographs would cause immediate and certain harm; the threat is vague and generalized. His argument that the pictures would not add to the public knowledge or debate is also one-sided, since the images remain classified. Who is to say what information they may provide and what effect they would have on the debate regarding the use of torture? (President Obama countered that the debate is effectively over, because he has outlawed the use of torture.)
     More complex, and winning, is Gourevitch's argument about the nature of photographs, and how they can mislead while providing vital information. The photos from Abu Ghraib were made by soldiers put in a situation they were not trained for, who documented acts by comrades who, in many cases, were following orders from higher-ranking officials.
    "Crime-scene photographs, for all their power to reveal, can also serve as a destraction, even a deterrent, from precise understanding of the events they depict. Photographs cannot show us a chain of command, or Washington decision making. Photographs cannot tell stories. They can only provide evidence of stories, and evidence is mute; it demands interpretation and explanation."
     The images from Abu Ghraid, he says, do not show "that the real bad apples were at the top of the civilian chain of command in Washington." Perhaps seeing the unreleased images would motivate us to learn that story, and not simply forget what happened at Abu Ghraib. Forgetting would be the ultimate failure.--David Schonauer

Missing Link Photo: The Truth Is Out There

2009-05-20T16:29:42-04:00

Speaking of nature photography, have you seen the image of the new "missing link" fossil now on view at the American Museum of Natural History in New York? This fossil, which is 47 million years old, is said by scientists to the earliest human ancestor--a link between the animals that became homo sapien and other mammals. It's a controversial theory, but very exciting, and the announcement is being pumped up with considerable marketing muscle. The fossil is called Ida ("eeda"), and when you gaze at the images of it, you understand the primordial fear evoked by the creature in the Alien films.--David Schonauer