a Plastic Perfect Wedding

I love looking through photographer's wedding portfolios, but no matter how unique or quirky the couple, you can pretty much guarantee that each album will contain just a few of the same staple shots (the shoes, always the shoes). I think that's why I got such a kick out of Barbie and Ken's wedding album. It's well shot, but also has a sense of humor about industry standards. Click here to poke through all of the shots taken on this special day for B&K. ••••

Better than Splash Mountain

Just in time for Halloween, a Flickr stream of amazing mid-scare shots from a Canadian Haunted house. Via The Orlando Egotist ••••

stocking is the new planking

I have never been more jealous of an idea. www.stockingisthenewplanking.tumblr.com••••

Old Masters, Remastered

I was recently introduced to two new (to me) artists on a trip to Raleigh’s North Carolina Art Museum — which, by the way, has an amazing collection. Vik Muniz and Tom Hunter, two contemporary photographers, were both exhibiting large scale images that re-imagined Old Masters painting, each in their own way.

Vik Muniz’s Pictures of Junk Series are reproductions of these paintings in—you guessed it—junk, or sometimes garbage. Poke around his website and you’ll find some amazing examples; here, are Atalanta and Hippomenes, after Guiodo Reni, and Saturn devouring one of his Sons, after Francisco de Goya Y Lucientes. Incredible use of white space, and testament to the theory that art can be made out of anything when you’re creative.

Tom Hunter’s work more subtly references the paintings of such artists as Andrew Wyeth, the Pre-Raphaelites, and Vermeer. Without referencing the original work in the title, or exactly replicating the piece, Hunter will stage photographs that remind you of something you have seen once before but perhaps can’t quite place. See his website for more of his work— there is no specific series for the Masters, but interspersed throughout his Gallery you will know them by the sense of deja vu they provoke. ••••

Unique Fruit

German artist Uli Westphal started noticing how lawfully enforced standards of agriculture made every lemon, lime and tomato look exactly the same. "The complete absence of botanical anomalies in our supermarkets has caused us to regard the consistency of produce there as natural," he wrote. So, he went to Berlin farmer's markets and photographed a dazzling array of fruits and vegetables, in an effort to document the "last survivors of biological variety."••••

Back To The Future

Irina Werning is an Argentinian photographer whose recent project has been to recreate people's childhood photos. The attention to detail is really amazing. Even if a specific piece of clothing or prop, is a little off...it is pretty darn close! It must be really fun to do these. Really great work. Via fucking young! ••••

LA Plastic Camera

Some shots I took in LA back in the spring. I never know what is going to come out of my cheap plastic Yellow Peace camera, but I sort of like these! Some things you just can't recreate in Photoshop. ••••

Enchanted Forest

Fall has only just begun, and already I am feeling nostalgic about the summer. These photographs by Kristian Cvecek of Germany capture one of my favorite summer memories from childhood— chasing fireflies. Really beautiful images captured with a slow shutter speed. Thanks to Daily Mail. ••••

Really Into Space

I didn't need another reason to love NASA (growing up next to The Kennedy Space Center probably has something to do with that) but I just got one. This may be old to you, but it's news to me. The NASA Earth Observatory is a great place to go when you need color palette/graphic ideas. Yeah, I said that. The "Image of the Day" for today is the SUN. Doesn't that make you feel tiny? ••••

Flock Together

I am totally fascinated by the flight patterns of birds—the bizarre way they cling together en mass and move as one entity never ceases to amaze me. So when I found this series of photographs by Richard Barnes, entitled Murmur, I was totally captivated. These black starlings have a Hichcock-ian appeal— I particularly enjoy the photo above, where they appear almost extraterrestrial.  ••••

The Big Giant and the Little Giantess

Earlier this week, 1.5 million people filled the streets of Berlin, Germany to watch a several-day performance by France's Royal de Luxe street theatre company titled "The Berlin Reunion". Part of the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Reunion show featured two massive marionettes, the Big Giant, a deep-sea diver, and his niece, the Little Giantess. The storyline of the performance has the two separated by a wall, thrown up by "land and sea monsters". The Big Giant has just returned from a long and difficult - but successful - expedition to destroy the wall, and now the two are walking the streets of Berlin, seeking each other after many years apart.

These pictures are amazing and tell an incredible story. Click here to scroll through all the photos. ••••

Warning: People in Magazine Less Perfect Than They Seem

British and French lawmakers are debating a new kind of health warning— one that could affect Photoshop practices. Concerned that retouched photographs of celebrities and models set unrealistic standards for beauty, these lawmakers are proposing that advertisers be required to include disclaimers on all altered photographs, acknowledging any tweaking that transpired.

Cigarette warnings are aimed at preventing cancer. Likewise, Photoshop disclaimers could help curb eating disorders, specifically within the most vulnerable teen demographic. Although retouching is common practice for fashion magazines, many forget that celebrities (even with the help of hair, make-up, and personal trainers) still are not as perfect as they appear on the cover of Glamour.

Under the proposed system, photos would be rated on a scale of 1 to 4, depending on the level of retouching. The NYT details: “A ‘1’ might involve only altered lighting, for example, while a ‘4’ might warn of cosmetic changes via Photoshop… the label would have to include an explanation of the changes.” Champion of the law, British Parliament member Jo Swinson notes, “If people knew they had to describe what they altered, it might make them less likely to do it.”

I’ll admit—I’m torn on the issue. I think lines should be drawn, but does “altered lighting” really warrant any disclaimer at all? Or Photoshopping out a blemish or fly-away? However, egregious examples DO bother me— like giving celebrities unrealistic abdominals instead of showing a more relatable reality. My concern is that It becomes increasingly difficult to set limits when even the most innocuous photograph is usually cropped and color corrected. Our magazines could be littered with the disclaimers, which would be an aesthetic nightmare. But if it changes the questionable techniques used in fashion mags, is it worth it? ••••

Found in the USA: Rockport, MA

It's beginning to feel like summer in New England (especially with our 90 degree temps earlier in the week)! Like so many other Bostonians, at the first sign of good weather I shed my city skin and head out to the ocean—in this case, the lovely seaside town of Rockport, MA. Rockport is a small town in northeastern Massachusetts, near Gloucester. It's home to scenic beaches, boulder covered landscapes, souvenir shops, and nautical influences—all the makings of a perfect summer getaway. Enjoy this taste of the ocean! ••••

Getting Creative with Cookies

Lately, food photography has been all the rage in my Boston apartment. After finding some a-maz-ing recipes on Baking Bites for homemade Girl Scout Cookies, my roommate/fellow designer Sarah and I decided to embark on a project, documenting my attempts of the recipes, one by one. At least one day of every weekend is spent in the kitchen, where I beat together ingredients and she stands over me shooting. She is blogging the photos on her website, Sarah Hearts Design, and above you can get a glimpse of how GREAT the Caramel De-Lites came out (yes, I am not above bragging here). So, you can check back at SarahHearts Design every Monday to see photos of Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties (Tagalongs), and so on. They only get better.

In the meantime, I just want to share with you my love for the images we are drawing inspiration from. When it comes to food photography, Real Simple Magazine and Martha Stewart are head and shoulders above the rest. I own Martha Stewart Cookies, which has the best table of contents of any book, ever. And I had to exert some serious restraint to avoid purchasing Martha Stewart Wedding Cakes the other day in Borders, simply because the pictures were so fantastic. I can almost taste those meringues through the screen! ••••

Like Shattered Glass

Great concept -- a look at shattered objects that would not normal shatter. I like the rubber ducky the best. Poor duck. •••• [via It's Nice That]

Library of Congress on Flickr

The Library of Congress has started a digital catalog of their photos. I could not be happier, these photos are magnificent. I am just starting to get back into film photography (hey, holga.) and these are a great inspiration. Found out about this through a great new blog, DesignAudit.net. Check it out! Side note: imagine if it was your job to scan all of those photographs.

Brian Ulrich

I have been feeling petty uninspired by design work lately (notice the lack of posts), so I have been compulsively looking at different photographers work. I love this retail themed series, by Brian Ulrich, a New York native. These photographs scream USA to me in a disturbing yet fascinating way. The are unapologetic and a little sad.

From Brian's statement: "In 2001 citizens were encouraged to take to the malls to boost the U.S. economy through shopping, thereby equating consumerism with patriotism. The Copia project, a direct response to that advice, is a long-term photographic examination of the peculiarities and complexities of the consumer-dominated culture in which we live. Through large scale photographs taken within both the big-box retail stores and the thrift shops that house our recycled goods, Copia explores not only the everyday activities of shopping, but the economic, cultural, social, and political implications of commercialism and the roles we play in self-destruction, over-consumption, and as targets of marketing and advertising. By scrutinizing these rituals and their environments, I hope that viewers will evaluate the increasing complexities of the modern world and their own role within it."••••

Dumped!

I love this photo series, titled Dumped, by Meg Watcher. The expressions on the people's faces are hilarious. Visit Meg's website to see the entire series. ••••

Phillip Toledano

I first saw Phillip Toledano's work via his "video gamers" project. In his words: "I wanted to take portraits of people that would reveal a hidden part of their character. So I had them play video games." They are truly original. A coworker of mine turned my attention to him again, this time to his "Bankrupt" series. The project of photographing deserted offices of bankrupt companies turned out to be more insightful than I could have imagined. The seemingly empty spaces tell a stories of places that once were bustling with life. Check them out here. ••••