Bluffers Guide to Great Photographers #01; IRVING PENN

So many of us have heard the name and seen his photos... his style has become a watch word for how a quality black and white portrait should look, perfectly exposed often using natural light.

Irving Penn had a profound influence on my own personal photography while at university, i gave up using flash and opened windows instead or used constant light sources. Suddenly taking peoples photograph in a studio became QUIET, the sitter became much less distracted and more was gleaned by my film.

Penns portraits are soaked in this intensity and to this day the 91 year old master can still get to the core of even the most closed off and unapproachable sitters.

With a cannon of work covering from Pablo Picasso to Kate Moss he still shoots with the same no frills attitude that he extolled in 1958 after being named one of "The World’s 10 Greatest Photographers" in an international poll conducted by Popular Photography Magazine. Penn’s statement at the time is a remarkable summation of purpose and idealism: "I am a professional photographer because it is the best way I know to earn the money I require to take care of my wife and children."



It really is difficult to imagine how modern portraiture would have developed, if Penn had not been around. His work looks so incredibly familiar purely because of the massive influence he has had on photographers working today.

Have a look here at his most popular work and see what i mean....

see you in the next life.....

Flickin One Off #2 ...

Sunshine on a rainy day

Following on with the 'intelligent graffiti' theme just take a look at this flickr set of the EINE ALPHABET from the dam fine work of 'sunshine indoors' todays featured flickerererer (is that a word?)

The photos show Ben Eines series of letters painted on roller shutter doors around London and the UK. There have been a few sets of Eines alphabet photographed but as yet i've not seen a better set than the one above, properly exposed and well colour balanced, its a great set and i'm lovin it!

Warm Cockles



As a lad i lived in Southend and later moved to within 10 miles of Yarmouth so this seaside set really strikes a chord with me, the glorious delapidation and faded majesty are captured in a warm sharp and graphic style. There really aren't enough people taking REAL photos and adding real personality on the way. You should adore them ... its the law.


Further to the great talent for snapping a neat lens based treat, I would heartily recommend you check out the particular musical flavor of Ally's soul funk stew of a blog at DUSTY 7s

Your restless feet wont regret it ...

trust me i'm a doctor.

see you in the next life

Banksy's Heros ....

I've unashamedly lifted this from the banksy website. I just thought the last few paragraphs were priceless. Enjoy.


GRAFFITI HEROES #03

In 1974 a 33 year old man named George Davis was convicted of robbing the payroll of the London Electricity Board in Ilford. He was nailed on the evidence of cops who were outside the bank at the time of the robbery and was sent to prison for 20 years.

However, his friend Peter Chappell was convinced Davis was innocent and inspired by discrepancies in the police statements and the fact that none of the bloodstains at the scene matched with the defendant, started calling for Davis' release. Chappall enrolled some friends and embarked on one of the largest sustained grafitti campaigns Britain has ever seen. Over the following months 'G DAVIS IS INNOCENT' appeared on walls, bridges and tunnels from one side of London to the other, some of which are still visible today.

The vandalism culminated in Chappell and four others breaking into Headingley cricket ground in August 1975 the night before a test match between England and Australia. Using plastic cutlery from a service station they dug holes in the pitch, filled them with oil and painted 'Sorry it had to be done, but George Davis is innocent' in large white letters on the wall as they left. The match was postponed and Chappell got 18 months for criminal damage.

The campaign brought the case to the attention of the Home Secretary who after a police inquiry released Davis two years into his sentence using the highly exceptional and controversial Royal Prerogative of Mercy.

The fight to free George Davis was one of the most spetacular campaigns ever fought against injustice, an achievement only slightly marred when a year after his release Davis was found guilty of robbing the Bank of Cyprus for which he served six years, and three years after which he was caught red-handed robbing a mail train.

George Davis is now a free man and happily married to the daughter of a North London Chief Inspector of Police.

It's all swinging over at Planet Mondo blog ....

Something special is happening over on the Mondo mans blog today (being a Friday of the most Swinging and Funky persuasion), whizz over and check out whats going on ...... HERE

Flickin one off #1

I'm kicking off a new regular feature on Ded Dog Blog, where i'm going to flag up a few snappers from Flickr i think are worthy of a mention.

Flickr is such a great place to find really great work by people who love what they are doing ... theres plenty of rubbish too, though. But that's where i come in.. sit back, relax and let the ded dog sniff out the curly ones, so you dont have to take evasive action around those stinkers.

First up





I've been watching the progress of this set over the last year or so and Alexandre Duret-Lutz aka 'gadl' has become ever more inventive with his brilliant Wee Planets series. Shot on an expensive stereographic projetion camera that i'll admit i don't really understand. Go there and take a peep, peeps, its quality stuff with minimal computor tom-foolery too....

Dizzy stuff

While i'm on the subject of stereographic projetion, have a look at this 360 deg shot of Rio De Janiro here. I hope you don't get vertigo though..... you can scroll 360 around the veiw and up into the sky as well. Its an incredible site from Mr Hans Nyberg, who has collated hundreds of stunning 360 panoramas from different photographers around the world. I'd take a whizz round The Great wall of China, The Banyan Tree and Petra in Jordan as well. (you need quicktime for these by the way).

Stunning.

It just goes to show, that creative arts can be combined with modern technology and still be a success.

Enjoy.

see you in the next life

01/03/08 I need to hold my hands up and admit imade mistake here folks... its not a strereo projection camera. Its actually some very, very clever maths , very clever software and about 50 to 60 standard photos per peice.

Mr T's moral of todays story?

look before you leap ..... FOOL!

Monkey Balls to the wall ....

Balls

So with me intending to concentrate this blog on a more design based thread .... i'm going to give you a great meatballs recipe that i have, (makes perfect sense to me), it has been lovingly passed down generation by generation since i was at least 39.

By the way, thanks to The Monkey Bastard Blog for setting me up on a meatballs tip ... i've tried his recipe and YUP they're good too.

Need:

500g of decent lamb mince
1/2 a packet of 'Ogran' Falafel mix (from sainburys, i'm sure any other felafel mix will do but this is the one i use)
1 egg
blood, sweat and tears optional (spech if you have guest peeps.....)

Make:

Make up the Falafel mix with half the amount of water and half the contents of the pack and leave to stand for 15 mins.
Add egg and mix in.
Add Lamb mince and mix in.
Form into balls about the size of Monkey bastards ... second thoughts you'd only get three (easy now girls) golf ball size will do.
Heat up a non stick pan then add some oil.
Pop the meatballs in the pan and brown off well. This bits important as the lamb is quite fatty and browning will help render out a lot of the fat. (dont get lean lamb either as the fat helps in the cooking process even if you do pour most of it away).

Cook:

Bang em all in a roasting tray pour over a chopped tomato/basil/garlic 3 minute sauce (please dont ask me to explain that one as i just have).
Pop some mozzella and parmasan on top and slam in a preheated oven at 220 for 26 mins 34.5 seconds.

Serve with a spinach leaf and pea salad and a massive bottle of Montepulciano (if you can say it at the offy that is...) if not, a nice busty roija will keep the moroccan/latin vibe going.

Listen:

One of Monkey bastards perfectly presented menus of listening pleasure (vol 63 is well worth a toot...)

Try both recipes and let me know when ive won eh? eh? eh?

See you in the next life

wat no dredd?

Watch the birth of the comic that made it possible for british graphic novel artists to develop and thrive.

2000AD

The UK is home to many of the worlds most inventive and outstanding graphic novel artists ... and it is all thanks to this crappy advert .. who needs marketing when u got talent eh?

However, the story that made all this possible .. Judge Dredd .. was so close to being dropped he didnt make it into the first issue, while a less violent and more acceptable story line was written.

Drawn by a 'newbie' Mike McMahon, after the developer of the Dredd character, Carlos Ezquerra walked out. Mc Mahons loose and vivid style became the trade mark style that others would have to follow when guest artists where invited to contribute.

For me, McMahon sums up the rebirth of an art form that had become stale, conservative and overlooked .. shame he didnt have anything to do with the frekkin advert eh????

see you in the next life