The Making of the Leica M9-P

Leica M9-P 

I like seeing for myself, or seeing things through the web on how things are actually made. Actually, think about where the things come from. Who made it, the types of material they've used everything about the production stages, be it man/woman made, or machine made. I just don't think people appreciate, the things in which they buy. Just how much hard work is being put  into everything in which they've bought. Because most of the time I see things that cost quite a lot, being neglected or on the floor which is a shame.

Lytro

The Lytro

This oblong shaped camera is something quite new to take into the scene. The features contained in this small camera are

• Refocusing: Which all together allows the users to refocus on certain things soon after they're taken.
• Speed: This plenoptic camera captures images quickly, than you're regular point and shoot cameras.
• Low-Resolution: In terms of megapixel it has 1080 x 1080 so about 1.2 megapixels
• Low light sensitivity: Allows users to use larger apertures, meaning it enables to user to take shots in low light environments without the use of a flash
• 3D images: Seeing as its a plenoptic camera records depth inormation (which allows it to focus at variable depths) stereo images can be constructed in software from a single plenoptic image shot.

At first glace I thought it was a a kaleidoscopic or some sort of toy which wouldn't last very long. Good and bad points about this, it's good in a sense it compact. The refocus system is quite handy, it's own embedded system contained within and its touch screen. But idealistically, I can see the  majority would see this as a waste of time, seeing as it can't do most things digital cameras can do. Which is sort of a let down, seeing as the majority are concerned with how many megapixels a camera has. To me this has potential to shift photography as we know it. But the design, would let it down greatly.

Rosie Hardy

Just like Alex Stoddard, in fact alex sought inspiration from Hardy seeing as she had also done a project that involved taking photos each day for a year. The name had rang a bell seeing as she had produced the front cover of maroon 5's recent album, 'hands all over.'

She started at the age of 16 but is now currently aged 19. She'd often look at various magazines and often pondered about why the images in which she had taken, wasn't like the ones in which were in the magazines. It was through many trials and errors, and educated herself in post processing skills that got to where she is today. She wanted to take 'pretty shots' of herself and then take it to photoshop and just experiment and be lost within the tools contained within.

She then joined flickr, and it was there she started to produce the 365 day project consisting of one self portrait a day for a whole year. And the aim was to improve as she went along, and to actually see the improvement and development. In a sense, doing this as a starting point and not be disheartened by other photographers work is a good idea. She stated that, "what is important to keep in mind  is that every amazing photographer was once a horrible photographer who took awful photographs." Meaning, we all have to start somewhere, but its how you get there. You need to find it within yourself to actually be fully motivated all the time, in order to get what you want. It just takes a lot of trial and error.

Rosie Hardy

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosie_hardy/

Ben Heine

Ben Heine's paper art to me at first glance seemed like the work i'd be interested in. He brings other medias on top of the image. My opinion from just looking at his line of work of "pencil vs camera" he's made it seem like a battle between these types of medias. How people tend to hide behind this type of visage that we hide so easily It shows the type of of generation we live in where we're constantly editing to perfect that image we have envisioned in our heads. The illustrations bring out the best in these photographs. I like the way in which these illustrations are in black and white. 

Ben Heine

It questions why didn't he use colour? Why does he need only a sliver of a piece of paper, with an illustration on top of the image? Maybe his expectations, don't meet up with reality so he creates something that does line up. Or maybe reality to him is within this world he's decided to illustrate? 

Alex Stoddard

I'm amazed by the fact that this photographer is only seventeen years old, hes undertaken a personal 365 day project where he takes photos each day for a year and is well re knowned for this project. I've seen others try persue this type of project, the majority of the people that actually do this dont actually last for very long. Stoddard tried to constantly better himself, seeing as couple months before perusing this project he stated that he "wasn't seeing that much of a difference." He wanted to see a type of growth within himself, so that drive, that subconscious need of completion was something he wanted to show. As I mentioned before, people have attempted to do this type of project but sort of loose focus and time to actually do it. Seeing as to some people it might completely phase them, because that motivation just isn't there. In one of the interviews Stoddard was in a question in which was asked was,

"What was the biggest challenge in completing this project?" 

He then clearly stated that the biggest challenge for him was managing his own time, he works in a restaurant part time. He neglected his own sleep and social life in order to produce this personal project of his. Which questions how far are we willing to sacrifice, in order to get to where we want/what we want to achieve in the end? Seeing as you will loose out in some things.

Saatchi Gallery

I've been wanting to visit the saatchi gallery for some time now, and this time round it was a must. With such diverse, well rounded of photographers. The exhibition had gave us an insight, on modern photographers of today.

Mariah Robertson

One that stood out for me was Mariah Robertsons rolled up piece (image 88) that had one of the guards stand next to it which was in gallery 7 first floor. As tempting to unroll this piece even further, I refrained.  Robertson quotes ‘When do the rules of photography limit creativity?’ She had tried to create something that breaks almost all conventions in photography in terms of scale, the way in which had been laid out tempting viewers to come take a closer look and unravel this oversized roll of film, which seemed a bit harsh. Her influences include ‘alternative historical processes from photography’s shadowy beginnings with Victorian chemical hobbyists.’ She welcomes accidents be it Solarizations and photograms in the man ray mode, irregular chemical reactions, negative collage, games with filters. The end result that comes from these final pieces that she’s succumbed to show the viewers are quite abstract. This questions is this body of work art? Or photography? This body of work has a Kandinsky esque feel to it, be it intended or not. Quoting what Charles Baudelaire had stated on this idea of photography bring an art. He attacked the way the ‘modern public’ had mistaken photography as an art because it accurately recorded ‘nature.’ From this idea in which he had I can see why he thinks that, but there is an art form to photography. I’d like to think that the lenses are a type of paint brushe or different type of pencil to give different types of tonal range. Tableux pieces for example. Where the images are constructed with models positioned and are held as if they were posing for a painter. There were also ways back then to alter the images with a brush whilst they’re still wet as though it were a canvas. I think in a sense there are certain things in which are quite similar but not to an extent where they’re both exact.

John Stezaker

David Benjamin Sherry

Gabriel Moreno

One graphic designer/illustrator that I look up to the most is Gabriel Moreno. His intricate drawings on hair, and his use of media is something in which I could relate to. During my time in both secondary and through college he still remains to be one of the top 10 for me in terms of looking for inspiration. Theres a certain way in which he draws that's so fluid and consistent. His illustrations consists of vivid colours, that may or may not form something else. The flow in his works, remind me of waves constantly crashing onto rocks but still manages to bypass it to create something more beautiful.

Gabriel Moreno

Gabriel Moreno inspired work, by myself.


Personal Work.

For more of my work visit:

http://bedspacebreak.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/novemberchoice

MAURIZIO ANZERI

Maurizio Anzeri, does a lot of embroidery. His intentions are to bring the photo to life thus making the photographs into 'photo sculptures.'  He stated that "I dont want to be nostalgic, when I work on them to me they become more present" His intentions were to bring the past into the present through the use of embroidery, to bring life to these old neglected photographs and give it more of an identity. His view on photography is quite interesting. He states that,

"We all still look at it as if its real. It's trapped in there and its like you managed to cast some kind of magic spell on that piece of paper to entrap some kind of reality to use and reuse every time you look at it"

Taking a sliver of the world through that view finder that we all take. We critically analyse that photograph, and go back to it, in world they seemed to be trapped in. 

Maurizio Anzeri

Own attempt

One of the thing's I find fairly therapeutic is sewing. For this line of work, I had produced I went back a few projects and rekindled what I had done. This was experimentation for 'representation' project. I had only used red and black thread, because of the loss that I had. None of us are allowed to wear, red clothing or buy anything that is red, during the funeral we weren't allowed to wear black either. It was one of the traditions filipinos try to uphold even though I dont think much of it, I respected it.

Instagram

I've been having mixed views with this application. There are pro's and cons to using it. One of which it's quick and easy to use, if you're quite a busy person and you haven't got any time on editing a picture if you so wished.   Instagram does it for you within a flash. But this also brings up another issue, do we really need applications like this? That are quick and easy to use? Because to me the efforts in which others actually put into their own time into editing a photo would pretty much, be looked as a time waster if things such as instagram are being put out there.

Photo Taken By Uzma Faheem

This also, raises another question. What makes a pro photographer? Is it by the equipment that he or she uses? Is it the different type of lenses in which is being used? I think we tend to lose focus on what actually were trying to show, through things we think we need but don't necessarily.

Personally I think that instagram is neither good nor bad, it's good in a sense it's efficient and you can have it everywhere you go in the comfort of your own phone or some type device that allows applications such as this. But on the other hand it does question if this is the way forward, then analogue photography might evidently might be lost.