Feature Shoot |
- 27 ‘Off the Wall’ Photographs Make for Our Weirdest Ever Group Show
- Extraordinary New Book Unveils the Untold Stories of the World’s Greatest Photojournalists
- Nude Photo Series Celebrates the Tattooed Male Model
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Posted: 30 Oct 2015 05:02 AM PDT
 © Aline Smithson  © David Barry  © John Gribben For our latest group show, we gave you free rein to delve into all things weird, absurd, and downright crazy. Curated by Gabriel H. Sanchez, Photo Essay Editor at BuzzFeed, the winning collection reveals just how varied and subjective our theme of “off the wall” can be. From dolls having breakfast in bed to a Tetris piece going for a casual stroll down the block, these images can each be taken either as downright hilarious or a strangely sobering depiction of the human condition. In some cases, we’re not sure whether to laugh or cry, and that perhaps is the definition of “off the wall” photographs: images so delightfully bizarre that they elicit often intense and sometimes contradictory responses. Congratulations to top three winners Aline Smithson, David Barry, and John Gribben, who will each receive a one year subscription to Squarespace, an online publishing platform designed with photographers in mind. With award-winning design, domains, commerce, hosting, and 24/7 support, Squarespace helps photographers discover more ways to market themselves and expand their business. New subscribers toSquarespace can now use the code “FS15″ to receive 10% off their website. Click here to start a free 14-day trial.  © Aaron Fallon  © Aaron Fallon  © Aline Smithson  © David Barry  © Jessica Pettway  © John Gribben  © Kyra Kennedy  © Kyra Kennedy  © Norman Borden  © Olivia Locher  © Puzzleman Leung  © Puzzleman Leung  © Rickett & Sones  © Rickett & Sones  © Rickett & Sones  © Rickett & Sones  © R. Wayne Parsons  © R. Wayne Parsons  © Bene Brandhofer  © Tara Wray  © Weston Clark  © Eivind Senneset  © Allison Morris  © Barry Klipp Squarespace is a Feature Shoot sponsor. The post 27 ‘Off the Wall’ Photographs Make for Our Weirdest Ever Group Show appeared first on Feature Shoot.  |
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Posted: 29 Oct 2015 08:04 AM PDT
 Arlington, Virginia, 25 novembre 1963. © Elliot Erwitt / Magnum Photos  Afghanistan, 1992.© Abbas / Magnum Photos The duty of a photojournalist, according to many, is to remain detached in a moment of crisis, to compartmentalize scenes of violence and war from the goings on of everyday life. As suggested by Italian journalist Mario Calabresi in his extraordinary book Eyes Wide Open, however, the best storytellers are those who allow themselves to be submerged within often painful events, to forgo absolute objectivity in favor of something rarer: a precarious marriage of impartiality and intimate involvement. In interviews with ten photographers who have not only documented but in many ways shaped the course of history—Steve McCurry, Josef Koudelka, Don McCullin, Elliott Erwitt, Paul Fusco, Alex Webb, Gabriele Basilico,Abbas, Paolo Pellegrin, and Sebastiao Salgado— Calabresi peels back the layers that lie behind iconic images to reveal the nuances of each frame and the living, breathing people who stood behind the lens. Calabresi met with each of the ten photojournalists over the course of the last five years; he sat down with them in person wherever he could and whenever they were available: in offices, studios, meeting rooms, and homes around the world. Over hours-long conversations, he listened to McCurry on monsoon season in India, McCullin on the blood-soaked Battle of Hue, Koudelka on the invasion of Prague, Salgado on Rwandan genocide, Erwitt on racial tensions from the 1950s up until this day, Fusco on the funeral train of Bobby Kennedy, Pellegrin on Iraq, Abbas on the Iranian Revolution, and Basilico on civil war in Lebanon and the abandoned ruins of Beirut. In every one of these legendary photojournalists, Calabresi finds warmth and passion, whether they’re speaking on their own homes or journeys overseas. These are people who are themselves players in each shot, not spectators waiting on the sidelines. He tells of McCurry diving into the flood waters that overtook the Indian village of Porbandar, where the photographer stood for entire days as dead animals drifted past and leeches feasted on his flesh. Pellegrin fled the custody of British patrolmen to shoot, unprotected, as Baghdad was taken; Erwitt got close enough to catch a falling tear stain the veil of Jackie Kennedy at the funeral of her husband. McCullin, instead of continuing to shoot, dropped his camera in Cyprus to save a toddler; in Vietnam, when a dying soldier indicated that he did not want his photograph taken, again the photojournalist lowered the camera. Doing this work, and doing it fully, comes at a cost. Making images that shape nations, that spur change, and that remain imprinted in the minds of millions, can bring sleepless nights and moral crises. Salgado, after bearing witness to so much horror, felt his body and mind buckle under the burden; there is one photo, picturing a starving albino boy in Nigeria during Biafra war, that still haunts McCullin. Because of his photographs, Koudelka spent two decades in exile, missing the death of his parents. Despite all the sacrifices, the death, the shock, and the grief, Eyes Wide Open emerges as a life-affirming ode to these men and to their spirits. Calabresi’s testimony is one colored by honesty and true affection, a story told by an author who lent an open ear and invited each photojournalist to talk him through his memories. His directness, as it turns out, even warmed the chilly and difficult exterior that Erwitt is famous for exhibiting during interviews. These men, too, have come out the other side of war and conflict; they still might bear some wounds, but they have at long last found hope. For McCullin, finding joy can be as simple as watching the deer emerge from the early morning mist along the the Somerset countryside; for Pellegrin, it’s his daughter Luna, and for Salgado, it’s the planet and all its remaining natural wonders. He’s healed, he says, from rebuilding the Brazilian rainforest surrounding his boyhood home. And finally, for Basilico, who has sadly passed away since his interview with Calabresi and for whom the author gives a special thanks in the closing words of the book, it was longing to do it all over again, to start once more with photographing the ports of cities around the world and perhaps, despite it all, to move on one last time to all that came after. Eyes Wide Open is published by Contrasto as part of a collection called In words that examines the relationship between text and images.  Beirut 1991. © Gabriele Basilico  Beirut 1991. © Gabriele Basilico The post Extraordinary New Book Unveils the Untold Stories of the World’s Greatest Photojournalistsappeared first on Feature Shoot.  |
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Posted: 29 Oct 2015 06:48 AM PDT
 Ricki Hall at Nevs  Asher at AMCK For London-based photographer Danny Baldwin, getting inked can be a powerful means of asserting autonomy and of defying the confines of others’ perceptions and assumptions. Where once the fashion community snubbed heavily tattooed bodies, Baldwin has witnessed recent deviations from the standard clean-shaven masculine ideal to one that embraces otherness and self-expression. Skin Deep, an exhibition of more than one hundred photographs of nude male models exposing their ink, is his ode to the intersections between two mainstream art forms—fashion and photography—with the art of the tattoo. Baldwin has built a name for himself within the fashion industry not by toeing the line but by crossing it; he’s moved not by cookie-cutter aesthetics but by images with a little more bite. As tattoos have become more popular, he’s seen first-hand how the same models that were sent away from agencies years ago for having visible ink are now embraced by leading brands like Versace, Westwood, and Mugler. What was once almost by definition something for “outsiders” is now very much “in.” The photographer, who has modeled and has tattoos himself, reached out to a diverse set of subjects, each with their own stories. The words, patterns, and figures they’ve etched onto their bodies each mean something different, and in conversation with Gay Times, Baldwin admits that he doesn’t breach their privacy by asking for the meanings behind the ink. Instead, he allows each model to bare as much or as little as he pleases, both physically and psychically. The thing about tattoos, he suggests, is that they can cut one of two ways: while they can reveal the vulnerabilities of their bearers, they also can shield and fortify their defenses. It’s this tension, the push and pull between nakedness and concealment, that keeps Baldwin enamored with tattoos. Ultimately, Skin Deep isn’t just about tattoos; it’s about individuality, identity, and what we choose to show to other people. The inside flesh of his own lip now bears the words “Skin Deep” in honor of the work, though you’d never know it unless you asked. Thus far, Skin Deep has been entirely funded by the photographer and his team. In order to have the exhibition ready by January 2016, they need our help. They’ve opened a Kickstarter campaign offering a variety of perks to donors; contribute here. Some of the photographs are still under lock and key, to be revealed only as part of the exhibition. Baldwin’s Skin Deep team includes videographer Mike Tucknott, hairstylist Kevin Luchmun, makeup artistKatie Moore, hairstylist Danny Defreitas, and makeup artist Violet Zeng.  Bud and Aiden at Body London  Diego Barrueco at Established  Jacopo at ADAM Models NYC  Jake Hold at AMCK  Jonathan Bellini at D1  Will at First Model Management  Jordan Matheson at Elite  Matthew Morris at BMA  Leebo at SUPA All images © Danny Baldwin The post Nude Photo Series Celebrates the Tattooed Male Model appeared first on Feature Shoot. |
