Last week the photographic industry lost a great architectural photographer, Julius Shulman, perhaps best known for Pierre Koenig’s Case Study house #22, 1960 (also known as the Stahl Residence), image below. This beautifully-lit shot was actually spur-of-the-moment, and he judged the exposure without a light meter; a testament to his incredible talent.
“The secret to the success of my photography is to always create a proper balance of light. Put your camera down. Don’t act like a photographer; instead, act like a human being reviewing a piece of sculpture and understand where you would like the light to be for your exposure.”
Introduction to his 1962 textbook “Photographing Architecture and Interiors”
And here is a short film with Julius narrating a photo documentary about his life and images.
A good coffee-table book of his definitive work can be purchased here.
Kelsey says about this daring venture: “Most fashion shorts I’ve seen tend to look great, but can feel like stretched-out adverts. We wanted something with depth, and a genuine narrative . . . the new winter collection [is] dark, loaded with hard edges and rock chick attitude. We wanted the film to reflect this, while pushing the envelope within the genre.”
And it is indeed daring…and bold; as well as beautifully shot and incredibly intriguing. And apparently there’s more to come – I’m on the edge of my seat already.
The July 09 issue of Italian Vogue sees the return of Kristen McMenamy, one of the 90s supermodels. Shot by Steven Meisel, it’s incredible to see “The Legend” working it once again.
The weather has cooled down in London but here are some hot images to heat us up. These are the latest shots of Victoria and David Beckham for Emporio Armani, photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot. This season brings a Japanese influence in Victoria’s hairstyles, mixed with oiled bodies and symbolic rope for lots of sexual tension between the famed couple.
Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot, Turkish and Welsh photographers, met in England in 1994 and became a creative tour de force. They have merged high-glamour, colour and sometimes dynamic landscapes with a fair amount of image manipulation to create amazing images in fashion, portraiture and advertising. They always seem to get something new out of models and actresses (as shown in the hot-off-the-press images of Cameron Diaz for V Magazine, below) and create unconventional images.
With all the rage of behind-the-scenes shoots these days, the Canon 5D Mark II with HD video is in high demand. With pro shooters already using the Canon 1Ds III, it’s easy to see why – you can share the lens, they have the same sensor and the 5D Mark II doubles up as a more-than-competent backup camera.
“Canon’s update to the wildly popular full frame EOS 5D is here, and it’s better than ever. The EOS 5D Mark II has a stunning 21.1-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor with DIGIC 4 Image Processor, a vast ISO Range of 100-6400 (expandable to ISO L: 50, H1: 12800 and H2: 25600), plus EOS technologies like Auto Lighting Optimizer and Peripheral Illumination Correction. It supports Live View shooting, Live View HD videos, and more. It can shoot up to 3.9 fps, has 9 AF points plus 6 AF assist points, a new 98% coverage viewfinder, a 3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots/VGA) and a rugged build. Full-frame shooters rejoice!” Canon USA
Following on our previous post about the work of Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin and in particular their work for Yves Saint Laurent’s Manifesto series, here is AW 2009, featuring the fabulous Christy Turlington. Christy was one of my favourites of the original supermodels and it’s great to see her still looking amazing.
Lara Stone, has now been a firm favourite on the fashion scene since 2006. She has graced the covers of many magazines and catwalks, culminating in French Vogue dedicating its entire Feb 09 issue to her. And why is she so popular? One reason is certainly her versatility and ability to adapt to any shoot; from sexy and seductive, to young and innocent, to primped and preened. Much like her supermodel predecessors such as Linda Evangelista and Kate Moss, Lara has a chameleon-like talent; more actress than mere model.
And here she is as Karl Lagerfeld’s muse in a short film for Chanel’s Preview Fall 09 collection…
Since September 2007, alongside their main ad campaigns, Louis Vuitton have been running a series of images under their ‘Core Values‘ campaign. Featuring such luminaries as Mikhail Gorbachev, Catherine Deneuve, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, Sean Connery, Francis Ford Coppola together with his daughter Sofia and most recently, with Sally Ride, Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell to highlight Louis Vuitton’s environmental commitments:-
“Louis Vuitton…has a long-standing commitment to environmental responsibility. The core-values campaign is therefore a perfect opportunity to promote this cause, and Al Gore’s Climate Project [which they will also support with donations] is a natural match, a truly worldwide initiative to fight global warming.”
Louis Vuitton.
The ads have been shot beautifully and atmospherically by Annie Liebovitz.
Annie Liebovitz’s ‘At Work’ book, describing her many experiences, including the last portrait of John Lennon and Yoko Ono before his tragic murder and the infamous shot of John Cleese hanging like a bat, is a must for any photography book collection and is available in the Focus Hub Shop.
How cool is this? The well-loved Leica M8 now comes in a Special Edition white leather finish. Only 275 will be made and “the special paint finish is particularly resistant to wear and is characterised by its dirt-repelling surface. This finish provides the pure white camera with long-term protection against unsightly marks.” Which is handy when everyone wants to touch your new beloved camera…
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