The Tip Jar: Get 'Gramming

Over the last year, I feel like my photographic eye has really improved. I attribute this partially to my progressive transformation into an Instagram addict. Despite being a convenient way for me to justify my self-diagnosed addiction, I do genuinely think instagramming can help improve your photography. Here are a few reasons why -

(1) You're familiar with Malcolm Gladwell's "10,000 Hour Rule"? Well, Henri Cartier-Bresson said, "Your first 10,000 shots are your worst." Basically, the more you practice, the better you'll be. As you produce more photos, you develop a better sense of your photographic style and become a more informed critic of your own work. Plus the aspect of getting near instantaneous feedback from your friends or "followers" helps you discover the kind of shots (or videos, now) that elicit responses. Likewise, the ability to get daily inspiration from other photographers keeps your creative mind stimulated.

(2) I truly think it's the "community" element that makes Instagram special. In addition to giving and receiving feedback and getting inspired by other 'grammers, you can organize meetups in your area or collaborate with other photographers. It's a great way to keep up to date with friends and family all over the globe. If you're traveling soon, you can check out others' pictures from the same destination. You can also create a special hashtag for a particular event, project or cause that others' can follow or contribute to. Really it's a gathering place for visual storytelling, accessible to anyone with a camera phone, and that's what makes it so unique. 

(3) Most Instagrammers use their camera phone since it's most convenient. As they say, your best camera is the one that's with you. And actually, without the different settings, lenses and equipment at your disposal as you might with a DSLR, you're limited to focusing on the essentials - composition, tone and the story.  Less can be more. It can also be less intrusive to the scene you're intending to capture.  Everyone has a unique photographic eye and Instagram is proof of that.

So, what are you waiting for? Go forth and get 'gramming!

Sleep of the Beloved

"There is something that happens between men and women in the dark that 

seems to make everything else unimportant" - Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire

 

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! This beautiful long exposure shot is from photographer Paul Schneggenburger, whose work "Sleep of the Beloved" began by posing the simple question, "What happens to lovers when they are sleeping?"

(found via sho & tell)

Photographer Feature: Aaron Joel Santos

I first came across Santos' work in the Word Hanoi, an expat-oriented monthly that features some really great photography. Santos is a travel and documentary photographer based in Hanoi who is also Word's photo editor. His work, ranging from stunning portraits to sweeping landscapes of the Vietnamese people and countryside, really give you a sense of the country's complexity and beauty, both hidden and overt.

Check out his professional website here, or his personal blog here.

Coasters + Instagram

= brilliant idea, Coastermatic!



Coastermatic — Tabletop from Coastermatic on Vimeo.

(via Cup of Jo)

Let's Roll!

Though I was in Vietnam for work, I was lucky enough to visit Ha Long Bay for my first weekend. How could I be so close to one of the newly announced natural world wonders and not see it?

While there are plenty of pictures of the actual scenery coming soon, I first wanted to share a delicious recipe for fresh spring rolls. We got to assemble and enjoy these on the roof deck of our boat, while soaking in the incredible sunset sweeping over the bay. It was a surreal experience and these tasty rolls made it all the better!

FRESH SPRING ROLLS

The original recipe has been adapted for vegetarian sensibilities :-) I haven't specified exact measurements since the original recipe is all in grams, but exact measurements aren't particularly needed here!

Ingredients:
Spring Rolls
- Cooked rice vermicelli noodles
- Omelette, sliced into thin ribbons
- Fresh mint and coriander, leaves only
- Fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- Fresh lettuce, torn
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Thinly sliced chili pepper (optional)
- Rice paper

1. Place an individual sheet of rice paper onto a plate and lightly brush the entire surface with water (only one side of the sheet)
2. Spread a thin layer of noodles across the diameter of the rice paper. Repeat with the omelette ribbons.
3. Layer the torn lettuce and herbs on top. Sprinkle with the ginger, sesame seeds and, if you like, sliced chili.
4. Carefully wrap one end of the rice paper around the fillings, and then slowly roll towards the open end of the rice paper. You can leave the ends open or tuck them in like a burrito.

Dipping Sauce
- Water
- Sugar, to taste
- Garlic, minced
- Lemon juice, to taste
- Minced mint and coriander
- Rice vinegar, to taste
- Sesame oil

1. Combine the minced garlic, herbs, lemon juice, dash of rice vinegar and sugar in a small dish, and add sesame oil and water to taste. This was adapted from using fish sauce - if you prefer fish sauce, the ratio is 1 part fish sauce to 5 parts water.

Some variations I'm dying to try include using curried tofu instead of egg and making a spicy peanut dipping sauce. To me, the fresh herbs and ginger are key, but really the possibilities are endless!

Visual Storytelling from Africa

My friend Steph has been encouraging me to check out Hornlight, a relatively new site that serves as "a platform to share diverse, complex and nuanced narratives on the Horn of Africa". I finally did and was blown away. Hornlight exhibits the range and the depth of stories from the communities of the Horn of Africa, which fail to be represented accurately in mainstream media.

Especially of interest to me was a series discussing how photographic images (particularly in the news) can continue a harmful, shallow narrative about the most pressing issues in the region, such as famine. We know that spending more time with a subject allows a more complex visual story to be told but so often the 24-hour news cycle demands quantity over quality. Feed your brain with something more nourishing. I recommend starting here.


Life Without Lights from Peter DiCampo on Vimeo.

(not from Hornlight nor the region, but an interesting and well-done short video on "Life Without Lights" in Ghana...)

Everlasting Love...

In all my twenty four years, the longest love affair I've had thus far is with...books. While probably not the juicy answer you wanted, it's one-hundred percent true! As much as I love photography, I don't think I'll ever love it as much as reading. Though I've read a few books on my iPad, there is still nothing quite like curling up on the sofa with a glass of red wine and a big fat book and diving right into a story.

So, imagine my delight upon discovering Type bookstore's video "The Joy of Books". Since being published two days ago, this stop motion video has gone viral. Not only is the video beautifully done but you can only imagine how much time and effort went into this project! The characteristic effect of stop motion is created by stringing together individually photographed frames of objects that are moved little by little in each scene. Coupled with the music choice, "The Joy of Books" perfectly captures the wonderment I always feel when browsing the selection at my neighborhood bookstore.

Enjoy!

p.s. - the book title at the end is worth watching for!

p.p.s. - what was the last truly great book you read? I just finished Julian Barnes' Talking It Over and I can't stop thinking about it!

Bill Cunningham: On the Screen

The other night I finally got to watch "Bill Cunningham: New York" - a documentary by Richard Press about street/fashion photographer Bill Cunningham. What an incredible life this man has led, capturing the evocative, the eccentric and the everyday fashions while cruising the streets of New York (and sometimes Paris) by bicycle! And yet you don't get any sense that Bill has acquired an ounce of pretentiousness rubbing elbows with some, if not most, of New York's high society. If anything, his modesty and mirthfulness has become more stubborn despite being honored with the title chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.

He really seems to approach his work as an anthropologist, slightly removed (Bill himself wears a cheap blue workman's jacket and patches cheap ponchos with duct tape) yet utterly absorbed and dedicated to his subject. What he does every day is wake up and do what he loves. You can tell he is simply devoted to documenting the beauty he encounters. In an interview with Bill about 20 years ago, he says, "You can't let them give you any money. Then you're free... Money is the cheapest thing. Freedom, liberty, those are the most expensive."

Last Sunday's On the Street (above) is right up my alley, a reflection on black and white. But if shoes are more your thing, check out Bill's latest here.

A World Without Jobs

We now live in a world without Steve Jobs.

As President Obama noted, "much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented." I am among the many that learned of Steve Jobs's death via push notification on my iPhone. I immediately grabbed my iPad to read the news and now am on my iMac remarking on how Steve Jobs changed the way we live.

Steve gave us the personal computer, the mouse, the concept of a friendly user interface, a sleek desktop computer with a built-in CPU. More notable as of late, he gave us iTunes, iPhoto, iCloud, the iPod, the iPhone, and of course, the iPad.

But, what Steve gave us isn't nearly as important as what he taught us.

Steve taught us that technology isn't something you have to be savvy about. Rather, technology should be as intuitive as it is innovative. It should bring ease as well as aesthetic into our daily life. Just like the company's namesake fruit, Steve showed us how technology could nourish our lives and our connections to one another. Over the last decade especially, we have seen his vision burn so brilliantly that I know the light will continue to shine on, even though he is gone.

Steve, may you rest in peace.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

                                                                         - Steve Jobs, 2005, Stanford University

...also, check out these photos submitted by NYT readers as a tribute to Steve Jobs' and his work.

(photo credit: unknown)

Currently Loving...

... the Paris Color Project from the Little Brown Pen. Photographer Nichole captures beautiful details of a colorful life in Paris. If you like what you see, you can even purchase collages of her photos here. I think her gray collection would have to be my pick. For those of you who have seen my wardrobe, that comes as no surprise. 

Some of my other favorites, below.

Weaving Wonders

I don't know about you guys, but I am personally ready for fall to arrive. I can't wait for the colors of fall. Not only do the trees' rich, earthy hues captivate the photographer's eye, but they also are wonderful colors to wrap yourself in against the season's crisp weather.

I just discovered the beautiful, handwoven scarves of fashionABLE. This non-profit organization aims to create sustainable business for women in Africa. Currently their scarves are made by women participating in their first program in Addis Ababa. I didn't realize this until my scarf (like the striped one pictured above) arrived, which has a tag indicating it was "Made in Ethiopia". fashionABLE just released a number of new styles for fall that I highly encourage you to check out. I guarantee - these scarves will keep you warm inside and out!

(sidenote: this discovery is such perfect timing as I'm currently reading Abraham Verghese's Cutting for Stone. This book is a beautifully woven tale of twins, born from mysterious and haunting circumstances, who come of age in Ethiopia during the 1960's and 1970's. I can't put it down!)

Another Me

It's been tricky getting back on the blogging bandwagon after a week off, but I've been eager to share the "Another Me" project. I was first introduced to this project when conducting undergraduate research on human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Southeast Asia. After an interview with ECPAT International, I was handed a publication by the Another Me project featuring the work of documentary photographer Achinto Bhadra.

A collaboration between the Lausanne-based Terre des Hommes and Indian NGO Sanlaap, Achinto's striking portraits were of women and girls who have seen some of the darkest corners of our humanity. The part-photography/part-counseling sessions were to support these girls in "transforming their pain into power".

"Through the months of the project, the girls and women were guided by the counselor and the photographer to seek an expression of themselves... something, anything, they wanted to be... What originated as a simple photography project had become a healing experience." 

I personally love that the props and make-up used to protect the identities of his subjects further enhanced the portrayal of each girl's resiliency of spirit...

(clockwise from upper left - A Budding Branch; Durga the Powerful; A Sheltering Tree and; The Parrot)

Fresh Air

Happy Belated Birthday, America!

Yesterday we went for a hike on Maryland's Billy Goat Trail. It was great to get out of the city and take in the serene scenes of the Potomac River. The trail involved more rock scrambling than actual walking, but we were happy to get our hiking boots dirty.

When we returned, we headed over to an Indian restaurant for dinner - nothing like celebrating the 4th of July with steaming bowls of matar paneer and fluffy pillows of garlic naan! Nearby the restaurant, there's a section of 18th St. near the Marie H. Reed Recreation Center that offers a fantastic - and free! - view of the fireworks by the National Mall.

Unlocking Creativity

 

I'm the kind of person that needs to be inspired in order to be drawn to action. When it comes to work or study, this usually means being one of those people who "work well under pressure", aka a procrastinator. Today I was feeling utterly uninspired which led me to think more about what provokes my photography.

For all photographers, I think there are just those moments when you look through the viewfinder and you think, that's it. Well, that's pretty much my process 98 percent of the time. Something colorful, patterned or shiny catches my eye, and I try to figure out the best way to reveal the inner delicate beauty of that thing.

Walking towards the Metro today I passed the fountain at the station entrance, as I always do. At the bottom of the fountain, I noticed this swirl of white foamy water that reminded me of a smooth slab of agate. So unexpected and so pretty.



What helps, aside from lots of photo shooting, is browsing the work of photographers you admire. Every photographer has a different style and approach, some which may speak to you more than others.

A photographer whose work speaks to me is Max Wanger. His latest blog post gives a much more poetic - and succinct - piece of advice on sources of inspiration: just jump.