Photographers Karoline Hjorth (Norway) and Riita Ikonen (Finland) set out to create a series called Eyes as Big as Plates which explored the mental landscape of their neighbourly and pragmatic Finns.  For the project a number of Finnish seniors modelled in remote areas of south and east Finland wearing natural organic headwear and clothing sourced from the location.

The project was created as a proposal for MoMA PS1 and MoMA’s Department of Architecture and Design which put a call out to artists, designers and architects for the rehabilitation of the Rockaways post-Hurricane Sandy. Karoline Hjorth and Riita Ikonen’s proposal was to team up with Rockway-minded New Yorkers; through a set of performance programs and photography shoots in the pockets of wilderness found in the Rockways, the project will enable individual expressions of what a sustainable waterfront means.

THE ARTISTS

Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen

‘Eyes as Big as Plates‘ – All photographs © Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen

To see more of this ongoing project by Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen click here

Thanks for the tip Tom!

Nettie Edward describes herself as

an IPhonegrapher, Mobile Artist, Digital ScrapSmith, Genealogist, Vegetable Gardener and Slug Slayer

Edward’s multi faceted work includes portraits, archtitecture, abstract shapes and more. The Fox Talbot Museum will display a selection of her best landscape and architectural works in the exhibition “Arrangements in Black and Grey: Black and White Photography in the 21st Century”.

all images © Nettie Edwards

You can find more of her wonderful work here on Instagram and on her blog.

Arrangements in Black and Grey opens on 12 April 2013 and runs until 22 September 2013. Normal admission charges apply. NT members and under 5s free. For opening times and further information please see www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock.

Robert De Niro © Chris Buck 2012

Each photograph Chris shot was accompanied with a signed witness statement verifying that each celebrity was present in the photo.

The fifty portraits have since been published in a book, “Presence – The Invisible Portrait.”

FOREWORD by RODNEY ROTHMAN

Photographs © Chris Buck 2012

Oggl also does not allow you to share images like you would on Instagram instead you are only be allowed to share the image you have just captured.  The app also enables you to share your images with Instagram, Flickr, Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook.

Currently, Oggl is only available via invitation only and as far as I know it will be available on iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

So, are you ready to start a  serious journey into  smart phone photography? If so then sign up here.

via Tech News Daily 

UK based landscape photographer Andy Gray has a unique perspective into the varied rural farming countryside which surrounds him in the historical county of Northumberland in the North of England.  His strengths include dissecting smaller bits of country life to include livestock portraits, turning a singular tree in a field into ethereal art and painting idyllic and wide views of lush countryside.

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have access to a camera, but the cost of developing film in the 1980’s for a farming family was a little too much to allow me to play, so that only came when digital came around.

Even in those early years his natural eye for composition was evident as he remembers creating imagery in his mind of the simple shapes and formations of natures randomness that has stayed with him and can now influence his art in making the most of his limited surroundings.

Andy, a reluctant traveller, manages to make his images within a relatively small radius of his village home. Granted he lives a stone’s throw from some of England’s prime photographic locations and has the opportunity to revisit and revisit to get that shot, he prefers discovering that simple composition of say, an old gate, a lone weathered tree or the motion of the sea over random rocks on the coast.

The nearby Bamburgh Castle is one of Andy’s favourite locations to photograph due to the variation of stunning views from all sides of the Castle, the many changing weather conditions around it all throughout each day of the year, and the many elements and views on that short stretch of coastline. The Victorian renovated stronghold, sits atop a crag used throughout history as an ideal defensive position, stands out from the coastal landscape for miles around and is a favourite and must see location for many artists and photographers who visit the area.

Andy says of what catches his eye and makes him reach for his trusty Nikon

I’m constantly on the lookout for changing light, the seasons effects on nature, dramatic skies and often just simple compositions.

Experimentation with long exposures, using B+W filters, and the deeper more interpretive processing possibilities involved has recently allowed Andy to class his work, in his own modest words,  as “approaching art rather than simple image capture and corrective processing which I felt I’d been doing for years”. “My processing is always dependant on my current emotional state, the recent long cold winter we are just emerging from, while not great for mental wellbeing, certainly helped me produce some bleak and starkly foreboding imagery”. Andy notes that his recent work produced in the past weeks brings back vivid colour, warmth and freshness that the longer warmer days of spring bring.

Quick-Fire Questions:

Camera Brand of choice?

Ahh the old religious question! I decided on Nikon years ago, so I suppose I’m stuck with it after all the investment in glass over the years.

Favourite Lens?

Nikkor 70-200 VRII f/2.8 - Versatile, you can use it in almost all types of photographic situations from portraits to wildlife to landscapes.

Main Camera bag?

ThinkTank Photo Retrospective 20. I love it and all ThinkTank gear. I use their harness & belt system for the odd bit of event shooting I do.

Social Media Network of choice?

Hands down Google+, I’ve learnt from and been inspired by so many fellow photographers, pro and hobbyist, on that network it changed my outlook on life. And with the Hangout application part of it I’ve met and made some awesome friends the world over who I hope to meet for real one day and carry them with me as true lifelong friends. Rural life can be laced with unhealthy doses of solitude so these new faces have been a godsend.

Photographic Influencer?

Just one? Ok then, Dutchman Joel Tjintjelaar his work astounded me when I discovered him and further study of his art and methods made me go out and buy a 10-stop filter to try long exposure photography, his priority of the artist’s vision and projection of emotion into work also resonates with me.

Non-Photographic Influencer?

Not really an influencer directly but I have always admired the works of English 19th century painter JMW Turner, check out “The Fighting Temeraire” maybe his work is where my appreciation for vivid sunsets and dramatic skies comes from?…

Favourite Moment in Photography?

Shooting after sunset on the Summer Solstice around Bamburgh Castle last year. 10:30pm at night shooting handheld at the D700’s low ISO of 200 as mists surrounded me in the dunes around the Castle, incredible conditions and astounding that I could shoot in such a way so long after sunset. One of the 1st times I was giddy with excitement as I shot.

Worst Moment in Photography?

Just shooting in the cold generally. No fun and a bit of a challenge when you have no feeling left in your fingers.

Dream Location to shoot?

New York. Totally different from what I’m used to so it sounds like a challenge! Also more in my line, Iceland would be amazing too.

Last Book Read?

Not much of a reader, so it was The Distant Hours by Kate Morton, I was testing out what it was like reading a whole novel on my iPad.

Last DVD/Bluray bought?

I think it was the 1st JJ Abrams Star Trek film. I haven’t bought a DVD in ages.

Last CD/MP3 Album bought?

Likewise I haven’t bought anything for ages, I’m happy with the radio and Spotify as a fill in. Will probably buy the new album by Lissie when its released as I loved her 1st CD.

Coffee of choice?

I hate coffee. If I need to wake up then its a Redbull, for a mid-morning refresher its Tea (builders style – Strong, 2 sugars and milk).

Food of Choice?

Good old British Fish and Chips, can’t beat it!

Finally, any advice to others?

Just shoot and create the art to please yourself, forget about pleasing others.

Andy’s work has been featured on various social platforms “Best of’s”, regional television news and weather broadcasts. His piece “Let Fly the Wild Horses” features in a recent Charity publication inspired by and published by the photographic community of Google+ The Plus One Collection.

Andy can be found on the following social networks:

Web: www.andrewsgray.com

Print Store: photos.andrewsgray.com

Facebook Page: facebook.com/andrewsgrayphotography

Google+: plus.google.com/111835024921462866899/

The major areas Google+ will be focusing on are:

1. A new look stream
2. A new hangouts application
3. A fundamentally new photo experience

1) The Stream:

Google+ are fixing the appearance of the”flat” looking never-ending newspaper stream which seems so common place on many of the social networks we see today. Googles new look stream will be completely about design and depth.

The new multi column design will be completely customisable from one to three columns which will allow the user to interact and taking in lots of content quickly. Posts, videos and photos will span across columns to really give the user an immersive experience.

Google+ will feature some incredible depth controls through the use of new feature called related hash tags. Related hash tags will analyse the content of each post and automatically assign the appropriate hash tag to the content you have uploaded. Once a user clicks on the provided hash tag Google will automatically search the entire Google+ worldwide database to bring you content which relates to your post. The results will be ranked by your social links with others and your current location so you always are provided with content which is relevant.

In the example above, the Eiffel Tower is automatically assigned a related hash tag due to a combination of image analysis and a Google’s powerful knowledge graph. The amazing thing is Google is now able to recognise important landmarks making tagging photos a breeze. If you click the related hash tag on the post Google+ will automatically show you images and posts that relate to the content your looking at.

The related hash tag feature is optional so if you don’t want to assign a hash tag to a photo you don’t have to. Some other features included in new stream will be:

• Delightful Animations
• Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto
• Awesome-sized media
• Dynamically sized cards
• Recommended Posts
• and lots more!

2) Hangouts

Computers should get out-of-the-way, so you can get on with the things that matter in life: learning, living, and loving.

Google believes it has built a product which builds lasting conversations with the people who you love and care about. Hangouts are an essential tool on Google+ as they allow any user to connect with the rest of the world face to face. You may notice the new icon which I think reflects the innovation this product brings to the telecommunications industry.

Once you have installed and opened up the app on your phone or web device the screen will show a list of previous conversations which you have had. Unlike a normal conversation where we tend to forget important details, Google+ will allow you to go back in time to see previous engagements you may have had with your family, friends or even work colleagues. Adding someone to a conversation is very easy, all it takes is a small swipe and click. Google do give you the option to opt out or even delete individual content from any conversation so you can keep your conversations private and personal. I think one of the best features in a conversation would have to be the way photos are displayed. Each photo appears in its own photo album, which will make searching for that one photo a whole lot easier!

The new hangout platform will work on the web, Andriod and IOS from later today. During conversations you will also have the ability to click the video button at the top which will drop all the people into a video hangout so you can chat face to face.

3) Photos

Photography can be very labour intensive, it takes time to enhance, organise and upload all your images which can really be a waste of time. Google believes it can help save you time by combining your own camera with their Cloud.

If you do this Google will automatically sort, edit and upload your images for you which will save you a whole lot of time and effort.  So in other the once labour intensive darkroom in now your easy flow data centre.

Google’s Cloud is no longer just the backup. The Cloud now has three more exciting areas which form the new digital darkroom for your photography. The new areas which will be released later today are Highlight, Enhance and Awesome.

Highlight

In simple terms Google’s new cloud feature, Highlight will be able to pick the best photos for you out of a larger set of photos.

The way it is able to narrow down the search is by applying the following filters:

• Blurry Images are discarded
• Duplicates are discarded
• Bad exposed photos are discarded
• Landmarks are recognised and Google will actually boost these photos to save them in your highlights
• People are recognised and are automatically saved to your highlights
• Aesthetics is measured by literally hundreds upon hundreds of previous human raters. The machine learning algorithms are now able to factor in human taste. If a photo has pleasing aesthetics then it will be saved in the highlight selection.
• Affinity will recognise your family connections and automatically boost them straight to the highlight selection.

Once you have clicked the Highlight button Google will show a clean selected view of your highlighted images.

To view the rest of the photos the user simply needs to click is a button in the bottom right hand side of the screen.

Enhance

Auto Enhance is an easy button to make your photos look beautiful.

The way Google is able to make a photo look amazing is by automatically adjusting things like:

• Tonal Distribution
• Skin Softening
• Noise Reduction
• Structure
• White Balance
• Vignette
• Sharpening
• Red Eye Removal
• and lots more…

An example showing automatic noise reduction being applied to an image

To apply enhance to a photograph all you need to do is hover your mouse over the photo and click on the enhanced button. Clicking will toggle between the before and after views. The user will have complete control over the auto enhance tool in the More Tab where you will be able to turn the feature on or off. Enhance can be applied globally to all your photos or just to a single image.

Auto Awesome

Auto Awesome is a feature which recognises a series of images you have captured using your camera’s burst mode. Once recognised it will make a duplicate of the selected photos and creates a ‘gift’ for you which appears in your Cloud. Once opened the auto awesome feature will speak for itself…you just have to give it a go!

NB: Google have already gone through your albums and will have a ‘gifted’ version of your photos waiting for you.

Awesome doesn’t stop there! Google have created five more awesome features (I’ve always wanted to say that); Mix, HDR, Smile, Motion and Pano.

So overall I think these features will certainly make a big difference to my own Google+ experience. I’m exciting to learn more about the other features later in the day.

You can watch Google’s full keynote address here.

]]> http://fstoplounge.com/2013/05/new-google-features-explained/feed/ 0 http://fstoplounge.com/2013/05/watch-the-new-google-features-launch-live/ http://fstoplounge.com/2013/05/watch-the-new-google-features-launch-live/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 17:35:03 +0000 Leigh Diprose http://fstoplounge.com/?p=2298 ]]> http://fstoplounge.com/2013/05/watch-the-new-google-features-launch-live/feed/ 1 http://fstoplounge.com/2013/05/solar-eclipse-sunrise-captured-using-four-dslrs/ http://fstoplounge.com/2013/05/solar-eclipse-sunrise-captured-using-four-dslrs/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 16:09:18 +0000 Leigh Diprose http://fstoplounge.com/?p=2288 Travelling to the Pilbara, located in the dry north of Western Australia, Colin Legg managed to capture a remarkable annual solar eclipse, which occurred at sunrise using a four DSLR camera setup.

Colin and one of his friends; Geoff Sims positioned DSLR’s at the south-west, north west limits and the centreline on the anticipated sunrise. Three Canon 5DMK II’s coupled with 800mm lenses and an additional 1DC with a whopping 2000mm captured the incredible event.

The original score was written by Peter Nanasi

To find out more follow Colin or Geoff on Facebook.

About the project:

-The perfect accessory for adventures on the mountain, in the water, or wherever the action takes you-

Ridgefield Park, NJ, May 14, 2013– Polaroid, the 75-year-old brand synonymous with instant imaging, sharing and fun, is expanding its line of mountable hi-definition action video cameras with an affordable model that allows consumers to easily capture their every adventure. At only $129.99, the XS80 action camera joins the already extensive Polaroid product offerings, and will provide users with the ability to take 1080p video at 30 frames per second (FPS), guaranteeing that they never miss an instant of the excitement. (http://www.polaroidstore.com/products/sport-and-action-video-cameras/polaroidxs80-hd-1080p-16mp-waterproof-sports-action-video-camera-with-mount.htm)

Be it biking, surfing, mountain climbing or any other outdoor activity, Polaroid offers the perfect action video camera for action sports enthusiasts and fun-seeking families to capture and share all of life’s thrilling adventures – at a price that is very affordable. Built in a tough waterproof housing with anti-shake technology, the Polaroid XS80 is also shock and impact resistant allowing it to be used in all types of daring environments. Additionally a variety of mounts that come standard allow video and still images to be captured virtually anywhere. (http://www.polaroidstore.com/store/categories/sport-and-action-video-cameras.htm)

“The Polaroid XS80 is an exciting addition to our line of hi-definition sports video cameras, which bring the Polaroid ideal of sharing life instantly to a new level,” said Polaroid President and CEO, Scott W. Hardy. “Whatever the sport or activity, the XS80 offers the portability, durability and versatility needed to capture and share life’s most exhilarating and memorable moments in an instant, all at an affordable price point.”

Offered by C&A Licensing LLC, an authorized Polaroid licensee, the Polaroid XS80 hi-definition action video camera comes standard with a helmet mount and a limited one year warranty.

Polaroid XS80 Specs and Information:
• HD 1080p, HD 720p, VGA
• Waterproof up to 30′
• Motion record (video and photo)
• 16MP, 5MP, 3MP VGA
• 3 Photo Modes (single, burst (10), time lapse (1,5,10,30,60))
• Micro SD Card up to 32GB
• 120 Degree field of view
• G Sensor (auto rotation)
• Anti-Shake
• Built in Lithium ion battery
• HDMI output
• High Impact & Shock Proof

The Polaroid XS80 has a suggested retail price of $129.99 and is currently available at www.polaroid.com, Canadian Tire, Tiger Direct and other select retailers.