| Personal Feature - GMB Akash |
Sep 18th 2008 |
By GMB Akash, who writes: "Due to Bangladesh's large population, inadequate seats on the trains and poverty, it is quite common to see a thick layer of people occupying the roof of a train. Frequent accidents, which occur when a free rider slips, are not enough to deter these stowaways of the railway."
GMB Akash |
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By GMB Akash, who writes: "Ships purchased on the basis of their light displacement tonnage (ldt) are demolished in ship breaking yards and sent to steel re-rolling mills for reuse as raw material for production of steel. Currently, the international ship demolition market is centered on the Indian subcontinent. While a large number of tankers find their way to scrap yards in Pakistan and Bangladesh,"
"The workers in Gaddani, Pakistan are mostly Pashtu people from the Northern Territories close to the Afgan border, they are seasonal workers, in their home they work as farmers, they are quite poor, they are what you would call fundamentalists in their Islamic believes, they veil and lock up their women, they are hard workers, they are tall and strong, they are soft spoken but proud."
GMB Akash |
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Also represented on Deviant Art (click), though off-line for the past 44 weeks, is a certain GMB Akash. Here's an esteemed individual who appears to have transcended the nonsense and taken the art of photography to a higher level - using it as a transparent medium to tell the story of a people he cares for deeply. Highly recommended reading and viewing experience. Enjoy!
Note: "Take me Home" by GMB Akash won a Daily Deviation on 19 Aug, 08 |
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| The trials and glories of the emerging attention economy |
Sep 18th 2008 |
The other day I received news of a criticism regarding some of the photographs featured on my website. Now, there is no denying that the irritated criticizer (X) had some valid points, appearing to know a fair deal about photography and rangefinder photography in particular; perhaps more so than I do. So fair play to X. But the form and tone of the criticism - and the channel through which it reached me -, as well as some of the other points expressed and demonstrated, were a little off key, to say the least. That was when X lost credibility as you would think that a professional would have better things to do, and, in any case, better ways of expressing criticism; with a little more tact, for example. I wrote X off as an individual who wants to but cannot be taken seriously.
And that's not to deny a rather bruised ego on behalf of myself, and a consequent reluctance to continue updating bjorntoday; the criticism felt ill intentioned and I'm a sensitive wimp.
But then something truly bizarre happened - the reason I even bother posting this entry. There's this website called www.deviantart.com where I upload a pic from time to time, or look for inspiration. With more than 9.000.000 busy members, subscribers, beta testers and gallery directors covering all of the arts across the board - from painting to poetry to sculpture to photography; from beginner to expert -, deviantart (DA) is one of the world's largest (if not the largest) and most comprehensive art networking communities on the wild wild web. And so I was tickled to discover that one of my photographs (top pic: "Love the People") was featured yesterday. In other words, my photo was displayed back to back with a double-dozen other, genre-representing images on the starting page of deviantart, significantly increasing the amount of hits and attention directed to the accounts of a select few. Cool. I'm surprised, I'm humbled, I'm proud, I'm laughing. In short: It made my day. Is it worth tooting my own horn because of it? Well, not really.
But then - and this beats me - I got another feature today! (middle pic: Slipping into Emptiness) It's like, imagine having your video featured on the face of youtube twice in a row. The likelihood of this happening to anyone is minuscule. Again: nine million registered users. I believe it might even be out of line with DA's own policy which says something like "one daily deviation (feature) per user every 3 months"; and some respectable artists have been dedicated members for more than 5 years and are still dreaming of the day they are celebrated with the prestige. Consequently, there is no end to the positive feedback we today's daily deviants are in the midst of receiving. It's overwhelming. There's the occasional criticism, too, but it's all positive and encouraging. What a great way to make new connections and have a good time!
And so the ego is restored to a functional level. X is out of the picture and bjorntoday looking forward to giving this site a good ol' overhaul. Stay tuned. |
| An honour: Yesterday's Daily Deviation on www.deviantart.com. A cumulative encounter in Northern Laos. |
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| A surprise: Today's Daily Deviation on www.deviantart.com. The mesmerizing gaze of At Chan, 85, Cambodian. |
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| A first: Daily Deviation on Christmas Day, 2007. An anxious pet monkey in Luang Prabang, Laos. |
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| Power to the People |
Jul 10th 2008 |
Before adventuring out to Asia I lived a quiet, provincial life in the sleepy foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains - in Orgiva, the rural capital of Las Alpujarras in southern Spain. I rented a cheap but sizable, 150-year-old apartment where I drew a lot and welcomed visitors. We had spare rooms, long, sunlit hallways, high ceilings and doors, and the roof terrace...
Go to: Power to the People for photographs and article on life in the slow lane and the impacts of a triple bypass. |
| Public presentation in town hall of Marc V.'s alternative urban bypass solution, 2008. Photo merge of 4 exposures. Click icon in bottom right of photograph to show full size (optional). |
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| The circumvention is coming! Two proposals: The GIASA solution destroys the natural reserve, ignores the urban parking problem and reduces local economic activity. The alternative follows the natural topography, provides parking and includes cultural, sports and leisure facilities |
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| Angkor Revisited |
Jul 8th 2008 |
| Inside Ta Prohm. Print available |
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| The vegetable force and time |
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| The giant tree man silently performs a handstand on a ruin at Ta Prohm temple |
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| Restoration work at Ta Prohm temple |
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The one site I would recommend on Earth, next to southern Hamburg's Fischbecker Heide in early summer, goes by the name of Angkor: the "Angkor Archaeological Park" in Cambodia. This historical area spans approx. 220 square kilometers on which some 40 odd temples were built by mighty king Jayavarman II, self-declared "god-king" of the Khmer empire, dominant factor in Southeast Asia from the 9th to 15th century A.D.
My life can now be described in terms of "before" and "after" Angkor. The first time I went I couldn't even fire a single exposure. The pricey rangefinder together with all my creative ambitions felt pathetic against the beauty and intricacy displayed by the lofty Angkorian temples and trees. The energy that had gone into building - and which is now ruining - these religious sites is beyond awe-inspiring. During the first couple of days I simply staggered along with a mind unable to cope and a heart on the verge of exploding. The Angkor experience defies all words and imagery and I can only tip my hat to a certain P. Jennerat de Beerski from 1924, who simply said: "Go to Angkor, my friend..." |
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| The Photo Gene |
May 30th 2008 |
Some people are photogenic, others are not. Some people can be stunningly beautiful while all the more stunningly not photogenic. Others can be less attractive or plain-looking in real life and plainly look all the more attractive in front of the camera. It's hard to tell what the outcome will be. The lens obviously plays a pivotal part in the formation of a glamour shot. A 75 mm lens is generally considered standard in portraiture as it delivers a flat, undistorted reproduction of the subject; hold a 28 mm up close and the face broadens, the nose blows out of proportion and all you'll hear from the ghostly skin-and-bones being framed is, "ieeek, I'm so fat!" And even a 50 mm lens mounted on the Leica M8 - effectively a 65 mm (1.3x crop factor) - won't guarantee an immaculate pin-up portrait due to ever-so subtle distortion values. It's a tightrope walk, and I for one have plummeted repeatedly. cont.
Go to: The Photo Gene for "Fight the School" pick-up shots taken with Leica M8 and 50 mm Summilux in available evening light in front of white background. |
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| Waves - The Rocket Festival |
May 25th 2008 |
| Entering the Rocket Festival in Alhama de Granada, Andalusia |
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| Jay Jay with the cool red hair and sparkling blue eyes tried to talk me into paying him 50 cents for his portrait. But that was before I told him he'd be the star on bjorntoday.com. Peace, bro! |
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| At an event - say, a festival - we all take to different types. Wow, she looks amazing! Or look at him! If you sit in a spot for a while, observing and absorbing the multifaceted human experience waving by, you eventually begin to notice the same people come around. As a photographer, these are the ones I want to make contact with. |
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| Camera: |
M8 Digital Camera (Leica Camera AG) |
| Lens: |
Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 Asph. |
| Exposure Time: |
1/1500sec. |
| Aperture: |
Auto aperture value transmission not possible |
| ISO: |
160 |
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Life's a wave, dude. Experiences come in waves of all shapes, sizes, lengths and strengths. Encounters with sharks. Conversations with friends. Movement of all sorts; washing in, spilling out; physically, emotionally, mathematically, illogically - it's all very wavy. Me, I'm a surfer. A novice surfer. I'm paddling a lot, surfing occasionally, crashing frequently, ducking respectfully, swimming over fearfully, falling out fervently and, from time to time, riding out ecstatically. The art, it seems, is to take the waves as they come and - the Big Wave willingly - learn to surf with a winged heart (Gibran).
The Rocket Festival was one such wave. I was there briefly. The means to help me take this wave in an enjoyable manner came in the form of a beautiful backdrop, warm sunshine, friendly company, wacky people, two beers, patience, a digital camera and a willingness to indulge.
Go to: Wavy Rocket Festival for a surfer's glimpse into a bizarre wave. Pictures taken with Leica M8 and 50 mm Summilux. |
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| Pastel Breeze |
May 4th 2008 |
We're breezing down the highway, Hamburg bound. The sun is low and the yellow rape fields are glowing. You can smell the intense perfume, hear the bees buzzing, feel the warmth just by peering out the coach window - as it passes through the gold-lit countryside of northern Germany at spring time. I pull out the camera and start clicking; non expectant as to what might happen. The aperture set to f/16 gives me a slow exposure. Just what I want. I'm right up against the window, watching, framing, clicking, holding, panning even. I'm checking the display, and liking what I'm seeing; the soft pastel colours, the interesting shapes and lines, the clean motion blur; the cars, trucks and motorbikes overtaking; the signposts, balustrades and P-stops passing - blended into abstraction. There's little traffic this day. We're flying, taken by a gentle inspiration, into the sunset.
Go to: Pastel Breeze to soak up pastel motion blur experience, captured with digital rangefinder camera and 50 mm lens. |
| Camera: |
M8 Digital Camera (Leica Camera AG) |
| Lens: |
Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 Asph |
| Exposure Time: |
1/6sec. |
| Aperture: |
Auto aperture value transmission not possible |
| ISO: |
160 |
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| Puppies 'n' Duckies |
Apr 22nd 2008 |
| In Asia I learned to travel by bus. To sit through 12-hour hauls and somehow manage to disengage from my body, transcending the pain that inevitably creeps up when there's no leg space and your spine's all bent. Having taken a real liking to squat toilets and street folk I also learned to crouch indefinitely, sitting on my heels with my arms dangling over my knees for balance; hug your shins and it becomes a yoga position. It's the way to hang and meet the many grateful souls who get a kick out of meeting you. Introducing the backstreet puppy pappy and the Ninh Binh lucky ducky, northern Vietnam. |
| Senseless experiment: open all three images and place next to each other. If the mouse-click no longer works use arrow keys to close images. |
| Camera: |
DIGILUX 3 (LEICA) |
| Focal Length: |
14mm (28mm = 35mm film equiv.) |
| Exposure Time: |
1/60sec. |
| Aperture: |
f/2.8 |
| ISO: |
400 |
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| Camera: |
DIGILUX 3 (LEICA) |
| Focal Length: |
14mm (28mm = 35mm film equiv.) |
| Exposure Time: |
1/60sec. |
| Aperture: |
f/2.8 |
| ISO: |
400 |
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| Camera: |
DIGILUX 3 (LEICA) |
| Focal Length: |
16mm (32mm = 35mm film equiv.) |
| Exposure Time: |
1/250sec. |
| Aperture: |
f/2.8 |
| ISO: |
100 |
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| Powerful Memories |
Apr 11th 2008 |
| Paddy fields in northern Vietnam |
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| Paddy fields in northern Vietnam |
| Paddy fields in northern Vietnam |
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Applying keywords to vast numbers of images can take time. I've been at it (on and off) since mid last month, describing photos with specifics, like the names of countries, people and events, and generic terms, like dogs, monkeys and flowers. Now I can punch in any combination of keywords - e.g., Bangkok Chickens Best - and pinpoint material in a matter of seconds, rather than having to battle through thumbnail mayhem over and over again. Taking the time to keyword also pays off because you rediscover pics in the process - like these impressions from northern Vietnam on a dark and ominous afternoon. |
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| Fight the School |
Apr 10th 2008 |
Photographing students for a school-is-over project at the Gesamtschule Harburg south of Hamburg's Elbe River. My sister - a soon-to-be graduate - pitched me her idea for a shoot comprised of 18-year-old girls and boxing gloves, an offer I found hard to decline. Not sure why. So we met on a late morning, sought out a more-or-less interesting location with decent lighting and a graffiti backdrop for diffuse bg structure, and started to pick off the ladies (and two lost lads) one by one. I say picking off because that's kind of what it's like when you're working with an f/1.4 and a focal plane no deeper than the width of a raspberry. You're picking off the tiny focus point on the eyes by carefully adjusting the lens ring or leaning forward or backward a little, and thus facilitating the connection between the subject and the imaginative viewer. The girls were all natural posers; I took about 10 shots per subject...
Go to: Fight the School for cont. and portraits taken with Leica M8 and 50 mm Summilux. |
| Picture by Lilian Haitzmann using Leica V-Lux 1. All other photographs taken with Leica M8 and Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 Asph |
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