Photography blogs

Posted by Guy Lane Monday 22 June 2009 10.33 BST guardian.co.uk

'The whole point of taking pictures', according to Magnum photographer Elliott Erwitt, 'is so that you don't have to explain things with words.' Hmm, maybe so - but for photography's dedicated bloggers, his advice has fallen on stony ground. Just as the medium continues to expand at a dizzying rate, so too do the accompanying words, explanations, accounts and interpretations that photography inspires.

What must Erwitt make of Magnum's own blog where you can read conversations and interviews with such luminaries as Bruce Gilden, Alec Soth and Michael Subotzky? Or visit its archive and discover field reports from members in Washington, Abu Dhabi, Machu Picchu, Jakarta…

Another agency offering commentary on its own progress is Reuters. Check their blog for members' opinions on the issues and concerns that affect working photojournalists; and take the opportunity to see the 'overs' and extended edits that do not make it into print.

To savour something of the sweet aroma - or acrid stench - of freelance life, visit the highly enjoyable blogs of Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert in Tokyoland, and erstwhile Tabasco Kid (don't ask), Leon Neal.

Not for the first time, the future of photojournalism appears beset by uncertainty; meanwhile that of art photography seems almost robust by comparison. Jorg Colberg's brisk and intelligent Conscientious serves as a useful introduction to the work of some of the genre's more accessible exponents. As does the Aperture Foundation's Exposures blog, albeit from a more pronounced North American perspective.

It remains to be seen whether the extraordinary surge of interest in photography books in recent years will be sustained, or is indicative merely of a bubble. Until we find out, there is no better guide to all things photobook-related than Jeffrey Ladd's authoritative, comprehensive and ever-so-slightly-obsessive 5B4. If it all gets a bit too intense, head for the reviews section of the excellent Lens Culture blog for some light relief.

If you want a smattering of all of the above and equipment reviews and competition news – try two magazine blogs: Photo District News' PDNPulse and the British Journal of Photography's 1854.

For those with an interest in photography theory, No Caption Needed and (Notes on) Politics, Theory and Photography both offer thought-provoking, topical and user-friendly analyses of issues relating to contemporary photographic practice.

Finally, and in a display of shameless self-promotion, I can unreservedly recommend my own blog, found on the ever vibrant Foto8 site. Alongside book and exhibition reviews you can find my interviews with some of photography's most influential and respected practitioners, including Andreas Gursky, Susan Meiselas, Martin Parr, and Richard Misrach.

Of course there are many more out there - why not send us links to your favourites, with brief explanations of why you endorse them?

Loving Your Pictures Erik Kessels Vernacular Photography

Eric Kessels

'Loving Your Pictures' is the title of Amsterdam-based Creative Director Erik Kessels' exhibition at Arles. Something of an avid photography collector, clearly possessed with an eye for an image and a story beyond the image, Kessels' found photographic material is certainly not short on creativity. The collection, described as 'vernacular photography', brings together a series of pictures with new meanings outside their original and intended purpose.

Ubiquitous, amateur photographic accidents are imbued with an added charm: unwitting background characters from holiday snaps are turned into the subject matter of their own portraits; accidental double exposures superimpose one image on top of another; and old photo collections, rescued from the fleamarket, tell a new story, albeit simply from the repeated appearance of a dalmation or old Dutch lady in a black taxi. Click here to see a gallery of pictures from the exhibition.

'In almost every picture 1'

This series of found pictures shows a Spanish lady photographed over the course of many years by her husband. When the series was part of an exhibition in Barcelona, the images appeared on the news and in Spanish newspapers. A woman who had previously worked with the lady in the photographs at Telefonica came forward and revealed that she was called Josephina Aparicio Iglesias, that she had passed away and had no children. Click on the image above to view the series.

'In almost every picture 2'

Telling the story of one woman's travels around Europe from the front seat of a black taxi, this series has an air of poignancy. The taxi driver, A.J.Paetzhold took all the images except the final one in the series, taken of him by the lady from her front seat. The pictures came into Kessels' possession via the Dutch photogrpaher Andrea Stultiens, neighbours of the Paetzholds in the Dutch city of Nijmegen. When Paetzhold's wife passed away, Andrea helped clear out the house and was given a collection of images, which were subsequently given to Kessels. On closer inspection Kessels discovered the lady in the photographs (also from Nijmegen and since passed away) was disabled, hence unable to get out of the taxi on her travels. Click on the image above to view the series.

'In almost every picture 3'

The pictures in this series are in fact self-portarits of the deer.The pictures were taken by a camera with a motion detector placed on trees in the forests, enabling the hunters to monitor the deer population. Kessels contacted an association of hunters in America who had posted images of the deer on the internet. Click on the image above to view the series.

'In almost every picture 4'

Kessels rescued this collection of photographs from a Brussels fleamarket. Taken on The Ramblas in Barcelona by professional photographers who snapped people on the streets, the twins always appear arm-in-arm in the same position. From the dates of the photogrpahs, Kessels concludes that one of the twins died by the end of the Second World War. In the subsequent images it appears a sif a space has been left open for her by the remaining twin. Click on the image above to view the series.

'In almost every picture 5'

These pictures were given to Kessels by his German friend and collaborator Marion Blomeyer. The beloved dalmation forms the link in each photograph, but nothing else other than its German nationality is known. Click on the image above to view the series.

'Strangers in my photo albums'

The ubiquitous people in the background of Kessels' photographs have been given their own moment in the limelight in this series. By cropping out the main subject of each image, and making the background figures the main focus Kessels has produced a series of images with a humorous, voyeuristic quality.Click on the image above to view the series.

'Wonder series'

Formed from reject photographs, Kessels has imbued these unlikely images with a significance beyond the accidental double exposures or unfortunate compositions we've all experienced, but are slowly dying out with the ruthless efficiency of digital photography. Click on the image above to see the series. Read more about Found Photography ...

Loving Your Pictures
Erik Kessels

Een vrouw die in een zwierige bloemetjesrok en hemdje in een zonnig landschap zit en in het water staart. Een stoere politieman die er toch een beetje onhandig bij staat. Een hert in een bos, met verschrikte ogen vastgenageld in fel flitslicht. Het zijn maar een paar voorbeelden van het fotomateriaal dat werd gevonden en verzameld door Erik Kessels.

In Loving Your Picturesis een aantal van die foto’s van anonieme fotografen gebundeld. Ze werden door de oorspronkelijke makers nooit bedoeld als kunstwerken – het zijn kiekjes zoals we die allemaal wel eens maken –, maar ze krijgen in deze context een heel nieuwe betekenis. Door de manier waarop Erik Kessels ze gebruikt roepen ze vragen op over originaliteit en de definitie van beeldende kunst. Dit is volkomen nieuw voor Nederland.

Loving Your Pictures is een uniek boekje met ansichtkaarten van gevonden foto’s, die, als je ze als kaart gebruikt, nog weer een nieuw, onvermoed leven kunnen gaan leiden. Behalve een tekst van Erik Kessels zelf bevat het boekje een beschouwing van Pauline Terreehorst.

Nestlé Application Group Querétaro by Dutch architectural photographer Iwan Baan Photography

Nestlé Application Group Querétaro by
Rojkind Arquitectos 2

June 16th, 2009

Dutch architectural photographer Iwan Baan has sent us images he has taken of Nestlé’s laboratory in Querétaro, Mexico.

Designed by Rojkind Arquitectos, the laboratory comprises cubic volumes with intersecting domes cut from underneath and is clad with metallic, reflective glass.

For more information see our previous story here.

The photographs are published in the June 2009 edition of Abitare.

Nestlé Application Group Querétaro by Dutch architectural photographer Iwan Baan Photography

Nestlé Application Group Querétaro by
Rojkind Arquitectos 2

June 16th, 2009

Dutch architectural photographer Iwan Baan has sent us images he has taken of Nestlé’s laboratory in Querétaro, Mexico.

Designed by Rojkind Arquitectos, the laboratory comprises cubic volumes with intersecting domes cut from underneath and is clad with metallic, reflective glass.

For more information see our previous story here.

The photographs are published in the June 2009 edition of Abitare.

Marks of Honour - 13 contemporary photographers create a striking library Photography

13 contemporary photographers create a striking library

Photography in books has not only influenced collectors and curators, but also generations of photographers. Since Robert Frank published his Les Américains in 1958, the photobook is a source for artistic inspiration and creative reference.

As a homage to the photobook per se the exhibition Marks Of Honour – A Striking Library has been created in a cooperation between Amsterdam galerist Willem van Zoetendaal and Cologne bookseller Markus Schaden. His assistances Nina Poppe and Verena Loewenhaupt were responsible for the organisation and are now curating Marks of Honour 2008 (MoH/08).

In 2005 there have been invited 41 international photographers to choose a photobook which was influential to the formation of their work, and to pay it artistical homage. The resulting works have been shown in Amsterdam in FOAM Museum for photography and the Van Zoetendaal galery.

The basic concept remains the same. In MoH/08 are only 13 photographers participating, to optain a higher focus.

All participating works (limited to three copies, each containing the original photobook and it´s complentary homage) offer a wide spectrum of enthusiasm for photobooks and the variety of inspiration sources of international photoartists.

In sum Marks Of Honour constitutes a singular library and a system of reference on the most sustainable influences as much as the freshest in contemporary photography.

„But who says that a museums fundus should entirely consist of photographic prints? You could start with books all the same... With a pool of a hundred photobooks, one could ensure that the history of modern photoworks of art is recognizable for the museumcrowd, for specialists, consultants and curators in excellent examples.“ Ulf Erdmann Ziegler. Lees een recensie ...

Invited Photographers

Harvey Benge honours William Eggleston
Artist book of 16 pages, hand written text and four tipped in photographs, one inserted loose. Both books contained in a slipcase.

Chris Coekin honours Hendrick Duncker & Yrjo Tuunanen
Book in hay and eco/farmer bag, four pictures of me hitchhiking plus one of the original signs "Hay on the Highway".

Peter Granser honours Robert Frank
Box from linnen with book and a map with four pigment prints on Fine Art Pearl Paper.

Pieter Hugo honours Roland Barthes

Tiina Itkonen honours Pentti Sammallahti
Box with five pictures.

Onaka Koji honours Daido Moriyama
Book, contactsheet and five pictures in handmade wooden box.

Jens Liebchen honours Anthony Hernandez
A sequence of 3 images presented as a Leporello, with text and separate book, in a cardboard box.

Michael Light honours Ansel Adams
Box, Adams book digsawed along landscape lines; M. Light pigment prints atached to certain Adams images.

Mark Power honours Stephen Shore
Custom made box with book and four large format c-prints.

Matthew Sleeth honours Lars Tunbjörk
A fold out book with „Office“ bound to the middle and then two selfmade inkjet books („Fire extinguishers“ and „Houseplants“) each side folding over the top.

Alec Soth honours Andrea Modica
The edition includes a box with two photographs in a small portfolio responding to Andrea Modica’s Treadwell.

Jules Spinatsch honours Block 2008
8 booklets made out of the calender Block 2008; one for each artist in a box with the title: Deblocked.

Raimond Wouda honours Paul Shambroom
3 pictures as inkjets in the book; they continue the book as leporello.

Open publication - Free publishing - More photography