How I Really Feel about Instagram

I am known in my circle of friends as the guy who hates Instagram. This isn’t really true, I don’t hate Instagram, I philosophically loathe it. That is to say, I don’t enjoy the way many people on Instagram treat the art of photography.

When I talk about Instagram I am often met with a rebuttal as strong as those over religion or politics. In the end we are all entitled to our beliefs. I have a feeling that a similar post as this was written by many film photographers when the first digital SLRs started hitting the market.

justex07-on-InstagramI’ll keep this brief but here is my gripe. People take ordinary photos, what we would call snapshots, what we would drop in a shoebox and forget about as quickly as we took them. These photos do not stand out like the ones we would put in a physical album, that we would pay to have printed or that we would submit to a gallery for showing. They are the epitome of disposable photography and there is nothing wrong with that.

What I have qualms with are people that elevate these toss-away photos to a level of importance not by context or content but by obscuring the banality and ordinary mundanity of the photo with a filter, sometimes to such a degree that the original content of the image is totally obfuscated. That is not art, that is glorified censorship. Continue reading

Some New Work on the Horizon

I haven’t really posted much photography work here in the last long while. Heck, I haven’t really been posting here with anything lately. Life has just gotten that busy I guess. I’ve taken hundreds, maybe even thousands, of photos in the last few weeks for work and for fun. It’s about time I start sharing them with you

Big Ass Fans

This one is actually one from a work shoot I just came from. These fans run at incredibly slow speeds. However, because they have such a massive blade span, they move some serious air, keeping a giant warehouse at a stable cool temperature. Also they are called Big Ass Fans, a name has never been more appropriate.

Kanye West’s Runaway Art Direction

Is it silly that I sat for thirty-five minutes glued to YouTube and my computer watching the latest, if not greatest, showcase of Kanye West‘s pleionosis? No.

Kanye’s new music video film shows off a handful of songs from his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy including the namesake Runaway and borrows heavily from the film styles of some of my all time favorite films. Continue reading

The Hasselblad CFV-50 is Sexy

 

I love my Nikon D700 but if given the chance to use the Hasselblad CFV-50, I’d drop my Nikon like a bad habit.

Compatible with virtually all existing V-System Cameras and featuring a 50 megapixel sensor that is twice the size of even the best full frame 35mm DSLRs, the CFV-50 allows you to keep both the design and functionality of our classic V-System cameras while at the same time gaining access to a range of advanced features unavailable to film cameras, such as our proprietary DAC lens correction technology to correct for distortion, aberration, and vignetting, and the Hasselblad Natural Color Solution, which guarantees accurate colors straight out of the box.

This camera isn’t just a technical marvel, it is beautiful. Quite possibly the sexiest digital camera I have ever seen.

AND I WANT IT!

The Hasselblad CVF-50 digital back on a classic Hasselblad body. That my friends is photography heaven. The only possible competition might be the Better Light Super 10K-HS 4×5 digital back on a field camera…

And actually, if you’re willing to buy me either of these camera systems, go ahead and buy me both? Just think of what I could do with either of these…

Columbia Tribune, Coming Soon

Yesterday I got an early look at Aarik Danielsen‘s article on me and my gallery show.  I must say, I was as honored by his words as I was in awe of his ability to describe my photography, something I have trouble with myself.

Sam was kind enough to shoot a photo of me at the gallery for the column and I actually like it which is pretty incredible.  Nothing against Sam but as I see it, the best way to ruin a photo is to put me in it!

I have a new respect for both Sam and anyone else who has to take a portrait of someone.  What a job!  My friend Breezy makes it seem so easy.

Perhaps it’s her confidence behind the camera.  Where I dance around the proposition of taking some random person’s photo, Breezy seems to just walk up and make it happen.

As soon as the article comes out, I’ll be sure to put an excerpt with a link to the full article.  Aarik’s writing style and ability to tell a story is incredible.  I can’t wait to see the finished product, as well as follow all the future stories he writes.

Oh and don’t forget, the gallery show continues on until May 15 so check it out while you can!

Perlow-Stevens Gallery
812 East Broadway
Columbia, MO 65201

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