The New Frugal Traveler Video

This time, it's set in a city I have actually visited. Here is the new episode of the Frugal Traveler: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Frugal Traveler, Santa Fe

It's been a tough week. Things move forward, though, when possible. Here is a new episode of the Frugal Traveler series: Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Blowup Reaches Middle-Age

Yesterday marked the 41st anniversary of the release of the film Blowup. I watched it again last year -- for a paper I had to write -- and I'm tempted to give it another look. (Amazon.com now has it via their download store -- for your instant gratification. That's the blatantly commercial link below.)

The strange thing, I find, is that it's a movie that doesn't match the popular conception or the popular memory of it at all. On paper, it's about a David Bailey-styled photographer in swinging London, a murder mystery, and the uncertainty of perception. And, as parodied in "Austin Powers," there's a bit of fashion photography flair...

There's a deeper game built in, though, one that still plays well today. And that's what I think is worth returning to.

The Diane Arbus Archive

The news? Well, there's this press release from yesterday:

Metropolitan Museum Acquires Diane Arbus Archive

"(New York, December 18, 2007)—The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that it has acquired the complete archive of Diane Arbus (1923-1971), the legendary American photographer known for her revelatory portraits of couples, children, nudists, carnival performers, and eccentrics. The Estate of Diane Arbus has selected the Museum to be the permanent repository of the artist's negatives, papers, correspondence, and library. The Museum will collaborate with the Estate to preserve Arbus's legacy and to ensure that her work will continue to be seen in the context of responsible scholarship and in a manner that honors the subjects of the photographs and the intentions of the artist.

"The Estate's gifts and promised gifts to the Museum include hundreds of early and unique photographs by Arbus, negatives and contact prints of 7,500 rolls of film, glassine print sleeves annotated by the artist, as well as her photography collection, library, and personal papers including appointment books, notebooks, correspondence, writings, and ephemera. The entire collection - which will be preserved, fully catalogued, and eventually made available for research to scholars, artists, and the general public – will be known as The Diane Arbus Archive."

The Real Future of Photography

Many words have been spilled on that Newsweek article claiming there's a crisis in photography. In the end, there's nothing to worry about. Photography will go on. It just won't be humans behind the cameras.

'Wonderful Shot' Dog or Cat Camera for Pet Paparazzi

"Ever wonder what your pet gets up to when he or she's out & about, patrolling the neighborhood? Wonder no more - thanks to Japanese toy and gadget maker Takara Tomy, you now have a photographic record of their adventures in the wide wild world!

"The tough, light camera attaches to your pet's collar and weighs just 38 grams (under an ounce & a half), and it's no toy. The 3.5 megapixel camera has an 8 MB internal memory that allows up to 90 photos to be taken. Li'l Furball's first photo album'll be full in no time flat! The battery is rechargable and the adjustable timer can be set to snap a pic at 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 30 or 60 minute intervals."

Do not miss the picture in this article. Follow that link, now.

Also, Rename the Show "Hair Dance"

Sure, I've said bad things about The Shot. Criticism is easy, though. The real question is: what would actually work in a reality-television show about photographers? What would be less painful to watch? Well, here are three ideas:

1. Stop with the repetition. Each episode is essentially the same, and people win and lose on the same exact concerns. Change things significantly from week to week. Photography is a broad and diverse art form, and even if the show is strictly "fashion photography" you can find the underlying skills and make challenges based on those.  


2. Don't assume we won't understand the technical. A little bit of discussion of the technical side of photography, handled well, could really be interesting. Those knobs on the camera -- they do something, right?


3. Stop just saying a photo is good or bad. Tell us how it works, and why you like it or hate it. Just giving a thumbs-up or down is boring -- why does this photo work, and not that one?

What would that be like? Well, for one assignment, set the expensive cameras aside, and get out of the studio. Drop off photographer and model on a grimy block with a disposable camera, a roll of aluminum foil and a cardboard box. For the next, emphasize shooting consistency by choosing at random which shot will be shown. For the next, show five great possibilities for the shot at hand -- and disallow all of them and penalize anything at all similar.

Northern Exposure

In the film Idiocracy it's revealed that the favorite film of the year 2505 will be a continous, 90-minute-long shot of a man's buttocks -- sort of a dumbed down version of Andy Warhol's 1965 film Taylor Mead's Ass.

Now Canadian television has taken the first steps toward that epic, and billed the adventure as an homage to photographer Spencer Tunick.

Nude St. John's waterfront TV shoot attracts 50

"Walsh intends to organize more naked film shoots across Canada. She said her next stop is Calgary, where she expects temperatures will be even lower than they were in St. John's. Other stops include Vancouver, Iqaluit and Toronto."

Photography in the News

Any stories on photography in the recent news? Well, there's a good look at the Magnum photo agency, a glance at the growing maternity photography industry, and when Britney Spears isn't running over photographers, she's complaining about them.

The world according to Magnum

"Born in 1947, Magnum was founded by four very different photographers, Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and David Seymour. However, they shared a common desire to create a new agency, owned and operated by photographers: its purpose, to document world events and issues and show the photograph to be as powerful a method of journalism as the word. It would also provide an invaluable historical archive."

Growing Demand To Bare The Belly

"It's been almost 17 years since Demi Moore posed nude for Vanity Fair in 1991. Britney Spears reawakened the image when she posed for Harper's Bazaar in 2006. Those visions clearly resonated with many women. When Francesca Mannarino-Werz saw the Demi Moore pictorial, she was struck by its beauty. She had her photos taken by Reyes six weeks before she gave birth to her son Mason, now eight months."

Spears hits out at photographers

"Yesterday, a friend of the pop princess said poor health and "anxiety" caused by seeing photographers outside her house had resulted in Spears cancelling a deposition in the court case where she is seeking to regain equal custody of her two sons."

Beauty Knows No Pain

I asked Elliott Erwitt where I could see the documentaries he had made, and he said that Beauty Knows No Pain could be found at "National Something or Other."

And it looks like he is correct. And also that the piece can be viewed online. Excellent.

The Vaguest Good News in an Unspecified Number of Days

Good news yesterday, arriving all at once.

I'll have to be vague about the details until there are "official announcements," however ... so it's time for Blind Item Gossip Blogging!

What East-Coast photoblogger will show three photographs in a Southern California exhibition in 2008? Sources say it's the same cynical Manhattan-based documentarian whose short film will be showing at a Documentary Film Festival in February -- in a state that rhymes with "Fontana."

Wait -- is it Michael Moore?

Elliott Erwitt

I'll post about what he said and how he said it sometime very soon. For now: meet Mr. Elliott Erwitt.

On the Way to Elliott Erwitt

I mean physically on the way, not stylistically. Above: on 14th Street, earlier tonight.

The Last of Santa

For now, a moratorium on Santa. One last note: he does know how to party.

Elliott Erwitt Will Be at Strand Tonight

Tonight, I'm hoping to stop by the Elliott Erwitt booksigning at Strand Books. If you can't make it, you should consider adding his last two books: Personal Best and Unseen to your photography bookshelf.

And Sometimes Nice

Above: near Tompkins Square Park.

Naughty by Nature

Santa's Nicomachean world view may seem overly simplistic -- I think there are shades of Naughty and Nice -- but it does make sense in light of his career choice. He's got to be all about efficiency. He has one big yearly task, and limited time.

There's a Sociology Thesis In It

I noticed less of an Elf presence at this year's SantaCon. The number of male Elves was way down, at least. I'm not sure if that's a significant indicator of a social trend or not.

Be Glad the Elves Didn't Get There First

If you come to SantaCon to photograph, you probably should be dressed as Santa. It's a participatory event.

Above: a group of Santas decorate a photographer.

Tompkins Square Again

If you think about it, Santa's the original Jet Setter.

Takes most of the year off, then flies around the globe for his world promotional tour, just so you don't forget him. Hires a really good publicist, and before long it's "Saint" Nick, and 87% of the public perceive him as "jolly."

SantaCon 2007 New York

Above: SantaCon 2007 makes its way towards Times Square.