Those eyes! Like Daniel C. Britt’s Afghanistan photo essay, this one is a reminder that sometimes simple images that evoke a strong, yet fragile beauty are the most powerful.
Browsing Category
Friday photo
I recently stumbled upon Lina Scheynius’ flickr stream and was struck by both her use of light and her bold rendering of raw, everyday moments.
Many of her images suggest a wistful sensuality, albeit one with slightly dark undercurrents: loss, longing, and those desires that can overwhelm us, smother us, or drive us mad.
Oyster Magazine has described her photographs as a combination of “brazen sexuality and fragile intimacy,” and reports that Lina is inspired by work that leaves her “feeling slightly uncomfortable.” Indeed, some of her images are intimate to the point of being nearly claustrophobic, while others hint at a prelude to obsession and violence.
Born in Sweden, Lina left home at 16 and divides her time between London and Paris. Self-taught, she has shot for Elle and British Vogue and her work has been featured in numerous galleries in Europe and the U.S.
In May, Lina released a third book of photographs that is available for purchase on her website. You can also check out her polaroid scrapbook here.
Another jaw-dropping example of the exquisite use of natural light.
Alex Grazioli’s “C’etait un Rendez-Vous” evokes a scene from a Jean Rhys novel- Good Morning Midnight, perhaps?
There is also an undeniably cinematic quality to this shot that makes my inner ex-cinema student turn to mush. Not suprisingly, Alex has a film background.
In his flickr profile Alex says photography has “become the vehicle of his need to do something more personal and direct, the way to remember, narrate and fully experience the past and the present, and at the same time his link with the fascinating world of cinema.”
I am impressed, inspired and looking forward to seeing more of Alex’s work in the future.
I have had Pakistan on the brain today, and was taken by this striking photo by Olivier Matthys.
The eyes, the timid expression, the composition and the contrast between the vivid clothing and the gray stove make for an extraordinary image of what is otherwise an ordinary moment for this young member of Pakistan’s Kalash tribe.
Olivier has more than 60 images of Pakistan on his flickr stream–some beautiful, some disturbing, some shocking and all worth a look.
“Stilts, Malibu” from Stephen in London.
I spent the day in Malibu today, so I had to select a photo that did it justice. I am probably biased since I have some very personal memories of the place, but beyond the mythic, Hollywood-soaked images most of us associate with Malibu, there is a deeper, richer and darker side to it that not everyone appreciates. Stephen’s photo nails it.
It was clear and blue today, but as I was driving north along the coast the clouds began rolling in again. The sun is low in the sky now and I imagine that the beach has started to look much like it does here.
You can see more of Stephen’s black and white landscapes on his flickr stream.
Just 18 years old, Australian photographer Nirrimi Hakanson is already capturing attention both in her home country and overseas. In 2009 she won the SOYA-Qantas Spirit of Youth Award, and last summer she shot Diesel’s Fall/Winter campaign in New York.
Hakanson’s work recalls dreams, daydreams and free-spirited summers at the sea shore. Her use of natural light, sylphlike models and stunning landscapes infuses her images with a gauzy sensuality that evokes those delicate, somewhat-idealized moments of the teen years that tend to haunt old photo albums or crop up during bar-stool reminiscences.
Looking through Hakanson’s ebullient depictions of adolescence makes me want to take my inner 16 year old for a midday skinny dip off the southern coast of Hvar. Perhaps they will have a similar effect on you?
You can learn more about Nirrimi’s work on her blog.
“Zurich BH 2” from Izakigur in Switzerland. The light, the tones and the contrast infuse an otherwise ordinary moment at a Zurich train station with both energy and a sense of solitude. Goethe may have called architecture “frozen music,” but this image comes pretty close.
“I love to say that I am ‘denying time,’ and I am ‘following the light,'” the photographer notes in his flickr profile. “Light is the big seducer.”
For more of Izakigur’s impressive work with light and landscapes, visit his flickr stream.
Tuileries on a mid-December morning. © Erin Zaleski
I took this in mid-December in Paris several years ago. It was unusually sunny, but I was feeling melancholy for numerous reasons. Mostly because I had to fly back to the States the next day.
“F. Juvarra: Galleria di Diana 2008” from Marco in Italy. The perspective, the light, the interplay of black and white all make for a gorgeous image. Similar landscapes have cropped up in my dreams, so there was a personal attraction to this photo as well. For more of Marco’s stunning black and white photography, visit his flickr stream.
From Fernando in Spain – “Going Adrift.”
Taken in Valencia, Spain with a Nikon D90. I love the composition, colors and reflection. For more of Fernando’s work, visit his flickr stream.