Other Photographers: Time Travel with Flóra Borsi

What do you wish you could go back in time to see, or photograph? Hungarian photographer and graphic artist Flóra Borsi is almost doing that, in her new series of photos called Time Travel. Borsi uses Photoshop to insert herself into photos of various historical figures and events; the results make it appear that she’s documenting them with her cell phone.

Found via PetaPixel, you can follow the series on Facebook. [Click to enlarge.]

Borsi at an Elvis Presley concert

Borsi behind Woody Allen as he directs one of his films

Borsi with Andy Warhol at a party

Borsi watching Charlie Chaplin work

Borsi with Marilyn Monroe in a bathroom

Borsi documenting the civil rights movement

Club Kids

I recently watched Party Monster, about the rise and fall of the 1990s Club Kids in New York City. I’ve said it before, but unless you were there you have no idea what it was like to go out in the early 1990s, the kids today have no idea how boring and sterile even the best dance clubs are compared to what they were. It’s too bad.

I had forgotten that the club scene was responsible for creating so many people who are still pop culture icons: RuPaul; Amanda Lepore; designer Richie Rich; performance artist Leigh Bowery, who’s work you can still see in major museums, even though he died in 1994; and several DJs who still work today (Lady Miss Kier, DJ Keoki, David Guetta, to name a few).

Amanda Lepore

Kabuki

Angel Melendez (drug dealer murdered by Michael Alig)

James St. James

Keoki (who’s still a DJ)

RuPaul (I had forgotten that she got her start as a Club Kid)

Lady Miss Keir

Richie Rich and Travor Rains

Jenny Talia and Richie Rich

James St. James and Michael Alig (who’s originally from South Bend, Indiana, and who is credited with starting the Club Kid phase)

Leigh Bowery

Michael Alig and the Fabulous Wonder Twins

Berlin, by Erwin Olaf

Erwin Olaf is one of my favorite living photographers, as evidenced by the fact that I’ve featured his work three times on this blog:

• Grief
• Chessmen
• Yuri Lambert

Now, here’s another fantastic series to add to the list, Berlin. This series is set and shot at six different historical locations throughout the city of Berlin and typical of Olaf’s work — the sets are intricate, the subjects are dramatic, the lighting is superb, and the results are beautiful even if discomforting.

All photos in this post by Erwin Olaf.

Chicken

Although this photo is on the creepy side, there is something about it that I absolutely love. [Click to enlarge.]

Photographer unknown.

Nimbus

Photographer Berndnaut Smilde uses light, smoke, and steam to create this fantastic series called, Nimbus. See more on Smilde’s website. [Click to enlarge, below.]

All photos in this post by Berndnaut Smilde.

Advice on Photography and Fine Art Galleries

The following link provides some great advice about how to market photography to fine art galleries. I’m saving this here as much as a reference for myself as I am to help other photographers along — I know next to nothing about how to get work into art galleries — what few galleries have displayed my photos have all approached me first.

I think I’m doing okay on most fronts, but it’s ironic to see Edit as Point #2 — recently I’ve been thinking that it’s time to edit/finesse my Gods series. It’s just turned into kind of a hodgepodge of more of the same. Point #6 (Feedback) speaks to it, too, as I’ve always thought that I like my Gods photos a lot more than anyone else does. So that begs the question, why continue?

All points to ponder. Meanwhile, here’s the link.

Expert Advice: Marketing to Fine Art Galleries

Reality Dream by Zsolt Zsigmond

Personally, I think the sky is one of the best things about this planet we occupy. Hungarian photographer Zsolt Zsigmond captures some of the best HDR photos of sky that I’ve ever seen. These are stunning [click to enlarge].

You can see plenty more photos on Zsolt’s website, and if you enjoy taking your own high dynamic range photos (or want to learn how), he provides a pretty good tutorial on the subject. Not every artist is kind enough to explain to you how he makes hes photos.

All photos in this post by Zsolt Zsigmond.

The Artist’s Role?

When asked, “What part does an artist play in society,” this was artist Robert Adams’ answer:

First we have an obligation simply to be the citizens we want everyone to be – informed, engaged, reasonable, and compassionate. Then as artists we are called historically to a double mission, to instruct and delight, to tell the truth but also to find in it a basis for affirmation.

Myths about Fair Use

Random people occasionally send me a link to something (an event advertisement, a bar’s website, etc.) that’s using one of my photographs. Usually the people who send me these things seem to expect me to “go after” the perpetrators. The truth? I rarely contact someone who’s used my work without permission.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy these messages just because like it when people show me where my work lands. But in the effort of picking and choosing my battles, I tend to let these slide — who it is really hurting if a bar in Chicago has lifted one of my photos for their Facebook page?

But some people think that I’m letting some grave injustice happen to myself; that my copyright has been compromised or that I’m letting someone get away with stealing. That’s not quite true.

So when I saw this article, I thought I’d share. It rejects some of the myths about U.S. copyright laws and fair use, and it explains things in a relatively easy way to understand (for a topic that’s vague at best, and far too often polluted with legal jargon that makes it impossible to “get”).

If you don’t feel inclined to read the whole thing, here’s one of my favorite quotes:

Fair use is a right that you employ simply by accessing material, copying it and incorporating it into your project within an appropriate context. You do not need to get anyone’s permission to do that, and you do not even need to let them know that you did it.

I suppose there’s a long conversation to have about what “appropriate context” is. Copyright and fair use laws — like libel, obscenity, and related topics — are difficult to define in an either/or, black-or-white way. And it’s made even more complicated because we, as a nation, prescribe such value to our First Amendment rights. And now my brain is starting to hurt, so maybe that’s a topic for another day.

Finding Vivian Maier

They’re making a documentary about my favorite street photographer. As a side note: The Chicago accents in it are making me homesick.