Frida with Dry Tree Branches, Coyoacan (1943)

We know the lady in the photo as the famous painter Frida Kahlo, but who is the person behind the camera taking the pictures?  Lola Alvarez Bravo a female Mexican photographer who took many photos of Frida, nudes and social subjects in Mexico.

“Lola Alvarez Bravo (1903–1993) is widely recognized as Mexico’s first woman photographer. A pioneering figure in the rise of modernist photography in Mexico, she was a profound humanist who used the camera to chronicle the people and places of her beloved country over a remarkable six-decade career.” source

“I look for the essence of beings and of things, their spirit, their reality. Interest, experience, moral and aesthetic commitment, form the third eye of the photographer. There are those who focus on the landscape; I feel attracted to human beings.” —Lola

Alvarez Bravo

A couple photos by Lola:

El ensueno (Isabel Villasenor) (The Dream [Isabel Villasenor]) (1941)

Triptico de los martirios II /Triptych of the Martyrs II (1950)

Renewable Energy Content Map 11×17″

Renewable Energy Poster 15×20″

Here are my final versions for the first project in graphic design 105 this semester. I don’t mean to brag but I got an A on both! This will be the last time you see these two, promise. Now its time to work on project 2: brochure.

Here are just a couple of things that happened on New Years Eve.

Family and friends all in the same night, it was super busy, but it was great!

Here are some more photos of the night, you can check out some more at flickr

I have been thinking about getting a flash for my canon rebel xti, and I just happen to mention this to my dad and he says he has a couple that we can see if they will work. So he hands me five different flashes! My dad uses mostly film cameras and  equipment, but luckily most of the equipment from film can be transferred over to digital, like the flashes. Some of the flashes he gave me work and some not so much.

Vivitar auto 200, when placed upon the camera, it makes my xti look like a unicorn. Uses a 9 volt battery, and it works! This flash has a automatic and manual setting, which I have yet to learn how to use the manual setting yet. The only bad thing is that it takes about 12 seconds to recharge its self and be ready to take another photo. I have the manual and original leather case for this one. Sorry for the eaby pic, it was the only one I could find of it.

Rollei 100 xl, love the name of this one, its cute sounding. I have the one on the left, I believe the one on the right is a newer model. This one also works, it doesn’t have any setting, but it only takes about 5 seconds to recharge its self. Works just as nice.

Vivitar zoom thyristor 285, this flash has a lot of bells and whistles to it. Unfortunately I have not been able to get this one to work yet, but thats what I have Tim for! I will definable have to look up how to use all the setting on this flash if we can get it to work. The head of the flash moves at an angle and extends for telephoto images.

Sunpak auto 433 D, my favorite to use so far, it doesn’t have as many dials but it is adjustable on how bright the flash is, which is what I really wanted. On a good charge it can take 3 flashes/photos in a row, and it also depends on the setting, if the flash is on full (the brightest) it takes a while to recharges, but if its on a low setting that it doesn’t take too long at all to charge. This flash is actually faster to use than the stock flash on my camera. This one swivel and rotates as well.

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JC penny Electronic Strobe, importantly I don’t think this one will work again, they batteries we left in it and they corroded, it pretty bad. I know this little guy was well love by my dad, he was angry that this happened.

Messing with the flashes for the fist time, this one is done with the sunpak flash, with the flash shooting straight up at the ceiling and the light bouncing back down on to Flower. I’m sure she’s happy not to have a flash in her eyes for once. Made for interesting light in the image.

Pieces of my hand by meg

So I had a little creative juice after work today, and this is what I made. There are 8 photos all together, wow I though there was more, maybe I should ad more photos.  It’s probably a bit cliche, but hey, I made it! Let me know what you guys think.

The PEN Story from PENStory on Vimeo.

“This is the Olympus PEN Story in stop motion. We shot 60.000 pictures, developed 9.600 prints and shot over 1.800 pictures again. No post production! Thanks to all the stop motion artists who inspired us. We hope you enjoy Free download of the music at http://olympus.eu/penstory/”

DUDE! Its like a still motion within a still motion! I liked that not only did they do a still video but I liked how the presented it. That has become a big part of art now a days. What/where is the venue/gallery? How are you going to show case it? Traditional or unconventional? Its all up to you and how you want to show your work and that makes it all more interesting.

Self Portrait: Legs by meg

Tree of Life by meg

Oro by =Mella-pink

I love Gustav Klimt’s works and see it be other artist’s inspiration is amazing. That how you know you are a great artist, if people start to copy your work. This photomilipuation is quite amazing and pulls emotion out of you.

I just watched Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus the lady we know her photos but not her story. I enjoyed this film because it is was not an exact biography about the woman but an imaginary recreation of what she might have felt during her life.  I highly recommend this film, its very much an artistic film like The Fall (also very good).  I applaude Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr for their wonderful performance in this film.