Tu/Th History of Photography

It’s uncanny how much New York(and the world in general) has changed in the past 100 years. Our cars, our fashion sense, even the way we go about things. It quickly shifted in the past 50 years. Looking back to Arthur Fellig/Weegee’s exhibition at the International Center of Photography, most of the change didn’t even happen until the 70s/80s.

It’s really interesting to see how we got to where we are.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2134408/Never-seen-photos-100-years-ago-tell-vivid-story-gritty-New-York-City.html

openhousenewyork is a yearly event in which many locations in New York City are open to the public.

“To celebrate the city’s architecture and design, the 10th Annual openhousenewyork Weekend will once again unlock the city, allowing New Yorkers and tourists alike free access hundreds of sites talks, tours, performances and family activities in neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs. From private residences and historic landmarks, to rooftop farms and sustainable skyscrapers, OHNY gives you rare access into the extraordinary architecture that defines New York City, while introducing you to the people who make the city a vibrant and sustainable place to live, work, and play.”

The spots for this usually sell out pretty quickly so buy your tickets in advance!

http://ohny.org/

In the past 6 years 50,000 people have been died in Mexico’s Drug War. There has been a constant presence of bombings, shootings, and savage murders. These images document this conflict which rivals many major wars in casualties.

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/05/mexicos-drug-war-50-000-dead-in-6-years/100299/

1962 was a time filled with tension around the world. From the struggles of African Americans in the civil rights movement to the Russian missles found in Cuba that almost sparked a war with America. All of this while the U.S was increasing its presence in Vietnam. These pictures show a glimpse of this time.

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/05/50-years-ago-the-world-in-1962/100296/

A company, Lytro, has created a camera that has a capability that changes the way photo’s are taken. This new camera allows the photographer to adjust the focus of a picture after it is taken. The same picture can be re-focused infinite times.

You can play around with the technology here:

https://www.lytro.com/living-pictures#living-pictures/111771?&_suid=44

Viewed above is the earliest preserved Daguerreotype photograph of Cincinnati. This photograph was taken around September of 1841 by Charles H. Fontayne and William Southgate Porter, two daguerreians who are known for having their own studio in the Franklin Buildings in Baltimore. The photo was created with eight full-plate daguerreotypes that show a two mile stretch of the Cincinatti waterfront. More Daguerreotype photographs of Cincinnati by Fontayne and Porter can be viewed from the link below.

( Codex 99 )

As technology advances more and more as the days go by, so does software programs that can manipulate photographs that can look stunning and/or Photoshopped. A free open-source program called Blender allows the user to create 3-dimensional shapes and landscapes of just about anything they have in mind. The picture above was done by photographer and editor Mark Meyer using the free program. He was amazed himself that he can create such a picture using this program; feeling that we should probably be afraid about this if you have to be a photographer that likes taking still life imagery. To top it all off, anyone can use it for Mac, Windows, or Linux, it is easy-to-use, and saving your work will always ends up looking clear and sharp.

( Petapixel )