Here's some great fashion photo retouching by M Seth Jones. He does a great job of creating more dynamic images out of the photos without overly touching them up. Here is how he describes his images:
"In these selected images, you can witness first hand the impact that retouching has the potential to make on a single image. Every image presented to me has an ideal state, that I'm attempting to reach; retouch is so completely subjective, that it is likely that no two retouchers will approach an image in the same manner, or reach the same finished outcome. At this stage, it's clear to see that retouching, at least the way I approach it, is not so much about tapering necklines and re-sculpting facial structure; but rather, sculpting light, and the way it falls on the subject, as well as clarifying the distinctions between the individual colours of the image's palette. This ensures that every element sits harmoniously within the final frame, enabling that ideal state to be presented to the viewer with little-to-no visual distractions."
Here are some awesome scratchboard portraits of famous historical figures from illustrator Mark Summers. I love how they were done in the caricature style, but at the same time aren't overdone. Each one has their own signature look and detailed attire. I also think the scratchboard method also sets this series of portraits apart from similar illustrations.
This is part two of the Archive of the Planet series collected by Albert Kahn. Read part one here.
This description is directly from the Albert Kahn Museum website:
"Albert Kahn built up an iconographic memory of societies, environments and lifestyles – many of them traditional – around the world. From 1909 to 1931, he commissioned photographers and film cameramen to record life in over 50 countries. The images were held in the Archive of the Planet, a collection of 180,000 metres of b/w film and more than 72,000 autochrome plates, of which the Albert Kahn museum now has the largest collection in the world.
Hundreds of autochromes and few movies are available.
Autochrome was the first industrial process for true colour photography. When the Lumière brothers launched it commercially in June 1907, it was a photograhic revolution - black and white came to life in colour. Autochromes consist of fine layers of microscopic grains of potato starch – dyed either red-orange, green or violet blue – combined with black carbon particles, spread over a glass plate where it is combined with a black and white photographic emulsion. All colours can be reproduced from three primary colours."
This is a wonderful collection of photos from the early 1900s which were collected by Albert Kahn. This description is directly from the Albert Kahn Museum website:
"Albert Kahn built up an iconographic memory of societies, environments and lifestyles – many of them traditional – around the world. From 1909 to 1931, he commissioned photographers and film cameramen to record life in over 50 countries. The images were held in the Archive of the Planet, a collection of 180,000 metres of b/w film and more than 72,000 autochrome plates, of which the Albert Kahn museum now has the largest collection in the world.
Hundreds of autochromes and few movies are available.
Autochrome was the first industrial process for true colour photography. When the Lumière brothers launched it commercially in June 1907, it was a photograhic revolution - black and white came to life in colour. Autochromes consist of fine layers of microscopic grains of potato starch – dyed either red-orange, green or violet blue – combined with black carbon particles, spread over a glass plate where it is combined with a black and white photographic emulsion. All colours can be reproduced from three primary colours."
See part two here.
This is an unbelievable road journal by Natalie Ratkovski. She is a talented designer and illustrator currently living in Hattingen, Germany. It's truly incredible to see how much work was put into this journal. I love all the different elements that went into it. Normally you would expect a few sketches from a journal but Natalie's includes things that pop out, layered cards/images/mementos from different places she visited, and an especially nice touch in a pocket for her receipt. To truly understand how much time, effort and creativity went into this project, check out her Live Journal post. It is truly one of the most inspiring projects I've seen lately.
Here's some great digital artwork of Pierre Doucin aka Soemone. I love the way he blends different photo and shape elements into beautiful cohesive images. His images have a natural feel to them even though the content within them says otherwise.
The Alphabet Series is a part of Drew Europeo's 365 Days Projects. She wonderfully mixes lines, shapes and color to create different letters of the alphabet. Each one has a unique look but fits well inside the series. She also has a project that explores lines and geometry and a project that explores pen and markers as part of the 365 Days Projects. You can check those out and other non-commercial works at Grafikas. She also has a site for commercial work, a Twitter, and a Facebook accounts.
This is part two of Stephen Alvarez photos, check out part one here.
These are some spectacular photos by Stephen Alvarez. If his photos don't make you want to travel around exploring the world, nothing will. He has been a National Geographic photographer since 1995 and has won awards in Picture of the Year International, Communication Arts and has been exhibited in Visa Por L'Image in France. You can check out his blog, vimeo videos, or follow him on Twitter.
These are some spectacular photos by Stephen Alvarez. If his photos don't make you want to travel around exploring the world, nothing will. He has been a National Geographic photographer since 1995 and has won awards in Picture of the Year International, Communication Arts and has been exhibited in Visa Por L'Image in France. You can check out his blog, vimeo videos, or follow him on Twitter. Here is part two of the series.
I absolutely love the photography of Kevin Saint Grey. These are the most "interesting" photos according to Flickr. His user name there is primer. He has a great eye for minimalist, abstract, and black and white photos. Many of these would make fantastic prints.
The Hummingbird (Pete Turner emulation)
throw Alderman out of the corner office window
the eye is the soul to the windows
