the joy is in the customer support…
I have this account on Joomeo to store my photos and last May there was a 50% discount on all offers so I jumped on the opportunity to take the “Infinite” plan (which I had wanted to do anyway) because for one there is no limit to the number of photos you can upload per month, but mostly it is the only offer where you can upload photos in RAW formats (with no preview however).
It worked well with the photos of my Canon 5D (CR2) but when I tried to upload RAW photos taken with my Lumix LX-3 (Panasonic Raw format is RW2) it just did not work. I let some time pass, and last week I had some more photos to upload and so I decided to send them an email to see whether it was normal that they did not support the Panasonic format, and if so did they plan to do it in the near future. I sent my message Sunday around 1:30 am, got an answer Sunday afternoon around 3 pm telling me that they did not support the RW2 format but they did now. I then send an email thanking them and telling them that I had tried to upload pictures from my Panasonic some time ago but I had not checked recently whether it now worked or not.
The answer I got from them in the evening was the sweetest ever : in fact they did not support that extension until today, but they had added it following my email.
How cool is that ?
heidi klum for vogue germany
Heidi Klum by Francesco Carrozzini for Vogue Germany June 2009
In my last post I was telling you about Amber Rima’s blog Sprinkled In Pink and I couldn’t help but notice that she hearts Heidi Klum which is a nice coincidence since I love her too and Oh Joy! Project Runway has just returned.
I love the show. I watched seasons 2, 3 and 4 this summer waiting for season 6 (I even tried to watch Project Runway Australia for a bit but couldn’t go past the first 4 episodes or so, they just seemed to be bitching all the time and the truth is I missed Heidi and Tim).
Francesco Carrozzini for Vogue Germany June 2009
So Vogue Germany devoted its June issue to Heidi. It’s truly “All About Heidi”, something like 70 pages with her, no other model, and 4 editorial spreads shot by 5 photographers from May 28 to April 3. Cover is by Francesco Carrozzini, fashion editorials are as follow : “Desire me” by Alexi Lubomirski, “Heidi” by Francesco Carrozzini, “Rodeo Drive” by Claudia Knoepfel & Stefan Indlekofer, “L.A. Confidential” by Paola Kudacki. (The latter was shot in the Harpel House by architect John Lautner.)
There’s a nice making-of of about 30 minutes which you can see here.
Francesco Carrozzini for Vogue Germany June 2009
As you can see, I really love Francesco Carrozzini’s photos. But I also love that one by Alexi Lubomirski, because even though she’s a brunette, it still looks very much like her :
Heidi Klum by Alexi Lubomirski for German Vogue June 2009
In fact, the whole story by Alexi Lubomirski “Desire Me” is very beautiful.
I chose only B&W photos here, but there are plenty of color shots. “Rodeo Drive” & “L.A. Confidential” seem to be all color while “Heidi” seems Black and White only. “Desire Me” is mixed. You can see 3 of the editorials here and the scans where a lot of the pictures you find on the web come from are here @ achAT’s fashion scans …
Heidi Klum @ models.com
Francesco Carrozzini
Alexi Lubomirski
Claudia Knoepfel + Stefan Indlekofer
Paola Kudacki
helen mirren by lord snowdon
Helen Mirren by Lord Snowdon, 1995 for Vanity Fair
So the other day Alexandre, my sweetest neighbour Alexandre, lent me the first 2 “seasons” of Prime Suspect with Helen Mirren. I had seen some of the episodes on French television a few years ago and my recollection of the series was that it was quite good but mostly it was worth watching for the female detective played by Helen Mirren.
And sure enough, the thing is a bit dated now, but then there’s her.
Helen Mirren.
I love her. Totally. Absolutely.
I looked for a picture of her to post here, at first couldn’t find anything with a mention of the photographer – because who cares, right – until I stumbled on this article by photographer Amber Rima on her blog Sprinkled In Pink.
This portrait by Lord Snowdon was featured in the exhibition that took place at The National Portrait Gallery in London from February to May 2008 entitled “Vanity Fair Portraits / Photographs 1913 – 2008″. (The exhibition is about to open in Canada. It will be at the Royal Ontario Museum from September 26, 2009 to January 3, 2010.)
But back to the Mirren/Snowdon picture. Something funny happened and browsing the web I found myself living my own little version of “Blow-Up”, for I found on the site of the Chris Beetles Gallery a version of the photograph with a different “framing”. Also the coloring is quite different. It seems much more orange. See below :
Helen Mirren, 1995 by Snowdon.
It is not unusual for the press to cut into the pictures, to reframe them, so Vanity Fair kept the square format but zoomed in on Helen Mirren. My guess as to the different color tone, is that their version being less yellowy feels a bit more modern.
(There has been a retrospective of Snowdon at the National Portrait Gallery in 2000 and you can see the photo of Helen Mirren with the same warm tone and framing as the one @ the Chris Beetles Gallery.)
Now the funny thing about all this, is that I found a different photo of the same shooting on this article at the Daily Mail Online and she’s actually smiling :
Helen in her dressing room, 1995, by Lord Snowdon.
Photograph of Helen Mirren © Snowdon.
Snowdon @ the Chris Beetles Gallery.
Vanity Fair
You can buy the book Vanity Fair: The Portraits: A Century of Iconic Images @ the Vanity Fair Store.
&
96 images from the book are available for purchase as gallery-quality custom prints here.
the camera camera case by hine mizushima
Camera Camera Case – Degicame No.12 by hiné @ Etsy.
Like most really great craft objects it seems so obvious that once you see it you wonder how it could even be otherwise. It is both amazingly simple and perfect. Meet the “Camera Camera Case” by Hine [hee-neh] Mizushima a Japanese illustrator/puppet stop-motion video artist/crafter living in Vancouver, Canada.
She has 4 different designs (all originals) but my favorite one is this 3D one. Her choice of color is fantastic and each Camera Case is handmade, unique and OOAK. Just love this one in this color though !
You can see more of Hine Mizushima’s work on her Flickr.
the multiple realities of maureen boyle
Faded Forest by the seven fields of aphelion @ Etsy.
Maureen Boyle uses 35 mm film and multiple exposures, and although I like the idea underlying her work I am not so fond of most of her other photos, but I love this one a lot. It seems to have just the right feel about it, and certainly goes beyond the “process” involved in the creation…
abstract paper collages by cherie lester
Original Paper Collage, Abstract Works on Paper by Cherie Lester.
Cherie Lester is also a photographer, but I am not so fond of her photos as I am of those paper collages of hers. The first one is an original, whereas the second one below is an archival print.
You can also see some paintings on her website.
Archival Pigment Print of an Original Collage.
mandy lamb polaroids
“306″ by Mandy Lamb & Mikael Kennedy @ Etsy.
I had not browsed through Etsy’s Treasury for a long time although it is always a good way to discover new artists. This is how I stumbled upon Mandy Lamb in a treasury collected by thepairabirds.
The name of her Etsy shop is not Mandy Lamb however, but 1977 and at the moment there is only this book “306″ which contains 306 polaroid images by Mandy Lamb and Mikael Kennedy. It is a limited edition of 50 signed by both artists.
The photos, polaroids made with the now cult SX-70 Polaroid camera and expired films have that special quality you usually find associated with that magic combo. You can see more of her work on the sold section of her shop or on her website www.mandylamb.com.
artoyz on flickr
Kaws Dissected Companion on Artoyz’ Flickr.
When you think about it, it’s kind of strange they did not have a Flickr account before, especially since they always take their own pictures of the toys they are selling online – and pretty good pictures too ! In fact, I had never realized until now that they might well be the only art toys shop using their own photos rather than stock company pictures. But the thing is they are extremely busy guys – not to mention that most of the time they seem to be working amidst high piles of cardboard boxes (*see evidence below), this obviously not helping to get a clear view of things – and sometimes in order to get ahead you just need some new blood. For instance, get an enthousiastic hardworking young trainee in graphic design named Stéphane, and there you are ! In no time you have a Flickr account (where your great photos of toys can now be seen by more than just the small crowd of toy addicts even long after a toy is sold out) + a new blog (where your fine and fun writing can now get a chance to be read).
As I understand, they will use the Flickr to post pictures of toys they will not post anywhere else. Plus it will be an opportunity to actually see for more than 2 minutes those toys that regularly create upon their release within the (very) tiny toy community such fits of fever that would be totally incomprehensible to any casual observer. I’m referring here to the Kaws and Co, those that get “sold out” the very minute they are online, and if your web server doesn’t crash then you are very lucky !
As for the blog (French version only), there was a magazine section on Artoyz – the articles have now all been moved to the new blog – but since Flash is not ideal for reading anything most people (including myself) had forgotten it even existed, which was a shame really for Bonfil, who writes most of the articles, has a very nice way with words.
* Exhibit 1 – Exhibit 2
Also see the shop review of Artoyz on guillotine.
Artoyz Paris 45 rue de l’arbre Sec 75001 PARIS
Artoyz Lyon 18 rue des capucins 69001 LYON