Weekend Links 4/26/13

Friday April 26th, 2013

Funderwear!

Designer dad illustrates his kid’s lunches.

“Culinary Arts” redefined. Photo by Kyle Dreier

Glorious Gatsby.

Brick house enclosed in glass and turned into a library.

Worst corporate ladder stock photos.

Man infringes copyright to profit from Boston bombing.

Photographer hunts for vintage cameras with undeveloped film.

There’s bound to be a forgotten roll in there somewhere… Photo by Jim Golden

Just what everyone needed! A french fry holder for your car.

Great/terrible local advertising.

And pictures of a dog balancing things on his head.

Photographer update:

• Ashley Giesking jumps into motion.
• Winky Lewis captures homesteading.
• Greta Rybus photographs Boston’s first responders for CNN.
• Mike Roemer wins first place in sports feature at the NPPA awards.

- Maria Luci

SaTEARday 11/17/12

Saturday November 17th, 2012

I’m excited to announce the debut of Wonderful Machine’s new blog column: SaTEARdays. SaTEARdays are just what they sound like, tear sheets that are featured on Saturdays. Each week, I’ll be highlighting great editorial and commercial tears from WM photographers. I hope you enjoy, and keep coming back each SaTEARday for more great work!

- Maria Luci

Nike Snowboarding
Jim Golden / Portland, OR

Boston Magazine
Scott M Lacey / Boston

Sigma Aldrich
Ashley Gieseking / St. Louis

Draft Magazine
Don Cudney / Denver

Fitness Magazine
Claire Benoist / New York

View more on our tearsheets page.

Weekend Links 11/9/12

Friday November 9th, 2012

But could it breathe fire?

Hopefully the Microrapter never took any lessons from this guy. photo by Pete Barrett

Photo-realistic owl drawings.

Just in time for the holidays!

Photos of quantum mechanic calculation chalkboards.

Abstract doodles? Nope, quantum mechanics. Film by Adam Voorhes

Cow photobombs a horse.

Your last shot.

Try to make it count. photo by Patrick Strattner

San Francisco’s past and present.

Best excuses to use when shooting street photography.

Photographers Update:

• Ryan Gibson shoots a mountain feud.
• Gil Lavi interviewed by Resource Magazine.
• Jim Golden‘s Patrick Nagel photographic tribute.
• David Vincent Wolf and Joe Schmelzer shoot voter portraits.
• Ashley Gieseking photographs Project Runway stars.

- Maria Luci

Sunday Spotlight: 9/23/12

Sunday September 23rd, 2012

Murdered Out

Wednesday September 19th, 2012

by Maria Luci

Recently, Portland, Oregon-based photographer Jim Golden embarked on a somewhat moody production. It all began when his stylist, Beverly James Neel, came up with the idea of painting an entire Radio Flyer wagon flat black as a tongue and cheek response to a bicycle they’d seen at the studio. From there, the project expanded and “Murdered Out” was born. The visually dark series focuses on everyday objects being elevated to “cool status” through the process of murdering out, a saying used for removing all logos and decals and painting muscle cars and other “cool” objects flat black.

Jim states that this project meshed well with his typical photographic style of “enhanced realism.” He enjoys taking ordinary people or objects and “elevating them photographically.” However, according to Jim, this project “led to a breakthrough of sorts” in his still life photography, and he’s now creating more minimal shots, with greater focus on details. Photos with “very little distractions.”

The production time of “Murdered Out” was almost entirely spent cleaning and painting each object. Jim adds,

We photographed them on black plexi to get a subtle reflection, the way high end electronics and jewelry are often depicted. Lighting consisted of one strobe head in a Chimera large strip softbox directly above the objects. We then went in with small fill cards in separate exposures to pop any key details. Post production consisted of painting together the exposures, removing plexi seams and cleaning up a TON of dust on the plexi.

Painting the objects.

The meticulous efforts of Jim and his team shows through in the striking and clean finished shots. Jim and his studio are now using the series in direct mail pieces and in emails used to book portfolio meetings.

Jim is very pleased with the final series, and hopes viewers take the series the way he intended it: lightheartedly. He says,

I want them to chuckle, I mean, it’s pretty ridiculous, a flat black walker?! Throw a MOPAR sticker on it! When I look at advertising today, I crack up at how serious a lot of things are taken. I mean, come on, it’s a WI-FI router, not a Rolex, you know?

View more of Jim’s work at jimgoldenstudio.com.