Us Alone

Just seen this stunning series of portraits by Laura Stevens on theprintspace blog.  She photographed real couples in London, Brighton and Paris with the intention of showing the less romantic moments in the life of a co-habiting couple.  I love how the theatrical feel of the lighting intensifies the emotion and tension of the couples to superbly dramatic effect. She will be showing in Riga, Arles and Singapore this year and you can see more here http://www.laurastevens.co.uk/.  The post on theprintspace blog is here: http://www.theprintspace.co.uk/blog/laura-stevens/

Robot alert!

Laurent Chehere's work is surreal but playful.  He's just done a show in France of a series depicting flying buildings which was very well received.  The magic hour light in these shots of a giant transformer-type robot roaming around the suburbs of some sunkissed city causing havoc, lends an unsettling quality to the series and I think the shots where you see him less are certainly the most powerful.  See more of his work here: http://zeyneprepresents.com/photographer-laurent-chehere-18-72-places

Engerland!

Ok so we didn't make the Euro semi finals... there is always next time!  Angus McDonald has been documenting how we showed our support for the team using the flag of St George during the Euros and the last World Cup.  Enjoy the results... http://www.angusmcdonald.net/#

Forgot to add that when Angus sent the promotion for this project it came with two lovely fat red rubberbands which he then sweetly photographed and sent me!  It's all in the detail...

You'll need 1 x willing parent, a couple of wigs, a box of props...

Jon Baker came to see me quite recently and I was charmed by this on-going series he does with his dad.  Like any good model, Mr Baker senior likes to be furnished with as much information as Jon can muster about the chosen artist he is impersonating so that he can get into character. Jon says he's a very enthusiastic participant in the project. Lucky Jon! http://www.jon-baker.co.uk/

Curios galore

Trepanned skull

Rectal tobacco resuscitator

European executioner's mask pre1700

Fakir's sandals 1871

Maleus Maleficarum; witch hunter's manual 1494

Boots for bound feet

Nelson's razor and Napoleon's toothbrush

Preserved tattoos 19th Century

Pharmacy leech jar 1831

I envy Thom Aitkinson for having had the privilege to take these pictures of some of the extraordinary items found in the Wellcome Institute.  They make me think that the riproaring world of Tin Tin has come to life; I mean here is a pair of actual fakir's sandals!  I dread to think what a rectal tobacco resuscitator is (those three words shouldn't really appear together in a sentence let alone describe a real object) and as for the bits of dried out tattooed skin...  You might have seen them if you'd wandered past the Wellcome Trust on the Euston Road earlier in the year or look at the whole set here on Thom's site: Thom Aitkinson
Here's an article about the project:
Wellcome Institute exhibition

Don't forget to....

Feels like Erin Hanson should do a book for all 1st year students embarking on a life away from home...  Mind you, who couldn't do without a little helpful reminder every now and again?  See more of her brilliantly irreverant work here: http://recoveringlazyholic.com/index.html

Look for a loveheart

I set myself a little brief of taking a picture a day on my Hipstamatic app but sometimes fail to do so if I don't have the time or see anything worth photographing...  Just came across Quentin Bacon's site where he has a few inspiring series in his Personal section based on a sole subject he's stumbled across in different situations; crucifixes, chandeliers, finished plates and love hearts as shown here.  Love hearts are all around us and not just scrawled on walls or carved on park benches it seems... http://www.quentinbacon.com