Kevin Russ | A Traveling Photographer

Through my social feeds I kept seeing Kevin Russ’ name pop up. I thought I would check him out more, and found this great video by Maxwell Monty on Vimeo.

Here is what Maxwell writes:

Kevin Russ has been a huge inspiration to me since about 2005 when I saw some of his pictures on flickr. Over the years, he has just become such an incredible and focused photographer, ranging from doing portraiture now to landscape photography. He is one of the most humble men you will ever meet and really shows that there is no secret to photography or getting an incredible image.

Kevin has been traveling throughout the great American west shooting landscape and wildlife solely with his iPhone 4s and 5. He rarely pulls out his DSLR unless it’s for a bear or bear cub where he can’t get close. This is just a small peek into his life as a traveling photographer and some stories that come along with it.

You can help support Kevin by purchasing his prints here:
http://society6.com/kevinruss/prints

kevinruss.tumblr.com

 

Music:
“Robin Won” – Unseen Music
“Far Away” – Jose Gonzalez

MaxwellMonty.com

Made by Hand – The Cigar Shop

Fantastic storytelling in this project from bureauofcommongoods.com, I had to share their 4th episode as well.

Made by Hand is a new short film series celebrating the people who make things by hand—sustainably, locally, and with a love for their craft.

In 1974, Dominican immigrant Don Antonio Martinez started a small shop in New York City selling hand rolled cigars. Thirty-eight years later his son, Jesus, carries on the tradition. The shop combines craftsmanship with community, mixing equal parts work and play.

director-producer KEEF
co-director ELIAS RESSEGATTI
director of photography JOSHUA KRASZEWSKI
editor MATT SHAPIRO
title design MANDY BROWN
composer NATHAN ROSENBERG / DOGHOUSENYC
re-recording mixer NICHOLAS MONTGOMERY
assistant re-recording mixer JOHN GUMAER
sound recordist ROBERT ALBRECHT
additional sound recording JON MOORE

special thanks
JESUS MARTINEZ / MARTINEZ CIGARS
CREW CUTS
MATT DICKEY
ALEX KAHN & MARY WOOD / FRISBIE
DAVID HAYAN / SUPERSONIC CREATIVE

thisismadebyhand.com/
martinezcigars.com/
doghousenyc.com/
crewcuts.com/
frisbienyc.com/
supersoniccreative.com/

 

Made by Hand – The Knife Maker

A fantastic project, from bureauofcommongoods.com, Made by Hand is a new short film series celebrating the people who make things by hand—sustainably, locally, and with a love for their craft.

In our second film, we meet writer turned knife maker Joel Bukiewicz of Cut Brooklyn. He talks about the human element of craft, and the potential for a skill to mature into an art. And in sharing his story, he alights on the real meaning of handmade—a movement whose riches are measured in people, not cash.

director-producer KEEF
director of photography JOSHUA KRASZEWSKI
editor MATT SHAPIRO
music MICHAEL TRAINOR & NATHAN ROSENBERG
music produced at THE DOG HOUSE NYC
sound recordist ROBERT ALBRECHT
re-recording mixer NICHOLAS MONTGOMERY
assistant re-recording mixer JOHN GUMAER
gaffer ADAM ORELLANA
title design MANDY BROWN

special thanks
JOEL BUKIEWICZ & CUT BROOKLYN

thisismadebyhand.com
cutbrooklyn.com

Porter’s ‘No Nonsense Photo Guides’

When I was young I purchased a ‘complete’ darkroom from the local buy and sell paper in Winnipeg. It came with everything. Included in the mix was a stack of ‘No-Nonsense Guides’ from Porters Camera Store.

I did a few searches and was amazed to see some of them online. You can check them out here: porters.com/no_nonsense

Back in the day I got alot of great information out of these.

Here is info from their site:

Each of the original pamphlets reproduced here in PDF form sold for 95 cents. They covered topics such as flash photography and tips for vacation photos. Though the products mentioned may be outdated we can still appreciate the enthusiasm and commitment to photo education that they represent. In fact, a few of them have been continuously recycled and updated through the years and the current versions make up Porter’s Information Station! (we Iowans tend to be frugal like that)

The guides:

Basic Flash does a great job of removing some of the mystery behind hot-shoe mounted flashes. The brochure talks about “Three Styles of Electronic Flash” and while the text ignores SLR’s with built-in flash the illustration shows just that. Obviously an updated image was added at some point. I’d like to find an original printing with the original art! Pay particular attention to the brief discussion on bounce flash. Without getting very technical the brochure nicely presents this important tool and neatly explains why it’s a good trick to learn.

Advanced Flash starts up right where Basic left off. This brochure is very useful – especially the ‘Lighting Ratio Table’. If you like to shoot with multiple light sources it would be worthwhile to print this brochure, clip the table out and tape it to the side of your flash. If photography is the art of capturing light and shadow, this is the table that is the foundation of that art.

Adventures In Close-up Photography Close-up, or more accurately Macro photography is an addictive hobby. Once you have captured the smallness that surrounds you, you will want to do it again and again. This brochure spends a lot of time talking about equipment and not much about how to use it. That’s OK, in this case the equipment is important! Besides, Porter’s has other resourcesto get you inspired about shooting Macro.

Beginner’s Guide to Wedding Photography isn’t going to change into into a pro but it will certainly outline the preparation that should be taken before shooting a wedding. In particular look at the shot list. Notice the specific poses expected in a wedding album and do your best to capture them!

Filters and Lens attachments I can hear it now “Never mind about filters, I have Photoshop!” Maybe, but this pamphlet discusses a few filters that would take half an hour to recreate on a computer!

Wildlife Photography For Beninners. Stalking and shooting your prey using only a camera. Real Grizzly Adams stuff… especially brought home when the guest author signs off with “Happy Trails to You” (I thought Dale Evans owned that one). Kidding aside, this is a glimpse into what it takes to become a really good wildlife photographer. The overriding message is patience. If you get impatient waiting for microwave popcorn, maybe this isn’t your best choice of photographic subject…

Introduction to Lighting is a brochure that has remained relevant year after year. This publication is another “keeper”! Suggestions on umbrellas, diffusers, lighting patterns – they are all in here. Plus that handy lighting ratio table makes another appearance too.

Introduction to Color Film. From today’s point of view it’s hard to imagine that anyone needed an introduction to color film. But there was a time when color print film ruled the world. In the early 90’s my store stocked film from four different manufacturers: Kodak, Agfa, Fuji and Konica. Each brand offered perhaps two different lines of color film, times five ASA speeds (what we call ISO today), all multiplied by three roll sizes of 12, 24 and 36 exposures. That’s 120 different rolls of film without getting into the color slide, specialty or professional films! Yeah, a guide was definitely in order.

Dictionary of Common Photo Terms. This gem is very useful. Photography uses a lot of terms, some easily understood others not so much. Even though there are a lot of film and darkroom related definitions in this brochure there are more that still apply to today’s digital world. We’ll be updating this golden oldie, so look for the newer version soon.

Choosing an Enlarger. Even though digital photography is the norm, Porter’s continues to sell enlargers at high volume. An enlarger is a deceptively simple device, it would seem to be no more than a light and a baseboard. However after reading through this brochure you will find that there are decisions to make when purchasing that can either limit or liberate your future print making.

Mongolia’s Nomads

There is no question Boston.com‘s The Big Picture blog is a primo place to view some of the most current and best photojournalism out there, it is also a great place for inspiration.

Through his Vanishing Cultures Project photographer Taylor Weidman documents threatened ways of life. Regular readers of The Big Picture will recognize his distinctive work from his previous entry here on the Mustang region of Nepal. Weidman writes of the threatened nomadic culture in Mongolia: “Mongolian pastoral herders make up one of the world’s largest remaining nomadic cultures.

Continue reading Mongolia’s Nomads

A Photo Editor – A Brilliant Resource

Website: aphotoeditor.com
Twitter: @aphotoeditor

This blog by Rob Haggart is a resource I have used for a few years. It constantly provides a great resource for my own commercial gigs..and lately some great inspiration. The Daily Edit is one my favorite aspects of the blog.

It was also through this blog I was introduced to Suzanne Sease, who I hired for to edit my portfolio. That experience was fantastic.

Continue reading A Photo Editor – A Brilliant Resource

Varanasi, India: “Beyond” by Cale Glendening

“BEYOND” is an exclusive documentary featuring photographer Joey L. Set in Varanasi, India. The documentary by filmmaker Cale Glendening follows Joey and his assistant Ryan as they complete their latest photo series- “Holy Men.” Almost every major religion breeds ascetics; wandering monks who have renounced all earthly possessions, dedicating their lives to the pursuit of spiritual liberation.Their reality is dictated only by the mind, not material objects. Even death is not a fearsome concept, but a passing from the world of illusion.

Cale and I were trying to think of different ways of sharing “Beyond.” Should we sell it on a DVD or Blu-ray? Should we make some kind of tip-jar? After pondering all these ideas, we finally just decided to put it for free online. We want as many eyes to see it as possible, and nothing to distract from the message of the film. Enjoy.

Continue reading Varanasi, India: “Beyond” by Cale Glendening