What equipment do you use? Do you use off-camera lighting, or do you rely solely on natural light?

I use a Canon DSLR and lenses from both Canon and Tokina. I solely use natural lighting for both outdoor and indoor shooting.

What software do you use to edit your work? What do you do to process your photographs?

Most of my post-production work is done in Adobe Photoshop CS5 but I also use OnOne Plug-In Suite 5, Noiseware, Noise Ninja and several others.

Color is a strong subject. What is your goal here?

My goal is to desaturate my images to an “eerie” tone that suits the apocalyptic and lonely mood in my work.

A pairing of images from Mr. Høltermand’s ‘K3nc2r1Hus4t’ and ‘Illuminated’ galleries.

There is a particular location you photograph in both K3nc2r1Hus4t (3rd from last) and Illuminated (the first image). What is this place and what is its significance to you?

Yes. Those are special light boxes found on the walls of the K3nc2r1Hus4t (a concert house – the numbers in the title stands for the four studios in the concert house). I think I like them due to their very graphic expression and because I have a past in the graphic design business I specially loved these.

For The Strange Attractor’s Still Life project, you used the Diana F+. These images, especially the early ones, are a dramatic departure from your architectural style. How much did the camera influence this? Can you describe your process and intent with these images?

The camera influenced it a lot. I had never previously worked with an analog/film camera and had a blast shooting away, not knowing if the pictures would end up being good or bad. I wanted to give a more personal feel around my work – a look behind the scenes of my life and the world around me. Most of the landscape photos were shot nearby where I live. I also included people in my shots (the little girl in some of the last shots is actually my daughter Sally) which is definitely not my cup of tea but felt that I had to try it out in order to move closer to a more human and personal photo-series.

For the Still Life project, Mr. Høltermand shot with a film camera for the first time.

Regarding this project, you wrote it “has definitely triggered the inner experimental photography child.” How, exactly? Do you plan on exploring this more?

Yes, definitely. It made me want to play more and experiment with my work. Normally I crave the clean, aesthetic and minimal but sometimes I feel the need to break out of that perfectionistic box that I love so much and make some noise. The Strange Attractor’s Still Life project definitely helped me want to try that out even more.

Who do you look to for inspiration?

I find inspiration in a lot of different places; magazines of all kinds but specially magazines about graphic design, photography and architecture. Books; I love those big coffee table books on graphic design, art, movies (mostly Sci-Fi) and cult classics – currently I have The Stanley Kubrick Archives lying beside me when I work – Kubrick is King. Music; Icelandic band Sigur Rós has been the number one inspiration in my work, I must say. Their music is almost always in my mind (and in my iPod while shooting) when I work on a photographic project, but also Hammock, Moby, Air, Efterklang, Trentemøller, M83, Max Richter, Mikael Simpson, Mike Sheridan, Olafur Arnalds – the list is endless. All of these sources of inspiration are my driving force in making my errie, melancholic, post-apocalyptic and moody world come to life.

That comes across in color and composition, but it is most apparent through the absence of people in most of your photographs. Can you comment on this?

I like the viewer to feel alone. Like the last person on earth wandering around among this deserted beautiful architecture. It sets an unsettling and eerie mood that I like very much. And it makes the architecture stand out even more.

What are you working on now?

Right now I am working on several different projects; among others I am in the preparation for an upcoming exhibition in St. Petersburg this fall, where 40 of my photographs will be exhibited in the Manege, the largest exhibition hall of St. Petersburg. I’m also working on some personal projects and maybe a re-design of my website – who knows. Right now, no two days are alike, so you will never know which cool projects awaits me or are currently being shot and produced.

What are your plans for the future?

I always strive to become better in my field and hopefully I will be working with even more creative people and on even more insanely cool projects than I already have. So far it has been a true joyride and hopefully this is just the beginning.

He has recently received international attention from his stop-motion film of Iceland’s volcano Eyjafjallajökull which has received neary two million views on Vimeo. It was shot on the Canon 5D MarkII on a stage zero prototype MILapse motorized dolly track built specifically for stop-motion. This trip to Iceland was pure self-motivation, paid out of Sean’s own pocket.

You mention that you went to Iceland to out-do the mediocre pictures you were seeing in the news. Amongst the comments left for the film you say that this trip was of your own accord, payed out of your own pocket, and I can imagine it was quite expensive. How were you able to justify this trip?

I had just finished doing some well paying jobs and thought why not?! Its like a vacation.

How soon after the initial eruption happened was your trip planned?

It was planned 2 days before I left.

Were you afraid that the volcano might not be as active when you arrived? Were you expecting as much inclement weather as you came up against?

I was afraid and honestly was not expecting much but I had to try. The weather was worse than I expected but at least the volcano didn’t die on me.

How many locations did you try out?

Not sure, I think everywhere I shot was pretty much in the video. I got some shots elsewhere on the island to just fill my time but they were not relevant to this volcano video.

Did you have any problems operating the motorized dolly outside in the cold weather?

Weather wasn’t a problem. The flights over were the problem. All the flights that I was redirected on caused a part on it to break and I had to salvage what I could. Luckily I got it working a little bit.

The plane near the end of the film appears to be in the middle of nowhere. How did you come across this? How much time did you have to scout out locations before shooting commenced? Were there any particular locations that you weren’t able to make it to?

Many locations that didn’t work. I just shot as much as the little amount of clear weather allowed. The plane was first seen in a Sigur Ros music documentary. Ever since I saw that I wanted to check it out. Luckily for me there was a giant cloud of ash in the background.

You’ve shot films through a variety of mediums: film, DV and DSLR. But it looks like you’re primarily heading in the direction of the 5D. Why did you choose to shoot this on the 5D instead of other mediums?

I am not at all heading in the direction of the 5D. In fact I have only shot one piece on the 5D in the video mode. This piece is all comprised of stills shot in RAW that look far far better than the video. If I had my way I would shoot anamorphic 35mm film, or 70mm film in a wild dream.

How much grading did you apply to the film?

Took a while to process the files. Some images are HDR some are not. Color correction helped match the difference.

I can’t imagine how many flash cards you must have required to be shooting a time-lapse film in RAW. How many gigs did the final project take up? How much time was spent rendering the project?

About 4 days of rendering. Cards I probably filled up about 300 gigabytes. That is a small amount compared to other shoots, haha!

Is another trip to Iceland in the works? If so, how soon?

Not sure yet but I sure hope so. There are talks of June and August.

Mr Castilho’s photographic portfolios have a strong sense of coherency. Many of his photographs center around environment and interaction. The expert use of color and deep, crushed blacks make for dramatic, moving images.

Simonetti’s work has gained him art gallery attention. His photographs from New York were featured in a five-month exhibit at the highly trafficked train station in Rome. Skateboard company Zoo York made skateboard decks with Simonetti’s aerial New York cityscapes.

Photographs reproduced with permission by Jonathan Chapman.

I recently came across an article regarding stray dogs in Moscow’s subway system. These subway dogs are in the process of evolving into an unclassified species. Scientists have placed their newly formed breed between domesticated dogs and wolves.

Researcher and biologist Andrei Poyarkov researched these animals closely for over 30 years. He found that different packs of dogs are scattered around the city, and each has their own territory and characteristics. Dogs that aren’t accustomed to humans live on the outskirts of the city. They have exhibited the most wolf-like traits.  “With stray dogs, we’re witnessing a move backwards. That is, to a wilder and less domesticated state, to a more ‘natural’ state,” Poyarkov said.

During the past couple of decades a new sub-group of these stray dogs has developed. “The metro dog appeared for the simple reason that it was permitted to enter,” says Andrei Neuronov another animal researcher. During the Soviet era, dogs were not allowed in the subway terminals. Now, at least 500 of these dogs roam these subterranean railway stations.

Roughly 20 out of these 500 dogs are unique. They have developed a highly sophisticated brain (as far as dogs brains go). These dogs learn to ride the trains and arrive at specific locations at specific times. Neuronov says of this:

They orient themselves in a number of ways. They figure out where they are by smell, by recognising the name of the station from the recorded announcer’s voice and by time intervals. If, for example, you come every Monday and feed a dog, that dog will know when it’s Monday and the hour to expect you, based on their sense of time intervals from their ­biological clocks.

These dogs have even developed psychological profiles for people passing by. They need to be efficient: they only beg from those who will provide food. In some ways, they have more patience and a more sophisticated intuition than humans. Suzanne Sternthal of Financial Times states:

… a dog appears to be dozing as throngs of people walk past, but rears his head when an easy target comes into view… These dogs not only smell who is carrying something tasty, but sense who will stop and feed them.

It would be quite interesting to see these dogs populate the area and observe new skill sets that they develop. This is impractical, as many Muscovites consider the dogs a nuisance. The city has set aside money to build 15 animal shelters, which still won’t be close to enough to house the 35,000 roaming the city.

I was searching for the photographer that shot these images and finally found him: Maxim Marmur. His photos have been featured in GQ, Time magazine and the New York Times. We were quite thrilled to get a hold of him, and he graciously let us use his photos:

The Journal staff would like to thank Maxim Marmur and The Financial Times for allowing reproduction of photos. We find the body of images intimate and indicative of a relevant issue.

Canon released the 7D in September. The digital SLR also records full resolution high def video.

A few months ago we decided Inksie needed a camera. We decided it would be nice to have an SLR that would take video. We looked at a few different options: the Nikon D90 and D300s, and the Canon 7D and 5D Mark II. After much debate the creative board finally decided on a Canon 7D because of its superior video capabilities.

We pre-ordered the 7D from Adorama and received it a few weeks afterwards. We also ordered a Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 from B&H. You can use the camera straight out of the box and get great images and movies.

The Camera

The first thing you notice when you pick up the camera is the weight of the camera body itself. This thing is a brick! The body feels very solid (as it should, made of magnesium alloy) and the contours and grip feel natural in your hand. The body has weather sealing, as well.

Ergonomically speaking, the 7D is miles ahead of its older relatives. Everything is laid out systematically, and the buttons are large—easy to push when wearing gloves. Camera menus are straight-forward. Options to completely customize nearly every button are buried in the menus.

The 7D’s autofocus and usually accurate. The viewfinder has 100% coverage, which means your final image is exactly what you see through the viewfinder. The rear screen has great resolution and brightness. There is a handy feature that helps you hold the camera perfectly straight. The live-view feature works well. I’m actually surprised by the on-board flash; it has good coverage and is fairly powerful.

Images

The 18.0 megapixel sensor produces massive 5184 x 3456 images. This is more than enough for any practical use. The 7D has an impressive ISO range. The highest settings (12800-3200) produce mushy images, but noise at reasonably high ISOs ( around 1600) look okay.

Images off the sensor look good if you set things up right. However, highlights and especially blacks tend to be be crushed. Canon has a feature to preserve highlights, which doesn’t ever seem to do much. Auto-white balance is hit and miss.

Movies

This is where the 7D really shines. Video comes in a few options: 1920×1080 30p and 24p, 1280×720 60p and 640×480 60p. A thoughtful feature is the video switch on the back of the camera. Simply flip the switch, press the “Start” button and you’re recording.

The back screen faithfully displays settings while you record. You can even adjust the exposure while filming. Auto-focus is impractical during recording, but you can easily magnify a section to check focus or get one of these.

The Lens

At $1060, the Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 is expensive. You get what you pay for; this lens is very sturdy and the rings rotate smoothly. Focal range makes this a great general-purpose lens on the 7D, suitable for landscapes, portraits and anything in-between.

The lens’ minimum focuses is very close—nearly a macro at 55mm—which makes the lens versatile. The 17-55mm has beautiful focus breathing, which makes it a great choice for the 7D.

One thing I have noticed is that the distortion on the lens is really terrible. At 17mm there is quite a bit of barrel distortion, and pincushion distortion is noticeable even at 35mm.

The lens has Canon’s Image Stabilization, which compensates for slow shutter speeds and hand movement. I haven’t noticed anything dramatic. When shot at f/2.8 the image is pretty soft with a bit of falloff and softness in the corners. Chromatic aberration is especially bad. Not to worry: close down two stops and these issues improve.

Conclusion

I come from a Nikon background and have always been skeptical of Canons. I was pretty excited to test and work with the 7D, mostly because of the video features. The camera has definitely changed my opinion of Canon. Once you become acclimated to the 7D it is remarkably easy to use. The actual construction and ergonomics are surprisingly good. In fact, the more I use it the more I enjoy using it. The camera gets out of your way and allows you to see creatively, which is what photography is all about.

Check out some test photos taken with the Canon 7D in our Flickr photostream.

Vincent Moon has been producing an exquisite series of videos for three years now called “Take Away Shows” on his site also known as La Blogotheque. These caught my interest late last year and I’ve watched through almost all of them (I believe there are over 100 now). Most of these are indie-esque bands and are shot in locations all over the world. I had forgotten about this series of films until today when I noticed a post on Pitchfork about Phoenix (a magnificent French electronic-indie-rock-etc.-etc. band). I was really excited since I have been really into the band lately and that this filmmaker has finally put together some films featuring them.

These videos rarely cease to give me chills when I watch them. There is something almost ethereal about them. A lot of it is due to the fantastic filmic quality with overly warm tones, a slight glow, and a grainy feel. I really enjoy the shots of the band in between their performances and seeing them interact, I’ve never seen material like that. The films give you the feeling like you’re actually there watching the band live, while in a very small personal setting. You can see the bands having fun and some even get a bit embarrassed of the attention in these awkward live settings. There is a downright sense of immediacy, the bands can’t master their tracks in a sound proofed studio, or add to the audio in any other way than its original form of capture. It’s completely up to them to prove the raw power of their voices.

This is a fantastic example of objective camera (defined as: When the scene is shot from the viewpoint of a spectator watching from outside the scene). It’s shot in the first person, as if someone were to be there, walking along with the band as the perform. To accomplish this successfully with one’s own style is much more difficult than you would assume. The art of handheld camera work has been very controversial over the past decade. Ever since the Blair Witch Project came out, people have been bashing movies and TV shows left and right for “shaky camera”. While this has some basis and I really do believe that it has been overdone in some arenas, I think that some filmmakers are really working past this negative stereotype successfully (such as Vincent Moon). The fact that VM is able to capture these beautiful images in one shot is equally as impressive as the successful handheld camera work. Most people that aren’t involved with film even know how difficult they are. I don’t even want to think about how long these walking shots took to coordinate seeing as he’s walking backwards the majority of the time, he’d better have someone clearing his path!

You should definitely check out the rest of his films. In fact, I suggest you waste the rest of your day getting lost in them. He has some fantastic web designers, so if you lose interest in the videos at least you’ll have something else wonderful to look at. Temporary Areas is his non-profit production company, Les Nuits de Fuimes Vincent Moon’s personal blog.