Weekday Video

For anyone who missed it, here are Jay Z & Alicia Keys performing "Empire State Of Mind" before last night's Game 2 in the World Series at Yankee Stadium.

Nutty!

I really don't know how I missed this one. But seeing how this is turning out to be the week of The Year in Pictures "Believe It Or Not" edition, here is a photograph that from all accounts I've read is not a fake.

Melissa and Jackson Brandt had set the auto-timer on their camera while posing by Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park in Canada. Just as the shutter was about to click, the squirrel popped up in the foreground, becoming yet another unwitting star of the internet.

According to Melissa: "We had our camera set up on some rocks and were getting ready to take the picture when this curious little ground squirrel appeared, became intrigued with the sound of the focusing camera and popped right into our shot." The picture was submitted to the website of National Geographic magazine and from there began to make its way round the world.

The couple appeared on The Today Show where Matt Lauer grilled them over the picture's authenticity, but after further investigation he apologized and declared he was satisfied that the picture was real and un-doctored.

Weekend Video

Assuming this is not made using any special effects, this is one of the most amazing videos I have seen. (I suggest you click the button to the right of the HQ button at the bottom of the picture to view this full screen.)

Robert Maxwell

Just over five years ago, the photographer Robert Maxwell began doing a series of portraits for The New York Times Magazine called “The Originals”. The idea was to highlight creative individualists who all had a certain style and the series jumped out of the gate at a high level and has been cruising along up there ever since. Maxwell’s pictures don’t try to knock you over the head with gimmicks or surprises. He’s more of a traditionalist, but lately his classicism has reached a new depth. He’s still absorbed with surface but it’s now balanced with an equal interest in what’s beneath. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photographer looking so deeply into people’s eyes both literally and figuratively.

This past weekend’s portfolio on the stars of the film “Precious” is a great example. But in particular I would draw your attention to the two pictures of the movie’s star, Gabourey Sidibe – one on the cover and one inside. What stands out for me is the amazing dignity and presence with which he has photographed someone who is so overweight. I’m not an apologist for obesity, but at a time where issues of weight, health, and body image, are being hotly debated – these pictures present an interesting and artful talking point.

Picture of the Week

To end the week on a more positive note, this photograph by Joseph Holmes was recently released on the website 20 x 200. For those who don't know about it, 20 x 200 is the brainchild of gallerist Jen Bekman and offers prints by a range of upcoming photographers starting at $20 for editions of 200 8 x 10s and going up to $2,000 for much smaller editions of large prints.

I wrote about Joseph Holmes when he photographed my desk for his series on work spaces and he's a frequent and therefore much appreciated commenter on this blog - so I was doubly pleased when I saw this charming picture. What I like about it is the naturalness of the photograph combined with the originality of the image. It's an everyday scene made fresh and resonant by a photographer on top of his game. (To appreciate it more fully do click on it to get the larger size.)

Apparently NOT The Party of The Year.

I was bicycling uptown yesterday past the Whitney and saw the now obligatory roped-off tented entrance that signifies PARTY! As my invitation must have been lost in the mail I didn't think too much about it. And then these party pictures popped up on the internet.

It turns out it was the Whitney Art Museum Gala (sponsored by Versace), but in spite of the good weather, doesn't it look like everyone would have been happier watching Game 3 of the Yanks-Angels? While the pictures were uncredited on Fashionologie this is clearly not a photographer you want to invite to cover your next event.

So while I have never done a Hall of Shame, I think this deserves it.

One last piece of advice for next year, not only should the Whitney have someone standing by to say "Cheese!", a big plate of gooey Brie with salami and crackers might not be a bad idea for most of the guests.

Brandi Carlile

I've been writing about Brandi Carlile for a while and now her third album, "Give Up the Ghost" has just been released. It's a relief when an album by a relatively new artist lives up to their early promise and "Give Up the Ghost" more than meets expectations.

As you can see from these two clips, Carlile is a mix of country and rock - heavier on the country part and with a terrific high register that radiates genuine feeling. There's a slicker promo for the album on YouTube than you can click to here to hear her talk about the album, but I prefer the authenticity of these live clips (of which there are hundreds on the web) because it seems like the preferred way you would want to see her and the band.

No fancy frills, dancers, or light shows at these concerts. This is music for the un-photoshopped!

Footloose

The big news in the world of street fashion photography is that Scott Schuman (The Sartorialist) left Style.com – who had an exclusive arrangement whereby they had first rights to show his pictures from the collections. Not letting the grass grow under their feet, Style.com promptly signed Tommy Tom (of the blog Jak & Jill), and so now we have the pleasure of seeing two completely different visions at work on the same ground. (Sart’s pictures now go straight to his own blog.)

Schuman – we know – is a classicist, an elegant August Sander of the street creating beautifully composed character studies. Tommy Ton is a cross between Lartigue and Martin Parr - capturing action, color, and detail. He has a thing for shoes which seems to veer somewhere between obsession and humor, but it takes a certain madcap genius to be so focused, not to mention an ability to crouch down at a woman's knees without being slapped.

My reaction on seeing most of his shoe pictures is “Ouch!”, but these pictures capture the difference between the world of fashion and the rest of the world better than anything. So if you’ll trust me that my own particular obsession is photography and not feet, here’s a small selection of what promises to be a wonderfully idiosyncratic archive!

For Your Consideration

Two pictures from Ryan McGinley's showof new work made in caves showing at the Alison Jacques Gallery in London ....

"Treading On Kings" - Joel Sternfeld's 2002 book of portraits and quotes from protesters attending the 2001 G8 Summit in Genoa. It's looking more timely and necessary every day.

Tim Walker in Harper's Bazaar in collaboration with Tim Burton (naturally!).

Will be deeply missed. Paul Pincus's subjective/eclectic blog.

Not to be missed - Neil Leifer's new book on football - "Guts and Glory: The Golden Age of American Football 1958-1978".