Smashbox Top 20: Remembering Lillian Bassman
Barbara Mullen in Paris, Dinner At Nine, 1949 — Shot by the late Lillian Bassman.
Photographer Lillian Bassman‘s work was exquisite. High contrast, black and white fashion images from the 1940s through the 1960s highlighted her career, with a boost of popularity in the 1990s that brought her up to modern times. She passed away in her New York City apartment on February 13th at the age of 94; The eve of love’s biggest day and New York Fashion Week play a leading role in her passing…Ironic, right? Her photographs have managed to feel both of their period yet timeless (ROMANCE), startlingly modern yet vintage (HIGH FASHION). She manipulated in the dark room as well: blurring, bleaching, burning her images until she added a few good details back in. Inspiring, isn’t it? This Valentine’s Day, fall in love with a legendary female photographer who was a true example of evolving with the times by taking a romantic photo tour in celebration Bassman images we simply j’adore. Barbara Mullen, too. Read more
Photophiles: Photos We Love
We’d like to welcome a new client and old friend — Photographer Chris Callaway.
Competitions: The Couples Photo Contest by ViewBug
Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and if your a photographer, chances are you’ll capture a few good couples; your best snapshots and photo-shoots of a dynamic pairs and duos are the ideal concepts for the ongoing ViewBug “Couples Photo Contest.” Winners will be selected by ViewBug’s resident and guest judges based on your image quality, originality and creativity. Sounds like a plan! Don’t rush, the deadline isn’t until April 12th, 2012 so for the love’s sake…snap that camera. The prizes include:
* 1st Place — Digital Photo Frame and 500 reward points.
* 5 Runner Ups win a digital camera cleaning kit and 300 reward points.
* Worldwide exposure!
Feast Your Eyes: The Black Cat Auditions of 1961
M-E-O-W! The coolest eye feast on the first Friday the 13th of 2012 — a wonderful (and perhaps eerie) photo series from the LIFE archives documenting “Black Cat Auditions” in Hollywood circa 1961, shot by photographer Ralph Crane. The ultimate prince of darkness, Vincent Price, was on the scene posing in one of the photographs, suggesting that this kitty fest could’ve been an audition for Roger Corman’s ‘Tales of Terror’ — film trio adaptations of Edgar Allen Poe stories inclusive with “The Black Cat.” Alas, the black and white cat-fest awaits… Read more
Feast Your Eyes: The Yearbook Project x Hammer
You don’t need to be in High School for this concept! Harris Levi plus one really cute smile poses for The Yearbook Project.
Produced by artists Harrell Fletcher and Adam Moser, The Hammer Yearbook is in full swing — in count of an academic year at the Hammer Museum, a yearbook is being culminated and dedicated to visitors, programs and staff. The UCLA Yearbook staff is helping out and so are we: In a collaborative effort to keep photo culture alive and kicking in L.A., Smashbox Studios has jumped on board with donating as much lighting equipment needed for the duration of the portrait sessions. Get included. Get motivated to walk through those doors! You have until March to watch your picture end up RIGHT HERE throughout the process, with a June 2012 yearbook signing. Nostalgic, right? Enjoy a few behind the scenes & portrait snapshots after the jump… Read more
(1/18) FACE/OFF 2011 Exhibit x The W Hotel Los Angeles
Ooooh, FACE/OFF continues to spread its wings and fly — only to land at The W Hotel‘s Living Room on January 18, 2012…directly after making its mark at Photo L.A.! How inspiring is that?! (We’ll soon have official submission dates for 2012, so keep tuning in). Don’t forget, all images are available for purchase. Want to hang with us? You can RSVP right here. Now for the selected photographers exhibiting — Drum Roll please… Read more
Travel Mix: A Snapshot in Havana, Cuba
A wedding photo session in Havana, Cuba — shot by Dmitri Markine for National Geographic’s Photo Of The Day. (Havana is one of the 45 top cities to visit in 2012 via The NY Times!).
Photophiles, Photos We Love: ‘The Artist’ Edition
Berenice Bejo as Peppy Miller, American Actress.
The Year is 1927, the location is Hollywood and the setting is mostly on a sound stage. A silent romantic comedy filmed in black and white where dialogue displays off title cards and only music can be heard, The Artist is announced as the frontrunner in The Oscar Race (48 days left!). Director Michel Hazanavicius has hit it big in this ‘everything old is new again’ storyline — well before it’s U.S. premiere, The Artist generated quite the buzz in Jean Dujardin‘s best actor award at Cannes and $12 million at the French box office. We knew we would be as excited as this for a good black & white, on-set-still-action capture! Let’s celebrate filmmaking and photography…inside a film…within a film. Read more
Feast Your Eyes: Scott Kelby’s Monday Night Football
Photographer Scott Kelby hung out on the sidelines of a Saints vs Falcons Monday night game in December—it was a heartbreaking night for the Falcons (Saints took the lead 45 to 16!), but the real win goes to the live-action, high-impact snapshots that Kelby’s eye lead his camera lens to capture. It literally looks as if he’s playing the game: Although he was there officially to shoot the Falcons, he states on his blog “…The game was in New Orleans at the Superdome, so the rules are….well….we’re not exactly sure what the rules are, they vary from stadium to stadium, but it’s probably not the land of do as you please.” Our favorite team comes from NOLA and part of that reason is because of THIS! Catch some football kicks, quotes and a photographer’s self portrait right this second. Read more
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