Shutter Mike Photography

Te Walt Disney Concert Hall is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.  Designed by Frank Gehry in the early 1990s it was not completed until 2003 and cost in the neighborhood of $275 million.  The almost organic shapes of the concert hall contrast with the very non-organic stainless steel skin.  Yet the skin reflects the sky and surrounding vegetation tying it all together very well.  This is an amazing work of architecture to visit and especially to photograph.  Although it is a bit of a challenge to photograph well because the stainless steel can have hot spots as it reflects and plays with the sunlight.  But it was well worth it and I was in architectural heaven.

Check back tomorrow for part two of the Walt Disney Concert Hall photo series.

There is a lot to look at on National Geographic’s photography page and it is easy to lose track of time while scanning  the countless galleries.  One easy way to stay caught up and not lose (is it lost?)  half your day in the site is to add the Photo of the Day section to your Google Reader or similar feed.  Of course if you are new to the site there are 10 plus years worth of photos of the day to catchup with.  No time for over 3,600 photos?  Try the condensed version with the best of the best in the Ten  Years of Photo of the Day gallery.

Can you stand another book suggestion?  I love books almost as much as I love photography so any chance I get to pack my book shelves full I generally take.  Me and Amazon go way back.

I came across this book via the Daily Icon and felt it was worth sharing.  Photographers A-Z by Hans-Michael Koetzle is a comprehensive overview of some of the finest photographers of the last 100 years.  With over 400 entries from North America, Europe, Japan, Latin America and beyond this “encyclopedia of photographers” has cataloged the best of the last century.

Richly illustrated with facsimiles from books and magazines, this book includes all the major photographers of the last hundred years—especially those who have distinguished themselves with important publications or exhibitions, or who have made a significant contribution to the culture of the photographic image.

Name a photographer, any photographer, and chances are they are featured in Photographers A-Z.  Just a few of those that grace the pages of this book are: Bruce Weber, Cindy Sherman, Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Julius Shulman, Robert Mapplethorpe, Robert Capa, and the list goes on and on.

I will be adding this book to my library shortly!

Marilyn Monroe, from the Last Photos, original photograph, signed,1962, Andrew Weiss Gallery, copyright George Barris/Edward Weston Collection. (PRNewsFoto/Andrew Weiss Gallery)

Marilyn Monroe would have been 85 on June  1st.  As America’s preeminent sex symbol Marilyn has been the subject of countless photographs taken throughout her career as a model and then a Hollywood actress.  From her early days when she was still known as Norma Jeane Baker photographer Bill Carroll captured Marilyn before her Hollywood career took off.  Then after she reached iconic status as a “blonde bombshell” and actress multiple other photographers documented her stardom.  One of the last to photograph her before her death in 1962 was George Barris.  His work, along with that of Carroll and others are the subject of an exhibit at the Andrew Weiss Gallery in Beverly Hills opening to the public on June 2nd.  The exhibit, in honor of Monroe’s 85th birthday, will combine classic photography of the star with birthday wishes sent in by fans to create a unique display and tribute to Marilyn Monroe.

If you happen to be in Los Angeles between June 2nd and August 13th you should definitely try to stop in and see the exhibit at the Andrew Weiss Gallery at 179 S. Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills 90212. The hours are  Tues.-Sat. 11:00am-5:00pm, or by appointment.

It is time again for the National Geographic and Energizer Ultimate Photo Contest.  Last year’s winner was the perfect combination of perfect timing, a dedicated photographer, photographic skill and just a dash of luck.  There are six categories in which you can submit photos for this year’s contest; Animals/Wildlife, Nature/Weather, Travel/Cultures, Family/Community, Arts/Music, and Action/Energy.  If you are ambitious you can even enter one photo per theme.  All the nitty gritty details and contest rules can be found here.

The judge in this year’s contest is National Geographic photographer, Jim Richardson.  His work has been featured in 45 National Geographic stories as well as TIME, Life, the New  York Times and many more.  You can check out a gallery of Jim Richardson’s photography for inspiration and get you set for winning one of the first place prizes and hopefully the grand prize.   The 6 first place winners, one in each category, will get a prize package made up of several Energizer battery requiring gadgets.  For the lucky grand prize winner they get a National Geographic vacation package for two to their choice of Alaska, Bhutan, or Morocco.  (I’ll take Bhutan)

I think if there was ever a building that was meant to grace the pages of one of those over-sized “coffee table” books of photographs it is Fallingwater.  Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece is very well known and has been photographed from every angle thousands of times.  It is on my residential architecture photography bucket list and I will hopefully have the opportunity to be one of the countless photographers that have captured this truly extraordinary residence.  The house floats above the falls of Bear Run Creek in Pennsylvania and is one of the best examples of Wright’s organic architecture.  It was meant to be photographed.

In the mid-1980s photographer Christopher Little worked with Edgar Kaufman Jr., the son of the Pennsylvania department giant that commission the home, to document the house for his book Fallingwater: Frank Lloyd Wright Country House.  Twenty-five years later Little returned to Fallingwater to document it again for an updated version of the book this time simple called Fallingwater.  Little spent about 50 days spread out over the four seasons to capture Fallingwater as it changes with the light of the seasons.  The result is a 300 plus page book that brings one of  Wright’s best known designs to life through incredible photography.  If you love photography, architecture and books like I do this is one you should add to your collection.