international group of photographers, writers, artists, filmmakers, videographers and designers

[the slide show has sound - make sure yours is on]

Happy New Year!

Gary Fudge is a founding member and co-administrator of aamora. A freelance photographer, he lives on Orkney, part of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. He loves travel and photography. And photography. Oh, and travel. He specializes in moody imagery, stormy skies, decay and dark humour.

You will enjoy Gary’s previous aamora posts by clicking here and more of his work at Flatfoot Photography and at jpgmag.com .

Michael Van der Tol, member and co-administrator of aamora, asked our members to contribute their favorite shot of 2009. He created this slide show for you to enjoy. Thanks, Michael, and Happy New Year everyone!

Photographs by Aaron Schwartz with iPhone camera. Come back to see our year-end feature – aamora members’ “Favorites of 2009″ coming soon!

This is the second of aamora’s series of columns titled “Crystal on You” featuring the advice of our resident celebrity expert, Crystal Lamont:

“Dear Crystal,
Your critique of Michael Van der Tol’s “Stuff in my Basement” photo essay changed my life. I had never before realized how important it is to be discriminating about crap. So many nuances, so many levels, so many choices! There’s a whole world of crap out there! Now I see crap everywhere. Here’s some of it. What do you think?
Yours truly,
Alexis Gerard”

Dear Mr Gerard,

I commend you on your willingness to learn about crap, especially from an expert such as I. Here, I hope, is further help for your levels and nuances and choices.

Sincerely,
Crystal Lamont

11-29-09 (Pink Balloon, 4-53PM)

Crystal sez:
The party’s over and nothing says it like a solitary pink balloon befriending some cold street furniture. (Boy, have I been there. In fact, I think I was hanging onto this very pole the other night whilst waiting for the No. 5 to Mimico). But do you really want to shoot apres-soiree pictures? Why not a shot of the life of the party? Just so long as he or she is well dressed and accessorized, I think that would make a more interesting and entertaining photo.

****

11-30-09 (Rock, Half Moon Bay Ca)

Crystal sez:  Rock on, Mr G. Now the question is: rock on what? I mean, grey concrete?! You know, you say you’ve learned a lot about crap but this photo is desperate to prove you wrong. The rock in itself is not bad but you might have done well to place it on something like chartreuse velour or gold lame. Rocks are pretty dull photo material, so you have to jazz ‘em up some. Unless, of course, they are the rocks one wears on one’s fingers and earlobes. “Square-cut or pear-shaped, those rocks won’t lose their shape… diamonds are a girl’s best friend!”  Those stones make great photos (and gifts).

****

12-1-09 (Christmas tree, Rockaway Beach Ca)

Crystal sez:
Here’s a photo that speaks volumes. I’m not sure what it’s saying but it’s volumes. Or maybe it’s forests. Yes, this shot speaks forests. Or the lack of them. Now, I’m no environmentalist (well, I’m into my own environment: from the plastic Elvis in my boudoir to the pink flamingo on my balcony, I like my surroundings completely inorganic) but since I’m singing songs today, here’s one for this shot: “Took all the trees/put ‘em in a tree museum/and they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see em…Paved paradise, put up a parking lot.” (Mr G, my favourite performer’s Tony Bennett and I don’t think he ever recorded this particular tune so I don’t know why I’m quoting it here – For Heaven Sakes, I wasn’t even ALIVE in the 60s when purportedly some backwater Canadian type wrote it!) So…I’m going to give you one kudo for capturing an “issue”, but you have to ask yourself: Do I really want to take boring issue-oriented photos? Or do I want to shoot exciting frivolous escapist shots? I’ve always been for the latter but this photo may be changing my mind.

Crystal Lamont, photographiste, actress, filmmaker, commentator and celebrity, is a distinguished member of aamora. She is a reknowned expert on all things aesthetic.

Alexis Gerard is a member of aamora.com. Alexis has been a passionate photographer since his twenties. He worked at Apple in the pioneering days of the Macintosh launch, then founded imaging think-tank Future Image in 1991. He founded and now chairs the 6Sight® Future of Imaging executive conference. He co-authored the book “Going Visual”, speaks widely on imaging technology, and is a member of the International Advisory Council of the George Eastman House. As a result of his business activities he had the opportunity to begin shooting digital in the early nineties and does so exclusively now. He prefers small cameras he can have with him at all times. Check out Alexis’ other posts on aamora and see his other work by clicking here.

“The more photos I took in Mt. Dora, the more drawn I became to abstraction….”

We welcome Maura as a new member of aamora. Maura tells us: “I received my B.F.A. from Bennington College in Vermont. It was there I learned how to “see” and ‘listen” abstractly. Before that, I studied in NYC with Daniel Green, a well-known portrait artist…. total realism, oil paints, “live” models….also, posed as a painter’s model during that period. Owned ”Embellishments” – a business I created from being inspired by a small Indian mosaic frame found in the gift shop of the Jacksonville Museum of Art. – for 12 years. Now, I work at Merrill Lynch, helping people with their 401k plans. Photography has become my salvation.”  – You can see more of Maura’s photography at jpgmag.com

I see shop windows decorated with beautiful lights and Christmas trees, shiny new toys, the latest technical gadgets and luxury items…I leave these for the next photographer. Give me thrift shops and second hand store windows filled with vintage decor, yesterday’s toys and forgotten treasures and I rush to find a way to share it with the world. Using vintage cameras with no fancy options is my way of capturing 50+ year old bikes, wooden sleds, dolls and teddies now somehow left sadly forgotten after years of love —

— these photos were made with a vintage Argus seventy-five medium format camera using asa/100 film —

I am an American photographer living on the northern prairies of Idaho. However, my travels throughout the world have given me a perspective on my surroundings and have allowed me to “dream” when creating images I like to imagine are part of my reality. Off beat,sometimes quirky images emerge from my cameras. I like to explore alternative approaches to photography; much of the work I create is fueled by fragments of an imaginary existence. I use vintage, plastic and toy cameras as well as more modern slr’s and dslr’s.  I develop all my own black and white film.

To see more of Diane’s work:

http://www.dianepetersonphotography.1x.com

http://www.papermemories.wordpress.com

The boy had often wondered what was contained within the old man’s piece of furniture. He had been delivering papers for him for two years now and each week the old man would answer the knock on the door and allow the boy to stand in the doorway while he counted out the change he was to receive. The beat up old piece of furniture with its incredibly old lock didn’t look like it would put up much of a fight. What could the old man possibly have inside there?

He had heard rumors that the old man had survived the Great Depression and kept all his money rolled up in big wads and stored in coffee tins. Thousands of dollars, some said. Even though the house looked like it hadn’t been taken care of in a very long time, the old man must have had money to be able to afford to buy that Terrier of his a roast every couple of days to eat. That damn dog ate better than anyone the boy knew.

God knows the old man’s relatives thought he had money stashed away somewhere in the house. The old man said he didn’t like any of them. They didn’t care about him or the dog, he said, just visited every now and then in the hopes they would be mentioned in the will. “I like you.” he said to the boy, “You take the time to leave the paper by the door so I don’t have to walk to the street to get it.”

The next week, when the boy knocked on the door the dog barked, but the old man didn’t come to the door. The boy turned the knob and to his surprise the door opened and the dog jumped up at him excitedly. In the corner of the room the old man sat slumped in a chair. The old lock seemed to be taunting the boy.

This is aamora member John Linton’s contribution to the “Secret” Project. You can check out John’s other aamora posts and the other “Secrets” by clicking on the links in the next column over there —>>

For me, there is something romantic about items that existed long before I came along.  Things, like people, that have managed to survive decades, even centuries, often show their history in marks of endurance and occasional abuse. Individuals who have suffered through war, the loss of a loved one, loneliness and despair can be the most loyal, lifelong friends.

When I restore vintage and antique items, I know that one day long after I am gone, a story will be told, a story about love and endurance, and how they don’t make things the way they once did.

Dawn Duffield, a painter, designer and photographer from Tampa, Florida, is the newest member of aamora. She tells us: “What I am most interested in is light and human nature. My work mostly comes from my subconscious in an emotional language that people seem to understand.” — You can enjoy more of Dawn’s photography at projectdawn.net.