Cowboys- A Vanishing World

- This book is a collection of photographs taken by photographer Jon Nicholson.

-It is a documentary photograph collection, detailing what life is now like for the real Cowboys in America.

- '' The cowboy remains on of America's enduring legends. Representing freedom, strength and individuality, the cowboy is an icon whose reputation is constantly reinforced in popular culture by the great Western stories and Hollywood films.'' 

The danger however, is with the vastly modernizing culture in America over the past few decades, with Walmarts popping up everywhere and taking away the countryside, their home land is being eroded. Cowboys now also come under conflict from environmentalists who are active in criticizing their ranch methods, forcing some ranches who are unable to obtain permits to break up their land and give up what is usually a family, multigenerational business and way of life.

''These photographs reveal a world undergoing fundamental and irreversible changes and provide a definitive record of the cowboy as this great icon moves into the 21st century.''

-The layout of the book cannot be faulted. There is good use of white space, there is no overcrowding, and the photographs are not obtrusively big and shoved in your face. Text is kept to a minimum and thus when read, intensifies the images.  The images are moving and completely depict the way of life of the Cowboys.

- As a photographer, Nicholson has worked with unicef, has just signed a 3 year contract with McLaren/Olympus to be their official photographer, and has taken photographs around the world in places such as Texas, India, Cornwall, Liberia, Ethiopia and the  Falkland Islands. He  has also published many books, as well as exhibitions around the world, including portrait books of Linford Christie and Damon Hill.

-If you want to see more of his work, go HERE

alice hawkins

- Above images of Maggie Gyllenhall taken by Alice Hawkins.

- At 28, Hawkins has produced a very diverse portfolio, her work being renowned for colour usage, her relationship with her models and her range of topic models, she is much more than just another fashion photographer. 

- Her advertising covers companies such as Agent Provocateur (shown above), Smirnoff, Orange, Topshop and Vodafone, and her work has been seen in editorials such as Pop, I-D, Harpers Bazaar, Russian Vogue and Brazilian Vogue.

- This campaign achieved great media attention, as Gyllenhall was seen by some as unusual choice, especially seeing as she followed Kate Moss. However, Gyllenhall's understated and unusual beauty is exactly what Agent Provocateur was looking for. Serena Rees, the co-founder of Agent Provocateur said, ''Maggie is not an obvious sex symbol, she is interesting looking, confident and beautiful in a way that is non-threatening, which makes her appealing to men and women alike.'' 

- This type of campaign wouldn't really shock anyone who is aware of her previous film work including the film Secretary and many other indie films.

- In these photos, Hawkins has captured Gyllenhall in fantastic poses, ranging from the glamourous to the risque (some show her wearing hand cuffs), she really lets her beauty show through. The photos are sexy but elegant and not trashy, which has a lot to do with the photographer as well as the model.

- Hawkins has a knack of being able to capture the beauty in her models, rather than just a blank stare. 

- If you like these photos and want to see more work, it can be found on her website.

steven meisel

- Considered one of the most successful Fashion Photographers ever lived, Steven Meisel first gained acclaim for his photography of friend Madonna and his work in Italian Vogue.

- His campaign cv includes shoots for Versace, Valentino, Dolce & Gabanna, Calvin Klein, all the Prada campaigns since 2004, Anna Sui and models including Gemma Ward, Saha Pivarova, Coco Rocha, essica Stam and Snejsns Onopka, all of which have featured in his Prada work.

- The examples shown above are some of the most accomplished images from his Dolce & Gabanna campaigns. Meisel manages to create a scene where the models are so polished that they almost look like mannequins. Everything about these photos are beautiful, the clothes, the scene, the models, everything! I love them- they are intriguing, interesting, unusual, memorable and just very well captured.  A lot of thought and preparation would go into shoots like these, especially when there are multiple models and unusual settings to consider, and every time Meisel pulls it off. He really is a great photographer and anyone interested in photography or fashion should check out more of his work.

steven klein studio

-Photographer Steven Klein has a huge portfolio of work but what I am most impressed with is the website. Its sexy, cool, a little bit dirty even, setting the tone perfectly for his work. I won't spend loads of time talking about this site, you just need to take my word for it and spend some time looking through it. GO NOW!

-Klein's work can be seen in GQ, Vogue, POP, I-D for, Armani, D&G, H&M, Dsquared2, Nike, Pepe, Valentino and YSL and he has worked with pretty much any celebrity you can think of.

-He is another one of my favourites and you just have to check him out!

tim bret-day

-The top example was seen most recently in the Sunday Times Style Magazine...  a bit risque for some Sunday Times readers I would imagine! It is a life size party scene exhibited at the Louise T Blouin Foundation for Agent Provocateur which has recently been projected onto the Tate Modern and Marble Arch.

-The above photographs are some examples of work by a photographer named Tim Bret-Day, a photographer who has worked with the England Cricket XI, Elle MacPherson, Natalie Imbruglia and Danni Cipriani, in locations from Mexico to Istanbul.

-Bret-Days' Editorial base includes, The Face, Marie Claire, Flaunt, Sunday Times Magazine, Arena, ID and many more.

-Celebrities photographed include David Beckham, David Bowie, Callum Best, Kylie Minogue, Erin O'Connor, Michael Owen, Gordon Ramsay, Frank Lampard, Rachel Hunter, The Rolling Stones and Lenox Lewis

-Campaigns and Advertising work include Harvey Nichols, Adidas, Mercedes, Marks and Spencers, Smirnoff, BA, Ikea, L'Oreal, Oasis and more.

-Not only is his work pretty amazing, but his website is pretty original too.

Bret-Day is one of the most talented photographers with one of the most impressive resumes and catalogues of work that I have ever seen. He is one of my favourite photographers of all time and I have the feeling I will continue to be a fan of his work, as I have never been disappointed yet. 

I definately recommend anyone interested in Art, Photography, Design, Graphics...and even if not, please checkout his work.

Brooklyn Dock, NYC

- Images taken at the dock of Brooklyn Bridge 2008

St John's Church

- One of the oldest churches in Latvia, St John's Church is currently under renovation. The sad thing about this is that the interior is planned to be ultra modern, therefore taking away from the traditional aspect of Architectural design that is currently shown within the walls of the church located in the old town of Riga. I wasn't allowed to take any photos inside of this church, but I really think it will be a shame to replace the religious paintings and intricate woodwork with modern wooden beams and cream walls... I admire a lot of modern design, but I think some things should just be left as they are...it would be such a shame to see the soul and character replaced by something beige.  

Simply Kim II

-  more images from Kim Holtermand

- website www.holtermand.dk

Simply Kim

- Images from collections by photographer Kim Holtermand

- First discovered this photographer as the image shown directly above named 'A Desolate Place' is on my cousin's kitchen wall.

- Top two images from series called 'Build'

- Photographs portray a sense of tone beautifully, Holtermand is really a fantastic photographer, if you like these, check out the rest of the portfolio HERE

London Buildings

- Photos taken summer07 

Iron Man Beach

-Iron Man Beach, Blundellsands, Liverpool

- Created by Antony Gormley

- 100 6ft+ iron men, placed over a 2 miles stretch of sand reaching out to almost a mile from the shore 

- Unsurprisingly has caused a split reaction of the locals and those visiting the beach, I think they look great, especially at sunset, fading into the horizon. Up close, they are a little ugly, but beautiful at the same time. Worth a visit. 

Brooklyn Bridge

-Photos taken March2008

Ground Zero

- everybody heard on the news about the devastation that resulted from the attacks on 9/11

- as difficult it was to hear about, and see the various imagery on the tv screens and front pages of all the papers, it is nothing to the overwhelming feeling that you get when you arrive at ground zero even though it has been years since it happened. 

- what you can see through the small gaps in all of the netted fences is nothing but upsetting. You never can quite grasp the sheer size of it all until you are there and can see it for yourself.

- facts and figures that adorn the small boards that have been erected to not only provide information on the past, but also to inform people of the plans for the commemorative gardens that are to be built in the space. After the debate of what should fill the space, I feel the future plans are very fitting.

for more info on the rebirth project, check out the WEBSITE

Central Park

- Photos taken March2008

- Bottom photograph where we thought was the bit from Big Daddy where the tramp falls off the trolley into the lake?!?!

photography

- a few photos that I have found and collected from various sites, albums and friend's photography (ie last photo) 

- all show different styles and effects used when taking photographs, whilst having an underlying symmetry in the subject matter, which is pretty much just ordinary and even mundane views of places that people will walk past every day without realising their beauty. I think this reflects society of today, where people just 'don't have time' to appreciate where they are.