Sunday, May 30, 2010

CANDID CAMERA

HISTORY'S TIDBIT - As cameras got smaller, candid photography became more viable. Today's high end point &shoots are ideal for the art form. Larry Elkins Elkinsphotos Fne Art Photography

Saturday, May 29, 2010

A HEAD OF THE GAME

HISTORY"S TIDBIT - One early photo manipulation involved a photograph of President Abraham Lincoln. The photo actually showed Lincoln's head atop the body of Southern politician John Calhoun. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS

NEWS ALERT

NEWS ALERT - THE GULF COAST BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE OF THE U.S. IT IS NOT A SUBSIDIARY OF B.P. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

Thursday, May 27, 2010

GULF OIL SPILL UPDATE

GULF OIL SPILL - WHILE IT'S TOO LITTLE TOO LATE, LET'S PRAY THAT THE TOP KILL IS SUCCESSFUL. THEN LET'S HOPE SERIOUS EFFORTS AT CLEANING UP THE OIL ALREADY RELEASED INTO THE ENVIRONMENT BEGIN. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

DISASTER IN THE GULF

DISASTER IN THE GULF - There is no question that the oil spill in the Gulf is a massive ecological and economic disaster. But this tragedy is like a giant octopus, its tentacles stretching out in every direction. And one of the groups this will devastate is the photographic community. I was just watching James Carville and Mary Matlin on the news. They toured the Louisiana wetlands today. Their assessment is that the marshes are already dying. And it is also their assessment is that no one is doing anything to stop the advancement of the sludge. The ecological and economic consequences are unimaginable. However, and I realize that in a sense this is a lesser concern, we in the photographic community will be among the losers. These wetlands were a photographer's paradise. Now because of greed, ineptitude and, most likely, criminality, these exquisitely beautiful natural wonders are in jeopardy. Shame on us. Shame on all of us. Shame on the "Drill baby, drill" crowd, shame on the federal bureaucracy, and shame on corporations who place their greed above the good of Planet Earth. I honestly can't comprehend the massive amount of work that will need to take place. but we need to do something. And even a single step like this post, tiny as it is, constitutes a beginning. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

INSTAMATIC

HISTORY'S TIDBIT - THE INSTAMATIC CAMERA WAS AN INEXPENSIVE, EASY TO LOAD CAMERA INTRODUCED BY KODAK IN 1963. The camera line was quite successful. The original Instamatic used a 126 film cartridge. In 1972, Kodak introduced the smaller Pocket Instamatic which utilized its new 110 film cartridge. Larry Elkins - Elkinsphotos Fine Art Photography

Sunday, May 23, 2010

THE LONG EXPOSURE

HISTORY"S TIDBIT - Early photographic exposure times could be up to eight hours. Larry Elkins - Elkinsphotos Fine Art Photography

Friday, May 21, 2010

HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES

HISTORY'S TIDBITS - HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES: STUDIES AMONG THE TENEMENTS OF NEW YORK was a pioneering work of photojournalism. This book of photographs by former police reporter Jacob Riis, published in 1890, detailed the deplorable conditions that existed in New York City's slums. HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVED was instrumental in informing the public of just how bad were the conditions suffered by those unfortunates who inhabited the city's slums. Riis' works served as a basis for modern photojournalism. Larry Elkins ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

ROGUES GALLERY

HISTORY'S TIDBITS - Rogues Galleries were collections of mugshots. These rogues galleries enabled law enforcement agencies to identify and keep track of criminals. Larry Elkins ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

DISPLAY

HISTORY'S TIDBIT -In 1987, Thomas Knoll developed a a program called DISPLAY designed to display grey scale images. Knoll subsequently up-graded his program into a full fledged image editing program which he renamed PHOTOSHOP. Larry Elkins Elkinsphotos Fine Art Photography

Monday, May 17, 2010

ELKINS PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY


NEWS ALERT - TAKE A LOOK AT MY NEW BLOGGER PHOTO BLOG SITE - ELKINS PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY - http://elkinsphotography-gallery.blogspot.com.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

SHE MARRIED WYATT EARP - NOT REALLY

IS SHE OR ISN'T SHE? THE STRANGE CASE OF JOSIE MARCUS EARP - ABOUT THREE DECADES AGO, A PERSONAL FRIEND OF MINE, GLENN G. BOYER, EDITED THE MEMOIRS OF JOSEPHINE MARCUS. The result was the publication of the book 'I MARRIED WYATT EARP - THE RECOLLECTIONS OF JOSEPHINE SARAH MARCUS EARP' edited by Glenn G. Boyer. The book, a controversial handling of the infamous Earp - Marcus decades long love affair, spawned a TV movie starring Bruce Boxleitner as Wyatt Earp and Marie Osmond as Josie Marcus. So, what does this have to do with the history of photography? Well, that all has to do with the controversy surrounding the true pedigree of a semi nude portrait, purportedly of Josie Marcus, that Glenn used as a cover illustration for his book. The use of this photograph has spurred a bitter quarrel among experts as to the photo's authenticity. I'm not interested in taking sides in the argument over the portrait. If you're interested in pursuing the question, you can follow the blow by blow verbal fisticuffs online. My point is that for good or bad, this now iconic photograph will forever be entwined with the Earp - Clanton - Tombstone - OK Corral gunfight mythology. In a very real sense, the actual facts no longer matter. The history of the Gunfight at OK Corral has become so mired in legend and mythology that fact has become obscured by fiction. Just as it does not matter that the gunfight did not actually take place inside the corral, it no longer matters whether the photograph is genuine. Of much more importance is that countless viewers of the blockbuster movie 'TOMBSTONE' watched as Josie had that very photo taken at Fly's Photography Studio as the infamous gunfight was taking place in the corral next door. Never mind that neither Glenn nor his critics contend that the photo was made during the gunfight or at C. S. Fly's studio, All that really matters is that it was portrayed that way on the big screen. Larry Elkins Elkinsphotos Fine Art Photography

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Thursday, May 6, 2010

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT - In the last week, I have instituted a daily photo blog hosted by the AMINUS3 COMMUNITY - http://elkinsphotos-gallery.aminus3.com Larry Elkins elkinsphotos.com

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

WRITE - LIGHT

HISTORY'S TIDBIT - The word photography is formed by two Greek words - light and write. So the term photography means to write (or draw) with light. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

Saturday, May 1, 2010

SCENE OF THE CRIME - SAY CHEESE

A SHORT HISTORY OF CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPHY - THE EARLIEST DAYS OF CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPHY EVOLVED IN CONSORT WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF JUSTICE POLICIES AND THE FORENSIC SCIENCES. With the advent of photography, it quickly became apparent that this new medium afforded a means of accurately documenting various aspects of a crime scene. Alphonse Bertillon, a French criminologist, was one of the earliest practitioners of the art of crime scene photography. Bertillon developed systems for photo documenting both crime suspects and crime scenes. Even before the dawn of the 20th Century however, Bertillon's reputation had suffered due to his involvement in the unfortunate Dreyfus affair. In the intervening decades, the science of crime scene investigation and forensic photography in particular,has evolved exponentially. One important aspect of crime scene photography is that it freezes time, allowing for later viewing of the crime scene as it existed close to the time the crime took place. Today, trace evidence photography using infrared and ultraviolet light provides even more options.