A New Kind of Beauty

I have posted before regarding Phil Toledano's Days With My Father series, which has recently been moved to its own very specific site that includes a great narrative describing Toledano's process and familial relationships.

Another effort shown here I had recently discussed again with a friend in Atlanta was in regards to his Beauty series ("Tiana" shown here to the left).

It is obviously a topic that has been addressed by many photographers of many levels, many times. What intrigues me in regards to his interpretation is how he leaves much of the decision process up to the viewer, to determine what is natural; what is manipulated (by physical choices of the subject photographed); and what is manipulated by thoughtful studio arrangement with lighting, color, digital control. Which is a challenge viewers deal with daily thanks to social media (a la the infamous 'facebook duck face' movement. Google it, I am not linking that one).

It directly boils down to beauty in the eye of the beholder. As trite as that statement is, when viewing these images do you find beauty in the entirety of the image? Or do you find yourself searching for elements of beauty within the image because that is how they're presented to you dear viewer?

Moving the Merchandise

Super-Amazing-Power-Valentine-Baked-Goods-Go! Good job folks, I hear over $80 in a few hours? Nice work!

The Eyes of the Child...

When the work load is heavy, it is easy to forget that the simple joys of photography are often about capturing unexpected, imaginative, or poignant moments. And nothing often says that clearer when you get a child, put a camera in their hands, and simply say the word "go." This year's National Geographic IPC 2012 continued to echo that sentiment and children from all over the world took action and created some fantastic results. I only want to know what sort of underwater camera she used.