Month: September 2007

Win a Holga from Squarefrog!

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

Squarefrog, who over the last year has put together what is far and away the most comprehensive Holga information site going, is having a one year anniversary contest. All you have to do to enter is fill out a very short questionnaire. The contest is open to everyone world-wide.

Prizes and stuff:

First prize – Lomography Holga 120CFN package
Second prize – Holgon Strobe Flash
Third prize – 5 rolls of Agfa RSX II 200 ISO slide film

All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is to fill in the following form and click submit. The competition closes on Sunday October 7th 2007. Winners will be notified by email the following week. The information you submit is purely for my own interest, I would never pass on any of it to anyone!

I know Squarefrog online, and when he says he won’t give out your information, I believe him.

Enter here!

Call for entry: pinhole urban nature

Nicolai Grossman 1 Comment

Marie-Noëlle Leroy says:

The Andre Malraux Cultural Center of Le Bourget (France) organizes his second International lensless Photographic Exhibition ! Uniquely pinhole, zone-plate, sieve…

The topic of the exhibition is: Urban Nature
Urban nature! From the flowers on the balcony to the dogged bit of grass growing between the paving stones of the streets, from the arranged parks to the falow lands, from the free flying pigeons to the bears in a cage at the zoo… The pinhole photography must give your answer to the question: which place does still occupy the nature in our large cities?

Each photographer will have a surface of 1 m2 that he will fill with its own way with the number of images which he wants! 1 image of 100 X 100 cm, 4 images of 50 × 50 cm or 100 images of 10 × 10 cm… which they are presented in square, rectangle, L or… it doesn’t matters the number of pictures and the arrangement, the surface must be 1 m square!

The exhibition will take place from 2008 March 4th to April 27th,
at the Andre Malraux Cultural Center of Le Bourget (France)

To take part, send before 2007, December 31th, by Internet only a file including the following parts:

  • Reproductions of images such as they will appear in the Exhibition – Each reproductions must be numbered. Each reproduction will measure 15 cm (5.9 in) in its greatest dimension in 300 dpi, then to have passed into jpeg format, maximum quality. Each one must be cleaned up, in RGB format for colours, in gray levels for Black and White.
  • A sketch presenting the arrangement with the number of each picture. You aren’t obliged to use frames, your pictures can be simply pasted on a rigid support or presented in the form of a roller…
  • a note (format RTF or PDF) presenting (in French, English or Spanish) :
    • Your Name, First name, Address,Country , and e-mail address.
    • A short biography (5 lines)
  • Characteristics of the pinhole-camera(s) used to create these photography (focal length, diaphragm, …)
    • A short text (in French, English or Spanish) presenting your work on this subject (5 lines).
    • A photography of each pinhole-cameras used, numbered in correspondence with the reproductions. This (these) image(s) will measure 7 cm (2.75 in) in its greatest dimension in 300 dpi, passed into JPEG maximum quality.

      The files not corresponding to this request will be systematically rejected.

    The selected authors will be informed by e-mail only during the last two weeks of January 2008. The selected authors will have to send in January (dead line for reception: February 10th) by the post office their photographies ready to be hung on the walls.

    Authors have to take all the customary precautions for a safe travel of their works so that they won’t be damaged.

    During the exhibition, the authors will receive by e-mail pictures showing the opening and the exhibition. At the end of the exhibition, the pictures will be returned to their authors at the Town hall of Le Bourget expense.

    Memorandum

    2007, December 31th: Deadline to send the files to centre.culturel@ville-le-bourget.fr

    2008, January 15 – 20: The selected authors are informed by e-mail.

    2008, January 15 – February 10th : Reception of the works ready to be hung.

    2008, March 4th – April 27th: Exhibition.

    2008, May: The works come back to their authors.

Note that there is no entry fee! It’s submission season, but this is the only one I’ve found that I’ve been able to post so far, because all the rest have entry fees. Which is BULLSHIT. Way to go on not trying to screw artists, Andre Malraux Cultural Center of Le Bourget!

REI rights grab

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Rights-grabbing terms for photo submissions from outdoor sport retailer REI:

1. I irrevocably grant to Recreational Equipment, Inc. . . . in perpetuity, for no additional consideration, to use the photographs or pictures . . . an unlimited number of times in any manner REI deems . . . without restriction as to changes or alterations, or reproductions . . . . I also consent to the use of printed matter in conjunction therewith.

and it gets worse from there.

More info at Photo Attorney

Ilford announce campaign to "defend the darkroom"

Nicolai Grossman 1 Comment

Ilford press release:

ILFORD PHOTO has launched a campaign to enhance the position, standing and future of the UK’s darkrooms and associated creative techniques. Inspired by those involved in the analogue photographic industry, from manufacturers to the media, the campaign is designed to be a vehicle to establish a new future for darkroom photography.

By inspiring a new generation of darkroom users, raising the profile of darkroom on the photo-education agenda and redefining the relationship between analogue and digital photography, ‘Defend the Darkroom’ will establish a new direction for photography. The campaign will inspire a new mindset that will unlock the latent potential of photography’s heritage to inspire a bold future of innovation, creativity and diversity.

Howard Hopwood, marketing director at ILFORD PHOTO commented:
"Interest in darkroom photography isn’t waning, but it is certainly being neglected by various parties. Our campaign is a watershed moment for the industry, designed to inspire a future of photography that reflects the coexistence of digital and darkroom technology."

The campaign will take many forms and is essentially an ever-evolving project to bring the world of darkroom photography to the attention of the digital generation and inspire new ideas, new enthusiasm and new skills amongst a new breed of photographers.

Howard Hopwood, added:

"For too long now, Darkroom has been slipping down the agenda of educational institutions, regardless of continued support from photo-educators and those responsible for establishing the photo-education curriculum. Our campaign will highlight these problems and make the case for darkroom education.

During the fast-paced digital revolution, digital technology has been seen, by some as a replacement for analogue technology – but through this campaign ILFORD PHOTO is keen to show how the two can coexist as complementary creative art forms.

"Darkroom photography is not standing still. It is not a relic of a bygone era, it is very much a part of the evolving world of photography. Our campaign will educate new and existing darkroom photographers about the technological developments from manufacturers that are shaping the future of darkroom

"The signature of darkroom is the physical control over the image; the art of the developing process. Skill and creativity in the darkroom is as much a part of photography as the taking of the picture." Added Howard.

Initial initiatives for the campaign include:

1. Development of a Photo Instructor Newsletter for UK educational establishments
2. A series of ‘Darkroom’ Master Class events to promote and inspire the creative process.
3. Continuing sponsorship of Red Eye, an Art Council funded project to provide a travelling darkroom to enhance awareness of black and white photography to schools, colleges, local arts groups and the like.
4. Sponsorship of talented students to support and promote darkroom enthusiasts.

New initiatives will be announced on a regular basis all under the ‘Defend the Darkroom’ banner.

Already ILFORD PHOTO has invited twenty of the most highly regarded photography educators in the United Kingdom to the HARMAN technology headquarters in Mobberley, to highlight the campaign and learn about the latest advances in traditional photography. The event was organised by ILFORD PHOTO alongside Key Photo, the leading supplier of photographic products to education and the public sector. A key focus of the two-day tour and conference event was how the merger of darkroom and digital technologies is influencing a ‘new world’ of photography shaped by the coexistence of analogue and digital technology.

Matthew Finn, photography lecturer at Thames Valley University commented on the day:

"Since visiting HARMAN I can see they are committed to keeping black and white photography alive and it is up to me and other photo educators across the country to also make sure it remains a widely used medium and not just a mere specialist niche interest.

"If this was to happen photography would lose an entire dimension. I support ILFORD PHOTO’s campaign to communicate the dangers of losing darkroom, and the consequences of neglecting analogue photography."

ILFORD PHOTO believes that analogue and digital photography should have an equal standing in the photographic arena. By lobbying for equal recognition in generic industry debate and discussion, the campaign will help analogue photography, and darkroom photographers to gain the recognition they deserve.

Looks pretty sweet to me!