Ancient Traditional Honey Hunters In Central Nepal
Photos by Andrew Newey
Have you ever heard about the ancient tradition of Honey hunting? Although it's in current threat of commercialization, U.K.-based documentary/travel photographer Andrew Newey spent two weeks with the Gurung tribe in central Nepal to capture this dying tradition. Here, honey hunters use smoke to drive out thousands of angry Apis Laboriosa, the largest honey bee in the world, from their nests. This is one of the most ancient human activities recorded, dating back 10,000 years in Spain, and is still practiced in indigenous parts of Africa, Asia, Australia and South America.
Honey hunting is extremely risky because the hunters still use the same handmade rope ladders and long sticks that their ancestors used in order to reach the bees’ inaccessible cliff-face nests. By placing their nests on cliff faces, the bees avoid predators and increase their exposure to sunlight, producing more honey. Approximately 45 pounds of honey to carry back on a 3 hour hike to the village. There, the honey is divided up among the villagers and one of the first uses is for a cup of tea. Everything about it is astonishing and Newey captured this beautifully.
Newey's photos are fascinating as the tradition is almost unbelievable. Be sure to check out more of his work here.
[Via Demilked]
Portraits of Inmates with Touching Letters To Their Younger Selves
Photos by Trent Bell
Imagine this: You're a successful individual with a family to care for, times are hard and you're trying to make ends meet. Then the job you're depending on forces you to make a mistake that consequently sentences you to 36 years of imprisonment. Years later you find yourself trapped inside prison walls and your asked to write a letter about your past self, a letter that would actually change the happenings in your life.
This actually happened for the first time in 2013 when a successful architectural photographer named Trent Bell, got inspired to make an amazing project titled The REFLECT Project: Convicts' letters to their younger selves. Shocked by the news that a friend - an educated professional and family man- had been sentenced to thirty-six years in prison, Bell asked twelve dangerous criminals in the Maine Prison to write sincere letters to their young selves before they got sentenced, and took a number of portraits along with their letters as the background.
While reading the letters of each of these inmates, it's easy to reflect on your own life and think about the times when you could have easily made a decision that would change your life forever. Check out the following photos and watch the project's vimeo for a more in depth look.
[Via Demilked]
Hello Kitty Teams Up with Playboy for Limited Edition Leica
In the latest camera news, a surprising merchandise mash-up was released. Famed kid-friendly Japanese icon Hello Kitty,and French clothing store Colette have teamed up with Playboy, the American men's magazine brand, for a limited edition Leica C camera. The odd trio was brought together by Colette to create an item for the store’s Hello Kitty x Playboy collection. Apparently, this coincides with the 40th anniversary for Hello Kitty, the 60th anniversary for Playboy, the 100th anniversary for Leica. As Leica isn't the only feature in this rare collection, there are only ten of these cameras made, and each feature Hello Kitty, wearing bunny ears, taking a photo on the front of the camera's body.
The camera is priced at $1,264, which is almost double the price for what Leica C is regularly priced at ($699). Still, this is one of the most affordable Leica limited editions we've ever seen. Check out the following photos for a closer look, and check out more of the collection here.
[Via PetaPixel]
Artist Aliza Razell Brilliantly Combines Watercolor and Photography
Photos by Aliza Razell
Through photoshop, Massachussetts-based artist Aliza Razell brilliantly combines the art of watercolor and photography to create abstract self-portraits. In the past year, she created a two-part photo series, as part of a 365 photo-a-day project. The first series is titled Anesidora deriving from the explorations of the Pandora's Box myth, and the second titled Ikävä, which is the Finnish word meaning the feeling of longing. The combination of the two art mediums feels poetic and beautifully surreal.
Check out the following photos and find more of Aliza’s work on her Flickr or follow her on Facebook.
[Via Demilked]
Photographer Covers the Russian Army in Crimea
Photos by Sergey Ponomarev
On an assignment by The New York Times to cover the unrest in Ukraine, Moscow based photographer Sergey Ponomarev, found himself covering more than he expected. Within just a few days of arriving to Crimea, a very military based city, Ponomarev has been witnessing a rising number of Russian troops surrounding the area. In an exclusive interview with New York Times writer James Estrin, the photographer elaborates on the current unpredictable state of the situation, as tensions continue to grow.
However, in recent reports, 16,000 Russian troops have been deployed in the Crimea region from the neighboring territory of the Russian Federation. While provoking war and threatening to take control of the entire Ukrainian border, troops have already seized a major checkpoint. As new developments continue to update by the hour, the United Nations held an emergency meeting to find justification for Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine. In this meeting the Russian ambassador reported that the ousted Ukrainian president had asked Russia to use troops in aid of supposed open acts of terrorism that are occurring in the southeast part in Crimea, due to pro-westernized ties. Following the meeting, and just a day after calling off trade talks, the Obama administration suspended military ties to Russia, including exercises, port visits and planning meetings. Other country officials are said to follow.
While reports continue to pour in, photographer Sergey Ponomarev continues to cover all that unfolds. If this article can't explain the severity of the situation, his photographs sure will. Check out the following photos and be sure to follow his Instagram, where he shares daily photos.
[Via The New York Times]
Iconic Celebrities Photoshopped with Tattoos by Cheyenne Randall
Photos by Cheyenne Randall
Imagine classic beauties like Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor fully inked with tattoos. In the popular Tumblr blog Shopped Tattoos, Seattle based artist Cheyenne Randall, features an extensive collection of celebrities, famous athletes, musicians and even world leaders, with very realistic looking tattoos, photoshopped onto their skin. The idea is done so well, and for some it genuinely suits them. There are even some that can change your personal opinion about them. Think about it, would Marilyn Monroe still be considered a iconically sexy while covered in ink? Would Barack Obama be President of the United States if he had full tatted sleeves?
Take a look at some of our favorites and be sure to check out the ongoing series here.
[Via Shopped Tattoos Tumblr]
[Video] Canon 5D Mark III vs Canon 6D: What's The Difference?
Can't decide whether to get the Canon 6D or Canon 5D Mark III? Although you can't go wrong with either one, it's good to break down the differences between the two. Thankfully, the good people at DSLR Video Shooter shared a video to help.
In the video, they delve into the 9 biggest differences between the two cameras, a couple being the dual card slots and the headphone jack in the 5D. In the end, the winner was the Canon 6D, mostly because of the cheaper price. The 6D prices around $1800 for the body, definitely on the lower end of DSLR prices, but at the cost of fewer features. Then you have the 5D MIII which typically retails around $3,400 for the body, but full of all the features you'd want in a full-frame camera.
If you're looking to save some money, it's a no-brainer to go with the Canon 6D as both cameras are amazing when it comes to both still and video. If price isn't an issue, go with the 5D MIII as it doesn't fall short in any of it's features, the dual memory card slots are clutch for the security in backing up your shots.
Take a look at the video if you're still wondering which DSLR is best for you. In a little over nine minutes, Caleb (the photographer in the video) offers great insight and feedback on his experience and analysis of both bodies. As a photographer in the market for an update, definitely share which you prefer and why?
[youtube id="flX-NHn3Wp4"]
[Via DSLR Video Shooter]
Visual Supply Co Introduces VSCO Film 05: The Archetype Films Collection
Photos by Gabriel Flores
VSCO continues to impress the photography world with its newly released and beautifully nostalgic film pack called VSCO Film 05: The Archetype Films Collection. It includes mass market, consumer film emulation from the golden era of analog film photography: the film that led the way for popular brands like Kodak Ektar and Agfa Vista. What stands out with this new collection is that it includes both tungsten/night versions of each film emulation, giving images a super authentic feel. Aimed to produce the most accurate representation of the analog product, it also includes custom camera profiles for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji, Olympus and Leica. Pretty impressive.
Now here are some reasons why you should get this film pack as soon as possible: Until March 11th, 2014, VSCO Film 05 will be on sale for 25% off. If you currently own a previous version or VSCO Keys, you'll receive 50% off of what is normally priced at $119. And if you don't own VSCO Film yet, you can buy any one pack for full price and still receive VSCO Film 05 for half off. Click here to check out some other versions and price listings.
You can cop a digital download now by clicking on the following links for Lightroom 4 & 5 and Adobe Camera Raw for Photoshop CS6 & CC. VSCO even provided a brief walkthrough for each software.
Be sure to check out more image samples here.
[Via Visual Supply Co]
