[Through My Lens] A Journey Through the Coast of Big Sur
Photos by AngieStar Photo
The USA Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) is perhaps America's most dramatic scenic drive. And along this coast is a region called Big Sur that lies along the Central Coast of California, and renowned as one of the best of scenics drives in the whole world. As someone who has road tripped through a good portion of the country already, I made it my mission to take a journey through the coast of Big Sur to see for myself.
I started my drive from Los Angeles just before sunrise, so I would have perfect daylight by the time I reached Big Sur. Immediately, I was taken into the high coastal cliffs, following each twist and turn there is along the Pacific Ocean. With the perfect California breeze into my open windows of the car, while listening to a perfectly timed music playlist, I was awestruck. And just when I thought scenery couldn't get any more amazing, I found myself in Big Sur. To me, the area is more of an experience than a tangible place. There are no stop lights, or shopping centers, just 90 miles of driving along a narrow two-lane highway with breathtaking view points and campsites. The wildlife is a whole other aspect of Big Sur as one of your first stops is on the beach at Piedras Blancas in southern Big Sur near San Simeon to see hundreds on Elephant Seals in their natural habitat. Then with the abundance it birds and forest animals, every one of your senses are heightened with all the combined elements of life.
Here are some of the photos I captured, and what makes me want to back. If anything is taken from this, it should be to take a trip to Big Sur; it's worth it.
[Documentary] Bob Marley: Giant
Photo by Dennis Morris
At the very young age of 16 years old, photographer, Dennis Morris, met Jamaican reggae king Bob Marley, in 1974 at a Speakeasy club in London. The two immediately formed a strong friendship, one that would later lead to shooting some of the most popular photos of Marley today. In a short documentary, titled “Bob Marley: Giant”, Morris recollects their relationship by sharing the life of Bob Marley through his own eyes and camera lens.
The short documentary also features interviews, voiceovers and photos (both personal and exhibited). He also humbly speaks on his opinion on the various bootlegged use of many of the shots he's taken of Marley, one being the infamous shot of him holding a "spliff" while blowing smoke. Not many people actually know that this was taken as he was teaching the photographer how to properly smoke a joint.
While watching the short documentary, it's immediately apparent that Morris understood Marley in a very unique way, while very few photographers understand their subjects like such. Here are some of the infamous photos of Bob Marley shot by Dennis Morris, and below is the 18-minute documentary. Marley fan or not, the experiences these two shared are extraordinary and it's definitely worth a watch.
[youtube id="mpR06HoVIdc"]
[Via PetaPixel]
Hauntingly Beautiful Portraits of Homeless by Lee Jeffries
Photos by Lee Jeffries
Miami, FL... home to so many people with a "rags to riches" story. Yet when Photographer Lee Jeffries traveled there, he quickly found the opposite. After spending so many years devoting much of his time to capture hauntingly beautiful portraits of homeless individuals, who are often overlooked across the globe, he found "riches to rags" narratives instead. Jeffries has made it his personal mission to attach epidemics of poverty and addiction to the human face, and the result is astounding.
The following set of photos stems from his last trip to Miami. It's here where he met Margo Stevens, a former adult film star now living in Overtown, one of the city's more dangerous neighborhoods. Jeffries took the time to get to know this woman for 2 weeks before capturing her photo. Her story "hit him hard", and you can see that in the vibe of the portrait he shot of her. This first subject led him to shoot a few more portraits of homeless or drug addicts in the area, and with the beauty of black and white photography, he captured the essence of each individual effortlessly.
As Jeffries travels around the world, snapping shots of homeless individuals and gathering their heartfelt portraits, he uses the profits he receives for these, and puts it towards charities devoted to homelessness. If you're interested in supporting this cause the photographer suggests donating to the Miami Rescue Mission.
Check out the following photos and find more of his work here, also be sure to follow him on Facebook.
[Via Huffington Post]
Amazing Animated Portraits by Romain Laurent
Photos by Romain Laurent
Aside from any of his personal and commercial projects, New York City based photographer Romain Laurent, challenges himself to create amazing animated portraits. The animation works by looping multiple images together, creating a gif, and the project continues as he posts an image a week on his tumblr page.
Each image is entirely different from the other, and each subject creates its own visual story. Laurent says that the bizarre and unique images are a low-pressure way to experiment and be creative without expectations. Specifically, he notes, “As far as the intention of the series, it’s a way for me to explore a hybrid medium, experiment and being spontaneous while still sticking to a short weekly deadline. There isn’t a common concept between each loop, I just ‘go with the flow’ and see what comes to my mind each week.”
Check out a few of our favorites below, and be sure to check out this continual weekly shares on his tumblr and website.
[Via ThisIsColossal]
Photojournalist Loses Her Life Leaving Behind Powerful Photos
Photos by Camille Lepage
Just this week, young 26 year old French Photojournalist, Camille Lepage, was found dead while on an assignment to cover the Central African Republic. Although the rising photographer was at the very start of her career, the work she has left behind is powerful, and has already shed light on the lifestyles and subjects she has captured. The news hit the very tight knit community of photojournalists rather quickly, and shortly after Reuters reported that she was found dead by anti-balaka militia near the town of Bouar. Whether she was caught in crossfire or murdered is still unknown.
In an article published by Nicholas Kulish, he recalls his brief relationship with Lepage, and details the type of passionate photojournalist she was. Specifically, he notes, "Optimistic, generous, hard-working and relentless are all qualities I would come to associate with Camille. I would add fearless to that list as well. A young woman, just 26, as small of stature as she was large of heart, she was willing to go anywhere at any moment, an attitude that in spite of grave danger had taken her all over the Central African Republic in recent months." Knowing this and seeing how remarkable her captures are, makes the work she leaves behind all the more intriguing.
Below are some of the captivating images and published work she leaves behind. Although the young photojournalist tragically lost her life, she left a powerful portfolio, and so much insight to the stories she was trying to tell.
“My interest takes me to places in the shadow, where crisis take place but where the media often remain silent.” - Camille Lepage (1988-2014)
[Via NY Times]
Beautiful Ashley Benson Covers Complex Magazine
Photos by Zoe McConnell
Although Spring Break is over, summer comes in full swing as beautiful actress Ashley Benson covers the new June/July 2014 issue of COMPLEX Magazine, and it's hot! (No pun intended). Shot by popular celebrity photographer Zoe McConnell, Benson models swimwear and revealing attire, in front of vibrant colors, and on a beach front for the magazine's cover and feature. The feature includes an elaborate exclusive interview by Tara Aquino with a wide array of questions.
In the interview, we learn a lot more about the Spring Breakers starlet, such as her strict upbringing in Anaheim, California, her claim to fame, bizarre run-in's with fans, tabloid rumors, and much more. The photos are stunning and the article is very entertaining, definitely be sure to take a look here.
[Via Complex]
Behind The Scenes Look at The Roots' New LP Cover Shoot
Photos by Mel D. Cole
The Roots have a highly anticipated new album coming out, titled "&TYSYC", and with that comes the excitement of creating brand new cover art. The group already has some of the most popular and recognizable album covers in the Hip Hip today, so we were happy to find that photographer Mel D. Cole was on the scene to capture a behind-the-scenes look at The Roots new LP cover shoot.
At first glance, it seems the group decided to go with a dapper look for the new cover, keeping it simple yet classy, wearing suits and ties with a solid background. Check out the photos below and be sure to check out more of the photographer's music photo work here.
[Via okayplayer]
Evocative Portraits of Holy Men in India by Joey L.
Photos by Joey L
Joey Lawrence (known as Joey L) is a Canadian commercial photographer, director and published author based in Brooklyn, New York. Although he is recently best known as the creator of the Twilight movie posters, he is also known to have a deep interest in endangered cultures, traditions and rare religious practices. As a personal project, Joey traveled to Varanasi, India to create images for a series called, “Holy Men". While focusing on featuring religious ascetics in one of the oldest cities in the world and the “epicenter of the Hindu faith”, he was able to capture evocative portraits of actual holy men for this series.
In addition to the portraits, he was accompanied by filmmaker Cale Glendening, and Ryan, a close friend/assistant, to also create their documentary titled, “Beyond". The short film features a behind-the-scenes view of their experience in this third world, along with an emphasis on the photographer’s subjects, and mesmerizing and sometimes bizarre lifestyle.
Most of the portraits focus on the Aghori, a sect known for engaging in postmortem rituals, such as covering themselves in human ashes, meditating on corpses or crafting jewelry from human bones. “The Aghori have a profound connection with the dead. Death is not a fearsome concept, but a passing from the world of illusion,” says the photographer. Check out the photos below and find more on his website. Also be sure the see the eye opening documentary here.
[Via Demilked]
