Jim Goldstein, bless him, Tweeted a sweet link a few minutes ago to a wonderful photographer. Guy Tal reminds me no little amount of Eliot Porter, one of my biggest influences. I think if Mr. Porter had access to modern printing and digital color management, it would look remarkably like Guy’s work.

Not only is Guy’s work inspiring (as Jim says), but his writings are insightful, wry, and illuminating. Take, f’rex, this post from November 28, 2009:

“I’m always up long before dawn. Couldn’t sleep past sunrise if I wanted. One of my favorite things to do in these quiet solitary hours is go through some of my older work, paging through the years to times of inspiration and bliss. It’s a great way to start the day. I always wonder about people seeking a “cure” for insomnia. Why would anyone want to be cured of getting a little extra living done each day?”

You can find Guy’s blog here: http://guytal.com/wordpress/
Or, snag his RSS feed here: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/GuyTalPhotographyWebJournal

(Guy, if you’re reading this, I hope you don’t mind the quote above.)

Thanks to Jim Goldstein for this tip!

Garry Hayes is a geology teacher at Modesto Junior collage, and he writes a great blog on the subject. I found Geotripper while doing a bit of research on the Flood of 1997.

I especially recommend his posts on Yosemite! Under the Volcano and into the Abyss

Digital photography has really become an art form; The creative possibilities are seemingly endless. With the advent of personal computers, GIMP/Photoshop, and affordable digital SLR cameras, photography has experienced a huge boom. Some of it is pure dreck. Some, however, is pure platinum.

Enter today’s blog; Brooke Shaden is a young woman who uses her own body as her model, and presents captivating, intriguing, thoughtful images.

The images border on erotic at times, troubling at others. They reach into our childhoods, into our pasts, and into our bookshelves; Red Riding Hood wanders in a sodden cloak through a swamp, basket lost along with her clothes. Sylvia Plath appears with her head in a cupboard instead of an oven, and a strange fruit brings to mind a story by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Persephone emerges from the Underworld in her nightgown holding (and dropping) a crop of oranges. Brooke presses her upper body against a wall, her hand flung over her shoulder, dribbling chocolate syrup down her swayed and curved back. I have to remind myself not to lick my computer screen.

Ms. Shaden draws on subconscious archetypes, whether she knows it or not. How I would love to work with her, to witness the process of creating one of these images from inception to birth.

What a remarkable talent, definitely worth adding to your RSS feed reader.

http://shadenproductions.com/blog/

ATOM feed to her blog.

BrookeShaden on Flickr