brave new photography
issue 7 www.jpgmag.com
Shoot Your Self
What photographers see when we shoot ourselves. page 73
Noah Kalina’s eternal self-portrait project. page 96
Ten tips for better mirror shots. page 98
USA $5.99 CAN $7.49
15 Big
38 Hometown
105 DIY Holiday Photo Gifts
36 The Rasterbator
63 Where I’m At
108 Photo Challenge
Getting Big with Matias Ärje
Chicago, Mexico City, London, and NYC
Meet a Stranger, Get their Story
SXSW INTERACTIVE FESTIVAL:
CONNECT, DISCOVER, INSPIRE
Attracting digital creatives as well
as new media entrepreneurs, the
14th annual South by Southwest
(SXSW) Interactive Festival gives you
both practical how-to information
as well as unparalleled career
inspiration. Attend this legendary
gathering of the tribes to renew
your link to the cutting edge.
Opening Remarks by Kathy Sierra
of the "Creating Passionate Users"
blog on Saturday, March 10 at 2:00 pm
Keynote Conversation with award-winning
television personality Dan Rather on Monday,
March 12 at 2:00 pm
Keynote Speech by Will Wright, creator of "SimCity"
and "Spore," on Tuesday, March 13 at 2:00 pm
Enter the 2007 Web Awards Competition online at
sxsw.com/web_awards. Final deadline is December 15
Visit sxsw.com/interactive to register
to attend and to get conference updates.
JPG Magazine is made by you.
Join us at jpgmag.com.
JPG SIGHTING
READ ME
What you’re holding in your hands
was created by thousands of people.
JPG is not a normal magazine. Normal
Where We’ve Been
talented photographers who make JPG
magazines are put together by an elite
JPG Magazine started two years ago.
what it is.
cadre of people who think they know
Founded by myself and my wife,
more than you do. They’re riddled by
Heather Champ, we wanted JPG to
In This Issue
payola and run by personal agendas.
be a salute to a new generation of
For this special relaunch issue, we
Everyone talks about the death of the
photographers. People who, like us,
picked three themes: Big (because
magazine business. We say, if magazines
love photography and have found
we’re embiggening the magazine),
are dying, it’s their own damn fault.
themselves sharing photos online. We
Hometown (it’s where the heart is), and
Hubris has felled larger things.
wanted to take the best of that work
Self-Portraiture (since this magazine is
We’re something different. Instead
and honor it in print. So we named the
all about you, we wanted to see what
of talking to so-called experts, we talked
magazine JPG after the file format most
you looked like).
to you – the everyday photographers
digital cameras used. (RAW had more
The response just blew us away.
with authentic experience in the
grotesque implications, and besides,
We recieved thousands of submissions
trenches. Instead of running yet another
there’s already a Raw Magazine.)
in just a few weeks. Huge thanks to
“Top Digital SLRs” article written by
JPG produced six issues in its first
everyone who submitted, voted, and
someone who’s spent a few days in a
two years. We were like a digital hermit
helped. This issue also showcases our
lab with some cameras, we found pho-
crab, using all the free online services
first sponsored theme. Special thanks
tographers with first-hand experience
we could find – Gmail.com for mail,
also to Metroblogging.com for sponsor-
and asked them to write about the tools
Flickr.com for discussions, Lulu.com for
ing the Hometown theme.
they love in a new section called “My
print-on-demand – all in our spare time.
Precious.” And instead of pretending
In 2006, we grew up fast. My
Join Us
we’re the know-it-all experts, we gave
longtime friend Paul Cloutier and I
So here’s us, on the raggedy edge.
you the tools to help determine what
founded 8020 Publishing, and made
Thanks for picking up this issue. We
goes in each issue.
JPG our first magazine. This issue marks
hope you like it. And if you don’t, then
Here’s how it works: We announce
JPG’s rebirth. Instead of being a small,
make the next one better! Join us at
the issue’s themes on our website
expensive, occasional, boutique book,
jpgmag.com. What it is, is up to you.
(jpgmag.com) two months in advance.
JPG is now a magazine-sized book,
Thanks for coming on this crazy
Anyone can submit one photo per
professionally printed and distributed
ride with us.
theme. Then the JPG community
six times a year. Subscriptions are now
– Derek Powazek
reviews the submissions. Everyone gets
available and cost just a few bucks more
one up or down vote per submission.
than a single issue used to.
Finally, at the very end, the JPG editors
But the biggest change is the web-
ISSUE 7 STATS
review the submissions, as organized by
site. On jpgmag.com, you can submit
you, and assemble the issue based on a
photos and articles to the magazine,
2,378 photos submitted by 1,434
combination of community voice and
see all the contributions by your fellow
people.
editorial vision. Photographers who get
photographers, and help choose what
published get free subscriptions and
goes in each issue. We’re on our way to
123,559 votes cast by 3,141
$100.
being the first truly community-driven
people.
You’re holding the result in your
magazine. But we’re not there yet.
hands. And here’s the best part: At this
70 photos published in issue 7
very moment, next issue’s themes are
Where We’re Going
themes.
Bunny checks out the photo of herself in JPG Magazine Issue 4.
open on the JPG website, just waiting
Look for new tools and more fun ways
Top ten countries of issue 7
for your submissions and voting. You’ll
to get involved in the coming months
photographers: USA, Canada,
also see lots of calls to participate in the
and years. We’re also planning gallery
Australia, Germany, Italy, France,
pages of this magazine. The message is
shows and books. We want to give as
UK, Denmark, England, Spain.
clear: JPG Magazine is made by you.
much back as possible to the awesomely
purely postmodern by jamie goodridge
Shoot your JPG! Take this magazine someplace nice and shoot it: jpgmag.com/themes/2
5
JPG MAGAzInE ISSUE 7
conTEnTS
Big
Self-Portraiture
JPG Magazine Issue 7
15 Tom Scherbluk
72 Olivia Leigh
December 2006 - January 2007
36 The Rasterbator
16 Sophie Turner
73 John Halcyon Styn
SHooT YoUR SELF
17 A.S. Beveridge
74 Jon Madison
Editor/Publisher Derek Powazek
Getting Big with Mataias Ärje
18 Alison Garnett
75 Josie Moyer
Editor Emeritus Heather Champ
19 Andrew Sears
76 Eric Hart
Publisher Paul Cloutier
72 Self-Portraiture
20 Val Ayres
77 Nicole Bruni
Business Director Devin Poolman
What photographers see when
21 John Carleton
78 Laura Kicey
Technology Director Jason DeFillippo
we shoot ourselves.
22 Susana Ribeiro
79 Robin Andersen
23 Gabriel Naylor
81 Todd Bates
This issue of JPG Magazine was
96 A Life in Progress
25 Alistair Keddie
82 Florian Meimberg,
put together with the help of Baja
Noah Kalina’s eternal self-
26 Gordon Stettinius
Massimo Fiorentino
Fresh, Seller’s Market, Beck’s “The
portraiture project.
27 Larry Joe Treadway
83 Hana Mohalo
Information,” Battlestar Galactica’s
27 Drew Maynard
84 Dustin Parr
third season, and the incredible
98 Ten Tips for Better
29 James Jordan,
85 Warren Harold
support of the online photography
Brian Fair
86 Zach Slootsky,
community.
Mirror Shots
30 Jacek Szydlowski
Martin Riley
Turn off that flash! And other
31 Dawn Armfield
87 Brittonie Fletcher,
JPG Magazine
tips from the Mirror Project’s
32 Gary Gao
Garrett MacLean
c/o 8020 Publishing
Heather Champ.
33 Madison Mack
88 Heleri Luuga
50 Fremont Street, 16th Floor
63
34 Ernest McLeod
89 Jared DeSimio
San Francisco, CA 94105
Where I’m At
100 Happy Self-
35 Paulo Alegria
90 Susana Ribeiro
Chicago, Mexico City, London, NYC
Portrait Day!
91 Steph Goralnick
Join us online at www.jpgmag.com
Hometown
92 Luigi Di Crasto
Say hi at jpgmag@8020publishing.com
A Conversation with Michelle
39 Brian Pittman
93 Ayesha Moarif
Howley, online self-portrait
40 John Watson
94 Gwen Harlow
Cover photograph by Lauren Baljeu,
collector.
41 Jon Roobottom
95 Diana Lemieux
who says: “I was inspired by a German
72
42 William Bragg
song about strawberry lips. I wanted
Self-Portraiture
43 Angela Henderson
something sexy, and I always found
45 Michelle Jones
the biting of lips to be sexy. I used two
46 Phillip Chee,
flash umbrellas, put my Nikon D70s on
Tim Mitchard
a tripod, and used a remote to trip the
102 The Project
47 Piotr Chochłow
shutter.”
MY PRECIOUS
POST-PROCESSING
The People in My Neighborhood
48 Dave Markowski
49 Tony Contreras
JPG Magazine is an 8020 Publication.
First-Person Product Reviews
What To Do with Your Photos
51 Kevin Meredith
52 Chris Dowling
© 2006 JPG Magazine and the
53 Kim Denise
contributing photographers.
8 My Leica M6
105 DIY Holiday Photo
4 JPG Sighting
54 Michael DeHaan,
By Toby Boudreaux
Gifts: Magnet Frames,
JPG Magazine in the Wild
Mariah McCormick
Submit to Issue 8 now on the themes
Photo Wristbands, and
55 Nancy Johnson,
Tourist, Intimate, and Embrace the
11 My Hasselblad 500
5 Read Me
Morris Brum
Blur, at jpgmag.com.
By Gayla Trail
Photo Coasters
Welcome to the New JPG
56 Edouard Mouy
By Karina Berenson
57 Paul Habeeb
12 Hoya R72 Filter
108 Photo challenge
59 Andrew Finden
By Paul Cloutier
107 Make Your own cD
Meet a Stranger, Get their Photo
60 Sergey Todorov
Jewel case Frames
and Story
61 Gaetano Bognanni
13 Lightsphere II
By Amit Gupta
By Ryan Brenizer
6
7
MY PRECIOUS
My Leica M6 By Toby Boudreaux
My first camera, aside from the familiar
What I wanted was to take photos.
You can’t go wrong with a Leica M,
disposables sold at drug stores and
Despite everything I’d assumed, I didn’t
but there are only a few models I tend
handed out at weddings, was a Canon
want a computer. I wanted a camera.
to recommend. The M6 is probably the
300D with a cheap zoom lens. I
While waiting for the refund to be
most popular on the used market, but
returned it after a week .
posted to my account, I searched for a
the M3 (produced in the 50s and 60s) is
My wife was teaching a digital
simpler camera – something that didn’t
also a great machine. The M3 lacks any
photography class at American
include a lengthy manual. After bugging
sort of internal meter and has the nicest
University at the time, and I’d been
every photographer I knew for a solid,
viewfinder. If you shoot with anything
reading over her syllabus, acting as a test
simple camera that didn’t stick out like
wider than a 50mm lens, though, the
student, engaging the subjects of ISO
a sore thumb, I set my sights on a new
M3 isn’t for you, due to a lack of frame
sensitivity, aperture width, and shutter
fetish object: the Leica M6 TTL.
lines for wider lenses.
speed. It seemed simple enough.
Generally speaking, rangefinders
The current production line
Ever the gadget-hungry geek with
encourage a style of shooting that is
includes the M7, which breaks from
a penchant for justifying purchases
minimalist, intimate, and loose. In much
Leica tradition by ditching the
with practical reasoning, I decided to
the same way an SLR encourages careful
cloth shutter and purely mechanical
buy a camera with tons of buttons and
composition and endless tweaking of
operation for an electronic shutter.
options and menus to facilitate rapid
every detail before the shutter fires, a
The electronic bits of the M7 allow for
and incessant experimentation and
Leica M series rangefinder provides very
automatic aperture-priority shooting,
learn beyond my wife’s syllabus. Why,
little in the way of adjustments.
which is a bit of a departure for Leica
I wondered, would modern cameras
I tend to set my aperture and
shooters. The ultimate M camera is
include dozens of configurable options
shutter by the light, fix my focal length
the MP, which is a return to the basics
if apertures, shutter speeds, and film
to ten feet or so and walk around.
in terms of design and construction,
sensitivity were the only important
When something or someone catches
but with the inclusion of an updated
aspects of photography?
my eye, I move into the scene, lift the
metering system. A digital body, the
Unfortunately, the camera I chose
camera to my eye, and grab a quick shot.
M8, was just introduced, but I’d rather
felt like a creaky Styrofoam container
Presetting the focal length means there
not think about it just yet. All those
with cheap controls and a phone-sized
is rarely a need to focus, but when it’s
electronic components disrupt my
LCD. The body gave when squeezed. It
necessary, the bright and uncluttered
romantic vision of the Leica.
was light and oddly balanced. It felt like
split-screen viewfinder makes it a
The most romantic part of owning
a toy. It was a massive turn-off and the
pleasure – even in the dimmest of bars.
a Leica, to me, is the commitment that
bell tolls loudly for un-sexy gadgets.
I shoot with a 35mm f2 Summicron
comes with ownership. Leicas seem to
After playing with my DSLR for a
aspherical. Everything about the lens
outlive most photographers, even under
bit, I realized that I didn’t care about
is perfect. Optically, Leica lenses are
heavy use. I know that my M6 will
the buttons and menus. I didn’t see
incredibly sharp and their operation is
outlast me, and I hope it, along with
the motive for focus tracking servos. I
smooth and consistent. The lens clicks
my wife’s syllabus, will prove to be a
didn’t want to zoom the lens in and out,
into the mount snugly and seems to
great teaching tool to my children and
a millimeter at a time, looking through
become a part of the body. Leica cares a
grandchildren.
the tiny viewfinder while battling the
great deal about details like these. The
tyranny of choice, missing photos in the
lettering of each lens is engraved into
Toby Joe Boudreaux is a transplanted
process. I didn’t want people to jump
the metal and painted with care. The
Southerner living with his wife in Brooklyn,
when the shutter fired. Lord knows I
vulcanite coating on the body is placed
NY. His time is split between acting as
didn’t want to have a spring-loaded flash
with precision. Each camera is made by
Director of Technology for The Barbarian
unit pop up randomly.
hand and it shows.
Group and personal photo projects.
8 toby boudreaux
What do you covet? Write about your favorite photo thing: jpgmag.com/write/myprecious
9
MY PRECIOUS
My Hasselblad 500 C/M By Gayla Trail
I made my first real foray into
even fantasize of owning a Hasselblad.
like a betrayal of my ideals.
photography in the mid 90s while
Instead, I fought for months with a
While I got over myself in a
pursuing a degree in Fine Art. I’m not
Kiev 88, a cheap Hasselblad knockoff.
hurry, wearing this camera around my
sure if it was intimidation, laziness, or
Cheap is the operative word here since,
neck has purchased admission into a
lousy schooling, but after two courses
while the camera successfully apes the
photographic country club of the mind.
I could produce a black and white
Hasselblad style, it is incredibly fragile
People stop me on the street to offer
print and had cultivated a variety of
and temperamental; demanding yet
an approving nod and formerly uppity
misconceptions about photography,
unreliable.
camera store employees slide something
without ever having learned how to use
And then along came the
resembling respect across the sales
a camera or take a picture.
Hasselblad. The seller, my first boss
counter. On the flip side, my capability
I came out of school under the
out of university, had the kit since his
as a photographer is sometimes called
impression that fancy people take
college days and was contemplating
into question – “Do you know what
fancy pictures of fancy things with
passing it on to someone who would
you’re doing with that thing little lady?”
fancy cameras. After a long flirtation
love it like he had. Before pulling it out
– and the camera is praised for taking
with digital, I eventually made my
to show me, he described it as a camera
photos all on its own.
way back to film with a few cheap box
so beautiful one would want to take it
A manual Hasselblad isn’t for
cameras and plastic toys. Going back
to bed and cuddle. That’s the first thing
everyone. It’s a slow, heavy, and
to the fundamentals of light and film
I learned about owning a Hasselblad.
cumbersome camera, not suited to
taught me how to take a picture and
It comes with a mythology and pride
photographers that rely on quick action
that photography could be more than a
of ownership – a cheesy sensibility that
and capturing the spontaneous. What
career in cat calendars (like my teacher)
appeals directly to a part of me that is
I love is that it encourages a slow,
or fashion photography (like 95% of my
embarrassingly sentimental.
contemplative photographic style.
graduating class).
Once I finally talked myself into
Over the year, I’ve developed a
Just over a year ago, I lucked into
the purchase, I was eager to take on a
relationship with my camera. It has
the chance to buy an 80s era Hasselblad
new and better tool. What I was not
lived up to its reputation as a camera I
500 c/m kit at a ridiculously cheap
prepared for were the emotions related
can see myself growing old with. While
price. The kit included a dreamy Carl
to class and entitlement that crept
you won’t take better pictures with
Zeiss Makro-Planar 120mm f4 lens, a
into my psychology. Did I deserve this
an expensive camera, it will give you
Zeiss Distagon 60mm f3.5 lens, 2 old 12
camera? Coming from lower-class roots,
something to cuddle with at night.
backs, and a Polaroid back.
I had pride in making something out
Over the years, I had worked
of nothing (Robert Johnson learned to
Gayla Trail is a Toronto-based designer,
my way through a variety of cameras
play guitar by tacking wire to the side
photographer, writer, urban gardening
and styles, and I knew I preferred
of the house!) and strongly believed
champion and creator of the acclaimed
the clarity of large, square pieces of
you can take a good photo with a shitty
gardening website You Grow Girl. You can
film. But I couldn’t allow myself to
camera. Graduating to a Hasselblad felt
find her online at makinghappy.com.
10
What do you covet? Write about your favorite photo thing: jpgmag.com/write/myprecious
gayla trail 11
MY PRECIOUS
Hoya R72 Filter
By Paul Cloutier
Lightsphere II
When I first started shooting, I was
inspired by the work of Ansel Adams and
By Ryan Brenizer
Edward Weston. Their photos captured
the world in a way that the eye was never
meant to see. I learned to ape their style
There are photographers who want
in the darkroom, but it was never as
control over everything and spend days
dramatic as what I saw in my head.
on giant setups to make sure that every
Then I was introduced to infrared
bit of light is perfect. Then there are
photography (IR). Most people are
the Bresson devotees of ambient light,
familiar with heat-sensitive images
seeking it out in the world around them
where the hot things are red and the
I was drawn to this style of
work in IR anymore. I soon discovered
with slavish devotion.
lit, of course. Sometimes I want it to be
misplace. I keep it out of my bag unless I
cold things are blue or green, but
photography partly because of its
several ways that people were making IR
And then there are the rest of us.
moodily lit or stylistically lit or even just
know I’ll need it for the whole shoot.
most infrared photography is actually
graphic nature and partly because it gave
work with digital cameras.
We love the light of the world, and we
plain poorly lit. I find the Lightsphere
I recommend the Lightsphere for
near-infrared. This is a part of the
me access to a hidden world. Suddenly
Digital sensors are naturally
like to work without a ton of gear so we
lights rear-sync flash shots of motion
people who really love the soft-light
electromagnetic spectrum that can’t be
I was able to capture something that
sensitive to IR, so most cameras come
can discover beauty as it finds us, but we
too well, for example, taking away the
look, and particularly for professionals.
seen by the human eye, but can be seen
actually existed, but people just couldn’t
with an internal IR-blocking filter to cut
realize that sometimes bad light happens
contrast and drama that highlights a
Why pros? It has nothing to do with
by special film or digital sensors.
see. Because I shoot a lot of ghost towns
down on interference, making it pretty
to good photographers. We don’t always
frozen instant against a backdrop of
skill – amateurs can afford to try to make
Near-infrared is different from what
and abandoned places, this secret light
difficult to create IR images. Still, there
have the choice of where and when to
motion blur. Your mileage may vary.
their own with much cheaper do-it-
you see in movies. It doesn’t actually
source really appealed to me. It was as if
are several ways to make it work. One is
shoot, so we keep a flash handy to do the
The Lightsphere II comes in two
yourself diffuser, but most clients will
show you what is hot or cold – it shows
there was all this stored up life, hidden
to remove the built-in IR filter from the
rest.
parts, a flexible transparent plastic
not react kindly to their photographer
reflected infrared light. With infrared
in plain sight.
sensor, which works great but it renders
The problem for me was always
diffuser and a hard plastic dome. The
walking around with an actual piece of
photography, things that have a lot of
Infrared film has always been
the camera nearly useless for average
that I wanted the option of getting the
flexible piece can easily be crammed
Tupperware sticking out the top of their
reflected IR show up as white while
annoying to work with. It’s expensive
shooting and can be expensive.
softest, most natural-looking light as
into a camera bag, taking up about the
camera.
things with no reflected IR show up as
and, obviously, very sensitive. Most have
Instead, I chose to use a visible light
possible. So I came to see flash use like
same about of space as a medium-sized
black. One of the most striking instances
to be loaded in darkness to avoid fogging
filter, which allows me to use the camera
billiards. Where can I bounce? What
lens. The hard plastic dome can come in
Ryan Brenizer is a photographer and writer
is a fluffy sunlit tree in front of a clear
the film and the darkroom has to handle
for visible light shooting. I chose the
can I bounce off of? How high is that
handy for times when you can’t get any
in New York City. His photos have appeared
blue sky, resulting in a black and white
it the same way. But it was the only way
Hoya R72 filter because it was a little
ceiling? What color is it? Where’s the
light at all from bouncing, but almost
in the New York Times, Wired.com, the
image with a glowing white tree and a
to get the job done and when I switched
more affordable than other IR filters.
wall? Forward, to the left, backwards,
everyone I know has lost theirs, because
Kansas City Star, and Time Out New York.
pitch black sky.
to digital I lamented not being able to
It’s a standard screw-on that blocks all
twist, off-camera, on-camera … argh!
it makes it harder to pack and is easy to
You can find him online at RyanBrenizer.com.
visible light, only allowing infrared light
Gary Fong, a long-time wedding
through. I have one for my 28mm and
photographer, had the same dilemma
my 50mm, but you can get one for just
– you need an awfully big flash to
about any lens.
bounce off the roof of a cathedral. So he
There’s just one catch to this
invented and studiously refined a large
approach. Because you still have the
diffusing dome, the Lightsphere.
camera’s built-in filter blocking most
It is, at heart, a piece of
infrared light, you have to use fairly long
Tupperware. But used properly, and in
exposures. I usually open the shutter for
conjunction with bounce flash when
3-10 seconds. Some cameras are better
possible, you can throw a whole scene
for this than others, but all of them will
into soft lighting, even with objects at
work. All you need is the filter, which
varying distances from your camera.
can be had for between $50 and $100,
I’ve found, unsurprisingly, that it’s
and a tripod for the long exposure.
most handy with wedding photography,
If you are looking for a way to
particularly the large group or table
jump-start your creativity, an IR filter
shots that you have to do on the fly,
might just be the perfect addition to
making sure that each face is perfectly
your camera bag.
exposed.
Better still, the effect it gives almost
Paul Cloutier is a designer and photographer
seems to be no effect at all. It’s not a ring
living in San Francisco. He shoots a lot of
flash, blasting away shadows. When used
ghost towns and landscapes and goes by
properly, the world just seems well-lit. I
“theorem” on the JPG site.
don’t always want the world to be well-
12 paul cloutier
What do you covet? Write about your favorite photo thing: jpgmag.com/write/myprecious
ryan brenizer 13
Big
Ginormous, immense,
massive, vast, tremendous,
gigantic, mighty, gargantuan, elephantine,
titanic. This issue marks JPG Magazine’s
enlargement from a precious 6x9 to a
mammoth 8.5x11, so we’re in a big state
of mind. We asked the JPG community for
photos of bigness – from big thinking to big
bangs. The result shows that sometimes big
ideas come in big packages.
1
under the wing of the mechanical beast by tom scherbluk 15
theme big
16 catapult into your imagination by sophie turner
waiting for prey by a.s. beveridge 17
theme big
18 roar by alison garnett
miss biggie mississippi by andrew sears 19
theme big
20 o equilibrista by val ayres
field trip by john carleton 21
theme big
22 7 grs by susana ribeiro
shapes of earth and sky by gabriel naylor 23
theme big
2
the old man of hoy, orkney by alistair keddie 25
theme big
26 lacrosse, wi by gordon stettinius
elephants on main by larry joe treadway 27
theme big
storm at sunset by james jordan
28 carnival ferris wheel by drew maynard
la grande peinture by brian fair 29
theme big
30 jacek szydlowski
inferno by dawn armfield 31
theme big
32 wave breakers by gary gao
madison mack 33
theme big
3 berlin cowgirl by ernest mcleod
big soldier by paulo alegria 35
INTERVIEW
JPG: Who goes there?
I’m Matias Ärje, web specialist with artistic
inclinations, author of the Rasterbator. 29,
M, Helsinki, Finland.
How did the Rasterbator come to be?
Several years ago I was living in a student
dormitory and had a roommate, Aarne
Junkkari, with whom I shared sort of
anthropological or sociological interest in
kitschy religious apparel. We decided that
the living room needed some redecorating
and got the idea of creating a huge poster
of the now late Pope John Paul II.
Just enlarging the image yielded
crappy results as the quality was greatly
reduced, but we played around with
Photoshop and used the color halftone
filter to create a rasterized image. It was a
charles mcnally
lot more striking than we expected.
During the following years, many
people asked how the poster was made
and mentioned that they would like to
make one using their own source image
and I started wondering whether this could
be automated – apparently it could.
What’s the response been like?
Most of the feedback is positive. People
extend their gratitude for such a free tool.
The only negative feedback is that teachers
tell me that they would like to use the
application, but they cannot because of its
The Rasterbator
name. Curiously, this is limited to America.
Other teachers, including British, gleefully
teach the joys of rasterbating.
Getting Big with Matias Ärje
Yes, it’s wordplay of an utmost
naiveté, but nevertheless, the Rasterbator
Have you ever gotten close enough to a billboard to see all
has turned into a very strong brand.
the strangely captivating multicolored dots that form the
Originally, “rasterbator” was a slang term
image? Now, thanks to the work of a clever Finn, you can
for a graphic designer who perfected his
iraleigh anderson
work for a long time with no apparent
make the same kind of beautiful halftoned enlargements of
progress. I’m quite happy we’ve been able
your own photos.
to hijack the term.
Matias Ärje is the creator of the Rasterbator, a free
online tool that can turn an unsuspecting JPG into a beautiful
What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever seen
dotted billboard. All you need is a printer, some paper,
come out of the Rasterbator?
scissors, tape or glue, and a little time to spare.
I’m very happy to know that people use it
in schools, to create montage paintings
Since the Rasterbator went online in 2004, it’s
and demonstration posters. I would never
rasterbated 1.1 million images onto 30 million pages. Not bad
have expected it would be used for creating
for a side project whipped up by a self-proclaimed “lazy-ass
banners for the 75th birthday party of an
web developer.”
Austrian grandmother.
We asked Matias to answer some questions about his
Tell us something about the Rasterbator
creation, and he was kind enough to reply. Check out his
nobody knows.
interview, along with some rasterbations by members of the
Some lazy-ass developer programmed
JPG community, on the following page.
the simplest possible method for creating
halftones for the Rasterbator. The
colorization is even more stupid, but only
MORE INFO ONLINE
print professionals would notice. And
Rasterbate your photos
homokaasu.org/rasterbator
the process isn’t even rasterization, it’s
actually halftoning.
JPG’s Rasterbator theme
jpgmag.com/themes/19
kristal armendariz
Visit Matais’ homepage
arje.net
36
37
Hometown
Sponsored by Metroblogging.com
Home is not just about where you’re from - it’s
also about where you’ve chosen to be. What does
your hometown look like, and how does it feel?
We asked the JPG community of photographers to
capture their hometowns. Here’s what they saw.
38
wabasha st. bridge in my hometown of saint paul minnesota by brian pittman 39
theme hometown
sponsored by metroblogging.com
0 a girl and her bear by john watson
littlehampton huts by jon roobottom 1
theme hometown
sponsored by metroblogging.com
2 hidden spaces favorite places by william bragg
grover beach by angela henderson 3
theme hometown
sponsored by metroblogging.com
michelle jones 5
theme hometown
sponsored by metroblogging.com
tim hortons on red by phillip chee
6 ramsgate beach, kent, uk by tim mitchard
cheap holidays by piotr chochłow 7
theme hometown
sponsored by metroblogging.com
8 tree vs. cart by dave markowski
nyc by tony contreras 9
theme hometown
sponsored by metroblogging.com
50
7:30 am brighton beach by kevin meredith 51
theme hometown
sponsored by metroblogging.com
52 chris dowling
yankee backyard by kim denise 53
theme hometown
sponsored by metroblogging.com
old salem in winston-salem, nc by michael dehaan
the road home, minneapolis, minnesota by nancy johnson
5 newburyport, massachusetts by mariah mccormick
post-katrina new orleans by morris brum 55
theme hometown
sponsored by metroblogging.com
56 middle park by night by edouard mouy
power by paul habeeb 57
theme hometown
sponsored by metroblogging.com
58
central station, sydney australia by andrew finden 59
theme hometown
sponsored by metroblogging.com
60 dark by sergey todorov
cefalù, sicily by gaetano bognanni 61
We asked four photographers to take on their home towns.
Their photos tell the stories missed by the daily news and
The Hometown theme was sponsored by Metroblogging.
travel rags, painting a portrait of what it means to be home.
Where I’m At
Dawn Mikulich’s
Metroblogging is the largest and fastest growing network
of city-specific blogs on the Web. From San Francisco to
6
Mark Powell’s
chicago
66 Mexico city
Bangkok, from Karachi to Toronto, Metblogs are a hyper-
local look at what’s going on in the city with perspectives
on daily life and friendly advice.
Find out what’s happening where you are, and where
you want to be, at:
Metroblogging.com
Think Global. Blog Local.
Rob Gardiner’s
Joseph O. Holmes’
68 London
70 new York city
62
Where you at? Make your own photo essay at: jpgmag.com/write/photoessay
63
Where I’m At
Dawn Mikulich’s
Chicago
When I started carrying a camera five
years ago, I had no idea how Chicago
could inspire and change me. Chicago’s
spirit, vibrant color and warmth (not the
weather) provided me with the comfort
I needed to become the photographer I
am today.
I found everything I could ever
want in the details, both small and large.
Whether it was the inviting heart-
shaped chair left outside by a shop
owner, the way morning light reflects off
Lake Michigan, or grander details like
the endless art and architecture, I kept
discovering these things which felt like
they were put here just for me to enjoy.
I’m convinced that other people must
feel this way, even on the shortest of
visits.
Dawn Mikulich lives in Chicago with
her husband and an 11 year-old Westie named
Bernie. In 2005, she abandoned the 9 to 5
world to pursue her dream life as a profes-
sional photographer. You can find her online at
chicagouncommon.com and dawnm.com.
Make your own photo essay.
6
jpgmag.com/write/photoessay
65
Where I’m At
Mark Powell’s
Mexico
City
There’s nothing like flying into Mexico
City at night. A universe of imagined re-
alities presents itself from above. Lights
twinkle fast and hot as if they were
individual personalities screaming for at-
tention, boiling up into the air in a bowl
of fire that is the valley of Mexico.
On the ground, there is a definite
scent that welcomes you back home. It
smells like a mixture of burnt paper and
papaya. The light is different here. It
radiates a pure white, the yellow seems
to be missing, the clouds hover closer
because of the altitude. You can’t tan
from it, just turn a little green. It’s a re-
assuring light, a big pueblo light, a light
that completely envelopes everything.
When I first came to the city, it was
wonderful to photograph. I hit it while it
was hot and reacted to it without effort.
Photos seemed to come easily. Lately it
has become harder to shoot in the city
because it is my home. It has settled
inside me and is now hard to separate.
My family is here, my son was born
here and it is now where I work. I am
excited by its familiarity, and the photo-
graphic landscape it offers. Little secrets
show themselves more now – as if the
city were a dog that now knows me,
nudges me, licks me on the hand, points
me, urging me to see it as a confidant
without the bite.
Mark Powell is a photographer living in
Mexico City. His first book of photographs,
Very Important Person, was just published.
He has exhibited his work around the world.
You can follow Mark’s work at markalor.com.
Make your own photo essay.
66
jpgmag.com/write/photoessay
67
Where I’m At
Rob Gardiner’s
London
London has an immensity that reaches
beyond the aera that it occupies. It has
evolved over millennia, reinventing itself
countless times as new waves of people
enter it. I take photos on the same
streets that have seen the footsteps of
Roman emperors, Vikings, kings and
queens, Churchill and Shakespeare.
I photograph London with a primi-
tive pinhole camera that seems to exist
outside of time. The images it captures
stretch and squeeze reality through a
tiny pinprick-sized hole onto a sheet of
film. People and vehicles become ghostly
blurs across the frame, everything ap-
pears both ancient and modern. This is
how I see my hometown.
Rob Gardiner is an Australian born
photographer who moved to London three
years ago after a five year stint in New York
City. His work on London is largely based on
Polaroid prints from a 4x5 pinhole camera.
Make your own photo essay.
68
jpgmag.com/write/photoessay
69
Where I’m At
Joseph O. Holmes’
New York
City
New York is a famously tough town, and
after living here for 26 years, I realize
how long it took me to grow into it.
My first impression was that New
York is a dirty, noisy, crowded place, and
it’s hard to argue with that. But after a
few years, steeped in the city’s moodi-
ness every day, I began to notice the
dirt and noise and crowds only when
I returned from cleaner and quieter
places. A trip back into Brooklyn from
the airport always gave me a fresh jolt of
culture shock.
And then one day I stopped think-
ing about the noise and dirt and crowds
altogether. Maybe the city had changed.
More likely, it had gotten under my skin.
I began to love my adopted home not
despite the dirt and noise and crowds
but because of those things, because
they’re part of what makes New York
City what it is. It’s gotten to the point
where clean cities feel a little austere.
New York remains a tough town to
photograph, though, at least in a way I
find satisfying. It’s easy to let the city
overpower the photographer. There’s no
trick to shooting skyscrapers and steamy
streets if you don’t mind being elbowed
out of the final product. This city only
started to respect me when I started
pushing back. Lately I’ve been work-
ing at finding a halfway point, the place
where city and I are both there in the
final image, not giving an inch of ground
but always coming back for more.
Joseph O. Holmes lives in Brooklyn, New
York, with his wife and two children, and
teaches digital photography at New York
University.
Make your own photo essay.
70
jpgmag.com/write/photoessay
71
Self-Portraiture
When we photograph ourselves, we are free
from the obligation to smile. Some of us dress
up, turning into new characters. Others bravely
expose their true selves in new ways. Whatever the
response, something amazing happens when the
photographer is both the artist and the subject.
72 olivia leigh
john halcyon styn 73
theme self-portraiture
7 jon madison
josie moyer 75
theme self-portraiture
76 eric hart
nicole bruni 77
theme self-portraiture
78 laura kicey
robin andersen 79
theme
theme self-portraiture
self-por
80
dreams float like popcorn in space by todd bates 81
theme self-portraiture
massimo fiorentino
82 florian meimberg
trailer trash barbie by hana mohalo 83
theme self-portraiture
8 dustin parr
warren harold 85
theme self-portraiture
zach slootsky
brittonie fletcher
86 martin riley
garrett maclean 87
theme self-portraiture
88 heleri luuga
portrait as a lamp by jared desimio 89
theme self-portraiture
90
susana ribeiro
steph goralnick 91
theme self-portraiture
92 luigi di crasto
ayesha moarif
93
theme self-portraiture
9 gwen harlow
diana lemieux 95
INTERVIEW
A Life in Progress
noah Kalina’s Eternal Self-Portraiture Project
We’ve all done it. Maybe it was the last shot on a roll of film.
Or maybe you were just having a good hair day. Whatever the
reason, you take your camera, point it at yourself, and shoot.
But not everyone’s done what Noah Kalina has. He’s pointed
his camera at himself just about every day for the last seven
years running. His position and expression stay the same, but
everything else changes, drawing your attention to the little
Please tell us about yourself.
My name is Noah Kalina. I am 26 years old and I live in Brooklyn, New York.
differences: the shirt of the day, the length of his hair, the shifting
I am a professional photographer.
background.
When Noah made a video montage of the first six years of
Why did you start taking photos of yourself every day?
photos and posted it to YouTube, it made him a mini-celebrity.
I was a 19 year-old photography major at the School of Visual Arts in New
We wanted to know what that was like, so we sat down for a chat.
York City. At the time, I was mostly just shooting with film cameras. In 1999,
digital photography was just starting to emerge, and I was really attracted
to the possibilities that shooting digital could bring. I coupled this with an
interest I had in the subtleties of the aging process, and the idea was born.
Ever missed a day?
In the beginning of the project, I didn’t think it would actually be possible
to do it every single day, so I would forget or go away without the camera.
But as time went on, it became more and more important, and it quickly
became a routine for me. I haven’t missed a day in over three years. In total,
I have missed 22 days, and five days were lost in a hard drive crash.
What’s the reaction to the video been like?
The reaction has been amazing and totally overwhelming. I have done
television and radio interviews all over the world, which have been both fun
and nerve-racking.
The day it became the number one clip on YouTube, I received close
to 1,000 emails in less than 24 hours. People from all over the world were
writing me and telling me how I inspired them to start making art again.
A lot of people told me they were going to start doing the same project
with their children. Some people told me it gave their lives meaning again.
I was even described in some emails as the pioneer of a new genre of
photography. I’m not sure how comfortable I am with all of the praise I’ve
been getting, but it’s certainly very flattering.
What’s it like for you to look at the photos/video now?
I can’t watch the video anymore. I have seen it hundreds of times and
to be honest, I’m sick of it. I never really even looked at the individual
photographs much when my project was just the website. It’s just
something I do. I’m not an egomaniac who loves to stare at himself.
Are you still shooting yourself every day?
Yes, I still photograph myself every day. The subtitle to the video is “a work
in progress,” so I have taken a photo every day since I posted the video and I
will continue to for the rest of my life. It’s too bad I won’t get to see the final
96
cut.
See what Noah looks like today: everyday.noahkalina.com
96
97
TEN TIPS
10 Tips for Better Mirror Shots
By Heather Powazek Champ
I was neck-deep in it before I realized what was happening. My
5 not Just the Face
habit of taking mirror self-portraits started over 20 years ago. I
Lets say you see a cracked mirror on the street – someone’s
gathered these photos into their own album and, in 1999 while
seven years of bad luck can be your gain. Try shooting yourself
I was in between jobs, I scanned my collection, and shared
from the ankles down. Given how quickly fashion changes, one
them online as Jezebel’s Mirror.
day you might look back and wonder what you were thinking
In October of that year, I created an adjunct site
when you sported those platform, multicolored sneakers (not
called Friends of Jezebel’s Mirror (fojm) and began taking
that this has ever happened to me, of course). Mirror self-
submissions. I quickly became enamoured with the slices of
portraiture can be a wonderful way to document your passage
life that people were sharing with me and in June 2001, fojm
through life and all those fashion choices (or disasters) you
relaunched as the Mirror Project (mirrorproject.com).
made.
With over 33,000 submissions to date, I’ve looked at a lot
of mirror self-portraits, and have learned a few things. There’s
6 Your Shadow is not Yourself
no right way, of course, but here are some of my personal tips
for better mirror self-portraiture.
Despite what Peter Pan thinks, there’s not enough “there”
there for a photo of your shadow to be considered a reflected
1 Get out of the Bathroom
self-portrait. We could debate the semantics, but it’s something
better done in a bar over a few drinks, where if worst comes
We’ve all taken that mirror shot in the loo. Mix it up! We
to worst, we could toss around the furniture. This isn’t to say
live in a shiny, shiny world. Glass or plastic (windows, doors,
that I’m not a fan of the shadow self-portrait, but it’s just not a
beverage containers, sunglasses), water, metal (cars, appliances,
mirror shot.
sculptures) anything somewhat smooth (though not necessarily
flat) that reflects you can become your canvas.
7 Bring a Friend
And if you’re traveling, be sure to plan a trip to these
mirror shot-friendly locations: Rundle Mall (aka “Mall’s Balls”)
The more the merrier, I say! Including your buds can be a great
in Adelaide, Australia; Cloud Gate (aka “The Bean”) in Chicago,
way to document a fun day out or an evening of mayhem.
the Palais Royal Fountain in Paris, and the Experience Music
Project in Seattle.
8 Make it a Project
Take the same mirror shot in the same place every day, so you
2 Eyes on the camera
can see the world change around you. Or take a mirror shot
When you’re taking the picture, don’t look at your own
every time you see a vintage car (think shiny bumper), holiday
reflection, no matter how good a hair day you’re having. And
ornaments (Christmas with the family), or track the growth of
don’t look at the display of your digital camera either. Look
a new family member (be they two- or four-footed).
into the mirror reflection of your camera, directly at the lens.
That way, in the photo, you’ll be looking at the at the viewer.
9 Take a Mirror with You
A reflective piece of card stock, a plastic holiday ornament, or
3 Don’t Hide Behind the camera
a small hand mirror wouldn’t take up too much room in your
If you’re looking at yourself, then you’ve most likely pulled
bag. Like a boy scout, you’ll be prepared.
the camera away from your face. Good. We all know what
a camera looks like. We want to see you! Extend your arm,
10 Break All the Rules
put the camera on the ground, balance it on your head – get
Ignore lists like this one and blaze your own path. After all,
creative!
sometimes the best shots are the ones that just happen.
4 Turn off that Flash
Heather Powazek Champ is the creator and curator of The Mirror
Nobody wants to be a flasher, and that blast of bright light
Project (mirrorproject.com), lives online at hchamp.com and also
does nothing for your photograph. If the light is low, take a
happens to be the cofounder of JPG Magazine. She likes shiny things.
deep breath and exhale when you snap the photo. Also try
holding the camera at waist level with your feet planted apart
– you can turn your body into a tripod and steady yourself.
98
heather powazek champ 99
INTERVIEW
Happy Self-Portrait Day!
A conversation with Michelle Howley, online Self-Portrait collector
Michelle Howley is the proprietor of Self-Portrait Day (selfportraitday.com), where any online
photographer can sign up and post their favorite self-portrait for all to see. We wanted to know what
inspired her to start the site, and what she’s learned about self-portraiture as a result, so we sent
her some questions. Here’s what she had to say.
Who are you? Tell us about yourself. A/S/L?
What is it about self-portraiture that floats your boat?
My name is Michele Howley. I am a 32-year-old Graphic Designer
It might be the designer in me but I think what draws me to
working in Manhattan. My favorite design program is Illustrator,
self-portraiture is watching how people “sell” themselves. With
favorite serif font is Mrs Eaves, favorite sans serif will probably
Self-Portrait Day, we wanted to create a site so that people could
always be Helvetica Neue. (I can’t seem to shake that damn family.)
potentially discover new faces, so each person needs to stand out if
I live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with my husband, Tobyjoe. I married
he or she wants another visitor.
my only one-night stand. Oh, I’m a girl. 36C.
And then there’s the visitor’s role. What draws them in? Were
they attracted to the person? Were they disgusted? Did they like
How did Self-Portrait Day come to be?
the color blue? Did the technique draw them in? Style? I like asking
Self-Portrait Day began when a fellow blogger (Amanda) put up
these questions.
an image of herself on her own website. I immediately began
Every time I see a new self-portrait, I start coming up with
to imagine her in the 3-Dimensional world. I suggested in her
stories about where the person was standing at the time they took
comments section that a bunch of us create self-portraits for the
it, or what they were thinking. I’ve come up with entire histories
What was the response like?
What’s the secret of a good self-portrait?
following Thursday. Unemployed at the time, and craving a design
based on one small image and I love that. It’s a mini window into
The response was really huge at first. We had so many new
For SPD, since the site’s main idea is to help people discover new
project, I began designing the site. We purchased the domain name
someone else’s life. Plus, my made up stories are never wrong.
additions and visitors. Thousands of people were clicking in. The
faces, I think the self-portrait needs to be engaging – especially
and in three days it was up and running.
design seemed to go over well and the word got out really fast. I
since it’s up against 11 other people per page. If you want to steal
was shocked it was accepted so well. Totally surprised me.
the eyes away from the guy posing with his cat, do something
Over time, our additions began to taper off. The dark ages
interesting.
lasted for several months. I talked about getting rid of it entirely.
I have clicked on images that have caused laughter, made
a couple of michelle’s favorites from selfportraitday.com
Then Tobyjoe rebuilt the site. That took a couple of days of his
me think, “What the fuck?”, or are just downright pleasing to they
free time. And then one Sunday night we relaunched it, automated
eye. Quality is a huge deal as well. If you upload a really small, low
and improved. We added a search function and individual pages.
res image, chances are people aren’t going to click on your link. It
We sent out a massive email blast to our entire database and had a
really is a competition, when it comes down to it. It’s about selling
lot of new sign-ups. I think that email blast acted as a defibrillator
yourself. That’s the way I see it, at least.
and got it back up and moving. Now, it takes care of itself
I had one guy in the beginning report getting hundreds and
entirely. Although, I police it heavily to make sure there aren’t any
hundreds of hits from us whereas others on that page weren’t
unwelcome penises. (We’ve had a few of those.)
getting nearly as many. His image happened to be really engaging.
It was black and white and shot with a wide-angle lens. I still
Any great stories from SPD?
remember it to this day. Plus, he’s smoking a cigarette (I think it
Oh, several. We have had many people reunite. I couldn’t believe
was a cigarette) and he looked badass. I was instantly sucked in.
that happened, actually. There were two women who hadn’t seen
As an art form, I think a good self-portrait is something that
each other in 10 years who managed to get back in touch. Their
makes me feel as though I’m not supposed to be there, like I’m an
story made me so freaking happy.
intruder somehow, like the artist is letting me in on a secret. And by
There was also a woman who got really upset with me that we
being exposed to their vulnerability, I feel guilty. That could be the
wouldn’t allow her to show her vagina. I think “clit” was the word
Catholic girl in me, but for some reason I am immediately drawn in
she preferred. She wrote me a few emails asking me to check out
to work like that. In a way, they make me feel special, unique.
her site, that it wasn’t that bad, etc. I’m all for a little vagina from
time to time, but I didn’t feel it was appropriate for SPD.
100 brandon stone
rachel james
michelle howley 101
THE PROJECT
The People in My
Neighborhood
David Gartner wants to meet your neighbors. So he put up the
lyrics to the old Mister Rogers song and asked photographers
to print them, hand them out to the people in their
neighborhood, take photos, and send them to him.
So far he’s received illustrated songs from India to
Australia to Korea. The photos shown here were taken by
Heather and I on Christmas day, 2004, in our Cole Valley
neighborhood of San Francisco.
To see all the photos and download the lyrics to make
your own, visit David’s site: vsgoliath.com/neighborhood/.
102
heather powazek champ and derek powazek 103
POST-PROCESSING
DIY Holiday Photo Gifts By Karina Berenson
It’s that time of year again. Everywhere you look, someone is peddling some form of holiday cheer
for you to buy. But before you head out to navigate the insanity of the mall, take a look through your
photos. You’re sitting on top of a gold mine of gift-giving opportunities. Here are three simple DIY ideas
to turn your photos into unique, fun, and painless gifts for your friends and family.
WE Don’T BLoW
You know ’em – they fall out of every magazine
on the rack. They’re called “blow-in cards”
and they suck. They litter the aisles and annoy
Magnet Frames
Photo Wristband
Photo Coasters
magazine readers worldwide.
If sending holiday cards is your thing,
Perfect for the anti-time telling person
Coasters are not just for us Type-A folk
then why not make some of these cards
in your life, this project takes a broken
– they really are useful. Really! And when
with a built-in magnet frame that’ll keep
thrift store watch and turns it into
designed with your favorite photos, they
So we don’t use them. Instead, we just say
that holiday cheer going throughout the
wearable art.
are a great way to liven up your next
year?
1.
this: If you like this magazine – and we hope
Find an old, broken wristwatch with
drink with friends.
1. Get some blank cards or make some
a band that you like (the bigger the
1. Buy some plain cork coasters
you do – please subscribe. It’s just $24.99 for
by folding card stock.
watch face, the better).
(available at craft stores – I used some
2.
2.
6 issues a year (US) and you can subscribe on
With a pen knife, cut out a window
Carefully pop off the back of the
from ikea) or cut your own coaster-
for your photo on the front of the
watch with a knife and remove the
sized cork pieces from a cork roll or
our website without wasting any paper.
card. (You can also buy pre-cut
watch innards until you have just the
cork tile (from an office supply store).
window frame cards if you’re feeling
clear watch glass.
Four by four inches is a nice size if
lazy).
you’re cutting your own.
3. Using the removed watch face as
www.jpgmag.com/subscribe
3. Here’s the fun part: Decorate the
a template, cut out the image you
2. For super water-proofness, cut out
frame surrounding the opening. The
want to use and cut out some thin
some peel-and-stick laminate sheets
cards pictured are covered with wood
cardboard for backing.
to fit over images you want to use and
grain contact paper and a scanned
stick them on.
4. Use double-stick tape to attach the
photo mat from an antique album.
image to the cardboard, then pop the
3. Using the cork coaster as a template,
4. Optional: Cover the decorated frame
whole thing in the watch.
cut out your laminated images.
with peel-and-stick laminate to make
5. Stuff with some cotton to hold
4. Glue image back to the coaster and let
the frame more durable.
in place and snap the watch back
dry under the weight of a book or two.
5. On the back of the frame, apply
together.
5. Wrap them up with the recipient’s
adhesive backed magnet sheet cut to
Note: Some digital watches have a design
libation of choice.
fit your card frame (remember to cut
printed on the watch glass, so just make
out the opening for the photo).
Remember to have fun and snap lots of
a new one. Pop out the watch glass
holiday photos – you can use them for
6. Tape a photo onto the back of the
and use it as a template to cut out your
your gifts next year!
frame and add a little note letting the
image. Then stick some peel-and-stick
recipient know to cut off the frame
laminate on the image and glue the
and stick it on the fridge.
whole thing to the watch front.
10
Do you DIY? Share your how to’s at: jpgmag.com/write/post-processing
105
POST-PROCESSING
cD Jewel case Frames
Wonderful Wall Art Faster than You Can Say “Polar Bears!” By Amit Gupta
Come clean. Most of your walls are as bare as the day you
moved in. Consider this a friendly intervention.
Here’s a clever project that uses CD jewel cases to make
rearrangeable, refillable, photo frames for those empty walls
of yours. We’ll take you step-by-step through the process and
show you how you can get your photographs off-line and on
your walls in about half an hour!
3
Poooooooolar Bears.
First, gather your ingredients. You’ll need: photographs
(5”x7” prints work well), CD Jewel Cases, cardboard, scissors,
a ruler, tape (double-sided works best, archival if you’re picky),
and Velcro strips with adhesive backs.
Got everything? Fabulous! Now the fun begins!
Step 3: Next, you’ll create a cardboard back for your photo to
prevent it from buckling. Using the same technique as in Step
2, trace around your jewel case insert and cut out a piece of
cardboard that’s the same size as your photo. Use double-sided
tape to attach the cardboard to your cropped photograph. Be
sure to go around all the edges to prevent peeling.
1
Step 1: Remove the plastic insides of your jewel case. Be
4
gentle! Try using your fingernails or twisting the frame of the
jewel case a bit if it doesn’t come off easily. Once you get it,
remove the paper insert in the back of the jewel case. Next,
tear the perforated edges from the paper insert so you can use
it as a template with which to trim your photo.
Step 4: Time to assemble your frame! Plop your photo into
the back of your jewel case, facing out. Put the jewel case back
together without the plastic insert that held the CD. Close
it up. Stick one side of your Velcro tape to the back of your
finished case (the side without the photo.) A couple inches
should do it. Stick the other side of the tape to the spot on the
2
wall where you’ll hang your frame. Now just put on some music
and have fun hanging your awesome new frame!
Simple, cheap, and easy, right? Now that all your music’s on
your iPod anyway, CD jewel case frames are a great way to put
all those dusty CD cases to use.
For a unique look, line up many frames next to each other
or in a grid. Or cut one image into nine pieces and arrange nine
Step 2: Now you need to trim your photo so it fits snugly
jewel case frames in a grid to show them off. Since you used
inside the jewel case. Turn your photo face down on a table and
Velcro, you can rearrange your frames whenever you like!
lay the jewel case insert on the photo’s back. Move the insert
around until you have a good crop, then draw around the insert
Amit Gupta is the man behind Photojojo.com and lives in New York
with a pen or pencil. Use your scissors to cut out your trace.
City. Special thanks to Mareen Fischinger who took the photographs
Your image should now be 5 3/8” by 4 5/8”.
used in the frames for this tutorial.
106
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107
PHOTO CHALLENGE
Introduce yourself to someone you don’t know and ask to take their photo.
chris by Josh Sisk
The San Francisco Twins by Derek Powazek
I met Chris on a recent Friday in Baltimore.
Vivian A. Brown and Marian B. Brown have been San
We were both drinking and ended up at the
Francisco’s unofficial mascots for four decades. We bumped
same party. Those dots on his forehead
into them on Powell Street last night. When Heather tried
and brow are tattoos. He asked me to help
to take a candid, they said, “No, sweetie, let’s do this right.”
him shoot an art film he wants to do, but I
They guided us to the hotel steps for a “proper photo.” They
haven’t heard from him yet.
moved here in 1970 and never want to leave. I can relate.
Take the Challenge
jpgmag.com/themes/3
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CONTRIBUTORS
Contributors in their own words. If you like their work here, visit them online for more.
Paulo Alegria flickr.paulgi.com
Morris Brum flickr.com/photos/mamish
Andrew Finden thebuffi.r8.org
Angela Henderson slolane.org
Ernest McLeod
Gabriel naylor gabrielnaylor.com
jpgmag.com/people/findo
jpgmag.com/people/PillowFight
flickr.com/photos/placeinsun
I was born in Portugal in 1970. I got my first
New Orleans-based photographer.
I am a Visual Effects compositor and
jpgmag.com/people/morris
“serious” camera in 1982. It was a Pentax,
I am a writer and artist living in Vermont
photographer. I first became interested in
stolen from my father’s desk drawer. About
Massimo Fiorentino interiority.com
nancy Johnson flickr.com/photos/njohnson
and Montréal. My goal with photography
photography when I was in high school. I
5 years later, I found the shutter button.
nicole Bruni flickr.com/photos/nicole719
I live in Copenhagen, Denmark, with my
I am a 22 year-old half-Korean girl who enjoys
is to find the extraordinary detail amid the
worked in my own dark room for years. I
Since then, I couldn’t stop. That click sound
A good Italian thirtysomething girl with a
fantastic girlfriend and a bunch of teddy
taking pictures, astrological realisms, and the
ordinary detritus of everyday life, those
have since worked in digital formats and my
became music for me.
deep and abiding love for dogs, calamari, a
bears. I’m a technology freak, movie/music/
hilarity of early 90s snap-on bracelets. But
things which instinctively make me stop in
skills in photography won me first place in
jpgmag.com/people/paulgi
good stiff drink and bald men. I am working
photography/art nut and my interests range
who doesn’t?
my tracks. I’m also attracted to that moment
the “Artistic” category at the 2005 Photoshop
jpgmag.com/people/njohnson
on my technique, but I take pictures of
from the absurd to the mediocre. I’m
of day when the sun shines brilliantly before
Guru Awards. I currently work freelance at
Robin Andersen tecgirl.com
things for fun, and for my sanity. I have a
currently studying hard to switch lives and
being lost to the horizon.
Copper Post Digital & Catalyst Effects in
I’m a photographer, a full-time art student, a
high stress job and photography is my escape.
become a movie director, believing that I
Michelle Jones michellejones.net
jpgmag.com/people/placeinsun
Phoenix, AZ.
jpgmag.com/people/nicolebruni
director and cinematographer (super shorts,
have a few stories up my sleeve that I’d like
I am a 30 year-old photographer, writer, white
jpgmag.com/people/gabe
music videos, experimental), a bartender, a
to tell.
collar worker bee.
Florian Meimberg
VIP hostess, a Playboy model, and a local
John carleton
jpgmag.com/people/mfiorentino
jpgmag.com/people/michelle
jpgmag.com/people/florianmeimberg
Dustin Parr heremydear.com
flickr.com/photos/johncarleton
blogger for the SF Metblog. I am also really
Cat photographer.
into global travel, martial arts, snowboarding,
I am an ecstatic husband and father and an
Gary Gao karmasoup.org
Alistair Keddie bigalbaphotography.co.uk
Kevin Meredith
jpgmag.com/people/chairsmissing
jpgmag.com/people/bigalba
flickr.com/photos/lomokev
riding my stock blue ‘78 Vespa P200, MAC
aspiring photographer.
I am a kid who is just beginning to get to
jpgmag.com/people/johncarleton
jpgmag.com/people/lomokev
makeup, all kinds of music (a one-time DnB
know the world.
Brian Pittman
jpgmag.com/people/karmasoup
DJ), watching movies, and meeting new
Laura Kicey laurakicey.com
jpgmag.com/people/peacemonkey
interesting people.
Phillip chee
jpgmag.com/people/laurakicey
utata.org/members/pchee
Ayesha Moarif
jpgmag.com/people/rjandersen
jpgmag.com/people/ComputerScienceGeek
Alison Garnett
flickr.com/photos/_dilettante_
Martin Riley
jpgmag.com/people/supercapacity
Diana Lemieux
I’m a 27-year-old Frankistani living in
jpgmag.com/people/martinish
Dawn Armfield girl-inchoate.com/photos
Piotr chochłow
jpgmag.com/people/dlemieux
pcf.go.pl
Vancouver. Visual dilettante, I take and
jpgmag.com/people/mizarek
I am an avid photography hobbyist. I don’t
Steph Goralnick
scribble pictures when I can.
Jon Roobottom roobottom.com
flickr.com/photos/sgoralnick
shoot for a particular audience but more
Heleri Luuga flickr.com/photos/is_this_it
jpgmag.com/people/dilettante
jpgmag.com/people/roobottom
to show the world as I see it – nuances of
Tony contreras
jpgmag.com/people/hele
I am a graphic designer by day and
jpgmag.com/people/yerko
the world in general. I like looking at the
photographer by night/weekend/sick day.
Hana Mohalo myspace.com/fackyouman
Tom Scherbluk spinlab.ca
ordinary as if it were extraordinary, or the
Born and raised in Woodstock, NY, I left
Garrett MacLean
I am a dreamer who needs to apply the
Here in Toronto, I do various marketing
mundane as if it were original.
Michael DeHaan
millionfishes.com/garrett/garrett.htm
the fancy-free barefoot lifestyle for the
phrase “don’t dream it, be it.” I want to be a
consulting, photography and multimedia
jpgmag.com/people/darmfield
flickr.com/photos/mpdehaan
broken glass and chicken bone-strewn streets
I am a photo assistant, learning in the studio
photographer, a fashion magazine editor, an
work, but my cameras are my true addiction!
I’m a software developer, occasional cyclist
of Brooklyn 7 years ago and never looked
instead of being under the yolk of further
interior designer, a shoe maker and a baker.
jpgmag.com/people/spinlab
Val Ayres flickr.com/photos/valayres
(road & MTB), part-time moose psychologist,
back. I am generally armed with either
student loans. Photography keeps me alive.
But I don’t know how to even bake! I do
jpgmag.com/people/hiddenstitches
I am an art director/designer, amateur
rocket surgeon, world conqueror, and
a Canon 20D, Canon Powershot SD500,
know how to take a great photo. This is what
Gordon Stettinius eyecaramba.com
photographer, and movie freak based in Rio
photographic genius (Not!) living in Raleigh
Holga, or Lomo LC-A. My favorite subjects
I love.
jpgmag.com/people/eyecaramba
de Janeiro, Brazil. I am moved by images.
NC. My main interests include infrared
to immortalize are my friends performing
Jon Madison jonmadison.com
jpgmag.com/people/prettypretty
jpgmag.com/people/valayres
photography, TLRs, Lensbabies, night
the ridiculously absurd things I somehow
I’m a father, writer of software, and musician
John Halcyon Styn cockybastard.com
photography, traffic cones, and general
convince them to do for the camera.
who takes pictures. I teeter the line between
Edouard Mouy thefotokid.com
jpgmag.com/people/halcyon
Lauren Baljeu
jpgmag.com/people/sgoralnick
photographic randomness.
documentarian and artist.
I am 17, year 12, living in Melbourne,
jpgmag.com/people/tournesol
jpgmag.com/people/mpdehaan
jpgmag.com/people/jon
drinking coffee, listening to jazz. I like street
Jacek Szydlowski madphotos.kylos.pl
Paul Habeeb skilar.com
photography and I’m starting to get into
jpgmag.com/people/mad3
A.S. Beveridge
Kim Denise
I am a student.
Dave Markowski locobokeh.com
portraiture. Love Melbourne for the streets
jpgmag.com/people/kimdenise
jpgmag.com/people/skilar
I am a freelance photographer and DJ living
I am a 30-something dad, designer and
and alleyways, great for shots of people going
Sergey Todorov
and working in Tokyo, Japan.
photography addict. My gear currently
by.
jpgmag.com/people/serdjo
jpgmag.com/people/asbcreative
Jared DeSimio
Gwen Harlow gwenharlow.com
consists of a Canon Digital Rebel XT, Canon
jpgmag.com/people/thefotokid
jpgmag.com/people/desimioj1
jpgmag.com/people/gwen
17-40L f4, Canon 50mm 1.8, and a few other
Larry Joe Treadway gotreadgo.com
Gaetano Bognanni
odds and ends.
Josie Moyer latitude13.com
I am a plastic junkie. Not a junkie of things
jpgmag.com/people/skizo
Luigi Di crasto
Warren Harold
jpgmag.com/people/doofusdave
jpgmag.com/people/latitude13
artificial but of cameras made of cheap crap.
flickr.com/photos/onedream
thatwasmyfoot.my-expressions.com
My images prove it.
William Bragg
jpgmag.com/people/onedream
jpgmag.com/people/Warren
jpgmag.com/people/tread
williambragg.com
Some stuff I like, some stuff I don’t. I like
photography. My Mom taught me to share.
chris Dowling
Eric Hart flickr.com/photos/eqqman
John Watson lightproofbox.com
jpgmag.com/people/seventeenth
jpgmag.com/people/fd
I like to share my photography. I love my
I am a theatre props carpenter slash artisan
Mom.
turned photographer, semi-professional or
jpgmag.com/people/wbragg17
Brian Fair
mostly-amateur depending on the weather.
jpgmag.com/people/brianfair
jpgmag.com/people/eqqman
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Art for
everybody
WWW.MEERIMAGE.COM
JPG READERS
THERE IS NO BETTER
PHOTO SHARING SERVICE
FOR YOU THAN FLICKR.
“LOG ON” TO WWW.FLICKR.COM
AND JUDGE FOR YOURSELF.
YOU WILL FIND THAT IT SUITS YOUR
EVERY NEED, DESIRE & AMBITION.