Five Favorite Photos from President Obama's 2nd Inauguration

In honor of the extremely moving Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama which took place on Monday, I have chosen the five photos I felt were most emblematic of the wondrous occasion as a whole. Enjoy.  

People wave American flags as people gather near the U.S. Capitol building on the National Mall for the Inauguration ceremony on January 21, 2013. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)President Obama is surrounded by (L-R) Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid, Sen. Lamar Alexander, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Vice President Joe Biden, House Speaker Rep. John Boehner, House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor, and House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, while signing a proclamation to commemorate the inauguration, entitled a National Day of Hope and Resolve, directly after swearing-in ceremonies in the U.S Capitol on January 21, 2013. (Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images)Attendees photograph President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as they dance while attending the Commander-in-Chief Ball at the Washington Convention Center, on January 21, 2013. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)Military personnel march in early morning fog during a dress rehearsal at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on January 13, 2013. (Reuters/Mike Theiler)President Barack Obama is officially sworn-in by Chief Justice John Roberts in the Blue Room of the White House during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Sunday, January 20, 2013. Next to Obama are first lady Michelle Obama, holding the Robinson Family Bible, and daughters Malia and Sasha. Obama will be sworn in again on Monday, during the public ceremony. (AP Photo/Larry Downing)

What do you think of my choices?

For more photos, check out TheAtlantic.com's In Focus photo article: The 2nd Inauguration of Barack Obama in Photos.

We're the New York Institute of Photography, a distance education school teaching photography since 1910 - over 100 years of knowledge and experience. Listen to the following podcast to learn more about who we are and what we do.

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January’s Best Entertainment Photography

On Friday, the folks at Vulture created this fun slideshow of the best entertainment photos taken in January, and although January isn't quite over yet, we thought we'd share it with you.

Shared via: January’s Best Entertainment Photography

Can you name all the celebs? Give us your feedback and let us know!

We're the New York Institute of Photography, a distance education school teaching photography since 1910 - over 100 years of knowledge and experience. Listen to the following podcast to learn more about who we are and what we do.

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Exhibitions: STEVE MCCURRY - INDIA

The other day, my art enthusiast friend Miru shared this breath-taking picture with me: 

Fishermen, Weligama, South coast, Sri Lanka, 1995 / Photo taken by Steve McCurry

Needless to say, I was immediately struck by the power and raw beauty of the image. I had to know more about what I was seeing. So I dug around a little bit and found out that the photo was of fishermen fishing in the waters of Weligama, on the South coast of Sri Lanka, in 1995. The image was captured by famous photographer Steve McCurry and not long after, I founded myself on his Facebook page. It was here that I learned that an exhibit of McCurry's work had recently opened at Chris Beetles Fine Photographs in London. The exhibition, titled simply Steve McCurry - India, "is a celebration of McCurry's most outstanding Indian photographs, the first time that such a collection has been curated." We at NYIP would like to encourage any of our readers who will be in or around London during the exhibition's dates to go and experience some of this man's wonderful work in person.

• What: “Steve McCurry - India” 

• When: Opened Tuesday and continues through February 9th 

• Where: Chris Beetles Fine Photographs, 3-5 Swallow Street, London W1B 4DE

• Admission: Free

• Museum hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday

• Info: 020 7434 4319/gallery@chrisbeetles.com

For those of you unable to attend, I have created a slideshow to showcase some of the awe-inspiring images that will be on display. Enjoy!  

We're the New York Institute of Photography, a distance education school teaching photography since 1910 - over 100 years of knowledge and experience. Listen to the following podcast to learn more about who we are and what we do.

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5 of My Favorite Photography Blogs

Portrait from Karen Walrond's Chookooloonks/Wildly Convinced You're Uncommonly Beautiful blog

The brilliance of blogs is that they usually represent a unique individual's point of view. It's the world according to Herbert or Heather Blogger, and it's usually a combination of news and views that gets you jazzed about your specific topic of interest. Alternatives to traditional news reporting and magazine journalism, you can go to a topic-specific blog and get your content fill without having to read diluted news that covers an entire waterfront.

Travel photo by Trey Ratcliff from his Stuck in Customs blog

So here are some of my favorite photography blogs, in addition to our NYIP blog, of course. My faves tend not to be too corporate or alligned with a specific manufacturer. They're quirky and opinionated. They're wise and authentic. Try out a few posts from each of these blogs, if you haven't already. I think you'll really like them.

1. Photopreneur - This website takes a practical look at photo sales opportunities for anyone with a camera, from hobbyist to pro. I like the way the team of writers, who are usually professional photographers and/or marketers, focus in on specific individuals or outlets to offer helpful advice. Sample post: What It Takes to Give Up the Day Job and Become a Successful Photographer. 
2. Chookooloonks or Wildly Convinced Your Uncommonly Beautiful - Words fail in trying to heap praise on photographer and author Karen Walrond and the portraiture and other photographs she posts on her quirky and always inspiring photo blog. This is how a talented photographer presents her images to the public; minimal type, beautiful images, and a personal point of view. Sample post: Random Thoughts on Fashion, Frida and Identity.
3. Beyond Megapixels - If you want basic and creative how-to assignments to help you better master your digital camera, and you're not a pro, this is a great blog. The posts are detailed and self-explanatory, the photo examples are wonderful, and the screenshots of digital image editing help explain the process. There are sections that will help you learn the basics and explore good equipment and resources. Termed a blog that guides "the rest of us" in photography, this is a great site for anyone who wants to learn photography and do better work. Sample post: Focus Stacking in Landscape Photography.
4. Stuck in Customs - Travel photographer Trey Ratcliff's entertaining and beautifully photographed blog gives you a taste in both still images and video of what it's like to be a top travel photographer. Sample post: The Cemetery in the Monastery Castle. 
5. A Photo Editor - Wow. Rob Haggart, a former magazine director of photography, and other contributors from various photo domains (e.g., art photography, fashion photography, travel photography) have put together a blog that covers the inside track on end-users for professional images. This is a great way to see inside a professional photo shoot - and sometimes learn how much it costs - and see great work and compelling reports from photo seminars aimed at pros. Sample post: Pricing & Negotiating: Hotel Lifestyle Shoot. 

We're the New York Institute of Photography, a distance education school teaching photography since 1910 - over 100 years of knowledge and experience. Listen to the following podcast to learn more about who we are and what we do. WHAT IS THE NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF PHOTOGRAPHY? [20:58M]

Update on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 11:17AM by NYIP Editor

In the aftermath of creating this post, I realized how important it is for all photographers to have their own blog, whether they're a hobbyist snapshooter or hanging out their shingle. Today's blogging platforms offer everything from e-commerce and photo sales opportunities to beautiful ways to display your online photo portfolio (or several genre portfolios if you're diversified and would like to show deeper levels of work in separate disciplines). Our sister school offers a course that covers all the blogging fundamentals and more, and I can highly recommend it for photographers who have a blog and want to improve their online (and offline) presence and for anyone without their own blog. The course materials are shown in the photo above; click on the product shot or click on this link to learn more about The Complete Course in Professional Blogging.

National Geographic Grand-Prize Winner Announced

On Monday, January 7th, it was announced that the stunning image (pictured below) of an Indochinese Tiger shaking snow from her coat, titled The Explosion!, had won the National Geographic Photo Contest for 2012. The photograph took home the Nature award, as well as the Grand-Prize.   

Grand-Prize Winner and Nature Winner

Photo and caption by Ashley Vincent

The subject's name is Busaba, a well cared for Indochinese Tigress whose home is at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Thailand. I had taken many portraits of Busaba previously and it was becoming more and more difficult to come up with an image that appeared any different to the others. Which is why I took to observing her more carefully during my visits in the hope of capturing something of a behavioural shot. The opportunity finally presented itself while watching Busaba enjoying her private pool then shaking herself dry. In all humility I have to say that Mother Nature smiled favourably on me that day!

Photo Location: Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Chonburi, Thailand

Vincent, a native of Chonburi, Thailand, where the photograph was taken, was awarded the $10,000 prize and a trip to the magazine's headquarters in Washington, D.C in order to participate in the annual National Geographic Photography Seminar. The contest received more than 22,000 submissions from more than 150 countries around the world for three primary categories: people, places, and nature.

Here are the rest of the winners: 

To read more, go to the National Geographic Photo Contest 2012 website here.   

We're the New York Institute of Photography, a distance education school teaching photography since 1910 - over 100 years of knowledge and experience. Listen to the following podcast to learn more about who we are and what we do.

AUDIO LINK: WHAT IS THE NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF PHOTOGRAPHY? [20:58M]