Image Profile - Dead Troops Talk

Dead Troops Talk (A vision after an ambush of a Red Army patrol, near Moqor, Afghanistan, winter 1986) by Jeff Ball

Here at NYIP, we are fascinated by the history of photography since its inception in the early part of the 19th century.
 

The raw power of the above image is immediately apparent for all to see. Dead Troops Talk (A vision after an ambush of a Red Army patrol, near Moqor, Afghanistan, winter 1986) is a photographic montage created by Canadian artist Jeff Wall (B. 1946) in 1992. It is a depiction of a fictional event and is 90¼ x 164¼ in. (229.2 x 417.2 cm.) At the conclusion of her critically-acclaimed book, Regarding the Pain of Others (2003), filmmaker and literary icon Susan Sontag praises the work extensively, calling it "exemplary in its thoughtfulness and power."
 

On May 8th, 2012, it was sold at auction for $3,666,500, making it the third most expensive art photograph ever. It supplanted 99 cent II Diptychon, which my co-worker Jay Johnson listed (referencing Wikipedia) as the third most expensive fine art photograph in his May 3rd, 2012 post, 5 Most Expensive Art Photographs in the World. Although these sums are astronomical to most, they are still but a fraction of the cost of the most expensive paintings ever sold.
 

Do you expect this gap to shrink in the future? 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.

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

 

Introducing the GoPro Hero3

If you haven't heard about this incredible gadget yet, it's time to get onboard (no pun intended). Actually, to call it merely a gadget is to downplay it greatly. The GoPro site claims it to be the "World's Most Versatile Camera" and it's hard to disagree with them there. The HERO3 is a wi-fi enabled, wearable camera/camcorder developed by Woodman Labs that can be mounted on almost any sports or outdoor equipment. It is "waterproof to 197' (60m), capable of capturing ultra-wide 1440p 48fps, 1080p 60 fps and 720p 120 fps video and 12MP photos at a rate of 30 photos per second." Oh yeah... and it weighs a measly 2.6 ounces! At anywhere from $200 to $400 (depending on the edition and the various add-ons available), you are getting a lot of bang for your buck with the GoPro HERO3. But don't take our word for it, check out the site's promo video below! 

You may be thinking that this looks like the work of highly trained professionals in a big budget production, and your personal use may not be worthy of such a heavy duty device. Well, here is a simple how-to-video of photographer Marc Silber's son fastening the HERO3 to his surfboard and then using it out on the water that ought to dispel those notions:

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]

 

Meet NYIP Graduate Peter Behlen

I just enrolled in NYIP's sister school, the New York Institute of Career Development, because twenty years ago I learned photography at NYIP and loved it. I assumed (correctly) that NYICD's Complete Course in Professional Blogging would be the same type of course. I love the three tier approach: reading, listening, and doing.

I grew up, and still live, on a 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm in western Minnesota. I'm a fourth generation farmer and have farmed for 38 years, first with my dad and now on my own. My dad farmed for 70 years, so I guess I've got it in my blood. I've been married for four years to Amie, who is from the Philippines and loves the country life. While explaining farming to her, I realized that there are many Americans who know even less about farming in the United States than she did, and yet they are very interested in knowing where their food comes from. That's when my idea for a blog came about. With eight chickens and a dog, I won't be able to talk much about livestock farming, but I can address concerns people have about pesticides, commercial fertilizers, and other modern crop farming methods. I'm not as interested in being an advocate as I am in fostering understanding. Farmers are not faceless corporations. We're the first ones to suffer if we do something wrong because our work and our lives are one.

I live fifteen minutes from the nearest town and probably resemble the stereotypical farmer more than I'd care to admit. Solitude and quiet, nature, and the small-town life are what I love. The concepts of urban and rural are becoming more and more separate, and I hope I can do a little bit to bring them back together. I'm hoping to concentrate on the little things, not the big policy issues. Items like how we plant corn, how we harvest, and what is a typical day is like on the farm. I've also seen huge changes in agriculture in my life, going from what many consider the "better days" of fewer pesticides and less technology to the use of computers and tractors that steer themselves. Maybe I can explain why some of the "good old days" weren't so good, and why and how the new technology came about.

Peter Behlen is a graduate of NYIP and is now a student in the Complete Course of Professional Blogging. He's currently working on building his blog, Rows Upon Rows.

Want to learn more about blogging, and how you can turn an online hobby into a money-making career and put your photographic skills to great use? Explore The Complete Course in Professional Blogging from NYICD.

Photographer and Filmmaker Get the Issue of Self-Injury Out in the Open

Photographer Lauren Kristin (self-portrait)

Photographer Lauren Kristin is collaborating as the Director of Photography with Washington DC filmmaker Monica Zinn on an open, frank look at self-injury.
 

Filmmaker Monica Zinn

Click here to learn more about Monica's Indiegogo crowdsourcing fundraising request called Self-Inflicted. Photography reflects reality, and I want to applaud these two women for shining a light on this dark corner of the world. In the following video, Lauren talks about her work and personal relationship with the film's subject matter. 

 

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]

Five Lasting Images from Nemo

On February 8th, those of us in the Northeast were walloped by a particularly devastating winter storm titled Nemo. While it affected some areas more than others (Hamden, Connecticut got 40 inches of snow to Central Park's 11.4), everyone seemingly experienced some form of the nor'easter's wrath. For some it was an extreme inconvenience, for others it was life threatening (15 deaths were attributed to Nemo). Here are five of the most powerful pictures taken during the blizzard.   

A man walks along a snow-covered, evacuated seafront road in Salisbury, Massachusetts, on February 9, 2013. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)Neil Hodges uses a snow blower to clear drifting snow from in front of his home in Concord, New Hampshire, on February 9, 2013. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)People walk past a church as snow arrives in the Back Bay neighborhood on February 8, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)A couple walks past a large snow drift in the Old Port section of Portland, Maine, on February 9, 2013. Officials are cautioning residents to stay off the roads in Maine, where Portland set an all-time snowfall record. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)A snowplow operates in Back Bay neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 8, 2013. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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]