Photographic Proof

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

2009-10-31T11:16:00.004-04:00

Goodbye to One of Photography's Greats: Irving Penn

2009-10-07T22:37:00.002-04:00

Irving Penn, known for his style of stark simplicity that revolutionized fashion and portrait photography, died today at his home. He was 92. It was just a week or so ago that I saw my first Irving Penn prints in a private collection. Paul Mobley had a great story about buying a Penn photo (the last one below) in lieu of a couch while being a broke CCS grad in NYC. When he met Penn later and told him about it, he asked, "Where do you think that couch is now?"

RIP Irving Penn.

Dirkhund Training Website Up!

2009-10-06T15:14:00.000-04:00

I just completed the website for Dirkhund Training, and I really love the way it turned out! All the photography is by me as well, and you might notice that there are a few photos of my dog in there : ) Erin specializes in obedience, behavioral and aggression training in dogs. If you have a wild dog in your life and are looking for training, give her a call. Check out the site in full at: www.dirkhundtraining.com.

Emily to Ellen for CF

2009-09-26T11:31:00.063-04:00

IMG_3733, originally uploaded by Let's Rock CF.

I've written about our friend, Emily, before—I designed and currently maintain the website for her foundation, Let's Rock CF. She happens to have cystic fibrosis and has devoted her life to raising money and awareness for a cure. She sets up benefit concerts, runs half-marathons, and for the past three years has ridden her bicycle from Detroit to Chicago to raise money. Just the fact that she can do these things while having CF is amazing. She's a pretty inspiring person.

Well, her newest challenge is a cross-country ride from Chicago to Los Angeles where she hopes to appear on the Ellen DeGeneres Show to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis with Ellen's large national audience. (She started this past Tuesday and I believe she's in Denver now.) She originally was planning to bicycle there, but due to an injury is bicycling part-time and riding a vespa the rest of the time. Her trek is being logged via video postings on SPIN Earth, and you can view photos and/or donate on her site page at letsrockcf.org/e2e4cf.html. We wish her the best of luck on the road, and seriously hope she makes it on the Ellen show!

ESO's GIGAGALAXY ZOOM, Panorama Two

2009-09-25T16:56:00.001-04:00

The second high-res image has been released from the ESO's GIGAGALAXY Zoom project and it's pretty amazing. It's available as a download here. This time, I don't have to do any news reporting since they provided a great summary on the site:

The second of three images of ESO’s GigaGalaxy Zoom project is a new and wonderful 340-million-pixel vista of the central parts of our galactic home, a 34 by 20-degree wide image that provides us with a view as experienced by amateur astronomers around the world. Taken by Stéphane Guisard, an ESO engineer and world-renowned astrophotographer, from Cerro Paranal, home of ESO’s Very Large Telescope, this second image directly benefits from the quality of Paranal’s sky, one of the best on the planet. The image shows the region spanning the sky from the constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer) to Scorpius (the Scorpion). The very colourful Rho Ophiuchi and Antares region features prominently to the right, as well as much darker areas, such as the Pipe and Snake Nebulae. The dusty lane of our Milky Way runs obliquely through the image, dotted with remarkable bright, reddish nebulae, such as the Lagoon and the Trifid Nebulae, as well as NGC 6357 and NGC 6334. This dark lane also hosts the very centre of our Galaxy, where a supermassive black hole is lurking. The image was obtained by observing with a 10-cm Takahashi FSQ106Ed f/3.6 telescope and a SBIG STL CCD camera, using a NJP160 mount. Images were collected through three different filters (B, V and R) and then stitched together. This mosaic was assembled from 52 different sky fields made from about 1200 individual images totalling 200 hours exposure time, with the final image having a size of 24 403 x 13 973 pixels. Note that the final, full resolution image is only available through Stéphane Guisard.

ESO's GIGAGALAXY ZOOM: An Amazing Interactive Panorama of the Entire Night Sky

2009-09-16T11:18:00.003-04:00

I stumbled across this today, and it is truly an amazing view of the night sky, as captured by Frenchman Serge Brunier for the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) GIGAGALAXY ZOOM project. Brunier captured the 1200+ images that make up the composite between August 2008 and February 2009. The end result is an 800-million-pixel panorama of the entire Milky Way!

This panorama was shot with a digital SLR and hobby telescope at two of the ESO's observatory sites in Chile, La Silla and Paranal; plus La Palma, one of the Canary Islands.

To really appreciate it, you have to go to their site and view the high-res interactive version. Using Zoomify, you can zoom in on different segments to full-resolution. Check it out here: www.gigagalaxyzoom.org/ They will also be releasing another image September 21st.

I seriously love this stuff.

Wolfbait Lives Website

2009-09-15T11:33:00.006-04:00

I just finished the new website for local band, Wolfbait. Check it out in all it's (simple) glory at wolfbaitlives.com.

The Cottage from 1961

2009-09-03T17:11:00.003-04:00

_MG_2669, originally uploaded by Carrie Acosta.

A recent vacation to Caseville took us to this cottage on the water, preserved like a time capsule from 1961. Everything about it was preserved: furniture, appliances, family photos... It was amazing. To see more, check out my 1961 Caseville Cottage set on Flickr.

New Website for Deborah Friedman

2009-09-02T17:02:00.002-04:00

I just finished a redesign of a web portfolio site for local artist, Deborah Friedman, whom I have worked with for several years. I am so happy with the site and really think the new design turned out beautiful, truly complementing her work. Her contemporary and abstract style involves so much movement, I've always thought of her paintings as something like visual music. You can view the site in its entirety here: www.deborahfriedman.com.

Selfridge Air Show 2009

2009-08-23T19:13:00.005-04:00

Selfridge Air Show 2009, originally uploaded by Carrie Acosta.

The Selfridge Air Show was this weekend and I went Saturday. I left my house at 12pm, got to the North River Road exit around 12:30pm, and then finally got IN the air base around 2:30pm!!!! It was a nightmare!!!!! Luckily, I was able to see some of the other planes, like the B-2 Stealth Bomber, as they flew over the freeway. By the time I got there all I could see were the planes on display, some paratroopers jumping out of helicopters, and the main act, the Thunderbirds. I love air shows. Check out the photos here.

Dream Cruise 2009

2009-08-16T20:45:00.007-04:00

dreamcruise2009_76, originally uploaded by Carrie Acosta.

I have been accidentally caught in the Dream Cruise several times over the years while actually trying to get somewhere and being totally unaware of which weekend in August it was. This marks the first time I actually went there — on purpose.

I was only there for about an hour and a half and have posted the highlights of my photography @ flickr. It was a real exhibition of sorts, and I can honestly say that this was the first time people have gravitated to my giant lenses instead of recoiling in horror, haha. For some reason there seems to be a disturbing trend of people riding mini-bikes or dangling puppets from their windows whilst cruising...wtf. One guy was on a mini-bike AND on a cell phone, calling someone and telling them, "Guess what? You'll never believe it, I'm IN the Dream Cruise." Not sure if he mentioned that he was on a miki-bike...

Anyway, it turned out to be pretty fun, especially seeing everyone have such a good time. To check out the photos, go here.

Live Music: Wolfbait

2009-08-13T13:20:00.004-04:00

wolfbait_7-18-09__43, originally uploaded by Carrie Acosta.

Some photos from the last Wolfbait show are posted onto my Flickr. I'm still getting used to my new camera setup in dark, live settings...

See more here.

JW Murphy Guitars Site Finished

2009-08-09T12:10:00.004-04:00

After an initial one-page starter site, the newly completed JW Murphy Guitars site is now published! I did both the photography and web design for James Murphy, who builds custom archtop guitars from his shop in Fenton, Michigan. Originally a master architectural woodworker, he is now exploring his skills as a luthier. He currently has three different models available and several different "shopworn prototypes" for sale as well. See it all at jwmurphyguitars.com.

Habitat Machines by Trautrimas

2009-08-07T09:41:00.003-04:00

Anyone that knows my personal work, knows that I've long worked with collage, photomontage, etc. I stumbled across the work of 30 year old Canadian, David Trautrimas, a while ago and instantly loved it. It's part steampunk, part Jetsons, and has a post-apocolyptic feel with the barren landscapes and muted palette. Trautrimas photographs various appliances in disassembled form and then assembles them digitally, with beautiful craftsmanship. The photo above is titled "The Sprinkler House." To view more of the series, check out his website at trautrimas.ca.

New Website for Kelly Root

2009-07-10T17:24:00.005-04:00

I know my site doesn't mention that I'm a web designer, but here I am again with another finished design, lol! For the record, I much prefer photography but became a web designer out of necessity in building my own site. Since then, I have designed several dozen sites, both private and corporate.

This time, I just finished the website for my good friend, Kelly Root at germainephotography.com. Kelly and I went to CCS together, have shot a few weddings together, taught at the same school together, and have basically been partners in crime for some while. If you frequent local rock shows, you may know her by her blood curdling scream, as she is definitely the loudest : ) She currently works full time as a forensic photographer for the Wayne County Medical Examiner and does freelance photography on the side. I think the site looks awesome and wish her the best of luck!

Fireworks!

2009-07-06T13:33:00.006-04:00

Some fun photos from the Mt. Clemens fireworks. Not bad for a point and shoot with no tripod! Some of these are kind of like Rorschach inkblot tests.

You can view them all here.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-05T14:59:00.002-04:00

_MG_1231, originally uploaded by Carrie Acosta.

They did it...they took it away.

2009-06-29T20:36:00.002-04:00

R.I.P. Kodachrome.

Simon + Garfunkel - Kodachrome
by livesteam

Detroit Home Summer 2009 Cover Story

2009-06-08T22:03:00.009-04:00

Some of my architectural photography of the Carlson Residence in Ann Arbor, Michigan is currently featured in the Summer 2009 issue of Detroit Home magazine. The online version only shows a couple of photos, but the magazine features a very large spread. In fact, it's more full page photos than text. : )

This is definitely one of my favorite spaces of recent years, and the Carlson family has been great to work with. In the mag you'll see an environmental portrait I did of the family to accompany the architectural photography. I was a bit concerned about photographing three kids under five, but they turned out to be the most charming kids! I absolutely fell in love with Jake—the oldest—who was really mugging for the camera in every shot after he saw his younger brother posing for the shot.

Incidentally, the portraits were also shot during a flash thunderstorm, which hit just after I had gotten my lighting where I wanted it...! So much for weather forecasts : ) Despite the storm, I think it turned out fabulous. Definitely check it out if you get the chance!

Update 8/27/09: I now have all the photos (including many not previously published) in a Flickr set here.

Dave Draws Good!

2009-05-28T18:45:00.003-04:00

I just finished designing my husband's portfolio website for his illustration and I absolutely love the way it turned out!!! The site is www.davedrawsgood.com (and yes, it is ironically grammatically incorrect). Unlike some people that specialize in one part of the process, he does everything from penciling, to inking, lettering, coloring, etc. I think it all looks pretty sweet. His portfolio is also ever-changing, so I would expect what's up there now to be updated fairly rapidly. Check it out and enjoy!

The Impossible Project

2009-05-23T11:03:00.005-04:00

In case you haven't been tracking it, Polaroid stopped producing their analog instant film in June of 2008. Not only did this mark the end of an era technically, but also culturally. There is nothing else like watching a polaroid develop, and digital technology—though instant—just isn't the same.

Lucky for us, a group called The Impossible Project has gathered a team of integral film technology experts from around the globe to in effect, save polaroids. However, it's not exactly what you'd expect. They aren't trying to recreate the same product and get the old factories running again. In their words:

The IMPOSSIBLE mission is NOT to re-build Polaroid Integral film but to develop new product with new characteristics, consisting of new optimized components, produced with a streamlined modern setup. An innovative and fresh analog material, sold under a new brand name that perfectly matches the global re-positioning of Integral Film.

Their current plan is to be in production by 2010. For more info or to help support their project, check out www.the-impossible-project.com.

Lots of new stuff going on...

2009-05-08T17:04:00.004-04:00

A lot of good things are happening lately! It's a nice breath of fresh air when compared to the nightmarish economic news we hear every night. I'm determined to be positive and hopeful, and hopefully that vibe will rub off on everybody else. : )

First off, I've slightly changed the design of my site with a new logo. I really liked the old one since it was kind of a woodcut / sketch style, but you really couldn't see those details in any of the sizes I was showing it in. The new logo has more of an easy-going, slightly retro feel. Everything else is still pretty modern, so I think it has a nice modern flow to it. Also, the wax seal is now a sunny yellow.

Secondly, I added a new links page to house my master list of photography links. There are three categories: photography supplies & labs, photography magazines & blogs, and then my own personal photo links.

It's taken me a while to amass this 'best of' list, and I would have been very happy indeed to stumble across it all at once somewhere. Most of the online photo mags and such are for keeping up with photo news and finding photo inspiration when you're at a creative block.

Thirdly, I've been shooting a ton with my new 5DMKII and I'm loving it! Photography is such a strange art since it is so gadget related. What better than to inspire you, than an amazing new camera? A couple of the shoots are shown here: one of the Carlson family and one of the Rowe family. You can also see more of each shoot at my Flickr photostream here.

Coming up later this month, a portrait of the Carlsons—along with previous photography I've done of their place—will be featured in Detroit Home. I got word the other day that it was going to be the cover story, so I'm really happy about that. It should be out May 28th.

On another note, the new issue of Special Projects magazine is out. (This is the photo book I publish each semester with my Special Projects Digital Photography students.) You can view it online at lulu.com/specialprojects. This semester's theme (Issue 8) was Reflection, and we have a lot of really excellent work in there! In fact, this past semester was one of the best group of students that I've ever had, both personality and talent-wise. ; )

I liked them so much, that I decided to create a new Flickr group called The Photography Department for everyone to keep in touch with each other, photographically speaking. It's open to current and past photo students. Once it gets going, I'm hoping that it will continue to foster the camaraderie we had going in the classes this semester. One thing you really miss when you graduate from a photography program, is the blend of competitiveness and inspiration you get from exhibiting and viewing work with your peers.

Finally, the new Star Trek movie debuted yesterday and I'm going to see it tonight with Davy plus my dad and brother. I'm a total trekkie, though mostly for The Next Generation. Oh, and there was that period where I forced my friends to watch Voyager...! But Voyager just doesn't have the staying power. Jean-Luc Picard is a classic. My fav characters: Jean-Luc, Tuvok, and Q.

One more thing—I'm working on a website for the artwork of my comic illustrator hubby. Keep your eyes on davedrawsgood.com.

Enjoy the weekend!

Detroit Home Design Awards 2009 Winner!

2009-03-13T17:32:00.013-04:00

Congratulations to one of my fav clients, HF:architecture, for winning two awards in the 2009 Detroit Home Design Awards! HFA won first place for a Vacation Home (More than 3,000 sq. ft.) and third place for Contemporary Residential Architecture (More Than 4,000 Square Feet).

Both projects were among my favorites to photograph from last year. Check it out in the Spring 2009 issue of Detroit Home—in news stands now—or view it online at detroithomemag.com.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the awards gala since I was in Las Vegas, but it appears that everyone had a great time.

Congrats again to Brian Howard!

Update 8/27/09: I now have all the photos from both winning projects (including many not previously published) in a Flickr set here.

Countdown to Paczki Day 2009

2009-02-26T13:30:00.005-05:00

Countdown to Paczki Day 2009, originally uploaded by Carrie Acosta.

This past Saturday I shot the Countdown to Paczki Day in Hamtramck. I was kind of dreading it due to the blizzard that was hitting us at the time, but it turned out to be a really great time. The snow and high winds did come, but the tent stayed up and it was a great success in spite of the weather. It's events like this that make you realize what a special place Hamtramck is.

I posted a large group of photos in a set on my Flickr page if you'd like to check it out:
www.flickr.com/photos/carrieacosta/sets/72157614470460658/

Highlight of the Inauguration

2009-01-20T23:09:00.004-05:00

This is one of the most beautiful arrangements I've ever heard.

I absolutely loved it.