Le Petit Prince is a heartwarming series by Slovenian photographer Matej Peljhan that features a sweet 12-year-old boy named Luka engaging in activities he would otherwise be incapable of taking part in due to his ongoing battle with muscular dystrophy—a degenerative disease that progressively weakens the musculoskeletal system over time. His movement is restricted to minor finger movements to operate his electric wheelchair and slowly draw with a pen.
A solitary house on the Drina River in Serbia has been attracting curious travelers from across the globe, after an image of the house was published in National Geographic in August last year, captured by Hungarian photographer Irene Becker. The tiny house stands on an exposed rock in the middle of the Drina River, near the town of Bajina Basta, Serbia, and has been there for more than 40 years.
Flickr photographer Patrícia Almeida
recently shot these great photos of a wonderfully whimsical umbrella
installation - the umbrellas look almost like they're magically floating in
mid-air.
“In July in Águeda (a Portuguese town) some streets are decorated with colorful umbrellas. I felt like a kid, amazed by all that color!”
Guest Post: Jordan Mendys
Guest Post: Jordan Mendys // @jpmendys
____________________
I am inspired by taking a closer look. I think we tend to overlook certain things. Delicate things. We are taught to look at the world as a whole, to look at the bigger picture, but in doing so we sometimes take small things for granted. We forget to look at the delicate fabrics of the world that keeps things together.
Of course this can have literal and metaphoric manifestations. Literally, yes, I do like taking a closer look at objects to see the fragile components that give it strength. I think this comes from always looking forward to using microscopes in science class, and seeing all of the independent particles that created the whole.
On a grander level, I think we function much of the same way. Our world is composed of delicate fibers that make up a whole; us. Each and every one of us has something to contribute and something to say. It has always been important for me to take a closer look to acknowledge and appreciate what each person does to keep the world turning. We have our own purpose in making up the world, the same way every cell and molecule play a role in the make up of a larger body.
It is important to not take for granted the small things in life. When you force yourself to take a closer look at the individuals pieces of this world, you'll have a bigger appreciation of the whole.
March Photography Project
In 2012, I made a commitment to complete a new project each month.
My project for March was a photography project where I took one photo a day, driven by one-word, which was provided by people on Twitter in response to a daily tweet from me.
Super-Long Firefly Exposures
Tsuneaki Hiramatsu from Okayama City, Japan, uses long-exposure and multiple exposure photography to capture these pictures of fireflies at night.
Guest Post: Madonna Arsan
Guest Post: Madonna Arsan // @madonnaarsan
____________________
One of the things that inspires me is the art of analog. It's not because I'm a hater of digital, because I'm not. Besides messaging I probably use my iPhone camera more than any other app and no surprise Instagram follows close behind. Photography inspires me and I believe that the best camera is the one you always carry with you and so be it the iPhone. The availability of always having my phone with me and being able to capture the everyday moments is great!
But sometimes, I want that extra, something more than a photoshop filter or Instagram filter to my photos and what I love about analog is that special something you simply can't get with digital. You know a person put time and effort into analog. Analog isn't immediate. When shooting with a film camera - and because it's film you put a little extra thought before hitting the shutter - and you have to wait to finish the roll, developing, printing. Many pieces has to come together and it takes time but you get rewarded with the result. THAT feeling when viewing your photos, at last.
Digital photography allows for no mistakes, you can shoot as much as you want and delete. With film you never really know what's going to happen or how it comes out and maybe it's that uncertainty that gives the great 'analog fix' - it isn't perfect and it isn't immediate and that in it's own way makes it more organic.
Same goes for writing a real handwritten letter. Try writing one and give it to someone and I guarantee they will appreciate it. It takes time and effort is put into it, means more than an email, a chat on IM or a Facebook wall post. It's a special something.
Keep the art of analog alive!
Guest Post: Seth Werkheiser
Guest Post: Seth Werkheiser // @sethw
____________________
What inspires me.
Seeing friends who picked up a camera years ago, just as a hobby, but are now professional photographers. Or pro photographers who were out of work, but instead of whining, they filled their lives with other things, took up manual labor, menial jobs, and did what they had to do to feed their family. That's inspiring.
I find much inspiration from photographers, namely James Allen Walker and Bradley Spitzer. Not just from the images they create that make for easy reblogging on Tumblr, but the conversations. I've had solid conversations with these people, and I'm always left inspired.
Friends who've hit rock bottom but refuse to quit. I find inspiration in their resolve, in refusing to be a victim, and getting on with it. Doing work that has to be done. The sewage and waste at the bottom, it's easy to wallow there in self-pity, lord knows I've wanted to on occasion, but seeing friends go through the fire. That inspires me.
I find the following lyrics inspiring:
"I will rise again" from Love as Arson, by Converge.
"You're not getting under my skin," from The Anthem of Angry Brides, by Norma Jean.
Ev Bouge was a big inspiration to me, in getting rid of all my stuff and working remotely. Seth Godin inspires me, in that he posts something everyday that knocks my socks off. John Gruber of Daring Fireball inspires me, and Jason Kottke, two blog pioneers who do what they do online, without tricks and gimmicks. They just write darn well.
The video 'Dark side of the lens' inspires me. The line, "if there's no future in it, at least it's a present worth remembering" kills me every time.
During my travels, I always make a point to get next to large bodies of water. When I stood next to Lake Pontchartrain, in New Orleans, LA, it humbled me. All that space, all that water, nothing on the horizon, the breeze... it froze me in my tracks. The enormity of that scene, what it took to get there, in quitting my dream job at AOL Music, leaving the city I loved, giving up owning a bed. Those bodies of water inspire me.
Massive amounts of water, which reminds me of how small I am in this world. On this planet. In this country. On the internet. And not to be discouraged by it, but to work within those limitations. I am inspired anytime I get asked to do an interview, or write a guest post. I am blown away that any of my travel adventures have inspired anyone to take risks and start their own adventures. I can be going through some heavy stuff, but then an email shows up, from someone I don't know, but they tell me they've read my stuff for years, and they decided to up and move across the country. Or quit their job. Or take a chance. That. That inspires me. That keeps me going.
Everyday presents another chance to be inspired, and even when I'm not inspired, I get to put on some music, play air-drums, give myself chills, take a walk, grin like an idiot and get on with life.
That is what inspires me.
