Katy Grannan’s photography exploring the street and its characters Berkeley, CA-based photographer Katy Grannan has made a name for herself with her strikingly beautiful portraiture. Drawing on classical and contemporary styles, her photos are touching and intimate, presenting raw images of people, subjects who are complex yet relatable. In her most recent show, “Boulevard”, Grannan spent the last three years roaming the streets of Los Angeles, CA and San Francisco, CA. All of her portraits depict strangers but her knack for composition and sharp eye depict the subjects as at once hyper human to the extent of looking surreal and intimately familiar. The cast of characters she unearths take the viewer on a trip through time, style and culture, ultimately delivering an eerie, unexpected look at people most of us would just pass by. Photographing her subjects in front of nondescript white stucco walls removes any specific sense of place from her pieces. This freedom from geography makes Grannan’s photos universal and draws the focus directly to the subject; the street could be in any city but the characters are outstanding. Grannan received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania, followed by her MFA from Yale. Her photographs have been exhibited in institutions ranging from the Whitney to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Boulevard runs through 14 February 2011 at the Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco, CA.
We’re only four days away from the first trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, so in the meantime Disney has been gracious enough to reward our patience with several new images (via USA Today and Yahoo) from the fourth installment, which, we should note, are the first official, studio-approved photos to come from the production thus far. In the photos, we see Johnny Depp and a pregnant (but you can’t tell) Penelope Cruz walking through water that’s up to their stomachs. In the film, Cruz’s character joins Captain Jack Sparrow on a quest to locate the mysterious Fountain of Youth at the request of King George II. However, like Captain Jack, she may have more than a few tricks up her sleeves, and may not always be playing for the same team.
An interview with the lensman behind “Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking” The lead lensman and photo editor behind the forthcoming book ” Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking ,” photographer Ryan Matthew Smith captures food and drink with a keen eye for composition, detail and delectability. In a recent interview with Feature Shoot , Smith discusses the making of the 2,400-page tome and his contribution to making the book renowned chef Ferran Adri
Artist Jon Rafman’s cleverly-edited Google Streetview images get a New Museum group show Montreal-based artist Jon Rafman pores over thousands of Google Maps Streetview images, amassing the most intriguing assortment of real life literally captured on the road. Publishing a book in 2009, Rafman continues to explore how—like an admissible Peeping Tom—the Internet changes the public’s perception of personal space with his Tumblr blog Nine Eyes . A selection of photos from Nine Eyes is currently on view in the ” Free ” exhibition at NYC’s New Museum. A group show, “Free” explores the expanded shared space and how artists are interpreting this. “Although the Google search engine may be seen as benevolent, Google Street Views present a universe observed by the detached gaze of an indifferent Being,” writes Rafman in an essay explaining his project. “Its cameras witness but do not act in history. For all Google cares, the world could be absent of moral dimension.” The quality of the images captured by the roving fleet of Google’s vehicles vary in quality as do the reaction of the subjects captured. Some court the attention, others hide their faces. Google intentionally blurs the faces, but it’s a moot point—for our outdoor lives are on parade. ” Free ” is on view at the New Museum through 23 January 2011. See more images from Nine Eyes after the jump .
The controversial Glee photo shoot for the November cover of GQ has done wonders for at least one of the parties involved — GQ.com, which received 33 million page views during the photos’ first week on the site, Mediaweek reports.
Skim through the photos on Flickr or Photobucket, and you’ll find pictures of cats pawing at living-room sofas, children playing in backyards and mothers gardening at home.
Our photographic tale of how Scotch whisky goes from barley to barrel to bottle One of the great pleasures of creating content for Cool Hunting is searching out great stories to tell. Sometimes we’re lucky enough to be given access to the people who make all kinds of wonderful things and the seldom-seen aspects of how they do it. This was the case with our visit last week to The Macallan distillery in the Scottish Highlands and the Clyde Cooperage in Edinborough. We felt the best way to tell their story was through the photos we took during our visit, where we met the people who create the whisky and experienced first-hand its journey from grain to bottle. Be sure to view the slideshow full screen and turn on titles and descriptions for the detailed story. We’re grateful that The Macallan invited us on this journey (though no obligation of coverage was agreed to and no compensation was received for doing so). We’ve truly developed an entirely new level of respect for the craft of making single malt Scotch whisky. RSS and iPad readers, please note that the full photo essay is only available on the site. Photography by Josh Rubin
