An Exquisite Paradox. Thomas prior. The Iraq War 2003 – 2011. 8 Years ago, on March 20th 2003, former President George W.
Bush declared war on the Iraq of Saddam Hussein. The heavens opened, raining down bombs and bullets. The war seemed to be over very soon. The people rejoiced, Saddam was gone, yet not yet found and Bush declared Mission Accomplished. However, the months and years following this victory speech told a different story. State-Sponsored Voyeurism. We will probably never know the proper names of some of our favorite photographers of the last century.
You see, these people were not working for the sake of artistic glory. Instead, they served a totalitarian state apparatus that was not at all unlike the cheerful government in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. And so what follows, dear comrades, are surveillance photographs taken by the communist secret police in Czechoslovakia in the 1970s and 80s. They were spying full-time on average citizens, hoping to catch them in a situation that could lead to a swift arrest and a lengthy incarceration in some dank, hidden cell.
With their cameras secreted in a suitcase or under a coat, the agents had no idea what was being captured while they were taking these pictures. These photographs and more are collected in the book Prague Through the Lens of the Secret Police, which was released earlier this year by the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, Prague, www.ustrcr.cz.
Bukowski & Fried Chicken. The beauty of things must be that they end. by Jack Kerouac (Source: honeyforthehomeless) If you’re going to try, go all the way.
Otherwise, don’t even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. (via jackrael) Strobist. Welcome to Strobist. This website is about one thing: Learning how to use off-camera flash with your DSLR to take your photos to the next level.
Or the next ten levels. If you are a complete beginner at lighting, you are in the right place. Strobist's Free Lighting 101 course starts from absolute zero, and is widely considered to be the best resource of its kind on the web. Over 4,000,000 photographers from all around the world have taken the plunge before you. Come on in, the water's fine. You probably already have most of what you need to start creating kickass photos with your own small flash, and all of the information on this site is free.
Already familiar with small-flash lighting gear and techniques? And since lighting is not a destination but rather a journey, bookmark Strobist's front page for the occasional new dose of lighting-related learning and fun. Got questions? Join the over 100,000 people in the Strobist group on Flickr and fire away. Okay then, pick a place to jump in: