Theory of Relativity in 4 letters or less →

Say you woke up one day and your bed was gone. Your room, too. Gone. It's all gone. You wake up in an inky void. Not even a star. Okay, yes, it's a dumb idea, but just go with it. Now say you want to know if you move or not. Are you held fast in one spot? Or do you, say, list off to the left some? What I want to ask you is: Can you find out? Hell no. You can see that, sure. You don't need me to tell you. To move, you have to move to or away from ... well, from what? You'd have to say that you don't even get to use a word like "move" when you are the only body in that void. Sure. Okay.

My So-Called 'Post-Feminist' Life →

It's 2013, the day I sit down, with trepidation, to write this. The Times's obituary for Yvonne Brill, renowned rocket scientist, winner of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, leads with, "She made a mean beef stroganoff, followed her husband from job to job and took eight years off from work to raise three children. 'The world's best mom,' her son Matthew said."

Fascinating read that reminds you of the tribulations women still suffer through today from a photographer come author. Women are still severely underrepresented in the photography world.

The Art of Reproduction →

Brilliant project that illuminates the issues of art on the web. So many reproductions produce this vast array of the same image. Tones, colours, exposure differences.

It escalates the argument for taking the time to see original pieces wheneer you have the opportunity.

The bomb that changed my life →

It was hard work, this self-delusion, when the minutes were punctuated by the nearby screams of the wounded and dying. Six people died there at Edgware Road, metres away. Fifty-six, including the four bombers, across the tube network.

Distressing article written by Daniel Tenner about his experience during the London bombings. Enticing and petrifying.

News is bad for you →

News is irrelevant. Out of the approximately 10,000 news stories you have read in the last 12 months, name one that – because you consumed it – allowed you to make a better decision about a serious matter affecting your life, your career or your business.

It's scary how much time and stress you'll put yourself under consuming news that's not only irrelevant, but often misleading and overwhelmingly negative. This article does a stellar job in deconstructing the negatives of news.

The Ethics of Street Photography →

Joerg Colberg balances the street photography debate with thoughts on ethics and perception. It isn't good enough anymore to assume that because it's legal, it's okay.

If you take a photograph of someone and that person confronts you about it, how do you react? The most common response from photographers appears to be that provided you’re in a public space you can take any picture you want. That’s true, at least in a legal sense. But it does not really address the issue at hand at all: If someone does not want their photograph taken do you, as a photographer, just go ahead and do so anyway, because you can? I actually do not think that’s such a good idea.

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Street photographers for the most part agree amongst themselves that what they’re doing is fine. But that’s actually irrelevant. The main question is whether the public is fine with it.

Read the whole article and tell me you feel the same way about street photography as you did before. Further reading should be Colberg's article on papparazi photographers.

Vermont Bill restricting no-consent photography →

A short form bill was recently introduced into the Vermont House of Representatives that ought to have photographers curious, if not worried. That’s because this particular bill seeks to “make it illegal to [photograph] a person without his or her consent … and distribute it,” essentially outlawing most forms of public photography.

The likelihood this bill will pass is low but part of the process of ensuring that is to spread the word. State bills like this can be like snowballs.

Paolo Roversi on the Mysteries of Light →

For me, light is life – and the first light that I see is the sun.

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So when I think about light, I think about the sun and nothing else. Window light is the most important light for me. When I take a picture using window light, I always think about what a long trip the light is making to reach my subject.

Great PDN Article with the master Paolo Roversi.