Search Results for: "michael wolf"

Michael Wolf On His Fascination With “Peeping”

When photographer Michael Wolf had to move to Paris in 2008 because of a job opportunity for his wife, he wasn't too thrilled with the situation. He thought that living in one of the most photographed cities of all time, surrounded by the inevitable cliches of such a place, wasn't conducive to creative, unique photography. So he sat down at his computer and began browsing through the then only 6-month old Google Street View, which ultimately led to a unique photographical project that fit right in with his long-time fascination with "peeping" into people's lives through photography.

The Secret to Developing Your Street Photography

Shooting street photography without a project in mind is like shopping for food when you’re hungry. You might get a few nice treats, but ultimately you get back and find there is nothing to sustain you.

These Photographs of Parisian Rooftops Look Like Abstract Paintings

Despite living in one of the most photographed locations on earth, Michael Wolf has never been short of creative, unique ideas. Be it photographing street view scenes or, in this case, showing off his incredible composition skill with photographs of Parisian rooftops that look like two-dimensional, abstract paintings.

Dude, Who Took My Photograph? Curating Automated Photography

A slew of new technologies are making it possible (even easy) to document everything around you without much effort or input. Wearable, automated cameras represent the most extreme end of this spectrum - devices like Autographer and the Narrative Clip record your daily life with a mind of their own.

Eye-Popping Photographs of Hong Kong High-Rise Apartment Buildings

With a population of over 7 million people packed into an area of 426 square miles, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world. As with other places where development cannot expand horizontally, apartment buildings tend to get taller and taller in order to provide living space for all the inhabitants.

German photographer Michael Wolf decided to capture this population density through a series of photographs studying the architecture of these high rises. The project is titled "Architecture of Density."

The Legality and Ethics of Pointing a Lens Into a Private Residence for Art

Award-winning photographer Michael Wolf is raising some eyebrows with a new photo project titled "Window Watching." The series features photographs of high-rise apartment windows in Hong Kong, offering glimpses into the lives of people living inside the private residences. Basically, Wolf pointed a telephoto lens at open windows to photograph people going about their day-to-day-lives, without their knowledge and consent.

The Emperor’s New Photographs: Are Appropriated Street View Shots Art?

The debate rages on: should appropriated Google Street View photographs be considered art? There are quite a few artists and photographers out there who think it should be. Photographer Michael Wolf was awarded Honorable Mention for his curated screenshots at the World Press Photo 2011. Photographer Aaron Hobson takes screenshots and turns them into gorgeous panoramic photos. Jon Rafman's screenshots were picked for an exhibition at London's Saatchi Gallery.

Now here's another case that might cause a lot more head-scratching: photographer Doug Rickard's Street View screenshots have been selected for the permanent collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Sitting in China: A Series of Photographs Showing “Bastard Chairs”

Photographer Michael Wolf began his career as a photojournalist in Hong Kong working for a German magazine. In the early 2000s, he turned to non-editorial photography with an unusual project called Bastard Chairs. Wolf had noticed that all over China, there were makeshift chairs that had been put together using whatever materials the owners could get their hands on. He began documenting these strange pieces of furniture, showing the creative ideas people in China had for sitting down.

Google Street View Can Now Take You On Tours of Historical Sites in the Antarctic

Google Street View is interesting from a photographical perspective because it is, essentially, the largest compilation of 360-degree images in existence. Photographer Michael Wolf even used it to get a different perspective on over-photographed Paris. The best photos on Street View, however, weren't actually taken in the street. They come from endeavors like Google's World Wonders project, which takes you on 360-degree tours of famous and often inaccessible locations.

Strange Scenes Spotted by Google Street View Cameras

Named after the fact that Google Street View cars shoot with 9 separate cameras, Canadian artist Jon Rafman's Nine Eyes of Google Street View website is an ongoing project that publishes strange scenes photographed by Google's automated cameras. Rafman writes,

This infinitely rich mine of material afforded my practice the extraordinary opportunity to explore, interpret, and curate a new world in a new way. To a certain extent, the aesthetic considerations that form the basis of my choices in different collections vary. For example, some selections are influenced by my knowledge of photographic history and allude to older photographic styles, whereas other selections, such as those representing Google’s depiction of modern experience, incorporate critical aesthetic theory. But throughout, I pay careful attention to the formal aspects of color and composition.

[...] I can seek out postcard-perfect shots that capture what Cartier-Bresson titled “the decisive moment,” as if I were a photojournalist responding instantaneously to an emerging event. At other times, I have been mesmerized by the sense of nostalgia, yearning, and loss in these images—qualities that evoke old family snapshots. I can also choose to be a landscape photographer and meditate on the multitude of visual possibilities.

Photog Receives World Press Photo Honorable Mention for Street View Shots

Does Google Street View count as photojournalism? That's the question that's being discussed on the Interwebs after photographer Michael Wolf was given honorable mention in this year's World Press Photo contest for a series of photographs made using Google's Street View. "A Series of Unfortunate Events" contains photographs created by Wolf of unique scenes found in Google's street imagery, which is captured by Google using special camera-equipped vans driven down streets.