Monday, December 1st 2008

World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day.

The statistics are still shocking.

In the UK alone
• More than 80,000 people living with HIV
• One in three people with HIV are undiagnosed
• One in every 360 pregnant women in the UK is HIV positive

Worldwide, 2 million people died from HIV-related causes last year. That’s more than the entire population of Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham put together. It’s more than the entire popluation of several African countries.

This weekend I went to see the Annie Leibovitz exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London. It was fantastic, and worthy of it’s own blog, which it will get in a bit. The icing on the cake was the bonus exhibition showing for this week only – a little room at the bottom of the gallery, showcasing the covers she took for Vanity Fair, about “the challenge, the promise, and the future of Africa”. They’re well worth a look…

The exhibition was hosted by (RED), who so far have helped purchase antiretroviral treatments for nearly 80,000 people in Rwansa, Swaziland, Ghana and Lesotho.

Do what you can. Get involved. Buy RED. Save lives.

Wednesday, September 24th 2008

In love with Lomo!

Ok, so I have just discovered Lomography and I am in love!

‘What on earth is that?’ I hear you say!

According to Wikipedia…. Lomography, a registered trademark of Lomographische AG (Austria), which is a movement that, via the Lomography Society International, promotes the use of Lomo cameras.

Lomography emphasizes casual, snapshot photography. Characteristics such as over-saturated colors, off-kilter exposure, blurring, “happy accidents”, and alternative film processing are often considered part of the “Lomographic Technique.”

Users are encouraged to take a lighthearted approach to their photography, and use these techniques to document everyday life, as the Lomo LC-A’s small size, simple controls, and ability to shoot in low light encourages candid photography, photo reportage, and photo vérité through the much-touted 10 Rules.

The 10 rules remind me of the rules of fight club… don’t worry about the rules! Read below!

1 Take your LOMO everywhere you go.

2 Use it anytime – day or night.

3 Lomography is not an interference in your life, but a part of it.

4 Shoot from the hip.

5 Approach the objects of your lomographic desire as close as possible.

6 Don’t think.

7 Be fast.

8 You don’t have to know beforehand what you’ve captured on film.

9 You don’t have to know afterwards, either.

10 Don’t worry about the rules.

The basic way of saying it is Lomo creates wicked images which could be used for a twist on marketing materials… whether you want split shots/fisheye distorted images or just want to take some family snapshots that are a little bit different then lomo is for you!

Right – I am off to get my lomo camera now.. if you want to know more about interesting marketing facts and lomo take a look at the blog b…

Read the rest...