Spotlight Seven Week 5: Ryan Brenizer, aka carpe icthus

Week #5 of Spotlight Seven feature Ryan Brenizer, aka carpe icthus, of New York City. In his interview, Ryan discusses how he started out on photography, his preferred equipment, and tells the story behind the photo shown below. Please swing on over to Spotlight Seven, check out the newest portraits, and ask carpe icthus about any of the photos being featured this week.



Interview

The Butcher

The Butcher, originally uploaded by 01101001 01100001 01101110.

I'll have to finish the series with baker & the candlestick maker at some point.

A young model - Zabid

A young model - Zabid, originally uploaded by mr_magic.

A scowl or a smile? You decide.

Try to say no

Try to say no, originally uploaded by jakerome.

That's my little friend Joey.

Nikon User, Mandalay, Myanmar

Nikon User, Mandalay, Myanmar, originally uploaded by photosadhu.

A nice sense of scale.

crossing roads

crossing roads, originally uploaded by Mverde3.

The first of 365

Oliver added 300 great pictures over the last few days, may taken for the project described below. Keep it up Oliver, and best of luck completing your project. Looks like you're well on your way.

Starting on my 32nd birthday (10~05~2007) I am going to try to take at least one posed portrait per day (as well as other photography) and post it to this set on Flickr. The posting may not always happen day by day, but the EXIF data on the pictures will bear out that each one will have been taken on a different day... I will be posting one version in this set, but there is another set, called 365 Portraits - All Versions that has all of the versions of each picture.

Josh Nelson

Josh Nelson, originally uploaded by Steve.Korn.

Josh Nelson is a rising star in the jazz world. He is a pianist based out of L.A. He works as musical director for vocalist, Sara Gazarek. He was in town for a few days two weeks ago, we played a few gigs and did a photo shoot. Here's his site:

http://www.joshnelsonmusic.com/

An Indian Tree

An Indian Tree, originally uploaded by designldg.

A very interesting treatment, and nice portrait. Click through to read more of the story behind the photo.

Camera in hand

Manchester Flickr Group 14, originally uploaded by joseph_mcgarraghy.

Apparently, this was from a Flickr meet-up of some sort. Great how Flickr can bring people together all over the world.

Love Comes Crawling

Love Comes Crawling, originally uploaded by Fetusboy (post-utero).

One of nearly 1000 new pictures added in the last 3 days.

Papu boy in Mount Hagen

Papu boy in Mount Hagen, originally uploaded by Eric Lafforgue.

One of the favorite photos I've seen today. You can even buy a book with this portrait & others: Papous: Plus de Photos dans mon livre "Papous". Check out the Flickr page for more details & links.

Spotlight Seven Week #4: Duff Suds

Check out the interview.

This is the part of the story behind the above photo. You really need to read the whole story.

"I had quickly learned that the most interesting faces belonged to those people who had it hard. The people of the street. As a result I knew that I could always find an interesting face or story near the city shelters, bus stations and tourist traps. Albuquerque wasn’t any different. I spent part of the day at the city center watching the hot air balloons float past, then trekked over to the Greyhound terminal but both proved to be disappointing. Finally, I stopped a local police officer and asked him flat out “where are all of your homeless.” A little surprised at the question he curtly told me how the city had rounded up and herded all of the street people to the shelters for the day, standard procedure when the balloons were flying. I guess they wanted their streets clean when the out-of-towners arrived. He pointed me in the direction of the nearest shelter and off I went."

B&W vicki

B&W vicki, originally uploaded by ~HannahBanana~.

A nice, classic look.

Photos being invited by all sorts of Flickrites!

35, originally uploaded by avraham bank.

I dig this photo. As I was browsing through the photo pool today, it jumped out at me. As I went to blog it, I noticed that another member of 6 Million People had invited it to the group. Awesome! We've seen an explosion in membership the last 2 weeks, and that's obviously one of the big reasons- Flickr members inviting other Flickr members to join the group and reach the goal. We'll get there, one portrait, one person at a time.

Driving by

calanan is a friend of mine and also a terrific photographer. He has a whole series of what he calls "Drive-by Shootings". He has lots of excellent, and if you ever need a photographer in the Salt Lake City area, calanan is the guy to call.

Mauritania

Mauritania, originally uploaded by John Spooner.

Another great portrait from around the world.

delly pranata on bass

{delly pranata on bass}, originally uploaded by ~just julie~.

Very cool. A good example of Photoshop in action.

yo al cuadrado

yo al cuadrado, originally uploaded by setasatan.

Contributors from all over the world.

MK Half Marathon Runner 836 #17 0f 100

MK Half Marathon Runner 836 #17 0f 100, originally uploaded by Mr. 'Chard.

A nice picture of a half-marathon finisher.

Relatives

relatives, originally uploaded by Irina Troitskaya.

I just like the photo.

Carlsbad Half Marathon & Marathon

Ken Mercer or Tom Brady?, originally uploaded by jakerome.

Ken is a good friend of mine & ran the Carlsbad Half Marathon today, just outside of San Diego, California. Of course, this afternoon the Chargers traveled to Foxboro to play the New England Patriots for the AFC championship, with a berth to the Super Bowl on the line. Ken got a fair amount of razzing from the race announcer, who referred to him several times as "Tom Brady," since he wore a Tom Brady jersey across the finish line. In fact, they chatted about him for a minute or more. After the race, we went back to Ken's house and watched the Patriots defeat the Chargers 21-12 to continue their undefeated season. Go Pats!

Check out more than 250 additional photos from the Carlsbad Half Marathon and Marathon in this set and this one, too.

Lukla boy!

007_Lukla, 29.09.2007, originally uploaded by palko72.

I was in Lukla many years ago, when I went for a month to visit my brother. Aaron was a Peace Corps volunteer at that point, and he helped design systems to deliver clean drinking water (cani-pani) to the villagers of Lukla and many other areas in Solu-Khumbu. From the photo,

"The Sherpas are a small but colourful ethnic group with spectacular festivals, a mythology rooted in Buddhism, and numerous legends which shroud scientific research in a fine mist of fantasy. Not only does the area boast breathtaking scenery, it also affords the researcher a considerable degree of comfort, with well-developed tourist facilities coupled with ease of access to a people to whom foreigners are no longer strangers."

126/365 just me and the camera

126/365 just me and the camera, originally uploaded by spring_peeper.

One more from Flickr Group Roulette. The hits keep on coming!

Katrina

One more from the fine folks at Flickr Group Roulette, hundreds of whom joined in the last few days and added their photos. This is Katrina, who chose 6 Million People as yesterday's target. Thanks to Katrina and everyone else at Flickr Group Roulette for helping achieve our ambitious challenge.

Jim III at 60

Jim III at 60, originally uploaded by eks4003.

"Veterans Day Nov 11, 2007
On Veterans Day 1987 I took the black and white photo of my friend Jim. We were on our way to a Veterans Day parade. Jim showed me a framed picture of him as a 20 year old in Vietnam. On that day I took a picture of him holding the picture of him in Nam. He was 40 years old. The picture was in a box for the last 20 years. It just surfaced last week when I went through the box looking for treasures from the past.
It was about five years since I talked with Jim. I called him and met with him for lunch. I asked him to put on his old army gear so that I could take his photo.
I took a picture of him at 60 years old holding a picture of him at 40 holding a picture of him at 20. "

Day 290: Six Million People

Day 290: Six Million People, originally uploaded by susiejulie.

"A year ago, I visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. It was incredibly moving. As soon as I saw the bookcase propped open and the steep wooden stairs ascending behind it, a huge lump rose in my throat and stayed with me throughout the tour. Anne's precious pictures remain on the walls where she put them. It was so real, and truly heartbreaking.

In the attic of the neighboring house, I think, there's a one-room exhibit with logbooks, videos and interviews playing. The footage was shocking and yet irresistable.

I've visited several other Holocaust memorials and museums around the world. One that stands out is part of the Invalides museums in Paris. There were several large photographs of piles of bodies, which was grotesque and inhuman. The most memorable photograph was a haggard, emaciated woman in a concentration camp, who was holding a photograph of herself before the war. She was plump, with a friendly and happy face. That person was gone forever, leaving only a shell.

And although the memoirs that I've read have been amazing, there are a number of moving fictional tales. Last year I read The Devil's Arithmetic, which is a young adult novel about a girl who travels back in time to a Russian village and then a concentration. She ends up sacrificing herself to help a friend and then 'wakes up', realizing that she has experienced her aunt's earlier life. I can't do it justice, but it was heartbreaking and emotional, and I cried buckets, in public.

That Holocaust was inhumanly awful. All genocides are. We can never forget any of them."

Rockin' Rob is serious

Lifted straight from Rob's description:
Day 18 of 365 days (2nd year)



Sorry folks, I can't be funny all of the time. Besides, this photo was taken for the Flickr Group Roulette. Today, we are inundating the 6 Million People Group which seems to be of a more serious intention. Therefore, I though it would be appropriate to take a serious photo. 

Flickr Group Roulette!

Me6, originally uploaded by northshoreleo.

Flickr Group Roulette is invading 6 Million People today, and we couldn't be more pleased. This photo was actually added much earlier, and it's still a great shot. As I've said before, only 1 person per photo, but you can include as many dogs as you like.

Spotlight Seven Week 3: Paint Monkey

andycoolas*hardman, originally uploaded by Paint Monkey.

Please welcome Paint Monkey to the Spotlight Seven Gallery. Hailing from one island (England) and living on another (Nantucket), Paint Monkey goes out of his way to shoot familiar scenes in new and interesting ways on the little island he calls home. This is my favorite of the bunch, somehow the disparate elements work together very well here. Please be sure to read smoothdude's full interview with Paint Monkey, view the photos, ask questions & leave comments. Thanks everyone.

The Oklahoman

The Oklahoman, originally uploaded by JeffCam.

A well-kept cowboy? Or a stockbroker gone native? Either way, great portrait, great outfit.

stunning.

stunning., originally uploaded by Breathe Culture.

From Vancouver, B.C.

Mike II

Mike II, originally uploaded by Aaron Geller.

Believe it or not I have those same headphones. This is from a cruise in Turkey, apparently. Nice shot.

- vose ten uma colier

- vose ten uma colier, originally uploaded by MihOliveira.

Peace out! From another of the many international members of 6 Million People.

Anticipation

Anticipation, originally uploaded by ReArVieWmiRRo_r.

From one of the many international members of 6 Million People. Heck, I doubt more than a third of the members are from any one country. ReArVieWmiRRo_r is actually one of the many members who have helped translate the group rules & description into 12 languages so far.

I'm Crushing Your Head jejeje

I'm Crushing Your Head jejeje, originally uploaded by Sebastián-Dario.

Hardly original, but very well done. I like the tongue sticking out bit.

out there, dreaming

out there, dreaming, originally uploaded by viajvia.

The lines are great on this.

Found in the 6 Million People where Flickrites post their best portraits in the hopes of being chosen to exhibit at Spotlight Seven.

Vivien, another cousin of Eva's:D

Vivien, another cousin of Eva's:D, originally uploaded by Shashinshi-San.

Sly pose or completely off guard? You be the judge!

homemade apple pie: step 1

homemade apple pie: step 1, originally uploaded by honey.huckabee..

This was in a competition we had a few weeks back, to see who could get the most favorites. It finished a strong second behind carwax, who found a very clever way to get faves. This photo didn't need to be clever-- it was just lat out good.

après la baston

après la baston, originally uploaded by k-catcha.

So many great photos added to the pool today.

Sweet Child 'O Mine

Sweet Child 'O Mine, originally uploaded by cBass10n.

I love Guitar Hero, too.

A girl in Serjilla, Syria

, originally uploaded by -rt-.

Nice tones here.

Action!

, originally uploaded by Arkady Renko.

Taken at a bike race.

Spotlight Seven Grand Opening! Featuring 'stpiduko'

Spotlight Seven: Grand Opening January 11, 2008

We are pleased to announce the Grand Opening of the new Flickr gallery, Spotlight Seven. Each week at Spotlight Seven, one photographer will exhibit 10 of his or her finest portraits. These photographs are carefully chosen by Daniel Krieger, who goes by the moniker smoothdude on Flickr. The Grand Opening features 'stpiduko'_, and include portraits of a bearded man he's still searching for and the 2nd of 100 people he photographed one night. You can read more about 'stpiduko's work in his interview with smoothdude. Additionally, each week's featured artist will be available throughout the week to answer questions about technique, lighting, lenses and just about anything else. Brad Ross, aka ShhPeKo, was featured at Spotlight Seven for a week-long pre-opening, and his work remains on exhibit. In fact, by taking advantage of the unlimited gallery space afforded by Flickr, the work of all selected artists will remain in the gallery permanently. As 10 photos have grown to 20, these 20 photos will grow to hundreds in a few months. Eventually, this will form one of the best, most diverse collection of portraits on the internet.

As the chief curator of Spotlight Seven, smoothdude is working hard to find amazing photographers and their best portraits. By selecting the photos and interviewing the featured artist, smoothdude is creating a genuine showcase for some of the best photographers on Flickr. The co-curator is Jake Rome, known by the enigmatic nickname of jakerome on Flickr, who is helping smoothdude find outstanding photographers and promoting the group and its parent group, 6 Million People.

All the portraits are drawn from some of the tens of thousands of portraits that have been added to the Flickr group 6 Million People. Founded in April 2007, the objective of 6 Million People is to collect portraits of 6 million different people as a virtual memorial to all Holocaust victims. While there are thousands of outstanding photos in the pool, Spotlight Seven was founded to provide a showcase for the best of the best. For those interested in exhibiting at Spotlight Seven, please join 6 Million People and start adding your finest portraits. 6 Million People welcomes contributors of all skill levels from all over the world, and the group rules have been translated into over 10 languages so far. A few portraits are added each day to the 6 Million People photoblog.

Please visit Spotlight Seven every week to view some of the finest portraits on Flickr, and please join 6 Million People and add your photos to help us reach our goal. You can sign up for the mailing list at Yahoo! Groups to be notified each week as new photographers exhibit on Spotlight Seven. Thank you.

smoothdude & jakerome

Spotlight Seven week 2: 'stpiduko'

, originally uploaded by 'stpiduko'.

This week's featured photographer at Spotlight Seven is 'stpiduko', who is known across Flickr for the exceptional quality and quantity of his street portraits. Here, our intrepid photographer seems to have stumbled upon one Santa Claus taking a break from the Santa convention and having a nice refreshment. Make sure you check out this week's interview with smoothdude.

wendy martyn

wendy martyn, originally uploaded by zombizi.

An unbelievably gifted Flickr photographer, and one of the most interesting people in DMU. With zombizi's magic applied.

Boy and his dog..

Boy and his dog.., originally uploaded by ashley_bell99.

We'll make it cute two days in a row. Only one person per photo, but as many dogs as you'd like!

Hanna

Hanna, originally uploaded by Christian Metzler.

I think the lighting/processing works really well on this portrait. The tall grass in the foreground is nice.

Perikles

Perikles, originally uploaded by canosadaniel1.

I really dig the processing on this portrait. Quite original to my eyes.

Trust

Trust, originally uploaded by M.J Coleman.

There's just so much life in that face.