Picture Stories by Stephen Alvarez

Phone Friday: #6

Last photo this week. Have a great weekend.

Stephen Alvarez
931 636 0332

Cameras: 5D MK III coming soon?

It amazes me that the Canon 5D mk II has been around for 3 years. That is unheard of in the life of a digital camera. I still happily shoot with the 5D MK II every day. The still files are stunning and if Act of Valor is any indication, the video out of the camera is first rate. 

Gregory Crewdson Movie

 

A ten year look into Gregory Crewdson's epic photography. More information on the official site here. 

I go to extraordinary lengths to make some of my photographs. The bigger cave photographs can takes months of planning (I am planning some now that will happen in 2013). However, I am in awe of what Crewdson does. Each frame is a film shoot. The effect is just stunning.

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

 

New Pocket Wizard Plus III

Equipment news this week, there is a new pocket wizard radio slave, the Plus III ($139 from B&H). It has more channels than the Plus II and is $30 less!

I use a lot of pocket wizards in my work, not just triggering flashes but also simultaneously firing cameras. The pictures above are from a panoramic time lapse that I made for a large scale multimedia installation (the full sized images are 3500px tall and 8900px wide). I was firing two cameras with identical lenses triggered with pocket wizards. 

Stephen Alvarez

Inexplicable pictures

Inexplicable pictures, we all have them. Pictures that for reasons we can't define speak to us. The roadside photo above from outside Tehran is one of those inexplicable photos for me. I can't say a thing about why I like it, just that it said something about how I felt at the time. I've written in the past that it is important for photographers to keep a visual diary. This photo is definitely part of mine.

Anyone care to share and explicable photo?

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

Azadi Tower, Iran

Iran is in the news a lot lately. The Iranian government just sent two warships to the Mediterranean and have cut off oil sales to Britain and France. I spent a month in Iran climbing last year (look for the story in the April Atlantic) and can say that it is important to make a distinction between the Iranian government and the Iranian people. Even after the well orchestrated purges following the 2009 Green revolution there is still much dissent in Iran. 

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

Peachtree Street Time Lapse

 

I've always liked time lapse films. They can be a really powerful way to look at things with a fresh perspective. I'm not alone in thinking that. Some of the most popular videos on Vimeo are well constructed time lapse sequences. While I have shot some in the past, they have been sort of accidental, by products of trying to make other pictures. 

Lately I've gotten interested in learning how to shoot well made time lapse films. It is learning process for me so here is some of the problems I've worked out.

Power of Paper and Glue

 

This TED talk is a year old but still amazing. It is an inspirational way to spend a snowy morning.

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee

portraits: setting the stage

above, Band Yakchel, Iran

It often surprises people to find out that I started life as a portrait photographer. I'm well known for my adventure and underground work, but I learned about light and photography by assisting Doug Merriam on portrait jobs. 

Phone Friday

Last image before the weekend.

Stephen Alvarez