L.E.S. artistes

although i don't know a lot about video, i think the interaction between photography and video is really interesting. i have been enjoying seeing former PDN 30 photographer William Lamson step into the role of video artist, and as The Year in Pictures pointed out, even Ryan McGinley seems to be getting into video (with the piece he directed for the New York Times that functions a bit more like experimental video than a "behind the scenes" clip).

with that in mind, i just saw this music video by Santogold for the first time, and i feel like i experienced it as photography in a weird way. (the strobe-flashes-as-bomb-metaphors definitely add to this.) maybe my head's just been in an art photography space for a long stretch. either way, check out the pretty pictures.

i can't help but root for this Brooklyn girl telling the L.E.S. artistes " just leave me out you name dropper / you don't know me / i'm an introvert an excavator" with a video (directed by Nima Nourizadeh) that out-hipsters them all.

breakthrough

i have to admit that i haven't always been a huge fan of Ryan McGinley.

but i was really impressed by his collection of portraits for the "Breakthrough Performances" issue of the New York Times Magazine. i loved the look of the photographs, and the consistency of the aesthetic as a project, even through he was shooting diverse personalities in locations all over the country (plus the white cliffs of Dover). i like the way the light is sometimes hazy, or the way that blurry objects or bright lights obscure the subjects' faces.

i think the Jennifer Jason Leigh images (one is above) and the Paul Dano images are my favorites.

as a bonus: they're also posted up on Tiny Vices.