CREATIVE CELEBRITY PORTRAITS BY MICHAEL LAVINE

While in the state of Washington he became one of the "photographers of record" of the then nascent grunge music scene. His personal friendships with Kurt Cobain and other members of the group Nirvana gave him unparalleled access to create a visual record of that iconic group. He also photographed other grunge era bands such as White Zombie, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Sonic Youth and the The Flaming Lips. All these photographs were compiled in a 1996 Simon and Schuster book, Noise From the Underground.
One of Lavine's most known photographs is the cover for the CD Life After Death by The Notorious B.I.G., which was released fifteen days after Biggie's murder. The black and white photograph features Wallace standing alongside a black funeral hearse. In hindsight many saw this as portending his death. In another black and white photograph from the same shoot, Wallace is standing in front of row after row of headstones in a graveyard.
Since 1988, Lavine has been photographing music and entertainment performers, landscapes, politicians and artists, as well as daily American life and everyday people. His style of bold saturated colors, dynamic and extreme use of lighting, and his awareness of what works graphically and what doesn’t, have made him a sought after photographer. He has also received awards from Communication Arts' Photography and Advertising Annual each year since 1992, as well as from American Photography, the Art Director's Club and Photo District News.

 

Grethen Mol & Anthony Kiedis

 

Rosario Dawson

G-Unit

 

Yoko Ono

 

Wu Tang Clan

 

Kim Cattral

 

Notorious B.I.G.

 

Conan O'Brian

BEST OF FLICKR: JOHN HALLMEN

JOHN HALLMEN has fantastic, rich colored photos of insects in magnified view called "Hymenoptera" (the classification of insects with heavy wings)

NATIONAL WILDIFE 2009 PHOTO CONTEST

This year’s contest winners are drawn from nearly 70,000 entries—the largest pool in contest history—in seven categories: Mammals, Birds, Other Wildlife, Landscapes and Plant Life, Backyard Habitats, Connecting People and Nature and, for the first time, Global Warming. This new category features species whose habitats or behaviors have been affected by climate change. Along with selecting the two $5,000 grand prize winners—one each for the professional and amateur divisions—judges awarded cash and other prizes for the first- and second-place winners in every category in each of the two divisions. One winner was also chosen in the youth division.

 

 

ILLUSTRATIONS BY WESLEY EGGEBRECHT

Wesley Eggebrecht has a very unique style. A very obvious and heavy influence on graffiti and graphic novels- with intricate references to recent pop culture. Its no surprise he does graphic design for numerous companies on boards, t-shirts, etc.... the cusp of graphic design is in the hands of artists like Eggebrecht.

JUNYA WATANABE - SPRING 2010

In a world of hipster poseurs that you too often want to punch in the face, Junya Watanabe is the real deal, a guy who knows it's not about swagger, it's about the glide. In this case, it's a bit Mingus meets the Mods. Un-vented, vintage-y looking suits in three buttons or double-breasted are cut tight and paired with wingtip shoes (and wingtip sneakers). There's a confident mix of fabrics and textures, all built for layering: denim with moleskin patching, waxed coats, corduroy topcoats in camel, andQuadrophenia-ish parkas in olive drab. In short, classics for the guy who appreciates classics, but digs seeing them reinterpreted.

BEST OF FLICKR: "LOST AMERICA'S" PHOTOSTREAM

Love this Flickr set from night photographer Troy Pavia. Shot at the Byron Hot Springs Hotel in California. Unsurprisingly legend has it that it’s haunted. The forboding use of reds, greens andbles dn’t exactly allay this feel. Good stuff, more highlights after the jump.

 

CURVES AHEAD BY SØLVE SUNDSBØ

V Magazine have this month dedicated to exploring, in beautiful fashion of course the Plus Size model. Photographer’s such as the indomitable Terry Richardson and the beautifully high concept Solve Sundsbø have shot some great editorial.

Solve Sundsbø, also tackling the subject, goes for something a bit more sexy and lustrous, check it.

ONE SIZE FITS ALL BY TERRY RICHARDSON

Richardson’s uses the reigning Queen of Plus size modelling Crystal Renn (or so they say...), pitting her against a size zero opponent in a witty and provocative spread called “One Size Fits All” It reminded me a bit of the Zoolander walk off with the full on poses, and pokes a bit of fun at the pomposity of the Size zero/Plus size debate.