Featured Blog Posts – December 2012 Archive (183)

Over the last year, there have been countless images that have been circulated throughout the media, and while there are many branches to the art of photography, there's something about pictures of nature that never cease to amaze us. Photographers across the globe remind us everyday that the world we live in is an amazing place with a bounty of beauty to offer by framing various natural occurrences in breathtaking compositions and simply capturing some breathtaking shots.

Whether the…

It's hard to believe but another year has come and gone. Tonight, as many of you put on your party dresses and pop your champagne, I'll be with my husband and baby boy celebrating his first New Year's in the comfort of my home. Thank you for a great 2012 - for helping us reach some incredible milestones (like 100K…

Since today is New Year's Eve, what better way to celebrate than by seeing some fantastic long exposures of fireworks? Professional astronomer Galaxy_of_Emptiness took these incredible shots, not during last year's New Year's, but instead during Australia Day, the official national day of Australia. It is celebrated…

Portrait of Maquoketa—The Dimensional View is a community project, by artist Rose Frantzen, that celebrates the artist's hometown of Maquoketa, Iowa. Across the span of one year, Frantzen painted a collection of 180 12x12" portraits of anyone who wanted to pose for her, including many of her friends and neighbors. She was not exclusive in the process, and says, "I wanted to…

Aurelie Curie is a photographer who explores the world, high and low, to shoot rare, urban vantage points filled with mystery and wonder. In her series, Above, Curie climbed to to the top of buildings and bridges to capture the many quiet moments that occur in a city. In each photograph, she combines a broad urban composition with the close details of buildings and bridge architecture to form…

Textile expert Simon Peers and fashion designer Nicholas Godley collaborated to create this stunning embroidered cape out of golden spider silk. Both residing in Madagascar, the two paired up to achieve a process that hadn't been attempted for more than 100 years—they wanted to successfully harvest golden orb spider silk for weaving, and they were quite…

Photographer Mark Meyer lives in a 100-year old log cabin in Alaska. Every morning when he wakes up, he first sees a single-paned window at the foot of his bed. As the weather outside changes with the seasons, the surface of the window becomes a work of art, frosting over with ice, dripping wet with rainwater, and occasionally fogging up with steam during the summer.

An Alaska…

Who says doodling can't be fine art? Tokyo-based artist Sagaki Keita combines the world of fine art with lowbrow illustrations in his highly creative body of work. Each of the artist's drawings are made up of countless tiny sketches of his vast cast of characters. The tiny, animated subjects collectively compose each of Keita's impressive creations depicting a staple of art…

Israeli artist Nirit Levav Packer solders and welds discarded bicycle parts together to create adorable dog sculptures for her series titled HOW! WOW! The former fashion designer specializing in bridal gowns decided to switch gears and experiment with more durable forms of art. Seeking to get away from working with people and fragile fabrics, the multidisciplinary artist…

For Into the Great Wide Open, a music and art festival in Vlieland, an island on the coast of the Netherlands, artist Tamar Frank created a stunning installation at the small inlet of a pond. She took 500 LED lights and carefully placed them between reeds so that they appeared like a colony of fireflies. As visitors walked amongst the brush, they activated the "swarm" of fireflies,…

What better way is there to show both the beauty and power of nature than with these incredibly electrifying images of lightning? While sometimes it just takes being at the right place at the right time, like for amateur photographer Bertrand Kulik and his photo of a brightly illuminated Eiffel Tower, for others, like Dan Ransom, it requires carefully assembling a composite image or "stacking" multiple photos together to showcase a wild electrical storm (like the…

We see old stores that have gone out of business turn into completely different establishments all the time. Reassigning a building's purpose is common practice and adds to the structure's history, but it is only through smart design that the architecture's history is preserved while simultaneously providing a business its own identity. Madrid-based architecture…

Street art has evolved over the years, branching off into this brilliant practice of depicting interactive illusions on pavement. Street artist Kurt Wenner knows this method of art all too well, having impressed passersby with his amazing…

Since childhood, Indian sculpture artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has always enjoyed playing in the sand. As he grew older, he realized that this interest could translate into an artistic career. Now, the artist has developed the Sudarsan Sand Art Institute in order to develop his trade and to pass along his knowledge of sand sculpture, sand animation, and sand painting to…

People vs. Places is a blog featuring the collaborative efforts of Chicago-based photographers Stephanie Bassos and Timothy Burkhart. Going old school with 35mm film, the duo rely on each other to create interesting art. First, Bassos exposes a roll of film by focusing her attention only on people as her main subjects. Next, she passes the camera along to…

Indiana artist Gabriel Dishaw is a junk artist who repurposes all kinds of used goods in order to create these amazing sculptures. He takes parts from old adding machines, typewriters, and computers and builds unique mechanical creatures, including this piece entitled Darth Vader Upcycled. By disassembling otherwise useless objects, the artist gives new life and…

Artists often have intimate log cabin retreats in the woods to clear their minds and focus their attention on their craft. The environment plays a vital role in one's ability to create, which is precisely why Dutch musical entertainer Hans Liberg sought his own inspiring hideout in nature. What he got is much more—a log…

Abraham Lake has become world famous, especially amongst photographers. The artificial lake, which lies in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, is home to a rare phenomenon where bubbles get frozen right underneath its surface. They're often referred to as ice bubbles or frozen bubbles.

What causes this to happen? As photographer Fikret Onal explains, "The plants on the lake…

Using a macro lens, UK-based photographer Janet Waters gets up close and personal with all kinds of liquids, bubbles, food dye, and soapy water. Where many artists like to have control of their final product, Waters actually counts on the unpredictable nature of liquids to create her captivating abstract designs.

Waters has an intense talent for finding the perfect angles of…

Beijing-based photographer and performance artist Li Wei boggles the mind with his gravity-defying photography. We we entertained by the multifaceted artist's work from 2011 and he continues to draw our attention with his latest compositions in 2012. Without…