Photography

The anonymous soapbox-like atmosphere of the Internet has long made it the best place to air out dirty laundry. Artist Anna Ladd is one of those people, and over the years she has confessed to all kinds of personal embarrassments on her blog. Her photo series Things I Told the Internet, But Didn’t Tell My Mom examines the blurry lines of what’s considered public and private. Using banners to spell out phrases that are directly lifted from her blog, the series cleverly shows how broadcasting our thoughts to others over the Internet sometimes doesn’t translate well in the real world. Or, as Ladd describes, these are just “some pictures about my backwards concept of privacy.”  Touché.

Brooklyn-based graphic designer Victoria Spencer, who also goes by Witchoria, has a clever way of expressing heartache. Her ongoing Human Error series merges both old and new motifs, creating an experience that’s unique but oh-so familiar.

Using simple Polaroid photos she conveys the limits of depression, self-loathing, and heartbreak by combining them with Apple error messages. The juxtaposition is striking, merging the cold language of technology with the human experience.

If you’re on Tumblr you’ve probably stumbled across her work on more than one occasion. But what you might not know is that you can view her complete series on her Behance page. She also sells prints on Society6.

Art director/photographer Stephen McMennamy fell in love with photography through Instagram. So it feels appropriate that his successful account is home to his unique photo series that combines two different type of photos into quirky new creations. It sounds contrived in words, but once you see his work it’s obvious how extensive his creativity is. From people skiing on ice cream cones to jets morphing into birds, his photos are imaginative, fun, and a mischievous time sucker. For more of his creations, he also keeps a second Instagram of his no-so great combo photos appropriately titled @combophotofail.

We make snowflakes all the time — out of printer, construction, and patterned paper. But how often do we actually see them with our own eyes? How do we even know the shapes and designs we’re making are actually a realistic imitation of the snowflake?

Russian photographer Andrew Osokin can help give you a little more faith in your paper snowflakes, because his photography actually captures the unique shapes and designs of them in the split second when they reach the ground before they melt. It’s a simple concept, but one that isn’t executed often enough by either the world of artists or scientists for that matter. Go ahead, google “snowflake” and see what comes up. Not many actual snowflakes, right?

So take a moment to enjoy this unique set of images. It’s not every day you see a snowflake, and the fact that Osokin puts his macro lens to good use for us in freezing weather is certainly something to be appreciated. It may happen in the blink of an eye, but these photographs make it anything but ephemeral.

Creative designer/photographer Omar Reda has, like most people, a love/hate relationship with the city of his birth, Tripoli, Lebanon. In his photography, you can see the love he has for the city, from the way he captures the beauty of its architecture to the way he captures the soul of the locals. But Reda’s frustrations with a city gripped by poverty, corruption, and political tension also show in his photography — and it’s literally written all over it.

In Reda’s untitled series of Instagram photos, he takes pictures of the sights around Lebanon and adds sarcastic and sometimes enlightening words on top of his photos. From critiquing the city’s small pockets of nostalgia that’s devoid of technology to showcasing the large income gap between millionaires living in condos right above the slums, Reda’s series is both clever and eye-opening. His photos prove that a pretty picture always has more to the story. And fortunately for us, we’ll always know what that story is.

While Instagram has its fair share of foodie photos and fashion snaps, there seems to be one genre of photography that truly encapsulates every type of user: landscape. The problem is, with everyone and their mom having an Instagram account and instant access to filters, cropping, and tagging, it can be difficult to truly find the cream of the crop. I hate to say it, but Instagram is about as oversaturated as an ocean floor sponge. But that being said… I present you with Adam Senatori.

What makes Senatori’s photography work so unique, particularly on the Instagram front, is that not only is he a professional photographer, he also has a pilot’s license. While a majority of his posted imagery finds its roots in Wisconsin, the unique perspective of his photos makes them more astonishing than 99.9 percent of the photos you’ll see your friends post of the Eiffel Tower… or the Empire State Building… or the Golden Gate Bridge… or the… well, you get it.

Also a fan of the tilt-shift effect, @adamsenatori adds a whole other layer to his photography, giving it a miniature aesthetic quality that truly makes you rethink the way you see the world. So here’s what I have to say: drop one of the Kardashian sisters and start following this guy. I promise, you’ll feel more enlightened.

Even though you might not recognize his name, you’re definitely familiar with Martin Schoeller’s work. All those super high def, close up portraits of celebrities, politicians, and other iconic figures that frequently appear on the cover of TIME, New York, and others? That’s Schoeller. He’s been creating portraits in his signature “close up” style for more than a decade now, getting intimately personal with his subjects in a way most photographers are too afraid to do.

Close Up, presented by Mediastorm, is a series that highlights all of Schoeller’s most iconic portraits (Bill Clinton, Brad Pitt) and splices them together alongside pictures of average people. The juxtaposition of famous faces and nobodies creates an interesting window into how we interpret intimacy. We think we know celebrities. They’re in the news every day and blanket our magazine covers, but as you peer into the eyes of, say, Jack Nicolson or Britney Spears–both their faces raw and imperfect–it reveals how much we little know.

Our tendency to want to know them on a personal level is no different than the people we pass on the street or while riding the bus or drinking coffee at a cafe. Close Up captures our shakey understanding of intimacy and shows how little we truly know.

Editor’s note: We personally find the music in the video annoying. Take our advice and unplug your earphones before you press play.