The latest: At the scene of the tornado, officials have pledged to rebuild, while rescue crews continue to look for those still unaccounted for in the wake of the newly-classified EF-5 storm.
test reblogged from poptech
wnyc:
Astounding Tilt-Shift Perspectives of World Monuments!
Anyone who’s traveled to popular touristic sites knows the feeling of being caught in the crossfire of countless camera lenses—the annoyed (and annoying) jockeying to capture the perfect shot…which in most cases looks exactly like everyone else’s. When we stumbled across Richard Silver’s photographs of iconic monuments, we were shocked—caught in the same tourist hustle, Silver manages to give us a new perspective on famous landmarks we didn’t think possible. Read more!
How to take the “monumental” out of the worlds monuments. Super cool.
-Jody, BL Show-
Whoa!
test reblogged from wnyc
A ‘monster’ tornado tears through central Oklahoma
Though the death toll following one of the worst tornadoes in history has ticked down to 24 after reports yesterday said as many as 51 had been killed, the scene remains grim in Moore, Okla.
Rescuers are still tearing through the wreckage, while President Obama assured those left standing after the storm that the nation will stand by them for “as long as it takes.”
Read more on the disaster here, and follow reporter Matt Pearce, who is reporting live from the tragic scene.
Photos: Steve Gooch / Associated Press, Brett Deering, NOAA / AFP/Getty Images, Gene Blevins / Zuma Press / MCT
An invasion of privacy for the sake of art?
L.A. native Arne Svenson’s art instillation “The Neighbors,”opened at New York’s Julie Saul Gallery Saturday, and has quickly been met by an uproar from his own neighbors. As the title of the work suggests, Svenson’s subjects were his own neighbors, whose pictures he took from across the street with a Telephoto lens.
Though the photos depict the mundane acts of daily life, with naps, chores and the like, and the faces are all obscured, some of the individuals caught candidly are considering taking legal action against Svenson.
As one nearby resident told the New York Post:
“This is about kids. If he’s waiting there for hours with his camera, who knows what kind of footage he has. I can recognize items from my daughter’s bedroom.”
Check out the full story via Culture Monster, or head over to Svenson’s site for a better look at “The Neighbors.”
Photos: Bebeto Matthews / Associated Press
Times copy editor Larry Harnisch attends the reunion of Los Angeles Herald Examiner photographers:
A generation has come of age since the death of Hearst’s Los Angeles Herald Examiner on Nov. 2, 1989, a digital generation that has no memory of The Times’ scrappy competitor. Once the nation’s largest afternoon paper, the Herald was a victim of changing lifestyles and a long, bruising strike, a publication that was losing about $2 million a month when it folded.
Today, the Herald’s pages are preserved on reels of microfilm, accessible only to those willing to make the trek to the Los Angeles Public Library or other research facilities.
But the newspaper’s photos have found new life online.You can see some of those photos above, and there are even more at Framework, where Scott Harrison has put together a gallery that has the back stories of some of these amazing images. Still more photos — the source of the ones above, in fact — are in the Los Angeles Public Library collection (which you can search).
Photos: Top: The Hollywood sign in 1978. Middle left: O.J. Simpson carries the Olympic torch in L.A. in July 1984. Middle right: Cher and Don Ameche at the 1986 Oscars. Bottom left: A police car hits a protester in Beverly Hills in 1979. Bottom right: The final issue of the Herald Examiner. (Credit: Los Angeles Herald Examiner / Los Angeles Public Library)
test reblogged from latimespast
Solar flares galore!
Last night, the fourth major solar flare of the week burst onto the scene in a flash of ultraviolet radiation. And there may be even more just around the corner:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters say there’s a good chance that more solar flares are on their way. The agency says there is a 50% chance of X-class solar flares and an 80% chance of less powerful M-class solar flares, in the next 24 hours.
You can read more on the flares over at Science Now, but for the time being, we’ll step back and let you look at the crazy photos above a bit longer.
Photos: NASA Solar Dynamic Observatory / Associated Press
wnyc:
The photo above won the 2013 World Press Photo of the Year. It was photoshopped.
the event itself isn’t a fake — there are lots of other photos online that show the children being carried through the streets of Gaza — but the photo itself is almost certainly a composite of three different photos, with various regions spliced together from each of the images, and then further manipulation to illuminate the mourners’ faces.
Here’s how.
-Jody, BL Show-
Another reminder to often take things with a grain of salt!
test reblogged from wnyc
Reader photos: The best of Southern California moments of April
It’s time once again for one of our favorite features from the Times’ Framework blog - the best reader submissions from the previous month. Check out some of the choice photos above or head to Framework for the full gallery.
And for all photographers out there, feel free to send over your submissions here or explore our community Flickr group!
Photos: Michael Ares, Kathy Degner, Justin Jakobson, Nancy Dushkin, Erin Xavier, Romeo Doneza
Scenes from ongoing wildfires in Southern California
The blaze near Ventura County that started on Thursday is still not fully contained, with 60% of it under control after days of effort from fire fighters and rescue officials. Seven personnel and one civilian have suffered minor injuries, but despite the widespread blaze, not a single home has been destroyed.
With more than 1,800 fire-fighting personnel deployed, and the price of the battle rocketing beyond $4.5 million, officials are confident that the blaze will be full contained at some point today.
Check out more photos from the weekend’s firefighting over at Framework.
Photos: Michael Robinson Chavez, Mel Melcon, Eddy Hartenstein / Los Angeles Times
Wildfire continues with just 10% of the flames contained
More than 10,000 acres in Ventura County have been burnt as a sudden brush fire is expected to gain even more strength today as winds and the morning sun impede the race to contain the blaze.
Fifteen buildings and several motorhomes have been confirmed to be damaged by the fire, which has stretched from Camarillo south of the 101 Freeway to the Pacific Coast Highway. And hundreds of residents have been evacuated ahead of the fire’s spread.
Photos: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times
Wildfire engulfs Ventura County
A 6,500 acre fire is moving ever closer to homes in Ventura County, forcing residents to flee the region as more than 500 firefighters try to stop the spread of the flames. The Pacific Coast Highway has just been shut down in both directors amid efforts to contain the blaze.
The Red Cross has set up evacuation centers at the Thousand Oaks Community Park, 2525 N. Moorpark Road, and Camarillo’s Calvary Community Chapel, 380 Mobil Ave.
Keep tabs on our homepage or monitor our Twitter list for the latest updates.
Photos: Nick Ut / Associated Press, Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
Global May Day demonstrations
Today’s May 1, a date traditionally assigned for workers-rights groups and proponents to gather and march for their cause. Whether it be improved working conditions and wages in Asia or protesting austerity measures in Europe, demonstrators are making their grievances heard today across the world.
And that, of course, includes Los Angeles.
Photos: Mario Tama, Aris Messinis, Jalin Jalin, Josep Lago, Martin Bernett / AFP/Getty Images, Sebastiao Moreira / EPA, Luis Hidalgo / Associated Press
Sony 2013 World Photography Winners
Top: Jens Juul, winner, Professional Portraiture, for Six Degress of Copenhagen.
Left: Andrea Gjestvang, Grand Prize winner, for One Day in History, portraits of survivors of the 2011 massacre in Utoeya, Norway.
Right: Valerio Bispuri, winner, Contemporary Issues, for Prisons of South America.
Select any to embiggen.
Winners across all categories along with photo galleries of their can be viewed at the World Photography Organization’s web site.
Definitely worth the embiggen.
test reblogged from futurejournalismproject
Scouting the Sierra for movie backdrops
There are birdwatchers, urban explorers and Instagram-centric photo hounds - but some people take their time to explore the barren expanses of California’s backcountry to find the iconic backdrops used in many Hollywood films.
From one couple with a particular penchant for finding famous backgrounds:
At one point, Carol held up a photograph of a campfire scene in “Django Unchained,” which is set in the South just before the Civil War. She moved the photo to the left, then to the right. She squinted, then broke into a smile.
Pointing to a nearby rock, she said that actor Jamie Foxx “stood right there.”
Read more, and see more scenic vistas, over at Framework.
Photos: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times
An archival puppy
On Sept. 21, 1942, staff photographer Paul Calvert visited the City Animal Shelter during National Dog Week for a story on adoption promotions and ended up falling in love with the dachshund puppy pictured above - so much so that a 11-by-14 print of the puppy currently sits in the Times archives.
Photo: Paul Calvert / Los Angeles Times
