Russian Photographer - Alexey Titarenko

Alexey Titarneko is a Russian photographer that uses long exposures to create dark, moody, black and white shots of decaying Russian towns and the people who live there.

The blurred figures rushing through his images have a ghost like quality giving each shot a morbid feel, which echos some of David Lynch's early work.

You can almost hear the grinding industrial soundtrack that plays throughout Lynch's Eraserhead.

Dark, moody and quite depressing, but some how fascinating at the same time.

To see all of his work visit: http://www.alexeytitarenko.com/

World's worst photographer

In the photography world, wedding photographers are often seen as the bin men of their profession. However, they normally have enough knowledge to take a few half decent shots of the happy couple on there big day.

Except in this case.

Marc and Sylvia Day, from Wakefield, hired a local wedding photographer to cover their dream day. Which he soon managed to turn into a nightmare.

He turned up late, missing the guests arriving. He took no group shots of the bride with her family and he missed the cutting of the cake.

The final insult was the wedding thank-you cards he produced. He spelt the couples’ names incorrectly. Spelling Marc with a ‘k’ and Sylvia as Slyvia.

Mr Day, described his experience with the wedding photographer as “a car crash” from start to finish.

Here are a few examples of the photographs he sent them:

The one armed bride with a weirdo in the bush.

A fine example of where the ‘jaunty angle shot’ is a spectacular failure.

“If I can just have the bride with everyone together…sod it that’ll do.”

Some people in a dark room.

Timing is everything.

Is that a ghost?

Thnka yuo and god nghit.

Martin Parr

Martin Parr is a very British photographer. And his work is very close to our hearts. Unlike us mere mortals he sees the world through the most irreverent of viewfinders.

He has the ability to point his camera at ordinary stuff, like we all often do. However when Martin’s photographs develop they seem to quietly whisper in your ear. ‘Hey look how ridiculous everything is.’ His shots of Liverpool (my home town) in the 80’s carry a special resonance. It really was that bad. Thatcher’s attempt to drain the life out of the place caught and captured in his unforgiving lens.

But his shots of British people (often on holiday in this green and unpleasant land) are what we found facinating.

Chewing gum, bacon butties, sunbathing in front of a tank, swimming in rubbish. Incredible stuff.

His pictures from this era are often over saturated with colour.
But the saccharin, sweet taste is meant to leave you with the taste of sick in your mouth.

Often imitated. Very rarely bettered.
He is truly a one off.

Below are several shots by Mr Parr.

Liverpool in the 80's

And my tribute to his style, taken by me while in Canada.

Photography

Over the next few weeks we’ll hopefully show you some new photographers you haven’t heard of. Show you some of our own work. And generally share with you anything in the world of photography that we find interesting.

As a convenient segue from our last theme, today’s subject is a photographer called Li Wei from Beijing. His work veers more towards the art side of photography, but I’m sure someone has (or will) use him for an advertising campaign. Below are a few examples of his work. To see more, go to http://www.liweiart.com/english/works_photo.htm

The new Chris Morris film 'FOUR LIONS'

He's covered drugs and peadophiles, so what other subject could he cover that most people wouldn't have the balls to go anywhere near? Ah, yes...Suicide Bombers. It looks hilarious.

Japanese Manga Characters

The Japanese love Manga. From kids to CEOs of large corporations. And it covers everything including horror, comedy, love, science fiction and sex.

The style and characters of Manga are familiar to most of us but they differ greatly. One of the cooler characters that caught my eye was a simple box character called ‘Danbo’ (which translates as cardboard) from the publication ‘Yotsuba&’.

Japanese Ads

We know a fair bit about advertising. We’d better, after all it’s what we do for a living.

However we must confess to not knowing much about Japanese Advertising. Until now that is. What is apparent (after very little research) is that Arnold Schwarzenegger is in most of it. This is very odd indeed. We don’t really understand what he’s advertising or why? However he looks and acts like he’s just been let out of Broadmoor on day release.

This seems to be how a lot of Japanese Advertising works. It’s over the top, flamboyant and eccentric. It’s always borderline psychotic, but it does have an undeniable charm.

The ad with the bears in is for condoms. The ad with a multi teated cow is for a type of cookie. The woman kissing the vegetable Frankenstein is for Vegetable juice. And as far as we can tell Arnie is flogging bottled crack.

Japanese Food

Eating at Itsu does not make you the AA Gill of Japanese cuisine. In fact sushi and sashimi served on a carousel in this way is seen as a cheaper way to eat in Japan. (Fast food if you like.)

I was told once, that if you became a junior chef in decent Sashimi restaurant it would take you four years of boiling rice before you where allowed anywhere near the fish. And although this is a slight exaggeration, the reason for this lengthy, rice only apprenticeship, has a lot to do with the price of fish. Quality tuna are so expensive that it’s enough to make you cough on your chopsticks.

Recently a 513 lb tuna sold for £220,000 at Tokyo’s Tsukiji market. Making it the most expensive fish ever.

The mighty blue fin is on the decline though. (Soon to be extinct we’re told.) But not all Japanese food has a fishy twang. And so below is a little about Japanese cuisines alternatives to eating life aquatic.

Real Japanese food is incredible, simple, clean flavours. Seasonality is essential, but the quality of ingredient is where your money really gets spent.

Chawanmushi

This is delicious even if it sounds a little odd. It’s basically a savory egg custard. Beaten eggs flavoured with sake and stock. Then imbued with shredded chicken, coriander and mushrooms. Then steamed until just set. Served warm as an early to mid course at dinner.

Yakitori Yaki (grilled) Tori (Fowl).

Small pieces of chicken thigh are skewered and then grilled over charcoal. Often coated with tare sauce, generally made of Mirin, Sake, soy and sugar.

Sukiyaki

Thin slices of beef cooked very quickly in stock made with, beef stock, soy sauce, sake, sugar, and water. The boiling stock is kept hot at your table while you eat. The stock also contains noodles, vegetables and mushrooms that float and bob around amusingly.

Mizutaki

A Japanese hot pot dish. Chicken and other ingredients are simply simmered in dashi soup. Usually a pot is shared by several people. Ponzu sauce is added to improve the flavour.

Ponzu basically means various citrus juices. The sour sauce made with citrus juice, soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, dashi stock, or katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), or kombu (kelp) is often called ponzu shoyu or ponzu sauce. Ponzu sauce can also be used for dipping.

Now you have no reason to eat tuna when you go for Japanese food.

One final bit of advice, check the prices before you order, or it might be the bill and not the wasabi that brings tears to your eyes.

Japanese cinema

Here in no particular order are six Japanese films that any self respecting film fan should have seen. Some well known, some less so.

Audition

When it comes to horror, no one does it better than the Japanese. This deeply disturbing and unsettling film will stay with you long after its finished. Take the girlfriend to see it (if you don’t like her very much).

Brother

Takeshi Kitano, wrote, directed, produced, starred in (and probably did the catering) for this story of a psychotic Japanese Yakuza that’s been exiled from the US.

Seven Samurai

Akira Kurosawa’s greatest film. The story was later used (stolen) as the basis for the Magnificent Seven.

Spirited Away

The master of fantasy, Hayao Miyazaki, has been making visually stunning films for years but this was his first universal success. And it’s probably one of his best. Howl’s Moving Castle comes a close second.

Nobody Knows

Hirokazu Kore-eda, wrote and directed this story about a family dealing with an unusual dilemma in an unusual manner. (Sounds cryptic but to explain it would give away too much of the plot).

Ichi the killer

The story of a superhero with razor blades in his shoes. Extreme cartoon violence that involves tongue removal, torture with meet hooks and guy who’s cooked like a piece of tempura. One for the kids then.

Japanese Graphic Artist

There are many fine Japanese graphic artists, and it’s hard to pick one that stands out. However, Takashi Murakami deserves a special mention.

His slightly dark take on Japan’s mass media and pop culture has made him popular all over the world. He’s exhibited in many galleries outside of Japan, including the Tate Modern, The Guggenheim in Bilbao and The Brooklyn Museum in New York.

He also has a phobia of Mushrooms…

Japanese Kits Kats

While the humble Kit Kat in the UK comes in one flavour, the Japanese have hundreds of different varieties including green tea, yuzu, cherry blossom and maple syrup.

This phenomenon is attributed to the coincidental similarity between the bar's name and the Japanese phrase kitto katsu, which roughly translates as "You will surely win!"

This has led to parents and children buying them for school examination days as good luck charms.

I wonder if the UK's advertising endline would work as well in Japan? Have a Break have a Katsu Curry flavoured Kit Kat...

.