This image represents a famous book. Any ideas?

Fans of literature, with a keen eye for photography and geography, will love the contest set up over at Literary Kicks. The website has started a guessing game, and is betting you can’t guess the famous literary work represented in the photograph above.

Taken in 1924, the photo shows the site of a famous literary death. All you have to do is guess what novel this photograph is a snapshot of, and you’ll win Literary Kicks’ first Mystery Spot game.

Of course, what would a guessing game be without a few hints? As LitKicks tells us, “you have definitely read this novel. It’s one of the most widely loved novels of all time. A person is killed, during one of the novel’s climactic scenes, by the forked road near the top right of the photo. The vast expanse in the photo’s center, which appears to be a work of geometric modern art, provides one of the novel’s central metaphors.”

So what do you think? We have a few ideas, but we don’t want to give anything away. Leave your guesses in the comments section below, or at the LitKicks page, and be sure to stick with us when the answer is revealed.

*UPDATE*

And the answer is…

The Great Gatsby. The photo seen above is of The Valley of Ashes, where towards the end of the classic book Daisy Buchanan strikes and kills another character with her car.

So did you get it right? What was your guess? To read more about the photograph’s story, check out the LitKicks page.

Photo by Harvard University

While photography can often show us sides of our world we may not be familiar with, it can also reveal ones we never even knew existed. In an award-winning microscopic photo (seen above), science and art collide to show us a sliver of these worlds.

Taken by scientists Sung Hoon Kang, Boaz Pokroy and Joanna Aizenberg, from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the photograph offers an astonishing view of something we take for granted every day: plastic.

The image, captured with a high-powered electron microscope camera, shows microscopic plastic fibers that measure just 250 nanometers in diameter (1/500th of a human hair) as they wrap around a plastic green sphere. The image won first prize at the International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge, and beat out other stunning entries like a salt molecule surrounded by microbes and a close-up of a self-fertilizing flower.

But the winning photo, titled “Save Our Earth, Let’s Go Green,” is more than just an image to the scientists who captured it — they see it as a statement about environmental sustainability.  “Each hair represents a person or an organization,” says Aizenberg. “It shows our collaborative effort to hold up the planet and keep it running.”

To read more about the winning image, and to see a slide show of all the spectacular photographs, check out ScienceMagazine.com.

Photograph © Hunter Freeman 2010. All Rights Reserved

In the latest episode of Advancing Your Photography, Marc Silber sits down with acclaimed creative photographer Hunter Freeman. As a leader in the field of art and advertising photography, Hunter has worked for a wide array of big-name companies, including Apple, Wells Fargo and PG&E.

Whether it’s shooting surreal images of astronauts at the laundromat, a chef decorating a cake or close-ups of the latest Mac computer, Hunter’s expertise in the art of crafting beautiful photographs comes from a uniquely diverse career. This experience makes his advice on the subject of photography virtually indispensable for both beginners and professionals.

Watch the video and you’ll learn all about:

1. “You can’t pose a real moment” — The greatest moments, says Hunter, happen when your subjects aren’t posing. Listen to how he creates a comfortable atmosphere for his shoots, and how these yield “real moments.”

2. Lighting and composition — Whether it’s indoor or out, in the kitchen or on the side of the road, Hunter talks about what it takes to capture the right elements in your photographs. Hear specific tips you can use on improving your lighting and composition techniques.

3. KISS — No, Hunter doesn’t discuss Gene Simmons’ rock band, rather the acronym. “Keep It Simple Stupid” is key to Hunter’s approach to his shoots. Hear how he uses this maxim to streamline his images and craft simple yet engaging photographs.

To see more of Hunter Freeman’s unique advice on how to improve your photography, be sure to watch the latest episode of “Advancing Your Photography” with Marc Silber. Also, check out some of Hunter’s amazing shots over at HunterFreeman.com.

Tiger Woods, in his happier days.

It was supposed to be one lucky photog’s ticket to retirement — the first person to snap a picture of Tiger Woods after the golfer reemerged in public was going to make enough money to spend his days in luxury. But now the shots have been released by photo behemoth Getty Images, effectively dashing the dreams of paparazzi everywhere.

The world has been more than eager to catch a glimpse of Tiger ever since he crashed his car and bubbled up in the middle of a shocking sex scandal. But the disgraced golfer disappeared soon after, leaving celebrity photographers scheming and drooling over how much the first pictures of him might fetch (according to celebrity website TMZ, that would be around $1 million).

But now the first images have emerged, and it doesn’t look like anyone will be getting rich. Getty Images, a subscription-based photography agency and distributor of generic photos, has obtained the shots as part of a recent deal with the Professional Golf Association. That means anyone with a subscription to Getty can get the photos for hardly anything, ensuring paparazzi photographers won’t be walking away with a million dollar check.

So as Tiger skulks out of the woods and offers apologies to fans, friends and family, celebrity hounds will have to find themselves another golden goose. But don’t feel too sorry for them — a new scandal is always around the corner.

Hoisting the Soviet flag atop the Reichstag in Berlin. Photo by TASS/Yevgeny Khaldei

Abdulkhakim Ismailov, one of three soldiers to appear in a famed photograph of the Red Army invading Berlin at the end of World War 2, has died. He was 93.

May, 1945. As the Russian army rolls through a destroyed Berlin and over the Nazi’s defeated Third Reich, soldier Abdulkhakim Ismailov finds himself atop the Reichstag, Berlin’s House of Parliament, hoisting the Hammer and Sickle flag. He had fought through the deadly Battle of Stalingrad three years earlier, all the way to the center of Nazi Germany, and now found himself in front of a camera. The result, of course, would be one of the war’s most memorable images.

50 years later, Ismailov was finally identified and honored by his country. In 1996 he was decorated as a Hero of Russia, and on Tuesday he passed away in his home town of Chagar-Otar in Russia’s southern region of Dagestan.

Soviet photojournalist Yevgeny Khaldei said later he had set the shot up, even admitting to sewing the flag together from tablecloths and doctoring the images afterward. Still, many believe the picture to be the Soviet equivalent of the iconic photograph of American Marines placing the Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima.

Photograph © Jeff Pflueger 2010. All Rights Reserved

With the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in full swing, photographers the world over are eager to learn what it takes to capture great outdoor shots in extreme environments.

In the 20th episode of “Advancing Your Photography,” Marc Silber gets a chance to learn some of these tips as he sits down for an interview with acclaimed outdoor photographer and photojournalist Jeff Pflueger. Jeff’s work has appeared in publications such as National Geographic, the New York Times, Outside, Men’s Journal and Sunset Magazine, and his assignments have brought him to some of the world’s harshest environments.

Whether it’s traveling north of the arctic circle, up “first ascent” mountain climbs or down class 5 rivers, Jeff’s sense of adventure requires him to maintain a sense of both preparation and spontaneity. This experience infuses his expertise on the subject of photography with the determination and subtlety that are singular to a master photographer.

Watch the video and you’ll learn all about:

1. How to take proper care of your equipment - With a workplace that can be in sub-zero weather or at the mercy of white-water rapids, Jeff is well aware of the importance of keeping your equipment safe from the elements. Hear what he has to say about “babying” your camera and backing up your work.

2. The importance of preparation -  A photographer’s job is to make people interested, so the trick is to show them something new. For Jeff, the key to this is research. In the interview you’ll learn all about how Jeff gets himself ready for a shoot, and why he tries to become an expert in everything he photographs.

3. Jeff’s key piece of advice for beginning photographers - Hear what Jeff calls the simplest, most important piece of advice he offers to people trying to get into photography.

To see more of Jeff Pflueger’s unique advice on how to improve your photography, be sure to watch the latest episode of “Advancing Your Photography” with Marc Silber. Also, check out some of Jeff’s articles and amazing shots over at JeffPflueger.com.

 Ansel Adams. “Aspens, Northern New Mexico.” Sotheby’s New York, “Photographs from the Polaroid Collection”

As Polaroid tries to pull itself out of bankruptcy, the classic camera-maker has resorted to a last-ditch effort to free up funds — the company has announced it will be selling many of its signature prints at auction June 21 and 22 at Sotheby’s in New York.

Of course, these are not just any photographs up for sale. Pieces from masters like Ansel Adams, Andy Warhol, Chuck Close, William Wegman, Robert Rauschenberg, David Hockney, Robert Frank, Robert Mapplethorpe and Lucas Samaras will be on display, amounting to a collection of 1,200 individual photographs. The auction is expected to fetch a record $10 million.

Founded in the late 1930s by inventor and scientist Edwin H. Land, Polaroid is most-widely known for its revolutionary in-camera instant photography. The company acquired its impressive print collection — which is said to number around 10,000 — by trading equipment and darkroom time with eminent photographers of the time.

“It’s an amazing body of work,” acclaimed photographer and painter Chuck Close recently told the New York Observer. “There’s really nothing like it in the history of photography.” Still, he added, “to sell it is criminal.”

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look as if Polaroid has a choice. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2007, and has already discontinued its camera and film production. Now creditors are forcing it to auction off a portion of its esteemed photography collection.

Let’s hope these images somehow end up in a collection that benefits the whole photographic community.

Thoughts?

Photo by Bryant Austin

Photography can show us new angles of the worlds we live in, but it can also show us ones we never knew existed. That’s the effort behind photographer Bryant Austin’s life work: to document the beautiful world of whales and to show us what we may soon be missing.

In the new short film In the Eye of the Whale, which debuted at the Ocean Film Fest 2010 in San Francisco, Austin’s work on the endangered species is documented in all its moving detail. The film follows Austin’s incredible effort to create life-size, high-definition images of the creatures by combining thousands of individual close-up photographs.

Austin, who at “great personal expense” has spent the majority of his career documenting whales, hopes to show the giant pictures in countries where whaling is prevalent. Perhaps this will help convince people of the species’ sublime beauty, and curtail their ongoing destruction.

The pivotal impact I seek is to upset the abstractness of whales; my aim is to make them real. In popular media we experience whales through small photographs and brief video clips which fail to convey their existence in anything more than an infrequent, pale, and abstract way. My goal is to present their true size with all of the intricate detail and texture revealed, providing an immediacy and sensorial reality for powerful psychological impact. The audience will have the ability to witness the amazing size of the whale, yet see the intricate detail of the body, in particular the whale’s eye with its evident consciousness and emotion.

To watch the short documentary In the Eye of the Whale, click here. Also, to see a collection of Austin’s gorgeous photographs of whales, head over to his website at StudioCosmos.com.

 Is Sports Illustrated’s latest cover sexist?

Sports Illustrated has long been known as one of the premiere magazines for sports photography, but its latest cover has landed the weekly in hot water. The cover photo for the February 8th issue, showing Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn in her racing suit, bent over with ski poles in her hand, has drawn outrage for what many people believe is a sexist portrayal of women.

Critics are claiming the stylized photo (seen above) actually objectifies Vonn sexually rather than focusing on her athletic talents. They claim she has been put into a sexually suggestive pose, and that this is one of the only ways women ever get onto covers.

Many believe the photo just shows Vonn in her regular skiing position, but others think the image is laced with sexual suggestion. “For those of you who follow SI Covers,” say the folks at womentalksports.com, “know that female athletes are rarely featured on the cover. Over the last 60 years researchers have shown that about four-percent of all SI covers have portrayed women.

“When females are featured on the cover of SI, they are more likely than not to be in sexualized poses and not in action, and the most recent Vonn cover is no exception.”

Regardless of your opinion on the SI cover photo of Vonn, it may be easier to agree that photography of women in sports walks a fine line. As athletes and figures in the public spotlight, their bodies are on display just as much as men. However, when sexuality and beauty are portrayed as their defining characteristics (as is arguably the case with Vonn), what was at first just photography threatens to slip into exploitation.

Elvis Costello on tour in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1977. Photo by Anton Corbijn.

The only way to know what images are the most indicative of life in the world of rock ‘n’ roll is to be a part of that world yourself. In his new book, “Taking Aim,” photographer and singer-songwriter Graham Nash (of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) has hand-picked the best photographs to take us into that world.

Collecting images from such luminaries in the photography world as Daniel Kramer, Charles Peterson, Annie Leibovitz and others, the book manages to give fans a glimpse behind the curtain of some of the most iconic singers and musicians. Included in the book are photos of everyone from Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin, to Kurt Cobain, Sting and REM’s Michael Stipe.

A veteran photographer himself, Graham Nash has been collecting photographs for almost four decades now. He has shown his own work in numerous exhibitions over the years, and is currently touring his “Taking Aim” exhibit around the country and talking about style, technique and what it takes to create a great rock ‘n’ roll photograph.

“I wanted energy,” he said in a recent interview about choosing which works to include in the exhibit. “I wanted to be able to show the energy of rock and roll in all its forms, be it very still or incredibly chaotic.”

To see Nash’s collection of images from music history, check out his book, “Taking Aim,” or try to catch him at one of his exhibits. Stay up to date on where his shows will be over at GrahamNash.com.

Photograph © Michael Zagaris 2010. All Rights Reserved

In the latest episode of “Advancing Your Photography,” Marc Silber sits down for an interview with acclaimed rock ‘n’ roll photographer Michael Zagaris. As one of the most notable names in both the music and photography worlds, Michael has been the band photographer for acts like The Who, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones, and is currently the team photographer for both the San Francisco Forty-Niners and the Oakland A’s.

In a career that most artists can only dream of, Michael has picked up countless stories of his days on the road with some of the world’s most famous musicians and athletes. His ideas on style, technique and composition are a unique combination of experience and talent, and his take on the art of photography is unlike any other.

Watch the video and you’ll learn all about:

1.  What it means to be called an “Inside-Out Shooter” — Michael has gained attention over the years for his unique ability to gain insight into his subjects and capture their most intimate moments. Find out how he does it.

2.  What is it like to photograph rock royalty? –  Many of this year’s Grammy nominees appear in Michael’s images: from Carlos Santana, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton, to Madonna, Bono and Bruce Springsteen (who recently won the award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance).

3.  How do you “become what you shoot?” — Though it may sound like a puzzling phrase at first, Michael’s mantra of becoming what you shoot is central to his photography. Listen in on our interview to find out what he means and how you can use it to help strengthen your craft.

To see more of Michael Zagaris’ unique advice on how to improve your photography, be sure to watch the latest episode of “Advancing Your Photography” with Marc Silber. Also, check out some of Michael’s amazing shots over at www.WolfgangsVault.com.