A Thousand Words: Part Three
It seems fitting that as my scheduled time in Maui dwindles down and the gin is running out, that I should be left to the last five contestants in the Best Photo Blog category of the 2005 Wizbang Weblog Awards.
What with the LGBT category dissolving into "I'm an angry lesbian and they're all Republican Fucktards!" and "Vote for me because I'm cuuuuuuuute!", I thought it best to simply look away and focus on the Photo Blog category, as I think it gets far less attention than it should, and way less than it warrants. Here are my thoughts on the last five nominations of the bunch, including my own personal favorite that I would love to see win the category, but which, sadly, is not even close.
I think Jeff at Beautiful Atrocities can relate . . .
11. Sopheave de Lumiere: Not one of my favorites of the bunch, but not bad, either. While Margaret Andrews has no formal training in the art of photography, what she manages to convey in her photoblog is the narcissistic charm of the artist who focuses upon her own life as a body of work (and I mean that as a compliment). Much like Chuck Close contributed mightily to the modern art movement through his compelling, and constantly evolving, self-portraits, Andrews invites the viewer into her own ambient space and creative psyche, introducing us to her surroundings, friends and personal journeys as she aims and shoots. The results are uneven at this point in time, but when she hits, she's right up there with the pros.
12. Polaroid Diary: Sadly defunct, Matt Balara's Polaroid Diary was a pean to the magic of the 70's era camera. While most photographic artistes boast of their lenses, digital gymnastics and/or rare 35-mm models, Polaroid Diary made more than fair use of the lowly form of rip and watch it emerge. I can only hope that he one day plays his own Frankenstein game and brings the monster back to life.
13. Rion: Just what I've always thought a good photo blog should be, Rion Nakaya wields her camera the way a writer wields a sword, er, computer keyboard, er, pen -- yeah, that's it. I view her photo entries the way I would read text on a blog page.
14. Mute: The best photo blog in, like, the history of all photo blogs, Mute makes my heart beat faster, my brain turn all aflutter and my knees go weak. If I were the king of the world, Miles would be my personal shutter-bug, and I'd appoint him his own wine and food taster because it's a harsh world out there, and there's no greater threat to the royal photographer than a scorned Chromasia. I love you, Miles. May you take pictures forever.
15. Shutterblog: How the hell did this piece of crap get on the finalist list? Oh, that's right -- Kevin added it at the last minute. Figures. Visit the site at your own peril. Death from boredom awaits.
Comments
I always find it fascinating how some photographers can snap some boring thing you see on a daily basis (for example, old dried up hippies) and make a compelling photo out of it.
Posted by: Scott | December 13, 2005 10:58 PM
What do you think of Mansour Nasiri? fyi the monthly archives don't work in Ffox
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Homocon sez:
Oh, fucking hell. If I'd seen this site beforehand, I would have made sure it somehow got on the finalist list for best photo blog.
Since I discovered that there's this secret world of photo blogs, I have to admit that I've become a bit obsessed, and now I have to add Monsour Nasiri to my list of gorgeous time wasters . . .
Thanks a lot, pal.
Posted by: beautifulatrocities | December 14, 2005 10:08 AM
PS Thank goddess I wasn't nominated in the GAY category (but I'm getting my ass kicked by the Kos Kidz anyway)
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Homocon sez:
Right, as if there's an ounce of humor at Jesus' General. They should have just created a separate Sourpuss of the Year Blog category and let the leftists slug it out.
The gay blog category, however, is an embarrassment all on its own -- "Let me buy your vote!"; "No, vote for me and I'll post a video of me stripping!"; "Wait - everyone here but me is a RepubliNaziMcHitlerTard!"
*rolls eyes*
No wonder no one will let us get married. They're probably all worried we'll figure out a way to procreate.
Posted by: beautifulatrocities | December 14, 2005 10:12 AM
I wonder if this weblog award situation will turn into a bit for Pure Idiom?
I see some high humor in there for sure.
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Homocon sez:
But of course!
Posted by: Scott | December 15, 2005 7:51 AM
I nominated Mansour's site, but it didn't make it. One of my faves, this pic of dates:
http://www.nasiriphotos.com/blog/default.asp?id=1001565
He also has a 360 shot of a classical bathhouse, I'll see can I find it
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Homocon sez:
You nominated Mansour's site?
*thwacks forehead*
I must have missed it in the finalist selection process, because I was mainly responsible for the photo blog finalists, and I don't remember seeing Mansour's site. Of course, I had only about six hours to get the finalist list together, so a lot got lost in the shuffle (to put it mildly).
Nasiri's site showcases exactly the kind of content that would have made its inclusion in the Photo Blog category a more interesting mix as a whole. In selecting the finalists, I was attempting to bring together a group of photo blogs that display varying subjects, skill levels and perspectives, but juggling a list of nominated sites, and then attempting to comb through an Internet's worth of photo blogs that weren't nominated yet deserved attention, left me with a big fat headache and a meager list of 20 weblogs that I knew couldn't possibly do the category of Photo Blog justice. Adding insult to injury was Kevin Aylward's last minute addition of Shutterblog ("It's a picture of our 5-month old son's itty bitty piddies") -- bleah.
For this, Hossein Derakhshan's Vagrantly was cut?
*sigh*
A few others that I liked but couldn't fit onto the list: Travis Ruse; SMLG; 35 to Go. There were so many -- I just wish I'd had more than a few hours in one day to look them over and make a decision. But, like I stated before, reviewing the entries for Best Photo Blog opened my eyes to the whole photo blogging sub-culture, for which I'm grateful (Shutterblog notwithstanding).
Posted by: beautifulatrocities | December 15, 2005 10:10 AM
Hossein is an ass, altho he's cute, & I like this pic:
http://beautifulatrocities.com/images2/switzerland202.jpg
I also had my lackey, Patrick, nominate Mansour. How much did u drink that nite? Are you a Paglia fan?
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Homocon sez:
Hossein may be an ass, but his pomegranates trump Nasiri's dates like a gaggle of Sumos playing musical chairs at a finishing school.
Of course, that's only if you crop Hossein's pic like this, and even then, it doesn't quite measure up, but I thought the metaphor was kicky, so I ran with it.
And hey -- Paglia, the Dionysians and I go waaaaaay back, hence the rather blurred and confused recollection of the photo blog nominations.
Sue me.
Posted by: beautifulatrocities | December 15, 2005 1:02 PM