What is the #FridayFeature?
Let me explain. Every Friday I showcase one of the many talented photographers that I have stalk found on the microblogging site – Twitter. Professionals & amateurs, everyone’s welcome. Landscapes, Portraits, animals, it’s all good on here. There are no set rules, the only thing all the #FridayFeature photographers have in common is they can all be found on Twitter.

This weeks #FridayFeature is quite literally a photography genius, not only behind the camera but also in the darkroom. Thomas is one of my favourite photographers that I’ve found so far on Twitter, and I’m very pleased he agreed to be this weeks #FridayFeature.

So please, give a round of applause, hit that ‘Like’ Button & leave nice comments below.

Twitter: @tekphoto
Website: kruegerphotos.com

*Artist Statement*

Photography opened up a new world to me when I was in grade school. I always had a difficult time communicating in words what I was thinking or feeling. With photography, I was able to give people a visual insight to my world. Once I began this journey of learning, a whole new magical world opened up to me. I began acquiring a love for the full creative process. It gave me a feeling of accomplishment in a world I felt I could have never measured up to. The hunt for subject matter that is not the standard stimulates my creativity. I prefer to stay clear of producing cliched imagery by not allowing the latest trends to influence my style of photography. I use my eye to transcend the perception of human consciousness by challenging my imagination to accept the surreal, in essence allowing myself to create
unexpected and thought provoking work. My photography is a way to visually reveal what truly lies within the refuse of the world. I’m attempting to expose the hidden beauty of the forgotten; as well as communicating a yearning for order within this chaotic and corruptible world.

*Artwork Description*

These images were processed using the lith printing technique. In comparison to the 1 to 3 minute development time of standard B&W printing, during lith printing, processing can take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes in the developer tray alone. Temperature is also a factor in the integrity and tonal
intensity of the developer. When the developer cools down, it becomes less potent. This process requires persistence and patience when printing, and does not necessarily guarantee a perfect print each time due to its unpredictability. Not only that, the developer chemicals exhaust after just a few prints, requiring a fresh batch of replenished developer, resulting in a tedious but rewarding process. This is a temperamental darkroom process, making it impossible to create exact duplicates, resulting in unique and individual prints. Sometimes only a handful of prints are created in a 10 hour span of darkroom time. All these variations can create a challenge to even the most seasoned photographer.

After taking a break from the #FridayFeature for the past few months, it’s back with even more Twitter photographers. Like Pokemon trading cards, I’ve been hunting down and collecting the colourful and unique photographer of Twitter, ready to release them into the wild on my blog. So here we go…

I came across the photos of the truly elegant Catherine Parkinson on one of the webs most fascinating websites, Flickr. Hailing from the other side of the pond, this girl not only knows her photography, fashion and Japanese culture, she is also a phenomenal artist as well.
So please, stop by her most excellent blog, add her on Flickr and follow her on Twitter. You won’t be disappointed.

Catherine’s Blurb.
Currently I’m a university student from Texas majoring drawing and painting, and minoring in Japanese. In high school, I was formally trained in film photography and development, though I still consider myself an amateur in many regards. My subjects usually focus on femininity and sexuality, but I am beginning to branch out to include food, travel, and event photography.

Twitter
@scapulae

Blog
seecreatures.com

Flickr
lesretrouvailles

A couple of years ago my weight wasn’t the only thing shooting up in London. Thanks to TFL for hiking the price up to ridiculous level for public transport, it was becoming a costly commute to work. I’ve never really enjoyed the gym and I really needed to crawl myself out of debt once and for all. So I decided to take the plunge and take up riding a bike. And it’s one of the bests things that could of happen to me.

These days, riding a bike feels a big part of my life, as much as travelling and photography. I get an incredible buzz zooming around my city, darting in and out of the traffic, passing frustrated drivers stuck in queues and jams with angry looks upon their faces. I can get from A to B via Z faster than using any public transport, and at the fraction of the cost. Now, my favourite part of my working life is the ride to and from work. I’m not sure why I didn’t do this before, I could of save myself a small fortune.

Critical Mass
Critical Mass happens on the last Friday of the month in over 300 cities around the world. A mass bike ride which lasts for a few hours, with the aim to take the streets back from all the motorised vehicles and celebrate the bicycle. People come to the mass for different reason, green issues, showing off their fixies or just simply have fun and ride with friends in a safe traffic free environment.

I have been on the past 6 rides and I’m hooked, If you have a bike come a join in, it’s one of the best things you can do in London for free. I promise you’ll have a great time. Links to info at the bottom of this post

This months Critical Mass I was without my partner in crime, Stu. So instead I thought I’d dust down the camcorder and make a little film of the ride. Enjoy.

Critical Mass – London June 2010 from Sam Smith on Vimeo.

Click for large

Links to information about the Critical Mass.
criticalmasslondon.org.uk/
wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass

Never the less, today did trigger off great memories of the German World Cup back in 2006. A week after the final, I along with my friend Stu headed to Germany for the final Berlin Love Parade. A day of dressing up and dancing around like  flipping idiots for the weekend. Berlin was still basking in all it’s glory from putting on a world class event so the atmosphere was tipping over the edge even before the parade had started.

Without trying to sound to much like an old man, but it does seem dance music has finally given up all hope and dug itself an early grave. The good old days of clubbing have gone, all we are left with are some awesome memories and some great times. I’m sure dance music  will come back one day fighting hard, But by then, Stu and I will be sitting in our old peoples home, dribbling & shitting ourselves, trying our best to wave glow sticks around, and raising our arms trying to reach for the lasers for one last time.

Photos taken on a borrowed Lomo A (Thanks Hannah) And then crossed processed.

Click for detail.

Click to make large. Enjoy.

I couldn’t have timed this trip any better, as four of my favorite photographers are have exhibitions at the same time.
The current exhibition at MOMA
The Modern Century -Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Edwynn Houk Gallery
The Pioneers of Colour – Stephen Shore/Joel Meyerowitz/William Eggleston.
I’m also going to see what’s on at the Leica Gallery and The International Centre of Photography.

Back next week, see you then.

The protest I attended had far fewer people attending than the previous weeks, with about three thousand people marching their way from Hyde Park through the streets of Mayfair and on to the Israeli Embassy. The protest itself was certainly very vocal, passionate and at certain points felt like it was turning aggressive, as hoods were pull over heads and shemagh’s covering the faces of young men, hoping not to be recorded by the police photographers that seemed to be strategically placed at many of the junction along the root. The marched was heavily flanked by an army of  police officers who weren’t taking any chances of the repeat of earlier protests.  Armed with my Leica M6 I joined the march, ducking and diving between the protesters quickly capturing anything that stood out. These photos are a small selection from that day.

Page 1 is my most used apps. (I’m sure most of you do this already).

Page 2 is for Photography related apps.

Page 3 is for navigation and travel.

Page 4 is for weather apps.

Page 5 is for audio apps.

Page 6 is miscellaneous apps that I only use in a blue moon.

Page 7 is for the junk that you can’t delete which comes with the iPhone.

It might look a bit of a waste having pages half empty, but trust me, browsing for a certain app is much faster this way.

I hope this helps some of you out. let me know how you get on.

I was beginning to give up seeing the sun again until today. I was firmly tucked up in bed with my ear poking out from under the covers, listening out for the rain tapping at my window and the gusts of moaning wind that get caught between my house and my neighbours. But today seemed different, I peered out of my covers half expecting to be blasted by the cold air whilst watching the penguins and Polar bears make their escape out of my room to warmer climates, instead I observed bright sunlight breaking through the gaps of my curtains, beaming it’s blinding rays on to the wall opposite. Taking a deep breath and lifting the curtain up, I was greeted by white fluffy clouds floating on the river of light blue sky. Could this be what we have all been praying for? Can we safely lock this angry winter up once and for all?

So follow me in raising your two fingers at the morbid skies and tell that Winter it can stick it’s low pressured into it’s cold front, because from today we have a date with the sun and Mr blue sky. Lazy picnics in the parks & day trips to Brighton will be here very soon. You’ll soon be cycling those empty city streets every Sunday with a grin from ear to ear, and lets not forget those long hazy nights spent in beer gardens of your favourite hipster/media tosser gastropub . Hallelujah.
Whether it’s carnival, the festivals season and yes, even The World Cup (Yawn), it’s all coming to a Great Britain near you. The wait is over, spring is here, so that can only mean two things. Girls in short skirts and low tops. Yes, but no. I mean, sunshine and happy(ish) Londoners worshipping the almighty ball of yellow. So, dust off and slide uncomfortably in to those union jack shorts, expose your pale body parts and raise that ice cold glass of cider you have been saving for those hazy days and steamy nights ahead of us…. Summer is on it’s way.

Shot on my Holga: Londoners: 2009

Roy Ayers: Everyone Loves The Sunshine
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