Web Profiles

"The income tax has made liars out of more Americans than golf."
--Will Rogers

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki) is a popular, online, free encyclopedia whose authors are anonymous. John Seigenthaler Sr. was Robert Kennedy's administrative assistant during the early 1960s. He was also his pallbearer. Yet Seigenthaler's Wikipedia biography stated that "he was thought to have been directly involved in the Kennedy assassinations of both John, and his brother, Bobby. Nothing was ever proven." When Seigenthaler asked Wikipedia's founder Jimmy Wales if he knew who wrote it, USA Today reported that he replied, "No, we don't." To make matters worse, two other sites, Reference.com and Answers.com, are programmed to copy data from Wikipedia, never checking if the information is true or not. Editor & Publisher later reported that a Nashville man produced the false information "as a gag." Daniel Brandt who operates a website (www.wikipedia-watch.org) critical of Wikipedia tracked him down. In the meantime, let's be careful out there.

www.donellisphoto.com
Although Hong Kong-based Don Ellis says he created the term Kleptography "in the privacy of my own mind," he later learned that in 1997 Adam Young and Moti Yung (www.cryptovirology.com) coined the term to refer to "the study of stealing information securely and subliminally." No matter who invented the term, Ellis' website is worth a visit. The images in all his galleries were photographed using a Canon G1 and G2. Ellis says, "I carry one or both of the cameras about 350 days a year, so I update these galleries regularly."

There are many galleries full of colorful images, but I would like to direct your attention to the Digital Infrared portion of the program. The entire site is filled with information and this section is no exception, including information on how he makes these amazing IR photographs, complete with step-by-step instructions on how to convert Canon's G1, G2, G3, and G5 into IR-only cameras. Ellis' infrared Bali images blend the exotic with the surreal with otherworldly images that include detailed captions about how, when, and where they were made.

Want something more traditional? How about Infrared England that combines tourist and travel photography while turning the genre on its head! Ellis' image of the London Eye is simply breathtaking, while his infrared imagery of UK graveyards is suitably creepy. Don't miss Infrared Stockpile for an eclectic collection of not-your-typical-IR images. In fact, don't miss any of Ellis' photography! Can't get enough? Go to DonEllis.com to learn more about this fascinating photographer.

www.tozzophoto.com
Roy Caratozzolo is a street photographer in the finest sense of the word. His website contains galleries with unique names: Street, Humans, Objects, Creatures, and Earth. The Street gallery contains mostly color images that mirror an overwhelmingly positive view of life as envisioned by Caratozzolo. Ablaze in color and either about form and structure--or not--his message seems to be, "these are the good old days." Humans is worth browsing, too. Like Street, it's full of colorfully eclectic images that are brimming with life. Objects overflows with photographs showcasing Caratozzolo's wry sense of humor. Don't miss "No Child Left Behind"; it's a wonderfully ironic photograph that viewers can appreciate on multiple levels.

This drumbeat of creative imaging doesn't let up in Creatures, which includes images of dogs, dead flies, and a horse in snow ("Eaton, CT") that makes you want to see more like it, but Caratozzolo is off to the pig races and has even more amazing images on tap for you to see. Earth is the most coherent collection, featuring highly graphic and stylized images of the natural and manmade world in color and monochrome. Caratozzolo also has a way with captions that appear in little pop-up windows when you mouse over an image. What is most striking about the vivaciousness of Caratozzolo's body of work is the sheer number of engaging images found on his website. They make you smile but also make you think.

www.paulkline.com
And now for something completely different...Paul Kline's vision is laser-focused and as crisp as the crease in a Marine's dress uniform. His understated, Flash-based website showcases his professional and personal work in five easily navigated galleries. Advertising contains the kind of product-focused color images that clients love but also contains some sensitive black and white photographs of people that defy easy categorization. The untitled monochrome shot of a baby is more than just cute. The Corporate gallery contains a similar mixture of studio still life with some interesting location shots. His Headshots gallery is the weakest, likely because this is such a hard genre to conquer and to make look different. I like the shot of the kid against the blue wall though; it's not a traditional headshot, but cool nonetheless.

The best images in Editorial are the color architectural shots in eye-popping color that show a Pete Turner influence. (Hey, he's one of my favorites, too.) His best images, I think, are collected in Personal Work and are a cornucopia of monochrome and color images that show his talent in architectural imagery as well as some dramatic landscape and still life photographs.

www.alliefairfieldphotographs.com
Sonora, California's Allison Fairfield says, "My photographic style is eclectic and combines fine art, photojournalism, and illustrative photography." Her work style is "improvisational, flexible, unobtrusive, and client centered." That's probably why she won't accept a wedding commission from a client where a videographer has also been hired to document the event--it gets in the way of her creativity. (Can I get a big "Amen" from wedding photographers everywhere?)

Fairfield's website is as drop-dead gorgeous as her photography. The images on the site are elegant, stylish, and dramatic, but also have a steak of humor often lacking in most photographers' work. Ya gotta love the photo of the bride and groom, with their dogs, but the focus is on the doggies, not the couple!

The beautiful images in her Wedding Portfolio gallery capture the joy of these difficult-to-photograph events that are often overlooked by those of lesser talents in the rush to create arty effects. The images in her Portraits gallery explode with the life force of her subjects showing her connection with them, and you can't buy that at a camera store. The images in her Fine Art Portfolio gallery are merely interesting, especially the angel playing the banjo in the forest, but clearly show that when it comes to wedding photographs, there's not many out there who can match her combination of skill and artistry.