Gallery: This Week in Photography: Wes Anderson Parody Techniques, China Time-Lapses, and an Old-School Nikon
01NIKON
This week's roundup of photography goodies is short and sweet. Find out how to bite Wes Anderson's style, see China through the beautiful time-lapses and check out intimate portraits of Daniel Johnston. Get after it. __Above:__ Old School Meets New School in Nikon Df Camera ---------------------------------------------- Camera makers have been going through a throwback phase lately. It’s kind of like the NBA and NFL a couple years back with all the old-school jerseys. The most talked about offering is the new [Df from Nikon](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/11/nikon-df/). The camera looks like the original Nikon F from the late 1950s but has the same 16-megapixel full-frame sensor that you’d find in the flagship Nikon D4. For those who care about camera styling, the Df is cool. If you just saw it from the front you’d never guess it was full of digital components. Nikon was also smart to go straight back to the F series for their design instead of trying to create some modern/old-school mashup like other companies. If you don’t care about styling, however, the camera isn’t for you because it’s plenty expensive ($2,749.95) but doesn’t offer standard features like video, which you’ll get on most other cameras in that price range. *Image courtesy of Nikon*
02Anderson
Wes Anderson SNL Parody Explained --------------------------------- Wonder how Saturday Night Live got such a hyper-authentic Wes Anderson look for their [Halloween parody a couple weeks ago](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSEzGDzZ1dY)? This week, SNL’s director of photography Alex Buono wrote a [*How We Did It*](http://www.alex-buono.com/how-we-did-it-snl-the-midnight-coterie-of-sinister-intruders/) article that will give you a comprehensive breakdown. From a study of the similar color palettes used by the belovedly quirky director in his movies, to the building they chose to shoot in, or an explanation of how squishing and cropping shots taken with various lens types creates Andersonian effects (and a [J.J. Abrams lens flare](http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/03/star-trek-into-darkness-jj-abrams-lens-flare), to boot), this is a true under-the-hood look at a masterwork of mimicry. [Buono](http://www.alex-buono.com/about) also reveals the joy and fear that comes with trying to nail the one-of-a-kind style of one of his favorite directors. His homage pokes fun at a variety of common tropes in Anderson's flicks, but does so lovingly, and demonstrates that even a top-notch knock-off can't quite get at the heart of what makes those movies tick.
03cpoy
68th Annual College Photographer of the Year -------------------------------------------- [Sara Naomi Lewkowicz](http://saranaomiphoto.com), a graduate student in the Visual Communication program at Ohio University, has been named College Photographer of the Year. Judging for still images has come to a close for the 68th annual College Photographer of the Year awards, a contest that encourages thousands of up-and-comers to throw in the strongest work of their undergraduate and graduate careers for the most coveted recognition a young photojournalist can receive. "I'm completely floored, and honestly having a hard time believing it's real," said Lewkowicz, who is currently in the U.K. working on two new projects. Part of her winning portfolio included her story "[Shane and Maggie](http://saranaomiphoto.com/Shane-and-Maggie/1/)," which garnered a lot of attention earlier this year for its stark and intimate portrayal of one couple's experience with domestic violence. This year's judges included editors from *National Geographic*, the *Los Angeles Times* and the *New York Times*, as well as photographers from the *Dallas Morning News* and the *Denver Post*. Judging for multimedia work will continue through the weekend, with the final winners to be announced on November 10. The full list of this year's best and brightest -- including CPOY runner-up [Carolyn Van Houten](http://carolynvanhouten.com/)'s thoughtful portfolio of life in North Carolina -- is up on the [CPOY website](http://www.cpoy.org/index.php?s=WinnersList&yr=68). *Photo: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz*
04China
China Seen Through Gorgeous Time-Lapses --------------------------------------- With all the political and cultural complexities surrounding China, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that the sprawling republic is home to a stunning wealth of natural beauty and diversity. *[China In Motion 2013](http://vimeo.com/77773755)*, a series of gorgeous time-lapse photo sequences taken at landmarks across the country, makes sure you get a good long look at the best vistas in the country. Along with an appropriately nationalistic soundtrack, the Union of Time Lapse China included the work of 56 different Chinese photographers working in 49 cities across the nation. Some sequences crawl through futuristic cityscapes and bustling streets, while others explore the grand, serene, and otherworldly landscapes that define China every bit as much as its political and cultural role in the world.
05JJONES
Jeremy Jones Earns His Turns in New Film *HIGHER* ------------------------------------------------- [Jeremy Jones](http://jonessnowboards.com/) is the most well-known, big mountain, backcountry snowboarder on the planet. He’s the guy who’s constantly riding lines that are so steep and gnarly they make you pucker just sitting on your couch. Unlike other extreme skiers and snowboarders, however, Jones has made the decision to ditch lifts and helicopters and now only rides lines that he hikes to himself (partly for the adventure, and partly because it’s more [environmentally friendly](http://protectourwinters.org/#sthash.HH01H4WN.dpbs)). For several years he’s been working on a trilogy of snowboard movies about these human-powered trips and the trailer for the third and final installment, called *[HIGHER](http://www.tetongravity.com/films/jeremy-jones-higher/)*, just dropped this week. The film is produced by [Teton Gravity Research](http://www.tetongravity.com/), and like the previous two, it’s filled with breathtaking footage from some of the most remote spots on the planet. The official movie doesn’t come out until fall 2014, but that gives you time to watch the [other two films](http://www.tetongravity.com/films/deeper/) in the series so you’re caught up and ready.
06jung-kim-daniel-johnston-4
Intimate Photographs of Musician Daniel Johnston in NYC ------------------------------------------------------- [Daniel Johnston](http://www.hihowareyou.com/) long ago captured the hearts, the ears and the imaginations of America. The adulation and curiosity reached fever-pitch around the 2005 release of *[The Devil and Daniel Johnston](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436231/)*. By comparison, things have been quiet for him in recent years. *[HERE](http://danieljohnstonhere.com/)*, Jung Kim's documentary photography project about Daniel's life and music ([which we wrote about during its Kickstarter fundraising days](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/rawfile/2012/03/photographer-shows-a-different-side-of-daniel-johnston/)) has quietly fleshed out the everyday context of Daniel's extraordinary art. If you're close to Williamsburg, NYC then go check out *HERE* at [Reverse Space](http://reversespace.org/daniel-johnston-here-117-1124/). It opened Thursday and runs for another two weeks. *Photo: Jung Kim*
07shirreff3-12-UN2010
Erin Shirreff Wins Public Vote ... and $50K! -------------------------------------------- When a photography competition carries a $50,000 prize, people sit up and take notice. The [AIMIA/AGO Photography Prize](http://www.aimiaagophotographyprize.com/aimia-ago-photography-prize-2013) (which is [only six years old](http://www.aimiaagophotographyprize.com/aimia-ago-photography-prize-history/)) is Canada's largest photography prize and one of the largest art and culture prize programs in the world. More than the fat stacks, what makes the AIMIA/AGO Prize stand out is that the winner is decided by public vote. The public made a record 25,000+ votes over 10 weeks, selecting Canadian artist [Erin Shirreff](http://www.erinshirreff.com/) from a juror-selected shortlist of four that also included [Edgardo Aragón](http://www.ago.net/edgardo-aragon), [LaToya Ruby Frazier](http://www.latoyarubyfrazier.com/) and [Chino Otsuka](http://chino.co.uk/), who will each receive a $5,000 stipend for research, creation and production of new work. In a global culture that makes 1.3 billion images per day, Shirreff's work that elevates single images to objects for extended meditation is a radical statement of sorts. Strangely, the majority of her work is not printed photographs but sequenced images in the form of video. Influenced by the much-loved '70s and '80s Film Board of Canada nature films, Shirreff strings of stills make for slow-shifting videos that evoke season, incremental change, temporality, and the peculiar force of a silent image. Shirreff's videos are meticulously constructed; each frame could theoretically stand alone as an art object. "You don't have to sit and watch any of my videos!" says Shirreff in the seven-minute docu-short *[Erin Shirreff Takes Her Time](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AGOawpLPJU)* which is probably the best summary of Shirreff's motives and methods. "Duration can be a comfort but it's also a terror," she adds. While we are on the topic of awards. It seems the AIMIA/AGO Prize is at the other end of the modesty spectrum than the Lucie Awards which we gave a [shout out](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/rawfile/2013/11/this-week-in-photography-6/#slideid-95481) to in last weeks *This Week In Photography*. One of the more entertaining reads this week was A.D. Coleman's [open letter of advice](http://www.nearbycafe.com/artandphoto/photocritic/2013/11/06/lucies-underground-with-diamonds-3/) to the incoming Chair of the Advisory Board at the Lucie Foundation. Basically, the Lucie's need to tone down the grandstanding and "lose the [spurious king-of-the-hill assertions](http://resourcemagonline.com/2013/10/october-27th-2013-lucie-awards/) of the Lucie’s primacy among award-conferring organizations," says Coleman. *Erin Shirreff, UN 2010 (still), Color HD video, silent, 17-minute loop. Courtesy of the artist and Lisa Cooley, New York.*
Administrator08Kodak
Last year we [covered](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/rawfile/2012/11/robert-burley-disappearance-of-darkness/#slideid-69821 ) Robert Burley's photo project *The Disappearance of Darkness*, a look at the demise of the photographic film industry between 2005 and 2010. The series recently kicked off a string of exhibitions that [will run through 2015](http://robertburley.com/_robertburley/?page_id=46), starting at the [National Gallery of Canada](http://www.gallery.ca/en/see/exhibitions/upcoming/details/robert-burley-disappearance-of-darkness-5324). Shot on the very medium whose downfall it documents, the series captures the crumbling factories and empty laboratories of Kodak, Polaroid, Ilford, and other once-dominant film manufacturers at the moment when digital photography truly took over the industry. The numbers tell the story — in the year 2000, Americans bought 19.7 million film cameras. Ten years later, sales had dropped below 250,000. Burley’s photos depict a game-changing time in photography that's just going to become more remote, until eventually the century-long era of film lives on only in pictures. *Photo: Robert Burley*
