michelle kenna

Last night I stumbled across the most stunning iPad app - "2011 World Press Photo Contest".

"World Press Photo presents a visual journey of the past year through the eyes of the world's top photojournalists. Browse the entire collection of award-winning photography from the 2011 World Press Photo Contest, the leading competition in the field of photojournalism."

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/2011-world-press-photo-contest/id426663516?mt=8

The app has beautiful navigation and interface design - and of course, amazing award-winning photography.

Watch the Victorian division of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography's awards judging live from Melbourne at http://www.livestream.com/aipp

<div style="font-size: 11px;padding-top:10px;text-align:center;width:560px">aipp on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free</div>

I've been saying it since I was 17 years old, but I want to be Wim Wenders when I grow up.  

Failing that, I'd settle for having 0.05% of his creative vision and ability to articulate an image.  His brilliance as a film maker may be exceeded only by Bergman. In fact it's the emotive long tracking shots in Wings of Desire which have stayed with me since my introduction to Wenders, much like those for which Bergman was known in The Seventh Seal. 

Photography also plays a strong role in his life, and the announcement of his latest exhibition, Places, Strange and Quiet, has prompted this article in The Telegraph. I'm not sure that I'd agree with the description of his photography as 'enigmatic', so much as banal, yet with an invitation to wonder. Regardless, the article's a great intro if you're not yet familiar with him. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/photography/8415621/Wim-Wenders-Show-dont-...

Wim Wenders: Places, Strange and Quiet is at Haunch of Venison, Burlington Gardens, London W1, from April 15 to May 17 (020-7495 5050; haunchofvenison.com). Pina' is out on April 22

Just a reminder that the reduced Earlybird prices for the April 18th Brisbane workshops end this week!

From Adobe Camera Raw to PhotoShop is ideal for recent converts to raw shooting, as well as non-photographer staff needing to develop more production and output skills.

Portrait Retouching covers a range of techniques to suit varying post-production budgets. We'll look at skills to suit corporate headshots, bridal and domestic portraits, and intricate beauty retouching. This workshop also runs on May 9th.

AIPP Members receive 13 CPD Accreditation points for your attendance.

Registration and full workshop synopses are at www.MKcreatives.com

See you there!

Today I'm launching my new site, www.mkcreatives.com  It's my little hub for photographic resources and training for creatives. 

We're beginning with an Autumn2011 series (that's an Australian Autumn!) of small group, hands-on workshops in Brisbane, Queensland.  

Topics include:

• Adobe Camera Raw to PhotoShop -- Ideal for newcomers or those wanting a little refresher
• Portrait Retouching -- From corporate headshots to beauty
• Creative PhotoShop -- A bag full of ideas to develop your personal projects or stylise client work

Full details and requirements are available under the 2011 Schedule on www.mkcreatives.com 

PS: Ireland.. Keep watching for Summer2011 dates in Dublin!

Polishing off the final details of the three workshops in my Autumn2011 digital imaging series...

PhotoShop Essentials... Portrait Retouching... Creative PhotoShop.

Queensland events are happening on April 18 & May 9. 

New website for Photographic Resources and Training for Creatives goes live tomorrow! Watch this space for details!

In the meanwhile...

Retouching Blog -- http://www.ThePolishedPixel.com 
FB Page -- http://www.facebook.com/ThePolishedPixel

*Yes, this would be one of those Hipstamatic shots which can claim no artistic merit whatsoever. 

Just updated my wedding photography profile on the Irish www.photographers.ie portal.  

The site's a great resource for photographers' listings and industry news.  Check it out.

http://www.photographers.ie/photographers/Michelle-Kenna--Photographer-1281.html

What happens when 2 Australian girls set out on their last roadtrip before leaving Ireland for a while? Four seasons in one day.. No Melbourne, that song doesn't exclusively apply to you. In the case of the west coast of Ireland however, you frequently get 4 seasons 4 times a day.. If you ask me, that's 4 times the fun! 

I know I'm the most un-Australian Australian when it comes to the weather, but if I had to choose between sitting on a beach under a dark cloudy sky and frying on blistering sand, it'd be a no-brainer. I know a lush, green Ireland is a beautiful sight, but I think I was meant for dark and moody 70% of the year.

November 2010

In the past 12 months since joining the land of "photographer with iPhone" I've encountered many passionate pro- and anti- iPhonography App lobbyists amongst friends and acquaintances. Those against argue it removes the need for knowledge, technique and creativity. Those for, generally speaking, simply don't overthink it. They're tools.. they're fun.. I know what the features do and I know roughly what to expect. They go on my iPhonography blog, and that's the end for me. 

Having just seen a link shared by a friend to Michael Christopher Brown's iPhone shots from Libya, it brought my mind back to hearing Philip Blenkinsop speak in the late '90s. His stories of less than safe conditions for processing films whilst in the field, the somewhat uncomfortable measures sometimes required by PJs to prevent their images from being confiscated, the kind of obstacles they faced in delivering their images on time... 

I'll stick to snapping objects in the street, but if the ability to have immediate dissemination or offsite backup of images from the field isn't an argument for the validity of iPhonography as a tool, I don't know what is.

Michael Christopher Brown's gallery -- http://www.mcbphotos.com/#/libya-2011---in-progress/vv20

http://www.facebook.com/ThePolishedPixel

It's just like an episode of Glee -- you know you should stay away, but it's a hungry addiction..
Go on.. Jump over to Facebook and hit the 'Like' button :)