Rockhopper Penguins, Argentina

More penguins! Well, they have their own photographic value that is unique. One such example is here: two Rockhopper penguins staring into the camera. A photo like this is simple in the fact it serves the purpose of showing how impressive these birds are. But it goes to show the power that photography has: to document and deliver to people around the world what exotic animals look like. I don't think I would know what most animals look like if it wasn't for photography. Even broader, it serves to document everything that one would normally not get to experience, and that is power!

Artist: Tomas Kotouc.

Source:http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/?source=NavPhoPOD

Elephant Seals and King Penguins

Humans in tropical areas aren't the only beachgoers. We see here a massive congregation of penguins and elephant seals gathered together at the shoreline of an Arctic coast. The detail in this photo is what really makes it great: just the sheer number of animals all throughout the photo create a very interesting image. Another example of nature photography at its finest.

Artist:Paul Nicklen

Source: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/king-penguins-and-elephant-seals/

Ultraviolet Bath, Russia

Well, this is another bizarre photo, but not as much as the last. The scene is a medical professional, three children, all wearing goggles, in a room full of blue light. It's a very odd scene, but this photo is documenting a feat of modern medicine. The blue light is actually UV radiation, and it's being used to simulate for the children the effects of the sun itself. This is because these children live in Lovosero, Russia, where the get no sun. Without it, they might not develop properly, since vitamin D is a large component of bone development. I think the combination of the bizarreness, the rich blue light, and the documentation make this photo quite unique and successful.

Artist: Joe McNally

Source: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/ultraviolet-bath-mcnally-pod/

Untitiled

Well, this was an unusual find. This photo is from a series of photos called "Heart" taken by Kristopher Helton. The entirety of the series are very creepy, chilling photos of lone people walking through cemeteries and doing what appears to be performing Satanic rituals. The effect is particularly powerful by what appears to be a long exposure with movement of the camera to distort the pictures, which gives the pictures a haunted look, as if half of these are tabloid pictures of ghosts. I think this effect goes with the subject material of the mysterious cult rituals quite well. In the picture above, we see what looks to be someone performing a prayer ritual, but were not quite sure due to the fact the picture is quite blurry and the subject is blacked out. This ambiguousness makes it quite chilling, leading one to think it's a ghost or the Devil itself.

Artist: Kristopher Helton

Source: http://kristopherhelton.com/

Mark Cohan

In a world where virtually everyone can be a photographer, due to the ease and cheapness of it, it is not easy for one to distinguish themselves. However, photographers like Mark Cohan do otherwise. His style is like no other: 1 part documentary, 1 part conceptual and 2 parts abstract. It is due to his subject matter and unorthodox photography technique that we get a fusion of photography like no other.
A predominantly black and white photographer, Cohan photographs the city-town areas of Pennsylvania; areas that are half rural town and half developed city. While he does achieve in documenting the area and its inhabitance, he also is able to do something else. He takes his photos in a weird way: by choosing a target and making quick passes while taking photos on the run, all without using the viewfinder. What is the result?
Well, the result of all this is currently displayed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art as a gallery of Mark Cohan photos called "Strange Evidence". Here, we see a select collection of black and white and some color photos from his works in Pennsylvania areas, with subject matter ranging from locations, buildings, and people.
But often time the cropping on the photos is unusual. Often, many of the photos are not even of people's heads, or at least not completely. The walls in the gallery are scattered with some photos of random body parts and items. But in doing this Cohan shows the details and artistic value of things we commonly don't see: the red lipstick of a woman smoking, or a pair of legs and nothing more, and even just a fence that has plants growing around it. It definitely goes to show that almost anything can have artistic value if put under the right light, and in the case of Cohan get the right framing by chance.
But other photos of his show people carrying out their everyday routiens. Many are aware of the presence of the camera, and in some photos we catch peoples reactions to this. One in particular shows a whole bus of people as they simultaneously look and react to Cohan's presence. Many photos are of children playing as well, possibly alluding to Cohan's stressing of the importance and appreciation for childhood. Also by taking photos of people all from one area, we really get an idea of what the people and the area looks like.
So what we get from Cohan's photography is a blend of abstract, documentative, and conceptual art. His unusual photographic style, along with his subject matter, is able to achieve all three. His photos truly stand as a representative of his photographic skill, and his exhibit "Stange Evidence" displays this.