Pinup by flipperman75

One of the things I love about photography is the choice you have when it comes to the tools of the trade.  I personally shoot only digital, but many others enjoy shooting film and while I have no desire to do it myself, I admire them for that.  In the digital world there are many different cameras to choose from, ranging from camera phones to point and shoot cameras to fancy DSLRs.  Once you have your image, you can modify it with your choice of many different software packages (e.g. Adobe CS4) in your “digital darkroom”.  Photographers who shoot film employ more organic, hands on practices in their own darkroom such as dodging and burning and various other processing techniques.  Even the choice of film dictates how the final image will appear.

The above image combines both worlds in a way, in that it looks like it was shot using a film camera (a Polaroid to be exact), but it was actually achieved using a free piece of software called Poladroid.  The software allows you to import a digital photo and then manipulate it by giving it that familiar border, nostalgic coloring, and even a thumbprint.  Note that there are several applications for the iPhone that do roughly the same thing, one being CameraBag.

Nuts and bolts aside, I really love this photo for its composition and color and because it’s not a typical DC shot even if it was taken on U Street.  I’m becoming more and more fascinated by dark and creepy photos, and this fits the bill perfectly.  The mannequin is sitting there stripped to her bare essentials, enjoying a nice day out on a bench, almost inviting you to come site beside her.  For $50, she’s all yours.

Max Cook

Hailing from the Mile High City, Max has also lived in Tinsel Town, the Emerald City, as well as the City of Brotherly Love. Now a District resident, he likes to write about cool photos by local photographers, the DC restaurant and bar scene, or anything else that pops into his mind.