Yes ladies and gentlemen, we have done a quick overhaul to our website. Hope you enjoy the new features and improvements as we hope to keep adding new content and updates as our organization grows.

The primary motivator for the redesign was to move to a content managed format, where our different team members could all make their individual contributions with ease. We moved over to Drupal as the content management back-end, giving us open-source flexibility, a broad range of available modules and features, and a strong support community to keep the back-end evolving.

We have chosen to go with a blog format over the previous article based format. We feel that this will give us more convenience and flexibility with the type of material we present to our audience.

Please feel free to leave your thoughts about our recent face-lift! We would love to hear your feedback.

Thanks!

Christian Louboutin speaks to my materialistic side. When I'm fitted with a red sole pump, I feel like a walking piece of art. There is nothing in the world that can possibly bring me down or anything that can stand in my way. It's euphoric magic. Louboutin's self proclaimed goal is to "make shoes that are like jewels" and he has yet to fall short.

I was entranced when I came across a photo shoot that famed photographer Peter Lippman had done for the Louboutin spring/summer 2009 lookbook. Each shoe was impeccably interpreted to emulate classic still life pieces from the 18th century. This campaign proves that each of his designs truly are masterpieces.

Ch-check it out. Do you love it or hate it?

http://www.peterlippmann.com/lippmann3/advertising/still_life,_landscape...

The image itself manages to deliver quite the statement, though most of us are not sure what to make of it. I am not certain if its those unnaturally piercing eyes or the cigarette sticking out of his mouth, but the effect is certainly a very infamous baby.

I happened to run across the works of Photographer Sasha Waldman over the weekend, while perusing a few magazines & portfolios. I could not control the urge to find out who he is and what other crazy creations he has put out.

He does an amazing job in creating and capturing ideas using very careful use of texture, lighting, and focus elements. His portraits push each of their subjects past their mere existence, way out into infamy; we aren't just talking about 50-cent, as Sasha does an equally eye-brow-lifting job with children.

I've attached a few more images (click main image to see more), but check out the links below to see more of his work.

Sasha Waldman's Bio (from Agent site)
Born in Milan, Italy, Sacha Waldman spent his childhood in South Africa. After graduating from university, he left African soil to live in London for four years to test the waters in graphic design and film. A desire to stay close to the creative process naturally let him to photography and in 1995, Waldman moved to New York City and eventually became an American citizen.

Sacha is best known for a signature style that combines elegance with meticulously
controlled texture and palette, and he possesses a rare ability to convert raw ideas into compelling, exquisitely crafted imagery.

Portfolio: http://www.llreps.com/#/section=artists&type=photographers&artist=6&medi...
Website: http://www.sachawaldman.com

Blog - Photographers Speak completes an interview with Chicago native photographer Edward Sturr who is well knows for his contributions to capturing the majesty of animate and inanimate city-scapes. Photographs Speak describes Sturr as defining Chicago by way of unique perspectives and techniques that embody the complexities of modern concrete forests.

[Sturr] whose 1960s images of the city are charged with an expressionist power comprised of angular compositions, bold contrasts and beguiling thematic irony

Full Article:
http://photographyinterviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/edward-sturr-streetwis...

Edward Sturr Portfolio:
http://www.josephbellows.com/artists/edward-sturr/

With global warming warnings everyday, we’re all trying to find our way to do our part in becoming more environmentally friendly. For example, the automobile industry is beginning to manufacture more hybrid cars and offering them in varying styles to appeal to a broader audience. Many companies are becoming eco-friendly and promoting energy saving software like AT&T, Intel, Google etc. In a survey conducted by Experience, it seems that recent college and grad students would prefer to work for a more environmentally-friendly company. Even Budweiser drinkers can be assured that Anheuser Busch is going to use renewable fuel in their breweries by the end of 2009.

Contributing to this trend is a movement called ‘Design Can Change’. An initiative which is an effort to bring together the design community and utilize their influence to combat global climate change.

‘Design Can Change’ asks those in the field to sign an eco-friendly pledge. Designers must promise to adopt a “sustainable mind-set” in their own practice as well as educate their clients about alternatives to traditional materials and methods. They must consider their choices carefully and make informed decisions. In return, these designers are listed in a database of like-minded studios which can be found on their website. This allows a buyer of creative services to encourage mindful positive changes by choosing or working with designers who have taken this pledge.

In order to be a part of the movement and sign the pledge; designers are asked to fill out a form including their studio addresses. For the designer, committing to this effort means seeking to understand this issue and how daily changes in their practice can make a difference. It requires the designer to always think green and to share this knowledge to build awareness for sustainability. With their collective strength, designers are uniting to spark this change.