Speed of Life
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This is an image from a street scenes series I took a couple of years ago tentatively titled "Speed of Life". Although I obviously have used photoshop here, as I do in all my images to some extent or another, the blurred effect is from a long exposure time made possible by heavy ND filters on the lens and was not created through photoshop.
But what makes the image particularly special to me is that it was chosen to be included in the fotolog.book.
The project
"fotolog.book-a global snapshot for the digital age" which I am very proud to be part of, is the culmination of a lot of very hard work by
Johanna Neurath and her tireless collaborators who did a tremendous job putting this book together. Although I haven't seen the book yet, I know it captures a vital slice of the wonderful world of Fotolog as it was in its prime. A big "thank you" to Johanna and all the people who worked so hard to make this book become a reality.
I was absolutely nuts for fotolog for the spring and summer of 2003. Photo sites were new and exciting and fotolog was a definite cut above the rest. I hadn't done any photography for well over 15 years and having recently bought a first digital camera it was a perfect place to play and experiment. It was tremendous fun, I met a lot of people both virtually and in person here in Tokyo, and I was exposed to a lot of very interesting and sometimes out and out brilliant photography. When I joined in May 2003 there were less than 5000 members. That Summer it grew exponentially and by the Fall the system couldn't handle it--hundreds of thousands (now millions) of teenagers with their snapshots precipitated performance issues that eventually crippled the site and to make a long, painful story short, I eventually took refuge in Flickr. The people who run Fotolog eventually fixed the problems (about a year and a half after they started), lots of great photographers and dedicated "old-timers" continue to post their work there, and I still have a special place in my heart for Fotolog, as I always will.
Comments
my story is very similar to yours.. I joined
in June 2003 and was struggling a lot by
spring 2005. I always loved the simplicity of
Fotolog and didn't feel the need for the
Flickr features. However, I migrated and have
become accustomed to being here now although
still post on Fotolog now and again. The
whole experience has changed my creative life
in so many ways, and I almost moved to
another country too (but didn't).
Posted 26 months ago.
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this is a superb shot, btw
Posted 26 months ago.
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i'm glad to hear about the book, and know
the fotolog story well. strange to think how
heartbreaking it was when it was clear it was
over. i love this image.
Posted 26 months ago.
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Same here - Fotolog is where it all began, my
infatuation with posting images on the web.
It revived my long dormant interests in
photography.
Posted 26 months ago.
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good words, really sums it all up. hard to
believe it was all nearly 3 years ago now.
wonderful to know you are there in the book,
too.
Posted 26 months ago.
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yes, congratulations. my story too in most
particulars. i had already started up a photo
log without much web experience (clumsy HTML,
daily picture & words, emailed to
friends) so when i found fotolog it was like
dying & going to heaven. at the end it
was infuriating & finally very sad --
& I expect this part is not even
mentioned in the book -- the way that energy
was allowed to break up & dissipate. i
guess this book is the record.
Posted 26 months ago.
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Most of my Flickr contacts I met on Fotolog.
I happened on an article in the NY Times
about the legendary site, and quickly joined,
spending probably around 90% of my internet
time on that site. To make matters even more
difficult for me, that site has also been
blocked in the UAE for some time now. But I
am familiar with its rise and demise. If you
discover information about where the book can
be found, could you pass it on?
Posted 26 months ago.
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This is a great shot!
Posted 26 months ago.
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great
Posted 26 months ago.
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aside from a few factual differences you are
pretty much discribing my fotolog experience.
it launched a lot of people into
productivity. that first spring and summer
were sort of digitally golden times. a lot of
fotogs inspiring each other, driving each
other to exceed themselves. it was much fun.
strange to describe a virtual experience
thus.
Posted 26 months ago.
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wonderful movement and energy..
Posted 25 months ago.
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how much movement...
Posted 16 months ago.
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Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Random & Creative shots , and we'd love to have this added to the
group!
Posted 3 days ago.
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