A Book of the Brown Sisters, an Exhibition of Visionaries, Editing Keyboard Skins and More

Nixon’s first portrait of the Brown Sisters, shot in New Canaan, Connecticut. Photo © Nicholas Nixon/Courtesy of The Museum of Modern Art

Forty Years with the Brown Sisters
The Brown Sisters, the Nicholas Nixon book documenting a project that began by happenstance 40 years ago, is still going strong and only becoming more compelling each year. Arguably the portrait and documentary photographer’s most notable body of work, “The Brown Sisters” started in 1974 when Nixon photographed his wife Bebe with her three sisters, and after he shot them again standing in the same order the following year, they agreed to make it an annual tradition. Nixon recently released Nicholas Nixon: The Brown Sisters, Forty Years (The Museum of Modern Art, New York), following a 33-year installment seven years ago, with un-posed and undirected portraits of Heather, Mimi, Bebe and Laurie (in that order, from left to right), each of which was agreed upon as their most representative photo of that year. Nixon’s presentation of the photos makes for thoughtful commentary on photographer-subject relationships as well as sisterly interaction, growth, love and endurance over time.

                                   Prices: $36 (MoMA members); $40 (MoMA non-members)

Lotte (Eye), 1928. Photo © Max Burchartz/Courtesy of The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Thomas Walther Collection

A Showing of Visionaries
Currently on view at the Museum of Modern Art, “Modern Photographs from the Thomas Walther Collection, 1909-1949” presents almost 300 images by the pioneering shooters who were among the first to take figurative, abstract and imaginative approaches to (what was then) a relatively new medium. This 40-year period in the early 20th century saw some of the most important movements—from modernism and New Vision to Surrealism and New Objectivity—and the photographic masters behind them, like André Kertész, El Lissitzky and Man Ray, weren’t afraid to make radical statements in their work. The show runs through April 19.

Left to right: Jobie, April and Ilie. Photos © Dylan Burr, Aventura Photo Video

The Neighbours Project
Wedding photographer Dylan Burr—who’s an avid fan and practitioner of wet-plate collodion photographs—decided to take the re-emerging alternative process to a homeless shelter, Denver’s St. Francis Center, to “learn peoples’ stories in an effort to connect with them and show the reality of being homeless,” he says. The 30 people he photographed with his 19th-century setup (and interviewed) make up what he calls the Neighbours Project, which is now a photo book and documentary film. “[Shooting] this project was great for building discipline and very different from the frantic pace of a wedding,” Burr says. “It has made me more methodical, resulting in more purposeful images. My plan wasn’t merely to take their photograph but to use a medium that demands the reality of who they are. No Photoshop or fancy Lightroom edits.” Eighty percent of the proceeds from book and film sales go to the St. Francis Center. The film will be premiered during Burr’s Neighbours Gallery Art Auction on March 27 at The Studio gallery in Denver.

Prices: $20 (HD film download); $30 (softcover book); $40 (e-book); $65 (hardcover)

Keyboard Shortcut Skins from Photojojo
Photographers on the lookout for easy ways to speed up and simplify their editing processes may want to look into customized keyboard shortcut skins. Photojojo’s come out with a line of keyboard skins for Photoshop, Aperture, Final Cut Pro/Express and Lightroom users that are color-coded for functionality and have the software’s shortcuts printed on the key pads alongside the letters, numbers and figures. Made of washable rubber that’s molded to fit any MacBook keyboard, the skins double as a keyboard protector, (in case mid-editing one knocks over a much-needed cup of caffeine).

Prices: $30 (wireless keyboards); $40 (keyboards with numeric pads)

Format’s Kredo Makes Portfolio Sharing Easier
A new networking app for creative professionals called Kredo has been unveiled by Format, a platform that allows users to share their portfolios and explore those of others. This app is geared especially to people who are looking to be inspired by other work, as well as those interested in getting noticed and collaborating on projects with designers, creative directors and other artists through Kredo’s Discover network. Portfolios are searchable by location, industry and more (and upload-able via Dropbox, the iPad Photo Library, iTunes or Format). The app, touted especially for its high-resolution display that allows for a larger zoom range, is compatible only with the iPad.

Price: Free

BLCKCHRM’s Niko Bags
Chrome Industries has teamed up with street photographers Van Styles and trashhand to create three BLCKCHRM Niko camera bags: the Pack, Messenger and Sling. Worn like a backpack, the Niko Pack (above) is built to carry a full kit of gear, fitting multiple camera bodies, lenses and flashes, with front Velcro straps to secure a tripod; the more compact, across-the-body Niko Messenger bag has quick swing-around access for the slightly more agile photographer; and the Niko Sling, designed to hold a camera and spare lens, can be worn across the body or around the waist. All three are made with a highly weatherproof, durable Hypalon rubber material, full-grain leather, padded foam and topped off with “soft touch” buckles.

Prices: $80 (Niko sling); $120 (Niko messenger); $180 (Niko pack)