A photographer got into the water with a pod of killer whales capturing magical photos of the creatures in their natural habitat.
Dan Zafra from Capture the Atlas tells PetaPixel that are “no words to describe the experience of seeing and photographing orcas underwater.”
“Norway is the only place in the world where you can take trips focused on swimming with this cetacean,” he says.
“There are some rules to follow; for example, diving with scuba is banned, you can only snorkel. Also, you can’t get on top of the bait balls of fish since it can be dangerous, not so much for the orcas but because of the humpback whales that also hunt in these areas.”
Orcas are very intelligent mammals and there is no recorded attack on a human in the wild — recent boat attacks notwithstanding.
“Some encounters were very quick, as they were traveling across the fjord looking for food, but others were longer, coming closer to us when there were curious youngsters with their mums,” says Zafra.
“However, the most intense experience was seeing them hunting the so-called ‘bait balls’; giants schools of herring that they surround in groups, hitting the fish with their tails to stunl the fish, and then eating them a few feet from us. Seeing them hunting in groups was very special.”
Zafra says he wanted to dive with the orcas because they are his wife’s favorite animal and it has always been her dream to swim with them.
“There are multiple places to see [the orcas] from boats, and a few where you can find them kayaking or swimming by chance, but no place offers reliable encounters as the Northern Norwegian fjords,” says the photographer.
“It took us a few years to plan the logistics to make it happen, and in November 2022 we took our first trip.”
Zafra is a professional landscape and natural photographer so he jumped at this special opportunity. Taking his Sony a7 III camera with an astromodification — removal of the LP filter to capture more light beneath the waves.
“There is not a lot of light at this time of year in the fjords and it’s even dimmer underwater, so using a camera with a good low-light performance is recommended,” he adds
The camera was housed in an Ikelite that also held a Sony 20mm f/1.8 and could also fit a 35mm f/1.4.
“Swimming with orcas is an otherworldly experience that I recommend to anyone interested in sea mammals and in unforgettable wildlife encounters,” he says.
“I’m sure that this will become a more popular activity over time, but no one knows how long the orcas will stay in these fjords since they migrate following the schools of herring of the North Atlantic.”
Zafra is organizing a photo tour that takes swimming with orcas as well as capturing the northern lights, details here.
More of his work can be found on his website, Facebook, and Instagram,
Image credits: All photos by Dan Zafra.
Certain people from history are inherently quotable. Although their quotes were not necessarily aimed at photographers, they apply to us too and can help us improve our photography.
We all want to get better at what we do. One of the cleverest and wisest people of the last century gave us some great clues about how we can do that.
Photographic records show Einstein holding a home movie camera. Although he was regularly the subject of pictures and hounded by the paparazzi, he is not widely recognized for any association with the art. Yet, he dabbled in photography and even patented a camera with auto-exposure using a photoelectric sensor, along with his colleague, the radiologist Gustav Bucky.
Nevertheless, in the following quotes, although Albert Einstein was not speaking about photography more generally about the world, most of his principles can be applied in ways to help us get better in our work.
Look deep into nature, and then, you will understand everything better.
Albert Einstein
It is one thing to take an impromptu photo of wildlife or a raging sea, but understanding a creature’s behavior or the way the tides and meteorological conditions interact will increase your chances of getting a good photograph. If you know the character of the portrait you are about to capture, you will have a much better chance of shooting something compelling. Buildings look different in the morning than at midday or in the evening, because the light changes throughout the day. Skilled photographers know this.
This is a circular effect: all the top photographers of any genre are successful because they have extensive knowledge and understanding of their subjects, and the desire to photograph their chosen subject leads to a need to learn even more about it.
The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.
Albert Einstein
This is one of Einstein’s most famous sayings and it is true for photography. If you speak to any accomplished photographer, they are always seeking new knowledge because there is always more to discover about the art.
The other side to this is the know-it-all who claims to know everything there is to know about photography and is not open to new ideas or approaches. They are stuck with the delusion that theirs is the only approach or opinion worth bothering with. That leads to my final Einstein quote.
Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.
Albert Einstein
Success is measured in a multitude of different ways. For some it is a monetary reward, others think it is becoming famous, or having thousands of Instagram followers.
Many photographers measure their success on a picture-by-picture basis. Are this year’s pictures better than last? As someone who teaches photography, one of my measures of success is when others go on to become successful photographers in their own right. That is of enormous value to me and it’s that value that motivates me.
As photographers, we must always continue to grow and discover what works and what doesn’t. If we stop doing that, then our art stagnates, and we find ourselves and others getting bored with our photos.
Success isn’t achieved by reaching for it. It is a byproduct of our hard work. That is what I read into what the Dalai Lama said:
Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
The 14th Dalai Lama
Like everything in life, becoming successful in photography isn’t handed to you on a plate. Sitting around and expecting the world to deal you a good hand will deliver the opposite. Success takes a lot of hard work and dedication. That is only achieved by having a deep love for what you do.
The planet does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of all kinds.
The 14th Dalai Lama
Sadly, some photographers try to achieve personal success by putting others down. This invariably backfires on them.
I’m in the most fortunate of positions of being able to help other photographers along the road to their success. However, I always choose carefully. Recently, I was privileged that a piece of my work was chosen to be included in a joint exhibition of fifty artists. Someone complained to me that they had not been invited to take part, and they said some quite unkind things about the organizers and some of the others whose work was on show. That attitude is why they were not chosen.
Some time ago, someone told me that I had to take them on as a second shooter at weddings. That person was clearly rather full of themselves and had a misguided sense of entitlement. They also had a terrible reputation for their vile racist attitude. Like a spoiled child, they complained bitterly on social media that a wedding photographer hadn’t taken them on to train them for free.
Do you think any other local wedding photographer took them on and trained them?
Compassion naturally creates a positive atmosphere, and as a result, you feel peaceful and content.
The 14th Dalai Lama
It was those photographers’ attitudes that lacked compassion that resulted in them being rejected.
I have interviewed professional photographers here at Fstoppers and it has given them a boost to their profile and their business. Would I bother interviewing someone who is constantly nit-picking or being mean to others?
Those who are great photographers and artists are usually kind to those around them, so they receive that kindness and support in return. It’s one of the basic rules of life that too many people fail to realize. Every culture has a version of the Golden Rule: Do as you would be done by. Even the Ancient Egyptians had a version of this told in a story dating back nearly 4,000 years ago in the story of The Eloquent Peasant.
That was the one rule that the Dalai Lama probably didn’t have in mind when he said the following.
Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.
The 14th Dalai Lama
In photography, there are many rules, but they are rarely prescriptive. As I mentioned in a previous article, some people get annoyed about the rule of thirds because they don’t realize it means “as a rule.” For example, as a rule, you can divide your picture into thirds to get a pleasing result, but you don’t necessarily have to do it that way.
Knowing the rules of composition leads to us being able to and knowingly break them effectively. If you don’t like a particular rule, then perhaps you might take heed of the following quote from Abraham Lincoln.
I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.
Abraham Lincoln
To make this work for photography, perhaps we should add a comma and change “him” to “it.”
I don’t like that, man. I must get to know it better.
Discovering that my subjective viewpoint is malleable and can be changed through learning is a lesson I learned long ago.
Have you gone out of your way to learn more about a type of photography you don’t like? It’s worth doing. As a child, I neither understood nor appreciated a range of artistic styles that I now absolutely appreciate and enjoy. I once consigned to the bin at the back of my mind Salvador Dali, JMW Turner, and Bob Dylan. Because of my lack of knowledge, I thought Dali was weird, Dylan’s voice grated, and Turner’s paintings were a mess of color.
But then, I read about the surrealist movement after being intrigued by a Magritte painting, and that led me to study and see Dali’s pictures with a different eye.
Then, I saw Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues video on the T.V., the one where he is standing in a moodily lit alleyway with scaffolding in the background, and drops the cards with the odd words from the song, while two men chat away in the shadows at the side of the screen. I first recognized its brilliant lighting and how the two extras suddenly became important at the end of the song. I realized this film and the words of the song were surrealism, too. Soon after, I began learning about light and learned that Turner was a true master of it. I studied it, and my tastes changed and it positively affected my other creativity.
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
Abraham Lincoln
The studying was all part of the preparation I do for taking photographs now. Far more time goes into learning and planning than it ever does going on a photoshoot. Lincoln was suggesting as much when he made that quote above. Preparation and planning for a photograph bring far better results than just carrying your camera and hoping for the best.
When we finally do decide to take the photo then Abraham Lincoln had another saying that can equally apply to our art.
Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.
Abraham Lincoln
Like most of the quotes I have used, this one, of course, had a very different metaphorical meaning when he stated it than how I am using it now. Nevertheless, it very much applies literally to the way we take photos. Putting your feet in the right place is one of those early lessons that all photographers worth their salt learn.
Great landscape photographers won’t turn up on location, put their tripods in one place, and start shooting. They scout the area, looking for the perfect spot. Meanwhile, studio portrait photographers will do the same, moving around to find the exact position to capture the images that put across the aspect of their model’s personality they are trying to relate. Likewise, wildlife photographers will seek the best spots for capturing the yellow-bellied sapsucker or migrating geese.
We can heed it in the metaphorical sense too. If you’ve found a photographic style you like, then don’t be dissuaded from that by others who lack the vision to see the world the way you do.
Throughout history, thousands of very wise people said incredibly astute and uplifting things. Many we can apply to photography, even if it wasn’t originally meant that way. For this article, I read through lots of words by Doctor Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Confucius, Winston Churchill, and John F Kennedy. It left me feeling motivated, so maybe it’s a good thing to seek out their thoughts. There are plenty of photographers, artists, and especially songwriters and poets who are quotable too.
Everything looks worse in black and white.
Paul Simon
It’s important to remember that the real world isn’t black and white. All these people were just human, and like you and me, each person had flaws. Some of the people I mentioned may have very different idealistic beliefs from you, but that is no reason why we cannot learn from them. Just like a photograph is limited in the story it can tell, a quote only shows one small aspect of who they are, but it can be valuable wisdom, nonetheless.
Do you have a particular person whose words inspire you in your photography? It could be someone from history or a person you know. It would be great to hear those in the comments.
This June, in honor of Black Music Month, a group of talented Black rockers recorded new tracks as part of a Frequency x Spotify Singles collaboration. Pop-punk darlings Meet Me @ The Altar, hardcore/metal band Zulu, and alternative artist Jean Dawson each showcase their distinct music stylings on a reimagining of one of their original songs and a cover of another artist’s single that they love.
Frequency’s year-round program celebrates Black art, entertainment, creativity, culture, and community both on- and off-platform.
“Frequency was launched in 2021 out of the desire to create a space where listeners and creators can come together to celebrate Black expression in music. Since its inception, we’ve fostered community within diverse subgenres through marketing, editorial, and shared experiences,” explained Kimmy Summers, Lead for Artist Partnerships at Spotify. “We take pride in our responsibility to partner and invest in artists that redefine what Black artistry looks and sounds like, and are thrilled to support the next generation of rising stars.”
These particular Spotify Singles reflect the diversity and talent within the Black music community and help expand perceptions of the range of genres in which Black artists excel.
“For this iteration of Spotify Singles, we chose to highlight Black artists making waves in Rock— whose contributions, despite the expansiveness of the genre, are not traditionally amplified,” shared Chissy Nkemere, Lead for Rock & Alternative Artist Partnerships at Spotify. “Each artist comes from a different subgenre within rock, and their distinct styles are reflected through the songs they chose and the recordings themselves.”
Get to know these musicians and check out their new Spotify Singles.
Meet Me @ The Altar is a critically acclaimed trio currently on tour for their debut album, Past // Present // Future. They put a new spin on their second single, “Kool,” and covered Kelly Clarkson’s 2003 hit “Miss Independent.”
Kelly Clarkson is an artist that we have looked up to all of our lives. Our favorite Kelly Clarkson era is the early 2000s pop rock she was serving. I mean . . . everyone loves “Since U Been Gone”! We are giving this song [Miss Independent] our personal spin by making it an even more rock ’n’ roll–leaning listen.
The music we make is the manifestation of many forces and influences throughout our lives, but primarily we would say that it’s exactly what we would’ve wanted to hear from the stage when we were kids and started experiencing live music, or playing on the radio on the way to school. It’s reaffirming for us to be able to say it’s fully authentic to what we want our sound to be. Nobody tells Meet Me @ The Altar what we have to sound like or be other than the three of us.
Take up space and be yourself. Be proud of your identity, but don’t let it be the only thing people talk about. At the end of the day, your music is the most important thing. You being Black should be an afterthought, not the first thought.
Zulu, whose sound blends hard-core and power-violence with elements of jazz, hip-hop, funk, and soul, recently released their first full-length album, A New Tomorrow. Their Spotify Singles are a reworking of “Shine Eternally” and a cover of Slipknot’s “Wait and Bleed.”
Honestly, some of us kind of naturally thought of either Slipknot or System Of A Down for some reason, and we ended up going with Slipknot. It’s funny how we all naturally shared that same thought.
It’s a musical representation of my identity—it is who I am, and no matter what I make, it’s represented. Different styles of music are just different aspects of my identity.
Don’t let anyone tell you this music isn’t for you, or that you’re playing white-people music. Our ancestors made it possible for this music to exist, and we can’t let people take that away from us.
Jean Dawson is a Black and Mexican musician and visual artist whose most recent album CHAOS NOW* debuted in 2022. He reimagined his track “PORN ACTING*” and covered “Window Shopper” by 50 Cent for his Spotify Singles.
“I’ve always looked at this song as a rock song, so I decided I would take it there and add my twist to it. People fail to realize that 50 Cent was an innovator in being hyper melodic while doing a format of music that was known for being more rhythmic. I have always seen him as being very punk rock.
Look closely at Kayla Rumpp’s work – which locates itself somewhere on the border between painting and sculpture – and you might see the echoes of an unusual source material: Popsicle sticks. After earning her undergraduate degree, Rumpp worked as an elementary school teacher – and found all sorts of unlikely inspiration in her students’ arts and crafts, from their Crayola crayons to those distinctively shaped wooden sticks. You can see them in the rounded edges of some of her pieces – rendered both in large and small (mere inches) scale. “I was an elementary school teacher for a few years before I continued my education in graduate school, and I would say that was one of the biggest turning points in my art practice,” she says. “A lot of the supplies in an elementary school – Crayola markers, watercolor paint, Popsicle sticks – that was kind of a revolutionary experience for me, to find all of these Popsicle sticks in these classrooms and to think of them as a really super interesting sculptural tool. It just evolved and evolved into the work that I’m making now.”
[embedded content]Outside of these foundational shapes, Rumpp’s work is gorgeously colorful, whether a piece is several feet tall or just several inches. “In my process, I have a lot of vibrant colors that might be included in each piece, but there are usually at least one or two main colors that I like to use as a jumping-off point,” she says. “It’s often based on how I’m feeling that day: ‘Today feels like a green day,’ or ‘I haven’t made a blue painting in a really long time.’ After that, it becomes kind of a game, to figure out what’s the next color in this painting – what two colors look great next to each other, what two colors look really confusing next to each other. [I’m interested in] that point of confusion, where pink is next to yellow, but maybe it starts to change a little bit – maybe it starts to look a little bit more orange, based on what color it’s touching. Magical things can happen when you put different colors together.”
Diplopod
For a closer look at that magic, tune in!
Paipo
“Lilliput Effect” – Ana Mendieta Gallery, Iowa City, IA – Solo Exhibit
“Lilliput Effect” – Ana Mendieta Gallery, Iowa City, IA – Solo Exhibit
Diana Ostrom, who has written for Wallpaper, Interior Design, ID, The Wall Street Journal, and other outlets, is also the author of Faraway Places, a newsletter about travel.
Milkshake, DMTV (Design Milk TV)’s first regular series, shakes up the traditional interview format by asking designers, creatives, educators and industry professionals to select interview questions at random from their favorite bowl or vessel. During their candid discussions, you’ll not only gain a peek into their personal homeware collections, but also valuable insights into their work, life and passions.
Photo: Sundance Institute.
PARK CITY, Utah – The non-profit Sundance Institute announced the largest endowment in its history, a $4 million endowment to the Institute’s Indigenous Program from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria (FIGR).
The endowment from the FIGR will provide support for indigenous artists from both federally and non-federally recognized California-based tribes.
Graton Rancheria is a federally recognized Indian tribe comprising Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo Indians. In December 2000, a bill that gave the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria its federal recognition back was passed into law. California’s Rohnert Park, in Sonoma County, is home to their tribal lands.
The donation will enable Sundance Institute to broaden the services already provided to artists through the Indigenous Program. The Indigenous Program is a crucial part of the Institute’s work and was formally launched in 1994, but it has been ingrained in the organization’s values since its founding in 1981, when Robert Redford invited Native American filmmakers to take part in the founding meetings of Sundance Institute and its first filmmaking lab.
Greg Sarris, the FIGR Tribal Chairman, who himself had participated in the Sundance Institute’s 1992 Screenwriters Lab, helped make the endowment contribution possible. The endowment will immediately establish a new fellowship that will offer crucial financial and creative support to beginning and mid-career Indigenous artists who have a project in development or production.
“As a nonprofit, the Institute is so grateful to Greg Sarris and the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria on this incredibly generous gift that will ensure we are able to continue meaningfully supporting the development of the careers of Indigenous storytellers from tribes throughout the state of California,” said Joana Vicente, CEO of the Sundance Institute. “It means a lot to us that so many Native talents will be provided a space to learn, connect, and create thanks to this substantial support, and we’re especially appreciative of Greg for giving back to the Sundance family he has belonged to for decades.”
Each Graton fellow will receive a $25,000 grant, a year of creative mentoring from Indigenous Program personnel, access to opportunities for professional and creative growth, and financial assistance to attend the Sundance Film Festival. Additionally, the donation will help Sundance Collab, the Sundance Institute’s online learning community for artists from all across the world to create scholarships.
The first round of fellowships and scholarships, which will be awarded in 2024, is now accepting applications through August 28, 2023.
“When I was a part of the Screenwriter’s Lab at Sundance in 1992, I witnessed firsthand the incredible support that the Institute provides to all artists, but Indigenous talent specifically,” said Greg Sarris, tribal chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. “We are excited to see the creative breakthroughs from future fellows and scholarship recipients. Supporting and nurturing these artists will open up pathways to success for the entire California Indigenous creative community and enable us to tell our stories.”
The Sundance Institute, which was founded by Robert Redford in 1981, has long been a curator of independent filmmakers and storytellers. The Institute’s signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally.
Interested applicants must be affiliated with a tribe within the state of California and can learn more here.
Collaboration blends legendary Chicago-based innovation with authentic Los Angeles art and car culture
ADDISON, Ill., June 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Renowned car care brand Turtle Wax has joined forces with internationally acclaimed artist and avid car enthusiast, Mister Cartoon, to combine their mutual love for cars, culture and design in a new collection of premium products: The Art of Car Care™ line. Specially formulated for automotive enthusiasts of all kinds, The Art of Car Care™ line is the culmination of a meticulous collaborative process between Turtle Wax engineers and Mister Cartoon. Together they created a range of interior and exterior solutions tailored to Mister Cartoon’s specifications for any and all drivers.
The Art of Car Care™ line is a fresh take on what car care traditionally looks like, balancing premium products that can enhance any vehicle with upscale artistic inspiration from the automotive and lowrider communities of Los Angeles, the epicenter of car culture and a place where Mister Cartoon is a long-time participant and key figure.
“Growing up in Los Angeles, I saw firsthand how cars truly become an extension of who you are, and presentation is everything when you pull up to a spot,” shares Mister Cartoon. “Keeping your car fresh and clean gives you confidence, and I saw an opportunity to team with Turtle Wax to emphasize how car care is an art that connects people on all levels.”
Each The Art of Car Care™ product features exclusive, eye-catching labels that were completely hand-drawn by Mister Cartoon in his trademark style. The collection as a whole underscores the idea that car care is a form of art, both inside and out, no matter the car or surface and allows any car enthusiast to view their car in the lens of a canvas.
“My passion for cars is what drives my art. When I was young, I started airbrushing street fantasy murals featuring cars as a way to get involved in the scene. Now I‘m able to build and paint my own custom cars, and my mural collection has been featured in art shows internationally. Each The Art of Car Care™ bottle should be thought of as a work of art in itself, and it‘s cool that these products will be in the hands of car heads across the country,” shares Mister Cartoon.
“Our new product line, made in partnership with Mister Cartoon, seamlessly blends cars, lifestyle and art in a way that’s unique, yet authentic, speaking to both Turtle Wax and Mister Cartoon’s roots in the automotive community,” said Daren Herbert, Chief Marketing Officer at Turtle Wax. “This is a true collaboration, and we couldn’t have thought of a better partner to share the rich history of the Los Angeles car scene, and Chicano culture, than Mister Cartoon.”
The Art of Car Care™ collection includes wash, wax and air care products. Seven wash and wax products will be available online starting June 14 at TurtleWax.com, MisterCartoon.com and OReillyAuto.com. The products will hit shelves at O’Reilly Auto Parts stores first, starting June 28.
Turtle Wax and Mister Cartoon are also taking automotive odor elimination to new grounds with a line of auto foggers that will be available at TurtleWax.com, MisterCartoon.com and OReillyAuto.com starting June 14, with in-store availability at O’Reilly Auto Parts starting June 28. The collection also includes a hanging air freshener, which is available now exclusively at AutoZone stores.
For more information about Turtle Wax, visit www.TurtleWax.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date with the latest and greatest from the brand. And, visit www.MisterCartoon.com and follow him on Instagram at @MisterCToons.
*Source: NPD RTS 12 months ending Dec. 2022.
About Turtle Wax
The Turtle Wax story started with the launch of the first-ever bottled car wax in 1944. More than 75 years later, the ‘Most Innovative Brand in Car Care’ is still capturing the attention of the auto appearance industry with a cross-category assortment of No. 1 selling products. With product distribution in more than 120 countries, the Turtle Wax brand resonates around the globe, but the brand’s heart remains in its hometown of Chicago, where award-winning innovation is developed to this day. Turtle Wax also believes in supporting the future generation of car detailers and provides training and educational opportunities through the established Healy Family Scholarship Program. For an inside look at the brand’s breakthrough product development process or how Turtle Wax supports car culture worldwide, visit TurtleWax.com.
About Mister Cartoon
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Mister CARTOON was immersed in art from an early age. He began his career as a graffiti artist before branching into murals, album covers, logos, and now most famously known for his tattoos. His richly detailed, hand-rendered designs pull much of their inspiration from the Los Angeles of CARTOON’s youth. CARTOON’s work has helped bridge the gap between those hardscrabble beginnings and the style’s current popularity. CARTOON has gained a worldwide following from his tattooing, with a clientele that includes the likes of Eminem, Travis Barker, Christina Aguilera, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Lewis Hamilton and Snoop Dogg. He’s attracted a diverse and devoted fan base for his work in other media as well. The result has been highly acclaimed gallery appearances and art shows in London, Paris, Tokyo, and beyond, as well as activations alongside global brands like Nike, Netflix, Apple, Louis Vuitton and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Service to the community has been an essential part of CARTOON’s career, where he is active in outreach programs, sharing his knowledge with young people and devoting time to many community-based initiatives.
Media Contact: Tim Klein, Zeno Group, [email protected]
SOURCE Turtle Wax
IBM 5150. All images © Miniatua, shared with permission
“I think it’s important to understand our roots, where the technology we use came from, and I believe these machines and the people who made them should be celebrated,” says Nicolas Temese, a.k.a. Miniatua. By day, the Montréal-based artist works as a technical director at an animation studio, and in his spare time, he tends to the exacting details of minuscule, vintage hard drives, floppy disks, and keyboards.
Temese has been fascinated by computers and science since childhood. “The first computer I ever played with was an 8-bit Atari 800XL,” he says, sharing that during the last ten years, his interest in engineering of early technology grew. He spends hours poring over manuals and documentation of retro models, fascinated by the inner workings and intent on being able to recreate every detail as faithfully as possible. “IBM had incredible, clean industrial design back then, with great aesthetic that still look amazing to this day,” he says.
Ranging from 1:10 to 1:16 scale, Temese’s editions are fashioned from polystyrene sheets that he delicately cuts and shapes before gluing and sanding the components and adding a coat of paint. For softer accessories like cushions, he uses polymer clay. “I recently started using resin printing to add details on some of my miniatures, but I have a few projects that I make entirely by hand,” he says. “Depending on the project or deadline it can take me a few months. The longest project I worked on was eight months.”
IBM 704
Many of Temese’s iterations are based on actual models that hit the market in the second half of the 20th century, from room-sized data processors like the IMB 704 to game-changing desktop versions like the IBM 5150. Introduced on August 12, 1981, the 5150 was the first widely available personal model, marking a paradigm shift in computing, business, and society as a whole. He also pays a lot of attention to lighting and documentation, mimicking the style of photography used in advertising during each machine’s respective era.
Temese recently embarked on his first fictional examples, creating a model of the WOPR, or War Operations Plan Response, from WarGames. The 1983 film follows the exploits of a high school-aged character named David Lightman, played by a young Matthew Broderick, who inadvertently hacks into a military central computer, thinking he has accessed a game, only to find himself enmeshed in escalating tensions between nations headed to a seemingly inevitable World War III.
“The WOPR was a challenge because of the electronics mostly,” Temese says. “I changed my approach a few time while building it, and the design of the electronics had to change a few times.” Recently, he created a scale model of David’s bedroom, where a phone, coding books, and other electronics complete with illuminated details flank a boxy setup.
Learn more about each piece and find many more images on Miniatua’s website and Instagram.
Detail of IBM 704
IBM 5150
IBM 704 Vanguard
IBM 1401
David’s Room from ‘WarGames’
Detail of David’s Room from ‘WarGames’
‘WarGames’ WOPR
Detail of ‘WarGames’ WOPR
HP 264X
HP 264X
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Miniatua Puts the Micro in Microchip in a Series of Remarkably Precise Miniature Computers appeared first on Colossal.
