Welcome to Michael’s blog. Michael Andrew, (aka Michael The Maven) is a freelance
producer, photography instructor, tech innovator, and when needed, disaster aid
specialist. Disclaimer: Michael is a participant in Bhphoto & Amazon affiliate programs
that provides an advertising commission if you purchase through links on this website.
Digital Artist and photographer Martin De Pasquale has a series of pretty awesome self-portraits. His images are imaginative and surreal. They could never exist in reality so he carefully crafts and meticulously retouches them Photoshop. In the video below Martin gives us a special sneak peek at the work he does in post processing. Check it out and and don’t forget to check out his portfolio here. [Source]
A social experiment has gone viral on the internet. It can be found on photography websites, feminist websites, even site like Bored Panda and Pulptatsic. A young journalist from the US named Esther Honig submitted a plain makeup-less portrait of herself and the idea was to have retouchers from around the globe Photoshop her face to their country’s beauty standards.
While it sounds interesting and otherwise should have been, the retouching work is SO BAD in some of the images, it almost seems like a joke. While some people seem fascinated by it I can’t really take it seriously because it looks like a grade school kid did it.
Obvious and severe makeup was added. In some images the skin was soften so much she looks like a cartoon. The retoucher from the US actually skewed her face to the point that she barely looks human. The jewelry added is just horrible.
You can check out some of the images below, see for yourself, come up with your own opinions. If you’d like to see them all (not all of them are horrible) you can check them out here. 
Esther Before Photoshop
The United States
Chile (note the necklace)
Argentina
I have featured the work of photographer Erik Johansson on the blog before here. Yesterday I came across this great video Erik made. It walks the viewer through his workflow/process from beginning concept sketches to the final image. It’s a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at his photograph “Landfall”. Much of his work leaves you wondering “How’d he do that?” In this video, he’ll show you just that. Check it out below. [Source]
Distractify has shared 40 images they’re calling the “Most Breathtaking Abandoned Places in the World”. These images all share an eerie glimpse into what our planet might look like after humans are gone. The combination of deteriorating architecture and structures with overgrown plants and vegetation lend a quiet surrealism to these locations. Although they’re indeed creepy they also have a air of mystery and beauty that’s undeniable.
You can check out some of the images below. If you’d like to see all 40 of the images you can check them out here. 
Chris Weston is a wildlife photographer that was working in Alaska’s Katmai Peninsula. This was his brand new GoPro’s first outing. He was getting some interesting video of a massive 500 lb grizzly bear doing some fishing. There were some nice shots of the bear moving underwater. Then the unexpected happened.
The curious bear became very interested in the strange looking object. Soon enough the bear began chomping on the camera. Amazingly the resilient piece of equipment survived the bears powerful jaws and the rare footage inside his mouth was saved.
It a really short but cool watch. You can check out it below. If you want to learn more about Chris, the safaris and workshops he offers, and see some of his images please click here.
