Lewis Hine: The Littlest Laborers

This week saw many countries commemorate International Workers Day. While many labor groups use this day to advocate for improvements to their present working condition, this day should also be used to celebrate how much has improved for workers all over the world. These improvements are quite striking when you see the historic photographs of child labor as captured by the legendary photographer Lewis Hine.

Jumping Off a Cliff... into Space

Staying with the space related theme from the previous article, today's post ventures a little bit past Earth's atmosphere to show you the first NASA spacewalk.

Earth, the Final Frontier

The last few weeks have seen many  astronomy related anniversaries and planned upcoming missions, so it's only fitting that this blog should also feature a series of photographs about space. With the recent celebration of Earth Day, the first post in this series should somehow tie all of these themes together with an amazing image. The above photograph of Earth from Mars is such an image.

Luis Fabini and the Real Marlboro Men

It's time to wrap up the Marlboro Man theme of this week from the previous two posts by featuring the real cowboys of America. Luis Fabini's Horsemen of the Americas series documents the lives of stockmen not only in the US and Canada, but also throughout the rest of the American continent.

Luis Sinco and The Other Marlboro Man

Picking up from the subject of the Marlboro Man from the previous post, today's story features the image of the other Marlboro Man, sometimes known as the Marlboro Marine.

Leonard McCombe and The Marlboro Man

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Leonard McCombe's image that inspired the Marlboro Man campaign is worth over $15 billion.

The West Wing: Obama's White House

 

What is it like to be the US President? Despite lingering and divided reactions to last week's speech on the US involvement in Libya and concerns of a government shutdown this week, President Barack Obama quietly launched his 2012 re-election campaign a few days ago, tying in neatly with the last post's theme on the Obama Hope poster.

The Poster Boy

The Barack Obama Hope Poster has inspired countless discussions, imitations and controversies since its inception in 2008. Created by graphic artist Shepard Fairey, the minimalistic blue, red and beige stencil outlines of then US presidential candidate Barack Obama became the proverbial poster boy image for change during the 2008 election season.

The Crash

This was already posted on the Random Internet blog a few weeks ago, but it's such an amazing photo that I had to reblog it here. 

Steve McCurry: Life in Color

From Henri Cartier-Bresson and Annie Leibovitz, we continue this blog's series of noteworthy photographers, this time with photojournalist Steve McCurry and his works of vibrant color photographs.

The Land of the Rising Sun

It's been two weeks since the major earthquake in Japan, and now we are getting reports of an earthquake that yesterday hit Myanmar, China, Thailand and Laos. With so much focus on the devastation, I think it would make for a nice change of pace to shift our attention instead towards the timeless beauty of one of those nations, the Land of the Rising Sun.

The Greatest

Borrowing from the Iconic Photos Blog and in keeping with the theme from the previous week's image, this week also features something that has to do with sports. The historic photograph above was taken by Neil Leifer and shows the great Muhammad Ali standing over a knocked down Sonny Liston during their second fight for the WBA/WBC Heavyweight Championship held on May 25, 1965 in the city of Lewiston, Maine.

Iconic Photos Blog

While this blog is meant to feature the newest and best images and gear in the world of photography, it will also celebrate old photographs that have either captured the most influential moments in the history of the world, or have inspired different groups, countries and governments into significant and often times radical change.

The Calm

Just a quick update on the recent earthquake in Japan. While I mentioned in my previous post that I wouldn't be posting pictures of what happened, I happened across this New York Times post with a before and after comparison of some of the affected areas. The images are just amazing and I felt compelled to share them with you.

Rebuild and Regrow

I had actually prepared a different post for today, but in light of recent events I decided to devote this space to yesterday's catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in Sendai, Japan. Barely three weeks after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the world once again bears witness to the destructive power of nature. Rescue efforts are underway, but there is still the possibility of repercussions around the Pacific Rim.

Instead of featuring more images of the tsunami and its devastating effect on the Japanese people, I chose to highlight a picture that reflects the beauty of the country, as well as the hope I have for the survivors (I borrowed the above photo from Flickr user momoyama).

Henri Cartier-Bresson: 'Nuff Said

Everyone who currently owns a DSLR or is thinking about pursuing photography as a hobby or profession should already know who Henri Cartier-Bresson is. This post won't be a 1,500 essay on the early life of HCB as there are plenty of those elsewhere. This is merely a reminder for those who may have forgotten about the man and his legacy...