Photography by Eliot Shepard, Lookers series.

The wonderful thing about the internet is the enormous amount of information one can find nowadays. Gallery hopping is not just something you can only do in NYC, Toronto, Chicago, or wherever white walls are, it is easily a click away. I use online photographic galleries for inspiration when I’m snowbound in Syracuse during the school year or even on rainy days in the city. I’ve compiled a list of some photographic “magazines”/”galleries” that I frequent.

Jen Bekman Represented Artists Page is a fabulous place to start. Each artist shows samples of their work plus statements and bios. Even if you’re in Hong Kong, you can check out the site to see new and emerging artists right from the gallery.

Photography by Christine Callahan.

Group Show is a monthly online gallery featuring of new work in photography. Our own, Christine Callahan is one of the artists featured in their June Group Show.

Mooncruise is a great website. The navigation is easy since it’s flash-based. It compiled a range of different photographers, from students to established.

File Magazine is more of a museum w/ multiple solo exhibits! Right now there’s an interesting collection of work focused on air conditions in Philly by Bruce Grant.

Look at Me is a site that features a collection of found images. It’s like looking through old photographs at a flea market. Great inspiration to making work about family portraits.

AK47 is a bi-monthly magazine that features fine art and documentary photographers. They have a great set of images from our own, Eliot Shepard call “Lookers.”

Blir is for emerging artists of all kind. Small curated shows featuring photographers, painters, and illustrators.

If there are other noteworthy websites, please leave a comment or drop me an email at jane@jenbekman.com

One of the disadvantages of photography is the weight and bulkiness of equipment. I’m a petite girl and do not have much patience to carry tripods with large format cameras. Mobility is key for me! This is where Kipp Wettstein, former artist that exhibited in one of our infamous Pin-Up shows awhile back, steps in.

In the May issue of American Photo Magazine, writer Jay DeFoore, interviews Wettstein on his process in creating a portable 4×5 film camera. The traditional large format cameras require a lot to set up, with a tripod, film holders, focusing, etc. Wettstein explains his design:

“The beauty of the design is that it is built around the elegant form of the image cone produced by the lens. Not only does this design yield an attractive camera but it is extremely accurate. The lens and film planes have a parallel accuracy within the fractions of a millimeter. The designs have no perspective-controlling movements. They are small, lightweight and extremely accurate.”

He has a great 360 degree view of the camera as well. This is not something you can create in any basement. Wettstein estimates the cost of producing one camera can range from $5000 to $12,000. As all my photo professors have said, “If you’re thinking of entering into photography, money should never be a problem. Pretend you’re rich.” As much as I would like to have that mentality, I’ll stick to my 35mm for now. Or if you want to feel like you’re carrying nothing at all, make yourself a paper pinhole camera!