We’ve always enjoyed dance, and the graceful way dancers can move and pose their bodies—holding their arms or legs just so—is beautiful to behold. But dancers can also do amazing, athletic feats as a result of their years of training. Dancers Among Us is an ongoing project by New York photographer Jordan Matter which captures those ideas and exaggerates them by placing these artists/athletes in ordinary situations doing extraordinary things. He photographs these amazing movers in everyday or even iconic situations, but instead of fitting in, they stand out in stark contrast to their surroundings and remind us how truly talented they are. As in the image above, there’s even a bit of humor, poking fun at some New York institutions. Check out many more photos in his gallery.

Dancers Among Us

We’re not sure where to begin with this amazing story.

In 2007, 20-something real estate agent John Maloof bought several boxes of negatives at an auction. What he discovered is a trove of hundreds of thousands of negatives (including 20-30,000 undeveloped rolls of film) by Vivian Maier. After moving from France in the early 30s, Maier worked in New York and eventually ended up in Chicago; not as a photographer, but as a nanny to several families on Chicago’s North Shore. When she wasn’t working, Vivian went everywhere with a camera around her neck and may have been the most accomplished (and completely unknown) street photographer of the mid-twentieth century.

We won’t go any further with the details (Maloof is still trying to find some of them himself). But do yourself a favor and check out the blog where Maloof is posting about the process, as well as many of Maier’s photos. We’ve spent a lot of time working with photos and photographers, and these are some of the best images we’ve ever seen, even from famous professionals. We’ve posted a few of our favorites after the jump. Also check out the YouTube video of a Chicago Tonight story about the story.

Vivian Maier – Her Discovered Work

YouTube – Vivian Maier, Chicago Tonight

Chema Madoz is a Spanish photographer whose work we thought we stumbled across today. However, after finding out more about him we realized we’d picked up a postcard for our collection featuring one of his photographs many years ago and it’s been hanging in our office for three years now. Mr. Madoz creates beautiful black-and-white images that you can look at for hours. None of them are digitally manipulated to created the effects, and several are simple ideas well-executed that make you smile. As stylists we sometimes forget how re-thinking and re-imagining a problem can create amazing results. But that’s one of our favorite parts about the job. It’s practically magic.

Chema Madoz (Web site in Spanish) [via Gizmodo]

We came across this photo on Scouting New York and wanted to post it. It’s a “ghost sign” or a sign for a business that no longer exists. It has great atmosphere with the old building behind and then the style of the letters with that touch of rust…add the snow on top of it and wow, instantly transported. Just thought we’d share.

Scouting New York (today’s post is about another ghost sign, but we liked this photo best.)

In honor of spring springing on Saturday, we present a couple of images from artist Levi van Veluw’s ‘Landscapes’ series. Levi van Veluw is an artist with a unique perspective. Don’t call his work self-portraits. His photographs of his body covered in various materials are works of art in themselves. The entire process is self-made, from the application of ink, makeup, miniatures, etc. to the final photograph. The ‘Landscapes’ are some of our favorites for their sheer whimsy, but check out his other series, including the bored-in-study-hall-esque ‘Ballpoints’ to the surreal ‘Material Transfers’ to the creepy but beautiful ‘Veneer [Part I]‘.

Levi van Veluw

We’ve never been to Japan. But we came across these images from the 1880s by Italian photographer Adolfo Farsari and we were amazed. Farsari was one of very few if any Europeans allowed access to the Japanese interior in the 1800s. He shot numerous photos (painstakingly hand-tinted) of rural life. The images are astounding and remind us of how completely different and foreign Japan must have been to Westerners when they first saw these pictures. The places and people seem mythical and fantastical…right out of a storybook of fantastic other-worldly kingdoms. Farsari’s images even inspired other artists and certainly exposed the rest of the world to the beauty of traditional Japan. Read more about Farsari and see more of his splendid images at Quazen, we’re sure you’ll be inspired.

Adolfo Farsari – The Man Who Shot Old Japan (via Neatorama)

In his series “Primates” French photographer Ruben Brulat reminds us that, in relation to nature, humans are just another type of animal. Brulat photographs himself nude in vast landscapes devoid of other human constructs to emphasize our frailty and our often-forgotten symbiosis with the planet. The results are beautiful and striking. Also check out his other series “Immaculate” where Brulat explores a similar but opposite relationship to the built environment.

Primates by Ruben Brulat (via WebUrbanist)

Inspiration comes in all forms, non? We don’t remember how or when we first came across artist Terry Border’s Bent Objects, but we’re a big fan. Terry takes mundane objects and gives them new life with bits of wire and clever sets, styling, and stories. His images are beautifully photographed and typically (and sometimes twistedly) hilarious. (See above.) We love the humor and the detail in Bent Objects, but we really enjoy his re-imagining of everyday objects. Just like the zombie peanuts above, we’d love to see your brain, Terry.

Be sure to check out Terry’s video from his presentation at the 2008 Gel conference where he spoke about his beginnings as a commercial photographer and the evolution of Bent Objects. Oh, and he’d probably like it if you bought his book.

Bent Objects

For those of us in Texas, the above photo would be cause for alarm, or if we weren’t actually fleeing from destruction, a moment of awe for nature’s power. But actually, it’s even more amazing than that. Artist Matthew Albanese creates tiny detailed models from various materials. Through the use of various photographic techniques and lighting skill he transform these models into powerful and sometimes otherworldly images. The above image was made out of steel wool, cotton, ground parsley and moss.

Check out the link below for an amazingly lifelike volcano, a print of which is available for sale at the Daniel Cooney Gallery in New York.

Strange Worlds by Matthew Albanese (via Neatorama)

It’s no surprise we’re fond of food around here. Sometimes we even like to make it. (This weekend we made a batch of our famous cookies!) Maybe it’s just because we’re hungry, but while trying to figure out what to post today we remembered one of our favorite food sites, Smitten Kitchen. Not only does blogger Deb Perelman whip up fabulous things from her tiny (42 sqft!) New York kitchen, she also takes gorgeous photos of the process and results. We’ve long been fans of the simple yet entirely enticing images she posts with every recipe. (In all honesty, sometimes we just look at the pictures and drool. But we promise the information is fabulous as well!)

Check it out. Maybe you’ll find something to inspire a color palette, a design, a photo shoot, or a dinner party!

Smitten Kitchen