shutter to think

fashion week~São Paulo~summer2013/14

In march I photographed the SP's fashion week - what can i say about it...trying to make art in a very controled environment...with no deadline. licensing images are thru reduxstock. and the rest can be seen in my archive.

favela mma - RJ

Caught wind of a cool community event last saturday in Rocinha, a community, otherwise known as a favela, in zona sul of rio de janeiro. Favela Kombat MMA is a mixed-martial event bringing contending semi-professional fighters from Rio's favelas into the octagon, some for the first time. The first tournament was held in Rocinha, on Saturday, March 9, 2013. The community paid in food donations, affording access for fans to watch an organized mixed-martial arts event, and for many their first time seeing a live octagon fight.

Carnival begins!

Today is the first day of Carnival in Brazil...Every year each samba school choose their song, compose the lyrics and choreograph their dance. About 2-3 weeks before Carnival, the samba schools bring their rehearsal party (bloco) to the streets in their neighrborhood. I'm rooting for Portela Samba School, because it was my first bloco to attend and photograph...click on the link to check out their song.

Brief history: The first escolas de samba formed was Mangueira, in 1928. Soon theme songs, elaborate costumes, and floats became the main attraction of Rio Carnival. Many other teams from different communities in the Rio neighborhood followed Mangueira’s footsteps and formed samba schools to take part in the Carnival. Samba parades soon became the most popular event in Rio with the organizers being forced to set a time limit for each team in 1971.

The streets of Rio remained the main stage for the Carnival until 1984, when the Sambadrome was built by world famous architect, Oscar Niemeyer. Many of the current samba schools have their roots in the original schools of the 20’s and 30’s. 

Semana Santa, Antigua

I spent a week with friends in Antigua celebrating Semana Santa traditionally by making alfombras, or colorful carpets used for the processions. It was a delight to be a part of a creative group. I didn't really intend on photographing Semana Santa, because here in Antigua its quite touristy, although the processions are pretty amazing. I had first thought that I was going to make some travel images for stock, but found myself just taking a break from shooting. But it was until that Friday that suddenly things came together. Here's a slideshow of some images from that day.

You can also catch my snaps on my tumblr: http://liannemilton.tumblr.com/

Destination: Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala - Images by Lianne Milton

the devilettes

A few months ago I photographed a friend's dance troupe in San Francisco, the Devilettes, during one of their last shows of the year...it was something i had been meaning to photograph for awhile and finally got around to doing it...and what fun! Shooting small events or mini projects is a good way to give myself a break from "the work," to shoot and wander freely without thinking of the storyline. Now i want to go back and shoot more! Thanks Melissa, and the Devilettes, for having me there!! {music by Link Wray: Ace of Spades}

When two worlds collide

Over Labor Day weekend, this city gal found herself immersed in a quaint village in the middle of Wisconsin. This time I wasn't on assignment. I was hired by a colleague, who otherwise assigns me stories for NPR, to photograph her wedding. Honored and touched, this moment also terrified me: I'm photographing my picture editor's wedding! As soon as I touched ground, met all their closest relatives and friends, I soon enough felt like I was part of their extended family. Here is a colorful snapshot of mixed iphone and hasselblad images from Ephraim, Wisconsin.

Thank you Coburn and Brad, and your families and closest friends, for a memorable time and having me document one of the most celerbated days of your lives....

listening...

Last night, I headed out with a friend and fellow photographer, Annie Tritt, to an interesting event called The UnObserved, an online radio magazine, which in collaboration with the Guardian UK, launched their first sound series. It showcases "innovative and thought-provoking audio pieces, with an emphasis on works that examine the more uncommon facets of art, culture, and daily life". Naturally I was curious, because as compelling written stories are visual, so too is radio. And being a photographer, with a curiousity to see, decided to check out their launch party and listening event. it was, as you would expect, a room full of folks listening to very interesting selected works of sound, such as hearing chuckles of the Dali Lama during an interview (that made us all smile).