CasaSugar

Cool Idea: National Geographic Home Collection

CasaSugar — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:00:00 -0700

Palecek established the National Geographic Home Collection to celebrate authentic designs of artisan traditions and their countries of origin. What's even better is that net proceeds from the National Geographic Home Collection go to the World Cultures Fund, created to support the work of archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, and artists. Again, awesome.

Even though I definitely think that this collection is a cool idea, the styling for this photo is a little over the top. Although I realize that the intent was to highlight as many of the collection's products as possible, the overall effect is a jumbled, world-traveler-with-no-editing-ability mess. Am I just being harsh, or do you, too, find the overall effect a little unsettling?

Roundup: Map Skills

CasaSugar — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:00:51 -0700

Even if you served your time in geography class years (or decades!) ago, there's no reason to let your map skills get rusty. While I'm a big fan of the Ork Neighborhood Posters, there are plenty of other ways to get your map on around the house. Take for instance this cool Uganda Painting from Etsy seller noahwoods. Created for National Geographic Traveler magazine, this piece will add vibrant color to any wall in your home.

To see how you can add map skills to your bathroom, living room, or kitchen, read more.

Photographer to Watch: Brent Stirton

CasaSugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:00:27 -0700

Remember this cover? Well, it turns out the photographer who (off-the-record) shot Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's twins, resulting in one of People's highest-selling issues ever, and who also shot the first images of Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, captures more than celebrity babies. Brent Stirton is an accomplished photojournalist and a senior staff photographer for the assignment division of stock photography company Getty Images, New York. Just last week, Stirton won a highly coveted award, the 2008 Visa d'Or Award for Feature Photography, for his series on the slaughter of gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which pales in comparison to the wealth of other awards he has received. His photojournalism work is heartwrenchingly beautiful, sometimes haunting, horrifying, and perhaps NSFW. At the same time, the images are quite important to see, as he brings to light crucial topics like sustainability, the environment, HIV, and an array of devastating political issues. To hear more about Stirton, see some of his photos, and see a video where he talks about his work and his thoughts surrounding celebrity photography, read more.

Stirton's work has been published by National Geographic Magazine, National Geographic Adventure, The Discovery Channel, Newsweek, The New York Times Magazine, The London Sunday Times Magazine, Le Express, Le Monde 2, GQ, Geo, Stern, CNN. Stirton travels an average of 10 months of the year on assignment, and actually also writes a blog for the Discovery Channel which regularly features pictures and stories from his travels.

Stirton's celebrity shoots are actually done anonymously and credited only to Getty Images, and Getty Images has only credited him on the record for the 2006 Jolie-Pitt baby shoot, not the 2008 shoot. In an interview with Photo District News, when asked whether he shot the 2008 photos, Stirton dodged the bullet with a "no comment." But he alluded that the answer was yes, and went on to say that he knows Angelina from his work in Sierra Leone, and that she gave him an award for his AIDS work.

Here's a teaser, but be sure to check out Stirton's website for his extensive portfolio.

View 21 Photos ›

Source and Source

official New York City subway map shower curtain - $35.00	Midtown Rug - $299.00
Exploration Placemats - $31.50	Pillow World Map - $110.00
San Francisco Travel Map Towel Set of 2 - $15.98	City of Venice Triptych - $349.00
New York City Map Print - $695.00	Aaron Foster Wall Art - License Plate Map - $129.99
Wisconsin State Map - $249.00	Paris Maps - $275.00
Mint Table Globe - $295.00	Map Drum Lamp Shade - $29.00