Nary A Nipple In The New 'SFW' 2013 Pirelli Calendar. Here's A Look At The Models, The Photos and A Behind The Scenes Video.

For the first time since I began this blog five years ago, I can feature the Pirelli Calendar without having to tag the post NSFW.





For 39 years, the Pirelli Calendar has been known for it's risque and artful photos of female and male nudity (like the Sexy Greek Gods calendar from 2011). But this year, the calendar, shot in Rio by photojournalist Steve McCurry, includes images of fully clothed models, actresses and singers along with pictures of Brazil's art and culture. A departure from the past, McCurry wanted this year's calendar to focus on women active in charity and let their sexiness and beauty exude from within. In addition to the models, the calendar features several images of Brazil's people, art and culture.

The models in the 2013 Pirelli calendar.
Brazilian model Isabeli Fontana:

Brazilian model Adriana Lima:

Actress Sonia Braga:

Singer Marisa Monte:

Italian-egyptian actress Elisa Sednaoui:

Czech model Petra Nemcova:

Tunisian model Hanaa Ben Abdesslem:

Ethiopian model Liya Kebede:

American model Karlie Kloss:

American model Kyleigh Kuhn:

American model Summer Rayne Oakes:


The press has only released 6 images of the 34 thus far, But I've included several more shots in the form of stills from a video about 'the making of' for you:

Summer Rayne Oakes stands alluringly amongst the bamboo:

A pregnant and sexy Adriana Lima:

Brazilian actress Sonia Braga amidst the ruins:

Capoeira masters practicing their art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

A fruit seller at the market in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

Street art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:


Other shots from the calendar:













Steve Curry talks about shooting the calendar in the "Behind The Scenes" video below:


The 40th edition of the calendar includes 34 color photographs, including 23 portraits of actresses, singers and models, nine photographs depicting Rio de Janeiro’s everyday life, and two pictures of graffiti art and murals.

Adriana Lima, who was photographed while pregnant, is joined in the calendar by Elisa Sednaoui, Petra Nemcova, Isabeli Fontana, Sonia Braga, Liya Kebede and Karlie Kloss.

Launched in 1964, the Pirelli calendar has attracted some of the most famous photographers over the years, including Herb Ritts, Albert Watson, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Annie Liebovitz, Mario Testino, Mario Sorrenti, Karl Lagerfeld, Terry Richardson, Peter Beard and Patrick Demarchelier.

Wish you could see all the past Pirelli Calendars? there have been several books published of Pirelli's calendars over the years:

The Press Release:
There are 34 colorful images in the 2013 Pirelli Calendar, bound together in a calendar-book: 23 portraits of actresses and models, nine images depicting bits and pieces of daily life, and two pictures entirely composed of graffiti and murals. These represent an expression of popular artistic expression that attracted McCurry's attention with their ability to reflect the social aspects he was interpreting, and became the background in many photographs.

The Calendar features 11 models, actresses and singers: Brazilians Isabeli Fontana (who appeared in Bruce Weber's 2003 Pirelli Calendar, in Patrick Demarchelier's 2005 edition, in Peter Beard's of 2009, in Karl Lagerfeld's of 2011 and in Mario Sorrenti's of 2012) and Adriana Lima (also in Patrick Demarchelier's 2005 edition), actress Sonia Braga and singer Marisa Monte; Italian-egyptian actress Elisa Sednaoui, Czech model Petra Nemcova, Tunisian model Hanaa Ben Abdesslem, Ethiopian model Liya Kebede, and American models Karlie Kloss, Kyleigh Kuhn and Summer Rayne Oakes.

"I tried to portray Brazil, its landscape, its economy and its culture, along with the human element" said McCurry. "This was the story I wanted to tell through my lens. For me photography is an important expressive means to tell large and small stories of daily life." In the background, Rio is bustling with life, with its historic quarters like Lapa and Santa Teresa, its favelas, its bars and nightclubs, its markets, dance centers and gyms, its schools and bus stops. The city appears at its most authentic, very different from the usual stereotypes. "I walked a lot through the streets, looking at all these moments of daily life and taking lots and lots of pictures," said McCurry. "I look for the moment of passage, when the image reveals a bit of tension."

“I would say I am a street photographer doing ‘found situations.’ You can photograph nudes anywhere. But these models are clothed, and each of them has her own charity. They are purposeful and idealistic people. So I wanted to photograph them in a special place, and Rio was perfect for this,”

Presented in Rio de Janeiro at the "Pier Mauá", warehouses at the old port of the "Cidade Maravilhosa.

Other Links to Pirelli posts:

• Pirelli Makes More Than Tires: Pirelli Films, Calendars, Clothes & Watches
 
• Models As Sexy Greek Gods & Goddesses For The 2011 Pirelli Calendar - ALL 36 PICS (NSFW)

• The 15 Best 2009 Calendars: From Pentagram To Pirelli

Absolut Exposure Puts Model Lydia Hearst Shot by Johan Renck On 3 Bottles In A Unique Traveler’s Exclusive Limited Edition.

above: image of Lydia Hearst by Johan Renck, courtesy of her twitter feed

The press release:
A unique Traveler’s Exclusive limited edition flavor celebrating the arts of photography and illusion, in creative collaboration with visionary artist Johan Renck.

On the eve of 22 October it was introduced for the first time at a glamorous sneak preview cocktail at Restaurant New York New York in Cannes — ABSOLUT EXPOSURE, the new eagerly anticipated and sensational Traveler’s Exclusive limited edition flavor from the world’s leading premium vodka brand.



ABSOLUT has pioneered the market with its previous Traveler’s Exclusive limited edition launches. ABSOLUT EXPOSURE crosses new boundaries. A new-generation flavor crafted with honey melon and lemongrass, ABSOLUT EXPOSURE is presented in a bottle with an innovative and groundbreaking technique of incorporating photography — for the first time — in bottle printing, with stunning result.



”We’re thrilled about the ABSOLUT EXPOSURE launch,” says Anders Olsson, Director of The Absolut Company Global Travel Retail. ”Both the product itself, the packaging and the campaign represents some of our core brand values — premiumness, innovation and cutting edge creativity. For a frontline brand as ABSOLUT, it’s all about constantly pushing boundaries. This launch is also yet another tribute to the brand building qualities of our global duty free/travel retail market and a proud successor of our previous groundbreaking Traveler’s Exclusive launches.”

Visionary Swedish director, photographer and artist Johan Renck has photographed actress and supermodel Lydia Hearst guised in a number of different ”personas”. Three of these characters — called Carter, Trojan and Dimitty — were selected to illustrate the multifaceted nature of every individual, adding diversity to the product offer as well as an intriguing illusory effect to store displays. By purchasing all three bottles, the consumer acquires an instant ABSOLUT limited edition collection. In addition to the images of Lydia Hearst, the bottle décor also features a bowler hat (a trademark of Johan Renck) and hands ”holding” the image, symbolizing the dual role of the artist — powerful in presence yet invisible in the work of art itself.


above: Instagram image courtesy of Lydia Hearst (that's Johan Renck with the bowler on)

”That’s the complex and schizophrenic nature of the photographic medium — being the observer, a voyeur, yet ultimately commanding the position of deciding what reality or perception of reality to project,” says Johan Renck.

ABSOLUT EXPOSURE will be launched throughout the global duty free/travel retail market in January 2013. ABSOLUT EXPOSURE will be supported by a powerful and innovative marketing campaign in all available media, including unique in-store brand installations.

Throw Pillows Handmade From Your Instagram Photos - Stitchtagram.

Instagram, the free photo sharing app that lets you transform your images with various filters, has been all over the news lately given Facebook has purchased the popular app for $1 billion dollars.

That said, it's no wonder various creative folks will be coming up with ways to turn those images into keepsakes and products. Stitchtagram is one of the first of those concepts.




With Stitchtagram, your Instagram photos are digitally printed on a 15" square linen-cotton canvas pillow, hand sewn in Washington, DC.




The 15 inch pillows come complete with a soft and fluffy removable insert and a dark navy back with an envelope-style closure.




You can design your own layout using as many or as few images as you wish on their site, but beware, they are very pricey. (note: Those with computer and design skills could simply make their own montage on Photoshop and upload their images to Zazzle, Cafe Press or many other sites that offer pillows for a far lower price - only they won't be bleed images and the colors of the backing fabric are usually limited to black.)




Whose behind Stitchagram?
Stitchtagram is the brainchild of brother/sister team Doug and Rachel Pfeffer.

Doug Pfeffer makes stuff on the internet, including this. Find him on Twitter at @pfeffunit, or see more of his work here.

Rachel is the jeweler behind Rachel Pfeffer Designs. When she's not designing/packing/shipping/carting around pillows and fabric, she's soldering in her DC apartment.

All of Stitchtagram's products are sewn and assembled in Washington, DC and the internet bits have been hand crafted in Boston, MA.

For the next 20 hours (from the time this post was written), discounted coupons for either two or one Stitchtagram pillow are available from Fab with my invite link: http://fab.com/y06r4g 



Start designing your pillows at Stitchtagram here.

Photo District News' 30 New and Emerging Photographers To Watch In 2012.

above photo by Lauren Hermele, one of PDN's 30 New and Emerging Photographers to Watch

Each year, the respected photography publication, Photo District News, chooses 30 up and coming photographers to showcase.

We chose to profile these 30 “photographers to watch” based largely on the photographs they submitted to us way back in October 2011. As we learn each year, though, the striking, intriguing and delightful images these women and men produce are the end product of a ton of effort.

It may seem vulgar to some to talk about business while celebrating creative work, but it’s useful to consider that each of these photographers is also an entrepreneur. And as entrepreneurs do, they produce their work by taking substantial risks—personal, financial, creative and otherwise. Chloe Dewe Mathews hitchhiked from China to England in search of ideas. Markel Redondo traveled with migrant workers from Honduras to the U.S. Peter DiCampo worked by flashlight for three years in Ghana and elsewhere. Ryan Pfluger and AnaStasia Rudenko challenged themselves to photograph difficult family relationships. Peter Ash Lee published a magazine. Mark Fisher regularly hangs out of a helicopter.

In addition to taking risks, these photographer-entrepreneurs find the funding they need to act on ideas. They are disciplined in their approaches. They create markets for their work through persistence, rather than letting the market dictate what they do. They seek out advice, take criticism on-board, and learn all they can from teachers, mentors and peers, with whom they collaborate openly. They value their relationships with their clients, and they are a delight to work with.

While you look at, take in and enjoy the photography in the following pages and read about these intrepid entrepreneurs, keep in mind what it takes to open a successful small business in today’s economy. As Mustafah Abdulaziz notes: “Talent only gets you so far.” —Conor Risch

Below are their picks for The 30 New and Emerging Photographers to Watch in 2012 (shown alphabetically by first name) and one example of each of their work:

AnaStasia Rudenko:

Andrea Gjestvang:

Chloe Dewe Mathews:

Christopher Testani:

Daniel Shea:

Dominic Bracco II:

Eliot Dudik:

Ilvy Njiokiktjien:

Ingalls Photography:

Jake Stange:

Jenn Ackerman:

Juco:

Kyle Alexander:

LaToya Ruby Frazie:

Lauren Hermele:

Mark Fisher:

Mark Hartman:

Mark Mahaney:

Markel Redondo:

Meiko Takechi Arquillos:

Michele Borzoni:

Misha Friedman:

Mustafah Abdulaziz:

Peter Ash Lee:

Peter DiCampo:

Ryan Pfluger:

Sam Kaplan:

Sarah Elliott:

Sebastian Liste:

Yasu + Junko:



PDN thanks Sony, Adobe and Canson for their support of the PDN's 30 issue and educational programs. American Society of Media Photographers has given a one-year merit membership to each of this year’s 30. The editors would also like to thank all the people who nominated photographers for the 2012 PDN's 30.

To see complete bios and contact information for the 30 photographers shown here, check out the gallery here.