Maddie The Coonhound Is Finally Bound And The Book Is Out.

I first introduced you to the talented balancing Coonhound named Maddie and her owner/photographer Theron Humphrey a ways back with 33 fabulous images.  In that post I said the photos were begging to be a book and knew it would not be long before Maddie was atop shelves in bookstores as well as atop various items and objects.



Maddie is a sweet-tempered dog who has accompanied her owner, Theron, on a yearlong, cross-country trip while he worked on a photojournalism project. In his spare time, Theron took photos of Maddie doing what she does best: standing on things.



From bicycles to giant watermelons to horses to people, there really isn't anything that Maddie won't stand on with grace and patience.



The beautifully photographed and compelling images of Maddie are now bound into a hardcover book. The poignant Instagram photos of this beautiful dog and her offbeat poses have captured the imagination of all those who long for a road trip with a good dog for company. Maddie on Things celebrates the strange talent of one special dog and will resonate with any dog lover who appreciates the quirky hearts (and extraordinary balance) of canines.




Buy Maddie on Things: A Super Serious Project About Dogs and Physics.

“New Fashion Photography” Book From Prestel Launches With Exhibit.

The latest fashion tome from publisher Prestel, “New Fashion Photography,” had a living launch on the walls of Berlin’s CONTRIBUTED Gallery on April 12th. The gallery is displaying the best images as limited edition art works until May 18.


above: An image from Yasunara Kikuma featured in "New Fashion Photography"

The 21st century has brought about seismic changes in photography, technology, fashion, and art. At the nexus of these exciting movements is a group of fashion photographers who are breaking ground in a variety of ways, including cultural referencing, digital imaging, photo manipulation, and the use of new media. The stunningly illustrated book "New Fashion Photography" profiles 28 artists from around the world. New fashion portraiture is challenging conventional ideas of beauty by confronting us with the unexpected. The photographers explore new avenues previously off-limits, opening the art of fashion photography to thrilling possibilities.



The book, which was edited by Paul Sloman and Tim Blanks, includes images from the following photographers:
Nick Knight, Miles Aldridge, Rankin, Markus + Indrani, René Habermacher, Ruven Afanador, Chadwick Tyler, Yelena Yemchuk, Paola Kudacki, Aram Bedrossian, Daniel Sannwald, Sofia Sanchez and Mauro Mongiello, Sean + Seng, LaRoache Brothers, Alice Hawkins, Kourtney Roy, Eugenio Recuenco, Wing Shya, Bruno Dayan, Paco Peregrín, Takahiro Ogawa, Pierre Debusschere, Catherine Servel, Serge Leblon, Daniel Jackson, Sean Ellis, Daniele & Iango, Yasunari Kikuma.

All in all, more than 30 photographers are featured in a selection Sloman calls “hierarchy-free.”


above: Wing Shya is known for his work with filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai.

“The book is an exciting combination of big-name heavy-hitters that many people will recognize and a younger wave of experimental photographers who have been either inspired or nurtured by them,” said Sloman, who wasn’t in Berlin for the event.


above: An image from Takahiro Ogawa that appears in Prestel's "New Fashion Photography" book.

Famous faces include Daphne Guinness, Lady Gaga and Lana Del Rey, and a host of models like Iris Strubegger, Liya Kebede and Carolyn Murphy.


above: A photo from Sanchez and Mongielle that appears in Prestel's "New Fashion Photography" book.

“High-end fashion photography in the 21st century is creating amazing escapist worlds, but at the same time these images go very much to the heart of the way we think about ourselves,” Sloman commented.


above: Lily Cole photographed by the LaRoache Brothers.


above: An image from Kourtney Roy that appears in Prestel's "New Fashion Photography" book.


above: A photo from Spanish photographer Eugenio Recueno that appears in Prestel's "New Fashion Photography" book.


above: Newcomer Aram Bedrossian has only been shooting for a couple of years but has earned inclusion in Prestel's "New Fashion Photography" book.

The 224-page hardcover book sells for 34.95 euros in Germany and will sell for $49.99 in the U.S. But, Amazon has it available to pre-order for only $29.81

Not Just Sloths, Baby Sloths! I Hope Kristen Bell Has Some Kleenex. A New Book By Lucy Cooke.

Kristen Bell can start crying again*. National Geographic explorer, writer, filmmaker and zoologist Lucy Cooke's first book, A Little Book of Sloth, is out next month and features tons of adorable and silly photos of baby sloths.






above photos and video screen grabs courtesy of Lucy Cooke

The 64 page hardcover book (also available as a digital e-book) contains tons of crazy cute photographs by Lucy Cooke and a percentage of the book's sales will go toward sloth conservation. The book, available to pre-order now is expected to ship on or around March 5, 2013.

Here are a few sample spreads from the book:





Lucy Cooke and sloth:


So why sloths?
Below was the video that started it all off. Filmed at the world's only sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica it has now become a cult hit, has been tweeted by Ricky Gervaise, Ashton Kutcher, Stephen Fry and *obsessed over by Kristen Bell. You can catch the full length, award-wining 'Meet the Sloths' documentary on Animal Planet in the US and UK.


Music: "Scrapping and Yelling" by Mark Mothersbaugh from "The Royal Tenenbaum's" movie soundtrack.




If you too love sloths, check out Slothville, Lucy's headquarters for all things sloth.

images courtesy of Lucy Cooke, Slothville and Simon and Schuster