For generations, our culture has been fascinated with robots. Perhaps it is because of the ability to project our own ideals onto that of a man-made creature that takes on a life of its own. Or maybe it is because we can make up for our own insecurities in life by creating a more “perfect” albeit “artificially intelligent” being.

The Jetsons/Hannah Barbera

Hal 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey/Metro Goldwyn Mayer

Tron/Walt Disney

Robocop/Orion Pictures

AI/Dreamworks SKG

IronMan/Marvel Entertainment

Wall-E/Walt Disney/Pixar

Lovable and benevolent helpers such as Rosie from The Jetsons, evil doers such as Hal 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey, the mainframe computer from Tron, benevolent crime fighters such as Robocop and Ironman and the super cute child-like AI and Wall-E are just a very few of the many robots ingrained in our sci-fi and cultural histories. There is no denying that these machines have an impact on our shared visual landscape as archetypes that we all have ingrained in our minds.

And improve your French ! France, land of better wine in the world, beautiful women, Tour de France, bling-bling president, Art of living. France which as a country can give birth to the better or worse.
Let’s talk about the better today, let’s open the JAK LAB #3 . Every quarter JAKLAB magazine offers a 360° vision about a theme or an aspirationnal trend. JAKLAB invites contributors and gives them room and time to explore and talk. Strategic planners, researchers, writers, artists, photographers, architects are creating an effervescent on line webzine. Monitored friendly by Just A Kiss  founders, a design, creative and strategic agency in Paris, JAKLAB is an open publication and platform.
After Desirable Sunstainability, Absolute Necessity , give a breath to your eyes and brain and involve your senses in Urbanity. If you want to contribute to the next issue, please feel free to “superpoke” this unique quartet on their Facebook group.  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11026998211 !  Have fun !  Brigitte Mantel .

If you’re like me, you are trying to figure out what it means to be “authentic.” A big push in advertising these days is to de-construct the beautiful and premeditated and make a picture that feels like a snapshot.

What makes something authentic? What makes something look fake? As the saying goes, truth is often stranger than fiction. If we tried to produce and art direct shoots with pictures like the one below, we’d be hard pressed to pull them off. They just wouldn’t look believable. So what are those intangible qualities that make this type of picture so compelling?

Photo by Clayton Hauck

Is it that the characters are comfortable in front of the camera? Is it because the characters aren’t models? Perhaps it is because they are completely unaware that the camera is even there.

Photo by Clayton Hauck

Or the opposite - they are so adjusted to documenting every moment of their lives, and being documented by friends and strangers alike - on surveillance cameras and camera phones - that they are always either performing or have ceased to perform all together. We are each other’s audience and the all the world is a stage.

Photo by Clayton Hauck

Or maybe it is the feeling of the unplanned and the miracle of spontaneity - some styling comes with NO styling at all.

Photo by Clayton Hauck

Some locations only become interesting environments in extreme weather, which could never be planned.

Photo by Clayton Hauck

Perhaps what sums it up best is the spirit of the late famed public television painter Bob Ross, “There are now mistakes, only happy accidents.”

Photo by Clayton Hauck

Bill Henson, from Luminous series 

Bill Henson is the latest photographer to be forcibly censored by state authorities (although he appears to have been exonerated). Police in Sydney raided the gallery where the Australian artist had just opened his latest exhibition of photographs and literally took the photos off the wall, also confiscating copies of some magazines that had reproduced his offending images (only 1000’s of more of those to round-up…). I’m a big fan of Henson’s work, the impossibly dark, sweltering atmospheres are intensely psychological, and seem to have something unsettling, ancient, and universal about them.

Censorship in photography is certainly nothing new, and accusations of pornography (or worse, as in the Henson case, child pornography) tend to play a leading role in that history. Nan Goldin is another recent target that comes to mind, and I just stumbled on the press release for an interesting-looking exhibition titled Controversies that just ended at the Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland which focused on the legal and ethical history of photography.

What gets me is these cases is the latent psychology at work in the accusers and authorities that censor the artwork. What seems to offend them is not that the work was made (after all, the mother of one of the models in the Henson case came out in his defense), but their own reaction to the work. Their outrage betrays their having felt a taboo desire they’d thus far repressed to the point of thinking no longer existed, hence the overly vehement histrionics that ensue as they launch their witch-hunt. The Omnipresent Sociopath is invoked to project these forbidden feelings onto and create an ostensible justification for confiscating and destroying the work (casting out the demons), the sight of which would presumably send the O.S. into an immediate and uncontrollable rampage of sociopath-ing. I don’t mean to make light of truly heinous behavior such as child molestation, it’s just that the wrong-headed self-righteous crusades against art that censors repeatedly go on always seem completely misinformed and come off as botched attempts to play the moral hero.

On a related note, there seems to be a (dare I say the word) trend in photography recently (or maybe since the invention of the camera?) for what I call cute-young-naked-things. The leading figure at the moment in this hip-young-naked-ism seems to be Ryan McGinley, aka Ryan-the-youngest-photographer-to-ever-have-a-solo-show-at-the-Whitney McGinley. Here is his most recent photo project, which it looks like he adapted for use in a new music video for Icelandic band Sigur Ros (hint: just click one of the play buttons on the bottom left, you don’t have to sign up on the right. hint #2: possibly NSFW). The latest project looks heavily influence by Bill Henson, albeit it in broad daylight and minus the more grand connotations and subtleties. Other obvious influences on McGinley, and recent predecessors in the history of young-naked-ism, would be Larry Clark, Richard Kern, and Terry Richardson.

I like the work of Marlene Marino, who seems to fit in with this as well, see some of her pictures here.

Frank Schwere/Getty Images

I recently saw The Fall, a stunning film by Tarsem Singh. Like The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Princess Bride, Pan’s Labyrinth, and countless others before it, it is essentially an epic fairytale, but told for an adult audience. While the plot and dialogue were a bit pat for my taste, the visuals were jaw-dropping, having been shot in 18 different countries, then seamlessly woven together into a vivid Otherworld.

The film also got me thinking about art with a fantastical bent. While there has been a place for this type of work to some degree in virtually every era, it strikes me that we often feel collectively drawn to it in times of uncertainty. (For example, the surrealist movement sprung up between the two world wars, and drew heavily upon the overlapping realms of mythology, psychology, and stream-of-consciousness fantasy).

This work offers escapism and inspiration, and often affirms our hopes that goodness and beauty will ultimately win out. With an ailing environment, a limping economy, and political anxiety in the air, is it any wonder that the most popular films of the past few years have been based on comic book heroes and fabled, magical lands? And as technology gets exponentially better, we can tell these stories in an even more sophisticated manner, offering a glimpse into dreamscapes and happily ever afters.

Below are some of my favorite fantastical pictures that were art directed by the NYC branch of Getty Images creative team:

Ralf Nau/Getty Images

Erik Snyder/Getty Images

Chris Strong/Getty Images

Jeffrey Hamilton/Getty Images

Woman cooking steam buns in Beijing, China. (Picture by Jason Hosking/Getty Images)

Have you every thought about eating sick crabs? Me neither. But it seems like we‘re missing out on something - they really look delicious.

I love food. I spend hours browsing through cookbooks, just looking at the photos. I enjoy images that speak to all senses and look so delicious that you just want to have a bite. I never thought that I would trade my cookbooks for websites, but than I discovered the world of food blogging. And it got me.

There are many great blogs out there, one example is Cha Xiu Bao - it‘s written in English but is all about authentic Hong Kong food. This blog gives you a real insight in Hong Kong‘s food culture and is illustrated with great, authentic snap shots.

Over the last 30 years, I’ve done over 60 books, most with a strong environmental message. I realized that if this work translated in a compelling way to television, I could reach, in one episode, a hundred times the collective audience of all those well-intentioned books.

While Art Wolfe’s Travels to the Edge (now live on Getty Images) is first and foremost a show about photography, there is a strong environmental component to it as well, but we don’t beat people over the head with it. One week we might be photographing and endangered species:

IND0701300168: © Art Wolf/Edge of the Earth Productions

the next an extraordinary culture:

ETH0608300229: © Art Wolf/Edge of the Earth Productions

…and the week after that a threatened landscape.

ANTO611251055: © Art Wolf/Edge of the Earth Productions

We are a streamlined production by choice: with a low-impact four man crew (including me), we’re hopefully leaving nothing behind but shared good memories.

JLG0701190903: © Art Wolf/Edge of the Earth Productions: Travels to the Edge crew, (L-R) Karel Bauer, Sean White, Art Wolfe, John Greengo

We usually have ten days to shoot each episode so equipment, guides, translators and other local resources are all put in place before we go. Sometimes our numbers burgeon alarmingly mostly due to safety issues.

JLG0711100011: © John Greengo/Edge of the Earth Productions: Travels to the Edge production in the Sahara Desert, Mali

Photography has always been an important way for large numbers of people to see and experience nature and places they might never visit. It’s going to become even more important now, at this critical juncture in history, as photographers build a visual record of what’s being threatened. We witness, we record…

sb10062686e-001 Dougal Waters/Getty Images

It’s predicted that in three years we will be watching so much TV and videos on the internet that bandwidth will run out. Most of the networks have their shows on their websites for viewing and now there are new sites like Hulu that have plenty of diverse TV shows and movies. You can also get shows on pay-per-view sites like iTunes and Amazon.

What amazes me is that with the popularity of large HD flat screen TVs, why are we spending so much time on the internet watching videos in such low quality? I’ve decided that it’s because our attention span is so short we need a constant supply of entertainment on our TVs, our computers and our iPhones. Why do I believe this? Because of my case study below…

200018793-001 John Giustina/Getty Images

Case study - Dramatic Prairie Dog

One year ago a clip from a Japanese TV show with a segment about prairie dogs as pets showed up on YouTube. Someone took ten seconds of a close-up of the prairie dog and matched it up with dramatic music. Then it became a YouTube sensation. There were over 2,000 spin-offs and mash-ups of the dramatic prairie dog.

South Park summed it up best in their Canada on Strike episode when they thought the best way to raise money for Canada was to become a YouTube phenomenon. When they became a hit, they earned 10 million theorical dollars on YouTube. They went to the Department of Internet money to get paid. While waiting to get paid, they met up with all of the YouTube favorites, including the prairie dog waiting to cash in…

US Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign rally at the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio on March 3, 2008. Barack Obama Monday intensified his bid to end Hillary Clinton’s White House quest, as finger pointing rocked her campaign leadership on the eve of vital nominating clashes in Texas and Ohio. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

Does this lighting get your vote? And other hard news questions about the politics of lighting and “electability.”

The pundits are salivating…who’s more electable? Who’s more likable? Who’s more strategical? Who’s more inspirational? Hillary or Barack? Now that McCain has clinched the nomination he will receive less attention - but alas my friends, we’re not here today to discuss the election. I’m curious about how lighting, which can make a candidate look great or not, influence how we feel about them. Does it make them more likable and therefore more electable?

One of the things I love about my job is when I have questions like this sitting around in my head I can go to Getty Images and set off on a discovery process. Interestingly enough, we’ve got a considerable amount of coverage of the three candidates.

After looking at loads of fantastic and amazing photos - yes, of course I’m biased - I discovered the candidates have the same situations in common and therefore the same lighting. I like to call them:

Show Time: spotlight on the face, passionate candidate delivery

US Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama addresses supporters during a primary night results rally in San Antonio, Texas, March 04, 2008. White House hopeful Obama was defeated by rival New York Senator Hillary Clinton in the crucial Ohio and Texas nominating contests. (Photo by Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speaks during a primary election night party at The Columbus Athenaeum March 4, 2008 in Columbus, Ohio. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Clinton are facing off in the crucial Texas primary. Clinton is the projected winner of the important Ohio primary and also in the Rhode Island primary. (Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

The Show Time light between Barack and Hillary was pretty consistent - spotlight, warm tones, focused on the passion of the delivery. McCain, however, made a different choice at a Texas town hall meeting at the Dell Headquarters. He went all technology blue, with a purple cast. It was a curious choice to me. He doesn’t look good, it’s not soothing or inviting. Is it republican blue or futuristic on some level? Who made that choice and why? Did it effect the emotion in the room?

Presidential hopeful U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) speaks during a town hall meeting at Dell headquarters February 29, 2008 in Round Rock , Texas. McCain is campaigning ahead of the March 4 primary. (Photo by Ben Sklar/Getty Images)

Show Time American: add the American flag

US Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama speaks during a town hall meeting with veterans at the American GI Forum in San Antonio, Texas, on March 3, 2008. Barack Obama Monday intensified his bid to end Hillary Clinton’s White House quest, as finger pointing rocked her campaign leadership on the eve of vital nominating clashes in Texas and Ohio. (Photo by Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate US Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and his wife Cindy wave to supporters after securing the GOP nomination on March 4, 2008 in Dallas, Texas. McCain seized the Republicans’ White House mantle with a promise to defeat Islamic extremism and keep the US economy open to world trade if elected president in November. (Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images)

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speaks during a campaign rally at the Beaumont Texas Airport March 3, 2008 in Beaumont, Texas. With one day remaining before the Texas and Ohio primaries, Hillary Clinton is campaigning through Texas. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Show Time American Light is all Bruce Springsteen, Born in the U.S.A. - stand up for the American people and look good. Apparently, once you are nominated, you can add your spouse. And if you are Hillary, you’re not going to be outdone. She has not one but two American flags behind her. Now, this is more about the prop than the light, but look at the difference in the photos.

Both McCain and Obama have the American flag lit brightly and nearly equally to the message being delivered. Now look at Hillary - tight spot on her face, the flag is secondary to her and her message. Clearly someone made a conscious decision here. Did the people respond accordingly? Well, she did just win Texas and Ohio…

Show Time and Show Time American are situations where it looks like the candidates have some control, but I wonder. How do you respond to it when you see it? I’ve made a little collection of images for you to take a look at - the rest of this post will make more sense if you check them out.

Stump Campaigning: the unfortunate baby and the plane

US Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton talks to members of the press on her plane before take off from Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland Ohio on March 2, 2008. Behind her at right is supporter and actor Ted Danson. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo by Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

US Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama disembarks from a plane upon arrival in San Antonio, Texas, on March 3, 2008. Barack Obama Monday intensified his bid to end Hillary Clinton’s White House quest, as finger pointing rocked her campaign leadership on the eve of vital nominating clashes in Texas and Ohio. (Photo by Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)

In Stumping the lighting is not in control and it can go horribly wrong. I am naughty, I admit it. I can’t help but highlight a screaming McCain, a jaundiced Hillary and a confused Obama as they each struggle under the fluorescents to cuddle with the future of the U.S.A.

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain hands a small girl back to her mother after the child started screaming as he arrived for a rally at Furman University 16 February, 2000 in Greenville, South Carolina. McCain is campaigning heavily in the southern state against Texas Governor George W. Bush for the February 19, 2000 Republican primary. (Photo by Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty Images)

Democratic U.S. presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) holds a baby during a town hall meeting at Grace E. Metz Middle School February 10, 2008 in Manassas, Virginia. Clinton continued to campaign for the upcoming Potomac Primary. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

US Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama holds a supporter’s baby during a town hall meeting at Westerville Central High School in Westerville, Ohio, on March 02, 2008. Obama is on the campaign trail to try to clinch the Democratic Party ticket in the race to the White House. (Photo by Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)

Does a campaign manager cringe when the fluorescents are in multiple, the airplane lighting yellow and sun too bright on a weathered face? And I guess, more importantly, do the American people subconsciously like someone more or less when they look good? I think I know the answer, what do YOU think?

Colin Hawkins/Getty Images

Well, what does make a picture? We talk about trends, boomers, the explosion of the Hispanic market in the US, what colors are hot for spring or fall and the list goes on and on…And that’s all great, but isn’t there more to it? What happens when you dig deeper? What happens when you really try to get into the consumer psyche around how they respond to imagery based on what’s happening in their lives? Can we make better pictures as a result?

In 2006, we, the Creative Research team, started a new journey and we called it the MAP Report: what Makes a Picture. We spent 4 months looking at 50,000 photo requests, spoke to 500 customers, and visually analyzed over 2,000 print and TV campaigns from around the globe. We further analyzed customer behavior on our website, search terms, buying patterns, concepts and subjects and visual analysis of our own pictures, etc. Last, but certainly not least, we studied consumer behavior in London, Paris, Munich, NYC, LA, Sydney, Tokyo, Beijing and Sao Paulo. The result was the first MAP report we called One Life (whew).

One Life is about the trends resulting from consumers on overload - a need for grounding, to trust someone who’s real, a need to simplify our lives. It’s a reflection on the influence of women in the work force and a whole lot more.

We hope the report gives insight into our visual language and the way we visually communicate with one another, today and tomorrow, about the things we have in common and the things we don’t. We’re still using it to influence the pictures we’re creating today. These trends don’t disappear like next year’s new black, they tend to evolve and take on new shape. Consequently Guru Joe, Monotasking, the Confessional Consumer and the rest of the gang continue to provide us fertile ground for debate and brainstorming.

Take a look at the excerpts, I would love to hear your thoughts. We’ve got a new MAP launching here in the next month, it’s called AspEn. And that’s all I’m sayin’ - today anyway…