Archive for the ‘WMB 3D: World’s Most Beautiful™’ Category

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On my most recent trip to Morocco, I visited the wonderful town of Chefchaouen. I had seen pictures of the fabled blue village in postcards and on-line, but seeing it up close is quite a different experience. The town is nestled in the side of the Rif mountains, just inland from Tangier in northern Morocco. Founded in 1471, Chefchaouen is now home to 35,000 Moroccans.

And if it isn’t obvious from the pictures above, the entire town is painted blue. Like, absolutely everything. The houses, the doorways, the sidewalks…and each a subtle variation on the hue. And though visually stunning as this was, what I didn’t expect was the hypnotically calming effect that walking around a blue city actually has on one’s mind. Besides feeling like you are actually inside an animated cartoon, I also found it strangely impossible to have any sort of negative thought while exploring the peaceful azure alleyways.

In the upcoming Issue 3 of WMB 3D: World’s Most Beautiful, you can see the colorful Chefchaouen as if you were really there, getting lost in the labyrinths and doorways. My thanks to my guides, Karim Tibari, Tarek & Yousef Turner, and Moustafa el Habti for the personalized tour of this magical town. Pick up your copy of WMB 3D in the Saglimbeni Store here!

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It’s hard to not fall in love with Morocco after the first few days. Casablanca, largely due to its’ classic Hollywood fame, conjures cinematic visions of mystery and romance. And Marrakech—with its snake charmers, night markets and brass bazaars—is straight out of an adventure novel.

I first visited Morocco in 2009, and again more recently to photograph the country in 3D for World’s Most Beautiful. I found the people friendly, the food delicious and the culture absolutely magical. A mix of African, Arab and European influences, Morocco is as diverse in culture as it is in people and terrain. The cities, in fact, are the most Western thing about Morocco. As such, I’ve broken my Morocco travelogue into four parts.

This first segment starts in Casablanca, at the spectacular Mohammed V mosque—which both overlooks and partially sits on the Atlantic Ocean. Then, we travel south to Marrakech, where we visit the bustling Jemaa el’Fnaa market square. I can still smell the steaming food stalls and taste the mint tea. Lastly, I get to play with impressively large knives at the Azlag Dagger Cooperative in El Kelaa Mgouna.

For the full adventure, be sure to pick up your copy of WMB 3D: World’s Most Beautiful on iPhone, iPad, Android phones & tablets and in Collector’s Edition print.

CREDITS:
Photos 1-6: Mohammed V Mosque, Casablanca
7-13: Food stalls, tea carts, and brass souks line the Jemaa el’Fnaa square in Marrakech.
14: “That’s not a knife, THIS is a knife.” in El Kelaa Mgouna

This morning, Global Grind revealed the 2D version of the upcoming third issue of World’s Most Beautiful. Here is the first look at the 3D version of stunning supermodel Estella Warren.

This issue is jam-packed with unbelievable content and weighs in at a record 226 pages thick, insuring new levels of eye candy jumping off the pages. Pre-order your copy now, and stay tuned for more news and images throughout the coming weeks!

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I have always been fascinated with the industrial technologies associated with the arts. Offset printing, darkrooms, chemical baths at film labs, drum-scanning, silk screens—all of it. As we were preparing the upcoming issue of WMB 3D for print, it occurred to me that the rising generation of photographers may never get to experience the sheer awe of large-scale press printing, just as many have never set foot in a darkroom. So I decided to document our latest print venture for our readers.

Over the last decade as a magazine photographer, I’ve witnessed my images printed both wonderfully and horribly—something every artist will experience at some point in their careers—largely dependent on the critical choices of printer, stocks, coatings, and color-profiling, often made by the publishers. So, when it came time to print the first issue of WMB 3D: World’s Most Beautiful in 2011, I already knew which direction I would go with regards to printing.

Last week, I traveled to Ottawa, Canada to press check WMB 3D Issue 3. I spent the day touring the massive press facilities, marveling at the precision with which beautiful art can be made from such massive, outwardly grungy, industrial machines. I will follow up in a few days with a post on the actual press check experience, but here’s a sneak peek for the curious artists.

Pre-order your super-sized Collector’s Print Edition of WMB 3D here!

Breakthrough.

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This morning, we were notified that an image from our 3D fashion feature, Warehouse Wonderland, made the finals at the Sony World Photo Awards in the 3D Category. The piece, entitled “Breakthrough,” was featured in Issue 2 of WMB 3D: World’s Most Beautiful in 2012.

This is the second year we’ve been recognized by Sony and the WPO. In 2012, we won the Grand Prize in 3D for our fashion piece, Nuclear Summer, also shot for WMB 3D (See pics from last year’s award win here.) It is an honor to be in such esteemed company as our fellow nominees, and it is a personal thrill for me to see our wonderful art house get recognized for its landmark achievements in 3D photography.

I also must thank our team for helping me create this beautiful image. Fashion model Aryn Livingston graciously allowed me to dirty her up in the industrial warehouse. Genius stylist Monica Rose wowed us all again with her out-of-this-world wardrobe styling. Hair stylist Gio Campora and make-up artist Gaby Ramos Torell—the same glam squad that brought you our globally-reknowned desert shoot with Bollywood superstar Mallika Sherawat, returned to lend their enormous talents and create their signature brand of magic. My thanks to WMB 3D Executive Publisher Howard Misle and the WMB staff, and to the entire Saglimbeni3D technical team, including lead engineer German Pinchevsky, post-production supervisor Joyce Park, production coordinator Kevin Savarese, and art director Clint Davis.

Read more about our Sony WPO nomination on FStoppers.com, and watch the making of Warehouse Wonderland below!

WMB 3D: 02 Warehouse Wonderland High Fashion from Nick Saglimbeni on Vimeo.

This summer, Saglimbeni3D made a big splash in the UK, thanks to a front-page PrintWeek story and cover features in two of England’s leading photo publications: Professional Photographer and Photography Monthly.

All three features focused on our advances in 3D photography. UK audiences have embraced the progressive art form, and to their credit, they also are aren’t afraid to ask the tough questions. Journalist Jon Severs interviewed me in London while I was in town for the Sony World Photography Awards. While most of our American press features have been focused on which celebrities we are shooting, Jon’s hour-plus-long interview covered so many intricacies of the 3D photo universe—both technical and artistic—that I was actually caught a bit off guard, but happily so.

My sincerest thanks to Jon for his in-depth interview and articulate writing, and also to Adam Scorey at Archant Imaging. As an artist passionate about 3D, it is exciting to have the opportunity to talk about the science behind the art and the future of the genre, especially to such an interested and curious audience.

Get your copies of Photography Monthly (August 2012) and Professional Photographer (September 2012) at Barnes & Noble and on newsstands now. See a preview on Jon’s blog here.

Read the PrintWeek feature here.

Blogger & photographer Jade Lisa also wrote a wonderful piece on my traditional (2D) photography. I’ve received many positive letters from women about this interview, and I have to give Jade credit for approaching my work from a refreshing female perspective. See it here.