" B r i l l i a n t ! "
BRILLIANCE Fall ~ Vol. 3
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www.brilliancemagazine.com PHOTO CREDIT: @agusparedesmx
Founder, Editor in Chief MICHAEL BRYANT MODE
Tone NANA TSAY
www.instagram.com/brilliancemagazine
Contributing Photographers NEWT HINDS ERIC LEE
read@brilliancemagazine.com
support@brilliancemagazine.com
The Brilliance magazine is digitally published on issuu.com & bookemon.com
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Photo credit: @rood_omar
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Much thought and many hours were spent with my deciding whether to return to my iPad and try to give BRILLIANCE Digital another go or not. I think I thought about it for the entire 8 weeks since I made the departure. But deep down inside I knew that it would plague me for the rest of my life if I were to kill this magazine. Putting my health first is the big lesson I learned since my heart surgery, 2 months ago. Today, I exercise a little bit more caution in how I go about my endeavor of highlighting some of absolute distinguished and best minimal photography on Instagram from around the world. One dear friend said to me "Michael, work smarter, not harder." That was some great wisdom, not that hard work has no meritorious. I tend to reach behind my head with my right hand to scratch my left ear instead just using my left hand. Since one man cannot do it all, well, at least not one imperfect man, I have made a vow to myself to keep this motto in mind and still produce something cool, vibrant and fresh. I enjoy minimal and cannot wait to see what new minimal youguys post in your Instagram galleries. Right off the bat, I started off on the wrong foot, by deciding to bring back BRILLIANCE on the original deadline which would have me at working twice as hard for 7 days straight in order to publish September 11th. I had to admit that that was too soon to realistically meet, instead I went with the date on September 23rd since it is the first day of Fall and this is the fall issue. In the fall issue of BRILLIANCE you will find an array of spectacular minimal gems! Also, the new playlist has an interesting group of familiar songs I think go well with the overall theme music. It's titled "End of Summer". I hope that you enjoy it and it will listen to while you're flipping through these digital pages. There is also very special ode about New York before and after 9/11 with a few prose from team member and photographer @contr4st and from one of our readers @arashasd. These particular photos are the hallmark of this issue. Although they are odes to the big apple, each shot has its own signature of paying honor to those lost that day. Enjoy!
Editor in Chief and Founder, Michael Bryant Mode
Nigel John England
Nigel John England
Nigel John England For Commercial, Editorial, Product and Photography project Email: heyhey@nigeljohn.com Phone: +44(0)7733882706
09112001 "I can't believe it has been 13 years since September 11th happened and it's mainly because that day seemed like a movie. Actually, I remember explaining to someone how I thought it was planned and going on about how the buildings were too old and that they no longer held any value but to destroy them in a dramatic way. What was I thinking??? Then I saw a documentary on KERA about two brothers that had filmed the catastrophe by accident because they were ride-alongs with the fire department and documenting the firemen's day-to-day routine. Then 9/11 imploded. It definitely happened. It was definitely real! Here are a few pictorial odes in honor of those lost on that horrific day." - Michael Bryant Mode
Photo credit: @ezieglerphoto
Photo credit: @javikube
Photo credit: @tobrook
"9/11 shows the courage and strength that New York and the rest of the nation has. Though the iconic towers fell that day, some years later we're back and better than ever. It has definitely made me more nimble as I explore the city's streets." - @Contr4st
Photo Credit: @contr4st Instagram
"Yes I remember that day. I followed it on tv and in the news. It was very horrible. It was a big world challenge and annually we are faced with many horrible events around the world. I love living in peace. It has affected me like other bad events. More importantly it effected my mind and it changed the tone of my photography. Colorful photos are what I want to show: the beauty of peace and colors from of the world all without any war and darkness." @arashasd (Photo credit)
Photo credit: @runrab
The genius of
@Pchyburrs Instagram
Peechaya Burroughs @pchyburrs Instagram
Sidney . Australia
The genius of
@Phonsay22 Instagram
Photo Credit: @Phonsay22 Instagram
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"Music is profoundly illuminated as the ‘universal language’. It possesses the ability to instill emotions within us and communicate feelings through manners that do not utilize semantics or grammar. The art of music is much more than an arrangement of articulated sounds—music speaks." - Nana Tsay
Universal Language By Nana Tsay
Still Life . Food . Photographer . BRILLIANCE Team Music Editor @urbanxkoi
It has a tone that portrays meaning, affectivity—something human. We experience a vast array of sensations when we listen to music— bliss, melancholy, and even bitterness. Music can alleviate or accentuate and amplify particular sentiments beyond text or the spoken word. While music is not a true language—meaning that a statement like “the flower is beautiful” cannot be undeviatingly transliterated—it contains elements such as melody, meter, rhythm, and other ‘rules’, that make it structured similarly to a language. The activity in the human brain whilst reading and performing music is also interestingly analogous to that of spoken language and syntax. This past semester at Columbia University, I took a course that centralizes on the humanities of music which truly invigorated and further enlightened my previous musical knowledge I had acquired from studying violin and piano. It explored the critical framework, technical vocabulary, and historical contexts essential to understanding art music. It allowed me to connect deeper and appreciate music in another light. I saw how music evolved over time from Medieval Plainchants to Classical to The Late 20th Century Minimalism. Because of the vast multitude of music genres, I became inquisitive and curious what music means to others and the tones that they gravitate to. The artists that I resonate with are relatively minimal and pianointense. They tend to reflect blue undertones of wistfulness and melancholy much like my photography—Emancipator: With Rainy Eyes, This Will Destroy You: They Move on Tracks of Never-Ending Light, Ludovico Einaudi: Andare, Claude Debussy: Clair de Lune, α·Pav : 永遠なる夏. It was an honor to be featured in the Brilliance Magazine Vol. 2 Summer issue (p.196-199)—a diverse consolidation of interviews, enticing articles, and minimalistic photo essays. I was requested to head up the preceding Vol. 3 Fall issue in the music section titled “TONE” which encompasses minimalistic photography embellished with musical elements. I interviewed four artists and asked them to share a personal photo and here are their interviews.
Louise "I grew up in a household that revolves around music. From the kitsch décor my mother collects, embellished with treble clefs and quavers, to our cat named Jude, a nod to The Beatles. My father, a professional drummer, bassist, and guitarist exposed me to the world of organized sound at a very young age. By age 4, I had my own pint-sized guitar. I started piano lessons at age 8. Although the reason eludes me, it wasn’t until I picked up a pair of drumsticks at age 14 that I truly understood what it was like to be entranced by the harmony of sounds that I myself could shape, arrange, and perform. The euphoria I felt the first time I successfully coordinated my hands, feet and mind to execute a perfect 4/4 straight beat is something I will remember for the rest of my life. Drumming is like that. It is physically and mentally demanding, but the reward is sweet—the drumbeat is the heartbeat of a song—oddly appropriate for me, since I went on to study cardiovascular science. Over my teenage years, with my father as my tutor, I was thrown headfirst into the realms of rock, jazz and Latin drumming, into unfamiliar cultures and into decades past. These experiences were invaluable. The bond my father and I formed by playing music together is unique to any other in my life—and forged through the simple and utterly organic concepts of togetherness, communication and cooperation. Furthermore, playing an instrument has taught me the virtues of patience, practice and dedication, which have been pivotal in my career as a medical scientist. Music has been the teacher of so many important life lessons. It has played a fundamental role in my upbringing: a third parent." What are your favorite songs? "One of my favorite songs would have to be The Eagles: Hotel California. It was one of the first songs my father and I played together. Musically, it is actually quite simple. The lyrics, however, juxtapose this simplicity with tantalizingly cryptic words. In my interpretation, the song highlights the sinister side of the music industry, the side that can thrust a musician into an inescapable, downward spiral of greed and lust. What better way exists to highlight this issue than through music itself? This song is a classic because it is so clever, robust, powerful, and it forces the listener to employ cognitive power in order to understand the message. This song warns musicians (and everyone, for that matter) to stay sharp, and stay humble. And of course, a mean guitar solo never hurts anyone. There are countless songs I would elevate to the rank of “favorite,” but at the moment, I have a few auditory gems on repeat. Fleet Foxes: Mykonos, The Shins:Australia, Grizzly Bear: Two Weeks, Great Lake Swimmers: Your Rocky Spine, and Phoenix: Listzomania just to name just a few. All of them feature on an easy listening, indie/folk inspired playlist to get me through a monotonous day in the lab."
Louise @louise_stormborn Instagram
Trevor "Music is a very powerful thing. For me, it’s this incredible creation that has so many different cognitive associations to it. Anger, depression, joy, fear, any emotion you can think of, can be and has been associated to a particular song, a certain singer, a line in a song that gives you Goosebumps every time you hear it… I think music is truly one of the only art forms outside of film that can evoke such differing emotions, memories, and thoughts. To me, that is an incredible thing, and why music does and always will mean so much to me. Much of my life is remembered through the songs and bands I was listening to in that specific point in my life. Hearing a song you haven’t heard in years, and suddenly being transported back to an exact time and place in your mind, and feeling the emotions connected to the initial hearing of that song is pretty powerful. That’s why music will always be an important part of my life."
"These three albums were life-changing experiences for me the very first time I heard them. I know they are special, because no matter how many times I’ve listened to them, they never get old. I never get tired of them. The memories attached to these albums run deep, and run the gamut from extreme happiness to extreme depression. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. There is of course no particular order of favorites—they’re all tied for number 1.
What are your favorite albums?
3. The Receiving End of Sirens: Between The Heart And The Synapse - An absolute masterpiece—from the multi-layered vocals, to the production, to the concept of the whole album—just an absolute masterpiece."
"Trying to come up with a definitive list is always so hard, so I’ll keep it short and sweet."
1. Sigur Ros: ( ) - What could I possibly say about this album? Literally the most beautiful music ever recorded. On my initial listening to this album, I cried. And I have never done that before listening to this album. 2. Page Fance: Hello, Dear Wind - Words can’t properly describe how beautiful this album is.
Trevor @asthesunsets Instagram
Eric "Music is [like] a language. I have studied a great deal of music very thoroughly—from classical to today’s Top 40 hits. The overarching sentiment is that music and sound evoke a certain degree of emotion in a listener that, for most people, can’t be attained through other senses. I once had a mentor that would say “the masses don’t know how they feel until they hear it in a song”. I think there is a great deal of truth in that. As a creator of music, I feel responsible for writing things that will connect with an audience and help them understand their emotions. Music has certainly helped me understand my own." What are your favorite songs? "One of my favorite songs has always been Soldier by Ingrid Michaelson. The song is the first track off of her album, Everybody, which came out on my birthday in 2009. When I first heard the song, I remember feeling overwhelmingly proud to be a songwriter within the first couple of seconds. I can’t explain it—it really struck me in that moment. But now when I listen to the song, all I can think about is autumn in 2009 and it’s like I can relive exactly how I was feeling throughout that whole season. Some songs are like time machines. Soldier always brings me back. If I listened to it right now I’d be a senior in high school again, just trying to figure it all out and make a plan for myself."
Eric @ericleva Instagram
Sarah "Music is my alternative to coffee. It wakes me up and puts me in the mood that gets me through my day. The music I listen to expresses how I’m feeling. Sometimes, it’s cheerful with calm undertones and every so often, it’s fast, erratic, and I need to play it louder. Music is one way I can relate to other people —figure out what their interests are and what inspires them. Certain songs have a nostalgic value and I’m always reminded of unique moments from my past. The way I look at it, I need music in my life; it elevates me to a better and happier place." What are your favorite songs? "Nujabes: Aruarian Dance; Stevie Nicks: Landslide (acoustic); The Little Ones: Argonauts. Why are they your favorites? Nujabes was by far the best producer out there! Rest in peace, Seba Jun. I play Stevie Nicks for my son all the time. The Little Ones just makes me wanna shake it."
Sarah @polagram Instagram
@GregFoster Instagram Words by Michael Bryant Mode
For the past 30 years Dallas has become a mini Mecca for supporting the arts, with a sprawling urban cultured Arts District and is rising across he horizon as a viable contender of great architecture. Greg Foster, a photographer and Industrial Designer, makes you take that second look at architecture that he captures by how focuses on slick geometry, the repetitive symmetrical beauty and the ever elusive minimalism of city skyscrapers. Fountain Place is the very first photo I saw that drew me to his style of minimal.
Mr. Foster has managed to capture so skillfully different sectors of downtown Dallas that, at first glance, I didn't recognize the 48 story structure that sits on Field and Ross Ave..
Several of Dallas' sky giants have been expertly captured in aqua-green and dusty space-gray tones. Although he now resides in Chicago, as a dutiful son would, Greg faithfully pays visits to his parents that live in Metroplex. Greg Foster has had an Instagram page for the past 3 years. Please check out his Instagram gallery and, even, follow him. But notice how those now following his page make comment about his photography. They are right. He is just that good! The aesthetics in his photography are highlighted in the way that he captures color and focuses on minimal. Here are a few shots from his Instagram gallery that are the results of great execution in minimal composition.
@GregFoster @gregfoster Instagram
"BRILLIANT!" Narrative by Michael Bryant Mode
Since that catastrophic day in September, on the eleventh, and in the year of 2001, I changed the ways in which I travel. Although it has been 13 years, and long enough for mental recovery, some might think, still that day is vivid in my mind as if it all happened yesterday. The world has become a different place when it comes to means of traveling. It is extremely difficult for me to put trust in technology's advancements of flying despite the thriving airline businesses and the increasing masses that seem to almost have returned to normal when it comes to homeland security. However, I think my pause towards flying is not as much of a concern of actually flying but mainly the types of people that are flying. I have taken notice of a similar theme exuding amid many circles of people that fly these days and that is, "We live!" Although I'm sure of it that people have never forgotten 9/11, still their actions permeate this theme when they board a plane, and when they buckle their seat belts and during take off. Flight of thought is the order of the day, for me, and will be what I think about when I do make my giant step back to the airplane. This speeding pulchritude of social media and public meets to grow BRILLIANCE DIGITAL in different parts of the world demands that I start living and stop dying in every single thought about flying. So, while I continue conquering my fear of flying, here are a few more brilliant minimal photos by a few equally brilliant photographers that have perfectly demonstrated the art of minimal photography. You will be impressed. Thanks for tagging. Enjoy! #myminimalphoto
Ari Weiss @Ari.weiss Model: @nois7
Juan Peralta @howtojuan Instagram
Calle @Locarl Instagram
John Cobalt @Jcobalt Instagram
Chris Montoya @cjmanay Instagram
Ryan Murphy @ryanmurphy Instagram
Rikke @prikkelade Instagram
Mythbird @Mythbird Instagram
Viktor Vadolia @vikkkyv Instagram
Sergey Zhdanko @zhdankosergey Instagram
Olivier Morisse @oliviermorisse Instagram
Buddy Carr @buddycarr Instagram
Martin Tadashi R. @emptyreyes Instagram
"Time Out" Charles Read @chasread Instagram
Moreno Sudaro @moreno_s Instagram
David Hsia @syntax_error Instagram
Don Diego @el_triplede Instagram
Hans Edv @krutaxmcflurry Instagram
Idrus @dieruderu Instagram
Andreas @ehemalinge Instagram
Christian Gideon @christiangideon Instagram
Tony SCOTT @Tonystx Instagram
Kyle Huber @Asenseofhuber Instagram
Daniel Chaney @danielchaney Instagram
Alex Spatari @spatari Instagram
Linda @lindalaughs Instagram
Giantono Gouw @gin_ui Instagram
Mish @mishmarshmallow Instagram
Djae Outlaw @djaeoutlaw Instagram
Bel茅n Castell贸 @belletoscan Instagram
Ruth @80degrees Instagram
Eric Ward @littlecoal Instagram
Mogul @Miglu_miglu: Instagram
Dillon Burke @threadsalt Instagram
Arash @arashasd Instagram
Oguz Yalim @oguzyalim Instagram
Joshua J. Uhm @uhmstagram Instagram
Gema Espinosa @rubirroja Instagram
Charles Read @chasread Instagram
Agustina Soemarko @sweetaugust Instagram
Pablo @Dispablo Instagram
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K @kbasta Instagram
Kim Hall @runnerkimhall Instagram
J8nice @j8nice Instagram
Hans Edvardsson @krutaxmcflurry Instagram
Alfonso Pedrero @_pedre_alf Instagram
Oscar @oscar_jss Instagram
Mish @mishmarshmallow Instagram
Christine Farka @farkaphoto Instagram
Hamza @snappylens Instagram
Pablo @dispablo Instagram
Miglu @miglu_miglu Instagram
"Royals"
By Michael Bryant Mode
( An interview with Details, Graphic designer, iPhoneographer and RSA_Minimal Administrator Ana Gil )
Portugal
I was watching an episode of The Golden Girls where Sophia and her best friend, Max, married but shortly later realize that they had jumped the gun and were not in love. The two chat about it and confessed to one another while sitting on a bench at a pier in front of a pizza kiosk that they had opened with their nest egg. Sophia fondly exclaimed to Max the dotings of her heart and then stared up into the starry night sky: "Max, you and I are great friends. But my Salvador? Now that was a great friendship and a great love." The combination of any union either works or it doesn't, and when those unions work, they becomes a great pastime, a great family and a great love. To shoot great minimal is a talent as well as to have an eye at spotting great minimal. However, to possess both talents that your reputation moves others to give you the royal treatment is a feat many groups on Instagram never reach nor ever repeat. Meet the administrator of the RSA_Minimal team Ana Gil. I knew that I had to get an interview with Ana Gil, for two reasons; 1: Brilliance Digital is a minimal photography advocate and it would defeat the magazine's existence if no interview was conducted with one of instagram's most powerful trendsetters in the minimal world, and 2.) I just had to pick Ana's brain and get to know one of Instagram's most influential and gifted women. >>>
Photo credit: @winniekroghreiff
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Ana, how did RSA come about, and what does the acronym "RSA" stand for? "RSA stands for Royal Snapping Artists. @royalsnappingartists started about 2 years ago by Pat @sound_design. There are other RSA accounts that can be found by typing _rsa_ or rsa_ on instagram. Minimal is one of them. @_rsa_minimal started about 15 months ago. It all started when I was selected as runner up on a @royalsnappingartists minimalism challenge. I suggested to Pat to create a minimal family and he invited me right away to be a moderator. This happened only three months after I've joined instagram, so you can imagine how I really was astonished with it all. Some months later the opportunity to become administrator presented itself, and I took it." Wow! That is some really good history. It's amazing how things work out. For months I have wanted to know more about the RSA_Minimal group. How do you go about selecting the next minimal photo to feature? "@_rsa_minimal has two main tags #rsa_minimal and #rsa_minimalism where I, and my moderators, do our search." I was aware of the #rsa_minimal tag but not the second tag. It's good to know. When a minimal photo is selected, does that automatically induct a person as a RSA member, and How many members are there? "@_rsa_minimal has two kind of features: one named "featured artist" that features one selected photo from an iger that is not a member, and another named "member feature" that features one selected photo from a member. We are very close to having 600 members!"
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<<< Almost 600 members! That's quite impressive Ana! How long have you had your personal gallery on Instagram? "I've been on Instagram for about a year and half." Good, good! I have spoken with allot of people about minimal, some have full minimal galleries and other Igers only have a few minimal shots peppered throughout their galleries. Have you always had an interest in minimal photography? "Yes! I love details! My eyes are constantly watchful for perfect and simple things, and being a Graphic Designer really connects my way to analyze things with what and how I shoot everyday. Composition is... everything. It's something that comes natural to me." Well, it definitely shows and explains tremendously why RSA_Minimal is one of Instagram's most highly respected groups which is due to the hard work and busy schedules of you and your moderators. Thank you for taking out some of your valuable time to do this interview. It has definitely been an honor Ana. "I, really would like to thank you Michael for this opportunity, along with Pat and my team of moderators @koraygelmez, @8layers, @micasu, @kat_minimal, @moksva and @huxsterized." Head over to the RSA_Minimal instagram gallery and also head over to @Ana_Gil_'s personal Instagram page and check out her extraordinary minimal collection.
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Ana Gil @ana_gil_ Instagram
Andrew Kozak @andrewdoeshair
www.andrewdoeshair.com Model: @instajesus Instagram
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Yarob Bashraheel @yarob
Words by Michael Bryant Mode
Meet photographer and Saudi Arabia's youngest free diving instructor Yarob Bashraheel. He's been diving since 2005 and a photographer since 2011.
Here are a few captures from his Instagram gallery of the sea world. The sea commands respect that often unveils spectacular translucent and irascible hues.
For the past 3 years Yarob has been sharing his experiences and his expertise of the ocean underworld. He wants people to see the beauty of the underwater world, and for them to take in the sensation of what humans can do down there.
Check out the rest of Yarob's Instagram gallery since we show you his entire collection.
Yarob Bashraheel @yarob Instagram
Drew Hopper @Drewhopper Instagram
BM @brunomontanez Instagram
When I stumbled across this creative, I was thinking, "Now this is a great shot, with passion and great forethought." Check out the theatrically dramatic and budding Instagram gallery of @stevenjavon. The ways in which he accesses his imagination coupled with his style of shooting make extraordinary photography. -Michael Bryant Mode