Category Archives: Photography

Andy Summers’ love for photography started in New York in 1979. He was three years into his career as the guitarist for The Police, the British trio that quickly became a sensation with its 1978 debut album, Outlandos d’Amour (“Roxanne,” “Can’t Stand Losing You”) and 1979’s Regatta de Blanc (“Message in a Bottle,” “Walking on the Moon”). The band was constantly surrounded by photographers, and Summers began to get interested in their equipment.

“Suddenly it occurred to me: I should get a really good camera,” he tells Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast. “I’m on the road. I’ve got all this time. I mean, the only real commitment I have is getting to the gig and playing a couple of hours however many nights a week. Then there’s all this downtime, particularly in the U.S.” Summers bought a Nikon camera at a B&H Photo Video store in New York City and quickly began studying photography books and talking to people about the craft. “Immediately it became a complete obsession,” he says.

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It turned out that playing the guitar wasn’t the only thing Summers was good at. “I seemed to have a natural aptitude [for photography],” he says, ”a knack for it.” Summers released his first book of photography, Throb, in 1983 and documented his time in The Police with 2007’s I’ll Be Watching You: Inside the Police. 1980-83. His latest book of photography, A Series of Glances, was released in May by German publisher teNeues Verlag.

Now Summers is combining his two passions on his North American tour, A Cracked Lens + A Missing String, that runs through the East Coast, West Coast and Canada before culminating in four dates in Florida in December. The show — Summers performing solo while his photography is displayed behind him — spans The Police (“Roxanne,” “Tea in the Sahara” and “Spirits in the Material World” are regularly played), original solo works (such as “Triboluminescence” and  “The Bones of Twang Zu”), covers of Brazilian influences (“A Felicidade” by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes, and “Manhã de carnaval” by Luis Bonfá) and a jazz classic (Thelonious Monk’s “Round Midnight”).

The mixed-media shows are an outgrowth of his photography exhibitions and performances at museums. “I think we’ve actually developed it into quite a sophisticated place from that early start,” says Summers. “And the way you learn you, the way you do it is by actually doing it in front of an audience. Of course, I practice in my studio, and we project onto a big white wall and I play and then you know, so that’s your normal practice —  sequencing playing, getting used to it  —  then you do it once in front of your audience and realize you’ve got everything wrong. And so you revise it. It’s always a work in progress.”

Listen to the entire interview with Andy Summers at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Amazon Music or Audible.

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Panasonic will release new firmware for the Lumix S5II and Lumix S5IIX mirrorless cameras, aimed at enhancing both performance and usability.

The upcoming firmware updates for the S5II and S5IIX will bring a range of enhancements to the cameras’ existing features. S5II Firmware Version 2.2 and S5IIX Firmware Version 1.3 will add:

AF-Point Scope Function
The update introduces an AF-Point Scope function that magnifies the focus position during autofocus. This addition aims to assist photographers in achieving more accurate focus, particularly in complex shooting scenarios.

High-Resolution Mode
The firmware update extends the shutter speed settings in high-resolution mode to a maximum of 8 seconds. Additionally, long-exposure noise reduction is now applied in this mode. A new feature called [Handheld High-Res] mode has been added, allowing for higher resolution photos to be captured without the need for a tripod, courtesy of the built-in image stabiliser.

Improved MF Assist
Manual focus users will appreciate the improved MF Assist feature, which now allows for up to approximately 20x magnification in full-screen mode. This allows for more precise manual focusing, making it easier for photographers to fine-tune their shots.

The update is in line with Panasonic’s approach to offer continuous improvements through firmware solutions. These updates not only extend the capabilities of existing hardware but also offer additional features to enhance customer experience.

The update will be made available free of charge and can be downloaded from the LUMIX Global Customer Support website starting 24 October 2023.

See our guide to the Panasonic S5II vs S5XII.

Here are the fanstastic winning photos of the Fine Art Photography Awards 2023. Fine Art Photography Awards is one of the largest award giving bodies for a community of artists ushering an era of new trends in the world of photography. Created in 2014, this competition is a melting pot for people where passion, interest, sense of beauty and openness to diversity in photography collide in intergalactic proportions.

The champions revealed across 20 categories for both Professional and Amateur divisions. This year’s grand prize winner in the Professional category goes to Cheraine Collette for her remarkable series, Exquisite Beauty. In the Amateur category, the grand prize is awarded to Nicolas Bigot for his captivating series, Digital Spirituality. Our heartfelt congratulations to all the winners and honorable mentions!

You can submit your entries for 2024 Fine Art Photography Awards, the deadline is February 11th, 2024.

Scroll down and inspire yourself. You can check their website for more information.

You can find more info about Fine Art Photography Awards:

#1 Professional Photographer Of The Year: Exquisite Beauty By Cheraine Collette

Worldwide only one in approximately 20.000 is born with albinism. In some African communities, people with albinism are seen as special and are even believed to have supernatural powers. However, not all attitudes toward people with albinism are positive. In many African countries, people with albinism face widespread discrimination and prejudice. In most cases, they are even the targets of violent attacks.

Many African people with albinism are working to raise awareness about their condition and combat the discrimination they face and try to change negative attitudes to create a more accepting society for all. The exquisite beauty and strength of these individuals are truly inspiring, and their stories deserve to be told and celebrated.

#2 Amateur Fine Art Photographer Of The Year: Digital Spirituality By Nicolas Bigot

The practice of yoga on the one hand, robotics and artificial intelligence on the other hand, two very contemporary fields that everything opposes or at least that nothing binds.

In the continuity of my personal project The Robot Next Door and my reflections on the hypothetical place that synthetic beings could take in our everyday world, I push my questions on the interpretation that these machines could have on the notions of body physical, mind and consciousness.

How could the ideas of spirituality and meditations be interpreted and translated for a thinking machine?
Can taking care of your own body and finding a mental balance be understood by a simulation of autonomous human intelligence?
Questions that I illustrate through a small series of images showing mechanical characters trying to ape humans during experimental sessions in a kind of algorithmic introspection.

Professional Category Winners

#3 Abstract: 1st Place Winner – Dots by Michal Zahornacky

#4 Architecture: 1st Place Winner – Cloud City by Daniele Ceravolo

#5 Conceptual: 1st Place Winner – A Journey to the Self by Marlena Wels

#6 Experimental: 1st Place Winner – Base Quantities by Greg White

#7 Fashion: 1st Place Winner – Knowledge Destroys Fear by Carlos Gamez de Francisco

#8 Fine Art: 1st Place Winner – The Salvage Mission by Patty Maher

#9 Landscape: 1st Place Winner – Chipoko by Micha Serraf

#10 Mobile: 1st Place Winner – Holy Streams by Shinya Itahana

#11 Nature: 1st Place Winner – Flowers From My Garden by Matthias Langer

#12 Night: 1st Place Winner – Night Train by Justin Pumfrey

#13 Open Theme: 1st Place Winner – For The Birds by Hester Blankestijn

#14 People: 1st Place Winner – Gloria & Alessandra by Francesca Floris

#15 Photojournalism: 1st Place Winner – From The Wrong Side by Gabriele Micalizzi

#16 Photomanipulation: 1st Place Winner – City Walks by René Cassio Scholz

#17 Portrait: 3rd Place Winner – Plain As Simple by Amirhossein Loloei

#18 Seascape: 1st Place Winner – Hidden In The Unknown by Frank Peters

#19 Street: 1st Place Winner – Spectators by Nicola Fioravanti

#20 Travel: 1st Place Winner – In The Fishing Maze by Hilda Champion

#21 Wildlife / Animals: 1st Place Winner – The Beauty of Swans by Peter Čech

Amateur Category Winners

#22 Abstract: 1st Place Winner – Early Earth by Ria Groot Zevert

#23 Architecture: 1st Place Winner – Welcome to Gigapolis by Yoa Bei

#24 Conceptual: 3rd Place Winner – Just A Pipe Dream by Haley Bell

#25 Experimental: 1st Place Winner – Delimited Rooms by Antonella Zito

#26 Fashion: 1st Place Winner – Women With The Head Of Flowers by Mariia Kozhukhar

#27 Fine Art: 1st Place Winner – Hopper Essence by Andres Gallego

#28 Landscape: 1st Place Winner – Unmanned by Dawei Li

#29 Mobile: 1st Place Winner – Smart Phone Art by Ruben van Gogh

#30 Nature: 1st Place Winner – Dancing Poppies by Thaddäus Biberauer

#31 Night: 1st Place Winner – Nebula by Brandon Yoshizawa

#32 Open Theme: 1st Place Winner – Morning News by Olga Steinepreis

#33 People: 1st Place Winner – Body Lines by Robert Nowotny

#34 Photojournalism: 1st Place Winner – Ukraine War by Yevhen Honcharenko

#35 Photomanipulation: 1st Place Winner – Grow by Caroline Dejeneffe

#36 Portrait: 1st Place Winner – The Duke by Ting Ting Chen

#37 Seascape: 1st Place Winner – Aerial Expressions by Fudz Qazi

#38 Street: 1st Place Winner – Existence by Chuan-Chun Hao

#39 Travel: 1st Place Winner – Cattle Herders of South Sudan by Joe Buergi

#40 Wildlife / Animals: 1st Place Winner – Arabian Orynx by Antonio Coelho

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Andy Summers’ love for photography started in New York in 1979. He was three years into his career as the guitarist for The Police, the British trio that quickly became a sensation with its 1978 debut album, Outlandos d’Amour (“Roxanne,” “Can’t Stand Losing You”) and 1979’s Regatta de Blanc (“Message in a Bottle,” “Walking on the Moon”). The band was constantly surrounded by photographers, and Summers began to get interested in their equipment.

“Suddenly it occurred to me: I should get a really good camera,” he tells Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast. “I’m on the road. I’ve got all this time. I mean, the only real commitment I have is getting to the gig and playing a couple of hours however many nights a week. Then there’s all this downtime, particularly in the U.S.” Summers bought a Nikon camera at a B&H Photo Video store in New York City and quickly began studying photography books and talking to people about the craft. “Immediately it became a complete obsession,” he says.

It turned out that playing the guitar wasn’t the only thing Summers was good at. “I seemed to have a natural aptitude [for photography],” he says, ”a knack for it.” Summers released his first book of photography, Throb, in 1983 and documented his time in The Police with 2007’s I’ll Be Watching You: Inside the Police. 1980-83. His latest book of photography, A Series of Glances, was released in May by German publisher teNeues Verlag. 

Now Summers is combining his two passions on his North American tour, A Cracked Lens + A Missing String, that runs through the East Coast, West Coast and Canada before culminating in four dates in Florida in December. The show — Summers performing solo while his photography is displayed behind him — spans The Police (“Roxanne,” “Tea in the Sahara” and “Spirits in the Material World” are regularly played), original solo works (such as “Triboluminescence” and  “The Bones of Twang Zu”), covers of Brazilian influences (“A Felicidade” by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes, and “Manhã de carnaval” by Luis Bonfá) and a jazz classic (Thelonious Monk’s “Round Midnight”). 

The mixed-media shows are an outgrowth of his photography exhibitions and performances at museums. “I think we’ve actually developed it into quite a sophisticated place from that early start,” says Summers. “And the way you learn you, the way you do it is by actually doing it in front of an audience. Of course, I practice in my studio, and we project onto a big white wall and I play and then you know, so that’s your normal practice —  sequencing playing, getting used to it  —  then you do it once in front of your audience and realize you’ve got everything wrong. And so you revise it. It’s always a work in progress.”

Listen to the entire interview with Andy Summers at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Amazon Music or Audible. 

OWC, has announced the launch of the OWC Atlas Pro and Ultra CFexpress 4.0 memory cards. These groundbreaking cards offer double the speed of CFexpress 2.0 memory cards and the unique capability of upgrading previous generation Atlas 2.0 memory cards to the new CFA (Compact Flash Association) CFexpress 4.0 specification.

The new Atlas Pro 256GB, Atlas Pro 512GB, Atlas Ultra 1TB, and Atlas Ultra 2TB cards leverage PCIe Gen 4 technology to deliver read and write speeds of 3650MB/s and 3000MB/s, respectively. This represents a staggering 97% increase in speed compared to the previous generation cards. These remarkable speed enhancements not only enable capturing stunning 4K, 6K, and 8K+ videos but also facilitate swift access and offloading of content for seamless editing and distribution.

OWC’s Innergize software allows users to upgrade the firmware on previous PCIe Gen3 Atlas Ultra 1TB and 2TB cards to CFexpress 4.0 firmware. This exclusive upgrade almost doubles the current read/write speeds, taking them from 1850 and 1700MB/s to an astonishing 3650 and 3000MB/s. I’ll be testing this out with the OWC Atlas Dual CFExpress card reader.

The Atlas CFexpress CFA 4.0 memory cards are also backwards compatible with CFA 2.0 PCIe Gen 3 hosts, offering both flexibility and top-notch performance.

Larry O’Connor, founder and CEO at OWC, said, “Giving existing OWC Atlas memory card owners the flexibility to upgrade their products and take advantage of the latest speeds without having to purchase new cards is a game changer that we are delighted to bring to the table.”

The OWC Atlas ecosystem is a comprehensive solution designed to support photographers and videographers throughout their creative process. Comprising Atlas Memory Cards, OWC Innergize software, and Atlas Card Readers, this ecosystem ensures the seamless flow of creativity from camera to audience.

Pricing, Availability, and Upgrades

• Atlas Pro CFexpress 256GB and 512GB memory cards will be available in October, priced at $169.99 (256GB) and $199.99 (512GB).
• Atlas Ultra CFexpress 1TB and 2TB memory cards will also be available in October, priced at $579.99 (1TB) and $999.99 (2TB).
• Users can download the OWC Innergize software to upgrade their Atlas CFexpress 1TB and 2TB memory cards, originally labelled at 1850MB/s, to the new CFexpress 4.0 specification. The Innergize for Mac is available now, with the Windows version coming soon.

For more details check out the OWC website

The images are from the traditional Kaalapootu (Bull Surfing ) held mostly in villages in North Kerala. The race takes place during the post-harvest season in August and lasts from noon until dusk. In southern Kerala, these events are held under the name “Maramadi”. Though the events are held in water filled paddy fields after harvest, many of the Panchayaths and private individuals own specially maintained fields exclusively for this event.

Kaalapootu is a celebration of the villagers. They gather in large numbers for the event. Kaalapootu, is also a celebration of the strong bonding of human, animal and nature. It is a beautiful symphony created by the fertile mud, water, men and the bulls. In the air charged with excitement and fervor from the “arpuvilikal” ( acclamation ) ,it is the farmers dreams and longing that reverberates in the atmosphere. We witness the natural, spontaneous ushering in of a new season in the ambience of a simple, tranquil village now heady with excitement. The over powering energy and unbeatable enthusiasm of the event, symbolize the indomitable spirit of the villagers.

The bulls are purchased for huge prices and are specifically fed , trained and well groomed for this traditional race. Some are even provided with air conditioned rooms and regularly given traditional ayurvedic treatment and put on special diet. The bull guides are called “pooter” in Malayalam and the half-naked “Pooters” hang onto the tail or a harness of the animal and skim through the mud surface. They are physically enviably fit, well trained and professional .They start training from a very young age and there are “pooters’ who are just school students !

The images shared are from a Kaalpootu event held at Penumanna, near Kozhikode, Kerala. The organizers feel that these events will bond the villagers together and encourage youngsters to carry on the tradition.

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About Ajayan Kavungal Anat

My name is Ajayan Kavungal Anat. I am a retired senior bank executive and took to photography seriously post-retirement. I am living in Kozhikode, Kerala. Photography is my hobby and I am very much interested in Street, Travel and Documentary photography. Had mentoring from Mr. Saurabh Chatterjee of SIA Photography, Mr. Vineet Vohra, and Mr. Rohit Vohra of APF Photography and Mr. Peer Mohammed.

Participated in the following exhibitions: WSP Exhibition, Hamburg, Germany, SIA Photography Exhibition, Hyderabad, “Open Origins – Open ends”- Photomuse, Darbar Hall, Ernakulam and “Lightfall”, Lalithakala Academy hall, Kozhikode.

You can find Ajayan Kavungal Anat on the Web :

Copyrights:
All the pictures in this post are copyrighted to Ajayan Kavungal Anat. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.

The name Atlanta Celebrates Photography is dead. Long live the Atlanta Center for Photography.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the photography and lens-based media festival is re-inventing itself again. The nonprofit is rebranding itself as Atlanta Center for Photography this month, without losing any letters of its acronym ACP, becoming officially a “center” for photography.

For the first time in its history, the organization will host exhibitions and live events in its own space, a 500 square-foot, street-level “jewel box space,” as its new director, Lindsey O’Connor, describes it. In the past, the nonprofit has partnered with art galleries and venues to host its events.

The new space, named the Atlanta Center for Photography Project Lab, will open Oct. 26 with a solo installation by photography-based artist Kalee Appleton. The Fort Worth, Texas, artist uses photography, sculpture and drawing to create immersive, digitally manipulated landscapes. The work, according to O’Connor, is representative of the new direction the center wants to embrace — giving lens-based artists a space where they can “take risks, experiment with creative approaches and push the boundaries of the medium’s impact.”

Instead of the organization’s familiar monthlong, citywide festival, this year’s programming will be minimal, in part to give time for the new staff to consolidate its new direction. The Atlanta Center for Photography will continue to expand its core programs, including the emerging artist fellowship. Chelsea Mukenya is the 2023 recipient, and her exhibition is on view through Oct. 29 at the Mint gallery.

Fans  of the annual festival, portfolio reviews and public art installations will have to wait until spring.

But worth noting is an upcoming exhibition “Ghosts of Segregation: Photographs of Rich Frishman,” in collaboration with the David J. Sencer CDC Museum. The show opens Monday, Oct. 16, and will feature an artist talk at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19.

ArtsATL talked recently with O’Connor to learn more about this new chapter and the work in progress.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you envision your new position as executive director?

A: I was previously at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York for six years, working as the biennial coordinator. My role was to coordinate the artists, curators and the museum staff to realize projects. I coordinated the exhibitions and film programs of three biennials in 2017, 2019 and 2022. In that time, the total number of artists from the American South that I worked with was three, maybe five. There were a lot of artists from Puerto Rico, but, from the mainland, the global South, there were very few.

In New York, there’s so much white noise, so much happening in the art world all the time. I felt (coming to Atlanta) was an interesting opportunity to have an impact somewhere else. Here there are a lot of incredible working artists, and interest in and potentially money for the arts. I think we can provide a platform and open up paths of exchange that ultimately will get more artists on a larger platform than just our region.

Q: This year marks a huge transition for the organization with the opening of a brick-and-mortar space on Edgewood Avenue. What motivated this transformation?

A: The transition to having a physical space had been discussed with the board and many community members before I was hired as executive director. A lot of interviews were done to take the temperature of different key stakeholders throughout the Atlanta arts community. Everybody agreed that this was the right next step. I think the community felt it was time for the organization to make a shift, make a bigger splash and have a more year-round presence.

Q: What are the benefits of having your own space?

A: Many people think of us as just an October festival. This new space will give us the flexibility to not only commission new works from artists living in the South, which is the thrust of our curatorial program, but also to curate public programs and to host lectures and screenings. This will give us a lot more flexibility to create programming on a year-round basis.

Our inaugural exhibit is a good example of what we’re trying to do, which is to push the boundaries of the medium and consider the preconceived notions of what the limitations of photography might be. As people who love photography and lens-based media, we don’t want people to feel pigeonholed. So we’re working with artists who are interested in filling a space in a fresh way.

Q: Atlanta Center for Photography has this unique DNA in the photo festival world, inviting everybody — artists but also non-professionals and amateurs — to find a venue and to exhibit work. Are we going to lose this democratic aspect of the festival?

A: We definitely want to keep the community-driven aspect. We plan to condense it into a tighter, more focused, multiday festival in 2024 with keynote speakers, workshops and artist presentations. There will definitely be community programming at organizations all over the city. We still want to do an open call for everybody to get their exhibition, their screening, their talk on a shared calendar. We will still have a rich feeling of collective work and a shared goal.

Q: Public art was a center point in the years past with “The FENCE,” the Phoenix installation and, last year, Jess T. Duncan’s large-scale photographs exhibited during the Atlanta Pride parade on the windows of the Hyatt Centric in Midtown. Do you have plans for public art this year or next?

A: We are definitely still interested in our public art activation. Photography lends itself well to public installation, We don’t have any activation planned immediately. I have some ideas, but we need to get the exhibition program up and running and make sure that our core programs are well-considered. Then we will start to fold in more public art activations.

EXHIBIT PREVIEW

“Ghosts of Segregation: Photographs of Rich Frishman”

Through May 24. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Wednesdays and Fridays. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursdays. Free. David J. Sencer CDC Museum, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta. 404-639-0830, cdc.gov/museum.

Rich Frishman artist talk

5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19. Free. Sencer CDC Museum. Calendly.com/cdcmuseum/rich-frishman-artist-talk

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Virginie Kippelen is a photographer, multimedia producer and writer specializing in editorial and documentary projects. She has contributed to ArtsATL’s Art+Design section since 2014, writing mostly about photography. And after living 25 years in the United States, she still has a French accent.

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ArtsATL (www.artsatl.org), is a nonprofit organization that plays a critical role in educating and informing audiences about metro Atlanta’s arts and culture. Founded in 2009, ArtsATL’s goal is to help build a sustainable arts community contributing to the economic and cultural health of the city.If you have any questions about this partnership or others, please contact Senior Manager of Partnerships Nicole Williams at [email protected].

The revival of instant photography continues to gain momentum as Leica Camera AG introduces the Leica SOFORT 2, the second generation of their instant camera, poised to captivate both nostalgia-seekers and modern photography enthusiasts alike. In a world where speed often trumps reflection, the SOFORT 2 offers a moment of pause and the joy of tangible memories, marrying the world of fleeting digital snapshots with the enduring charm of analogue prints.

Leica’s illustrious heritage in photography and design is evident in the SOFORT 2’s modern, minimalist aesthetic. This elegantly designed camera is available in three stylish colours: black, red, and white, making it a fashionable accessory for any occasion.

One of the standout features of the SOFORT 2 is its ability to merge the worlds of digital and analogue photography seamlessly. Users can now permanently save digital images and curate their best shots before committing them to print. This includes photos from your smartphone and other Leica cameras, stored within the integrated Leica FOTOS App gallery. With a simple pull of the manual printing lever, you can transform these digital memories into Instax Mini format prints on Leica’s exclusive photo paper, available with either a warm-white or golden frame.

The SOFORT 2 not only embodies the Leica brand’s visual language but also extends its user-friendly functionality. Its menu structure and button layout align with those found on other digital Leica cameras, ensuring a smooth transition for those familiar with the brand’s ecosystem.

This versatile instant camera offers a range of creative features to capture moments in unique ways. Selfie enthusiasts will appreciate the dedicated selfie mode with a separate shutter button, while the landscape mode delivers wide-angle character. The macro mode allows for close-ups from as close as 10cm, expanding the possibilities for creative photography. Additionally, the SOFORT 2 offers 10 lens and 10 film effects to further enhance your visual storytelling.

Leica’s commitment to individuality and creativity extends to a range of high-quality accessories for the SOFORT 2. Stylish wooden picture frames beautifully showcase your prints, while wrist straps, carrying straps, bags, and other accessories complement the camera’s personality and enhance your photography experience, whether you’re sharing analogue instant photos or digital moments on social media.

The Leica SOFORT 2 is set to become a cherished companion at family gatherings, events, and travels, helping to create shared experiences and lasting memories. With its blend of digital convenience and analogue nostalgia, it offers something for everyone in today’s fast-paced world.

The Leica SOFORT 2 will be globally available starting from 9th November 2023 at all Leica Stores, the Leica Online Store, and authorized dealers. It comes with a recommended retail price of £350.00, including VAT.

For more information about Leica, visit the Leica website