Category Archives: Photography

A decades-old photograph from Ghana’s Deo Gratias studio, now in its centenary year, demands attention.

It is not one of dozens snapped in a hurry to be swiped through and then forgotten.

The photographer and the subjects clearly spent time on the composition and production. That time needs to be repaid.

One day in the 1930s a local chief fisherman holding a ceremonial oar must, along with his wife, have stepped into JK Bruce-Vanderpuije’s studio in Accra, the capital of what was then known as the Gold Coast.

Asking the couple to keep still and look straight ahead, he captured their regal look – dressed in fine cloth with a symbolic crown. The couple are frozen in time but the country was undergoing big changes around them.

Three decades later colonial Gold Coast, under British rule, would become Ghana through the pressure of an independence movement that served as an inspiration to other anti-colonial struggles on the continent.

What emerges from the 50,000 images that still exist in the Deo Gratias archive is a record of a transforming society.

Bruce-Vanderpuije was one of the few commercial photographers operating in Accra at that time, and weddings provided one of the biggest sources of income.

Many were dressed, like the couple above from the 1930s and the two below from the 1940s, in English top hat and tails and white bridal gown. They have the same serious stare as the chief fisherman, but the clothes seem worlds away.

By the 1970s, the wedding clothes were still formal but the suits became more relaxed and some took to wearing traditional Ghanaian kente cloth and felt able to smile in the photograph.

The studio, in the city’s commercial Jamestown district, was a magnet for those who wanted a memento of their lives.

It was close to a lot of churches and people often came in wearing their Sunday best like the two below in the 1930s, hoping the camera would capture them looking their finest.

The vast archive of photographs is now in the hands of Bruce-Vanderpuije’s grand-daughter, Kate Tamakloe.

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The Deo Gratias studio, still in the same place where it was founded just over 100 years ago, has stacks of old pictures and glass plates in its darkrooms, she says.

“It’s exciting to see them and see how Ghanaians lived and looked like then.”

There are also envelopes full of old passport photos, dating from a time when going to a professional studio was the only way to get a picture for an official document.

Looking at the pictures now and meeting the gaze of the person in the photograph, there is a profound sense of staring into the past. But there are a lot of unanswered questions.

Ms Tamakloe is left with some dates of when the photographs were taken, but most of the subjects’ names have been lost.

She is now trying to sort through them and gradually digitise the archive so that more people can see it.

“I really want to put them out there and watch people get excited to identify their relatives, so that people can tell the story of every photo,” she says.

Baby pictures were also a mainstay for Bruce-Vanderpuije.

Around the time of Ghanaian independence, which fell on 6 March 1957, two proud parents brought their child to the studio to be photographed.

He is sitting on a cloth marking the birth of a new nation with a portrait of then-Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah.

There are thousands of others like this of people who went on to become citizens of a new country.

As a man with a camera, Bruce-Vanderpuije was in demand by all sorts of groups, including those in the vanguard of the independence movement.

In 1948, he took the picture above of the leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), who posed for the photo along with their British lawyer Dingle Foot.

The men are considered to be the country’s founders. Among them was Nkrumah (top row, second from right), who later broke away from the UGCC and led Ghana to independence.

JB Danquah (bottom row, second from right), established the party and is said to be the person who came up with the name Ghana. Edward Akufo-Addo (top row, first on the left), later went on to serve as president and was the father of the current president.

“At long last the battle has ended! And thus Ghana, your beloved country, is free for ever,” Nkrumah told the crowds at independence just after midnight on 6 March 66 years ago.

Bruce-Vanderpuije got out of the studio and was there to capture the famous moment, but it is the host of other images of unknown people that are in a way more significant.

They provide a snapshot of the lives of less celebrated people.

What Ms Tamakloe wants to do now is “exhibit all these photos… and tell the Ghanaian story to the world”.

If you think you recognise someone in the photographs or may know someone who had their picture taken in the studio contact [email protected] or leave a message here.

All photos subject to copyright.

© Getty Images
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Did you know that legendary Beatle Paul McCartney’s first wife was a professional photographer? And a brilliant one at that! Linda McCartney (1941-1998), born Linda Eastman, was the first-ever female photographer to shoot a cover image for Rolling Stone magazine – with an image of Eric Clapton. She was a renowned music photographer in her own right covering the early New York doo-wop scene.

The Linda McCartney Retrospective is an exhibition opening this week at the University of Arizona’s Center for Creative Photography, and has been curated by Paul McCartney and their daughter Mary McCartney, who is now also a photographer and documentary filmmaker, to showcase Linda’s entire career from 1965 to 1997.

Students at Arizona’s Center for Creative Photography had the chance to interview Paul McCartney about Linda, and his responses provide a great insight into her life and career, as well as her duties as a working professional photographer, wife, and mother of four. Paul is quoted saying, “Linda was a great photographer and loved it so much that she would always find a way.”

“After we got married, her photography started to focus on family life with the kids, horses, countryside and landscapes. Whatever situation she was in she would use it for her art,” shares McCartney in response to a student question about which area of photography excited Linda most. 

“At one point she heard about cyanotypes and became really fascinated by the whole idea of printing photos herself. She loved treating the paper haphazardly and the whole process of putting it out on the balcony in the sun to develop: she thought it was magic. So, I would say she was excited about all her photography, because it was her life.”

• Paul McCartney’s lost photographs of The Beatles are exhibited

“Linda had a pretty wide knowledge of art. That was one of the things we both had in common when we first met”, says Paul McCartney. “I was enjoying people like Magritte, which impressed her. One of my big show-off moments was asking, ‘Have you seen my Magritte?’”  According to him, she was fascinated with all areas of photography and had a knack for creative hacks. 

“She started off with a Nikon camera, and there was a technique where she would pull off a little piece of the Kodak film box and pop it into a little slot at the back of the camera to remind herself what film she was on. A clever little trick!”

The first person ever to have both photographed a Rolling Stone magazine cover, and appear on it herself in 1974, Linda McCartney was highly renowned for the work she put into her career as both a photographer and musician, founding the band Wings where she performed vocals and keyboard, alongside Paul. 

She was voted as the US Female Photographer of the Year in 1967, and received the Distinguished Photographers Award from ‘Women In Photography’ in 1987, and even appeared on an episode of The Simpsons called ‘Lisa the Vegetarian’ with her husband Paul McCartney in 1995, the same year she was sadly diagnosed with breast cancer. 

Linda McCartney had the ultimate career that any music photographer (and most likely photographers in general) would no doubt be envious of. She began her interest in photography in the early 1960s after majoring in Art History at The University of Arizona in Tucson, the same university where the latest exhibition of her life’s work is being held. 

Linda dabbled in artistic styles that involved creating cyanotypes and salt prints, Cibrachrome prints, and mastered many different photographic techniques over the years from photogravure still lifes, platinum print landscapes, and Polaroid transfers. She released several photo books and exhibitions showcasing this format. 

The Linda McCartney Retrospective exhibition will showcase 176 photos, running until August 05, 2023, and can be visited at the University of Arizona’s Center for Creative Photography. 

• You may also be interested in the best camera settings for live music photography, as well as how to get started in live music photographyas advised by pro photographer Christie Goodwin. 

• Get your images ready to enter into the Abbey Road Studios’ Music Photography Awards this year, and get some inspiration from our interview with iconic music photographer Denis O’Regan.

Roger Deakins found his vocation later in life. Perhaps that is the secret of his longevity. At 73 years old, director of photography (DoP) Deakins continues to work on film sets. His job, although unknown to much of the general public, is essential. It consists in designing the lighting and shots of a film. And, in this field, this British DoP is one of the greatest. He has worked, among others, for the Coen brothers (Barton Fink, Fargo, No Country for Old Men), Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049) and Sam Mendes (Skyfall, 1917 and the recently released Empire of Light, in French theaters March 1).

The septuagenarian has said he embraced this career by chance. Cinema, however, has always been part of his life. In Torquay, the seaside town in the south of England where he grew up, his neighborhood had six movie theaters (only two remain today). Deakins, born in 1949, belongs to the generation for whom going to a film club was part of the initiation process of any high school student. A sheet as a screen, a 16 mm projector and a dozen chairs arranged in a hurry allowed him to discover films such as Alain Resnais’ Last Year at Marienbad (1961) and Jean-Luc Godard’s Alphaville: A strange adventure of Lemmy Caution (1965). No actual cinema in Torquay would have dared to show these works.

‘1984,’ a turning point

Despite studying art and then at the National Film and Television School in Buckinghamshire (northwest of London), where he was only accepted on his second attempt, Deakins did not imagine becoming a DoP or even working on feature films. He saw himself as a documentary filmmaker and also made several videos for musicians of the time. But the film world decided otherwise. In 1983, he was hired to design the photography for 1984, by Michael Radford, based on George Orwell’s book. It was then that he understood that he was venturing on a path from which he would never deviate.

“That’s when I told myself I wanted to do this job for the rest of my life. There was nothing more interesting to light than a face.” Roger Deakins

“It’s very simple,” said Deakins. “Richard Burton, the star of the film, who was one of the greatest British actors in history – he died very shortly after – came out of his dressing room for lunch. It was the first day of shooting. We were all very nervous but he was keen, instead, to thank us for what he assured us had been one of the most enjoyable mornings of his life.”

The actor had introduced himself to everyone. “He was the one who seemed impressed. That’s when I said to myself that I wanted to do this job all my life. There was nothing more interesting to illuminate than a face. I had been in photography and then in music videos, but thanks to Richard Burton I discovered a whole new complexity.” He said he rediscovered this sense of availability and fragility in Brad Pitt, on the set of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), by Andrew Dominik.

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Here are the 20 unexplainable images that will leave you scratching your head. Have you ever stumbled upon a photo that left you feeling completely baffled and unable to explain what you were seeing? We’ve all had those moments of confusion, and it’s even more perplexing when the image is one that simply defies explanation.

In this article, we’ve compiled a collection of unexplainable images that will leave you scratching your head. From strange optical illusions to bizarre situations captured on camera, these photos will make you wonder what on earth is going on.

These images are just a few examples of the unexplainable photos that we’ve come across. They’re the kind of pictures that make you do a double-take, and then look again just to make sure you’re not seeing things. Whether you’re a fan of optical illusions or just enjoy a good mystery, these unexplainable images are sure to leave you scratching your head. So sit back, relax, and get ready to be baffled by the strange and inexplicable things that happen in this world.

Scroll down and enjoy yourself. All photos are linked and lead to the sources from which they were taken. Please feel free to explore further works of these photographers on their collections or their personal sites.

#1. Hurry up, please!!!

Source: Zui Ze Hong Quạu

#2. She’s got a leg up on the fashion industry. Two in fact.

Source: Illustrious-Fly-4067

#3. This guy putting his knee on the counter while checking out

Source: Slippery_iguanapoop

#4. Boots with flip flops

Source: cadoes

#5. Yeah, a fish head is a pretty random thing to find in a toilet, I guess

Source: DFWV

#6. Hmm

Source: reddit

#7. “Ferb, I know what we’re gonna do today!”

Source: Lopsided_Ad9145

#8. And the shoes…

Source: Barry-McKocinue

#9. This Pikachu has seen some sh*t

Source: origin_flame

#10. Also known as March 0th

Source: AnnaSophiaHubby5

#11. The bird has some skills

Source: DickDoodle830

#12. Don’t wanna be a coke-head

Source: Fabulous_Average_480

#13. Nice outfit

Source: 33Fanste33

#14. Koala

Source: Critical-Cup6945

#15. This kid is living in 2054

Source: North-Negotiation942

#16. Wait, what???

Source: ZookeepergameWorth41

#17. Good boy

Source: North-Negotiation942

#18. When they ask if you’re Bi, but you misunderstand and think they mean something about Bicycles

Source: Gangters_paradise

#19. It’s Tiny Head from the Twisted Whiskers show

Source: UnkemptHeader

#20. Damn, hope they were able to breathe while they got their face stuffed into the seat

Source: FartsWithAnAccent

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At the counter of Leederville Cameras, in inner-suburban Perth, Jaden Watts recently dropped off five disposable film cameras to be developed.

While he’s from a generation that grew up with smartphone cameras and instant image sharing, he has come to embrace the analog technology.

“I think it’s nice to capture the memories just at the time and if it’s a bad photo, it’s a bad photo and you just accept that,” Mr Watts said.

He also likes the look of an image that’s been produced on film and isn’t shaped by camera effects or social media filters.

“I like the way they just come through. I like the oldness, how they look,” he said.

“I like the anticipation as well, the wait [for processing] is three weeks, but I really don’t mind waiting that long.”

The days when Mr Watts could have taken his film to a pharmacy or photoshop and had them processed in a matter of hours is long gone.

For Lidio Fiore, the owner of Leederville Cameras, the resurgence of interest in film has been great for the business, but also has him regretting the loss of the film processing machines he took to the tip about 10 years ago.

“About 10 or so years ago, our machines were sitting there probably doing one or two rolls of film a week, it was absolutely dead,” Mr Fiore said.

“I said there’s no point keeping these machines, they’re taking up too much room, let’s bin them.

“So we literally took them to the tip, binned the machines, and they were gone.”

With hindsight, he said it was probably the worst decision he ever made.

“About two years later, we got these phone calls going, ‘Do you do film?'” he said.

“All of a sudden, we’ve got to buy some more machines.

“And now we’re probably doing around 150 rolls of film a day, and it’s been like that probably for the last seven years now. It’s just absolutely gangbusters.

“Gone are the days of one-hour processing because we cannot process fast enough, at the moment, it’s a few weeks wait to get the orders ready.”

For Clinton Howe, who has run his camera repair business from a small office high in Perth city’s London Court arcade since 1978, it’s a welcome revival.

“I just find the whole film industry resurgence a fantastic thing, and I just hope it continues because it’s way more fun.

“That’s what I tell everybody who leaves my premises: have fun, that’s what it’s all about.”

In his business, filled with every kind of camera, he estimates he has five to 10 million parts that he can use to repair the cameras (often retrieved from parents’ and grandparents’ cupboards) that customers bring in.

He needs the parts “because I’m dealing with these cameras now they’re in excess of 50 to 70 years of age”.

“Things wear out, things get sluggish, if they haven’t been used for 30 or 40 years, they don’t work very well and they need a bit of TLC,” he said.

But he says despite their age, old cameras lend themselves well to repair.

“I’ve got two cameras at the back for restoring that are in excess of 70 years old. The other day, I sold a 1937 Rolleiflex hat works perfectly to a customer.

“That’s what I love, because they’re fully mechanical cameras that were built to last.”

While his cameras may be old, his customers are young.

“The great thing is that the majority of my customers are under 30, which is great fun to deal with, because they’re all energetic and very enthused about the photography,” he said.

“They’re always very positive about the experience.”

For Lidio Fiore, the only thing holding up the analog revival is the worldwide shortage of film.

“Getting it is extremely tough at the moment. I think we’ve got some 3,000 or 4,000 films on back order at any one time, and they’ll just send us like 100, which doesn’t really satisfy anything.”

The Fiore family started their first photography business in Perth in 1984 and were once exclusively doing film work.

Mr Fiore says unlike in previous eras, customers love the idiosyncrasy and imperfection of film photographs.

“It’s all about the novelty. It’s never the same, sometimes [the pictures are] a bit dark, it’s a bit light and they love it.

“Back in the day we had so many complaints when it was dark, and these days people want the bad stuff.”

He said one customer recently brought in a roll of film she had accidentally double exposed, using the roll once for a birthday party and loading it into the camera again for another event.

“We’re looking at this thinking it is pretty bad and she’s like, ‘This is amazing. I love it’.

“Because it was completely random, and it was something that can never happen again.”

I believe photography is the best language inherent to every human being. One can not read a book written in German, Spanish or Russian, without knowing these languages. But one can easily read a photograph taken by a German, Spanish, or Russian photographer. That is why I think photography is one of the most powerful media to transfer one’s thoughts to viewers.+

From my childhood, I was fascinated by comic books like Tintin, Asterix, Chacha Chowdhury, Nonte Fonte, and others. I fell in love with the pictures, cartoons, and sketches from these books so much that I started learning to paint during my school days. As I grew up, my fondness for painting gradually drew me to photography.

Currently, I shoot mostly street, travel, and human interest. I have a fondness for the colors and texture of the streets, most of my pictures are in colors. Colors affect human moods and emotions, for example, blue create calmness, green is relaxing, orange gives an energetic vibe and red evokes passion and optimism. I love experimenting with colors in my photography.

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About Konark Basu

I am a street and travel photographer based in Kolkata, India. Software engineer by profession, and photography is my passion. I started photography in 2017. I am a member of the Federation of India Photography (FIP). I have achieved distinct like Excellent FIAP (EFIAP) from The International Federation of Photographic Art and EFIP from the Federation of India Photography.

My photographs have been awarded and exhibited in different salon competitions around the world. I have received Lalit Kala Award (Gujarat, India) and 3 awards (Honorable Mention) in Paris International Street Photo Awards in 3 different categories. I was the winner of the HIPA Photography Day Contest, Finalist in Siena International Photo Awards.

I follow a lot of photographers and get inspired by their work. Some of the Legends are – Raghu Rai, Raghubir Singh, Henry Cartier Bresson, Fan Ho, Gary Winograd, Alex Webb, David Alan Harvey, Steve McCurry, and many more. I am also inspired by a lot of young and contemporary photographers’ work from India and Bangladesh.

You can find Konark Basu on the Web :

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