Category Archives: Photography

Feb. 1—SANDY LAKE — For Fran Bires, the great outdoors have been a lifelong interest — something he can now express through photography, a hobby that took off for him about five or six years ago.

And since the Sandy Lake resident and his wife Nancy live near the Maurice K. Goddard State Park, the couple often spend plenty of time hiking, biking or taking photos there — including a photo Fran took last year of an otter.

The otter, perched on a rock and looking back at Fran, is a rare example of an animal “cooperating” during a photo shoot, and one that recently won Fran the People’s Choice Runner Up Award from the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation’s Annual Photo Contest.

“It was cool, but it was also very unexpected,” Fran said of the award.

Fran’s photo was one of about 600 submissions to the contest in 2022, according to a press release.

The quality and volume of the photos is evidence of the passion people have for their state parks and forests, Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation President Marci Mowery said in the release.

“Photography is one of many ways that people enjoy these special places,” Mowery said.

Despite the recognition, Fran said he didn’t set out to be an award-winning photographer; his true passion has always been the outdoors and wildlife.

To that end, Fran’s career included a 33-year stint at the former McKeever Environmental Learning Center, along with some time working at state parks including Raccoon Creek State Park and McConnells Mill State Park.

Fran also continues to serve on the board of the Friends of Maurice K. Goddard State Park.

When he retired in 2016, Fran continued spending time outdoors. But now, Fran could invest more time studying photography, which had previously been an “on-and-off again” hobby prior to retirement.

“It was kind of a natural fit,” Fran said. “I know a lot of photographers that do weddings and things like that, but being a nature and outdoors buff, that’s what I wanted to shoot.”

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However, Fran said photography still took a lot of trial and error, as he learned different aspects such as equipment, composition and lighting.

He also learned how much patience goes into photography, especially wildlife photography, since the shots are dictated by the whims of nature and the animals.

“Something I’ve learned from professional photographers is that, when people go out in the field, a lot of people up too quick,” Fran said. “I’ve done that where you give up, and as soon as you do, that’s usually when something cool happens.”

During one of many trips to Goddard three or four years ago, Fran said he saw his first river otter. Although he snapped a few photos at the time, Fran later went back to the same location and once again saw otters there.

By the time he took his award-winning photo, Fran said the otters seemed to get used to his presence instead of scattering, although Fran continued to keep his distance.

Despite the unique opportunity presented when one of the otters looked at him long enough to snap a photo, Fran said it was important to be respectful of animals when shooting them.

That’s why Fran said photographers should not only be mindful of their own safety, but also the safety of the animals by not getting too loud or too close.

Some bird species will abandon a nest if someone gets too close or disturbs a nest, while foxes may take their young from the den and try to find a new den if they feel the pups are threatened.

“Ethics is a big part of this. You’ve got to be respectful of wildlife,” Fran said.

Aside from receiving his first photography award, Fran also had a photo of an eastern bluebird published in Pennsylvania Magazine, and a landscape photograph of Goddard’s Falling Run Waterfall in Inside Pennsylvania Magazine, both in 2022.

Fran stressed though that while it was “cool” having his work recognized last year, and he may submit toward the contest in the future, he doesn’t take photos for the awards.

Since there’s no way to plan ahead the circumstances that can make for a great photo, it helps to enjoy the outdoors regardless of the photo opportunities.

“You can spend hours a day outside and not see something. That’s what makes these kinds of photos unique,” he said.

Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at .

Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at [email protected].

Eugene Howell talks about how the craft helped him through radiation therapy.

Eugene Howell talks about how the craft helped him through radiation therapy

Mike Simms · CBC News · Posted: Feb 02, 2023 9:50 AM EST | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

This Newfoundland man used his love of photography to cope with cancer treatment

Dealing with a thyroid cancer diagnosis, retired teacher Eugene Howell turned to nature photography to help him deal with radiation therapy.

When Eugene Howell retired from teaching, he left Vancouver and moved home to Northern Bay, N.L., where to call the scenery “picturesque” is an understatement. 

But shortly after the move he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. 

Since then, his love for photography and nature has served as a coping mechanism during his radiation treatment.

Frames is a series celebrating photography and the people who are compelled to reach for their camera and capture moments in time.

Throughout the series, we’ll meet six photographers — all with their own approach to photography, and all of whom have captured some unbelievable photos.

In this episode of Frames, Eugene talks about using the camera for support.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Simms is an independent filmmaker and video producer for the CBC, based out of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Feb. 1—Most everybody has a camera these days and the ability to capture any moment they may prefer. But often those pictures have a short life span, earning a moment on social media or perhaps forgotten in a digital cloud.

Lindsey Miller wants to take pictures of her clients that last a lifetime, that are framed and hang in family rooms and are passed from one generation to the next.

“My goal is to ultimately create artwork that they will love and cherish for the rest of their lives,” she said. “That might be an album. It might be something for their nursery. The sky is the limit.”

Miller recently opened up studio space above Pear Tree Gallery, 331 E. Market St., and is ready to work with families and individuals in need of portraits or those looking for commercial photography options such as real estate or branding.

Miller found her love of photography while working in marketing and social media. Her husband saw her passion and bought her a camera for her birthday.

She started taking photos for her friends and when she reached a point in her career where she was ready to try something new, photography was the answer.

“Since I had already started growing my photography side it just made since for that to be my next venture,” she said.

Lindsey Miller Portraits became an official business in August 2021. During warm weather she was able to be outside with her clients but then found herself inviting them into her home during the winter months.

When she decided to have an official studio space, a friend told her to reach out to Teri and Tom Partridge, owners of Pear Tree Gallery. They had space upstairs, they told her, but described it as raw. What Miller found waiting for her was perfect.

“I walked up here and I thought ‘this is really cool’,” she said. “Teri Partridge was my art teacher when I was 10 years old (at Columbia Middle School). I thought that was so cool to grow up and work in the same building as her. I just loved (the space) as soon as I came in here.”

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Miller also said another positive aspect of working above Pear Tree Gallery is the fact that the art store offers so many framing options. Until moving into the space, Miller was only able to offer her customers canvas prints. Now, she can partner with Teri and Tom Partridge and provide everything from photography, prints and framing in one building.

Miller found that many people who work with photographers—or even do the photography on their own—often ended up with digital photo files that never got printed. She wanted to step in and help those needing pictures while also removing a lot of the extra work such as printing and framing.

“What I offer is more of a full-service type of experience,” she said. “Instead of me taking their pictures and just sending them the files to figure out what to do with, I meet with them. We create a session theme that matches their personality and matches what they want for their home.”

Based on the time she takes to get to know the people she is photographing, she’s able to come up with creative ideas that captures her subjects’ personalities and interests.

She also takes care of orders and framing so that a customer has a piece to hang in their home without a hassle.

Miller said there are those who want to have a quick experience that is wrapped up in a small amount of time, but she looks for customers who want to invest time in the project. If the project includes children, that’s a bonus.

“The crazier the kids are the more fun shots we get,” she said. “High schoolers are fun, too. They are a little more reserved than little kids but I love to shoot them. And, of course, families as well. But I would definitely say my favorites are kids.”

Miller will put several weeks into a photography shoot. One week she meets with her clients to learn what they are looking for, who they are and what interests them and to make sure everyone feels comfortable together.

From there, she will begin working with the clients to build a photoshoot, discussing clothing, settings and other options with them. Then it’s time to take the pictures.

“I think a great photo is something that shows the emotion of someone with their family,” she said. “That’s kind of my job to pull that out of them.”

Because of her commitment to her clients, Miller only takes a limited number of customers each month. She said it’s best book in advance if a photo is needed by a certain time.

She also advises those looking for a photographer to consider how personalities match up, what their needs are (Something fast? Something meant to last generations?) and what they are willing to do on their own (printing and framing?).

But if someone is looking for a family keepsake, a captured moment of emotion, Miller is the photographer for them.

For more information, photo samples and tips on setting up a shoot, visit lindseymillerportraits.com. Miller is available for social media and marketing consulting.

Arri and Rotolight have reached an agreement in their legal dispute over the latter’s CineSFX special effects patent, the companies have announced.

Arri has agreed a settlement with the UK-based lighting manufacturer and no longer contests Rotolight’s patents. According to a joint official statement from the two firms:

“ARRI has agreed to a settlement with Rotolight, relating to Rotolight’s cinematic special effects “CineSFX®” patent portfolio in the US, UK, and Europe. ARRI no longer contests the validity of Rotolight’s patents and has withdrawn its Inter Partes Review in the US accordingly. Simultaneously, Rotolight has withdrawn its US District patent court action against ARRI. All ARRI products will continue to be offered as always. ARRI and Rotolight respect intellectual property and value fair competition”.

The dispute began back in 2021 when Arri objected to a number of patents Rotolight was awarded for its CineSFX and Magic Eye effects, claiming they weren’t new technology but rather refinements of Arri’s own inventions. Rotolight disagreed, stating that it developed its technologies internally with the help of Emmy-winning visual FX artist Stefan Lange.

Rotolight also found itself playing defence last year over the same patents in lawsuits filed by Vitec (now Videndum), which is the parent company of brands such as Manfrotto, Lowepro, Gitzo, Joby and Litepanels, the latter of which also disputed Rotolight’s claim to its technology.

Rod Aaron Gammons, CEO, Rotolight, said: “Rotolight invests millions each year into research and development in order to bring its customers the latest in lighting technology and innovation. However, such investments can only be made with the knowledge that those investments and the intellectual property, which underpins them will be respected. We are therefore pleased to have reached a settlement with ARRI, and shall continue to take all steps necessary to protect our intellectual property from ongoing infringement. In so doing, this will allow us to continue to invest in bringing industry-first innovations to market. Any other infringing companies should now proactively approach Rotolight directly, to secure a licensing agreement on reasonable commercial terms.”

The Art Gallery of Ontario’s new exhibition We Are Story: The Canada Now Photography Acquisition takes a very broad view of the word “photography.” Photograms? That’s photography. Collage? Photography. Images from the internet, manipulated into a mosaic? Photography.

For AGO curatorial fellow Marina Dumont-Gauthier, who helped put the show together, it’s important to continually be reconsidering what photography is, because “photography is still a young art,” compared to painting or sculpture, and it continues to evolve rapidly.

The exhibition showcases ten new additions to the AGO’s collection, which come to the gallery as part of the Canada Now Photography Acquisition Initiative. Photographer Edward Burtynsky and gallerist Nicholas Metivier conceived the initiative in the spring of 2020 as a way to support artists during COVID.

The artists featured in the collection come from a variety of backgrounds, both artistically and culturally, and are based in all corners of the country. The thing they all have in common is that they each bring a unique approach to the medium.

Toronto-based artist Aaron Jones‘ piece “Holding My Grandmother’s Oranges” is the first image viewers see when they walk into the gallery. A five-foot-by-six-foot photo collage, it centres on an image taken from a postcard, advertising California oranges, that hung in his late grandmother’s kitchen. He says that for him, the oranges symbolize what he calls a “utopian access to food.” The oranges are guarded by what he describes as a “gollum” made out of hands. The hands were taken from pictures of NBA players from the 1990s and 2000s that were given to him by a friend.

“My grandma came here from Jamaica,” he says. “My mom and her sisters and brothers are all immigrants. I think it was the first time, when they got here, where they would for sure have food ⁠— not that they didn’t have food in Jamaica, but it was more for sure [here]. And for myself, growing up, I was given that privilege of, like, ‘Go in the fridge. Take whatever you want.'”

He adds that, as a “child of the ’90s,” even though he wasn’t a huge sports fan, the images of basketball player’s hands spoke to him.

“[The hands] are very well-lit, and I just liked how real they felt,” he says. “And it’s kind of bringing those childhood influences into the design of the gollum.”

At first glance, Sanaz Mazinani‘s “Tokyo/Damascus” doesn’t appear to be a photography-related project at all. The piece is done in the fractal style of traditional Islamic ornamentation. It’s a type of design that Mazinani — who was born in Iran and came to Canada when she was 11 — was surrounded by growing up. It’s only when you get extremely close that you realize that the pattern is made up of photographs of the Occupy Movement protest in Tokyo and Arab Spring protests in Damascus, Syria, repeated over and over again.

“The concept behind [Islamic ornamentation] is that it transforms your understanding of the space,” she says. “Within the religious context, it’s supposed to kind of transform you to this heavenly other world.”

The piece is meant to evoke that same feeling, but in a more secular context: to get us to transcend where we are right now and imagine a better world.

“In this context, I wanted to use it to take us somewhere else, where the world is not so harsh,” she says. “Somewhere that’s more interesting or better.”

Other pieces in the exhibition also take a wide range of approaches to photography. Some of it comes from a documentary or photojournalism tradition, like photos of the war in Afghanistan by Louie Palu, pictures of Black Lives Matter protests printed on massive banners by Jalani Morgan, and Robert Kautuk’s drone shots of his home community of Kangiqtugaapik, Nunavut, including one of a walrus being butchered on an ice floe.

Others take a more experimental approach, like Laurie Kang’s series of photograms of onion and firewood bags, made by placing the bags directly onto photosensitive paper. Montreal-based Inuk artist asinnajaq took a photo of shallow water in James Bay, then printed it on a thin polyester sheet hung from the ceiling. As audiences walk around the piece, they cause the sheet to move, making it look like the water is shifting.

Mazinani says that, to her, the common thread between all the pieces in We Are Story is the ability of photography to inform the viewer about the world around them.

“All these projects are speaking about something that we’re experiencing together, in different ways, right now,” she says. “They’re current. They’re relevant.”

Canon has developed a new 1-inch type, 4K, backside-illuminated stacked CMOS sensor that can provide up to 24 stops of dynamic range, the company has revealed.

Announcing the new sensor design on its global website, Canon said its new sensor divides an image into 736 areas, and within each area it will automatically determine the best exposure settings for that part of the scene. This prevents motion artefacts and allows for better accuracy.

The new design achieves an effective pixel count of approximately 12.6 million pixels (4,152 x 3,024) and provides a dynamic range of 148 decibels2 (dB).

The new sensor effectively eliminates the need to synthesise images when producing HDR imagery, Canon says. As well as potential benefits for creative photography, the new Canon sensor offers immediate business applications for facial or license plate recognition in low light areas.

The new Canon sensor’s high dynamic range allows for image capture in environments with brightness levels ranging from approx. 0.1 lux (the brightness of a full moon at night) to approximately 2,700,000 lux (500,000 lux is equivalent to vehicle headlights).

The new sensor is only slated for industry applications for now, but this technology tends to trickle down into consumer products over time.

Via PhotoRumors