Minimalism will be taking over Studio 2880 this week.
A new exhibit by Dennis Webster, a professional photographer, called “The Zen of Minimalist Photography,” opens on Tuesday (July 4) from 5:00 – 7:00.
According to the studio, attendees will be able to interact with the exhibit while they learn about Zen Buddhism and Japanese designs.
“We are thrilled to host ‘The Zen of Minimalist Photography’ exhibit, featuring the brilliant work of Dennis Webster,” said Christina Watts, a Studio 2880 spokesperson. “Webster’s ability to evoke emotion through minimalist compositions is truly awe-inspiring. We believe this exhibition will leave a lasting impression on all attendees, fostering a renewed appreciation for simplicity and mindfulness.”
A 3D environment artist/developer working in Unreal Engine, Matt Newell is also an avid photographer, and the creator of Lushfoil Photography Sim, a sim to… photograph landscapes without leaving home.
The marketing suggestion, “a tranquil exploration and photography experience set across a vast selection of faithfully detailed landscapes” may suggest a nature photography workshop or tour, but what is really being sold is… a photography simulation. Yes, just what you read!
The “game”, under the title Lushfoil Photography Sim, invites users to “capture photos in beautiful locales”… without ever leaving their sofa. Yes, the “simulator”, which is now announced as “coming soon” on the platform Steam, allows “coach photographers” to “experience detailed, true-to-life recreations of beautiful and diverse locations around the world” inviting them to “trek through and explore environments to capture stunning vistas and landscapes with your fully-featured in-game camera.”
We live in a time when, thanks to AI, landscapes and nature photographs need to have a stamp “made in the real world” so people understand what is real and what is created inside a computer. Recently, photographer Brian Matish published one article, “Improve Your Wildlife Photos With Photoshop Generative Fill” that shows how the use of the tool in Photoshop can, as he writes, “improve wildlife photos”. In one of the examples given he shows how AI can “actually ‘save’ a photo that would otherwise be deleted. It’s all seriously cool stuff!”
Galen Rowell and the morals of the photographer
The photographer notes that “Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Generative Fill, Adobe Firefly, and Generative AI are transformative technologies” and adds “that while he supports AI and truly enjoy experimenting with it, it is not a substitute for making the effort to “get it right in camera.” Matish also writes that “however, I also live in a reality where it’s not always possible to get it right in camera despite your best efforts and noblest intentions. So, if one option is to be unhappy with the photo, another is to delete it, and the third is to leverage AI technology to suit your tastes and fix it, I’ll take door #3 every. single. time.”
The article from Brian Matish made me think of Galen Rowell, the extraordinary photographer who died in a plane crash in 2002, an artist known for his visual extremes. In one article from 2011, Tim Parkin & Joe Cornish note that Rowell’s images, like the iconic photo of the rainbow over the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, were often questioned for veracity, and suggest that “this is probably why Galen wrote so much about the morals of the photographer and how ‘reality’ should not be distorted through the use of filters.”
An avid reader of Galen Rowell’s column in Outdoor Photographer, I remember well his comments on the importance of nature photography being a record of what was in front of the photographer. Which is an interesting note from an artist that worked with Singh Ray to develop a range of neutral filters that became a key tool for landscape photographers and whoever needed to control light.
Are photography sims a solution for overtourism?
What would Galen Rowell think about the announcement of a game that allows you to “trek through and explore environments to capture stunning vistas and landscapes with your fully-featured in-game camera”? One thing is true today: the pandemic introduced the term “virtual” in our vocabulary, and the explosion of tools to create immersive worlds made Virtual Production a common term in the jargon of filmmakers.
The creation of virtual worlds has also led some to suggest that conventional traveling can be exchanged for virtual tours. It’s an eco-friendly solution that may not satisfy everyone but may be the only solution for many. Overtourism is, in fact, creating serious problems in popular places around the world, and local authorities are eager to find solutions. Already in 2019 Condé Nast Traveler published an interesting article, “How Technology Can Help Us Tackle Overtourism” about the problem, to which National Geographic added more information, in 2020, with “Is virtual travel here to stay, even after the pandemic subsides?”
This to explain that the Lushfoil Photography Sim may not be so strange a proposition, when you look around. After all, what it proposes is for people to do whatever they do when visiting new places: wander around and photograph. The difference is that here you don’t have to share space with thousands of other tourists or listen to the noise of the crowds: the rich atmosphere of Lushfoil’s world is enhanced by an ambient, ethereal soundtrack featuring licensed music from artists around the world.
Landscapes created in Unreal Engine 5
Because, at heart, it is built as a game, each environment is filled with objectives to reward players that have a good eye for angles and perspectives, and hidden secrets for those who are patient and observant. The goal is to capture the perfect shot, and for that the in-game camera includes an abundance of settings that you’d expect from a real-world professional DSLR camera.
The camera simulates settings such as Auto/Manual Focus, Flash, Exposure, Contrast, White Balance, Aperture, Burst Shot and other effects for full creative control over your photography. The game further provides tools that allow for manipulation of the environmental conditions for your photos, such as manual adjustment of light angles, fog, snow, wind, and rain. Not much different from what “virtual travelers” can find in virtual worlds as Second Life or in many modern games, which offer a photo mode, for users to capture their best shots in game. I know, I do it all the time!
The difference when it comes to Lushfoil Photography Sim is that it recreates landscapes from the real world, all created in Unreal Engine 5. The sim is built from the ground up to be both efficiently optimized and showcase the game’s locations in stunning visual fidelity. There are extensive custom settings that will help the game run on a wide range of PCs, while taking full advantage of high-end graphics cards.
Author is an avid hiker and photographer
Lushfoil Photography Sim, which will be available for PC and console, even uses a classic marketing term from the travel industry – “Off the Beaten Path” – to challenge users to dive deeper into the game’s many locations to find unlockable cameras and experience the world from unique perspectives. Find a first-person drone that allows you to soar above the landscape and capture the world from above or find a hidden rowboat that allows you to traverse still waters in pursuit of the perfect shot.
Matt Newell, the author, lives in Perth in West Australia and has been working on this project solo for about 4 years (as of April 2023). As an avid hiker and photographer, he takes his experience from the real world into the development of the sim and hopes “you’re able to appreciate the atmosphere and details I have tried to encapsulate in these environments. I sincerely hope you have a great experience!”
In the end Lushfoil Photography Sim only continues to expand on what has been available, in many cases thanks to the expanded use of Virtual Reality. The simulation brings together a series of sceneries the author had published before, from the uniquely colorful lake Braies, located in the heart of the Italian Alps, to the rolling green hills of the French alps, at the foot of Mont Blanc or Mýrdalssandur, a section of barren, mossy landscape from Iceland’s southern coast, which I had a chance to download, a while ago, from Steam, and which left me wanting more.
Photo Mode in Death Stranding
For anyone thinking this is “new”, let me say that the use of computer simulations for photography has been done before, and what is probably the greatest example of the possibilities continues to be the real-life photos created in Photo Mode in the game Death Stranding, from Kojima Productions. Award-winning landscape photographer Pete Rowbottom takes us through what can be considered a “Masterclass in landscape photography” using the game’s world, in which he talks about the advantages of photographing … in virtual worlds. This is from 2020!
Pete Rowbottom says that the in-game photo mode is something that he could actually use “to teach people, ideas about framing, composition, lighting. You’re able to do everything, you’re able to move around, you’re able to create composition just like you would do if you were outside.” The experience gained in Death Stranding can, in fact, be used to create better photography in the real world.
Lushfoil Photography Sim brings that experience in a simulation that is not part of a game, but a real “virtual photography tour”. Yet, it will be published by a games company, Annapurna Interactive, which has in its portfolio some very interesting titles, from Stray, an adventure with cats, to Twelve Minutes, an interactive thriller about a man trapped in a time loop, featuring James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe.
Annapurna Interactive also announced Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth, which brings the revered franchise back to games for the first time in 25 years. Set between the original film and 2049, Blade Runner 2033 takes place after the events of the Black Out and asks: what does a Blade Runner do when there are no Replicants left to hunt? It may look as if this is a completely different story, which has nothing to do with the subject of this article, but looking at the trailer, the first thing I thought was: “I want to take pictures inside this game. Virtual pictures, I mean…”
Before I close, one remark I believe it’s important to make: photographs taken in virtual worlds or any other image created or “saved” with AI, need to disclose that information. As we live, now, between real and virtual worlds, and gather images from both to keep as mementos of our journey, it’s important, in my humble opinion, to clarify the origin of each document.
July’s night skies are legendary for their sheer abundance of celestial objects such as immense star clouds, light and dark nebulae, crowded clusters and oddities.
Daniel Zantzinger / Skywatcher’s Guide
By midnight all month, the Milky Way galaxy stretches from below the southern horizon to high overhead before plunging into the northeastern abyss. The stellar cascade soars above and beyond, so these nights are primed for long exposure astrophotography and time-lapse videos.
Constellation Scorpius reaches its highest point above the southern horizon for the year — culminates — when it straddles the north/south meridian 9 p.m. July 20. To its east lies Constellation Sagittarius, which culminates next month. When you look between the two constellations, you’re looking in the direction of the unseen bulging center of the Milky Way. As a point of reference, the exquisite Butterfly Nebula (NGC 6302) follows the most direct line of sight to the core.
Scorpius and Sagittarius are home to light nebulae including emission, reflection and planetary nebulae, as well as dark nebulae known as Barnard objects, which are essentially dense patches of gas and dust blocking starlight from behind.
Under dark and clear skies, it’s easy to become awestruck in this dense and diverse neighborhood even with the naked eye. The scorpion asterism alone has 182 visible stars. The other objects here, however, are best resolved and teased out from their compact concentrations with at least a small telescope. Image-stabilized 10×50 binoculars will also provide sufficient in-depth focus.
Find Antares, the heart star of Scorpius, a bright and unmissable red supergiant in the center of the asterism. With a telescope, zero in to observe the delicate nebulosity of Messier object 4, the Rho-Ophiuchus cloud complex illuminated by Antares and neighboring stars. With the naked eye, look east above the hook-shaped stinger to find the Ptolemy Cluster (M7), an open star cluster of about 80 scattered blue stars.
The reason that this part of the sky is so target rich is because three or more bands — arms — of the galaxy overlap. “Or more” because, as is often the case with clouds, it’s often difficult to visually determine where one stops and another starts. Nevertheless, the principals are the Sagittarius-Carina, Scutum-Centaurus and Perseus arms.
The center of the Milky Way is for the most part obscured by dense clouds of gas and dust that block visible light. There are, however, a few significant gaps in the veil — Baade’s Window for one — that allow skywatchers to observe some of the inner structures.
East of Scorpius the skywatcher enters Sagittarius, the superlative centaur Chiron to the ancient Greeks and the archer god Nergal to the Babylonians. This is high-end real estate for vast star clouds and stunning nebulae. The Large Sagittarius Star Cloud is the brightest stretch of road along the Milky Way and the innermost galactic structure that can be observed in visible wavelengths. It is iconic and easily recognizable by its dark nebulae rift lanes of light-obscuring molecular clouds composed of hydrogen gas with a blend of about 150 exotic species of dust. Note that it’s only due to the existence of Baade’s Window that we can see the large star cloud at all.
In Sagittarius, look for the famous Lagoon (M8), Omega (M17) and North America (NGC 7000) light emission nebulae. The Trifid Nebula (M20) is a hybrid of both light and dark nebulae: a luminous star-forming area trifurcated by a lobed dark nebula cataloged as Barnard 85.
Constellation Ophiuchus, the serpent-bearer, due north of Scorpius, culminates at 9 p.m. July 25. Dark nebulae hunters will find ample prey near the Sagittarius-Ophiuchus boundary and within Ophiuchus itself. This frontier holds myriad highly complex Barnard objects. The Dark Horse and Rider is composed of the Pipe Nebula, the hind quarters and back leg of the horse. Barnard 63 is the front leg, B270 is the horse’s head and B276 is the rider’s head.
Ophiuchus (pronounced oh-fee-YOU-kuss) also rewards skywatchers with its multitude of star clusters, the most impressive of which are M9 and M10. Called globular clusters because of their spherical shapes, they contain at minimum tens of thousands of stars in an extremely compressed area. M12, M62 and M107 are outstanding sights as well.
Look for NGC 6240, the oddball Starfish Galaxy, a merger remnant on the center-right of the asterism. A starburst galaxy of intense star birthing activity, it formed when three smaller galaxies slowly merged over several billion years, and now resembles a starfish. This lenticular galaxy retains their original three nuclei and native black holes, two of which are expected to eventually merge into a supermassive black hole.
Even though the Milky Way is “our home galaxy,” its heart is impossibly far away. To put things into perspective, Antares is 554.5 light years from the Sun. One light year is 5.88 trillion miles, so traveling even near the speed of light it would take more than 40 generations of astronauts to arrive at Antares. The center of the Milky Way is 26,000 light years away, so its light arriving today left it during the peak of the ice age’s Last Glacial Maximum.
The moon is full 9:41 p.m. July 3 and is called the Full Buck Moon, a reference to the mature growth of male deer antlers.
Hansruedi Ramsauer is a digital artist whose extraordinary skills have captivated the hearts of countless art enthusiasts. Little did Ramsauer know that his journey into the world of digital art would unfold unexpectedly in 2017. Initially, he embarked on this path as a means to learn Photoshop—a personal challenge he set for himself. Under the handle “swissgo4design,” he dedicated himself to creating and sharing an image every day on Instagram. While he never anticipated a wide audience, his consistent efforts, innate talent, and boundless creativity naturally attracted attention.
When delving into his creative process, Ramsauer revealed two primary approaches that guide his artistry. On one hand, he explores photo platforms like Unsplash and Pexels, envisioning the possibilities inherent in each image. On the other hand, he collaborates with clients who present their ideas, allowing Ramsauer to work towards realizing their visions.
Scroll down and inspire yourself. Check Ramsauer’s Instagram for more amazing work.
You can find Hansruedi Ramsauer on the Web :
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Ramsauer’s artistic journey has been a remarkable transformation from a career in finance to becoming a celebrated digital artist. His decision to learn web design and self-teach Photoshop led to unexpected recognition, captivating the interest of influencers, agencies, and even the very creators of Photoshop itself. This newfound recognition opened doors to commissions, exhibitions, and a steadily growing social media following. As the realm of artificial intelligence continues to emerge, Ramsauer eagerly embraces the new possibilities it offers, seamlessly incorporating it into his latest creations. The future holds boundless potential for this remarkably talented artist as he continues to push the boundaries of digital art.
A record number of people are expected to travel 50 miles or more to their Independence Day destinations this year, and AccuWeather meteorologists have all the details on which parts of the country could experience the best and worst weather for holiday cookouts and firework displays.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) projects a new record to be set for July Fourth holiday travel, with 50.7 million Americans expected to hit the roadways or airports.
“This year’s projection surpasses the previous July 4th weekend record set in 2019 of 49 million travelers,” AAA said.
Where will disruptive thunderstorms erupt and lead to natural light displays? Which regions will experience their best fireworks weather in years? And who will swelter in the heat and humidity typical of the season? Read on for all these details and more.
Fireworks burst on the National Mall above the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol building during Independence Day celebrations in Washington, Monday, July 4, 2022. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)
A slow-moving weather system that is expected to cause a daily eruption of severe thunderstorms into Monday will finally be on its way out of the United States on July Fourth.
Prior to its exit, AccuWeather forecasters say local downpours can impact holiday plans from portions of upstate New York to New England on Tuesday, but most of the stormy weather may stay away from the Interstate-95 corridor.
“After an active couple of days Sunday and Monday in terms of showers and thunderstorms, folks along the I-95 corridor should see improvement for the holiday on Tuesday,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Dean DeVore said.
“For both the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks over the East River in New York City, and on the Esplanade at the Charles River in Boston where the Boston Pops Fireworks and concert takes center stage, things are looking hot, but drier,” DeVore said.
Out of the two cities, Boston stands the highest risk of experiencing a stray shower or thunderstorm on the holiday.
Farther south in Washington, D.C., conditions will be dry but steamy for the spectacular fireworks display at the National Mall. Temperatures may still be in the lower 80s with high humidity levels by the time the show begins.
The intense temperatures that Texas and other portions of the South have experienced in recent days and weeks will diminish to more seasonable levels by the time the July Fourth holiday rolls around.
Although the risk of heat-related illnesses will lessen, anyone spending time outdoors will need to be wary of another weather-related hazard, forecasters warn.
AccuWeather meteorologists are highlighting the zone from portions of eastern Oklahoma and northeastern Texas to Georgia and North Carolina as the most likely area to experience pop-up showers and thunderstorms, including in Atlanta and Nashville.
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“Forecasters strongly recommend that people on the road or spending time outdoors through the Fourth of July keep an eye on the sky and have the means to receive weather watches and warnings due to the potential for changing weather conditions,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
Dangerous lightning strikes and downpours will be the primary hazards with any thunderstorm that pops up, but gusty winds and localized damage can also occur. Given the hit-or-miss nature of these storms, some communities can still wind up with a rain-free holiday.
As of the start of July, six people across the United States have been killed by lightning strikes.
The greatest threat for severe weather on July Fourth will focus on part of the central and northern Plains, where thunderstorms could produce damaging winds and large hail late in the day and at night.
Residents from Seattle to Portland and Medford, Oregon, will not have to worry about rain-dampening celebrations but rather should take precautions against intense heat. Temperatures are projected to challenge daily record highs along portions of I-5, ranging from near 90 degrees Fahrenheit in Seattle to the lower 100s in Medford.
Las Vegas is expected to mark its fifth consecutive day of triple-digit temperatures on Tuesday, following a record for the longest streak of days with the mercury staying below the 100-degree mark.
In California, intense heat over the weekend will ease slightly in time for the July Fourth holiday. For the Golden State and most other portions of the West, the weather story that will likely take center stage this year for the holiday is the lack of drought.
“Since the drought has vastly improved in much of the West since last year, many cities and towns may be able to hold fireworks shows for the first time in years,” Sosnowski said. “In recent summers, officials throughout drought-affected regions instituted bans on fireworks and canceled scheduled fireworks shows due to the risk of wildfire ignition.”
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Vecteezy, a leading online stock photography marketplace where users can license images and video directly from artists, is making waves in the industry as it announces an exclusive deal with Shutterstock Inc. (NYSE: SSTK). The partnership positions both brands for rapid growth in the creative industry together and puts Vecteezy on pace for $15 million annually.
With its vast collection of high-quality visuals, award winning graphic design tool, and user-friendly platform, the company aims to revolutionize the way individuals and businesses create content on the web. As the demand for visually captivating content continues to rise, stock photography has become an integral part of various industries, including marketing, advertising, and web design. Vecteezy has established itself as a trusted platform, providing a wide range of images, illustrations, and graphics that cater to diverse needs.
This announcement signifies a significant milestone for Vecteezy as they embark on a promising second half of the year. The company has set an ambitious target of surpassing 30 million files by the end of 2023, which would be double the number achieved in 2022. Through this strategic partnership, Vecteezy will enhance its offerings by incorporating premium Shutterstock images alongside its existing collection, benefiting the millions of designers, marketers, and entrepreneurs who regularly rely on Vecteezy for affordable stock imagery. This collaboration amplifies the quantity and quality of results available on Vecteezy, while also creating a mutual channel of engaged visitors between the two brands.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Shutterstock to bring more premier content to our creative community and simplify the creative process for millions of people,” said Shawn Rubel, Vecteezy Founder and CEO. “We have some big business goals this year and partnerships like this help us continue to be a profitable, fully bootstrapped company that only continues to grow.”
Since 2007, Vecteezy has been providing a wide range of images and videos to a dedicated community of creative individuals. Today, the brand proudly offers over 20 million images contributed by more than 25,000 talented creators from around the world. The fully remote and bootstrapped company has achieved profitability without external funding and has recently achieved significant milestones. The company’s growth has earned it a spot on the esteemed Inc 5000 list for two consecutive years, with a remarkable three-year growth rate of 141% in total revenues. As Vecteezy continues to expand, strategic deals like this enable the team to accelerate their product roadmap and incorporate cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence, into their suite of offerings. The company’s expansion will not only benefit customers but also local individuals throughout the state. Vecteezy plans to hire additional talent and support staff, contributing to the growth of the state’s creative industry and creating new job opportunities.
About Vecteezy
Vecteezy is a leading stock photography marketplace headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky. With a vast collection of images, illustrations, and video footage, the company offers a diverse range of content to cater to various industries and creative needs. To learn more about Vecteezy and explore its extensive collection of high-quality visuals, visit its website at www.vecteezy.com.
McClatchy newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.
The theme for the seventh round of the 2023/24 Camera Jabber Photographer of the Year (CJPOTY) competition is ‘Summer’. Although it’s lovely to get out in the sunshine, the harsh light can make photography tricky. Nevertheless, summer holidays, the rural idle and blue skies hold plenty of appeal for photographers. For this round, we’d like to see images of whatever summer means to you, they can be captured anywhere and at any time.
This round of our monthly competition is open for submissions until 23:59 BST (00:59 CET and 15:59 PST) on 31st July 2023.
To submit your entry, follow the link to cjpoty or click on the CJPOTY button at the top of any of our website pages. You can submit up to three entries for £2.00 plus payment processing costs (£0.26). Images should be Jpegs at least 1920 pixels along their longest side but no larger than 2MB.
Camera Jabber Photographer of the Year prizes
At the end of the month, the Camera Jabber team will pick one winning image and nine runners-up from the July entries. The photographer of the winning image will receive a voucher from MPB.com to the value of £500, which can be spent on anything from a huge range of kit from the World’s biggest platform for used photographic gear.
All 10 of the selected images will go into our shortlist for the year.
We’ll do this each month in 2023 so that by the end of the year, there will be 120 shortlisted images. These will then go before our fantastic panel of judges who will decide the 1st, 2nd and 3rd-placed images.
The photographer of the first-placed image overall, as decided by the panel of judges, will receive a voucher to the value of £1000 from MPB.com as well as a trophy and the title ‘Camera Jabber Photographer of the Year 2024‘. The photographers who come second and third will receive vouchers worth £500 and £250, respectively.
You don’t have to enter the competition every month, but you are welcome to do so, and the more shortlisted images you have at the end of the year, the greater the chance of winning the top prize.
CJPOTY VIP Judges
At the end of the year, our illustrious panel of judges has the onerous task of selecting the first, second and third-placed images overall from the shortlist of 120. Our judges are:
Benedict Brain – Photographer, journalist & Sigma ambassador Sophie Collins – Chief Marketing Office at MPB, Trustee of Royal Photographic Society Donna Crous – Food photographer, author, Nikon Europe ambassador and Rotolight Master of Light Ross Hoddinott – Landscape photographer, wildlife photographer, author, tutor, conservationist Tracy Marshall-Grant – Arts Director, curator and producer Denise Maxwell – Multi-genre photographer and lecturer Carolyn Mendelsohn – Artist and portrait photographer Paul Sanders – fine art photographer Jemella Ukaegbu – Photographer & founder of UK Black Female Photographers (UKBFTOG) Christina Vaughan – Founder of Cultura Creative, the home of inclusive stock photography
Follow the link to find out more about the CJPOTY judges.
About MPB
Founded by Matt Barker in 2011, MPB is the world’s largest platform for used photography and videography kit. MPB has transformed the way people buy, sell and trade equipment, making photography more accessible, affordable and sustainable.
Headquartered in the creative communities of Brighton, Brooklyn and Berlin, the MPB team includes trained camera experts and seasoned photographers and videographers who bring their passion to work every day to deliver outstanding service. Every piece of kit is inspected carefully by product specialists and comes with a six-month warranty to give customers peace of mind that buying used doesn’t mean sacrificing reliability.
Chattanoogans Adam and Cortney Swann are now booking guests at the former summer camp on Monteagle, which they purchased and spent the last year renovating, transforming it into a vacation destination worthy of a magazine spread.
Most of the 10 remaining cabins at the former Camp Mountain Lake, built in 1942, were primitive-style cabins — screened-in rather than air-conditioned, and with composting toilets instead of the flushing sort.
“We’ve redone a cabin before — or a yurt or a condo or whatever, but never 10 cabins at the same time,” Cortney Swann says.
The Swanns added drywall, air-conditioning, electricity and running water to the cabins, nine of which are available to rent, with the tenth cabin occupied by the property’s caretaker. Most are one-bedroom cabins, and one is a two-bedroom, which they call “the lodge,” that features a full-size kitchen, washer, dryer and shower. While all the cabins have running water, all but the lodge share a separate shower facility nearby.
“Every cabin has its own unique theme,” says Cortney Swann, who did all the decor with the help of Kentucky-based SB Designs and murals by Chattanoogan Olivia Reckert. Themes include Palm Springs, wilderness glam, Dolly Parton and vintage camp style.
They’re making good use of the former summer camp’s communal spaces for the new micro-resort, including converting an old tennis court into pickleball courts and a surface used for a giant chessboard. There’s also a picnic area with grills and a fire pit for s’mores, as well as access to the lake located in the neighboring state park where guests can fish or kayak. They’re in the process of remodeling the old dining hall and gym into game rooms with pool tables and gathering areas for guests that should be completed within the next few months.
Located about 45 minutes from Chattanooga and an hour and a half from Nashville, the property draws guests from both cities as well as people just passing through the area, she says.
“Some of the best hiking in the Southeast, like Foster Falls and the Fiery Gizzard trail, are just right down the road, and we also get people coming in for concerts at The Caverns,” Cortney Swann says, referring to the subterranean concert hall in Grundy County. “We also have people who are local who are looking for somewhere not too far just to get away.”
People can also rent out the entire camp for groups of friends, birthday parties or family gatherings, as the Swanns did with their family a few weeks ago.
“I think it’s really fun and a really great place to connect to nature,” she says. “I’m not really a camper type person, but this kind of gives you all the luxuries of boutique camping — getting to build a fire and go to the lake and be in nature — but still has a lot of the modern amenities.”
Instead of the typical Gatlinburg-style bear-theme cabins you often find for rent in the area, the couple wanted to create something with an eclectic, trendy vibe that makes for good photos and a fun experience.
“I think that that’s what our guests are getting,” she says. “We’ve only been open a few weeks … but we’ve already had several people be like, ‘I’m definitely coming back. I want to rent it out for like a week next time. This just wasn’t long enough.'”
Prices range from $119-$229 per night, depending on the cabin and season, or $1,750 per night for the entire 50-acre property. Find out more at campswann.lodgify.com.
The California Academy of Sciences’ prestigious BigPicture Photography Competition brought together a distinguished panel of renowned nature conservation photographers, including Cristina Mittermeier, Suzi Eszterhas, and Ami Vitale. These esteemed experts lent their expertise to the final decision-making process. The winning images showcased not only the incredible biodiversity of our world but also the unique challenges it currently faces.
Corey Arnold, the recipient of the Grand Prize, offers a distinctive perspective on nature. As both a commercial fisherman and a photographer, Arnold delves into the intricate relationship between humans and the natural world. His captivating series captures diverse moments, such as a solitary coyote darting across a pedestrian bridge in Chicago or an American black bear casually relaxing on someone’s back porch. Arnold’s winning photographs provide a captivating glimpse into the intricate coexistence of humans and animals.
Scroll down and insire yourself. Click Full Gallery link to view entire set of photographs.
You can find more info about BigPicture:
#1. Grand Prize: Backyard Friend (from Cities Gone Wild) by Corey Arnold
With a wildlife corridor passing through their property, a retired couple living on the outskirts of Asheville, North Carolina frequently find four-legged visitors at their back porch, including this beautiful American black bear (Ursus americanus). In fact, residents of Asheville are known for their close relationship with wild black bears in the area. This photographer theorizes that through this coexistence, these bears may be growing more intelligent and increasingly bold—resulting in close contact like that featured here.
#2. Aquatic Life, Winner: Of Blades & Spines by Kate Vylet
Urchins are often vilified in media coverage of changing kelp forests—they’re the most visible cause of kelp forest loss, devouring algae and replacing lush forests with spine-studded barrens. But in this remarkable photo we see how urchins belong to kelp forests as much as the kelp itself does; more importantly, they play a crucial role as detritivores—eating dead algae and feeding marine life higher up the food chain. Ultimately, urchins are trying to survive in changing seas just like kelp; the loss of their kelp forest homes is a consequence of climate change from which they also suffer.
#3. Aquatic Life, Finalist: Blanket Octopus by Heng Cai
So named for the transparent webbing that connects to the female’s arms, the blanket octopus (Tremoctopus violaceus) is a curious cephalopod. They exhibit one of the most extreme displays of sexual size dimorphism in nature, with females, like the one pictured here, reaching up to nearly 6 feet in length—while the males only grow to a paltry inch.
#4. Aquatic Life, Finalist: Barrel Roll by Karim Iliya
Here, even in rough waters, a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) calf playfully rolls while its mother sleeps just out of frame. While this is an extremely rare sight—and even more remarkable photo capture—not much is known about why humpbacks roll. This photographer notes that he’s spent hundreds of hours documenting these beautiful creatures, yet had never seen this behavior demonstrated before.
#5. Terrestrial Wildlife, Winner: For Survival by Donglin Zhou
A difficult scene shows a snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and a Pallas’s cat (Otocolobus manul) both engaged in a struggle for survival—one to feed and the other to stay alive. It is remarkable to see them together at all but especially in this light, as they are typically not active during the daytime. Unfortunately for this Pallas’s cat, she picked an inopportune time to go hunting for pikas for her kittens, and even more unfortunate, these squat felids cannot outrun a leopard due to their stocky bodies. This photographer, with help from forest rangers and permission from the local government, fed her orphaned kittens with road-killed pikas from the area until the cats were able to fend for themselves.
#6. Terrestrial Wildlife, Finalist: Livin’ On The Edge by Amit Eshel
As there are less than 5,000 of them left in the world, finding any Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana) is a challenge—let alone battling adult males. This photographer has witnessed numerous juveniles bumping heads as practice, but before this moment had never seen adult males battling at full power for the right to breed.
#7. Terrestrial Wildlife, Finalist: Cloud Walker by Torie Hilley
Looking for a change in scenery while traveling for the first time since the pandemic began, this photographer wasn’t disappointed by Alaska or this Alaskan Peninsula brown bear (Ursus arctos gyas). However, she did have to practice patience, as most days were dominated by cloudy conditions. Finally, the sky gradually started to change color, making the ground appear as though this majestic animal was walking on clouds and allowing the photographer to capture this breathtaking, ethereal image.
#8. Winged Life, Winner: Pass By by Lin Xiaoping
Xiamen City is home to thousands of egrets, earning it the nickname ‘the island of the egrets.’ At first blush, this image captured there appears to be a simple photo of an egret getting a surprise jump from its prospective meal. Then, a moment of delight—the meal is chasing a meal of its own!
#9. Winged Life, Finalist: Washed Off by Lalith Ekanayake
From a bird’s eye view, this is an artful, geometric perspective of greater crested terns (Thalasseus bergii), but it reveals a tragic scene. Upon closer inspection, one sees the terns in a frenzied flight to save their hundreds of eggs—laid on the sparse sand patches—from being washed away into the sea.
#10. Winged Life, Finalist: Dedication by Kurt Jay Bertels
This photographer had always hoped to capture the inside and outside of an owl tree nest at the same time. With this exact photo in mind, he took years to construct an appropriate camera trap and bird box and wait for these Cyprus scops owls (Otus cyprius) to use it. And use it they did. The pictured owl alone returned to its offspring nearly twenty times a night with all manner of prey in tow, including this unlucky gecko.
#11. Landscapes, Waterscapes, and Flora, Winner: Regeneration by Miquel Angel Artús Illana
In 2015, a fire in Jasper National Park necessitated the evacuation of nearly a hundred people and ended up spanning several thousand hectares; months later, this photographer returned to the site and was impressed by the area’s resilience. Though the rocky bottom of the mountainside gives the illusion that the spruce trees are still ablaze, the rich foliage assures that this is a park in recovery—but for how long?
#12. Landscapes, Waterscapes, and Flora, Finalist: Washed Away by Audun Rikardsen
A powerful, haunting image of eelgrass being dragged back into frigid Arctic waters during extreme high tide on Brennviksanden Beach in Steigen, Norway.
#13. Landscapes, Waterscapes, and Flora, Finalist: Northern Lights In The Sand by Antonio Fernandez
Naturally, this photographer had high hopes of seeing the Northern Lights while in Iceland. Unfortunately, due to gray skies and the low intensity of the lights, he wasn’t able to capture them in the sky; however, he later found a surprise in the sand of Iceland’s volcanic black beaches—a shock of green that closely resembled the iconic Arctic phenomenon.
#14. Art of Nature, Winner: Field of Dreams by J Fritz Rumpf
This year’s Art of Nature winner serves as a photographic Rorschach test! The photographer mentions a range of reactions and theories as to what the mesmerizing lines might be part of. A coastal scene with waves crashing on the cliff or sand rippled with waves in the deep desert? We’ll keep you in suspense no longer: It’s the underside of a mushroom, likely a member of the Lactarius family. The photographer notes that he was drawn back to the unusually vibrant colors displayed on the gills, the blue color in particular, which might indicate the presence of psilocybin or psilocin. Trippy indeed!
#15. Art of Nature, Finalist: Transition by Thorben Danke
Impossible to see with the naked eye, this microscopic view of a lesser stag beetle (Dorcus parallelipipedus) shows what it looks like from head to chest. While these beautiful bugs look deceptively smooth on the surface, a closer look reveals a symphony of scales and textures.
#16. Art of Nature, Finalist: The Nebula by Morgan Heim
Reminders that we are all made of stardust can be found in the most unlikely of places: Including this Pacific sea nettle, (Chrysaora fuscescens) that has washed up on the beach. As the sun glints and radiates against its beautiful body, a galaxy shines through.
#17. Human/Nature, Winner: Nose To Nose by Douglas Gimesy
Lit by natural light, a veterinary student cradles and nuzzles a newly rescued, four-month-old common wombat (Vombatus ursinus) named Maude. Baby wombats, with their highly sensitive noses, especially appreciate such close contact. Despite their name, the number of wombats like Maude are on the decline, making this tender photo an even starker reminder of our greater role in their species’ survival.
#18. Human/Nature, Finalist: Tucked In by Marcus Westberg
A Congolese care worker swaddles two rescued chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) as she might her own children. This photographer spent several weeks working in and around Kahuzi-Biega National Park, including at the associated Lwiro Primate Sanctuary, where over 100 rescued chimpanzees have been given a second chance at life. The result of this time is a remarkable photo that not only tugs at the heartstrings, but reminds us that we are more alike than different.
#19. Human/Nature, Finalist: Lake In Pain by Daniel Núñez
We’ve been conditioned to think that when it comes to nature, green is good; unfortunately, in the case of Amatitlán Lake this couldn’t be further from the truth. Each year, enormous quantities of untreated sewage and sediment are carried into this lake from Guatemala City. The result is this disarmingly neon green and undoubtedly toxic lakefront view, visible from the air.
#20. Photo Story: A Matter of Time, Winner: Cities Gone Wild by Corey Arnold
This series examines daily life from the perspective of three urban-savvy animals in the United States: American black bears (Ursus americanus), coyotes (Canis latrans), and raccoons (Procyon lotor). Each has proved themselves uniquely equipped to survive, even thrive, at a time when urbanization continues its march into previously natural spaces.
A 3D environment artist/developer working in Unreal Engine, Matt Newell is also an avid photographer, and the creator of Lushfoil Photography Sim, a sim to… photograph landscapes without leaving home.
Galen Rowell and the morals of the photographer
Are photography sims a solution for overtourism?
Landscapes created in Unreal Engine 5
Author is an avid hiker and photographer
Photo Mode in Death Stranding
