Brazil is certainly a country of great interest. For many, it’s a beautiful holiday destination. But for millions of natives, it’s a difficult place to exist. Because of its diversity, many photographers have made photos of Brazil. Some show its glory, while others show its reality. In this piece, we look back at the work we’ve featured that explores the truth of the largest country in Latin America.
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My name is Robert Claus. As a kid, I wanted to be an artist—a painter or composer, or preferably both. Life has a funny way of redirecting and planing down these creative (and potentially very expensive) impulses. When I returned to photography as an adult, it was the perfect means of self-expression for me. I could then bring my other passions to bear, from lighting a still life like a 17th century painting, to thinking about sequencing images in a portfolio or collection like a piece of music.
“I think it’s the best way I have of expressing myself, and it’s also one of the things that I feel most comfortable doing,” says Andrei Mihalache when asked why he chose photography. He adds, “taking photos helps me disconnect from daily life with all its ups and downs.” Mihalache sent us a very thoughtful submission. He happily shared his personal journey, his creative process, and useful tips for the budding photographer. There’s a lot to get through in this feature. But all of it will add value to your photographic journey, as Mihalache shares the wisdom he’s obtained during a career that’s lasted over a decade.
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I’m writing this article partially because someone asked me about how to get your work into a gallery. But I’m also writing it because I’m honestly not even sure that galleries are worth it anymore. Are they cool? Sure! When we’re all vaccinated against the pandemic, and we go back to a semblance of what the world was before, that might change. However, I think that the way the public views photography isn’t necessarily as art anymore. At least, traditional capturing isn’t really necessarily art. There’s too low of a barrier of entry for lots of folks.
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Whether you’re an aspiring food photographer or simply want to take better photos of your culinary masterpieces, this photography cheat sheet will get you started.
The ultimate goal of food photography is easy to point out; the way to making that happen may be a bit challenging to figure out for beginners. A lot of factors go into it like styling, lighting, backdrops, and of course, camera settings. Your Instagram-worthy snaps may seem good enough to many, but if you really want to go beyond that, you’ll have to make some magic with an actual camera. This is why we’re always on the lookout for learning resources and tips to help make it happen. For today, let’s tackle the basic camera settings that you can use to get started.
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Fact: tons of people are bored in the 2020 pandemic. Many took on a new hobby that they’ve meant to get into for a while. And amazingly, sales of photo equipment and services enjoyed a surprising increase. Photography is a great hobby. While stuck at home, lots of new, passionate photographers started cutting their teeth. The more experienced creatives embraced this new freedom and spread their wings. Some of us got new lenses. Others headed into the woods. But no matter what, most of us kept shooting. And here’s some of the gear that kept passionate photographers sane during the 2020 pandemic.
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Most photographers realize that flash output is still better than constant lighting. But the biggest struggle is with TTL vs. manual flash output. Most people don’t understand it. And to be honest, most experienced photographers are also frustrated with it. But in time, you learn to tell it what to do. Think about it this way. You use your camera in manual mode, right? And if you don’t, then you at least know how to do so. The strobe and flash output that you can get is similar.
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All images by El Santo. Used with permission.
Hi! My name is El Santo, I am an anonymous Chilean photographer, publicist by title, but photographer of the soul. I have been with this digital project since 2015, photographing the day in day in the city of Santiago de Chile. In October 2019 I exhibited my first photographic exhibition in Santiago de Chile (specifically at Galería Montegrande, the gallery that hosted my artistic project). It is about two series called “Samsara” and “Special Forces”. Today due to the coronavirus I have decided to offer the experience of the exhibition completely free online. I think this project it’s very representative of the conflict of my country, so I think, why not share this project for the non-Spanish speakers. I will comment on these two photographic series after the questions and answers.
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As photographers, we tend to amass a ton of camera gear over time. While most of us would love to bring all of our equipment with us when traveling, the truth is we rarely need everything in our arsenal. Obviously, it’s a challenge when deciding what gear to bring and what to leave home. The decision becomes harder if you happen to be going on a day-long hike. Not only do you have to decide what to pack, but you’ve got to carry all of it on your back. Fortunately, the OneMo Backpack 25L from PGYTECH is a comfortable, modular, and expandable solution perfect for adventurous photographers preparing for such a trip. While it can’t tell you what you will need for your hike, the OneMo Backpack can undoubtedly help you carry it.
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All images used with permission, lead image by Andrew Kung.
In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we spoke with five of the top photographers of APA descent working in the industry today. Their specialties range from automotive, commercial, documentary, lifestyle, music, and weddings. We asked them one simple question, “How far have you come as an artist since you first began your journey as a photographer?” Here are their stories:
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All photos by Yum Tang. Used with permission.
When we speak of food photography, we envision scrumptious morsels shot in cozy locations. We are also seeing more meticulously styled dishes shot in the studio for out of the box approaches. Beijing-based visual designer and food photographer Yum Tang, however, brings an even more creative idea to the the table with her series, Food is doing surreal things in the desert. If you’re a fan of totally different kinds of photography coming together to create original works, we’re sure you’ll be amazed and inspired with this series.
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All photos by Les Garçons. Used with Creative Commons permission.
When we speak of spring, the first things that come to mind are images of flowers, greenery, and fields in full bloom. However, the creative minds behind Les Garçons bring us a more creative and conceptual way to see and represent this beautiful season and the refreshing imagery that comes with it: scrumptious and delicately styled food photography. If you’re looking for out-of-the-box ideas about spring or food photography, this featured series definitely fits the bill.
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With events and gatherings across the globe being canceled due to Coronavirus, even creative activities like photography are put on hold.
All over the world, events and gatherings, including photography events and workshops, are being canceled as part of measures to keep the COVID-19 from spreading further. Social distancing is also in effect to prevent the spread of the virus, so that means no shooting portraits with models and even strangers out in the streets. Client work and paid projects are also affected, making this dreaded disease such an ordeal for professional photographers. The biggest question, therefore, is how are photographers holding up? What are they doing to deal with the onslaught of COVID-19?
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We’re very excited for the year these 20 women photographers have ahead of them.
There are many reasons to highlight the work of women photographers. Our reason is simple; we love to share greatness. As one of the photo industry’s leading publications, we’re fortunate to be exposed to talented women photographers. Street photography, documentary, portrait, product, and more: the female presence is on the rise across the board and it’s incredibly exciting! In fact, it was difficult cutting our list down to just 20! But we got there, and this is the best of best.
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Connor M Matherne is probably the first amateur astrophotographer to photograph this occurrence at a black hole.
“This jet, in particular, was not discovered until 2017, so at the very least the window of time for someone else to image this is relatively small,” explains Connor M. Matherne to the Phoblographer in an interview. He’s an amateur astrophotographer with a Masters of Science in Geology and based at Louisana State University. If he’s correct, he could also be the first amateur astrophotographer to capture the relativistic jet from the Centaurus A black hole. “In the 2017 paper published b McKinley et al., they had the help of amateur astrophotographer Rolf Wahl Olsen who shot the same target and recently updated his total exposure time to 130 hours for it. Still no C jet sadly.” Connor states that an astrophotographer needs access to both great equipment and even better skies to pull off what he did. The breathtaking image above cannot be done easily–at least not by amateur photographers. And this isn’t the only masterpiece Connor has done.
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The impressive and unique work of Carl Warner will inspire you to look differently at food as subjects for photography and visual storytelling.
A highly-creative blend of food photography, still life, and advertising photography, Carl Warner’s work is a perfect example of imagination on overdrive. “I create scenes in the studio that sometimes look like real scenes, but scenes that are in nature basically made out of other things,” he described his own work in a quick interview with Wex Photo Video. While he has also expanded his style to working with other materials, food items remain his best-known medium for creating what he calls food landscapes, or foodscapes.
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In this holiday gift guide, you’ll find a handful of items any photographer would love to get this holiday season.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again. Whether you’re looking at gifts for the photographers in your life, or just need an excuse to treat yourself, we’ve put together a list bound to have something any photographer will be happy to receive this holiday season. Since most photographers probably already have a camera body, we’ll be focusing on gifts beyond cameras.
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All photos by Nay Jiménez. Used with Creative Commons permission.
When it comes to food photography, color is essential to produce a maximum mouth-watering effect. It’s also an effective creative component to present food in a different way, as today’s featured food photography project shows. If you’ve ever wanted to capture food through an out-of-the-box approach, we’re sure the vibrant editorial snapped by Chile-based creative director and photographer Nay Jiménez will give you lots of ideas!
Sometimes photographers forget that models are human beings.
Models provide opportunities to learn, they reignite inspiration, and connecting with them provides an excellent excuse to get out of our editing caves and meet with other creatives. As such, several members of The Phoblographer staff and I joined a model on the last day of the Photo Plus Expo and discovered a story deserving of discussion that unfolded right before our eyes. Usually, photo walks are quite fun and create great ways to connect with other photographers. But, this walk became a different sort of revelatory encounter. As the model who was hired to help with the photo walk joined us, we watched what we’ve probably seen all too often on the set of a shoot: a slow but steady dehumanization of the young woman in front of us: beautiful, photogenic, and seen as a prop instead of a person.
There’s more to food photography than mouth-watering close-ups and Instagram-worthy flat-lay shots!
While the primary goal of food photography is to trigger our cravings and make our mouths water, it can also create powerful messages and convey playful ideas. A perfect example is Break/Fast, an ingenious project by Tessa Dóniga Johnson and her studio, Fragmento Universo. If you’re looking for an out-of-the-box approach to food photography, we’re sure you’ll want to dig into this!
All images by Erik Marcinkowski. Used with permission.
Photographer Erik Marcinkowski is a commercial shooter with vibrantly bright, colorful work. He has recently turned the camera on himself to examine his relationship with food, the path to self-love, and embracing male vulnerability. His project, aptly titled DiscomfortFood, is exceptionally crafted technically while providing the opportunity for many important and necessary discussions about our society.
