I’ve spoken before about photographing and doing street photography with intent. And I think that when street photographers take photos of homeless people that they’re not doing these people any good. Photographing scenes where these homeless people are the primary focus and surrounded by others more financially fortunate is also not such a great thing to do. While many years ago, this could have told stories when put into the pages of credible publications, today’s world doesn’t lend itself well to this type of photographic intent. Indeed, the world has changed and actions speak louder than words. What often ends up happening is that these photographers self publish by adding images to Instagram or other platforms. These images are then passed by in a feed, double tapped, and moved onto another photo or served an ad. The result is that a person viewing the photos doesn’t want to go help a homeless person in the way that politicians and people used to do.
Stuck in a rut with your portrait photography and conceptual projects? You might want to take a page from a photo + moving picture series by Ukrainian photographer and costume designer Polina Karpova. In this collection of conceptual portraits, she gives us some bright ideas and style concepts on using colors, props, and setting to tell a visual story.
I’ve heard countless versions of the same story: a photo assistant discovering that the photographer charged the client double what they paid the assistant in regards to the assistant fee on the client’s invoice, a tragic problem frequently encountered and rarely remedied. When I first began photo assisting, I was massively underselling myself without realizing, and people took significant advantage – it was only when another female photographer pulled me aside and told me what my rates should be that I realized how much I had been selling myself short. And in a world where women’s requests for what we’re worth are rarely met, though asked for just as often as men, having a lack of knowledge and confidence about how and what you should be charging makes it that much harder to keep our industry healthy, vibrant, and lucrative.
When Ryan Struck moved to Rockaway in Queens, New York City three years ago, the dirty beaches immediately caught his attention. Growing up going to the beaches of New Jersey and having fostered a deep connection to the ocean as a surf photographer, this was a great departure from the picturesque seaside towns he was used to. Compelled by all emotions brought by the sight of litter, overflowing garbage bins, and dumpster diving seagulls, he turned to what he naturally does when faced with something striking or different: taking photos. Without realizing it, he shot what would later be the Rockaway’s Trash series.
Italian tech startup Specialwaves has recently introduced Mine S, a new modular physical controller that promises to be a precise and intuitive device for a wide range of software and devices. If you’ve been using different controllers for your creative applications and equipment, this creative tool could change that for you.
If you’re a street or architectural photographer who prefers to depict the world in black and white, we bring another minimalist inspiration for you. Oscar Lopez, who brought us the punchy yet calming Waterfront Cityscapes of London and Hamburg, actually has more of these cityscapes captured in this exemplary style. The latest of these is his quick series on Rotterdam, which feature some of his photos from 2018.
Martin Parr and his foundation may have their attention focused on British photographers and images shot in the British islands, but there’s no doubt that he remains an influential figure among international street photographers. In a short video by Tate from 2017, we get to take a peek inside the then newly-opened Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol, with a tour from the iconic documentary photographer himself.
We’ve been following a lot of subcultures and tribes as of late, as we find it fascinating to see a slice of their life through the lens of documentary photographers. Such series takes us to places that many of us have possibly never heard of, and tell us about the vibrant life of its people. The latest of these is the portrait project of Indian photographer Shawn Jacob Stephen, who introduces us to the Toda Tribe of his hometown in the Nilgiris District in Southern India.
Airshows are going on all around the country right now, and if you want to be able to capture these electrifying aerial displays with ease, you’re going to need a super telephoto lens that will let you get up close and personal with those incredibly fast metal birds. Here we will take a look at 7 lenses that are absolutely perfect for airshow photography.
Today at CineGear 2019, Panasonic is announcing the development of the company’s Panasonic S1H full frame Lumix Pro camera targeted at the cinematographer. With a similar body style to their Panasonic S1 and Panasonic S1R cameras, this camera features an L mount but will be able to be used with a PL mount for cinema. When it becomes available this fall, it’s going to boast features such as the same cinematic look that can be delivered from Varicams, 14+ stop V-log gamut, 6K 24p video, and multi-aspect recording such as a 4:3 anamorphic style. When the press asked Panasonic if it will have features for photographers, the company’s reps said that they couldn’t comment just yet on the specifics. However, they stated that the Panasonic S1H will be able to shoot photos.