• Mel McVeigh is a photographer who created a portrait series with men she met on Tinder.
• She says she learned more about connection and intimacy via this project.
• This is her story, as told to the writer Ash Jurberg.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mel McVeigh. It has been edited for length and clarity.

For me, Tinder was an unsuccessful dating app until I changed my profile and created a conversation.

The app always aimed to match me with people it assumed I would like, and no matter what I tried, I was always given similar types of men that didn’t suit me.

When I changed my profile to ask for something more creative, unique, and challenging, I saw positive results.

I went on Tinder to create art

In 2020, I attended a photographic residence in Cosprons, a small town in France near the Spanish border. My goal while I was there was to create a portrait series based on connection, intimacy, and what it is to love. But being in a remote town, I didn’t have someone to explore this with.

The workshop was led by a distinguished French photographer, Claudine Doury, who suggested going on Tinder to find a subject to photograph.

Initially skeptical, I had little confidence I would find a suitable match, but I decided to move forward with the project anyway.

I updated my Tinder bio with the simple line, “Can I take your portrait?” Then, I swiped for two days with no result until I matched with a Belgian man staying at his father’s holiday home in Bacares, Spain, 60 miles away.

After several messages, we discussed my photography project on the phone. And so began a poetic journey into portraiture, dating, connection, and friendship.

I was extremely nervous before taking the first portrait

Driving so far away to meet a man I had never met was a little nerve-racking, but as soon as we connected, we both felt at ease, and within 10 minutes, I started taking his portrait.

After our portrait session, we spent the day driving around the oyster farms of Bacares. It was a truly remarkable experience and a fun first date.

We never felt the spark, but we both had an amazing time. We have since become very good friends.

My teacher suggested turning it into a bigger project

When my teacher suggested I expand this work, I was hesitant again. I was still determining whether I wanted to turn my dating experiences into a true photographic project outside the class. Unfortunately, it was also during the pandemic, so opportunities were few and far between.

But six months later, I again took the plunge, and with that simple request in my Tinder bio, this project was born.

I was in Madrid and shot this project over two years after the pandemic started. During this time, nine men agreed to have their photos taken, and I traveled to France, Spain, the UK, and Australia.

As the project evolved, all but one of the men agreed to stay in the project and contributed by adding words and poetry to the series or helping me edit the pictures.

These meetings were so different from usual Tinder dates

I met artists, producers, cinematographers, travelers, and creatives. By asking an inherently creative question in my profile, it attracted men who were creative, who wanted to be vulnerable, and who wanted to be part of something unique.

In all my previous experiences on Tinder, I had never connected to people more closely aligned with my values, needs, and desires.

As a photographer and artist, I found taking portraits in this way was a new process. It required me to be more patient, softer, and calmer. All the men were very nervous about having their portraits taken. Some nearly asked to stop before we started.

None had ever been photographed for a portrait, which I found fascinating.

In a world of selfies and social media, the idea of collaborating on an image was foreign to them all. But that’s what attracted them to the concept in the first place.

The connections forged have led to friendships

Did I date some of them? One or two, yes; the rest, I did not. Did I fall in love? No.

I wonder whether the photographic project changed the dynamic, but in the end, I speak with them all as friends I met over time and continents during a wild period of history.

I thank all of them for choosing to be vulnerable and allowing me to take their portrait by simply saying yes. They have given me a space to become an artist again.

I also found through our conversations that men were often just as sensitive, soft, and scared when it came to dating as women. When you peel back the surface and engage in a different way from what you’re used to, you can see another side to people.

I learned how to make the algorithm work for me

I work in technology and firmly believe that dating-app algorithms are inherently biased. Data is based on collective averages of “other people like you,” so to break the algorithm and attract a different type of person, you had to feed it different inputs.

Based on age, I was matched only with older men to whom I didn’t feel physically attracted, and I did not share many of the same interests.

The app also reads conversations and bios, so it looks for people who mention certain words over and over and then it pairs those people on the basis that they’ll likely get along. It is an algorithm, and it is looking for a pattern.

So I wrote something very different in my profile from what I’d written before and changed my preferences in terms of age. Making these modifications changed the people who were given to me as prospective matches, and my conversations with the people I matched with felt fresher.

Though I learned a lot about making dating apps work for me, I no longer use them. I prefer to meet people in real life and have a reasonably easy time doing that.

The project is now an exhibition and photo book

In May, I’m holding an exhibition in London featuring the photo series, which I’ve titled “A Chance of Love.” I have also created a photo book on the project that features contributions from the men involved.

The project was a true collaboration. One of the men wrote a poem in three languages, and it’s now part of the book; two others advised me during the book’s editing process. Upon reflection, some decided to have me remove parts of our conversation from the text I wrote along with their portrait, which I was happy to do. I supported whatever level of involvement they wanted in the project.

A few of the men want to meet each other and share the experience, so they’ll be together on the exhibition’s opening night. It’s sure to be yet another experience that I’ll never forget, and one that I’m glad I’ll get to share with these people I’d never have met had I not taken that leap — and changed my bio and preferences on Tinder, all in the name of art.

Good lights can make all the difference in the quality of work you can produce as a photographer. If you’ve never heard of a self-inflating light, then today might be the day you add one to your camera bag.

Light is obviously a crucial part of photography, but not all light is created equal. Many factors come into play when trying to decide if a light is any good or not. Two key areas for many prospective buyers are the power of the light and how portable it is. These two factors seem to score highly in the SIRUI A100B Bi-Color, which is a versatile light that was recently reviewed by photographer and educator Nigel Barros in his latest video.

The review starts with Barros talking about the light and showing some of its potential uses. This is where we learn the product is a little different in construction, as it is self-inflating. This might sound like a bit of a gimmick, but the build quality looks just as sturdy as similar softboxes on the market, with the added benefit that you don’t need to construct anything, and everything can fold down when not in use.

We next see one of the more useful features of the light, which is that the color temperature has a range from 2800k right up to 8500k. This means you’ll be able to get everything from super cool right up to a warm sunny glow if you need to balance multiple light sources. The video goes on to show some of the pros and cons of the light, which you’ll be happy to hear are mostly positive. A few downsides of this particular light are the noise from the fan in the power brick and the way the panel attaches to the stand itself. Two minor details that I think most photographers could live with.

What I really like about Barros’ videos is that they are always informative and educational in equal measure. The video shows us all we need to know about the light in question, as well as showing us a few setups we could try ourselves. As an added bonus, Barros shoots the whole of the video using a 10-year-old Panasonic GH3 camera to illustrate the importance of good light over gear. A lesson I think many of us need reminding of from time to time. Is the SIRUI A100B Bi-Color light worth adding to your camera bag? I think it’s well worth considering, especially if you do a mix of still and video work. These lights are not cheap at roughly $400, so I’d suggest you try and rent one to see if it ticks all your boxes first.

What do you think of this inflatable light? Do you think you’ll be adding one to your camera bag? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Hello, and welcome to this week’s selection of top stories in pictures by Los Angeles Times photographers.

A dirt parking lot in the San Gabriel Mountains has become a major flyway for migrating birds. It’s not clear why exactly this spot, in an area known as Bear Divide, has become a magnet for migrating tanagers, orioles, buntings, grosbeaks and warblers; but scientists suspect that it might have to do with a funneling effect from the topography.

Tania Romero, a Cal State Los Angeles graduate student, sets up a net at Bear Divide in the San Gabriel Mountains to catch birds for a study of their migration movements.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Romero examines the wings of a Townsend’s warbler caught in a net.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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A terrifying hourlong rampage on Tuesday ended with a teen’s death at Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks, shattering a family and leaving the school community in mourning. Fifteen-year-old Wesley Welling was killed when a motorist linked to a stabbing and a domestic incident earlier in the day allegedly drove into a group of students intentionally.

Students at Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks comfort one another Wednesday at a street memorial for 15-year-old Wesley Welling. Officials say he was killed when a motorist intentionally plowed into a group of students.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Despite the boost from recent storms to California rivers and reservoirs, in the San Joaquin Valley, chronic overpumping of groundwater by agriculture has left homeowners with dry wells, and some 1,800 families still rely on state-funded water deliveries to fill household tanks. On top of dry wells, other water projects await fixes, including systems that draw from groundwater contaminated with hazardous pollutants.

Natalia Ledesma, 9, pumps drinking water from a five-gallon container at her home in Tombstone. Her family has relied on water delivered to a 2,500-gallon tank on their property since their well went dry in 2019.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Julio Morales works on a new 240-foot water well in the Tombstone community in unincorporated Fresno County.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made clear this week that he would agree to raise America’s debt ceiling for one year, but only if President Biden accepts spending cuts that would leave many of the president’s policy priorities, including responding to climate change, unfunded.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) is surrounded by reporters after leaving the House floor on Wednesday.

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

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As of mid-April, 88 inmates at California State Prison Sacramento were being held in “short-term restricted housing,” which critics describe as solitary confinement. The reintroduction of a bill to end prolonged solitary confinement in California’s corrections system has reignited a contentious debate in the Legislature over using isolation as punishment.

Inmates look through their cell door’s windows in the Short-Term Restricted Housing Unit at California State Prison, Sacramento. Prisoners in the unit spend nearly all day restricted to their cells with little human contact other than with prison staff.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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In El Salvador, men were leaving gangs and finding God as evangelical churches helped rehabilitate former gang members, including those from the L.A.-born MS-13. Then the country cracked down on gangs and police started arresting anyone who might be connected to one, emptying rehabilitation programs and filling up prisons.

Nelson Sanchez, 39, a former MS-13 gang member, takes part in a conference last month at the Community Worship Center in Gardena. In 2008 Sanchez renounced the gang and became an evangelical Christian, and later a pastor.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Francisca de Reynoza talks about her husband, the Rev. José Elvis Reynoza, a former MS-13 member who was arrested in March 2022 during El Salvador’s gang crackdown. He ministered to jailed ex-gang members seeking redemption through the church.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Ronnie Reyes, 9, and sister Everly Reyes, 6, in the one-bedroom home they share with their grandmother in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador. Their father, an MS-13 gang member, is in prison. The children participate in an after-school program for at-risk youth at a church.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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The affluent and coiffed Palm Springs faces a $2-billion reparations claim from Black and Latino families who were burned out of their homes 50 years ago during the city’s “slum clearance” to build a fantasy for rich white people.

Pearl Devers was growing up in Palm Springs’ Section 14 neighborhood in the 1950s and ‘60s when officials ran Black and Latino families out of the prime downtown land, burning their homes to clear a path for hotels and shops as the city was being sold as a playground for rich, famous and white tourists and newcomers. “We were not part of the vision, Devers said.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Coachella‘s Weekend 1 opened the 2023 edition of the popular, hip and lucrative Indio music festival with its most diverse lineup yet, featuring Bad Bunny, Blackpink and Frank Ocean, among others. See our guide to Coachella’s Weekend 2.

Rae Sremmurd performed during the first weekend of Coachella 2023, the wildly popular (and lucrative) music festival.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Music fans, seen through a tinted-glass installation, mingle during the first weekend of Coachella.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

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An exclusive island town might be California’s biggest violator of affordable housing law. “Coronado officials have thumbed their noses at Gov. Gavin Newsom and state regulators, calling the process ‘central planning at its worst’ and assuring residents that it will be years before the state cracks down,” writes The Times’ Liam Dillon. Meanwhile, some housekeepers at the town’s Hotel del Coronado have to endure hours-long commutes because not one of them can afford to live nearby, let alone in town.

Hotel del Coronado workers Yolanda Ramirez, left, and Myelin Soret walk to the bus stop. Ramirez, who has worked as a room attendant at the hotel for five years, has a 40-minute commute to work. Soret, a housekeeper for nine years, takes two buses from Imperial Beach to get to work — a one- to two-hour commute.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Three years and $62,000 in medical expenses later, a musician and her caregiving partner struggle to navigate the financial, mental and physical challenges of long COVID.

Courtney Gavin of Irvine, who has been dealing with the effects of COVID-19 since March 2020, must use a motorized lift to climb the stairs in her home. Despite being largely bedridden, she was recently denied disability benefits.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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And finally, on Friday the Supreme Court ruled for the Biden administration on abortion pills, preserving legal access to mifepristone in most of the nation. The medication, one of two used in the most common method of ending early pregnancies, is the subject of a continuing legal challenge to its FDA approval in the battle over abortion access.

Krissy Shields and her daughter take a break on the steps of the Supreme Court on Friday after arranging flowers in a design as a show of support for abortion rights.

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

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Earth Day: Photographer capturing the beauty and fragility of nature – CBS News

Photographs from youth in Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation are set to be on display this weekend. 

CBC’s Library Partnership Project, CBC Newfoundland and Labrador, Melville Public Library and Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries are holding a community Labrador In Focus photography exhibit on Saturday. 

The Labrador In Focus exhibit will be held at the Lawrence O’Brien Arts Centre from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. AT. Food and drinks will be provided at the free event. 

The Labrador In Focus program is meant to give Labrador youth the tools they need to capture their unique world. The photograph subject is completely up to the young photographers. 

The photographers, aged 13 to 23, chose to depict everything from life celebrations to being out on the land. 

“I loved it so much,” 15-year-old Mary Saunders said of the program. 

“I love this experience and I feel like people should join and try to experience something new.”

Saunders said she learned how to set her white balance and edit images. Saunders’ favourite photograph she took is one of her sister. It was one of the first pictures she took and sparked a love of portrait photography, she said. 

Other photographers took pictures of things that are important to them. Elliot Pike, 20, created his own long exposure photographs showing movements of northern lights with flashlights and lightsabers. 

“I always wanted to learn about photography,” Pike said. “I think I’m really proud to see the exhibit on Saturday.”

The Labrador In Focus program is funded by the CBC Library Partnerships Program. The program is to explore partnership opportunities with public libraries to further community engagement. 

Have thoughts about community programming like the Labrador In Focus photography program? Reach out to the program creator here. 

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

Over the past few years, video has pushed its way to the top, shoved mainly by social media algorithms. The change has encouraged some photographers to diversify and offer video alongside photography — but how long-lived is that trend? A new survey by Zenfolio and Format suggests that the amount of photo-video creators have dropped dramatically over last year’s numbers. The same survey also showed that roughly half of photographers use artificial intelligence, but only two percent use the technology that generates images from scratch.

The State of the Photography Industry 2023 is a bi-annual survey of photographers with more than 2,000 participants. This year, most of the photographers were from the US, but the UK, Canada, and Australia also had many participants. The study is done by Zenfolio and Format, both companies behind websites and sales platforms for photographers.

While the survey contains many statistics, one of the more surprising numbers is the change among hybrid photo-video creators. In last year’s survey, 64 percent of the respondents shot photos only, and 34 percent both photos and videos. In the latest study completed in February 2023, 70 percent shot photos only, and just 17 percent dabbled in both.

Despite social media’s prioritization of video, video-only platforms like TikTok remain on the bottom for marketing efforts — only 1.6 percent of photographers earning more than $100k considered it a marketing focus, and only 1 percent among photographers earning less than $10k.

Does that mean video is on its way out? Not necessarily. The two companies conducting the study and the survey itself primarily focus on photographers. Many of the respondents were likely those using Zenfolio and Format. That means the study doesn’t say much about the state of the videography industry or photo-video creators such as social media influencers. The statistic does not indicate trouble for the videography industry.

What it does suggest, however, is that fewer photographers are feeling the need to diversify by adding video to their repertoire. As cameras became capable of doing both in one device, some photographers added video services. Others are investing in high-resolution video cameras and pulling the stills for prints. Some platforms have even theorized that this process of taking stills from video will eventually replace event photography. Yet, the survey suggests that fewer photographers in 2023 are shooting stills and video than the previous year. This is good news for photographers that have felt that video pressure from social media yet lack the time or desire to diversify.

Around half of photographers use AI, but it’s the good kind

The study also dove into the growth of A.I. in photography. While only 20 percent of participants thought the technology was good, almost half said they integrated AI into their workflow. Around 36 percent said they used the tech sometimes, with nearly 14 percent using it regularly.

However, only two percent admitted to using an AI photo generator. A majority use the technology for sharpening and noise reduction. That’s followed closely by auto-subject, background removal, and skin smoothing. Facial recognition and photo culling were also on the list.

Generative AI has mainly been criticized by the photography community, from copyright lawsuits over the training data to a photographer who won a photo contest with an AI image to prove a point. But, not all AI is wrong — 91 percent of those surveyed listed editing among the top three tasks that demand most of their time. Roughly 41 percent said they wanted to spend less time editing. Besides the obvious answer of getting it right in camera, AI-based technology is already helping to make that possible. Just look at Lightroom’s ability to automatically select the skin or teeth in a portrait or Photoshop’s ability to detect and select the subject.

There is a wrong way to use AI — generating an image without properly labeling it as a computer’s creation. Only two percent of respondents said that they used an AI photo generator.