The Contemporary African Photography Prize (CAP Prize) has announced the 25 short-listed photographers being considered for the CAP Prize 2023.

In partnership with the Eiger Foundation, the 25 shortlisted photographic projects comprise a diverse range of incredible images.

On July 7 in Arles, France, five photographers will win the CAP Prize. The CAP Prize is awarded annually to highlight photographic work created in Africa related to the African diaspora. This year’s edition of the competition is the 12th.

The shortlisted photographers, and eventual winners, are selected by a panel of 20 judges. Winning projects will be exhibited in Africa and throughout the rest of the world.

Each entrant was required to submit at least 10 images as part of a photo series, although photographers could enter up to 25 photos.

The Shortlisted Photographers

A selected image from each of the 25 shortlisted photographers is featured below. The photographers are listed in alphabetical order, and the full gallery of images is available on the CAP Prize 2023 website. Each photographer’s photo series can also be viewed in the video at the bottom of this article.

More on the CAP Prize

Last year’s CAP Prize 2022 winners were Amina Kadous, Remofiloe Nomandla Mayisela, Lee-Ann Olwage, Mahefa Dimbiniaina Randrian Narrivelo, and Pamela Tulizo.

Lee-Ann Olwage’s recently popped up on PetaPixel, as the South African photographer won the African region – Singles award in the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards.

Another familiar name is Mohamed Mahdy, who is shortlisted for the CAP Prize 2023. Mahdy won the Open Format Award in the 2023 World Press Photo Award contest.

While the precise locations of exhibits for the five photographers that win this year’s CAP Prize have not yet been detailed, prior CAP Prize winners have been shown Basel, Switzerland; Tbilisi, Georgia; Auckland, New Zealand; Berlin, Germany; Kampala, Uganda; and Essaouira, Morocco, among many other locations around the world.

Image credits: Contemporary African Photography Prize 2023 | Individual photographers credited in captions

During the Tumblr era, I made a good deal of friends through the #menswear pipeline. There were only so many of us interested in a subject that felt extremely insular and unique at the time. Today—and I think I can speak for some of my Internet friends—that sense of community is a bit harder to come by. But sometimes, Instagram brings people together, and that’s how I met this week’s subject, Frederik Darre, a creative director and photographer based in Copenhagen. I don’t fully remember how I stumbled on Frederik’s page—maybe through Danish brand Another Aspect, or perhaps just through the algorithm—but I really admired his look and attitude. When Frederik told me he was going to be in New York, I figured it would be a brilliant opportunity to shine some light on his sense of style, grab a few glasses of wine, and learn more about him.

Below, Frederik and I discuss buying Margiela sneakers in Berlin, the perpetual influence of the elderly, his cherished Seiko watch, and plenty more.

Fit One

Shirt and boots by Our Legacy, jeans by Levi’s.

“I studied landscape architecture and figured out that couldn’t work for me. I had to do something else, not sitting in front of the computer all day,” Darre says. “So, I started producing—lots of photo shoots and fashion shows. Then it just evolved into shooting on my own. Now I do a little bit of both.”

“I just wasn’t as cool as a teenager,” Darre says. “Now, whenever I see a bunch of high school kids walking around Copenhagen, I get really nostalgic. They look way cooler than I did, for sure, but a lot of stuff we used to wear back then is back into the cycle now.”

Where are you from, and what do you currently do for a living? Tell me a little bit about your work history as well.

I’m from Copenhagen, Denmark, and I work as a photographer and a creative producer. I studied landscape architecture and figured out that couldn’t work for me. I had to do something else, not sitting in front of the computer all day. So, I started producing—lots of photo shoots and fashion shows. Then it just evolved into shooting on my own. Now I do a little bit of both.

How did you develop your own style?

I grew up in a little town called Lyngby, just 10 kilometers north of Copenhagen. I played a lot of sports there, which had a pretty huge impact on my style. I also had a big interest in design and architecture, and I think it just evolved from those interests. Back in the day I used to watch a lot of skate and ski videos and found that interesting. I didn’t skate myself, but I loved the vibes. I just wasn’t as cool as a teenager. Now, whenever I see a bunch of high school kids walking around Copenhagen, I get really nostalgic. They look way cooler than I did, for sure, but a lot of stuff we used to wear back then is back into the cycle now. Later in life I did follow some Tumblr pages for inspiration, back when that was a thing. Bring Tumblr back!

Fit Two

Jacket by Ami, vintage shirt, trousers by Our Legacy WorkShop, and shoes by Our Legacy.

“I feel like Copenhagen has evolved so much the past 15 years,” Darre says. “Back in the day, it was just a small town. We had a few cool stores which meant everybody was wearing the same things.”

“When I got into this industry back in 2015, I did my first fashion week,” he continues. “Before that, fashion didn’t really interest me. But I always found clothing interesting.”

Did Copenhagen have any influence on your style?

I feel like Copenhagen has evolved so much the past 15 years. Back in the day, it was just a small town. We had a few cool stores which meant everybody was wearing the same things. You had to travel a lot to shop specific brands. I’m pretty sure you couldn’t find any Rick Owens items in Copenhagen in 2010, for example. Once I bought a pair of sneakers from Margiela in Berlin, just because I never had seen anything from Margiela in real life before. When I got into this industry back in 2015, I did my first fashion week. Before that, fashion didn’t really interest me. But I always found clothing interesting. I knew nothing about who was designing for who and facts like that. One of the first jobs I did was a U.S. Vogue production with Gigi Hadid and Imaan Hammam. I didn’t know who they were.

Growing up, I just followed the trends. I had a period when I just wore Rick Owens and that kind of clothing. Then I changed into another phase of my life when I actually got a job at the Acne store in Copenhagen, and then that meant something as well.

Has fatherhood changed your style?

Definitely. After I had kids, I started dressing a lot more comfortably. I’ve been wearing hiking boots for the last two years. When you are out walking with the stroller all day, you don’t want to be cold and uncomfortable. You just want to be nice and comfy and warm. And Denmark is a cold place, especially in the wintertime.

Fit Three

Shirt and shoes by Our Legacy, pants by Hope, backpack by And Wander, and sunglasses (worn) by Mykita.

“I wouldn’t say that I am in love with fashion but I do like style and clothing,” Darre says. “You know the difference? I like how you can express something about yourself without using words.”

What it takes to be stylish is, “confidence and the ability to mix and match shapes, colors, and materials, for sure,” Darre says. “That’s probably why some many old gentlemen look so cool. You get more confident the older you get.”

Can you remember the first moment you fell in love with fashion?

When I met Gigi and Imaan. Nah, I’m not in love with fashion. I remember during that same production I showed in a white T-shirt and was told by the executive producer that I couldn’t show up like that. I had to find the closest H&M to buy a black t-shirt. That’s apparently what you need. Very important shit. I remember thinking, “This is stupid but also pretty fascinating.” So, I wouldn’t say that I am in love with fashion but I do like style and clothing. You know the difference? I like how you can express something about yourself without using words. Of course, you can have a haircut and you can get some tattoos as well. But clothing is a big part of telling who you are.

What do you think makes someone stylish?

Confidence and the ability to mix and match shapes, colors, and materials, for sure. That’s probably why some many old gentlemen look so cool. You get more confident the older you get. I love to sit around in [New York’s] Chinatown just to watch the elderly on their daily errands. That’s very inspiring. Actually, old people in general are a huge inspiration when it comes to style. The page @gramparents delivers some good content in that regard. I was recently given my grandfather’s old Seiko watch from my grandmother and it’s already very special to me. The watch itself is nothing fancy, but the way it makes me remember him and his calm and happy nature is so important to me. My grandparents were a huge part of my upbringing and he was a very influential figure in my life. Unfortunately, he died from dementia in 2019 and it makes me sad to think about that he never got to meet my children. On the very same date last year, my youngest son was born. It’s kind of weird how life works. My son was named Ole, after his great grandfather, and they are already kind of similar in their nature.

Fit Four

Sweater by E. Tautz, shorts by Unna, and slides by Keen.

“They’ve created a brand that’s just right down my alley and I feel I could wear almost everything they make,” Darre says of Our Legacy. “It’s a Scandinavian feel without that boring Scandinavian minimalism.”

An avid skiier, Darre says that, aside from his go-to fashion brands, “I also love sports brands in general.”

Do you have any favorite brands, and why?

Our Legacy. You can tell from the photos, I think. They are brilliant with materials and only use deadstock fabrics for their WorkShop line. They’ve created a brand that’s just right down my alley and I feel I could wear almost everything they make. It’s a Scandinavian feel without that boring Scandinavian minimalism. They draw a lot of inspiration from music and movies and urban culture as well. Another Aspect is another of my favorite brands. They’re Danish and they’re creating some of the best everyday items you can find. They don’t follow the season of the fashion calendar. I would describe it more as a lifestyle brand. I also love sports brands in general. I always skied a lot, so I love these kinds of mountaineering brands, like Klättermusen. District Vision is doing great as well.

Fit Five

Shirt by Our Legacy WorkShop, jeans by Levi’s, and boots by Our Legacy.

“I’m way more consistent now than I used to be,” Darre says of his style as he gets older. However, “my interest in stuff in general changes every third year.”

If he could wear only one outfit for the rest of his life? “It would probably just be Levi’s jeans, light or blue wash, and not too tight, not too baggy. Like the 501 or 505. Then just a blue shirt, like the one I’m wearing now. Probably I would wear black leather boots or black loafers.”

How old are you?

33.

Has that changed things for you? As I’ve gotten older, I’m starting to stay more constant.

Absolutely. I’m way more consistent now than I used to be. My interest in stuff in general changes every third year. I had a period where I was totally into road biking for three years. I go all in. Have to have the best gear, coolest clothing, and read everything about aerodynamics and all kinds of stuff that doesn’t matter at my level. Now it’s more running and climbing that does it for me, with all that follows. I still take the bike for a ride every now and then, and still love it, but just don’t obsess about any more.

If you had to wear one outfit for the rest of your life, what would be the items?

It would probably just be Levi’s jeans, light or blue wash, and not too tight, not too baggy. Like the 501 or 505. Then just a blue shirt, like the one I’m wearing now. Probably I would wear black leather boots or black loafers.

Christopher Fenimore is a writer and photographer living in New York. Working with clients ranging from clothiers to vineyards, he’s also covered street style for a number of outlets. Follow him on Instagram at @c.fenimore.

(WBNG) — With spring in full bloom, Around the Tiers has been keeping a close eye on some of the unique birds in the Southern Tier.

Wildlife Photographer Donna Hadley joined Around the Tiers to discuss her experience as a photographer and to show off some of her shots!

Copyright 2023 WBNG. All rights reserved.

Perhaps no style is more timeless than the black and white photo, but creating a successful monochrome picture takes a lot more than simply pulling all the saturation out of a color photo. If you would like to improve your black and white photos, check out this great video tutorial that shares five helpful tips sure to put you on the right track. 

Coming to you from Jason Friend Photography, this fantastic video tutorial discusses five ways to improve your black and white images. Of them, I think one that is particularly helpful is switching your camera’s picture profile to monochrome. This will change the image preview shown on the rear screen and in an electronic viewfinder to monochrome, making it far easier to see what the results will look like. And don’t worry, as long as you are shooting raw, you will still get a normal image with full color to edit as you please. It is so useful that I frequently find myself using it for scenarios in which I have no intention of editing the final image in black and white, such as portraits, where it allows me to easily visualize the light on the subject. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Friend. 

With Adobe’s latest beta offering what they call Generative Fill, we’re given a very powerful feature that lets us create or undo what is in our images. And I think features like Generative Fill are causing another round of soil searching, praise, and panic from photographers. I’ve tried to put my own thoughts in order, so I’m humbly sharing them, even though my thoughts will continue to evolve, or maybe devolve. I also wanted to create a forum in comments for your more recent thoughts as AI becomes more and more mainstream.

I’ve been playing with the Photoshop beta for a couple of days, and I have to admit it is a knockout. Adobe has put some great effort into these new AI tools. While slow to get into AI, of late, Adobe is picking up momentum, responding to customers who are demanding new and better AI tools. 

The Adobe Generative Fill is mostly impressive. Unlike Adobe’s Content Aware fill, it removes people or objects and pretty much leaves a credible background in place. 

Here are some automated mannequins at the OK Corral in Tombstone, AZ.

I selected the center gunfighter, pushed the Generative Fill button and added no text instructions.

Boom! The man is gone, the background is filled in, other than a suspicious black box the AI delivered. It’s easily erased.

In this example, I had a throwaway shot of some cacti at sunset.

Using generative fill, I asked for a few more and it delivered. I’m not sure they are a totally believable addition, but the AI did get the lighting right. 

So, Should We Be Thrilled or Terrified?

Maybe a little bit of both. Every advance in photography has been met with suspicion and naysayers. The switch to digital quickly became an us against them thro down, but rather quickly, digital became a match for film, and in most ways exceeded it, especially in dynamic range and detail. 

When Photoshop and other digital editors came out, there was criticism from many corners saying the result would be a bunch of trick shots and not art. And there were a lot of trick shots. HDR went through the same rite of passage, although I sense the use of HDR has become less popular as we get better sensors with more dynamic range. Still, every so often, I see a tasteful (to me) HDR image that blows me away with its beauty and restraint. 

So, here we go again. With these new advanced tools, we’re going to see a lot of awful photos, but photographers will find ways for these AI features to speed up their workflow and become more productive. They’ll also learn to solve image problems in seconds that would have taken hours before or been simply impossible to accomplish.

And let’s not forget to thank Adobe, Skylum, and the others who are pushing the boundaries on AI to deliver tools we could only dream of having even five years ago. Now, the photography world is changing very rapidly, and criticism, both artistic and technical, has not caught up yet. 

To my mind, photography has always been about the art of seeing, not the art of doing. The seeing begins with the composition, the lighting, the color, the shadows, the textures, and the subtleties. If I need to summon some AI to complete my vision, so be it. Ultimately, the art comes from me: my eye and the eyes of every creative photographer out there. 

As someone told me years ago, if we give Ansel Adams’ camera to a guy off the street, we get crap, not magic. It was all about Adams’ vision, not his gear, or in the present case, the software.

I’ll look at each AI tool as it comes along and see if it furthers my art or cheapens it. It’s true that even now, we can’t always tell if a photo is real or AI. To some, that really matters. To others, they look at the final product and like it or they don’t. At the end, if it will be art or not, I think will be dependent on the vision of the artist.

So, is AI the end of photography? To some degree, the kind of photographer you are will answer the question for you personally. I don’t see wedding photographers, for example, being heavily involved in this, other than maybe using it to save some previously unsavable images. I would think most customers would want fidelity of the event. It’s the same in sports and news photography. People expect and should get reality.

In advertising, AI will continue to make large inroads. Not so much for portrait photographers, but AI is already being put to some use there, enlarging smiles, getting rid of blemishes, etc. 

For landscape and nature photographers, I predict a robust debate, with heavy use in some circles, avoidance in others.

Please share your thoughts below.

Using flash in your wedding photography can take your work to the next level. It can look more professional and dynamic. Additionally, there are a variety of scenarios when flash makes certain things possible that wouldn’t be if you’re relying on natural light.

But how do you use wedding photography flash in a way that looks natural? Poor use of flash can be worse than no flash at all, it can be too harsh and unflattering. I never want my use of flash to be a distraction, I’d rather it enhance.

I’m going to be talking less about the specific techniques and more about general philosophy. While you may just want a recipe that you can follow and reproduce, I am more interested in teaching you how to make decisions. There are great arguments for a variety of techniques out there and you may end up adopting one in particular but I find myself using whatever technique helps me accomplish my goal.

Let’s start there.

Identify Your Goal

The first step before bringing in a flash is to identify your goal behind using it. I’ll talk through a variety of possible goals that you might have but essentially the first key to making wedding photography flash look natural is to have a purpose behind using it. If you start with purpose then your result will be an image that looks purposeful.

One common goal for using flash is when you’re trying to balance exposure. A typical example is when you want to shoot a portrait or group photo in front of a pretty view even though the light is terrible, there will be shadows under their eyes, and the background will be overexposed. Another example is when you want to photograph a couple at sunset and you want to balance the exposure between both the couple and the darkening sky.

Another common goal for using flash is when it’s just plain dark. The main examples are poorly lit getting ready rooms and receptions after the sun or the lights go down.

Some photographers love to use flash to simplify a scene. A good example of this is when you’re shooting the getting ready room which can be cluttered with food, make-up, clothes, and more.

Other goals for using flash are when you want to make your subject pop from a background, fill some shadows, or create something artsy. Are there other goals you can think of? Identifying your goal will help you decide the “how.”

Decide How to Accomplish Your Goal

The way to accomplish your goal while making it look natural is to understand what that means. Some people would say that natural light means soft light, while others would say that natural light means a directional light source like the sun. I think what we’re really looking for is something that looks beautiful, which is unfortunately subjective but let’s talk through it anyway.

Light has a variety of qualities such as color from warm to cool, it can be hard or soft, and it can have both intensity and directionality. When you’re thinking about how to accomplish your goal you can think through what you want in terms of these qualities.

Soft and Hard Light

Soft light, for example, is a popular goal especially when it comes to those beautiful wedding day portraits. It’s the reason you see so many pictures of brides looking out a window. It’s not because the window is symbolic, it’s because the light is beautiful.

The best way to get soft light is to shoot window light or open shade which means the goal for using flash to create soft light would be to replicate those effects. What that means is that you want to diffuse and disperse the light in order to soften it. Think of hard light as direct light from a small source and soft light as diffused light from a large source.

One main difference between hard and soft light can be the size of the light source. It is also important to consider the distance from the subject to the source. The sun is a huge source but it is so far away it becomes a hard source, the same can be true for a very large softbox if it is very far away from your subject. To get soft light you need a source that is relatively large and close to your subject so it wraps the light around your subject.

But hard light can be “natural” too. Without cloud cover to disperse the light, the sun creates some pretty hard and intense light which can be beautiful. If your goal is to create that sort of dramatic effect you’ll likely want to think about direction so that you can create both light and shadows.

Balance and Direction

If you’re using flash simply to help your couple pop or stand out from the background, I think that the most important thing is balance. Balance the color temperature and balance the intensity. And then be intentional about the direction, where is the light coming from, and why? The best case scenario is to make the light appear to come from somewhere logical like a lamp post or building even though this is often difficult to do.

Sometimes I like to add light that appears to be sunlight but is a little more intentional. It always looks better and more natural in a landscape if I can have it come from that direction. I love when there’s a sweet little ray of sun lighting my couple but if there’s not then I can create it while keeping the natural look.

Creative Goals

When it comes to creative light such as artsy portraits or reception lighting, making it look natural is less about trying to replicate the sun or another light source and more about using the qualities of light to create something. For example, if you’re using light to simplify a scene and make everything except your subject fade to black, that’s not natural but it can look natural and beautiful as long as you are intentional.

As we get more into the weeds on these types of light usage, it can be easier to turn to thinking about what we need to avoid: what looks unnatural.

Things to Avoid

Avoid direct flash, it rarely looks good (i.e. on-camera flash pointed directly at your subject). It’s fine in a pinch because it’s fast and easy but it’s generally too harsh and unflattering. Most of the time it’s just as easy to bounce your light off something whether it’s a bounce card, ceiling, or wall, or to put your flash off-axis from your subject. This will give the subject shape and create a more dynamic image.

Avoid mixing color temperatures unless it’s intentional. A bride lit with a cool spotlight in a warm candlelit room will look odd. Luckily, it’s something you can often fix in post-production if you’re unable to match it in the moment.

Avoid limiting yourself. I think having systems is a great idea and you should have a plan for how you’re going to do things. And I also think that there’s a time to play and experiment, I’ve learned a lot just by trying something new and different.

Avoid harsh light whenever possible. I never like to find myself in a position where I have to use an undiffused and high-power flash to try to overpower the sun in order to fill eye pocket shadows while also balancing exposure. The sweaty people will wonder why they look so shiny having no clue about the terrible lighting conditions you were trying to battle at noon in 100 degrees with no shade.

Summary

If you want to make your wedding photography flash look natural it helps to know and understand why you’re using flash to begin with. From there you can determine the best way to accomplish your goal while avoiding some common mistakes. Adding flash to your wedding photography tool belt is often essential to deal with challenging scenarios or level up your work.

Develop an understanding of light and build your flash philosophy first. Then you’ll be better positioned to determine the specific techniques you want to use. From there you can try new things, fail, learn, and create beautiful light.

About the author: Brenda Bergreen is a Colorado wedding photographer, videographer, yoga teacher, and writer who works alongside her husband at Bergreen Photography. With their mission and mantra “love. adventurously.” they are dedicated to telling adventurous stories in beautiful places.