3 Steps to Finding the Photography Tour That’s Right for You

By in Photography

3 Steps to Finding the Photography Tour That’s Right for You

Regardless of your level, photography tours are an exciting way to learn from a pro and hone your skills, but they’re much more than capturing the perfect shot. They take you to the most photogenic spots in dream destinations and encourage you to be present and appreciate the visual nuances of your surroundings — all of which enrich your experience. Amateur photographer and nine-time photo tour fan Nancy Brandt, 75, loves photography tours for the opportunity to meet like-minded souls — people whom she says become “friends who stay with you for years afterward.”

The type, size and vibe of photography tours vary widely. You can shoot sherbet-colored villas in Cinque Terre, Italy, capture silverback gorillas in Uganda, or snap Myanmar’s bustling outdoor markets. Some itineraries focus on one style of photography, such as landscapes. Other tours — in Paris, for instance — may encourage a mix of portrait and street photography. Tour operators differ, too. You need to decide whether an individual, photographer network or international tour operator best suits your needs. In short, the most challenging part of a photography tour is figuring out which one to choose. 

With this in mind, these are the three essential steps to finding the tour that’s right for you.

1. Determine your goals

The distinction between photographic tours and workshops would be clear-cut in a perfect world. A tour would be a fun, casual experience that gets you to the right place at the right time for the best shots possible. Workshops would focus on education, including lectures, assignments and critiques in the itinerary. In reality, tour operators blur the lines with elements of both. Knowing what you want beforehand will make it easier to peel back the layers and steer you in the right direction. Consider the following:

Proactive instruction

“Not all tours are created equal,” warns Andrew Beck, cofounder and director at Wild Eye Destinations and Photographic. “Make sure to find out how much of an educational element there is on the tour versus just traveling with like-minded people.” As an industry, there is no standard. I’ve seen a range of instruction from proactive pointers on lighting, composition and settings to a more hands-off approach, where they only share their expertise when asked.

Leaders on location

Some pros I’ve found leave guests on their own during the day, meeting later to share meals and answer questions. Photographers who favor independence will find this setup appealing. Others stay with the group to answer questions and demonstrate how to capture a scene. Some do a little of both. In many cases, the destination influences the plan. In a city like Paris, it’s easy for guests to wander independently. Whereas in more remote locations, it’s better to stay together. 

How about setups?

Sometimes an itinerary includes a learning exercise called a setup shot with models dressed in traditional garb, lighting and a beautiful backdrop. Everyone takes turns photographing the same lovely image. As a teaching tool, staging can be helpful. But if you prefer candid situations, you may find it limiting.   

One-on-one time

One-on-one critique sessions can be incredibly helpful. They offer personalized attention and candid advice about your work. But not every company offers it. If it’s included, it will be in the itinerary. Otherwise, ask if it’s possible. They may add it.   

Help with post-processing 

Assistance with post-processing (editing) isn’t a given either. If you want help with software such as Adobe Lightroom, inquire if it is included.

How Do Certain Foods Become National Dishes?

By in Art World News

How Do Certain Foods Become National Dishes?
image

A new book digs into the histories of some of the world’s most iconic fare.

NATIONAL DISH: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home, by Anya von Bremzen

“We have a compulsion to tie food to place,” Anya von Bremzen writes in her new book, but that compulsion, it turns out, has more to do with myth and marketing than with historical fact. “National Dish” is the story of her quest to understand why certain foods, like pizza, ramen and tapas, are adopted as symbols of their places of origin.

Von Bremzen’s journey takes her through five cities — Naples, Tokyo, Seville, Oaxaca and Istanbul — and countless restaurants, kitchens and bars as she nibbles her way to an answer. Along the way, she talks to star chefs, food bloggers, agricultural scientists and culinary historians. The result is a fast-paced, entertaining travelogue, peppered with compact history lessons that reveal the surprising ways dishes become iconic.

The author of six cookbooks and “Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking,” a memoir of living, eating and rationing in the U.S.S.R., von Bremzen is ideally suited to this undertaking. Having exchanged Soviet propaganda for the American promise of the multicultural melting pot, she has a deep-seated skepticism for the stories nations tell to create unified identities. She is also a curious eater, keen on digging out the rich cultural background of, say, Iberian ham or pasta puttanesca — before wolfing them down. Reading this book is like traveling with someone who knows the best places to eat and the right people to meet, but who can still find joy in humble, improvised meals.

The journey begins, naturally, with carbs. In Naples, Italy, von Bremzen settles into a flat in the still ungentrified Spanish Quarter. Somewhere here, between hanging laundry, loose pit bulls and the beatific presence of Diego Maradona, is the secret to a true pizza margherita. The legend goes like this: In 1889, Naples receives a visit from King Umberto and his beautiful, charismatic queen, Margherita. The situation is tense. Italian unification has not been good for the southern economy, and is seen as a Piedmontese scheme. The royal couple from the north need to sell Naples on the idea of the nation. Margherita invites a local chef, Raffaele Esposito, to bring her pizza, a cheap street food that keeps this poor city going. He invents a version with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, the colors of the new Italian flag. The queen loves this patriotic pie, and gives it her name.

Of course, none of this is true. Neapolitans had been eating that combination of toppings for ages, and there is no evidence in state papers of a royal pizza tasting. Pizza margherita was a clever marketing idea cooked up by an enterprising pizzaiolo in the 1930s, complete with a fake letter from the queen to hang in his restaurant. The idea of the one authentic pizza margherita, which only Neapolitan chefs knew how to make properly, became even more useful as a symbol of Italy in the late 20th century, when globalization was threatening local cuisines. “Authenticity,” muses von Bremzen, is “such a monster marketing tool.”

The myth busting doesn’t stop there. In Tokyo, von Bremzen chases down another convenient starch with an international reputation. Accompanied by an impossibly hip American ramen influencer — “let’s go crush some bowls,” he says gamely — von Bremzen slurps seafood ramen with scallops and delicate slices of raw chicken, and develops an addiction to high-end instant noodles.

However gourmet it is now, ramen, like pizza, has roots in necessity. Originally a Chinese import to Japan, the dish owes its popularity to the United States’ occupation of Japan after World War II. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, worried that famine could push Japan toward communism, had excess American wheat sent in. The Japanese Health Ministry encouraged the populace to replace rice with wheat, warning parents that rice could doom their children to “a life of idiocy.” Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant ramen, received funding as part of this effort.

Von Bremzen decides to explore the art of preparing white rice, which “has zero millennial-hipster glamour” and is a powerful symbol of Japanese culture. Even that, it turns out, wasn’t always as central to the Japanese table, which used to include more barley and beans. In the late-19th-century Meiji era, government authorities promoted rice as part of their policy of nostalgic nation building.

Things get more dispiriting in Seville, Spain, where von Bremzen learns that foods like Catalan sausage and Andalusian gazpacho were not regional specialties but dishes historically cooked by families across the country. It was La Sección Femenina, the women’s branch of Spain’s fascist movement, that assigned these recipes to regions, as part of its effort to foster “a sanitized, politically acceptable form of cultural diversity.”

Around now, the reader might grow antsy. If so many dishes considered iconic expressions of place and history are really the result of clever marketing or nationalist propaganda, does this mean each plate is a lie? Is eating authentically even possible?

The answer is yes, but it comes at a cost. In Oaxaca, Mexico, von Bremzen learns how to make black mole, laboriously roasting rare local chili peppers and layering them with spices that first came to Mexico on Spanish trading ships. The result is a blend of Indigenous agricultural and culinary knowledge and colonial conquest, with all the violence that came with it: mestizaje, or cultural mixing, on a plate.

Corn is even more profoundly linked to a sense of Mexicanness, she finds, as one person after another tells her: “Somos gente de maíz. We’re people of corn.” Domesticated 9,000 years ago in the Balsas River valley, corn was stigmatized by Spanish colonizers, who associated wheat with racial superiority. Now, the farmers who produce corn are threatened by NAFTA, industrial production and climate change. The men and women who hold on to traditional methods of corn preparation perform the backbreaking work of shucking, soaking and grinding to produce their meals.

It is true that if you look into any dish or ingredient deeply enough, you might discover a gloomy history. The unctuous jamón served at tapas bars recalls the suppression of Jews and Muslims in Spain: Inquisitors served pork to Christian converts to test their faith. Armenian and Greek meze dishes served up at an Istanbul restaurant reveal the culinary legacies of peoples who were killed or exiled and then forgotten. But this is an incomplete picture. “National Dish” begins with the connection between food and place, but it is ultimately about the intimate, transitory communities people make when they eat together.

At a potluck dinner in Istanbul, guests bring their favorite dishes from their cultures. They argue about culinary origins while drinking raki, smoking on the balcony and singing so loudly the neighbors call the police. In Oaxaca, the Zapotec chef Abigail Mendoza and her sisters spend days making chocolate atole, an elaborate celebration drink with pre-Hispanic roots. Back in Brooklyn, von Bremzen prepares borsch (the “t” in “borscht” is a Yiddish addition, she notes) for two Ukrainian friends still reeling from the invasion of their home country. Our beloved dishes may not always tell a happy story about who we are, but they tell us what we have to give.

Irina Dumitrescu teaches medieval literature at the University of Bonn, and is writing a book about perfectionism.

NATIONAL DISH: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home | By Anya von Bremzen | 340 pp. | Penguin Press | $30

Madison Public Library Seeks Presenters for the Annual Teejop & Beyond Program

By in Native

Madison Public Library Seeks Presenters for the Annual Teejop & Beyond Program

MADISON, WI — Madison Public Library is accepting applications for Teejop & Beyond from June 15 – July 30, 2023. Any Native person living in Wisconsin is invited to apply to present a program during this annual celebration of Native nations taking place October-December at the library. 

Teejop & Beyond is hosted by Madison Public Library in partnership with Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison. The program welcomes a variety of Native artists, storytellers, and community leaders for a series of programs celebrating Indigenous people in and beyond Teejop (pronounced day-JOPE, meaning Four Lakes, or Madison). Beginning on Indigenous People’s Day each year, Native folks from different nations lead programs highlighting both traditional and contemporary practices, stories, and community relationships.

“In the past, this series has included art workshops, youth storytimes, in-person or virtual presentations, outdoor guided activities, and more. We welcome any ideas that offer opportunities for participants to learn and connect with you and with each other,” said Neeyati Shah, the Community Engagement Librarian coordinating the program.

All selected applicants will receive $150 payment + cost of supplies, per program. Applicants are welcome to pitch multiple program ideas when applying. Other payment options may be available in select cases. If you have questions before applying, please email community@madisonpubliclibrary.org.
Consider programs in the following categories: 

  • Creation stories
  • Cultural celebrations and seasonal customs
  • Food, herbs, and crops
  • Skills and crafts
  • History: removals, returns, important figures, other topics
  • Indigenous peoples in community or government
  • Relationships between different nations, or collective efforts towards decolonization

Apply online at madpl.org/teejopandbeyond

About Madison Public Library
Madison Public Library’s tradition of promoting education, literacy and community involvement has enriched the City of Madison for more than 145 years. Visit the library online at www.madisonpubliclibrary.org, madisonpubliclibrary on Facebook, @madisonlibrary on Twitter, or @madisonpubliclibrary on Instagram.

Night Market still slated to begin at 5 p.m.

By in Art World News

Night Market still slated to begin at 5 p.m.

Earth’s Bounty and the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Center are not letting it rain on their parade with tonight’s Night Market still going on as planned.

Meanwhile Third Thursday, which was also set to take place tonight at Dumont Plaza in downtown Meridian, has been canceled.

Organizers are keeping a watch on the weather, but it currently looks like skies may clear later this afternoon so Night Market will go on as originally planned, said Craig Wilkes, administrative assistant for the City of Meridian’s community development department and coordinator of Earth’s Bounty farmer’s market.

Night Market will be held from 5-8 p.m. in the courtyard of the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Center, also known as The MAX, which is located on Front Street. If the rain continues, the market will be moved inside The MAX, said marketing coordinator Gabby Ortiz.

Admission to the event is free.

Night Market will feature many of Earth’s Bounty regular vendors who will offer an assortment of goods, including fresh produce, quail eggs, baked goods, canned goods, sweet desserts and treats. Joining them will be several local art vendors who will offer pottery, bath soaps and lotions and hand-crafted jewelry.

Mayberry Eatery, a popular dining vendor from Shuqualak, will be on site with a menu of rib tips, burgers, potato salad, fries and baked beans.

Providing entertainment for the event will be local favorite Daniel Houze, who will bring his blend of country and gospel music to the courtyard.

Sharon Pratt, past president of the Meridian Council for the Arts which sponsors Third Thursday, said the overnight storms and flash floods, along with continued rain today, has made it too difficult to carry out Third Thursday since it is held completely outdoors.

Third Thursday was set to feature entertainment from Nathan and Chesni Arnett, a Kentucky couple who competed on Season 16 of the reality TV show, “The Voice.”

With Juneteenth festivities set to kick off on Friday, it would not be possible to delay the event one night, so organizes are looking to reschedule the Arnetts for later in the year, Pratt said.

UNCSA Photography Portal

By in Photography

UNCSA Photography Portal

The UNCSA photography portal includes performance and event photos for the campus
community to download for educational purposes or for portfolio use. All photos in
the portal are watermarked with the UNCSA logo, and are available as low-resolution
images for download. Assets are organized by conservatory, then year and then by production.
Some general campus photography and faculty and staff headshots are also available.

ACCESS THE PORTAL

Students

Students can access the photography portal above using their UNCSA single sign-on
credentials (see instructions below). Students are allowed to use photos in online
portfolios to show work for classes or job interviews. You must credit the photographer
on all online portfolios, and all photos must remain watermarked.

Faculty & Staff

All faculty and staff have access to the photography portal using their single sign-on
credentials (see instructions below). High-resolution or non-watermarked photos may
be requested for UNCSA recruiting or marketing purposes by emailing Melissa Upton-Julio.

Alumni

Alumni do not have access to the photography portal, but can request photos for portfolio use only. Please note that assets date back to the 2010-11 school year.
Photos from earlier years may be available through the UNCSA Archives Office. 

How to use the photography portal

Logging in

Select the “login using SSO” button. Then, enter your single sign-on credentials (your
UNCSA email address and password). You may access the portal from on or off-campus.

Navigation

Once logged in, you can either use the search bar at the top to look for a specific item,
or you can select one of the collections below and navigate to the folder you are
looking for.

Note
Be sure to double check that the photos you are selecting are from the correct year
— some performances have been produced more than once.

Downloading photos

To download a photo, follow these steps:

1. Select the photo you want to download and click on the download icon in the top
left of the page (it looks like an arrow pointing down into a box).

2. A new window will pop up, then you can click the “Download” button in the bottom
right corner of the window to complete the download.

Notes
Bulk download is not currently an option in the photography portal.

Photos are for educational purposes or for portfolio use only. Higher resolution and non-watermarked photos will only be made available upon request,
with approval from the Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications.

Terms and conditions

Access to and use of images in the UNCSA Photography Portal (Powered by Canto) is
limited to the UNCSA community and its authorized agents. By accessing and using the
images in the UNCSA Photography Portal, you are agreeing to the following terms and
conditions, in addition to all UNCSA and UNC Board of Governors Policies.  

1. You are responsible for determining whether your intended uses are allowed under these
terms and conditions.

2. The images in the UNCSA Photography Portal are from a variety of sources, and UNCSA
may not have unlimited rights to use the images for any purpose, under contract and
copyright law. You have no more rights than UNCSA, and the law does not require that
the images bear notice of the copyright holder to receive full protection.

3. UNCSA does have rights to use all images for its own institutional and educational
purposes. UNCSA students, faculty, staff and agents may download and use images for
UNCSA purposes; which include portfolio use, informational use, and other uses consistent
with the UNCSA mission.

4. The assets in this collection are intended for portfolio, institutional, educational
and scholarly uses that are noncommercial in nature. Commercial uses are strictly
prohibited without express written permission from the UNCSA Vice Chancellor for Strategic
Communications.

5. When you use assets for purposes other than portfolio or internal educational purposes,
you must identify the image as determined by the UNCSA Vice Chancellor for Strategic
Communications. 

6. These terms and conditions are not intended to prohibit the exercise of fair use,
educational and research use, or experimental use by UNCSA and its students, employees
and agents, as permitted by the statutes and common law applicable to copyrights,
patents and trademarks. 

Contact

For all photography portal-related questions, including access request, please contact
Melissa Upton-Julio at uptonm@uncsa.edu or 336-631-1522. 

Capturing the golden hour: A photography tour of London with Anthony Epes

By in Photography

Capturing the golden hour: A photography tour of London with Anthony Epes

Anthony Epes has travelled the world, from the mesmerising landscapes of northern Vietnam to the depths of the Sahara Desert, capturing their spirit on camera. This summer, he’s exploring the streets of London in the soft evening light and invites you to join him.

With a backdrop of one of the world’s greatest cities, you’ll focus on that elusive but critical skill for a photographer – how to see and then capture your surroundings in new and personal ways. We will set off on two carefully curated routes, taking in some of London’s most iconic landmarks and a selection of Anthony’s favourite spots to photograph the city – timed to coincide with the late summer sunset.

Anthony will teach you the techniques that underpin a powerful image, from the technical mastery of light and composition, to the art of observation and storytelling. With one-to-one guidance and a series of creative challenges, you’ll learn how to become a more perceptive and confident photographer.

Suitable for anyone with any kind of camera, you’ll be part of a small group with time for personalised feedback and group discussion.

Join us for one evening or both – and see London and your own photography in a new light.

A London street in fading light, lit by golden street lamps, with St Paul’s Cathedral in the distance

This course is for …

  • All passionate photographers, regardless of their camera or experience level

  • Attendees will need to bring their own camera, and may get the most out of the class if they have a DSLR camera

  • Anyone interested in capturing a sense of place through their photos and learning from a professional photographer

Course content

Friday 11 August: From Tower Bridge to Hackney

  • Focus: Composition and the camera

  • How to make a good composition a great one

  • Understanding the qualities of light

  • The power of observation

  • How to use curiosity and imagination to create more personal, impactful images

Saturday 12 August: From Waterloo to Borough Market

  • Focus: The art of seeing and storytelling

  • How create narrative with photography

  • How to create meaning in your photos by building relationships between subject and supporting elements

  • How to anticipate photographs and capture unpredictable subjects

  • Pushing your creative boundaries

A pink sunrise over the River Thames, with London silhouetted on the horizon

Tutor profile

Anthony Epes is a travel and fine art photographer with 20 years experience photographing London. He has created three photo books, including London at Dawn, as well as exhibiting his work internationally. His work has been featured in Photo Magazine, CNN, the Guardian, the BBC, and many other international publications. Anthony runs photography workshops in his favourite places all over the world.

Details

Date: Friday 11 August and Saturday 12 August 2023
Times: 4pm-9pm BST both days
Price: £249 (plus £7.80 booking fee) for one day, or £449 (plus £7.80 booking fee) for both days
Capacity: 12 tickets per day

We aim to make Guardian Masterclasses accessible to all. If you are considering coming along and have limited mobility or other access requirements, please do email us at masterclasses@theguardian.com to discuss your participation.

About Guardian Masterclasses

Purchasing tickets to our online classes is a powerful way to fund the Guardian; thank you for your support. Sign up to our newsletter and you’ll be among the first to find out about our latest courses and special offers. You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

We aim to make Guardian Masterclasses accessible to all. If you require any adjustments to enable your participation in this course, please get in touch with us at masterclasses@theguardian.com.

By proceeding, you agree to the Guardian Masterclasses Terms and Conditions. To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy.

Returns policy

Once a purchase is complete we will not be able to refund you where you do not attend or if you cancel your event booking. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.

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