A lot of interesting photography equipment is released almost every week. This could be an upgrade to something you currently are using or something new that you’ve never considered buying before. However, think twice about spending your hard-earned money on new photography equipment.
There isn’t enough money in the world to buy all the photography equipment flooding the market, either recently released or on the brink of release. While you don’t need everything that’s available, there are always interesting items that might catch your attention.
As of the time of writing, Atomos has unveiled a new Ninja external recorder that promises a lot of enhancements over its predecessor. I came across an interesting smartphone case and tripod created by Peak Design. Zhiyun has introduced a 200 Watt LED light that’s extremely portable and could be quite interesting for filmmakers on location. Shimoda has launched a second iteration of the Explorer backpack, and SmallRig offers a small yet powerful V-mount battery. And the list goes on and on.
It doesn’t end there. New cameras are released on a regular basis, offering more functionality, improved ergonomics, and higher resolutions. New lenses are as well, some of which are truly unique, offering possibilities that weren’t accessible before. These recent additions promise superior pictures, more stunning results, and, on some occasions, will be the answer to made up problems you never knew existed in the first place.
It’s tempting to spend your hard-earned money on new equipment, either as an upgrade or as a new piece of gear to play around with. You have to ask yourself if it’s worth it. Does it have any benefit for your photography or not? Perhaps you need to think about it a second time, or even a third time.
It’s difficult to resist the call of new equipment. Truthfully, the experience of unboxing new gear can be exceptionally gratifying. This could be as simple as a new light stand or as exhilarating as a new lens or camera. The prospect of using it can give a lot of satisfaction. However, following the initial excitement, will the usage be extensive, or will it inevitably be destined to collect dust on a shelf?
For a new camera, the answer is straightforward. Naturally, it will be used a lot. Yet, ask yourself whether you’ll make use of all the new functions and possibilities it offers. Does it offer a real benefit for your photography, or is it just nice to have available?
For other pieces of equipment, the answer to that question might not be as straightforward. Will that new tripod see frequent usage? Is the new microphone truly the answer to a better sound? Does the new V-mount battery have any real benefits if you already possess one that meets your current requirements? Is the new LED light superior to its predecessor?
It would be a real waste of money if that new piece of equipment is used less and less after the initial excitement, until it is just occupying space on the shelf or in a drawer. Eventually, you might opt to sell it, often at a considerably lower price, since the secondhand market might not be eager to invest heavily in an older model.
While it’s virtually impossible to evade the trap of acquiring unnecessary gear entirely, you can try to minimize this tendency by asking yourself a few critical questions. It’s not about assessing whether you require something to facilitate your photography; rather, it’s about the necessity of items you’ve encountered or read about.
In the context of a camera, lens or any other equipment upgrade, these questions might be useful as well:
You might find these questions a bit silly, perhaps. However, providing earnest answers can lead you to the realization that the new gear is nonessential for your photography or that the enhancement doesn’t sufficiently justify its cost.
Moreover, if you bought an expensive piece of equipment last year and you don’t use it enough, its value is considerably diminished, regardless of whether you used it only once or extensively. The secondhand market is a testament to how numerous photographers acquire new gear without much contemplation. This explains why descriptions often include phrases like “almost new” or “used only once.” In essence, acquiring equipment is never an investment; it’s simply a tool.
This doesn’t imply that there is no equipment that proves to be exceptionally valuable for your photography. But it’s wise to refrain yourself from spending your money on items that don’t genuinely fulfil a requirement.
Avoid becoming fixated on gear, wanting to have the latest or the best available. This is called the Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS), as you might know. While new equipment could indeed be helpful, ultimately, the amount of equipment you own won’t determine the quality of your photography.
Have you bought equipment that in the end you didn’t use that much, or perhaps you regretted the acquisition? If so, kindly share your experiences in the comments section below.
There was a time when The Flying Doughnuts, now one of Chattanooga’s most iconic murals, almost didn’t fly.
Nearly a decade ago in 2014, bakery owner Barbara Koch of Koch’s Bakery commissioned an artist to paint the heavenly pastry scene on an aging building near her establishment. But a city sign inspector cited her for violating a code restricting the size of signs on businesses.
The donuts weren’t simply artwork, the inspector argued at the time. The painting depicted the pastries she sold — which meant it served as advertising.
“If it had been bagels, everything would have been fine,” said Chris Anderson, who was then a Chattanooga City Council member and now serves as a senior adviser to Mayor Tim Kelly, in a recent telephone interview. “Obviously, there’s some absurdity in that.”
(READ MORE: Chattanooga’s Koch’s Bakery closing after nearly 80 years in business)
At that juncture, Anderson assembled a coalition of residents, including artists and civic and business leaders, to collaborate on amending the city’s sign regulations. Some of the modifications were adopted, and some weren’t.
“It wasn’t a question of public opinion about murals — it was more about an outdated ordinance that the public didn’t agree with,” Anderson said.
There were zero people complaining about the mural, he said.
“In fact, there was a pretty big public outcry in favor of the business,” Anderson added.
Ultimately, the Flying Doughnuts rose to glory, and no fines were issued.
Since that time, attitudes about public art of all sorts have evolved. Murals, which were previously associated more with graffiti or considered as illegal artistic expressions, are now gaining acceptance among community leaders.
One example of that involves EPB, the city-owned utility, which earlier this summer commissioned 10 artists to adorn the 10th Street substation. The murals would help transform the urban environment and were part of “building a city where creativity can thrive,” Kelly said.
“Public art is more than a nice addition,” he said at the murals’ unveiling. “It is central to who we are.”
Fast forwarding to today, and the city is again working on updating ordinances to Chattanooga’s sign code, Anderson said. Efforts are currently on hold, pending rulings on a few federal court cases concerning billboards.
“When dealing with sign laws, you’re dealing with the First Amendment, and you have to make sure you’re not violating the Constitution,” Anderson said. “One of the goals will be to codify that murals are not signage and do everything that we can to encourage artistic expression like murals throughout the city.”
Signs of life
The Artist Seven, whose real name is Eric Finley, is one of the most, if not the most, prolific muralist in Chattanooga. Over the past 15 years, he said he has completed an estimated 40 paintings around the city. His work can be found across the U.S., as well.
In early August, he completed a mural featuring several large-scale, interlocking three-dimensional geometrics shapes, adding visual intrigue to The Tomorrow Building at Somer Station. And about a month before that, he finished another piece depicting a crane at Kai Bistro, a new Asian-American eatery set to open soon on the Southside.
“Of course, murals attract business, but more so, they attract development,” he said during a phone interview. “Where you have an area that’s been rundown or abandoned, artists can help change the public’s perspective on an area, so a place doesn’t have the same stigma that it might have once had, which, in turn, helps attract new investors.”
Chattanooga’s Southside, specifically the Main Street area, exemplifies this transformation, he said. Going back 10 to 15 years, the area was a place that people avoided. Now, it’s a popular tourist attraction — a place people want to spend time and money.
(READ MORE: Scenic City Art: A map of murals to visit in Chattanooga)
So, what’s the difference between graffiti, street art and murals – and why do they seem to be gaining popularity?
The term “street art,” Seven wrote in an email, “is broad and can include many different styles of art, unrelated crafts and practices, which could include graffiti. Graffiti itself, which is more properly termed ‘style writing,’ is a very exclusive artform with rules, egos and politics involved. It is not meant or done to be accepted.
“The increasing acceptance of graffiti by society is simply a by-product of the evolution of graffiti’s execution by advanced artists … The popularity of street art and graffiti has increased due to social media and the internet to the point that it is now becoming popular culture, so of course businesses would want to try and capitalize on the draw and appeal of these exciting and raw art forms.”
Marketing made easy
Olivia Reckert is another prominent muralist whose creations can be found throughout Chattanooga, including Big Bad Breakfast, Whiskey Cowgirl, Reagan’s Retro Bar, Westbound, Spice Trail, River City Apparel and EPB’s 10th Street Mural Project. She also has a background in marketing and advertising.
“Murals set the tone and mood of a space,” Reckert said in a phone interview. “Whether it’s through color or shapes, they convey a message. I love working with businesses to determine what goals are for the business.”
One example of how murals help with marketing is Reckert’s work that is splashed all over the walls at Reagan’s Retro Bar, across from Songbirds on Station Street in the Southside. Under black lights, her work makes the space come alive in glowing, neon colors.
The owners were after something to make their bar easily recognizable in photos — even without being “tagged” on social media.
Reckert’s work can also be found in several homes in the area, as she has been commissioned many times to create artwork for short-term rentals. Just by adding color, shape and a sense of movement to the walls, Reckert has the ability to convert an otherwise mundane space into an unforgettable environment guests will remember for years.
“The homeowners don’t want to alter too much,” she said. “But you can really enhance someone’s stay through color and paintings on the walls.”
The Instagram factor
When Amanda and Erik Neil, owners of two local restaurants, Main Street Meats and Easy Bistro & Bar, first moved to Chattanooga, the city was offering grants to attract artists to the area. Since then, the Neils have watched the arts play a pivotal role in transforming the Southside from a desolate area to a tourist hotspot.
“There were all kinds of artists moving to this area at that time,” Amanda said. “I definitely think that did pave the way. This was all before developers started building condos.”
The Neils also have connections with both Seven and Reckert.
(READ MORE: Reasons to love Chattanooga’s arts and outdoors)
Upon acquiring the building that houses Main Street Meats, they inherited one of Seven’s paintings — a giant, psychedelic rooster facing State of Confusion restaurant. Seven had painted the mural as a gift to the previous owner of Niedlove’s Bakery.
“Murals add to a building’s character, but they also help in terms of marketing and social media,” Amanda said in a phone interview. “So many people take pictures in front of that painting.
“Anytime you have anything that’s artsy and creative, it’s really good for social media purposes. If somebody takes a picture and then tags us — it’s a fun way of sharing. And that kind of marketing doesn’t cost any money.”
The Neils have also hired Reckert to set the mood at their new restaurant, Little Coyote, which is slated to open in St. Elmo this fall. Amanda said she plans to give Reckert the creative freedom to do as she pleases as long as she stays within the Southwest color palette and branding.
“There are a lot of different factors that played a role in Main Street becoming so popular,” she said. “And art definitely helped.”
Our cultural narrative
Chattanooga is an easy sell, said Donna Elle Harrison, director of cultural tourism and inclusive marketing for the Chattanooga Tourism Co. And a big part of that is the city’s visual appeal to prospective businesses.
While Chattanooga is known for its natural beauty, Harrison said in a phone interview, its sense of culture and community also help the city stand out among others. Through murals, artists are telling their authentic stories about the city. And when visitors arrive, they learn about the people and history of this area.
“When you think about years ago, there were so many desolate areas,” she said. “MLK Boulevard is way more open and bright than it used to be. At one point in time, we didn’t have those. It’s now driving businesses to want to participate in being downtown.”
Each new company considering relocation to Chattanooga begins with a visit, Harrison said. And when corporate leaders think about moving their enterprises, they think about bringing new employees, as well. And they want to find cities where their people can thrive and be happy.
When business leaders encounter art like murals, there are broader messages intertwined with them — like Chattanooga’s sense of diversity and collaborative community spirit.
“It’s more of an attraction for people to want to work, play and live here,” she said. “These paintings reflect who we are.”
While some murals are used for branding and maybe a little fun (think: the two-story slice of cheesy, gooey pizza at Southside Pizza), others make a statement or memorialize significant people or events. A mural on M.L. King Boulevard honors Martin Luther King Jr., and another on McCallie Avenue pays homage to the “Fallen Five” — five military members shot to death at a Navy reserve center in Chattanooga in 2015. Both are by artist Kevin Bate.
The mural on the AT&T building in downtown Chattanooga, “We Will Not Be Satisfied Until,” centers on Black history and the evolution of the M.L. King neighborhood.
Artist Meg Saligman, who completed the project in 2016, led multiple input sessions and interviewed residents of the M.L. King neighborhood to inform the design and gain an understanding of the community. At 42,000 square feet, it is the largest mural in the Southeastern United States.
Drawing people together
James McKissic serves as president of ArtsBuild. He moved away from Chattanooga during the 1990s but returned about 20 years ago, pleased with the way the arts have helped transform the city.
“The overall public art has made a huge difference in enhancing the city,” he said during a phone conversation.
ArtsBuild’s role is to provide funding for art organizations through grants, art advocacy, internships and various community projects, including the Holmberg Arts Leadership Program named after the Chattanooga Times publisher, Ruth Holmberg. Some of the nonprofit group’s more notable contributions include artwork on the side of the Kinley Hotel, murals by The Artist Seven, installations in places like Soddy-Daisy and Trenton, Georgia, and a collaboration with EPB to finance the murals for the 10th Street Mural Project.
(READ MORE: Alan Cumming to headline fall arts fundraiser in Chattanooga)
According to McKissic, artwork and murals have a profound impact on people — they “spark something within.” They not only rejuvenate neighborhoods, but they also invigorate people as well. It’s something we see everyday, he said — people stopping to take selfies and sharing them across social media platforms.
“Businesses and institutions that are involved with public art — people want to spend more time there and in those neighborhoods,” McKissic said. “The art keeps their attention and keeps them engaged.
“Our mission is to build a stronger community through the arts, and murals build community and draw people together. We’re always in support of more murals and more public art in Chattanooga.”
Contact Jennifer McNally at jmcnally@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416.
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Evelyn Waugh famously held that taking a keen interest in ecclesiastical matters was often “a prelude to insanity”. Much the same might be said about newspaper columnists taking an interest in intellectual property law. But let us take the risk. After all, you only live once – at least until Elon Musk creates an electronic clone of himself.
On Friday 18 August, a federal judge in the US rejected an attempt to copyright an artwork that had been created by an AI. The work in question is, to the untrained eye at least, no great shakes. It is called “A Recent Entrance into Paradise” and depicts a three-track railway heading into what appears to be a leafy, partly pixellated tunnel and had been “autonomously created” by a computer algorithm called the Creativity Machine.
In 2018, Stephen Thaler, CEO of a neural network firm called Imagination Engines, had listed Creativity Machine as the sole creator of the artwork. The US Register of Copyright denied the application on the grounds that “the nexus between the human mind and creative expression” is a crucial element of protection.
Mr Thaler was not amused and issued a lawsuit contesting the decision, arguing that: AI should be acknowledged “as an author where it otherwise meets authorship criteria”; that ownership of copyright should then be vested in the machine’s owner (ie him); and that the register’s decision should be subjected to judicial review to clarify “whether a work generated solely by a computer falls under the protection of copyright law”.
Which brings us to the district court in Washington DC and Judge Beryl A Howell, who ruled briskly that the register had not erred in denying Thaler’s application for copyright. “United States copyright law,” quoth she, “protects only works of human creation.” She did, however, concede the validity of Thaler’s claim that “copyright law has proven malleable enough to cover works created with or involving technologies developed long after traditional media of writings memorialised on paper” and went on to point out that the most recent version of the US Copyright Act allows copyright on “original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed”.
So the law, in all its majesty, is apparently not blind to technological innovation. But, writes Judge Howell, it has always insisted that “human creativity is the sine qua non at the core of copyrightability, even as that human creativity is channeled through new tools or into new media.” Why, had not the supreme court itself ruled that photographs were copyrightable creations of “authors” (AKA photographers)? After all: “A camera may generate only a ‘mechanical reproduction’ of a scene, but does so only after the photographer develops a ‘mental conception’ of the photograph, which is given its final form by that photographer’s decisions.”
Quite so. But when did the supreme court come to this enlightened view? Er, 1884, when the court upheld the power of Congress to extend copyright protection to photography in a case involving a photograph of Oscar Wilde, no less! This is interesting because in 1884 – and indeed until comparatively recently – cameras were essentially dumb, analogue machines. You pointed them at a scene, decided on the required exposure (possibly with the aid of an exposure meter), set the shutter speed and aperture and pressed a button. The image produced by this process was chemically etched on to a glass plate or a strip of celluloid.
And now? Almost all cameras are digital and are in smartphones. You choose what you want to photograph, sure, but everything that happens from then on is done by computation. In many smartphone cameras, the images are “post-processed” by tiny but powerful AIs. (Which is why Apple has a legion of engineers working just on the iPhone camera.) The result is that it’s now rather difficult to take a “bad” photograph – one that that is under- or over-exposed, out of focus or blurred by camera-shake. Accordingly, most of the human “craft” of photography is taken out of your hands. And the creativity involved is boiled down to spotting an opportunity (Cartier-Bresson’s “decisive moment”, perhaps) or a scene, framing it and pressing a button. Everything else is done by AI.
Still, at the moment it meets the “human involvement” criterion of the 1884 judgment and of contemporary copyright legislation. But my hunch is that its days are numbered. Indeed, even Judge Howell seems to agree. “We are approaching new frontiers in copyright,” she writes, “as artists put AI in their toolbox to be used in the generation of new visual and other artistic works. The increased attenuation of human creativity from the actual generation of the final work will prompt challenging questions regarding how much human input is necessary to qualify the user of an AI system as an ‘author’ of a generated work.”
She’s right. And – who knows? – if he lives long enough, Mr Thaler may even get his copyright.
Worldly wisdom
Eleven Theses on Globalisation is the title of a bracing post on his Substack by the economist Branko Milanović.
Well versed
There’s a marvellous essay by the late Seamus Heaney in Salmagundi magazine called Place, Pastness, Poems: A Triptych on the poetic uses of memory.
AI future shock
Read The AI Power Paradox: Can States Learn to Govern AI – Before It’s Too Late?, a sobering essay in Foreign Affairs by Ian Bremmer and Mustafa Suleyman.
“I have kept one painting in the bathroom,” says Lindsey Nobel as she steps in front of a large canvas leaning against the wall close to the wash basin. “It was painted during the pandemic,” explains the Los Angeles-based American artist about Gathering, an abstract work linking people with nature.
At Artix, India’s first-ever hotel art fair at the Taj Mahal Palace in New Delhi (August 25-27), each artist, gallerist and collector has a room for themselves. Artworks are mounted on walls and floors in luxury rooms relieved of their furniture. Bathrooms are no exception.
‘Blue Door’ by artist Siddharth Shingade at the Gallery Vision Art (Photo: Courtesy of Artix)
“A room for an artist is much more personal,” says Nobel, an abstract artist and sculptor who first came to India on a cruise ship to Chennai two decades ago. Nobel’s conceptual, futuristic paintings in acrylic reflect the idea that “we are all connected”. Colourful droplets of water drip from above in her Syringe Series, a tribute to life and planet Earth.
Nobel is one of the two artists from abroad who are part of Artix, which promotes the philosophy that a hotel is an immersive space suited for creativity and business as a home away from home. “The fair is happening on an entire floor. There are 43 rooms for 20 galleries, 10 solo shows and three collectors,” says Arushi Arts gallery founder Payal Kapoor, one of the creators of Artix.
Six months ago, Kapoor had just returned to Delhi from a tour of international art fairs when she discussed the idea of a hotel art fair in India with Malvika Poddar, founder of fashion boutique Carma and Timsy Anand, the owner of Jalsa, the annual fashion exhibition in Delhi. “We wanted to create a different fair for the new art collectors of tomorrow,” recalls Kapoor. “This showcase encompasses a rich tapestry of artistry, from textiles to jewellery, aimed at nurturing a new generation of connoisseurs,” adds Poddar.
Jewellery designer Archana Aggarwal’s collection at Artix (Photo: Courtesy of Artix)
Among the participating galleries at Artix are Dhoomimal Art Gallery, which has two rooms for postmodern and contemporary art, Anant Art Gallery, which has the works of Baroda-based artist Anikesa Dhing and Delhi-based Harsh Nambiar among others, Delhi’s Artoholics, which has FN Souza’s works, and Kapoor’s own Arushi Arts gallery. Gallerists are joined by three private collectors — Priya Paul, Lekha Poddar and Saloni Doshi — while solo shows include artists like Sakti Burman, Sukanya Garg and Faiza Huma.
Paul’s collection at Artix from her 30-year-old archive, the Priya Paul Collection of Popular Art, has travel posters of different airlines and destinations created by famous artists. Among them are limited edition lithographs commissioned by the tourism ministry and the Railways. The posters include Benares on the Ganges in the See India series issued by the traffic branch of the ministry of transport and another, titled Travancore, also from the See India series. A poster issued by the Railways shows Emperor Akbar receiving an emissary of Queen Elizabeth at the Fatehpur Sikri in 1586.
Artix founders Payal Kapoor, Timsy Anand and Malvika Poddar (Left to Right) (Photo: Courtesy of Artix)
“The hotel art fairs in Hong Kong and London have been well received by the international art community. It is an interesting concept different from whatever we have been doing before,” says Sagan D’Souza of Dhoomimal Art Gallery, whose exhibits include Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil and VS Gaitonde.
Hotel art fairs are gaining currency in the art world as artists, gallerists and collectors look forward to personal and localised spaces such as a room in a luxury hotel or a repurposed house. Last year, Thailand launched a hotel art fair in Bangkok, joining the existing fairs in Spain (Hybrid Art Fair in Madrid) and Japan (ART in Tokyo). The Artix creators say they will make it a travelling fair, with Hyderabad chosen as the next destination in April 2024 along with an annual edition in Delhi.
Artist Gariba Singh Tekkam’s work, which is part of Gallery Arts of Earth (Photo: Courtesy of Artix)
“Every room is a gallery,” says Poddar about the inaugural hotel art fair in Delhi. “We will take the fair to metros and smaller cities. We have had a good response from the artist community in the country to the new venture,” she adds. “In my view, Artix is a canvas of self-expression, an avenue where imagination breaks free from constraints and conventions,” says Anand.
The ongoing business summits at major hotels in Delhi, including the Artix venue, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, to coincide with next month’s G20 summit of world leaders have provided a captive international audience to the new fair. “The hotel art fair is an interesting take on the art fair format,” says Shankar Tripathi of Delhi’s Anant Art Gallery. “The fair exposes Indian art to business leaders from the G20 countries,” adds Tripathi.
American artist Lindsey Nobel’s painting, Gathering (Photo: Faizal Khan)
Artix creators are hoping the fair will be an instant hit with India’s art community. “Unlike traditional trade shows, where people are herded through big hallways, in a hotel, they can wander in and out of suites, mingle with each other, even take a break, and sit around the pool,” says Kapoor. “This unique set-up allows buyers to envision how the art will complement their own living spaces, and the intimacy of the setting enables art enthusiasts to appreciate it closely.”
Like most people, photographers are rarely caught without their smartphones. There are so many great apps available on iOS and Android devices that a photographer’s phone can become an integral part of their kit.
Whether taking photos with a smartphone, editing images on the go, or planning a photo for capture with a dedicated camera system, this guide outlines essential apps that every photographer should consider adding to their phone.
PhotoPills is a fantastic app for photographers who want to leave nothing to chance. It helps photographers plan their images and dial in their settings with sophisticated maps, diagrams, and tools.
For example, photographers can use PhotoPills to pinpoint the angle and direction of sunrise, sunset, moonrise, the Milky Way, and much more. Better yet, the app lets the user change the date, time, and location, so it is possible to scout out shots anywhere in the world.
PetaPixel’s guide to using PhotoPills will help photographers get the most from the app, and trust us, PhotoPills has a ton to offer.
Available on Android and iOS for $10.99. Includes in-app purchases.
In a similar spirit, the Photographer’s Ephemeris is a landscape photographer’s best friend. Available on iOS and desktop, this app offers augmented reality on iPhone and iPad, offering a preview of the sky at a selected time using a mobile device’s camera. It also offers 3D diagrams and maps, offering a sophisticated preview of how light and shadow will fall over a landscape at any time.
Available on iOS for $9.99. Includes in-app purchases.
One of the most challenging parts of using strong neutral density (ND) filters is dialing in the perfect exposure. Even though modern cameras have excellent metering systems, they can only sometimes accurately meter exposure through very dark filters.
That is where the Exposure Calculator on Android comes in. The free app allows users to set aperture, shutter speed, and ISO and add up to three ND filters of up to 30 stops to each exposure calculation.
Available on Android for free.
Long Exposure Calculator is a similar app for iOS devices. The app, which works on iPhone, iPad, and even iPod Touch, allows users to set ND filter strength and exposure settings to receive a shutter speed recommendation. The app supports up to 24 stops of ND filters and includes a built-in countdown timer.
Available on iOS for free.
Analog and digital photographers alike sometimes need a bit of help metering light. MyLightMeter Pro for Android and iOS offers stylized user interface options, incident and reflected light metering modes, the ability to save exposure data, saved lens presets, hyperfocal distance calculation, and more.
User reviews praise the app for its accuracy and utility, especially when shooting film without a dedicated light meter accessory. The app relies upon the user’s smartphone camera system to meter a scene, and by all accounts, the app is very good.
Available on iOS for $3.99. On Android, the app is known as just LightMeter and is $1.99.
Although undoubtedly related to “planning” a photography adventure, no photographer’s mobile toolkit is complete without good weather apps and apps for predicting optimal photography conditions.
Alongside built-in weather apps on iOS and Android, Carrot Weather is a fun app for Android and iOS. It is free, although it offers a premium subscription for $20 per year.
Outdoor enthusiasts may prefer the highly detailed data delivered by WeatherBug. Available on Android and iOS for free with premium subscription options, WeatherBug shows how favorable weather is for outdoor activities, including information about where the latest and nearest lightning strikes were to help outdoor enthusiasts stay safe.
Just because the weather is suitable for being outside does not mean it is good for taking photos, either. That is where Skylight for iOS helps. The app uses artificial intelligence to predict evening light and show photographers a daily forecast for the quality of different times of day for taking photos.
For example, golden hour is a fantastic time to take photos, but not every day’s golden hour is exciting. Skylight helps photographers know beforehand if it is worth setting up a quick shoot or grabbing their gear and heading out the door for sunset.
Available on iOS for $1.99 per month or $9.99 per year.
While the apps so far have focused on helping photographers capture better shots with their dedicated camera equipment, these apps are designed to enable shutterbugs to create better photos using the cameras on their mobile devices.
Phone cameras have come a long way in recent years, with sensors getting bigger and megapixel counts increasing. Talented photographers create stunning art using their smartphones.
However, while native camera apps on iOS and Android are good enough for many, some enthusiasts yearn for more control over their smartphone cameras.
Developed by the makers of Camera+, Photon is focused on offering iOS users professional-style image capture tools and features.
Photon offers an auto mode, but its strength is in the app’s manual control over focus, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance. The app also offers control over format and resolution and the ability to shoot in RAW or Apple ProRAW formats, plus HEIF and JPEG.
The app also includes focus peaking, a histogram, grid overlay options, flash control, and more.
Available on iOS for $3.99 per month or $19.99 per year.
ProCam X for Android is similar to Photon in functionality, offering users control over camera settings like exposure, focus, white balance, and ISO.
Available on Android for $4.99.
Halide Mark II offers a comprehensive assortment of controls and features. It is designed with professional photographers in mind, and its rich controls support this notion.
Despite its wide range of features and tools, the app has a relatively simple, clean user interface that heavily relies upon swiping gestures. Halide Mark II also supports the Apple ProRAW image format, delivering outstanding image quality on top of its excellent camera controls.
It is worth remembering that Halide Mark II exclusively captures photos on an iPhone and does not include photo editing tools.
Available on iOS for $9.99 per year or a one-time purchase of $29.99.
Halide also makes an AI-powered app just for capturing long-exposure images. Known as Spectre, the app uses AI and Apple’s Neural Engine Processor to deliver stabilized handheld long-exposure photos.
While available for free, a paid “Pro” version adds additional long exposure modes.
Available on iOS for free. Includes in-app purchases.
Filmic Pro version 7 delivers a redesigned camera interface and brand new features for Filmic’s acclaimed mobile cinema app.
Designed to offer mobile users a high-end video interface, Filmic Pro offers extensive controls over camera settings, custom function buttons, and a robust interface. For any users aiming to improve their mobile video, Filmic Pro is a must-have application.
Available on Android and iOS for $2.99 per week or $50 per year.
Filmic also has a great mobile app designed for photographers called Firstlight. Firstlight includes advanced image processing, excellent visualizations, and sophisticated manual controls.
The mobile photography also includes excellent film simulations and Apple ProRAW support. Firstlight offers extensive controls over crucial camera settings like shutter speed, ISO, and focus. The app also includes focus peaking, zebras, histograms, and more.
PetaPixel has previously written that Firstlight “is capable of the absolute best image quality you can get on a smartphone.” For photographers looking to take great photos on their phones, what more could they ask for?
Available on Android and iOS for $7.99.
Whether taking photos on a smartphone or just editing images captured with a dedicated camera system, there are many ways to edit photos on smartphones.
From mobile versions of desktop apps like Lightroom and Capture One to mobile-only apps like VSCO and Pop!, mobile apps make editing and sharing your best photos easy.
Lightroom for Mobile brings many of Lightroom’s excellent photo editing tools from desktop to the palm of your hand. The app also recently added “instant access” to photo libraries, allowing users to skip the typical import process.
Lightroom for Mobile includes powerful tools, including masking and numerous other AI-powered photo editing features.
Few apps offer as many editing tools as Adobe Lightroom for Mobile.
Available on Android and iOS for free. Includes in-app purchases.
After a lengthy wait, Capture One is finally available on iPhone. However, it is less powerful on iPhone than on iPad.
Importantly, even though perhaps not a complete replacement to Capture One on desktop, Capture One on iPhone delivers much of Capture One’s fantastic color editing tools.
Available on iOS for $4.99 per month or less depending on a user’s additional Capture One subscriptions.
Last year, after more than a decade of making a mark in the mobile photography space, VSCO rebranded and pledged to return to its roots. The app still offers extensive photo editing tools and more than 200 presets, plus a built-in camera app, but it is now also a platform where creators can gather and share their work.
Alongside photo editing tools and film emulations, VSCO offers video editing tools with presets, color controls, and a GIF creator.
Available on Android and iOS for free. Includes in-app purchases.
Packed to the gills with excellent film emulations, Pop! for iOS is a great way to give photos and videos an analog look and feel.
Pop’s editing interface is straightforward, although some features are locked behind a paywall. The app makes it easy to dial in the perfect film photography-inspired look and includes simple but powerful controls and sliders.
Available on iOS for free. Includes in-app purchases in the form of a one-time purchase or subscription.
Photomator is a powerful and easy-to-use app for iPhone, iPad, and even macOS. With support for more than 650 RAW image formats, AI-powered image editing tools, and powerful corrections, Photomator is an exceptionally robust mobile photo editing app.
In many ways, Photomator mimics the capabilities of a desktop photo editing app, albeit with a simpler, mobile-friendly user interface. The app includes non-destructive editing, impressive repair tools, and even a new Smart Deband tool.
Available on iOS for free. Includes in-app purchases
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A grant program called Access to Alaska Native Collections (AANC) is accepting applications through Sept. 8.
The program helps Alaska Native artists and culture bearers get access to museum collections across the state. Alaska Native artists and culture bearers are invited to propose a visit to a participating museum housing a collection that has a clear benefit to the development of the applicant’s work. Eligibility is limited to Alaska Native artists. The grant covers travel costs for the collections visits, including flights, ferries, mileage, per diem, lodging, parking, taxis and family care needs. Funds may cover travel between mid-October through June 30, 2024.
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Didymium squamulosum with ice crown. All images © Barry Webb, licensed
Photographer Barry Webb (previously) continues his hunt for the speckled, glimmering, and ice-crested organisms that pop up near his home in South Buckinghamshire, U.K. Armed with a 90-millimeter macro lens, Webb ventures into woodlands and other natural areas where slime molds and fungi thrive. There, he zeroes in on their microscopic features, documenting their wildly diverse characteristics that often last for just a brief moment in time. Recent shots include a tuft of Muppet-like fuzz topping Metatrichia floriformis, a water droplet suspended between two cup-like Craterium minutum, and a cluster of Pink stemonitis filaments propped on spindly black legs.
Webb has won several awards in recent months, including from the Royal Photographic Society and Close-Up Photographer of the Year. Four of his photos will be featured at the Vienna Mushroom Festival next month, prints are available on his site, and you can find more of his work on Instagram.
Metatrichia floriformis and physarum
Cribraria
Pink stemonitis
Craterium minutum
Leocarpus fragilis
Holly parachute fungus, Marasmius hudsonii
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article In Macro Photos, Barry Webb Captures the Fleeting, Otherworldly Characteristics of Slime Molds and Fungi appeared first on Colossal.
This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Sue Kwon, a photographer who was immersed in the world of hip-hop during its golden era. She has photographed some of the biggest names in hip-hop and captured intimate photos of behind-the-scenes moments as seen in her book, “Rap is Risen: New York Photographs 1988-2000’s.” The essay has been edited for length and clarity.
I’m a photographer. I didn’t know I’d be a photographer for this long, and I wasn’t hell-bent on being a photographer now that I look back on it. I never thought I could be a photographer as a career. It wasn’t my goal. It was something that really made me happy, and I loved doing it.
I’m like anybody from the ’90s. I was just very lucky to be, by chance, immersed in that emerging hip-hop culture just because I liked the music. But being able to document that era, I’m very happy and grateful that actually happened.
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I would leave the house every day with my Rolleiflex camera and the light meter and be like, “I might capture something cool.” It wasn’t always music or people on the street. And that really inspired me and kept me a part of it.
Sue Kwon
My dad was an amateur photographer. I remember seeing him photographing family events or outings and looking back at his photos, and I loved that. He didn’t talk about it, but he always had a Super 8, a point-and-shoot, or other cameras that he used to document our family events. When I was in middle school or high school, I remember asking to borrow his camera.
I suddenly got hooked on the idea of, “Wow, this photo stops time.” I was obsessed with time changing, people passing. Maybe morbid, but I realized, “Oh, this captures a moment and stops it.” And I loved that idea.
I wouldn’t say my parents were discouraging or encouraging. I think a lot of immigrant families are just working day to day, making money, wishing their daughter was a doctor, a lawyer, and they were very patient with me.
I assisted a fashion photographer for a few years right after graduating college. But I found that I really disliked it. It just struck me in a different way.
I was like, “What does this all matter?” We’re shooting a dress, like 30 rolls for one dress, and I’m not trying to put down fashion, of course, or stylists, but at that time, it didn’t matter to me. My interests were always documentary, behind-the-scenes, or capturing life.
Sue Kwon
I’d grown up obsessed with the Vietnam War. That was always of interest to me: the daily life, the difficulties of war, and the discomfort of war.
I just remember thinking that photographs, without words, can change or break a situation. So, I thought I could speak with my photos, and speaking on social climates at that time was more important.
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I think there are definitely parallels between conflict photography and hip-hop photography in the sense of unpredictability, but, obviously, without the danger.
I worked with a little company called Hex Films, which produced a lot of hip-hop videos back in the day. I would go up there and shoot photos. It wasn’t a paid gig, but it was fun to see what was going on and document behind-the-scenes. That’s where I first met Fat Joe.
When I first met Fat Joe in the Bronx, he was like, “What are you doing? You’re taking pictures? Take a picture of me. I’m gonna be a big rapper.” He appreciated that I had a camera and I was documenting it. But at that time, I wasn’t taking these photos professionally.
Sue Kwon
I attended a new music seminar event, which was a DJ battle. There I met a gentleman named David Funken Klein, who worked with Red Alert. Because I had a camera, I remember him being like, “Oh, you’re a photographer.” He gave me his card and told me he would be working on a project I might be interested in. I remember thinking, “Yeah, right.”
He did contact me. He said, “I’m going to shoot the Lifers Group at Rahway State Prison in New Jersey, and we’re gonna do a record through Hollywood Basic.”
Of course, I said yes. Eventually, The Source magazine used some of my photos.
That’s how I started to really get immersed into getting assignments for all that amazing ’90s music that was coming out.
Sue Kwon
I’m most comfortable doing a shoot where the subject can just forget about me being there. I feel like a background story or behind-the-scenes photos tell so much more. Like U-God washing dishes, I remember him laughing at me, like, “Why are you taking pictures of me doing this?”
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But to me, that was so amazing. It’s U-God washing dishes! That was the end of the shoot, and I just happened to wander there where he was doing it.
I met the Wu-Tang Clan one by one through Loud Records. I was friends with Gerard Marinacio and Mojo Nicosia, who worked at Loud Records, and while hanging out at Loud Records they asked, “Can you come by the label today and take some pictures? Raekwon might be showing up.”
Method Man, of course, is near and dear to my heart. He was always great and always stayed for the photos.
When I first met him, he was open to the camera. I think he understood. He wasn’t hamming it up for the camera, but he always just gave to it. Whenever I asked for a photo, he’d always say yes.
Sue Kwon
That moment with Biggie Smalls is still so clear to me. Everything leading up to that shoot and the days after is so vivid for me because of his talent and his unfortunate death soon after.
Back then, I don’t think I even had a pager yet. I remember being at home, answering the phone, and Dream Hampton, who was the editor of Rap Pages, said, “Biggie’s doing a new album. Go up to the studio tonight at 7 o’clock.”
Dream gave me the address of Puff Daddy’s house. It was a sunny afternoon, I remember going up there by myself, with just a few rolls of film, photographing it, and then leaving. I remember walking in and hearing “Hypnotize.” That was the first song I heard blasting, and I remember I got goosebumps because it was so good.
I went up to Biggie, introduced myself, and said, I’m just here to document behind the scenes, and he just nodded. And that was it. Because the music was so loud, I didn’t really have many words with him. I just got to walk around, do what I wanted, and be a fly on the wall.
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I think it was 11 days after that shoot that I found out Biggie had died. I remember getting called about how the film had to be rushed. My film was still sitting in my apartment. I hadn’t even brought it into the lab yet, so I had to run to the lab and get it rushed. It was all so crazy.
Sue Kwon
The shot of Biggie with the champagne, I didn’t know that was a decisive moment back when I took the photo. It was more so when I got the film back that I was like, “Wow, that’s the moment.” I like to look at the room or the situation, and I think everything is possible because a lot of it is always so interesting to me, every moment.
My photo of Ol’ Dirty Bastard where he is drinking the 40, that was just on a roll of 36, and the first part of the roll is me when I was doing laundry in a Chinese laundromat with my son.
Sue Kwon
I hope with my book “Rap is Risen,” people see hip-hop for what it is or was with no pretense. Photos, like U-God washing dishes or early Wu-Tang stuff, just show that it was not always glossy and perfect. It was just going in, shooting them, and photographing them as is. It’s not just about me. It’s about those artists. They allowed me in.
