Chickasaw artist mixes fun, history at first Hushtola; Art Market
Portraits of Britain’s young artists in their studios
Back in 2020, Peckham-based photographer Brynley Odu Davies began taking a series of portraits of fellow south London artists. As the project grew bigger and the Instagram posts gained more attention, Davies travelled across the UK and continued to document what became a richly diverse archive of contemporary working artists shaping the emerging art world, this time in their own studios and spaces.
Now, Guts Gallery is paying homage to these portraits with a two-part group exhibition. Accompanied by Davies’ newly published debut photography book Artists (published by Trolley Books), NEW NOW displays images from the series in the east London gallery’s HQ.
The central focus of Davies’ photography is realism and intimacy. Often taken in natural light with little to no editing, Davies’ portraits are clean and classic, aiming to capture the absolute essence of their subject. They tell the story of an artist in that specific moment in time, both in their life and their artistic career.
“I think there’s a lot of value in photographs and what they represent to people,” Davies told Dazed earlier this year, reflecting on the relevance of his series. “A good picture can serve as a memory of something that’s close to you, it can remind you of how you looked when you were younger, but it can also be a testament to the long-lasting impact of your efforts, actions and decisions, like in the case of these portraits.”
Davies’ project exemplifies the power of community, creativity, and the shared vision of shaping the future of the UK’s art landscape. Through diverse representation and a heartfelt approach, it pays tribute to the young visionaries carving a new chapter in the history of the British art scene.
NEW NOW part 1 is opening at Guts Gallery HQ on the 1st December 2023, 6-9pm.
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How I used this special flash photography technique to capture a sparrow in flight
Wildlife photography for Martin Goff is all about escaping into nature and relaxing. As a Police crime scene investigator, he finds it helps to switch off, to forget what he has been dealing with that week and to reset his mind. He talks to us about how the photo “Soaring Sparrow” was taken, and why it works…
1. Different technique
Photography offers many more possibilities than just reproducing reality as we see it with our own eyes. Martin used the rear curtain slow sync flash technique to show the sparrow in focus while capturing its movement. This works with a slow shutter speed along with a burst of flash. “The ambient light captures the blurred motion trail of the moving bird while the flash freezes a well-lit image of the bird. The rear curtain part means the flash fires at the end of the exposure so the motion blur appears behind the bird and not in front of it,” says Martin.
2. Movement and speed
To show the bird’s motion, Martin captured the sparrow from a hide using four off-camera flashes. He positioned two flashes above and two below the flight path, on manual low power along with rear curtain sync with a slow shutter speed. “I used this technique to show a sense of movement and speed. The frozen image of the bird works well with the motion blur to help convey this. One without the other doesn’t work but, combined, it looks great,” he says.
Aperture: f/13, Shutter speed: 1/10sec, ISO: 400
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
Lens: Olympus 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS
Accessories:
– Pixapro flash trigger
– 4x off-camera flashes
– Hide, hired from Tom Robinson Wildlife Photography
3. Balanced interplay
The art of combining motion blur with a sharp subject is to use the correct exposure time. The movement should be visible but not superimposed on the image so that the attention is on the main subject. “There was a lot of trial and error with different shutter speeds so I could capture just enough blur, but not too much,” says Martin. “As it was outside, there was constant variation in the natural daylight. This affected the manual flash power that was needed.”
4. High-contrast background
The effect of this photographic technique is best seen when there is a high contrast between the background and the subject. “I used a painted black background to really show off the blurred motion well against the darker background,” says Martin. To make the sparrow stand out even more and to enhance the overall effect of the image, Martin edited the photo in Lightroom. “In terms of processing, I just did the normal tweaks to exposure, saturation, sharpness, noise reduction and a bit of spotting on the background,” he says.
Martin Goff is a Police crime scene investigator and a passionate wildlife and nature photographer. He graduated in fine art photography and has previously worked as a freelance photographer but has continued to follow his passion. He says shooting wildlife is a form of escapism from the stresses of working at crime scenes.
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Tyreek Hill covering pay for photographer who was suspended by NFL over touchdown celebration
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill said he will cover the pay for an NFL photographer who was suspended after celebrating with him after a touchdown earlier this season.
Kevin Fitzgibbons, who had been contracted by the NFL to shoot Dolphins home games, was behind the endzone when Hill scored a 41-yard touchdown in the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers in Week 6. Hill took a phone from Fitzgibbons and filmed himself doing a backflip before handing the phone back. The NFL’s UK Twitter account posted the video before promptly deleting it.
Fitzgibbons took to social media earlier this week and revealed that he was suspended for the rest of the season – and “possibly for good” – for celebrating with Hill.
“[The NFL] said regardless [of] if I knew the celebration was coming or not, I still had to be disciplined and that I shouldn’t have jumped on the sidelines after the play,” Fitzgibbons said in a video.
Hill was flagged on the play for using a prop in celebration but absolved Fitzgibbons of any blame in his Week 6 postgame interview. On Thursday, he said he and Fitzgibbons are longtime friends and that he will cover any lost pay.
“Me and K-Fitz, we’ve got a long history together,” Hill said, via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques. “The news is something that I already knew. I told him don’t let this get to you. Just hold your head up. You’re still young. Continue to do what you love. Me and him are going to continue to work together.
“I told him I was going to cover his salary, whatever the NFL was going to pay him or whatever. I told him I was going to make sure that I do what’s right and take care of you, make sure you’re not out of a job. That’s my guy.”
Fitzgibbons, a 20-year-old student at the University of Miami, is still an NFL employee and is not barred from future events, an NFL source told Louis-Jacques. He acknowledged at the end of his video that he understood the NFL’s decision and thanked the league for the opportunity.
Winners pick up prizes in tree photography competition
The winners and runners-ups in a tree photography competition that attracted more than 70 entries have been awarded their prizes.
In the end it was Oliver Necesito’s striking image of stars shining through the branches of a mature tree in an Exeter park that was declared the winner of Exeter City Council’s Tree Photography Competition for 2023.
Cllr Ruth Williams, Lead Councillor for Place and City Management, was on hand to present Oliver with his prize of a framed photograph of his image, along with a Haynes Tree Manual.
Oliver revealed his love for photography and how he had mounted his iPhone on a small tripod to capture the night-time shot with a five-second exposure.
The competition is held every year in the run-up to National Tree Week (26 November to 4 December), inviting people to take a picture of their favourite tree in Exeter.
Prizes for the competition were kindly donated by the City Council’s arboricultural contractors, Devon Trees Services.
A close second was Rob Geare’s delayed exposure shot of a tree in the middle of a busy road junction at the bottom of Fore Street. Rob receives a framed photograph of his image.
In the Junior section, eight-year-old Raef Harvey wowed judges with his beautiful image of a young girl hugging a giant oak tree in Rougemont Gardens. Raef wins a framed photograph of his image and a Haynes Tree Manual.
Runner up in the junior section was 12-year-old Austin Lake for his shot of a tree on the Cathedral Green starting to change colour. He also wins a framed photograph of his image.
Cllr Williams, who was one of the judges for the competition described the standard of entries as “remarkable”.
“It was a considerable challenge coming up with the winning images from over 70 submitted. In the end choosing the winners and runners up was down to those images that left an indelible mark on my memory well after I viewed them. Congratulations and thanks to everyone who submitted an entry.”
National Tree Week is the UK’s largest annual tree celebration, marking the start of the winter tree planting season (November to March each year). This year it will take place from 25 November to 3 December. Further information about national events can be found on the Tree Council website at https://treecouncil.org.uk/seasonal-campaigns/national-tree-week/
OPPO celebrated smartphone photography excellence at Paris Photo 2023
In partnership with
The company took centre stage at the recent Paris Photo 2023 as an associate partner, the only smartphone brand taking part. During the exhibition, OPPO and Hasselblad announced plans to co-develop next-generation HyperTone Camera Systems. Following aesthetics, this next-generation camera system will help to redefine mobile imaging, blend technology with artistry, and usher in a new era in computational photography.
Paris Photo proved to be the perfect platform for OPPO to showcase its smartphone imaging capability, including its latest Find N3 series, which brings premium mobile photography to foldable smartphones. Taking another step towards smartphone camera supremacy, HyperTone will be followed by advanced camera systems developed in close collaboration with legendary Swedish camera manufacturer Hasselblad.
Showcasing the 2023 OPPO imagine IF Photography Awards
Photographer Ahei Huan (right) and a subject of some of his award-winning photographs
(Image credit: Courtesy OPPO)
The event also provided the smartphone giant with an opportunity to showcase work from the 2023 OPPO imagine IF Photography Awards, a competition that explores new dimensions in smartphone photography. Over 700,000 entries were received from over 50 countries, all working to the theme of ‘Beyond the Image, Beyond Imagination’.
The judging panel included prize-winning documentary photographer Liu Xiangcheng, Norwegian photographer and Hasselblad Master Tina Signesdottir Hult, landscape photographer and member of the China Photographers’ Association Wang Jianjun, and Hasselblad Ambassador and fashion photographer Yin Chao.
Photographers Tina Signesdottir Hult, Wang Jianjun, Yin Chao and Ahei Huan at Paris Photo 2023
(Image credit: Courtesy OPPO)
A total of 15 awards were given, with Chinese photographer Ahei Huan receiving the OPPO imagine IF Master of the Year (Gold Award). Huan’s series, Daughters of the Moon, documented the lives of the Yi people in the Daliang Mountains in Sichuan; work that also won him an invitation to the Hasselblad Image Training Camp.
The shortlisted entries to imagine IF were showcased across eight distinctive ‘chapters’, The Distant View, Portrait, Night Scenery, Colours, Landscape, The Taste of Memories, Light & Shadow, and Chapters of a Life. Paris Photo also provided an opportunity for OPPO to exhibit work by the judges, including Tina Signesdottir Hult’s intense portraiture and Wang Jianjun’s dramatic landscapes.
(Image credit: Courtesy OPPO)
OPPO believes that smartphone photography can unlock the world, revealing new insights into destinations and cultures. With this in mind, continued its photographic journey with a trip to Seville. Invited participants were given the chance to try out the new camera’s capabilities in one of Europe’s most photogenic cities. The Find N3 marks the first time that OPPO and Hasselblad’s flagship-level imaging quality has been incorporated into a folding device.
OPPO Find N3 screen
(Image credit: Courtesy OPPO)
In 2024, OPPO and Hasselblad will launch their next generation of the ‘HyperTone Camera System’, building on the sophisticated set of aesthetic-driven algorithms that enhances portraiture, low light situations and even the way that photographs are displayed and rendered on the device’s folding screen. The HyperTone Camera System is poised to become the new benchmark for smartphone photography, by pushing the limits of what’s possible in smartphone imaging, and by blending unparalleled image quality with the artistic legacy of one of the most iconic names in photography.
Photographer Wang Jianjun with one of his works
(Image credit: Courtesy OPPO)
The OPPO Find N3 combines all the advantages of a folding device – compact, discreet and elegant – with the photographic capabilities of a flagship device. Thanks to the ongoing collaboration with Hasselblad, OPPO is ensuring that perfect images are on hand, regardless of the conditions.
For more information on OPPO’s activities at Paris Photo, the imagine IF Photography Awards and Project, and devices like the OPPO Find N3 and N3 Flip, visit OPPO.com and ParisPhoto.com
Film Photographers: At 11AM, You’re Getting the Best News Ever
Film photographers: it’s time to get very, very hyped. It’s no secret that film photography hasn’t just experienced a revival, but it’s been back. And at 11am EST today, news is coming that’s going to get you excited in a way that you haven’t been in a while. We’re not talking about something new from one of the companies that make people divided on their responses: so immediately, Fujifilm and Lomography are out of the question. It’s not coming from Kodak either; they had a moment to shine with their exorbitantly expensive super 8 camera. Nor is this coming from CineStill, who has been under some fire recently for eye-rolling drama on social media and in email inboxes. So who else is left?
So what’s coming? Well, here are a few hints:
A First of its Kind in Several Years
There hasn’t been a product like this released in a very long time. And we’re going to explain why and how that’s possible later on today at 11am EST. In fact, we think we’re one of the only reputable photography publications with the knowledge and staff that can talk about this specifically.
Landscape Photographers are Going to Adore it
When you’re out hiking during the golden hour, you’re going to be really in love with the results you get. More importantly though, you might really also like what it can do during the blue hour or with cityscapes in inclement weather. It’s going to make vivid scenes that much better.
Portrait Photographers Will Love it
The jokes about DEM TONEZ are going to be very real with what’s coming. The coatings on this are also going to give you the vintage feeling that everyone loves.
Street Photographers are Bound to Find a Great use For it
I’m really looking forward to my upcoming vacation where I can go around NYC and shoot street photography unburdened by the pressing deadlines of gear reviews. What’s coming today is bound to create beautiful street photography images. In fact, it reminds us of what Jane Dickson made many years ago when we interviewed her.
Conceptual Photographers will Want to get Experimental with this Stuff
We’ve interviewed a ton of photographers over the years, many of them being conceptual shooters. And considering how they like imperfections in their photographs, and many of them don’t like using Photoshop, this is going to excite them with possibilities.
It’s Going to Slap Clinical Perfection in the Face
Perhaps my favorite thing about what’s coming later today is that it’s slapping clinical perfection in the face. Remember a few years ago when Sony thought that onion bokeh was an issue but literally no one else did? Well, this new product is bringing it back. At 11am EST, you’ll be able to pay attention right here on the Phoblographer as the news breaks.
Best Exhibitions Starting in December 2023
Tokyo Art Beat brings you a selection of the best exhibitions opening in Tokyo and beyond in Decembe
NFT bubble has truly burst, but do they have a future?
Many strange things happened in the global economy during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, but few as curious as the NFT boom of 2021.
Barely anyone knew what a non-fungible token (NFT) was at the start of that year. By the end of it, more than $40 billion (€36.6 billion) had been spent on blockchain-recorded digital assets and artwork. That made the sector almost as valuable as the global art market itself.
If 2021 was the boom, then 2022 was the bust. In January 2022, the market reached its dizzying height but by September of that year, trading volumes had fallen by a gigantic 97%.
The NFT crash was part of the wider cryptocurrency sector wipeout, which saw an astonishing $2 trillion loss of value.
So, are NFTs simply dead, or is there some kind of future for them?
In early November 2023, OpenSea, the largest NFT marketplace, announced it was laying off half its workforce. Then there was a bizarre event at a promotional event in Hong Kong for the “Bored Ape Yacht Club,” one of the best-known NFT collections. Dozens of people reported “severe eye burn” after attending the event, which featured heavy use of ultraviolet lighting.
None of that is good news yet there have also been signs recently of a very modest revival in the battered sector, with trading volumes edging up recently after falling steadily throughout 2023.
Crypto mania and ‘clubby’ exclusivity
When the NFT boom took off in the summer of 2021, Andrea Barbon was one of the many people intrigued by the potential of the new innovation.
He quickly created and sold his own collection, a set of computer-generated fractal images.
“This venture sparked in me a profound curiosity and the willingness to delve deeper into NFTs,” Barbon, a finance professor at the University of St Gallen in Switzerland, told DW.
“My fascination with the blend of art, technology and finance that NFTs represent motivated me to study them in extensive detail, exploring their potential impact on various sectors and their role in the future of digital ownership and creativity.”
From the start, many were dismissive of NFTs. Bill Gates famously said they were “100% based on the ‘greater fool theory'” — the idea that one can make money through the purchase of overvalued, fundamentally worthless assets as long as there is a “greater fool” who will come along and pay even more.
“Obviously, expensive digital images of monkeys are going to improve the world immensely,” Gates joked in an apparent reference to the Bored Ape collection.
Yet NFTs took off. Perhaps the unique circumstances of the time, when the pandemic meant people around the world were spending unusual amounts of time online and at home, played a part.
Barbon says the cryptocurrency boom, in full flow in 2021, fueled excitement in NFTs while user-friendly platforms such as OpenSea made it very easy for people to buy and trade them.
Then there was the exclusivity factor, cultivated by celebrity purchases and the creation of NFT clubs.
“The allure of NFTs was further amplified by their novelty, the promise of high returns and their role as status symbols within the crypto community,” Barbon said. “This combination of technological innovation, market dynamics and cultural factors created a perfect storm that propelled the NFT boom.”
NFT: A bubble if ever there was one
For Barbon and his colleague Angelo Ranaldo at the Swiss Finance Institute, NFTs represented a fascinating field of study. As part of their academic research, they examined more than 15 million NFT transactions, worth around $18 billion, between January 2021 and September 2022. They came to the conclusion that the whole market represented a bubble.
“We observed a pronounced tendency for bubble-like behaviors in the NFT market,” Barbon said. “This was characterized by rapid price surges, often doubling within days or even hours, followed by steep declines. These fluctuations offered significant returns for investors but also posed substantial risks.”
Something else they noticed was that some investors showed an ability to consistently capitalize on the market’s volatility, making significant amounts of money, while others displayed more reckless behavior.
“The market experienced inflated valuations driven more by speculative fervor than underlying fundamentals,” he found.
Doubts will remain but NFTs may endure
Some NFTs have had stunning collapses in value. The Bored Ape collection for example, which became especially popular with celebrities, has lost more than 90% of its value, amounting to several billion dollars. The singer Justin Bieber and the Brazilian footballer Neymar are among those to have spent around $1 million each on Bored Ape NFTs, only to see the value all but disappear.
The fallout from the celebrity NFT craze continues to this day. This week, footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was hit with a class-action lawsuit seeking at least $1 billion in damages for his role in promoting NFTs issued by the cryptocurrency exchange Binance.
As a result, there is deep underlying skepticism about the market. But Barbon says it can still have a future, especially if its returns to its origins as a marketplace for digital artists.
“They are not just a technological novelty but a groundbreaking innovation with practical applications,” he said. “NFTs have revolutionized the market for digital art, providing contemporary artists specializing in digital media a platform to authenticate and monetize their creations.”
He also sees other possible uses for NFTs beyond the art world in realms like digital identity and the ownership of virtual assets.
Yet the bubble and the huge losses incurred means there will be a big question mark over NFTs for a long time to come.
Edited by: Tim Rooks
Ghostly new figures come to world’s first underwater gallery in Caribbean
The Molinere Bay Underwater Sculpture Park in Grenada, created by British sculptor and ecologist Jason deCaires Taylor in 2006, has just expanded significantly, with 31 new sculptures added to the site.
