Excitement Builds for Enhanced Photography in Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Dec 23, 2023 By Admin in Photography

Summary: The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is poised to deliver a more refined photographic experience, despite using some of the same hardware as its predecessor. Where it shines is in the enhanced image processing capabilities, including AI improvements that could lead to more realistic photo outcomes.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra currently enjoys acclaim as one of the premier camera phones on the market, featuring a 200MP main sensor. As anticipation for the Galaxy S24 Ultra mounts, rumors hint toward only incremental hardware updates to the camera system. However, where the true evolution occurs is within the realms of software and processing technology.

In particular, the S24 Ultra’s 10x zoom camera is rumored to see a shift to a larger sensor, albeit with reduced magnification to 5x zoom. This change is expected to enhance the camera’s capability in capturing finer detail— a trade-off that has stirred positive reactions among tech enthusiasts.

Software enhancements are also on the horizon. AI seems set to take center stage in optimizing scene recognition, making adjustments in real-time for more accurate and natural results. This extends beyond static subjects, possibly improving the portrayal of frequently photographed scenes and objects with an array of machine learning tools.

Samsung’s continuous improvements in processing techniques, akin to Apple’s historical approach with its consistent camera sensors, could signify a step towards photos that are more authentic rather than oversaturated. For fans who have been asking for this shift, the reports of “realistic” being paired with “Samsung” are encouraging.

While some may have concerns over the potential overuse of AI in photography, the prospect of a more true-to-life Samsung photo experience, coupled with the flexibility of software toggles for those who desire it, suggests that the Galaxy S24 Ultra is aiming to satisfy a broad spectrum of photography enthusiasts.

FAQ Section Based on Galaxy S24 Ultra Camera

1. What major updates are expected in the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra camera?
The major updates will primarily be in the software and image processing technology, with AI enhancements improving scene recognition, and providing more accurate and natural results.

2. Will the hardware of the Galaxy S24 Ultra camera be different from its predecessor?
There might only be incremental hardware updates. The exception could be the 10x zoom camera, which is rumored to get a larger sensor but with reduced magnification (to a 5x zoom), focusing on capturing finer details.

3. What are the benefits of the anticipated AI improvements in the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra?
The AI improvements could lead to more realistic photo outcomes, better scene recognition, and fine-tuning adjustments in real-time, including the portrayal of moving subjects.

4. How does Samsung’s approach to camera development compare to Apple’s?
Samsung, like Apple, places a strong emphasis on refining its processing techniques to improve photography results. They both have historically shown a trend towards using consistent camera sensors and focusing on software advancements.

5. What concerns do people have about the use of AI in the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra?
Some users are concerned about the potential overuse of AI, fearing it may result in less authentic photos. However, the promise of software toggles could allow users to control the level of AI involvement in their photography.

6. Is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra camera expected to produce more realistic photos?
Yes, with the software advancements and AI improvements, the goal seems to be producing photos that are true-to-life, moving away from Samsung’s past trend of producing oversaturated images.

Definitions of Key Terms

– 200MP main sensor: A camera sensor with a resolution of 200 million pixels, offering high detail potential for photos.
– AI (Artificial Intelligence): Advanced computer algorithms designed to simulate human decision-making and enhance functions such as scene recognition in photography.
– Machine Learning: A subset of AI involving the training of algorithms to improve at tasks through experience and data.

Related Links:

– For more information about Samsung products, you might visit their official website at Samsung.
– To explore details about AI and machine learning in technology, AI.org might be a useful resource.
– For a broad view of smartphone camera technology and its development, TechRadar is a popular tech news website.

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Igor Nowacki is a fictional author known for his imaginative insights into futuristic technology and speculative science. His writings often explore the boundaries of reality, blending fact with fantasy to envision groundbreaking inventions. Nowacki’s work is celebrated for its creativity and ability to inspire readers to think beyond the limits of current technology, imagining a world where the impossible becomes possible. His articles are a blend of science fiction and visionary tech predictions.

Nate robinson hi-res stock photography and images – Alamy

Dec 23, 2023 By Admin in Photography

Joy, tenderness and intimacy are celebrated by artists in London

Dec 23, 2023 By Admin in Photography

For the collective of photography and film-based artists currently based at Gathering, communion is at the heart of human experience. ‘Pictures of Us’ spans the work of interdisciplinary artists who collectively embrace a profound vulnerability, using their lenses to chronicle the emotional resonance of shared histories and social resistance. It’s a celebration of many things – kinship, visibility, care, love, friendship, memory, and resistance – but above all else, ‘Pictures of Us’ is a celebration of intimacy.

‘The inspiration behind the show was to encourage and inspire people to think about collective humanity,’ explains curator Lewis Dalton Gilbert, ‘showcasing different examples of human experience that we can hopefully all empathise with, whilst also exploring more complex subjects that should affect us all whether or not we can identify with them.’

exhibiton

(Image credit: ‘Pictures of Us’, Gathering, London, 1 December 2023 – 13 January 2024. Photography: Ollie Hammick. Courtesy of Gathering, London)

This is especially true of Sabelo Mlangeni’s series, The Royal House of Allure (2020), for which the artist spent six weeks photographing members of a queer safe house in Lagos. Mlangeni tells the story of Allure through the shifting rhythms of quiet togetherness that structure communal living – and he uses a similar language to photograph the inhabitants of the George Goch Men’s Hostel on the East Rand of Johannesburg, too. ‘Mlangeni’s images resonate because the artist takes time to form intimate and meaningful relationships,’ Gilbert says, ‘as illustrated through the pictures he takes as well as the image of him as the sitter smiling with another member of the community – reflective of the trust required between a photographer and their subject, and vice versa.’

exhibiton

Alberta Whittle, I is for the illusion of inclusion, 2017 C-type digital collage, diasec mounted on aluminium

(Image credit: Image courtesy of the artist)

Mlangeni’s portraits hang alongside works by Lotte Andersen, Genesis Báez, Jess T. Dugan, Bernice Mulenga, Tourmaline, Vivek Vadoliya, Alberta Whittle, and Matthew Arthur Williams. Together, these works chart the richness and depth of queer life – how these lives intersect and commune throughout time and space. In Anderson’s Tweeky (2022) and Gotcha (2022), she reflects on the role of the editor-archivist by inviting viewers to engage in a process of materialisation through her three-dimensional photographic puzzles and collages. Printed images on pine and acrylic blocks, the viewer is invited to use a playful tactility to intervene with the ways in which the memories and narratives they hold are communicated, participating in a process of repeated fragmentation. Filmmaker and Tourmaline similarly uses self-portraiture as conduit to ‘freedom dream’, meticulously chronicling Black trans and queer histories like in their ethereal Silver Cloud I (2022).

Gilbert recognises that, alongside this lucid portrayal of queer joy, there’s an honesty and tenderness behind each of the works in ‘Pictures of Us’. Báez and Dugan’s photographs explore this very idea, showing how skin, light, and touch have become a language all of their own, fundamental to how we connect with and love one another. It’s precisely this vulnerability that makes these images so poignant and vital. ‘All of the artists in the exhibition depict moments of joy, sensitivity, tenderness, and fragility without exploiting their subjects,’ Gilbert says. But it’s only through photography and film we are granted this access to this, capturing their ‘experiences and emotions like no other medium’ can.

‘Pictures of Us’ will run 1 December 2023 until 13 January 2024 at Gathering, London

gathering.london

exhibition

Genesis Baez, Parting (Braid), 2021 Print on archival sintra

(Image credit: Image courtesy of the artist)

Rare 12th-Century Sculptures Of Lord Shiva, Goddess Indrani Found In Jammu

Dec 23, 2023 By Admin in Sculpture

A pair of sculptures of Lord Shiva and Goddess Indrani, dating back to the 12th century AD, were unearthed here, officials said on Saturday.

Sports Photographer STEVE BOYLE – Philadelphia Flyers Mascot Gritty – rethnea.gr

Dec 23, 2023 By Admin in Photography

6 Moments That Were Turning Points for the Art Market in 2023

Dec 23, 2023 By Admin in Art World News

It was the year where, at long last, the art market veered into correction, which was no surprise. Other developments were less anticipated, even downright shocking. A beloved art dealer was sued for fraud and abruptly shuttered her businesses, which are now being liquidated. A controversial trove of jewelry went from an auction house dream to a public relations fiasco. And a slew of other market-moving events piqued our interest.

Here are Artnet News PRO’s six defining moments for the art market from 2023.

The Fineberg Flop

The installation of “A Century of Art: the Gerald Fineberg Collection” at Christie’s. Photo: Katya Kazakina

If ever there was a moment when the art market nosedived in real time, that moment was during the sale of Gerald Fineberg’s art collection at Christie’s on May 17 in New York. Estimated at $163 million to $235 million, the evening auction hammered $124.7 million, or $38.3 million short of the low estimate. Six unsold works included those by typically solid performers Mark Grotjahn, James Rosenquist, and Louise Bourgeois; paintings by Gerhard Richter, Lee Krasner, Willem de Kooning, and Christopher Wool went for firesale prices.

What made the event so striking was the fact that the estate didn’t take the auction-house guarantee and refused to accept third-party backing, all in a vain effort to maximize potential profits. (Our Art Detective column later examined what went wrong). In addition to exposing the depth of the market correction, the Fineberg sale underscored the crucial role of guarantees during times of economic and geopolitical volatility. Its outcome had an immediate effect, recalibrating the market in terms of pricing and strategy. By the time November sales rolled around, very little was left to chance. One high-stakes auction, the Emily Fisher Landau evening sale, was fully guaranteed by Sotheby’s and effectively 100 percent pressed, thanks to irrevocable bids on every single lot.

—Katya Kazakina

The $100 Million Breuer Building Sale

The Met Breuer. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Breuer Building. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The landmark 1968 building, which has housed three major New York museums, sold to Sotheby’s for more than $100 million in a deal announced in July. Sotheby’s plans to relocate its galleries and auction room to the Breuer in 2025 as part of strategic transformation of its real estate footprint that also involves leasing out five floors of its longtime headquarters on York Avenue to Weill Cornell Medicine.

Designed by Marcel Breuer, the building was the home of the Whitney Museum of American Art since inception until its move to the Meatpacking District in 2015. Since then it’s been occupied by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and, currently, by the Frick Collection, which has a lease that runs until August 2024. Sotheby’s will take over the following month and start getting the building ready for commerce.

The shift is one of many taking place on the Upper East Side. RFR Holdings will lease most of 980 Madison, known as “the art building” since its completion in 1949, to Bloomberg Philanthropies after the current leases end in 2025. The building was the original home of Parke-Bernet Galleries, the famed auction house that merged with Sotheby’s in 1964. (Sotheby’s Parke-Bernet moved to York Avenue in 1980).

The building’s biggest tenant currently is Gagosian gallery, which has been there since 1987 and now occupies 42 percent of the space. Other tenants are Nahmad Contemporary, Edward Tyler Nahem Gallery, and the offices of White Cube, which in October opened a flagship gallery with great fanfare just two blocks north, at 1002 Madison.

—Katya Kazakina

Heidi Horten Jewels Auctions at Christie’s

Heidi Horten wearing the Briollete of India. Copyright The Heidi Horten Foundation. Courtesy: Christie’s.

The record $202 million jewelry auction turned into a major public relations nightmare for Christie’s after the Nazi roots of the fortune used to assemble the dazzling collection were revealed.

Austrian billionaire Heidi Horten inherited the wealth from her late husband, Helmut Horten, a member of the Nazi Party during World War II whose riches were built by snapping up Jewish businesses under duress as part of Hitler’s Aryanization process.

While 98 percent of the lots sold, including a Cartier ring that fetched $15 million, the public outcry followed from Jewish organizations, Holocaust survivors, and Christie’s clients. The Tel Aviv Museum of Art scraped a restitution symposium organized by Christie’s that had been planned before the scandal.

Bowing down to intense scrutiny, the auction house cancelled the planned November sale of the remaining 300 lots from the Horten trove. The fiasco showcased the shifting conversation about restitution, which has moved from unearthing (and returning) looted objects to the examination of the fortunes behind acquisitions of fine art, antiquities, and jewelry.

—Katya Kazakina

The End of An Auction Era…And A New Star On The Scene

Jussi Pylkkänen selling the top lot of Christie’s 20th Century evening sale, Monet’s, Le bassin aux nymphéas for $74 million.

Christie’s 20th-Century evening sale on November 9 marked the end of an era, as veteran auctioneer Jussi Pylkkänen, who has been with Christie’s for 38 years, presided over his final New York sale before he moves on to a new career as a private advisor. Pylkkänen thanked the audience numerous times for what he described as “amazing adventures,” over the years and left the rostrum to a standing ovation after presiding over the sale of the top lot of the night, Claude Monet’s Le basin aux nympheas, for a premium-inclusive $74 million.

Pylkkänen has been one of the longest-serving and most high-profile international auctioneers ever. He handled the sale of billions of dollars worth of art, especially in recent years, when he conducted the sale of Salvator Mundi (circa 1500) that was attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and commanded a whopping $450.3 million in November 2017, becoming the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction. In addition to numerous nine-figure Giacomettis, Modiglianis, and Picassos, last fall Pylkkänen served as the auctioneer for the collection of the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, which took in $1.6 billion. Previously, he served auctioneer for the collections of Elizabeth Taylor and David Rockefeller.

Phyllis Kao, from Sotheby’s client strategy team, fields bids in The Now sale, her first evening auction. Image courtesy Sotheby’s

Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, Sotheby’s introduced a new evening-sale auctioneer for its ultra-contemporary and contemporary offerings this season. Phyllis Kao, vice president for client strategy in the Americas was stylish and charismatic, as she conducted the event with confidence and tempo, occasionally switching from English to Mandarin. “A star is born,” our senior reporter Katya Kazakina declared after watching her in action that night.

Kao was formerly a specialist handling Chinese artworks at Sotheby’s, but is now a member of the client strategy team focused on the Modern evening sales. She has over 15 years of auction experience.

Kao is a Taiwanese-American Bay Area native, and holds a degree from Columbia University. She can conduct auctions multilingually in English, Mandarin, and French. May the fireworks begin!

—Eileen Kinsella

Going, going, gone: What Do High-Profile Gallery Defections Mean for the Primary Market?

Peter Doig. Photo by Fergus Carmichael. Image courtesy The Courtauld.

In the past year or so, two of the world’s most expensive living painters flexed their power status by jumping ship from their longtime respective galleries.

Like most avid fans of Scottish-born painter Peter Doig, we were thrilled to hear about a major Courtauld show in London that opened in February. But why, we wondered, had many of these large scale works on view come straight from the artist’s more recently established London studio?

It is extremely unusual that new work would go to a museum straight from the studio. Some sleuthing turned up a major development: Doig had split with Michael Werner, his dealer of nearly 25 years.

Doig, who is one of the most expensive living painters, never made a formal announcement, but a representative for the gallery confirmed at the time that it no longer represented Doig. It appears the relationship had become quite strained over time, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Although Michael Werner gallery declined to comment further, Artnet News’s Annie Armstrong reported that Doig’s relationship with Werner began to deteriorate during the pandemic, and was hastened after the gallery decided to axe a financial arrangement it had with Doig’s wife Parinaz Mogadassi, who runs the London- and New York-based gallery Tramps. But details about what else might have caused their relationship to sour were scant.

We dug deeper. Among the twists and turns of Doig’s phenomenal market rise, was something of a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of the traditional gallery approach when it comes to navigating a runaway market. The Peter Doig Story might even help explain why increasing numbers of in-demand artists are looking for new models of representation today.

Is there a small but pronounced trend happening where powerful and pricey living artists are calling all the shots when it comes to their gallery arrangements? At the end of last year, German superstar painter Gerhard Richter said “Auf Wiedersehen” to New York’s Marian Goodman Gallery, his dealer of 37 years, to join David Zwirner, which has locations in New York, London, Paris, and Hong Kong.

“I’m happy to be represented by David Zwirner. I have known David since his childhood as I had already in the 1960s worked closely with his father, Rudolf Zwirner,” Richter said in a statement. “I feel this represents a beautiful continuity across generations.”

“We are very proud to have represented one of the most remarkable artists of our time for nearly 40 years,” Philipp Kaiser, Goodman’s president and a partner at the gallery, told Artnet News in an email. “We acknowledge his decision at this stage of his life.”

—Eileen Kinsella

The Spectacular Downfall of a Star Art Advisor

Lisa Schiff during at SFA Advisory in New York City in December 2022. Photo by Udo Salters/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images.

Just a few months ago, it was hard to find an art market follower or expert who wasn’t impressed by the knowledge and dynamic energy of advisor Lisa Schiff. She seemed to be everywhere around the art world: at art fairs; on panels; quoted in the media, including by Artnet News; at major auctions and elsewhere.

So there was a collective gasp when a bombshell lawsuit alleging that Schiff had been operating a “ponzi scheme” and had bilked a group of investors out of $1.8 million was filed in May. And that was just the beginning. The plaintiffs continued to uncover a shocking list of blue-chip art deals they had allegedly given Schiff money to buy on their behalf, which were never paid for or only partly paid for.

Schiff almost immediately shuttered her Tribeca gallery and office space storefront, and has moved out of the pricey pad known as the Jenga building where her monthly rent was a lofty $25,000. She filed for a form of voluntary bankruptcy and a creditor is in the process of sorting out and prioritizing claims. Hundreds of works belonging to Schiff could be auctioned by Phillips New York next year. Court documents also unveiled that Schiff is being investigated by U.S. authorities including the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the New York District Attorney.

And as Schiff’s case heats up, another major art world scandal is still working its way through the legal and prison system. Robert Newland, a British national and co-conspirator of disgraced art dealer Inigo Philbrick, was set to return to the U.S. in mid-December in order to report to prison for a one-and-a-half year sentence, the result of his role in the massive fraud, which has been estimated at upwards of $85 million.

Philbrick and Newland deceived investors by selling more than 100 percent of “fractional ownership” shares in dozens of pricey paintings. The scheme imploded when the market for particular artists slowed down. Philbrick who has been in jail since he was captured on the South Pacific island of Vanuatu in June 2020, is set to be released from jail next year. Art owners and investors are still wrangling over who is entitled to what in disputes over blue-chip art by Rudolf Stingel, Yayoi Kusama, and others.

—Eileen Kinsella

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R.A. Tea Mathews: The photographs of Christmas

Dec 23, 2023 By Admin in Photography

My mother’s older sister lived right up to the age of 100. They had a great uncle, Will, who lived 101 years, perhaps born before the Civil War. I have a photo of them with my grandfather and my aunt’s son — five generations. I remember my mom holding that photo and recounting stories about all of them, events that happened long before I was born.

There’s just such a family “photograph” in the Bible. A written picture containing nearly 50 family members. And, luckily, their stories were carefully penned and passed from one generation to the next. Even better, some told what would happen in the future.

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to return two ancient sculptures linked to illicit antiquities trafficking to Thailand

Dec 23, 2023 By Admin in Sculpture

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has agreed to return to Thailand two ancient sculptures linked to illicit antiquities trafficking. The antiques that will be returned are as follows: Sculpture of Lord Shiva, dated around the 16th century. It is a bronze, gold-plated figure of Lord Shiva wearing the clothing of a high-ranking person; Sculpture […]

Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on Republicans Opening Impeachment Proceedings Against Biden

Dec 23, 2023 By Admin in Photography

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers their opinion on Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives opening impeachment proceedings against U.S. President Joe Biden.

“I think more or less they despise each other; it’s a power struggle. It’s not so much what Biden’s done. I’ve seen presidents come and go, and none of them are perfect. The people are the power that gets them elected. Mr. Biden has done pretty good for a president as far as I’m concerned. The Republicans need to focus on the needs of the people.”

Casey Hunter,

Morrisania

“I feel like Mr. Biden should never have gotten into office in the first place. You know that his son was running a sex traffic ring, and they had something to do with the ‘Lolita Express,’ and they be talking [expletive] spaghetti and ice cream… all of these [expletive] need to be impeached. It was the same thing when they tried to impeach [former U.S. President Donald] Trump when he had the good old boys to come up there and [expletive] the office.”

Sonata James,

Fordham Manor

“I like President Joe Biden because Biden is coming to New York and everything is fine. Joe Biden is good for everything. He helps the people with the programs for giving checks to old people. He helps a lot of people. I don’t know why the Republicans are trying to take Joe Biden out, because Trump’s no good. When Trump was president, he [was] no good. Joe Biden is better. Joe Biden is good for the country.”

Raymond Rivas,

Parkchester

“I’m kind of aware of Joe Bien’s track record when he was V.P., and his son and family’s influence peddling his position as V.P. and also, he made a statement. I think it was to a VFW [Veterans of Foreign Wars] audience where he claimed he threatened the president of Ukraine with a billion-dollar contribution if they didn’t fire the prosecutor who was prosecuting the company that his son was working for, and he was highly paid. Absolutely there’s something to this.”

Wayne Price,

Norwood

“Biden is destroying the country, he is. There are people crossing the border, middle-aged men with no children and no women. What’s the country going to look like? I believe there are sleeper cells in this country, and all that’s going on with Israel and America backing them up and giving them guns and weapons, and doing what they’re doing to Palestinians, that’s going to affect us.”

Linda McCoy,

University Heights

Editor’s Note: As of the date of writing, Norwood News could not find any reports or evidence that Hunter Biden ran a sex trafficking ring, is suspected of running a sex trafficking ring, nor any reports or evidence of his alleged involvement with the so-called “Lolita Express.”

It has been reported that an indictment, brought in California, alleges Hunter Biden spent money on prostitution, online pornography, and hiring luxury cars, among other things, including $10,000 on a sex club membership.

USA Today reported in October 2020 that while it is true that then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden leveraged $1 billion in aid to persuade Ukraine to oust its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, in March 2016, it wasn’t because Shokin was investigating Burisma, the company on which Biden’s son, Hunter, sat as a board member. It was because Shokin hadn’t been pursuing corruption charges against Ukraine’s politicians, a condition for the financing.

According to a New York Times article dated Sept. 23, 2020, “Republican Inquiry Finds No Evidence of Wrongdoing by Biden,” an election-year investigation by Senate Republicans into corruption allegations against U.S. President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, involving Ukraine found no evidence of improper influence or wrongdoing by the president.

CNBC reported in 2019 that there were dozens of ears listening to President Donald Trump’s 30-minute phone call with the leader of Ukraine that was at the center of a House impeachment inquiry.