Takenya K. Holness’ photography gives us multiple perspectives on Black British culture. Graduating from Central Saint Martins after studying for her master’s in contemporary photography, she now refers to herself as a “patient study of colour,” seeing her practice as “a continuous odyssey of image-making and a means of creative release”.

Born in Jamaica and raised in London, the photographer documents events of congregation and celebration throughout a community. One of the most enticing things about her work is that ceremony, protest and individuality are captured with equal forte. Take the Windrush 75 events (events of summer 2023 held in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the MV Empire Windrush arriving in the UK and its generation of Caribbean migrants) of last summer, such as the Windrush Tea Party, where the photographer flexes her talent for documenting a range of expression. From wide shots capturing crowds in solidarity, to photographs showcasing the binding quality of cultural costume, and tender portraits of some of its visitors – her work is a site for memory and an account that can galvanise communities of the future.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida (January 30, 2024) – The St. Augustine Art Association (STAAA) is celebrating its centennial with an art show of epic proportions. History Through the Lens of Architecture is a national juried show where professionals and amateurs can submit photographs that show the intrinsic tie between their city’s history and architecture. One of the oldest art associations in the nation, STAAA was founded in 1924 and comprised of members who were inspired by St. Augustine’s blend of European style and natural Florida beauty. The exhibit will be hosted at the St. Augustine Art Association, 22 Marine Street in St. Augustine, and online from July 18^th through August 25^th, 2024.

“In a city known for its history, St. Augustine’s first European settlers influenced its builders and artists, leaving an undeniable mark on its architecture that has lasted through time,” says Jennifer Flynt, Executive Director of STAAA. “With this show, artists from across the nation can share how they see history and culture being represented in the structural designs of their favorite towns and cities. The combined works will be a piece of art in itself, creating a unique representation of the world.”

History Through the Lens of Architecture challenges artists to tell a story, through photography, of how their local architecture inspires its culture and community. Photographers will be judged in two categories: professional and amateur. Works will compete for a total prize purse of over $10,000, including the $5,000 Best of Show, 100^th Anniversary Alice & Clark Alger Award. The final exhibition will be judged by award-winning architecture and interior design photographer Alan Blakely. Blakely is widely recognized as one of the top architectural photographers working today. He specializes in architecture, interior, and aerial photography with a client list comprised of the world’s best design firms, hotels, real estate developers, and more. Photographers may submit their photos to the jury from February 5^th through May 10^th. Works are due for gallery installation and judging by July 9^th. Awards will be announced at the opening reception on July 18^th with the show continuing through August 25^th. For the complete prospectus and entry instructions, visit here. Photos can be found here.

The History Through the Lens of Architecture exhibit is sponsored in part by Photoarchitectural, LLC, as well as grants from St. Johns County Tourist Development Council and Community Foundation for Northeast Florida.

ABOUT ST. AUGUSTINE ART ASSOCIATION – The St. Augustine Art Association (STAAA), located at 22 Marine Street in downtown St. Augustine, Florida, is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting excellence in the arts since 1924. STAAA supports the vibrant arts community in St. Augustine and preserves its rich artistic heritage and culture. Through exhibitions, lectures, workshops, educational programs, and outreach, STAAA fosters a creative and accessible environment for artists of all backgrounds and skill levels. Their permanent collection includes works by the founding members, known as the ‘Lost Colony’ artists. The gallery is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 12pm to 4pm, and admission is free. For more information, visit www.staaa.org, and follow along on Facebook @StAugArtAssoc and Instagram @staugartassoc

If you’re plugged into the latest smartphone news, you may have seen the Vivo X100 Pro taking the internet’s mobile tech blogs, sites, and socials by storm. Its popularity isn’t just because its camera is so impressive, but it specifically comes down to its processing being something of an AI extravaganza. Vivo sticks it to Samsung’s AI-everything with the most in-your-face AI photo processing we’ve seen to date – but here’s the real zinger – we don’t hate it. In fact, the Vivo X100 Pro is an excellent camera phone that’s winning us over day by day.

Vivo has a long track record of making Zeiss co-branded phones with impressive cameras. From the gimbal-stabilized Vivo X80 Pro to the 1-inch sensor-packing Vivo X90 Pro. And the new X100 Pro’s standout features are its superb telephoto camera, and its mind-boggling photo processing.

While it’s been available in South East Asian markets for a few months, the X100 Pro is finally getting a limited European release, which is currently confirmed for Austria and Czechia. While we don’t know if it will be available further afield just yet, the fact you can buy it in Europe means it should be relatively simple to import. Plus, with full Google Play Services support, it works with Android Auto and WearOS, apps typically incompatible with imported phones.

After a few weeks of testing the phone ourselves, though, does Vivo and Zeiss’s collaboration justify the buzz, or is the X100 Pro just another cog in the never-ending AI hype machine?

Vivo X100 Pro camera explained

The Vivo X100 Pro is a triple 50MP camera smartphone starting with hardware. It brings back the 1-inch sensor from the X90 Pro for the main camera, levels up the telephoto to a Zeiss APO Floating Telephoto camera (more on that later), and there’s also an ultra-wide camera, which packs a fast f/2 aperture.

While we’d normally get stuck into the main camera specs first, the X100 Pro’s APO Floating Telephoto camera has piqued our interest the most, so we’ll begin here. Starting with the sensor, it’s a 50MP 1/2-inch sensor, a respectable size for a tele-camera. Matched with a 100mm equivalent lens with an f/2.5 aperture and an 18cm nearest focus distance, it all sounds good, but why’s it a “Zeiss APO Floating Telephoto Camera”?

The name refers to the design of floating elements that Zeiss uses in high-performance camera lenses. This optimises the alignment and distance between lenses to enhance the quality of telephoto images. This helps the Vivo X100 Pro limit fringing and ghosting. And with a new, CIPA 4.5-level anti-shake system behind the telephoto camera’s OIS, it also helps keep handheld telephoto shots looking crisp.

As for the wide camera, it marks the return of the 1-inch, 50MP IMX989 sensor that features on the Vivo X90 Pro and Xiaomi 13 Pro and 13 Ultra. This time around, Vivo has upgraded the Zeiss T* coating to reduce reflectivity and produce clearer image quality. The lens also features a 23mm equivalent focal length and an f/1.75 aperture.

Finally for the camera specs: the ultra-wide. The least standout of the bunch, but nevertheless, a capable camera, it couples autofocus with a nearest focus distance of 4cm, so it can capture close-up shots. Matched with its 50MP resolution and impressive aperture, it captures shallower depth in macro photos than we would expect from an ultra-wide.

There’s one more thing Vivo does that it claims helps its X100 Pro edge ahead – it features a customized V3 chip to supplement the Dimensity 9300 processor’s ISP. This is where the camera’s AI smarts seem to come from, with what Vivo terms “multi-concurrent AI cognitive-ISP architecture” at play. When we read those words in Vivo’s press materials, we weren’t convinced, but after some time with the phone, we’re warming up to the idea this chip makes a difference.

Vivo X100 Pro photo quality

What really impressed us about the Vivo X100 Pro was how reliable it was. Point, shoot, and we had a photo that almost always looked as good as we’d have hoped – sometimes better, seldom worse. After years of testing smartphones, this isn’t a characteristic many camera phones can promise – flagship Pixel and OnePlus phones tend to be the leaders in this respect – so it looks like Vivo’s off to a great start with its processing.

Also impressive is that whichever camera we tended to use – the main or telephoto camera – this positive impression didn’t waver. As we don’t tend to shoot using the ultra-wide too much, we didn’t push it as hard, but all-in-all, the X100 Pro captures some of the most camera-like, least smartphone-like photos we’ve ever seen from a mobile.

You can see from the photo samples the level of background blur from the primary and telephoto cameras is really impressive. While there isn’t a variable aperture here, as found on the Huawei P60 Pro or Xiaomi 13 Ultra, if you want a less shallow depth of field, the ultra-wide delivers. With its high resolution, its photos hold up well when cropped into.

If you’re happy with a soft-focus background, though, or want to capture product shots that look detailed and stylized, the Vivo X100 Pro is amongst the best camera phones we’ve used for the job. 

One aspect of the camera we didn’t always love is the way Vivo processes human faces. Even when we turned off beautification, the phone would attempt to beautify subjects, sometimes with reckless abandon. This is especially true when zooming in beyond 150mm. While the X100 Pro uses AI to piece together a scene, helping its zoom out-perform the optically further-reaching iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 5x tetraprism telephoto camera, faces pieced together by AI can start to look like oil paintings, and it’s a little eerie.

That caveat aside, the Vivo X100 Pro could well be the most impressive camera phone on the market right now, delivering more nuanced photo processing than Samsung and more powerful camera hardware than the excellent OnePlus 12.

The rest of the phone

More than a mighty camera, the X100 Pro is the first phone to launch with the MediaTek Dimensity 9300 chipset. A powerhouse mobile processor that also includes a 2023/24 ISP to help with the advanced computational photography Vivo employs. This chipset features a flagship 12-core GPU, and games playback on it brilliantly. 

With a large 5,400mAh battery for comfortable day-long use, the Vivo crams in one of the highest-capacity batteries in a smartphone, and the X100 Pro also powers up quickly with 100W wired and 50W wireless fast charging.

The X100 Pro’s LTPO screen is a large 6.78-inch size with a high-beam 3000 nits peak brightness. Vivo also applies smart optimizations for games to help them render better on the phone. We tested Genshin Impact, and while many flagship Android phones make it look soft compared to an iPhone, the X100 Pro’s in-game clarity-enhancer crisped things up nicely.

Running Android 14 with FunTouch OS 14 (Vivo’s custom interface), the X100 Pro has excellent app support and was smooth and stable in our time with it. FunTouch OS isn’t the cleanest Android skin around, but if you like tinkering with your tech, it gives you plenty of menus, transitions, and settings to customize.

Should you buy a Vivo X100 Pro?

If you don’t like the idea of importing your phone, then the obvious answer is: no – the Vivo X100 Pro isn’t for you – you would be better served with one of the best camera phones of 2024 that’s available where you are right now.

For anyone who’s open to the idea of going beyond Apple, Google, and Samsung, venturing into international waters, and is fascinated by what Vivo’s doing with its camera, the Vivo X100 Pro is one of the most interesting camera phones we’ve ever tested.

While its camera hardware, design, screen, and impressive power inside are all good, they don’t seem to break photography boundaries. It’s the Vivo X100 Pro’s V3 imaging processor and AI processing that’s really making the waves.

So if you’re feeling brave and have cash to splash – the X100 Pro is pricier than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in some markets – then you might find the Vivo X100 Pro proves to be the forbidden fruit that ups your smartphone photography game like no other.

It is a scene with so much color and delight in the foreground that you would be hard-pressed to see the darkness lurking in the background. In it, John Kamara, a keeper at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, holds a rainbow umbrella over one of his charges—an 18-month-old black rhino named Kalifi—who appears to be leaning in for a kiss. The young calf is one of three that Kamara raised by hand. He spends 12 hours a day with these animals in an effort to save their species from extinction, one at a time. In 1987, there were only 400 remaining in the world. Today, that number has nearly doubled thanks to individuals like Kamara.

The picture—taken by war photographer turned conservationist Ami Vitale—invites us to see more than just a story about endangered species with its potential for tragedy. We see a relationship—with its richness, presence, and play—in which the common bonds and connections between all living things come alive, salient, and worthy of our attention.

“Through Vitale’s eyes you see the compassion that the caretakers have for these animals,” Rhonda Rubinstein, editor of Seeing It All: Women Photographers Expose Our Planet (Goff Books, 2023), told Sierra. Vitale is well known for photographing the final years of the world’s last remaining northern white rhinoceros, Sudan, before he died. “That’s why we put together this book. It came from a desire to showcase these influential photographers and show the world through their eyes.”

Seeing It All is a compilation of 11 visual storytellers whose reporting stands at the vanguard of wildlife and conservation journalism. This book is a resounding response to a profession that has long celebrated male photographers while marginalizing others doing the same cutting-edge work. In the last decade, nonprofit collectives like Women Photograph have formed to counter that history of bias and offer partnership spaces that lift up female-identified and nonbinary photographers. Seeing It All carries that intention forward, highlighting photographers who use the classic tropes of story to communicate a particular way of seeing the world. Through that lens, we encounter more than just what conventional wildlife photography often would have us see: regal animals, lush landscapes, and faraway places that telegraph adventure. Instead, we witness the power of connection, cooperation, and partnership, and their universality among all species—as well as the perils that come from living in disharmony with those values.

There has never been a lack of cutting-edge female and nonbinary visual storytellers. But their historical erasure in the field of photography points to the devaluation of the feminine so common to many domains of society. Seeing It All affirms what there is to gain when that perspective is restored and rises, free of the gendered cultural norms that too often supplant and marginalize it: a way of seeing the world holistically, through the lens of empathy, compassion, and conscience.

A pair of emperor penguins on Snow Hill Island, Antarctica, tend to their chick. | Photo by Daisy Gilardini from Seeing It All: Women Photographers Expose Our Planet

Kangaroos that survived the 2020 wildfires in Australia. | Photo by Jo-Anne McArthur from Seeing It All: Women Photographers Expose Our Planet 

Morgan Heim found this coyote killed on the highway leading into Grand Teton National Park. She later returned after dark with a floral arrangement to offer a “from-the-heart apology” to another needless animal victim. | Photo by Morgan Heim from Seeing It All: Women Photographers Expose Our Planet  

“People have asked me, ‘Do women see the world differently? Is there a difference in how these women are photographing the world?” Rubinstein, creative director for the California Academy of Sciences, says. “Eleven is a small sample size, but now that the book is done, I do see common threads.”

The book emerged from the Academy of Sciences program Big Picture, which visual artist Suzi Eszterhas cofounded 10 years ago. The program features an annual nature and wildlife photography competition with six topic categories including art of nature, human nature, aquatic life, and landscapes. A panel of distinguished photographers and photo editors help with judging, and the winning images are featured in an exhibit. Each year, there is a rotating photo story theme; “unusual perspectives” is the theme for 2024. The program has given out $120,000 in prizes over 10 years and reviewed nearly 80,000 images.

In reviewing the winning images, the organizers of the Big Picture noted a disproportional rate of male photographers to female photographers shown in the exhibit. “We realized we wanted to elevate their work more, and that’s where the idea of doing a book lifting up female photographers in the conservation world came in,” Rubinstein says.

Tui De Roy, one of the 11 featured photographers, is just a single example of how women have been trailblazing in the profession of conservation photography for generations. She has photographed fragile ecosystems for over 50 years, notably in the Galápagos.

Two male giant tortoises crop the grass on the caldera floor of Alcedo Volcano. | Photo by Tui De Roy from Seeing It All: Women Photographers Expose Our Planet 

A Border Force officer with a confiscated polar bear hide at Heathrow Airport. | Photo by Britta Jaschinski from Seeing It All: Women Photographers Expose Our Planet 

An iceberg at dawn on the summer solstice in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea. | Photo by Camille Seaman from Seeing It All: Women Photographers Expose Our Planet 

The work of a newer generation of photographers exposes the destructive intersection between human consumerism and the natural world. For example, Britta Jaschinski’s images of animal trophies—from ocelot, cheetah, and leopard fur coats hanging casually on a shopping rack to a border officer walking away with a confiscated polar bear hide—are haunting. “Photography, filmmaking, and journalism are among the most important professions on the planet,” she is quoted in the book. “Without these, the world’s conscience would wither.” 

For Camille Seaman, whose work was featured in Sierra in 2018, presence and connection underly our bonds to not just our ancestors but the ecosystems around us, such as the ice of the Arctic, which is now vanishing in a warming world. And Esther Horvath introduces us to the groundbreaking women in the field of Arctic science. In one image, the moody blues of a nocturnal scene are interrupted by the bright white of an inflating weather balloon and the lone engineer, Sandra Graßl, holding it aloft to take in measurements. She stands before us, centered, holding an instrument in the other hand—a look of dedication lit up on her face.

 Sandra Graßl releases a weather balloon at an atmospheric observatory on Svalbard. | Photo by Esther Horvath from Seeing It All: Women Photographers Expose Our Planet 

Mozambican veterinarian Mercia Angela with a female pangolin reclaimed from poachers. | Photo by Jennifer Guyton from Seeing It All: Women Photographers Expose Our Planet

A lion cub meets its father for the first time in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve. | Photo by Suzi Eszterhas from Seeing It All: Women Photographers Expose Our Planet 

A clear ethos runs throughout Seeing It All, and Rebecca Solnit captures it best in her introduction, “Seeing is the beginning of caring.” “Too many people with too much power didn’t think ecologically—that is, in terms of interconnected systems,” she writes. “They didn’t recognize the delicate orchestration of innumerable parts that makes up the symphony of the biosphere. Learning to see that is crucial to learning to care for it. These photographs are instructions in that vision.”

The San Francisco Commonwealth Club will feature Seeing It All at an event on February 28 including a panel with photographer Jo-Anne McArthur and editor Rhonda Rubinstein.

A new photography book shows the bridges and riverbanks of the Thames in their full glory.

London’s Riverside in Photographs, by Franco Pfaller, contains around 130 sumptuous images of the Thames, its banks and its bridges. We’ve all seen gorgeous shots of these things before, but rarely has such an exceptional collection been brought together.

The book runs geographically from the borders of Greater London at Hampton Court, on through Kingston, Richmond, Twickenham and on to central London, finishing up at the Thames Barrier.

Pfaller’s photographs capture the river in all seasons, and at different times of day, giving equal weight to the historic and the ultra-modern skyline.

It’s a book that would appeal to anyone with a love of London and good photography. Very giftable.

London’s Riverside in Photographs, by Franco Pfaller is out on 15 February 2024 and is available to pre-order. Get it from Amerbley Publishing or via Bookshop.org (which supports independent bookshops… and we also get a tiny commission).

In today’s age, photography has gained popularity as both a hobby and a profession. Advancements in technology have made it easier than ever to capture images. However, the process of turning your photographs into art prints requires skill, knowledge, and an understanding of the market. In this post, we will walk you through the steps to successfully transform your photography into art prints that not only satisfy your creative side but also bring financial rewards.

Getting to Know the Market

Before diving into the world of art prints and getting to know how to sell photography prints, it is essential to familiarize yourself with the art market. Take some time to explore platforms such as marketplaces or local galleries where photographers sell their work in limited editions or open editions. Gain an understanding of what types of photography are trending and which themes attract buyers. By assessing market demand, you can align your portfolio accordingly to cater to customers.

Discover Your Unique Style

While exploring the market, you will come across a range of styles and themes available for sale. To stand out from others and increase your chances of selling your prints, consider finding your niche photography genre. Explore subjects that genuinely captivate your interest, allowing you to offer a perspective through your endeavors.

Prioritize Quality

The next step in understanding how to sell photography prints better is prioritizing high quality. Once you have discovered your niche, focus on honing your composition skills by arranging unique elements within each photograph. Creating a point, along with incorporating leading lines or framing techniques, can transform any image into a true work of art.

Equally important is the emphasis on quality when producing art prints that are truly worth investing in. Consider acquiring professional-grade camera equipment that guarantees high-resolution images with sharpness and accurate colors. Additionally, utilizing a tripod and shooting in RAW format whenever feasible can significantly enhance the outcome.

The Magic of Post-Processing

One of the advantages of photography lies in the post-processing techniques that enable you to enhance colors, optimize contrast levels, adjust exposures, and recover details from shadows or highlights if necessary – all aimed at refining the aesthetic appeal of your image. Experiment with editing software until you discover a workflow that aligns with your style and consistently yields satisfying results.

Selecting the Appropriate Printing Method

When it comes to printing your artwork, there exist many options, each presenting its advantages and disadvantages. Common choices include inkjet printing, giclee printing, or relying on labs specializing in fine art printing. When researching methods, it’s important to evaluate the cost, quality, longevity, and ease of use before making a final decision.

Choosing the Right Paper

Selecting the paper for your art prints can have an impact on their final outcome. Take into consideration factors such as texture, thickness, finish (matte or glossy), archival properties (acid-free), and lightfastness when deciding on the paper type. Popular choices for photography prints include matte cotton rag paper or luster photo paper. Ultimately, your selection should complement your vision and enhance the overall aesthetics of your photographs.

Limited Edition or Open Edition Prints?

As an artist selling prints, you need to determine whether you want to create limited edition prints or open editions. Limited edition prints are considered exclusive because they often increase their value over time and generate demand among collectors. On the other hand, open editions remove those restrictions by allowing a large number of prints to be sold, usually at a lower price point. Consider what aligns with your goals as an artist. Carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages before choosing which option suits you. 

Presentation

Once you have your art prints ready to sell, it’s important to think about how you’ll package them when shipping them to customers. Take the time to create packaging that not only protects the prints during transit but also provides a delightful unboxing experience upon delivery.

Marketing Your Prints

Creating art prints is one piece of the puzzle; effectively marketing them is equally essential for success in selling photography as fine art. Utilize social media platforms to establish a presence and connect with potential buyers. Engage with photographers and artists through collaborations, exhibitions, or online communities. Don’t be afraid to approach galleries or participate in art fairs to gain exposure for your work.

Conclusion

Turning your photography into art prints requires both talent and a grasp of the market. By finding your niche, refining your composition skills, investing in quality equipment, experimenting with editing techniques, selecting printing methods, and employing marketing strategies, you can transform your passion for photography into a financially rewarding endeavor. Remember that success comes with persistence and continuous growth. So, be prepared to evolve as an artist while consistently striving for excellence in every aspect of your journey.