5 Reasons Why Photographers Should Use Files.fm

By in Photography

5 Reasons Why Photographers Should Use Files.fm

Compared to other professions, photographers have it rough when it comes to the sheer quantity of equipment required. Not just physical equipment – cameras, lenses, flashes, tripods, light stands, and endless other accessories – but digital tools, too.

Photoshop for image processing, Dropbox for file storage and backup, Shopify for sales, WeTransfer for image sharing, Flickr for their portfolio…

Full disclosure: This sponsored article is brought to you by Files.fm.

Just like their camera bag, a photographer’s computer is overflowing with must-have tools of the trade, and a significant amount of time, alongside the bulk of frustration, goes into managing them all.

Files.fm is changing that. With over 15 years of experience in cloud data storage and after countless discussions with photographers from all walks of life, Files.fm has created a one-stop-shop solution that alleviates as much digital strain as possible by combining all the storage-related tools photographers need in one easy-to-use place, without sacrificing performance.

Here’s how.

1. Store, share, sell: a 3-in-1 solution designed for photographers

Imagine having to upload a file only once. That’s the mantra around which Files.fm is designed.

Store. Historically and at its heart, it’s a convenient cloud storage solution. Its generous limits (or lack thereof) alongside fast speeds and parallel uploading made it a hot favorite among those working with visual media. Especially given Files.fm’s focus on security and ease of use, which make managing files drama-free and effortless.

Plus, you can use Files.fm on any device, so backing up your latest photoshoot has never been more convenient.

Share. Boosting upload and download speeds, alongside implementing simple access rights controls, allowed Files.FM to become a go-to tool for not just storing, but sharing, too. You can give different users different access rights, and – importantly – revoke them and disable file downloads, as you see fit.

Plus, collaboration is enabled as well. Allowed users can add extra files, remove current ones, and even engage with the existing media through likes and comments – it’s up to you what you permit them to do and you can see what that is through the event activity tracker.

Sell. Click the “Sell content” button, set a price (for one picture or an entire folder), clarify content usage rights (optional), and… that’s it. It’s so simple and convenient, anyone can do it. You can also specify different prices for different resolutions, displayed files are watermarked, and tracking sales is effortless through the e-commerce section of Files.fm.

Setting up shop has never been easier.

Show? Technically, it’s a 4-in-1 solution, because Files.fm takes care of the “show” side of things, as well. Photographers can create sleek public profiles to showcase their portfolios, eliminating the need for yet another separate platform.

2. Cloud storage pricing that leaves the big players in the dust

At just $7.90 yearly / $9.90 monthly for 2TBs of personal cloud storage, and cheaper top-up costs than your usual suspects, i.e. Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive, choosing Files.fm can add up to massive savings over the years. There are options to add as much storage space as you need – 1TB, 5TB, 10TB, or even 100TB at a nice price.

Plus, unlike with these big brands, the features are truly limitless. Desktop sync traffic, daily uploads, email recipients, download/links – all unlimited. Even without the photographer-tailored features, Files.fm just makes sense as a plain cloud storage tool.

3. A seamless experience for everyone involved

Photography is both art and science and it’s a perspective Files.fm has integrated into their own platform – it’s both easy and enjoyable to use, and in technical terms, measures up to the industry’s best. Whether you’re the owner or a visitor, you’ll enjoy Files.fm’s smooth and responsive UX that’s intuitive to navigate – everything’s where it should be.

And when you want something to happen, it happens. Files upload/download quickly, browsing galleries is seamless, and navigation is near-instantaneous. This makes it a breeze to work with, and, for customers, a pleasure to use, regardless of device or operating system.

4. Inbuilt AI-powered image recognition for easy search & more

Publishing photos from events has never been easier thanks to Files.fm’s AI content analysis feature. Image recognition and search make it possible to quickly find names, tags, teams, brands, etc., among thousands of pictures to easily sort, identify, and locate the perfect shots.

As with everything else, Files.fm has put considerable effort into ease-of-use. The photographer simply publishes the relevant folders and passes them on to AI content analysis with the click of a button.

5. Sales of print products and other handy tools

With many photographers seeking to earn extra income with dropshipping, Files.fm is once again ahead of the curve having integrated a print-on-demand solution straight into the platform – it’s a way for photographers to earn directly by selling products with their photos printed on them.

Again, with just a couple of clicks, anyone can start offering photo prints, or prints on a variety of products – canvas, cups, keyrings, and others. You don’t need stock, you don’t need upfront investment, and you don’t need to worry about shipping, which is the beauty of dropshipping – Files.fm takes care of those things for you and you can focus on growing your photography business.

Here’s how it works: simply upload a photo, choose products it can be printed on, publish them, and then visitors can order what they like from your catalog. Their order is then processed and completed by Files.fm on your behalf.

Try files.fm for free today

Files.fm offers a generous free package that will allow you to thoroughly test their offering and get a feel for the platform’s ease of use and convenience. Customize your public content page, make use of their in-built file converters, and, of course, get free cloud storage space with unlimited upload volume, while you’re at it.

Or just go all in. Like Andrejs did 5 years ago.

I have been using Files.fm as a photographer for 5 years. It serves as a digital photo delivery platform, allowing my clients quick and convenient access to their images even years later. Clients appreciate it as not everyone can meticulously store important memories that I’ve captured for them.

Another crucial function for me is Files.fm’s automatic backup of new projects, safeguarding them from computer viruses, hard drive failures, and daily data issues. The fact that it happens automatically without requiring my attention is particularly appealing. Since I often capture unique events that can’t be repeated for any amount of money, having backups is a vital part of my daily work.

Files.fm also helps me earn by selling my photos and video tutorials. I can create galleries for sports events, making it easy for people to find and purchase their desired images. Many also order printed products, providing me with additional income.

I’ve explored alternative products on the market multiple times, but none could match Files.fm in terms of price and offerings. – Andrejs Zadvadskis, Photographer

File management doesn’t have to be complicated or a dread-inducing prospect. At least, not with Files.fm.

Full disclosure: This sponsored article was brought to you by Files.fm.

Why Photography Is the Perfect Hobby for Older People

By in Photography

Why Photography Is the Perfect Hobby for Older People

Photography, a hobby often celebrated for its universal appeal, holds a special charm for older individuals. Embracing the art of photography can be a particularly rewarding pursuit for those in their golden years, offering a unique blend of creative expression, mental stimulation, and physical activity, all of which are key components to a fulfilling and balanced lifestyle in later life.

1. Accessibility and Adaptability

Photography stands out for its accessibility, making it a perfect hobby for people of all ages, particularly for the older generation. Unlike many hobbies that require specific physical abilities or conditions, photography can be pursued by almost anyone. This universality stems from the wide range of equipment available, from simple point-and-shoot cameras to more complex setups, catering to all levels of physical ability and technical skill.

For seniors who may have limited mobility, photography offers a unique advantage. It doesn’t always necessitate long journeys or physically demanding activities. Someone can capture images from their backyard or local park, or they can travel farther if they so choose. This adaptability is crucial, allowing older individuals to engage in a fulfilling hobby without the strain or stress that other activities might impose.

2. Creative Expression and Lifelong Learning

Engaging in photography opens up a world of creative possibilities. It allows older individuals to tell stories, capture moments, or simply express their artistic side through the lens. This form of expression is especially valuable in later years, as it provides a sense of purpose and a medium to communicate perspectives and experiences that are unique to one’s life journey.

Moreover, photography is a pursuit with limitless potential for growth, which is beneficial for keeping the mind active and engaged. Learning how to compose a shot, understand lighting, or delve into editing software ensures that the brain remains active and challenged, a key component in maintaining cognitive health. There is always room for more creative exploration and technical growth. 

3. Physical Health and Outdoor Activity

Photography, especially when practiced outdoors, offers substantial physical health benefits. It encourages gentle exercise, be it walking through a nature reserve to capture wildlife or strolling urban landscapes for that perfect cityscape shot. This form of exercise is low-impact, making it suitable for older individuals, and can be easily adapted to fit one’s physical capabilities.

The benefits of being outdoors are well documented, including improved mood, increased vitamin D levels, and enhanced overall well-being. Photography not only motivates seniors to get outside and enjoy these benefits but also to view their environment through a new, more observant lens, making these outdoor excursions both a physical and sensory experience.

4. Social Interaction and Community Connection

Photography can transcend the boundaries of a solitary hobby, offering numerous avenues for socialization and community engagement. Joining local photography clubs or groups, participating in workshops, or attending photo walks can provide meaningful interactions with peers who share similar interests. This social aspect is vital for older individuals, combating feelings of isolation and loneliness that are unfortunately common in later years.

Online platforms further enhance this connectivity, allowing older photographers to share their work, receive feedback, and engage in discussions with a wider community. These interactions not only foster a sense of belonging, but also provide an avenue for continuous learning and inspiration. Whether a person chooses to engage with others online or in person, the opportunities are there. 

5. Mental Health Benefits

The mental health benefits of engaging in a hobby like photography are particularly significant for the older population. Creative hobbies are known to reduce stress and anxiety, providing a therapeutic effect. Photography, with its focus on the present moment and the search for beauty in the mundane, can be a powerful form of mindfulness, helping individuals to disconnect from daily worries and focus on the now (and that applies to photographers of any age, of course). This aspect of photography can be especially beneficial for those who may be grappling with significant life changes, such as retirement or the loss of loved ones. It offers a form of solace and a means to process emotions in a non-verbal, yet expressive way.

6. Capturing Memories and Legacy Building

For older individuals, photography is not just about the act of taking pictures; it’s also about documenting life’s moments and experiences. These photographs become more than just images; they are personal narratives, pieces of history, and cherished memories. This aspect of photography allows seniors to leave a tangible legacy for future generations, a visual diary of their lives, and the world as they see it. This process of legacy-building through photography can be incredibly fulfilling. It provides a sense of purpose and contributes to a feeling of accomplishment, knowing that these memories will be valued and remembered by family and friends.

7. Technological Engagement and Brain Exercise 

In an increasingly digital world, photography provides a comfortable and engaging way for older adults to connect with modern technology. Learning to use a camera, navigating through its various settings, and even delving into post-processing software can be an invigorating challenge for the brain. These activities encourage problem-solving, boost memory, and promote technological literacy.

8. Therapeutic Value for Dementia and Alzheimer’s Patients 

Photography can play a unique role in the lives of individuals with cognitive impairments such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. The act of taking pictures and looking at photographs can help in triggering memories and stimulating cognitive functions. It can also serve as a conversation starter, aiding in communication and connection with caregivers and family members. Furthermore, the sensory stimulation provided by photography – the focus on colors, shapes, and textures – can be beneficial in maintaining neural connections in the brain.

9. Flexibility and Personal Growth 

Photography’s true beauty lies in its flexibility and adaptability to individual preferences and circumstances. Whether one is interested in capturing the grandeur of landscapes, the intricacies of macro photography, or the dynamic nature of street photography, there is a genre to suit every taste and interest.

This flexibility allows older individuals to explore different aspects of photography, constantly growing and evolving in their artistic journey. It encourages personal growth and provides a sense of achievement as they develop their skills and refine their artistic vision. The ability to adapt the hobby to their changing physical capabilities also means that photography can be a lifelong companion, evolving with them through different stages of life, whereas many other hobbies must be abandoned after a certain age.

10. Affordable and Rewarding 

While it’s true that photography can be an expensive hobby, especially at the professional level, it doesn’t have to be. For older individuals who are not looking to make a career out of it, photography can be quite affordable. Basic digital cameras, second-hand equipment, or even smartphones with advanced camera features can serve as sufficient tools for capturing worthwhile images.

The cost-effectiveness of photography is a significant factor, making it an accessible hobby for seniors who may be on a fixed income. The investment in photography goes beyond monetary value; it’s an investment in personal well-being, creativity, and social connection. The joy and satisfaction derived from capturing a unique moment or creating an image make photography a highly rewarding pursuit.

In Summary

In considering the many facets of photography, it’s evident why it is an ideal hobby for older people. It offers a perfect blend of creative expression, mental and physical stimulation, social interaction, and lifelong learning. Photography provides a therapeutic and fulfilling outlet, enabling older individuals to stay engaged, active, and connected with the world around them. Whether it’s through capturing memories, learning new skills, or simply enjoying the beauty of the world through a lens, photography can greatly enrich the lives of those in their golden years.

Tom Fereday’s Port Lamp Explores the Reflective Properties of Crystal

By in Design

Tom Fereday’s Port Lamp Explores the Reflective Properties of Crystal

Port is a celebration of crystal in its purity and refractive nature. “Light highlights the true beauty of materiality,” says renowned Australian-based designer Tom Fereday. The lighting collection, created in a collaboration between Fereday and Australian heritage luxury light brand Rakumba, is a sculptural monolith carved from optically pure crystal glass in a material exploration.

Available in both round and stadium profiles, Port can be used as a wall sconce or a table lamp. As a sconce, its weighty presence brings elegance and impact wherever it goes. When put to use as a table lamp it becomes an object of fascination and the perfect piece for a desk or entryway. Highly architectural in form, Port’s appearance is enhanced by hand-finished brass or aluminum detailing that highlights the lighting’s contrasting textures and illumination.

round glass light sitting on a styled side table

Oh, and one more thing – Port is reversible. “Reversing the crystal form entirely changes the way the light is perceived, revealing Port’s unique dual character,” says Fereday. Users may do so easily by flipping the glass body over. One way it features a stepped, pyramid-like pattern, sandblasted to create a finely textured frosted effect; the other a pattern-free, pristine polish.

three circular wall sconces in a styled interior space

“Port is a perfect example of Rakumba’s engineering ethos, effortless complexity,” says Rakumba’s Head Of Design, Dan Treacy. The crystal was particularly challenging to perfect and the illumination effect needed to be flawless. The prismatic clarity of the glass demanded a lighting module of incredibly low profile to deliver a luxe, highly refined result.”

circular wall sconce in a styled interior space

ovular wall sconce in a styled interior space

ovular wall sconce in a styled interior space

round glass wall sconce and ovular glass lamp

round glass lamp

round glass lamp

round glass wall sconce

illuminated round wall sconce

two illuminated round lamps

two illuminated round lamps

two illuminated ovular lamps

two illuminated ovular lamps

light-skinned man with ark hair and dark clothing works on a wood chair

Tom Fereday Photo: Sean Fennessey

To learn more about Port lighting, visit rakumba.com.au.

Kelly Beall is Director of Branded Content at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based writer and designer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, from Fashion Plates to MoMA and far beyond. When not searching out the visual arts, she’s likely sharing her favorite finds with others. Kelly can also be found tracking down new music, teaching herself to play the ukulele, or on the couch with her three pets – Bebe, Rainey, and Remy. Find her @designcrush on social.

Is perfectionism killing your photography?

By in Photography

Is perfectionism killing your photography?

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B&H – B&H is a world renowned supplier of all the gear photographers, videographers, and cinematographers need and want to create their very best work.

MPB – Grab used but perfectly working cameras and lenses for less, or turn your old gear into cash by trading and selling them on MPB!

Cindy Sherman: Woman of an Uncertain Age

By in Photography

Cindy Sherman: Woman of an Uncertain Age

The facial features in Cindy Sherman’s hyperenergetic new photo-portraits slide around crazily. Eyes spin out in different directions, competing clamorously for attention. Noses and mouths engage in pitched conflict. The electrifying images, now on view at Hauser and Wirth’s SoHo gallery, are primarily black and white, but there are patches of vivid color.

Butting one fragment of skin, makeup, hair and headgear up against another, Sherman dispenses with the capacity of Photoshop to smooth out edges. Instead, she creates a sense of instability by folding photographic nips and tucks right in with their aging subjects’ wrinkles. Finding physical comedy in the efforts women take to conceal the effects of time is the least of her concerns. There is also the dark humor she brings to the consideration of photography’s credibility. And the dash of pathos she adds to both.

Cindy Sherman’s portrait of a woman in fragments, with bright magenta lipstick, assembled digitally from photos.
Sherman, “Untitled #652,” 2023. One of her new portraits of women assembled digitally from fragmentary parts, at Hauser & Wirth. While “fooling around” with a body of photographs from 2010 — in color, as usual — she decided to flip them to black and white. It clicked.via Cindy Sherman and Hauser & Wirth

When Sherman emerged, meteorically, in the late 1970s, it was with an extended series of black and white photographs she took of herself. They are not to be confused with self-portraits. In each, Sherman, newly arrived in New York City from Buffalo, was made up and dressed to suggest she was the (fictional) star of an (imaginary) noirish film. Her timing was perfect. The body-baring, soul-searching feminist art of the late ’60s and early ’70s had given way to more conceptually based work.

Femininity was understood to be a cultural construct, a masquerade, and Sherman’s photographs were considered exemplary of this turn. In the following decades, quite independently of the politics swirling around her, Sherman continued to deploy her face and body in fanciful guises that ran the gamut from an Italian Renaissance Madonna to an All-American clown.

For all its jangly discontinuities, the current work (all untitled) feels newly grounded. It emerged, Sherman told me, from a creative slump. In a conversation at the gallery, she was warm and open, and, as we settled in, she admitted, “I was going through a real creative block during Covid.” She had committed to the show in New York and a previous one in Zurich, and, she says, “I had no idea what I was going to do.” While “fooling around” with a body of photographs from 2010 — in color, as usual — she decided to flip them to black and white. It clicked.

Sherman at her studio in New York City. Caroline Tompkins for The New York Times

The smaller works in the exhibition (dated 2010/2023) are assembled from the 14-year-old photographs. The larger ones, extending the series, are all new, made with a different camera that permitted higher resolutions — making the mood harsher or lighter “just by tweaking the contrast,” she said.

They seem less like “something you would have just shot with your phone and put on Instagram.”

Sherman and I met on a frigid, sleety day, and she was dressed fashionably to defy the weather in a big, blazing orange sweater, light-colored wide pants and bouncy, thick-soled white high-tops. By contrast, her face, devoid of makeup, is pretty in a timeless way, her eyes innocently blue. Only her shoulder-length hair, once blond and now gray, suggests that she is turning 70. She is a proverbial blank slate, and for all her fame, she is rarely recognized on the street.

Sherman sees the disjunctions in her new work’s faces almost as an exercise in cubism. “You’re seeing the face and imagining that it’s moved through space,” she explained. To maximize that effect, the black and white segments are joined digitally; the color bits are glued on top.

Sherman, “Untitled #633,” 2010/2023. The features in these new photo portraits slide around crazily.via Cindy Sherman and Hauser & Wirth
Sherman, “Untitled #632,” 2010/2023. Gelatin silver print and chromogenic color print. She highlighted the teeth with faux enamel paint.via Cindy Sherman and Hauser & Wirth

The photographs induce a surprisingly urgent search for something, anything, that feels nakedly real — perhaps a sliver of skin up by the hairline, just below the edge of a wig, or around the mouth. Of course, it’s all flesh, some of it so enlarged that pores gape and pancake makeup glistens like wet cement. The various directions in which features point, and particularly the misaligned eyes, invoke a very specific kind of human desire: It seems we quite insistently want to know where to direct our attention when looking at another person. The hunt can feel almost embarrassingly intense.

And for her, manipulating the features is sheer play, with “all my favorite eyes and noses, wigs and fabric.” No question, there is pleasure in this work, and also some plain silliness, both in short supply these days. But inevitably the question arises, are we laughing with aging women, or at them?

To put the question another way, how personal are these photos? “I feel like I’m preparing myself for it,” Sherman said of growing old. “This is what you’re going to get, so get used to it. It’s coming. It’s hanging over all of our heads.”

True enough; and I’m happy to report that there is no resemblance whatsoever between these patchwork crones and the artist. Yet this work seems clearly meant to own up to the real-life consequences of living for a while past youth. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to older women artists, a trend that Sherman confirms with qualifications. “I think things are changing, slowly,” she says. “It’s definitely better than it was 40 years ago for women and artists of color, but it’s still not quite where we should be.”

Sherman, “Untitled Film Still #21,” 1978. Gelatin silver print. Her early work, prompting her rise to fame, featured her as a fictive film star. via Cindy Sherman and Hauser & Wirth
Sherman, “Untitled #474,” 2008. A chromogenic color print from her “socialite” series, wealthy women for whom she admits feeling some sympathy.via Cindy Sherman and Hauser & Wirth

In a short essay of 2007 about the late work of the sculptor Louise Bourgeois, the feminist art historian Linda Nochlin noted that an artist’s “late style” is presumed to involve a “luminous softening of boundaries,” as in Monet’s water lilies or Rembrandt’s dusky portraits. But Nochlin noted a potent variant, as in the case of Bourgeois, of late work that is intransigent, difficult and full of “unresolved contradiction.” I suggested to Sherman that she was in the latter camp, and got another reluctant agreement.

She admitted that an early body of work, of crime scenes and nauseating expanses of molding food (she calls it the “disaster” pictures), produced in the mid-1980s, was meant to be challenging.

“I felt that I didn’t want to be the flavor of the month,” she recalls of her newfound success, and so she dared collectors to “put vomit over your couch.” But she resisted the idea that her more recent series of “socialite” photos from 2008, featuring wickedly sharp portraits of wealthy older women, were intended to skewer the collector class.

Sherman explains that she didn’t think of the socialites as, necessarily, art collectors. “I definitely saw them as wealthy people, a certain type of wealthy people,” she says, but added that she felt sympathy for them, not contempt.

“I think what I identified with is a sort of sadness” behind their lavish homes and gardens. “They’re putting up a good front to hide a terrible marriage or children who don’t love them, or God knows what they’ve had to sacrifice to have that fur coat. I’m seeing what it’s cost them, and hopefully that comes through in the image,” she said. And she senses a personal connection. “In terms of aging like them,” she says, “I feel I’ve become more like them in real life, in some sad, funny way.”

Sherman, “Untitled #661,” 2023. Gelatin silver print and chromogenic color print. Sherman said, “It’s almost a little too narrative. Maybe she’s just stepped out of the shower or is going to a spa.”via Cindy Sherman and Hauser & Wirth

While she allows that there is an element of defiance in the current work — “I’m not going to go into this aging process silently or happily,” she said — certainly, humor matters to Sherman’s current portraits in a way it doesn’t in, say, late Rembrandt. Of a photo in which a face pokes through a boxwood hedge, she pointed out, “That’s one of the goofy ones.” Another, featuring a comically perplexed subject with ham-handedly applied lipstick and eyebrow liner, her head and shoulders wrapped in massive terry cloth towels, Sherman deems “the only one that almost seems a little too narrative. Maybe she’s just stepped out of the shower, or she’s going to a spa.” It’s also the only one, she thinks, that could be reasonably compared to the early film stills.

As she has from the outset, Sherman works alone in her studio in TriBeCa, with cameras and a mirror and an ocean of props: wigs, costumes, fabrics, plastic foliage, prosthetic noses, oddments gathered 30 years ago in flea markets that no longer exist.

The New York that offered cheap treasures for urban scavengers is gone, and Sherman, who still lives and works mainly in the city, has spent more time since Covid in East Hampton, where she has a garden and chickens, and a studio in a small converted barn that she’d like to expand. The eager cosmopolitan ingénue of the film stills is visible only in the rearview mirror.

In a 2018 talk (viewable on YouTube), the art historian Hal Foster, who championed Sherman early, returned to the theme of masquerade, saying that her work represents the condition of being seen, specifically by the male gaze. The argument, unquestionably illuminating and influential — it is indeed helpful to see her work in that way — was also promoted in the ’80s by the critics Douglas Crimp and Craig Owens; looking back, it seems fair to say it was shaped to a striking degree by male gazers.

When I suggested as much to Sherman, she laughed. The framework never had much traction for her, and has less now, she said, though she guessed it might speak to younger female artists trying to find their place in the world. “I just feel at this point, as we age, we become a little bit more invisible,” she said. “So maybe there is not much gazing going on.”

Sherman, in her SoHo studio, used to shop in flea markets for props and costumes. Caroline Tompkins for The New York Times

But Sherman keeps a wary eye on the commercial media that were long judged the main instruments of women’s objectification by men, from Hollywood movies to print publications, and fashion magazines in particular. She still prefers to read on paper, and finds fashion design and its representation fertile territory. Even really terrible ads sometimes interest her, helping her hone a seemingly unimprovable feel for how to construct a striking image.

For more positive influence, she cites the photographer Kristin- Lee Moolman and the stylist Ib Kamara, whom she follows on Instagram. She’s also been inspired by the costume designer Machine Dazzle, imp_kid, and others.

When I said Hal Foster believes the world of selfies owes a great deal to Sherman, she bristled at the notion. “I don’t think of my work as selfies at all. A lot of people were taking photos of themselves before me,” she protested. But she does use Instagram creatively. “When I have free time — in a cab, say — I’ll play around with various apps,” she said. “I started with apps people use for selfies, then found ways of subverting them. That’s where these weird avatars came from,” she said, referring to her popular posts.

Sherman has also used artificial intelligence programs in her posts, but like other artists, she’s concerned about being ripped off by A.I., and said, “I did try using it to see if it could at all replicate something in the style of Cindy Sherman.” The result, she happily reports, was “pathetic.” But, she conceded, “That’s not to say it’s not going to happen.”

The conversation I had with Sherman was recorded on my smartphone and transcribed (almost instantly) by an A.I. program; it’s not impossible that some credible but digitally hallucinated words, using algorithms we didn’t control, have crept in among the ones we spoke. Sherman has been the sibyl of such proliferating confusions, toying with representation’s integrity and the boundaries of identity for more than four decades.

There are now over 600 models of Sherman’s transformations to choose from. Each asks that we avoid confusing the dancer with the dance. The newest ones confirm that she’s still running as fast as she can.

Catching the action: High school sports photographs by high school students

By in Photography

Catching the action: High school sports photographs by high school students

Welcome to this week’s high school sports photo gallery, capturing action across Massachusetts and showcasing work submitted through the Globe’s new high school sports photography program.

Students who would like to participate in this free program are asked to start by filling out this simple general interest form. For more information, contact Sports multiplatform editor John Vitti at john.vitti@globe.com.

New installments of this feature will be posted on the Globe’s website throughout the academic year. Additional coverage can be found on our high school sports page.

Algonquin Regional senior Olivia LaBelle flies to victory in her heat in the 55-meet hurdles at the Northeast Invitational indoor track meet on Jan. 13, 2024, at Reggie Lewis Center. LaBelle won her heat in 8.68 seconds, then came in second in the finals, when she finished in 8.49 seconds.Laura White/Algonquin Regional High School
Dartmouth’s Katherine Cheesebro pulls up and shoots despite the best efforts of Bridgewater-Raynham defender Brenna Woodbury during their girls’ basketball game Jan. 21, 2024. Dartmouth (12-0) stayed perfect with a 62-52 victory, while host Bridgewater-Raynham fell to 7-3.JJ Pierre/Bridgewater-Raynham High School
Melrose wrestler Ricky Teixeira (left) works for the pin during his 165-pound match against Burlington on Jan. 10, 2024, at Melrose High.Daniel Murphy/Melrose High School
The Pembroke High girls’ 4×50 team — (from left) senior Sarah Claflin, junior Caroline Minogue, junior Ally Johnson, and junior Sadie Nugent — pose after their record run of 24.29 seconds at the MSTCA Division 4 Relays at Reggie Lewis Center on Jan. 21, 2024.Martin Ward/Pembroke High School
Paris Moses (44) is fired up during Cambridge Rindge & Latin’s 77-72 overtime win over visiting Brockton in boys’ basketball action on Dec. 15, 2023.Anoke Deitg-Blanchard/Register Forum/Cambridge Rindge & Latin School
Senior captain Lilly Morse (21) fights for the ball against four Westborough players during Algonquin Regional’s 56-41 home victory in girls’ basketball action on Jan. 2, 2024.Laura White/Algonquin Regional High School
Freshman goaltender Ray Blauvelt makes a pad safe during Everett/Revere’s boys’ hockey game against Somerville at Veterans Memorial Rink in Somerville on Jan. 17, 2024. Somerville won the game, 10-2.SHUYI CHEN/BLUE & GOLD/MALDEN HIGH SCHOOL
Junior Tyler Hamilton scores for the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional boys’ basketball team during its 52-51 home win against Falmouth on Jan. 16, 2024.Hanna Thornton/Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School
The Pembroke High boys’ 4×50 team — (from left) senior Joe D’Angelo, junior Gabe Lamar, junior Jayden Leonard, and junior Luke Lamar —
had a record finish of 21.93 seconds at the MSTCA Division 4 Relays at Reggie Lewis Center on Jan. 21, 2024.Martin Ward/Pembroke High School
Freshman Jackson Fournier of St. John’s (Shrewsbury) prepares to sink in a free throw during the Pioneers’ 53-44 loss to visiting Malden Catholic in boys’ basketball action on Jan. 19, 2024.Aryan Modi/St. John’s (Shrewsbury) High
Algonquin Regional senior Steve White wins the mile in 4 minutes 22.45 seconds at the Northeast Invitational, obliterating his personal best by 17 seconds in the process, at Reggie Lewis Center on Jan. 12, 2024.Laura White/Algonquin Regional High School
Melrose senior Pedro Ribeiro (left) sweeps the feet out from Winchester’s Luka Kovacev during their 175-pound match, which Ribeiro won by pin. Ribeiro’s win aided Melrose in its 69-12 win over visiting Winchester on Jan. 17, 2024.Daniel Murphy/Melrose High School
Dennis-Yarmouth’s Connor Bosiak (30) gets an open look against the Falmouth defense with an assist from John O’Neill (33) during D-Y’s 52-51 home win on Jan. 16, 2024.Hanna Thornton/Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School

John Vitti can be reached at john.vitti@globe.com. Follow him @GlobeVitti.

‘Do It For the Boys’ is a tender show about a violent sport

By in Photography

‘Do It For the Boys’ is a tender show about a violent sport
Nathan Bolton, “Roy Rogers Beach, 2022.”Nathan Bolton

Portraits in black and white alternate with color images of hands in photographer Nathan Bolton’s “Do It For the Boys” at Gallery 263. They depict Rebellion Rugby players in Los Angeles. A bearded player smiles through a stream of blood in “Anthony, 2022.” In “Marcia, 2022,” long pink fingernails glitter with imitation gemstones.

Nathan Bolton, “Anthony, 2022.”Nathan Bolton

An amateur club, the Rebellion is an International Gay Rugby member. Bolton, who now lives in Somerville, played with them until he injured his leg in 2022. Then, he picked up his camera to document his friends and teammates. It was the club’s 20th season, as well as that of International Gay Rugby, and gay rugby’s world cup, the Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament.

Rebellion Rugby calls itself “inclusive,” and welcomes players of “all skill levels, body types, ages, and sexual & gender identities,” according to their website. Their counterpart here is the Boston Ironsides RFC.

Nathan Bolton, “Marcia, 2022.”Nathan Bolton

“Do It for the Boys” is a tender show about a violent sport. It follows the social-documentary tradition of Danny Lyon, known for his 1960s images of fellow riders in the Chicago Outlaws motorcycle club, and Boston School photographers such as Nan Goldin and Jack Pierson, who covered the queer underground here in the 1970s and ‘80s.

Rebellion Rugby is a proudly public club at a moment in the United States when drag-queen story hours are under attack and LGBTQ books are being banned.

Amateur clubs and marginalized communities each have particular camaraderies that the larger world might not understand. Bolton’s photos suggest these players love and accept each other no matter their athletic skill. In “Roy Rogers Beach, 2022,” teammates dash into the surf together like children.

At its core, “Do It for the Boys” at once celebrates, deconstructs, and challenges traditional notions of manhood that contact sports like rugby can epitomize. An inclusive team breaks open homophobic parameters about touch. There’s overlap between the typical rugby pitch scene of “Huddle, 2022″ and the more relaxed “Ottawa, 2022,” in which one tired player drapes himself affectionately over the back of another.

Nathan Bolton, “Ottawa, 2022.”Nathan Bolton

The love and support is palpable. That exists on more traditional teams, but in Bolton’s images, it’s softer, more generous. And these days, if those pictures were in a book, it might be banned.

DO IT FOR THE BOYS

At Gallery 263, 263 Pearl St., Cambridge, through Feb. 10. www.gallery263.org

Cate McQuaid can be reached at catemcquaid@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram @cate.mcquaid.

Lift Modular Kettlebells Stack Up to the Competition

By in Design

Lift Modular Kettlebells Stack Up to the Competition

Diametric forces can come into play when deciding what sort of exercise equipment to welcome into the home. Gym equipment – large, awkwardly sized, and industrial – is rarely a net positive aesthetically. One versatile piece of strength and mobility equipment nearly anyone can add without sacrificing space or introducing an eyesore is the kettlebell, a weight attached to a handle designed for swinging, pressing, and other momentum-assisted movements. But just like any exercise program with a progressive range of improvements, one weight is almost never enough. That dilemma is addressed by the stylish and practical Lift stackable weights by designers Erika Avery and Stu Cole.

Adjustable weights are commonplace in the market now, most notably in the form of dumbbells sold by the likes of NÜOBELL, NordicTrack, and the granddaddy of them all, Powerblock (the brand used in my own garage gym). Brands like the aforementioned have expanded out into the realm of offering adjustable kettlebells. But while functional, nobody would describe their form as elegant, nor something ideally left out in the living room.

Lift stackable weight kettlebell disassembled and laid out flat showing all 9 pieces that make up the design.

With the Lift, the designers have reached a laudable compromise between designing a legitimate piece of strength training equipment and finding a pleasing form. Comprising just nine separate parts, Lift uses a set of four solid cast iron stackable plate weights, allowing users to incrementally add or decrease loads from 11lbs to 44lbs.

Early pencil sketches and explorative designs of the Lift stackable weight kettlebell concept.

Lift stackable weight kettlebell in black set on a concrete floor.

If you’re not yet acquainted with the kettlebell, you might find its origin a fascinating detour in the history of sports equipment design. “[The] Kettlebell as we know it today, originated approximately 350 years ago… They were originally used as handled counterweights to weigh out dry goods on market scales.”

The load and handle is secured into place using a twist lock motion, making it simple to switch loads according to movement, whether practicing kettlebell swings, goblet squats, or other movements optimized for the handled design.

Detail of Lift stackable weight kettlebell disassembled from above. showing two of its weight plates removed.

As anyone who lifts knows, weights can be loud during loading and unloading, and destructive if not properly handled. Lift’s cast iron core is thus covered with a durable 5mm robust rubber finish to keep the plates from clanging as they are stacked, while also protecting floors when setting them down.

Angled top view of Lift stackable weight kettlebell in black with orange lock mechanism details.

The rubber finish is also a protective measure against the corrosion that can occur across a piece of metal caused by environmental humidity (not to mention any sweat introduced during challenging workouts).

Overhead top view of Lift stackable weight kettlebell in black with orange lock mechanism details.

Lift is currently only an exploratory concept, but the design seems more than ready for a manufacturer to adopt for consumer production, also noting the growing legions of home fitness practitioners already using Apple Fitness, the Peloton app, and other workout programs designed to introduce the kettlebell into the weekly routine.

Gregory Han is a Senior Editor at Design Milk. A Los Angeles native with a profound love and curiosity for design, hiking, tide pools, and road trips, a selection of his adventures and musings can be found at gregoryhan.com.

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