Wedding season is in full swing in Iowa. Couples are looking at gorgeous wedding venues, tasting delicious food on their menu, and hunting for the best wedding photographers in Iowa.

One Iowa photographer captured the most beautiful moment for a special couple even before the wedding day! An Iowa photographer named Kayla Palm (Kay Eileen Photography) helped her friends with a surprise engagement photoshoot. The bride’s reaction is priceless!

It was a cold day in January. The happy Iowa couple Kenzie Long and musician Casey Muessigmann were just having fun taking adorable couple photos together. Little did Kenzie know this “normal” photo session was actually a surprise proposal. She’s speechless!

Kayla posted an Instagram video on her Kay Eileen Photography page about a year ago. For whatever reason, this video is just starting to take over the internet. Recently, this video has been viewed 1 million times!

Kenize’s face really says it all…the epic surprise engagement was a success! Her fiancé Casey Muessigmann did an amazing job! But then again, Casey is used to having big moments on a major stage. If you’re a fan of NBC’s The Voice, you might remember Casey Muessigmann as being a member of Team Blake Shelton. Casey was part of Season Three of NBC’s The Voice!

Casey Muessigmann’s audition happened over ten years ago! He’s still on the road performing shows across the Midwest. Casey has shared the stage with Joe Diffie, Merle Haggard, Scotty McCreery, Craig Campbell, Randy Houser, Eli Young Band, Thomas Rhett, and Blake Shelton to name a few.

Looking at Kayla’s Instagram page and the Kay Eileen Photography website, she will travel anywhere to capture your special day! Whether you’re in Iowa, South Dakota, or Minnesota, Kay Eileen Photography will travel.

Cheers to the happy couple!

Las Vegas, NV, January 23, 2024 –(PR.com)– Las Vegas, renowned for its vibrant business landscape and diverse professionals, now has a new luminary in the realm of corporate headshot photography. Christian Purdie Photography, recognized for their exceptional creativity and technical prowess, introduces a groundbreaking approach to professional headshots that goes beyond conventional practices. The fusion of innovative technology and updated lighting techniques sets them apart as a trailblazer in the competitive world of corporate photography.

In a world driven by visual impressions, the importance of a striking professional image cannot be overstated. Christian Purdie Photography understands this implicitly and has invested in the latest lighting technologies to achieve a more uniform and polished look in corporate headshots. The mastery of advanced lighting techniques is evident in the photographer’s ability to sculpt light, ensuring that each portrait radiates professionalism while highlighting the unique features of the individual.

The meticulous use of precision technology is a cornerstone of Christian Purdie Photography’s approach. High-resolution cameras, coupled with state-of-the-art post-processing tools, result in images that are not only visually captivating but also rich in detail. This commitment to technological excellence is aimed at providing clients with headshots that surpass expectations, leaving a lasting impact on viewers.

Every corporate headshot session with Christian Purdie Photography is a personalized experience. The photographer recognizes the distinctiveness of each professional and collaborates closely with clients to understand their preferences, brand identity, and the image they want to convey. This personalized approach ensures that each headshot is a true reflection of the individual’s personality and professional style.

Efficiency is another hallmark of their services. The integration of technology streamlines the photography process, allowing for a quick and seamless experience for clients. The photographer’s dedication to efficiency is complemented by a commitment to a swift turnaround time, ensuring that clients receive their edited and finalized images promptly.

The Future of Corporate Headshots in Las Vegas:
Christian Purdie Photography invites professionals in Las Vegas to experience the future of corporate headshots. The studio provides an environment where innovation meets creativity, resulting in images that transcend traditional boundaries. Book a session with Christian Purdie Photography to embark on a journey of professional image enhancement that will set you apart in the competitive business world.

Mobile Corporate Headshot Photography Studio:
In an era where time is a precious commodity, Christian Purdie Photography understands the value of convenience for busy professionals. Going above and beyond traditional photography services, they introduce a groundbreaking initiative – a mobile headshot studio that comes to clients, eliminating the need for them to travel. This innovative approach is designed to help professionals save valuable time while still benefiting from the expertise of a photography company with over 25 years of experience.

The mobile headshot studio is equipped with the same cutting-edge technology and advanced lighting techniques that define Christian Purdie Photography’s in-studio sessions. Whether it’s at a corporate office, a business conference, or any preferred location, the mobile studio ensures that professionals can access high-quality corporate headshots without the hassle of commuting to a photography studio. This flexibility aligns with the company’s commitment to providing a seamless and efficient experience for clients, allowing them to focus on what matters most – their professional image.

Working as a corporate photographer for 25 years Christian and his team understand how busy the corporate environment of business is and their creation of a mobile headshot photography studio enables them to perform studio headshots at their client’s business.

About Christian Purdie Photography:
Christian Purdie Photography is a distinguished corporate headshot photographer based in Las Vegas, renowned for blending innovation with artistic flair. With an unwavering commitment to excellence, Christian Purdie Photography continues to redefine the standards of corporate photography through the use of technology and advanced lighting techniques.

As Christian Purdie Photography continues to push the boundaries of corporate photography, professionals in Las Vegas can look forward to a new era of captivating headshots that reflect not only their corporate identity but also their individuality and success in the business world.

Founded by Ahmed Alramly, new digital publication Naima features contributions by artists including Rhea Dillon, Dozie Kanu and Frank Dorrey

January 23, 2024

The World Photography Organisation announces today the shortlisted photographers in the Student and Youth competitions of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024. Winners of Student Photographer of the Year and Youth Photographer of the Year will be announced on 18 April and will be on view as part of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 exhibition at Somerset House, London.

STUDENT COMPETITION SHORTLIST

The Student competition shortlist is a selection of bodies of work by 10 students at leading higher education institutions. This year’s competition invited students to enter a series of five to 10 images in response to the brief Home. The shortlisted projects highlight the student photographers’ diverse perspectives on place, community, identity and belonging, showing the nuanced stories and conversations they engage with as they develop their practices.

Family relationships and personal histories are key themes across a number of the shortlisted series. Brayan Enriquez’s (USA, Georgia State University, Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design) series And Taste the Dirt Below explores the family stories passed down through generations, focusing on Enriquez’s parents’ immigration to the United States from Mexico; Gaoge Ouchen’s (China Mainland, Communication University of Zhejiang) series The Orange Tree chronicles a return to the photographer’s family house during the pandemic after a time away; Kayin Luys’ (Belgium, LUCA School of Arts Sint Lukas, Brussels) project Don’t Trust Pretty Girls is an intimate portrait of his in-laws, celebrating their day-to-day rituals and pastimes.

The shortlisted photographers also turned their lenses towards community, and the ways one finds a sense of home within a larger group. Chatal Home, by Kazi Arifujjaman (Bangladesh, Counter Foto – a Center for Visual Arts), looks at communal living in a ‘chatal’, a rice processing site where families from around Bangladesh reside and work together; in Ihubo Ikhaya (A hymn, a home), Makaziwe Radebe (South Africa, Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town) reminisces about memories of Emdeni, Soweto, recalling time spent with neighbours, friends and family; meanwhile in Horses and Caravans, Frederik Rüegger (Germany, Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie) captures the customs and traditions of English and Irish traveller communities, focusing on the annual celebrations held at the Ballinasloe and Appleby horse fairs.

Elsewhere, the shortlisted photographers looked at how introspection allows one to find a sense of home. Yufei Ma’s (China Mainland, School of Visual Art, USA) Intermission contemplates the moments of tranquillity that punctuate daily life through a series of still-lifes of linens and garments drying in the sun. Siphosethu Sanelisiwe Sikhosana’s (South Africa, University of Pretoria) project Resting In Unfamiliar Places traces Sikhosana’s changing relationship to religion and sexuality in a series of artfully crafted pinhole camera self-portraits.

Also included in the shortlist are projects exploring the challenges of making a home in precarious conditions. In Lake Poopó’s Disappearance: The Uru Community’s Tale of Resilience, Gaston Zilberman (Argentina, Motivarte) examines how climate change has altered the lifestyle and culture of the Uru community as their natural resources become scarce. Juan David Aguirre’s (Colombia, Universidad EAFIT) poignant black-and-white series No Home No Future documents ways of living in the Andes tenement in Medellin, where homeless people take shelter.

The winner of Student Photographer of the Year 2024 will be selected from the 10 students and announced at the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 ceremony in London on 18 April. The overall winning university will receive Sony digital imaging equipment worth €30,000.

This year’s Student Competition shortlist was judged by Ravi Ghosh, Deputy Editor at The British Journal of Photography.

YOUTH COMPETITION SHORTLIST

The Youth competition shortlist comprises the works of 10 photographers aged 19 and under. For the 2024 competition, entrants were invited to respond to the brief Through Your Eyes.

A number of the shortlisted photographers reflected on their personal experiences of the natural world and environment. River Lewis-Gosch (USA, 15 years old) caught the first moments of a severe wildfire in the North Cascades National Park in Washington, just as the firefighting helicopters began to arrive; while Kas Christiaens’ (Belgium, 19 years old) striking night-time image depicts light pollution in rural Belgium, revealing how street lights have impacted the clarity of the night sky. Sebastián Fernández Lora (Spain, 15 years old) succeeded in capturing a photograph of comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura), which was visible from Spain in September 2023; and Daniel Murray (UK, 15 years old) turns his camera to a lone surfer on an empty beach, meditating upon the scenery of the Cornish seaside.

The shortlisted photographers also explored questions of identity and individuality in their work. Shayna Cuenca (USA, 15 years old) created a stylised self-portrait using a cut printed image, and tea bags; while Joyce Xu (Australia, 18 years old) took a studio self-portrait in a moment of reflection. Across the shortlist, photographers demonstrated creative approaches to composition as they documented their surroundings. Zy Grei Zander M. Esperanza’s (Philippines, 16 years old) image of a flying flock of doves highlights their motion through intentional camera movement techniques. Elsewhere Chengchen Wang (China Mainland, 18 years old) captured the snow-covered peaks of Yala Mountain, glowing in the late-evening light; Afiq Sharkawi (Malaysia, 18 years old) portrayed a craftsman in the workshop, making a traditional weapon known as a ‘keris’; and Isaac Friend (UK, 18 years old) took a dramatic photograph of rock formations against the backdrop of a clouded sky and distant ocean waves.

Youth Photographer of the Year is judged by Daniel Blochwitz, Curator of the Foto Festival Lenzburg, Switzerland. The winner will receive a range of Sony digital imaging equipment to nurture their vision.

The overall winners in the Student, Youth, Open and Professional competitions of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 will be announced on 18 April 2024. For more information about upcoming announcements and winners please visit www.worldphoto.org

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ABOUT SONY WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

Produced by the World Photography Organisation, the internationally acclaimed Sony World Photography Awards is one of the most important fixtures in the global photographic calendar. Now in its 17th year, the free-to-enter Awards are a global voice for photography and provide a vital insight into contemporary photography today. For both established and emerging artists, the Awards offer world-class opportunities for exposure of their work. The Awards additionally recognise the world’s most influential artists working in the medium through the Outstanding Contribution to Photography award; the acclaimed photographer Sebastião Salgado is the 2024 recipient of this award, joining a distinguished list of iconic names including William Eggleston, Mary Ellen Mark, Martin Parr, Candida Höfer, Nadav Kander, Gerhard Steidl, Graciela Iturbide, Edward Burtynsky and Rinko Kawauchi. The Awards showcase the works of winning and shortlisted photographers at a prestigious annual exhibition at Somerset House, London. Our hashtags to follow are #SonyWorldPhotographyAwards and #SWPA2024.  worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards-exhibition

ABOUT WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY ORGANISATION

World Photography Organisation is a leading global platform dedicated to the development and advancement of photographic culture. Its programming and competition initiatives provide valuable opportunities for artists working in photography and help broaden the conversation around their work. The Sony World Photography Awards is World Photography Organisation’s principal programme. Established in 2007, it is one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious photography competitions; celebrating the work of leading and emerging practitioners and attracting tens of thousands of visitors annually to its exhibitions worldwide. World Photography Organisation is the photography strand of Creo, responsible for delivering initiatives and programming across three sectors: photography, film and contemporary art. Follow the World Photography Organisation on Instagram (@worldphotoorg), Twitter (@WorldPhotoOrg) and LinkedIn/Facebook (World Photography Organisation).

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Creo initiates and organises events and programming across three key strands: photography, film and contemporary art. Established in 2007 as World Photography Organisation, Creo has since grown in scope, furthering its mission of developing meaningful opportunities for creatives and expanding the reach of its cultural activities. Today, its flagship projects include the Sony World Photography Awards, Sony Future Filmmaker Awards, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai, Photo London and PHOTOFAIRS New York. Working in partnership with Angus Montgomery Arts, Creo helps deliver the group’s ventures, comprising some of the world’s leading art fairs. Taking its name from the Latin for ‘I create’, it is in this spirit that Creo sets out to empower and give agency to creative voices. www.creoarts.com

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While visiting London to see the work of her grandfather, the late Ghanaian photographer J.K. Bruce-Vanderpuije, at the 2023 contemporary African art fair “1-54,” Kate Tamakloe was surprised to discover another of his images, uncredited, in the collection at the British capital’s Victoria and Albert Museum.

“I asked how they got the photo and was told it was in the library,” she recalled in an interview with CNN. “We have the original (in our archives), but somehow a copy got taken to the UK, and along the line, its history got lost.”

One of West Africa’s foremost documentarians of the 20th century, Bruce-Vanderpuije created a prolific record of life in pre- and post-independence Ghana, illustrating the country’s changing fashions and cultural practices with portraits of young couples getting married, newborn babies and everyday life for over 70 years. He also encountered a number of important community leaders and political figures throughout his career, among them Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana following its independence from Britain in March 1957.

For more than a decade — since Tamakloe began managing the Deo Gratias Photo Studio, which her grandfather set up in the Jamestown area of Accra, Ghana in 1922 — she has overseen an archive of some 50,000 images. Championing them and rectifying oversights in international collections has become a vital part of her job.

In collaboration with Efie Gallery in Dubai, the Ethiopian photographer Aïda Muluneh has curated a new exhibition titled “Unveiling the Shadows of the Past: J.K. Bruce-Vanderpuije — The Hidden Icon of Photography in Africa” that highlights images from the 1920s and 1930s, when Ghana was still a British colony (then called the Gold Coast).

“When I look at Bruce-Vanderpuije’s work, I think about the responsibility we bear (for) preserving the changing faces of the continent,” Muluneh told CNN.

“His dedication to the field and the amassed body of work is a diary of a country and its people,” she added, alluding to the significant events Bruce-Vanderpuije captured, including the moment three ex-servicemen protesting unpaid war allowances were fatally shot. The incident sparked the 1948 Accra riots and would inform constitutional changes that shaped the country’s eventual independence.

“Photographers of that generation were not capturing images for recognition or with the aim of being showcased in an exhibition,” explained Muluneh. “It was a necessity to preserve a moment in history.”

Telling the Ghanaian story

Born in March 1899, James Kobla (J.K) Bruce-Vanderpuije studied at the Accra Royal School and enjoyed photography as a hobby in his teens. Later, he trained with J.A.C Holm (another Ghana-based photographer) for three years before establishing his own studio aged just 23.

Despite growing up privy to the studio and her grandfather’s practice, Tamakloe’s involvement was almost happenstance; after an accident caused her to move her cybercafé business to the studio, she began supporting her father — Isaac Hudson Bruce-Vanderpuije, also a photographer and an earlier custodian of the studio — when his eyesight started to deteriorate.

“Once, a photographer from South Africa visited and said, ‘You guys are sitting on a goldmine,’” she explained. “That’s when I paid more attention and realized that I needed to do this. I needed to sort out the archive.”

For the past 12 years, Tamakloe has been digitalizing her grandfather’s pictures. “I’m still making a lot of discoveries, which is very exciting,” she added, recounting how some of Bruce-Vanderpuije’s subjects were identified decades later — including Miss Ghana 1958 and Seth Anthony, the first Black African to be commissioned as an officer in the British army, who were both recognized in pictures by their grown-up children.

“I have always been fascinated to see the reaction of the young generation when they see images of people from the past,” noted Muluneh, who has worked on a number of archive-building projects in Ethiopia. “The magic of photography, for me, is that it can bring us back to a time and moments that offer a unique perspective of not only understanding our people, but also ourselves. I believe that a bigger discussion is needed as it relates to the preservation, publication and promotion of the visual archives of Africa.”

Tamakloe is similarly engaged in pursuing this conversation, and keen to export her grandfather’s work more broadly. Ultimately, she said, “I would like to tell the Ghanaian story, truthfully.”

Today, nearly two years after celebrating its centenary, Deo Gratias is widely considered to be the oldest operational photo studio in West Africa, and is still largely used as it was in its early years (albeit with a different, smaller crowd), said Tamakloe. “It’s in a very densely populated area and we have a lot of festivals happening around us — we’re also surrounded by churches — so people still come and have their photograph taken all dressed up,” she explained.

With a shift in new technologies and the way we interact with photography evolving, however, Tamakloe acknowledged that most people now look elsewhere for their mementos. “People do come and have passport pictures taken, but it’s not as busy as it used to be,” she said. “These days, people take photographs on their phones. Those who do come in though, want a print to keep and probably frame.”

“Unveiling the Shadows of the Past: J. K. Bruce-Vanderpuije — The Hidden Icon of Photography in Africa” runs until Feb. 20, 2024 at Efie Gallery, Dubai.

By Honorary Reporter Foteini Chatzoudi from Greece
Photos = Kim Chan-yang 

In London, New Malden in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is home to one of Europe’s largest ethnic Korean communities. The Korean diaspora here has made a substantial impact through stores, restaurants, businesses and cultural establishments. King Charles III visited New Malden on Nov. 8, 2023, to greet President Yoon Suk Yeol, who making a state visit to the U.K. at the time, to honor Korean culture. 

I discovered New Malden through Korean British photographer Kim Chan-yang’s “Dongpo,” a photographic collection capturing Korean expats in the area. His work has been displayed at Bienal ’23 Fotografia do Porto (Biennial of Photography of Porto) in Portugal and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and in publications like the British Journal of Photography. 

The following are excerpts from an email interview with him from Jan. 5-17.

Introduce yourself and explain why you pursued photography.
I’m a Korean Briton born in Seoul but raised in Manchester, England. While doing my bachelor’s in zoology, particularly the module “Biological Photography and Imaging,” I researched photography and came across the exhibition “British Documentary Photographers.” I grew enamored with this so I studied for a master’s in documentary photography from the University of South Wales. After graduating and returning to Manchester, I started snapping shots of my area, community, friends and strangers.

Women wear Hanbok for a festival (left) and a troupe performs the traditional fan dance buchaechum (right).

How did you learn about New Malden’s Koreatown?
After taking pictures in Manchester for several years, I wanted to take my practice to a different level. I was doing research for my master’s and had to devise a new project. While studying Koreans globally, I discovered that New Malden is the epicenter for Koreans in the U.K. My curiosity was piqued.

Why did you start the project “Dongpo?”
I wanted to document and immerse myself in the ethnic Korean community and after starting my master’s, I moved to London to be closer to the area. On a global scale, Korean culture has experienced a significant surge and continues to do so, covering genres like K-pop, film, TV shows and food. But my aim was to also represent the (relatively) small diaspora in the U.K. and how Korean culture has integrated.

What does your project’s name mean?
In Korean, dongpo means “brethren” or “people of the same ancestry.” This term has a transcendental and transnational quality that embraces the Korean diaspora, stressing links among Koreans around the globe.

What message do you wish to convey through your photos?
Whenever a culture is transposed to a country where it didn’t originate from, people tend to take things as a remembrance or do things in a ritualistic sense. This can be a way to pay tribute to their origins, homeland and identity that have been separated from their birthplace and upbringing. I want to show these things and the people and families who have moved.

New Malden has many refugees from North Korea as well as people from South Korea, but everyone looks like they live together peacefully (though I’m sure the place has its own unique problems like any society). This shows that Koreans have a long history together, complex as it may be, and only recently were they separated due to events outside their control.

New Malden has one of the biggest Koreatowns in Europe.

What explains the nostalgic feel in your photos?
The warmth and nostalgic feelings in my images are a definitive reflection of how I felt walking into a new community and being welcomed. I was instantly befriended and everyone was nice. My images reflect that. A lot of them that I’ve always taken, especially in Manchester, evoke a feeling of being in a community, a large family with loyal friends. I also only take photos using analog film, which helps create a vintage and nostalgic feeling.

What did you gain from this project?
My Korean improves a bit every time I go to New Malden and I’ve met amazing people. My study of history between Korea and the U.K. has also helped me understand my own identity and place in the world.

What are your upcoming projects?
My focus is on completing this project and seeking both a publisher and an exhibition to showcase it. Over the long term, I hope to go to Korea and take pictures of my extended family. 

I’m also researching and visiting ethnic Korean communities around the world. Beginning with Europe, I want to show the threads and branches of the larger diasporic tree of what it means to be Korean today.

jihlee08@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.