The UK has provided satellite photographs of North Korean cargo shipments to Russia to a panel of UN experts as part of an attempt to trigger an official investigation into arms deals in violation of international sanctions.

North Korea has been accused of supplying ballistic missiles and hundreds of thousands of artillery shells to the Russian government for its war in Ukraine since Vladimir Putin met with Kim Jong-un in Russia’s far east in September.

Their bilateral relationship appears to be expanding. Putin met the North Korean foreign minister, Choe Son-hui, in the Kremlin this week during a rare, five-day trip by the senior Pyongyang official. The two discussed “further development of our relations in all areas, including sensitive ones”, according to a Kremlin spokesperson.

An unpublished UK defence intelligence report seen by the Guardian shows imagery taken between September and December of three Russian ships, the Maia, Angara and Maria, loading containers at North Korea’s revived Najin port before transiting to Russian ports in the far east. While the agency said it could not identify what was in the containers, it followed a US announcement last week that ballistic missiles from North Korea had been used by Russia in Ukraine last week.

“Russia’s use of North Korean weapons in Ukraine is a violation of multiple UN security council resolutions,” said a UN diplomat. “It undermines international efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and exposes just how desperate Russia has become in its failed invasion. This and other evidence submitted to the UN sanctions committee should trigger a full investigation into Russia and DPRK’s [North Korea’s] flagrant breaking of international sanctions.”

The report, along with other evidence from the United States and other countries, was provided to the UN panel of experts on North Korean proliferation, which is expected next month to publish its first final report since suspected North Korean shipments of ammunition to Russia sharply increased this year.

The ships in the report were all placed under sanctions by the US government in 2022 for their links to the Russian ministry of defence’s shipping company, Oboronlogistika OOO, which has “been involved in Russia’s illegal seizure and occupation of Crimea since 2014, as well as private Russian maritime shipping companies that transport weapons and other military equipment for the [government of Russia]”.

Two of the three ships were also identified in a recent report by the Royal United Services Institute thinktank. It showed a growth in transshipments from North Korea to Russia that “reveal that Russia has likely begun shipping North Korean munitions at scale”. A third was identified by NK News, an independent news website focusing on North Korea, as “part of a group of commercial vessels that have completed multiple deliveries of military equipment and munitions provided by the DPRK to Russia”.

The deliveries have been cited as enabling military strikes against Ukraine in December and January that “killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more”.

Prosecutors in Kharkiv told the Guardian that suspected fragments of North Korean-made Iskander missiles had been sent to Kyiv for analysis and said the missiles had subtle differences: hand-drawn lettering for serial numbers, and a different nozzle exhaust cone and welding.

A statement released by eight members of the security council, including the UK and US, said: “These heinous attacks were conducted, in part, using ballistic missiles and ballistic missile launchers procured from [North Korea].”

The White House’s senior director for arms control, Pranay Vaddi, said this week that the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea was “unprecedented” and warned that Russian military assistance to North Korea could undermine the US nuclear deterrence policy in South Korea and Japan.

“I think the nature of North Korea as a threat in the region could drastically change over the coming decade as a result of this cooperation,” he told the Center for Strategic and International Studies thinktank.

Choe met Putin, the foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and the deputy prime minister Alexander Novak during her visit to Russia.

North Korea also signalled that it may be receiving Russian help for its space programme.

Before the meeting with Putin, a member of the North Korean delegation was photographed with a document apparently titled Observation List in Space Technology Field, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

The list appeared to include the Progress Rocket Space Centre and the Voronezh mechanical plant, known to produce engines, although the writing was not completely clear, the news agency wrote.

Putin had previously pledged to help North Korea build satellites, and North Korea managed to launch its first spy satellite in November. South Korea alleged that Russia had helped build the spy satellite.

CAPE GIRARDEAU Mo. (KBSI) – Pet owners got a chance to get professional photos taken with their furry friends at Busch Pet Products for Valentine’s Day.

Stacy Busch-Heisserer, owner of Busch Pet Products says, “You get a good, quality, professionally done digital image that you can have forever.”

She believes a lot of pet owners have a special bond with their pets and believes creating everlasting memories with them is important.

“Their pets are their children; pets are their furry family members. So, for them having a professionally done portrait is something that they can remember their pet by for years to come.” Said Busch-Heisserer.

It’s something she has loved doing for 13 years now saying, “Basically, we have a different backdrop every year. We try to use some props. People are welcome to bring their dogs or cats, or- we’ve had rabbits.”

The business also boasts of doing other holiday-themed shoots as well, like Halloween and Christmas.

Shift Lead Jasmine Brown believes the frequent events to be popular by saying, “We had a whole line of people going from the party room all the way down to the stock room. It was really great. We had a lot of animals and everything. It was awesome.”

“I really want to do some Christmas pictures, this year, with my pups.” Said Brown.

Portraits were provided by Elaine Rohde Photography and made available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The next portrait event is said to be for Mother’s Day.

In a remarkable shift from his previous career as a sports photographer, Gilles Bertrand has employed his lens to portray the poignant narrative of a wildfire’s aftermath on the Causse de Sauveterre, a vast limestone plateau in France. The exhibition, titled ‘Sauve Terre’ (Save Earth), is currently on display at the Arts Court in Saint-Affrique until February 9, following a successful debut at the Phot’Aubrac festival.

The Genesis of ‘Sauve Terre’

Bertrand’s journey into this new domain of photography was kindled by a catastrophic wildfire in August 2022, sparked by a farmer’s negligence. The inferno mobilized an army of 500 firefighters, necessitated the evacuation of 1,000 individuals, and razed thousands of hectares within the Grands Causses Regional Natural Park. Motivated by his longtime passion for natural environments and forestry, Bertrand felt compelled to document the aftermath of this devastation.

From Sports to Environmental Photography

Transitioning from a distinguished three-decade career as a sports reporter and photographer, Bertrand embarked on this venture a few weeks after the fire. His photographic expedition spanned from the end of November 2022 to August 2023. The shift from sports to nature photography was not an abrupt one for Bertrand, as his love for the outdoors was deeply ingrained from his childhood experiences.

‘Sauve Terre’: A Call to Action

The ‘Sauve Terre’ exhibition comprises 40 photographs printed on weather-resistant aluminum plates. Bertrand’s work, more than being simply an exploration of unique landscapes, is a clarion call for viewers to reconsider their lifestyles in the face of mounting climate threats. His photographs vividly illustrate the impact of wildfires and climate change on natural landscapes, inviting viewers to reflect on their behavior and its potential repercussions on the environment.

Godox has announced the V1Pro Flash with mini sub-flash, which will supersede the original V1, albeit at a higher price point.

The original $330 Godox V1 speed light turned a lot of heads when it was launched back in back in mid-2020, as it had a similar form to the excellent Profoto A10, but without the $1,700 price tag.

At that time in history, round-headed speedlights were all the rage, though the advantages of being round are slightly questionable in that the sensor we shoot to is rectangular.

The main advantage of a round flash-head is that the light’s reflection in the eye will be round (if you can actually work that out).

Also, the light spreads slightly more evenly if you are using a wide angle flash. It’s all very debatable as you can see in this video by Oma Ghomrawi where he tests the difference between Godox round VS rectangular heads. 

The original V1 features 76W output being powered by a 2600mAh lithium-ion battery that gives up to 480 full-power flashes. It has the ability for 40 consecutive full-power flashes with a recycling time of 1.5 seconds per flash.

It also features a built-in 2.4Ghz receiver that enables it to be triggered using the Godox X System transmitters. All in all, it was and still is, definitely a viable option to purchasing an OEM camera brand speedlight which are approximately $650+.

The new Godox V1Pro ups the ante by delivering 500 full-power flashes via its new but physically same-sized 7.2V/2980mAh battery. This allows 100 consecutive full power flashes with a recharge time of 1.5 seconds per flash.

Another bonus, battery wise, is the ability to connect it to the Godox PB960 power pack, which makes a nice addition for wedding and fashion photographers or paparazzi. 

Probably the most interesting addition is the detachable tiny External Flash SU-1. This gives you the ability to have a bounce and fill light in the one package.

No doubt this supplemental tiny flash is of fairly low power, but still enough to give a bit of catchlight / eyelight for the subject.

Another new inclusion is an inbuilt 2W LED light. Flash modelling lights are actually very useful for shooting ‘run and gun’ video grabs, super shallow depth of field / high ISO images at night, or even using it as a copy light for documents or macro photography.

It’s going to be interesting to see if the V1Pro is as successful as its predecessor, as the new price point could make prospective buyers now consider the OEM brands, even though they are still slightly more expensive.

With the V1 being only $330, it was always a bit of a no-brainer if you didn’t always need a speed light, or were on a limited budget.

TECHNICAL
Zoom Ratio: 28 to 105mm (auto)
Flash Duration: 1/300 to 1/20000s
Recycle time: Approx. 1.5s @ full power
Modelling Lamp: 2W (adjustable 10 steps)
High Speed Sync: up to 1/8000
Focus Assist Beam
Wireless 2.4G transmitter range: 100m

The V1Pro is available for pre-order for $550 and has compatible versions for Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm and OM-System.

You can read more about the V1Pro on the Godox website.

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Two small indigo rectangles mirror each other in Sophia Chai’s “Untitled” piece, the last of 13 photos curated for her exhibit, “Character Space.” The images are inspired by the phonetic sounds of the Korean alphabet, connecting verbal communication to shape.

“I think of the Korean alphabet like a pictorial diagram,” Chai said. “In my photographs, I try to reiterate the kind of visual space that I make when I make a sound (from the alphabet).”

Chai’s exhibit opened on Friday and will run until May 17 at Light Work, a nonprofit art facility that supports photographers through residencies and exhibitions on Syracuse University’s campus. Based out of Rochester, Minnesota, Chai currently works as an independent artist and as a MFA mentor for Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Throughout the exhibit, she uses Korean characters to discuss her own experience growing up in the United States as an immigrant.

In 1987, Chai immigrated to New York City from South Korea with her parents. She was 14 and did not speak any English. Her early years in America were filled with confusion, she said, adding that she lacked proper guidance.

“I didn’t feel like there was an adult figure who I could talk to to get help,” Chai said. “I felt kind of untethered. I didn’t have an internal compass.”

Chai’s parents often had to work many hours to provide for her family, a time she recalls as “extremely challenging.” With her English surpassing her parents’ abilities, she was forced into difficult situations having to speak for them. She had to “learn the language of adults as well,” she said.

With the language barrier, Chai often felt isolated from others around her. Those feelings inspired the pieces that now hang at Light Work.

“The work evokes her experiences as a South Korean woman who immigrated to the United States, as well as reinterpreting the Korean alphabet in a way for the audience to see contradictions between visual and verbal forms of communicating with one another,” said Cali M. Banks, Light Work’s communications coordinator.

Banks is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Film and Media Arts at Syracuse University. With her position with Light Work, Banks was in charge of marketing for “Character Space.”

“Chai is imagining how the sounds of words come out of one’s mouth —even if the meaning of what is being said isn’t fully understood yet— and translates that into shapes, lines and gaps we see in the photographs,” Banks said.

Chai was first inspired to pursue art at the Guggenheim Museum‘s former satellite location in SoHo, New York. She was amazed by the work of Robert Rauschenberg, a mid-20th century painter, sculptor and graphic artist. The color and design instantly drew her in, she said.

After turning her studio space into a camera obscura, a dark room with one small hole, Chai was inspired to learn more about analog photography. For “Character Space,” Chai used an analog camera and 4×5 sheets of film to capture photographs inspired by the Korean alphabet.

Chai’s exhibit features a number of alphabet-inspired pieces. “Study of Shapes” features a set of rectangles. With a larger and smaller rectangle next to one another, a separate platform serves as a reflection of both shapes.

The photos all connect to each other in different ways, Chai said. She meticulously captures each photo while imagining the “layerings of time captured” within the snapshot.

“Being inside a camera obscura just got me to ask questions about what is photography. And what are these expectations we have built around what a picture is,” she said. “What is photography? What is seeing?”

Whitney Hubbs, the associate director of Light Work, conducts studio visits and helps curate exhibitions. While familiar with Chai’s work, Hubbs was still inspired by the intellect behind it.

“(Chai)’s referencing Korean written characters and enacting three key ideas of language, optics, and photography,” Hubbs said. “The photographs in this exhibition feel familiar and particular.”

Chai wants viewers to question what photography, seeing and knowing truly are. She believes that photography is often “contradictory” and does not always have a clear answer.

“Interest lies in the rift between how we see through the camera lens and how we experience space with our bodies,” Chai said.