Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass was honored with a snow sculpture.(Credit: WKBW via CNN Newsource)
Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass honored with a snow sculpture
Legendary British photographer dies aged 75
Celebrated British photographer Brian Griffin has died at the age of 75, his business partner has confirmed.
Vaughn George said in a statement: “It is with a heavy heart that I announce that my dear friend and business partner Brian Griffin passed away peacefully in his sleep. I am heartbroken but I will cherish every conversation, the time we spent together and all the wonderful experiences. Rest peacefully my friend.”
Griffin is considered to be a legend of the industry, having worked with some of the biggest names in music. His best-known work includes album covers such as Depeche Mode’s ‘A Broken Frame’, as well as photographing other bands such as The Clash, Echo & The Bunnymen and Siouxsie and the Banshees.
The photographer also notably worked on a documentary with Sir Paul McCartney. He also worked with celebrities such as Dame Helen Mirren and Dame Vivienne Westwood.
Tributes have poured in for Griffin from the industry. Publishing house Nine eight Books, who used Griffin’s image for one of their books, said: “We are very sorry to hear about the passing of the remarkable photographer Brian Griffin. He kindly allowed us to use his stunning shot of Siouxsie for Cathi Unsworth’s ‘Season of the Witch’. It was the only picture we ever considered. A true visionary. Rest in Peace Brian.”
Sharjah’s Xposure International Photography Festival announces its biggest edition for champions of visual arts in UAE and beyond
Sharjah: The 8th edition of Xposure International Photography Festival will take place from February 28 to March 5, 2024, announced the Sharjah Government Media Bureau. The region’s largest festival of its kind that annually brings together both champions and admirers of the visual arts across mediums of photography and film will be hosting its biggest iteration yet in Expo Centre Sharjah.
A vibrant hub of leading photographers, filmmakers, visual artists, and visitors, the 7-day festival will feature award-winning exhibitions, insightful debates and inspiring dialogues, film screenings, a trade exhibition, book signings, and interactive activities for professionals, amateurs and hobbyists alike. Xposure focuses on developing photography skills through specialised workshops and portfolio reviews, and organises one of the most prestigious awards to honour leading industry talents.
Xposure 2024 to be an even bigger celebration of photography, films and more
HE Tariq Saeed Allay, Director General of SGMB, said: “The Xposure International Photography Festival continues on its mission to boost Sharjah’s and the UAE’s global reputation for being a frontrunning incubator of talent and excellence in varied disciplines of visual arts. The festival also reinforces our emirate’s reputation as a top destination for global talent and a leading platform of cultural and artistic exchange”.
“Xposure will offer visitors a window into unique artistic perspectives, cultures, circumstances and opinions that have shaped the distinct narratives of world renowned image makers who will be joining us this year. The festival’s agenda reflects our strategic approach to inspire people, make them better observers of our world and its realities, and enrich their cultural and educational experiences. By bringing emerging talents together with global professionals on one platform, we seek to strengthen the future of visual storytelling through the exchange of ideas, perspectives and innovation,” he stressed.
The organisers are gearing up to announce big industry names, award-winning exhibitions and other attractions that will come together to make Xposure 2024 the biggest edition yet.
25,000 entries from 190 countries for Xposure 2024
The Xposure International Photography Festival, boasting an impressive prize pool of $60,000 dollars, has witnessed exceptional participation this year, receiving over 25,000 entries from 190 countries including China, India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Russia,Germany, Italy, Brazil, Egypt, USA, United Kingdom, and more across its 13 categories. Highest submissions were received by the ‘Street Photography’ category with 4,868 entries, followed by ‘Portraiture’ with 4,847. The ‘Nature & Landscape’ category attracted 4,583 entries, while the ‘Mobile Photography’ category received 2,444 applications.
The ‘Drone Photography’ category received 2,663 submissions, while ‘Architectural Photography’ had 2,233. The ‘Photojournalism’ category drew 1,835 entries, and ‘Night Photography’ received 1,267 entries. The newly introduced ‘See Sharjah’ category, which includes subcategories such as Cultural Heritage, Urban Landscapes, People and Daily Life, and Nature, received 660 submissions.
Film Awards
Xposure also features film awards in four sub-categories, including ‘Short Film’, ‘Best Documentary’, ‘Best Cinematic Arts’, and ‘Best Animated and Moving Image’. These categories have collectively received 567 entries from around the world this year.
The overall winner is awarded $6,000 dollars. Each first-place winner in the individual categories receives a $3,000 dollar prize, while second-place winners in each of the 15 categories receive $1,500 dollars.
Junior Photography Awards
The Xposure Awards will have a special category named ‘Junior Photography’ dedicated for young photographers under the age of 18. This year, the category has attracted 192 entries. Targeting young talents in the UAE, the initiative provides an emerging generation of visual storytellers with access to a leading industry platform, where they can both learn and showcase their work.
Independent & Freelance Photojournalist Award
The festival also honours photo journalists with an Independent & Freelance Photojournalist Award – and a prize-pool of over $15,000 dollars is to be contested through three categories. This coveted award has received 255 submissions from over 61 countries. The award is further divided into the categories of ‘Spot News’, ‘Environment’ and ‘Solutions’. The award is designed to acknowledge the grit and passion of photographers who defy danger and precarious situations to showcase the truth to the world, build public awareness and bring issues of global importance to the limelight.
To know more about the festival’s leading guests, panel discussions, exhibitions, workshops, and other events, visit https://xposure.net/ to register.
-Ends-
About the “Xposure” International Photography Festival:
The “Xposure” International Photography Festival is one of the most prominent international festivals specialising in celebrating and showcasing the best creative works in the fields of photography and film. It provides a comprehensive platform for learning, offering workshops, panel discussions, and exhibitions that annually attract photographers, filmmakers, and enthusiasts from around the world. The festival is a destination for professionals in the imaging industry and artists, offering opportunities for networking, professional growth, and keeping up with the latest trends and technologies in the visual arts.
This year, the festival continues its journey after its previous edition witnessed the attendance and participation of 20,000 visitors. It hosted 110 top photographers, imaging industry experts, and thought leaders, presenting 41 inspiring lectures, 53 workshops, 37 panel discussions and talks, and live demonstrative shows. It revealed the latest innovations from 41 specialised photography and image processing brands participating in the trade exhibition during the festival.
In photos: LA’s Mexican-American teens’ rodeo dance scene
In the early 1990s, a Mexican-American dance craze swept through Los Angeles and the American south-west. It was called quebradita (meaning ‘little break’) in reference to the flips and backbends that characterised this acrobatic style. While rooted in the vaquero [cowboy] tradition of northern Mexico, quebradita was a new combination of Mexican, Anglo and African-American influences accompanied by catchy tecnobanda music in rodeo grounds, clubs, parks and warehouses throughout the border region.
The dance waned in popularity at the turn of the millennium, before reemerging in the 2010s in a more toned-down form. Recently, however, it’s been revived and remixed by a new generation of teens as one of many vaquero dance crazes exploding in popularity on TikTok and Instagram. In LA, much of the scene centres around the Pico Rivera Sports Arena in the southeast of the city, where young people dance to live bands after rodeo events. Over the past few months, British photographer James Pearson-Howes has worked to capture the fast turns, swinging hips, and electric atmosphere of the dances in his ongoing photo series, Taller the Hat, Closer to Heaven.
“I see my work as a way to understand people, to see what makes us different but also what binds us together,” he tells Dazed. Intrigued by the social media-fuelled dance trends of the past five years, he stumbled across these vaquero styles on TikTok, and travelled to LA in September 2023 to document “the vibrance and energy” of the youth culture there. Shooting on film, he used shutter drag to keep pace with the action and preserve the details, down to the softness of the dancers’ hair as they spun around. He recalls, “I shot quite tight – it’s always about the people and capturing their faces and their style.”
A fashion and documentary photographer, Pearson-Howes has always had an eye for subcultures, covering everything from the nascent grime scene in London in the 2000s, to the “strange and surreal” folkloric rituals still practised in obscure corners of the UK today. Having grown up going to raves in the 90s, community building around dance and fashion struck a chord with the photographer and he was immediately enchanted when he encountered the vaquero dance scene in LA. He tells Dazed, “Here, you have this classic Western look – the cowboy hat, the rodeo shirt tucked into belted wrangler jeans, the cowboy boots – but mix that with tramlines shaved into the hair, or guys with New Era caps on. It’s this mash-up of traditional and contemporary fashion that makes it so unique.”
Sydney Hutchinson, an author and academic from Tucson, Arizona, who researched the trend in the 90s affirmed the social and cultural importance of the dancers’ distinct style. “Quebradita appealed to thousands of Mexican-American youth who were looking for a way to be vocal and proud about their roots, especially with all the anti-immigrant legislation going on at the time,” she tells Dazed. “These kids mixed folklórico moves with steps from hip-hop, swing, merengue, and country, and paired traditional ranchero aesthetics with sequins and customised tees. It was loud and bright and flashy, and enabled these young dancers to gain visibility and claim space.”
22-year-old Angel Martinez from San Jacinto, California, is one of the dancers featured in Pearson-Howes’ project. Martinez began teaching himself to dance on TikTok and Instagram in late 2022 and hasn’t stopped. “I’m Hispanic and dancing is in our blood,” he says. “We dance for fun, mixing all the styles, adding more spins, and teaching each other new moves.” After a dance has ended at Pico Rivera Sports Arena, his friends head to a fast-food joint called Raising Cane’s and carry on until dawn. “Dancing is like therapy for me – it relaxes my mind and distracts me from the things I’m stressing about.”
Pearson-Howes is heading back to LA this year to shoot a short film about the community and the individuals he met, digging deeper into “what makes them dance”. Meanwhile, Sydney Hutchinson sees parallels between the political and sociocultural functions of the quebradita scene in the early 90s, and the dance crazes of today. “It seems to be one of those trends that comes in cycles,” she says. “As the first trend that brought together Mexican-American kids with those who had newly migrated from Mexico, quebradita had this political meaning behind it, which wasn’t so obvious to outside observers. Right now, as we face down the prospect of another Trump presidency, it makes sense that people are connecting with it, and finding positive ways to assert their identity.”
Follow James Pearson–Howes here for updates on Taller the Gat, Closer to Heaven.
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Brian Griffin, famous photographer, dies
Brian Griffin’s famous cover for ” A Broken Frame » by Depeche Mode is considered one of the most memorable photos of the 1980s.
Brian Griffin, the man who created some of the most memorable album covers of the 1980s for artists such as Depeche Mode and Echo & The Bunnymen, has died aged 75.
Griffin, who had been elected “ photographer of the decade ” by The Guardian in 1989, died in his sleep, as his associate Vaughn George confirmed: “ It is with a heavy heart that I announce that my dear friend and business associate Brian Griffin passed away peacefully in his sleep. I am heartbroken, but I will cherish every conversation, the time we spent together, and all the wonderful experiences we had. Rest in peace my friend. »
Brian Griffin began working as a corporate photographer in the 1970s, before his work with Stiff Records allowed him to establish himself in the music business. Throughout the 1980s, he created many of the decade’s defining album covers, including A Broken Frame by Depeche Mode, a photo of a woman mowing a field, inspired by the socialist photography of Soviet Russia.
This photo was named “ Photography of the decade ” by Time in 1990.
It is with a heavy heart that I announce that my dear friend and business partner Brian Griffin passed away peacefully in his sleep. I am heartbroken but I will cherish every conversation, the time we spent together and all the wonderful experiences. Rest peacefully my friend. pic.twitter.com/YW5dYgsgR5
— Vaughn George (Vaughty) (@VaughnGeorgeV) January 30, 2024
RIP Brian Griffin.
Brian’s photographic and creative genius was responsible for some of Depeche Mode’s (and many other artists) most iconic album covers & photoshoots.
Brian you will be missed 🙏#RIPBrianGriffin #BrianGriffin #Depeche Mode pic.twitter.com/nVsUazSiGH
— Depeche Mode Bong (@depechemodebong) January 30, 2024
He also created iconic portraits of The Jam and Elvis Costello, as well as album covers for Joe Jackson and Siouxsie & The Banshees.
He left photography in the 1990s to set up a production company, but returned in the early 2000s when he led a campaign to have his home city of Birmingham named the European Capital of Culture. He also directed a documentary for Paul McCartney in 2004.
Paying tribute to him, writer Bill Brewster said: “ I am sorry to hear of the passing of Brian Griffin. When I interviewed my fellow photographer Peter Ashworth, he told me he was an inspiration: he’s a stunning photographer. »
Richmond’s new sculpture memorializes RPS’ racial integration.
It’s in honor of the first Black student at Richmond’s Westhampton School in 1961.
World’s best travel photographers in 2023
For over 20 years, the Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) has been awarding the best work of amateur and professional photographers from around the world. People from more than 150 countries submitted more than 20,000 images in TPOTY 2023 and the winners have finally been revealed.
From lyrically beautiful images of European agricultural landscapes to heartbreaking aerial shots of elephants searching for food on rubbish dumps, and from intriguing portraits of shamans performing rituals on a frozen Siberian lake to an inspirational portfolio showing athletes still competing in their 80s and 90s and photographs capturing the friendship between a rescued pangolin and her carer, the winning images in the 2023 international Travel Photographer of the Year awards illustrate the highs and lows of life on this planet, captured through the lenses of enormously talented photographers of all ages from around the globe.
For the second year in a row, a Slovenian photographer has taken the overall honours. The Travel Photographer of the Year 2023, AndreJa Ravnak, follows in the footsteps of her fellow countryman Matjaz Krivic, who took the title in 2022, depicting hop growing in Slovenia and rolling fields in Italy and Czechia. Among others, her prize includes a £1,000 (€1,170) cash bursary from TPOTY.
“There is a subtle elegance about this year’s winners”, said TPOTY founder Chris Coe. “This comes through in both of AndreJa’s winning portfolios; one takes us into simple landscapes, with delicate colours and a textural beauty, the other into the hop fields, out of season and undressed ready for the next planting. Neither are obvious subjects, neither photographed at an optimal time of year, and yet they are both engaging and rather beautiful.”
The winner in one category was not chosen by the judges. The People’s Choice award was decided by members of the public voting on the TPOTY website – and this year the winner is aged just 15. The winning image, by Rohan Neel Shah (Kenya), shows a bewildered lone wildebeest in the middle of the frenzy that is the Great Migration in the Maasai Mara.
This year TPOTY welcomed MPB, the largest global platform to buy, sell and trade used photography and videography kit, to the sponsor line-up for the first time. The three MPB One Shot categories challenged photographers to capture each category theme (A Quieter Life, Above, Eye Level, Below and Leisure & Adventure) in just a single image. MPB also supported the HD video category, World in Motion, which was won by British photographer and filmmaker Matthew Williams-Ellis for Karibu Nyumbani, a short film highlighting the beauty and depleted wildlife populations of the Mara North Conservancy, in Kenya.
Lastly, in this year’s awards, three of the finalists will receive an unusual opportunity to have their work reviewed by a top New York photographers’ agent, Frank Meo from The PhotoCloser. The selected photographers are Caden Shepard Choi (USA), F Dilek Yurdakul (Turkey) and Jack Lawson (UK).
The full portfolios of the winners, as well as runners-up can be viewed on TPOTY, but below is a glimpse of the best travel photographs of 2023.
1. Overall Winner: Travel Photographer of the Year 2023 – AndreJa Ravnak, Slovenia
2. Young Travel Photographer of the Year 2023 – Caden Shepard Choi, USA (age 14)
3. Young Travel Photographer of the Year: Winner, 15-18 years – Lilly Zhang, USA (age 17)
4. Young Travel Photographer of the Year: Winner, 14 years & under – Zayan Durrani, USA, (age 14)
5. Portfolio Winner: Landscape & Environment – Armand Sarlangue, France
6. Portfolio Winner: Nature, Wildlife & Conservation – Martin Broen, USA
7. Portfolio Winner: People & Cultures – Athanasios Maloukos, Greece
8. Portfolio Winner: Visual Stories – Alain Schroeder, Belgium
9. MPB One Shot Winner: A Quieter Life – Ignacio Palacios, Australia/Spain
10. MPB One Shot Winner: Above, Eye Level, Below – Josien van Geffen, Netherlands
11. MPB One Shot Winner: Leisure & Adventure – Andrea Peruzzi, Italy
12. People’s Choice Winner: Rohan Neel Shah, Kenya
13. MPB Video World in Motion Winner: Matthew Williams-Ellis, UK
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Photographer Henry Diltz launches limited-edition co-signed prints of Keith Richards, Ringo Starr and more
Henry Diltz x 12on12
Renowned music photographer Henry Diltz is giving music fans a chance to get their hands on prints of some of his most iconic photographs.
The photographer has teamed up with lifestyle brand 12on12 to launch a limited-edition print collection, featuring five never-before-seen photos of The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards, The Beatles’ Ringo Starr, Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash and America, with each photo co-signed by Diltz and the artist.
The prints, plus limited-edition co-signed T-shirts, will be unveiled Thursday at Fred Segal Sunset in Los Angeles, where they’ll be on display until February 15. A portion of the proceeds from the sales will be donated to MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s charity arm, which provides health and human services to the music community.
“For the first time in my life, I’m so pleased to be releasing this co-signed collection with some of my dearest friends,” Diltz shares. “I’ve known these musicians for many decades and I love that these moments captured in time can support such a great cause like MusiCares.”
He adds, “I believe in the ‘divine plan,’ and how lucky are we that it led me here, able to share these moments and memories with everyone!”
Diltz is well known for his iconic photos from the 1960s and 1970s. He was the official photographer at Woodstock and shot 250 album covers, as well as publicity shots for such artists as Eagles, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, Crosby, Stills & Nash and more. In 2023 he was honored with the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Award and also received the Icon Award at the Abbey Road Studios Music Photography Awards.
More information on the collection can be found at 12on12.com.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Western Connecticut Bird Club Hosts Photographer
SOUTHBURY — The Western Connecticut Bird Club will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, February 15, at the Southbury Public Library, 100 Poverty Rd.
The program will be preceded by a half hour social.
Wildlife conservation photographer Danielle Noel Hawthorne will present, “Birding: A Wildlife Photographer’s View.”
The presentation will focus on how different a photographer’s perspective can be in many ways and on numerous levels, from equipment to mindset, image composition, conservation, education, lighting and weather, habitat considerations, excursions and travel.
The program will include images from Costa Rica and the northeast.
The meeting is open to the public. This meeting is not sponsored by the Southbury Public Library.
Those seeking additional information may contact Angela Dimmitt at angeladimmitt@aol.com or call 860-355-3429.
Photographer Henry Diltz launches limited-edition co-signed prints of Keith Richards, Ringo Starr and more – 100.7 FM – KSLX
Henry Diltz x 12on12
Renowned music photographer Henry Diltz is giving music fans a chance to get their hands on prints of some of his most iconic photographs.
The photographer has teamed up with lifestyle brand 12on12 to launch a limited-edition print collection, featuring five never-before-seen photos of The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards, The Beatles’ Ringo Starr, Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash and America, with each photo co-signed by Diltz and the artist.
The prints, plus limited-edition co-signed T-shirts, will be unveiled Thursday at Fred Segal Sunset in Los Angeles, where they’ll be on display until February 15. A portion of the proceeds from the sales will be donated to MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s charity arm, which provides health and human services to the music community.
“For the first time in my life, I’m so pleased to be releasing this co-signed collection with some of my dearest friends,” Diltz shares. “I’ve known these musicians for many decades and I love that these moments captured in time can support such a great cause like MusiCares.”
He adds, “I believe in the ‘divine plan,’ and how lucky are we that it led me here, able to share these moments and memories with everyone!”
Diltz is well known for his iconic photos from the 1960s and 1970s. He was the official photographer at Woodstock and shot 250 album covers, as well as publicity shots for such artists as Eagles, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, Crosby, Stills & Nash and more. In 2023 he was honored with the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Award and also received the Icon Award at the Abbey Road Studios Music Photography Awards.
More information on the collection can be found at 12on12.com.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
