The Star Tribune sports staff earned five Top 10 honors from Associated Press Sports Editors in the top national sports journalism contest, which grants prizes for writing, photography, digital and print.

The Star Tribune placed in the Top 10 in Category A, the division composed of the largest news organizations, in print portfolio, event coverage for its stories on the death of Bud Grant, column writing for outdoors columnist Dennis Anderson and short feature for NFL writer Mark Craig’s story on Vikings rookie offensive lineman Jacky Chen. Photographer Jerry Holt received Top 10 honors in feature photography. The Star Tribune received an honorable mention in the digital contest.

Results were announced over the past week during APSE’s annual winter meeting in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Winners will receive their awards at the APSE summer conference, scheduled for June 20-22 in Charlotte, N.C.

APSE also announced last week the creation of the Billie Jean King Award for a new national writing contest devoted to coverage of women’s sports.

One thing is certain about the latest exhibit, “Reflecting Lenses: 20 Years of Photography” at Gorman Museum of Native American Art on the UC Davis campus: It does not include Edward Curtis’ images of American Indians.

“But some of our artists have definitely responded to his work,” exhibit curator Polly Nordstrand said during a brief telephone interview Monday, referring to the American photographer (1868 to 1952) whose huge landmark series, “The North American Indian,” defined what many white Americans at the time imagined what life was like for our nation’s first peoples.

She said Curtis created “stereotypes” of what he believed was a “vanishing race,” but, perhaps alluding to an Indian interpreter who supposedly told Curtis, “You are trying to get what does not exist,” missed out on the true essence and reality of American Indian life in the early 20th century, especially as reflected from an Indigenous point of view. (To be fair, while Curtis’ massive collection may have its shortcomings, it is also considered a body of work devoted to the notion of life lived in harmony with tradition and nature.)

More than two dozen Indigenous artists from North America, Aotearoa and Australia, all from diverse backgrounds, are represented in the exhibition, which highlights the museum’s photography collection alongside new works on loan from several artists. The show of 26 pieces by 22 artists — with artworks ranging in size from 16 by 20 inches to 46 by 154 inches (or roughly 4 feet by 13 feet) — continues to Sept. 1.

For decades, the museum has hosted artists who advance Indigenous “visual sovereignty,” said Nordstrand, which she defined as the assertion of Indigenous autonomy, “nationhood and self-rule,” through visual media.

No surprise, photographs are central to the museum’s collection of contemporary art. And their themes often “relate to social and environmental justice, connection to homeland and Indigenous empowerment in the contemporary world,” museum curator Veronica Passalacqua said in a press statement.

Throughout its nearly 200-year history, photography, she added, has been “a tool for colonial projects” across the globe, as non-native photographers produced images that dehumanized and stereotyped Indigenous people, suggesting narratives of “vanishing cultures, primitive minds and victims of progress,” as Curtis, arguably, did.

Photography was not taken seriously as an art form until the early 20th century but especially so in the 1960s, when art schools began to acknowledge it as important art.

And the work of early Indigenous photographers can be seen as the emergence of a native point of view.

“These images not only restore dignity to the subject but also reflect the priorities and realities of Indigenous experiences,” Passalacqua wrote in the prepared statement. “Taking up the camera was an act of visual sovereignty.”

Contemporary artists, in general, approach photography from a variety of ways, from  photojournalism and performance art to digital production and filmmaking.

“There’s a huge variety of what artists are able to do” with the act of taking the photo and its printing to its manipulation an inclusion among other media to enhance effect, Nordstrand said.

Consider “Pony Girl,” from Hukpapa Lakota artist Dana Claxton’s “The Mustang Series,” which shows two women, one American Indian, the other white, both clad in red clothing, one pointing to the distance, ther other wearing a bridle in her mouth.

“They symbolize the signficance of the horse” in Lakota culture, Black Elk’s vision of the Horse Dance, and pop culture, expressing “Indians moving into the future,” said Nordstrand.

A black-and-white collage by Larry McNeil, a Tlingit Alaskan native, appears to signify the negative advances of capitalism and Big Oil and their impacts on American Indian people and their lands.

Brenda L. Croft’s “Irrisistable/irresistible,” a 2000 Ilfachrome digitally manipulated image from the series “fever (you give me),” was part of a project developed over three years while she worked in New York City and then created it in Perth and Sydney, Australia.

Croft’s statement on the label reads, in part (with her punctuation): “The sense of travel informs much of the work; hard to locate, links to place, strands of time. Diluted by the filter of popular/populist/revisionist story telling. The making of new, invidious (urban) myths.”

In a reference to Australian history, specifically colonial rule, Croft also noted: “Irrisistable was the name of one of the first ships that arrived in Australia after 1788. Irresistible is also how the first arrivals considered Indigenous women.”

Passalacqua characterized the exhibit works as producing “visions of collective memory and counter narratives, in addition to portraits and landscapes.”

The primary subject matter? “Native presence,” she said in the news release.

Nordstrand said the exhibit shows “the caliber” of the Gorman photography collection and its artists, which are collected internationally.

“The artists in our collection have the highest recognition in the field,” she added.

Some related events: 2 p.m. Sunday, a curator walk-through with Nordstrand; and 2 to 4 p.m. April 12, an artist talk and reception with Sarah Sense.

The exhibition and events are sponsored by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Art Museum Futures Fund and the UC Davis College of Letters and Science.

IF YOU GO
What: “Reflecting Lenses: 20 Years of Photography at the Gorman Museum”
Where: Gorman Museum of Native American Art, 1 Shields Ave., UC Davis
When: Through Sept. 1
Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesdays to Fridays; and noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays
Admission: Free
Online: gormanmuseum.ucdavis.edu
Telephone: (530) 752-6567

PEKIN (25News Now) – Tazewell Animal Protective Society, TAPS, has seen a decline in the number of people interested in adopting animals, but a pet photographer is helping these furry friends find homes one snapshot at a time.

“It means a lot to me. I feel like I’m doing a great job, and hearing I came down because I saw this photo of this dog,” said Cheryl Linton, owner of Legacies’ Photography.

Linton, a professional pet photographer, has volunteered with local animal shelters for the past ten years.

“What I want to do is work with animals and help animals. I came down to TAPS as a volunteer. They didn’t even know I took photos until I walked through the door; once they found out I took photos, that was it,” said Linton.

Being in the industry for a decade, Linton has developed techniques always to get a dog’s good side.

“There are all kinds of tricks that I have, squeaky toys, throwing toys, throwing treats, I mean it’s all kinds of things, it just depends on the dog. I haven’t found many that I haven’t been able to capture their photo,” said Linton.

These photos are the kind of exposure TAPS is looking for to find people willing to adopt.

The no-kill animal shelter currently has 155 animals still looking for a home, but TAPS spokesperson Liam Donahue says this number is typical. Instead, it’s the growing list of animals with extended stays that worries shelter workers.

“We want to keep them under 100 days if we can, so once we get them, that 100-day mark, we know we need to get them more exposure,” said Donahue.

The Pekin shelter has 24 animals on that 100-day list and is hosting an open house event this Saturday, March 9, from 1 to 4 p.m., hoping for more adoptions.

Until then, Donahue says Linton’s work has been a big help to their shelter.

“Having [the dogs] get nice quality photos where you can capture the essence of their beauty, it helps them to increase exposure and get potential applications,” said Donahue.

You can watch 25News – any newscast, anywhere – streaming LIVE on 25NewsNow.com, our 25News mobile app, and on our WEEK 25News SmartTV streaming app. Learn more about how you can get connected to 25News streaming live news here.

Copyright 2024 WEEK. All rights reserved.

The Bardstown-Nelson County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for BriarRose and Thistle Photography LLC on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2024. Pictured is Leslie Tucker, owner, staff, chamber board/ambassadors, and Lisa Thomas, executive director of the Bardstown-Nelson County Chamber of Commerce.

BriarRose and Thistle Photography LLC holds ribbon cutting

Adobe’s latest update to Lightroom, Lens Blur, introduced in October 2023, is setting new standards in digital photography post-processing. Utilizing Adobe’s AI Sensei technology, this tool creates a depth map to selectively blur backgrounds or foregrounds, adding a professional bokeh effect to images. Despite its current Early Access status, the tool has garnered attention for its time-saving capabilities and the potential to enhance photographic artistry.

Unveiling the Power of AI in Photography

Adobe’s innovative approach to post-processing with the introduction of the Lens Blur tool in Lightroom leverages their proprietary AI Sensei technology. This technology meticulously analyzes an image to create a detailed depth map, distinguishing between the foreground, the main subject, and the background. Once the depth map is established, it allows for selective application of blur effects to different depth levels, effectively simulating the bokeh effect that is often sought after by photographers for its ability to focus attention on the subject by blurring distractions.

User Control and Creative Freedom

While the Lens Blur tool automates much of the process, Adobe ensures that photographers retain creative control over the final outcome. This balance between automation and manual adjustment is crucial for artists who value both efficiency and personal touch in their work. The tool is conveniently located in the Develop module under the Basic panel, labeled ‘Lens blur,’ making it easily accessible for users to experiment with and integrate into their workflow.

Considerations and Implications

Despite the excitement surrounding this new feature, Adobe has cautioned users about its potential implications for photo competition entries. Many competitions, including Adobe’s own Photographer of the Year, have strict rules regarding image manipulation. The use of the Lens Blur tool could potentially disqualify entries due to its capability to significantly alter the original image. This highlights an ongoing debate in the photography community about the boundary between artistic enhancement and preserving the integrity of the original photo.

Adobe’s Lens Blur tool represents a significant leap forward in the realm of digital photography, offering both novice and experienced photographers alike the opportunity to elevate their images with professional-level bokeh effects. As technology continues to evolve, it will be interesting to observe how tools like this reshape the landscape of photography and the creative possibilities they unlock. Nevertheless, the conversation about the ethical considerations of such powerful editing tools is far from over, serving as a reminder of the delicate balance between innovation and authenticity in the art of photography.