A Colossal Conversation: Nadya Tolokonnikova on Pussy Riot, Life as Performance Art, and How Anonymity is Her Strength

By in Art World News

A Colossal Conversation: Nadya Tolokonnikova on Pussy Riot, Life as Performance Art, and How Anonymity is Her Strength

All images courtesy of the artist, shared with permission

Nadya Tolokonnikova created Pussy Riot in 2011 partly in response to Vladimir Putin’s declaration that he would continue his reign over Russia. In 2012, when she and her collaborators undertook their now-famous performance at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, she was infamously sentenced to two years in prison, vaulting the art collective to international fame.

I sat down with Nadya for a conversation one Saturday in February 2024, more than a decade since Pussy Riot’s founding. We discuss the ways performance art and activism are uniquely matched, why she chooses to live geo-anonymously, and her grand utopian plans, which include becoming the matriarch of the Church of Feminism.

Read the conversation.

 

four women in dresses and colorful balaclavas protest in a church

From the action ‘Punk Prayer,’ Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Moscow (2012). Photo by Mitya Aleshkovsky

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article A Colossal Conversation: Nadya Tolokonnikova on Pussy Riot, Life as Performance Art, and How Anonymity is Her Strength appeared first on Colossal.

The Amazing 2024 Sculpture by the Sea

By in Sculpture

The Amazing 2024 Sculpture by the Sea
Thousands, including your reporter, flocked to Cottesloe Beach last Sunday afternoon for sand, sun and sculptures. Families picnicked in the shade and posed for photos at the sculptures on the grassy slopes, and on the beach and groyne. Others swam and sunbaked. Kids made their own sand sculptures. In the distance, towards Fremantle, NYK Aphrodite, a huge vehicle carrier or […]

First Friday Art Market showcases local artists at Fizz Ed

By in Art World News

First Friday Art Market showcases local artists at Fizz Ed

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Picturing Maryland: A photo every day in 2024 part 2

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Picturing Maryland: A photo every day in 2024 part 2

Picturing Maryland: A Baltimore Sun photography project showcasing the faces, places and events happening around us.

Edidiong Obot, 3, of Parkville, sniffs the hyacinths at the display created by Bayside Outdoor Living of Perry Hall at the Maryland Home and Garden Show. She told her parents that the flowers “smell like fruits and vegetables.” The Home and Garden Show, plus a Craft Show, continue at the Timonium Fairgrounds next weekend, March 8 – 10.
Rudy Arnold, 18, leaps to make a catch during practice with the Loyola Blakefield Ultimate Frisbee team on a balmy afternoon at Meadowood Regional Park.
Rudy Arnold, 18, leaps to make a catch during practice with the Loyola Blakefield Ultimate Frisbee team on a balmy afternoon at Meadowood Regional Park.
Construction continues along East Baltimore Street as part of the Perkins-Somerset-Oldtown transformation. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Staff)
Construction continues along East Baltimore Street as part of the Perkins-Somerset-Oldtown transformation. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Staff)
Latice Darden, 5 of Westside considers sliding on her belly as she plays with her younger sister Leilah Darden, 3 (not pictured) during a visit to Catherine Street Park on Ashton Av with their mother Paris Johnson. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Latice Darden, 5 of Westside considers sliding on her belly as she plays with her younger sister Leilah Darden, 3 (not pictured) during a visit to Catherine Street Park on Ashton Av with their mother Paris Johnson. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)

Lens Blur in Adobe Lightroom: A Step-By-Step Guide

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Lens Blur in Adobe Lightroom: A Step-By-Step Guide

By Shreyas Yadav | 6 March 2024

This article originally appeared in Australian Photography’s Feb-Mar issue.

A new update to Adobe Lightroom introduced in October 2023, Lens Blur (which is currently in ‘Early Access’ status as we go to print) can blur the background or foreground in your image by making a depth map of the image using Adobe’s AI Sensei technology.

Image: Shreyas Yadav

The tool also lets you add bokeh to out of focus areas in your images.

And while the Lens Blur tool does automate the process considerably, you still have control over the final result.

So far, despite being only in Early Access, I’ve been impressed by the results and have found it’s saved me time in post processing, which means more time for the fun bit – photography!

It’s worth noting that this kind of editing will likely fall foul of many photo competition rules around image manipulation, such as our own Photographer of the Year, so keep this in mind if you plan to use it with a key image.

The tool is found in the Develop module under the Basic panel and has its own heading – ‘Lens blur’. So, with that out of the way, let’s dive right in.

How the lens blur tool works

According to Adobe, the Lens Blur tool analyses the image and creates a Depth map to distinguish between the foreground, the main subject, and the background.

Once the depth map detects different depth levels, the Lens blur tool can then apply a blur effect selectively to specific depth ranges.

Using the tool

Start the mapping

Once you open the drop down for lens Blur you’ll notice a tick box next to the word ‘apply’. Ticking this will start the depth mapping process on your image. It generally works best on images with a clear distinction between the foreground, subject, and the background, but you may be surprised how well it works on other images too.

Set the intensity

Next, we’ll select the Blur amount. This controls the intensity of the Lens Blur effect. The higher the amount, the more prominent the lens blur in your image. I would start with 50 (the default) and then adjust based on the image preview.

Choose the bokeh effect

Now, we’ll select our desired Bokeh Effect from the dropdown. There are five options; Circle, Bubble, 5-Blade, Ring, and Cat Eye. I find the circular and bubble bokeh effect the most useful for my images. Under the Bokeh effect you’ll see a Boost slider, which increases or decreases the intensity of the Bokeh Effect that you have selected.

Set the focal range

Next up is where the real magic happens. We’ll now set the Focal Range, which defines different depth levels in the image and the areas that are in and out of focus. It is a graphical representation (like a bar chart).

You can choose to set the Focal range based on one of three options – Subject Focus, Point/Area Focus, or manually. The first two options are situated on the right side of the panel and marked by a symbol of a head and shoulders and a target symbol.

First up is Subject focus – the head and shoulders.

Selecting this uses AI to automate the focal range process by masking your subject and then applying the blur effect to areas around the subject. Next, Point/Area Focus (symbol: a target) allows you to select a specific point or area on the image, and then adjust the Focal range manually.

Finally, if you’d like to control it yourself, you can use the slider on the graph below to drag the focal range to your desired area.

By first ticking Visualise depth you’ll also get a visual reference to the areas being selected in different colours (these are displayed as warm and cool colour tones – see the breakout box at the bottom of the page for an explanation). This can help you to apply the lens blur effect more accurately.

I generally use Subject Focus in most cases and then Adjust the Focal range if needed.

Refine the effect

Finally, we can also refine the effect. I find this is more useful in images where there is less distinction between the foreground, subject, and the background, as the tool does struggle with images like this on occasion.

Under the Refine dropdown next to the Visualise depth tickbox you have two options, Focus and Blur. If you select Focus, you can paint with a brush over the areas that you still want to keep in focus.

It’s worth adding that this option won’t recover areas that are out of focus in your original image, it will just exclude certain areas from the Lens Blur you’ve applied.

When you select Visualize Depth, the overlays on the image show the following colours:

Warm or Yellow: Covers the area that has a near focal range.
Cool or Blue: Covers the area that has a far focal range.
White: Covers the area that is currently in focus if you’re adjusting the Focal Range controls.

The second option is Blur – this works in the opposite way.

Like with Focus, you can paint with a brush over the areas in the image, but instead it’ll add in lens blur.

There are also additional sliders that will help you to fine-tune your brush, just like when you apply any other brush in Lightroom. These are Amount, Size, Feather, and Flow.

Also, I should add that there is an Auto Mask tickbox at the bottom of this window that was added recently – I haven’t been able to find any information from Adobe on what this does, or see any noticeable difference when editing my images with it applied or not.

Hopefully by the time you read this it’s been updated.

And one more thing before I go – if you want to see a before and after at any point, click and hold the cursor on the eyeball symbol. You can see it where you select the Lens blur dropdown. ❂

Picture perfect: Fountain Hills launches inaugural photography competition

By in Photography

Picture perfect: Fountain Hills launches inaugural photography competition
image

The Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance (SAACA) and the town of Fountain Hills are joining forces to capture the essence of life in Fountain Hills with the announcement of the inaugural Fountain Hills Photography Competition.

This creative placemaking project encourages creativity and exploration while illuminating the community through diverse perspectives and eyes. Through this contest, people will be able to see the landscapes, everyday living, wildlife, dark skies, culture and commerce that make the Fountain Hills community and region truly unique.

The Fountain Hills Photography Competition is open to both amateur and professional photographers, allowing them to explore and appreciate the unique landscapes, culture and wildlife in the community. 

Photographers don’t have to live in Fountain Hills but all photos must be taken in Fountain Hills. 

The contest will award cash prizes in multiple categories, publish the winning photographs locally and showcase the winners through media outreach and social media promotions. Additionally, all winning photos will be displayed on a dedicated website.

The Fountain Hills Photography Competition not only aims to celebrate the beauty and creativity of the town but also provides an opportunity for photographers to showcase their talent and passion. This competition will not only capture stunning images but also help foster a sense of community pride and appreciation for the unique features of Fountain Hills. 

With the support of SAACA and the town of Fountain Hills, this competition promises to be an exciting event that will bring people together to celebrate the community and culture through the art of photography.

Contest entries will be judged on overall quality, creativity and how well the photograph portrays the town of Fountain Hills.

Contest categories include: 

  • Category 1: Life in Fountain Hills and surrounding neighbors in Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and Salt River Pima – Maricopa Indian Community.

  • Category 2: Places in Fountain Hills, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and Salt River Pima – Maricopa Indian Community.

  • Category 3: Plants and wildlife in Fountain Hills.

  • Category 4: Digitally altered artistic photographic images.

  • Category 5: Youth (entrant/photographer must be under 18). Photos taken in Fountain Hills, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and Salt River Pima – Maricopa Indian Community can reflect any subject matter the entrant wants to submit.

  • Category 6: Dark skies; Fountain Hills is designated as an International Dark Sky Community. 

The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. on May 1. Learn more about the contest, its requirements and submit photos at fountainhillsphotocompetition.com.

NYA-EVO Unveils Fjord 50-C: The Transformative Backpack for Advent…

By in Photography

NYA-EVO Unveils Fjord 50-C: The Transformative Backpack for Advent…
image

Adventure photographers are constantly on the lookout for gear that marries functionality with durability, and NYA-EVO’s latest offering, the Fjord 50-C, appears to tick all the boxes. Notably, this backpack stands out with its flexible capacity, expanding from 40L to 50L, alongside its weather-resistant features, making it an ideal companion for photographers on the move. Its Kickstarter campaign has already surpassed its funding goal, reflecting the photography community’s enthusiasm for innovative gear solutions.

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Design and Functionality

The Fjord 50-C’s design focuses on versatility without compromising on space or durability. Its roll top with a zip closure allows for adjustable storage space, ensuring that photographers can pack everything they need for their adventures. The backpack’s construction from water-resistant Econyl nylon and a waterproof Hypalon base offers peace of mind, ensuring that gear remains dry and protected in any weather condition. Additionally, its thoughtful design includes glove-friendly zipper pulls and buckles, as well as holders for an array of equipment, making it a comprehensive solution for adventure photography.

Comfort and Capacity

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Understanding the challenges of carrying heavy loads, NYA-EVO has equipped the Fjord 50-C with height-adjustable straps and a removable waist belt to distribute weight evenly. The inclusion of a lightweight aluminum frame maintains the backpack’s shape, further enhancing comfort during extended use. Inside, photographers can keep their gear organized with NYA-EVO’s removable camera inserts, available in various sizes, and the Assistant Pouch 1.5 for smaller accessories. This attention to detail underscores NYA-EVO’s commitment to meeting the specific needs of adventure photographers.

Crowdfunding Success and Options

The Kickstarter campaign for the Fjord 50-C not only reached but exceeded its funding goal, raising $46,473 against an original target of $13,564. This success highlights the photography community’s support for innovative and high-quality gear. Backers have a range of options, from supporting the project with smaller contributions to receive the Assistant 1.5 Pouch to investing in the Fjord 50-C complete setup, which includes the backpack, waist belt, rain cover, and helmet mesh panel. With the campaign still active, potential backers have a final opportunity to secure the Fjord 50-C at an early bird price before it increases.

NYA-EVO’s introduction of the Fjord 50-C backpack marks a significant milestone in the world of adventure photography gear. Its blend of flexibility, durability, and thoughtful design addresses the core needs of photographers facing the elements in pursuit of their passion. As the Kickstarter campaign concludes and production begins, the photography community eagerly anticipates the arrival of a backpack that promises to enhance their shooting experience, regardless of the destination. This successful campaign not only reinforces NYA-EVO’s reputation for quality but also signals a bright future for adventure photography equipment.

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