Doony Graff has always been creative, involving himself in Mexico City’s graffiti scene before finding himself at home, making Neoperreo music (a subgenre of reggaeton). The artist, who is from Nezahualcóyotl, was the perfect subject for Columbian photographer David Mesa. Currently based in Berlin, Mesa has been traveling to different countries in Central and South America with the goal of documenting and creating visual archives of up-and-coming contemporary talent.
Mesa chose Graff for his most recent visual essay, working in collaboration with fashion stylist Artie and creative producer Brian Fontana, who he refers to as “indispensable pillars of the underground queer fashion and revolutionary epicenter of the city known as of La Tianguis Disidente.” The shoot also features grooming by Zaybernetic. The photos juxtapose Graff in over-the-top fashion against a straightforward city backdrop, highlighting him in designers like Manchado, Baby Phat and Chanel. Check out the photo essay, exclusively on PAPER, below.
Graff is currently working on multiple tracks as part of a collection called EZYA. His next release “VECINITA” is set for release on March 15, which he tells PAPER he’s excited to share with the world. When asked about his hometown, he tells us that the best part of Mexico City is “the people, the parties and the neighborhood” adding: “my environment where I live and all its people give me strength to create things the way I perceive them.” Graff has made a name for himself in Mexico City, sharing that “there is nothing better than meeting people who know me on the street and having them ask me for a photo.”
So outside of his city, what inspires Graff? “There are too many artists that have inspired me over the years,” he says. “But without a doubt one of them would be Yung Beef and the entire Boricua reggaeton scene of yesteryear.”
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Princess Kate Middleton’s photography passion began when she started taking birthday portraits for her three children.
Kate shares sons Prince George and Prince Louis and daughter Princess Charlotte with her husband, Prince William. To mark their kids’ birthdays each year, William and Kate release a new portrait. Eventually, Kate started taking the pictures herself, snapping shots of George, Charlotte and Louis in relaxed environments instead of more formal photo sessions.
Royal family photographer Samir Hussein told Us Weekly exclusively in May 2020 that Kate has a good eye.
“You can see from the pictures she takes that she’s better, certainly better than your average person on the streets,” Hussein told Us. “She’s got a good eye, and she’s a good photographer. I’m impressed by her pictures, absolutely.”
Princess Kate Through the Years: From Commoner to Future Queen Consort
Kate’s budding talents also caught the eye of Queen Camilla, who enlisted the princess to take the cover photos for her 2022 profile in the U.K.’s Country Life magazine.
“She immediately replied, ‘Oh I’d quite like Catherine to do it.’ I spent the next three or four minutes desperately racking my brain trying to think of a professional photographer called Catherine,” editor Mark Hedges recalled in a statement. “Then suddenly I grasped what she meant — one of the most amazing things that could happen. I found it one of the easier things to nod my head at.”
Kate’s Country Life cover was the first formal portrait of Camilla that Kate has taken.
Nearly two years later in March 2024, Kate’s photo skills sparked backlash when royal watchers noticed that a family Mother’s Day photo appeared to be edited. Several news outlets subsequently pulled the image from their sites after claiming that the photo had been manipulated by the source.
Kate, calling herself an “amateur photographer,” later admitted to experimenting with photo editing software in a social media statement.
Keep scrolling to read everything Kate has said about her photography skills:
During the coronavirus pandemic, Kate launched her Hold Still project with the National Portrait Gallery to demonstrate the “power of photography” during a challenging time.
“We’ve all seen some incredible images out there and heard some amazing stories — some desperately sad stories, but also some really uplifting ones as well,” she said during an appearance on the U.K.’s This Morning. “I really hope that through a project like this, we might be able to showcase some of those stories and to document and share a moment in time, I suppose, that we’re all experiencing.”
During the interview, Kate once again labeled herself as an “amateur” but still offered a few tips she’s picked up.
“I sort of learn on the way, but actually during this time [in lockdown], I spent lots of time picking up my camera and taking photos of the children because they’re always around us when we’re doing stuff together,” she added. “One of the fantastic things about photography is really capturing that moment so it’s not staged; it’s not setting it up perfectly; it’s not clearing your house away so you got a perfect studio setup but it’s really capturing those moments that feel real to you.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Biggest Controversies Through the Years
“Everyone’s like, ‘Mummy, please stop taking photographs!’” Kate joked during a video for Hold Still, referring to her three kids.
After Kate’s Mother’s Day portrait sparked backlash over its alleged manipulation, she released a statement confirming how she had tweaked the pic.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” the princess wrote. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.”
By Joanna Putman
Police1
NEW YORK — The American Kennel Club (AKC) Museum of the Dog has launched a special exhibit documenting the service of NYPD K-9s through photography, an AKC press release states.
The “Dogs that Serve” exhibit, which opened March 13 and will remain open through May 5, showcases the work of Margaret Foxmoore, who has been photographing the NYPD Transit Bureau K-9 Unit for six years, according to the release.
“My objective with this collection of photos is to bring to light the heroism that these officers and their K-9s put on display every day in this city and beyond and to humanize those behind the badge,” said Foxmoore. “This exhibit is truly not about me; it’s about them.”
The exhibit features photos of K-9s at work with their handlers and also serves to honor Ret. Lieutenant Commanding Officer John Pappas, who retired this past fall after 27 years in the NYPD, according to the release. Pappas founded the Transit K-9 Unit in 2005. His partner, K-9 Palla, the highest-ranking K-9 in NYPD history, will have her harness on display during the exhibition.
“I sincerely hope that the exhibit may inspire coming generations to be K-9 handlers and to work together with their dogs to achieve great things,” said Pappas. “The bond between a pet and its family is strong, but the bond between a police K-9 handler and his canine partner, is one of the strongest bonds between human and animal in existence. My partner and I will forever be inseparable.”
What’s going on here?
The value of the global art market fell by 4% last year, suggesting that even the very wealthiest have dropped their champagne budgets to, uh, slightly less expensive champagne budgets.
What does this mean?
The world’s art market picked up dust last year, falling to a three-year low of $65 billion. Now, the market does dip every few years, often by more than 4%. Strangely, though, the most expensive works took the brunt this time. Usually, the very richest investors – the only ones that can pick up a Monet like it’s a print at a Sunday market – aren’t financially impacted by the problems of the everyday masses. So unless world-renowned art has suddenly fallen out of favor, this bout of high interest rates, inflation, and political instability has even the ultra-wealthy watching their wallets.
Source: Arts Economics
Why should I care?
For you: Master the art.
Tensions are heating up between major countries, China’s deep in an economic hole, and with 40% of the world headed to the voting polls, the political landscape is far from locked in. So if the risky climate is why one-percenters are abstaining from fine art, the rest of the year could be quiet too. That could give budding art investors time to browse while prices are easier on the eye – a prospect only beaten by free prosecco at a private viewing.
Source: Arts Economics
The bigger picture: Maybe luxury loyalists don’t need more watches than wrists.
It’s not just the walls of mansions – or more likely, pitch-black private cellars – that are looking a little emptier recently. Big-buck shoppers have been spending less on luxury wares to fill their bespoke closets, forcing high-end brands to take a breather from the intense price hikes they’ve been rolling out since 2019. Even Rolex, as famous for its constantly inflating prices as it is for mother-of-stone watch faces, kept the same price tags out at the start of the year.
