Inside Gabriel Moses’ Evocative Debut Photography Book, Regina

By in Photography

Inside Gabriel Moses’ Evocative Debut Photography Book, Regina

April 04, 2024

Lead ImageReplica Man Magazine, 2022 © Gabriel Moses, Prestel

The word “regina” has long resonated with photographer Gabriel Moses. It has featured countless times as a caption on Moses’ Instagram alongside his characteristically atmospheric images, and was the title of his debut exhibition at 180 The Strand in London just last year, which showcased over 50 photographs from his work across fashion, music, and sport. Now, Regina is the title of his first monograph, over 230 full-page reproductions that celebrate his enormous catalogue of work to date. “[Regina] means queen in Latin, while still sounding like the name of a woman,” Moses writes in the book’s foreword. “It was my way of expressing gratitude to the women who have shaped the way I see the world – that’s my grandmother, mum, sister, my nieces – they all shaped my approach and my values.”

11Regina by Gabriel Moses

Looking through Regina, it’s clear the book is a creative homage to the women in Moses’ life. Among photographs of Pharrell Williams and Skepta, there are handwritten notes by his mother stating the love she has for her son, and text written by Ari Chanoux inspired by Moses’ appreciation for his mum in return: “Mumsy, it was never mine / always ours / never a second / always hours.” The book is both dazzlingly spectacular and intensely intimate – with screen grabs of Spotify songs, Instagram messages, and drawings by friends like artist Olaolu Slawn distributed throughout the pages.

Moses has always had a clear vision; one born from community. What started as short films of his friends on football pitches at 17 years old has landed him commissions with Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Chanel, Moncler and even AnOther. His style is unmistakable: rich, vibrant, and narrative-driven. His images regularly show people mid-action – be it with a gun, in the bath, or during a basketball game – and are often accompanied by short cinematic vignettes that offer greater insight into his evocative world. Even when models are facing the camera, Moses shows them to be thoughtful, assured, and at ease.

In just eight years, Moses has established himself as one of fashion’s most promising and most authentic young photographers – he is, after all, just 25. “My mum would show me a lot of old family photos and I loved many of the details of those images,” he says. “I’d also say my community plays a big part. I bring a lot of my identity to my work and that was shaped by my surroundings.”

For Moses, context matters, and Regina offers a multifaceted look at his body of work through contributions from collaborators. The book includes essays by the likes of Federico Sargentone, conversations between the photographer and Skepta and Nick Knight respectively, as well as personal accounts by Matthew Williams, Ciesay, Clint, Samuel Ross, Slawn, and Katja Horvat, who edited the book and worked closely with Moses throughout its creation. “I’ve been blessed enough to have a large catalogue of imagery in the time I’ve been doing this,” he said. “The biggest challenge was communicating it to everyone in what we felt would allow someone to walk away understanding what this is I’m trying to build.”

In more ways than one, Moses has already succeeded in building a whole universe – one that allows for the existence of complex characters informed by both remembrance and reverie. Regina is a testament to this unwavering vision. “For a long time I’ve been focused on world-building and creating a visual language that spoke for me and [that] people could see themselves in, [so] it was important for me to be able to bottle that up. That’s what you see within the pages of this book,” Moses says. “I see myself as an artist. I want people to feel that.”

Regina by Gabriel Moses is published by Prestel, and is out now.

Welcoming Underexposed Black Photographers Into the Canon

By in Photography

Welcoming Underexposed Black Photographers Into the Canon
image

The Vision & Justice publishing initiative hopes to build a richer, more racially inclusive history of photography.

Elegant in a burnt-orange linen dress and wearing necklaces of her own design, Coreen Simpson, 82, said that because she was raised in foster homes, “I have always felt like an outsider — which is a good thing for a photographer.” But as a Black artist of an older generation, she was made to feel like an outsider in other ways, too. “I’ve wanted my own book for a long time,” she said, during an interview in her Brooklyn apartment. “I just wanted a serious book on my work, because I think I deserve it, to tell you the truth.” Thanks to the Vision & Justice project, that deficit is about to be corrected.

Vision & Justice is an enterprise founded by Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, an art historian who believes, she said recently, that images can be powerful in “pushing back against entrenched injustice.” In 2016, she guest edited an issue of Aperture Magazine on that theme. A runaway success, it was reprinted multiple times and incorporated into many university syllabuses, including in the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, and at Harvard, where Lewis is an associate professor of the history of art and architecture and of African and African American Studies.

Aperture Books has now announced plans to publish, beginning in October, a series of Vision & Justice monographs (among them, one on Simpson). “The core mission is to build a richer, more racially inclusive history of photography,” said Michael Famighetti, editor in chief of Aperture Magazine. “There is a restorative or reparative mission. Sarah correctly identifies that there are many great artists who haven’t been exhibited or haven’t been published with critical writing.”

Sara Elizabeth Lewis, a Harvard associate professor who is the founder of the Vision & Justice project, believes that images can be powerful in “pushing back against entrenched injustice.”Tony Luong for The New York Times

Lewis credits Frederick Douglass and her own grandfather for inspiring the Vision & Justice project. Douglass, who escaped from slavery in 1838, was photographed 160 times, making him the most photographed American of the 19th century. He argued that his dignified likeness would counteract the flood of racist depictions of African Americans. “He’s talking about the use of images to write people out of the human family, and he’s talking about the use of images to write them back in,” she said.

And Lewis’s grandfather? He was expelled from high school after he questioned why there were no Black people in his textbooks.

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Can I photograph the April 8 full solar eclipse with my smartphone’s camera? Yes, but you’ll want some gear to protect your device and your image quality

By in Photography

Can I photograph the April 8 full solar eclipse with my smartphone’s camera? Yes, but you’ll want some gear to protect your device and your image quality
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The upcoming solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 will offer residents of southern Ontario a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to personally witness this “cosmic ballet” (to quote the late Leonard Nimoy from his appearance on “The Simpsons”) in all of its glory. After all, Ontario won’t be in the path of another total solar eclipse until Oct. 26, 2144.

Given the rarity of the spectacle, you might be tempted to capture a few images of this celestial phenomenon on your cellphone’s camera — especially if you happen to be in an area at, or near, totality during the event — but if we know looking directly at the sun is hazardous for our eyes is it safe for your device’s image sensor?

Is it safe to photograph the solar eclipse with my smartphone?

A seemingly simple question, with a seemingly complicated answer. Two of the largest smartphone manufacturers — Apple and Samsung — didn’t answer our questions on this subject and there’s a lot of conflicting information available online. Some sources say snapping a few shots of the eclipse is fine, while others suggest doing so will leave you with a damaged cellphone camera and a “neat” story about how you wrecked your phone’s image sensor trying to photograph the 2024 eclipse.

That said, NASA’s 2024 eclipse website’s FAQ section directs questions regarding the eclipse and smartphone photography to the American Astronomical Society’s page which says that you can take photographs of the eclipse with your cellular device, provided you make use of a solar filter over the lenses to protect them. They also link to some sources selling filters with the kind of protection you should look for.

Speaking of which, if you’re going to be trying to align your phone to take photos of the eclipse as it happens, don’t forget to procure some eye protection for yourself as well. Ideally, you’ll want to snag some ISO 12312-2-certified glasses or viewer(s) to avoid injury.

You can read this article to learn more about how to protect your eyes during the eclipse. According to several sources, including the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, it is only considered “safe” to shed your solar protection during the total eclipse of the sun and only if you are in the path of totality. The eclipse is expected to begin in southern Ontario around 2 p.m., peak at 3:20 or so and will conclude by about 4:30.

Even if you are in the path of totality, some ophthalmologists warn against removing your solar glasses or viewer at all during the event as the total eclipse of the sun can only be measured in seconds or minutes, depending on where you are located, and it can be difficult to tell exactly when you’re safe to remove your eye protection and when you should put it back on to avoid damaging your vision.

Should I photograph the eclipse with my smartphone?

That’s ultimately up to you, but if that’s your plan the first thing you’ll want to do is be realistic with your expectations. Chances are your cellphone’s camera isn’t going to be able to capture an image on par with professional photographers using top-notch equipment.

Even so, Appleinsider.com recently published an article detailing how you can boost your chances of capturing a respectable photo of the eclipse. Their advice is to grab one of the aforementioned solar filters, to protect your device’s camera, use that along with a zoom lens attachment — ideally with 12x to 18x optical capability — and then get your hands on a tripod to ensure maximum stability. Even a slightly shaky hand could ruin what might have been a stellar image.

Once you’ve acquired the recommended gear, you can practise for the main event by taking photos of the sun (using the solar filter) and the moon using various settings to determine what works best with your smartphone and photography app of choice.

Where can I get some more information?

If you’d like to read up more on smartphone photography and the eclipse, check out the sites below:

https://eclipse.aas.org/imaging-video/images-videos

https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/safety/

https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/smartphone-photography-eclipse

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/24/how-to-take-pictures-eclipse-phone/

https://appleinsider.com/inside/iphone/tips/the-next-solar-eclipse-is-on-april-8—-heres-how-to-photograph-it

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Camera clubs on Long Island: Taking your photography to the next level

By in Photography

Camera clubs on Long Island: Taking your photography to the next level

When Nancy Panicucci-Roma retired, she developed a passion for wildlife photography. But to advance her skills, she knew she needed help.

So when she moved from upstate Nanuet to Northport to be closer to her daughter, Panicucci-Roma joined the Huntington Camera Club.

Since then, she said she’s learned a lot more about the medium, especially through the club’s competitions and group outings, like a recent photographic jaunt to Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park in Oyster Bay.

“Your work gets critiqued once a month, and you learn from the critiques that people give you, and you start talking to your fellow colleagues and also learn through them,” said Panicucci-Roma, 70, who worked in administration for the state Office of Mental Health.

Whether you’re using a cellphone or a high-end camera, the ability to consistently take decent photos requires learning skills such as “composition, recognition of good light and interesting subject matter,” said Darin Reed, the club’s president.

“Otherwise, you might get a good shot, but you may have just gotten lucky,” he said. “When you can take it from getting lucky to making something special out of something that’s somewhat mundane — that takes some effort, some skills, some training.”

For example, Reed said club members will go over guidelines for producing stronger, more compelling images like the rule of thirds: A photographer uses imaginary lines to divide a photo into thirds, placing the subject off center.

“We, as a club, can help people learn these rules, but we also encourage creative experimentation,” he said, noting most members are amateur photographers, though some work professionally.

The greatest advice he’s ever gotten, he said, was to “learn to see the way my camera sees. Once you understand this, and how to operate your camera, your photography will get a whole lot better.”

As photographers explore the medium, Reed said they tend to focus on specific areas of interest, including landscapes, portraits, wildlife or street photography.

“You eventually develop your own style,” he said.

EQUIPMENT

Camera gear can range from a cell phone to an Instamatic, film, digital, SLR or mirrorless camera. (Reed recommends a mirrorless camera for beginners.) Some photographers will also employ a tripod and various lenses.

“The gear is just the tool to help you progress along. People should not be intimidated at all that they don’t have the best gear,” said Reed, who notes that even a cell phone can produce great photos.

COST

A basic digital camera, lens and tripod package costs about $1,000, Reed said.

COMMITMENT

Though you may benefit from a high-end camera, Reed said the best way to improve your photography is by honing your skills: “Learning to recognize good light, learning rules of composition (and) exposing yourself to more images,” he said.

GET INVOLVED

Looking for inspiration or advice? Here are a few photography clubs that meet on Long Island:

  • Huntington Camera Club: Meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Huntington Public Library, 338 Main St.; hccny.org
  • Wantagh Camera Club: Meets the second Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. at the Wantagh Public Library, 3285 Park Ave., and the fourth Wednesday via Zoom at 7 p.m.; wantaghcameraclub.org
  • Paumanok Camera Club: Meets the first and third Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the New Village Recreation Center, 20 Wireless Rd. in Centereach; paumanokcameraclub.org
By Arlene Gross

British working-class photography features in new show

By in Photography

British working-class photography features in new show

What is working-class photography? A new travelling exhibition from Hayward Gallery Touring, which opens in Coventry before heading to Southend and Nottingham, inadvertently tackles this question. It can’t help but be a complicated one given notions of what working class even denotes are complicated and malleable – before photography even comes into the equation.

Does a photograph of a working-class person or place fall into this category? And does a working-class person have to photograph something that directly relates to their world for it to be considered working-class photography? The show notes acknowledge the tensions at play, promising to address the “complex and counterintuitive expressions of working-class life through the lens”, according to curator Johny Pitts, who is also a photographer and writer.

Top: Rudi’s Room by Rene Matić, 2022. Courtesy the artist; Above: Steve in his kitchen by Elaine Constantine, 1993-96. Courtesy the artist
Peak Community BBQ by Igoris Taran, 2022. Courtesy the artist

The exhibition takes 1989 as its starting point, the year the Berlin Wall fell, through to 2024. It might not seem like the most obvious reference for a show on British photography, but the curators note how it opened up a new age of Western liberal democracy and marked the “end of history” in the words of economist Francis Fukuyama.

It also largely sidesteps the Thatcher years – an era that unwittingly mobilised a generation of working-class photographers. While Thatcherism understandably resurfaces in many conversations about British social documentary photography towards the end of the 20th century, the exhibition seeks to ask what working-class experiences look like in the shadow of that period.

Untitled by Richard Billingham,1993. Courtesy the artist
New Era Days by Nathaniel Télémaque, 2021. Courtesy the artist

The show brings together work from artists at varying stages of their career, including Tom Wood, Rene Matić, Kavi Pujara, Ewen Spencer and Elaine Constantine. It also features Richard Billingham, whose family-oriented series Ray’s A Laugh – recently revived in a new edition – has remained one of the most stirring evocations of a working-class experience even 30 or so years later. It’s an important inclusion that speaks to how photography can immortalise ideas of class.

Also included is work by Khadija Saye, an accomplished mutlidisciplinary artist who died during the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 – a fatal disaster that disproportionately affected working-class people.

Bollo Bridge by Serena Brown, 2018. Courtesy the artist
Untitled by Hannah Starkey, 2022 © Hannah Starkey, courtesy Maureen Paley

The label ‘working-class photography’ might have once applied to photographs of working-class life, yet we are in an age where the biography of the artist is often as important as whatever is occuring in front of the lens. This seems to be the basis for the curatorial choices, which are more about the photographer’s experiences rather than simply presenting obvious scenes of working-class life.

Yet there is a third layer of interaction that Pitts seeks to bring into the fold – the audience. “I hope the extraordinary work included offers not only a celebration of the craft and creativity of working-class practitioners, but also engages, surprises and inspires a working-class audience, and anyone interested in art against-the-odds,” he says.

Glenys Scott looks after grandson Matthew by Richard Grassick, 1994. Courtesy the artist

If the show had been staged in 1989, it likely would have had an altogether different tone – in part because the proportion of working-class people in the arts and creative industries has halved in the UK since the 1970s, but also because ideas of what working-class means have changed in Britain in sometimes strange ways.

With research showing a middle-class tendency to identify as working-class, and the (probably not unrelated) fetishisation of working-class ‘aesthetics’, the exhibition comes at an interesting juncture – one that’s been shaped in tandem with photography and art.

After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989–2024 runs at Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry until June 16. See the full touring schedule here

Here Are My Best Animal Photographs Taken In The Past Year (30 Pics)

By in Photography

Here Are My Best Animal Photographs Taken In The Past Year (30 Pics)

Moderator, BoredPanda staff

Hi there! I’m Gabrielė, but you can also catch me responding to Gab, Gabi, Gabert, or Gabe – take your pick. Professionally, I’m the senior community manager over at Bored Panda, helping people share their awesome work and connecting artists with a worldwide audience.

Beyond work, you’ll catch me traveling, listening to vinyl and diving into movies, art exhibitions, and concerts. I’m a culture buff at heart, always eager to explore and embrace the richness of the human experience.

Read more »

Local High School Photography Students Collaborate with Renowned Photographer

By in Photography

Local High School Photography Students Collaborate with Renowned Photographer

HAGERSTOWN, MD- The Washington County Arts Council announced a show of the photography of Ira S. Lourie along with the photography of students from four Washington County High School, showing from April 4 to May 7, at Washington County Arts Council at 53 South Potomac Street in Hagerstown. This show will focus on the theme of Abstracts and Patterns including new abstract digital photographic images demonstrating textures and patterns, including reflections.

Dr. Lourie, who in the past has had three previous shows of his photographic landscape images, has challenged himself to a new photographic theme and presents 50 new images. As with his 2018 show in which he worked with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra to create a photo montage to play along with the symphony’s rendition of Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, Dr. Lourie has challenged students from four Washington County Public School (WCPS) high school photography programs to also submit photographic images on the same theme to also demonstrate the same Abstracts and Patterns theme. Four WCPS teachers agreed to create projects for their photography classes: Mark Youngblood and Kristen Green from the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts, Josh Edwards at Clear Spring High School, and Marsha Secrest at North Hagerstown High School. These four teachers along with Dr. Lourie will pick the 60-70 student pictures from those submitted to be hung in the student part of the gallery exhibit.

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