I can’t tell you how many times I’ve chastised myself for failing to stop when a photo opportunity presents itself while driving. I’m trying to get better about that and here’s an example where I pulled over for a sunset photo… and glad I did.

Driving

Looking in the rear view mirror I see a blast of color with magnificent clouds. Bummer! As I’m traveling at 75 MPH. Guess I’m going to miss it. Wait a minute! There’s a pull off, and I’m going to take it! Even though the peak of color has passed it’s OK. People wouldn’t believe the what I just saw anyway! Color is still soft and magical and the view ain’t half bad. Grab the camera from the trunk and get to work.

The clouds are nicely layered with multiple colors. In the foreground I am blessed with trees in silhouette against the blue mountains. Having a relatively long lens also allowed to isolate a single tree with a great shape above the line. Aha! A subject to with which to work in front of the pastel colored sky. That’ll work!

Work the composition

Once you’ve discovered a scene it’s time to get the most from the moment. The cloud color fades pretty quick so there is a need to work quickly. When you find a decent subject make sure you try different compositions. Horizontal, vertical and panorama are all possibilities. I choose to share a horizontal and vertical composition with you in this article. One note. Try to keep the horizon level when making landscape images. If your camera has one activate the level to save yourself time in post production.

Exposure

When photographing sunsets in order to get deep rich and vibrant color there is a need to underexpose. When you underexpose and you are working a silhouette subject it can block up all the detail. I prefer to overexpose the scene just a bit and bring the sky exposure down in post production. When working this way there are a lot more options for the final look of the image. If you crush your blacks on capture when you try to pull detail out of the shadows you end up with noise galore. You can always take an image that has been exposed to the right and deepen your shadows for best results. Learn more about ETTR technique here. And, here.

I’ll need to stay on this kick of stopping when a photo event reveals itself. Then, I can stop chastising myself for missing them. Back behind the wheel and I can’t wait to get home to process this find!

Yours in Creative Photography,

Bob

In Belfast’s Market community, a photography project is using the power of art to address the deep-rooted issues of trauma, mental health, and substance abuse.

A People’s Tapestry, a joint effort between Queen’s Communities and Place (QCAP), Market Development Association (MDA), and residents, has culminated in an exhibition highlighting the community’s resilience and determination.

Lucy Flynn (17), one of the young participants, spoke about the emotional impact of the sessions: “It was just building up week by week. And building your confidence slowly but surely. And at the very end, we just had so much trust in each other. Yeah. It just grew everyone’s confidence.”

She added: “I just think that it’s good that we’ve started, that all the people in the Market are starting to go to these groups. And that you’re starting to raise more of an awareness that these groups are happening. And they’re a positive thing for the Market. Instead of it being scary that we’re going to be talking about all these bad things. And that can seem daunting to some people.”

Another participant Molly O’Reilly, shared the story behind her chosen photographs: “I had picked a photo of my uncle, two brothers. me and my sister. Because it just meant so much to me that these are actually the people who got me through so much, helped me and I’ve just spent my whole life with them really.”

She continued: “My other photo was of my mummy, and it was because we had lost her over a year and a half ago. And it was the trauma and the grief that our family has been through after we had lost my mummy. It wasn’t good. It wasn’t nice. And going out with our group and talking about it and actually having people to speak to about the grief that I was feeling. It was heart-warming to be honest.”

The exhibition, featuring interwoven photographs and narratives, chronicles the origins, evolution, and challenges of the Market community.

Participants, ranging from teenagers to adults, attended workshops facilitated by Matt Faris of Funky Buddha Productions, where they shared their experiences through photography, storytelling, and poetry.

Áine Brady, the Community Innovation Practitioner from QCAP and Chairwoman of the MDA, emphasised the significance of the project: “I think art rather than providing a distraction actually allows people to confront their issues, but in a way that’s very safe and is at their own pace and tempo and that’s very much what we’ve seen happening in our group.

“It also allows for voices that normally wouldn’t be heard to be elevated. For example you would very rarely hear working class voices in arts buildings and theatre spaces and exhibition spaces.”

“The voices of Market residents are central here for the next couple of weeks via this exhibition so I think art has really allowed to elevate our people’s voices.”

The project is part of a wider initiative to address the growing substance use problem in the area.

Queen’s University Belfast is one of five UK universities awarded the Community Innovation Practitioner pilot, supporting collaboration between academia and local communities to tackle shared challenges.

Dr Karen McGuigan, QCAP’s Community Health and Wellbeing Lead, highlighted the importance of arts-based methods in facilitating conversations that traditional scientific methods may not: “We’ve been very clear in terms of the use of the arts-based methods and what they can bring to communities and how that opens conversations that maybe traditional scientific methods don’t.

“In this there’s a framework there from which everything has developed and I think us being able to reflect the creative aspects within that has been really important.”

“There’s a good bit of learning not just for communities and that can be shared but also for academic audiences and policymakers beyond that as well.”

Today, the Prince and Princess of Wales shared a new photograph of Prince Louis for his sixth birthday. It shows the young royal smiling, in a blue and yellow chequered shirt, while lying outside on a blanket. The photograph was taken in Berkshire, near the family’s home of Adelaide Cottage, this month. “Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis!” reads the caption. “Thank you for all the kind wishes today.”

The photo comes, of course, in the wake of the recent hysteria around the family’s Mother’s Day snap, which received a kill notice from AP Images. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” the Princess subsequently said in a statement. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion… I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.”

While the Waleses have consistently released photographs of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis on their birthdays over the last few years, there was debate about whether Kensington Palace would issue an official picture of Louis this spring. In March, Kate announced she was undergoing preventative treatment for cancer. In an emotional video, she discussed taking time away from the spotlight to heal and spend time with her three young children as they grapple with her diagnosis.

Above all, she asked for privacy, meaning it would have been more than understandable if she declined to take a portrait this year. Yet, despite it all, it seems that the Waleses have decided to keep up the status quo as much as possible.

Official opening of the Yacht Racing Image Award 2024

by Yacht Racing Image Award 23 Apr 05:15 PDT
20 November 2024

The 15th edition of the international photography competition dedicated to the sport of sailing will once again reassemble the world’s best marine photographers from all over the world.

The prize-giving will take place during the Yacht Racing Forum, held in Amsterdam alongside METSTRADE, where the best images will be exhibited, on November 20.

Initiated in 2010, the international photo competition dedicated to competitive sailing is proud to launch its 15th edition. Professional photographers from all over the world are invited to submit their best image, taken between October 14, 2023 and October 13, 2024.

“A new era is beginning for the Yacht Racing Image award,” explains Bernard Schopfer, organiser of the competition. “After 15 years of loyal support, Mirabaud is giving way to a new lead partner, whom we are actively seeking. The format of the event is not affected by this change and we are proud to be organising this competition, much appreciated throughout the world, with the same passion and enthusiasm for the fifteenth year running.”

The 80 best images selected by the international jury will be published on the event website on October 17, allowing the public to vote for the Public Award. The top 20 images will be exhibited in hall 13, the central hub for METSTRADE visitors at the show floor, allowing visitors to vote for the Delegates Award.

Niels Klarenbeek, Show Director METSTRADE, said: “The METSTRADE team is honored to support the celebration of excellence in sailing photography. We eagerly anticipate showcasing the top 20 images to our audience and paying tribute to the remarkable talent behind each photograph.”

The prize-giving will take place during the Yacht Racing Forum, alongside METSTRADE, on November 20 in front of members of the international marine industry and yacht racing photographers from all over the world.

Detailed rules here.