Frank Lebon is fascinated by blood. It’s the connecting theme that flows through his first art book, One Blood, a photographic project that takes us through the Covid-19 pandemic, a type 1 diabetes diagnosis, and love, family and friendship.

“I’m always collecting some sort of imagery, but very rarely do I feel it’s worthy of sharing with the world,” the 30-year-old photographer and film-maker says from his bright and airy studio in south London. “With One Blood, I felt a real sense of serendipity, where all these connecting things came together to give it value and meaning.”

For the past decade, Lebon’s work has observed themes of death, family and the downright banal, subverted through his meticulous editing style: often, a portrait is scribbled over, torn apart and restitched, at times reminiscent of American counterculture figures such as Jim Goldberg, Larry Clark and Harmony Korine. His short films, meanwhile, have documented a crime-scene cleaner, London squats and a dog that had witnessed a murder. His work is often laced with a dark sense of humour, and Lebon has become a cult figure in the London art scene – as well as producing ad campaigns for brands including Gucci and Dior.

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One Blood began in early 2020, when Lebon’s finger inadvertently covered half the flash of his digital camera while taking a photo of his mum, Camilla, washing the image in a luminous red light. For most, it would be a soon-deleted mishap. “It reminded me of blood,” Lebon says, moving his finger over the happy accident. “I love how the moon in the background gives the photo context, that I haven’t just dialled up the red.”

Lebon ordered blood testing kits and taught himself how to take samples from his own body. A few days later, he became seriously unwell; he was exhausted, dehydrated and urinating up to 40 times a day. He took himself to his local GP and met a junior doctor on her first ever shift. She didn’t know how to administer a blood test – but Lebon did, and ended up teaching her in the doctor’s room.

“It was like a signal that pointed me to the direction of making One Blood,” Lebon says – he was eventually diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Prompted by the isolation of the pandemic, as well as the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted that locked-down summer, Lebon started thinking about bigger existential questions. “Looking back, I think a big part of all the decisions I made for this project was this idea that we’re all connected, and that underneath the surface we’re all the same – we all have blood running through us.”

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One Blood flicks through intimate moments taken in the past three years. There’s Lebon’s girlfriend sleeping in bed; his naked dad (photographer Mark Lebon); his mum rolling a cigarette. And there are mundane scenes, too: a derelict park; street views of a hospital; blood donor transit bikes. Then, as Lebon calls them, the “blood portraits”, of friends and relatives with a garish red light cast over their faces, imitating the original accident that kicked off the project. Among these are microscopic images of blood samples he had collected from his subjects.

The project is also influenced by French surrealist photographer Jacques-André Boiffard. Lebon first saw his work at a 2014 retrospective at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, but it wasn’t until the making of One Blood that the photographer rediscovered his works and began making connections with his own practice. Among the similarities are Boiffard’s focus on themes of death, his comically grotesque closeup shot of a big toe – Lebon once spent a period of time photographing his own big toe after he broke it – and medical examinations of blood.

“It was so spot-on with the work that I was doing,” Lebon says. This photographer that I’ve been subconsciously connected to since I was 20 had made the biggest impression on me. And here I was, doing something that he did back then. When you make those connections, it’s like a moment of enlightenment.”

Passionate storm chaser Paige Vincent pushes the boundaries of extreme weather photography, capturing beautiful images in the most treacherous environments. 

In a recent short documentary, The Road Less Traveled: Storm Chasing, in collaboration with outdoor clothing brand Kühl, she shares her passion for finding art and the thrill in the ever-changing environment of a storm. 

Although not her full-time career, Vincent’s extreme passion leads to her creating unique once-in-a-lifetime photographs that can never be recaptured. 

Above: Watch the documentary short on Paige Vincent’s photography

The short documentary is the first of four that follow Kühl brand ambassadors through the many environments their passions take them to. The first episode in the Roads Less Travelled series, it provides a dramatic insight into the work behind Vincent’s exceptional images. 

Storms are ever-changing, and this documentary follows Vincent through Arizona capturing images in a particularly heavy monsoon season. The Grand Canyon State is the top choice for the photographer, as she says the “Arizona landscape lends itself to beautiful compositions”. 

Despite a large emphasis on the importance of planning and safety, storm chasing is a dangerous pursuit and one that should not be taken lightly. Weather can change at the drop of a hat, so constant surveillance of the weather is vital to prevent getting ‘blown out’ by the wind. 

The risk and thrill of the environment solidify Vincent’s relationship with nature, and she recounts the feeling and energy of a thunderous bolt of lightning smashing the ground less than a quarter of a mile away. 

The fluctuating environment means quick and easy camera setups are a must, as often Vincent has to set up andm two minutes later, pack up to either flee or get closer to the traveling action, as the best shots are the closest shots. She states that being in the right place at the right time and shooting many frames is the key to capturing unique action images. 

In the 2022 Storm Photo of the Year contest, Paige Vincent was awarded Photo of the Year. She has provided us with an insight into her camera equipment, and must-haves for storm photography.

For her camera, she uses a Nikon Z6 II with a combination of lenses including the 15-30mm, 24-70mm, and 70-300mm. 

Also found in her kit bag is a sturdy tripod, which will enable the capture of lightning bolts through a slower shutter speed and is crucial for capturing sharp images in low light. 

Not unlike other landscape photography genres, ND filters play a large part in ensuring correct exposure throughout the scene and for longer exposures. Vincent also uses a UV filter to protect the lens from debris.

The short documentary provides a great insight into a genre of photography that I have previously been ignorant of, most likely because the extent of bad weather in the UK is a blown-over fence. I recommend checking out on the official Kühl page for more details on camera settings and equipment. 

Get storm weather ready with the best cameras for landscapes, the best tripods, and the best camera rain covers. 

I thought that the megapixel debate was a thing of the past. But I recently discussed it with a few friends, and it looks like it’s time for a reminder. David Bergman and Adorama TV’s recent video came at the perfect time to explain the whole megapixel story to new photographers, and he does it in an incredibly clear and informative way.

Camera and smartphone companies constantly advertise ever-increasing megapixel counts. However, megapixels are just one piece of the image quality puzzle, and more megapixels aren’t always better. So, let’s delve into what megapixels are and what to consider when choosing a camera.

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Understanding megapixels

Imagine your camera sensor as a canvas covered in millions of tiny light receptors called photosites. The number of megapixels on your camera simply refers to the total number of these photosites. Generally, more megapixels translate to more image detail. But how many megapixels are too many? Yes, there is such a thing as too many megapixels. Let’s jump right in.

How many megapixels are too many?

Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons of megapixels to help you decide:

Image quality

While more megapixels from the same-size sensor can provide more detail, they can also come at a cost. Smaller photosites, crammed in to fit a higher megapixel count, capture less light. This was often the case with earlier smartphones and compact cameras (for those of you who remember them). This can lead to reduced image quality, especially in low-light situations where you need high ISO. Remember, other factors like lens quality and sensor size play a significant role in overall image quality.

Display and printing

Let’s start by briefly discussing DPI (dots per inch) and PPI (pixels per inch). They are both used in relation to image resolution and size. DPI is important for printers and refers to the number of color dots a printer uses to recreate an image’s colors. PPI applies to digital images, indicating the density of pixels in an image. You can read more about it in this article.

Most photos today are viewed on screens with far fewer megapixels than your camera has. For example, David mentions that Instagram uses around 1920 pixels on the longest side. So, even a basic 2 MP camera (around 1600×1200 pixels) would comfortably meet this minimum requirement. Even high-resolution displays won’t utilize the full potential of a super high-megapixel image.

When it comes to printing, the number of megapixels you need depends on the desired print size, but also viewing distance. For example, a 4×6 print needs only 2 MP. A larger 11×14 print would need roughly 13.8 megapixels at 300 PPI (pixels per inch).

And what about huge billboards? A larger size means more pixels, right? If you printed them at 300 PPI, you’d need nearly 9,000 MP, as David calculates. However, the pixel count isn’t as crucial when printing billboards as we view them from a much greater distance than we do with photos. Usually, a lower PPI (between 10 and 40) is perfectly acceptable.

Cropping and file size

When you crop your photos, you take away some of those precious megapixels. But this comes in handy for event and concert photography where you have to act fast. We normally capture a bit more of what’s going on so we can crop the photo later. If you heavily crop your photos to zoom in on specific details, you’ll need more megapixels to maintain enough image detail in the final image.

Finally, David mentions that you need to be prepared for larger file sizes with higher-megapixel cameras. This automatically means that you’ll need more storage space on your memory cards and hard drives. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s just something to keep in mind.

So, how many megapixels do you really need?

The good news is that, for most photographers, a camera in the 20 to 24-megapixel range offers more than enough. You’ll get excellent image quality suitable for both displaying and printing your photos.

But David mentions a few scenarios where a high-megapixel camera might be the better choice:

• You heavily crop your photos and need the extra detail
• You’re future-proofing for potential advancements in printing technology
• You shoot professional portraits or fine art photography where capturing maximum detail is crucial

The best megapixel count for you depends on your individual needs. Consider how you plan to use your photos, what image quality is most important to you and why, and how much storage space you have available. Don’t get caught up in the megapixel hype; focus on finding a camera that meets your specific photography goals.