The Hoboken council heard public art proposals including a City Hall mural, a sculpture at Pier C, & a statue of LGBT icon Marsha P. Johnson.
Hoboken council hears public art ideas such as sculpture at Pier C, statue of LGBTQ icon
Sony’s new Xperia 1 VI flagship zooms in on photography nerds
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It ships with an upgraded telephoto camera, AI autofocus features, and a new unified photography app.
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Sony has introduced the Xperia 1 VI, the sixth generation of the company’s flagship smartphone that could tempt photography enthusiasts away from rivaling iPhone and Pixel devices. Some of those perks include a true optical zoom, AI-assisted autofocus, and a unified app experience.
It has three cameras on the back: a 24mm main camera with a 48-megapixel Sony Exmor T sensor, a 16mm ultrawide, and an 85-170mm variable zoom telephoto camera that provides magnification around 3.5x to 7.1x that of the main camera. The Xperia 1 VI also utilizes this new telephoto camera for its macro mode.
The device comes with auto-focus “human pose estimation” AI technology that can recognize a subject’s body and head position and supports filming video in 4K HDR at 120fps that works alongside high-end color profiles like the S-Cinetone. Sony has also unified its various filming and photography features into a single camera app experience, preventing users from needing to jump between different software.
Inside the Xperia 1 VI, you’ll find the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, 12GB of RAM, and a choice between 256GB and 512GB of storage. Sony says its 5,000mAh battery should provide users with up to two days worth of juice on a single charge and that the device supports both 15W wireless charging and wireless battery sharing to other devices.
A few other changes have also been introduced besides the camera upgrades which might be a harder sell for some customers. The previously 4K display is now 2220 x 1080 and has been reduced from 7.1 inches down to 6.5 inches, taking the aspect ratio from 21:9 to a stouter 19.5:9. It does now have a variable refresh rate between 1Hz to 120Hz however, and Sony says the OLED display can achieve a 50 percent higher peak brightness than the Xperia 1 V.
The actual design remains fairly unchanged. It’s visually almost identical to the previous model, down to being released in the same three colors: black, silver, and khaki green. It also still comes with a dedicated shutter button and a 3.5mm headphone jack (a rarity in flagship mobiles these days), though Sony says the new “full-stage” speakers also provide improvements to “bass, clarity, and the spread of sound” for those who choose not to plug in.
Unlike previous releases in the Xperia 1 series, Sony isn’t planning to release the Xperia 1 VI in the US. The device can, however, be preordered now in the UK and across Europe for £1,299 (around $1,640) and €1,399, respectively, with deliveries starting from June 6th.
Sculpture from Ian debris all about ‘creating beauty from chaos’
The creative minds and skilled hands of some Florida Gulf Coast University students and their professor have transformed the detritus
Essential Lessons for Mastering Studio Portrait Photography |
Mastering studio portrait photography requires adapting to controlled environments and understanding how to manipulate lighting and equipment effectively. The transition from outdoor to indoor photography can be challenging, but it offers unique opportunities to refine your skills and produce high-quality images consistently.
Coming to you from Manny Ortiz, this insightful video highlights the key lessons learned from years of studio portrait work. One important point Ortiz makes is that the studio environment can be humbling. While outdoor shoots provide dynamic elements like natural lighting and backgrounds, studio shoots rely heavily on your ability to control every aspect of the scene. This means that success in the studio often hinges on a deep understanding of lighting setups and creative problem-solving.
Another crucial lesson is the relative importance of camera gear in a studio setting. Ortiz explains that in a controlled environment, lighting, composition, and other factors often overshadow the technical specifications of your camera. This is because studio photography allows for precise control over lighting conditions, reducing the reliance on high-end camera features like dynamic range and low-light performance. Ortiz demonstrates this by comparing images taken with his most expensive Sony camera to those taken with a less advanced model, showing that with proper lighting, the differences in final image quality can be minimal.
The video also emphasizes the benefits of using various light modifiers to achieve different effects. Ortiz discusses how different modifiers serve specific purposes, such as using a 1×4 strip box for rim lighting to create a narrow beam of light. He also highlights the importance of larger modifiers for producing soft, flattering light, which is ideal for portraits.
In addition to lighting techniques, Ortiz covers the practical aspects of maintaining a photography studio. He shares his experience of the financial and logistical challenges involved, such as the costs of studio space, renovations, and utilities. Despite these challenges, he notes that having a dedicated space for photography and video production has been a worthwhile investment, allowing him to experiment, practice, and collaborate more effectively. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Ortiz.
If you would like to continue learning about the art of portraiture, be sure to check out our range of tutorials on the subject in the Fstoppers store.
Public Arts Committee announces new sculptures
The Sheridan Public Arts Committee, a committee of the City of Sheridan, have announced the seven new on-loan sculptures that will be added to the current sculpture collection. The sculptures
Royal photography exhibition includes section on retouching
A new Buckingham Palace exhibition on royal portraits has included a section on the history of retouching royal family photographs.
It follows the controversy over the Mothering Sunday family image released by the Princess of Wales in March that was withdrawn by picture agencies worldwide over fears that it was edited.
The Princess later apologised for digitally manipulating the family picture, taken by Prince William in Windsor, explaining that “like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.”
Now a section specifically dedicated to retouching forms part of the Royal Collection Trust’s (RTC) new exhibition titled Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography.
Using historical examples of retouched pictures of the royals, the exhibition explores the theme in select photographs and letters on display in The King’s Gallery.
Exhibition curator Alessandro Nasini explained that the process of retouching is a “very important part of the royal portraiture.”
The photo that caused much controversy with the Princess of Wales later explaining: ‘like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing’
Credit: The Prince of Wales
Speaking at the press viewing, he told The Telegraph: “The retouching has been around since photography was invented, but because portraiture is a creative process, retouching is very much part of it as one of the tools that the photographer has to use as a way of translating the vision they had in their mind.
“Retouching could be as simple as cropping an image to making a composite image by using different photographs to create one final single image.”
The section includes a letter from photographer and husband of Princess Margaret, Lord Snowdon, stating that “something will have to be done about the halo of leaves round the top of Prince Philip’s head” in a picture he took of the late Queen’s young family.
The two separate photographs, one without the leaves and one with them circled with an annotation of “take out”, are put on display beside the letter.
In a label explaining the “stages of a typical royal portrait commission,” retouching is listed as number four of six stages.
It reads: “While some photographers prefer to retouch before providing the first proofs, others only do so on the selected portraits. Retouching may also be requested by the sitter.”
Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography includes several never-seen-before images
Credit: Paul Grover for The Telegraph
In another section of the exhibition, a label of Annie Leibovitz’s 2007 portrait of the late Queen explains how the photographer superimposed her figure onto a background.
“Using digital post-production, Leibovitz has superimposed the figure onto a digitally enhanced photograph of the Buckingham Palace gardens,” it states.
The exhibition, which opens to the public on Friday, includes portraits of the family taken by renowned royal photographer Cecil Beaton, Dorothy Wilding, Leibovitz as well as David Bailey among others.
It also sees a previously unseen photograph of four royal women, including Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, and their newborns put on display for the first time.
The intimate picture of royal motherhood was taken by Lord Snowdon as a token of thanks for Sir John Peel, the royal obstetrician who delivered four royal babies within two months. A letter written by Princess Margaret addressed to “Darling Lilibet” is displayed next to the picture in which she suggests that her sister sign the portrait for the doctor.
It reads: “Here are the photographs – minus moles and spots of white – which Tony sends with his love…Would you like to sign it and then I will catch Kate to do the same and send it to him as a souvenir of an extraordinary two months of delivery.”
Taken at Kensington Palace, the picture shows Princess Alexandra holding James Ogilvy, the late Queen holding Prince Edward, Princess Margaret holding Lady Sarah Chatto and the Duchess of Kent holding Lady Helen Windsor.
Among the other highlights of the new exhibition are the Queen Mother’s personal copy of her daughter’s Coronation portrait and the earliest surviving colour photographic print of a member of the Royal family.
Andy Warhol’s famous image of the late Queen, derived from an official photograph, is part of the exhibition which you can see at Buckingham Palace until July 8
Credit: Paul Grover for The Telegraph
The exhibition includes just over 150 items from the RCT and Royal Archives.
Mr Nasini, the curator, said: “The Royal Collection holds some of the most enduring photographs ever taken of the Royal Family, captured by the most celebrated portrait photographers of the past hundred years – from Dorothy Wilding and Cecil Beaton to Annie Leibovitz, David Bailey, and Rankin.
“Alongside these beautiful vintage prints, which cannot be on permanent display for conservation reasons, we are excited to share archival correspondence and never-before-seen proofs that will give visitors a behind-the-scenes insight into the process of creating such unforgettable royal portraits.”
The selection of the images is an independent process by the curator but The Telegraph understands the King was made aware of it.
As former chairman of the RCT and now patron, the monarch “is very much interested in what we do, including what we present in the King’s Gallery,” Mr Nasini added.
The exhibition will run from May 17 to October 6 in the King’s Gallery and tickets will cost £19 for adults, £12 for a young person and £9.50 for a child or disabled person.
A new £1 ticket offer has also been launched by the RCT for those receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits, and is available for the portraits exhibition from May 17 to July 8.
Artists flock to Mason City to install 20 new public sculptures
New sculptures are being added to the River City Sculptures on Parade display this week in downtown Mason City. It’s the 12th year of the program as artists from across the country are in town, installing their works on pedestals throughout the nearly two-mile route that winds through downtown. Sculptures on Parade director Mary Markwalter says […]
Hobolite Iris 5W Continuous LED Light review: The magic of light
I’ve recently been playing with some fabulous gear from the terrific people at Hobolite. Being a big fan of LED continuous lighting for a while now, I adore the ease of use and convenience for still life, product and even headshot lighting. So when they sent me their brand new Hobolite Iris Creator Kit, I was thrilled to test out the functionality of this gem.
Just like all the other Hobolite products, it’s so simple to use. It comes with a few cool accessories and they are all magnetic…yes magnetic. It’s only 5W, but when you can pop it on mini light stand, behind or inside some objects, well it becomes VERY versatile. Let’s have a closer look!
Note: Blonde Robot (Australian Hobolite Distributor) sent the Hobolite Iris 5W Continuous LED Light kit to review and keep. However, this is a completely independent review. All thoughts about this light are my own.
Pros
- Runs on batteries and is very small (8.6 x 5 x 3cm)
- Cool and funky, great retro design
- Variable controls for power and color temp (2700K — 6500K)
- Minimalist design, Small and lightweight, fabulous for putting in books, cauldrons, in trees, shooting macro and so much more
- Intelligent cooling with heat sink and fan
- Easy to turn dials for power and temperature, and simple on/off switch
- All accessories, dome diffuser, aperture ring, three different lenses and gel filters and are all magnetic.
- Battery (on full power) lasts about 2 hours
- Bluetooth and works on the Hobolite App
- Bright high Contrast LCD Screen
- Weather resistant
Cons
To be honest I am pushing things a bit, as there were no real cons. If you want more light, grab a different Hobolite product.
- The battery is built-in. It would be handy to swap batteries in and out.
- 5W power…but then that’s also the beauty of it.
Hobolite Iris 5W Continuous LED Light — Technical specifications
All of the technical specifications are from their website/marketing material.
- Output Power (Max): 5W
- Color Temperature Range: 2700K~6500K
- Luminous Flux: 300LM
- Magnetic Property: Yes (from lens mount)
- Expansion Accessories: Yes
- App Control: Yes (Bluetooth 65.6 feet)
- Dimming: 0-100%
- Battery run time: 2 hours on full power /18 hours at 10% power
- Dimensions: 8.6 X 5.0 X 3.0cm (without accessories)
- Net Weight: 0.45kg (without accessories)
- Operating temperature: 14-104F
- Protection Class: IP54
- Color: Brown Faux leather
Hobolite Iris 5W Continuous LED Light — Versatility
You can adjust the light intensity and the color. I like it set to 5600k. But that is really just a personal choice. You can change the color temperature, so it’s effectively adding gels, which could be handy in certain circumstances. This side into the actual aperture ring. Additional colored gels can also be purchased. The gel filters it came with have some cool atmospehric effects, like Blue or Golden hour, Spring Pastel and my favourite the Aurora.
Ergonomics are great. The diffuser and grid work quite well to soften and direct the light. I’m not sure I would want to place it on top of the camera, but I guess it’s possible you can (need optional hot shoe stand). I love that it is so small you can hide i in props and such, light painwith it and use it for macro work. Has a whole range of (optional) accessories too.
Build quality
Small and sturdy, dials are firm and stable but easily turned. The accessories are all magnetic, making it a breeze to add and remove. Feels very sturdy and compact. Funky retro look, a bit like an old-school instamatic camera. Non slips surface on sides.
Out of the box
It comes wih power cable (USB C-type), dome diffuser, gel filters, Fresnel lens, Aperture ring, adjustable lens, a cool funky Magic lens and Quick Start guide.
Hobolite Iris 5W Continuous LED Light — Infinite amtosphere creativity
Thanks to some innovative technology this little light might just change the way you see LED lights (if my other reviews haven’t already). Small and compact but powerful enough for macro, light painting, and for so many other uses – like still life, adding cool dramartic or atmospheeric lighting to your photography images. Versatile and adaptable to whatever you want to use it for. And the best part, it’s simple to use.
Mounting
This Iris light is so small I either place it on th floor (or ground) on a table, in my hand, but I also placed it in books, or stools, cauldrons and more.
Setup
It’s so simple to use. To turn it on you press the power button. Adjust the dials for power and color temp. Add a lens, the diffuser, grid or gels and you’re ready to shoot. It’s that simple. I used it for some light panting, macro and to ad some drama to portraits in the studio. It gave beautiful etheral glow (especailly with the Aurora gel filter).
Hobolite Iris 5W Continuous LED Light — A terrific lighting addition to your kit
I have been using this light in the studio for a variety of shoots from macro, still life and product photography. It’s a terrific little light and very handy. The fact that it is so small, lightweight and easy to use is a big plus for me. It is a little on the pricey side. Sample images below on AP mode (Sony A7RV) at 5600K.
Lenses, Gels and diffuser
The Hobolite Iris 5W Continuous LED Light comes with a dome diffuser and four atmospheric gel filters: Blue Hour, Golden Hour, Aurora and Spring Pastel. More gel colours are available as optional extras.
Available from Hobolite from 24th May, with an SRP of $199.00.
You can check out the unboxing on my YouTube channel.
“Native fashionista” creates runway looks and economic opportunity
The ribbon skirt is a colorful symbol of Indigenous pride, born of Voyageur trade with Great Lakes tribes.
At Native Nations Fashion Night in northeast Minneapolis, the historic garment was rocking the runway, paired with chunky black boots as Nirvana blared. The look was deeply traditional, yet totally modern.
The same could be said of the fashion show, held in late April, which featured fur apparel made by an Alaskan Tlingit designer (who hunts her own material) alongside bodysuits with translucent skirts that evoked Beyoncé or Taylor Swift.
The show’s creator, designer Delina White, of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, is known for contemporary-style clothing and accessories that incorporate Indigenous motifs and materials and reference social issues.
Since the self-dubbed “Native fashionista” boldly launched her design career at age 50, she’s dressed a two-spirit (gender non-forming) model in jingle pants, a riff on Ojibwe jingle dresses worn by female dancers. And made jewelry with vintage rosary beads to reclaim the harmful history of church-run Native American boarding schools.
“Fashion is such a visual art form,” White said. “You can make statements with it.”
Though White’s work has been getting attention — it’s been displayed at Mia and the Walker — her larger mission is to spotlight other Indigenous designers. That’s why she created the largest annual Native runway show and artisan marketplace in the Upper Midwest, now in its fourth year. At a time when global brands such as Louis Vuitton, Levis and Minnetonka Moccasins are collaborating with Native designers, White reinforces the message to “appreciate not appropriate.”
At this year’s Fashion Night, attendees represented multiple generations and tribes from across the region, including Bad River in Wisconsin and South Dakota’s Cheyenne River. The crowd dressed in vibrant colors and dense patterns. The room smelled of burning sage.
White had lined up an especially high-profile model: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe who is known for her striking Native-designed wardrobe.
On the runway, Flanagan told the crowd how “guys on the internet” like to disparage her style, commenting, “That’s not what a Lieutenant Governor dresses like.” “But I am a Lieutenant Governor,” she said. “And this is what I dress like.” The audience roared with applause.
A second career
A month earlier, one of White’s Fashion Night designs — a buoyant hoop skirt with a colorful diamond pattern — was still three cut-up quilts, laid out on a bedspread at her home on the Leech Lake Reservation. White had purchased the quilts, featuring the star design popular with Plains tribes, and was piecing them into a round.
White likes to incorporate natural elements with cultural significance, such as birch bark, red willow and oblong beads made of bone or horn. Her sewing room is stacked with fabric, so her work tends to spread throughout her home, which once belonged to her paternal grandmother. On a living room table, she was assembling jewelry made from deer sheds, cut into cross-sections to look like miniature tree rings.
White’s lifestyle is modest (she drives a Honda with 250,000 miles on it), but her view of Leech Lake is priceless. Though she grew up mostly in urban areas — Chicago, Milwaukee, Houston, Minneapolis — she spent breaks on the reservation near Walker, Minn., where her mother’s family also lived. “I always wanted to come back,” she said.
In 1992, she did. White spent the next several decades raising a family and working for the tribe in administrative roles. But she’d always been interested in fashion. She was a model who competed in Miss Teen Minnesota and, before that, learned beadwork from her grandmother.
When White was in her 30s, she and her husband, Gerald, took their blended family of seven children on the powwow circuit, dressed in regalia they’d made. White’s beadwork impressed other dancers, but it was too labor-intensive for her to justify selling it.
Instead, more than a decade later, White pursued a Minnesota State Arts Board Grant, which facilitated a 2015 series of fashion shows in local galleries, in collaboration with her daughters Lavender Hunt and Sage Davis. That project launched White’s brand, I Am Anishinaabe, which has been featured in the country’s largest Native fashion show, in Santa Fe, N.M., and collected by the University of Minnesota’s Goldstein Museum of Design.
White discovered a way to make her beadwork more accessible by photographing her designs and having them printed on fabric. The original beading remains a one-of-a-kind artwork. But the photorealistic reproduction, which she turns into flowy clothing and scarves, can be worn and enjoyed by many within the Native community and beyond it.
Economic capacity
The best way to ensure that clothing and apparel with Indigenous imagery is culturally sensitive, White says, is to make sure it was designed by a Native person. “We trust that the designer is not going to appropriate their sacred or traditional designs that they use in ceremony as a commercial thing,” she said.
Supporting Indigenous designers helps develop the community’s economic capacity, White added, noting how tribal members often leave the reservation for job opportunities. (While the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux have profited immensely from gambling operations on their reservation near the Twin Cities, casinos in more remote areas, such as Leech Lake, bring in far less revenue.)
Grace Goldtooth, this year’s Fashion Night emcee, noted how the show not only brings visibility to Native artisans, but to issues in the community. Goldtooth, the executive director of a Lower Sioux Community nonprofit focused on revitalizing the Dakota language, said she appreciates White’s gift for raising up everyone in her orbit.
“If she succeeds, we all succeed,” Goldtooth said. “She makes room at the table for everyone. One of our cultural practices is to be humble and have compassion, and she executes that so well by being compassionate and supportive to the artist.”
What Went Down at the Private View for Another Man’s New Exhibition
Last night (May 15) at the new creative hub inside 180 Studios, Dazed Space, biannual print publication Another Man hosted an evening of festivities to celebrate the opening of exhibition SHASHIN RON (ON PHOTOGRAPHY), coinciding with the start of Photo London and marking an exciting new era for the men’s style title.
Editor-in-chief Ellie Grace Cumming and art director Lina Kutsovskaya welcomed notable guests from the fields of photography, fashion, film and art including Campbell Addy, Dilara Findikoglu, Tish Weinstock, Ethan James Green, Gary Card, Lulu Kennedy, Bee Beardsworth, Charlotte Knowles, Lucy Kumara Moore, Jamie Reid, Ibby Njoya, Jonas Glöer and Kiki Willems. They were joined by the new issue’s editors and contributors Ted Stansfield, Jordan Duddy, Ola Ebiti, Douglas Irvine, Ai Kamoshita, Piotr Chamier, Trinity Ellis, Jack Pierson, and many more. A steady flow of drinks, from beers to margaritas and palomas provided by Don Julio and 1664 Blanc, kept the celebrations going until late into the evening, with music from DJs Nkisi and Raime.
The exhibition is in collaboration with award-winning colour grading and finishing studio Studio RM, a prestigious post-production studio with offices in London, New York and Paris. Studio RM have always been committed to discovering and supporting new and established photographers and video-makers, and collaborates with artists such as Zoë Ghertner, Alasdair McLellan, Luke Gilford, Peter Ash Lee, Aidan Zamiri, Iggy London and Gordon Von Steiner.
The exhibition is curated by Another Man’s art director, and showcases an array of works by global artists and photographers from both Volume II, Issue I and their personal archives, spanning images which deck the walls, and film, projected inside cosy tents at the centre of the space. The exhibition is hosted directly below where the magazine was crafted in the months prior, and features the work of artists including Lucas Blalock, Trinity Ellis, JH Engström, Ryu Ika, Douglas Irvine, Keizo Kitajima, Paul Kooiker, Thomas Mailaender, Gabriel Moses, Momo Okabe, Luis Alberto Rodriguez, Viviane Sassen, Paul Sepuya, Nick Sethi, Chris Shaw, Marie Valognes, Kandis Williams and Julian Klincewicz. The exhibition provides a glimpse into the new world of Another Man, reflects the arresting new times in men’s fashion, and reintroduces the publication as a leading voice in style, art, photography, and culture.
SHASHIN RON (ON PHOTOGRAPHY) is open now until Thursday 23 May, at Dazed Space, Surrey Street, London, WC2R 2ND, 12pm-7pm daily. Entry is free and open to all. Supported by Studio RM. Special thanks to Snow Peak and Leica.
