White balance is a fundamental image property that can dramatically affect the mood and overall look of a shot. While achieving a technically neutral white balance is important for accurate color representation, many photographers also use white balance creatively to enhance the artistic impact of their images.

Coming to you from Christian Möhrle – The Phlog Photography, this informative video explores the creative use of white balance adjustments in Lightroom. Möhrle begins by emphasizing the importance of establishing a proper base exposure before diving into white balance adjustments. He demonstrates how adjusting the temperature and tint sliders can create a warmer or colder feel, ultimately influencing the overall mood of the image. He then goes on to show how masks can be used to make targeted adjustments to the white balance. For example, he uses a linear gradient mask to create a color contrast by making the top part of the sky colder while keeping the bottom part warm.

Möhrle also highlights the importance of considering the impact of white balance adjustments on other elements within the scene. For instance, significantly altering the white balance can affect the natural colors of elements like trees or foliage. He demonstrates how color range masks can be used to correct any unwanted color casts that may result from global white balance adjustments. By isolating specific areas, such as a blue color cast in a tree, Möhrle shows how to selectively adjust the temperature and saturation to restore natural colors.

This detailed approach to white balance adjustments allows for a high level of control and precision, making it easier to fine-tune the overall mood and aesthetic of their images. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Möhrle. 
 

Former Dallas Morning News photographer David Woo will discuss his third book, WOO! The Decisive Moment, on June 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Allen Public Library.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist’s book covers his travels to four continents, multiple Super Bowls, Pope John Paul II’s 1979 visit to Mexico and the 1993 Branch Davidian siege near Waco, along with portraits of local sports legends, political figures and more.

He’ll show dozens of his photos at the event.

The free program will be streamed live on the city of Allen’s ACTV at ACTV.org and youtube.com/AllenCityTV.

The library is at 300 N. Allen Dr. in Allen. For more information, call 214-509-4911.

Vladimir Putin, Muammar Gaddafi, Mark Zuckerberg. Presidents and Hollywood stars; political dissidents, abuse survivors and immigrants. One thing unites them all: a slightly scuffed, white wooden box.

“More world leaders have sat on that box than any chair in history,” the photographer Platon, owner of that very box, told CNN in an interview conducted over Zoom. For some world leaders, the scarcity of his set — sitting on the box in front of a plain black or white sheet of paper — can be intimidating, stripping them of their usual grandeur. For others it’s liberating, allowing the human to shine through the professional storyteller. For the subjects of Platon’s new book “The Defenders,” the box became an opportunity.

“There’s a statement that’s quite common in the human rights community,” Platon said. “‘Giving a voice to the voiceless’. I have learned through my experiences that it’s not right to say that. They have beautiful, powerful, strong voices; the issue is that those voices have been ignored.” Through his work, he explained his mission is to help amplify people’s stories, tuning into their humanity as though they were “an old-fashioned radio”.

Unseating power

Born in Greece in 1968, Platon Antoniou moved to the UK aged eight and completed his studies in photography at the Royal College of Art, before leaving London for a career in New York. There, he worked on George magazine with John Kennedy Jr. and as a staff photographer at the New Yorker magazine.

“The Defenders” takes a different tack to Platon’s earlier work. As a young photographer, he confessed he was dazzled by the world of politicians and celebrities he was working with, walking the corridors of the Kremlin and Downing Street and “having a chat about life” in George Clooney’s garden. Turning his lens to the powerless, by contrast, has upturned his ideas of power altogether.

“Having photographed all these world leaders, often the people I meet in the trenches of the human rights movement are proper leaders,” he said. “They transform their adversity into compassion for others. And that’s something I very rarely see on that level in the political sphere. So I called them — I call the book — “The Defenders,” because it’s a superhero title. These are ordinary people who do extraordinary things, and I do think of them as superheroes. Changing the narrative is very important for me.”

Among “The Defenders” are Burmese and Egyptian dissidents, the imprisoned Russian punk band Pussy Riot, and survivors of sexual violence at Dr. Denis Mukwege’s Panzi Hospital in Congo. One of the girls that Platon photographed there was Esther Faraja. She appeared in an episode of Netflix’s “Abstract: The Art of Design,” profiling Platon, although he said the details of the trauma she suffered were “too harsh to put in the film.”

“As I was taking the picture, she wasn’t crying,” he recalled. “I’m a privileged, middle-aged white man, and I’m a mess. I said to her, ‘how is it that I’m crying, and you’re not crying? And yet, you’re the one that has suffered?’ And she said: ‘the reason I don’t cry in your picture is because I don’t want to make you feel sad. I don’t want anyone to feel sad when they look at a picture of me. My mommy and daddy brought me into this world to bring joy to the world. And I will keep my promise’.” Platon is as awestruck now as he was standing in front of her. “Now that is a leader,” he said. “I made a promise to her that I will deliver her message of compassion and strength, combined, to as many people as I can.”

“The Defenders” is an attempt to tell dozens of stories like hers, each captured in one 500th of a second. “Time is a very interesting concept; it doesn’t really ever exist,” Platon mused. “You try to freeze a moment that helps us understand the past and will still be relevant in the future. And yet, it was a moment in the present. And it was such a tiny fragment of a moment that if you blinked, you wouldn’t even have seen it.”

Two political giants offer obvious examples of time’s bizarre effect. Vladimir Putin, photographed by Platon for Time’s Person of the Year in 2007, initially liked the image that Platon produced. He appears powerful. In the time since its publication, however, the same image has been taken, edited, and circulated by political dissidents to mock Putin and belittle his power.

“I heard in the last two years that anyone who’s caught circulating my picture in connection with human rights issues will go to jail,” Platon said. “Now, it’s the same picture. And Putin likes it.”

Bill Clinton, on a December 2000 cover of Esquire courtesy of Platon, has also been changed with age. “At the time, that picture represented insane levels of charisma,” Platon recalled. “He was great with people — everyone says there’s no one more charismatic than Bill Clinton. We look at it through a different lens now, but it’s the same picture. When I get it right, that same picture works for everybody.”

It doesn’t work for Hillary Clinton, though. “Hillary refuses to sit for me,” Platon noted. “She’s one of the only politicians who’s ever said no. And that’s interesting. The ‘no’ now is actually as interesting as the ‘yes’.”

Great responsibility

Distilling broad, complicated, emotional human stories into one fleeting moment is a tribulation of all photography, including that of world leaders, but it was particularly difficult when it came to the sensitive topics broached in “The Defenders”. “Many of (the people photographed) risk their lives and their security telling me these stories,” Platon said. “I cannot be reckless. I cannot be — I must not be — a thrill-seeker.”

Exerting due diligence and handling sensitive subjects thoughtfully is something that Platon admits is a luxury of time; he is able to spend months on a project, producing the most considered and provoking images he can. Increasingly, however, a lot of the photography flooding social media is taken hastily, captured on phones and shared without so much as a pause for breath. In “The Defenders,” Platon remembers the Burmese politician Aung San Suu Kyi coming out of house arrest and being bewildered by the sea of smartphones pointed at her.

“Now everyone’s a photographer, and everyone’s a filmmaker,” Platon observed. “In many ways, that’s fantastic. People are holding the powers that be accountable in a new way. The danger is that there’s so much information that we’re constantly distracted. It’s very difficult to get that moment of reflection and pause, and to stand back and think for yourself. As you’re even doing that, your phone is dinging and clicking and beeping — it’s constant noise.”

In standing back, Platon was able to join the dots between the movements he was documenting; they weren’t isolated struggles, he realized, but connected ones. “Obviously each geopolitical situation is inherently different, but they are all fighting for very basic human principles,” he said. “I photographed LGBTQ+ defenders in Burma and in Russia. That’s two very, very different countries, with the same cause.”

In capturing and amplifying the stories of “The Defenders,” Platon hopes to inspire and instruct other people, just as he was inspired and instructed.

“It’s really a handbook to the new generation to say: roll up your sleeves, get involved. Society needs a new generation of activists who will think differently. They will have a different path to navigate, but the principles remain timeless and the same. It’s the principles that unite us all. The way we fight, the tools we fight with, the strategies — we have to change those, because times change. But the principles stay the same.”

“The Defenders”, published by MW Editions, is available now.

Macro photography opens up a whole new world of possibilities and subjects to photograph. In his video, Daniel Aucoin shares seven simple tricks that will elevate your macro photography to a higher level. And worry not, you don’t need fancy gear – just some stuff you already have at home and some cheap accessories.

• Aluminum foil: You can use a simple piece of aluminum foil to bounce light, create specular highlights, and add bokeh to the background.
• Inverted tripod: Lower your camera so you can separate the subject from the background while also increasing your camera’s stability. If you wanna go full DIY, you can try this pan-tripod. Yes, it’s a literal frying pan.
• Use polarizer: Using a polarizing filter will reduce reflection and glare on things like mushrooms and leaves.
• Small light sources: Using smaller light sources creates micro-contrast and enhances the depth and perceived sharpness of your images. Daniel uses Lume Cubes, and you can go with any small light like this (KYU-6 is my choice for things like this).
• Colored foil: Another trick that you can whip out of your pocket (literally) is mint foil. It’s usually colored, and you can use it like aluminum foil to bounce the light – only with a splash of color.
• Mirror for reflections: You can place tiny flowers and mushrooms on a mirror splashed with some water to create macro images with some trippy reflections.
• Keep learning: Finally, Daniel points out that practicing, making mistakes, and having fun are your friends. And I couldn’t agree more. This, I’d say, is a universal “trick” for every genre of photography. 🙂

In partnership with Huawei

The scene from a farm in Auckland, New Zealand, shot by Wu Guohua through a Huawei P30 Pro smartphone lens, captures a magically spontaneous moment. Flying Rooster shows an airborne chicken, of apparently giant proportions, humans and buildings in the background dwarfed by its colourful plumage. In Autumnal Poland, a mother, walking through the city with her son, sees sunlight passing through a playground prism and illuminating the boy’s face in a kaleidoscopic pattern.

Another picture, Hand in Hand, shot by Chinese sailor Xiaosong at Qinhuangdao beach in North China’s Hebei Province, just as the sun was setting, frames a couple walking by, holding hands. ‘When I turned the photo upside down,’ says Xiaosong, ‘patterns in the sand became as beautiful as clouds in the sky.’

‘A Heartwarming World – 12 Years of Huawei Photography’

All three images were chosen for inclusion in a new exhibition that debuted in Dubai this month (8 – 10 May 2024). ‘A Heartwarming World – 12 Years of Huawei Photography’, curated by Huawei XMAGE, the brand’s mobile imaging arm, features some 300 photographs taken by keen-eyed amateurs, using Huawei smartphones. Selected from millions of submissions, the exhibition’s images convey moments of warmth, tranquillity and brightness from every corner of the globe.

They are brought together to ignite the Huawei XMAGE consumer’s imagination, and appreciation for the scope of its leading-edge imaging technology. The brand sees the creativity it enables as a way to imbue photography with a more profound emotive impact. ‘A powerful photo is not only about perfect composition, tone, and colour, but more about seeing the creator’s emotions and thoughts beyond the captured frame,’ it states. And so, this exhibition celebrates what it calls ‘the power of image’.

Huawei Pura series and image creation

Specially developed for image creation, memory and communication, the Huawei P series of smartphones has been pushing technological boundaries since it was introduced in 2012. Now comprehensively refreshed and upgraded to the Huawei Pura series, its imaging capabilities provide users with a creative canvas to produce more impactful and influential works than ever before.

Notably, the exhibition’s ‘The Power of Moments’ category – one of eight overall – is dedicated to highlighting the capabilities of the newly released Huawei Pura 70 Ultra Speed Snapshot.

Exhibition curator Chen Xiaobo, ninth vice president of the China Photographers Association, intends ‘A Heartwarming World’ as a synergy of technology and art, an exploration of photography’s ability to bear witness to the beauty of nature and humanity. ‘On an early spring night, thousands of images from Huawei users around the world flooded in,’ he says, recalling the project’s gestation. ‘To my surprise, almost every frame conveyed a certain aura – one that was both warm and illuminating. These charming moments, artfully captured by Huawei phones, poetically articulate the shared culture and emotions of humanity, as well as the tranquil essence of life that we all yearn for.’

Encouraging creators to unleash their imagination, Huawei XMAGE doesn’t define a good photograph by any specific visual style or theme. Instead, it aims to expand the photographic possibilities available to users through innovative technology.

‘A Heartwarming World – 12 Years of Huawei Photography’ debuted in Dubai, 8 – 10 May 2024, and will travel to Kuala Lumpur, Mexico City, Shanghai, and other locations.

huawei.com

Peter Shefler discovered art as a preteen.

Growing up in an artistic family in rural Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, he was immersed in nature as his family home sat amid open space and woodlands. He found enjoyment in reading and writing poetry, as well as in the visual arts of drawing and photography — and at times combined all three.

Today, decades later at age 72, Shefler still finds awe in all things natural. He shares that joy with friends and on social media with beautiful nature photographs including exquisite flower blooms of the hundreds of perennials in the gardens surrounding his Gibsonia home.

His work also includes birds, wildlife and sailing photos of the historic Chesapeake Bay log canoes — taken during summers at his grandmother’s St. Michael’s, Maryland, home — to capture their 100-year-old heritage.

Shefler, who lost sight in one eye several years ago, now spends more time in his flower garden during the growing seasons. He still gets into the field or on the road capturing images of sand cranes in Nebraska, eagles in Maryland or the recent solar eclipse from Erie, Pennsylvania.

Shefler is a photographer who does not expose hundreds of images to capture a few.

“I can certainly do that … with modern digital cameras I can take dozens of shots of a flower, bird or tree with one press of the shutter but that’s not what I am all about,” Shefler said. “I take my time and concentrate on composition, light, details and background so when I engage the shutter button I really know what the image will look like.”

The photographer has made the switch to all digital equipment — as have most photographers — and recently upgraded to mirrorless 35 mm equipment. He uses Canon and Nikon camera bodies coupled with long, variable focal length telephoto lenses which for flower photography isn’t the usual choice for capturing detail.

Working best for Shefler means his camera is set with a high ISO (sensitivity to light) and wide aperture (letting the most light reach his camera’s digital sensor).

This technique allows him to not only blur out the background of his images with a shallow depth of field but if he chooses the right natural background, it will turn black just as if the flower blooms were under artificial light in front of a black felt background.

Achieving that look always takes some time to set up the right angle in the right light (he prefers the golden light of late afternoon and early evening). For just the right look, Shefler may spend an hour or more setting up a photograph or come back the following day when light and conditions are perfect.

Regardless, he will only do a few exposures of his subject. “If I plan correctly, that’s really all I need,” he said.

Shefler notes he always felt a deep connection to the mysteries of the natural world and the spiritual aspects he feels in the creation of his art, which for decades has allowed him to combine his poetry with photographic images.

“Most times the act of seeing the image that ends up in the photograph is the trigger for the poetry I write to accompany it,” Shefler said. “But there are times when I actually flip it around and look for a photograph to illustrate a poem.”

Although Shefler’s friends are constantly encouraging him to print cards they could send to family and friends for birthdays, anniversaries and holidays, the photographer just hasn’t yet found the right printer/publisher to work with to get it done.

Shefler got serious with flower photography more than a decade ago and over time has filled the 1.5 acres of gardens on his property with winding paths and small plots filled with his favorite flowers.

“I plant about 500 perennials and bulbs a year,” he explained. “And (I) choose the flowers carefully so that they are long bloomers and there is something to photograph from spring through fall.”

To get an idea of just some of the variety of flowers that call Shefler’s garden home, he has about 200 different day lilies, 50 varieties of narcissus, about 10 varieties of peonies and more than 100 different Siberian and Japanese irises that he likes to photograph because of their delicate and transparent petals that lend themselves to backlighting.

Shefler’s advice for would-be flower photographers starts with having patience.

“If you want to be serious about shooting nature, it demands patience,” he said. “Not only to scout out the best example of what you want to capture but the right time of day and adjusting whatever controls you have on your camera to capture what your mind’s eye sees.”

Shefler practices what he preaches and takes time first to compose the image he wants to take and from the correct angle before he adjusts his camera setting to a high ISO, with auto white balance and a shutter speed of at least 1/1000th of a second.

“My ulterior motive for the high shutter speed, is if you are out in nature you may suddenly encounter an eagle overhead or a butterfly that pops up and the high shutter speed allows me to ‘grab that shot’ too without fiddling with my camera settings,” he said.