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The News Record is hiring a chief photographer for spring
The University of Cincinnati’s independent student news organization, The News Record, is now accepting applications for the chief photographer position for the spring semester of the 2023-2024 academic year.
This is a paid opportunity that offers 12 hours each week. The chief photographer is responsible for photographing events, news, athletics, and stories relevant to the UC campus. Applicants should be well-versed in AP style; be familiar with Lightroom; and have the ability to independently pitch, photograph, edit and caption engaging, localized story ideas. Applicants must be able to work on a deadline in a fast-paced environment. If interested, please apply through this link:
This application will be due at noon on Wednesday, Jan 3. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me through my email kiehlam@mail.uc.edu.
The AI Images That Shook the Photography World in 2023
In a recent opinion piece, The New York Times delcared that AI is the “future of photography.” Whether that’s true or not remains to be seen but it has undoubtedly been a big year for images generated by artificial intelligence.
The models have come on stronger and stronger, producing images that, in some cases, are indistinguishable from real pictures creating a new reality for the photography world. With that in mind, PetaPixel looked back on a momentous year for AI images.
The First Time an AI Image Wins a Photography Competition
After generative AI technology advanced rapidly in 2022, the staff here at PetaPixel suspected that an AI image would win a photography contest in 2023 — and it didn’t take long.
In February, an AI image won a photo contest run by an Australian electronics company. The company behind it confessed and called it “the world’s first AI-generated award-winning photograph.”
“We did it to prove that we’re at a turning point with artificially intelligent technology by passing the ultimate test,” said Absolutely Ai.
Respected Photojournalist Makes an AI Series
Distinguished photojournalist Michael Christopher Brown sparked controversy after releasing a “post-photography” series that was entirely generated by AI.
Brown was attempting to illustrate stories that are impossible to document with a camera and turned to AI for his project 90 Miles looking at the realities of Cubans attempting to cross the 90 miles of ocean that separate Havana from Florida.
The documentarian came under heavy criticism for his embrace of AI imagery with fans of his photography outraged; calling it “unethical”, his images “disturbing,” and threatening to unfollow his Instagram account.
AI Image Wins at the Sony World Photography Awards
Arguably the most significant AI image story of the year, Boris Eldagsen refused his prize from the Sony World Photography Awards after he revealed that his image that had won the Creative category was generated by AI.
Eldagsen actually crashed the ceremony, that took place in London in April, to announce his image THE ELECTRICIAN was AI-generated.
The Sony World Photography Awards released a statement saying: “Given his actions and subsequent statement noting his deliberate attempts at misleading us, and therefore invalidating the warranties he provided, we no longer feel we are able to engage in a meaningful and constructive dialogue with him.”
Levi’s Use AI-Generated Models to ‘Increase Diversity’
In March, Levi’s announced it was AI-generating models to “increase diversity.”
“We believe our models should reflect our consumers, which is why we’re continuing to diversify our human models in terms of size and body type, age and skin color,” the company said.
Needless to say, the announcement went down badly with photographers and models alike which led to Levi’s walking back in a statement to PetaPixel.
“This partnership and test are still in the very early stages, so we are still working out what this might look like. However, I’d like to emphasize this will not replace or impact photoshoots, this is purely supplemental to our current ways of working.”
Vogue Exhibition Shows AI Images Alongside Real Photos
The PhotoVogue festival this year exhibited AI images alongside real photos in a move that provoked criticism.
The festival held in Milan this month was entitled: What makes us human? Image in the age of AI. The exhibits investigated how AI is “changing our idea of photography.”
Trump Being Arrested
With the list of legal cases hanging over Donald Trump longer than the butcher’s line at Christmas, Elliot Higgins created a series of dramatic AI images showing Trump being jostled to the ground by a group of police officers.
The outrageous set of pictures, posted in March, also showed Trump in a holding cell, the courtroom, and the prison yard.
Higgins used Midjourney to create the images and was promptly banned from the service. Although not many were fooled by the images (at least we hope not) they still went viral across the internet.
Instagram Accounts Masquerading as Photographers
In February, PetaPixel exclusively revealed that two Instagram accounts pretending to post photos taken at the hands of photographers were actually AI-generated.
Jos Avery admitted that his “photos” were fake after duping thousands of Instagram followers. Meanwhile, a photographer featured by Vogue, Emanuele Boffa, also admitted that he had been passing off AI images as real portraits he had taken.
When asked why he doesn’t mark the AI-generated images as such, Boffa replied: “James Cameron or Christopher Nolan and many other directors and cinematographers are continuously generating images with the help of computer graphics or AI. And I don’t think people care much, artificial intelligence, when used correctly, generates exactly what there is in the mind of the author.”
AI-Generated Image of Pentagon Explosion Caused Markets to Dip
In case there was any doubt that AI images could have real-world ramifications, an AI-generated picture of an explosion outside the Pentagon caused a brief market crash in May.
The image went viral on X (then known as Twitter) and shows a huge cloud of black smoke on a grass lawn outside the Pentagon building in Washington D.C.
The incident prompted Twitter to expand its crowdsourced fact-checking program, Community Notes, to fight back against fake or misleading images.
The AI Image That Never Was
And finally, in a story that flipped the script, a real photo was disqualified from a competition after the judges accused it of being AI-generated — even though it wasn’t.
Suzi Dougherty had captured a striking photo of her son with two smartly dressed mannequins in an intriguing pose while visiting a Gucci exhibition.
But she later discovered that her iPhone photo had been declared ineligible after the judging panel had grown suspicious. This story is a fantastic example of the effect AI has had on the photo industry in 2023.
Photographer Sues Church Over Copyright Infringement
A photographer is taking legal action against a small church in South Carolina for allegedly using his photograph without consent.
Erin Paul Donovan, a photographer from New Hampshire, has initiated a federal lawsuit against Wightman United Methodist Church in Prosperity, South Carolina. Donovan claims that his photograph, depicting New Hampshire’s White Mountains, was used on the church’s website without his permission, specifically as a thumbnail for a sermon video dated June 2021. According to the lawsuit, Donovan contends that the church unlawfully downloaded his copyrighted image to use in its promotional activities. He reported the unauthorized use to the church on two occasions, June 21 and July 20, 2023, but the issue remains unresolved.
The suit further alleges that the church not only used the image without authorization but also removed Donovan’s copyright notice, name, and watermark from the photograph as it originally appeared on his website. Donovan is seeking legal recompense for the alleged infringement and is requesting the court to prohibit the church from using any of his photographs in the future.
The suit was filed in the US District Court for the District of South Carolina on November 21, 2023. The church has until February 20, 2024 to respond to the filing.
Year 2023 in Review PHOTOGRAPHY
GONE TOO SOON—Above, Zack Zernik takes a selfie. The avid hiker, 22, died Jan. 28 while “surrounded by the nature he loved.” Courtesy photo
Westlake Village resident Rebecca Morris lights a candle Nov. 7 while visiting a memorial at Westlake and Thousand Oaks boulevards for Paul Kessler, who died after being involved in an altercation during a rally featuring pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators. RICHARD GILLARD/Acorn Newspapers
HEARTBREAK—Above, attorney Ron Bamieh, left, talks with his client, Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, after Alnaji pleads not guilty to two felonies in connection with the death of Paul Kessler.
Westlake High students pay tribute to Julius Poppinga, who died Aug. 30, at a football game against Thousand Oaks on Sept. 1. RICHARD GILLARD/Acorn Newspapers
TEARS FALL— Ventura County Sheriff’s Capt. Victor Medina, left, consoles Gloria Velasquez as she talks about her murdered nephew, Victor Velasquez, during a news conference at the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office in Ventura on Jan. 18. MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers
Above, BB-12, the first bear biologists had captured and radio-collared in the Santa Monica Mountains, was struck and killed by a vehicle on the Conejo Grade July 20. Courtesy photo
Capture the County, Somerset County Photo Contest Deadline is Friday
KUNA’s Media Development Center organizes program on photography
KUWAIT: Kuwait News Agency Center for Development of Media Skills concluded on Thursday a training program titled Principles of Photography, which started on Sunday and was attended by a number of employees from the agency and the Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha). Mustafa Al-Bader, Head of the Design and Photography Department at the news agency, stressed in remarks to KUNA the importance of media and public relations workers learning about the principles of photography and the difference between cameras and lenses to help them perform their tasks.
Al-Bader explained that the program touched on the types of cameras and lenses and their uses and functions, noting that the program participants did some practical training as well as a field photography trip to integrate the program’s theoretical and practical learning.
The training program also explained some photography theories, applications on the camera, focus systems, and how to use lighting in photography. The center, founded in 1995, is considered to be one of the most important media training centers at the national level, providing hundreds of training programs in various media fields and aiming to develop media capabilities and personal capabilities and improve professional media work — KUNA
In the Game ‘Nego,’ Fit as Many Cats as You Can into a Tight Space
All images courtesy of Yuka Morii
From cardboard boxes to climbing up inside Christmas trees to lounging around entire islands, cats the world over have a penchant for taking up space. Japanese sculptor and author Yuka Morii has created a table game inspired by felines’ need to stretch, loaf, and nap in any available spot. Titled “Nego,” a play on the Japanese word for cat, neko, and the popular game of “Go,” the object is simply to fit the most cats on the board by taking turns placing them onto a small grid. Cat owners will know, however, that the real object of the game might be preventing mischievous paws from swiping pieces onto the floor one by one.
See more on Morii’s website and Instagram. (via Core77)
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article In the Game ‘Nego,’ Fit as Many Cats as You Can into a Tight Space appeared first on Colossal.
Fort Worth Botanic Garden presents “Seward Johnson Sculptures in the Garden”
“Seward Johnson Sculptures in the Garden” features 21 life-size sculptures by the late artist Seward Johnson. The head-turning exhibit of “living” art will take guests by surprise as they encounter sculptures that fool the eye and beg for double takes. Strategically placed to blend with their surroundings, Johnson’s unique creations strive to make everyday occurrences special and bring classic art to life. Guests can experience the joy of discovering these lifelike sculptures placed unexpectedly, yet harmoniously in the Garden’s landscape.
