Later this week, family and friends will gather to honor a Kutztown University graduate killed in the crash of 6abc’s helicopter.

Christopher Dougherty worked as a photographer aboard the chopper.

He and pilot Monroe Smith died last Tuesday, when it crashed in New Jersey.

Visitation for Dougherty will begin at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Luke the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Montgomery County.

A funeral mass will follow at 11:30 a.m.

It’s a cliché, I know. The ‘classic road receding into the distant horizon’ rendered in black and white is perhaps the ultimate cliché, but I simply couldn’t resist. The road inspires a sense of journey and adventure, inviting and enticing me to new and far-flung locations. Perhaps as a metaphor in these crazy times, the image evokes a sense of hope and optimism. 

It’s a photograph of a road in Dartmoor that was taken between ‘Lockdown 2.0’ and ‘Lockdown 3.0’. It’s not that far from where I live, but at the time it was one of the farthest places I’d travelled in the previous couple of years, so all things considered, it was relatively exotic. Cliché or not, this image suggested to me that there was a glimmer of hope on the horizon, and that maybe we were over the worst of the pandemic. 

Not too long later, I should have been on a ship sailing towards Antarctica, talking to passengers about the art and craft of photography… but that trip also fell victim to pandemic restrictions.

My talks and workshops on these ships use many of the images that have been featured in this column. The ideas that I like to explore are about using photography as a way to connect; to tell stories and say something about the world. For me, good photography is not so much about Arcadian vistas bathed in magic-hour light (although that can be superficially nice, and rewarding to capture), but rather a way to explore the world with a camera and express how it feels being part of it. 

Some folk, myself included, often talk about photography as a language that one can use as a tool of self-expression. As a ‘language’, photography is arguably the most widely spoken in the world. What you say with that language is important – and, like the written word, there are many ways to say it, from poets to journalists. Which kind of photographer are you? It’s worth thinking about.

Read more:
• The 50 best photographers ever
• 100 best photography quotes from famous photographers
• The best coffee-table books on photography

This year, Colorado lost a man who helped us see where we live more clearly. Not long before his death, landscape photographer John Fielder donated his archive to the people of his beloved Colorado. In January, roughly six months before his death, Fielder invited us into his home near Silverthorne, sharing memories from his decades in the wild. Later, a Colorado Wonders question about ice on your windshield.

Tamron Americas revealed that John Calvin and Chandler Weber won the lensmaker’s Tamron User Photo/Video Contest 2023.

John Calvin of Santa Fe, New Mexico, earned the top prize for the photography category with his excellent black and white photo captured in Great Sand Dunes National Park. Showcasing incredible highlights, shadows, and textures, Calvin captured the grand prize-winning landscape photo with the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD lens for Fujifilm X-mount.

Chandler Weber’s video, “Sound of the Natural State Hype,” won top honors in the video category. The video shows an NCAA Division I marching band throughout their season and serves as a pregame hype video. Weber used Blackmagic and Nikon cameras alongside five different Tamron lenses, including the 24-70mm, 70-200mm, and 150-600mm zoom lenses.

“The creativity and skill of our users are incredible, and we are always humbled seeing the world through our users’ lenses. This contest has brought together users in North and Latin America, showcasing a diverse range of perspectives and talents in the world of photography and videography,” says Stacie Errera, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Tamron Americas.

The competition was open to photographers and videographers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and winners were selected for numerous categories, including travel/landscape, wildlife, close-up/fine art, portrait, sports/action, photojournalism, and video. The winners from each category are featured below, alongside the Tamron lenses used to capture the winning shots.

Category Winners

The video winner below was created by Nathaniel Leese of the United States using the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD lens.

The Grand Prize winners, Calvin and Weber, have won $500 plus a Tamron lens of their choice valued at up to $1,499 USD ($1,999 CAD). The individual photo and video category winners also get to choose a lens of the same value.

All winners, plus second-place and honorable mention selections, are available on Tamron’s dedicated competition website.

Image credits: All images courtesy of Tamron. The individual photographers are credited in the image captions.

Photographer helping model with her poses, satisfying photos result
byu/SweetyByHeart intoptalent

Knowing the technical aspects of how to take a good portrait is just one part of a photographer’s job. Directing a model is another one that requires just as much care. And while many know exactly how to give notes to get it right, one photographer likes to go the extra mile. By cheekily doing the pose first so his model can follow his steps, not only does he get the perfect shot, but he also creates a relaxed environment that makes the model feel at ease.

In a video shared on Reddit, an unnamed male photographer explores the city with a female model in search of the perfect background. He is dressed casually in a t-shirt and joggers, while she is elegantly decked in a traditional white outfit with a flowy skirt. It’s this contrast that makes it so funny to see the photographer confidently striking a pose on camera. Meanwhile, the model observes attentively. The video then cuts to the final image, showing that the photographer’s guidance—as well as his editing skills—did wonders for the shoot.

Additionally, having the photographer do the exact same poses shows that he values the model’s work. Even if they look silly, his efforts show that, to him, getting that part right is as important as what he does behind the camera. In the end, maybe the best portraits are a team effort. As one Redditor points out, “The value of the art far outweighs the value of the shame and this guy shows it clear as day with the fantastic results.”

This photographer hilariously strikes a pose first so his model can follow his steps.

@glamourgarbPhotography pose posing

♬ 原创音乐 – GlamourGarb

h/t: [Reddit]

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