It’s that time of year again when the team at the Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards rounds up the best and the most hilarious wildlife images of the year for your viewing pleasure. This year’s selection features an owl getting a telling-off, an otter practicing their ballet, and more than one attempt at flying gone wrong.
An otter ballerina practices the perfect arabesque in Singapore.
Image credit: © Otter Kwek/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2023
Founded in 2015 by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam, the aim is to focus on the sillier side of wildlife photography while also promoting wildlife conservation. In doing so, the competition this year supports the Whitley Fund For Nature, which works with conservation leaders across the Global South.
An unusual configuration of giraffes leads to this image from the Onguma Game Reserve in Namibia.
Image credit: © Bill Gozansky/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2023
The judges will have their work cut out for them this year as they attempt to whittle down the 41 photographs, three videos, and three portfolio entries to one winner.
While herons are usually elegant fishing birds, this one might have missed the memo on how to catch lunch with grace and poise.
Image credit: © Vittorio Ricci/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2023
Those wishing to get involved in the judging can also vote for the People’s Choice Award on the awards’ website.
A sibling dispute leads to this image of two great horned owlets on their nest.
Image credit: © Mark Schocken/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2023
Thousands of entries from both professional and amateur photographers have been entered. Check out last year’s finalists and if pets are more your thing take a look at the comedy pet photo awards too.
What song do you think he is jamming out to?
Image credit: © Jason Moore/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2023
The overall winners will be announced on November 23 and win a safari trip to the Maasai Mara in Kenya, as well as a unique handmade trophy.
A photographer has lost a lawsuit against Apple over images that appeared in the background of a documentary about singer Billie Eilish — with a judge calling the usage “too trivial” to be deemed infringing.
Photographer Michael Kelley sued Apple and production company Morning Bee for copyright infringement after 10 of his photos were featured in the 2021 documentary film Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry.
Kelley’s Airportraits photography exhibit appeared in the backdrop of a Maori cultural group’s performance at New Zealand’s Auckland Airport that was observed by Eilish in the documentary.
Kelley is known for photographs of subjects such as airplanes and architecture. Some of his works were being displayed in Auckland Airport at the time.
However, a New York federal judge tossed Kelley’s copyright case against Apple and Morning Bee last month — saying that the fleeting appearance of the photos in Eilish’s documentary is deemed “de minimis” or minimal.
According to Law360, U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods dismissed Kelley’s lawsuit — claiming that the photographer’s images only appeared in the background of a short scene.
Judge Woods also says that the camera does not focus on any one of Kelley’s photographs at any time and “nor are they [the images] more well-lit than the performers or Eilish and her family” in the documentary.
“[The] photographs appear in the 140-minute film from a total of seven to 14 seconds per photograph.” Judge Woods writes in his ruling.
“In these fleeting shots, moreover, the photographs are oftentimes obstructed, out of focus, under low lighting, displayed at an angle to the viewer, and at all times in the background — far from appearing prominently in the film.”
Judge Woods said that the appearance of Kelley’s photographs in the documentary constituted fair use. Bloomberg Law reports that the judge said that barring the use of images like this would stifle other documentary makers in the future.
“The defendants’ transformative, fleeting, and incidental use of plaintiff’s photographs, which appear in the background of an under-one-minute scene of a 140-minute documentary, is fair use.”
In March, PetaPixel reported on a family who was suing Netflix for using images of their house that were allegedly taken by a drone in an ad for a reality television show.
Image credits: Header photo via court documents.
“Jeneen” (2018-2019), LED Firebox with trans-mounted chromogenic transparency, 60 x 40 inches. All images © Dana Claxton, shared with permission
In the vibrant, enigmatic portraiture series titled Headdress, Vancouver-based artist Dana Claxton celebrates Indigenous cultural abundance. Intricately stitched feathers, embellished baseball caps, and elaborately beaded jewelry spill over five figures, almost completely obscuring their faces. “In these portraits, the beadworks cover and espouse the womxn’s silhouettes, becoming more than just objects,” Claxton says in a statement. “The beadworks are cultural belongings, and the womxn are cultural carriers.”
The artist photographs each individual with her own possessions, such as Jeneen’s collection of accessories spanning three generations of Vuntut Gwich’in First Nation ancestry in Old Crow, Yukon. Dee and Dana wear pieces from an inter-tribal collection made by artisans from the Four Directions. Connie, who Claxton describes as a “matriarch of beadwork,” dons her own hand-beaded works, and Shadae includes a variety of caps, including a Coast Salish woven cedar hat, and her husband’s ceremonial powwow fans known as peyote fans.
Claxton’s work is included in the recently published book An Indigenous Present, and you can explore more work on her website.
“Dana” (2018-2019), LED Firebox with trans-mounted chromogenic transparency, 60 x 40 inches
“Shadae” (2018-2019), LED Firebox with trans-mounted chromogenic transparency, 60 x 40 inches
“Connie” (2018-2019), LED Firebox with trans-mounted chromogenic transparency, 60 x 40 inches
“Dee” (2018-2019), LED Firebox with trans-mounted chromogenic transparency, 60 x 40 inches
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 Indigenous Cultural Abundance Overflows in Dana Claxton’s Vibrant Portraits appeared first on Colossal.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – You’ve seen the South, but you haven’t seen it like this.
Gregory Harris, curator of photography at the High Museum of Art, came to Atlanta News First to talk about “A Long Arc: Photography and The American South Since 1845.” The photos span from the Civil War to now, highlighting the South and its importance to photography and society, Harris said.
The exhibit runs until January 14. You can visit the museum’s website and buy tickets here.
Copyright 2023 WANF. All rights reserved.
Plus: bracelets with spell-casting instructions, a Caribbean resort — and more recommendations from T Magazine.
Stay Here
The name Hemlock Neversink might conjure a wooded fairyland, and that idea isn’t too far from the truth. The 34-room all-inclusive hotel, opening Oct. 13, is set on 230 tree-filled acres in New York’s Catskills region. Activities include guided bird-watching and pine-needle weaving, but the core purpose of the property is to serve as a wellness retreat. Guests will be offered a survey with questions such as “How structured do you like your days?” and “Would you like to move or rest?” The answers are meant to inform a daily itinerary created by the Hemlock team, which might include animal therapy with an on-site herd of goats or a morning cardio dance class. At the spa, nature-inspired treatments such as the Neversink Ice and Stone Ritual, which involves an herb-infused cold water bath, a hot steam shower and a hot river-stone massage, are available for an added charge. The property’s design draws from the region’s Quaker heritage, with a neutral color palette, ash and walnut furniture and quilt-inspired custom wool rugs by Manhattan’s Crosby Street Studios. The husband-and-wife owners, Sims and Kristen Foster, who were recently nominated for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur for their other Catskills hotels (including the DeBruce and Kenoza Hall), conceived of another inviting dining space for Hemlock Neversink: Bittersweet, which has two fireplaces, will focus on seasonal and locally sourced dishes. From $399 a night, hemlockneversink.com.
Read This
“Lurking seems to be a familial trait,” writes the New York-based British photographer Victoria Hely-Hutchinson in the preface to her new photo book. “I Left My Grandmother’s House” is about the aristocratic Austrian side of her family, who have been idling for centuries around the fringes of European history. (“Heinrich used to have the same hairdresser as Putin,” reads one of the book’s enigmatic disclosures about her relatives.) Inspired by cinéma vérité filmmakers, Hely-Hutchinson has for over a decade been documenting her titled extended family with an unsentimental yet humanistic touch. Unmade beds and lonely sunlit reception halls are interspersed with spontaneous portraits (captured, for instance, mid-hug or amid the commotion of freeing a trapped bird). Hely-Hutchinson’s ease with her subjects infuses the imposing settings with a moody, lived-in warmth. But the ease wasn’t always there; as Hely-Hutchinson sought to connect with more distant branches of her family tree, she says, dinners began to feel like “family blind dates” during which she and her relatives tiptoed around the unspoken question: “How much do we trust each other to tell the intimate stories?” The answer can be found in the book’s evocative quotes, alternately mordant and macabre, many of which come from the photographer’s grandmother. They’re best imagined in the matriarch’s affectless tone, pronounced poolside after lunch in the South of France, as she “drip feeds the family gossip,” Hely-Hutchinson writes, “while flossing her teeth with a single strand of her own hair.” About $47, libraryman.se.
Covet This
In 2019, after a period of what she calls “inner upheaval and regeneration,” the former marketing executive Donnie Soddu began exploring different versions of spirituality. “I worked with reiki masters, shamans, crystal healers and a few mediums,” she says. She was most drawn to crystals, which she now uses as part of her meditation practice. Looking for a way to carry her favorite stones with her and to share them with her friends, she began making delicate pieces of jewelry. High Light Rituals, which she launched in August, is a collection of dainty necklaces and bracelets that are handmade in New York and Rhode Island. Some feature gemstones including citrine (which High Light calls “a stone of abundance”), labradorite (meant to channel intuition) and Herkimer diamonds (to amplify spiritual awareness), while gold pendants are adorned with flowers, eight-pointed stars or fruits that have various symbolic meanings. They’re engraved with a Florentine finish, a crosshatched pattern of hundreds of tiny lines that gives the metal a textured feel. Silk bracelets come with spell-casting instructions. For those interested in conducting their own at-home “energy cleansing,” High Light also offers Altar Kits complete with crystals, monastery candles and anointing oil. From $115, highlightrituals.com.
book This
Roatán island, about 40 miles off the Caribbean coast of Honduras, is known for its white sand beaches and excellent diving, thanks to its proximity to the Mesoamerican Reef, the largest barrier reef in the Northern Hemisphere. As of Oct. 8, the splashy new Kimpton Grand Roatán Resort & Spa may tempt even more sun seekers. Most of its 119 rooms — including the stand-alone bungalows with private plunge pools — offer sea views. All of them face west, optimizing sunset stakeouts. Interiors throughout the resort feature warm wooden finishes and décor from local artists. There’s also a 10,500-square-foot spa with a glass-bottomed infinity pool over a petrified coral reef, and a full slate of activities, including yoga classes, snorkeling and introductory scuba lessons. And for guests feeling too lazy to leave the resort, Kimpton’s daily social hour highlights local businesses like the Roatán Chocolate Factory and Roatán Island Brewing Company. From $300 a night, grandroatanresortandspa.com.
Gift This
Milk Teeth, the Los Angeles-based children’s clothing shop, has launched a collection of cardigans in collaboration with Capetown, South Africa’s Big Little Store. The hand-knit sweaters, made with soft, colorful wool, are available in a range of sizes that will fit newborns to 4-year-olds. Milk Teeth founder and former stylist Catherine Newell-Hanson (the sister of the T editor Alice Newell-Hanson) says the new collection exemplifies her “magpie” method of curation. She and her business partner Rebecca Calavan are drawn to eclectic pieces that tell a story, and these cardigans do: Each one is hand-knit by Janri Bruwer, a South African grandmother whose brand name is “Because I Love You.” Bruwer knits freehand, without using a pattern. Delicate ombres of purples and greens and playful geometric patterns are her specialty. In the soft hems and small buttons, you can see the artist’s — and grandmother’s — touch. As Newell-Hanson says, “There is something magic or alchemic about something knit by someone who has loved so many generations of tiny people.” Plus, Bruwer uses cotton yarn — which is just as hardy as sheep’s wool but softer and more breathable. From $58, shopmilkteeth.com.
Wear This
Sofia Coppola is not only celebrating her new book, “Archive,” and her forthcoming biopic, “Priscilla.” This year also marks the 25th anniversary of Sofia Wine, the line of sparkling wines that her father, the filmmaker and winery owner Francis Ford Coppola, created in her honor. To toast the occasion, Sofia Wine has released two charms in collaboration with the Brooklyn jewelry brand Catbird — a can tab and a tiny wine bottle, both made from recycled 14-karat gold. It was a natural partnership: “We’re huge Sofia fans; we have mood boards with pictures from her films on our office wall as inspiration,” says Catbird founder Rony Vardi. The can tab charm in particular is a nod to the Sofia Mini, the canned sparkling wine that debuted in 2004. Both charms are designed to be slipped onto one of Catbird’s signature gold chains and can be worn on their own or, in true Catbird style, layered delicately with other dainty baubles. From $108, catbirdnyc.com.
From T’s Instagram
Vibia’s Plusminus lighting system is as versatile as they come, providing architects and designers with the opportunity to create customized illumination within interior spaces. Together with Diez Office, the brand has fabricated a bespoke collection that features a fabric belt and various light fittings to lend individual style through contemporary technology. Plusminus eliminates the usual differences between pendant, sconce, and floor lights through the use of elements that can be adjusted, attached, or removed as desired or required.
There are six different light sources that give Plusminus its unique versatility when attached to the fabric belt: sphere, semisphere, cone, spotlight, linear diffuser, and linear low UGR. A series of anchors and fixings maintain the desired configuration of the belt with the attached lights chosen. The separate elements of the lighting system are articulated to elevate the functional to become a feature, allowing it to become part of the architecture itself.
The specially developed fabric belt provides both support and electrical conductivity, with the lights attached in an intuitive way using a simple clip-and-connect system. When loose, the belt traces elegant compositions within the desired space, adding to its sculptural character. Tension in the belt creates an architectural presence that can function as a space divider or artistic installation in vertical configurations.
The Plusminus system is a toolkit for lighting solutions, equally suitable for creating intimate lighting in the home or elaborate light sculptures in public buildings. Choose from four available belt colors within Vibia’s color palette: Black, Blue, Terra Red, and Green to draw bold architectural structures. Recently, a beige finish was added to the collection, adding a more versatile and timeless alternative to the four existing finishes.
To learn more about Vibia’s Plusminus lighting system and the rest of the brand’s offerings, visit plusminusxdesignmilk.
In the world of winemaking, where traditions run as deep as the vintage wines themselves, the path from grape to glass is often marked with challenges. Wine, with its primary focus on vineyards of California, France, and New Zealand, carries an aura of prestige that frequently excludes those who do not fit the mold. This exclusivity makes it a particularly challenging feat to break into, especially for women of color, where black-owned wineries constitute less than 1 percent of all U.S. wineries. Amidst these hurdles, Ingrid Best, formerly an ExecutiveVice President at Combs Enterprises’ Spirits Division, has embarked on a journey to reshape wine culture, infusing it with a blend of art, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit. With her inaugural venture, the Founder and Wine Negociant of IBest Wines is positioning South Africa firmly within the conversation of stellar wine regions.
Prior to launching her own wine brand, Best held her own in a white-male dominated industry as the marketing powerhouse working for major suppliers such as Diageo, Moët Hennessy, Bacardi, and Combs Enterprises. Best’s experience in the wine and spirits industry spans over two decades where she started her career at Diageo when they had one of the industry’s leading impressive wine portfolios. She then went on to Moët Hennessy where she worked on some of the world’s most iconic spirits brands and its wine and champagne portfolio before spending time at Bacardi and Combs Enterprises. Best became the only marketing executive to manage both joint venture spirits partnerships for cultural icons Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter with Bacardi and Sean “Diddy” Combs. Reflecting on her journey, she shares a poignant moment: “I experienced a full circle in my career by working with Puff, who really was a huge inspiration for me, and the reason why many of us got to sit at the table in the wine and spirits industry after his deal with Diageo. Working for him and just seeing how relentlessly passionate he is about building his legacy. It fueled me.”
With that inspiration and example, Best knew it was time to make a decision that would lead her to new territories. It was an invitation to South Africa from her best friend that opened her eyes to the continent’s distinct beauty. She had realized that her work with the industry’s most prestigious brands had taken her around the world, but never to Africa. Touching down in Johannesburg for this pivotal journey, she underwent a series of profound realizations. She recalled, “Setting foot on South African soil made the underrepresentation of this region in the world of wine even more apparent, particularly when compared to Napa, France, and other more widely recognized regions that get the shelf space and talking time. Instead of drawing comparisons, my focus shifted to discovery. I felt like I had discovered something truly incredible.”
Charting a New Course Takes Partnership
After her transformative journey to South Africa, Best recognized the time had come to channel the same magic she had harnessed while supporting the world’s largest brands into her own entrepreneurial endeavor and embrace ownership. In an era when Africa has been in the global spotlight for its contributions to music, food, fashion, and makeup, Best believed it was only fitting for South Africa to become the next prominent wine region on everyone’s lips. As a wine negociant, Best collaborates with local producers to bottle blends under the IBest brand name.
She emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and unlearning to navigate the complexities of the wine industry, particularly as a Black woman launching a wine brand in South Africa. Best stressed the significance of immersing herself in the culture, forging connections, and diligently selecting a local partner who shared her commitment to quality and craftsmanship. “It was so important for me to plant my roots, to meet people, to talk to people. This wasn’t done in a silo. That meant spending a lot of time in South Africa. That meant a lot of meetings and making sure that the partner that we eventually wound up going with understood that, for us, quality and craftsmanship comes first,” describes Best.
The chosen partner, Stellenbosch Vineyard, aligns with this vision. Their winemaker, Bernard Claasan, is dedicated to a careful process that ensures top-notch wines. With nearly 40 years of winemaking experience in the team, Stellenbosch Vineyards collaborates with local farmers in Stellenbosch to get the grapes they need. They pick each farm very thoughtfully, considering the soil and the types of grapes planted by their dedicated Viticulturist and Winemaker. “For IBest Wines, we age our blends in special 300-liter French Oak barrels. The different toasting levels of the barrel plays an important role on the wine; the barrel will add to the flavor development, maturity, and longevity after bottling in the wine. A minimal toast will lead to vanilla flavors and caramel notes, while a more toasted barrel will give smoky aromas. Time in the barrel allows the slow ingress of oxygen–a process which makes wine taste smoother and less astringent,” notes Claasan. There is a meticulous artistry of crafting the kind of wine that appeals to discerning taste buds and sells bottles off of shelves. Best approached this process with thoughtful deliberation and patience, understanding that this would yield the best outcome.
However, her journey didn’t stop at selecting the right producer and blend. Best also took the time to connect with other influential Black women in the wine industry. One such individual, Hayli September, pursuing her master’s in winemaking, played a pivotal role in IBest Wines’ journey. Another figure is Grace Mahary, an Eritrean-Canadian woman and IMG model who is a founding member of and the Sommelier for the IBest Wines team. “For me, it is hugely important that this work not only inspire young women here in the US and in South Africa, but all over the world,” Best shares.
Building from the Ground Up
This collaborative approach not only shines a spotlight on South African talent but also extends a seat at the ownership table to underrepresented groups, a central tenet of the brand Best has cultivated. IBest Wines proudly boasts four Black women investors today. With a clear vision and trusted partnerships in place, investment funding was the inevitable next step. As Best notes, it’s not easy being in the business of wine. The landscape demands substantial investments, and not many have the means to navigate it successfully. “It’s not a cheap endeavor, which is why there’s not a lot of people that have been able to do it and do it successfully. But, we’re seeing more,” Best reflects on her funding journey. She emphasizes that the path to entrepreneurship is far from easy, cautioning against romanticizing it based on social media portrayals. Best candidly shares, “I think it’s important for people to know it’s a lot of hard work and it takes a lot of money.” She reveals that IBest Wines was financed entirely from her own pockets, tapping into her savings and retirement plans. When she reached a point of financial stretching and was ready to bring partners on board, she began pitching to investors.
Best extended her pitch to a wide array of funders, transcending boundaries of gender and race. Ultimately, IBest Wines began with Best’s capital and is set to launch with the support, belief, and investment of four Black women investors.
Breaking Barriers to Reshape the Wine Industry
“We’re doing it now, you know, by building a Black-owned brand. My hope is that this is really an example not only to our community but to our allies that we’re doing it. We’re doing it at the highest level, with pride and excellence. I would say that’s what IBest Wines represents. It’s about collaborating with other wine owners to increase visibility and help each other pay it forward. We have to be bold and bullish about that,” Best shares about the brand’s vision.
One of the pivotal barriers is the challenge of gaining access to capital and fostering a transformative mindset among suppliers and distributors. For wine brands to genuinely revolutionize the industry, there needs to be a paradigm shift in how major suppliers and distributors perceive new brands. However, Best remains undaunted. She intends to continue those conversations, and bring about significant change in the wine and spirits space. Best passionately emphasizes her commitment to making a mark in the wine industry, championing diversity and ownership. In her vision, wine enthusiasts would have the opportunity to savor South African wines while immersing themselves in art and culture, complete with art exhibits, museum cafes, and more. IBest Wines first blends – a red and a white are available for pre-sale on ReserveBar starting October 10, and on IBestWines starting the week of October 23.
The beautiful winning images of the 2023 International Pet Photographer of the Year awards have been unveiled. Hosted by dog photography platform Unleashed Education, the winners were revealed during Shutterhound, the world’s first specialist dog photography conference in Las Vegas. Swedish photographer Sanna Sander took home the title of International Pet Photographer of the Year for her strong portfolio of images. Sander’s stunning dog photography went through a rigorous blind judging process by top professionals in the field. This year’s awards attracted a whopping 2,299 entries, showcasing the incredible diversity of the pet photography world. Of these, 1,893 featured dogs, 194 cats, 135 horses, and 77 other animals, including pigs, chickens, parrots, cows, lizards, rabbits and even some less conventional pets. Entries poured in from 32 different countries, making this competition truly international in scope. The awards featured five distinct categories: Action, Creative, Documentary, Pets and People, and Portrait.
