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A U.S. immigration officer is facing prison after being convicted of “interfering with flight crew” by taking up-skirt video of a flight attendant last year while he was on duty escorting a passenger who was going to be deported.

According to the U.S. Attorney General Office Southern District Florida, Billy Olvera, 48, was on the job, escorting a person to Miami for removal. Olvera now faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for interfering with flight crew enroute from Dallas – Fort Worth to Miami on November 6, 2023.

The crew member had noticed him holding his phone in a suspicious manner, pointing it up towards the cabin ceiling whenever she walked by. Another flight attendant recorded him doing it with a separate phone. They then informed the pilot, who arranged for law enforcement to meet the aircraft on arrival.

They found multiple up-skirt images on the Customs and Border Protection officer’s phone.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 16. In a statement from the man’s attorney, he ‘regrets his actions’ and seeks ‘forgiveness’ from all those affected by his actions. However, it is not thought likely that he would receive the maximum sentence.

From their earliest days of aviation, female flight attendants have had to deal with sexual harassment.

Harassment may be somewhat less common in the U.S. than it used to be since social norms have shifted away from the idea that flight crew exist to flirt with passengers and air travel itself is, for the most part, no longer ‘sexy’, but more similar to bus travel.

On the other hand, almost all passengers now carry smart cell phones with cameras.

Not long ago a flight attendant was caught taking video of young girls in an aircraft toilet,  and back in 2017 budget German airline Condor warned pilots to stop circulating videos of flight attendants having sex (presumably with pilots)–both inside airplanes and in hotel rooms.

Sources: CBS news, HuffPost, news agencies, View From the Wing.

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Today, we’d like to invite you to explore the surreal images created by Finnish photographer Juuso Hämäläinen. Besides his talent for capturing exceptional moments and stunning landscapes, Juuso is also a digital artist, 3D animator, composer, and musician, currently based in Vancouver, BC. As stated on Juuso’s website: “Through his art he wants to share the magical quality of life that is experienced when one stays present and perceives the world as it truly is and not through the concepts of the mind as most of us have unknowingly learnt to live.”

Scroll down to see a collection of astonishing photographs by Hämäläinen, and let us know in the comments which places you’d like to visit the most.

More info: Instagram | Facebook | juusohd.com

Portraiture is a brilliant genre to get stuck into, whether it’s practicing on your friends and family or local models but it can be difficult to put a stamp on your headshots to make yours stand out from the crowd. 

That’s why we recently sat down with and caught up with Newo Ikkin who, transforms her fantastical ideas from thoughts to pro photos with the perfect combination of make-up, costume, photography, lighting and careful editing.

Based in Yorkshire, UK, Newo has a passion for all things dark, beautiful, stylized and Gothic. She runs one-on-one workshops for both creative portfolios and editing, details for which can be found on her website below. She was also a guest speaker at The Photography & Video Show 2024 back in March at the NEC.

Here she gives us an insight into her work, and reveals the essential kit she needs on shoots. Be sure to check out her Instagram and website for more inspiration.

“My photography journey began on the opposite side of the lens. I began assisting photoshoots with makeup and hair, with the occasional dabble into modeling for friends as an outlet for creativity. My passion was always creating beautiful characters, pulling styling together for beautiful yet otherworldly portraits.

“One of my frustrations at the time was not having creative control over what was actually being shot – living in a small town in Northern England, the powerhouses of alternative photography tended not to be based near me, apart from a few whose time I couldn’t monopolize! I started shooting self-portraits to create exactly what I wanted in an image, and never looked back.

“As a total magpie, I love to use a lot of metallic elements in my photography, using them in tandem with gels and atmospheric elements to make for an interesting scene. Over the past few years I’ve also loved creating underwater portraiture, having partnered with underwater studio TankSpace many times.

“Fast forward a decade or so, I am fortunate enough to now routinely work with some of the most amazing people in the industry to create art. My passion is primarily for moody portraiture, bold colour use, and interesting characters for my models to embody. With a particular love for corsetry and highly stylized wardrobe, every shot is intended primarily for the female gaze and to celebrate alternative culture.”

Newo’s pro kit for portraits

1. Canon EOS 60D DSLR

A lot of people are surprised when they realise I still shoot with this camera. Yes, it’s old, beaten up, cheap and cheerful – but it still does exactly what I need it to do, and I don’t overly worry about knocking it about while I’m working! My trusty little Canon EOS 60D comes everywhere with me, and has been responsible for most of my images to date – a testament to a hard working bit of kit.

See our guide to the best DSLRs 

I wouldn’t be without this so-called ‘nifty fifty’. I can get the most beautiful look with the wide f/1.8 aperture that looks so dreamy. I especially love using it for portraits and close-ups to show off the talent of makeup artists or detailed jewelry pieces. Again, this Canon kit doesn’t break the bank, so it’s well worth having in your bag if you haven’t got one already!

See our guide to the best 50mm lenses

3. MicroFogger MF4 Pro

This tiny machine is a staple in a lot of my work. I use two mini smoke machines from the MicroFogger range. They work similar to a vape, but in reverse, meaning I can create either a beautiful haze, or targeted areas of smoke to add atmosphere to an image. These are super handy to carry around, unlike a more traditional smoke machine and more ideal for location work.

4. Jake Hicks Gel Pack

Gels changed my photography style a lot, and my clients love more vibrant portraits. I tend to use gels on a bare studio flash, to create a very hard light and offset it slightly from the model, almost pointing towards the camera. You can get a fantastic hazy glow this way, especially when used with the smoke machines.

5. Lume Cube 2.0 LED

Lume Cubes have been a bit of a revelation for me when considering what I could do to make a small travelling set-up that took up very little space. I often shoot from client’s houses or tiny front rooms and so on, where space is at a premium. In these places, I’ve found the small Lume Cube a great little light – and with them also being waterproof I’ve also been able to use them in underwater sets.

• See our guide to the best LED lighting panels

When editing, I use both Capture One and Photoshop CC and my Wacom graphics tablet is essential for my post-production work. I use the Wacom Intuos 5 Touch PTH-450, which is invaluable for detail work, such as highlighting round the eye waterline, or the ridge of the brow, almost digitally ‘painting’ detail on to the photo to add an otherworldly feel to an otherwise simple portrait.
• See our guide to the best Wacom tablets

You might also be interested in the best cameras for portraits and the best lenses for portraits.

Mikko Lagerstedt, a self-taught photographer from Kareva, Finland, describes his work as “Capturing the emotion of places through photography.” 

No matter if during the night, evening, or broad daylight, whether it’s a snowy landscape, a beautiful aurora, or a foggy forest, Mikko just has the eye and talent to perfectly capture the beauty of nature in all its glory. The photos have a magical feeling leaving us curious to see these places in real life. But before you go and look for them, let’s appreciate Mikko’s creative photography work.

More info: Instagram | mikkolagerstedt.com | Facebook