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Combat photographer statue unveiled at Veteran’s Park in Manchester

Combat photographer statue unveiled at Veteran’s Park in Manchester
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Officials in Manchester unveiled a statue to honor combat photographers in Veteran’s Park on Friday.The statue highlights the risks combat photographers take to document wars.It was dedicated in a ceremony Friday morning.Veteran’s park was originally meant to serve as a memorial for Union soldiers during the Civil War, but now honors veterans from any era.

Officials in Manchester unveiled a statue to honor combat photographers in Veteran’s Park on Friday.

The statue highlights the risks combat photographers take to document wars.

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It was dedicated in a ceremony Friday morning.

Veteran’s park was originally meant to serve as a memorial for Union soldiers during the Civil War, but now honors veterans from any era.

Pro landscape photographer Jack Lodge reveals the gear he uses to take top shots of the Jurassic Coast

Pro landscape photographer Jack Lodge reveals the gear he uses to take top shots of the Jurassic Coast

Landscapes is a brilliant genre of photography that allows you to get out taking photos in the great outdoors so going on hikes with your camera is fantastic for your wellbeing, mental health and creativity!

Based down in Wimborne, Dorset, England, Jack is perfectly placed for landscapes and seascape on the stunning Jurassic Coast. His image ‘Winter at Win Green’ was shortlisted in the Landscape Photographer of the Year 2022 contest, and he runs landscape and wildlife workshops, from Dorset to Snowdonia, all year round. 

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

“I picked up my first camera, a Canon EOS 100D, back in 2014, just after starting my architectural studies. I wanted to document my travels in Europe and I found the steep learning curve very addictive.

“From that moment on, I fell in love with photography. My love and passion for the great outdoors came at a young age as I grew up in Dorset on the south coast; it’s a playground for exploring the Jurassic Coast, countryside, and magical woodlands.

Professional landscape and wildlife photographer Jack Lodge (Image credit: Jack Lodge)

“I started taking landscape photography seriously in 2017. I fell in love with capturing the changing seasons. Chasing light across the landscape in summer, walking through enchanting woodlands during spring, catching crashing waves at sunrise in winter, and surrounding myself with mesmerizing autumn colours. Capturing the change of seasons quickly became ‘my thing’ and landscapes became my happy place.

“I soon discovered my day job in architecture wasn’t for me, so over the next five years, I planned my journey into taking my photography full-time, and in 2022, I finally took the plunge to go pro.

“Fast-forward to the present day and I’m beyond happy. I run workshops up and down the country, work with big brands, and share my passion with as many people as I can. All I can recommend to anyone who has found their passion in life is to pursue that, surround yourself with good people and friends who support you, and, more importantly, believe in yourself.”

Jack’s pro kit for landscapes

1. Canon EOS R5

(Image credit: Future)

The Canon EOS R5 is everything I want in my dream camera for landscapes. It’s incredible for wildlife photography, too, enabling me to quickly switch between shooting seascapes on the coast to kingfishers along riverbanks. I also use the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300 A3 printer and PRO-2100 large-format printer, and the images printed from my R5 are simply out of this world, taking me back to the moment I clicked the shutter button. 

(Image credit: Future)

This is my do-it-all lens, an absolute game-changer for me. It covers 80% of the focal ranges I use most of the time, and as well as being small and lightweight, its optical performance is top level. It’s not as sharp as my RF 15-35mm (which is just unreal) but I’ve never not been happy with a print from this lens, and I’ve made 2m-long panoramas with images taken on this lens before and been impressed.

3. Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM 

(Image credit: Canon)

The Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L is an absolute beast in my lens collection and the one I always go to when shooting down at the coast in winter and wanting crazy front-to-back detail. Plus don’t even get me started on the sunstars this lens produces at f/22. It blows my mind how crisp and sharp the images taken with this lens are – and with little to no flare, too.

(Image credit: Canon)

This may come as a surprise, but this focal length, along with the Canon RF 100-500mm, is one of my favourites for landscapes and I never leave home without one of my telephoto lenses. For compressing long distant subjects on a cold, misty morning, or quickly being able to photograph a barn owl or red kite in the countryside, it’s incredibly versatile.

5. Arca Swiss D4 geared head

(Image credit: Jack Lodge)

This is a piece of gear that I don’t think I could live without. Once you go from a ball to a geared head, there’s no going back – as geared heads have three dials to enable you to twist them to really fine-tune your camera’s position for more accurate compositions. I’ve found myself slowing down, thinking through a composition a lot more, and wanting to move the head just a few millimetres at a time, to remove branches or distracting elements in the corners of my frame.

6. Kase Revolution magnetic filters

(Image credit: Future)

I started out using ND graduated filters, but found them to be expensive and cumbersome. These magnetic Kase filters have been a game-changer. They’re easy to use and I keep the polarizer fitted most of the time and used with caution. I also use a variety of ND filters for longer exposures to help me slow down water or create motion in leaves and clouds. 

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

Princess Diana ‘showed her mood in how she dressed’ says royal photographer

Princess Diana ‘showed her mood in how she dressed’ says royal photographer

Princess Diana “showed her moods through the way she dressed,” one of her most trusted royal photographers has said ahead of an exhibition showcasing his work.

Anwar Hussein, the award-winning and longest-serving royal photographer, spent years capturing some of the most prominent images of the late Princess of Wales in her public and private life.

Speaking to The Telegraph, he revealed that in Diana’s outfits “you could always see what sort of mood she was in.”

The new exhibition, titled Princess Diana: Accredited Access, opened at St Katharine Docks on Saturday and includes a range of Anwar’s iconic photographs of the Princess, such as his picture of her in the famous revenge dress at the Vanity Fair party in 1994.

It also exhibits photographs of Diana dressed down, including walking in Virgin Atlantic gear when leaving the Chelsea Harbour Club in 1995 and wearing a polka dot shirt with a pencil skirt while smiling at a polo match in 1983.

Anwar Hussein, royal photographer, with his image of Princess Diana at her wedding to Prince Charles


The exhibition features 75 life-size photographs of the late Princess taken by Hussein


Credit: JULIAN SIMMONDS

There are also two pictures of the late Princess while she was pregnant with Princes William and Harry, with both pictures showcasing a joyous and relaxed pastel-coloured outfit.

The first is a shot from May 30, 1982, in Windsor, which was taken less than one month before the birth of William.

Diana is pictured smiling in a soft blue dress as she stands in front of Charles’ Aston Martin, which he often drove to go and play polo on the grounds near Windsor Castle.

In the second shot, taken on June 28, 1984, Diana is shown wearing pink at Cirencester Polo Club while expecting Prince Harry.

The exhibition, which has had successful runs in the US, Australia and Canada already, also includes photographs of the younger royals taken by Anwar’s two sons, Samir and Zak Hussein.

Together, the family’s passion for photographing the royals spans seven decades during which time the trio have curated a collection of official pictures of five generations of the monarchy.

“The exhibition tells our whole history, our career, how much time we’ve dedicated to it and obviously my dad for decades focusing on photographing the royals and now us taking over, it’s a great family legacy,” Zak said.

“It also gives a different perspective of the royals to what people might consume elsewhere… this shows our point of view behind the lens.”

Anwar Hussein attends the launch of Princess Diana: Accredited Access Exhibition


Anwar insisted that the late Princess of Wales ‘changed the course of royal photography’


Credit: John Nguyen/PA Media Assignments

Anwar, 86, insisted that the late Princess of Wales “changed the course of royal photography” by her ability to be so tactile with people she encountered.

“She was the first person to shake hands with people and at that time, it was taboo, and everybody advised her not to do it,” he explained.

Many of the pictures of her in the new exhibition speak to her ease of manner with people, including an image of her cradling a young cancer patient in Pakistan in 1996, which she described as her favourite to Anwar.

Diana’s approach has “definitely” inspired the way the current Princess of Wales is with people, he said, adding: “Everyone in the family has copied her since, even the [late] Queen.”

“She was such a pioneer and really broke the mould for the royals in many ways, including in what she wore,” Samir explained.

Speaking about his sons taking over from him, Anwar said that he attempted “never to influence them in any way” but that they had come to appreciate the legacy of his work on their own.

He said he did not realise the impact of his photographs until “a later age”.

“It’s amazing – when I was a little boy in Africa the only picture I had seen of the Queen was a stamp and then I had my pictures on stamps used by the Queen – how did I manage to do that?”

Princess Diana: Accredited Access runs from May 25 to Sept 2 and includes a unique audio tour narrated by both Zak and Samir to guide the experience.

Exploring Pinhole Photography With the Ilford Obscura 4×5

Exploring Pinhole Photography With the Ilford Obscura 4×5

If you’re considering trying out pinhole photography, the Ilford Obscura 4×5 might pique your interest. This camera offers a unique shooting experience and can produce images with distinctive character.

Coming to you from Kyle McDougall, this insightful video dives into using the Ilford Obscura 4×5 pinhole camera for the first time. McDougall takes it out to Tintern, a village in South Wales, to get a feel for the camera before heading to North Wales for a project. The goal is to see what this pinhole camera can do and understand its strengths and limitations. 

The Ilford Obscura is straightforward: it’s a box with magnets holding it together. You load a sheet of film, open the flap to expose the pinhole, and close it to stop the exposure. However, it doesn’t use a sheet film holder, meaning you need a dark bag to load and unload film between shots. McDougall acknowledges this inconvenience but appreciates the simplicity of the design. If you’re hiking or on the move, this setup can be cumbersome, which is a key consideration.

He starts by metering the scene using his phone. The exposure calculation is straightforward but involves using a conversion chart and a reciprocity timer app to adjust for the long exposure times typical of pinhole photography. Despite the complexity, McDougall embraces the process and the unpredictability of the results. After a few shots, McDougall discusses the challenges and joys of using the camera. He mentions the long exposure times, which can lead to interesting effects, such as movement in the scene. The framing is a bit of a guessing game, but that’s part of the charm. He points out that this method forces you to slow down and be deliberate, which can be a refreshing change from the fast-paced nature of digital photography.

Back in the office, McDougall develops the film and shares his initial impressions. The images have a soft, almost dreamy quality with a lot of character. He appreciates the imperfections and the aged look they convey. This is precisely the effect he was aiming for in his project, making the camera a successful choice for his creative vision. However, he’s already considering finding a pinhole camera that uses a film holder for added convenience. Check out the video above for the full rundown from McDougall.

Man finds alligator under his vehicle

Man finds alligator under his vehicle

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC/Gray News) – A man was surprised to find an alligator underneath his vehicle.

Stephen Faulk said his neighbors alerted him to the alligator and he grabbed his camera and rushed outside to take photos.

Faulk, a self-described wildlife photographer, got within a few feet of the alligator.

“In my free time I love to get out and do a lot of hiking and amateur wildlife photography,” he said. “I was just at Caw Caw Interpretive Center the other day looking for alligators to photograph and I couldn’t find any so it’s kind of hilarious that one just shows up almost at my doorstep.”

A Charleston County Public Works employee spotted the alligator, followed it into the parking lot and alerted animal control workers.

“Everybody was joking about it. They’re like, ‘Of course, this would happen to you,’” Faulk said.

Stephen Faulk snapped photos of Charleston County Animal Control officers working to capture a...
Stephen Faulk snapped photos of Charleston County Animal Control officers working to capture a 6-foot alligator that crept under his vehicle Thursday morning.(Stephen Faulk)

He shot footage of animal control officers wrangling the gator from beneath the vehicle.

“He was getting pretty scuffed up. He got a little bloody, you know. They got to tire them out before they can actually get them into the truck bed,” Faulk said. “So when they thrash around a lot, they use up a lot of energy and it tires them out.”

Faulk said that the most important thing when interacting with wildlife is to respect their space.

International Photographic Council (IPC) Honors Renowned Photographers at 50th Anniversary IPC Professional Photographer Awards Luncheon

International Photographic Council (IPC) Honors Renowned Photographers at 50th Anniversary IPC Professional Photographer Awards Luncheon
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New York, NY, May 26, 2024 –(PR.com)– For half a century, the International Photographic Council (IPC) has been focused on a single mission – Peace Through Photography, The Universal Language. At the organization’s recent IPC Professional Photographer Awards Luncheon in New York City, attendees were treated to a program that showcased legends, icons and prodigies that have and continue to bring this mission to life. The IPC Professional Photographer Awards Luncheon took place during International Photography Month in the Delegates Dining Room at the United Nations in New York City.

Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications at the United Nations opened the ceremony with moving words about the organization and the honorees.

“Our 50th anniversary program was marked by tremendous energy,” says Andy Marcus, President of IPC. “Under-Secretary-General Fleming’s opening remarks set the mood for a moving event. The program was a strong mix of photographers. We will continue our mission to promote Peace through Photography, the Universal Language through our programs and events like these. Congratulations to all the honorees.”

The following were honored at the 2024 IPC Professional Photographer Awards Luncheon:

Douglas Kirkland, IPC Special Lifetime Achievement Award: The award was presented posthumously to Francoise Kirkland who served as the keynote. Together they published several books and showcased numerous exhibitions. Douglas Kirkland remains one of the world’s most influential photographers, capturing the faces of Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, Leonardo DiCaprio, Coco Chanel, Mikhail Baryshnikov and more. His portrait of Charlie Chaplin hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in London. In 1998, Kirkland’s picture book, Titanic, rose to No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller List. A retrospective exhibition of Kirkland’s work entitled, A Life in Pictures, was recently on display at Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles, California. Francoise continues to look after her husband ‘s legacy and vast archive.

In her moving keynote Francoise Kirkland thanked IPC for honoring her late husband who touched beings of all walks of life and made everyone that he came in contact with feel like they mattered.

Benjamin Von Wong, IPC Environmental Photographer Award: Benjamin Von Wong is a multidisciplinary visual artist and photographer who uses recycled and reclaimed materials to create striking installations and images. His work has generated over 100 million views on social media focusing on various causes including plastics, fast fashion and electronic waste.

Lindsay Adler, IPC Professional Photographer Achievement Award, Professional Photographers of America Nominee: Specializing in beauty and fashion photography, Lindsay Adler is an award-winning photographer/director and world-renowned photographic educator. Based in New York City, she has traveled the world shooting for iconic beauty brands and high-end editorial publications. Lindsay is known for her signature clean, bold, and graphic style. She has worked for brands ranging from NBC to Ogilvy to Vogue and everything in between. She is an author of 5 books, Canon Explorer of Light and one of the most sought-after photo educators internationally.

Peter Hurley, IPC Professional Photographer Achievement Award, WPPI Nominee: Peter Hurley is a world-renowned photographer who for the past 20 years has been fixated on the faces that fill his frame. He spends his days in studio unpacking the relationship between how his clients’ internal thought processes affect their outer appearances. He’s a TEDx speaker on the subject, author of The Headshot, a Canon Explorer of Light, and founder of the Headshot Crew, which comprises the largest group of headshot specialists globally.

David McLain, IPC Professional Photographer Achievement Award, SONY Artisan Nominee: David McLain is a Maine-based photographer and filmmaker whose work explores big questions through intimate stories. Over his career, he has shot seven feature-length assignments for National Geographic, coproduced and shot Bounce, a feature documentary that premiered at SXSW, and worked around the world for commercial clients including Sony and Apple. For the past 20 years, David has been photographing The Blue Zones, places on earth where people live the longest healthiest lives. He recently shot the New York Times best-selling Blue Zones Kitchen which has sold over 400,000 copies. His current work is focused on longevity, healing, and health. David is proud to be a founding member of the Sony Artisan Program and lives with his wife and two children in a 220-year-old farmhouse in Maine.

Shotti NYC, IPC Professional Photographer Achievement Award, FujiFilm Creator Nominee: Empathy is at the forefront of Shotti NYC’s practice. As a portrait photographer, he feels that it is important to reimagine how a subject defines personal beauty. Shotti NYC often finds himself capturing the unconventional, uncertain and uneasy aspects of human nature. His process relies heavily on connecting with a subject on an emotional level, and through this connection, he is able to get an insight on their shared experience.

Deanne Fitzmaurice, IPC Professional Photographer Achievement Award, NIKON Ambassador Nominee: Deanne Fitzmaurice served as an eyewitness to sweeping change across the Bay Area as a photojournalist for the San Francisco Chronicle, documenting the worst Earthquake in nearly a century, pivotal Supreme Court rulings, significant wars involving the U.S., climate change, and sports. Her work for the Chronicle garnered the attention of global publications and soon she was shooting for National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and others. One photographic essay, documenting a young Iraqi war victim named Saleh, earned her the Pulitzer Prize. She has won most of the major prizes in photojournalism – some multiple times – including Pictures of the Year International, AI-AP American Photography, Communication Arts, NPPA, and others.

Anna and Jordan Rathkopf, IPC Professional Photographer Achievement Award, American Photographic Artists Nominee: Anna and Jordan Rathkopf’s work utilizes their lived experiences to create inclusive health stories that portray illness humanely and authentically and help create awareness for health equity. Their work has received prestigious awards (Comm Arts, APA, American Photography), exhibited at ICP, Photoville, LinkNYC and Smithsonian Institute, and has been featured as the Master Brand Campaign for Susan G. Komen and media including CNN, Good Morning America, Metro UK and more.

IPC James L. Chung Memorial Scholarships. The scholarship honors the late long-time president of IPC. Lucas Brito Drumond and Mariana Otalora Chavez attend the School of Visual Arts College in New York City and were named as this year’s recipients. The scholarship awards are made possible by the generosity of the Chung Foundation. Dr. Mark Chung gave a heartfelt speech on how important the IPC Scholarship Program is in keeping with his father’s legacy of helping to mentor young people.

A special thanks to the corporate supporters: American Photographic Artists, B&H Photo Video, Canon U.S.A. Inc., Fred Marcus Photography & Video, FUJIFILM, H+H Photo Lab, Mailpix, Nikon Inc., Professional Photographers of America, SIGMA America, SONY Electronics North America, Tamron, Tether Tools, Tiffen, Westcott, WPPI, Steve Simon and Suspect Photography; along with a generous donation to the James L. Chung Memorial Scholarship program from The Chung Foundation, Francoise Kirkland and Benjamin Von Wong.

Visit IPCPhoto.org to learn more. Mark your calendars for May 14, 2025. Visit IPCPhoto.org for full info and to view incredible images from the honorees.

About the International Photographic Council (IPC)
The International Photographic Council (IPC) is a Civil Society Organization formally associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications, composed of representatives from every major sector of the photographic industry. IPC’s motto is “Peace Through Photography, the Universal Language.” IPC is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Photo Caption:

(left to right) IPC Vice President Kathy Jello, Mariana Otalora Chavez, Peter Hurley, Lucas Brito Drumond, Lindsay Adler, Jordan Rathkopf, Francoise Kirkland, Shotti NYC, Anna Rathkopf, Deanne Fitzmaurice, IPC President Andy Marcus, Benjamin Von Wong.

Contact
Kathy Magrane
International Photographic Council
KathyMagrane@southcomm.com

Kathy Jello
International Photographic Council
KathyJello@IPCPhoto.org

“A compact camera and two good strobes will produce better photos than an expensive camera with no artificial light”

“A compact camera and two good strobes will produce better photos than an expensive camera with no artificial light”

Jay Clue: I purchased my first camera just before
I moved to Baja California in Mexico six years ago. It was a small compact camera with plastic housing. 

Back then, I knew almost nothing about photography. I’d just run around mashing buttons in Auto mode, hoping I would get some epic shots. 

Eventually, a close friend sat me down and said, ‘Okay, you need to learn how to shoot photos or I’m taking the camera away’. She’s an incredible photographer and I’ll forever be grateful that she took the time to teach me the basics of shooting in Manual mode. 

Being a big nerd at heart, I began going down rabbit holes online, reading guides and watching tutorials, then going out and practicing what I’d learned. 

I was still horrible at it but I really wanted 
to be able to capture photos that showed the same beauty I felt when I was in the ocean, so I kept pushing on and practicing more and more.

Fast forward a year or so and I decided to save up my pennies to upgrade from my compact to a crop-sensor mirrorless camera. 

To my surprise, around six months or so later, I won my first photography award. Not long after that, I placed fourth in the world for the best up-and-coming photographer, as well as picking up a few other placements and awards that year. 

But then, I had a change of heart and stopped entering competitions. I realized something incredibly important: beautiful images and stories can do a lot more than just be pretty. 

They have this incredible power to make humans who have never been to the ocean before fall in love with it and maybe even want to protect it. This realization became ingrained in my work as I continued learning and growing as a photographer. 

For me, it really changed the quality of my shots. I no longer only wanted to just capture the beauty I saw in the ocean but instead use my photos to inspire others to hopefully feel that same passion
I have for our oceans. 

Bringing a purpose to my photography helped me take it to new levels. 

Sam Glenn-Smith: I was influenced by two incredible men who continue to inspire me to this day. 

Alan Wiggs, who was my high school teacher and taught me to dive, and Daniel Geary (also known as Doctor Frogfish), who first put a camera in my hand and inspired the creative side in me to start shooting underwater.

The big picture: Dhruv Malhotra’s open-air sleeper in night-time Delhi

The big picture: Dhruv Malhotra’s open-air sleeper in night-time Delhi
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For eight years from 2007, Dhruv Malhotra photographed after dark in Indian cities and suburbs. He was, he says, drawn to “the silence, the palpable sense of time and the unknown” as well as the chance “to make visible what is ordinarily dark and hidden”. To begin with, these scenes were uninhabited. He liked the idea of places on the edges of the urban, left alone overnight, waiting to wake again. To achieve his effects he exposed colour negative film over long periods, imprinting otherworldly early hours on film.

About a year into these insomniac studies he took a picture of a night sleeper he chanced upon. Malhotra was living and working mostly in Noida, the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, a satellite zone of Delhi, which has expanded rapidly since it was created in 1976. After that first picture of the sleeper he made a series, going in search of where people might bed down, staking out likely benches and shelters. Mostly the people he photographed were not homeless. Summers are stifling hot in Uttar Pradesh, and sleeping outside is a regular custom. Some were migrant workers who chose to sleep close to their place of work, others were security guards between shifts. “When photographing,” Malhotra has said of the series, “I’m looking for spaces where the human figure and the urban environment form a symmetry with each other.”

This picture is emblematic of that nocturnal series. It is included in a large-scale book, Night Fever, which focuses on photography and cinema set in the moments when the world is fast asleep. As with other work in the book, Malhotra’s pictures convey the heightened sensory awareness that daylight tends to extinguish; his sleepers, lost to the world, have what he calls “the sense of disquiet that otherwise would go unnoticed”.