The Fstoppers community is brimming with creative vision and talent. Every day, we comb through your work, looking for images to feature as the Photo of the Day or simply to admire your creativity and technical prowess. In 2023, we’re featuring a new photographer every month, whose portfolio represents both stellar photographic achievement and a high level of involvement within the Fstoppers community.

This month’s winner is Cheryl Lalonde! Her work is notable for its dramatic use of light and striking compositions. Be sure to check out our favorite shots of hers below and give her a follow to see her full portfolio. She’s now in the running for Fstoppers Community Photographer of the Year!

How to Be Chosen

Remember, in 2024, we’ll be featuring a photographer chosen from the community every month. At the end of the year, the Fstoppers Community Photographer of the Year will be chosen from the 12 monthly winners, with the overall winner getting a tutorial of their choice from the Fstoppers store. Be sure to share your photos in the Fstoppers community! 

See Past Photographers of the Month

You can see all Photographers of the Month here.

Valentina Sergi (1997) is a fashion photographer with a passion for pastel colors, bold contrasts, and the vibrancy of images. Her professional work has led her to photograph a variety of subjects in exclusive locations, and her photographs have become a constant presence in many well-known fashion publications. However, what truly sets Valentina Sergi apart is her ability to craft an emotionally compelling narrative through the lens of her camera. Colors, the interplay of light and shadows, patterns, people’s hands, the warmth of an embrace, places steeped in nostalgia, and the hidden stories behind a wrinkle are all elements that Valentina Sergi seeks to capture in order to create a pure aesthetic composed of images that oscillate between the real and the surreal.

The A-Mors Series: A Deep Exploration of Love

One of Valentina Sergi’s most significant projects is the series titled A-Mors. This series delves into the theme of love in a profound and provocative manner. It revolves around genuine love, a love that has been eagerly anticipated, yet so strong that it overcomes the fragility of a tender heart. The intriguing wordplay in the title, where “A-Mors” appears to derive from the Latin “a-mors” (without death), underscores the eternity of this sentiment. In this series, Valentina Sergi explores the concept of an eternal love that transcends temporal boundaries. Her photographs capture moments of passion and affection, while simultaneously evoking a sense of transcendence.

Sergi’s works are emotional and surreal, with a strong conceptual underpinning. Valentina understands that photography is not merely the recording of an objective reality, but rather the presentation of stories, concepts, and worlds as she perceives them through her personal experiences, culture, and sensibilities.

Her connection between cinema and photography is evident, and this cross-pollination of the arts allows her to bring innovation to her work. The photographer leaves us with a famous quote by Vincent Peters, who states, “A photograph is not just made with a camera; it is brought to the act of photography with all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.“

‘Tis the season for senior pictures. Katy families and photographers have a great selection of beautiful and historical places right here in Katy to capture the perfect picture of your soon graduate or family images.

From posed family pictures to fun action shots, these Katy locations offer families and photographers the perfect angle to capture the best photography. Remember to have fun but always respect your surroundings. Keep these popular spots pristine for all to enjoy.

Katy Heritage Homes

You’ll Love Katy Mural

Paul D. Rushing Park

The Katy Train & MKT Railroad Park

Exploration Park

Cardiff Rice Dryers

Woodcreek Reserve

LaCenterra Courtyard and Mural

Care for Katy’s Photo Spots

Peter Beard, American, A BEND IN THE RIVER AFTER THE DIE-OFF, 1976

Edward Burtynsky, Canadian, MORENCI MINE #2, CLIFTON, ARIZONA, USA, 2012 (FROM THE CONTACT PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION)

Imogen Cunningham, American, MAGNOLIA BLOSSOM, 1925

Photographs Auction

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, April 30, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Waddington’s is pleased to announce the 2024 edition of Photographs in Partnership with the CONTACT Photography Festival, held online May 11-16, 2024.

Featuring works by important Canadian and International artists, this auction includes a significant collection of photographs from the archives of the former Deja Vue Gallery in Toronto, including masterworks by Edward Weston, Richard Harrington, and a rare portrait of Joan Baez by Yousef Karsh. Other highlights drawn from important private and corporate collections include a unique collaged gelatin silver print by Peter Beard, a portfolio of five self-portraits by Chuck Close, signed works by Imogen Cunningham, mammoth prints by Edward Burtynsky, and two unique behind-the-scenes portraits by Jorge Zontal from the personal collection of provocative rock musician Carole Pope.

Peter Beard (1938-2020), American
A BEND IN THE RIVER AFTER THE DIE-OFF, 1976
Estimate $25,000-$30,000

“A Bend in the River After the Die-Off,” 1976 is one of the artist’s most iconic and well-known images, depicting the few surviving elephants of the Tsavo River National Park drought of the 1970s. In this particular work, Beard personalized the print by annotating the photograph with recollections and collage elements from his time spent in Kenya.

Edward Burtynsky (b. 1955), Canadian
MORENCI MINE #2, CLIFTON, ARIZONA, USA, 2012 (FROM THE CONTACT PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION)
Estimate $10,000-$15,000

Burtynsky writes about the subject of this photograph, “open-pit mines are wounds we’ve inflicted, and the wonderment they excite easily becomes tinged with pangs of remorse or dread.” Burtynsky calls this storm of feeling ‘‘a reversal of the sublime. In the beginning, ‘the sublime’ meant us in fear of nature,’’ he explains. “We would look up at a thundercloud or mountain, or across a heavy sea, and be ‘“awe-struck” or powerless. But fast forward to the Industrial Revolution, and 150 years after that, and now we are the awesome and fearsome force that’s reshaping the planet.’’

Imogen Cunningham (1883-1976), American
MAGNOLIA BLOSSOM, 1925
Estimate: $15,000-$20,000

Cunningham’s initial interest in floral photography began in the late 1910s. Occupied with raising her children, she was tethered to her home, which sparked an interest in gardening. Far from impeding her artistic practice, this newfound passion led her towards a new vein – her floral works. “Magnolia Blossom,” 1925, is the result of her many experiments, and is a detailed and modernist picture which echoes Georgia O’Keeffe’s celebrated paintings.

Lynne Cohen (1944-2014), American/Canadian
UNTITLED (WINDOWS), 2011
Estimate $10,000-$15,000

Cohen has long focused on photographing “found environments”: empty spaces bereft of human presence, yet purpose-built for human needs. While early in her career Cohen would label images with more specific titles, these were soon pared down in favour of more vague and concise titles. This evolution of her titles is reflected in the two works on offer in this auction, one from 1977, “Indoor Swimming Pool Display, Swimming Pool Store, Ottawa,” and her very large work “Untitled, (Windows)” from 2011.

Jorge Zontal (1944-1994), Canadian
“AVOID FREUD” ALBUM SHOOT – SALUT, 1980
Estimate: $7,000-$10,000

Bursting onto the music scene in the late 1960s, Canadian rock icon Carole Pope unapologetically surpassed boundaries and advocated for LGBTQI+ visibility decades before the acronym existed and before sexual orientation was included in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Throughout her career, as half of the musical duo Rough Trade, and as a solo new-wave vocalist, Pope’s lyrics have always been provocative and sex-positive.

Waddington’s is honoured to offer two never-before-seen photographs from the Rough Trade “Avoid Freud” album cover shoot photographed by Jorge Zontal, a member of the famed Canadian art collective General Idea – “Salut, 1980,” and “Crossed Arms, 1980”.

Chuck Close (1940-2021), American
SELF PORTRAIT PORTFOLIO, 2002
Estimate: $6,000-$8,000

Chuck Close is well known for his portraits and self-portraits; he made more than a hundred works of his own face during his career. Face-blind since his youth, it is this incapacity to remember a face that motivated this part of Close’s practice. This “Self-Portrait Portfolio, 2002,” a suite composed of five self-portraits shows the artist at the age of 62, attempting to capture different angles of his face from one side to the other, forming a sort of topography of his head as if to keep track of his face and features.

ABOUT THE CONTACT PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL

Launched in 1997 in Toronto, Canada, the CONTACT Photography Festival is the largest photographic exhibition in the world. This annual, city-wide festival includes 36 curated exhibitions, public art installations and programs that feature the work of local and international lens-based artists, presented in partnership with institutions across the Greater Toronto Area.

According to Darcy Killeen, CEO of CONTACT, unlike other festivals around the world, CONTACT is very community-based, supporting and uniting artists of all backgrounds. While other festivals are highly curated, often invitation-only, and exhibit only a few artists at a time, CONTACT is a festival that links first-time photographers with some of the biggest names in the world, all on the same stage, all in the same catalogue.

All proceeds from the sale of CONTACT lots in this auction will benefit the organisation and its dedication to exhibiting, analysing, and celebrating photography and lens-based media.

AUCTION INFORMATION

This auction is offered online May 11-16, 2024.
View the online gallery and downloadable digital catalogue on our website at https://www.waddingtons.ca
Previews are available Sunday, May 12 to Tuesday, May 14, and by appointment.

ABOUT WADDINGTON’S

Canada’s oldest and most diverse auction house, Waddington’s offers the very best across a wide range of categories, including Canadian, Asian, International, First Nations, Inuit and Métis Art, Decorative Arts and Design, Fine Jewellery, and Fine Wine and Spirits.

With a broad global network, our team of experienced specialists assists clients with virtually everything you may want to sell, buy or have appraised. We are also the go-to auction company for unique estate and specially curated auctions. Every item offered is carefully researched, catalogued and presented, and our specialists are always pleased to assist you in your buying or selling journey.

TESS MCLEAN
Waddington’s Auctioneers
+1 416-504-9100
tm@waddingtons.ca
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