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Upcoming nature center sculpture to highlight importance of monarchs
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A ‘Luminarium’ at Lincoln Center; ‘This Dreamy, Sensory Experience…Is Like No Other’
The air sculpture, Daedalum, viewed from the outside at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park. The gray plastic is opaque, and the
British runner Russ Cook posing at the sculpture marking the northern-most point of Africa after running the full length of the continent
British runner Russ Cook posing at the sculpture marking the northern-most point of Africa after running the full length of the continent
CRNY artist in residence at JCC will continue sharing Indigenous culture
A two-year grant through Creatives Rebuild New York that placed two artists in residence at SUNY Jamestown Community College is near its conclusion.
Jessica Kubiak, interim vice president of Academic Affairs at SUNY JCC, said the work artist Kaycee Colburn has shared with the college during the grant’s duration has been “varied and voluminous.”
“She’s spent this time developing as a public artist and really grappling with what it means to be, in the words of CRNY, a culture bearer, and this can be a complicated pair of efforts to work on at the same time.” Kubiak said. “It’s been a whirlwind of activity and emotion in general, and for JCC it’s meant being a part of artists’ lives, hopefully in several ways — as a supportive home base, a catalyst for growth, and as a partner.”
Colburn is a native of Jamestown and shared her Seneca culture through beading and cornhusk doll workshops on campus, produced enough art for two solo exhibitions, collaborated with Roger Tory Peterson Institute, and organized a flag raising with the City of Jamestown to bring awareness of indigenous culture to the area.
“The flag raising and the healing that brought not just to the community, but to my mom personally really stands out to me,” Colburn shared. “Seeing her feel safe in her own skin, because she’s had to deal with a lot of lateral racism, and have her actually feel like it’s OK to be seen and stand in the strength of that I think is why I set out to do all of this.”
Colburn gave an artist talk at Roger Tory Peterson Institute that produced another standout moment.
“I met an elder who used to make baskets with sweet grass using a technique she learned from Twylah Nitsch, who was essentially a medicine woman,” Colburn shared. “She hadn’t touched sweet grass in a long time because it wasn’t available, so I gave her a piece I had on my dashboard and she cried. It sits in my brain that this is something that needs to change.”
There have been an abundance of growth opportunities in the last two years. In addition to teaching and sharing her culture, Colburn has been a dean’s list student every semester at JCC, and made a run for political office.
“As an artist I’ve had a lot of growth, and definitely as a teacher,” Colburn said. “I’ve worked with students who have autism and other disabilities and I’ve really had to be open minded as to what was going to work for different students. We all have different needs. I saw one student months after he participated in a workshop and he was so excited to tell me he still had his cornhusk doll. It’s been a very rewarding experience.”
Colburn’s latest project will continue her work beyond the conclusion of the CRNY grant, which was designed to support employment opportunities for artists and funded collaborations between community-based organizations, municipalities, and tribal governments across New York State. Her work in this program became a springboard for KayCo, an art and cultural center Colburn opened in February in Jamestown.
“KayCo was never a dream of mine, as much as it was a vision,” Colburn said. “I always knew there was a large cultural gap and now I have an opportunity to do something about that.”
KayCo is located at 20 W. Third St. in Jamestown. The space includes a room dedicated to her flag-raising event, a main gallery that features Colburn’s digital work, and a space that holds her works that delve into the paranormal.
Having seen first hand the benefits of having artists like Colburn on campus, Kubiak hopes groups like CRNY continue to create opportunities like the artist in residence program.
“I’ve been so honored to be one of many Kaycee has worked with to start developing the next phase of her career through KayCo, and other efforts at making room for local indigenous people to explore and express their varied identities,” Kubiak said. “Doing such work is especially critical for people whose identities aren’t reflected in established arts, media, and cultural spaces, and I’m grateful to her for prioritizing this.”
Colburn said the space will allow her to continue doing workshops like she has at JCC and in the community. KayCo is open from noon to 4 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, and 2 to 6 p.m. the first Saturday of each month.
“The hours are a little weird while I transition from full-time artist and part-time student, to being able to put my full focus into KayCo,” Colburn said. “I plan to hold scheduled events, and anyone can request to schedule any sort of event from a sip-and-paint to a more educational, cultural workshop.”
Colburn said a website is being developed and the center has a Facebook page.
Tell a story with your food images says Food Photographer of the Year
To capture the title-winning shot, Jon travelled to Mumbai, India, one of the busiest cities in the world. “I read an article years ago about food colourings in sweets, with candy floss as an example, so I could vividly see what the photo series would look like,” he says.
Although Jon won the title, he does not describe himself as a food photographer in the traditional sense. “Taking images of lasagne doesn’t interest me, I focus mainly on the human side of the equation. As a food image, it’s a bit different and in the world of photography different is your superpower”. When creating a personal project, Jon finds a back story that initially inspires him that has certain criteria he is looking for – and this idea ticked all his boxes.
Jon’s winning image in the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year competition pictured candy salesman Pappu Jaiswal on the streets of Mumbai, India (Image credit: Jon Enoch)
Preparation is key
“I always have a backup plan – and a backup for the backup plan. It might be spare kit or a quick fix if something goes down but also a spare idea if things aren’t working. I turn up before the subject to prepare everything in advance. You can never over-prepare.”
Photographing in Mumbai brings challenges, including the relentless heat and humidity and the sheer amount of people. Shooting at night was a good option, as the temperatures are slightly lower, it’s a bit less busy and the jet lag is less of an issue. Therefore, lighting was one of Jon’s first considerations along with the initial practicality. “What lighting can I take on the plane with me, what is portable and flexible as I don’t know the city layout. Then I ask myself what atmosphere I want to create from the lighting setup. It’s all about the atmosphere – enhancing what’s naturally there,” Jon says.
“Getting around in Mumbai is a nightmare and our setup with all the lighting attracted a lot of interest. We had an amount in cash for smoothing the way with local police, which is an unusual item to see on the production plan,” he explains. As the images were shot at night, Jon could control the lighting, and give it an unusual take. “I had a crew of two assistants, and we set up the shot with the lighting as quickly as we could with the crowds building up around us. The portrait was shot with a Canon 5DS R, with 50mm Sigma f/1.4 lens at 1/160 sec at f/5.6 and ISO 400,” Jon explains.
Jon is an award-winning London-based portrait, advertising and lifestyle photographer with a bold, uncomplicated approach to his work. This covers campaigns for advertising agencies, working directly with brands worldwide and he also shoots portraits of sports personalities, celebrities and CEOs.
Get inspired
A fish seller and his mobile shop captured on the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam (Image credit: Jon Enoch)
Let your environment influence you to develop ideas with impact
“I allow inspiration to come to me in any guise – it could be something I see when walking around London, on TV or online. The smallest unusual item can spark an idea. I let my ideas stew for a while, if the concept keeps popping up, I know I’m onto a good idea. Once I’ve made a decision to do a personal portrait project, I don’t hang about. I get it planned and booked, often in fear that someone else will complete a similar project. Ideas are the key – original ideas are gold dust.”
Career Advice
First-hand tips to build, form and develop your photography business
1. Take every opportunity
“My most important tip for early career photographers is always to grab every opportunity that is offered to you. You don’t need to emerge fully formed. Take the opportunity and make the most of it – at the very least you will learn how to get better. There are great images everywhere, you have to get out there and find them.”
2. Build your team
“I have a small and loyal mix of people I call upon so I can scale up and down for any shoot. I work with assistants, as you might expect, but as you grow, this will extend to other areas, such as accountants, kit hire houses, stylists, makeup artists and designers. Treat people well and they tend to put a shift in for you when you need them.”
3. Invest in yourself
“I put a fixed percentage of turnover into a separate bank account and 100 percent of that has to be spent on creative development. It’s a simple trick but one that works for me. If I have a few spare days between commercial assignments, then great. I can reinvest some of the cash into shooting a little personal project.”
An AP photographer works quickly to land a shot from ringside in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (AP) — John Locher has been photographing boxing for more than two decades. He’s been ringside for a rollcall of the best fighters this century: Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Wladimir Klitschko, Manny Pacquiao, Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley are among the boxers he’s covered. His most recent fight was a super lightweight title bout in which Isaac Cruz beat Rolando Romero. Here’s what Locher said about making this extraordinary photo:
Why this photo
Another invite!
Photographer Snaps Incredible Shots Of Low Flying F-117 Jets
The two F-117 stealth jets were flying the famous Sidewinder Low-Level Training Route in California.
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was officially retired by the U.S. Air Force in 2008. However, as we have been reporting for several years now, not only is the iconic stealth jet flying for training purposes as adversary aircraft and cruise missile surrogate, but also operating for research, development, test and evaluation, possibly supporting next generation programs.
For a certain period, although the aircraft were regularly spotted both in Nevada and near the bases across the U.S. where the F-117s deployed to carry out DACT (Dissimilar Air Combat Training) activities in favor of other types and units, the USAF did not admit the fact that the aircraft was still flying. Then, in 2021, the service published the first official images of the type still involved in flight operations on the DVIDS (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service) network, de facto acknowledging the return to the active service of the F-117.
In September 2022 the Air Force Test Center published a Request For Information (RFI) about a possible 10-year contract for maintenance and logistics support services for the F-117A fleet at the TTR airfield, acknowledging that the U.S. Air Force is willing to keep the aircraft flying at least until 2034.
More recently, it was disclosed that Air Force was planning to certify the F-117A Nighthawk to be able to refuel from the KC-46A Pegasus, the service’s new tanker.
A U.S. Air Force F-117 Nighthawk taxies at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska during Northern Edge 23-1, May 10, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Sheila deVera)” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/F-117-JBER.jpg?fit=460%2C257&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/F-117-JBER.jpg?fit=706%2C394&ssl=1″ decoding=”async” class=”size-large wp-image-82472″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/F-117-JBER.jpg?resize=706%2C394&ssl=1″ alt width=”706″ height=”394″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/F-117-JBER.jpg?resize=706%2C394&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/F-117-JBER.jpg?resize=460%2C257&ssl=1 460w, https://i0.wp.com/theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/F-117-JBER.jpg?resize=128%2C72&ssl=1 128w, https://i0.wp.com/theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/F-117-JBER.jpg?resize=768%2C429&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/F-117-JBER.jpg?w=1024&ssl=1 1024w” sizes=”(max-width: 706px) 100vw, 706px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>
Anyway, after the veil of secrecy was, at least partially, lifted, the sightings have increased, including those of F-117s flying very low altitude.
For this reason, last month, a photographer decided to embark on a trip to the low level training areas to shoot some photos and footage of the elusive stealth jets. Here’s how it went.
How it all started
“I am a second-year university student living in Colorado,” says our friend and contributor Andrew Kelly. “I have always been interested in aviation, and when COVID-19 closed my school in March of 2020, I made it my goal to teach myself how to use a camera properly. Having grown up near the Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire watching the military aircraft train, I decided to combine my passion for aviation with my desire to learn photography.”
“I have now been shooting military aviation for over four years, and have enjoyed learning about the people, the mission, the aircraft, and my camera. I worked at a flight school throughout high school as a dispatcher while working towards my private pilot certificate. After university I will be pursuing my dream of flying for the US military.”
Equipment
Andrew, whose work can be found online on Instagram or here, has improved a lot since his amateur beginnings: “When I first began shooting, I was using my mom’s Canon Rebel XSI from 2008. I have graduated from that early model DSLR to using Canon’s Professional Mirrorless lineup. I currently shoot with the Canon R5 and the Canon RF 200-800mm lens. To record video through my iPhone 14 Pro Max while using my camera, I have it mounted to the hot-shoe system.”
“I have enjoyed meeting other photographers and traveling all over the US with my camera at my side to further my passion for both military aviation and photography.”
Westbound
“I had seen photos that my friends had been taking along the Sidewinder Low-Level Training Route in California. I decided that for my university’s spring break I would drive out to the low-level training route and spend the week camping/hiking with my camera. I had heard stories from friends about F-117’s from Tonopah occasionally dropping into the low-level route. I knew that a photo of an F-117 “down low” would make the trip.”
“I woke up early each morning to hike to the location along the Kern River Valley I selected. Each morning by 08.00 I was in place on the mountain with my radio scanner and my camera. Eyes focused to the South for any aircraft running the route.”
“On my first day I shot California Air National Guard F-15C’s, and VFA-146/VFA-94 F-18’s.”
“Around 1pm I noticed that a KC-135 from Edwards AFB was flying Northeast towards Tonopah. After reaching Tonopah, the tanker turned and started heading back towards my location. Along with it were two F-117’s.”
“A short while later, my radio crackled to life. Over the gusting winds I was able to make out “Sidewinder Low Level, KNIGHT01 flight entering the route at point alpha, 500 feet, 500 knots. Two!””
I could hardly believe what I had just heard. Two F-117s were heading my way! I was so excited that I was almost shaking. I eventually saw the silhouettes of the aircraft descending into the valley.”
Close encounter with the Nighthawk
“When I was younger, I had a toy F-117 that my parents gave me. Seeing two of those familiar shapes flying towards me 16 years after the operational retirement of the airframe was a strange feeling.”
“I had to remind myself to stop watching and pick up my camera to shoot. As the flight approached me, they maneuvered to make the sharp right turn past me. To make this turn they rolled to the right, giving me a full view of the aircraft’s topside. The entire time I was snapping away with my camera. From a distance, the aircraft looks quite wide. The flight lead climbed up towards me and as it approached my perspective shifted. When it was positioned to show the full topside the wings look quite swept back.”
“I was not expecting the F-117 to be as loud as it was. It was comparable to the F-15s and F-18s I had been shooting all day. The sound echoed throughout the valley. The flight continued down the low-level route towards point Bravo, and then disappeared off into the horizon. Their silhouettes fading against the snowy mountains.”
Along with the cool photographs, Andrew filmed also a great clip of the low flying stealth jet.
A sighting worth the trip
“I stood on the top of the mountain watching them fly farther until I couldn’t see them anymore. I looked down on my camera and couldn’t believe that there were F-117 low level photos sitting on my CF Express card. I felt immensely grateful to have been in the right place at the right time and been able to see such a rare sight. All the driving, hiking, camping, and climbing was worth it. It didn’t matter to me what happened during the rest of the week. From day one, the trip had been a success.”
Famous Kolodko sculptures in Budapest – where to spot the miniature guerrilla art
When you walk around Budapest, you might run into some small bronze figures from the artist Mihály Kolodko. Here are some of his most well known sculptures, and some tips on how to find them all.
How to make a last-minute DIY solar filter for cameras, and other eclipse photography tips
Many people have become tired of hearing about a certain solar eclipse taking place on Monday, and those individuals may have done absolutely nothing to prepare for it. This absolute humbug of a celestial event seems like an overrated excuse to price gouge AirBNB rates and sell dorky cardboard glasses, right?
Procrastinators and those who have had a last-minute change of heart may find themselves at a loss since special items are recommended for viewing and photographing an eclipse. Providing further discouragement is knowing that millions of people will be photographing it, and surely many of those people will have high-end camera equipment and appropriate filters.
Still — if you take a photo or video of the eclipse, it will be yours. Why not create a little memento? People love to take photos of the moon even though high-res images from ultra powerful cameras are available, and there’s something undeniably special about looking at celestial objects through your own telescope even if it doesn’t hold a candle to the James Webb.
It’s a bit late now to purchase a designated solar filter, which is required to let cameras capture zoomed-in details of the sun. Many filters are sold out, expedited shipping is expensive, and even if a friend has a solar filter, the eclipse will pass quickly and there’s hardly time to swap lenses around.
Make a solar filter out of trash
Fear not: there is a solution in an unlikely place.
Yep — it’s in a box of Pop Tarts.
It turns out that the Mylar “foil” wrapping of Pop Tarts, candies, and other foods can be a reasonably effective solar filter for cameras in a pinch, as can pieces of an emergency blanket made from the same material. Crafty photographers have created solar filters for their cameras using Pop Tart and candy wrappers mounted to cardboard tubes, soup cans, or even attached directly to a camera lens using masking tape.
Because the camera will be zoomed in on the sun, only a small piece of Mylar is needed for this filtering method. The Mylar should be placed over the direct center of the lens. Try to select a section of wrapper without words or colors printed on it, and place the wrapper over the camera with the “inside” facing outward. If taping the wrapper directly to the lens, use a gentle tape that will not leave scratches or residue such as masking tape.
Do NOT look directly at the sun through Mylar film. This method is only intended to be used with devices that have a viewing screen such as digital cameras with LED displays. Don’t look at the sun through the eyepiece of a camera with a Pop Tart filter!
The resulting photos will not be as sharp as a proper professional setup, but it should work for taking photos of the eclipse in a pinch. Check out the video below for directions and comparisons between sun photos using different food wrappers and dedicated solar film!
[embedded content]Wide-angle lens phone pictures
Instead of zooming in on the sun using a camera kitted out with a soup can and a Pop Tart wrapper, Apple reports that the wide-angle lenses in iPhones can be used to safely photograph solar eclipses without filters.
The iPhone wide lens technique has a catch. Pictures taken with an unfiltered phone camera should not be zoomed in, so the eclipse will only take up a very small part of the picture. This is great for locales with beautiful scenery, but anyone stepping out of work for a minute to grab a picture might have a less-than-ideal view.
Again, these pictures should be taken without looking directly at the sun.
Take pictures of the sun without taking pictures of the sun
A man demonstrates the colander method of viewing a solar eclipse. Light projected through the holes in the colander creates hundreds of small crescents on the paper below.
For those unwilling to entrust the well-being of their cameras to random garbage or the word of Apple executives, another fun way to view and photograph a solar eclipse involves taking pictures of light and shadows.
One of the coolest, easiest, and most well-known ways to indirectly photograph eclipses is the colander/cheese grater method. Most objects with small holes will work well, including punched cardboard or paper. These simple items project crescent-shaped lights during an eclipse. Smaller holes will create sharper images.
Continuing the theme of repurposed kitchen garbage, NASA has shared instructions for making an eclipse viewer from a cereal box.
[embedded content]For the clearest and sharpest results, project the light onto a smooth white sheet of paper. Colanders are generally preferred for this method because their holes’ arrangements create interesting patterns of hundreds of little crescents.
Projections can be personalized by punching holes in card stock to form a desired shape, spelling out a name or forming a picture. For an even more creative approach, crescents may be projected onto various different surfaces like leaves, drawings, or someone’s hand.
A USDA employee took this photo of crescents spelling “USDA” on a leaf during the August 2017 solar eclipse.
No matter how overhyped it might seem, remember that this solar eclipse is more than a tourist trap — it’s a fantastic part of the elaborate dance between stars, planets, and moons in our solar system. Happy photographing!
