A BRIDE’S dissatisfaction with her wedding photos has sparked an online debate.

Alexandra Conder took to TikTok to chronicle her experience with a photographer and the snapper’s editing skills on her wedding pics.

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At first glance, Conder expressed how she loved the shots, but 30 days after her festivities faded, she noticed something was off about the pictures.

Conder explains to her TikTok followers how she found her wedding photographer on Instagram and paid almost $8,000 to shoot the event.

“So, she delivered the photos, and, of course, right away, I’m like, ‘Oh my god, I love them, I love them.’ Every single one of them, I’m like beaming with excitement,” the discontent bride said.

“And, then, for about 30 days, I’m staring at the photos, and I’m like, why is there something bothering me? I couldn’t put a finger on it.”

Conder, who clarifies that she’s a cosmetic artist and did her own makeup for her wedding day, explained how, in the photos, she looks extremely pale, and dull.

The bride said she contacted the photographer about her displeasure with the photos and shared side-by-side images of the edited picture and a snap of her on the wedding day.

“What did she put on my lipstick, what blush am I wearing like what is on my eye, my skin, everything,” a raging Conder said.

Conder proceeded to share three other editing snaps, grumbling about the photographer’s sepia-tone edit.

“Especially when I looked further, the filter on my teeth, my teeth look yellow, like what is that? My teeth are white, what is that,” she said.

“One last example, this is the ocean. It looks like we got married in Seattle. What is that?” the dissatisfied bride added before clarifying that the photo is “beautiful” nonetheless.

“I’m not discrediting her ability to capture a moment because that she was really good at, but it was the post edit that I was unhappy about.”

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Within the visual legacy of Bauhaus, few are as centrally positioned as Lucia Moholy and yet none more overlooked. While the Czech photographer’s painstakingly composed black and white images of the Bauhaus buildings in Dessau have become globally synonymous with the school, recognition of Moholy’s work, both around Bauhaus and beyond, has been routinely obscured.

‘Lucia Moholy: Exposures’, the first major retrospective of the photographer, aims to change that. Opening at Kunsthalle Prague, in the city of Moholy’s birth, the exhibition casts a suitably wide net in capturing her life’s work. Spanning the 1910s to the 1970s and drawing together more than 600 artefacts, this monumental undertaking offers a long overdue appraisal of a true virtuoso of 20th-century photography.

‘Lucia Moholy: Exposures’

At its heart, ‘Exposures’ reveals the sheer breadth of Moholy’s practice beyond her five years at the Bauhaus and, indeed, beyond the medium of photography. In part, her limited recognition can be attributed to this multidisciplinarity. Moholy worked across art and science, as a photographer, portraitist, writer, editor and information scientist, producing microfilm projects funded by the British government during the Second World War and carrying out others abroad, across Europe and the Middle East, on behalf of Unesco.

Linking the visual with the written word, her urge to preserve cultural heritage could be attributed to the loss of her own Bauhaus negatives after fleeing Germany in 1933 (only to discover that many had been taken and used without her consent), as much as it could to her experience working across multiple cultural contexts. Taking her from Austro-Hungarian Prague to pre-war Yugoslavia, interwar Germany and England, Turkey in the 1950s, before settling in Zurich in 1959, Moholy’s nomadic life drove a similar intrepid spirit in her artistic output.

Because as much as photography reflected culture, it also represented a culture for Moholy, who relentlessly pushed its development. Together with her husband, the Hungarian painter, photographer and Bauhaus professor László Moholy-Nagy (whom she married in 1921 and divorced eight years later), the pair expanded experimental forms of cameraless photography, coining the term ‘photogram’ to refer to a photograph made by placing an object or its shadow directly onto photographic paper and printing the resulting image.

Moholy’s photographs embody this wealth of information and innovation but they also contain great beauty. In her portraiture – a particular delight of the exhibition – Moholy’s eye for lighting and perspective frames each sitter with a directness and clarity that echoes the language of her Dessau photographs. Like the women whom she mostly photographed, from Marxist activist Clara Zetkin to German artist Anni Albers, the beauty in Moholy’s work was too often hindered by male peers throughout her lifetime. This exhibition reveals it in full for the first time.

‘Lucia Moholy: Exposures’ is showing at Kunsthalle Prague until 28 October kunsthallepraha.org

MEDITATIONS ON LOVE, THE PHOTOGRAPHERS’ GALLERY, LONDON, UK

Meditations on Love, curated by the Develop Collective for The Photographers’ Gallery, asks us to “consider how love is represented, preserved, and remembered” through an archive of photobooks, novels, and nonfiction. Designed as a reading room, the exhibition invites visitors to explore books and reflect on themes of resilience, community, friendship, subversion, identity, and queerness. Featuring works by Tami Aftab, Ollie Adegboye, Deana Lawson, Ewen Spencer, and more, it investigates love’s complex iterations, from tender to provocative, across a global landscape, from Palestine to Switzerland, Argentina to Taiwan, showcasing love’s enduring and revolutionary power.

From June 14 – September 22 2024 at The Photographers’ Gallery, London 

Space and photography fans are in for a treat. The Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition has returned, with its sixteenth edition shortlist featuring a stunning array of photographs.

London’s Royal Museums Greenwich received a whopping 3,500 entries from both amateur and professional photographers globally, each of whom captured a breathtaking glimpse of space. The 30 shortlisted entries range from visuals from the Geminid meteor shower to an aurora in the shape of a dragon to ancient supernova remnants. Categories cover everything from stars and nebulae to asteroids to lunar and solar images.

The official winners of the competition will be revealed in September, but for now the shortlist is an incredible first look at the intersection between art and astronomy. Take a look:

“Abandoned House” by Stefan Liebermann.
Credit: Stefan Liebermann

“A Whale Sailing the Sun” by Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau.
Credit: Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau

“Observations at Night” by Jakob Sahner.
Credit: Jakob Sahner

“Earth and Milky Way Galaxy Show” by Yoshiki Abe.
Credit: Yoshiki Abe

“SNR G156.2+5.7, a Faint Supernova Remnant in Auriga” by Bray Falls.
Credit: Bray Falls

“A Night with the Valkyries” by Jose Miguel Picon Chimelis.
Credit: Jose Miguel Picon Chimelis

“Arctic Dragon” by Carina Letelier Baeza.
Credit: Carina Letelier Baeza

“The Galaxy Devourer” by ShaRA (Shared Remote Astrophotography) Team.
Credit: ShaRA (Shared Remote Astrophotography) Team

“Serpentine” by Paul Haworth.
Credit: Paul Haworth

“The Blue Details of M45: The Pleiades” by Sándor Biliczki.
Credit: Sándor Biliczki

“Misty Mountains” by Bence Toth.
Credit: Bence Toth

“Run to Carina” by Vikas Chander.
Credit: Vikas Chander

“M100 (the Blowdryer Galaxy) and Ceres” by Damon Mitchell Scotting.
Credit: Damon Mitchell Scotting

“International Space Station Daytime Moon Transit” by Kelvin Hennessy.
Credit: Kelvin Hennessy

“Total Solar Eclipse” by Gwenaël Blanck.
Credit: Gwenaël Blanck

“M81, a Grand Design Spiral Galaxy” by Holden Aimar.
Credit: Holden Aimar

“Gigantic Solar Prominence in Motion” by Miguel Claro.
Credit: Miguel Claro

“Martian Dementors” by Leonardo Di Maggio.
Credit: Leonardo Di Maggio

“Saturn with Six Moons” by Andy Casely.
Credit: Andy Casely

“The Fire-Spitting Dragon” by Moritz Telser.
Credit: Moritz Telser

Want more Astronomy Photographer of the Year wonders? Check out 2023’s list.

Catherine Bauknight’s photography has been featured in prominent publications such as The New York Times, USA Today, Time Magazine, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, People Magazine, and The Huffington Post. Her photographs from assignments across five continents are included in the permanent collections of prestigious institutions like Yale’s Beinecke Library, the Women’s Museum in Washington D.C., the Smithsonian Museum, and the International Center of Photography/NYC.

The global digital photography market has suffered significant knocks in recent years, with the comeback of film photography, Covid, and improvements in smartphone technology. 

Despite this previously bleak outlook, things are looking up.

According to the Digital Photography Global Market Report 2024, the market is expected to reach $66.68 billion by 2028. 

It will grow from $50.71 billion in 2023 to $53.84 billion in 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2%.

Described as a “historic period” of growth by the report, it attributed the prosperity to “smartphone integration, social media influence, internet connectivity, software development, and e-commerce in photography gear.” 

The anticipated growth in the coming years is predicted due to the influence of artificial intelligence in imagining, virtual and augmented reality photography, subscription-based photography services, blockchain for copyright protection, and sustainability in camera manufacturing. 

Earlier this year we reported the happy news that the Japanese digital camera market had grown for the first time in 13 years. An article in the Japanese financial newspaper Nikkei Shimbun reported at the time that the growth was predominantly driven by interchangeable lens cameras, an area that increased by 9% year on year. Compact cameras also contributed to getting the industry back in the green, with sales growing by 6%. 

The publication also recognized that after the pandemic, “demand for travel and leisure increased, and sales of digital cameras started on a recovery trend.”

New smartphone models are released every year, and the main thing everyone stumbles over each other to find out these days is how much better the camera and video technology is. Most people like to take photos, yet not everyone thinks of themselves as “into photography”.

However, instead of being a negative presence as previously thought, the report argues that “the increasing number of smartphone users worldwide will drive the digital photography market going forward.”

Everyone with a smartphone uses its integrated computer, and other functions not previously associated with cell phones, including the operating system, and the capacity to be compatible with certain software programs. Being compact and multipurpose, and with technology to now rival even the best digital cameras, the smartphone is the camera of choice for many individuals, “and this widespread adoption of smartphones as cameras has led to more extensive user engagement in digital photography.”

There are specific camera types, too, like the best 360-degree cameras which benefit from camera and app symbiosis.

The percentage of smartphone users in 2022 was 76%, and is projected to increase to 92% by 2030, directly propelling the digital photography industry.

The report also highlighted insights such as the focus of most major companies on innovative solutions such as tilt-shift lenses.

“For instance, in September 2023, Fujifilm Holdings Corporation, a Japan-based multinational company announced the launch of ‘Fujinon GF30mm F/5.5 T/S’ and ‘Fujinon GF110mm F/5.6 T/S Macro’. These lenses are specifically designed for the Medium-Format Digital Mirrorless platform and are integrated with both shift and tilt capabilities.”

Check out our guide to the best camera phones, the best lenses for iPhone and Android photography, and the best iPhone for photography. 

The exhibit celebrates the photographer’s work, from portraits of Lady Gaga to stunning landscapes in Africa

Filbert Kung, a Filipino photographer with a career spanning over 15 years, recently launched his second exhibition in Milan, showcasing the breadth and depth of his photographic talent. The exhibit, entitled “Chronology of a Mind,” opened on June 20 at the BI.CI. srl showroom along the prestigious Via Spiga in Milan, Italy.

The exhibition features 25 carefully selected images, including portraits, avant-garde works, and landscapes, offering a comprehensive look at Kung’s diverse portfolio.

Kung, who divides his time between New York,  Miami, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Los Angeles, and Manila, has found a special connection with Italy, where he has a creative team on the ground.

READ: The best is yet to come for Jolianne

The photographer’s impressive career has seen him collaborate with high-profile magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, as well as designers like Michael Cinco, Oliver Tolentino, and Natori. Kung is particularly known for his portrait photography, having captured images of celebrities including Jo Koy, Chris Evans, Pierce Brosnan, and Brian May of Queen.

He has also worked extensively with Miss Universe titleholders, including Pia Wurtzbach,  Iris Mittenaere, and Catriona Gray. His work reflects a sensitivity and presence that captures complexity and depth, drawing inspiration from renowned photographers like Richard Avedon and Annie Leibovitz.

While Kung’s work spans the globe, from Hollywood red carpets to Zambia’s Victoria Falls, the exhibition in Milan invites viewers to pause and absorb the essence of each photograph. The curated collection includes some of Kung’s earliest work from 15 years ago, as well as landscape scenes from his recent trip to Africa. Notable pieces include a portrait of Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere and a photo of Lady Gaga, where Kung was commissioned for the Golden Globes.

The exhibition was presented by two prominent figures in Italian fashion and politics: one of the founders of Milan Fashion Week, Cav. Lav Mario Boselli, Honorary President of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion and President of Italy China Council Foundation, and Mrs. Daniela Javarone, Official of Merit of the Italian Republic. Affectionately referred to as the “godfather and godmother” of the event, their presence underscored the significance of Kung’s work in the Italian art scene.

“Italy has always been a very special place for me,” Kung shared. While the exhibit was attended primarily by Italians, the Consul General of the Philippines made an appearance as the Filipino representative. The BI.CI. showroom, a design space gallery for furnishings, provided an elegant backdrop for Kung’s photographs, situated near the upscale Montenapoleone area, known as “Europe’s most expensive street.”

Reflecting on the exhibition, Kung expressed his gratitude: “I’m very happy, of course. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. And this is what I wanted, I want to have an exhibit everywhere. I’m grateful for the people who believed in me.”

Looking ahead, Kung is planning another series later this year, with potential exhibitions in London and again in Milan, where he hopes to host his exhibitions in historic spaces. He is also working on a book project, further cementing his place in the world of photography.

All photos courtesy of Filbert Kung.

READ: The yin and yang design dynamic of Rita Nazareno and Gabby Lichauco

The Royal Observatory’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024—arguably the biggest prize for astrophotographers—has published 31 images shortlisted for the award.

The competition, run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, London, and sponsored by Liberty Specialty Markets in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine, is in its sixteenth year.

This year, a stunning 3,500 entries were submitted from amateur and professional photographers in 58 countries worldwide.

Shortlisted images include supernova remnants, the aurora borealis in the shape of a dragon and our Milky Way galaxy over the Isaac Newton Telescope, Spain. Another photo shows the Milky Way behind the spectacle of December’s spectacular Geminid meteor shower.

Judged by experts from the worlds of art and astronomy, the winners of the competition’s nine categories, two special prizes and the overall winner will be announced on Thursday, September 12. The winning images will be displayed in an exhibition at the National Maritime Museum from Saturday, September 14. The overall winner will receive $12,600.

Here are all the shortlisted images across all categories:

Astronomy Photographer of the Year: overall winner

Skyscapes

Landscape and cityscape images of twilight and the night sky featuring the Milky Way, star trails, meteor showers, comets, conjunctions, constellation rises, halos and noctilucent clouds alongside elements of earthly scenery.

Aurorae

Photographs featuring auroral activity (these two images are in addition to main image, above).

People and Space

Photographs of the night sky, including people or a human-interest element.

Our Sun

Solar images, including transits and solar eclipses.

Our Moon

Lunar images, including occultation of planets and lunar eclipses and transits.

Planets, Comets and Asteroids

Everything else in our Solar System, including planets and their satellites, comets, asteroids and other forms of zodiacal debris.

Stars and Nebulae

Deep-space objects within the Milky Way galaxy, including stars, star clusters, supernova remnants, nebulae and other galactic phenomena.

Galaxies

Deep-space objects beyond the Milky Way galaxy, including galaxies, galaxy clusters and stellar associations.

Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Pictures taken by budding astronomers under 16.

The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer

Photos taken by people who have taken up the hobby in the last year and have not entered an image into the competition before. The judges will give special consideration to those using simple and inexpensive start-out kits.

The Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation

For images the entrants process using pre-existing open-source data.

The winning images will be displayed in an exhibition at the National Maritime Museum alongside exceptional shortlisted images.

Pick up my books Stargazing in 2024, A Stargazing Program For Beginners, and When Is The Next Eclipse?

Follow me on Twitter/X and Instagram.

A newlywed set the internet ablaze with a wedding photo controversy, capturing the attention of millions of social media users.

For about a week or so, Alexandra Jaye Conder’s videos have gone viral as she shared her immense disappointment over her wedding photographs.

She took to TikTok to voice her discontent with the way her photographer edited her photos and nearly made her look like a character from The Simpsons.

Alexandra Jaye Conder had a TikTok outburst as she detailed her dissatisfaction over her wedding photos

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Initially, the new Mrs. was enchanted by the images sent by the photographer and spent weeks admiring them. However, she eventually noticed something off and was dissatisfied with the “sepia” tone that was splashed across the entire album.

“Wedding photographer horror experience. Story time,” read the caption of the first video she shared in June.

“Imagine paying almost $8,000 for a wedding photographer, and when you raised your concerns, they threatened to sue you for slander if you spoke your truth. So let’s get into a little story time,” she said.

She initially loved the photos but later found them unflattering and dull because of the “sepia” tone

@alexandrajaye5 Wedding photographer horror experience. Story time. #legal #weddinghorrorstory #weddingstories #weddingphotography #weddingphotos #weddingphotographer #greenscreen #storytime ♬ original sound – Alexandra Jaye Conder

@alexandrajaye5 Replying to @Sinke Floral #greenscreen needed to get these off my chest #weddingtiktok #weddingphotos #photographer #bride #bridal #destinationwedding #weddingdrama ♬ original sound – Alexandra Jaye Conder

She revealed that she found her photographer on Instagram like most people do these days.

“Her feed looked so bright, airy, but also had this goldenness to it, and I loved that. But the goldenness that it had still captured the beauty of colors,” said the new wife.

While the wedding photographer managed to capture the colors right for their photos from their welcome party the night before the wedding, Alexandra said the photos from the actual wedding ceremony were not up to the mark.

“Our wedding day was overcast. Nothing you can really do about that. However, a photographer should know how to shoot in an overcast situation. So she delivered the photos, and, of course, right away, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I love them. I love every single one of them,’” she said

“I’m like beaming of [sic] excitement. And then for about 30 days, I’m staring at the photos, and I’m like, ‘Why is there something bothering me?’” she continued.

She later realized it all came down to the photographer’s editing technique.

Numerous video clips were uploaded, comparing the natural look of the photos with the photographer’s edit

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In another clip that racked up 1.2 million views, the disappointed newlywed included pictures that captured beautiful moments from the wedding, but she expressed her unhappiness over how the colors came out.

She was in disbelief when even the ocean was made to look gray.

“Can someone explain to me what this is? Love this photo, but why are we like full sepia-toned?” she asked. “Why do I kind of look like I have a little bruise on my face?”

“…Why is the sky grey? It was overcast a little bit, but at the same time, it wasn’t that grey. And the ocean is grey!” she continued. “…Why put your edits to change the entire coloring of things?”

“Can someone explain to me what this is? Love this photo, but why are we like full sepia-toned?” she asked.

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In a series of follow-up videos, Alexandra explained that she tried to find solutions with the photographer and also paid for some photos to be re-edited.

However, after plenty of back-and-forth with the photographer, she felt like she was going nowhere and simply asked for the RAW photos from the photographer.

To worsen her disappointment, the photographer was not willing to share the RAW files and demanded an additional $4,000 for them, according to some of the TikTok videos from the saga.

Alexandra even called herself a bridezilla in one of her videos.

“I’ll wear the title proudly if it means preaching what you want/wish for your special day,” she wrote in the caption.

After criticizing the “sepia-tone” photos, she had a tiff with the wedding photographer over their refusal to share all the RAW images from the ceremony

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Following numerous videos on the same subject, the let-down wife uploaded a video last week where she claimed she would no longer be sharing more about the issue.

“All that matters in the end. Thank you to everyone who listened to my experience & my story,” she wrote. “I will no longer be sharing more on this issue as i need to move on with my life. If the photographer ends up sharing her story on the matter, i will comment. But as of now, im going to try to re do my wedding portraits & close this off…”

“If anyone has questions regarding wedding vendor decisions, i will follow up on those subjects. But i have left everything on this situation on the table,” she continued.

“I wish this doesnt happen to anyone in the future, and i hope we as clients & photographers can learn from our mistakes from both sides,” she concluded.

“I wish this doesnt happen to anyone in the future, and i hope we as clients & photographers can learn from our mistakes from both sides,” the disappointed newlywed said in one post

@alexandrajaye5 Wedding Photographer Drama continues — part three coming tomorrow. #weddingtiktok #photographer #bride #weddingphotos #storytime ♬ original sound – Alexandra Jaye Conder

@alexandrajaye5 Replying to @Kacee Payne #greenscreen #weddingphotos #weddingphotography #storytime #bride ♬ original sound – Alexandra Jaye Conder

Despite saying she wouldn’t post anymore about the conundrum, she continued posting about the wedding photo saga.

In a video uploaded on Monday, she shared screenshots of text messages she exchanged with the wedding photographer about getting the RAW photographers.

“This was the text conversations regarding what lead to the raw conversation,” she wrote in the caption.

“I just wanted to make it clear that for a 30 day period we were speaking once gallery was sent to me. In the contract it stated that ‘Client will have thirty days after gallery delivery to make *** aware of any issue, discrepancy, technical problem or any other complaint regarding photos, their quality and contents, or anything relating to wedding day coverage,” read the caption. “‘After this 30-day term has expired, HEP will no longer be liable to client for any corrections, damages, refunds, re-edits or re-shoot.’”

Some social media users said they were “Team Bride” on the photo-editing controversy, while others said she was being “overly dramatic” for some TikTok attention

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