Chuck Liddy, who worked for 26 years for The News & Observer, died Sunday after an illness, the newspaper reported. He was 69.
Visitation is scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m. at Clements Funeral Home in Durham.
Liddy was known for sports photography, and the Duke Blue Devils honored him upon his retirement with an autographed basketball.
Photographer, Dunice Harrell, starts the Gift of a Lifetime program for high school seniors.
DALLAS — When all the hard work is done, you finally get the reward.
“Just to see that you’re getting closer and closer to graduation, it’s really….really, really, really like…almost there. Just wait,” said Jocelyn Racio, a Garland High School senior.
While waiting can be hard to do, Racio reflected on the sacrifices her parents made to get her to a prized senior moment: graduation photos.
“They left the family back in Mexico. The story is really touching to me because they want a better life for their children,” Racio said.
It is a desire that pushes Racio even through her most trying times. In September, her dad had surgery to have his toe amputated from diabetes.
“He lost his job and we really struggled financially,” Racio said. It really touched me because I really wanted to be strong for them and keep going to school and keep reminding myself that they’re the reason why I’m here.”
It is a reason that also touched photographer, Dunice Harrell, founder of Dunice Harrell Photography. Last year, she started the program, G.O.A.L. It stands for “The Gift of a Lifetime.”
“I found out that the mainstream photography companies were charging anywhere from $500 to $2,000 for senior portraits,” said Harrell. “I realized that there were people out there who really could not afford photography sessions.”
Through her program, Harrell provides free senior photos to Dallas/Fort Worth students facing financial challenges such as Racio.
“Everybody, I felt like regardless of their financial circumstances, they deserve a senior portrait. It’s their first major milestone in their life that they’re achieving on their own, and that should be celebrated,” said Harrell. “This photograph, I want it to represent that you are great. There is a light in you, so when you look at this photograph regardless of what you go through, you will see that.”
It is a memory Harrell provides to students that is more than just a photo.
“It’s a gift of a lifetime,” said Racio.
She said her new success is also a gift to her mother who came to her senior photoshoot.
“She never really tags along because she’s always with my dad,” said Racio who is the youngest of her siblings to graduate.
“I think we all have accomplished that for them,” said Racio. “It’s just. I’m sorry…I like telling them that I made it.”
It is a true gift given with absolute gratefulness and filled with pride.
Harrell is looking for support for funding, studio space and more photographers. If you are interested, click here.
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Embark on a captivating journey with Kurtis Coady and Coady Photography, where family heritage meets the iconic Churchill Downs. Experience generations of expertise and passion through Kurtis’s lens as he shares the story of his family’s legacy with elegance and charm. From humble beginnings to the grandeur of horse racing’s renowned venue, every click captures the essence of tradition and the thrill of the races. Explore equine photography and the timeless allure of Churchill Downs with Kurtis Coady.
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Young shutterbugs of San Antonio have a shot at glory as the Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas rolls out its annual Picture Your World Nature Photography Exhibition. According to a recent announcement, the event beckons kids and teens, 8 to 18, to submit a trio of nature-inspired snaps for a chance to make it big in a juried showcase of talent.
The Witte Museum is gearing up to serve as a canvas for fresh photographic finesse this spring, and none other than local camera wizard Michael Nye is on board to judge, sifting through entries to pick out 30 stellar shots that’ll make the cut. Participants are split into two brackets – the youngins from 8 to 12 and the older bunch 13 to18, each category spotlighting three top dogs alongside a dozen honorable mentions, kids these days with their keen eyes for snapping anything from untamed wildlife, people basking in nature, artistic outdoorsy shots, to architectonic wonders amidst Mother Earth’s creations.
Come May 15, Trinity University will be buzzing with talent from 6 in the evening to 7:30, when winners will bask in the limelight during an exclusive ceremony flaunting their finest work. What’s more, each top-tier photo pro in the making will pocket some cash – we’re talking $300 for first place, $200 for second, and a cool hundred for the third spot in both age groups.
Aspiring photographers keen on putting their lenses to the test must hustle, with the April 10 deadline creeping close, 5 p.m. sharp to be precise. Interested youths can toss their hats in the ring by hitting up greensatx.org/exhibition and filling out the requisite form, this according to FOX San Antonio. So, time’s ticking, and the chase for the perfect shot in San Antonio’s lush landscapes is on – may the best young photographer win.
How two renowned photographers are defying African stereotypes
Ethiopian photographer Aida Muluneh is inspiring the next generation of visual storytellers, while South African Trevor Stuurman hopes to uplift young creative minds by curating their work through physical and digital platforms.
Like many photographers around the world, I watch a lot of YouTube. Whether it’s for inspiration, gear reviews, news, or beautiful cinematics, YouTube has changed the photography world. But should you start your own channel? Join me as I discuss some of the good reasons you should.
There are a lot of benefits to having your own YouTube channel for photography, and I am sure there are probably some downsides too, but I feel that the benefits can far outweigh the negatives here. Let’s take a look at some great benefits!
The numbers greatly vary depending on the source, but according to Wikipedia, YouTube has 2.5 billion users. That is a lot of potential viewers which your content could reach! Of course, there are lots of variables to consider such as great titles, tags, and a great thumbnail to attract as many of those viewers as possible, but the possibilities are endless.
With global reach, comes great opportunity! If you are fortunate enough to publish great content, which gets picked up by the masses, this could lead to amazing opportunities such as sponsorships, ambassadorships, more clients, trips, and more.
Major companies are always looking for great collaborators or ambassadors, with YouTube they can watch you, see what type of persona you have, and what type of content you produce. Consider YouTube almost like a job interview, put on your best performance and see where it takes you.
We have all seen the photographers who get invited to amazing photography experiences such as trips around the world, the best gear, and brand deals. If you wish that was you, then all you can do is give it a go yourself. I know I get a little jealous seeing some of the amazing things YouTubers get for free, whilst I am still working the daily grind.
On the other side are potential clients. If you are a wedding photographer such as Taylor Jackson, for example, you could record behind the scenes on certain wedding shoots (real or staged) and use that as an opportunity to attract new couples who are looking for a photographer. Sometimes people want to see more than a website, or Instagram page. Using YouTube in this way, can help you connect with potential clients in a far more personal way.
One very popular format for photographers on YouTube is to show the behind the scenes of capturing their favorite images. If we take landscape photographers, for example, they will often take you with them on their adventures to places all over the world, and will talk you through exactly what they are doing while they are taking the photo.
Seeing the final image being created in real time can have so many benefits, especially now with the rise of artificial intelligence. Have you ever taken a photo, put it on social media, and had people say it was fake? I have!
In July 2020, we had the amazing Comet Neowise in our skies at night and I ventured out at 2 a.m. in the morning to capture a shot of the Comet over the Liverpool waterfront. The image went viral, and sadly because of that, I had quite a few people being a bit mean and saying the image was fake. Fortunately for me, I always keep the raw files from every shoot but filming the behind-the-scenes experience at the same time can cut a lot of that negativity out if they choose to watch it.
With any negativity, it is important to not take it to heart, but sometimes you will. I did, but I knew how to fight my corner and prove the image was real. Just like an old math exam from school, it is great to show your work.
With artificial intelligence becoming a major product now, recording behind-the-scenes footage could become very beneficial to you. This can absolutely help separate you from some of the others in the marketplace.
When I was publishing regular YouTube content about photography, I had the opportunity to meet lots of interesting and like-minded photographers/creators. I remember one subscriber followed me due to some Icelandic content I published and they then followed my Instagram, eventually, we got talking and became online friends. A couple of years later, we both were in Iceland at the same time and we managed to meet up and photograph the northern lights together. It was an amazing experience, and without YouTube, I never would have met this person.
Of course, you can have the same experience with any social media channel but the more you have, the more potential there is to meet new people and audiences.
In a recent article, I discussed how to push your limits as an introverted photographer, YouTube is certainly another avenue you can take to help build your own confidence, especially when it comes to public speaking.
Whether you are out and about vlogging, recording behind-the-scenes footage in front of general members of the public, or connecting with your audience via replying to comments, messages, etc., then YouTube is a great opportunity to gradually become more comfortable with people.
As I touched on previously, with any social media, there is a chance you will receive some negative comments, and it is important not to let them bother you. You can delete them or report them if they are bad; you do not have to take being bullied!
In this online world we live in now, sadly there are trolls, but the vast majority of viewers are absolutely lovely and appreciative of the efforts you put in. Never let these trolls phase you, just focus on the story that you want to tell with your content and enjoy the experience; this is when you will gain confidence and it can really pay dividends in your life.
YouTube can be an incredible way to upsell your own products and services. Do you sell prints or run photography workshops locally or around the world? If you can grow your YouTube channel, you could sell even more prints or spaces on your workshops, or even Lightroom presets.
Go for it!
By no means is this an exhaustive list of potential benefits for starting your own YouTube channel as a photographer, but I hope it could give you some good ideas on where to take your journey next. You can indeed be the creator of your own story and use YouTube to reach new audiences around the world which could benefit you in so many ways.
YouTube is not easy, and I certainly do not want to give the impression that it is. The potential, however, is massive and it cannot be ignored as it is another leg on that octopus which can lead you to new places.
Everyone fortunate enough to have a window seat during a flight knows first-hand how beautiful the world can look from the skies. However, photographers also know how hard it is to actually get good photos from a plane, especially a commercial flight, even if the views are spectacular.
Professional photographer Graham Washatka recently traveled from Chicago to San Francisco and then San Francisco to Denver for a commercial photo shoot and took the opportunity to capture some stellar aerial shots, proving that photographers can capture great photos from a commercial airliner.
“These are all processed in Lightroom and most of the settings were not different than my normal editing,” Washatka tells PetaPixel. “The big difference from my normal edits are the Dehaze, Texture and Clarity.”
The photographer set the Dehaze and Texture sliders in Lightroom to around +50. The Clarity slider was set to around +20.
“These photos came out really flat in the RAWs and on the back of the camera. I had no idea I got images of these stunning scenes until the right settings clicked together in Lightroom.” He also used Adobe’s AI-powered LR Denoise for some of the photos.
Now that the photographer knows how great images shot from planes can turn out, he has some practical advice for other aspiring aerial photographers. Washatka says to research the airports you’ll visit on your journey and determine which side of the plane will work best for the time of day and location.
Beyond avoiding a seat near the plane’s wings, the photographer also recommends picking a seat on the north side of the plane, if possible, to prevent the sunlight from disturbing others around you and to reduce the glare on the window.
“You won’t have the dramatic effects of backlighting, but the terrain provided plenty of the drama and the focusing and composing is easier in this direction,” Washatka explains.
The commercial photographer is no stranger to aerial photography in general, as he is a licensed drone pilot and does some professional photography work using his DJI Mavic Air 3. “I probably used a drone on 5% of my jobs last year,” Washatka says.
Since he doesn’t use a drone all that much in his professional work, he can’t justify spending the money on a drone with a very high-end imaging system, like DJI’s Inspire series.
For these new airplane photos, Washatka went with his trusty Nikon Z8 mirrorless camera and the Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S lens. He says about 90% of the photos were shot at ISO 400 with a 1/1250s shutter speed. “But at 120mm, I don’t think the 1/1250s shutter speed was fast enough… I didn’t factor in the 600 MPH speed of the plane enough. I think I missed a decent shot of the merging of the Green and Colorado rivers because of it, and other interesting compositions.”
Washatka originally planned to just snap a few photos during takeoff and landing. However, during the flight, he was in awe of the landscape below him and spent more than an hour shooting continuously.
“I took over 800 photos and was constantly looking for an interesting composition… I had zero idea they would turn out so good!” Washatka says.
For any photographer with air travel on the horizon, it is well worth planning, scouting the flight path, and picking an ideal seat. While weather and lighting are unpredictable, it’s immediately apparent that taking great aerial landscape photos from a commercial flight is possible.
With thoughtful planning, good compositions, a bit of luck, and some Lightroom magic, it’s amazing what can be accomplished. And hey, the worst-case scenario is that you found a fun way to pass the time on your flight.
Image credits: All photos © Graham Washatka.
Graham Washatka is a commercial photographer based in Wisconsin. He also recently founded a non-profit photograph organization, Photo Opp, alongside John Adams and Mark Ferrell. The organization has a large studio, event space, and darkroom in a newly renovated 100-year-old synagogue. The organization hosts events, including photography workshops, photo walks, film development nights, and gallery shows.
Top prizes for the Spotlight on Photography were announced at the Montrose Center for Arts First Friday on March 1.
Known for her depictions of life on the Western Slope, Susan Humphrey took home First Place for her photograph, “Dusty Work.” Show judge William Woody explained, “In this frame the cattle are being driven away from the photographer. But this is why I like it so much. The cattle and the man driving them are moving through what appears to be fog or dust. It leaves me wondering where the adventure leads. It has a timeless feel about it.”
Catherine, Princess of Wales, was admitted to The London Clinic on January 16, 2024, where she underwent abdominal surgery for an undisclosed medical condition that was not cancer-related. On Sunday, March 10, 2024, she released a photograph which she later admitted was edited on a Mac along with the text: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C”
Kensington Palace said the photo had been taken by her husband, heir to the throne Prince William, last week.
Kate, Britain’s Princess of Wales, issued an apology on social media on Monday for “any confusion” caused by an edited photograph which had been issued by her office Kensington Palace the previous day.
Several leading news organisations including Reuters withdrew the picture of Kate, 42, posing with her three children after post-publication analysis showed it did not meet their editorial standards.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” the message on X said, signed with a “C” meaning it was sent by Kate. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”
A royal source said Kate had wanted to post an informal picture of her family to mark Mother’s Day, which was celebrated in Britain on Sunday, and had made minor adjustments.
Broadcasters with access to the original image said an examination of its metadata showed it had been saved in photo editing software Adobe Photoshop twice on an Apple Mac.
MacDailyNews Take: The mystery deepens!
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