The recently released feature film ‘The Bikeriders’ is an American crime-drama story, inspired by the 1967 photobook of the same name by photographer and filmmaker Danny Lyon.

The film depicts the lives of the Vandals MC, a fictional version of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, founded in 1935.  

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, actor Mike Faist, who plays Lyon in the show, explained he took inspiration from his previous co-star in ‘Challengers’ Zendaya’s habit of taking photographs of the sets she works on. 

Speaking to the publication Faist said:

“Toward the tail end of Challengers, Zendaya got me into photography. She had her cameras on set and was always playing around with them and whatnot. So I got interested and played around [with them], and I ordered a camera of my own. 

“So, when Jeff called and said, ‘Hey, do you want to play a photographer in a movie I’m doing?’ I figured that was a sign that I should go ahead and take on this job.”

According to the club’s website, the group was founded in 1935 as The McCook Outlaws Motorcycle Club, out of Matilda’s Bar on Route 66 in McCook, Illinois. It is the oldest outlaw biker club in the world, with a membership of over 3,000, and is the third largest in the world, behind the Hells Angels, and the Bandidos. 

Lyon spent four years riding with the Outlaws, beginning in 1963, and became a fully fledged member of the club in “an attempt to record and glorify the life of the American bike rider.”

The series of photographs became incredibly popular, and by 1967, Lyon was invited to join Magnum Photos, the international photography cooperative. 

In an interview with Bomb magazine, Lyon described how, in the beginning, he a “funky old Leica M2 that scratched every picture.”

Eventually, the Nikon F would become his “real workhorse.”

“It was a Nikon Reflex, that early, single-lens Reflex. It was such a fabulous camera with a prism on it—no light meter. I had a 2 1/4 inch for The Bikeriders also. When I got to Manhattan in 1967 and realized what I was getting into, making architectural pictures, I went to Olden’s on Broadway and 43rd Street and got the cheapest view camera you could get—a Calumet.”

Before portraying Lyon in the film, Faist was lucky enough to spend time with the man himself at his cabin in Maine.

“We spent the weekend shooting photography and fishing, and he actually introduced me to a friend of his who showed me his studio. So then we developed film, and we went through some of Danny’s old works.”

Speaking about his time as an Outlaws member, Lyon said: “I was kind of horrified by the end. I remember I had a big disagreement with this guy who rolled out a huge Nazi flag as a picnic rug to put our beers on. By then I had realised that some of these guys were not so romantic after all”.

Take a look at the best Leica cameras, and the best Nikon cameras. 

We’ve also got guides to the best film cameras, and the best retro cameras. 

The University of Southern California has opened an art show entitled “No Content Warning” by “queer and disabled photographer,” Robert Andy Coombs, according to the university’s website.

The opening reception for Coombs’ show was on June 14 and is scheduled to last until Sept. 14. The exhibit was introduced by the archives curator, Alexis Bard Johnson, and art historian Cyle Metzger.

“The nine erotic and sultry photographs on view unapologetically present the vision of artist and often subject, Robert Andy Coombs,” an advertisement for the art show explains.

[RELATED: Confused students panic over imaginary removal of LGBT resources]

The works are taken from what is called Coombs’ “CripFag” series. 

“Coombs’s photography explores the intersections of disability and sexuality,” USC’s website explains. “Themes of relationships, caregiving, fetish, and sex are depicted and explored throughout.”

“These nine works, selected from his CripFag series, invite the viewer into Coombs’s world: a world where disability and sex are not at odds,” USC’s website continues. “The photographs, luxuriously printed on metallic paper at a large scale, simultaneously convey compassion for the subjects while they demand the viewer’s attention.”

“Many works chosen for this exhibition were censored from other institutions,” the website states.

Coombs’ exhibit is not the only one at USC to feature LGBT art. The ONE Archives at USC’s Libraries claim to be the “largest repository of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) materials in the world.”

“Founded in 1952, ONE Archives houses millions of archival items including periodicals, books, films, videos, audio recordings, photographs, artworks, organizational records, and personal papers,” the ONE Archives’ page on USC’s website explains. “ONE Archives has been a part of the University of Southern California Libraries since 2010.”

[RELATED: Northwestern student govt calls for segregated ‘Pride House’ for LGBT-identifying students]

An organization connected to the ONE Archives at USC, the One Institute, has promoted LGBT issues much more widely than just art projects like that of Coombs.

“Our one-of-a-kind exhibitions and public programs connect LGBTQ+ history and contemporary culture to effect social change,” the One Institute—formerly called the ONE Archives Foundation—explains on its website. “As the independent community partner of ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, we promote the largest collection of LGBTQ+ materials in the world.”

“Out of our commitment to social equity and justice, we tell the stories of the LGBTQ community and its history,” the website states.

Campus Reform has contacted the University of Southern California, the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at the USC Libraries, and Cyle Metzger for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.

We’ve been hearing a lot lately about the story “The Outsiders.” There was first the book, then the movie and now the best new musical on Broadway. Thursday morning, we’re talking about a really cool new gift idea for the greaser in your life!

Thursday, June 27th 2024, 10:18 am

By:

News On 6

TULSA, Okla. –

We’ve been hearing a lot lately about the story “The Outsiders.” There was first the book, then the movie and now the best new musical on Broadway.

Thursday morning, we’re talking about a really cool new gift idea for the greaser in your life!

Danny Boy O’Connor from the Outsiders House and Museum in Tulsa joins us to talk about the new coffee table book called “The Outsiders: On Set.”

The Perseid meteor shower is often the most spectacular meteor shower in the Northern Hemisphere due to frequency as well as its appearance in summer. Here’s how to photograph it!

There are typically about 100 visible meteors per hour on average. Of course, how many are visible depends on your weather and light conditions.

Find dark clear skies

Find the darkest skies you can, away from light pollution, preferably with large open spaces to view the night sky. Obviously, you also want to find a place with as few clouds as possible. Typically, they peak in early August. However, you can see plenty of meteors on other nights surrounding the peak. The most important thing is that you have dark, clear skies, preferably when the moon is not out. You can find out when the moon is out as well as other information about the photographing by using some of these apps.

When should you go?

Although the moon will set soon after it gets dark, between midnight and dawn should still have the most visible meteors. The next Perseids meteor display will likely peak around the night of August 12 and before dawn on August 13 2024. Unlike last year, however, the moon will be 50% illuminated for this peak. However, on August 12, the moon will set near midnight. After that, you will get some dark skies, better for viewing. Consequently, the best time to watch this will be after midnight to just before dawn. You may see as many as 90-100 meteors per hour during the peak. The shower is from July 14 through September 1.

What do you need to photograph the Perseid meteors?

There’s a few pieces of gear that make life great when photographing the meteor shower:

1. A camera that has manual mode. This includes just about any DSLR or mirrorless camera. A wide-angle lens will capture more of the night sky, increasing your chances of capturing the streaking meteors.
2. A tripod for keeping your camera still.
3. Other helpful gear can include a shutter release cable.
4. Gaffer’s tape (I like orange colored tape so I can see it at night)
5. Headlamp (try to use this as little as possible to preserve your night vision; use a red headlamp if possible)
6. Lawn chair, especially one that reclines so you can watch the universe’s glorious light show.
7. Favorite beverage
8. Snacks
9. Friends

Where do you aim the camera?

I could be snarky and say “the sky,” but no, you want more information than that! The Perseids meteor shower is named after the constellation of Perseus because that’s the location in the sky where the meteors appear to originate. This is sometimes referred to as the radiant point. Perseus will appear more or less north and drift northeast if you are in the Northern Hemisphere, where this will be most visible.

However, I should mention that the meteors will be visible in many places in the night sky. You are not restricted to pointing your camera north or northeast. Think about composition as well. Maybe there is an interesting foreground nearby that adds interest to your photo, or perhaps point it to the south or southeast so you can also capture the Milky Way.

Take many successive shots

You can’t wait for a meteor to streak across the sky and then try to trigger your camera. It would already be too late!

The secret is to keep your camera continuously clicking, then lean back and enjoy the meteor shower.

The other secret? Turn off Long Exposure Noise Reduction (LENR) on your camera. Why? Because it will pause for the length of the exposure to apply noise reduction, and we don’t really want that here. We want the camera to continuously photograph.

We will discuss two ways your camera can continually take photos.

1. Wired remote shutter release

Use a cheap remote shutter release. You can get one that attaches to your camera via a cable. Once you have this, set your camera to Continuous Burst mode. This is the same mode that allows you to shoot rapid-fire sequences like what sports photographers do. We night photographers can use these too, but in slow motion.

Simply set your camera to your ideal settings, such as a 20-30 second exposure, f/2.8 and ISO of 1600-6400, depending on how bright the scene is (or how wide your aperture is). Lock down your remote shutter release. This should keep your camera clicking merrily away, taking one photo after another. Many cameras have a limit of 100 consecutive photos, so be aware of that and set a timer if you wish. Then simply start it up again.

2. Intervalometer

Your camera may have a built-in intervalometer already. Or you can purchase an external intervalometer and attach it to your camera. There are myriad options including Bluetooth camera controllers as well. You can set the time of exposure, time between each photo (which should be as short as possible, typically one second), and how many individual photos you wish to photograph. If you want to learn more about setting your intervalometer, please read this handy article that walks you through it!

Camera settings

Set your lens to infinity. If you are not sure how to focus for infinity and the stars in the sky, this article on finding infinity may help you! Assuming you are using a wide-angle lens and the moon is not out, try a shutter speed of around 20-30 seconds. Choose a large aperture, something like f/2.4 or f/2.8. And then adjust the ISO to something relatively high, such as ISO 1600 or 3200, whatever works for getting a decent exposure and lots of stars.

Take a test shot. Can you see the night sky, the stars, and everything else? Is everything exposed reasonably well? If you cannot, adjust something in your exposure triangle, such as the shutter speed or the ISO. 

Remember this, though. If you adjust it much past 30 seconds on an ultra wide angle lens, the stars will begin appearing elongated rather than pinpoints. And if you adjust the ISO for a very high setting, it will become noisier and have less dynamic range.

Keep people away from your tripod. Don’t shine lights around the area. Relax and watch the heavenly show.

What do I do with all these photos?

You’ll have possibly hundreds of photos of the night sky. Hopefully some have meteors! If so, congratulations! Cherry-pick those and show them off to your friends and family.

But there’s another bonus. Whether you have meteors or not, you may also take all these successive photos and make an image of long star trails that may or may not feature shooting stars! If you are interested in this, read more about photographing the time-lapses in the field and creating a time-lapse video in less than three minutes.

Going out to photograph the meteor shower this month? Don’t forget to submit your favorite images to the Photofocus Community!

Aaditya Shrirang Bhat is a talented young photographer from India who loves capturing the beauty of sunsets. His photos are known for their warm and peaceful feel, often featuring the golden light of the setting sun along with people, plants, and insects.

Aaditya has a deep connection to nature, which he showcases in his work by blending natural elements into his pictures, creating emotional and storytelling compositions. He also enjoys wildlife photography, taking pictures of animals he encounters during his forest walks. Through his lens, Aaditya not only captures the fleeting beauty of sunsets but also highlights the interconnectedness of life in nature. His photos tell unique stories and celebrate the harmony found in the natural world.

More info: Instagram | Facebook

After months of planning and thousands of dollars spent, having a beautiful wedding album to look back on will help you relive the best day of your life for years to come. Photographers are not cheap, so how do you make sure you’re getting the absolute best results possible? New Orleans photographers Darren & Shamakia Williams, Sandra O’Claire, Mo Davis and Devonte Williford have helpful tips to help you get those gorgeous shots you’ve been dreaming of.

Figure Out Your Style

Deciding who to work with is step one. Williams, O’Claire, Davis and Williford all recommend starting your search on platforms like Pinterest and Instagram to find your style inspiration.

“We always suggest doing a deep dive on social media, wedding blogs and Pinterest to get a sense of what different style options are out there,” Darren Williams, one half of the husband-wife team, said. “Once you do that, you can narrow down your search to photographers that really match your aesthetic.”

Knowing the limitations of your venue is another crucial element that O’Claire emphasizes.

“If you find someone who matches your aesthetic that you really like, but all their photos are outside and in the daylight — and your wedding is inside or at night — you might end up being disappointed,” O’Claire said.

To avoid that disappointment, O’Claire says couples should always ask to see a complete gallery of a wedding that is similar to theirs.

“That way, you can be sure that they know how to work in that type of environment and understand the quirks of different types of venues, seasons and times of day,” O’Claire said.

Start Your Search Early

Finding a photographer should not be an afterthought, Davis said, particularly if you’re working within a tighter budget.

“COVID really changed things, I think, and people have a sense of urgency now that you really didn’t see at much before,” Davis said. “The old standard was six to nine months out, but I’m booking well into a year advance now.”

Regarding budget, Davis said about 10% of your overall cost should go to photography, which makes it hard to give an exact number of what you should expect to pay. However, she cautioned against assuming that in order to get the best, you’ll have to pay the most.

“That’s why I think it’s so important to work with a planner,” Davis said. “If you want stunning wedding photos, but you don’t want to drop the cost of that top-tier package, they can work with you to determine what it is that you want, and how to find a great photographer to accommodate that.”

Get Comfortable With Your Photographer and Be Yourself

So, you’ve figured out your style and booked your photographer — now it’s time to get the shot. For Williford, the number one advice he gives to couples is to be themselves.

Instead of posing, Williford likes to give couples prompts that elicit genuine reactions and make for sweet, dynamic photos.

“I’ll tell the bride to whisper something naughty in the groom’s ear or something, and that photograph is going to be a lot more special to them than a generic pose,” Williford said.

The Williamses have a similar philosophy.

“Our goal is to capture the love and happiness you see for each other. One way to get into that space ahead of an engagement shoot is to go on a little date, get some drinks, be flirty and fun before you show up,” Shamakia said. “That love and flirtiness is going to shine through and you’re going to get a great picture.”

While it’s not absolutely necessary to have the same person shoot your engagement and wedding photos, Davis and Williford said it’s a good way to get to know your photographer before the Big Day.

“I like to think of engagement shoots in a similar way to your hair and makeup trial. You want to make sure it’s a good fit, you want to get comfortable with it. That way, when your wedding day arrives, you won’t have to worry about whether or not you made the right choice,” Davis said.

Don’t Get Hung Up on a Shot List

Ultimately, Williford said the best photos come from subjects who are relaxed, having fun and being themselves. The best way to achieve that is to trust the person you hired and let them do your thing.

“If you’re worrying about whether or not they’re checking off every single box on your shot list, it’s going to be harder for you to be in the moment and that is going to show through,” he said.

Williams and O’Claire also decline to use shot lists, because they limit their options and take up time that could be better spent focusing on the details or the unexpected moments.

“I ask my clients to tell me what I don’t know,” O’Claire explained. “Tell me that your cake topper is your great-grandma’s, tell me if there’s going to be a surprise guest and whose reaction you really want to catch — things like that. I find that much more helpful than a shot-list.”

Meet the Photographers

Darren & Shamakia Williams are the husband-and-wife team behind DSW Photography. Their style is high-glam editorial with an emphasis on clean, chic artistry. dswduo.com, @dsw_photography

Sandra O’Claire and Eau Claire Photographics are pros when it comes to natural and unobtrusive documentary-style photography, which results in true-to-life, authentic and timeless imagery. Their look is classic, but modern, and O’Claire is committed to capturing the unique details of your day. eauclairephotographics.com, @eauphoto

Mo Davis made Harper’s Bazaar’s Best Photographers in the World list in 2020 and is based right here in New Orleans. Her look is artistic, ethereal and timeless and Davis does her absolute best to capture the emotion she believes in most in the world: Love. modavisphotography.com, @modavisphotography

Devonte Williford is the force behind Rare Sighting Photography, a local wedding and portrait service that turns out timeless, emotional images. Williford is a true believer in the beauty of candid shots, but he’s also an expert on getting his clients comfortable in front of the camera so that even the glam shots bring out their true personalities and feelings. raresightingphotography.com, @raresightingphotography

Finding a Photographer to Fit Your Venue

Venues often provide a list of recommended vendors, including photographers. If you already have your venue booked, they can give you names of people who worked there before and are therefore likely to be comfortable shooting there.

One of the things that I value so much about your work is that while your activism involves resistance, refusal and critique, it also includes repair, care and compassion. That complexity is the lifeblood of your work. Could you talk about that impulse to balance both?

I’ve discussed how the art world and academia are toxic spaces. I enjoy being a part of them, despite their faults or flaws. But watching my mom do the care work [with birds] as a child, I recognized that as a lineage of care that she was passing down. Care work has allowed me to disconnect from academia and the art world. I’m not saying that art and teaching can’t make a difference, but it’s so rare that we see our work in those realms make a change. 

While my animal rehabilitation work does not provide instant gratification, I can make a difference in these animals’ lives. Witnessing birds that have been in captive care rejoining the world gives me a real feeling of success. I get this high that I don’t get working in other fields. So, the care work is caring for them and caring for myself. However, it’s tricky negotiating it all with my practice. 

Many of your projects address political corruption, human rights and geopolitics between the SWANA region and the West. The work provokes the viewer to confront their blind spots. Can you talk about that?

It comes from being a kid who grew up in post-9/11 America. We lived in the Midwest, and there were no other people from the greater SWANA region. I grew up in a very heterogeneous, heteronormative white space, and even in the public education system as well as the private, no discussion of history was happening outside of the United States that wasn’t Eurocentric. That created so many blind spots for the people I grew up with. 

Post 9/11, people confused Iraq and Iran as the same place. People’s ignorance was rampant, and it remains to be so. I think ignorance is bliss for many people. Comfort is preferable to being uncomfortable and learning new things. Being raised in that context has led my work to try to tackle that mentality.