As a bit of a smartphone photography enthusiast, there’s one product at MWC 2024 that has excited me more than any other. Surprisingly, it’s not even a phone but an accessory for the newly released Xiaomi 14 Ultra. 

Don’t get me wrong, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is incredibly exciting – but the Professional Photography Kit looks like it could really complete the package and make for the ultimate pocketable street photography setup.

The kit is comprised of two main parts. The first is a phone case, which has swappable metal rings that encircle the 14 Ultra’s large circular camera module. One ring is purely decorative, and has a bit of a Sony Alpha vibe in its metallic orange colorway, while the other adds a 67mm filter thread. This means you can attach ND filters, mist filters, polarizers, or whatever else you fancy.

The second part of the kit is an ergonomic grip that clips onto the case and connects to the phone via USB-C. Aside from making the phone easier to hold, this grip packs a 1,500mAh battery to keep it juiced up, and adds a physical shutter button, zoom rocker and programmable dial. There’s even a wrist strap to keep your phone secure while you’re out shooting.

This isn’t an entirely new concept; my LG G5 had a snap-on grip with similar features all the way back in 2016, and products like the ShiftCam ProGrip offer a one-size-fits-all solution with a similar goal in mind. Xiaomi’s version seems like the most polished evolution so far, though, both in terms of aesthetics and functionality.

Plus, it comes at a time when accessories like this make more sense than ever. The aforementioned LG G5 had a very underwhelming 16MP camera with a tiny sensor, whereas the new Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a quad 50MP array at its disposal. The main camera even has a 1-inch sensor and an adjustable aperture.

As good as touchscreen user interfaces are, there are shortcomings when it comes to photography. If you’ve ever tried to zoom or switch a setting one-handed, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. This nifty kit looks like it’ll solve that completely.

The only downside is that it’s only designed to work with Xiaomi 14 Ultra – so if you aren’t going to opt for the brand’s top-tier flagship model, then you’re pretty much out of luck. There have been some reports of the accessory working with other phones, but I didn’t have much luck when I tried it for myself.

I attempted to attach the grip portion to my Vivo X100 Pro. Obviously, the phone case won’t fit, but it seemed like the grip portion could work. In some ways it does – the phone begins to charge, and the shutter button can take a photo – but it just doesn’t fit. Unless I was holding it in place, the USB-C connector would just fall out, making the grip effectively useless.

If you’re crafty enough, or some kind of 3D printing wizard, then I’m sure you could make it work with other phones. But most people would be better off using something designed to accommodate their device.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra photography kit is available to purchase for around $259 if you can find it in the US, or £179 in the UK. There is also a deal, depending on your region, if you pre-order the Xiaomi 14 Ultra then the kit comes bundled for free for a limited time. Xiaomi’s even throwing in a free tablet, too, making it a pretty tempting deal.

For more on the latest in smartphone photography, check out our top picks for the best camera phones and the best Android phones.

French-American photographer Elliott Erwitt is known for his whimsical images of life in New York City. Now, some of his best work featuring the city has been pulled together in a revised edition of Elliott Erwitt’s New York. The publication is a fitting tribute to the photographer, who died on November, 2023 at age 95.

From the moment he landed in New York in 1948, his camera was his constant companion. And his black-and-white photography showcases the beauty he found in everyday life. From people passing the time while waiting for the subway to portraits of iconic celebrities, he never missed an opportunity to create a work of art with his camera.

In this revised edition of the book, which was originally published in 2008, there are 16 pages of previously unpublished photographs from the 1950s and 1960s. This makes the coffee table book a precious resource for lovers of Erwitt’s street photography. While there are plenty of incredible images from the past, the book explores the full timeline of Erwitt’s career.

There are many clever and ironic photographs from more recent times, including a crowd of Magnum photographers in the late 1980s. In it, we see the professionals jockeying for the best view high up on a roof. Rather than get involved in the war for a vantage point, Erwitt was able to step back and see the amusement in the chaos.

Elliott Erwitt’s New York, published by teNeues, is now available via Amazon or Bookshop. The German publisher worked closely with Erwitt and has published many volumes of his work, including one that brings together his hilarious dog photographs.

A new coffee table book celebrates Elliott Erwitt’s iconic New York City street photography.

New York City, USA, 1949.

New York City, USA, 2001.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York City, USA, 1988.

His black-and-white photography celebrates the beauty of everyday life.

New York City, USA, 1950.

New York City, USA, 1949.

New York City, USA, 1954.

This revised edition of Elliott Erwitt’s New York includes 16 pages of previously unpublished photos from the 1950s and 1960s.

New York City, USA, 1953.

Marilyn Monroe. New York City, USA, 1956.

New York City, USA, 1953.

This volume, which is a wonderful celebration of the photographer’s career, is now on sale.

Elliott Erwitt: Website | Instagram

All images © Elliott Erwitt. My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by teNeues.

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97-Year-Old Pioneer of Street Photography Captures New York Since the 1940’s

Vivian Maier’s Street Photography Coming to New York for Comprehensive Exhibition

Photographer Spent Eight Years Capturing Life on the Gritty New York Subway in the 1970s and 1980s

This week we talk with Claudia Smith Brinson about her new book, Injustice in Focus: The Civil Rights Photography of Cecil Williams (2023, USC Press). Claudia’s rich research, interviews, and prose, offer a firsthand account of South Carolina’s fight for civil rights and tells the story of Cecil Williams’s life behind the camera. The book also features eighty of William’s photographs.

Cecil Williams is one of the few Southern Black photojournalists of the civil rights movement. Born and raised in Orangeburg, South Carolina, Williams worked at the center of emerging twentieth-century civil rights activism in the state, and his assignments often exposed him to violence perpetrated by White law officials and ordinary citizens. Williams’s story is the story of the civil rights era.

On March 5, Tyler ISD photography students are set to illuminate the importance of mental health through a unique exhibition. Organized by Next Step Community Solutions, this event not only showcases the talents of local students but also aims to foster a community dialogue around mental well-being. Hosted at Gallery Main Street, Tyler, from 6-8 p.m., the exhibition is free and welcomes all members of the public, with the first 100 guests receiving complimentary Andy’s Frozen Custard.

Empowering Through Art

In a powerful collaboration with Caldwell Arts Academy photography students, Next Step Community Solutions brings to light the coping mechanisms students employ against daily stress and adversity. Each photograph in the exhibition is accompanied by a personal narrative, detailing the student’s journey towards maintaining mental health through their creative process. This initiative not only provides a platform for young artists but also emphasizes the therapeutic potential of art in mental health management.

Community Engagement and Awareness

The event is more than a display of artistic talent; it’s a call to action for the East Texas community to engage in meaningful conversations about mental health. By highlighting students’ perspectives and coping strategies, the exhibition aims to break down the stigma surrounding mental health discussions. Next Step Community Solutions believes in the power of community-based interventions to foster a supportive environment for those dealing with mental health issues.

Looking Forward

This exhibition marks the beginning of what many hope will be a continuing conversation about the importance of mental health awareness in Tyler and beyond. The partnership between Tyler ISD, Caldwell Arts Academy, and Next Step Community Solutions exemplifies the impactful role of education and community organizations in addressing critical societal issues. As attendees reflect on the narratives and images, the event is poised to inspire further initiatives that support mental health through creative expression.

The significance of this exhibition extends beyond the photographs displayed; it lies in the shared experiences and the collective acknowledgment of the importance of mental health. By bringing these conversations to the forefront, Tyler ISD students and Next Step Community Solutions are paving the way for a future where mental well-being is openly discussed and supported within the community.

Over 50 years ago, sisters Gail Jones and Jacqueline Hayes had their picture taken by official Black Panther Party photographer Stephen Shames. The sisters don’t recall much about that cold December day in 1970. But Hayes does remember Shames positioning her, Jones, their brother Frederick Hayes, and their two friends, sisters Frances and Eva Phenix, for the photo. “We were down in Dudley [Square ]… on some corner,” Hayes said. “I think we had to sign something because we were all underage.”

Now, that photo is on a wall at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The sisters had no idea the photo had been printed, let alone installed as a part of “Comrade Sisters,” an exhibition of Shames’ photographs highlighting women of the Black Panther Party, on view through June 24.

“We were young,” Jones said as she looked at the photograph on the MFA’s wall for the first time. They were teenagers at the time, volunteering for the Boston chapter of the Black Panther Party. “[My siblings] used to get up in the morning and go to help feed people at the free breakfast program in Jamaica Plain … we used to be down [in] Dudley, selling newspapers.”

Identifying the photo

The journey to identify the photo started before I even met Gail Jones. I first saw the image a week prior while touring “Comrade Sisters” with curator Karen Haas. For years, Shames captured photos of Black Panther Party members across the country — the exhibit highlights women in the Party. When I saw the picture on the gallery wall, it struck me, partially because it was taken in Boston but more so because all five teenagers in it were unnamed. The photo was just titled “Women of the Black Panther Party.” I asked Haas if there was any information on them but there wasn’t. “If anyone recognizes anyone, I’ll be thrilled,” Haas said.

“Many [of the pictures] never saw the light of day or were printed as photographs,” Haas explained. “These are modern prints made from negatives from the 1960s and early 70s.”  Meaning the people in the photo may have no idea the photo itself existed.

Originally, I’d planned to just write a review of the exhibit. But I knew that I had to try to find the people in the photo. So, I did what any good reporter would do — I posted a picture I’d taken of the photo on Facebook. Family and community members quickly responded and identified three of the teenagers as siblings Gail Jones, Jacqueline Hayes and Frederick Hayes.

Before the post on Facebook, Jones and Hayes had never seen the actual photograph. They had no way of knowing that it was up on a museum wall over 50 years after it was taken. “I’m in total shock,” Jones said. “I don’t think I own a picture of me at that age.”

Boston’s Black Panther Party

Jones, Hayes and their brother started volunteering for the party at a time when Boston was becoming increasingly more segregated. Predominantly white neighborhoods became more and more Black over the first half of the 20th century. Dilapidated apartments were sold or rented to Black families and white flight in areas like Roxbury and Dorchester ensued. Businesses and organizations left, leaving the growing Black population without access to important resources.

The original chapter of the Black Panther Party was founded in California in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. The Boston chapter opened in 1968 to meet the needs of Black communities in the city. Jacqueline Hayes found herself interacting with the party a few years later when she was a 15-year-old student at Jamaica Plain High School. The Panthers had a new office in Roxbury and members of the party were handing out newspapers. “One of the ladies … said, ‘There’s this cute guy … We need to go hear what he has to say because he looks so good,’” Hayes recalled.

In typical teenage fashion, she went down to see who her friend was talking about. They met the young man and ended up staying and listening to what he had to say. “He was talking all about the Party and then that led to ‘Well, we got an office up the street. You can come and you can volunteer,'” Hayes recalled. “So it started out like that. And once we got in, we were in.”

Jones joined her siblings after a friend died of an overdose. It had a profound impact on her. “That was a very tough time in my life,” Jones said. “I started running with my brother and sister … And when they started going to the Black Panther Party, it was something that gave me hope again … It helped to build me back up from that devastation.”

The siblings did a variety of things as volunteers. Jones handed out Black Panther Party newspapers at what is now called Nubian Square. Hayes and Frederick worked at the local free breakfast program that operated out of Jamaica Plain. “And then within like a week or two weeks, we were running the program. I mean my brother had the keys. We were in charge,” Hayes said. “We were in a big gymnasium or community room and I remember my brother, he would go in there and he had a sound system. He had that music pumping.”

Women like Jones and Hayes were involved in much of the community care work the Panthers provided. Over 65% of the Black Panther Party’s membership was comprised of women. Though they were volunteers and not official members, the siblings found value in the work they did. They also attended political education classes. “We learned so much,” Hayes said. “We’d go to school and say ‘How come you didn’t tell us this? You just said that we were slaves.’”

After the party

After a few years of volunteering, the siblings stopped. Leadership within the party grew tumultuous and members across the country were being arrested or harassed by police. “Things got hot,” Hayes explained. The Boston Black Panther Party shuttered its doors in 1972. At the time, branch offices of the party were ordered to close and members asked to go to Oakland to support Bobby Seale and Elaine Brown’s electoral campaigns.

Though they stopped volunteering for the party, the siblings never forgot the things they learned or experienced. Jones went on to work for the MBTA as a drug and alcohol coordinator and was an associate minister at a local church. Hayes moved down to Florida in 2015 and helped lead a campaign to restore and preserve the Whispering Souls African American Cemetery, where two of the siblings’ grandparents are buried. She is also the president of the board for the nonprofit of the same name. Hayes says that Frederick, who passed away in 2016, was well-known in Boston for the work he did in the community. “He was the one that was always in the news,” she said.

Eva Phenix, another woman in the photograph, is living with dementia. Jones visited her and showed her the picture. “She said, ‘That’s us Gail!’ And I said, ‘I know,’” Jones shared. “I was so happy to show her the picture because she recognized everyone. So that was another happy moment. It was awesome.”

No longer unnamed

There’s no changing the title of the photo, but the MFA has updated the label with the names of those in the image. “I’m just incredibly excited that this story is getting told,” curator Karen Haas said. “I never imagined we’d actually be able to put names with the faces that we’ve all been looking at these last few weeks.”

For Jones and Hayes, seeing the photo has been a full-circle moment of sorts. “I’m glad that I can look back and see the work that we did at such a young age,” said Jones. “We made a difference and that’s good. I’m sure we made our mother proud.”

And it all started with a simple Facebook post. “That picture has just brought up so many memories,” said Hayes. “I’m so glad you did that post.”

So am I.