In a dynamic merger of creativity and education, Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA) is set to open entries for its eagerly awaited Student Development Programme 2024 this month. This annual initiative, which has become a beacon of empowerment for the next generation of African photographers, promises to provide invaluable training, mentoring, and equipment to selected candidates.

Empowering African Talent

The Canon Student Development Programme is a testament to Canon’s commitment to nurturing African talent and fostering a culture of learning and growth. Over the years, the program has evolved into a coveted opportunity for aspiring photographers across the continent, offering them a chance to hone their skills under the tutelage of industry professionals.

The 2024 edition of the program continues this tradition of empowerment, providing participants with comprehensive training modules, one-on-one mentoring sessions, and access to Canon’s cutting-edge photography equipment. This holistic approach ensures that students not only learn the technical aspects of photography but also develop a nuanced understanding of visual storytelling.

Beyond its immediate benefits, the Canon Student Development Programme serves as a stepping stone for young photographers, helping them establish a foothold in the competitive world of professional photography. Past participants have gone on to excel in various fields, from photojournalism and fashion photography to fine art and conservation photography.

A Call to Action

As CCNA prepares to open entries for the Canon Student Development Programme 2024, interested students are encouraged to visit the CCNA website for more information. The application period is expected to run for several weeks, providing ample opportunity for candidates to submit their applications and portfolios.

Applicants should note that the selection process is rigorous and competitive, with a focus on creativity, technical proficiency, and a passion for storytelling. As such, prospective candidates are advised to carefully review the application guidelines and ensure that their submissions showcase their unique vision and artistic voice.

Inspiring the Future

The Canon Student Development Programme is more than just a training initiative; it is a catalyst for change, inspiring young Africans to explore their creative potential and contribute to the continent’s rich visual culture. By investing in the next generation of photographers, Canon is helping to shape the future of African photography, one student at a time.

As the countdown to the 2024 program begins, anticipation is mounting among aspiring photographers across the continent. For many, this is more than an opportunity to learn and grow; it is a chance to be part of something larger, to join a community of storytellers and artists who are redefining the African narrative through the lens of a camera.

In the coming weeks, as applications pour in and the selection process unfolds, one thing is certain: the Canon Student Development Programme 2024 will once again serve as a powerful reminder of the transformative power of education and the boundless potential of African talent.

As Canon Central and North Africa prepares to welcome a new cohort of students into its fold, the photography world watches with bated breath, eager to see what stories will emerge from this unique convergence of creativity, learning, and opportunity.

Genre-defining doesn’t come close to describing George Hoyningen-Huene’s catalog of work, capturing fashion, portraiture, and travel unlike anyone before him and setting the stage for those who came after.

George Hoyningen-Huene, by Susanna Brown and The George Hoyningen-Huene Estate Archives, is the first publication dedicated to the great photographer’s work in over 40 years. It presents the reader with Huene’s photography journey, providing a great depth of insight into an icon of fashion photography through his famous images, previously unseen photographs, and personal correspondence. 

Huene started his photography career photographing for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, which at the time were far removed from our modern understanding of these fashion powerhouses. Fashion photography was solely commerce-based during this period, and not the creative outlet for art and design we see today. Huene’s early work with publications like Vogue helped establish this new direction. 

“His early photographs for Vogue were shaped by influences from both the classical world and the machine age,” Susanna Brown writes in the book’s introduction. “A deep artistic sensibility and a talent for sculpting the body with light enabled him to create graceful fantasies that transcend the magazine page and transport us to a bygone era of glamor”.

Glamor is the perfect word to describe Huene’s work, as it is evident from his images that every aspect of the subject, location, framing, and lighting is taken into consideration. Huene took a lot of his inspiration from cinema and photographed portraits of Hollywood stars with a similar approach to his fashion work. Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, and Bette Davis are but a few of the subjects that were elegantly captured by Huene’s lens. 

Speaking on her experience working with Huene, Katharine Hepburn is quoted as saying, “Texture, line, and simplicity – these were the things he liked – the classic truth”. 

Ahead of his time in many ways, Huene never truly got to see his work represented as the art it was. Fashion photography was only just being exhibited by museums and galleries shortly before Huene’s passing in 1968 but, since then, much of his work has been displayed in solo shows and as part of larger exhibitions around the globe. This brought new audiences to his work and led to the discovery of much of Huene’s previously unseen work outside the realm of fashion. 

Showcased in the book are images from projects that show Huene’s extended interests, such as travel, landscape, and his foray into motion pictures that although differ in subject, are still captured with his signature statuesque elegance. 

George Hoyningen-Huene by Susanna Brown and The George Hoyningen-Huene Estate Archives is published by Thames & Hudson and is available for pre-order directly from the publisher, as well as Amazon US ($100) and Amazon UK (£75).

Over the 328 pages are 300 images, with accompanying texts by writers from the worlds of fashion, cinema, and photography. This book is fantastic and provides a deeper insight into the work and personal life of one of the great photographers – one that perhaps doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. 

As William A Ewing states in the foreword, “Huene made photographs that transcended their utilitarian function and stood the test of time”, and it’s hard to disagree. 

If photography books are your thing, like they are mine, you may enjoy our guides to the best coffee table books and the best books on fashion photography. 

Owner of Lucas Benjamin Photography Jeff Ruhe

Lucas Benjamin Photography receives prestigious award at national summit of sports and school photographers.

TINLEY PARK, IL, UNITED STATES, February 12, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — On January 7, 2024, H&H Color Lab named Lucas Benjamin Photography the winner of the 2024 Emerging Star Award at its annual Summit. The Emerging Star Award is given to a new member of the Summit that exhibits both photographic and business excellence. The annual gathering is for top photography studios that specialize in youth sports and school photography. Sixty-two leading studios from around the country were in attendance.

Representing Lucas Benjamin Photography was Jeff Ruhe, the owner of the company. “On behalf of all the hard-working people at Lucas Benjamin Photography, I am honored to accept this award. Our mission statement is: To inspire by creating positive images. If we can help improve the self-image of the children we photograph, we are doing our job. In part, this award is recognition of our commitment to that objective.”

About Lucas Benjamin Photography

Based in Tinley Park, Illinois, Lucas Benjamin Photography serves greater Chicagoland and is a leading provider of youth sports and school photography. We are members of top photographic societies including Professional Photographers of America and Volume Imaging Professionals.

Our mission statement:

To inspire by creating positive images.

www.lucasbenjaminphotography.com

Jeff Ruhe
Lucas Benjamin Photography
+1 708-231-6270
jeffruhe@lucasbenjaminphotography.com
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I’m a competent photographer. My photos aren’t going to change the world, but I’d like to think I’ve made images that most people would be happy to hang on their walls. So how would I fair with the Demo version of Madnetic Games‘ new Photography Simulator game? 

As someone who writes about cameras and photography for a living, the pressure was on me not to embarrass myself during the open demo stage. The demo is set in New York’s Central Park, where you find yourself as a ‘guy with camera’, well, a smartphone, who is asked to take a photo of your female friend who has just started her first day of work – a job which appears to involve little more than loitering in the park.

My first task was photographing the NY skyline across one of the park’s lakes (see above). It was a task that I managed with a wiggle of the mouse to reposition and click to fire the virtual shutter. The game judged my photo as worthy of a C grade. I had passed, though I could have done better with my composition.

Photo Tasks

A stroll through the beautifully Unreal Engine-rendered park led me to Elsa – the female mentioned earlier. Elsa is a strangely rendered human with unnerving eyes and facial expressions.  She asked me to take a photo of her next to a fountain to celebrate the first day of her new loitering job. Let the games begin!

I thought about this as a photographer: What would be best? Perhaps have her in the middle of the shot, directly in the middle of the fountain, everything in perfect symmetry. Or perhaps off to one side slightly so we could see more of the fountain? Or I could just take a mid-length shot with the fountain, adding some background interest. I opted for the latter and was again rewarded with a C rating. I also returned and took a second full-length, off-center shot… and received a C rating. 

It appeared I had found my level as a photographer.

My next task was trickier and introduced me to the concept of sensitivity and ISO. Part of the game is learning about the various features of the camera, which is great for beginners (but more on this later.)

I was asked to take a photo of a fountain under a pergola. The tricky lighting situation required me to increase the ISO, which I did. My image received a C grade (obviously), and I jumped into the game menu to send the image to Elsa’s phone. She seemed happy enough with the random image but let me know it had noise – it would look better on a proper camera. Another valuable lesson learned.

Zoom Lenses and Bird Boxes

Now, it was time to learn about zoom lenses. Elsa pulled from her list of mundane tasks and said I should photograph some birdhouses. Off I went in search of them using the in-game navigation tools. I took the shot, received my C rating, and tediously sent it to Elsa again.

After that, Elsa relieved me from my duties as her personal photographer, and I was free to roam around Central Park, hunting for photo missions to undertake. I photographed a woman and what was meant to be a squirrel (another C rating), but was actually a racoon. Then, I had a stroll around the park, completing a task or two and buying a camera from a photography stall in the middle of the park. The game does have a sense of humour, making light of some of the oddities in the onscreen conversations.

But I had to check out. 

It was like Grand Theft Auto, but instead of doing stuff that I can’t do in real life for many moral and legal reasons, I was doing something that I could do this afternoon: go to a park and take photos of birdboxes.

Unlike farming, cities, rollercoasters and even hospitals, it turns out that photography simulators aren’t actually fun.

Photography as a game

As an idea, it sounds great. It encourages people to learn photography, starting with a smartphone. The problem is that anyone with a PC powerful enough to run Photography Simulator will likely have a smartphone and can walk around a real-life park and take photos of people or bird boxes.

The argument is that those who don’t have a DSLR or expensive zoom lenses can practice and learn about using them. Still, a used, or even new, DSLR or mirrorless camera and a basic zoom lens aren’t expensive – the best beginner cameras can be had for less than half the price of a premium smartphone.

The developers are now making the full version of the game focused on photographing landscapes and wildlife. It sounds like much more of an exciting adventure game as it is genuinely something that most people might not be able to do in reality. But it is still missing that physical, hands-on element. Like trying to solve a virtual Rubik’s Cube, it just isn’t the same as actually having it and learning how it works in your hands.

Photography Simulator may work better in VR; in fact, it definitely would. With Apple Vision Pro, we’ll all meet in a virtual landscape and snap photos of each other soon enough. It will feel like we are there, except we aren’t. We’ll be in a rendered world where an algo has judged us to be C-grade photographers.

And that brings us to the final point. Photography is an art and is subjective. Of course, there are rules to learn, but there are already enough algorithms telling me that my photos aren’t quite good enough. I’m not sure I need another one. 

Photography Simulator by Magnetic Games is coming soon via Steam

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Here are the sales I’ll be watching this week:

At New England Book Auctions on Tuesday, February 13, 227 lots of Fine Books & Ephemera, offering a wide range of material.

Forum Auctions’ sale of Modern Literature, Children’s and Illustrated Books ends on Thursday, February 15. The 270 lots include an original “cartoon” design by Harry Clarke for a stained glass window in the Church of Our Lady and St Richard, Ashdown Park, Leeds (£5,000–7,000); a copy of the 1979 Circle Press edition of Antony & Cleopatra in a designer binding by Stefanos Kolovouris (£1,800–2,000); a copy of the first edition of Graham Greene’s The Name of Action in the rare first-state jacket (£1,500–2,000). This sale also includes several more Steinbeck titles from the collection of his sister Mary Dekker.

At Potter & Potter on Thursday, A Study in Sherlock, Part II: Including the Collection of Robert Hess and Roy Pilot, in 336 lots. Conan Doyle’s autograph manuscript of the novel Uncle Bernac, along with the American serialization and the first English edition is estimated at $30,000–40,000. A copy of the first English trade edition of The Lost World with the original dust jacket is expected to sell for $8,000–12,000; a second issue copy of The Lost World in the original dinosaur-print jacket could fetch $15,000–18,000.

Swann Galleries holds a sale titled An American Century: The Collection of Dr. James & Debra Pearl & Fine Photographs on Thursday. The 239 lots include Richard Avedon’s Portrait of the artist Georgia O’Keeffe (1958), believed to be the only print of this image ($30,000–50,000); Ansel Adams’ Monolith, the Face of Half Dome, Yosemite National Park (1927, printed 1973–1977), estimated at $25,000–35,000; and a number of Irving Penn portraits form the Small Trades Series.

Feb 12, 2024 01:33 PM IST

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Photographers from India, Sriram Murali and Vishnu Gopal, won awards under different categories at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

The Natural History Museum hosts the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition each year which sees people from across the world submitting their incredible photographs. From beauty to fragility, these photos show the animals in the wild in a whole new light. This year, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award was claimed by Nima Sarikhani for his picture ‘Ice Bed’ – a polar bear sleeping on ice. There are also other categories in the competition in which people, including two photographers from India, won with their well-composed photographs of wild animals. While one of them captured an image of fireflies, the other won with a picture of a tapir.

Also Read: Google India shares incredible pictures that will leave you ‘feeling warm’

Lights Fantastic

This photo by Sriram Murali from India won first place in the Behaviour: Invertebrates category. Captured at Anamalai Tiger Reserve, the picture shows “a night sky and a forest illuminated with fireflies”.

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Face of the Forest

“I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that I’ve been awarded with the most prestigious NHM Wildlife Photographer of the Year award -2023 in the Animal Portraits category,” photographer Vishnu Gopal wrote as he announced his win on Instagram. His award-winning picture shows a tapir in a dimly lit rainforest.

Here are five more award-winning pictures from the competition.

1. Life on the Edge

This picture captured by photographer Amit Eshel won first place in the Animals in their Environment category. It shows a dramatic clash unfolding between two Nubian ibex.

2. The Tadpole Banquet

“Juan Jesús Gonzalez Ahumada watched as toad tadpoles feasted on a dead fledgling sparrow that had fallen into a pond near his home.” reads a post shared on the official Instagram page dedicated to the competition. Named the Tadpole Banquet, this image won under the Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles category.

3. Silence for the Snake Show

This image by photographer Hadrien Lalagüe captures an “unexpected encounter between a group of grey-winged trumpeters and a boa”. The photographer, in an Instagram post, revealed that the award-winning image is part of a series of 71 images that he compiled into a timelapse video.

4. The Golden Horseshoe

Laurent Ballesta, a photographer from France, won under the category Portfolio Award. His picture shows a vibrant horseshoe crab moving slowly over the mud in search of food.

5. Hippo Nursery

Captured by Mike Korostelev, this image won an award in the Under Water category. He captured this image of hippos swimming underwater using a drone.

Which of these images did you like the most? Did these award-winning pictures from Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023 leave you amazed?

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