Several years ago, I rekindled my passion for photography, a hobby from my youth. I dusted off my old film camera and spent countless hours capturing moments, reveling in the tangible feel of the film and the anticipation of developing pictures. This analog process was slow and deliberate, much like the traditional methods in legal practice. However, the digital photography revolution intrigued me, leading to a journey paralleling my exploration of legal technology, especially AI.

Embracing Digital Photography: A Legal Tech Integration

Efficiency And Innovation

Trading my film camera for a digital one was like stepping into a new era. Legal tech did the same for the profession’s practice, promising efficiency and innovation that transformed the way we approached legal work.

Quality And Accuracy

Digital photography brought precision to my fingertips. Legal tech, especially AI, mirrored this with data-driven insights and accuracy in analytics and document management.

Adaptation And Learning Curve

Just like mastering digital photography required a learning curve, integrating legal tech into our practice demanded adaptation and continuous learning. It’s all about staying on your toes!

Navigating The Risks: Challenges In The Legal And Digital Worlds

Dependence On Technology

Just as too many digital tools could erode basic photography skills, there’s a risk of becoming overly dependent on AI in legal practice. Gotta keep those legal fundamentals sharp!

Data Security And Privacy

Digital files in photography face hacking risks; legal tech encounters similar concerns with client data. Security first, always!

Cost And Accessibility

Quality digital cameras came with a price tag. Legal tech? Same story. It’s an investment, my friends, but one that pays off in the long run.

Evaluating Legal Tech: Lessons From Photography

Balancing Old And New

Finding the sweet spot between analog and digital photography techniques, we aimed to balance traditional legal methods with shiny new AI tools. It’s about harmonizing the old and the innovative.

Risk Assessment

Just as I backed up my digital photos, we implemented strict data security measures for our legal tech. Protecting what matters most, one digital byte at a time.

Training And Adaptation

Learning new skills and software was par for the course in digital photography. The same goes for legal tech — ensuring the team is always ready for the next challenge.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Evaluating the cost and benefits of legal tech solutions? It’s a dance we know well from scrutinizing digital photography gear. Efficiency gains versus investment, always.

Continuous Learning And Updating

Photography tech evolves, and so does legal tech. We stay updated always ready to embrace the latest developments. No cobwebs in this digital domain!

A New Landscape Of Legal Practice

From the darkroom to the digital world, adopting legal tech transformed our practice, much like how digital photography revolutionized my approach to capturing moments.

The lesson here? Embrace innovation, but keep your feet on solid ground.

As we go through the evolving legal technology landscape, remember the wisdom gained from my photography hobby: adapt, innovate, and never lose sight of the fundamentals. The fusion of old and new, analog and digital, tradition and innovation, creates a dynamic and effective approach. Here’s to navigating the legal tech seas with the spirit of a photographer — capturing moments, embracing change, and preserving the essence of our noble profession!

Olga V. Mack is a Fellow at CodeX, The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics, and a Generative AI Editor at law.MIT. Olga embraces legal innovation and had dedicated her career to improving and shaping the future of law. She is convinced that the legal profession will emerge even stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive than before by embracing technology. Olga is also an award-winning general counsel, operations professional, startup advisor, public speaker, adjunct professor, and entrepreneur. She authored Get on Board: Earning Your Ticket to a Corporate Board Seat, Fundamentals of Smart Contract Security, and  Blockchain Value: Transforming Business Models, Society, and Communities. She is working on three books: Visual IQ for Lawyers (ABA 2024), The Rise of Product Lawyers: An Analytical Framework to Systematically Advise Your Clients Throughout the Product Lifecycle (Globe Law and Business 2024), and Legal Operations in the Age of AI and Data (Globe Law and Business 2024). You can follow Olga on LinkedIn and Twitter @olgavmack.

David Yarrow has been around the block, to say the least.

One of the Glasgow native’s first major gigs was the 1986 FIFA World Cup Final in Mexico City, where he snapped a famous shot of Argentinian star Diego Maradona hoisting the trophy. Since then, he’s travelled across continents documenting athletic icons, supermodels, wildlife and much more. Fifty-odd galleries around the world showcase his stuff. 

Yarrow’s most recent Sea to Sky trip took place last January. He’s back at the Whistler Contemporary Gallery at the Four Seasons Whistler on Feb. 23 to speak and meet with collectors. A display of Yarrow’s eye-catching monochrome images will go up at the gallery from Feb. 21 to 25. 

The acclaimed photographer tends to visit a lot of ski resorts, having recently been to Aspen, Colo. and St. Moritz, Switzerland. So how does Whistler stand out to him? 

“The strange thing about Whistler is that even though it’s quite a long way from the U.K., there’s a lot of British people there, so I feel quite at home amidst the culture,” Yarrow says. “The TV screens all show football. I know far more people in Whistler than I do in a lot of Colorado ski resorts.  I enjoy the culture, the place and the bars. I’ve got good friends there.” 

The Scotsman also believes his work lends itself well to affluent ski resorts. He had initial difficulty breaking into the Canadian market some nine or 10 years ago in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver—despite having covered the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. One of his professional contacts recommended he try Whistler due to its similarity to the profitable Colorado market. 

From savannas to storytelling 

Although many might know him for his pictures of nature, it’s been a while since Yarrow has focused on that realm. 

“I think that the key to art is authenticity and originality, and photography is the most accessible art form in the world,” he says. “When I had a bit of success photographing the natural world, I think it’s fair to say a few people tried to copy a little bit of what I was doing in terms of immersive, close-up photography with a sort of intimacy to it. 

“Now there are a lot of people in that crowded wildlife space, and it’s questionable whether wildlife photography is art because it’s recording reality. Therefore, it’s something that everyone can do. I don’t really see why someone in Whistler would want a picture of an elephant on their wall … but I do enjoy the storytelling side of things now. It’s less easy to imitate, it’s interpretive, it’s more creative and more challenging.” 

Yarrow has captured the stories of an impressive celebrity lineup, including Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, NFL greats Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach, and supermodels Cara Delevingne and Cindy Crawford. That’s in addition to his work documenting landscapes, natural disasters, and Indigenous peoples. His ambassadorial commitments have included Nikon, WildArk and the Kevin Richardson Foundation.

He’s pretty much seen and done it all in his field, and he’s not afraid to speak his mind.

‘What has changed’

Cameraman, author and conservationist he may be, but Yarrow can also be quite the giver of hot takes if you invite him to do so. 

“I think there is a lot of nonsense spoken about photography right now, and the first one is that it’s becoming more accepted into the art world,” he opines. “If you go to places like Art Basel in Miami Beach—and I’ve been going for a long time—photography was maybe five per cent of the work on show 10 years ago, and it hasn’t really moved. 

“What has changed is that everyone now is a photographer. There were more pictures taken in the last three days than in the whole history of film. We live in an era where there is so much content—too much content—and therefore the price of that content is falling.” 

To underscore his point, Yarrow cites the precipitous decline of Sports Illustrated. The 70-year-old publication, once revered as the gospel and benchmark of sports journalism itself, is on life support after publisher The Arena Group announced it was laying off the majority of its staff. Digital media, with its immediate gratification and ability to cater to short attention spans, continues to threaten its traditional print counterpart at all levels of the industry. 

Yarrow would also argue today’s prevailing social attitudes stand in direct opposition to what he views as the principal genres of fine art photography. 

“Thirty years ago, the two main forms of fine art photography were the female form—a sort of semi-eroticism—and a wider objectification of women. Now, both of those areas could conceivably get you cancelled,” he remarks. “If [acclaimed fashion photographer] Helmut Newton was 18 years old now, I don’t think he’d have quite as good a career as he did 50 years ago.

“The photography industry is, I would say, under a little bit of pressure. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I think it’s where [my team and I] have been quite smart, because … we photograph women fully-clothed, and we make women the centrepieces of a lot of our work.” 

The veteran shooter doesn’t plan to hang up his camera anytime soon. Perhaps he may never retire, at least not in the traditional sense of lounging around drinking margaritas on a beach. He loves what he does too much to consider it “work,” and his desire to get better remains ever bright. 

“I think my character is one where I’m not really that interested in yesterday. In life, I’m really more interested in tomorrow,” Yarrow explains. “As a photographer, you should get better, so you’ve got to believe that your best pictures haven’t been taken yet. I think as you grow older, you realize that the best parts of your life in some areas are going to be behind you, but the better photographs can be ahead.” 

Learn more about Yarrow’s next visit to Whistler at whistlerart.com/show/whistler-contemporary-gallery-david-yarrow-whistler-exhibition.

By John Enman

I tried out an 85 mm lens for some roadside photography recently.

I have several photographers whose blogs are sent to me each week. They have had titles like Monochrome Monday, Wordless Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, and My Weekly Challenge.

It was the My Weekly Challenge that I was thinking about as I read an article where the author was discussing using his new 85 mm Sigma Art f/1.4 lens for street photography.

He said that like most street photographers he preferred using prime lenses like 20 mm or 35 mm for that close in your face image. However, he decided to try the 85 mm for more distance and keep it at the f/1.4 wide aperture.

I just got a used Sigma 85mm f/1.4 in my shop and I had brought it home to see how the image files look. I had been experimenting in my house using my cats as models, but that challenge article made me think that I should make a drive around my snowy neighbourhood using only that 85 mm lens.

I sent a text to Jo saying I was going out and she said she would drive my car so I could jump out when I wanted. I’ve said it many times before, it’s good to have a photo pal.

The day wasn’t that exciting; flat light with an icy breeze and very overcast and grey sky. As I held the gate open for Jo to back my car out I knew I wouldn’t be getting very interesting photos, but what the heck, it’s always fun to try no matter the weather.

We drove along stopping to photograph several different old barns (that I have photographed countless times) in the snow and some tree outlines against the sky in the distance. I guess Jo was getting bored and said she wanted to drive down to the post office. Even though her camera bag was in the trunk she wasn’t getting inspired enough to get out and point her camera.

I said as long as we are down there I’ll go walk along the river near the Pritchard bridge. I like it down there, especially in the winter with snow or ice. There are always things sticking out of the frozen beach, or jammed against the icy bridge pillars.

The snow was deep but I came prepared wearing rubber high-topped insulated winter boots. Jo had only intended to drive or maybe stop along the ploughed road. Her boots weren’t good for the deep snow along the riverside so she stayed by the car as I trudged off through the snow. It’s always fun there and I could easily have stayed for an hour or so.

This time of year the river is low and I walked under the bridge and down the snow covered beach. The 85 mm is only a short telephoto, neat to use, but not long enough to photograph the ducks swimming in the river or resting on logs. I walked out, but they just moved away.

I could see my friend was standing along the road in the icy wind that always is with the river this time of year. So I walked back up.

As I got near the car Jo pulled her phone our of her coat pocket to take a picture of me, so I took a picture of her with her camera.

Now that I have put all my images on my computer for viewing I think that last photo of Jo will be my favourite of the day. There wasn’t much colour so I converted it to black and white and cropped it so there wouldn’t be as much unsightly background. I should have thought the photo out more and chose an angle with a better background.

That 85 mm is a quality lens, but in my opinion it’s best for portraits. For roadside photograph my preference is a bit wider or a bit longer focal length.

Stay safe and be creative. These are my thoughts for this week. Contact me at www.enmanscamera.com or emcam@telus.net.

The winners have been announced for The Virtual Photography Awards 2023, revealing breathtaking worlds throughout time and space.

If you are not familiar with the term ‘virtual photography’ then you’re not alone, however, you may have seen some and not known it. Instead of using the best mirrorless cameras, virtual photography is the capture of scenes through in-game photography, more often using a video game’s in-built photo mode. The Virtual Photography Awards is a celebration of the best ‘digital artists’ to capture the best shots in any virtual world available, providing options throughout time and space! 

This year’s winners were selected from over 2,750 entries from all over the globe, across 6 thematic categories. The Virtual Photography Awards 2023 overall winner and title of Virtual Photographer of the Year was awarded to Taka San from Japan. His image was taken in the video game Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. The judges state, “through artistic use of the in-game environment and lighting, along with positioning a pair of characters to produce this iconic pose, Yoshida created a striking and original portrait of the Na’vi people that feature in the Avatar universe.”

Taka San’s winning image also won the top spot in the portrait category. Speaking on his victory Taka San said, “This shot shows the face of my character and the hand of my friend’s character while using an emote to create this combined pose. It is a simple composition, but one that was taken with a lot of ingenuity and time. Virtual photography has expanded my gaming world and given me a lot of creativity. I will forever treasure the wonderful results I have achieved in these awards!”.

Listed below is the full list of category winners:

Environment Winner – Ludovic Helme (Japan)

Creative Winner – Gabriella Ma (Canada)

Detail Winner – Michelle Neumann (Scotland)

Portrait & Overall Winner – Taka San (Japan)

Action Winner – Sarvamm Rathore (India) 

Abstract Winner – A. Yi (USA)

With the advancement in video game graphics quality and features like ray tracing, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the virtual from the real, especially how light can now be rendered in modern games. Virtual photography also improves accessibility, enabling those not able to get out and photograph an opportunity to still practice the medium in a new and exciting way.   

As both a video game lover and a photographer, this has certainly inspired me to go and give virtual photography a try. I am currently halfway through a playthrough of Ghost of Tsushima on the PS5, and with its exceptional photo mode and Kurosawa filter, I can imagine getting some epic shots!

If this has also inspired you, we have a great tutorial by Alistair Campbell, who was also one of the judges for The Virtual Photography Awards 2023. You can also see the full list of winners and the games they captured the images on, on The Virtual Photography Awards website.

The Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographers (SWPP) has announced the winners of its Dog photo competition, with an excellent portrait of a Miniature Dachshund taking the top prize. 

This year’s SWPP Dog Competition showcased an exhibition of exceptional dog portraits, showcasing pedigree and character in abundance. Shot using one of the best Sony cameras, the winning image captured a stoic and compelling studio portrait of a Miniature Dachshund, showcasing the effective nature of a one-light studio setup. 

The winning image was captured by photographer Emma Pope from West Sussex, England with her image entitled ‘Ebony Elegance‘. With the desire to learn studio lighting, Emma practiced throughout the summer with her miniature Daschund Levi and a single light. Black-haired dogs are notoriously more difficult to photograph and Emma noted the challenge of not clipping the shadows against the black background, a technique well executed in this case. The winning image was shot with a Sony A7R III in combination with the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM lens. 

• See our article on top tips for dog photography

On talking about how she captured the winning image Emma Pope said, “I needed the softest light possible otherwise he looks grey with the amount of shine on his coat. There was a fine line between having enough light on the subject and it looks soft, without clipping the shadows on the subject. By posing Levi in the pose he’s in and creating that curve in the body, I was able to expose the neck/chest area. Previously I kept getting a lot of clipping if he was sat straight on. With a simple one-light set up and and the use of a reflector below him (I had to have him on the sofa poof to give extra height) I was able to reflect the light and fill in the space that previously was overshadowed.”  

Second place went to Belinda Richards from Victoria, Australia, for her digitally composited image of a Weimaraner dog through multiple stages of its infancy. What first appears to be two different dogs, is in fact a dog with a younger version of itself which becomes clear when taking in the surrounding text outlining the number of weeks. A creative and fun image!

Third place also went to competition winner Emma Pope, for her image titled ‘Jump into Autumn‘ which depicts a Collie leaping through a warm autumn scene. The image was captured with a Nikon Z6 ii with the Sigma Art 85mm portrait lens. 

The SWPP is a great association that supports photographers in improving their photography skills and building their businesses. They offer several year-round competitions that showcase fantastic talent from all over the world, often producing fantastic winning images. You can visit the SWPP website for a full list of dog competition entries.

You may be interested in our guides for the best camera for wildlife and the best pet cameras.