Dylan Flores taking numerous photographs at the Taylor Swift concert in Denver. Courtesy photo.

TORRINGTON – Dylan Flores is a 21-year-old certified nursing assistant (CNA) who has spent a vast majority of his life right here in Goshen County.

Flores graduated from Torrington High School in 2019, and after recently being accepted into nursing school plans on becoming a fully registered nurse sometime in the very near future.

As Flores sat down with the Telegram to discuss other creative ventures, one could certainly see a future in health care for the young man. Still wearing his scrubs and yawning after a long night shift, Flores spoke with a tired, but positive and humorous tone that one would expect from a young, future nurse.

One would also guess while wearing a vibrant shirt, along with unique and intricate arm tattoos, this young CNA would perhaps have a creative, artistic side.

They would certainly be correct.

Although Flores is passionate and ambitious about healthcare yes, he in fact happens to be an aspiring photographer who is skilled at portraits, and has a deep interest in concerts in particular.  

Flores works as a freelance photographer for a publishing company in Denver by the name of Music Marauders, and has already been able to add several high-profile concert shows to his resume. The most recent of these shows happened to be Taylor Swift this last week.

“Concert photography is something I’ve wanted to get into, and it’s not that easy considering the area we are in,” Flores said. “I photograph concerts as much as I can because this isn’t the first [time]. I take as many opportunities to photograph as many concerts as I can. I love concerts as a whole, as well as photography. Putting those two aspects together just makes it very fun for me and just peaks my interest. I love being able to capture the best moments in a photo that are hard to explain in words. Photography is such a different form of art, and it is fun for me to be able to tell a part of a story for the artist by capturing that through a camera.”

Flores noted although getting to professionally photograph a Taylor Swift concert was quite the achievement, the process in doing so started off slow.

“We had reached out to her team in April and hadn’t heard anything back until the tenth,” Flores said. “When they had responded, they originally asked what our publication does, and if it just for reviewers or photographers. We told them that we do everything essentially, and it took them a few days to respond. But then they emailed me a whole itinerary of where to go to get my photo pass and all this jazz, so obviously I took that as a yes.”

It should be noted that the list of itineraries, credentials and other items sent to Flores from Swift’s management is not given to just anyone.

“It usually isn’t that easy getting a photo pass,” Flores stated. “It just sounds easy when that’s how it went, but a photo pass is where we were able to take pictures up close near the barricade, really close to the stage. It was only for the first three songs which was around 15 minutes. They also allowed me to photograph the opening acts. I got to photograph the show the first night, and then the second and final night I got to sit in row two behind the stage with some of my best friends.”

Flores obviously wasn’t the only photographer in attendance at the concert. Although he already has extensive knowledge and experience with concert photography, Flores took the opportunity to learn from other professional photographers in stride.

“One of the best things was being able to see the other photographers and their kind of style,” Flores said. “Just how they were photographing her and the opening acts, I think that was pretty cool. We only got a certain length from the stage that we could shoot from. Her stage was huge, and we could only shoot from the back from such a small space that 10 or 15 of us could work with. It was fun seeing how everyone’s photos were going to come out considering the length of space we had.”

Although one would argue Flores has endless potential as far as creating a successful career in concert photography, he is well aware that such a venture is challenging, and nothing is going to come easy.

“It’s not something that can just be handed to you. I have tried to work my butt off to shoot a show this big before, and it’s just something that you have to work hard for. I know it’s cliché, but if there’s one thing to get out of this is you can do anything you put your mind to. I was just looking at my Facebook from five years ago, and I saw a post where I was being talked down to about my photography. It’s just a cool thing to look back, and now photograph one of the biggest stars in the world.”

But just like with any endeavor, goal or dream, Flores made sure to point out that any success doesn’t come without help. Most of the time it involves a large amount of support and sacrifice from those closest to us.

“It helps to chase your dreams when you have such a loving and caring group of family and friends, who are always encouraging you to do what you love and to not stop doing it. Specifically, my mom, dad, grandma and best friends. Anyone who has always believed in me ever since I’ve started photography.”

No one could sum up the work of Slim Aarons better than the man himself, who described it as ‘attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places’. From the French Riviera to Mustique, Aarons offered a rare view inside the homes and haunts of celebrities, socialites and the aristocracy. Despite his impressive network, Aarons remained a detached observer, avoiding personal involvement with his subjects. ‘He had absolutely no desire to hang out with his subjects at the end of the day and he did not expect invitations to the yacht or the exclusive club,’ Aarons’ former assistant Laura Hawk told The Guardian in 2016. This approach allowed him to develop a distinctive style which presented an impossibly perfect version of the world, characterised by vibrant colours and romanticised settings. A pioneer of environmental photography, his enduring influence can also be seen in modern travel photography.

Madame Yevonde

In her famous 1935 ‘Goddesses’ series, Yevonde cast society beauties as figures of ancient Greek myth. Here, Lady Alexandra Haig is styled as the sorceress Circe; The Hon Delphi Primrose recreates Yevonde’s portrait of Lady Alexandra

left: © National Portrait Gallery, London; right: Luc Braquet for Tatler

Yevonde Middleton, the British photographer known as Madame Yevonde, stands as one of the most influential society photographers of all time thanks to her pioneering work in colour portraiture. Fearlessly embracing the then new medium, she utilised the ground-breaking Vivex colour process to create vivid and imaginative portraits of notable figures during the 1930s. Drawing inspiration from classical literature and art, the pictures featured dramatic lighting, elaborate costumes, and mythical themes. Her landmark series ‘Goddesses’, in which society swans were portrayed as mythical goddesses was reimagined by Tatler with some of today’s most impressive and influential young women. Yevonde, a successful female studio photographer in a predominantly male-dominated field, broke gender barriers and inspired future generations. Her timeless influence continues to be recognised and celebrated, most recently in the National Portrait Gallery exhibition ‘Yevonde: Life and Colour’, which runs until 15 October.

Richard Avedon

Sunny Harnett and Alla, evening dresses by Balmain, casino, Le Touquet, August 1954

Richard Avedon/Hamiltons

Richard Avedon’s legacy as one of the most influential society photographers is marked by his iconic images that redefined the genre. With striking simplicity and raw intensity, he captured the essence of his subjects against stark backgrounds and within minimalistic settings in order to focus on their expressions and emotions. Avedon’s groundbreaking approach to fashion photography elevated it to an art form, evoking deep emotion and revealing the humanity of his subjects. From the Kennedys to the Vanderbilts, a who’s who of the day’s grandest families agreed to pose for Avedon. His transformative impact on the industry continues to be celebrated, as seen in exhibitions like ‘Avendon: Glamorous’, open at Hamiltons Gallery until 11 August.

Norman Parkinson

In photography, an ISO setting on a camera is an indication of its relative sensitivity to light: ISO 200 indicating twice the sensitivity of ISO 100 and so on.

Whereas the ISO for a roll of film is fixed, a digital camera allows the ISO value to be varied, apparently changing the camera’s sensitivity to light.

We say “apparently” because nothing actually happens to the sensor itself – its sensitivity remains the same whatever ISO value is selected.

For more advice, read our guides on how to use a DSLR camera and DSLR astrophotography.

Using and changing a camera’s ISO setting

What does change with ISO is the amplification or gain of the camera.

As data is read off the chip it is electronically multiplied by a factor used to simulate the ISO change.

The downside of using this technique is that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is lowered with amplification, so noise becomes more obvious at higher ISO values.

This can be somewhat offset by using image stacking techniques.

In addition, the dynamic range of a high ISO image will also be less than that taken on a low ISO setting. Lower ISO gives you better tonal quality.

Think of it this way

The three main variables in taking a photograph are:

• Shutter speed
• Aperture
• Film/sensor sensitivity.

Imagine a film frame or CCD as a bucket to be filled with water (light). In this analogy:

• Aperture is represented by the diameter of a hose used to fill the bucket
• Shutter speed is the time the hose is running
• ISO is the water pressure

Double the pressure and the bucket will fill in half the time.

“Well, it is the way I feel comfortable making my shoots,” says photographer Olga Karlovac in an interview with the Phoblographer about her blurry street photography. “It is how I make them. I shoot intuitively, and very soon, I developed the style.” She continues to state that it’s her being authentically herself — which we adore. As a legally blind photographer, Olga’s photos majorly appeal to me because they’re how some of us see the world. And for several others, they’ll present a completely new way of looking at the world.

All images by Olga Karlovac. Used with permission. Please be sure to check out her website and Instagram page.

Who is Olga Karlovac?

Olga Karlovac grew up taking photos as a child. When her father bought her a Canon T70 at the age of 14, she fell deeper in love with shooting photos. “When I started university, I stopped and came back to it much later, in my thirties, as a way to cope with everyday life and as a tool that helped me deal with stress,” Olga tells us. “Since then, things have gotten more and more exciting, and my journey has taken me where I am now.” Olga’s use of photography as therapy isn’t one that she does alone. Many other photographers we’ve interviewed on this website do it too.

She doesn’t consider herself much of a gear lover. “I use simple Ricoh GR II at the moment,” she tells us. No filters, tripods, etc. are included. “This one really gives me everything I need. My trilogy of books has been made with the same cameras, Ricoh GR and Ricoh GR II.” Olga states that her Ricoh GR died when she went out to go photograph with it in a rain storm. This has been a common complaint of ours in our reviews on this site.

Since I first started with the Ricoh, I felt it suited me well. It is small and light, and it is easily adjustable as I do shoot a lot in motion from behind rainy, blurry windows; using manual mode and for me, I can maneuver very easily with the settings, adjusting to ever-changing light and everything around me.

Olga Karlovac

The Beautiful Blurry Street Photography

We’ve previously talked about using intentional camera-shake to make your images look a bit more like paintings. But those require planning — and Olga tells us that she never plans ahead. Instead, it’s all just pure intuition. “I just go out when I feel the mood and emotion are right, I can not force myself to just make the shots, it is in many ways an inner need and passion to express in this way,” She explains. “Usually I spot something (and) feel drawn to it — it can be a person walking across the street, it can be the rooftop of an old house, the men behind the corner running away,  actually anything. As I shoot a lot while walking, driving in a tram or a car, everything happens very quickly.”

Lots of photographers these days just end up shooting photos at film ISOs and embracing the slow shutter speed.

Talking About AI Imagery

Olga has the type of work that we love! If you show it to an AI or the tech bros running an AI company, they wouldn’t know what to do with it. And her response about AI imagery sums that up pretty well. “…I still do believe in the human mind and emotion and believe it can not be replaced by technology in its core substance.” Despite this, she doesn’t really follow the news or know anything else about AI imagery.

The Cannon Beach History Center & Museum opened their latest art exhibit featuring the talents of local photographer extraordinaire, Kyle Genin recently.

View the incredible imagery of Cannon Beach and the Oregon coast taken from Genin’s point of view as he captures the wonder of this beautiful coastal town.

Kyle Genin is a Cannon Beach-based nature and travel photographer. Born in Tacoma, WA, Kyle spent his childhood in Puyallup and Chehalis, WA, and received his first camera when he was 13 years old. Photography classes and a few Ansel Adams’ prints later, he graduated to Olympus and Canon cameras and hasn’t looked back (unless for a great capture.)

He has lived on the North Coast of Oregon for the past ten years – after living here previously for nine years in his early career. He remains enamored by the beauty found here, as well as the solace and contentment provided by his daily walks on the beach, which deliver an ever-changing panorama of colors, textures, and unexpected surprises. As a lover of travel, Kyle draws inspiration from the history and architecture of other countries.

He also enjoys using social media to share the beauty of our world, a passion that grows stronger with each new adventure. Italy’s Florence is his favorite international destination for photography. Kyle can most often be found on the beach, but you can also find him on Facebook and Instagram at @KyleGPics. Kyle hopes his images help his audience feel the transformative power of travel, and ignite a shared sense of wonder, discovery, and reverence for nature.

Capturing the Wonder: A Photography Exhibition by Kyle Genin will be on display through October 14th.

Review: Viewfinder

Photography is the sort of common magic it’s easy to take for granted. Imagine discovering the act of photography in a world where it didn’t exist: a single moment, captured near-perfectly, preserved forever on film or digital record. It’s inherently amazing. Trace visual media back far enough and there’s a long, curved line from the original camera obscura, through film, all the way to videogames. Viewfinder is a game that clearly understands the magic underpinning that journey – we’ve come from photos that capture a 2D representation of a moment in time to fully realised, explorable digital spaces. The two media collide here in an extremely interesting way – this is a game about turning those 2D flat images into explorable digital spaces.

Viewfinderis is built around a singular, phenomenal mechanic – it features a set of puzzles that must be solved by stamping photos onto the world, so that the implied depth of the image is rendered into the level. Insert a photo of a bridge between two islands, for example, and you’ll be able to cross it. Take a photo of the battery you can’t reach, and then have it – and the room it was in – appear next to you. Your photos truly come to life: you choose where to place them in the environment, and they snap into place based on your perspective. Early on you’re limited to photos you find within the levels, but before too long you’re given a camera and allowed to take the photos yourself, trying to find the right angles and images to proceed.

As you go, additional complications are introduced, including sections of the environment that the camera can’t photograph and fixed-point cameras that indicate areas you should manipulate. Sometimes paintings and graphs can be brought to life too, and some levels use point-of-view perspectives to craft cool movement puzzles.

But the game is always at its best when you’re free to find angles, to point and snap, and to make your photos come to life. This photo mechanic never gets old, and although the puzzles in the game are not particularly complicated, solving them remains satisfying all the way through. This is the sort of game that will make you marvel at the obvious design challenges that must have been encountered making it – stamping a photo onto the world can destroy whatever was in area you were looking at previously, and although there’s a handy rewind feature to undo the damage you cause, it’s hard not to think about how difficult these mechanics must have been to design.

There are a few things holding Viewfinder back from being a proper masterpiece. There’s a running narrative throughout the game – you’re exploring a VR simulation that may contain the key to a world-saving weather machine – but it feels disconnected from the mechanics, and never blooms into anything particularly compelling. A strong story can dramatically elevate a game like this (think Portal), but in Viewfinder the story feels like it’s in the way. I also had a niggling feeling throughout the entire game that this extraordinary photograph mechanic was better than the game surrounding it – the linear puzzle levels with solutions are enjoyable, but perhaps there’s more that could be done here. If I am imprinting photographs onto the world, I want to be able to explore the world I’m changing more meaningfully. The game is short, and once you’ve finished all the levels there’s not much reason to keep playing.

Viewfinder is not a perfect puzzle game, but it is a potent example of the magic videogames can achieve when they let you do the impossible. When we think about technological progress in games, as in photography, we often think about things in terms of fidelity and speed – which can be exciting, but not in the same way it’s exciting to experience something truly new. Viewfinder’s photo-stamping mechanicsuggests that there are still new ways for the evolving technology of videogames to truly surprise us, to offer us something we’ve never seen before, to re-examine the world through a new lens.

Viewfinder is available now on PC and PS5. A PS5 review copy was provided for review.

James O’Connor has been reviewing and writing about games since 2008.

At London’s Somerset House an exhibition reflects on the historical representation and shifting legacy of Black women in visual culture. It runs through September 24.

‘Black Venus’ wants to move away from the othering of Black women, as well as the sexualised stereotypes to display contemporary works by 18 Black women and non-binary artists.

“Black Venus is an exhibition that looks at the historic representations of Black women throughout visual art, throughout art history, but also then looks at contemporary artists that are reclaiming these narrow stereotypes put onto Black women with their own works,” curator Aindrea Emelife said.

If Black female bodies are reclaimed by artists, the exhibition includes old ways of thinking too.

19th century cartoonish engravings depict for example Saartjie Baartman with exaggerated physical features to amuse and titillate audiences.

Her remains were repatriated to South Africa on May 3, 2002. Her story inspired the curator.

“I thought about the Hottentot Venus, which is the story of a South African woman, Saartjie Baartman, who was brought to Europe and toured as an attraction to display her otherness and to show her hypersexuality.”

“That, for me, was one of the starting points when I think that black women were exoticized and fetishised in art and in visual culture.”

More contemporary works depict Black women as icons – like ‘Me as Marilyn’, which shows artist Ming Smith as the original blonde bombshell, Marilyn Monroe.

It’s a comment on society’s beauty standards and how often Black women have been excluded from the lists of female icons.

There are photographs which represent modern life, and ones which draw from Black history, inspired by African goddesses and traditional facial adornments.

The exhibition includes works by 18 Black women and non-binary artists.

More than 40 contemporary photographs are on display.

All have different ways of addressing the history of Black women in art.

‘Black Venus’ runs from 20 July to 24 September.