In spring of last year, The Dallas Center for Photography hosted a workshop at Booker T. Washington High School. Students were asked to take dance photos. The assignment was not to simply capture photos of people dancing, but instead show the way the dancers felt on the inside.

Peter Poulides, executive director of the DCP, remembers the students’ work came out beautifully. But what really made an impression on him was seeing a young high school student get emotional when she saw her photo on the wall in the center’s community gallery space.

“It’s great to have taught people how to open businesses, and I’ve taught technical lighting classes here,” Poulides said. “But the emotional part of this is really big for me.”

For 15 years, Poulides has been the executive director of DCP. The staff has spent recent years offering a community gallery space, free classes at Klyde Warren Park and free photography services for local charities.

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The center, located in downtown’s Design District, has announced it will be closing its doors at the end of the month. It’s partly due to financial challenges made worse by the pandemic, according to Poulides, and also because the city fails to adequately support arts nonprofits in ways that matter.

When Poulides transitioned the center from a for-profit in 2019, he did so because he felt Dallas needed a community gallery space and accessible educational resources for students interested in learning about what he calls “the most democratic art form.”

“I’m very passionate about pictures being printed and displayed,” Poulides said. “The way I talk about it is that a photograph in a device is a visual art, but when you print it and hang it on the wall, it sort of turns into a performance art.”

He assembled a board and finally transitioned to a nonprofit operationally right as the pandemic hit. The center was able to adapt and offer their programming virtually, but even as lockdown restrictions eventually eased, public participation never quite returned to normal, he said. On top of sporadic participation and inadequate fundraising, the center wasn’t able to secure grants that they had previously relied on for the last couple of years.

The immediate plan was to downsize, but rents are too high in the city. “Another thing Dallas doesn’t have, and this is a very common complaint among nonprofits, is there’s no place for nonprofits to live,” he said.

The DCP decided it was better to pull the plug now, while there is still money to pay teachers and debts, and possibly return money to funders.

The photography center isn’t the only nonprofit shutting down. Cry Havoc, a nonprofit theater company, closed its doors a few months ago. And Poulides said he’s heard there are many more struggling arts organizations who may be forced to close in the near future, though he didn’t name them.

“It’s a tragedy,” Poulides said. “I built almost every piece of that darkroom over a period of a year and a half. We’ve got to rip it out and sell off the pieces so that we can be out of the building by the end of August.”

Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and KERA.

This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol & Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer & Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and KERA retain full editorial control of Arts Access’ journalism.

MILTON, Del. – Prime Hook is once again ready to host the annual Friends of Prime Hook U.S. Wildlife Refuge Nature Photography Contest, which opens to photographers of all ages.

Typically the contest draws more than 200 entries and is one of the most popular nature photography contests in the area. Photographers can choose from categories based on age or subject like Delmarva scenery, native birds, native plants and flowers, other wildlife, the beauty of Prime Hook and more.

Photos must be mailed or hand-delivered to the refuge office by Oct. 7 and be unframed and matted in white. There is an entry fee of $5 per photo or six for $25.

Submissions will be judged by professional photographers the following week and winners will be announced at a public reception on Oct. 15 in the refuge auditorium. Following the reception there will be a people’s choice award presented to the person who submitted the most popular photograph. Monetary prizes will be given to the first, second and third place winners in each category and to the student winners. A special award will be given to the winner of the beauty of Prime Hook category.

Entries will be displayed in the auditorium through Dec. 9. The general public is welcome to the October reception and to view the exhibit throughout its duration.

The address to which photos can be mailed is 11978 Turkle Pond Rd., Milton. The exhibit is free and questions about it can be directed to the refuge office at 302-684-8419. More information can be found online at friendsofprimehook.com.

Watch video: What is the rule of thirds?

At the heart of all photography is composition. There are a number of different ‘rules’ when it comes to composing an image, but the most well known – and arguably the most useful – is the rule of thirds. 

• See the Digital Camera World A-Z Dictionary of photography jargon

Of course, when it comes to composition, it’s helpful to remember the pirate code: these rules are more like guidelines. So you don’t have to obey them to a tee, and you don’t even have to obey them at all. However, the rule of thirds in particular is a great place to start when framing your shots. 

Speaking of guidelines, the easiest way to understand the rule of thirds is to turn on the literal guide lines in your camera. This varies by manufacturer, but these are typically found in the ‘display’ area of your camera’s menu system, and is often described as ‘3×3 grid’ – for obvious reasons! 

As you can see, the principle is fairly straightforward: your frame is divided into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, which gives you a 3×3 grid. By positioning the point or points of interest in your composition along these guidelines, or where they intersect, your image should achieve a sense of balance.

This is because when we look at an image, our eyes are not necessarily drawn to the center; rather, they tend to naturally gravitate to one of the four points where the guidelines intersect. This holds true whether you’re shooting in portrait or landscape orientation – and, indeed, whether you’re shooting a portrait or a landscape image. 

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When shooting a portrait, it can be easy to position your subject’s head in the middle of the frame. The result is that the viewer’s gaze darts around the image, unsure of what it should be focused on. 

However, when you apply the rule of thirds, you can position points of interest – such as the closest eye – on one of the intersections, which immediately makes the image feel more balanced, and the viewer instinctively knows where to look.

Similarly with landscapes, it’s all too easy to place the horizon right in the center of the composition. It’s very bland and too even, and the viewer’s eye is left scanning the frame looking for something interesting. However, using the rule of thirds and placing the horizon along one of the guidelines immediately gives the shot a sense of equilibrium. And again, the rule is just as applicable when you’re shooting vertically as it is when shooting horizontally. 

Like any rule, the rule of thirds can be bent or even broken. But whether you’re just starting out in photography, or you want a good starting point for your composition, the rule of thirds is pretty hard to beat. 

You might be interested in the best cameras for landscape photography, and the best lenses for landscapes. If you’re more of a people person, check out the best camera for portraits and the best lenses for portraits too. 

San Francisco-born, Los Angeles-based producer a.k.a. skips, formerly known as Ducky, has unveiled his debut photography book.

The book, titled i want to rest and be held by someone who loves me, is said to be the producer’s “most intimate” project to date looking at queer identity and self-acceptance.

“This is by far the most intimate project I’ve ever done,” says the producer, real name CK Neiman. “It is an invitation to step inside my life as your own, to see how it feels and how we connect.”

Read this next: Dance music documentarian Kirk Field pens new book Rave New World

“This is not just my story as an addict, or an artist, or a queer and trans person. This is my story as a human, trying to find where I fit in the world.”

The autobiographical book will be featured at the SF Art Book Fair from July 14 – 16 and at the LA Art Book Fair from August 10 – 13.

i want to rest and be held by someone who loves me takes an in-depth look at the personal life of Neiman, a trans producer, photographer, painter and tattoo artist who works from a studio in downtown LA.

Read this next: DJ Disciple explores the history of NYC house music in new book

The book documents photos taken by Neiman between the ages of 17 and 30, taking readers on a “visual journey” through experiences with addiction, sobriety, depression, and gender dysphoria.

It also documents the end of the producer’s Ducky alias, which he retired in 2021 to take a two-year hiatus to transition privately before debuting his new rave-focused alias a.k.a. skips earlier this year.

The photography book follows a recent painting display by the producer at Los Angeles art gallery La Luz De Jesus, which is currently running until August 28.

Take a look at some photos below from i want to rest and be held by someone who loves me, and pre-order the book here.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter

Harrogate, UK

Junior soldiers from the Army Foundation College, Harrogate, gather after the cattle judging on the third day of the 164th Great Yorkshire Show, known as one of the best agricultural shows in the UK, which welcomes 140,000 people to a 250-acre site

Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

Photographers and filmmakers who work on location a lot have to strike a tricky balance between having all the gear necessary to complete a job and handle anything unexpected that might come up while still being able to travel without a ton of hassle. If you are wondering what it takes, check out this neat video that takes a look into a traveling photographer and filmmaker’s bag. 

Coming to you from Jason Vong, this interesting video takes a look at his mobile studio setup, including cameras, gimbals, mics, lenses, drones, bags, lights, and more. Certainly, we are lucky to live in a time in which gear is smaller and more portable than ever, but on the other hand, you still have to think about what you throw in the bag, particularly if you are flying. Nonetheless, you can accomplish quite a bit with even an especially small and portable kit, and it can also be a nice creative challenge that really encourages you to focus less on the gear you are using and more on things like storytelling, your subjects, and more, which can help you to clarify and strengthen your creative voice. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Vong.