We live in an age of instant gratification, and as such, it can be hard to have the patience it takes to develop and master a skill over the course of several years, and photography certainly is not immune to that. There is a temptation to throw money at the problem, and while that shiny new camera or lens will certainly be fun to play with, it will not make you a better photographer. This insightful video discusses seven reasons why. 

Coming to you from Peter Forsgård, this fantastic video essay discusses seven reasons why a new camera will not make you a better photographer. To be clear, there is nothing wrong with buying new gear because you enjoy it so long as you have the budget to do so, but where people often go wrong is in assuming that that equipment will make them a better photographer. While it might provide small differences in image quality or performance, the truth is that just about every modern camera and lens can produce quite nice images. Outside of the extreme outlier situations in which specialized equipment truly is needed, storytelling, composition, technique, creative vision, and editing will all have a greater impact on the quality of the final image than the cost of the lens or camera you use. More often than not, it is more creative inspiration and practice that is needed, not gear. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Forsgård. 

Before you leave for summer vacation, take in professional photographer Pat Kane’s wisdom on how to capture the best shots possible.

Around the world in eight photos with photographer Pat Kane

Travel Light

It can be tempting to bring several lenses, tripods and gear when you’re travelling, but I find that using one camera and one lens can be creatively freeing. I used a Fuji XT-4 and a 35-mm lens on my international travels this year. A fixed focal-length lens forces me to move around a scene and challenges me to think more carefully about how I frame my shots.

Simple Compositions

When we travel, we want to show our friends and family as much as we can. We love to take wide photos that capture a lot of information, but I find many things get lost if we try to show too much. I look for simple compositions within scenes: one or two people in a landscape, details of people’s clothes, gestures or expressions. By focusing on a small part of a larger scene, we can capture a better sense of a place.

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Unexpected Moments

There’s no bad time to make a great photograph. Even when the sun is too bright or the rain is pouring, people are still living their lives. In fact, poor weather is a great time to photograph a slice of life that you otherwise might not expect. Wait and watch, and interesting things will happen.

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Make Connections

I’ve found that most people like having their photo taken. This is not to say that it is okay to photograph people when they aren’t expecting you to. It is important to ask permission, or better yet, introduce yourself and tell them why you want to photograph them. These short introductions can lead to conversations, which can lead to learning something new about that person or the place you’re visiting, or even recommendations on other things to see.

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Be Present

I don’t have to photograph everything. Sometimes putting the camera down and enjoying the sights and people offers a different perspective. It is important to be open to new experiences without documenting them because when I pick up my camera again, I’ll have some understanding and appreciation of the story I want to tell.

Photographer Pat Kane was hiking Hang Mua mountain’s upper peak in intense heat and humidity last February, alongside his wife and several women in high heels and traditional Vietnamese dresses (áo dài). They were all on the way to see the view of the lower peak towering over the ancient countryside landscape of Ninh Binh, Vietnam, where limestone karsts jut out between the rice paddy fields and wetlands of the Red River Delta.

Five travel photography tips from a professional

After taking in the beauty, Kane and his wife made their way back down the mountain, passing the well-dressed women still taking selfies of themselves against the stunning backdrop. This view was one of the most impressive of Kane’s journey to 18 countries and 60 cities since last fall. But like many who have travelled since travel restrictions have eased, Kane has become a “self-loathing tourist,” and wonders whether visitors going in droves are ruining the beauty of places like this.

“Although tourists are contributing to the economy, we can’t help but ask: Are we overdoing it?”

This year, many popular travel destinations have taken steps to prevent overtourism’s impact on the environment and local communities. Amsterdam launched a “stay away” campaign to dissuade “nuisance tourists” who partake in all-night drink and drug benders, Athens joined 22 other European cities in urging the European Commission to limit short-term stays, and Italy’s Portofino introduced legislation to discourage tourists from lingering for selfies.

Kane – who returned this spring from seven months of touring Europe, the Balkans, Fiji, New Zealand and Southeast Asia – brings the issue back to the personal responsibility of the tourist.

“Coming out of COVID, there’s a lot of frustration, and people want to travel,” he says. “But I also see there’s a lot of entitlement. The world doesn’t owe you anything simply because we all had to stay home for a couple of years during the pandemic. To me, it’s a privilege and we have to remind ourselves about that. Don’t treat it as your playground and not be a nice, normal human being. The people who work at the airports, the tour guides and anyone in the service or travel industry deserve a break too.”

Say hello to your underrated, uncrowded summer vacation

A member of the Timiskaming First Nation, Kane has photographed communities in the Northwest Territories for the past 18 years. His international travels were not only a lesson in humility, but a welcome shift from his regular photo work. “Travelling was an opportunity to find the joy and fun in photography again,” he says.

Kane took around 100 photos a day. In crowded hotspots, he intentionally looked for quiet moments to capture. But he spent more time in the affordable, less touristy areas such as the village of Theth in Albania, Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana, New Zealand’s coastal city Napier, and Chumphon city on the Central Gulf Coast of Thailand.

“Your experiences are more genuine and new in places like that,” he says. “Going off the beaten path enriches your experience so much more, because you’re not waiting in lines, and you get a better understanding of places and people when you engage with the culture, people and try new food.”

Along his journey, Kane captured many moments of serenity, beauty and surprise that remind us what travel is really all about. Here are a few that stood out.

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Angkor Wat, Cambodia

The temple complex plays host to thousands of tourists and both Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims each day. A visit to this UNESCO World Heritage Site is a humbling experience. The monumental architecture and intricate bas-reliefs made us feel small, and the diversity of tourists was a testament to how important the ancient city is to people across the world.

I was hesitant to photograph any monks because I didn’t want to exoticize them through my pictures. While we were touring inside of the temple, a monk was walking down the same corridor toward us, carrying a camera. I complimented him on his camera and asked sheepishly if I could take a portrait of him but soon realized he did not speak English. Nonetheless, he put his camera aside and stood next to a window, an invitation to have me photograph him. I showed him the photo, thanked him and he smiled and moved on.

Later, outside of the temple, we walked past these monks and they noticed my camera. Without saying a word, they posed next to the Naga, the statue of a guardian serpent that is found at the entrance of many Cambodian temples. They waved me closer to take their photo for no other reason than to be friendly. The exchange was brief, but it was nice to feel welcomed and encouraged to make these portraits.

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Berat, Albania

After hearing music and singing from outside of our hotel, a receptionist encouraged us to take a look at the wedding inside. She said everyone was welcome to say hello and extend their best wishes to the newlyweds.

It’s an example of why of all the countries we visited, Albania was a highlight. There is a sense of joy and community in the small nation that doesn’t get many tourists compared with most places in Europe.

Wherever we went, people asked us if we were enjoying ourselves and if we liked being in Albania. In most towns and cities in the country, people gather along promenades in the evenings and walk and mingle with each other. In the shqip language, it is called xhiro – a time to exercise after dinner and catch up with family and friends. The practice began during the communist years as a way for people to share news and check in with each other. The tradition continued as the country transitioned into a democracy in the 1990s. Today, it is a way to see and be seen, and to socialize with friends and strangers alike.

We met many people on their evening xhiro and many told us how it is a good way to feel connected to their communities. My wife and I continue to walk – to xhiro – even back in Canada as a break from our work and home life, to meet with people and explore the nooks and crannies of our city.

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Hanoi, Vietnam

The lake is a popular destination in the city’s Old Quarter. Vendors sell flowers, fruit, fritters and sight-seeing tickets along the pathway, where visitors come to see the lake and nearby temples and attractions.

Many tourists hire professional photographers to have their photo taken against the backdrop of the lake. For locals, this is a place to relax, stretch, exercise and socialize.

In one of the world’s most bustling cities, scenes of calm and peace are rare in the Vietnamese capital. When we saw this group of men sitting together, it was a reminder to find places away from the crowds and to reflect on the people, scenery and culture around us.

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Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The bridge was built in the 16th century but destroyed in 1993 during the Croat-Bosniak War. It was reconstructed in 2004. Shelled-out buildings remain standing in Mostar, stark reminders of the horrors of war in the 1990s and its impact on the people here.

Walking across the small, beautiful bridge was like stepping through the culturally rich but complex history of this Balkan country: each step in reverence to the men and women who built the bridge, those who died to protect it and those who preserved it.

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Queenstown, New Zealand

Visitors are encouraged to feed Dougal grain pellets by sticking an arm inside his mouth and dropping the pellets inside.

Queenstown markets itself as the world capital of fun and adventure. For us, that involved a tour across Lake Wakatipu to drink wine, watch dogs herd sheep and, of course, to feed Dougal, which was a highlight in adventureland. As soon as our guide demonstrated the technique, I knew I had to get my camera ready to capture this moment.

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Nuremberg, Germany

People from across Bavaria gather to eat, drink and socialize at local festivals in September each year – the most famous being Oktoberfest in Munich. Markets like this also bring crowds of tourists and I was hoping to capture the fun and humour of the festival with my camera.

As we walked, shopped, ate and drank, we noticed the decorative lederhosen worn by most men and women was unlike the campy outfits you see at German-style beer gardens in North America. This man’s stockings, his shoes and the colour palette of the whole scene stood out to me.

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Prague, Czech Republic

The city is a well-known cultural and economic hub of central Europe, filled with gothic and baroque architecture at every turn. Castles, museums, galleries, pubs and stores fill Prague’s Old Town. The city seems like all you would imagine if Europe was bundled together in a single place. The medieval Charles Bridge is an icon of Prague and is packed with tourists, performers and street vendors.

It was refreshing to capture this quiet moment between two people in the commotion around them.

The artistic voices of young artists soar in Shell Pilipinas’ 56th National Students Arts Competition (NSAC) with the theme, “GalÍng Pinoy, Galing Pinoy.”

Shell Pilipinas Corporation puts the spotlight anew on the artistic passions of the youth in the 56th year of its National Students Art Competition (NSAC) with the theme – “Galíng Pinoy, Galing Pinoy”. For this year, Shell NSAC adds photography as a new category, recognizing the importance of seeing today’s society through the eyes of the youth and emphasizing their vision which showcases the distinct cultures and traditions of various Philippine regions.

Serge Bernal, Shell Pilipinas Vice President for Corporate Relations, commended the enthusiasm of the students and their interest in art, saying that it is “heartening to see today’s youth – our torchbearers of change and champions of tomorrow – are similarly impassioned by the traditions and practices that have shaped our nation. But our culture has also always been one of innovation and imagination, embracing change and technology so we may always push forward, and it’s that sort of tenacity and brilliance we hope will inspire your art this 2023.”

He stated that “for 109 years, Shell has witnessed the remarkable growth and evolution of this country. Through all the ups and downs, the nation has adapted, thrived, and transformed, showcasing the resilience and spirit that define the Filipino people. We are proud to have been a part of this journey, using our platform to help power the progress of the country.”

“Shell NSAC is a springboard opening more opportunities in the local art scenes and serving as a torch in the dark. The Filipino people share a country of culture and innovation—we at the CCP believe this to be more than an idea,” said Dennis Marasigan, the current Vice President and Artistic Director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

A storied history
Since 1951, Shell NSAC has been serving as a platform to celebrate the accomplishments and talents of young Filipino artists by developing, testing, and spotlighting their skills. Around 600-800 students join each year and, since its inception, Shell NSAC has produced 1,175 winners. The competition has also opened multiple opportunities for young Filipino artists in the local and international art scene.
This year’s launch event did bring a surprise to many competitors. Beyond the usual categories of Sculpture, Watercolor, Oil and Acrylic, and Digital Arts, a new one was introduced: Photography. Bernal explained the reason: “In this digital age, where visual storytelling has become a powerful medium, we want to provide young photographers with an opportunity to showcase their talents and capture the essence of Filipino ingenuity through their lenses. We are excited to see how this addition will further enrich the diverse tapestry of Shell NSAC submissions.”

Transforming culture
“The process of artmaking is based on our cultural practices,” said Ronald Ventura, who placed 1st during the 1990 Shell NSAC. “Sometimes those cultural activities transform the ways of our perception, of course we can use our platforms to inspire most of our community.”

Aladin Antiqueno, who landed 1st place during the 1992 Shell NSAC, defined the “GalÍng Pinoy, Galing Pinoy” theme as “the cultural representation showcasing the values of the Filipino. Yung ang galing ng Filipino.”

“There are many ways art can contribute to nation-building—we can see it in many ways,” affirmed Jan Leeroy New, who was awarded 2nd place for the 2004 & 2006 Shell NSAC. “With the proper support by the government and organizations, it can become a proper way of providing livelihood. Develop the ideologies for the people and create progressive ways of moving forward for the county, for the better.”

Student artists are invited to join and showcase their ingenuity, innovation, and art throughout every corner of the country in the fields of Watercolor, Oil and Acrylic, Sculpture, Digital Arts, and now, Photography. Participants are also encouraged to join in numerous engagement activities throughout the year including face-to-face Art Interact workshops led by master artists and mural painting done in collaboration with other student artists.

The 56th Shell NSAC is co-sponsored by Boysen Philippines, and was held in partnership with the CCP, Ayala Museum, Galerie Joaquin, and the Orange Project.

Instagram’s (or more accurately Meta’s) latest app is here – Threads, an Instagram app.

On first inspection, it looks like a cleaned-up version of Twitter, but is this the new haven for photographers and creatives to share their content, or just another Twitter clone soon to be filled with the usual vitriolic trolling that makes Twitter such an unpleasant place to be for creatives trying to share personal work?

We have all sat and watched the slow demise of Twitter since Elon Musk’s turbulent takeover. However, the app has been so embroiled in the culture wars that many users fled long before Elon rode into town, and have been looking for a new internet hangout.

Meta’s Facebook also doesn’t have a sterling reputation for wholesome public discourse, and it has also rapidly been abandoned or snubbed by most younger people. However, Meta’s other app Instagram has somehow managed to remain popular by ripping off features from more attractive rivals like Snapchat (stories) and TikTok (reels) and remains the dominant place for creatives to share on.

Now sensing that Twitter’s star is fading, Meta has decided to step in and usurp its place. However, it will face some tough competition with apps like Mastodon and Bluesky already growing their userbases over the last several months. But competition regulators be damned, what Threads does have is the ability to leverage its 2.35 billion existing Instagram users who will find the move to Threads almost seamless.

How to join Threads

Threads is now available on the as well as the Google Play Store for Android devices and is free to download. A surprise and somewhat messy launch with a web version of the app going live first at threads.net, while the launch of the app for devices was hurried forwards by several hours, but alas it seems to be finally here for everyone.

Setting up your account on Threads if you are an existing Instagram user and are happy to keep your Instagram handle could not be simpler. So long as you are logged into Instagram on the device you are setting up your Threads account on, it is a simple one-touch login. The app will then direct you to import your Instagram username, bio, link, and profile picture with a tap (although you can edit all these except for your username before confirming). 

The final step is just following people, and Threads gives you a list of all the people you already follow on Instagram, you can manually select people, or just follow all (even if they aren’t on Threads yet). And it is that simple, you are set up and ready to Thread.

Is Threads any good for photos and video?

In comparison to an app like Instagram, then what Threads offers doesn’t really compete, as like Twitter, it is much more focused on generating conversations on current topics than a place to admire artistic work. 

However, when you look at Threads next to Twitter, it is clear that Threads has raised the bar with higher limits on sharing content. Threads are limited to 500 characters instead of Twitter’s 280-character limit, so you can add a decent-length description to your content. Videos shared on Threads can be up to five minutes long and don’t seem to be limited to specific ratios like they are on Instagram. Threads also shares the same limit of ten images per post as Instagram, although this trumps Twitter’s paltry four images per post.

There are currently very limited search features on Threads, and you can’t follow hashtags or topics, which severely limits artists’ reach. In its current state, Threads does not feel like a place where, as a photographer or creator without a significant following already you would get your work seen amongst all the noise of more lucrative Threaders. This is an issue that Instagram users have complained about for years as the feed became more algorithmic in what it showed users.

With many photographers currently running two Instagram accounts, one for personal and one showing their work, Threads does now offer a way to transition that personal account onto Threads, letting you augment your work with your personality and endearing people to your personal brand. Providing you can be found.

Threads: Other day one thoughts

Threads feels like an unfinished app, and with the speed that Meta seemed to rush this out, it might well be. The interface works faultlessly, it has a clean and simple design that regular Instagram users will feel at home with right away. 

The main feed though is where it already gets classically Meta, and might be the app’s undoing. Despite following a number of people who have made several Threads or “re-Threaded” (or whatever we are calling a repost), my main feed is just jam-packed with brands and influencers, despite me not following any of them, although apparently, this is “on the list” to be rectified. 

The brands and influencers are also so far off my interests (which Meta should have well mapped out from my years of Instagram use) that I wonder how Threads is even deciding what is shown. This might change dramatically as more people join the platform, but in its current state, it is not clear why I would subject myself to a feed of corporate messaging. 

There is also no direct messaging in the app, which also feels like an oversight. As a photographer, if someone liked my work and wanted to work with me, there is no easy and private way to directly get in touch. Instagram has a great messaging system, so I am surprised it was not integrated directly into the Threads app. 

Threads is off to a good start, but there is clearly a lot of work to do to make it a home for photographers and creatives to share their work in a meaningful and impactful way.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announces the commencement of its 2024 calendar photography competition, a yearly highlight event that features captivating images capturing the beauty, power, and significance of weather, climate, and water. This year, the competition’s theme aligns with World Meteorological Day 2024’s focus, “At the frontline of climate action”.

The WMO is seeking high-quality, poignant photographs that depict individuals and communities taking climate action and underscore the necessity of WMO’s work in protecting people from natural forces. Additionally, images portraying the urgency to shield our planet from the impacts of human activities are also welcomed.

Winning entries will be featured in the WMO 2024 Calendar, on the WMO website and social media platforms, and notably, during World Meteorological Day 2024 celebrations. They will also be promoted among other UN agencies. There will be lots of recognition but no financial reward!

Following an initial selection process based on technical and artistic merit, shortlisted photographs will be published on Facebook and Instagram, where followers can vote for their favourites. The competition will also be publicized via Twitter, LinkedIn, and other UN social media accounts.

The WMO panel, consisting of experts in meteorology, hydrology, and professional photographers, will shortlist entries based on technical quality, clarity, composition, visual impact, novelty, and the image’s ability to demonstrate the importance of climate action for people. About 50 photographs will be shortlisted, followed by a public vote on social media. The final 13 photographs to be included in the calendar will be decided by the WMO jury (one for the cover and one for each month), with consideration given to social media votes and geographical balance.

Photographers are invited to submit multiple entries via an online entry form on the WMO website, but only one photograph can be included in the final calendar. Don’t forget to use the #WMOphoto hashtag if you share your photos on your social media profiles!

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Paolo Di Paolo, a photographer who captured the bucolic romance of postwar Italy and intimate images of stars like Sofia Loren, died last month. He was 98.  

A self-taught amateur, Di Paolo’s career was brief but prolific. Between the early 1950s, when he first picked up a camera, and the late 1960s, when he hung it up for good, the artist produced some 250,000 negatives, prints, and slides. Many were made on assignment for mid-century lifestyle magazines like Tempo, Il Mondo, and Successo.  

It was for the later publication that, in 1959, he set out on a road trip with poet and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini to document vacationers along Italy’s coasts. What came of the tour was “The Long Road of Sand,” a poetic story that blended the two artists’ divergent visions of their home country. 

“Pasolini was looking for a lost world of literary ghosts, an Italy that no longer existed. I was looking for an Italy that looked to the future,” Di Paolo recalled at the opening of a 2021 exhibition at Milan’s Galleria Carla Sozzani according to WWD. “I conceived the title meaning the strenuous road traveled by Italians to reach well-being and holidays after the war.” 

The 2021 show was one of several dedicated to Di Paolo’s work in the last decade of life. Before then, few knew of his work. 

Di Paolo was born in Larino, Italy, in 1925, the son of a shop owner and a farmer. He grew up poor—an experience that would come to shape his photographic eye later on.  

In 1949, after a stint in the Italian army, Di Paolo left home to enrol at La Sapienza University in Rome. Three years later he was on his way to the offices of a local magazine where he worked to pay the bills when Di Paolo spotted a Leica IIIc camera in a storefront window. The appeal of the instrument proved irresistible: soon after the encounter, he quit his job and used his severance money to buy the camera.

Magazine assignments came in the following years, often putting him in front of buzzy fashion shows and celebrities on holiday. He had a particular gift for capturing intimate portraits of actresses off-screen: Sophia Loren, Kim Novak, Brigitte Bardot, and Gina Lollobrigida were just some of his subjects.  

But by the back half of the 1960s, Di Paolo had grown disillusioned with his industry. The final straw came in 1968, when a photo editor reportedly asked him to adopt the invasive, aggressive style of paparazzi—a new trend at the time. The photographer refused and all but abandoned his camera altogether.  

It wasn’t until he late 1990s that Di Paolo’s pictures again saw the light of day. One of his daughters, Silvia, was looking for a pair of skis in the family’s cellar when she spotted her father’s archive.  

Di Paolo’s last moments came on June 12 at his house in Larino—the city where he was born almost a century prior. The municipality of Larino announced his passing on Facebook, calling the artist a “maestro” and “a precious part of the history of Italian photography.” 

Fellow photographer Bruce Weber, who made documentary on Di Paolo’s life and work in 2021, remembered his late friend in an Instagram post. “What a lucky guy I am to have known you, to have walked together with you for a time in this life,” wrote Weber. “I raise a toast to you, maestro.”

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