Doing business as a freelancer or a self-employed person comes with a lot of freedom, but equally a lot of risk. From dealing with hostile clients to understanding taxes and complex contracts, there is little room for error and a lot of things that can go wrong.

A netizen reached out to the internet for advice after being hired as a wedding photographer and then not showing up. Netizens shared some advice and harsh truths with the photographer. We reached out to the person who posted the story via private message and we will update the article when they get back to us.

Not showing up is a pretty bad thing to do if someone has hired you for a job

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Image credits: Luis Quintero / Pexels (not the actual photo)

But one photographer wanted legal advice after the wedding they were working on kept changing locations

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Image credits: Theo Decker / Pexels (not the actual photo)

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Image credits: Cytonn Photography / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Contracts are important even if we don’t always read them

While this person was right to reach out for legal advice, the reality is that they might need a proper lawyer in this case. As many of the commenters noted, a contract is a contract, not something one can just break easily and without repercussions. After all, if we treated contracts as mere “suggestions,” large segments of society would fall apart quickly.

Interestingly, humans have been using contracts roughly since some of our ancestors stopped being hunter-gatherers and started practicing agriculture. After all, growing and harvesting crops takes time, months even, so there already was a need to make commitments for work, payment and food.

Similarly, verbal agreements might be ok with a trusted friend or family member, but with a stranger, it can easily turn into a case of he-said, she-said, with no way of ascertaining the truth. We have records of Sumerian contracts that are over six thousand years old, covering things like the sale of land and a house.

Most legal systems from then on had ample laws and regulations around how to draw up contracts and the responsibilities of both parties. Indeed, while you might not be staring at paperwork every single day, if you have a “real” job, chances are you’ve signed a contract. The same is true for any lease, loan, rental agreement and really anything else.

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If you agree to something, it’s important to follow through

This is all to say that many of us, like this photographer, have perhaps gotten a bit too comfortable with assuming contracts are just some formality. Most of us don’t perhaps read through a contract for “simple” things when switching apartments or starting a new job, but this story should be a reminder of why that is quite important.

Because, as many of the commenters note, the photographer did agree and sign the document. Yes, the “happy couple” changed locations so frequently, but there was an understanding that the wedding would be held further away from the photographer. It’s not unreasonable to assume someone you hire can actually transport themselves. The conditions and pay weren’t great, but the photographer had free will and wasn’t under duress when they decided to agree.

After all, you wouldn’t sign on to do a job you weren’t actually capable of doing. If the couple had offered to organize transportation then didn’t handle it, the photographer would be off the hook. Unfortunately, this is going to have to be a learning moment for them. It might cost a bit, but better learn this lesson now and not in the future when the penalties might be a lot higher.

People did their best to give some advice

FOX 13 photojournalist Mike Hughes takes us to the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, where they are showcasing a unique exhibit that not only honors a young student to commemorate his life, but also to raise awareness about the importance of mental health.

“Red Bean Paste Balls” by Yang Zhonghua (China). Overall Winner and Winner, Champagne Taittinger Food for Celebration, a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“In the rural area of Xiangshan, Zhejiang people are busy with preparations for a feast to celebrate Spring Festival, also known as Lunar New Year. This includes the tradition of making dim sum, such as red bean dumplings, steamed rice cakes, and glutinous rice cake, each of which has a legacy of traditional craftsmanship.”

A striking image of preparations for China’s Spring Festival won the Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024 competition. Yang Zhonghua’s image shows a woman entering a room filled with steaming red bean paste balls in a glorious ode to tradition.

“This wonderful, perfectly balanced image is full of light, shadow, mystery, and poignancy,” says Caroline Kenyon, founder, Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year. “It is clear a celebratory feast is being prepared. The food is exquisitely made, its circular shapes contrasting with the angularity of the fretwork screens, through which the light pours. Meanwhile, the woman who has made the food, weary, carries in yet another tray. Her role is to labor and to serve while the guests party and enjoy.”

Yang is one of 36 winners honored across a wide array of categories. Selected from thousands of entries submitted by photographers from 65 countries, the winners highlight food stories from around the world. From glimpses of a grape harvest to portraits of delectable cakes, the images look good enough to eat.

“Despite the challenges of an ever-changing world, we never cease in growing, gathering, cooking, eating, and celebrating with food,” says Phil Turnbull, CEO of APAL, owner of Pink Lady® and headline sponsor of the Awards. “Each year, the remarkable photographs serve as a reminder of the fundamental role of food in every culture and every people around the world.”

Scroll down to see some of our favorite winners, and then head over to the Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year website to see the full gallery of finalists and winners.

Check out the winners of the 2024 Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year competition.

“It’s Raining Cake – Hallelujah!” by Ming Tang-Evans, Stylist: Tarunima Sinhaa (UK), Winner, Tiptree Cake Award, category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“A celebration of cake with ‘My Little Cake Tin’s’ signature colourful and stylish edible floral decoration.”

“Pitmaster, Big Bob Gibson’s, Decatur, AL” by Simon Urwin (UK), Winner, The James Beard Foundation Photography Award, a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“Chris Lilly is the multi-award-winning pitmaster at Big Bob Gibson’s in Decatur, Alabama. Big Bob (Lilly’s great-grandfather-in-law), opened the business in 1925 and found fame for his revolutionary white barbecue sauce (at a time when most BBQ sauces were red and tomato or chilli-based.) His recipe of mayonnaise, black pepper, vinegar and lemon has since become hugely popular worldwide.”

“Les Liens du Vin” by Jonathan Thevenet (France), Winner, Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year – People, a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“A Moment captured at the Aegerter estate in Burgundy, France. The children, the family, all gathered around the harvest. The transmission is running.”

“Blood Orange Cardamom Cake” by Barbora Baretic (Slovakia), Winner, Food Stylist Award, a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“Creating this image as a symbol of long-awaited spring was pure joy. Blood oranges are incredible by their texture, color, and shine, and that’s what I wanted to capture.”

“A Day in the Field” by Natnattcha Chaturapitamorn (Thailand), Winner, Tenderstem® Bring Home the Harvest, a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“At the beginning of the rice farming season, a young farmer carries a rack of rice sprouts across a paddy field in Sakon Nakhon province, Thailand.”

“The Pig’s Testament” by Diego Marinelli (Italy), Winner, Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year (Europe), a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“The killing of the pig is a real ritual of Italian rural culture. I was struck by the elderly man’s sense of respect towards the sacrificed animal, and I hope that the image makes us reflect on how man’s relationship with food has changed in the last 70 years.”

“Radish Salad” by Raewyn Epps (New Zealand), Winner, Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year (New Zealand), a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“Playing with shapes, colors, and texture.”

“Oh Beautiful Crumb” by Antonia Larrain Eyzaguirre (Chile), Winner, Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year (Chile), a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“Handmade sourdough bread with a crispy crust, fluffy and airy crumb, and with the perfect humidity. Just feeling its smell makes your mouth water and you cannot leave it or change it just like that. It’s a deep, unconditional, and loyal love.”

“Chestnut Season” by Tailai Obrien (Australia), Winner, Hotel Art Group Cream of the Crop, a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“Chestnuts symbolize Autumn harvest. In our family with strong Celtic roots, they are considered guardians of men and animals. The antique chestnut roaster is a family heirloom and a nod to our farming heritage. The crested dove symbolizes harmony and virility. Chestnuts are highly nutritious and a delicious food for celebrations.”

Selected from thousands of entries submitted by photographers from 65 countries, the winners highlight food stories from around the world

“Mangrove Fisherman” by Teo Chin Leong (Singapore), Winner, Food in the Field, a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“A Burmese fisherman attempts to make a catch in a mangrove forest. The early morning rays of the sun create a magical atmosphere.”

“Fisherman” by Hein van Tonder (South Africa), Winner, On the Phone, a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“A man selling the catch of the day in the vibrant fresh market in Pondicherry, India.”

“Biscuit Cake” by Winifred Harms (South Africa), Winner, Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year (African Territories), a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“Biscuits at their best.”

“Tribal Farmers Sell Their Fruit” by Azim Khan Ronnie (Bangladesh), Winner, unearthed® Food For Sale, a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“Boats fan out across a stretch of the lake, creating a floating market selling an array of fresh fruit. This is a floating market of seasonal fruits such as jackfruit, pineapple, mango etc. at Rangamati, Bangladesh. The tribal farmers sell their fruit every early morning at minimum price on a wholesale basis.”

“Breakfast with the Brokpas” by Debdatta Chakraborty (India), Winner, Pink Lady® Moments of Joy, a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“The Brokpas are a small ethnic group mostly found in the union territory of Ladakh, India. The Brokpas traditionally claim themselves to be descendants of Alexander’s lost army. The Brokpa diet is based on locally grown barley and wheat, prepared most often as tsampa (roasted flour) and Gur-Gur Cha, a brewed tea made of black tea, butter, and salt.”

“Autumn Cocktail” by Viktoriia Kondysenko (Ukraine), Winner, MPB Award for Innovation, a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“Taste of autumn. Autumn cocktail with pumpkin juice and maple syrup.”

“Hanging Buri (Yellowtail)” by Matteo Alberti (Italy), Winner, Food Influencer, a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“Buri is Japanese for the fish Seriola quinqueradiata, known in English as ‘yellowtail’. For centuries, fishermen filleted buri, salted them, dried them for about ten days, and finally wrapped them in leaves and long rice-straw ropes before hanging them in front of their houses, exposed to the sea breeze.”

“Let Them Eat Cake!” by Lynne Kennedy (UK), Winner, Champagne Taittinger Wedding Food Photographer, a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“Lucy and Tony and their children made the long journey from Kent to the Isle of Skye to get married. They didn’t want to transport a traditional wedding cake all that way, so their cakemaker produced these fabulous little ‘cakes in containers’ for them. We found a spot by the historical Sligachan Bridge and they tucked in!”

“New Year in Old Cave Dwelling” by Ren Xiuting (China), Winner, Food for the Family, a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“Photographed in Licheng County, Shanxi Province. During the Chinese New Year, families gather around to make dumplings and have a good time talking and laughing.”

“B.L.T. Contemplation” by Delaney McQuown (USA), Winner, Claire Aho Award for Women Photographers, a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024.
“This photograph is part of my ongoing self-portrait project, urging women to find liberation through unidealized self-images. Excessive self-documentation fosters familiarity, enabling women to exist unapologetically in photos. Capturing myself eating a B.L.T. without inhibition felt fitting, given the complex relationships women often have with their bodies and food. I’m passionate about women embracing their cameras, leading to liberation and self-love.”

Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year.

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Winners of Food Photographer Contest Highlight How Our Lives Are Tied to Food

Brilliant Food Artist Turns Boring Cakes into Imaginative Miniature Scenes of Life

15 Delicious Photos From Acclaimed International Food Photography Competition’s Shortlist

Kristen Vann Photography adds elopements to list of services

Kristen Vann Griffith, owner of Kristen Vann Photography, recently expanded her services to add luxury elopement photography, jumping on a trend in which couples are forgoing a larger traditional wedding in favor of smaller weddings involving experiences.

“Elopements aren’t about running away in the middle of the night anymore,” she said. “More couples are doing adventure weddings. They are focusing more on experiences rather than a big party.”

Griffith, who first became interested in photography while working at Busch Gardens as a teen and launched her own business in 2016, had been primarily specializing in family photography until she did a wedding photo shoot in Colorado in 2022.

“It was so amazing, filled with so much love and beauty that I thought maybe this might be the direction where I wanted to go,” she said.

The luxury elopement trend is growing worldwide. Griffith’s dream is to capture adventure wedding moments in Iceland, one of her favorite places. She’s been to the country multiple times, where she’s taken workshops on elopement photography and done a few gigs, including one during a blizzard.

“Iceland is so pure and beautiful, with the Northern lights, the waterfalls,” she said. “It’s like you are on a different planet.”

She noted that elopement photography isn’t necessarily about traveling to an exotic destination. Memories can be captured locally as well.

“Even in Colonial Williamsburg, there are so many intimate spots where you can marry,” she said. “I really like the smaller weddings.”

In 2019, Griffith and her husband, Scott, had plans for a bigger wedding, but opted instead to marry at York River State Park, where her husband proposed, surrounded by a small group of family and friends.

“It was so intentional and intimate,” she said.

Griffith’s goal is to provide the same experience for her clients through her new services.

“It’s about enjoying the moment,” she said. “I love that I get to be invited to be a part of the most special moment of someone’s life and capture it.”

For more information on Griffith’s services, visit kristenvann.com.

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Coastal Thirst opening storefront at Yorktown waterfront

Jamie Albertson and Tina Borra, co-owners of the food truck Coastal Thirst, have announced plans to open a brick-and-mortar establishment in Yorktown. Coastal Thirst Beach Deli is anticipated to open this summer at 524 Water St. in the space that was formerly occupied by Larry’s Lemonade.

“The food truck was always a stepping stone to help us better gauge market demand and what types of menu items would be successful in our local community,” Albertson said. “The flexibility … has allowed us to bring our cuisine to a variety of different events, businesses and neighborhoods, introducing what we have to offer to a wider market than just being in one place.”

Albertson and Borra first began operating their food truck in 2020. The truck specializes in tacos, quesadillas, burrito and burrito bowls, as well as a variety of burgers and hot dogs. They plan to open their restaurant for breakfast and lunch.

“We will continue to feature local favorites like our brekkie burritos, breakfast tacos, avocado toast, specialty lattes and raw juice and will expand our breakfast menu to include things like specialty bagels, smoothies and smoothie bowls,” Albertson said.

In addition to tacos, burritos and burgers, the lunch menu will feature flatbreads, salads, sandwiches and grab and go items from a deli case.

“We are thrilled to be able to bring our creative vision to the Yorktown waterfront and expose locals and tourists from around the world to our food,” Albertson said. “We are excited to have consistent hours, and an extended menu. Also, you sure can’t beat the view.”

For more information on Coastal Thirst, visit its Facebook page at facebook.com/coastalthirst.

___

New business brings trash and recycling to the curb for you

A new business will help people bring their trash and recycling bins to the curb for pickup. Brandon Hughes, owner of Pink Panda LLC, first came up with the idea while working as a landscaper.

“If the customer had a trash/recycling container sitting at the street while we were working on the property and it had been emptied, then I would retrieve it from the street and simply place it back to the home where the customer wanted it,” he said. “But the idea to really make it a business came when one day I noticed my elderly neighbor struggling with her cane in one hand and her trash container in the other. I asked if I could help her and with a look of relief, she accepted. I thought about how many days she struggled to do this absolutely necessary duty.”

The business is designed for older adults, those who are disabled, busy single parents, people who are headed out of town, owners of short-term rentals and “the busy and forgetful, the ones that just absolutely despise taking the trash out,” Hughes said.

Pink Panda offers monthly subscriptions, as well as one-week services for individuals who typically take care of the trash and recycling themselves but need someone else to handle the responsibility on occasion.

“In the early morning of your scheduled collection day, we will come to your home, move your trash/recycling containers and bulk items to the street for collection and send you a time stamped picture of the items sitting curbside,” Hughes explained. “Later that day, after your items have been collected and disposed of, we will return to your home and retrieve your containers from the street and return them to their original placement.”

The goal of Pink Panda, which began in May, is “to provide our customers with the peace of mind that they never again have to worry about dragging their trash and recycling containers to the street,” Hughes said. “My favorite part of this business is knowing that I’m helping someone. I am a strong believer in the power of helping someone.”

For more information on Pink Panda, call 757-810-4073 or email pinkpandallcva@gmail.com.

___

Dots & Dashes

• Papi’s Creamery LLC leased 1,200 square feet of retail space at 2900 Hampton Highway in Yorktown in the Shady Banks shopping center.
• Educational toy and supply store School Crossing, which is under new ownership in Monticello Marketplace, will hold a grand reopening on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. The event will feature activities and prizes. A ribbon-cutting will be held on June 13 at 4 p.m.
• Two burger establishments appear to have closed. The Burger King location at 759 E. Rochambeau Drive has closed due to equipment issues, according to a sign in the window, while Burger Fi, located at 6610 Mooretown Road, is also no longer in operation. Burger Fi, which had its last day on Feb. 23, posted a window sign stating in part that “it is with a heavy heart that we announce our temporary closure. This was not an easy decision to make, but we believe it is the best one for our community.” Burger Fi first opened in 2021.

___

People moves

• Williamsburg Winery recently announced that Riccardo Rinaldi has been named the new executive chef at the Gabriel Archer Tavern. Rinaldi has 22 years of professional experience in Italian, French, molecular and other cuisines.
• Michael J. Todd has been named William & Mary’s executive vice president for finance and administration. Todd, who currently serves as vice president for finance and administration at Lehigh University, will begin his new role Aug. 1.

Brandy Centolanza@bcentolanza@cox.net

The new issue of Digital Photographer is out now!

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This month we have another amazing issue for you, featuring professional tips, reviews, and practical how-to guides. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s inside!

Shoot your best-ever summer landscapes

Who doesn’t enjoy going out on a sunny day to capture the natural beauty around us? However, shooting summer landscapes can be a bit tricky due to the harsh sunlight. 

Our guide starting on p36 has some great tips on how to handle these tough conditions and get the most out of your photos. Photographer Karolina Konsur shares her pro tips on taking great summer landscape shots, using in-camera features, filters, and making the most of your existing photography gear. We’ll also cover composition strategies and discuss how the latest photography gear might not always be the best choice for certain summer techniques.

Portrait retouching workshop

Then, delve into our comprehensive portrait editing workshop, beginning on page 24 to learn editing tips for delivering precisely what your clients desire. Paula Stopka, Jake Keshia Gordon, and Paul Wilkinson expertly showcase professional retouching techniques, providing step-by-step guidance. While putting a spotlight on creating authentic looks we also discuss creative dramatic backgrounds. 

Catch the stars

Astrophotographer and night-sky conservationist Josh Dury, also known as ‘Starman’, has dedicated his career to using photography to promote conservation initiatives and raise awareness about the negative impacts of light pollution. From p14 Josh also discusses his preparation for celestial events and the challenges posed by bad weather and cancelled flights, which nearly deprived him of the opportunity to capture a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event.

Royal Photography

Having spent decades documenting the British Royal Family as a Getty Images photographer, Chris Jackson has many fascinating stories to tell. Starting on p76, he sits down for an interview and explains what it takes to capture some of the biggest moments in royal history.

Our network of professional photographers has got all the inside scoop you need! In this issue, Annie Green-Armytage shines a spotlight on the value of looking after our mental wellbeing, even in the midst of shooting to deadline, Claire Gillo delves into the logistics of running a successful photography business and interviews event photographer Jules Renahan.

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Essential exposure technique: settings for seamless backgrounds

Photo therapy: the art of patience – why it’s worth waiting!

Adapt and conquer! Learn to use lens adaptors the right way

Lighthouse photography: learn to compose images of very tall subjects

“Not just for cats” © Sarah Haskell/Comedy Pets (UK). Overall Winner & Dog Category Winner
“Hector saw the cat do it…so thought he would give it a try ….and this is about as far as he got before reversing out the way he came. But the cat made it look so easy……”

An adorable dog trying to make his way through a cat flap (without much success) took home the win at the 2024 Comedy Pet Photography Awards. Now in its fifth year, the contest asks photographers to capture the silly sides of their pets as a way to promote the positivity they bring to our lives.

Sarah Haskell, who took the photo of her 14-year-old dog Hector, was named Comedy Pet Photographer of the Year for her efforts. The fact that she could share the experience with Hector, a beloved part of her family, makes her victory all the more satisfying.

“Hector is a much-loved member of my extended family, and has been my (unwitting, unknowing) muse for a few years now,” she shares. “I have carried a camera pretty much in some form since school days, but it is only recently that I have worked out that pet photography, dog photography in particular, is what I like doing. The interaction with these expressive, clever, often comical characters, when I am doing ‘pawtrait’ shoots, can only make me (and others, hopefully) smile!”

In addition to Haskell, whose photo also won the Dog Category, six other exceptional photographers were also celebrated. This includes Kazutoshi Ono, whose photo of a high-flying cat won the People’s Choice Award.

Scroll down to see all the winners, as well as the eight photographs that were singled out as highly commended.

Here are the exceptional winners of the 2024 Comedy Pet Photography Awards.

“Cat in a trap. Like Super Mario” © Kenichi Morinaga/Comedy Pets (Japan). Cat Category Winner.
“Cat in a trap it looks like video game Super Mario world.”

“I think I saw a mouse” © Debby Thomas/Comedy Pets (USA). Horse Category Winner.
“This beautiful and athletic gelding loves to try to fly off the ground! This is one of the series of leaps he performs.”

“Tired Donkey” © Charlotte Kitchen/Comedy Pets (UK). Junior Category Winner.
“After sprinting around with Noah and completing some training, Benji was exhausted almost wanting an afternoon nap!”

“The proud pup and his best friend” © Darya Zelentsova/Comedy Pets (USA). Pets Who Look Like Their Owner’s Category Winner.
“Ludo von Lickenface, the sweetest 16-year-old rescue pup, strikes a pose alongside his beloved guardian, David – Snap Ludo von Lickenface, the sweetest 16-year-old rescue pup, strikes a pose alongside his beloved guardian, David – Snap”

“New Rose” © Jonathan Casey/Comedy Pets (UK). All Other Creatures Category Winner.
“Edgar loves to eat flowers, and her favorites are dandelions for spring, snapdragons for summer and here she can be seen gobbling as whole Gertrude Jekyll rose last September. We grow them for her and as she is elderly we handfeed her, sometimes snapping her in between bites as you can see…”

“Tarzan” © Kazutoshi Ono/Comedy Pets (Japan). People’s Choice Award Winner.
“It’s like being in the jungle.”

The contest, now in its fifth year, also singled out several highly commended photographs of funny animals.

“Dancing Queen” © Vera Faupel/Comedy Pets (Germany). Highly Commended.
“What can I say. This dog loves to jump! Pepper the pointer”

“Nosey Neighbours” © Emma Beardsmore/Comedy Pet (UK). Highly Commended.
“These are my 2 cats during Covid Lockdown. They are spying on the neighbors who are breaking rules!! ‘Lets act like Meerkats; they’ll never know its us’”

“Grumpy Dog” © Luiza Ribeiro/Comedy Pets (Brazil). Highly Commended.
“Meet Nick Barry, a 5-year-old yorkie with a special talent for hilarius expressions. This may not be his most flattering photo, but that frown is undeniably captivating – a true portrait of a dog who doesn’t need smiles to win our hearts.”

“You didn’t hear this from me” © Kenichi Morinaga/Comedy Pets (Japan). Highly Commended.
“These cats are having secret talk about where do we fish on the Island.”

“Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting” by Sylvia Michel/Comedy Pets (Switzerland). Highly Commended.
“I made this picture in Toggenburg. I threw a few snowballs and my dog jumped after them with great enthusiasm. That’s how this picture came about.”

“Kitty in the kitchen” © Atsuyuki Ohshima/Comedy Pets (Japan). Highly Commended.
“He stayed at there as if one of a kitchen implements.”

“Peek a boo” © Sylvia Michel/Comedy Pets (Switzerland). Highly Commended.
“I took this great picture in deep snow in Grindelwald. My dog Raasta, spontaneously hid so that only his ears were sticking out of the snow.”

“I believe I can fly” © Julie Smith/Comedy Pets (Ireland). Highly Commended.
“The Flying Poodle.”

Comedy Pet Photography Awards: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Comedy Pet Photography Awards.

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Funny Finalists of the 2024 Comedy Pet Photography Awards

Amazing Winners of the GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024

Cute Winning Photos from the 2023 Comedy Pet Photography Awards

Kangaroo Strumming an Air Guitar Wins Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards

Nineteenth-century writer Guy de Maupassant famously once said that the only certainty in life is death. For Vienna-born artist and photographer Bela Borsodi, the crux of that life is maintaining curiosity—about god, about semiology, about objects and their role in our existences. On view at The Corner Gallery in upstate New York, his photo series Birth Life Death suggests that inanimate objects have affects their own. In one photo, a fork labeled “SISYPHUS” balanced on an inclined wooden plank pushes a round root vegetable labeled “THE ABSURD.” In another, a pear wearing a gold nameplate necklace that reads “Salome” looms over a miniature plate displaying the chopped off top of another pear, on display like John the Baptist’s head in the original iconic Renaissance painting by Andrea Solario.

Birth Life Death presents non-living objects with mischief, humor, and verve. Regarding our existential situation amid what he considers an over-designed life, Borsodi reflects on the origins of his latest exhibition with Document’s Editor-in-Chief Nick Vogelson.

Left: Physiology, Pathology. Right: Trinity.

Nick Vogelson: Your show is called Birth Life Death. Tell me about the inspiration—how was it conceived? And how long have you been working on it?

Bela Borsodi: It’s a new body of work. I always liked the idea of having tactile words within an image, because as a photographer, you very often deal with the identities and the personality of objects and think about what they mean. This is something I’ve done before in my work where I put letters on things into my photography, but with this new body of work, I realized what I was really interested in was to play with meanings and words. I’m basically a little kid who always has the right three questions in mind: Who am I? Why am I here? And What’s going to happen thereafter? Another, What is this all about? These are the fundamental questions I think that every one of us had as a kid and we just learned to delude ourselves with concepts of god and philosophy and basically cheat ourselves [out of] a real, true answer, because there might not be a real, true answer. I wanted to explore certain meanings with that kind of aesthetic vehicle and that resulted in those photographs.

Nick: You talk about how this is a lineage of existential inquiry that stretches back for centuries.

Bela: Kind of. I mean it was not conceptually driven by that, but this is basically the only answer that I can have. Because these are questions that I will always find interesting. I randomly, for my own sake, pick things that I felt inclined to illustrate with this and to experiment with.

“We conceptualize so much about things. We give them personality based on how we use them, how we own them, and how we appropriate them. Now, that is basically their voice reflecting back on us.”

Nick: On the one hand, there are objects that you felt inclined to use, on the other hand, you readily acknowledge that they are objects that will one day make up the future landfill, so they’re all for the most part disposable objects. They’re not precious, but you’re tackling precious and timeless ideas. Can you speak to that a little bit?

Bela: Throughout my whole practice as a photographer and as an artist, I have always dealt with thinking about what things are. And I realized that very simple, ordinary things that you might not pay too much attention to—because they don’t stand out in your own idea about how you desire things to be—are more truthful, and more capable of engaging in big questions. It’s very hard to find an object that is not designed. You try to find a chair, and let’s say you do not have the budget for the real, real, real good chairs. You don’t find a chair anymore that you remember, perhaps, sitting in as a kid at your grandmother’s kitchen—a chair that looks like a chair, or a car that looks like a car, a cup that looks like a cup, a lamp that looks like a lamp. Everything is so designed. I think the things that do not obey these rules of our desires, whether they’re good or bad taste, have more qualities that represent what they really are and what they’re about.

We conceptualize so much about things. We give them personality based on how we use them, how we own them, and how we appropriate them. Now, that is basically their voice reflecting back on us.

Left: According to Freud. Right: According to Jung.

Nick: How do you think simplicity belies complexity?

Bela: Well, it’s the biggest challenge, I think, for much art: to find a thing, a language that speaks very big, but is actually reduced to its bare minimum in order to be as accurate as possible. Extraordinary, complex things do not necessarily have to look very complex if they’re established as an artwork. They’re stronger when they’re simplified. I mean, how can you explain everything with one little thing? That’s where a lot of thinking is behind those images.

Nick: You also mentioned that something can be humorous, but not frivolous. How do you engage with humor in your work?

Bela: Humor is a very serious matter to me. If you can create something that comes across being humorous, it sort of tickles and challenges the audience. And anybody who might share the sense of humor I feel opens up to more easily and eventually gets it on a more profound level.

Nick: Would you tell us a little bit about Trinity?

Bela: That was one of the first images that came right away, I fell in love with it as I was sketching it out. Actually, give me one second [Bela goes to find his sketches].

In the end, there are three cigarettes smoking. That was my first true [inquiry] also—is it the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost? America is the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost is more ancient. I’m from Austria, which is still somehow a Catholic country. I mean, to some degree, even though my parents didn’t at all raise me Catholic, if you go to school, Catholicism is a big thing. Even as a kid, I was amazed by how much control this can have over you, and also how extremely humorless Catholicism is. I mean, Jesus never laughed in one story that I know. I thought, How can you trust a person that many people admire who doesn’t have any humor? What I tried to do was bring the humor back to something which is so big and so small, because the big picture of, I don’t know, a supernova doesn’t give a shit about us, or what we believe in. Smoking cigarettes is not a healthy or a good thing, as we all know. So to give those guys the chance to really represent the Holy Trinity… It’s like three guys hanging out, discussing our faith and the future and where we come from and where we go in a very modest little setting.

Left: Comedy, Tragedy. Right: Perpetual Conflict.

Nick: There’s another image with biblical references, the John the Baptist reference.

Bela: In art history there is Judith and there is Salome. They both are depicted with the head of a guy: one is Halofernes and the other one is John the Baptist. One of my favorite painters of all time, Lucas Cranach [the Elder], painted the same image of Judith and Halofernes like Salome and John the Baptist, but in that one the head is on a plate. And in the other, it’s carried by Judith with a sword next to it. That’s for the art reference part. The pear in its shape is very much associated with the female form. In this photo, it becomes this big mythological figure by chopping off the head of another of its kind, resembling the whole entity of this big story. It was very endearing to me.

I only did 14 of these artworks, I have five in my drawer that are ready to go, and hundreds more that I would love to do. It’s funny because usually every time I put my hands into something that I want to do, it gets extraordinarily complicated and time consuming in a way. With this one I remember thinking, How can I please come up with something that’s simple? I could put two things together, point, and shoot it, and it’s a great photograph. Technically, I’m equipped to do that, but that’s not the prompt. So I thought, I’m just gonna put the right shoe on the left, and the other on the right, or just take a carrot and force a letter into it and have it dangling. I realized that as much as I wanted to accomplish that, it drifted me to a whole different direction and became very complicated because in the end I need legibility. Attractiveness. And the punk rock aspect that I desired so much in the beginning was never really working out in a way. I put myself into a lot of work.