Black and white cameras are a bit of a rarity, but those who use them generally swear by the way they render images. The new Leica M11 Monochrom rangefinder offers an impressive range of features paired with a top-of-the-line sensor, and it may just be the best black and white option yet. 

Coming to you from Gajan Balan, this great video review takes a look at the new Leica M11 Monochrom rangefinder camera. Now the fourth generation of the company’s black and white cameras, the M11 Monochrom brings an advanced array of modern features:

• 60-megapixel sensor
• No color filter array, allowing the camera to record only luminance for improved clarity, depth, and resolution
• Higher sensitivity range: ISO 125-200,000
• Triple Resolution Technology for 18-, 36-, or 60-megapixel output, with improved dynamic range and noise levels
• Maestro III Image Processor
• Electronic shutter of up to 1/16,000 s for working with wide-aperture lenses
• Automatic parallax correction and frame selection with options for 35mm/135mm, 28mm/90mm, and 50mm/75mm focal length pairs
• Live view electronic stabilization
• USB-C connectivity

Altogether, the M11 looks like quite an interesting and modernized camera that really calls to a pure form of photography. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Balan.

The Abertillery and Ebbw Valleys Dynamic launched in 2015. The fortnightly newspaper was conceived by two local men, Tony Flatman and Julian Meek, who met in the library one quiet afternoon and got talking. They were both men of letters: Flatman had written reports on economic subjects, “the Channel tunnel and so on”, and Meek was a poet and one-time mayor of the town, with a bit of a newspaper background, having once worked as an editor’s assistant on regional papers. “I was very much in the old-school journalist tradition,” he says, “start at the bottom and end up at the bottom.” Chatting, they bemoaned the absence of any news coverage of the town – the Cardiff and Newport papers had long since given up offices in this corner of the valleys – and they thought there might be a niche for a paper that told heartfelt local stories with a bit of a smile on its face. “In London terms,” Flatman says, “we thought somewhere between the Guardian and Private Eye.”

The Dynamic was launched into the teeth of the digital revolution in print media. Meek taught himself basic layout skills, though once or twice the printers had to inform him he had run over the margins; Flatman resisted the march of technology. “I would write longhand,” he says, “and read it out to Julian who would type it up.” They were helped, they think, by the fact that Flatman was an early riser and Meek worked late nights. In that sense, the Dynamic never slept. They divided roles between themselves. Meek was in charge of editorial direction and news and humour and production; Flatman took on business and sport and “the commercial side”. At its peak the Dynamic was shifting 5,000 free copies, though distribution was problematic: “The streets are very narrow here, you stop for five seconds and there’s a big jam,” Meek says. “I had a van, but I’m not agile.” Financing, which originally came from Flatman’s savings, was also a challenge. “The consensus was, we were a great cultural success,” Meek says, “but a total financial disaster.”

Sebastián Bruno, a young Argentinian-Spanish photographer who was living in Abertillery with his girlfriend after studying in Newport, picked up a copy of the Dynamic on a pub table in 2015. He enjoyed the regular features so much – the page 3 Sheep of the Week, the no-holds-barred pub reviews – that he put himself forward as staff photographer (unpaid). He documented the Dynamic’s passage through the turbulent Brexit years – Ebbw Vale and Abertillery were among the biggest leave areas in Britain, though the paper followed a firm remain line – and made a BBC film about the duo’s efforts to keep the paper afloat. This week, a book and exhibition of Bruno’s photographs of the Dynamic will be launched at Martin Parr’s gallery in Bristol. A choir from Abertillery will be providing the entertainment.

Meek and Flatman are rueful about the paper’s demise – under mounting costs it ceased printing in 2017 and bold plans for a relaunch were scuppered by Covid. They bristle a bit about criticism that the paper received. “Most people really enjoyed it,” Flatman says, “but a few people said we used too many long words.” Meek is unapologetic. “We employed old-fashioned school-book English,” he says. “I don’t see why something shouldn’t be grammatical, and make sense, and not be readable by anyone.”

There were some notable scoops. On one occasion a party of local children on a school trip were briefly caught up in a hostage situation in the US. The news came through at 9.50pm, when Meek was just putting the paper to bed and hoping to catch the last bus home. “There was no choice really,” he says. He put in the calls to the States from the office landline and remade the front page. Most of the news was less dramatic, the ups and downs of community, which the Dynamic enlivened with an edge of satire. From the outside, the lives of people in Abertillery are often reported, if they are reported at all, in terms of crime or deprivation, Meek suggests. “The great thing about the Dynamic was that it could report on the mundane, reflect it back in a way we could delight in, or sometimes suffer along with,” Flatman says. Meek agrees. “You need something where people can sense bit of generosity towards their own lives… rather than have another theory fired into their head from the internet.” The Dynamic remains at rest for the present, but its proprietors haven’t yet given up hope of a return by popular demand.

• The Dynamic runs at the Martin Parr Foundation, Paintworks, Bristol from 20 April to 2 July. An accompanying book, The Dynamic, is published by ICVL Studio
  

‘Britons are lucky to have so much natural beauty on their doorstep’: Photographer captures Britain’s otherworldly beauty, from snowcapped mountains to enchanting ancient woodlands

By Ailbhe Macmahon For Mailonline

Published: 09:08 EDT, 15 April 2023 | Updated: 09:09 EDT, 15 April 2023

This photographer has a talent for capturing Britain’s landscapes at their most magical.

Yielding mesmerising results, Demiray Oral has turned his camera on moss-covered woodlands in Devon, mist-laden valleys of the Peak District and sun-dappled glens of Scotland, among other UK beauty spots.

The photographer, who is originally from London but lives in the Peak District, says that landscape pictures can remind Britons just how lucky they are to have ‘so much natural beauty’ on their doorstep.

What makes the UK landscape so special? According to Demiray, it’s the weather. He says: ‘We are lucky to have such a changeable climate in the UK and we usually get a good dose of all four seasons each year. The worse the weather the better it is for landscape photography!’

Landscape photography is a labour of love for Demiray, who is used to rising at the crack of dawn and hiking long distances in order to secure the shot he’s hoping for. The semi-professional photographer, who also runs a management consulting business, says that people often underestimate the skill that’s required to capture standout images. He says: ‘The biggest mistake is thinking it’s easy, or looking at an image taken on a proper camera and thinking, “I can just take that on my phone”.’  

He also feels that certain landscape photographers don’t take the time to truly appreciate the scenery they’re photographing. He says: ‘Some photographers just see locations as tick boxes, once the stamp has been collected there’s no need to go back, and that’s a shame. It isn’t just about the photograph. I’ll still go back to places I’ve shot lots of times to just enjoy them again.’ Scroll down to see a handful of spellbinding pictures from Demiray’s portfolio of work… 

To see more photography from Demiray Oral, visit his Instagram account and his website.  

Hello, and welcome to this week’s selection of top stories in pictures by Los Angeles Times photographers and correspondents.

The Ukraine war’s most vicious fight is happening in Bakhmut. Take a rare look inside as Russia besieges the Ukrainian city that has symbolic, if not strategic, value for both sides. “The long fight for Bakhmut has been block-by-block, house-by-house savagery grinding up men, materiel and masonry,” reports correspondent Nabih Bulos. But supporting it is a parallel combat; one backed by consumer tech — and plenty of drones.

An intelligence commander in Bakhmut, Ukraine, watches a drone feed to identify targets and coordinate fire.

(Nabih Bulos / Los Angeles Times)

::

The federal government is weighing options as it considers major water cuts to protect the Colorado River and with it, life and prosperity for the seven states that heavily depend on the shrinking water lifeline.

The drought-ravaged Colorado River got a brief relief from snow, but a long-term water crisis remains and we need to adapt to it. Kicking the can down the dam is no longer an option.

Of the states that rely on the Colorado River, California receives the largest share of water.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Lake Mead as seen from one of four reinforced-concrete structures above Hoover Dam, two on each side of the canyon.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

A view of Imperial Valley farmland. Agricultural suppliers such as California’s Imperial Irrigation District, which uses the single largest share of Colorado River water to supply about 500,000 acres of farmland in the Imperial Valley.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

+

An onslaught of atmospheric rivers hit California this winter, exposing the delicate balance of the systems that provide critical water yet can prompt dangerous floods. Why was California hit with 31 atmospheric river storms?

Mammoth Lakes was particularly besieged by storms, thrown into chaos as snowfall crushed buildings, caused explosions and became a nightmare for residents.

A resident clears the roof of his entombed home after winter storms dumped record amounts of snow in Mammoth Lakes.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

::

As the record Sierra “big melt” begins, whitewater rafters are among those enjoying the immense volumes of water sent through some of the most storied rafting rivers in the world — California’s epic snowpack promises a whitewater rafting season for the ages.

Record storms and epic snowpack will mean plenty of water for rafting companies like Sierra South Mountain Sports, shown here leading an early-season tour on the Upper Kern River. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

::

Uganda may impose some of the world’s strictest anti-gay measures with punishments that include the death penalty, and even tourists could face prison under Uganda’s proposed anti-gay laws.

A gay man who gave his name as Clifford in Kampala, Uganda, earlier this month.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

::

In Boyle Heights a jogging path that has been used by walkers and joggers since the 1940s has become blocked by RV dwellers. Some residents complain, but people who call the RVs home say that they are scapegoated. “All I’m asking is for some patience, and we’ll get back on our feet,” said one RV dweller. “Nobody wants to be here, but it’s not right to be thrown out.”

A runner passes an RV parked along the Evergreen Jogging Path in Boyle Heights. An LAPD official said law enforcement has little recourse on the RVs unless they were uninhabited or spilling sewage.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

::

Dianne Feinstein, faces calls to resign yet vows to return to Senate once healed from shingles. Her extended absence has complicated the confirmation of President Biden’s judicial and administrative nominees, creating headaches for the president and the Democrats. Feinstein’s absence puts focus on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s promise to appoint a Black woman as senator.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) speaks to reporters before entering the Senate chamber at the U.S. Capitol in February. Her absence from Washington due to illness has created problems for Democrats in the Senate, where the party has a slim hold on power.

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

::

Drugs and death visited an eye surgeon in Malibu after a Fresno hairstylist and a Hollywood actor took over his home, dropped acid with him and drained his fortune.

Mark Sawusch’s Malibu oceanfront home along Pacific Coast Highway, left, where paramedics and sheriff’s deputies found the body of the 57-year-old eye surgeon in 2018.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

::

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Council appointed Heather Hutt, skipping a special election, as replacement for the 10th District’s former Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas, despite objections from critics who labeled the move undemocratic.

Supporters cheer at City Hall on Tuesday as the L.A. City Council votes for Heather Hutt to fill its 10th District seat, replacing former Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who was found guilty of federal corruption charges.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

::

And finally, to end on a life-affirming note — California’s breathtaking superbloom is here. See the amazing photos from space and find out where to soak up the beauty of spring wildflowers in person.

After multiple storms drenched Southern California, a lush scenic meadow erupts in full bloom at Chino Hills State Park.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Isabella Recio, 4, walks on a trail among California poppies outside the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve near Lancaster. The California Department of Parks and Recreation wants visitors to stay on designated trails.

(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

::

The video was shared by photographer Sutej Singh Pannu

A heartwarming video of an elderly Sikh man’s reaction when a photographer asked to click his pictures has gone viral on social media. The Sikh man’s pure and profound reaction to seeing his picture has made the internet emotional and will surely warm your heart as well.

The video was shared by photographer Sutej Singh Pannu on his Instagram account. In the video, he approaches the elderly man at his grocery shop and asks for some candies and two packets of chips. He then later asks if he could photograph him at his shop. The man is a bit surprised at first, but he obliges to the request and poses for a few pics. Mr. Pannu then prints out a photo of the man on the spot and gives it to him as a gift, leaving the elderly man overwhelmed and full of gratitude.

 “That is very kind of you. Thank you so much, wish you a long life,” the elderly man said.

Watch the video here:

Mr Pannu wrote about self-awareness and spiritual awakening while sharing the video. In a long caption, he wrote, ”One of the most powerful aspects of spiritual awakening is the heightened sense of self-awareness that comes with it. Through self-reflection and introspection, individuals become more attuned to their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. They begin to recognize patterns and habits that no longer serve them and can work towards releasing them.

Self-awareness is a crucial component of personal growth and spiritual evolution. It allows individuals to take responsibility for their own lives and empowers them to make conscious choices based on their true desires and values. Spiritual awakening and self-awareness are powerful tools for personal growth and transformation. By embracing these processes, individuals can unlock their full potential and live a more fulfilling and purposeful life.”

The video has left internet users overwhelmed who said that they became quite emotional after watching the man’s pure reaction. Many also thanked the photographer for capturing a beautiful moment. 

One user said, ”The way he said ‘Meri?’ as though it was shocking to him that someone would show an interest in him. It seemed like he had tears in his eyes by the end of it and not only was he grateful for the photo but also for the short amount of time spent interacting. Spend time with your elders, listen to their experiences and stories carefully, and learn about the life they have lived. Because no course, degree, or school on earth can teach you the things that they will. Love, respect and cherish them. May Allah give Uncle ji a long, healthy and happy life where he can rest, pray and smile as much as he wants.”

Another commented, ”Im not crying. You are!!!” A third wrote, ”Did his eyes tear up? Because mine did.” A fourth said, ”The way he thanked and folded his hands.. Gratitude turns what we have into Enough.”

A fifth added, ”I literally had tears seeing how happy you made uncle. It was the much needed love and appreciation for him.. You are a beautiful soul in a human body.” Yet another wrote, ”Why do I always cry with every video of yours. You so capture the hearts of the fantastic people of Punjab.”

Click for more trending news

Boundary-pushing methodologies come to the fore in the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2023, now on show at The Photographers’ Gallery, London, where the award’s four nominees are exploring contemporary themes with dynamic approaches. 

Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2023 nominees

Frida Orupabo

Frida Orupabo works with multi-layered collages and Instagram posts using material circulated online to ask questions on race, sexuality and identity, as the Norwegian Nigerian artist and sociologist creates archival reworks that reject one-dimensional depictions of Black lives. Nominated for her exhibition ‘I have seen a million pictures of my face and still I have no idea’, originally shown at Fotomuseum Winterthur in Switzerland, Orupado explains: ‘My work is a way of sorting things, sorting emotions and thoughts I have. It’s a way of speaking…’

Arthur Jafa

This thread of creating a voice through a reworking of existing material continues in Arthur Jafa’s ‘Live Evil’, nominated for its showing at LUMA, Arles, France which consisted of visceral films, installations and disquieting photographs. While The Photographer’s Gallery has a capsule of the original large-scale curation on show, Jafa’s critical questioning still rings out loudly ‘How can visual media – such as objects, static and moving images – transmit the equivalent power, beauty and alienation embedded within forms of Black music in US culture?’

Bieke Depoorter

Questioning of a different nature is explored in Bieke Depoorter’s series, ‘A Chance Encounter’, previously shown at C/O Berlin, as the magnum artist tests the limits and ethics of creative friendships, performance and authorship through collaborative projects with her subjects Michael and Agata. Both relationships have severed in different ways, Michaels with a mysterious disappearance, while Agata withdraws her collaborative consent. Across both contexts, Depoorter shows radical transparency of the process. ‘More and more I realise that unconsciously how you are brought up, the things that happen in your childhood, for example, are shaping your creativity. I am trying to find ways to listen to that and to be guided by that.’

Samuel Fosso

Identity is drawn into question from a different perspective in Samuel Fosso’s self-portraits, nominated for his exhibition at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, France. For the Cameroonian artist, who has been described as a ‘man of a thousand faces’, his series ‘African Spirits’ is a disruptive re-staging of authoritative portraits from the history of Black resistance. Fosso explains his inspiration is ‘everything I have experienced in my life, such as the Biafra war when I was still a child, or the assassination of my friend and neighbour Tala in 1999. But also the story of slavery and all those who freed me, the Senegalese Tirailleurs during the two world wars, the economic weight of China in Africa… What I am trying to express is History. I use my thoughts and my body to tell stories: it is nothing more than that.’

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2023 exhibition will be on view at the Photographers’ Gallery, London, until 11 Jun 2023, with the winner announced on 11 May. deutscheboersephotographyfoundation.org (opens in new tab); thephotographersgallery.org.uk (opens in new tab)

SEQUIM — “We think of the Olympics as jewels because they’re priceless,” said renowned Olympic Peninsula photographer Ross Hamilton.

“I thoroughly enjoy sharing the beauty with people so that they might better appreciate where they live.”

Hamilton, whose iconic images of the Olympic Peninsula are found everywhere from the visitor’s center at Hurricane Ridge to motels and inns to bookstores and gift shops, will bring the stories behind his art to life at a special presentation, “Olympic Jewels,” set for 1:30 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, in the media room at The Lodge at Sherwood Village, 660 W. Evergreen Farm Way.

The lodge requires reservations, as the room holds 60 people. RSVP by this coming Wednesday, April 19, by calling 360-681-3100.

Hamilton’s book, “The Olympics, a Wilderness Trilogy,” sold out after three printings, though the collector’s edition is still for sale on his website (rosshamilton photography.com), and he and wife Kathy produce a popular calendar, “The Olympic Peninsula,” each year.

Photo by Ross Hamilton / Sunset from Second Beach, a photo featured in Ross Hamilton’s annual “The Olympic Peninsula” calendar in 2019.

He said the presentation, a slideshow with stories, will be about 45 minutes with a question-and-answer period after. Kathy said there will be music as well.

“The pictures I have used in shows have a story behind them,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton has lost the majority of his eyesight now, but that he has “a pretty good memory of the pictures and the experiences,” he said.

Hamilton said he will probably bring the 4-by-5 (large format) camera he used for many of his pictures. He said he bought it in 1971 from a dealer in Seattle.

“‘Olympic Jewels’ will be in three parts, like a symphony,” he said. “The first part will be the incredible variety of beauty, the second part the incredible beauty of the seasons, and the third part — my favorite — the beauty of the mountains.”

On the trails

Guided by an eye for illuminated beauty, Hamilton is a master of the old school of landscape photography, in which one lugs their equipment out into nature and works deliberately with a limited amount of film, creating compositions carefully and waiting for just the right moment to push the shutter button.

“It’s all about timing, and being there,” Hamilton said.

“With digital you can make something better than what it is, but not with film,” he said. “You take what’s there.”

To do this, a photographer needs an intimate knowledge of light and how a camera interprets it on film, which has a narrow margin for error.

Hamilton said that he’s made about 55,000 pictures in his lifetime, and of those, he uses about a tenth.

“The difference between a photographer and a good photographer,” he joked, “is he only shares the good ones.”

Married to old friend Kathy in 2018 after a lifetime of being a bachelor, he said she takes good care of him, which is clear from the way they interact and converse.

The Lodge

Photo by Ross Hamilton / Sunset from Kalaloch Creek, a photo featured in Ross Hamilton’s annual “The Olympic Peninsula” calendar in 2019.

Hamilton’s work and the Lodge at Sherwood Village were intertwined since it was built.

“We have 35 of Ross’s photographs throughout the building. They’re so beautiful,” said Michelle Headrick, the lodge’s executive director, who has overseen the lodge since it opened in 2005.

“[Former owners] Bill and Esther Littlejohn were big fans of Ross.”

The Hamiltons said that it was Bill Littlejohn who encouraged Hamilton to publish the book.

“He said, ‘You oughta do a book,’” said Hamilton. “And he paid up front” for the first edition, which Hamilton reimbursed him for from the sales.

And then, Hamilton recalled, “Bill said, ‘You oughta do a calendar.” Nineteen years later the calendar is still going strong, with the 2024 calendar soon going to press, Kathy said.

Roots

Hamilton’s father’s family was from Sequim, but Hamilton grew up in California. By the time he moved here in 1969, he already held bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business.

He said that early on he realized a business degree would be more helpful to his work than an artistic one.

However, he and Kathy said that he is actually not a good businessman, because, as he said, “profit is not my goal.

“My goal is to share. If we can break even I’m happy. If I can produce a little revenue, that is great.”

The camera and darkroom knowledge came from experience, such as running a camera shop single-handed when he was 18.

“It wasn’t a very prosperous place, so I spent a lot of time in the darkroom,” Hamiton said.

Later, between earning his degrees, Hamilton spent a summer working at Ansel’s Adam’s studio in Yosemite.

“Ansel Adams was a man after my own heart,” he said. “He’d study his subjects very carefully, find a spot and come back the next day.

“His black and whites were superb.”

Hamilton said that Adams didn’t like this part of the country because “no two days were alike.” But Hamilton said he loves it, and spent nearly five decades hiking, exploring and finding the perfect spots and times for his masterpieces.

He’s visited other beautiful places in the world, like the Pyrenees, Norway and the Dolomites of Italy, but that “I have no desire to leave the Peninsula. It’s my world.”

Life as a photographer “has been such a rewarding adventure,” he said.

“It’s a beautiful world, and it was such a privilege to record it in a way that showed what it really is.”

Learn more about Hamilton’s photography at rosshamiltonphotography.com.

________

Emily Matthiessen is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach her at emily.matthiessen@sequimgazette.com.