BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – The winning photos of the 2024 North Dakota Governor’s Photo Contest are on display for free on the observatory deck (18th floor) of the State Capitol.

This year’s contest brought in a record-breaking 813 submissions from 170 photographers. The 2024 contest focused on the state’s unique climate and seasons. Over 18,000 photos have been submitted since the contest was launched in 2004.

Rhea Beto, the public information officer for the North Dakota Council on the Arts, said it’s important for North Dakota to promote the winning photos.

“They’ve been on display throughout the state in libraries and definitely on all kinds of tourism and marketing materials, and on social media channels. It’s a way, really, to highlight North Dakota as a place to visit year-round,” said Beto.

The winning photographer’s photos will be available to view until June 1, and on the North Dakota tourism website.

Copyright 2024 KFYR. All rights reserved.

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Membership in the Micro Four Thirds L-Mount Alliance has hit more than 60 companies, with the latest being Chinese Lensmaker Guangdong Sirui Optical Co., Ltd. (Sirui).

Sirui already produces a number of lenses for Micro Four Thirds, although these are primarily aimed at video shooters.

The company’s Night Walker T1.2 cinema lenses come in 16mm, 24mm, 35mm, 55mm, and 75mm focal lengths.

Additionally, the company also makes a series of 1.33x anamorphic lenses for Micro Four Thirds video cameras, but the move to join the alliance could be interpreted as a sign that Sirui is looking to expand its M43 lens-making capabilities towards stills.

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Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more

A royal photographer has opened up about what it was like to take the wedding photos for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

In a recent interview with The Sun, photographer Arthur Edwards explained that six years after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding, he can now admit that the wedding was “miserable” for him.

“The day was a miserable day,” Edwards told the interviewer. “I can tell you now it was the worst royal wedding I ever did. Because Harry was determined to keep the newspapers away from it as much as possible.”

The couple’s wedding took place in 2018 at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, where Edwards noted that all of the photos had to be taken at a distance, which didn’t allow for the best conditions to work with.

“Everything was done on long lenses. I had 800 millimeter lens photographing the guests arriving. The photographers they engaged for the job was five feet away. It was just hopeless,” he said.

Even the iconic shot of the couple leaving the wedding in their carriage didn’t work out from a camera and photography perspective. “And then the carriage shot where they went past me in the carriage they looked the other way,” he recalled. “So for me, it was a disaster.”

The interviewer went on to ask Edwards if some of these hindrances were done on purpose, saying: “Was that deliberate? You were made to feel unwelcome?”

“I felt so,” Edwards replied. “It wasn’t just me. It was the whole of the British press, in many ways were badly treated.”

The Independent has contacted a representative for the Sussexes for comment.

Prior to her royal wedding, Meghan was previously married to film producer Trevor Engleson from 2011 to 2014. Leading up to the wedding, many were curious about who would be designing the Suits actress’s dress.

“I had a very clear vision of what I wanted for the day, and what I wanted the dress to look like, and so what was amazing in working with Clare is that sometimes you’ll find designers try to push you in a different direction,” Meghan said about the dress designed by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy in her Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, released in December 2022. “But she just completely respected what I wanted to see for the day, and she wanted to bring that to life for me.”

“So I knew at the onset I wanted a bateau neckline, I wanted a cropped sleeve, I wanted a very timeless, classic feeling,” she said. “Obviously with respect to the environment we were in and St George’s Chapel, being really modest in what it would look like, I knew that the tailoring was so key, because the dress itself would be so covered up.”

The gown ended up being designed in an off-shoulder style. Recently, it was revealed that the late Queen Elizabeth II didn’t approve of the dress at the time. According to royal biographer Ingrid Seward, the late monarch thought it was “too white” for a woman getting married for the second time.

“In the monarch’s view, it was not appropriate for a divorcée getting remarried in church to look quite so flamboyantly virginal,” Seward wrote in an extract of the book obtained by the Daily Mail.

“Their bodies turn a beautiful brownish-pink. It’s really pretty,” said Amy Parsons, a water bird biologist at the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO).

While many birds molt at various life stages, the avocets’s color change is a dramatic example.

“In the fall and winter, their heads are a dull gray, and they don’t really stand out,” Pourahmad said. “But starting about [mid-March] and lasting until mid-summer, their heads turn a vibrant orange, making them look really cool.”

The avocet mating ritual, often described as a dance, features the pair moving in unison with their bills intertwined after mating. “Their bills cross to look like a kiss,” Pourahmad said.

“It’s one of my favorite shots of the year,” Pourahmad said. “The Bay Area is full of amazing sights.”

If you want to spot these spectacular shorebirds for yourself, Pourahmad recommends locations like:

“A lot of people in the San Francisco Bay don’t realize the rich, beautiful environment we have,” Parsons said.

“You hear about old salt evaporation ponds and think they’re uninspiring, but they’re part of a vibrant ecosystem with many species passing through year-round.”

For a guide to birding in the Bay Area for beginners, check out KQED’s guide from 2020.

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A wide-angle lens has the unique ability to capture an entire scene in one frame. But, working with these optics can be a challenge, particularly when photographing people. The distortions caused by wide-angle lenses require some problem solving. In this week’s Photos of the Week, find inspiration in these wide shots from Jim Caryl, Jane Iskra, Brynne Ferenczy, and Abi Neda Riley.

Jim Caryl, The Caryls Photography

Jim Caryl of The Caryls Photography prefers his 85mm and 105mm, as wide-angle lenses can sometimes flatten the mountainous landscapes in Scotland. But when he spotted this giant rainbow while the couple was headed to dinner, he immediately pulled over. The couple ran out across the moorland and Caryl used his Leica Q2 with its fixed Summilux 28mm f1.7 ASPH in order to fit the entire rainbow within the frame.

“We work mainly in mountainous landscapes in Scotland, where using wide-angle lenses can tend to flatten the landscape a little, especially if you’re a mile or so away from the nearest hill,” Caryl says. “So our go-to lenses are typically the 85mm and 105mm. This was one occasion when we needed a wide angle to allow us to fit the entire rainbow into a single frame.”

Jane Iskra, ISKRA Photography

After meeting the couple, Tony and Jane Iskra of ISKRA Photography decided to include this canyon waterfall in the Iceland elopement. The photographers knew the location would show off their personalities and connection with nature. Once they arrived, the couple’s emotion and connection let this shot unfold naturally. Jane Iskra captured this shot with the Canon 5D Mark IV and the Canon 24mm f1.4 II lens.

“We shoot wide lenses pretty often, as many locations require them to show the scale,” she explains. “We try not to shoot people from a low perspective because of distortion. We place models and main objects mainly in the center of the frame for the same reason. You just need to be extra careful when shooting people with wide lenses.”

Brynne Ferenczy, Brynne Photo

Photographer Brynne Ferenczy of Brynne Photo typically shoots lifestyle portraiture, but after pushing herself to learn astrophotography, the genre is a new favorite that she incorporates into her work often. This shot taken with a wide-angle lens showcases a quiet moment between the couple as they look up at the stars. Ferenczy captured the shot with the Canon R6 Mark II and the Sigma 35mm f1.4 Art lens.

“I love the wide angle perspective because it allows you to feel like you’re really a part of the scene,” she says. “I watch for distortion by keeping my subjects away from the edges of the lens unless it’s done intentionally to create leading lines.” 

Abi Neda Riley, Abi Riley Photography

The wide angle perspective in this shot by Abi Neda Riley of Abi Riley Photography allow the lines and texture of the sand to draw the eye to the couple at the center of the frame. The starburst effect on the reflected sun, created by shooting at a narrower f10 aperture, further highlights the couple. Riley explains that because she’s a local and has photographed several weddings at the location, she knew the couple would be able to get the sunset images they requested at Watergate Bay. She captured the shot with the Nikon D750 and Sigma 24mm f1.4 lens.

“I took and delivered several images with a similar composition, but this one I loved the most, and so did the couple,” she says. “One of the challenges of working with a wide-angle lens is balancing light, which is done in post processing by adding local adjustments. In this photo, the skies were very dramatic, but I had also added a linear gradient to accentuate the dramatic clouds.” 

Dig into our Photo of the Day archives for even more timeless photos, eye-catching wedding photos and portraits. Submit your wedding, editorial, documentary and other interesting imagery (up to 5 images at a time) to: hillary.grigonis@emeraldx.com.

As a thank you to our readers, we’re pleased to offer you a Rangefinder exclusive discount code to get 25% off The Portrait Masters course below. Use the code RF25 at check out to redeem. This code cannot be used in combination with other sales.

Photographing Couples In Love by Kristina Wikle

Skylum recently announced Project “Barcelona,” a new desktop application specifically for professional portrait retouching.

Recognizing the increasing demand for time-saving tools in portrait photography that would enable professional and semi-professional photographers to focus on creative growth and client engagement, Skylum is collaborating with renowned portrait photographer Julia Trotti to develop this specialized software solution.

Set for release in September 2024, Project “Barcelona” will empower photographers by automating routine face retouching processes through an efficient, AI-optimized workflow that runs locally on the user’s device, making it as easy as applying presets. With the added advantage of precise and adjustable masking tools, it provides enhanced control and accuracy for perfect results every time. This, in turn, will allow portrait photographers to balance the time-intensive task of photo retouching with shooting and growing their photography business.

Designed with the specific needs of portrait photographers in mind, the new app’s key features include:

• Skin Toning:  Make subtle changes to the skin tone of specific areas thanks to an accurate facial skin segmentation model; remove the red hue or unify the overall color. On top of that, the new app’s state-of-the-art face mesh model provides unique makeup correction capabilities, allowing the application of extra textures like blush, highlight, and contour, and changing the color of lips, brows, and other elements.
• Eye Enhancement:  Add iris flare, remove redness, and adjust eye shape with a comprehensive suite of tools to perfect a subject’s eyes in portraits.
• Teeth Whitening: Ensure radiant smiles with advanced teeth whitening and brightening capabilities.
• Makeup Application: Enjoy customizable options for creative makeup styles and colors to compliment any complexion, clothing, or backdrop.
• Bokeh Effects: Create stunning depth-of-field effects with the bokeh feature, adding dimension and allure to portraits.
• Body Enhancement: Adjust bodily proportions to correct posture and account for unflattering angles, making sure portraits capture subjects in their best light.

“In the development of Project “Barcelona” (public name to be announced soon), we’re working closely with acclaimed photographer Julia Trotti to infuse our software with professional insights that meet the specific needs of portrait photographers everywhere,Just as Luminar Neo provides convenient editing solutions for a broad set of photography challenges, this new app uses cutting-edge AI technology to help portrait photographers achieve top-quality retouching and inspire them with new creative possibilities.”

~ Ivan Kutanin, CEO of Skylum.

Early bird offer starts June 25, 2024. Find out more on Skylum’s website and sign up for the waiting list for early access.