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Whispers of Freedom by Maria Marriott

Photographer Maria Marriott with her artwork, Tango

Windswept I by Maria Marriott. A powerful bay wild stallion from the McCullough Peaks, WY, tangled mane blowing in the wind.

Traveling the most remote regions of the Western states Maria Marriott documents wild horses, using her photography to highlight their beauty and conservation

ROSEVILLE, CA, UNITED STATES, May 11, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Brazilian-born photographer Maria Marriott has made it her passion project to photograph America’s wild mustangs across the Western United States. This project has taken her into some of the most remote regions of the United States to follow and document mustangs in the wild.

Marriott’s photography and story were recently featured in Neoque Magazine, an Italian e-magazine focused on exploring and amplifying the voices of female artists.

Neoque recognizes leading female artists in an attempt to expand the ideals of what it means to be a woman in the arts, recognizing the “complex, dynamic, elegant and sophisticated personalities” of these creators. “The specificity of being a woman is broader than the traditional concepts of grace, gentleness or tenderness.”

Neoque was founded to create “a space where [women] can feel represented, where they can feel culturally and artistically enriched. NEOQUE is aimed at women who want to emerge in their own complexity.”

Joining several other female artists, Marriott showcased some of her new artworks, including the “Whispers of Freedom” image from her photographic series McCullough Peaks Wild Horses.

Of her feature in Neoque Magazine, Marriott says, “When the Editor of NEOQUE, Paola Ghidotti, reached out a few weeks ago with the intent to publish an editorial about me and my wild horse photography, I was honored, but not sure at first as I wasn’t familiar with the magazine. Upon browsing the publication, I was blown away and humbled by the many talented artists, such creative minds and incredible work.”

According to the publishers of Neoque, “There is a growing need to represent the new facets of femininity in a way that reflects the active identity choices of contemporary women. It is not purely about aesthetics: this is something that exists as substantial value.”

Marriott’s work documenting the American mustangs is rooted in her desire to bring attention not only to their beauty, but also their current situation. Each year, tens of thousands of mustangs are rounded up from the Western states and are placed into crowded holding facilities where many die or are injured. According to Marriott, “this is an unsustainable situation, but it doesn’t have to be this way.”

She says, “Wild horses are so intertwined with the American story, and have become closely associated with the traits we value in the American identity. This desire for freedom, the determination and persistence, the sheer grit – these are the things that have helped make this country great, and are embodied by the mustangs.”

Through intimate and minimal compositions, Marriott tells visual stories of the beauty and mystery of the wild. Her emotional images give viewers a window into a world that most do not know exists, using her art as a powerful form of advocacy for the wild horses.

Maria Marriott’s growing body of work, both wild horse art and equine portraits, has previously been recognized internationally at the Prix De La Photography Paris, the Budapest International Photo Awards, the Tokyo International Foto Awards, the Black & White Spider Awards, and in several other international forums. She was recently recognized as a leading female photographer by YJ Contemporary Gallery in Rhode Island in the Women Behind the Lens series.

Her work has been showcased in various publications, including Cowboys & Indians, Calling All Horse Girls, 65 Degrees Carmel By The Sea, and other equestrian magazines in the U.S. and Australia.

Marriott’s hope is that her “work will help others feel a strong emotional connection to the American mustangs and the importance they have played in our nation’s history. Ultimately, this is what will help the most in efforts to preserve their freedom.”

About Maria Marriott

Maria Marriott is an award-winning equine photographer based in California and Nevada, best known for several wild horse photography series. Her project following and photographing wild mustangs across the Western states has allowed her a platform to bring attention to the pressing issues faced by the American wild horses. She works with several nonprofit organizations committed to the preservation and safety of mustangs and equine therapy.

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Maria Marriott Photography
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In a wonderfully summery fusion, world-renowned botanical photography and art will be brought together at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Show at the Saatchi Gallery in London, England. 

Open from June 14 to July 07, the exhibit will feature a range of subjects from medical desert flowers to ornamental bananas, forest slime molds to urban street plants. 

Showcasing the work of 18 leading global botanical photographers and 23 artists, and the participants represent a range of countries including but not limited to the USA, UK, Italy, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Japan, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, and Taiwan. 

As well as welcoming back previous medal winners, more than half of the show will also include artists exhibiting their work for the very first time. 

This year the show will cover a diverse range of subjects, topics and themes, including the impact of climate change and extreme weather conditions on native species such as Sarracenia oreophila var ornata in the USA, Australia’s Banksia serrata, and the endangered Aster danyangensis of Korea.

“We are seeing artists and photographers not only demonstrate incredible technical skill in capturing their chosen subjects but a greater emphasis on the retelling of that plant’s story,” says Charlotte Brooks, art curator at the RHS. 

“Whether it be the external factors influencing it such as climate change or extreme weather conditions, contribution to the local ecosystem, or the artist’s more personal interactions with it, they include those found in the wild, our domestic gardens and even urban settings.”

All entries are reviewed prior to being selected for display by an expert judging panel, and are assessed on aesthetic appeal, scientific accuracy and technical skill. Once qualified, the artists compete for an RHS medal – gold, silver-gilt, and bronze, as well as a ‘best-in-show’ award for Best Botanical Art.

This year, for the first time ever, the public will have the opportunity to vote in the People’s Choice award for their favorite photograph or piece of art. The People’s Choice Award will run from 18:30 on June 13 until 21:30 on June 25, and winners will be announced on June 26.

Entry to the exhibition is £7 for adults, £5 for concessions, £17 for families or free for RHS and Saatchi Gallery members. For more information and to book tickets, visit the exhbition website.

If you fancy taking your own floral photos, take a look at the best cameras for macro photography along with the best macro lenses.

PolaCon NYC, a convention dedicated to all things instant film, will take place from May 17 to May 19 in Bushwick and Williamsburg.

This year’s gathering of PolaCon is being sponsored by Polaroid themselves, bringing the festivities to new heights, according to a news release. 

“We’re thrilled to partner with Polaroid to bring PolaCon back to the Big Apple and celebrate the enduring magic of instant film,” said the organizers of PolaCon NYC. “This is a space for photographers of all levels to learn, experiment, and be inspired by the unique possibilities of instant photography. Our mission is to create an inclusive, inspiring space where photographers of all backgrounds can celebrate their love for instant film and analog photography. This year, we’re adding even more opportunities for connection, learning and fun, as well as some fun surprises.”

The convention will take place at Worthless Studios and Brooklyn Film Camera. The three day instant film photography convention features photo walks, meet-ups, workshops and events. Enthusiasts can their passion, showcase their photography, swap and sell their work, and absorb wisdom from industry veterans.

Attendees can look forward to a large lineup of analog photography workshops, demos, artist talks, photo walks, scavenger hunts and panel discussions. A highlight of the event will be the “State of the Emulsion Address” where leading voices in the field will delve into instant film’s journey, its current resurgence and the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.

Tickets for PolaCon NYC are now available for $50 via the event’s official website, with special scholarships offered for students and low-income artists. The event is open to photographers of all skill levels and interests, ensuring a rich and diverse experience for all who attend.

For more details on PolaCon 2024, including the full event schedule and ticketing information, please visit brooklynfilmcamera.com/pages/polacon-nyc-2024. 

Buried in this week’s flurry of Apple announcements for the iPad Pro (2024), M4 chip and Apple Pencil Pro was some fascinating news for video shooters – an updated ‘Final Cut Pro for iPad 2’ app and an even more intriguing app, for both Apple’s tablets and the iPhone, called Final Cut Camera.

What’s particularly interesting about Final Cut Camera is that it’s designed to both work as a standalone app for shooting video, and also in tandem with that clunkily-named new Final Cut Pro editing app. When working with the latter, it introduces multi-cam capabilities when shooting video on iPads and iPhones.

Multi-cam functionality has been around for a little while now, with Blackmagic and LumaFusion paving the way for a new mobile way of filming and editing videos. This has represented a significant shift for the industry and it’s great to see Apple weighing in with their own solution. 

After using LumaFusion, I’m really looking forward to seeing how Apple’s offering compares – the app is due out “later this spring” (in other words, sometime before the end of June) and will cost $4.99 / £4.99 / AU$7.99 a month. But it’s Apple’s free app Final Cut Camera, that’s arguably more interesting – particularly as it’s separate from the iPhone’s standard Camera app.

Final Cut Camera delivers pro video controls to iPhones and iPads, letting video shooters to take control of fine-tuning settings – and also combining up to four different video feeds from those devices, live-cutting between them. 

Until now, Apple has left this kind of thing to third-party app makers – but if it can do it for video, there’s no reason it might not also do the same for photography, too.

What does Final Cut Camera do?

Through this free standalone app, which will also land “later this spring” (sometime by mid-June), it’ll be possible to adjust a whole host of pro video settings – and also sync your live video feed to an iPad running the Final Cut Pro 2 app.

Those settings include ISO, shutter speed, white balance, focus and more, to help you get professional-grade recording. The interface even lets videographers monitor incoming footage with a zebra stripe pattern tool and audio meter. Doing all this across up to four cameras would be a hassle with an iPhone – not to mention impossible without at least an M1 chip – which means a relatively recent iPad is essential for the multi-cam workflow. 

The multi-cam feature, which you get when using Final Cut Camera in tandem with the Final Cut Pro 2, instantly turns a group of Apple devices into a mini production studio. This makes it possible for any iPhone user to take ultimate control of their video capture and for more complex setups to all be controlled from a single device. 

Everything is, of course, wireless, which makes for a super straightforward setup on the ground. The seamless syncing of both video and audio also dramatically streamlines editing workflows and allows videographers to turn projects around in a fraction of the time.

What has been possible with the Blackmagic Camera App for a while is now possible with Final Cut Pro and Apple tech. 

Looking at the two apps side by side, it’s clear how similar they are in terms of functionality. Both offer manual control over the lens but Blackmagic provides a much greater level of audio data as well as an RGB histogram. 

The Final Cut Camera App follows all of Apple’s design rules, which looks great but I can’t help but feel that providing a little more data to users would have been helpful. Perhaps it’s filling a gap in between the stock Camera app and a truly pro option like the Blackmagic Camera app.

Will Apple make a pro photo app?

It’s a shame that Apple’s new Final Cut Camera app doesn’t also include photography controls or functionality. But I hope this means we’ll also see a photo-leaning equivalent of the app, maybe even around WWDC 2024.

The default Apple Camera app has been substandard, for keen shooters at least, for a long time now and many have turned to the likes of Halide for more pro control over their photos. But a free alternative would be a nice partner to the Final Cut Camera app.

Not everyone would need it – for most iPhone users, the point-and-shoot experience of the stock Camera app is fine. But being given full access to ISO and shutter speed settings, plus visualization tools like a histogram or zebra stripes are all very handy if you’re looking to shoot in raw and maximize image quality.

If Apple does decide to do something on those lines, it’d that be another app to go alongside Final Cut Camera. Final Cut has always been video-focused and Apple has been loathe to clutter its stock Camera app with new controls, even within a sub-menu. 

For now, the release of multi-cam functionality and a dedicated video camera app is a great step forward. It puts Apple on a par with LumaFusion and BlackMagic and makes for a very exciting and competitive video space on iPhones and iPads. In this area at least, the best Android phones are playing catchup.

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• Many rare  portraits are on view, including of Princess Margaret and the Queen 
• The Royal Family was keen to embrace the new art form as it became popular 

By Ian Lloyd

Published: 08:16 EDT, 11 May 2024 | Updated: 08:20 EDT, 11 May 2024

Over the past century the Royal Family has harnessed the power of photography to promote its image, from Cecil Beaton’s iconic photos of the Queen Mother taken on the eve of World War Two to Kate’s ill-fated Mother’s Day shot in March.

Later this month, more than 150 original photos – most never displayed in public before – will go on display along with written material from the Royal Archives in the newly named King’s Gallery and MailOnline has been given an exclusive preview.

Appropriately enough, the exhibition opens with a dramatic portrait of the King wearing his regalia taken on Coronation day last year by Hugo Burnand. 

The digital colour image stands alongside an intimate black and white private photo of Charles’s grandparents, Albert Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon at the time of their engagement in January 1923.

According to Alessandro Nasini, curator of Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography, ‘This is the first exhibition from the Royal Collection entirely dedicated to modern portrait photography, an artistic medium that has helped to shape how the world views the British monarchy.’

Mr Nasini chose to open the exhibition in the 1920s ‘because it was a fascinating period when technological advancement made it easier to print photographs in newspapers and magazines. British Vogue had been founded in 1916, joining Tatler and followed by Harper’s Bazaar in 1929. 

‘This was also the golden age of the society photographer.’ 

The younger royals were among the ‘Bright Young Things’ eager to be captured on camera, particularly the charismatic Prince of Wales as well as his brother George, Duke of Kent and his glamorous wife Marina, while the future George VI and Queen Elizabeth were often snapped with their daughters Elizabeth and Margaret to promote their image as the ideal family unit.

The grandest images on display are Cecil Beaton’s iconic Coronation portraits of the 27-year-old Elizabeth II. 

As the curator explains, ‘they were taken at Buckingham Palace after the ceremony against backdrop images of Westminster Abbey.’ 

‘It was at first suggested the photos could be taken in the Abbey or its precincts after the ceremony, though this was soon discounted.’

Beaton’s photos of the Queen Mother are also on display as well as a rarely seen image of Princess Margaret taken when she was 25 and an undeniable beauty. 

She is shown seated on steps at Clarence House, wearing an evening gown and holding her Sealyham Terrier, Pippin.

In a quirky contrast we have the smallest royal photograph, an image of the king’s great grandmother, Queen Mary, sitting at her writing desk. The print measuring a tiny 1.8cm x 2.2cm is normally displayed in the doll’s house named after her at Windsor Castle.

Nearby is the largest royal photo on display a dramatic 2013 image of the king, as Prince of Wales, taken by Nadav Kander, a commission for a Time Magazine cover.

Elizabeth II spent her entire life before the camera lens, and Mail Online has been given exclusive access to one of her earliest portraits which has never been seen in public before. 

Taken by society photographer Marcus Adams it was made by solarisation, a technique produced by re-exposing the photographic print to light during the development process.

This was a technique deliberately used by surrealists in the 1930s, but of course it could also have been created thanks to light accidentally entering the darkroom.

Either way the future Queen Mother was delighted with this image of her eldest daughter and Adams presented her with the gelatin silver print for her private collection.

After all the fuss over the photo-editing of the Princess of Wales’s Mother’s Day portrait, it is interesting to see how previous generations manipulated their shots. 

There is a fascinating image of the Queen and Prince Philip taken in 1958 by Antony Armstrong-Jones two years before he married Princess Margaret. 

Underneath the image of the Queen and Duke, Snowdon has added the instructions: ‘Please do not cut’, ‘Background must be kept light’ and ‘Rough Guide – I don’t think it would be very good post card size as they would be so small.’

Another exclusive is a contact sheet of images of the Queen and Princess Margaret wearing blue capelets made for the sitting, which also included the Queen Mother to mark her 80th birthday. 

The photographer, Norman Parkinson kept instructing them ‘Ma’am chin up please’ or ‘Ma’am to the side please’ until Princess Margaret chirped up: ‘Listen Parks, it’s absolutely no use you Ma’aming us like this, because we haven’t the slightest idea who you’re referring to – you see we’re all Ma’ams!’

The exhibition reveals the planning that goes into a royal photo sitting. Most of the background discussions are between the photographer and the royal private secretaries, but there is one personal memo from the late Queen, revealed for the first time.

In 2016 American photographer Annie Leibovitz was commissioned to produce some family shots of Queen Elizabeth with her dogs as well as with some of her grandchildren and great grandchildren to mark her 90th birthday.

 Both groups were to have been taken outside at Windsor but touchingly the Queen vetoed the idea of the little ones joining her on the terrace, writing that ‘if it is going to be as cold as today, you couldn’t take small children out in the garden!’

From black and white to colour, from plate-glass to digital, over the past 100 years, no artistic medium has had a greater impact on the royal image than photography.

• Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography is at  The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, 17 May – 6 October 2024

Michael Kent’s triple threat skillset

By Brighid Driscoll | May 11, 2024

Michael Kent is a Traverse City-raised photographer…and one of at least three well-known Michael Kents in TC. (His dad is also MK, as is another local photographer, which doesn’t make things confusing at all!) A friend to many, he’s made his mark with community-building efforts in the area.

“That rapid rapport, that ‘golden retriever’ or ‘camp counselor’ energy is the trick” to his ability to make friends and influence people, he says with a laugh. “Because I’m just so genuinely happy to see everybody.”

We sat down with Kent over coffee to talk about his work in TC out in the community, behind the camera, and—somewhat surprisingly—in front of the computer screen.

Looking Lens Self

For Kent, photography has always been more than just a hobby or a job.

“All of my childhood memories, if I think about them closely, are in third person,” Kent tells us over coffee. Recently, he discovered he has Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory (SDAM). “I have an inability to record memories in first person, which means that this”—he holds up his camera—“becomes really valuable.”

Kent uses photos to keep a running timeline of his life and memories. His first camera, a Sony Powershot, became an extra limb. Through middle and high school, Kent captured photos of his friends. “I always had it with me, and I took pictures of important and silly things. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I took a lot of pride in my friends having my pictures as profile pictures.” 

The photos were never formal or posed, just candid clips of their everyday world. A few semesters and photo classes at Northwestern Michigan College led him to Central Michigan University. There, he entered the fine arts program and continued taking photography classes. 

After graduating and moving home, Kent started a photography business he runs alongside spouse Brooke Allen: Allen Kent Photography. What began as a business specializing in senior portraits has grown into a mini photography empire with international reach. The duo bill their services as “emotionally honest and compassionate photography for all good humans” and have traveled around the country and the world for weddings, family portraits, and more.

Learn more about Allen Kent Photography at allen-kentphotography.com.

Creative Birthright

Another one of Kent’s efforts is Photo Club, a free, local community of photographers of all skill levels that Kent mentors.

In 2019, Kent was regularly attending photography networking events that focused on technical and business-related aspects of being a photographer. “But it was always sitting in a room and talking about it and never going out and doing it. And so one day, I said screw it, I’m going to grab a bunch of people to go out and shoot. We went to DeYoung Natural Area, and I didn’t overthink it. People were asking questions, and I could give subtle instruction, and people had a great time.”

Today, Photo Club consists of photo walks every other month, where the group meets to wander around and take photos. As few as four and more than 40 have shown up to any given event. In the alternating months, the group meets up for social events.

“[A recent] month was social, and we met at Hop Lot,” Kent says. “You don’t have to bring a camera, but you can. And we talked about photography, not photography, creativity, and all sorts of things.”

Creativity can be perceived as a precious gift only given to a few, but Kent doesn’t subscribe to this belief.

“I think it’s BS that I get to call myself creative, and my mother will say, ‘Oh, I’m just not creative like you.’ Nobody is not creative. It is our birthright as human beings to have our creativity. It’s what separates us from computers—Artificial Intelligence is not creative. I can teach you tricks for coming up with ideas, and in a year, you’ll be as creative as me.”

In addition to the photo walks and socials, Kent offers photography workshops for purchase. The workshops are held in his personal studio and are meant to provide more in-depth instruction and one-on-one time.

Learn more about Photo Club at ourphotoclub.co.

Left-Brain Learning

In building the business, Kent had to learn a few things—a lot of things—along the way. Photography, though largely artistic, also requires technical abilities. Operating a camera, editing, and storing photos are all skills a successful photographer needs. The technical aspects of the job never bothered Kent, however.

“I grew up wanting to take apart my parents’ TVs and computers because I wanted to know how they work,” he says.

That was the brainchild behind his newly launched side hustle, Help Desk Studio, where Kent exercises some of his left-brain talent as a service for entrepreneurs and small businesses. “It’s not a community—it’s not like Photo Club,” he explains. “But I want to take what I’ve done for photographers and open that up to small businesses and entrepreneurs.”

Common questions that Help Desk Studio clients ask are about archiving, backing up computers, hardware questions, SEO techniques, optimizing your Zoom setup, and more. He also has a self-directed course that teaches people how to create captivating video content and live streams.

“I’ve also built this course so that someone can just go to our website, purchase this course, and leave with the skills to know what lighting is good, so they know why a good microphone is more important than a good camera. It’s a big help for that kind of content creation.”

Learn more about Help Desk Support at ourhelpdeskstudio.com.

Pictured: A Photo Club meet up. Photo by Allen Kent Photography.

In a new and stunningly beautiful coffee table photography book, Magnum photographer David Hurn shares his experiences navigating the world of Instagram as both a photographer and a writer. 

One thing is certain in this day and age: it is almost a requirement for modern creatives to have an online presence, and social media is an effective way to gain eyes on and build a community around your art. For many, though, this doesn’t come easy, and I consider myself among them. 

In On Instagram, David Hurn shares his journey through the platform from posting photography tips to creating deeply personal observations of his experiences of the world.

Much like Instagram, this book is half photography and half text – and is a consolidation of Hurn’s posts since joining the platform in 2016. The chosen format of the book is a thing of genius: much like the platform it is based on, it is easily digestible in small packaged chunks of inspiration and provides equal weight to both Hurn’s images and his words. 

In my opinion, this is a perfect example of a coffee table book, as it enables the reader to dip in and out while getting something new and different each time. But equally, it turns the medium of social media on its head by creating longer-form content from individual posts. 

David Hurn’s career spans over 60 years, and he is part of the elite collective that is Magnum Photos. On Instagram includes images throughout this time, in addition to never-before-published photos (other than on Instagram). From the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 and capturing The Beatles in their movie A Hard Day’s Night, to a trip to the local doctor’s surgery for a check-up, all the images are captured observations of the everyday. 

Hurn’s ability to capture the daily lives of ordinary people has cemented him as one of Britain’s most celebrated documentary photographers. The theme of authenticity is woven through the book’s pages in his photographs and his words. 

“It seems to me that in whatever form of communication, be it painting, sculpture, music, dance, photography, even speech, our job is to try to communicate to others as honestly, accurately, authentically, what we saw, felt, thought, at a particular time,” he says.

David Hurn is most definitely a photographer’s photographer, and his generosity in sharing his journey and experiences in the industry provides great value. On Instagram has made me look at using the platform in a new way, and treating it more as a journal than a portfolio of work, and I am excited to start writing entries. 

On Instagram by David Hurn is published by R|A|P (Reel Art Press) and is available worldwide for $70 / £50 / AU$125. This is a beautiful, large photography book from one of the true greats!

You may also be interested in our guides to the best books on photography, the best books on street photography, and the best books for portrait photography.