The Upper Cape Camera Club’s April photography exhibit is on display at the Mashpee Public Library through April 30. There are 83 photographs on view by 32 active amateur and professional photographers who are members of the club. Many of the photographs are for sale.
A reception for the exhibit will be held on Thursday, April 11, from 5 to 7 PM. There will be refreshments, socializing with the photographers and membership information available. All are welcome.
The Port of Baltimore has had some notable events, including the Ever Forward grounding in 2020, the acquisition of massive cranes that allow larger ships to enter the Port, and—eclipsing the rest—the Key Bridge collapse less than two weeks ago. Bay photographer Mark Hergan has documented the port’s historic events and everyday commerce alike.
When the container ship Ever Forward ran aground just outside the Patapsco River on its way out of port, Hergan was one of the first photographers on site to document the entire process. From the first day of uncertainty to the final ungrounding, Hergan was tracing the event for the public. His unique style highlights the people behind the image. From crews working on tugboats and the Coastguard members who maintain a perimeter, Hergan captures the people who work to resolve the situation.
“The port is interesting because there is always something different going on—new ships, tugs doing various tasks, and something new every day,” he tells us.
In March, when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being struck by the container ship Dali, Hergan was on the water documenting the tragic event. Each day, his photographs update the public on the progress and portray a story that helps people understand the workings of the port. More importantly, Hergan captures the humanity of the situation.
Hergan uses his 18-foot Scout center console as his photography vessel. He says, “It’s the perfect boat for me because it has a low freeboard that allows me to get low to the water for the perfect shot.” Kept on Bear Creek, Hergan has easy access to the Port of Baltimore and all its inner workings.
Hergan is an avid sailor and currently owns a Tripp 33 named Zombie which he races on Tuesday nights with the Baltimore City Yacht Association. One of the more interesting fleets he participates in and documents is the Log Canoe Fleet on the Eastern Shore. He regularly sails on Mystery, a 1932 log canoe out of the Chester River, and has published a book of his photography showcasing the beauty and uniqueness of this historic fleet.
When Hergan began his photography career, he liked shooting traditional Chesapeake Deadrise workboats. This led him to name his business Deadrise Marine Photography
Hergan publishes many of his photos in boating magazines up and down the Chesapeake, including Chesapeake Bay Magazine. Last year, he spent 111 days on the Bay as part of Spinsheet‘s Century Club and says he hopes to surpass that goal this year.
Hergan’s photography of the Bay serves as a valuable historical reference. His documentation of the Port of Baltimore and the hard-working men and women who keep it running smoothly are vital news sources that will tell stories for generations. His photos engage his viewership with the human side of an industrial port and remind us of the beauty of every aspect of the Chesapeake Bay.
You can follow Hergan’s work on social media at Deadrise Marine Photography or on his website at deadrisemarinephoto.com.
For nearly three decades at the Wichita Eagle, Fernando Salazar shot photos that captured the day’s news. Five years after leaving the paper, Salazar has a new focus: using his camera to express himself. Torin Andersen has more for this month’s ArtWorks.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
“I wasn’t working anymore,” Salazaar says. “It was…just take the camera. Makes me look harder, makes me pay attention. Be here now.”
“A lot of times I’d be driving, and, well, I think there was something there, drive around the block, get out of the car, look around, check the angles. But usually, it’s just quick inspiration when it hits me. It’s like, I just see something and you always have your phone with ya, so that, now there’s no excuse.”
Salazar now enjoys being more present with his camera. Photographing for the paper was his job for 25 years at the Wichita Eagle.
“I used to see the stuff before when I worked for the paper, but I didn’t stop because it wasn’t like it could have been used at the paper,” he says. “You know, we always had to have a person in the picture, doing something. Now it could just be a landscape. Now it could just be a beautiful sunset.“
While working at the paper Salazar didn’t have to look far for work inspiration.
“As far as photojournalism goes, I don’t think anybody beats Wichita’s Eugene Smith, and I find it weird that I ended up here, not living too far from where his house is here on North River Boulevard.“
Torin Andersen
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KMUW
Now Salazar is broadening his inspirational outlook.
“Maybe I’m just watching a lot of other photographers work these days, which I didn’t do a lot when I worked at the paper. Seemed like I didn’t have the time for it. But now I have the time for it.”
Photography is often seen as a moment and not a mood. Salazar feels differently now.
“Shoot what you feel. Not what you see. Exactly.”
“I started liking abstract photography,” Salazar says. “I just shot that like coming out of my driveway.”
Salazar shows me an image on his camera. A jumbled mess of dingy and glistening brown flash across the screen. On closer inspection, a pile of wet and rotting leaves are revealed.
“Just the patterns of the leaves. You know, I think it could be cool, right?”
Salazar feels a lot of his images are realized through editing after the camera captures the raw image.
“You go back to it a couple of days later, or months later, you’ll probably edit that picture completely different.”
Salazar defends his editing technique by expressing that world famous landscape photographer, Ansel Adams, already has an image in mind before snapping his shutter.
“So he sees the image already done before – before he even takes the picture. So he knows what he wants to get out of it.”
And like Adams, Salazar keeps returning to his preferred natural location.
“That one river that I love that I love going to that Nims Street Bridge over there,” he says. “And the sunsets I captured from that, you know, with the little island there, in the sunsets I’ve captured from that little bridge, have just been amazing. Like pick my favorite spots around here.”
NEWBERRY, Fla. (WCJB) – A photographer from Newberry has been sentenced for possession of child porn of children between 6 and 10 years old.
Patrick Michael Perkins, 35, was found guilty on 38 counts. He was sentenced to more than 40 years in prison.
In January of last year, we reported on Perkin’s arrest after a months-long investigation.
Alachua county sheriff’s deputies say child porn pictures and videos were stored on Google accounts linked to him.
TRENDING: ‘Extremely active’ Atlantic hurricane season expected, forecasters say
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The box arrived at our office with nothing more than a “fragile” sticker to betray the remarkable product within. But once I cracked the tape and pulled aside some hastily packed bubble wrap, there it was. Glinting silver and black in the dim office light was a geometric, no-nonsense shape. Emblazoned with a red dot front and center, and the script letters — Leica.
My hands cradled the camera, a fabulously powerful Leica M11, as I lifted it instinctually to my eye. Instantly, it transported me back in time. I rocked the focus lever and watched the split-image focus come into sharp relief on a vertical line on a wall. And it all came flooding back — a passion for photography in my youth washed away in the same digital tidal wave that swept away so many print publications.
This world-class, modern digital camera, compatible with old lenses from my film career, breathed life into a love I thought was long gone.
I started working in photography professionally in 1995. It was just a student newspaper. However, the Minnesota Daily at the University of Minnesota had a decent darkroom, talented staff, and enough legendary alumni to light my fire as a cub reporter and photographer.
In this first job, I would gather two or three assignments written longhand on a paper template each day. Then, I’d bike to the event, like a speech, protest, or sporting contest, shoot photos, sprint back to the newsroom, and process the film in nearly complete darkness.
The editor and I would sleeve the negatives and quickly view them on a light table, pick one or two for the paper, and scan them into a newfangled “computer” for layout.
I was living a dream I’d had since I first picked up photography seriously in ninth grade. I imagined photographing historical events and traveling the world while pouring over National Geographic magazines. Then made it to college, and it was real. I was in a working darkroom.
I could have never guessed in a million years, but it was the end of an era.
Over the next decade, I watched newsrooms die just as my career launched. I was laid off from my first job as a “stringer,” or freelancer, at the Pioneer Press before I even landed my first staff role. The company had just invested in its first digital cameras.
The Nikon D1 cost $5,000 and had a 2.7-megapixel sensor. For context, your iPhone 15’s camera has 48 megapixels. With the D1, a single photographer could do the work of four film photographers.
Fate saw me land a job at a great little newspaper in the Virgin Islands. I worked there for 10 years and watched the staff size shrink from a couple dozen reporters and photographers in 2001 to a half-dozen when I quit in 2011. When I left the newspaper as its chief photographer (and, now wearing all sorts of hats, its news/sports/lifestyle reporter), I thought photography was dead.
I lucked into a gig with GearJunkie, where I freelanced for a while before coming on board full-time in 2012. And the rest, they say, is history.
Somewhere during this tumultuous career, I’d lost my love of photography. I had become jaded with a career I saw as unsustainable. I no longer chased the light or found the joy of a perfectly captured decisive moment.
And, I never even realized it was gone until a couple of weeks ago, when the iconic camera brand loaned me, arguably, the best rangefinder camera ever made, the Leica M11.
The silver box sat on the floor next to the bed. It had a pearl gray handle, a lock code on top, two heavy latches, and a thick coat of brownish dust. Inside, one of my most cherished possessions was a Leica M4-2, two lenses, and a film winder. My father, who was also once a professional photographer, gave them to me as a college graduation present in the ’90s. I had used it on many of my first paying gigs through the late ’90s.
Then it had sat unopened from about 2001 until last month.
You see, the M11 demo would come with just a single lens. But my old lenses, built in the 1970s, would work on the M11. While they may not be able to resolve as well as modern lenses on the wildly detailed 60.3-megapixel sensor, for me, this would be an opportunity to revisit some tools I hadn’t touched in decades.
And in dusting off the box, I awoke from a stupor in which photography was bland, normal, and ubiquitous. One day, I was a slave to screens and the unending parade of Instagram reels. The next, I revisited classic artists and critiqued my own work in new ways.
In short, I had rediscovered a passion for photography.
This is not exactly a review of the Leica M11. Well, not a review in the sense of providing a pile of comparison images, specs, and zoomed details. No, I’ll let the photo tech blogs chase that rainbow.
I’m here to talk about the reality of the M11. It’s a fantastic and fantastically expensive modern digital viewfinder camera. And it inspires a kind of use that makes my buried synapses fire in ways no DSLR has done in a decade or more.
With the M11, you must focus on the single shot. Sure, it has a 4.5 frames-per-second mode that can capture images faster than my old film Leica. But that’s not how to use a rangefinder camera. No, you move slowly, like a hunter awaiting that perfect moment to pounce on a photo. Pre-focus on the space, wait for the moment, and then with a single press, you lock that instant immortal.
It’s an enthusiast’s camera in that way. As a working pro, I had used the Leica M4-2 only on a handful of shoots, mostly when the weather was so cold in Minnesota that my Nikon F camera batteries tended to die too fast. The Leica, a purely mechanical tool, always worked. But it was rarely the ideal camera for fast-moving news or action.
Nor is the M11. While meticulously crafted, and with an efficient user interface, it still moves slowly. And I think that fact is what rekindled my imagination, which for years was blunted by the “more, faster, now” mentality of the news industry.
As I said, this isn’t a deep review. But this is GearJunkie, after all, so I’ll share my impressions of the camera for those who may be considering the significant investment.
The M11 represents the pinnacle of modern digital viewfinder cameras. It is the nicest camera I’ve used, and I have used many. I’m not impressed with price tags — they come with the territory of professional camera gear. For the record, this bad boy costs $9,000 for the body alone.
The M11 hit differently than, say, top-tier Sony or Nikon kits. Those say, “I’m here for business.” While entirely capable of shooting professional work, the Leica still screams, “This is for pleasure.”
The interface, for example, is meant for customization. Things like the rear selector knob, which is easily configurable for each photographer’s preferences, make menu selections breezy. The familiar view through the rangefinder gives a broad view of any scene, like a painter holding their hands up as a frame. It begs for creative composition.
And then, of course, is the build quality. Nothing compares with the feeling of a Leica in the hand. Heavy, robust, and industrial, the camera feels like it’s milled from pure metal — which it is, aluminum in this case.
The week or two I spent with the M11 blew me away: battery life, ergonomics, dynamic range, and menu clarity, among other technical details, were simply fantastic.
And then was the ability to use my own old lenses. Built in the 1970s, the Summilux 35mm and Summicron 90mm lenses worked, as I expected, flawlessly on the modern body.
More than once, I remarked on the joy of using a Leica but not having to wait to process the film to see the results.
I snapped pictures of friends and family and shot landscapes. I experimented with depth of field and shutter speeds. Many photos failed miserably.
Basically, I was shooting photos for the joy of it. I had rediscovered a passion that had faded from years of hard use and abuse. Photography, I remembered, could be fun.
So now, the ultimate question: Will I pony up a vast sum of money to buy a Leica M11? In short, no. As much as I enjoyed my week in the land of luxury, it’s not a realistic investment for me, at least not now.
But will I consider a less expensive, older digital body from Leica? That question is more complex. There are quite a few on the market that are, while not cheap, also not as prohibitively expensive. While it is not the most practical investment for someone who still shoots a lot of photos professionally, the idea of strapping my old-school lenses on a modern body for street festivals, wedding celebrations, or to carry in a backpack for wilderness excursions is tempting.
I doubt the Leica will ever become my go-to working camera. The world of pro photography is just too fast-paced, and the world of outdoor sports photography is too rough and dangerous.
But today, I’m re-inspired. And there’s an M4-2 in a dusty case that needs cleaning. And I think inside, there’s a half-shot roll of film with who-knows-what photos from decades ago, undeveloped. It might be time to buy a few hours in a dark room and go back to a slower time, if just for a reminder as to why photography can still be magic.
The work and legacy of photographer Anja Niedringhaus endure 10 years after her death | Georgia Public Broadcasting
You don’t need a fancy, high-end camera to snap masterful photos. The winners of the 13th annual Mobile Photography Awards highlight the boundless potential of phones and tablets as sophisticated imaging tools that have democratized fine-art photography.
“If it’s true what legendary street photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson says, that our first 10,000 photos will be our worst, then it’s safe to say that mobile phone photography has given people an historic opportunity to get past 10,001,” the competition says on its website. “The MPA is a showcase for photographers and artists who have embraced this decisive moment.”
The juried awards, started in 2011, are the longest-running international competition open exclusively to photographs entirely shot and edited on mobile phones and tablets. The contest is open to phone photographers worldwide, with 7,000 images from more than 80 countries submitted for the latest round, and winners announced Wednesday.
Yajun Hu, a systems engineer from Shanghai, China, won grand prize for his captivating portfolio of street shots that harness the interplay of light, shadows, colors and silhouettes to capture the spontaneity of urban life.
“What attracts me to street photography is the uncertainty of what I will find,” Hu said in an artist’s statement. The photographer, who shot the winning images with a Xiaomi Ultra 13, first started snapping street scenes in 2015.
“Now, street photography has become a major part of my life and a deeper way for me to observe my city,” said Hu, who was also named MPA photographer of the year and won a $3,000 cash prize for the honor.
This year’s grand prize winner Yajun Hu appreciates street photography for its constant surprises.
Yajun Hu
Images shot and edited on any mobile phone or tablet are eligible for entry to the contest. The 12 categories include portraits and self-portraits; landscape and wildlife; architecture and still life; and one digital art that allows for the use of AI.
“We see AI not just as a ‘trick,’ but a part of the creative artist’s toolbox,” MPA founder Daniel Berman said over email. “For our other categories we use both forensic and publicly available information to validate photos. We also ask entrants to submit untouched originals with metadata if we have a concern.”
Berman says the contest aims to amplify the power and potential of mobile photography. “The evolution of mobile photography,” Berman said, “has been nothing short of remarkable.”
You can see the winner of that and other categories below, and view all winners and honorable mentions here. The MPA is accepting entries for its 2024 contest through December 17.
“The Void” by Wei Wei won in the architecture and still life category.
Wei Wei
Grand prize winner Yajun Hu also took first place in the black and white category for “Broken … [+]
Yajun Hu
“Golden Mountains” by Di Lu looks like something Ansel Adams could have shot.
Di Lu
Hollyn Johnson’s “Beyond the Green” gets up close with an insect.
Hollyn Johnson
“Cadet Obstacle Course,” shot on an iPhone XR, captures a vibrant moment in time.
Elliot Fergusan
Queenie Cheen shot “The Violinist Returning Home at Night” with a Vivo X90 ProPlus smartphone.
Queenie Cheen
It’s easy to see why Roy Pan calls this winner of the silhouettes category “Tetris.”
Roy Pan
Chang Nianzu shot this vibrant shot, called “Playground,” with a Xiaomi 13 Pro.
Chang Nianzu
Wai Ying Kwok captured the moody “Light Up” with a Samsung Galaxy S23.
Wai Ying Kwok
In Yuepeng Bao’s “Wonder Kelingking Beach,” shows why the Indonesian site is such as popular … [+]
Yuepeng Bao
One category in this year’s contest encouraged the use of AI. Melissa Johnston took “Forge” on an … [+]
Melissa Johnston
“The Falls” by Ryan Cardone shows the immense potential of phones in nature photography.
Ryan Cardone
LEXINGTON, Mass. — The historic Depot in Lexington Center was filled to capacity on February 9 as the Lowell Lousintak Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Chapter hosted “Forced Out: Refugees from Artsakh in Armenia,” by Winslow Martin. It was a heartfelt evening of storytelling, photography, music, and poetry – all to benefit the displaced Armenians of Artsakh.
Before the official program began, guests were greeted by Martin during the cocktail reception, which set the tone for the evening, along with music provided by Datev Gevorkian on oud. Lowell Lousintak ARS Chair and Master of Ceremonies Sona Gevorkian talked about the mission of the ARS and the accomplishments of the Lowell chapter, which is one of the oldest chapters in the US, dating back to 1915.
Easing into Martin’s photo presentation, Teni Apelian, of the acapella trio, Zulal, accompanied by Datev Gevorkian on oud, sang a touching rendition of Sareree Hoveen Mernem. This set the stage for Martin to captivate his audience with his amazing storytelling skills, photographs and his unwavering love for the Armenian people over the past 25 years. As a documentarian, Martin’s photographs were brought to life with stories of survival, sorrow, and hope of the people of Artsakh. His highlights were not only from the recent evacuation of 120,000 Armenians from Artsakh, but also from the war of 2020 and the relationships he made with the people of Artsakh and Armenia.
A poetry reading of “Akh Eem Artsakh, Akh Mer Artsakh” written by Varak Ghazarian, a diasporan Armenian from Los Angeles, who is currently living and studying in Armenia, was recited by Shakeh Dagdigan (Armenian) and Zarouhi Minassian Suggs (English). The poem was written days after the surrender in September of 2023 to express Ghazarian’s personal emotions of the loss of Artsakh.
Martin ended the evening with a final slide representing the ARS and all its work. In his own words, Martin is a self-proclaimed “Armenian by choice.” His most notable accomplishment to date was in the summer of 2023 when he compiled more than 140 of his photographs and had an exhibit at the National History Museum in Yerevan, depicting the daily lives of Armenians. He is the first living, solo artist, and non-Armenian to have the honor of a retrospective exhibition at the legendary History Museum of Armenia.
The chapter donated all the proceeds to the displaced families of Artsakh.
On April 8th, North America will witness a total solar eclipse. Within the 115-mile wide path of totality, observers will experience a brief period when darkness envelops the surroundings, momentarily dimming what would typically be a sunny afternoon as the moon completely obscures the sun. This occurrence is rare and won’t be replicated under similar circumstances for another two decades.
Jasper, Indiana, lies within the path of totality, and for the last two years, my friends and I have been organising a trip there to witness the eclipse.Being the designated photographer among my friends, the responsibility to document the event falls on my shoulders. Fortunately, working at Google grants me access to some remarkable photography professionals. Meet Michael Specht, a Pixel Camera product manager who discovered his passion for photography in high school while developing film for the first time. Today, he’s an expert in image quality, focusing on the development of Pixel cameras.
Following my conversation with Michael, here’s a comprehensive list of his recommendations for photographing the eclipse using your Pixel phone. (And don’t fret—even if you won’t be within the path of totality next week, you can still apply Michael’s tips for capturing the partial eclipse.)
Also read | Solar Eclipse April 8, 2024: What are the best techniques of viewing solar eclipse
When embarking on a journey to witness the path of totality, Michael suggests bringing along a few essential items. Firstly, ensure you have a camera, such as my reliable Pixel 8 Pro, renowned for its outstanding camera capabilities and robust telephoto lens. Additionally, don’t overlook the importance of packing a charger and perhaps even an extra battery pack. “It’s beneficial not to find yourself in a state of panic when deciding whether to keep your camera active or conserve phone battery,” Michael advises. Lastly, remember to include solar filters in your gear to safely observe and photograph the sun before totality. (And a gentle reminder: Avoid direct sunlight, especially crucial during the prolonged phases of partial eclipse surrounding the brief period of totality.)
“The first time you use your phone’s camera shouldn’t coincide with the day you intend to capture your image,” advises Michael. “We live in the digital era, so experimenting with various settings doesn’t come at a cost! Use your tools, experiment with them, and get acquainted with them.” Michael recommends practising photography at different times of the day to simulate the transition into darkness that occurs during a total eclipse. He suggests exploring the Pro Controls of my Pixel 8 Pro camera—adjusting settings such as ISO, exposure time, focus, brightness, and shutter speed.
Regarding focus settings, capturing the sun can pose a challenge for any camera. Try tapping where different elements intersect within the frame, such as the meeting point of the sky and the sun’s edge, to achieve optimal focus. Once achieved, you can tap and hold the screen to lock the focus. If tapping proves ineffective, you have the option to manually adjust the slider in Pro Controls.
Remember, there’s no single magic setting to guarantee the perfect image every time. Much of it involves trial and error, as well as adapting in real-time to changing conditions.
To minimise the chance of unintended shakes, consider bringing a tripod (and don’t overlook a Pixel mount for securing your phone to it!). However, if your luggage is already packed to the brim, there are a couple of methods to stabilise your phone while holding it. For Pixel Watch users, for instance, you can remotely operate your phone using the Google Camera app on your watch. Alternatively, within the Camera app, tap the photo settings button located at the bottom left corner of your phone screen and activate a timer, allowing the shutter to release automatically after 3 or 10 seconds. Another technique is to practise applying a gentle, light thumb press beforehand—the on-screen Shutter button doesn’t require much pressure to capture an image.
The Pixel 8 camera boasts remarkable automatic features, so it’s perfectly fine to begin with all settings on auto and make adjustments as necessary. As the eclipse progresses and the sky gradually darkens due to the moon’s passage in front of the sun, the Pixel phone’s automatic settings can adapt accordingly. The screen brightness adjusts automatically based on ambient lighting conditions, and Night Sight activates automatically if the lighting reaches a certain threshold.
If you prefer to experiment with the settings yourself, this is the opportune moment to utilize your familiarity with Pro Controls and other camera settings on the Pixel 8 Pro. However, while Pixel phones are capable of astrophotography, Michael advises against using it for capturing the total eclipse, as exposure times can sometimes extend up to 4 minutes—totality is expected to last around or less than 4 minutes in total, depending on the location, and you wouldn’t want to spend the entire duration on just one photo!
Experiment with various photo compositions. Instead of positioning the eclipse directly in the centre of your photo, consider using the grid tool available in the camera app to adhere to the “rule of thirds” in photography. To do this, activate the grid feature in the Pixel camera app by accessing the Settings button located in the bottom left corner. Then, try positioning the eclipse at a point where the grid lines intersect.
Photographing the eclipse isn’t limited to capturing images of the sky alone; it can also involve documenting the experience with those you’re sharing it with. Last year, Google introduced Best Take, a feature on Google Photos that enables users to curate the perfect group photo. Michael suggested an amusing twist by selecting everyone’s least flattering takes. To use this feature, simply access Google Photos after capturing several shots in quick succession, choose Best Take from the editing tools, and then select each individual’s face to view their best (or worst) moments.
Lastly, don’t forget to gaze upward (while wearing eye protection) and cherish the moment! “We often spend our time viewing life through a camera lens — so while it’s important to capture images, take a moment to appreciate the experience firsthand!” Michael emphasises. Solar eclipses are rare occurrences, and it’s not just the photographs that can be perfectly captured during these events; it’s also the memories.
