James Lovick Ltd., owned by James Lovick, was the biggest ad agency in Canada through the mid-century. His prestigious company employed celebrated North Shore photographer Jack Cash, who was at one point commissioned to photograph “4 diffrent [sic] crab dishes.”

Under an account for B.C. Packers, Cash shone a spotlight on one of the final dishes – a crab salad. Sitting on a bed of lettuce are large chunks of crab meat and shredded crab, with two plump tomatoes.

As an accompaniment, whole stalks of green onion sit in a small plastic wheelbarrow, a kitschy reminder of meals gone by.

Visit the MONOVA website for more information about the history of the North Shore and to plan your visit to MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver, now open at 115 West Esplanade in The Shipyards.

Currently, MONOVA: Archives of North Vancouver, at 3203 Institute Road in Lynn Valley, is open for drop-ins on Monday and by appointment Tuesday-Friday, 12:30-4 p.m. Contact: archives@monova.ca

Navigate culture on the North Shore by using the North Shore Culture Compass.

One of the best things about walking the halls of The Photography & Video Show is discovering equipment that you might not have seen on any other occasion. This was certainly the case today when I happened upon the Aquatech stand and the Joby Seapal, an underwater housing unit for mobile photography. 

The Joby SeaPal Waterproof Case offers content creators the chance to take their workflow overboard and introduce a whole new world of underwater phone photography. The best cameraphones of today offer fantastic photographic capabilities for stills and video and have become more than viable for content creation, for those who like to take to the water for the sea, snorkel, and surf, the Joby SeaPal is a fantastic new option. 

The Joby SeaPal is the successor to the Aquatech AxisGo, featured in our guide to the best underwater housing for cameras and phones. Most underwater housing systems require model-specific cases, which requires buying a new one when updating your phone. The SeaPal was designed by Aquatech to be universal to all the latest iPhone and Samsung camera phones and simply requires switching the configuration of the inner bumpers which allows you to change the case to fit your requirements, futureproofing for your next phone update!

The underwater case provides ultimate protection with waterproof, shockproof, and dustproof housing, and the case enables access to your phone’s touchscreen features via a flexible panel, even whilst underwater. In addition, the Joby SeaPal ecosystem offers a range of incredible accessories that take the case even further.

The SeaPal Dome offers ‘crystal clear underwater photos’ and is perfect for under/over shots, the Sports Leash is much like a surfing leash and provides great security for your housing unit, and the SeaPal Shuter Grip allows further versatility with a waterproofed ergonomic design for remote triggering your mobile camera shutter, ensuring your phone becomes the ‘ultimate aquatic storyteller’.

After looking at this year’s Underwater Photographer of the Year images I felt inspired to try out the genre for myself, and the Joby SeaPal Waterproof Case will allow me to take those first steps into the water.

If you are at The Photography & Video Show this week be sure to check it out in person at Aquatech stand M500. Tickets are still available for the show either at the door or via the official website.

You may also be interested in our guides for the best waterproof camera, the best action cameras, and the best 360 cameras. 

An amazing creative playground, quite literally, is open at The Photography & Video Show – and it’s an absolute dream for creators, vloggers and selfie hunters.

One of the most popular attractions at the show – which is open now and runs until Tuesday at the NEC in Birmingham, England – the Creator Playground has a series is immersive sets, shooting spots, musical booths and dress-up spots that are perfect for unique content. 

I had a little play in the area myself yesterday – here’s a quick video tour of what you’ll find: 

You’re greeted at the entrance by Alice (of Wonderland fame) and the Queen of Hearts, before tumbling down a rabbit hole and knee deep into the land of white rabbits, Cheshire cats and psychedelic teapots. 

There’s a throne that’s perfect for a royal selfie, and a selection of headwear so you can be a mad hatter while you usurp the queen. 

Elsewhere you’ll find an upside-down room that’s great for some Spider-Man antics, as you can see in the animation at the top (or maybe it’s the bottom?) of the page. 

The sounds of Blondie’s Call Me ring out as you reach the hot pink phone box, packed with electric pink and yellow handsets hanging from the ceiling, next to a table full of old rotary-looking phones.

There are a bunch more shooting sets round the corner, including these three colorful installations, some eyeball-warping wall art set to the sounds of The Prodigy’s Out of Space, a serene flower room… it’s the ideal place to film some pieces to camera, shoot some selfies, or freshen up your TikTok and Instagram feeds. 

Head along to at the NEC in Birmingham and have a play. For more information and tickets, visit the official website. 

You might be interested in the best cameras for Instagram and the best cameras for TikTok to up your social game!

Istanbul Modern‘s Photography Gallery is hosting Ozan Sağdıç, one of the most significant figures in the field of photography in Türkiye.

Sponsored by Burgan Bank, the exhibition “Ozan Sağdıç: The Photographer’s Testimony” features a broad selection of the artist’s work from the 1950s onwards. The exhibition will be on display until Oct. 20.

The exhibition showcases a wide selection of the artist’s work since the 1950s, focusing on documentary photography, one of the most widespread genres of photography worldwide. The exhibition aims to shed light on Türkiye’s social, political, economic, cultural and visual history.

Ozan Sağdıç, who played a significant role in shaping Türkiye’s visual archive over his 70-year career, captures the juxtaposition of change and stagnation through his work conducted primarily in Istanbul and Ankara, as well as across the country. The diversity of his subjects and his ironic observation of human experiences make Sağdıç a witness to Türkiye’s evolving world since the 1950s.

Curated by Istanbul Modern’s photography curator and department head Demet Yıldız Dinçer, along with photographer and writer Merih Akoğul, the exhibition features Dr. Ruhi Oğuz Sağdıç as a consultant. “The Photographer’s Testimony” presents black-and-white and color photographs depicting various aspects of life, including portraits of influential politicians, artists and literary figures, as well as everyday scenes of workers, leisure activities, travelers and children, reflecting the streets filled with ordinary people during different periods of change.

Prints from darkroom

The exhibition includes 127 photographs, including prints from Ozan Sağdıç’s darkroom. The techniques and era in which the photographs were produced are illustrated through vintage prints and examples from Hayat magazine. Sağdıç, one of the foremost representatives of photojournalism, which began to flourish globally and in Türkiye during his early years in photography, also showcases the versatility of his work through the exhibition “The Photographer’s Testimony.”

Photographic, visual journey

Oya Eczacıbaşı, chair of the board of directors of Istanbul Modern, highlights the museum’s role in bringing together the development and transformation of photography in Türkiye and worldwide, sometimes through the lenses of masters and sometimes through those of young artists.

“Following prominent figures in Turkish photography such as Şahin Kaygun, Gökşin Sipahioğlu, Yıldız Moran, Ara Güler, Lütfi Özkök and Şakir Eczacıbaşı, we are now hosting a selection of works spanning 70 years by another master. Ozan Sağdıç’s exhibition ‘The Photographer’s Testimony’ showcases moments witnessing different periods of our republic, which celebrated its 100th anniversary,” she explained.

Demet Yıldız Dinçer, one of the curators of the exhibition, emphasized that a comprehensive selection was made from Ozan Sağdıç’s archive containing hundreds of thousands of photographs.

“The exhibition not only presents a wide perspective of the artist’s work but also reveals many layers of his archive waiting to be explored. Rather than a narrative filled with nostalgia, the selection in the exhibition reminds viewers that there are many interpretations of Sağdıç’s body of work, encompassing various aspects of the past. We express our gratitude to Ozan Sağdıç for his meticulous support in preparing the exhibition,” she said.

Merih Akoğul, one of the exhibition curators, stated that Ozan Sağdıç had no intervention in the flowing life other than taking photographs.

“Therefore, those who look at his photographs immediately see the detail Sağdıç wants to emphasize. Ozan Sağdıç works his thoughts and witnesses like poetry in his photographs. The moments he captures in the natural flow of life resonate intimately with the viewer. This uniqueness makes Sağdıç’s photographs exceptional,” he explained.

Artist’s portrait

Ozan Sağdıç was born in the Pelitköy neighborhood of Balıkesir province’s Burhaniye district in 1934. He attended high school as a boarding student at Kabataş High School in Istanbul, got his first box camera during the summer of 1953 and started taking various images of Istanbul. The infamous incident of 1954 when the Bosporus was covered with ice was his first pivotal experience with photography.

Sağdıç worked as an assistant projectionist at the Lale Cinema in his hometown, Edremit, and worked as a page editor at the Edremit newspaper published by his brother. He returned to Istanbul in 1955 and got a job at Foto Sait, the first photography studio to which he applied. One evening, Mr. Sait brought him to the board of directors of the Istanbul Public Photographers Association and helped him to become the secretary of the association. Through this position, he got to know all the photographers working in the sector in Istanbul. He learned all the subtleties of portrait photography with the observation and volunteer assistance he participated in at the studio of Şevket Tanju, the president of the association. He photographed the beautiful corners of Istanbul with a Rolleiflex camera he borrowed.

Sağdıç attracted the attention of the team that began publishing the weekly Hayat magazine in 1956 and as soon as the magazine started publication, he became one of its first two photojournalists together with Ara Güler and worked in the Istanbul staff of Hayat until 1960. In 1960, he was appointed to the Ankara bureau of Hayat, which opened that year.

Sağdıç continued his journalism and photography career in Ankara from that point forward. He also started taking stage photographs of the State Theaters in Ankara. He took part in the printed publications of this institution and made the first theater posters with graphic concerns. Meanwhile, he produced examples of book and publication covers in line with the contemporary graphic approach. He made great contributions to the archives and promotional publications of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

A photograph he sent to The British Journal of Photography in 1968 was published as “Photo of the Year.” Sağdıç, who has held approximately 50 personal exhibitions in Türkiye and abroad to date, has attracted special attention with his music-synchronized slide shows that he has presented at various times. He gave lectures on the art of photography at Ankara University’s Faculty of Communication and Hacettepe University’s Fine Arts Faculty when these programs were established.

For his contributions to Turkish photography, he was elected as an honorary member by the Ankara Photography Artists Association (AFSAD) and the Bursa Photograph Art Association (BUFSAD) and was among the founding members of the Photographic Art Society (FSK). In addition to being a Member of the UNESCO National Commission Culture Committee and the Art Advisory Board of the Ministry of Culture during various periods, Sağdıç served as an art consultant for many organizations such as the Turkish Standards Institution (TSE), the Turkish Culture Foundation and the Turkiye Development Foundation (TKV). In addition to the “State Artist” title he received in 1998, he is the owner of many awards such as the Art Institution Award in 1985, the 2014 Aydın Doğan Award, the 2020–2021 Photographic Arts Association of Türkiye (TFSF) Artist of the Year and the 2023 Contemporary Arts Foundation (ÇAĞSAV) Art Award.

Just over one week ago on March 8, Guyana-born artist and photographer Dr Ingrid Pollard MBE (b. 1953) was named the winner of the 2024 Hasselblad Award. The prize is the world’s top accolade given to a living photographer. In addition to receiving 2 million Swedish kronor (approximately US$195,000), Pollard will also receive a Hasselblad camera. Later this year, on October 11 when she receives her award, an exhibition of her work will open at the Hasselblad Center, Gothenburg, Sweden, and will be accompanied by a substantial publication. Pollard is the 44th Hasselblad Award winner and consequently, joins the illustrious list of past awardees which includes Americans Cindy Sherman, Nan Goldin, and Carrie Mae Weems; German Wolfgang Tillmans and Chilean Alfredo Jaar, each of whom stands out in art’s histories.

‘I hope this photo makes others smile,” photographer Erik S Lieber says. “Where is a man in the middle of New York City going with a dog and a painting?” Lieber was heading home from a physical therapy session just around the corner of Lafayette Street and Spring Street in SoHo, when he saw his subject about to cross the street. “I like the expression on his face, the contrast of the two things in his hands,” he says. “The whole shot makes me curious: what is he doing? What is he thinking? Who is he?” He shot using an iPhone 14 Pro Max and edited with the Hipstamatic app.

“I come from a film and darkroom background as a photographer, so digitally processing my images is akin to going into the darkroom. I played around with the clarity, highlights and shadows, and applied some filters, including converting to black and white, which I find lends itself well to street photography.”

For the last 10 years, Lieber has been taking part in a challenge to take 365 photos a year; one a day. “Pictures and stories are all around us,” he says. “This is a slice of life in New York City on a Friday morning in November.”

I woke up the other day and turned on the news. One of the big stories of the day was the controversy about a modified image of Kate Middleton and her family. Being a photographer, I was highly intrigued by this story.

By now, most of you have seen the image.

At first, people were talking about one or two areas of the image that were manipulated. Now that a couple of days have passed, experts have located many areas of the photo that have been retouched.

But my question is: Why is this such a big deal?

I can tell you that every family portrait I have ever taken has been retouched to one extent or the other.

Here is what I am typically modifying:

• Adjustments to exposure, shadows, highlights and white balance (if needed)
• Removal of fly away hairs that are distracting (either going through the face, flying into the air, or going into another person)
• Removal of dust or pet hair on people’s clothing
• Removing skin imperfections (bad acne or shaving cuts)
• Removal of strings hanging off clothing
• Removal of distractions in the background (bright spots, exit signs, polls)

And sometimes I will even do the following:

• Whitening of eyes if needed
• Lightening of wrinkles (typically around the eyes)
• Head swaps (if a person had their eyes closed in a group shot)

During the CBS newscast, one of the anchormen said “I don’t understand why any photo needs to be retouched” to which I laughed. I am sure that this same person has plenty of portraits that have been taken and modified, whether he knows it or not.

I have said this many times in the past. I think that every photo needs some retouching, in one form or another. So I don’t understand why people are making such a big deal about this photo. Kate Middleton is known for being a photo enthusiast and she has taken many of her own photos in the past. But she is not a professional, and would not have the same Photoshop skills as we would. It looks to me like she was making the same modifications I would do, but just not as proficient at the process.

Yes, she is a royal which means that the spotlight is on her and her family. But is this photo controversy really worth the scrutiny that they are putting her through? I think that there are much bigger and more relevant issues in the world.

I just thought I would put my thoughts out there. What do you think?