Photography

Maine’s Finest Behind the Lens: The 2nd Annual Photographers Showc…

Maine’s Finest Behind the Lens: The 2nd Annual Photographers Showc…
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Imagine walking into a space where every corner whispers a different story, each snapshot a frozen testament to time. This is what greets you at the Boothbay Region Art Foundation starting Wednesday, March 28, as it becomes the pulsating heart of Maine’s photographic art scene. The 2nd annual Maine Photographers Showcase is not just an exhibition; it’s a celebration of vision, capturing the essence of Maine through the lenses of its most distinguished photographers. Names like Kathleen Clemons, Jane Davis, and Jeff Bazinet stand out in the lineup, promising a visual feast for attendees. Unlike last year’s event, this showcase strips away the layers of competition to focus purely on the art, eschewing jurors, themes, and awards. The opening reception, set for Saturday, April 6, offers a rare opportunity to dive into the minds of these visual storytellers.

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A Canvas of Diversity

Within the walls of the Boothbay Region Art Foundation, each photographer is allotted space equivalent to a mini-gallery, displaying up to five images. This curated selection allows the audience to traverse through a diverse landscape of creativity – from the rugged coasts of Maine to the soft, ethereal world captured in macro photography. The showcase, as organized by Bruce Burnham, a dedicated BRAF board member, is a testament to his commitment to magnifying the voices of Maine photographers. The event is poised not only to celebrate the established but also to introduce new talents in the photographic realm.

Art For Everyone

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One of the event’s distinguishing features is its accessibility. The showcase invites art enthusiasts and collectors alike to experience the photographic journey, with the added opportunity to own a piece of this journey. Both framed and unframed pieces are available for purchase, making it an inclusive event for both seasoned collectors and first-time buyers. The Maine Photographers Showcase distinguishes itself by focusing solely on the art, making every photograph a narrative waiting to be explored. This approach not only democratizes art acquisition but also strengthens the bond between artist and audience.

Looking Forward

The showcase, running until May 3, with the gallery open from Thursday to Sunday each week, is more than an exhibition; it’s a vibrant community event that promises growth and continuity. Burnham’s vision extends beyond this year’s exhibition, with plans to introduce new talents in subsequent editions. This forward-thinking approach ensures that the Maine Photographers Showcase will remain a dynamic platform for showcasing the rich tapestry of Maine’s photographic talent. The Boothbay Region Art Foundation, through this annual event, reinforces its role as a cornerstone of Maine’s artistic community, nurturing and celebrating the art of photography.

The Maine Photographers Showcase is a reflection of the state’s diverse beauty, seen through the eyes of those who know it best. It’s an invitation to pause, look closer, and discover the stories woven into each frame. As the doors open to the public this Wednesday, attendees are not just stepping into an exhibition but into the heart of Maine itself, captured one snapshot at a time.

MDI Photo Club hosts online talk on abstract architectural photography

MDI Photo Club hosts online talk on abstract architectural photography

MOUNT DESERT ISLAND — There’s more than what first meets the eye when photographing buildings, Chicago photographer Angie McMonigal will explain in a Zoom presentation on patterns in architecture for the Mount Desert Island Photo Club. The talk will be open to the public and held on Tuesday, March 12 at 6:30 pm. Those interested in attending online should send an email to contact@mdiphotoclub.org to get the Zoom link.

McMonigal is a fine art and commercial architecture photographer who strives to bring a detailed, thoughtful perspective to her work and the photography workshops she leads. Having grown up surrounded by nature yet fascinated by the big city she’s called home for more than two decades, she applies the meditative calm of her upbringing to an urban terrain that’s always transforming. Drawing from her education in molecular biology, microbiology and virology, McMonigal’s focus is more frequently on bold architectural details rather than sweeping cityscapes, creating images that celebrate those unexpectedly iconic elements hiding in plain sight. You can find her photography on her website https://angiemcmonigal.com/.

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Will Open Exhibition Featuring Theater Photography of Friedman-Abeles

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Will Open Exhibition Featuring Theater Photography of Friedman-Abeles

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center will soon celebrate the theater photography of the Friedman-Abeles Studio through a unique presentation of a selection of lenticular prints. These prints will animate a series of photographs from some of Broadway’s most beloved productions. The exhibition, entitled Reanimating Theater: The Photography of Friedman-Abeles, opens March 15 and runs through September 25, 2024.

From 1954–1970, the Friedman-Abeles Studio photographed the majority of the plays and musicals on Broadway. Although their black and white images are familiar to fans and historians, the studio also photographed many shows in color, and the Library for the Performing Arts received them as color slides.

The cost of reproducing these images in the pre-digital era meant that, aside from a few selections in record album liner notes or on magazine covers, these photographs have never been seen before. Over the last three years the Library has digitized all of the negatives for dozens of shows along with most of the color slides in the collection. The images are now showcased in a unique way in this exhibition.

This exhibition showcases selections of some of the studio’s most iconic images from Broadway hits like the original productions of Camelot, West Side Story, and Bye, Bye Birdie.

Rather than selecting a single shot from these shows, the Library for the Performing Arts has used the technology of lenticular printing to simulate animations of several of

the shots. These animations give a sense of the movement of the original production, and can reveal details that would be impossible to notice in a static image.

The exhibition is curated by Doug Reside, Lewis and Dorothy Cullman Curator, Billy Rose Theatre Division.

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Will Open Exhibition Featuring Theater Photography of Friedman-Abeles

Digitization was made possible through the generous support of the Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Estate of June Reig Maxwell, The Schloss Family Foundation, and the Frederick Loewe Foundation, Inc.

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts gratefully acknowledges the leadership support of Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman. Additional support for exhibitions has been provided by Judy R. and Alfred A. Rosenberg and the Miriam and Harold Steinberg Foundation.

About the Library for the Performing Arts

The Library for the Performing Arts is dedicated to enhancing access to its rich archives of dance, theater, music, and recorded sound. As one of The New York Public Library’s renowned research centers—and one of the world’s largest collections solely focused on the performing arts—our mission is to amplify all voices and all of our holdings. At present, the collection at the Library for the Performing Arts includes upwards of eight million items, notable for their extraordinary range and diversity—from 11th-century music, to 20th-century manuscripts to contemporary hip-hop dance. The Library also is well known for documenting live theater, dance, and music, and is home to the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, which houses over 8,000 recordings of live Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.

Photo Credit: Friedman-Abeles. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

Photographer captures “firefall” effect at Yosemite’s Horsetail Fall

Photographer captures “firefall” effect at Yosemite’s Horsetail Fall

Raw: Time-lapse of rare firefall in Yosemite National Park


Raw: Time-lapse of rare firefall in Yosemite National Park

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A photographer captured a rare uninterrupted “firefall” at Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park over the weekend.

Horsetail Fall flows over the eastern edge of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. The small waterfall usually flows only during winter and is easy to miss. 

Yosemite firefall at Horsetail Fall.

Jay Huang


On rare occasions during mid-to-late February, the mist from the fall can glow orange when backlit by the sunset. The unique lighting effect happens only on evenings with a clear sky when the waterfall is flowing.   

Photographer Jay Huang sent CBS News Bay Area a time-lapse made up of still photographs he took Saturday, Feb. 24, that showed the striking effect. 

According to Huang, the video was composed of 481 still horizontal photos and 708 vertical still photos. He noted that while he had photographed the firefall multiple times over the last dozen years, Saturday was the first time he was able to capture the complete firefall effects in the last 30 minutes of sunset without any obstruction from clouds.

Hundreds of photographers gather in Yosemite Valley every February to try to capture the natural firefall, according to the national park’s website.

MWC 2024: Instant search to AI photography, 6 Google Android experiences unveiled

MWC 2024: Instant search to AI photography, 6 Google Android experiences unveiled

The global tech stage is set at the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 in Barcelona, where industry giants are showcasing the latest breakthroughs in mobile technology. This year, Alphabet seized the spotlight, revealing new features in its Google Android ecosystem designed to enhance user experiences worldwide.

Menaka Shroff, Senior Director of Global Android Product Marketing, announced on Monday, “At MWC Barcelona, we’re unveiling how our latest AI technologies and multi-device experiences can elevate your productivity across the Android ecosystem.”

1. Try Circle to Search

Only on Android, Circle to Search lets you instantly search anywhere on your phone without switching apps. In the Circle to Search exhibit at MWC, explore what you can circle, highlight, scribble, or tap — like interesting landmarks, dishes you want to try, and more. Circle to Search is available now on select Android premium phones, including the Google Pixel 8, Google Pixel 8 Pro, and the Samsung Galaxy S24 series.

2. Get that picture-perfect shot with Best Take on Google Pixel 8 and Google 8 Pro

Best Take is an AI-powered feature in Google Photos on Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 8 Pro that helps you nail a group photo. Try it out with your group at MWC — just take a few photos and Best Take will capture everyone’s best expression in one shot.

3. See Google Pixel Fold’s Dual Screen interpreter mode in action

Google Pixel Fold’s Dual Screen interpreter mode displays live translations to help break down language barriers. At MWC, you’ll see that the Fold’s unique design displays translations on both screens (one on each side), so you can have a natural, uninterrupted conversation — which is especially helpful when you’re traveling.

4. Give new Android Auto features a spin

Step into the BMW i5 M60, and be one of the first to experience new messaging features on Android Auto. Using AI, Android Auto automatically summarizes long texts (even group chats) and suggests relevant replies so you can keep in touch without compromising safety on the road. While you’re behind the wheel, explore the latest apps on Android Auto, including productivity apps like Zoom, smart home apps, and more.

5. Tune into a discussion on AI

On February 26 at 15:15 CET, Google DeepMind CEO and Co-Founder Demis Hassabis will join renowned tech journalist Steven Levy on the MWC Main Stage, Hall 4 for a fireside chat called “A new era of intelligence.” They’ll discuss the ways AI is poised to transform our world — from tackling major scientific problems like energy, climate change, and drug discovery, to transforming the way people create, communicate, and do business. Tune in live. And if you’re feeling inspired after the session, swing by our space to chat with Gemini and collaborate with the best of Google AI.

6. See how McLaren’s F1 racing team uses Google technology

From Chrome browser to Android, McLaren’s Formula 1 racing team relies on our technology in the McLaren Technology Centre and at the track to improve collaboration and better analyze track data. This technology contributed to McLaren’s world record-breaking fastest F1 pit stop last season (at 1.80 seconds).

In Google’s demo space, check out how the McLaren F1 team uses Android devices to take their performance to the next level. You’ll see how McLaren uses Android-powered Samsung devices — including Galaxy smartphones, watches, and tablets — across its race weekend operations. For example, they used Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra devices to provide live, 360-degree footage to the team during pit stop practice. They also used Quick Share to share clips to a Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra to allow for real-time viewing and annotation of their pit stops.

Also, read these top stories today:

AI carbon footprint time bomb! Tech giants are racing to ward off a carbon time bomb caused by the massive data centers they’re building around the world. Some interesting details in this article. Check it out here. If you enjoyed reading this article, please forward it to your friends and family.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra launched! Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a high-strength aluminum frame, Xiaomi nano-tech vegan leather, and Xiaomi Shield Glass. It is crafted from a single aluminum block. Xiaomi nano-tech vegan leather features a newly developed formula, resulting in a thinner and lighter finish. Read all about it here. Found it interesting? Go on, and share it with everyone you know.

Ukraine War as seen from space! An active open-source intelligence community has formed to keep track of troop activity, destruction and other aspects of the war. Check it all out here. Found it interesting? Go on, and share it with everyone you know. 

Former Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson shows off his photography at Scottsdale exhibition

Former Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson shows off his photography at Scottsdale exhibition
Photograph of an African elephant by Randy Johnson

Randy Johnson

“Gentle Giant, Amboseli National Park, Kenya” photograph by Randy Johnson

As spring training kicks off, a new exhibition of photos taken by Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson has opened to coincide with the season.

The exhibit is at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

Images on display come from Johnson’s travels with a specific emphasis on scenery from African safaris he took.

One photograph is a snapshot of an elephant with a bird perched atop its head.

Another is a momentary snapshot taken with a smart phone which features an African child.

The exhibition shows Johnson’s passion for photography, according to Gerd Wuestemann, CEO and president of Scottsdale Arts.

“One of the interesting things to experience, of course, he is an icon as a ball player and had probably one of the most illustrious careers in pitching and major league sports. But in his college days, and actually in his youth, he was a dedicated photographer,” he said.

Wuestemann also says young people would see Johnson beyond the sport of baseball.

“Kids may only know Randy as a famous ball player that they’ve idolized, but now they also get to see him as a great photographer and we think that’s a great takeaway from this,” he said.

Wuestemann says Johnson is as excited about exhibiting in his home state as he was when he first stepped on the mound and likens Johnson’s dedication to photography as similar to training for sports. The exhibition closes April 28.

Dame Dash Faces $400 Million Lawsuit for Allegedly Stiffing Photographer on Payment

Dame Dash Faces $400 Million Lawsuit for Allegedly Stiffing Photographer on Payment

Dame Dash has found himself in some new legal trouble with a photographer who claimed he cost her some major money. 

According to court documents obtained by HipHopDX, the photographer, Monique Bunn, wants her case reopened regarding damages caused by Dash’s alleged actions, which include not payiong her for photographs she tool and he used. In the 285-page document, Bunn stated Dash confirmed the price of the photographs and was aware that he didn’t pay her properly for using the pictures outside of their intended promotional use. 

“The evidence at trial – which was uncontroverted – established that each photo was worth $1,500, which should have resulted in a verdict for at least $384,750,000,” Bunn’s lawyer wrote in the memorandum of law. “It is well known that professional photographers earn much of their income through licensing their portfolio of photographs, and Defendants’ actions destroyed Ms. Bunn’s economic prospects. The jury ignored the valuation evidence and awarded zero to Ms. Bunn.”

He continued, “It is impossible to conceive how a jury could conclude that a professional photographer’s portfolio of thousands of photos, as well as photography equipment, could be worth zero. Especially when the Plaintiff and the Defendants both testify that the damages are in the millions. A new trial is warranted under these circumstances.”

Bunn also sued Dash all the way back inm 2019, when she alleged that he toched her inappropriately while she was asleep at his house.

Marton Perlaki’s experimental images explore the line between order and chaos

Marton Perlaki’s experimental images explore the line between order and chaos
C13 Ice Cube (Blue) 2018 © Marton Perlaki. All images from The Third Hand

Considering an uncanny medium and how we understand it, the Hungarian’s new book blends the playfulness with a welcome loss of control

“Photography is an interesting medium,” says Marton Perlaki. “There is this machine you use to create something, but then it immediately transforms by just the sheer fact of taking a picture. The whole thing is so scientific, so mechanical, but a successful picture is much more than just a technicality. It is something that is even transcendent – something magic happens.”

It is this push-pull between magic and logic that runs through Perlaki’s new book, The Third Hand. Made mostly between 2018-2023, it combines Perlaki’s luminograms with everyday snaps, found photographs, images of his sketchbooks and drawings, and shots of his studio. These image sets are separated into sections – 12 in total – which are marked out by coloured dividers and papers. Many of the images have identification numbers, which include individual digits plus letters of the alphabet assigned to image sets. The book also contains a larger index of some of Perlaki’s work made over the last five years, from which this smaller edit is drawn. There’s also a short definition of each image set. “Luminograms. Part of the tradition of abstract photography”, the text helpfully states. “Snaps are characterised by their casualness.”

A53 Easy Target (Pink) Nr. 24, 2020 © Marton Perlaki, from the publication The Third Hand

A63 Fading Connection Nr. 1, 2020 © Marton Perlaki, from the publication The Third Hand

“We’re obsessed with being in control, but something is lost in that”

There’s a pleasing, quasi-scientific order in this separation of taxonomies and types which comes across in other ways too. When we speak, Perlaki describes his former studio in terms of a “laboratory”, and his drawings – abstracted images of his parents – in terms of diagrams. “Anything that feels too close to home or sentimental, I tend to try to cool it down,” he explains. “I try to step back from it emotionally and make it as objective and as scientific as possible. That’s why the drawings are almost like architectural plans – that’s why one of them is blue. I was thinking of the blueprint technique that used to be used for architectural drawings, where it’s not about the beauty of the house but its parameters.”

But Perlaki’s project is also open to the playful, the unexpected, and the mysterious – to the third hand referenced in the title. To make his luminograms he has to work in darkness, manipulating cheap light sources over the image surface, and moving the paper between each phase in the process. His shots of sketchbooks bear testimony to the painstaking notes required. “It’s just science, photosensitive paper and light, photographs in the very purest way,” he says, but he adds that the results are unpredictable, and that his studio is also a laboratory in the sense of experimentation. “It’s important to see that this is a thought process, and that includes sometimes senseless play,” he says. “I wanted it to feel open-ended, not something very perfect.”

A140 Getting Used To Emergencies II, 2022 © Marton Perlaki, from the publication The Third Hand

Perlaki’s decision to include everyday images and found photography is inspired by a similar urge and embrace of the unexpected. The selected shots cover a wide range of subjects and are matched by visual correspondence rather than a formal order. There are weird and wonderful combinations of airbags and umbrellas, ice cubes and illuminated thumbs. But though they are enigmatic, the subjects don’t seem totally random, with ongoing strands around science and nature, ancient statues and politics, the history of art and the prosaic.

The unifying force is Perlaki himself who was like “a big magnet” over this period, he says, “gathering all these visual notations that are somehow connected”. “I also wanted to inject a little bit of humour into the book,” he adds. “It’s not all about some highbrow, difficult technique that nobody can do.”

Spread from Marton Perlaki’s publication The Third Hand

The Third Hand starts and ends with images of teeth: a medical image superimposed on the front, and a hand-drawn illustration on the inside back cover. The drawing shows incisors cracking and breaking, evoking the common nightmare of teeth fracturing or falling apart – unfunny dreams which Perlaki sometimes experiences. He interprets them as “about losing power and losing control”. The third hand in this case is the subconscious, and perhaps that’s haunting the whole project. ‘Fingery Eyes’ by Felix Bazalgette, one of two essays in the book, explores a spectral, psychic theme, discussing how in the 19th century people “made sense of photography” with fantastical stories.

Bazalgette considers how horror films continue to digest this uncanny medium, and in particular our growing obsession with screens. As he points out, films such as Orpheus (1950), The Matrix (1999), and Ringu (1998) suggest the screens which surround us might be permeable – that what’s shown in them might leak out or absorb us. In the past, people believed photography might be able to trace out thoughts, he writes, “and why not, when the idea of recording the perfect outlines of bones encased in flesh had previously been an equally strange proposition?” Actually these ideas aren’t so fanciful, or paved the way for a new reality: in March 2023, the New Scientist reported that researchers from Osaka University had used AI on brain scans, to make pictures of what people were viewing. As sci-fi novelist Arthur C. Clarke put it: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

Our relationship with photography is hard to pin down, and the medium is fast evolving. Perhaps a publication such as Perlaki’s, which foregrounds both chaos and our attempts to find order, is as much sense as we can make of it. “You know, I’m one of the few people who doesn’t mind going to the dentist,” he says. “I find it relaxing. You’re in a situation in which you have less control, and I think losing control is sometimes very good. We’re obsessed with being in control, but something is lost in that. This is more about a different way of focusing, without your senses, or especially without your eyes.”

Diane Smyth

Diane Smyth is the editor of BJP, returning for a second stint on staff in 2023 – after 15 years on the team until 2019. As a freelancer, she has written for The Guardian, FT Weekend Magazine, Creative Review, Aperture, FOAM, Aesthetica and Apollo. She has also curated exhibitions for institutions such as The Photographers Gallery and Lianzhou Foto Festival. You can follow her on instagram @dismy

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