We are fragile creatures, and it is from this weakness, not despite it, that we discover the possibility of true joy—Desmond Tutu, Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World Fragility—vulnerability, resilience in despair, gratitude in the revelations of the universe, and experiences that humble you to the core are often testament to the purest form of joy. Joy can mean different things to different people and reveal itself in hundreds of different ways, if only we took a mere glance at the world beyond ourselves. At a time when little seems to be merry, understanding joy, seeking it and capturing its sparse moments can be arduous at best. Despite it all, and perhaps because of it, we keep going back to those snapshots that are an ode to glimmers of joy in our day-to-day life, hope in spaces that lack it and those that make us feel the most alive. We turned to five photographers, each one distinct from the other in style, story, and perspective, who spoke about what is joy to them, how they capture it, and their experiences of finding it in spaces that are amiss of it.

ROHAN SHRESTHA

He’s the starry-eyed Bandra boy who paid homage to the dreams of a 20-something photographer and a forever Barca fan when he did a shoot with Lionel Messi a year ago. He seeks joy in life’s most humbling experiences, and is happiest when shooting outdoors.

“Most likely, photographers are introverted, that’s why they’re sitting in the darkness behind the camera and we look at life through a more voyeuristic perspective. A lot of times I feel that photographers are often very hard on themselves. So, when you do capture a moment that you are proud of, which are really far and few, you feel an immense amount of joy. Perhaps one of my all-time favourite moments was when I did a shoot with Messi. When I took up the camera in 2008, I hoped someday I would get to shoot a Barca player. And it culminated in a shoot with Messi. 

When shooting outside, the world is your oyster. For me, that’s the inspiration. I am the happiest at outdoor shoots with sunlight. My most favourite picture ever is actually of this girl standing with a bag of rice in front of a completely destroyed home—the ground has opened up, there’s no roof—in Nepal during an earthquake. This girl stood there with a smile because she was just grateful and that kind of joy you will never feel anywhere else. Joy can be felt in those moments where you find human resilience, where you find people fighting against the odds and making it and you are just there to document it and tell their story. I also shoot underwater because I am a scuba diver. One of my most joyous moments of the year was when I was diving in Egypt and I got circled by a white shark. I was shooting it and it came right up to my chest. After that dive, I came up, we all sat down and we were like—this is life. This is why we do what we do. The most joy I will ever get is when I am humbled. Nothing will ever top it. I have never lived so hard in a moment.”

AVANI RAI

She believes that moments often reveal themselves inall their emotions and nuances. So, joy is to be found in these moments, if only you are open to seeing it. “I think many photographers see many parallel universes all at once and the ability of a photographer lies in narrowing down to that one moment in time where actually in the real world so many parallels exist. There is a rhythm that life takes just like your heartbeat. There is a rhythm at which the world functions and to be able to narrow down to that rhythm in that moment in time is joy. The moment is in front of you. You have to be open to be able to see it. Once you have chosen the moment, you have to wait for it to reveal itself.

There are infinite themes that are always in front of you. It’s what you pick and choose and what you want to say. Every moment has all the feelings and nuances. So, to choose which moment, which feeling, which emotion, or which nuance you want to tell, is what you capture.

I think joy is not joy in its raw form or how we would understand it because joy—whether it’s to an animal, human being or nature—reveals itself differently to everybody. So, in a space where there is not too much joy, there is a sense of hope. Joy is not universal but hope is and that’s why we kind of live and that’s why we’re alive. So, a sense of hope is what I try to get when I feel there is a lack of joy.”

ANURAG BANERJEE

For Anurag Banerjee, joy is light. It is growth. It is rebellion. His journey as a photographer began when he left his hometown Shillong to move to Pune first and then Mumbai. Amidst the overwhelming happenings of the world, he looks back at his journey and finds solace in his home—whether in Mumbai or Shillong.

“Good light is something that brings me joy. Wherever I am, the first thing I notice when I enter a space is the way the light plays up. If a space is well-lit, if you have good sunshine, and you have some nice dramatic shadows, I think that’s what brings me joy.

There is something about a scene like that, which is so commonplace, which is so everyday and so ordinary. I feel like it’s something that binds us all and I feel a lot of joy in that sense of union. I look at joy as also something that is a protest. I look at joy as rebellion. We are joyful despite the circumstances, not because of it, and I want that to reflect in my work—where even if there is a portrayal of joy, it is with this understanding that we are in a pretty dark time in the history of humanity. So, if there is that moment of joy, it is photographed as a respite.

There is a sense of we can make it through. I’ve also realised the power of photography as an introspective medium. We tend to think of photography as a response to the world around us, but it’s actually a response to the world within us. The work that has really stayed with me is not particularly joyful but it made me feel less alone. I feel like I want my work to make people feel less alone, because all of us are lonely at this moment of time.”

HASHIM BADANI

With Mumbai as his eternal muse, city-based photographer Hashim Badani feels joy is to be found in the shared experience of it. “For me, joy stems from the every day,” Badani tells Bazaar India. “For me, my practice begins with actually listening to others—what they are saying, what they are doing and recognising those unique moments. I think that there is some sort of healing that comes from seeing people being resilient. I did a story on a palliative care centre in Pune. At the heart of it were the patients and the staff—all intertwined with stories of love, pain, care, dignity, and joy. What I hadn’t made space to understand is the role of the caregiver the love, dedication, and courage it takes to be there for someone you love. As heartbreaking as it was, there was definitely also a sense of joy and happiness, because there was a sense of dignity of looking back and accepting life.

I spend a lot of time walking around, spending less time looking into my phone and just observing what are the small daily activities that people do—it could be going for a walk, watering your plants or even meeting a dog on the road whom you see everyday. What I might think is a normal day might be a specific festival for someone else and seeing people celebrate brings its own joy. I think that’s where I draw from—there is something to celebrate everyday and there is joy in the everydayness and I want to celebrate its effortlessness.

When you observe something and it makes you happy, the first thing you want to do is share it with people. That’s where the documentation part of experiencing and capturing the everyday comes in.”

SAUMYA KHANDELWAL

Award-winning photojournalist Saumya Khandelwal has often found herself documenting stories right from the heart of political upheaval, grave injustices, and conflict zones. Joy doesn’t necessarily look any different to her but her experiences have taught her to find it in places where it has been misplaced the most. “Joy is no different for a photographer than it is for any other human. For me, it is more about channelising what the situation in front of me makes me feel into an image. I would like to make the viewer feel the same emotion that I felt when I was viewing it. My hope lies in the resilience of people and the fact that despite those (tough) experiences, they find little ways to be happy and to share joy with one another. It’s important for me to know the personal stories of people. I usually don’t like to just go to a place and start photographinga person and come out without knowing the nuances of their lives.

I also naturally gravitate towards photographing women. One thing that always impresses me is the strength and resilience that they have. There was this one story that I was doing about the women of the Sundarbans, who have planted mangroves in the vicinity of their villages to protect their islands from erosion. I was on this boat with these women and we stepped out and they were inspecting the mangrove to check if they were growing fine. 

When we got back to where we started from, the water levels had risen and the boat could reach up to the banks. So, these women had to get down into the water and walk in it to get back to the island. This woman, named Aparna Dhara got down, and she was just smiling away. It was just a very nice moment of her coming back from a day’s work and navigating through this little ordeal that came her way.

British photographer Terry O’Neill is to be the subject of a feature-length documentary, titled Iconic: The Life And Work Of Terry O’Neill, helmed by UK filmmaker Oliver Murray.

The film is being made with the close co-operation of Terry O’Neill’s surviving family. O’Neill will narrate his own story via previously unheard recordings.

The east London-born photographer was famous for snapping the likes of Judy Garland, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, the British royal family and Elton John.

It is produced by Hank Starrs (Elstree 1976) and Murray through Orofena Films. Laurence Gornall’s Unannounced Film Company is selling the title at the EFM.

Murray’s credits include docu-series My Life As A Rolling Stone and Disney+ short The Beatles: Now And Then.

“I was lucky enough to interview Terry in 2017 to discuss his long relationship with the Rolling Stones,” said Murray. ”Ever since then I wanted to bring his life and work to the screen. Terry took portraiture out of the studio and into the real world. He created a fantasy within the frame but the contradiction of his work is that this fantasy often revealed a deeper truth about the person he was photographing.

”He could boil down someone’s essence and magnetism to a single brilliant image, displaying icons of our age as vulnerable and emotional. Even the most inaccessible stars wanted to pose for him; mention a global celebrity from the second half of the 20th century and that person probably posed for Terry’s camera.”

Sisters Saga (left) and Ylva, and photographer Tina Signesdottir Hult, a friend of their parents, could all sense the serene atmosphere of the building they were shooting in: an old workman’s house at Visnes copper mine in Norway that Signesdottir Hult had chosen specifically for the purpose. “I wanted to capture a sense of the passage of time by connecting the delicate, ephemeral nature of the girls’ youth with the enduring, resilient spirit of the house,” Signesdottir Hult says.

The photographer says the girls are “both very sweet, sensitive and compassionate, but otherwise complete opposites. Saga, 10, is calm, sometimes quite shy, while Ylva, 11, is very energetic. This is a study in contrasts and connections; not just of light and shadow across their faces, but the emotional differences between the sisters. The subtlety in their expressions and body language invites the viewer to ponder the story behind their moment of quietude,” she adds.

Their parents thought Signesdottir Hult captured their daughters in a “very calm and profound way”, she says, and both girls were pleased with the results, too. “I never tell my models how to act,” Signesdottir Hult says. “Their pose came about naturally. We worked together to capture a beautiful moment.”

Do you know of an artist who paints the most beautiful landscapes you have ever seen? Someone whose photography leaves you in awe? A singer whose songwriting brings you to tears?

Nominate them for our “Artist of the Week” series.

“Artist of the Week” is a series where we profile artists of all kinds in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest every Saturday. If you’re wondering just what constitutes art, that’s the beauty of it; it’s up to you. From bands to muralists to photographers, vloggers, fashion designers and even macaron decorators— an artist of any craft is eligible.

Heck, you can even nominate yourself!

This city is packed with amazingly talented artists we love to feature weekly on Seattle Refined. Here’s a sample of the incredible artists we’ve featured:

Participating artists will be featured on our website with a Q&A and posted on our Instagram and other social media platforms. The entire process is done via email. Each artist must send 10-25 high-res images of their work and answer nine questions to be featured.

It’s that simple!

If you have a local artist in mind that you want to see featured or want to nominate yourself, email us at hello@seattlerefined.com.

View all of our “Artist of the Week” features in our dedicated section.

Have you ever looked at a cover of National Geographic and wondered how they take those amazing images? Or maybe like me you dream about getting a call from Nat Geo to go on an assignment, and wonder what that would look like?

Well, if you answered yes, you will be glued to this new six-episode docuseries from Nat Geo called Photographer. These individual episodes, each an hour long, take a deep dive behind the scenes of how seven National Geographic photographers struggle to take images that adorn the pages of this international publication. 

If that doesn’t sound tempting enough, then take a look at the official trailer for Photographer below, and tell me you don’t get chills watching it!

Each episode has been directed by award-winning directors, to enhance the story of each photographer’s journey to capture images that take your breath away.

From the insightful vision of Oscar-winning husband and wife duo E Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo) to the skilled direction of Tribeca winner Marshall Curry (Racing Dreams), International Documentary Association winner Pagan Harleman (The Trade), Sundance-winning Crystal Kayiza (Rest Stop), San Diego International Film Festival winner Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI), Emmy-winning Kristi Jacobson (Solitary) and LA Outfest winner Rita Baghdadi (Sirens), each episode is a collaborative and visually stunning adventure that invites anyone into a captivating world where every frame tells an inspiring story.

“Photographer is a testament to National Geographic’s commitment to delivering groundbreaking narratives that spark curiosity, leaving a lasting impact on our viewers,” said Tom McDonald, executive vice president, Global Factual and Unscripted Content. 

“The intentional pairing of these visionary directors with each respective photographer captures the essence of their creativity and showcases the extraordinary lengths they go to redefine the boundaries of visual storytelling.” 

Photographer premieres on March 18 2024 on National Geographic, and will also available to stream on March 19 2024 on Disney+ and Hulu. 

If you’re serious about documentaries, you might be interested in the best cameras for filmmaking and the best cine lenses. 

Mangaluru: A forum in Dakshina Kannada has launched a campaign to prevent photography and videography of daivaradhane of Tulunadu. Members of the Tulunada Daivaradhane Samrakshana Vedike, have begun installation of boards prohibiting photography and videography of daiva kola, bhoota kola, nema and other demigod worship.
Vedike convener Chandu Kotian Kuppepadavu told TOI, “We have decided to visit all daivasthanas in the district and request the committee to prevent photography and videography of daivaradhane. We have put up boards prohibiting photography and videography in more than 25 shrines in the district. We also have plans to visit the remaining shrines and request the committees. We also have noticed that committees of many shrines have adopted the change by insisting devotees not to use mobile phones and cameras in its premises,” Kotian said.
He said the vedike has decided to visit a daivasthana every week as part of the campaign. “We are not forcibly stopping anyone from shooting daiva kolas. We have been trying to convince them of the significance of Tulunadu’s worship. It is very sad to see people holding mobile phones in their hands in front of the deity during nema and kola rituals. Further, such photos and videos are also misused for reels to be shared on social media. Let devotees offer prayers with folded hands instead of holding mobile phones,” he added.
Recently, members of the communities like Nalike, Pambada and Parava had held a protest in the city opposing the portrayal of daivaradhane in dramas, cinema, Yakshagana, and other entertainment platforms. Further, they also have opposed sharing of video clips of daivaradhane on social media. Daivaradhane should not be an artform for entertainment to be presented on other platforms, said the community members who held a protest.

We also published the following articles recently

On view until February 25 at the HKCACC Gallery in Po Hing Fong, Sheung Wan, the exhibition is a result of Fowler’s desire to discover and showcase little-known or abandoned pockets of Hong Kong.

The British photographer, who has lived in Hong Kong since 1989, is a video producer by trade, having produced and directed a number of cooking shows, action-adventure shows and commercial videos over the years.

When work dried up during the coronavirus pandemic, he began using his camera gear to take stills instead.

“I was satiating my wanderlust by travelling to all the places in Hong Kong that I hadn’t been,” he says. “I hadn’t realised what I’d missed until I started looking deliberately.”

Above all, the photographer was looking to capture images that offered a sense of ambiguity. “I’m looking for images that you can’t really place in a time frame,” he says.

That led him to temples and makeshift shrines all over Hong Kong, where he discovered hundreds of deities and demons that all had colourful backstories.

Among the places he visited were a sky full of gods and Buddhas, the Hong Kong Dragon Garden, in Tsing Lung Tau in the southwest New Territories, and the Fuk Tak Temple, in Shau Kei Wan at the eastern end of Hong Kong Island.

“I realised that a lot of people just don’t understand what’s going on inside the temples,” he says. “They go once as a tourist, but then they don’t revisit these places.

“They don’t realise how many magical stories that are contained within, and the absolute beauty of these effigies, which have decades, if not centuries, of patina. All that wear and tear really adds to their lustre, in my opinion.”

Among the effigies on display in “The Art of Celestials” are those of Guan Yu (god of war), Choy San (god of wealth) and Tin Hau (goddess of the sea).

The figurine of Sai Wong Mo (also known as the Queen Mother of the West) was found at a roadside shrine where someone had splashed the abandoned statues with red paint and cemented them in place – traditionally, it is considered bad luck to throw away religious figurines, which is why they are often abandoned on street corners in Hong Kong.

“When you’re looking at a portrait like this, I can imagine them as a living entity,” says Fowler. “Your brain starts going into the backstory of what kind of people they would be. If he’s a benevolent demon, you can imagine him being a lot of fun.”

Indeed, demons such as Qianliyan, the green-skinned one with extraordinary vision from the novel Journey to the West, as well as his younger brother Shunfeng’er, who has exceptional hearing, are also depicted in the exhibition.

Having died in a fierce battle the siblings became vengeful spirits, but they began using their abilities for good after the sea goddess Mazu intervened.

Meanwhile, Guānyīn shows the goddess of mercy (also known in Cantonese as Kwun Yum) against a graffiti-adorned backdrop, which was added in post-production. By juxtaposing the deities with modern backgrounds, Fowler hoped to reinterpret the portraits in a contemporary context, he says.

“I just wanted to bring them into the modern world somehow,” he says. “Obviously a picture needs to be visually arresting on the first glance, but I want people to then go, ‘Hang on a minute. What’s going on?’”

Other images offer a sense of humour – a photograph of two half-undressed monks enjoying each other’s company is simply titled Joy.

“It’s a bit homoerotic,” Fowler says with a laugh. “I’m not going to say anything more about that, I’ll just let people make their own minds up.”

“The Art of Celestials”, HKCACC Gallery, 68 Po Hing Fong, Sheung Wan, until February 25; dickiesuzuki.com.

In an era where the narrative of art and personal identity intertwines, the unveiling of George Platt Lynes’ private collection by Skinner Auctioneers heralds a significant moment in the celebration of queer artistry. Lynes, an American photographer renowned for his evocative portrayal of the male form, navigated the treacherous waters of societal norms to immortalize the beauty and intimacy of homosexual relationships. The collection, featuring both commercial portraits of eminent gay writers and musicians like E.E. Cummings and Virgil Thompson, as well as daring nude photographs, marks a bold assertion of Lynes’ legacy as a pioneer of queer photography in the 20th century.

Breaking the Taboo: George Platt Lynes and the Celebration of Queer Artistry

George Platt Lynes’ journey as a photographer was one of both innovation and rebellion. Born into a period where the mere depiction of homoerotic themes was a defiance, Lynes used his lens to craft narratives that went beyond the constraints of his time. His adept use of lighting and poses not only elevated the aesthetic value of his work but also imbued it with a profound sense of emotion and vulnerability. Despite the potential backlash, Lynes committed himself to explore and celebrate the spectrum of human sexuality through his art. This recent exhibition not only showcases Lynes’ commercial successes but also his audacity to venture into the realm of the explicit and intimate, portraying nude figures with an elegance that challenged and transcended the taboos of his era.

The Legacy Preserved: Triumph Against Prejudice

Following Lynes’ death, the fate of his expansive body of work, particularly the pieces that candidly celebrated male nudity and homoerotic desire, hung precariously. Much of it was feared destroyed or forever hidden from public view, in part due to the anti-gay sentiment that pervaded society. However, Lynes’ foresight in entrusting his collection to the Kinsey Institute ensured that his vision would not be extinguished. Today, this collection stands not only as a testament to Lynes’ artistic genius but as a triumph against the anti-gay prejudice that sought to suppress such expressions. The preservation and public appreciation of these hitherto unseen works represent a significant stride in the ongoing journey towards inclusivity and acceptance in the art world and beyond.

A Revolutionary Vision: Unveiling the Unseen

The documentary ‘Hidden Master: The Legacy Of George Platt Lynes’ serves as a beacon, illuminating the life and work of a man who dared to envision a world unbound by prejudice. Lynes’ photographs, capturing the likes of friends, models, and performers, including Yul Brenner, in their most vulnerable and intimate moments, speak volumes of his knack for storytelling through the lens. These images, once cloaked in secrecy, now invite the public to partake in Lynes’ revolutionary vision—a vision that champions the beauty of the male form and the authenticity of queer relationships. By bringing these works to light, Skinner Auctioneers not only honors Lynes’ legacy but also contributes to the narrative of art as a catalyst for social change, challenging us to rethink and expand our understanding of beauty, sexuality, and human connection.

In conclusion, the exhibition of George Platt Lynes’ private collection is a watershed moment in the recognition and celebration of queer artistry. It underscores the enduring power of art to challenge societal norms, to preserve the nuances of human emotion and identity against the tides of prejudice. Lynes’ work, once the subject of taboo and contention, now stands as a beacon of progress, inviting viewers to appreciate the complexity and beauty of human sexuality. As we delve into these photographs, we are not just witnessing the legacy of a visionary artist; we are participating in an ongoing dialogue about the essence of humanity and the transformative power of art.

If you could look backward through the lens of the camera that captured the most memorable moments of my career, you would see the eye of photographer Bob Caccamise.

But now, sad to say, Bob is retiring.

“It’s like Simon and Garfunkel breaking up, you know, it’s similar to that,” Bob said. “Or it could be like ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ breaking up.”

His wit and dear friendship have made my work feel like anything but. We’ve been partnered for the better part of 30 years now, and travelled to every corner of the country, covering the strange and somber. 

And to think it all began with a chance meeting at a company holiday party.

“And he (Hartman) was sitting down by himself because no one liked him, and I said to him, ‘If you want a cameraman, I’m your man,'” Bob said.

I was drawn to his humility. But working with him wasn’t so much about his raw talent as a cameraman, it was just fun. 

“But the raw talent was definitely there,” Bob said.

We’ve been told we’re like an old married couple. And I know many of you can relate. In fact, this week we put out a call on Facebook asking to hear from other “work spouses.” Hundreds chimed in, and the relationships they describe sounded an awful lot like “real” marriages.

“You don’t really have to explain certain things, they just know what you’re thinking,” one responder said.

People have always told me I have best job in America, and it’s true, but not for the reason everyone assumes. Rather, it’s because every week, I’ve had Bob by my side to share the experience.

“We started out as work friends and we became best friends,” Bob said.

And that part will never change.

Steve Hartman

Steve Hartman has been a CBS News correspondent since 1998, having served as a part-time correspondent for the previous two years.