One of the biggest tendencies I see among photographers is the pursuit of the latest and greatest kit. I, however, did the very opposite and invested in some truly ancient equipment. Not because I intended to write an article about it, but because there is a valid reason behind my choice. Let’s delve into it.

The growing trend for vintage technology in photography often centers around capturing images with film. When delving into vintage technology, photographers typically aim for the specific aesthetic of that era. Even when shooting film, modern technology is still utilized in the workflow. However, concerning flash equipment, the transition from ’90s flashes to the latest units available today isn’t as drastic. In fact, many of the flash heads sold for Broncolor and Profoto in the 1990s are still compatible with the new packs, for the most part. Do you see where I’m going with this? I acquired ’90s Profoto equipment, and I’d like to share why you should consider such gear for yourself.

I am not sponsored by Profoto or any other brand; much of the equipment you see has been purchased with my own funds. The same applies to the kit I’m about to discuss. While I wish some warehouse wizard would unearth a stash of unused heads and generators, the reality was much more mundane. I stumbled upon a fantastic deal online for some generators and heads, and I seized the opportunity.

When purchasing old flash equipment, initial concerns may arise regarding its age and relevance. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The core functionality of flash remains unchanged: it needs to consistently emit light with good duration. The demand for pack and head systems has remained constant. Consequently, you can use old heads from Broncolor and Profoto with the latest generators and vice versa. This is particularly advantageous for those of us engaged in studio work, seeking a reliable pack and head system with optimal power and accuracy. While a brand-new Broncolor Scoro or Pro-11 may offer superior performance compared to older units, they also come with a significantly higher price tag.

If you’re in the market for old generators, allow me to suggest a few options. If Profoto is your preference, consider the Profoto Pro-7a 2400/1200. This is the system we will delve into in this article. For Broncolor enthusiasts, explore the Grafit, Verso, Pulso 4, or Primo models. These generators can often be found for well under $1,000 and frequently come with accompanying heads. Moreover, the Profoto ProHead and the Broncolor Pulso head have undergone minimal changes over time, ensuring compatibility and upgradability. If you eventually upgrade to a new Scoro pack or a similar Profoto model, you’ll still be able to use your existing heads.

For those not using Profoto, Broncolor offers excellent alternatives. However, I personally find Profoto to excel in modifiers and performance. Nonetheless, both brands can deliver outstanding results.

Why Use Pack and Head Systems?

A pack and head system represents the traditional format for utilizing flash. In this setup, all controls are located on the ground, while the head serves essentially as a flash tube with a modifier holder and some fans. Pack and head systems aren’t the most portable option, making them less suitable for on-location shoots. However, in the studio, they reign supreme. I would choose my pack and head system over a monobloc any day. The power output from a pack and head system is unmatched by monoblocs. Not only do you get significantly more power, but also excellent duration and consistency. The closest alternative to a pack and head system would be the Profoto D2, which offers excellent duration and consistency but lacks the same power output. If, like me, you prefer shooting at ISO 100 and f/11, a pack and head system is often the most suitable option. That said, I do own a few portable flashes such as the B1x and the B2 for location work and travel. In the studio, I favor mains-powered flash units for their faster recycling time and powerful modeling lamps, which allow me to preview lighting setups without taking test shots.

The Profoto Pro-7a

Regarding the Profoto Pro-7a, I appreciate its features. It offers 2,400 W of power split over three semi-asymmetrical sockets. However, I rarely utilize it at full power to preserve the capacitors and flash tubes. Typically, my generator operates at around 700-800 W, depending on the modifier used. With the Pro-7a, you have three sockets: A, B1, and B2, with A and B being asymmetrical and B1 and B2 being symmetrical. While theoretically, all three flash sockets can be used, I recommend starting with only A and B1, especially for those new to flash photography. This allows you to understand how much power your modifiers consume, ensuring consistent lighting setups. If you require additional power for certain lights, the B1 and B2 sockets are ideal. Typically, I assign the light requiring the most power to socket A, as it offers power settings from 1/8 to 1/1. This could be a large softbox or any modifier necessitating extensive diffusion. The fill light is also typically assigned to this socket. The key light is then connected to socket B1, offering power settings from 1/16 to 1/2. Of course, this approach varies depending on the specific requirements of the shoot. The master knob controls the total output of the pack, providing an additional 1 1/3 stops of control. This grants ample control over power output and consequently flash duration. In terms of flash duration, the Pro-7a surpasses the performance of both the B1x and the B2 in freeze mode. Furthermore, consistency-wise, it maintains a high standard, ensuring reliable results for compositing and complex shots.

The Heads

The heads can be somewhat confusing with the Pro-7a. Profoto manufactured various heads during that period, potentially causing confusion for newcomers. The recommended heads are the ProHeads, as they are compatible with any generator from the Pro-7a series. Even if you upgrade to a Pro-8 or Pro-10 generator, these heads remain compatible. Generally, it’s advisable to look for a kit with a minimum of two heads, though more is always better. Another head compatible with the Pro-7a is the Pro-7a head. My assumption is that this head was introduced to distinguish it from older heads designed for the Pro-6 and earlier generators. What I can confirm is that the wiring on the Pro-7a is different, necessitating the marketing and sale of heads compatible with the new generator. I haven’t observed any significant difference between the Pro-7a head and the ProHead, aside from a few minor tweaks. While I haven’t tested the Pro-7a head on a Pro-8a generator, I predict it will function adequately, given their similarities.

Buying Advice

For those considering purchasing a Pro-7a, while I recommend the 2,400 version, the 1,200 version is also a viable option, particularly if the price is favorable. Ideally, the generator should be acquired as part of a bundle with heads, as individual heads can be quite expensive. The key to buying such equipment is finding an excellent deal. I managed to procure mine for around $1,000, which included six heads, a Pro-7a, Pro-5, zoom reflectors, grids, snoots, and softboxes. Admittedly, there were some caveats; some cables were slightly damaged, resulting in one head not firing, while others had broken fans. However, considering the overall value of the deal, these drawbacks were negligible. I invested a considerable amount of time researching the Pro-7a and compatible heads, so if you have any doubts, feel free to reach out, and I’ll assist you in selecting the best option!

A Snapshot of a Harsh Reality

The grand winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award, a British amateur photographer, Nima Sarikhani, has managed to capture the stark reality of climate change in a single frame. His iconic image titled ‘Ice Bed’, which depicts a young polar bear carving a makeshift bed on an iceberg, is not just a beautiful wildlife photograph, but also a chilling reminder of the adverse effects of climate change. The image, which received a record-breaking 75,000 votes from the public, will be on display at the Natural History Museum, London, until 30 June.

Behind the Winning Shot

Sarikhani’s journey to the win was not an easy one. He spent three days navigating through the freezing waters of Norway’s Svalbard archipelago before he encountered a pair of polar bears. The young male bear, clearly tired, managed to create a bed on a small iceberg and drifted off to sleep. This common behavior, captured in the ‘Ice Bed’, is a stark reminder of the integral bond between an animal and its habitat, highlighting the harsh reality of climate warming and habitat loss.

The Arctic’s Silent Plea

While the image depicts a peaceful scene, it also subtly conveys a desperate plea from the Arctic. The impact of global warming on the Arctic is three times the global average, leading to a reduction in sea ice cover. This drastic change in the environment poses a significant threat to the survival of polar bears and other Arctic wildlife. The striking image is a visual representation of these detrimental impacts, stirring conversations about the climate crisis worldwide.

More Than Just a Photograph

Winning the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award is more than just an individual achievement for Sarikhani. He hopes his photograph will inspire hope and raise awareness about the impacts of climate change. The ‘Ice Bed’ is a potent reminder of how urgently we need to address global challenges like climate change and habitat loss. The image, while capturing the bond between animals and their habitat, also poses a critical question about their future.

Joining Hands for a Better Future

The People’s Choice Award serves as a platform to raise awareness about the plight of wildlife facing the brunt of climate change. The ‘Ice Bed’ has successfully served as a catalyst, sparking conversations and debates about the climate crisis. As we appreciate the visual appeal of these images, let’s also acknowledge the underlying message they convey. Every vote cast for Sarikhani’s photograph is a vote for the Arctic, a vote for the polar bears, and a step towards a better, more sustainable future. The time to act is now.

In the digital era, the power of a single image to captivate, inspire, and even incite action is undeniable. Yet, as a recent study reveals, this potency can also lead to unintended consequences, particularly in the realm of global health photography. On February 14, 2024, researchers Arsenii Alenichev and colleagues published their findings in PLOS Global Public Health, shedding light on the ethical dilemmas faced by photographers commissioned by NGOs and agencies.

The Dual Objectives: Photojournalism vs. Marketing

Photographers working in global health often find themselves caught between two competing objectives: to accurately represent local communities and to create compelling imagery that will garner donations and raise awareness. This tension can result in photos that are sanitized, sensationalized, or even staged, which can ultimately misrepresent the communities they aim to help.

The Unforeseen Consequences of Sharing Wildlife Images

One area where these ethical dilemmas are particularly pronounced is in wildlife photography, specifically in the context of conservation efforts. While sharing images of wild animals online can help raise awareness and foster a love for nature, it can also contribute to illegal animal trafficking and harmful human-wildlife interactions.

Wildlife professionals have a crucial role to play in promoting responsible social media use. By avoiding featuring themselves in pictures with animals and providing informative captions, they can help educate viewers about the potential harm caused by seeking out similar experiences or attempting to own these animals as pets.

The Need for Awareness and Education

Despite the best efforts of photographers and wildlife professionals, the study by Alenichev and colleagues found that even when detailed captions were provided, a significant portion of viewers still expressed a desire to seek out similar experiences with animals or own them as pets. This finding underscores the need for further awareness and education on the impact of such interactions.

As we continue to navigate the complex world of global health photography, it is essential that organizations prioritize a more photojournalistic approach, emphasizing ethical clarity over potential economic sacrifices. By doing so, we can ensure that the images we share not only captivate and inspire but also contribute to the well-being of the communities and wildlife they depict.

Keywords: Global health photography, ethical dilemmas, wildlife conservation, responsible social media use, photojournalism, marketing objectives, illegal animal trafficking, harmful human-wildlife interactions, awareness, education.

In conclusion, the ethical dilemmas surrounding global health photography serve as a reminder of the power and responsibility that comes with sharing images in today’s interconnected world. By prioritizing ethical clarity and promoting responsible social media use, we can harness the potency of visual storytelling to make a positive impact on the lives of people and wildlife around the globe.

Lexar’s new SL600 portable SSD promises speeds up to 2,000 MB/s and comes in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities.

The Lexar SL600 utilizes USB 3.2 gen 2×2 performance, promising up to 2,000 MB/s read and write speeds. While the footnotes on Lexar’s product page explain that actual performance may vary — as is always the case with storage devices — the company doesn’t disclose specs for minimum read/write speeds.

To achieve the best possible speeds and reach, or at least get near the 2,000 MB/s, users must have a computer or host device that is certified to support the 20 Gb/s USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 standard. If a device doesn’t have USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, and instead has USB 3.2 Gen 2, speeds will be effectively cut in half. This is especially relevant for Mac users, as Apple devices, even those with Thunderbolt and USB 4 support, don’t have USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 technology.

Lexar markets the drive for photographers, videographers, and content creators, citing the drive’s portability, design, performance, and ruggedness. The drive includes USB Type-C and Type-A cables and offers shock and vibration resistance. The SL600 includes a carabiner loop at one end so that users can easily attach it to their backpack.

The SL600 is 4.4 x 2.3 x 0.4 inches (112.6 x 59 x 10.6 millimeters) and weighs 64 grams (2.3 ounces). Like any practical portable SSD, the SL600 is USB-powered.

“We understand that many creative professionals need solutions that expedite their workflows and make their jobs easier. The Lexar Professional SL600 Portable SSD does just that by offering blazing fast read and write speeds that allow creatives to spend more time focusing on their craft rather than waiting for files to transfer,” says Joey Lopez, Lexar’s Director of Marketing.

The Lexar SL600 comes in three capacities. The 1TB and 2TB versions are available now from retailers for $90 and $140, respectively, although their list prices are actually $130 and $175. The 4TB version is not yet available but Lexar says it will start shipping next quarter, so sometime this spring. Pricing for the 4TB SL600 SSD has not yet been disclosed.

If PetaPixel has the chance to test the SL600, it may make its way into the “Best Portable SSDs in 2024” guide. The SL600’s price and performance are certainly compelling, and the company’s memory cards are well respected.

Image credits: Lexar

Global health photography is often caught between photojournalistic intentions of accurately reflecting local communities and marketing directives to create attention-grabbing imagery, according to a study published in PLOS Global Public Health by Arsenii Alenichev from Oxford Population Health, the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, and colleagues.

Standing at such representational crossroads, photographers are forced to engage with numerous—and often unresolvable—ethical and practical dilemmas.

Photographers are often commissioned by non-governmental organizations and agencies to document the pain and empowerment of others, with a goal to yield donations and attract attention to issues in communities. While photojournalism is often framed as objective, simply by being present, photographers interfere with local communities and can face challenging ethical dilemmas.

To better understand how global health photographers operate and ethically obtain consent from subjects, the authors interviewed 29 photographers reflecting the demographic realities of the field about the moral and practical challenges they face on the job. The authors identified common themes across the anonymized interview transcripts to highlight major issues faced by global health photographers.

The authors found that in the current global health landscape, organizations often direct photographers to quickly create attention-grabbing marketing images to compete with mainstream ads. Photographers typically have to work with client-created ‘briefs’ detailing what images they need to take, and with limited time and resources.

In practice, it pushes photographers to increasingly sanitize, sensationalize, or stage scenes to produce the desired image—misrepresenting the realities of local communities, especially in the Global South, to which photographers react with resistance. Acquiring ethical consent from subjects is also complicated by power imbalances, language barriers and illiteracy, and misplaced fear and trust in both the photographer and the legal documents they are asked to sign.

Given these emergent themes, the authors argue that organizations should push for a more photojournalistic approach to the creation of global health images, weighing ethical clarity over potential economic sacrifice. While their sample of respondents may have been biased towards critical perspectives, the authors believe that this broad overview of tensions will equip other researchers to conduct future studies of more localized, nuanced experiences.

The authors add, “Decolonization of global health and its visual culture will prove impossible without taking the ethical experiences of photographers seriously, especially the local ones. Global health images should not be understood as neutral depictions of interventions—they are in fact political agents participating in the formulation of stereotypes about people and entire communities.”

Nikon Ambassador and internationally acclaimed photographer and videographer Kristi Odom joined the PetaPixel Podcast this week to discuss underwater photography. Alongside joining us to talk shop, Odom also separately selected and explained her top three images of 2023, one of which is, perhaps not coincidentally, an underwater photo.

Thanks to our podcast sponsor OM SYSTEM! OM SYSTEM unveiled its latest flagship camera on January 30th, the OM-1 Mark II, which builds upon the legacy of the original OM-1. With double the buffer size and impressive high-speed sequential shooting capabilities–up to 50fps with continuous autofocus — the new camera offers enhanced autofocus performance, accuracy, and reliability.
 
Anticipated to begin shipping in two weeks, insider information from OM SYSTEM revealed that they’ve extended their pre-order promotion, originally expected to conclude on February 26th, now extended until the end of March. Pre-order your OM-1 Mark II body or kit by March 31st and enjoy an additional complementary BLX-1 battery. Bundle your purchase with select lenses to save up to $300. Visit explore.omsystem.com/petapixel for more details!

The Ocean’s Great Migration

Odom’s favorite shot of 2023 is her image of two dolphins beneath a school of sardines. The brilliant underwater image tells a very powerful story and offers compelling shapes, tones, and texture. Like so many great underwater images, the photo feels otherworldly.

The image was shot “off the coast of South Africa during the sardine run,” Odom explains to PetaPixel. “Every year, the sardines and other little fish swim together in masses, often forming bait balls. This brings in the sharks, dolphins, birds, and whales. It is basically the great migration of the sea.”

Part of the image’s relative darkness is due to underwater just being darker, but much of it is due to Odom’s personal style and creative choices.

“A lot of my toning reflects my personal style,” she says. “My images tend to be a little on the dark side with highlights bringing your eyes to the subjects.”

“I use histograms throughout my whole process, from shooting to editing. I love that my Z9 lets me see them while shooting; Lightroom and Photoshop also show histograms. The majority of my images, when processed, have a very similar histogram.”

She also wants to note that she removed the back-scatter from the image to ensure a clean background. This clean background also showcases Odom’s expert use of negative space throughout her work.

“When underwater, I see the ocean and its vastness as part of the narrative. Which is why I decided to include it here,” the photographer says. “These dolphins and the bait ball that they were swimming towards were actually pretty small when amongst the large ocean.”

Bolivian Bees: Years in the Making

“This image took me three years and multiple trips to Bolivia to achieve,” Odom says. “It was super challenging.”

The image is part of a much larger story of rehabilitation from Amazon deforestation. This specific bee, a native Bolivian species called Tetragonisca angustula, known locally as “senorita,” is only four to five millimeters large.

Odom called on fellow Nikon expert Paul Van Allen, a NPS rep, for help. Her Z9’s excellent autofocus also helped.

“My autofocus settings were as follows: AF-C, Wide area AF with bird tracking, which worked like a charm on these little bees.”

To achieve the incredible dynamism in the image, Odom used multiple artificial lights, including a Nikon SB-5000 speedlight, a Nikon SB-910, and a Godox lighstick. She controlled her Nikon flashes using the WR-R11a Remote Controller. Odom also used a black cloth backdrop.

“I worked with a bee expert to make sure that putting up the black cloth didn’t interfere with the bees in any way,” she adds.

“I used the lighstick to show the path then by using the right flash duration, which I hit by setting the flashes at 1/8th power, I used the WR-R11a to trigger the SB-5000. The light from the SB-5000 triggered the SB-910.”

B&H Photo and Video was on-site with Odom recording her as part of an upcoming five-part wildlife video series, so the full process will be featured in one of the episodes. “Keep an eye out,” says Odom.

Cheetah Cubs Watching Mom

For a total change of pace, Odom’s third favorite photo of 2023 is from an early morning adventure in Tsavo East National Park in Kenya.

“They’re looking at their mom,” Odom says of the photogenic young cheetahs. “They were getting up to walk over to her, then they walked off together into the vast savannah.”

“I’m so drawn to how cheetah siblings work together, learn together, and play together. It is amazing to see.”

“In this case, they were all focused on the same spot, and got up together to walk towards her, but got up at different speeds — showing togetherness, yet that they are still individuals.”

“I was lucky that this one shot caught catchlight in all three eyes,” Odom explains.

While Odom could have gone for a wider field of view and maybe caught mom in the frame, she opted to leave her out because she was surrounded by very distracting elements and she didn’t fit the overall narrative.

“To me, the story is in her three cubs.”

The storytelling of seeing all three cubs looking out of the frame, and wondering what they’re staring at, is really compelling. An expert visual storyteller, Odom knows how to perfectly arrange everything in the frame to tell the best story, which often includes deciding what not to include in the image.

She also knows how important a good background is to an image.

“I definitely use a shallow depth of field a lot to make the backgrounds more textural and not so distracting. It is important to show a sense to place, but not to pull people’s eyes away too much from the main subjects.”

“It is important to look all around your frame before taking every photo,” she adds. “Everything inside that frame is a part of the narrative, and it all needs to work together.”

More from Kristi Odom

Kristi Odom is a photographer, educator, Nikon Ambassador, and Associate Fellow at the International League of Conservation Photographers.

PetaPixel recently spoke with Odom and a budding young photographer she’s mentoring, Devon Matthews, about the tarantula migration in La Junta, Colorado. Odom offers many great tips for photographers in the article.

Below are a few more of her underwater photos, and even more of her work is available on her website and on Instagram.

We use Riverside to record The PetaPixel Podcast in our online recording studio.
 
We hope you enjoy the podcast and we look forward to hearing what you think. If you like what you hear, please support us by subscribing, liking, commenting, and reviewing! Every week, the trio go over comments on YouTube and here on PetaPixel, but if you’d like to send a message for them to hear, you can do so through SpeakPipe.
 

In This Episode

Image credits: © Kristi Odom

His photographs are like an open window on a world that is forever lost, the traditional world of Eastern European Jewry.

From 1935 to 1938, Roman Vishniac, with little more than a pair of cameras and film tucked into his luggage, crisscrossed communities large and small in Poland, Lithuania, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. He captured a priceless record of the daily life of Jews suffering under the crushing burden of poverty and dislocation. It was made worse by newly passed antisemitic laws and government regulations.

His many trips through the region were financed through the European office of America’s Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which saw — in his powerful portrayal of communities under stress — a way to help raise both money and public awareness.

Get The AJT Newsletter by email and never miss our top stories


Free Sign Up

The mid to late 1939s were a stressful time for the impoverished communities of Eastern European Jews.

Now, for the first time, Vishniac’s monumental record of Eastern European life and his long career as a photographer of rare skill and sensitivity are the subject of a new documentary by director, Laura Bialis. The documentary will have its Atlanta premiere in a pair of screenings at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.

Bialis was given full access to Vishniac’s vast archives of more than 23,000 images and had the extensive on-camera participation and support of Vishniac’s daughter, Mara, who lived just 10 minutes from Bialis’s home in California. Over the four years that the two women were involved in the project, Bialis developed what she described as her transformation under Mara’s influence.

This portrait of an old Jewish man was featured on the cover of a book of Vishniac’s photos that won a National Jewish Book Award in 1984.

“It was like a very slow unwrapping of everything Mara had experienced growing up with her father and their long relationship. And we became friends. She was this incredible person and was so wise, but also still had that childlike interest in looking at the world through something her dad gave her, her gift of observing people. I feel like I was transformed by Mara.”

Mara and her family, with some assistance from the Joint Distribution Committee, made a miraculous escape from Nazi-occupied Europe on one of the last ships to bring refugees to America at the end of 1940.

For the film’s director, Bialis, there is something in Vishniac’s photographs of those doomed communities and their residents in the 1930s that transcends the mere recording of everyday life.

“I feel like when you look at his photos, you’re getting right into the face of someone, and you really meet them. This is a real person in their real habitat. He was somehow able to capture their essence — their personality. It was a spark that he captured. Photography is not just light and film. There’s a thing that happens, a magic spark for a second that happens between the photographer and his subject. And he had something that was able to get these people to give him that.”

Vishniac’s Eastern European photos were financed by the Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.

After his arrival in America on the eve of World War II, Vishniac worked to reinvent himself. During the last 50 years of his life, before his death in 1990, he shifted from being a deeply intuitive photographer of people to becoming an intense observer of the natural world, particularly as a pioneer in the use of microphotography to study nature up close.

His work was featured in Life Magazine, and he lectured widely about nature and basked in his celebrity. But arguably, his scientific photography never achieved the richness and depth of those pre-Holocaust years when he was searching out the many faces he fleetingly captured in Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz, and Munkacs.

“Vishniac’s” director, Laura Bialis, says that the photographer had an ability to capture the unique relationship between photographer and subject.

“Vishniac” is one of those rare documentaries which has a professional artistic finish that honors the profound artistry of its subject and his work. The production, which effectively integrates a number of recreations of many of the incidents in both Mara and her father’s life, was put together by producer Roberta Grossman, who has been a frequent presence at the AJFF. She was joined by the executive producer, Nancy Spielberg, Steven Spielberg’s sister.

The script, by Sophie Sartain, that neatly wraps up the many strands of Vishniac’s professional and personal life, and the music by Todd Boekelheide, subtly and effectively punctuate the film. Finally, the deft handling of all the many elements that make up the final production by the editor, Chris Callister, is truly remarkable.

The documentary is one of Bernstein and Bahr’s Best Bets at the festival, It arrives in Atlanta after a heavy schedule of screenings domestically and internationally, where it was the closing night film at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival and was chosen best documentary in this year’s Jewish film festival held in, of all places, Hong Kong.

Storage Tribeca director, Onyedika Chuke, is launching a new project space, Storage APT, opening on Valentine’s Day with a solo exhibition of Barbara Nitke’s photography series, American Ecstasy.

Chuke conceived of Storage APT (Art Presentation Template) as a “deeply intimate, lesser commercial setting” and is running the space out of his own Bowery apartment. While apartment galleries have a long history in urban centers, Chuke notes that, for him, “it’s a matter of creating a space that lets people get closest to the work and fosters community.”

Chuke views Storage APT as a live/work experiment and plans to host artist talks, dinners, and experimental projects out of the space. He is also intrigued by the inherent vulnerability in this venture. “I’m making myself vulnerable by letting the public into my apartment…viewers are also making themselves vulnerable…but there’s an intimacy, a warmth, a quality of light that you won’t find in a traditional gallery space.”

Chuke is opening Storage APT with a solo exhibition of Barbara Nitke’s series, American Ecstasy—a provocative retrospective of photographs taken by Nitke (b. 1950) while she was working as a photographer on adult film sets in New York City in the 1980s.

Chuke explains that his discovery of Nitke’s work happened quite by accident and feels there is a sort of serendipitous magic in opening his apartment art space with this exhibition. “I discovered Barbara’s work after returning my rental truck when I moved to this apartment…I was walking down 23rd Street and saw a pop-up exhibition. I was immediately intrigued and had to learn more…I realized her work—which was largely shot on sets in New York City apartments, was perfect for my vision of Storage APT.”

The exhibition explore Nitke’s color photographs of adult film actors on set between 1982 and 1991 and “reveals the elegant and spiritual connections between [adult film] actors.”

Intimate, raw, and at times silly, Chute was drawn to the power of Nitke’s female gaze in a male-dominated industry. “It was important to me to show Nitke’s work in a way that allows viewers to get close to her subjects…there’s an element of voyeurism but I love that she is taking back the male gaze.” Chute is also interested in the retro nature of the work, noting that Nitke is now in her 70s, as are many of the featured actors. “They’ve all moved on with their lives,” Chute says, “some of them are grandparents! It really made me think about the art world’s fascination with youth and what it means to age in our society.”

Chute is looking forward to exploring the possibilities of programming at Storage APT. “We’re excited to build community…one night we’re going to serve the food the actors had on set, we’re going to have the actors in for talks—we really want Storage APT to be a space to learn and explore. It’s counter-market and it’s niche, but that’s all very attractive to me.”

American Ecstasy opens at Storage APT February 14th from 5-8pm. RSVP Only.

Please contact info@storageartgallery.com or DM Storage Archive for more information.

Photography, much like any artistic or professional pursuit, thrives on the establishment of clear goals. Setting objectives not only provides direction but also serves as a catalyst for growth, pushing creatives to explore new territories, techniques, and perspectives.

Coming to you from e6 | Craig Roberts, this engaging video emphasizes the importance of goal-setting in photography. Roberts discusses how setting goals can lead to greater achievements with minimal effort by offering a clear target to aim for. He presents a nuanced view, questioning the traditional notion of goals and suggesting that while having an end target is beneficial, the focus should equally be on the journey towards achieving these goals. This approach encourages continuous learning and adaptation, ensuring that the process of reaching a goal is as rewarding as the achievement itself. Roberts’ perspective is particularly relevant in a field as dynamic as photography, where external factors such as weather can often derail well-laid plans, highlighting the importance of flexibility and enjoyment of the creative process.

Moreover, Roberts elaborates on practical strategies for setting and achieving photography goals, such as planning for obstacles and having contingency plans. He suggests that goals should not solely be about improving skills or capturing specific shots but also about appreciating and learning from each step of the journey. This mindset shift from goal obsession to process appreciation is crucial for photographers to avoid disappointment and find joy in every shoot, regardless of the outcome. By emphasizing the importance of planning, adaptability, and setting realistic expectations, Roberts provides a blueprint for photographers to follow, ensuring that their passion for photography remains ignited through both successes and setbacks. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Roberts.