Sam Su, a third-year photographic and imaging arts/visual media option major from New York City, has partnered with athletic companies to photograph products and athletes. He recently went to the Cayman Islands and photographed Olympic athletes training for Protean Sports.

Tell us a little about your process when it comes to taking photos. What gets your creative mind flowing?

The biggest inspiration for a lot of my ideas and concepts usually comes from other photographers, videographers, and filmmakers in the industry. Movies, music, and pop culture are my biggest sources of inspiration. I can take so many elements and just be inspired. You can break down a message and communicate it to someone else through art. I think that is really beautiful and that’s what gets me going every day. I love creating. I live to create. That’s what makes my job so much more fun. I’m able to communicate my feelings about the world in an art form that anybody can understand.

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Sam Su

Student Sam Su has partnered with athletic companies to photograph products and athletes. Su photographed athlete Amira Young.

Can you tell me about the projects you’ve been working on?

My most recent project is for a company called Protean Sports. It’s founded by Jennifer O’Reilly, an amazing woman who used to be a Nike executive. She found my work through Instagram. Protean Sports hosts a selection of athletes that go to the Cayman Islands for a training camp. Currently, they have a three-month-long training camp for 15 international athletes who are preparing for this year’s Olympics. O’Reilly liked my style and gave me an opportunity to fly down and see what I could do in a week. We would go to the track and document the training. Seeing the speed of the athletes and how hard they work is unbelievable. One morning it rained, and those were some of my best photos. I had full creative control, which is one of the biggest compliments you can get.

How much would you say that classes at RIT have prepared you when it comes to pitching ideas or having creative freedom in projects?

I’ve learned about the importance of networking. Skill is very important, obviously, but I fully believe that if you don’t know how to network, you will never get as far as the most prolific photographers. Being able to put in extra hours, to go the extra mile, and to do more than the assignment asked for will teach you so many skills.

I’ve created a niche for myself and, at RIT, there are so many different ways that people do things that I just love. Connecting with them and seeing how they work is enough to make me better because it gives me the chance to learn. There are so many students here that are so much better than I am, and that just makes me excited to want to learn from them.

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Sam Su

Student Sam Su is pictured in a selfie

How does it feel to be sought out by these large companies and to have them admire your photography and want to partner with you?

This is the start, the tip of the iceberg for me. I’ve sent out so many emails and I’ve put in so many hours of work, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to stop getting better. It’s a really cutthroat industry so it’s important that what we have to offer is making the industry more inclusive and accessible. With the developments of technology, some of the best cameras are in our phones. But, the work that I put into my Instagram and my portfolio shows the number of hours I take to making it look presentable and professional.

What advice would you give to other students?

Keep creating, keep networking, and stay humble. The most important thing about being in a creative industry is just being nice. I would rather work with someone who is fun and not so skilled, but willing to learn, than work with someone who is the most insane photographer I’ve ever met but terrible to work with.

Lastly, what drew you to RIT?

The level of networking, along with the connections, facilities, equipment, and expertise in the photo and other creative programs. We have one of the greatest photo and video schools in the country.

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Trains in the Centennial State: Photographer Sam Howard will be exhibiting his photos in a show titled, “Railroad Images of Colorado,” at the Gilpin County Library from February 10 through March 30.

Sam Howard is an award-winning fine art railroad photographer who combines incredible Colorado landscapes with the rich history of mountain railroading. Viewing his photographs, you can almost experience the sounds, smells, and beauty of our treasured west.

Howard photographs all over Colorado, where steam engines on the narrow gauge are still king. His favorite location is the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge RR. He prefers the autumn season when snow blankets the high mountain peaks and enhances the spectacular environs and complements the power of the trains. His photos transport the viewer to a time long gone.

Howard owns the Caboose Gallery in Littleton, housed in an authentic 1880s Chicago/Burlington/Quincy wooden caboose. Sam will be exhibiting his photographs at the Gilpin County Public Library from February 10 through March 30.

The Gilpin County Public Library is located at 15131 Highway 119, Black Hawk, Colorado. For more information go to https:// www.gilpinlibrary.org/ or call 303-582-5777.

For more information about Sam Howard’s photography you can visit his website at: www.trainroomphotography.com.

A wildlife photographer has told a court the upsetting story of finding the body of a “murder victim” while out taking pictures.

Craig Prosser was looking to capture kingfishers at a spot in the United Kingdom in 2021 when he instead discovered the body of missing 30-year-old Jorge Carreno.

A woman called Scarlet Blake is currently standing trial at Oxford Crown Court for Carreno’s murder — a crime she denies committing.

In court last Friday, as reported by the Oxford Mail, Prosser became emotional as he gave evidence to the jury about how he came to discover the cadaver.

Prosser had already passed the spot where Carreno’s body was lying when he doubled back and noticed something floating in the water.

“I stood on top of the cement rock and to my left, I saw what looked like a black satchel floating on the top,” the Oxford Mail reports Prosser as saying.

“I regularly see things floating in the water, my initial reaction was to try and pull it from the water and put it on the side.

“I probably would have needed a branch to fish it out. Then to my left, I saw the bottom, the sole of a shoe. It was white, or cream-coloured. I then saw what looked like the hem of cream trousers.”

It was at this moment the photographer’s voice began to break as he continued with his testimony.

“I wanted someone else to confirm before I phoned the emergency services so I waited for some passers-by,” he said.

Afterward, he saw two young men walking a dog; he approached them to double-check what he had seen. Prior to that, Prosser had seen a family but decided against asking them since they had children with them.

When the two men also saw Carenno’s corpse they called the emergency services who recovered the body.

Blake is accused of killing Carreno after he had left a night out and was walking home. It is alleged that she started a conversation with him before taking him to a secluded area where she strangled him.

The trial continues. To discover the court’s decision, follow the Oxford Mail who are podcasting the case.

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.

Sony was a major player in the massive record-setting broadcast production of Super Bowl LVIII but its support of image capture at the event didn’t end there. More than 50 a9 III cameras and 145 lenses were available for photographers and Sony Pro Support was on hand, too.

Arguably the largest sporting event in the United States, the Super Bowl presents unique challenges for photographers tasked with capturing it. Just as it does for the Olympics, Sony was on-hand at Allegiant Stadium with a massive haul of equipment as well as an on-site team to keep photographers and their gear running at peak performance.

In addition to repair and cleaning support, Sony’s on-site presence at the Super Bowl included a massive haul of 145 high-end lenses and more than 50 new a9 III cameras.

Agency photographers had access to Sony’s pro support at the game, which included camera and lens cleaning and repair, if needed. Photographers also had access to the library of cameras and lenses that Sony brought to the Super Bowl — all free of charge.

While Sony’s support is likely greatly appreciated by the continent of professional photographers in attendance, eventually the duty to capture incredible photos falls on their individual skill — but the latest and greatest equipment certainly helps.

“Sports photographers often have to anticipate a moment using their past experiences with the game and what they know about athletes. The exception to this is when you’re covering athletes like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce,” Kyle Rivas, a member of the Kansas City Chiefs’ photo team tells PetaPixel.

“Many times the crucial moment is likely something we’ve never seen before. That’s where I think the Sony a9 III will excel for sports photographers. I was able to cover the AFC Championship in Baltimore for the Kansas City Chiefs Photo Team while utilizing the Sony a9 III.”

Rivas used the a9 III to capture the photo below and explains what about that experience impressed him and why he continued to rely on it for the Super Bowl.

“Early in the first half, Mahomes was scrambling on a crucial 3rd downplay when he tossed the ball to Travis Kelce. Travis did something that nobody had seen him do quite like this, he leaped after the ball and went parallel to the ground while making a big catch. This happened so quickly that no other photographer from our team was able to find Kelce, focus, and capture the key moment except for my lens,” he says.

“Two things were crucial here. Because I had pre-capture activated, the A9 III was capturing several frames of the ball before it hit his hands while my brain was still tracking the moment. Because I was shooting at 30 frames per second, I didn’t just have one or two keyframes, I turned in a series of frames which our Chiefs production team 65 TPT was able to also utilize on the video side as well.”

The a9 III is a very new camera — it only became publicly available last week. Still, Rivas didn’t shy away from using it in the biggest moments.

“The Sony a9 III in my opinion is going to force sports photographers to change and adapt the way they approach certain moments. Some photographers are going to scoff at the higher frame rates and say we’re just glorified videographers,” he says.

“Others may balk at the amount of frames being taken in a given moment because of both the higher frame rates and Pre-capture. I say if this camera’s power allows me to think at the same pace as an athlete like Mahomes and Kelce, I choose the Sony a9 III every time.”

Image credits: Sony

An award-winning photograph of a polar bear’s unusual napping spot has captured global attention following the announcement of the Wildlife Photographer Of The Year People’s Choice Award. Ice Bed by Nima Sarikhani shows a polar bear that’s carved out a place to sleep from a small iceberg off Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, and it’s really got people talking.

After receiving record-breaking support in the People’s Choice Award competition, it was announced as the winner with 75,000 votes. It was captured during a three-day search for polar bears through thick fog off Norway’s Svalbard archipelago aboard an expedition vessel. Just before midnight, the crew and its guests encountered a young male using its paws to carve out a bed on top of a small iceberg, before curling up to go to sleep.

Sea ice is a vital habitat for polar bears who need it to hunt, as well as rest, but in recent years there has been less and less of it to go around due to climate change. The image of the young polar bear making a bed on such a small spit of ice has understandably triggered a lot of emotion, demonstrating the plight of these animals.

“The period with sea ice over shallower water in much of the area is now much shorter than it was a few decades ago,” said Dr Jon Aars of the Norweigian Polar Bear Institute to London’s Natural History Museum. “While the bears that follow sea ice may still be able to hunt year-round, this is increasingly over deeper waters which may be less productive.”

“The loss of sea ice also affects other aspects of their lifestyle. For example, the bears often no longer reach areas in the east that have traditionally been important for building dens. Instead, the bears are now often found hundreds of kilometres closer to the north pole, where the sea ice tends to be.”

Like other mammals, polar bear pups are reliant on their mother’s milk, but long journeys, reduced hunting opportunities, and denning difficulties can make it harder for them to carry babies to term and keep them alive after they’re born. The photo is therefore a stark reminder of what we stand to lose if action isn’t taken, but one that Sarikhani hopes can inspire positive change.

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“I am so honoured to have won this year’s People’s Choice award for WPY, the most prestigious wildlife photography competition,” Sarikhani said in a statement. “This photograph has stirred strong emotions in many of those who have seen it.”

“Whilst climate change is the biggest challenge we face, I hope that this photograph also inspires hope. There is still time to fix the mess we have caused.”

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London.

Hey there, folks! Sarah Jensen here, coming to you from the heart of Austin, Texas, where the vibes are as eclectic as the tech and entertainment we love to devour. Today, I’ve got a story that feels like it’s straight out of a movie, but trust me, it’s as real as the latest gadget on your wishlist.

Imagine this: You’re a photographer, used to capturing moments that tell a thousand words, but what if one of those photos held the key to a family secret? That’s exactly what happened to Emily, a talented photographer with an eye for the magic in everyday moments. During a seemingly routine family photo shoot with Cassie and her adorable quadruplets, Emily snapped a series of pictures that would unknowingly lead her to uncover a life-changing truth.

As Emily sifted through the photos, editing and zooming in for those perfect touches, she stumbled upon a detail that caught her breath. One of the little girls had heterochromia—two different colored eyes—a rare trait that Emily and her father also shared. But it was a tiny, heart-shaped birthmark visible in one of the close-ups that truly set off the alarm bells. Emily remembered her father mentioning a similar mark, a unique family signature, you might say.

Driven by a mix of curiosity and disbelief, Emily shared her discovery with her father, who was recovering in the hospital. The conversation that followed would unravel years of secrets: Cassie was not just a client but Emily’s half-sister, making those four little girls her nieces!

Shocked but determined to connect the dots, Emily approached Cassie with the story, and together, they decided to take a DNA test. The results were undeniable: they were indeed family. What started as a routine photo shoot blossomed into a heartwarming tale of reunion and newfound bonds.

This story isn’t just a testament to the power of photography; it’s a reminder of how interconnected we are, often in ways we can’t even imagine. It’s about the unexpected discoveries that can change our lives, bringing us closer to truths we never knew existed.

So, dear readers, I’m curious—have you ever experienced a moment that felt like fate stepping in to rearrange the pieces of your life? A chance encounter that led to a surprising revelation or a long-lost connection rediscovered? Share your stories in the comments below. Let’s marvel at the mysteries of life together, proving once again that reality can be as thrilling as the latest binge-worthy TV show or the newest tech gadget on the market.

And remember, in a world where every picture tells a story, some stories might just lead you back home.

Until next time, keep exploring, stay curious, and never underestimate the power of a single photograph to change your life.

Yours in endless adventure, Sarah Jensen