These two Kodiak bears were found wandering along a road in Florida. They had been brought south from Alaska by a man the sheriff’s office called a ‘self-proclaimed bear trainer’, and they escaped the cage he built for them when he failed to close the gate properly. The man was arrested and is facing about a dozen charges relating to animal welfare; the bears, meanwhile, have been taken to a local zoo for safekeeping.
Photograph: Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office/Reuters
I’m striving to understand the question of folk photography and international prize-winning photography. If we keep them side by side, what will we see? I’m raising this question to explore the further study of digital folk culture including digital folk photography and digital anthropology.
Through random Google searching, I found the names of international prize winners in photography from Bangladesh. I just took those images as an example of what we considered a prestigious language considering the subject and visual language. From this search, people can list a few common names, who recently won prizes.
In the list, we’ll find the names such as the Royal Horticulture Society (RHS) Photographic Competition, Paris’ Prix De La Photographie compétition, International Press Freedom Award, Discovery of the Year Award or Time and ASMP’s Global Portraiture Competition.
These competitions explore the success of the language and presentation of the photo crafts of Bangladeshi photographers, too. These photos stimulate and inspire to see the crisis in a particular manner. That success is constructed and measured by the West. Ironically, in the post-colonial era, anti-colonial or decolonization studies earn the apex attention in the area of epistemology in underdeveloped countries like Bangladesh.
My concern is not to focus on those issues, of what photographers are capturing and what is gaining international sight. Already a small group of people, who capture, analyze, and promote photography as art, are concerned about those issues. That’s why I’m not bothering to share with readers that colonizers always choose the hut and slum as synonyms, what is documented as poverty and what later very much influenced the visual artist to create and express the local aesthetics. Still, artists like the broken houses, old cars, emaciated starving people, or hill people under the surveillance of the state, and at the same time aesthetically preached for tourism.
Fact: there’s a lot of clinical quality out there and not enough character. And often, if you want that quality, you can only haul around those lenses if you do many pushups and situps. But modern photography doesn’t require you to be swole. Instead, you can get all the allure and color you want from a few wide-angle lenses. If you love to shoot landscapes, cityscapes, seaside images, architecture, food, etc, then LUMIX has a lens for you. Here are some of the best wide-angle lenses we’ve used for those who love great colors in their photos.
This blog post is presented in partnership with LUMIX.
There’s a lot to love about this lens. Out of the box, it has a pretty life-like and vivid color. But when you pour on the sweet waters of Real-Time LUT, your LUMIX camera can blossom photographs as beautiful as the spring sakura. There’s also fast autofocus because it’s one of LUMIX’s wide-angle lenses. And beyond that, it’s weather-resistant, lightweight, and very useful.
The following specs are from Lensrentals.
| Angle of View | 107° to 63° |
| Aperture Blades | 9, Rounded |
| Aspherical Elements | 3 |
| Autofocus | Autofocus |
| Brand | Panasonic |
| Diameter | 3.3″ |
| Extra Low-Dispersion Elements | 1 |
| Filter Size | 77.0mm |
| Focal Length | 16.0-35.0 |
| Groups/Elements | 9/12 |
| Hood Included | Yes |
| Image Stabilization | No |
| Item Type | Lens |
| Length | 3.9″ |
| Lens Type | Wide Angle |
| Max Aperture | 4.0 |
| Maximum Magnification | 0.23x |
| Minimum Aperture | 22.0 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 0.8’ |
| Mount | L Mount |
| Ultra High-Refractive Index Elements | 1 |
| Weight | 1.1 lbs. |
In our review, we said:
I really like the colors from the LUMIX 16-35mm f4 PRO. I still think LUMIX has lenses with even better tint though. However, for small documentary-style setups, cityscapes, or landscapes, you’ll be happy. As stated earlier, we really like the look of the images with L Monochrome D enabled.
Photographers want great color — that’s not even a question; it’s a demand. In over a decade of camera and lens testing, we’ve found that some of our favorite colors come from prime lenses. So, sure, the zoom lens that we recommend will do a great job if you’re buying an interchangeable lens camera. But if you want stellar colors, then you need to check these out. These are a few LUMIX lenses that we think have phenomenal colors.
In our review, we state:
The LUMIX 18mm f1.8 is in a pretty special place. It’s a small, lightweight lens with full weather resistance, and it focuses incredibly fast. Beyond that, it delivered images that I wouldn’t have imagined otherwise.
In our review, we state:
Images are sharp through the center of the frame with softer edges when shooting wide open. At f2.8, the sharpness is extended through most of the frame. And while the 24mm lens offers plenty of detail, it isn’t too sharp for portraits.
In our review, we state:
The only two controls are for manually focusing — the AF/MF switch and the focus ring. The Panasonic S5 menu allows you to customize the speed of the control ring, as well as how far the ring turns to move through the range of possible focal distances. In non-linear mode, the ring turns slowly. That, coupled with focus peaking on the S5, made it easy to manually focus with excellent accuracy. The linear mode focuses much faster, but that makes it more difficult to get perfect focus.
Here’s what you should know about using this guide to the best wide-angle lenses for LUMIX:
If you’re still a bit confused as to the right lens for you, here are some questions to ask yourself
In the realm of underwater photography, where innovation and resilience converge, Nauticam has unveiled a game-changer. The NA-A9III underwater housing, tailored for the Sony a9 Mark III mirrorless camera, promises to redefine the boundaries of deep-sea visual storytelling.
Nauticam’s latest offering, the NA-A9III housing, is more than a protective shell for the Sony a9 Mark III camera. It’s an engineering marvel that provides effortless access to the camera’s controls, enhancing the user experience beneath the waves.
Ergonomically designed with dual thumb levers, this housing allows seamless operation, even in the most challenging underwater conditions. The large-bore M24 accessory port is another standout feature, enabling connections to devices like the Atomos Ninja V recorder.
The NA-A9III also hosts fiber-optic ports for strobes and an optional electrical bulkhead. This versatility caters to the diverse needs of underwater photographers, whether they’re capturing the ethereal dance of bioluminescent creatures or the raw power of marine predators.
At the heart of this revolution is the Sony a9 Mark III camera, a titan in mirrorless technology. It boasts the world’s first full-frame global shutter, facilitating blackout-free continuous shooting at an astounding 120fps with autofocus.
The camera’s no-crop 4K/120p video capability and unparalleled flash sync speed of up to 1/80,000s are game-changers for underwater videography and photography. These features empower visual storytellers to capture the ocean’s depth and dynamism like never before.
Nauticam’s NA-A9III housing supports a range of optical accessories, including wide-angle and super-macro lenses, enhancing the camera’s imaging prowess. The integrated vacuum check and leak detection systems offer peace of mind, ensuring the safety of the camera in the unpredictable underwater environment.
Crafted with precision, the housing’s build quality is likened to a fine Swiss timepiece. This meticulous design guarantees reliability and longevity, making the NA-A9III a worthy investment for serious underwater photographers.
Priced at $4,657, the NA-A9III is available for pre-order, with shipping scheduled to commence from March 8th. As we venture further into 2024, Nauticam’s innovation continues to push the envelope, illuminating the watery abyss with stunning clarity and unmatched technical finesse.
Indeed, the NA-A9III isn’t just a housing; it’s a testament to human ingenuity, a tool that transforms the seemingly impossible into the beautifully possible. With this release, Nauticam invites us all to dive deeper, explore more, and capture the unseen wonders of our blue planet.
If there’s one animal on this planet that’s built to handle the brutal cold, its the bison.
Heading into the winter season, a bison’s coat thickens up to counter the frigid temperatures and blankets of snow that often fall in their North Americans habitats.
Those wooly coats play an intricate role in keeping them warm through the winter, and allegedly create such a layer of insulation that snow that lands on their coat will not melt from the heat the bison’s skin gives off.
Bison pair their thickening coats (and skin) with their ability to derive sufficient nutrients from very small amounts of food, which is usually vegetation that peaks through the snow.
All of these qualities allow for bison to survive the toughest of winter conditions, and those conditions were shown in the breathtaking footage below.
A photographer and videographer by the name of Drew Simms braved the negative 37 degree weather at Yellowstone National Park and captured some stunning video of bison within the park traversing (and hunkering down out of) the snow.
The video is wonderfully put together, and the music that’s paired with it definitely gives the vibe of “King of the Snow” to the footage. Which, if we’re being honest, bison might as well be…
Before the bison videos start up, Simms turns the camera around on him to say:
“Here we are. (It’s) negative 37 degrees.”
Shoutout to Drew Simms for being an absolute mad man to go out in those conditions.
I’d assume that the National Park Service would advise visitors to stay inside on a -37 degree day, but myself and many others in the comment section were very thankful that the photographer went out to capture the footage of the snow-covered bison.
Social media users left these replies underneath the video praising the photographer for his work:
“Unbelievable. They are MAGNIFICENT!”
“Spectacular work and beautiful images!”
“Definitely worth being in -40 degrees. Amazing shots.”
“Fantastic captures of some fantastic animals.”
“Such massive, stoic animals (that are) withstanding the cold like that.”
“Sarikhani’s breathtaking and poignant image allows us to see the beauty and fragility of our planet,” Natural History Museum director Dr Douglas Gurr said.
“His thought-provoking image is a stark reminder of the integral bond between an animal and its habitat and serves as a visual representation of the detrimental impacts of climate warming and habitat loss.”
Sarikhani captured the image after three days searching for polar bears through thick fog off Norway’s Svalbard archipelago.
Four other outstanding finalists were highly commended in the competition which also saw two Australian photographers shortlisted, Cooma, NSW photographer Charles Davis, for his image Duckling Huddle, and Sydney photographer Ofer Levy, for his image Neighbourhood dispute.
The four images highly commended were:
Tzahi Finkelstein was in his hide, photographing shore birds, when he spotted a Balkan pond turtle walking in the shallow water. The dragonfly unexpectedly landed on the turtle’s nose.
Daniel Dencescu spent hours following the starlings around the city and suburbs of Rome, Italy.
Finally, on the cloudless winter’s day, the murmuration, swirled into the shape of a giant bird.
Two lionesses had gone hunting, leaving the pride’s five cubs hidden overnight in dense bushes, in Kenya’s Maasai Mara Mara.
Returning from their unsuccessful mission, they called the cubs out on to the open grassland and began grooming.
Sheltering his equipment in a self-made waterproof housing, Audun Rikardsen used his own system for adjusting the focus and aperture during a single exposure, as moon jellyfish swarmed in the cool autumnal waters of a fjord outside Tromsø, in northern Norway, illuminated by the aurora borealis.
You can see the winners of the fifty-ninth Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition announced earlier this year here.
Hope Floats © Dustin Ha
ESC © Dustin Ha
The First Daughter © Dustin Ha
Mon Dieu Projects Presents Debut Exhibition: “REMEMBER WHY YOU’RE HERE”
Unveiling Dustin Ha’s Bold Photography Collection at Helen J Gallery
— Dustin Ha
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA, February 8, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Mon Dieu Projects is delighted to announce the debut photography exhibition of esteemed artist Dustin Ha: “REMEMBER WHY YOU’RE HERE.” This captivating collection of 26 large format photographs will be unveiled on Saturday, February 10th, at the prestigious Helen J Gallery, situated at 929 Cole Ave in Los Angeles. The reception will commence at 5 pm and conclude at 9 pm.
In this thought-provoking collection, Dustin Ha pushes the boundaries of conventional norms by intricately folding, framing, and installing each piece at unique angles. The result is a presentation that transcends predictability, embracing a nonfungible rarity that offers attendees an unparalleled artistic experience, elevating the boundaries of fine art photography.
“REMEMBER WHY YOU’RE HERE” transcends the realm of mere commercially driven prints, typically suited for hotel lobbies or luxurious homes. Ha invites viewers to delve beneath the surface, encouraging them to discover themselves in an exquisitely imperfect world. These works fearlessly explore the complexities of contradiction and darkness that often coexist beneath the veneer of beauty and light.
Each fold within the photographs serves as a poignant metaphor for life’s intricate tapestry, showcasing both its highs and lows. Reflecting the disorderly nature of life itself, these folds mirror the unpredictability of each viewer’s personal journey. For Ha, these folds symbolize moments of profound panic, yet within the interplay of light and shadows lies a celebration of resilience, finding beauty in imperfection. Every viewer is encouraged to contemplate the profound parallels between the creases in the photographs and the nuanced fabric of their own lives.
Dustin Ha, a Los Angeles-born Korean-American raised in El Salvador, embodies three fragmented identities, perpetually feeling like an outsider. However, it is through his lens that he discovers purpose, transcending the Sisyphean anxiety that has plagued him. Ha confronts his inner demons through a meticulous photography practice that celebrates the uniqueness within us all, utilizing juxtaposition and unconventional formats to narrate a compelling story.
We cordially invite you to join us for this exclusive one-day event, as “REMEMBER WHY YOU’RE HERE” unfolds at the Helen J Gallery on February 10th from 5 pm to 9 pm. Experience a visual odyssey that challenges perspectives, transcends the ordinary, and invites you to rediscover the essence of your being.
Press Release by The World Art News (WAN) WorldArt.News
Spencer Walker
Mon Dieu Projects
info@mondieuprojects.com
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