Photography

USPS offering new stamps of stunning NASA photography

USPS offering new stamps of stunning NASA photography

If you’re a fan of NASA or simply enjoy the beauty of deep space, the U.S. Postal Service has a new option for your outgoing mail.

The organization announced in statement this week that it is releasing a $9.85 priority mail stamp depicting the ‘Pillars of Creation’ along with a $30.45 Cosmic Cliffs Priority Mail Express stamp. The images on the stamps were taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.

USPS offered the following descriptions of the two space phenomenons displayed on the new stamps:

“The Priority Mail stamp features the Pillars of Creation, a trillions-of-miles-tall formation that lies 6,500 light-years away from Earth within the vast Eagle Nebula,” said USPS in a statement. “Flush with gas and dust, the Pillars enshroud stars that are forming over many millennia. The Webb Telescope snapped this eerie image in 2022, revealing a new view of a vast stellar landscape.”

“The Cosmic Cliffs of the Carina Nebula are a stellar nursery — a birthplace of new stars and planets,” continued the release. “Captured in stunning detail by the Webb Telescope, the vivid image on the Priority Mail Express stamp reveals an area of powerful energy and activity within our own Milky Way galaxy.”

Both stamps are sold in panes of four.

The James Webb Space Telescope was launched by NASA on Dec. 25, 2021. It is the largest and most sensitive telescope ever deployed in space.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.

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Zen Studios Launches Redesigned Website to Elevate Client Experience in Professional Headshots and Portrait Photography

Zen Studios Launches Redesigned Website to Elevate Client Experience in Professional Headshots and Portrait Photography
Executive Headshots by Zen Studios LA

Executive Headshots by Zen Studios LA

Real Estate Agent Headshots and Real Estate Headshots by Zen Studios LA

Real Estate Agent Headshots

LinkedIn Headshots and Attorney Headshots by Zen Studios LA

LinkedIn Headshots and Attorney Headshots by Zen Studios LA

Zen Studios Launches Refreshed Website, Redefining Professional Photography Experiences. #zenstudiosla #professionalheadshots #corporateheadshots📸✨

We learned after so many sessions that unless they are professionals, everyone is scared of the camera. Our best attributes are calming our clients and making them feel at ease prior to their shoot.”

— Armando Rodriguez

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, January 24, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Zen Studios LA is thrilled to announce the launch of its exquisitely redesigned website. They are the go-to source for professional headshots and portrait photography in Los Angeles. This milestone represents a significant stride towards delivering an unparalleled and seamless experience for our valued clients. In Los Angeles and Hollywood, headshot photographers for acting headshots like theatrical and commercial are a dime a dozen. To differentiate their photography studio from the competitions in Los Angeles and Southern California, they have focused more on professional headshots of corporate types, catering to real estate agencies, law firms, human resource departments, LinkedIn, and the medical and health industries. Zen Studios also started doing brand and event photography. The introduction of new headshot types and services has infused their daily shoots with excitement, revitalizing the creativity and passion of Zen’s photographers from the monotony of capturing repetitive acting headshots.

User-Friendly Design
To cater to the ever-changing requirements of its clients, Zen Studios has revamped its website. The new design focuses on enhancing user experience by simplifying navigation and making exploration of the studio’s services, preparation guides, and informative blog posts more enjoyable. Users can access any content within a few clicks. Easy access with multiple ways to get in touch and book appointments with chat, texting, or the old-school way of filling out an online form.

Enriched Content for Informed Choices
Understanding the importance of informed decisions, Zen Studios has added more comprehensive and insightful content to its website. Clients can now delve deeper into the studio’s approach, view an extensive project portfolio, and stay updated on the latest trends in professional headshots and portrait photography.

Zen Studios has added a plethora of tips and guides regarding all headshot types on their expansive Zen Blog.

Client-Centric Approach
The redesigned website is a testament to Zen Studios’ dedication to its clients. By providing an intuitive interface and enriching content, the studio aims to empower clients in their decision-making process and offer a glimpse into the creativity and professionalism that defines Zen Studios LA.

Even though their studio is located in Los Angeles, they will travel to your location, bringing our remote studio equipment. They found that it was much easier to schedule and to shoot on location instead of using their studio when they started working with bigger law firms and real estate agencies. “We found out real quick it was much more efficient to shoot on location instead of our studio when we started working with larger law firms that have 60 lawyers and multiple locations. Our clients love it because they don’t lose downtime by traveling to our studio.”

Expanding their service areas to include Orange County, San Diego, and Southern California. We make the process extremely easy, from the time clients book to delivering the final images.

Expanded Headshot Types with Preparation Guides
Zen Studios is proud to announce the expansion of its headshot photography services to include a diverse range of headshot types:

Professional Headshots
Corporate Headshots
Real Estate Agent Headshots
LinkedIn Headshots
Medical Headshots
-ERAS Headshot
-Doctor Headshots
-Therapist Headshots
-Dentist Headshots

Zen Studios’ expansion is a testament to their growth and unwavering dedication to meeting the distinctive demands of professionals across diverse fields.

Why did Zen Studios redesign its website?
The redesign is a strategic move to enhance the user experience for their valued clients. They aimed to enhance user experience by optimizing website navigation, facilitating service discovery, providing valuable information, and offering multiple communication channels to connect with Zen Studios LA.

What additional content can users expect on the new website?
The revamped website features more in-depth content about their photography services, their unique approach, and valuable insights into the various headshot types they offer. The Zen blog and service pages provide preparation guides from colors of attire to makeup and hairstyle tips for the perfect headshot.

Why has Zen Studios expanded into different headshot types?
We acknowledge and value the diverse requirements of our clients across various professional domains. The expansion into various headshot types allows us to provide tailored services that cater to the specific requirements of professionals in areas such as corporate, real estate, attorneys, LinkedIn, health, and the medical industry, including dentists, doctors, fellowships, and residency headshot also known as ERAS headshot. Zen Studios’ photographers enjoy working with the broad spectrum of various headshot types. It allows their photographers to be more creative and artistic because you can only do so many theatrical and commercial headshots.

About Zen Studios LA
Explore the newly revamped Zen Studios LA website and immerse yourself in a beautiful blend of user-friendly design and enriched content. Zen Studios wholeheartedly commits to providing unparalleled professional headshots and portrait photography services that skillfully capture the unique essence of each individual and company. Led by Los Angeles headshot photographer Armando Rodriguez, Zen Studios LA stands as a benchmark of excellence in the world of photography studios.

Armando Rodriguez
Zen Studios LA
+1 310-684-3596
info@zenstudiosla.com
Visit us on social media:
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Dimmitt displays photography at HRRMC

Dimmitt displays photography at HRRMC
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A collection of original photography by Robert Dimmitt of Buena Vista is being displayed through March 31 at Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center, 1000 Rush Drive in Salida.

Dimmitt, a retired former employee at the HRRMC Buena Vista Health Center, has focused on his photography more in retirement, but he has been capturing images in and around Buena Vista for more than 35 years, a press release stated.

Dimmitt said his favorite images include the Collegiate Peaks and the Upper Arkansas Valley, which he has called home since early childhood. He said constant change in the surrounding mountainscapes are natural subject matter for him to capture, as he has seen much change in the area over the years.

Several of Dimmitt’s photos also are on display at the Buena Vista Health Center.

HRRMC displays the work of regional artists each quarter, with an emphasis on the Arkansas Valley. Call 719-530-2217 for more information on exhibiting art at HRRMC.

When Masters of Black-and-White Spin the Color Wheel

When Masters of Black-and-White Spin the Color Wheel
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A centenary exhibition of Saul Leiter’s photos reveals his painterly way with Kodachrome. And a new book shows that Garry Winogrand worked best in two tones.

When Saul Leiter began shooting Kodachrome slides in New York in the late 1940s, color was scorned by most serious photographers, who thought of it as a hobby for vacationing dads or the commercial domain of magazines and advertising agencies.

But Leiter, who died in 2013, was a lifelong painter as well as a photographer. As displayed in “Saul Leiter: Centennial,” an exhibition of photographs and paintings at the Howard Greenberg Gallery in Manhattan, closing on Feb. 10, and a new monograph, “Saul Leiter: The Centennial Retrospective,” he took advantage of everyday filters — a window smeared by raindrops or humidity, the flurries of snowflakes, reflections in glass — to fragment reality into compositions that recalled paintings by the Abstractionists who lived near his place on East 10th Street.

Saul Leiter, “Window, New York,” 1957. The image of a window, smeared by raindrops or humidity, is from a show at the Howard Greenberg Gallery in Manhattan.Saul Leiter Foundation, via Howard Greenberg Gallery

Although his pioneering color pictures are what he is best known for today, Leiter employed similar strategies in his masterly black-and-white photography. He might devote two-thirds or more of the frame to a monochromatic block, inviting you to look as closely at the shadowed street in the (black-and-white) “Walking” (c. 1955) or the eponymous black fabric in the (color) “Canopy, New York” (1958), as you would at the subtle gradations of tone in a painting by Robert Ryman or Ad Reinhardt.

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Here Are 3 Facts About ‘Dovima With Elephants’ by Richard Avedon

Here Are 3 Facts About ‘Dovima With Elephants’ by Richard Avedon

Every now and then one singular photograph captures the air of an era. In 1955, fashion photographer Richard Avedon shot Dovima With Elephants, Evening Dress by Dior, Cirque d’Hiver, Paris, 1955, a photograph of a statuesque model in an evening gown posed dramatically before a group of circus elephants. Upon publication in the September 1955 issue of Harper’s Bazaar, the image near-instantly became a touchstone of both fashion and photography history.

A prolific American fashion and portrait photographer, Avendon was famed for his ability to capture tension and movement within his still images—photographs that appeared in glossy magazines for decades. Many of his portraits were of the century’s most famous faces, including Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Tupac Shakur, and Tina Turner. Born in New York City in 1923, Avedon’s interest in photography began in childhood, joining a camera club when he was 12, and carried on to his two-year tenure in the armed forces in 1942 where he served as Photographer’s Mate Second Class in the United States Merchant Marines. He then went on to study at the Design Laboratory at the New School for Social Research under Alexey Brodovitch and began working as a freelance photographer.

Photographer Richard Avedon next to his photograph of Sandra Bennett, 12., exhibited at the Institute Of Contemporary Art, Boston. Photo: Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images.

Photographer Richard Avedon next to his photograph of Sandra Bennett, 12 (1980), exhibited at the Institute Of Contemporary Art, Boston. Photo: Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images.

One of Avedon’s primary freelance clients was Harper’s Bazaar. The publication, however, did not provide studio space for Avedon, leading him to improvise and experiment with then-unconventional locations for shooting like the beach, nightclubs, and city streets, choices that gave his work a reputation for innovation and originality.

In August of 1955, Avedon went to Paris on assignment for Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Carmel Snow to photograph the fall fashion collections. At the same time in Paris, film director Carol Reed was shooting the film Trapeze (which was released the following year in 1956) at the Cirque d’Hiver. Seeing the elephants of the circus, Avedon immediately chose the location to take an image, later saying, “I saw the elephants under an enormous skylight and in a second I knew that I then had to find the right dress, and I knew that there was the potential here for a kind of dream image.” Dovima with Elephants was ultimately given full-page treatment and featured alongside 14 additional images from the assignment included with “Carmel Snow’s Paris Report” printed in the magazine’s September 1955 issue.

Richard Avedon, Tina Turner, performer, dress by Azzaro, New York, June 13, 1971 (1971). © The Richard Avedon Foundation.

In the decades since its creation, Dovima With Elephants has risen to icon status. Iconic is an adjective that can be used widely in Avedon’s oeuvre, as a recently opened exhibition at Gagosian, Paris, can attest, “Iconic Avedon: A Centennial Celebration of Richard Avedon.” The exhibition includes some of Avedon’s most recognizable works and emphasizes his skill at capturing each of his subject’s unique energy and personality.

In homage to the photographer’s cultural influence and marking the 100 years since his birth, we took a deep dive into the inimitable Dovima With Elephants and found three things you might not know about the iconic image.

1. Dovima Was One of the Most Famous Models of the 1950s—But She Died in Obscurity

The model Dovima (1959). Photo: Tony Vaccaro/Getty Images.

The model Dovima (1959). Photo: Tony Vaccaro/Getty Images.

Though the model used for the photograph, Dovima, is labeled a “supermodel” today, she was working several decades before the term was coined and popularized. Born Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba, she created her moniker by taking the first two letters of the first three of her given names. She was discovered by a Vogue editor on a New York City sidewalk, and within days began working with some of the top fashion photographers of the decade, including Irving Penn, Horst P. Horst, and Richard Avedon—the latter of whom she continued to work with throughout her career. Dovima worked with nearly every major fashion house, from Dior to Balenciaga, and she was featured on the covers of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue more than a dozen times collectively as well as other high-profile magazines, and at her height commanded 60 dollars an hour—compared to the average top rate of 25 dollars an hour—earning her a second moniker: the Dollar-a-Minute Girl. She even made a comic appearance in the 1957 hit film Funny Face, starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Aistare, playing Marion, a parody of a model with sharp looks but dimmed intelligence. Dovima’s success did not last, however, and she faced career hardship beginning in the 1960s before she left New York City in the 1970s to live with her parents in Florida, even taking work as a hostess in a local pizza parlor, before dying in relative obscurity in 1990.

2. That Evening Gown Helped Launch Yves Saint Laurent

French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent giving his first interview since succeeding the late Christian Dior, to a radio reporter in Paris, in 1957. Photo: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

The dress that Dovima dons in Avedon’s iconic image is itself reflective of a seismic moment in fashion history. Though labeled as a piece by Dior, the dress was the very first design made for the fashion house by another now-famous designer by the name of Yves Saint Laurent. The then-19-year-old designer had for the previous year been working with Christian Dior, but due to his lack of professional experience had been relegated to smaller design projects. The dress was among the initial sketches he was permitted to submit for the House of Dior’s couture collection, which ultimately led to more designs with each subsequent season. Laurent and Dior’s artistic sensibilities were remarkably similar, and at the age of 21—following Dior’s untimely death—Laurent found himself as head designer. Later, in 1961, he founded his own eponymous fashion house, however, his early designs for Dior remain an integral part of the brand’s heritage and DNA.

3. It Established New Auction Records for Avedon, Twice

Elsie, the first elephant in the world trained to walk a tightrope (Paris, 1955). Photo by John Sadovy/BIPs/Getty Images.

Elsie, the first elephant in the world trained to walk a tightrope (Paris, 1955). Photo by John Sadovy/BIPs/Getty Images.

In 2010, Dovima With Elephants was included in “Avedon: Photographs from the Richard Avedon Foundation” sale held at Christie’s New York. It realized $1,153,011 and set the auction record for the photographer. Interesting to note as well, it sold to the Maison Christian Dior, highlighting its significance in both its artistry and fashion history. The image again appeared at Christie’s New York in 2020 in the “One: A Global Sale of the 20th Century” sale and broke the previous record, achieving $1,815,000. Situated at the intersection of fashion and fine art photography, these auction results emphasize the enduring relevance and allure of Avedon’s Dovima With Elephants.

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5 Reasons Why Photographers Should Use Files.fm

5 Reasons Why Photographers Should Use Files.fm

Compared to other professions, photographers have it rough when it comes to the sheer quantity of equipment required. Not just physical equipment – cameras, lenses, flashes, tripods, light stands, and endless other accessories – but digital tools, too.

Photoshop for image processing, Dropbox for file storage and backup, Shopify for sales, WeTransfer for image sharing, Flickr for their portfolio…

Full disclosure: This sponsored article is brought to you by Files.fm.

Just like their camera bag, a photographer’s computer is overflowing with must-have tools of the trade, and a significant amount of time, alongside the bulk of frustration, goes into managing them all.

Files.fm is changing that. With over 15 years of experience in cloud data storage and after countless discussions with photographers from all walks of life, Files.fm has created a one-stop-shop solution that alleviates as much digital strain as possible by combining all the storage-related tools photographers need in one easy-to-use place, without sacrificing performance.

Here’s how.

1. Store, share, sell: a 3-in-1 solution designed for photographers

Imagine having to upload a file only once. That’s the mantra around which Files.fm is designed.

Store. Historically and at its heart, it’s a convenient cloud storage solution. Its generous limits (or lack thereof) alongside fast speeds and parallel uploading made it a hot favorite among those working with visual media. Especially given Files.fm’s focus on security and ease of use, which make managing files drama-free and effortless.

Plus, you can use Files.fm on any device, so backing up your latest photoshoot has never been more convenient.

Share. Boosting upload and download speeds, alongside implementing simple access rights controls, allowed Files.FM to become a go-to tool for not just storing, but sharing, too. You can give different users different access rights, and – importantly – revoke them and disable file downloads, as you see fit.

Plus, collaboration is enabled as well. Allowed users can add extra files, remove current ones, and even engage with the existing media through likes and comments – it’s up to you what you permit them to do and you can see what that is through the event activity tracker.

Sell. Click the “Sell content” button, set a price (for one picture or an entire folder), clarify content usage rights (optional), and… that’s it. It’s so simple and convenient, anyone can do it. You can also specify different prices for different resolutions, displayed files are watermarked, and tracking sales is effortless through the e-commerce section of Files.fm.

Setting up shop has never been easier.

Show? Technically, it’s a 4-in-1 solution, because Files.fm takes care of the “show” side of things, as well. Photographers can create sleek public profiles to showcase their portfolios, eliminating the need for yet another separate platform.

2. Cloud storage pricing that leaves the big players in the dust

At just $7.90 yearly / $9.90 monthly for 2TBs of personal cloud storage, and cheaper top-up costs than your usual suspects, i.e. Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive, choosing Files.fm can add up to massive savings over the years. There are options to add as much storage space as you need – 1TB, 5TB, 10TB, or even 100TB at a nice price.

Plus, unlike with these big brands, the features are truly limitless. Desktop sync traffic, daily uploads, email recipients, download/links – all unlimited. Even without the photographer-tailored features, Files.fm just makes sense as a plain cloud storage tool.

3. A seamless experience for everyone involved

Photography is both art and science and it’s a perspective Files.fm has integrated into their own platform – it’s both easy and enjoyable to use, and in technical terms, measures up to the industry’s best. Whether you’re the owner or a visitor, you’ll enjoy Files.fm’s smooth and responsive UX that’s intuitive to navigate – everything’s where it should be.

And when you want something to happen, it happens. Files upload/download quickly, browsing galleries is seamless, and navigation is near-instantaneous. This makes it a breeze to work with, and, for customers, a pleasure to use, regardless of device or operating system.

4. Inbuilt AI-powered image recognition for easy search & more

Publishing photos from events has never been easier thanks to Files.fm’s AI content analysis feature. Image recognition and search make it possible to quickly find names, tags, teams, brands, etc., among thousands of pictures to easily sort, identify, and locate the perfect shots.

As with everything else, Files.fm has put considerable effort into ease-of-use. The photographer simply publishes the relevant folders and passes them on to AI content analysis with the click of a button.

5. Sales of print products and other handy tools

With many photographers seeking to earn extra income with dropshipping, Files.fm is once again ahead of the curve having integrated a print-on-demand solution straight into the platform – it’s a way for photographers to earn directly by selling products with their photos printed on them.

Again, with just a couple of clicks, anyone can start offering photo prints, or prints on a variety of products – canvas, cups, keyrings, and others. You don’t need stock, you don’t need upfront investment, and you don’t need to worry about shipping, which is the beauty of dropshipping – Files.fm takes care of those things for you and you can focus on growing your photography business.

Here’s how it works: simply upload a photo, choose products it can be printed on, publish them, and then visitors can order what they like from your catalog. Their order is then processed and completed by Files.fm on your behalf.

Try files.fm for free today

Files.fm offers a generous free package that will allow you to thoroughly test their offering and get a feel for the platform’s ease of use and convenience. Customize your public content page, make use of their in-built file converters, and, of course, get free cloud storage space with unlimited upload volume, while you’re at it.

Or just go all in. Like Andrejs did 5 years ago.

I have been using Files.fm as a photographer for 5 years. It serves as a digital photo delivery platform, allowing my clients quick and convenient access to their images even years later. Clients appreciate it as not everyone can meticulously store important memories that I’ve captured for them.

Another crucial function for me is Files.fm’s automatic backup of new projects, safeguarding them from computer viruses, hard drive failures, and daily data issues. The fact that it happens automatically without requiring my attention is particularly appealing. Since I often capture unique events that can’t be repeated for any amount of money, having backups is a vital part of my daily work.

Files.fm also helps me earn by selling my photos and video tutorials. I can create galleries for sports events, making it easy for people to find and purchase their desired images. Many also order printed products, providing me with additional income.

I’ve explored alternative products on the market multiple times, but none could match Files.fm in terms of price and offerings. – Andrejs Zadvadskis, Photographer

File management doesn’t have to be complicated or a dread-inducing prospect. At least, not with Files.fm.


Full disclosure: This sponsored article was brought to you by Files.fm.

Why Photography Is the Perfect Hobby for Older People

Why Photography Is the Perfect Hobby for Older People

Photography, a hobby often celebrated for its universal appeal, holds a special charm for older individuals. Embracing the art of photography can be a particularly rewarding pursuit for those in their golden years, offering a unique blend of creative expression, mental stimulation, and physical activity, all of which are key components to a fulfilling and balanced lifestyle in later life.

1. Accessibility and Adaptability

Photography stands out for its accessibility, making it a perfect hobby for people of all ages, particularly for the older generation. Unlike many hobbies that require specific physical abilities or conditions, photography can be pursued by almost anyone. This universality stems from the wide range of equipment available, from simple point-and-shoot cameras to more complex setups, catering to all levels of physical ability and technical skill.

For seniors who may have limited mobility, photography offers a unique advantage. It doesn’t always necessitate long journeys or physically demanding activities. Someone can capture images from their backyard or local park, or they can travel farther if they so choose. This adaptability is crucial, allowing older individuals to engage in a fulfilling hobby without the strain or stress that other activities might impose.

2. Creative Expression and Lifelong Learning

Engaging in photography opens up a world of creative possibilities. It allows older individuals to tell stories, capture moments, or simply express their artistic side through the lens. This form of expression is especially valuable in later years, as it provides a sense of purpose and a medium to communicate perspectives and experiences that are unique to one’s life journey.

Moreover, photography is a pursuit with limitless potential for growth, which is beneficial for keeping the mind active and engaged. Learning how to compose a shot, understand lighting, or delve into editing software ensures that the brain remains active and challenged, a key component in maintaining cognitive health. There is always room for more creative exploration and technical growth. 

3. Physical Health and Outdoor Activity

Photography, especially when practiced outdoors, offers substantial physical health benefits. It encourages gentle exercise, be it walking through a nature reserve to capture wildlife or strolling urban landscapes for that perfect cityscape shot. This form of exercise is low-impact, making it suitable for older individuals, and can be easily adapted to fit one’s physical capabilities.

The benefits of being outdoors are well documented, including improved mood, increased vitamin D levels, and enhanced overall well-being. Photography not only motivates seniors to get outside and enjoy these benefits but also to view their environment through a new, more observant lens, making these outdoor excursions both a physical and sensory experience.

4. Social Interaction and Community Connection

Photography can transcend the boundaries of a solitary hobby, offering numerous avenues for socialization and community engagement. Joining local photography clubs or groups, participating in workshops, or attending photo walks can provide meaningful interactions with peers who share similar interests. This social aspect is vital for older individuals, combating feelings of isolation and loneliness that are unfortunately common in later years.

Online platforms further enhance this connectivity, allowing older photographers to share their work, receive feedback, and engage in discussions with a wider community. These interactions not only foster a sense of belonging, but also provide an avenue for continuous learning and inspiration. Whether a person chooses to engage with others online or in person, the opportunities are there. 

5. Mental Health Benefits

The mental health benefits of engaging in a hobby like photography are particularly significant for the older population. Creative hobbies are known to reduce stress and anxiety, providing a therapeutic effect. Photography, with its focus on the present moment and the search for beauty in the mundane, can be a powerful form of mindfulness, helping individuals to disconnect from daily worries and focus on the now (and that applies to photographers of any age, of course). This aspect of photography can be especially beneficial for those who may be grappling with significant life changes, such as retirement or the loss of loved ones. It offers a form of solace and a means to process emotions in a non-verbal, yet expressive way.

6. Capturing Memories and Legacy Building

For older individuals, photography is not just about the act of taking pictures; it’s also about documenting life’s moments and experiences. These photographs become more than just images; they are personal narratives, pieces of history, and cherished memories. This aspect of photography allows seniors to leave a tangible legacy for future generations, a visual diary of their lives, and the world as they see it. This process of legacy-building through photography can be incredibly fulfilling. It provides a sense of purpose and contributes to a feeling of accomplishment, knowing that these memories will be valued and remembered by family and friends.

7. Technological Engagement and Brain Exercise 

In an increasingly digital world, photography provides a comfortable and engaging way for older adults to connect with modern technology. Learning to use a camera, navigating through its various settings, and even delving into post-processing software can be an invigorating challenge for the brain. These activities encourage problem-solving, boost memory, and promote technological literacy.

8. Therapeutic Value for Dementia and Alzheimer’s Patients 

Photography can play a unique role in the lives of individuals with cognitive impairments such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. The act of taking pictures and looking at photographs can help in triggering memories and stimulating cognitive functions. It can also serve as a conversation starter, aiding in communication and connection with caregivers and family members. Furthermore, the sensory stimulation provided by photography – the focus on colors, shapes, and textures – can be beneficial in maintaining neural connections in the brain.

9. Flexibility and Personal Growth 

Photography’s true beauty lies in its flexibility and adaptability to individual preferences and circumstances. Whether one is interested in capturing the grandeur of landscapes, the intricacies of macro photography, or the dynamic nature of street photography, there is a genre to suit every taste and interest.

This flexibility allows older individuals to explore different aspects of photography, constantly growing and evolving in their artistic journey. It encourages personal growth and provides a sense of achievement as they develop their skills and refine their artistic vision. The ability to adapt the hobby to their changing physical capabilities also means that photography can be a lifelong companion, evolving with them through different stages of life, whereas many other hobbies must be abandoned after a certain age.

10. Affordable and Rewarding 

While it’s true that photography can be an expensive hobby, especially at the professional level, it doesn’t have to be. For older individuals who are not looking to make a career out of it, photography can be quite affordable. Basic digital cameras, second-hand equipment, or even smartphones with advanced camera features can serve as sufficient tools for capturing worthwhile images.

The cost-effectiveness of photography is a significant factor, making it an accessible hobby for seniors who may be on a fixed income. The investment in photography goes beyond monetary value; it’s an investment in personal well-being, creativity, and social connection. The joy and satisfaction derived from capturing a unique moment or creating an image make photography a highly rewarding pursuit.

In Summary

In considering the many facets of photography, it’s evident why it is an ideal hobby for older people. It offers a perfect blend of creative expression, mental and physical stimulation, social interaction, and lifelong learning. Photography provides a therapeutic and fulfilling outlet, enabling older individuals to stay engaged, active, and connected with the world around them. Whether it’s through capturing memories, learning new skills, or simply enjoying the beauty of the world through a lens, photography can greatly enrich the lives of those in their golden years.

Is perfectionism killing your photography?

Is perfectionism killing your photography?

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AfterShoot – AfterShoot helps photographers cull their photos faster, leaving them more time to spend on creative tasks. Save $10 with the code PHOTOFOCUS10.

Mylio Photos – Access your photos from anywhere, without the cloud! Easily showcase your photos on-the-go, resolve duplicates, find faces and look for those stunning locations.

Skylum – Your photos, more beautiful in minutes. Skylum adapts to your style and skill level. Check out Luminar Neo’s unique sky replacement and portrait editing tools, now available.

B&H – B&H is a world renowned supplier of all the gear photographers, videographers, and cinematographers need and want to create their very best work.

MPB – Grab used but perfectly working cameras and lenses for less, or turn your old gear into cash by trading and selling them on MPB!

Cindy Sherman: Woman of an Uncertain Age

Cindy Sherman: Woman of an Uncertain Age

The facial features in Cindy Sherman’s hyperenergetic new photo-portraits slide around crazily. Eyes spin out in different directions, competing clamorously for attention. Noses and mouths engage in pitched conflict. The electrifying images, now on view at Hauser and Wirth’s SoHo gallery, are primarily black and white, but there are patches of vivid color.

Butting one fragment of skin, makeup, hair and headgear up against another, Sherman dispenses with the capacity of Photoshop to smooth out edges. Instead, she creates a sense of instability by folding photographic nips and tucks right in with their aging subjects’ wrinkles. Finding physical comedy in the efforts women take to conceal the effects of time is the least of her concerns. There is also the dark humor she brings to the consideration of photography’s credibility. And the dash of pathos she adds to both.

Cindy Sherman’s portrait of a woman in fragments, with bright magenta lipstick, assembled digitally from photos.
Sherman, “Untitled #652,” 2023. One of her new portraits of women assembled digitally from fragmentary parts, at Hauser & Wirth. While “fooling around” with a body of photographs from 2010 — in color, as usual — she decided to flip them to black and white. It clicked.via Cindy Sherman and Hauser & Wirth

When Sherman emerged, meteorically, in the late 1970s, it was with an extended series of black and white photographs she took of herself. They are not to be confused with self-portraits. In each, Sherman, newly arrived in New York City from Buffalo, was made up and dressed to suggest she was the (fictional) star of an (imaginary) noirish film. Her timing was perfect. The body-baring, soul-searching feminist art of the late ’60s and early ’70s had given way to more conceptually based work.

Femininity was understood to be a cultural construct, a masquerade, and Sherman’s photographs were considered exemplary of this turn. In the following decades, quite independently of the politics swirling around her, Sherman continued to deploy her face and body in fanciful guises that ran the gamut from an Italian Renaissance Madonna to an All-American clown.

For all its jangly discontinuities, the current work (all untitled) feels newly grounded. It emerged, Sherman told me, from a creative slump. In a conversation at the gallery, she was warm and open, and, as we settled in, she admitted, “I was going through a real creative block during Covid.” She had committed to the show in New York and a previous one in Zurich, and, she says, “I had no idea what I was going to do.” While “fooling around” with a body of photographs from 2010 — in color, as usual — she decided to flip them to black and white. It clicked.

Sherman at her studio in New York City. Caroline Tompkins for The New York Times

The smaller works in the exhibition (dated 2010/2023) are assembled from the 14-year-old photographs. The larger ones, extending the series, are all new, made with a different camera that permitted higher resolutions — making the mood harsher or lighter “just by tweaking the contrast,” she said.

They seem less like “something you would have just shot with your phone and put on Instagram.”

Sherman and I met on a frigid, sleety day, and she was dressed fashionably to defy the weather in a big, blazing orange sweater, light-colored wide pants and bouncy, thick-soled white high-tops. By contrast, her face, devoid of makeup, is pretty in a timeless way, her eyes innocently blue. Only her shoulder-length hair, once blond and now gray, suggests that she is turning 70. She is a proverbial blank slate, and for all her fame, she is rarely recognized on the street.

Sherman sees the disjunctions in her new work’s faces almost as an exercise in cubism. “You’re seeing the face and imagining that it’s moved through space,” she explained. To maximize that effect, the black and white segments are joined digitally; the color bits are glued on top.

Sherman, “Untitled #633,” 2010/2023. The features in these new photo portraits slide around crazily.via Cindy Sherman and Hauser & Wirth
Sherman, “Untitled #632,” 2010/2023. Gelatin silver print and chromogenic color print. She highlighted the teeth with faux enamel paint.via Cindy Sherman and Hauser & Wirth

The photographs induce a surprisingly urgent search for something, anything, that feels nakedly real — perhaps a sliver of skin up by the hairline, just below the edge of a wig, or around the mouth. Of course, it’s all flesh, some of it so enlarged that pores gape and pancake makeup glistens like wet cement. The various directions in which features point, and particularly the misaligned eyes, invoke a very specific kind of human desire: It seems we quite insistently want to know where to direct our attention when looking at another person. The hunt can feel almost embarrassingly intense.

And for her, manipulating the features is sheer play, with “all my favorite eyes and noses, wigs and fabric.” No question, there is pleasure in this work, and also some plain silliness, both in short supply these days. But inevitably the question arises, are we laughing with aging women, or at them?

To put the question another way, how personal are these photos? “I feel like I’m preparing myself for it,” Sherman said of growing old. “This is what you’re going to get, so get used to it. It’s coming. It’s hanging over all of our heads.”

True enough; and I’m happy to report that there is no resemblance whatsoever between these patchwork crones and the artist. Yet this work seems clearly meant to own up to the real-life consequences of living for a while past youth. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to older women artists, a trend that Sherman confirms with qualifications. “I think things are changing, slowly,” she says. “It’s definitely better than it was 40 years ago for women and artists of color, but it’s still not quite where we should be.”

Sherman, “Untitled Film Still #21,” 1978. Gelatin silver print. Her early work, prompting her rise to fame, featured her as a fictive film star. via Cindy Sherman and Hauser & Wirth
Sherman, “Untitled #474,” 2008. A chromogenic color print from her “socialite” series, wealthy women for whom she admits feeling some sympathy.via Cindy Sherman and Hauser & Wirth

In a short essay of 2007 about the late work of the sculptor Louise Bourgeois, the feminist art historian Linda Nochlin noted that an artist’s “late style” is presumed to involve a “luminous softening of boundaries,” as in Monet’s water lilies or Rembrandt’s dusky portraits. But Nochlin noted a potent variant, as in the case of Bourgeois, of late work that is intransigent, difficult and full of “unresolved contradiction.” I suggested to Sherman that she was in the latter camp, and got another reluctant agreement.

She admitted that an early body of work, of crime scenes and nauseating expanses of molding food (she calls it the “disaster” pictures), produced in the mid-1980s, was meant to be challenging.

“I felt that I didn’t want to be the flavor of the month,” she recalls of her newfound success, and so she dared collectors to “put vomit over your couch.” But she resisted the idea that her more recent series of “socialite” photos from 2008, featuring wickedly sharp portraits of wealthy older women, were intended to skewer the collector class.

Sherman explains that she didn’t think of the socialites as, necessarily, art collectors. “I definitely saw them as wealthy people, a certain type of wealthy people,” she says, but added that she felt sympathy for them, not contempt.

“I think what I identified with is a sort of sadness” behind their lavish homes and gardens. “They’re putting up a good front to hide a terrible marriage or children who don’t love them, or God knows what they’ve had to sacrifice to have that fur coat. I’m seeing what it’s cost them, and hopefully that comes through in the image,” she said. And she senses a personal connection. “In terms of aging like them,” she says, “I feel I’ve become more like them in real life, in some sad, funny way.”

Sherman, “Untitled #661,” 2023. Gelatin silver print and chromogenic color print. Sherman said, “It’s almost a little too narrative. Maybe she’s just stepped out of the shower or is going to a spa.”via Cindy Sherman and Hauser & Wirth

While she allows that there is an element of defiance in the current work — “I’m not going to go into this aging process silently or happily,” she said — certainly, humor matters to Sherman’s current portraits in a way it doesn’t in, say, late Rembrandt. Of a photo in which a face pokes through a boxwood hedge, she pointed out, “That’s one of the goofy ones.” Another, featuring a comically perplexed subject with ham-handedly applied lipstick and eyebrow liner, her head and shoulders wrapped in massive terry cloth towels, Sherman deems “the only one that almost seems a little too narrative. Maybe she’s just stepped out of the shower, or she’s going to a spa.” It’s also the only one, she thinks, that could be reasonably compared to the early film stills.

As she has from the outset, Sherman works alone in her studio in TriBeCa, with cameras and a mirror and an ocean of props: wigs, costumes, fabrics, plastic foliage, prosthetic noses, oddments gathered 30 years ago in flea markets that no longer exist.

The New York that offered cheap treasures for urban scavengers is gone, and Sherman, who still lives and works mainly in the city, has spent more time since Covid in East Hampton, where she has a garden and chickens, and a studio in a small converted barn that she’d like to expand. The eager cosmopolitan ingénue of the film stills is visible only in the rearview mirror.

In a 2018 talk (viewable on YouTube), the art historian Hal Foster, who championed Sherman early, returned to the theme of masquerade, saying that her work represents the condition of being seen, specifically by the male gaze. The argument, unquestionably illuminating and influential — it is indeed helpful to see her work in that way — was also promoted in the ’80s by the critics Douglas Crimp and Craig Owens; looking back, it seems fair to say it was shaped to a striking degree by male gazers.

When I suggested as much to Sherman, she laughed. The framework never had much traction for her, and has less now, she said, though she guessed it might speak to younger female artists trying to find their place in the world. “I just feel at this point, as we age, we become a little bit more invisible,” she said. “So maybe there is not much gazing going on.”

Sherman, in her SoHo studio, used to shop in flea markets for props and costumes. Caroline Tompkins for The New York Times

But Sherman keeps a wary eye on the commercial media that were long judged the main instruments of women’s objectification by men, from Hollywood movies to print publications, and fashion magazines in particular. She still prefers to read on paper, and finds fashion design and its representation fertile territory. Even really terrible ads sometimes interest her, helping her hone a seemingly unimprovable feel for how to construct a striking image.

For more positive influence, she cites the photographer Kristin- Lee Moolman and the stylist Ib Kamara, whom she follows on Instagram. She’s also been inspired by the costume designer Machine Dazzle, imp_kid, and others.

When I said Hal Foster believes the world of selfies owes a great deal to Sherman, she bristled at the notion. “I don’t think of my work as selfies at all. A lot of people were taking photos of themselves before me,” she protested. But she does use Instagram creatively. “When I have free time — in a cab, say — I’ll play around with various apps,” she said. “I started with apps people use for selfies, then found ways of subverting them. That’s where these weird avatars came from,” she said, referring to her popular posts.

Sherman has also used artificial intelligence programs in her posts, but like other artists, she’s concerned about being ripped off by A.I., and said, “I did try using it to see if it could at all replicate something in the style of Cindy Sherman.” The result, she happily reports, was “pathetic.” But, she conceded, “That’s not to say it’s not going to happen.”

The conversation I had with Sherman was recorded on my smartphone and transcribed (almost instantly) by an A.I. program; it’s not impossible that some credible but digitally hallucinated words, using algorithms we didn’t control, have crept in among the ones we spoke. Sherman has been the sibyl of such proliferating confusions, toying with representation’s integrity and the boundaries of identity for more than four decades.

There are now over 600 models of Sherman’s transformations to choose from. Each asks that we avoid confusing the dancer with the dance. The newest ones confirm that she’s still running as fast as she can.