Theo Cottle’s arresting new photo series captures the vulnerable masculinity of former gangsters at an onsen. “It’s really hard for them to be part of society,” he says

December 12, 2023

I’m unsure Kidizooms and their ilk work for all kids, and this is why. A few years ago my son discovered an old digital compact camera lying around the house. It was a batter old Olympus with a powered zoom – the exact model escapes me. It seemed to engage his interest in photography despite the busted screen and lack of child-friendliness. We decided to get him his own children’s camera.

At the time, I didn’t think to consult the best kids’s camera list (in fact I have to admit I handed the entire decision over to my partner). The result was that my son received a colorful little camera which was much better designed for his little fingers, and clearly a good bit more robust. The image quality certainly didn’t match, but that didn’t stop him from engaging with the device – a promising start, but there was a sting in the tail. Or should I say the OS.

The problem was, however, that while the damaged Olympus had (and has) a thumb-sized hole of dead pixels in its LCD display, it is a device with a singular purpose. In auto mode, you can take a photo and some pleasing whirring and clicking takes place inside as the AF makes its choices and (as often happened since my son liked to play indoors) the flash charged and fired.

He really liked the flash. A bit too much, in fact. But it did mean that indoor images were suitably lit so he came to appreciate the delay from shooting to viewing on a computer. Regrettably, he also viewed the flash as something of a fun weapon — a good part of the motivation for the kid’s camera!

Anyway, not only did the children’s camera lack a ‘real’ flash – a bit of a disappointment for him – but the working LCD display was, as it is on the Kidizoom, the gateway to a range of low-quality games using the buttons as directional controls. As soon as he found this, the camera might as well not have had a lens. He lost any interest in taking photos because of the option of games, and he explored these himself. 

Hope for his photography was not lost, though; a couple of years have passed since the photo above was taken and he still likes to play with the Olympus (and is less interested in pointing the flash into people’s eyes now he has a better conception of Santa’s naughty list!)

As it transpires, several of the DCW team have run into similar issues with kids distracted by on-camera games. Luckily my colleague Kalum recently reviewed the game-free My First Camera 2 (which even comes with a bath-friendly underwater housing). The Kidizoom range, on the other hand, is clever because it has adapted to encompass things mummy and daddy use – watch and phone stylings are on offer. It’s great that there is the choice, but on reflection, I know which route I’d take!

We keep a guide to the best kids cameras and best drones for kids, which both offer options for different age groups.

Over the years, like many, the documentary photographer Tom Skipp began hearing more and more about food banks. Not only stats on their vastly rising usage, but, more disturbingly, comments from figures like the Tory’s deputy chairman Lee Anderson. In February of this year Anderson claimed that there is no “massive need” for food banks, and that people’s hunger simply comes down to people being unable to budget.

So, in collaboration with the Trussel Trust, Tom set himself on photographing the various food banks of his home city of Bristol, in the process raising awareness of the circumstances that have led to their increased presence.

Much like Tom’s Empty Community series from 2020 which focussed on dormant spaces during Covid, the images throughout focus predominantly on deserted interiors, rather than people. “I don’t want to point a camera at someone that’s using a food bank, feeding off their hunger,” says Tom. “I hope there’s power in the absence of people.” He instead lenses in on the many spaces like churches and community centres that provide such services. From wide shots of their slightly dated interiors; rows upon rows of empty chairs, large crosses on the wall, deflated balloons and streamers from a recent party, to close-up shots; packages of eggs dated for use-by with black marker pen, shelves stacked with tins, and leaflets giving advice on how to avoid loan sharks. This mismatch of multi-purpose usage highlights the absurdity of such spaces having to be used to provide people with their most basic necessities.

An unexpected byproduct of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been an upsurge of interest, appreciation and acknowledgment of Ukrainian culture. Concert halls and bookshops all over the world have turned to Ukrainian music and literature, and museums have showcased Ukrainian art.

But it is not only in museums and galleries that a thriving visual culture can be found. Six months after the war broke out last year, the photographer and film-maker Daoud Sarhandi-Williams travelled to Kyiv to chronicle the street art that was increasingly adorning the city.

Sarhandi-Williams had previously produced a photographic book of the street art that emerged from the Bosnian war, and had also worked in Palestine and Kosovo. “I literally walked the city,” he says of Kyiv. “Twelve, 13 hours a day for a month taking photographs. I’ve probably walked Kyiv more than most residents have.” The result is a new book, Ukraine at War: Street Art, Posters + Poetry.

From the thousands of images he took, he says he has designed the images and text as a film-maker might, to “give the impression to the reader that they were actually walking in Kyiv, discovering these things as they go along, turning a page as if you’d turn a corner”. While photographing sites in Kyiv, he says he was only stopped once by the police when he was taking a photo of statues. “It was all fine very quickly, but the police were very protective of these statues, which obviously says something about the wider importance of culture. This status is also reflected in the richness and diversity of the street art. It is not the work of passive victims of war, but of people determined to respond with imagination and hope and to integrate these things into their daily lives.”

Sarhandi-Williams says during his career he has often worked in difficult and potentially dangerous situations. “I don’t want to sound like I’m cold and detached because I’m not. I’m terribly emotional about these things. But when I’m behind the lens I become very focused on the image. Getting good compositions and so on. I’m quite analytic as I want to present these places as real environments. War zones are not one thing. There are many different, and sometimes conflicting, atmospheres. People can be frightened and angry and resolute and amazingly cheerful at pretty much the same times. I wanted to capture that diversity.”

In a foreword to the book, the Ukrainian author Andrey Kurkov writes that it “will guide you through today’s Ukraine more honestly than any future history might”. Recognising the roles of artists in “combatting the lived horrors of the Russian invasion”, he believes the book demonstrates the “restorative power of art in a time of war … Art lets us look at today’s pain from the viewpoint of the future, so there can be a future. And it helps us to imagine a future we will wish to remember.”

Ukraine at War: Street Art, Posters + Poetry by Daoud Sarhandi-Williams is published by Interlink.

The art of war: five memorable images from the book

Cossack (main picture)
This poster by Kyiv designer Mykola Honcharov is of a Cossack, a revered model of the Ukrainian warrior, who has swapped his traditional weapons for a Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW). Ukrainian pronunciation would have the slogan reading as “All You Need Is Love”.

Putin tarot card

Following the Russian invasion, twin sister artists Mishel and Nicol Feldman, operating together as Sestry Feldman, created a Ukrainian-themed pack of tarot cards. Vladimir Putin features in two of them, as The Hanged Man and, here, as the devil.

Sandbagged statue

Across Kyiv, statues were protected by sandbags. This is one of Dante, symbolic of a wider European perspective. The protective work was initially commissioned by the government but was then expanded on by artists who independently worked to fill sandbags and identify monuments.

Pinocchio

Sarhandi-Williams says he encountered little conventional political satire of the newspaper cartoon type, but here we have Russian lies – to the Ukrainians and to their own people – represented in the form of Pinocchio dressed in a Soviet-style Young Pioneer’s cap.

Renaissance mural

This 2014 collaboration between French artist Julien “Seth Globepainter” Malland and the Ukrainian artist, Aleksey Kislov references traditional Ukrainian dress as well as the type of jacket worn by protesters at the time of the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has brought about a paradigm shift in numerous fields, and photography is no exception. A bride recently made a surprising discovery of a reality-bending mistake in her iPhone camera, highlighting the fascinating interplay between AI and photography. This incident underscores how AI has reshaped the way we capture and perceive images, demonstrating the immense potential of technology in the photography industry.

AI Transforming Image Editing

As highlighted by Wimarys, AI technology has revolutionized the process of image editing by enhancing and automating the process. Traditional techniques required manual processes and advanced skills, including dodging and burning, color correction, retouching and spotting, collage and montage. However, AI has transformed this labor-intensive process by automating the editing processes and enhancing efficiency. AI algorithms can analyze images and make intelligent adjustments within seconds, saving valuable time and effort, and allowing professionals to focus more on their creative vision.

AI-Powered Photography Solutions

AI-powered photography solutions are redefining the way photographers capture, edit, and share visual stories. These solutions leverage artificial intelligence to enhance various aspects of photography, including image recognition, object detection, and image enhancement. Object detection algorithms have emerged, enabling photographers to capture detailed and captivating images by automatically tracking and focusing on their subjects. Hence, AI technology is expanding the possibilities for photographers and improving the efficiency of their workflow.

Generative AI and the Future of Photography

According to Toolify, generative AI, which enables AI to create imagery, has gained substantial attention. This represents a significant advancement in the field of photography, enabling AI models to create realistic and unique images based on input data and prompts. The applications of generative AI in photography are diverse and expanding rapidly, offering photographers the opportunity to experiment with new visual styles and create unique compositions. However, the integration of AI-generated images into the creative landscape has raised concerns about copyright infringement and intellectual property rights.

Unlock Your Creativity with AI in Photography

AI technology has revolutionized photography by enabling image generation, enhancing camera operations, and streamlining workflows. This technology offers diverse opportunities for image manipulation and creation, allowing for easy adjustments in headshots, overlays, creating double exposure effects, and even transforming backgrounds. Embracing AI technology ensures photographers remain competitive and offers them a significant advantage in the rapidly evolving field of photography.

Animating Still Images with AI

A research team from Alibaba has introduced Animate Anyone, an AI model that can transform still photos into animated videos. The technology uses a novel architecture called ReferenceNet, which employs diffusion models for spatial attention and detailed feature integration. The AI model has gained popularity and sparked excitement among potential users for its ability to generate precise and consistent animation. These AI models could allow individuals to create high-quality digital representations of dance choreography or other trends without physically performing them.

In conclusion, the advent of AI technology has revolutionized the photography industry, transforming how images are captured, edited, and shared. As AI continues to evolve, it will undoubtedly open up new horizons in the world of photography. However, it’s essential to navigate these technological advancements with an understanding of the potential challenges, such as copyright issues, to ensure the sustainable and ethical use of AI in photography.

Rooted in the belief that every photograph tells a compelling story, Sony BBC invited entries for the third edition of the photography competition Earth In Focus. This year’s theme Pride of India celebrated India’s architecture, cultures, and people. The month-long photography contest featuring subcategories such as Wildlife, Portraits, and Monuments, received over 6000 entries. The competition allowed people to cast their vote for their favourite photos and received more than a lakh votes.

The winners — Arun Kumar, Luqmaan Zeerak, and Dhruv Shilpi — get a chance to be featured on the Sony BBC Earth channel. Additionally, the top 15 winners also receive an opportunity to learn from the contest judge Supreet Sahoo, an avid birdwatcher and an award-winning photographer with a specialty in tropical bird photography. During his years in the tropical rainforests of Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia and several countries in Central and South America, Supreet has photographed over 3000 species of birds.

Born and raised in India, Supreet has done birding extensively across the continent. “My favourite locations are in Southern and Northeastern parts of India. Since I have spent a lot of time back home with my parents in Odisha, I have had my fair share of birding in wetlands and mangrove forests as well,” he explains adding that judging the Sony BBC Earth’s ‘Earth In Focus’ contest was an enriching experience.

Monument category
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

While in the wildlife category, one entry that stood out depicted a rare interaction between a predator and its prey, capturing a moment of intensity and vulnerability, in monuments, a photograph showcasing the play of light and shadow on an ancient structure conveyed timeless beauty. The portraits category featured an entry that portrayed human emotion, creating a connection between the viewer and the subject. “Each category offered a visual feast of stories, demonstrating the incredible diversity of our planet,” he adds.

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Portraits of Nature

Supreet says while photographing wildlife one has to understand the subject to predict certain behaviours, which in turn helps to get a good photo. On his experience in tropical rainforests, he says, “ Latin America is the most biodiverse continent on the planet and the fact that I call incredible countries like Costa Rica and Colombia my second home makes it really easy for me.”

Supreet Saho
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The photographer, who started his bird photo tour company Tropical Photo Tours in 2017, advocates ethics in wildlife photography at workshops and photo tours. “Welfare of wildlife is the most important thing. At any point, if I feel that our presence is causing stress to wildlife we stop. As long as we do not disturb the species in their natural habitat, it is okay to click them.”

People category

While praising the work done by wildlife photographers in the country, he says wildlife photography is one of the most lucrative careers, but is also one of the most difficult ones to get through and make a good living. “Whether you sell images, run workshops, or curate the works of others, a content creator on social media, money does not come by easily unless you add value to it.”

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An elephant image shot at Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) has emerged the winner at Drone Photo Awards 2023

Supreet has travelled across the Southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu to document some of his most memorable experiences. “The Western Ghats are magical,” he adds. His favourite shot? “It’s impossible to name a single bird species so I always answer that my favourite family of birds is ‘Cotingas’.”

Sebastião Salgado is one of the most influential photographers of all time, not to mention a renowned environmentalist and conservationist. At the heart of his work, he has focused on his deep love and respect for nature, while also documenting the socio-economic conditions that impact human beings. His work is selfless and caring. 

This is even more evident with his new release, Amazônia Touch. Working with the French VISIO Foundation, Sebastião Salgado and wife and co-designer Lélia Wanick Salgado, have created an exceptional project, that will allow the blind and people with visual impairments, to experience his photographic work. 

• See our guide to the best audiobooks for photographers

Published by Taschen, this special project consists of a box of 21 ‘three-dimensional tactile transcriptions’, from the Amazônia project, featuring 18 photographs and three regional geographical maps. These transcriptions will allow readers to experience Salgado’s work through their fingertips, for the first time. The 21 relief plates are accompanied by a brochure of the images, along with written texts, and an audio description of works.

The reliefs were created by using brass plates and an ancient process of embossing and stamping on Pachica paper.

Released in 2022, Amazônia by Sebastião Salgado is a tour de force that depicts life in the Amazon. Salgado spent seven years traveling through the Brazilian Amazonian biome. Along the way, he captured mountains, rainforests, clouds, and wildlife, and much like his work in Genesis, he introduced us to the immense power of nature.

By photographing the native peoples of the area, Salgado gives us an insight into their daily life and provides us with ‘an invitation to contemplate those human and environmental factors that are crucial to our planet’. Amazônia issues a ‘call for protection of the ecosystem and of Indigenous peoples of the region’.

This edition is unique, and its inclusivity is a refreshing pleasure and one that I hope will be used by many more. Inclusivity and accessibility are not often discussed in photography, which, in my opinion, could be looked at. Projects like this, led by industry leaders such as Salgado and Taschen are a major step in the right direction.

Amazônia Touch by Sebastião Salgado which will be released in January 2024 for $250 / £200, but can be ordered now.

For more information on the best books on photography, the best coffee table books, and the best camera for wildlife photography, see our helpful guides. 

Pink House, 2018

‘Around the time this project began I was living in New York, working as a photographer. I often felt lonely, stressed out about everyday life and worried about the future. When my friend Tanya first took me to Walker County in 2017, I didn’t know anything about the southern US because I never had access. Many people, including those who live there, sometimes associate the south with poverty and rural blight, and while it is undeniable that those things exist, what I found in Walker County was beautiful, charming and full of love’

NEW YORK (AP) — Larry Fink, an acclaimed and adventurous photographer whose subjects ranged from family portraits and political satire to working class lives and the elite of show business and Manhattan society, has died at 82.

Robert Mann, owner of the Robert Mann Gallery, told The Associated Press that Fink died Nov. 25 at his home in Martins Creek, Pennsylvania. Mann did not cite a specific cause of death, but said that Fink had been in failing health.

“He was a dear friend and a real free spirit,” Mann said. “I’ve known people like Robert Frank and Ansel Adams and Larry stood out. He was an exceptional and unique individual, a very unconventional man, not only in his personality, but in his photography.”

A “self-described Marxist from Long Island,” Fink was best known for “Social Graces,” a 1979 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in which black and white photos of wealthy New Yorkers were juxtaposed against shots of everyday life of families in Martins Creek, Fink’s longtime home. The series was published in book form in 1984.

He would go on to work for The New York, Times, Vanity Fair and other publications, photographing such celebrities as Meryl Streep, Natalie Portman and Kate Winslet. He would also spoof President George W. Bush and other political leaders, while remaining close to a Martin Creeks family, the Sabatines, who appeared often in his work. Fink had solo exhibitions at the Whitney Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art among other galleries, and he received numerous honors, including two John Simon Guggenheim Fellowships.

Fink, who first took up photography at 13 and later studied under photographer Lisette Model, had a professional life that reflected the diverse outlooks of his parents. He grew up in a politicized family that scorned the free market, while also enjoying stylish automobiles and high-end parties. In the early 1960s, Fink moved to Greenwich Village in New York City, with dreams that he was undertaking not just a career, but a revolution.

“Of course the revolution didn’t quite get there so I was left with a career,” he told Blind Magazine in 2021.

Fink’s survivors include his second wife, the artist Martha Posner, and a daughter, Molly, from his marriage to painter Joan Snyder.