British photographer Oli Kellett has taken his camera from New York to Rio de Janeiro, obsessively capturing one everyday aspect of big cities: Crosswalks. In his images, these banal parts of urban infrastructure transform into dramatically lit, cinematic scenes featuring people waiting to cross, suspended in a moment of rare peace amid the typical hustle and bustle that goes along with living in a city of millions.

“I’m interested in the idea of stillness and contemplation,” said Kellett in the London gallery HackelBury Fine Art, where a solo show of his work, “Waiting for a Sign”, has just opened. The large-scale pictures are drawn from his long-running series “Cross Road Blues” — the title a nod to the Robert Johnson song — which captures people at intersections frozen in contemplation, deciding where to go. For Kellett, this becomes a symbol of the bigger life decisions of choosing a direction.

In one photograph, a street cleaner stands alone in a narrow sliver of sunlight, gazing upwards at something out of shot as he begins to cross an unusually empty major road in Boston. In another, a small group of people, all different ages and looking different directions, are caught in the dappled bright light reflected off a building in Chicago, as they choose what to do next.

Kellett’s exhibition is accompanied by his first monograph, “Cross Road Blues”, presenting a curation of the series from start to finish. It begins in Los Angeles in 2016, where the idea evolved unexpectedly. “I wanted to make some work about the 2016 election,” Kellett explained. He decided to take pictures on Hope Street in Downtown LA, to capture a snapshot of the political climate, with the street choice a reflection on the iconic Shepard Fairey “Hope” poster of Barack Obama.

The idea of creating a politically-infused portrait of a street didn’t manifest in the way Kellett imagined, but he did capture one image that stuck: a woman waiting to cross the road, illuminated by golden sunlight. “I felt like it was this idea of a political crossroads,” Kellett said. But as he took the idea further, capturing more people at crosswalks around the country, he realized: “It’s not about politics, it’s about individuals.”

Most of the “Cross Road Blues” images are taken in US cities, from Phoenix and Atlanta to Chicago and Seattle. Grid street layouts lent themselves to capturing crosswalk photos, and the architecture of downtowns formed the perfect backdrop — urban, grey, often not immediately identifiable — to focus on the individuals in the picture. “There were some places I went that felt far too romantic,” Kellett said, citing New Orleans as an example; those images didn’t make the cut. “It was almost too beautiful.”

Despite needing a certain generic urban-ness for the settings, the pictures are in no way devoid of beauty. Light plays a crucial role, with dramatic shafts of sunshine — particularly at sunrise, sunset or reflected spectacularly off buildings — illuminating the characters of his images in perfectly composed ways.

In fact, it all looks highly orchestrated, like a film set. But Kellett insists that not a single one is staged. The photographs result from him walking around chosen cities, looking for the right street corner — often a few blocks away from the busiest streets — and waiting until the light is just right, the place is peaceful, and there is someone waiting to cross in a way that feels compelling. “All these pictures rely on chance,” he said.

The series drew to a close in Rio de Janeiro, where Kellett happened to capture a man frozen in an almost John the Baptist-like pose with his finger held aloft towards the sky. “I knew this was the end of the project,” Kellett said.

Indeed, a look back across the pictures reveals the subjects to appear like sacred figures might in historic religious paintings: contemplative, bathed in golden light, often gazing upwards. As such, although the photographs are steeped in a contemporary urban landscape, they betray a timeless sense of humanity.

Kellett isn’t sure what’s next now the series has ended, but he seems to be leaving it up to chance: “It’s about walking out the door and not knowing who you’re going to find,” he said. “Or where you’re going to go.”

Photo: olhovyi_photographer/Depositphotos

Creative outlets like drawing and painting are great ways of exploring your emotions and relieving stress. However, it isn’t that easy to embark on a new hobby, especially when you lack the resources. A new initiative in the UK seeks to change that, by prescribing photography as a mental health treatment. Launched by Wex Photo Video, this project is supported by the National Academy of Social Prescribing (NASP). Once a GP or healthcare professional refers a patient to the “Photography on Prescription” program, they will be granted access to photography equipment and masterclasses by Wex, with the intention of giving them the tools to improve their mental health.

People suffering from depression, anxiety, PTSD, self-esteem issues, and loneliness can all benefit from practicing photography and other creative outlets, according to studies. “Photography can be so much more than a hobby; it’s a powerful tool for conveying emotion,” says Paul Wareham, marketing director of Wex Photo Video. “By giving people with mental health difficulties access to masterclasses, equipment, and ongoing support; we want to connect them to a wider community, help develop their self-esteem, and give them a channel for self-expression. Whilst photography will never be the total solution, we hope that this project will help some people who are currently struggling.”

By giving a camera to those struggling with mental health, it will hopefully help patients express their thoughts and feelings without the need for words. So far, community groups in London, Bristol, and Greater Manchester have signed up for the program. A participant from the first masterclass held in London on September 26—which was based around the prompt “Who am I?”—said that she feels “more motivated than ever” to use her camera to express her emotions.

The early positive responses provide hope that this project will continue to grow across the UK and help others with “low level mental health issues” through photography.

h/t: [PetaPixel]

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It was 21 June 2012, the longest day of the year, and around a million people were in St Petersburg for the White Nights festival. This annual city-wide event celebrates the brief period when skies reach twilight but never darkness. In most of western Europe – including France, where I’m from – pagan sun celebrations have largely been forgotten, although there are gatherings at Stonehenge in Britain and the midsummer celebrations in Sweden. However, in the northern regions of eastern Europe, the rituals remain, steeped in centuries of tradition. In these places, there is little-to-no sun for many months of the year. So when it comes, everyone worships it.

This image is part of Solstice, an ongoing body of work documenting pagan summer rituals. In over a decade, I’ve travelled through Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland studying how different communities celebrate the summer solstice, marking the return of light after so many months in near-complete darkness.

I had visited Russia many times before, but this was my first time at White Nights. That evening, the streets of St Petersburg were filled with young people, who had travelled from all over the suburbs to mark the end of their school year. There were girls standing in the middle of the street, eyes closed, basking in the light with their arms outstretched. Others were singing, dancing and drinking champagne.

At the time, I was reading a Fyodor Dostoevsky short story called White Nights, a powerful tale about a boy and girl who fall in love by the canal in St Petersburg. I’ve always been drawn to photographing teenagers – people at a transitory period in human life. I think of those years as some of the most important of my own. Just like the Dostoevsky story, these teenagers were falling in love and building friendships. I was moved by the small moments I witnessed between them, how they were making their own rituals, starting their new lives.

At around 9pm, I happened upon a cafe that was a few steps below street level, not quite underground, but enough to be cavernously dark. Inside, there was a gathering of teenage girls, lit up by beautiful streams of sun bursting through the wooden window frames. I noticed one girl sitting a little apart from the group, near the entrance. Her face was flooded by the light. What was she doing? Was she expecting friends? Was she sad? She didn’t move for a long time – that’s what caught my attention. I observed the girl for a while, but I took the photograph quickly – it wasn’t staged at all. I knew nothing about her except that, for me at that precise moment, she represented the essence of the solstice: the communion of time and Earth’s cycles, whether we are in the countryside or the city.

Here we have a young contemporary woman in a big modern city celebrating a centuries-old tradition. She represents everything I want to communicate about the power of the solstice.

I didn’t take any more photographs of the girl. I like keeping her face hidden – it’s the same in every other photograph of women and girls in this series. This leaves room for mystery – but, more importantly, it means the images speak about all women and our relationships to the sun, as well as to one another. I’ve observed many pagan festivals across eastern Europe, and noticed that there is always a strong focus on women and fertility. The Kupala Nights, a major folk festival that takes place across the Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian countryside, originates from the worship of Kupalo, the Slavic god of love and fertility.

Initially, I was interested in summer solstice traditions but, increasingly, the project has been for myself, putting me more in touch with the light. As photographers, light is everything. Yet in our modern lives, we perhaps don’t notice it enough. My work is about the passage of time: the White Nights could be the metaphor for human life, its brevity and its fragility. I’ll return to the north again next June. I need to go – just to feel that extraordinary light.

Claudine Doury

Born: Blois, France, 1959
Trained: Self-taught
Influences: Robert Frank, Sally Mann, Andrei Tarkovsky
High point: “In 1996, I took my two-year-old to northern Siberia for several months to shoot my first photo project, People of Siberia. I proved that it was possible to be a young mother and do the work I love.”
Low point: “Probably from that same trip. Sometimes, it was very challenging to travel, work and raise a child at the same time.”
Top tip: “Trust yourself and keep moving forward.”

Photographer Lean Lui discusses her poetic new photo book, which embraces feminine-coded motifs like bows and white socks

December 06, 2023

Hailing from a time and place where kids were relegated to the outdoors during daylight hours, Angela Gabaldon still thrives outdoors and likes to share her perspective.

Gabaldon is The Artful Peddler – popular online for her Urban Jewels collection of images.

Jewels is her latest two-wheeled crush in a lifelong affair with bikes.

The Victoria photographer, yogi and avid cyclist has been a road rider, a racer, a spin instructor, a group rider and a mountain biker.

She’s a lifelong bike commuter who moved to Victoria six years ago.

“People joked I would move to Victoria and get a cruiser with flowers in the basket,” she says with a laugh.

With an uncanny eye for the glimpses of beauty people might skip, for the last three years her cruiser named Jewels and its ever-evolving basket full of flowers have evolved into a colourful photography career.

The first image that really garnered online attention arose from a visit to Moss Rock Park.

She’d bought a funny little orange horn for Jewels and wanted to highlight it. She composed the image to include the horn, bike handles and empty basket against a stunning sunrise.

“I couldn’t believe the amount of people who responded,” Gabaldon said. “I really just started taking advantage of the things around me.”

READ ALSO: ‘Tuck in ponytails’ to avoid dangerous Greater Victoria owl encounters

The last few years she’s marketed photo cards and tote bags online, at markets and several local stores.

This year, she added calendars. Artbox Printing wanted to give the calendar realm a try, so the artist and printer took the leap together.

“I was afraid to print 50 … this is a time-sensitive thing,” Gabaldon said with a laugh.

Now at the prime time for calendar purchases, she’s printed 400 with no expectation of leftovers.

Her card sales support a link to her childhood in New Brunswick as well. Growing up with a single mom and an active lifestyle it’s hard to imagine her youth without sports, often sponsored by the local non-profits. A dollar from each card sold supports the Harbourside Rotary and St. Stephen Rotary near her childhood home.

“It’s small, but it feels good,” she said.

Her home is filled with baskets and flowers, nods to the work she and Jewels do on the daily. The larger impact is sharing the beauty of Victoria – from the Abkazi gardens to the nooks of Cook Street Village and alleyways of downtown.

“I’m so amazed at all the places I can get by bike and it costs nothing,” Gabaldon said. “Definitely Victoria gets a bad rap… there’s a lot to be wary of, but there’s lots of good stuff too.”

Find a list of retailers at theartfulpeddlar.com.

Mattia Ozbot’s image of German decathlete Leo Neugebauer competing at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 has been selected as the World Athletics Photograph of the Year.

The third award announced as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023, the World Athletics Photograph of the Year shines a spotlight on some of the outstanding images captured by professional photographers.

Photograph of the Year finalist – Leo Neugebauer in the decathlon pole vault in Budapest (© Mattia Ozbot, World Athletics Photography Workshop)

From the 134 images that were submitted, a panel of judges – comprising Valerie Adams, Raquel Cavaco Nunes, Joel Marklund, Pascal Rondeau and Blanka Vlasic – narrowed the entries to 12 shortlisted images and three finalists before deciding on the winner.

Ozbot was surprised with the honour during an assignment to photograph trophies for the World Athletics Awards, which ended up including his own.

“I’m extremely surprised,” said Ozbot. “I knew the photograph was very special. It happened at a unique moment in time, but there were so many other amazing photographs by so many of my great colleagues. I’m very surprised and incredibly happy.”

Ozbot’s photograph captures Neugebauer in free fall after clearing a bar during the decathlon pole vault at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest.

“It was a peculiar moment, because on that day there was also the marathon (taking place) and I decided not to cover the marathon in order to get the chance of an infield bib during the morning session,” explained Ozbot. “It was the second to last day, and it was my chance to have a little more time on the track, and particularly the infield.

“The event was taking place around midday; the sun was high and when I saw the athlete celebrating through my lens, I thought there may be a good photo there. I was also quite lucky because I was there for 15 minutes and it happened right when I was there. So, I’m very happy with the photo and with the award.”

Ozbot is a freelance photographer based in Milan who specialises in sports photography and has a passion for capturing all the emotions that sport can bring. He attended the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 as part of the inaugural World Athletics Photography Workshop.

Other winners already announced as part of the World Athletics Awards 2023 include Laurent Meuwly (Coaching Achievement Award) and Falilatou Tchanile-Salifou (Woman of the Year). Further announcements will be made in the coming days, ahead of the World Athletes of the Year and Rising Stars being revealed on Monday 11 December.

World Athletics

Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, better known professionally by their first names only, are responsible for some of the most striking celebrity portraits of their generation, from Lady Gaga to Barack Obama. The pair, who are partners in both work and life, met as students at fashion school in their hometown of Amsterdam and made names for themselves as the go-to photographers for cutting-edge fashion editorials and big-name luxury brands.

As early adopters of digital photography, they became known for their experimental style, sharp images, and fine-art sensibility—all elements that helped produce their distinctive portraits. Inez and Vinoodh have a way of making every subject look and feel confident. Their often-high profile subjects are rendered even more powerful, more glamorous, and more dynamic than they may already feel, making the couple apt documenters to the world of celebrity.

So perhaps it’s only fitting that the duo would take on a subject as culturally dominant as Taylor Swift. During her cover shoot in New York City for TIME’s Person of the Year story, Inez and Vinoodh captured the pop star in her prime, in the midst of her Eras tour. While the pair had photographed her once before, for a 2019 Vogue shoot, they were excited to collaborate with her again, calling her the “ideal subject.”

Ahead of the launch of TIME’s 2023 Person of the Year story, Inez spoke to TIME about their inspiration for the shoot, what’s changed since they last photographed Taylor, and their favorite Swift era.

TIME: How did you prepare for your shoot with Taylor?

Inez van Lamsweerde: First of all, we went to see The Eras Tour movie—it’s just incredible. And then we did a deep dive into all her different personifications and the way she expressed her feelings over the years of her career to form a concept. We were mostly struck by watching her perform her lyrics, the way she relates to you and how that releases an extraordinary sense of empathy in her. The way she talks, the way she looks at life, it’s with this heightened sense of empathy that’s quite extraordinary. Combined with this incredibly glamorous side that’s sort of like old Hollywood and her amazing strength, defiance and power, we tried to express each of them throughout all the different sessions that we did. 

Taylor’s currently in the midst of her Eras Tour. Obviously, she was in a different era the last time you shot her in 2019. How do you think she has changed? How do you perceive her in her current era?

I think it’s mostly growing up. I could see the extreme fulfillment she has from performing. She loves performing. She loves the connection that she has with people. That’s what’s extraordinary about her openness and respectfulness. She’s just a very generous, gentle person; she’ll have an opinion and she’ll express it in the most respectful way and is extremely collaborative. It’s extraordinary how someone of that level of fame can actually stay that connected and in touch with life and our own feelings. She doesn’t seem at all like she’s removed from reality—she’s very much in it.

What do you think makes Taylor an interesting subject to shoot?

Apart from her beauty, obviously, there’s this idea that she’s your best friend. What’s so wonderful about her is she’s open and real and she’ll talk about anything, like she does in her lyrics—she loves connecting. It’s about what she expresses that people can actually relate to, feel comforted by or inspired by, or [be] given strength by and it’s quite extraordinary the way she manages to do that. She basically provided the soundtrack to so many young people’s lives; people have grown up with her.

Read More: Taylor Swift Makes History as Person of the Year. Here’s How

Do you have a favorite era of Taylor’s?

That’s hard for me because I like all of it. I think Reputation is probably my favorite, just for the defiance of it. 

Can we talk about the photo of Taylor with her cat?

Benjamin! [Swift has a ragdoll cat named Benjamin Button.]

How did this photo come about?

There’s a book by photographer Bill Hayward called Cat People from the ‘70s, with journalistic photos of cat lovers and their cats, but it’s all entertainers, writers, journalists—some very famous, some not so famous. And the pictures are brilliant. It shows very well the relationship that people have with their cats. But at the same time, [shows] the way cats are kind of on their own—they’re a special breed of animal. So I got a vintage copy of it for Taylor because I know she’s a major cat lover, and her cats travel with her. And I said, “You know, I’ve always wanted to do a picture like the one that’s on the cover of that book where the cat’s on the shoulder of the girl.” It speaks to a sense of carrying everything on your shoulders but being defiant while doing so. And she agreed and that’s how that picture happened.

Read More: Behind the Scenes of TIME’s 2023 Person of the Year Issue

Why do you think that the photo would embody Taylor in this particular moment?

It really has everything: Her glamor, her power, her sense of empathy of carrying the whole world on her shoulders. Because if you do feel like that—she’s so involved in everything, whether it’s getting young people to vote, etc.—she’s always pushing for things that are outside of the music realm. I felt that there is something there in her body position that’s very powerful and strong. Her expression and the way she looks has this old Hollywood glamor but underneath, there’s so much power in her stance. The way she has Benjamin on her shoulders is kind of like, ‘Yeah, I’m carrying you all.’