Three Tibetan herders take photos of wildlife in Zadoi county, Qinghai Province, on December 12, 2020. Photo: Courtesy of Wild China

The Angsai Grand Canyon, located in Zadui county of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Qinghai Province, is situated in the headwaters of the Lancang River. It is home to various species of feline animals, such as snow leopards.

Local herders Dajie, Ciding, and Kunchochopeng have used their cameras to document the ever-changing seasons and remarkable wildlife that inhabits the area, with a particular focus on capturing snow leopards.

In 2008, Dajie invested his earnings from harvesting caterpillar fungi to purchase a second-hand point-and-shoot camera. This marked the beginning of his journey into wildlife photography. Later, Ciding and Kunchochopeng also bought their own cameras. Kunchochopeng said, “During our herding days, I find joy in capturing the beauty that surrounds us, be it landscapes, animals, or flowers. If something catches my eye, I simply take a picture.”

With limited equipment and a lack of photography knowledge, the three herders embarked on a self-taught journey.

Ciding recalled, “Back then, there weren’t many individuals well-versed in photography, and we were apprehensive about tampering with the camera settings and potentially damaging it. So we primarily relied on the automatic mode.”

In early 2016, Ciding came across an injured snow leopard while taking photos in the mountains. He and his friends rescued the animal and reported the incident to the local government. News of this reached wildlife photographer Xi Zhinong, who promptly arrived in Angsai. Impressed by the remarkable snow leopard photos taken by Ciding and Dajie with their modest cameras, Xi felt a mix of admiration and regret. He believed that they deserved more advanced equipment to capture even more extraordinary images.

A snow leopard descends from among the rocks in the Sanjiangyuan region. Photo: Courtesy of Xi Zhinong

Xi enrolled Dajie, Ciding and Kunchochopeng in a program dedicated to cultivating herder photographers. Through this initiative, the herders received advanced equipment and comprehensive training in photographic techniques.

In August 2020, a photography exhibition featuring pictures taken by the herder photographers opened in Shanghai. The photos taken by Dajie, Ciding and Kunchochopeng reached a wider audience, receiving widespread acclaim. This further strengthened their confidence in the possibility of creating a snow leopard film shot entirely by Chinese photographers, under the guidance of Xi.

In August 2023, the documentary film “Snow Leopards and Friends,” directed by Xi’s team and the three herder photographers, was officially released.

The challenges faced during the making of this film remain unknown to most. Snow leopards, known for their reclusive nature, possess a remarkable awareness of their environment, making it difficult for photographers to track their movements.

Enduring extreme weather conditions, freezing temperatures, and limited oxygen, the three herder photographers would spend over 10 days in the field without a single sighting of a snow leopard. “We never gave up; our objective was clear: to share a film about snow leopards with the world,” said Kunchochopeng.

In 2019, the photography team stumbled upon the den of a snow leopard and her cubs. The discovery filled everyone with excitement, but they were careful not to disturb the animals. They set up a tent at a distance and took turns monitoring the den. Surprisingly, the snow leopards seemed to accept the presence of the photographers. Over the course of 35 days, they managed to capture invaluable footage of this remarkable encounter.

On Nov. 4, 2023, “Snow Leopards and Friends” received the Best Documentary/Science and Educational Film award at the 36th China Golden Rooster Awards.

“The release of the film marks a step forward. I hope that in the future, we will have more opportunities to present China’s wildlife on both domestic and international screens, reaching a broader audience,” Xi said.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Liang Jun)

Emran Wadan, 24, is using his camera to promote a more positive image of war-torn Afghanistan, revealing its stunning natural landscapes, rich history, diverse cultures, and resilient people

[Islamabad] For many, the word Afghanistan brings to mind images of a war-torn region afflicted by bombs, starvation, and poverty. Alongside these images, though, Afghanistan is at once a country rich in culture and diversity, adorned with magnificent green mountains, valleys, and snow-capped peaks.

The young Afghan photographer Emran Wadan is using his medium to promote a positive image of the country, revealing the mysterious and historical facets of Afghanistan that are often overlooked.

Wadan, 24, was born and raised in Kabul. He purchased his first camera at age 16 for $350, money which he had saved from his pocket money. At an age when most are still finding their path, Wadan has taken up the mantle of capturing Afghanistan with his camera.

“I am struggling to display the soft image of my homeland, the stunning and historical landscape of Afghanistan, and the smiling faces of the people of Afghanistan,” he told The Media Line.

My sole mission is to shatter the narrow confines of preconceived notions about Afghanistan and present it to the world as a land rich in history, culture, and humanity

His photography goes beyond mere visuals, weaving narratives between the war-torn landscapes, sacred sites, and hidden narratives that define Afghanistan’s past.

“My sole mission is to shatter the narrow confines of preconceived notions about Afghanistan and present it to the world as a land rich in history, culture, and humanity,” he said of his art.

Wadan described facing challenges but noted that his father and brothers have been supportive of his work as a photographer.

“Despite the challenges that come with me being a young photographer, I want to navigate through the war-torn landscapes and ancient alleyways, documenting the daily lives and triumphs of my compatriots,” he said.

Wadan’s father, Fida Muhammed, a retired municipal official, told The Media Line that his son grew up in a fraught environment. “Suicide attacks and gunshots could be heard in Kabul at all hours of the day and night,” he said.

“Unlike other guys of his age, Emran pursued his passion and is today an enthusiastic photographer who loves his motherland,” Muhammed said.

Wadan’s most notable work in photography so far is his depiction of the Wakhan Valley of Badakhshan.

The Wakhan Valley, nestled in the heart of Central Asia, is a place of captivating natural beauty and rich cultural heritage.

This remote and relatively untouched region lies at the crossroads of Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China, making it a unique and geopolitically significant area.

Surrounded by towering peaks of the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountain ranges, the valley offers breathtaking vistas of rugged landscapes, deep gorges, and meandering rivers. The area is known as one of Asia’s most remote and gorgeous locations.

The rugged attraction and cultural richness of the Wakhan Valley entice adventurers and explorers looking for isolation and a glimpse into a lost past.

The Wakhan Valley is also historically significant since it was formerly an important section of the ancient Silk Road, which connected the East with the West. Today, it remains a cultural crossroads where numerous ethnic groups, including the Wakhi and the Kyrgyz, maintain age-old traditions and a distinct way of life.

Wadan’s lens doesn’t simply capture the external landscapes. It captures the resilience and spirit of the Afghan people

Sadia Hashmi, a Kabul-based law graduate and women’s rights activist, told The Media Line, “Wadan’s lens doesn’t simply capture the external landscapes. It captures the resilience and spirit of the Afghan people.”

She noted that Wadan’s work “encapsulates the vivid tapestry of Afghanistan’s history and its people, reminding us that beyond the headlines of battle lies a nation with a mosaic of ethnicities, traditions, and stories waiting to be heard.”

Afghanistan has long served as a melting pot for a diverse range of ethnic groups and civilizations.

The country’s largest ethnic group is the Pashtuns. They are concentrated in the south and east of the country. The Tajiks are the second largest ethnic group, concentrated in the country’s north and northeast. The Hazaras are the third largest ethnic group, making up about 10% of the population. They are concentrated in the center of the country.

Other major ethnic groups include the Uzbeks, Turkmens, Baluchis, Nuristanis, and Aimaqs.

The ethnic groups of Afghanistan have their own distinct languages, cultures, and schools of thought.

The ethnic diversity of Afghanistan has been a source of both strength and weakness. It helps to create a rich and vibrant culture, but it has also been a source of conflict, as different ethnic groups have competed for power and resources.

Afghanistan once had a thriving Jewish community as well.

Dilawar Jamil, a former official at the Heritage Foundation, told The Media Line that the city of Herat once had a large Jewish population, all of whom have now left for Israel or the US.

Herat is still home to a Jewish cemetery dating to the 16th century, which is estimated to contain the remains of over 5,000 Jews. It also houses an ancient synagogue, which the Taliban declared a historical heritage last year, pledging a huge amount of money for its renovation.

Although all of Afghanistan’s Jews have fled the country, with most now residing in Israel, Jamil said that Afghan Jews were once well accepted in the country. “Muslims and Jews coexisted in harmony,” he said.

Wadan’s work is shedding light on some of these overlooked aspects of life in Afghanistan.

“Through each snapshot,” Hashmi said, “he gives voice to those who have been silenced for far too long, inviting the world to see Afghanistan not through the lens of conflict, but through the prism of humanity and hospitality.”

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Wedding photography has evolved to a stylishly capturing special, fun lifetime moments and Magic Motion Media has, apparently, earned a name for transforming candid and enduring content from weddings into timeless collages.
‘A SOULFUL APPROACH TO EVERY WEDDING’
The India and UAE-based photographycompany says that what sets them apart is their soulful approach to wedding photography.For this, the agency connects to clients like a family. They say they only take on clients with whom they feel a synergy, to ensure that it results in an unforgettable experience and stunning memories.
CEO Ruben Bijy Thomas says, “We believe in weaving stories that capture the soul of each wedding. Our commitment is not just to produce beautiful images and films, but to encapsulate the emotions and essence of every couple’s special day. We are not just photographers; we are storytellers who bring magic to life. He also points out that they have “an exceptional team to ensure a seamless experience to clients”, by taking care of all the processes before and after the wedding day.
APPRECIATED BY CELEB AND OTHER COUPLES ALIKE
The photography company has, apparently, become a favourite among celebrities, as among others. Speaking of their service at her wedding recently, actress Amala Paul said, “Thank you for capturing the soulful and heartwarming moments of our wedding so beautifully. Your work will be cherished for a lifetime. ” Actor Kalidas Jayaram, who recently got engaged to model Tarini Kalingarayar, has also appreciated their work. “Tarini and I can’t express how happy we are seeing the images. We are glad that we had you guys cover our special day,” he said.

Created in 2015, the annual Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards contest showcases the best of wildlife photography, while also calling to attention the threats faced by the wildlife around us.

Seattle, WA: Local photographer Wyatt Jones recently decided to switch from shooting in raw to JPEG format in an effort to spend less time editing images. However, he soon discovered he was spending even more time explaining his decision to horrified fellow photographers who were developing negative opinions. 

“I figured JPEGs would be quicker – just shoot and share!” said Jones. “But when I told my camera club friends, you’d think I just kicked a puppy. They kept asking if I had gone insane.” 

Outraged photographers immediately began cropping up, inundating Jones with reasons he must shoot raw: white balance adjustments, exposure recovery, the ability to re-edit years later, and most importantly, better shadow recovery.

“Eric went on a 15-minute diatribe about how shooting JPEG was ‘destroying your creative potential’,” said Jones. “He said I may as well just be shooting on a Polaroid. But they’re my family photos, not the next Avengers movie!”

The pleas to switch back to raw fell on deaf ears. Later, Jones proudly posted a JPEG photo to his photography forum titled “The Raw Truth.” He hoped his unprocessed image would develop into an interesting discussion. 

The horrified responses poured in, critiquing the color, noise, and lack of flexibility. “This would have been easily adjustable if you had the raw file,” remarked one commenter. “I could have recovered at least 2-3 stops of shadows from the raw data,” contributed another. “Your children must be so ashamed to be in this picture,” said one particularly rude commenter.

After spending four hours defending his artistic choice, Jones finally admitted that perhaps he had acted in haste. The next day, he sheepishly swapped his camera settings back to raw, hoping to regain positive exposure among his peers.

But the photography club was still fuming over the debut of Jones’ undeveloped JPEG image. They asked him to resign as President and charitably offered to only reduce his membership level from Gold to Silver status. 

“It’s like they had a personal vendetta just because I shot one lousy photo without raw,” complained Jones. “I thought artists were supposed to be open-minded!”

When reached for comment, Jones said only: “Next time, I’ll just hire an editor to handle all the developing drama.”

In the days when we used to come home with slides after a holiday, there would be a ‘slide night’ for friends and relatives to be bored out of their minds with shots of, “Here we are at the hotel in Nakon Nowhere, and similar.” You’ve all been there.

However, with today’s digitals, you have the ability to review your photographs instantly, so you have every good reason to come back with better holiday snaps – and here’s how!

What we have to strive for are photos with ‘impact’. Ones that punch the viewer fair between the eyes and compel him or her to look further. To get this elusive ‘impact’ we need to look at simplicity, color, light and depth. Now while that may sound a little too advanced for someone with a point and shooter, it is not really.

Let’s take Simplicity first. In your photo there should be an identifiable “hero” – that is the subject matter. You have to frame up your shot so that you get rid of extraneous matter which detracts from the simplicity and also detracts from the subject, thus weakening your message. One tip is to use a wide angle lens and walk in close to heighten the dramatic viewpoint of your subject.

Color is next. Unless you are a Black and White exponent, color is one very easy way to get ‘impact’ into your shots. Look for very strong colors and include them in the photos. The three primary colors are red, blue and yellow and if you look through a travel photography book, you will find lots of reds, blues and yellows. You should also intensify the colors by screwing a Polarizing Filter on the end of your lens. This richens the color by decreasing the amount of reflection and will give you that deep blue sky you want in your holiday photographs.

When we mention ‘Light’ we are referring to the stuff supplied by the celestial light technician – the sun! The two best times to shoot are early in the morning or late in the afternoon. These are sometimes called the “magic hours” by some photographers, but they certainly are the times to shoot. You will get good shadow definition to give solidity to the scene and the two very different colors in the light also give your travel photos that extra something. The early morning ones will have a blue cast, while the late afternoon has distinctly orange hues. In fact, this weekend take the same shot at both those times and see the difference. For those who would like a technical explanation, as the sun approaches the horizon, its light has to pass through a greater air mass, including ozone, dust and water vapor. Wavelengths at the blue end of the spectrum are scattered and absorbed more than those at the red end of the spectrum, so the sunlight appears to turn yellow, and then red.

Now let’s see how we can add Depth into your photographs. By “depth” we are trying to give your flat photos a 3D appearance. The first way is to use shadow to give depth. The second way is to include people in the shots to give a sense of perspective. This is the only way you can show just how large any statue is – compare it to the height of a person. Another old photographic “trick” is to include “leading lines” such as a wall, fence or pathway to pull the viewer into the shot. These lines also work best when they follow a diagonal, rather than a straight horizontal or vertical.

The final two items of advice are quite simple – time and people. Take your time when you have arrived at the travel destination and walk around statues, memorials, temples and the like. You may see a better view than the usual front on variety. Search for interesting foregrounds and vary the framing and composition. And try as much as possible to include people in your travel shots. Adding one or two people in a photograph adds a point of connection for the viewer, a sense of being there.

Have a happy holiday!

Nearly a month ago, smartphone maker OnePlus debuted its first folding smartphone, the OnePlus Open. Beyond being the company’s first foray into the foldable space, it is among the best folding phones. It does not compromise at all in terms of specs, performance, and photography features.

While there is so much to like about the OnePlus Open, it does have one rather sizable drawback — its hefty price. The Open is $1,700, which, while not outlandish for a flagship foldable, is very expensive for a smartphone maker that has yet to make its mark in the North American handheld market.

No matter how good a premium device is, and the Open is splendid, many consumers prefer to opt for more affordable smartphones. So, the decision for OnePlus to push hard into a somewhat limited premium market is fascinating. PetaPixel spoke to OnePlus North America’s CEO, Robin Liu, about the Open and how it fits into the company’s broader long-term plans.

How Does a Premium Foldable Device Fit into OnePlus’ Goals?

“While the foldable market is still new to consumers, especially in North America, we believe that now is the time for OnePlus to have a foldable that brings fierce competition in the US and Canada,” Liu tells PetaPixel over email. “We know from our research that consumers, especially power users, are paying top dollar for current foldables; in some cases, twice the price of a single display flagship phablet.”

However, the enormous task facing OnePlus in the North American market, where Apple, Samsung, and Google dominate, is not lost on Liu.

“We face the challenge of being a smaller player pushing to make a dent in the foldable market — but the plan is to make an impact with the launch of the OnePlus Open.”

Although innovation is expensive in terms of research and development and, perhaps most damningly, in terms of the opportunity cost of eschewing one option in favor of another in the rapidly changing smartphone landscape, it is something that OnePlus pushed extremely hard with the Open.

In fact, Liu believes that OnePlus’ bold approach to the folding market, which includes incorporating a very thin design that does not preclude having flagship-level cameras (something its competitors have thus far failed to do), goes far beyond the Open.

“We knew that when launching the OnePlus Open in North America, we would increase our brand awareness and also encourage more people to try us for the first time or to even switch back from other Android phones to OnePlus. The launch of the OnePlus Open significantly increased our brand awareness in the region, and we’re looking to build off of this momentum and all the successful launches we had in our 2023 portfolio.”

OnePlus seemingly views the OnePlus Open as a sort of flagship product that anchors its entire portfolio. While not everyone will be able to afford the Open or even necessarily want it, the fact that it exists makes people more aware of all of the company’s smartphones.

Flagship Feel and Features in a Foldable Smartphone

The OnePlus Open represents a very big swing for the company, and for what it’s worth, the company not only made solid contact, but it has also hit a home run.

It’s far too soon to know whether people notice the success, but OnePlus is confident that it has delivered the best folding smartphone on the market.

“Over the years, the tech landscape has shifted rapidly. With each new development, we observe, we listen, and we adapt,” Liu explains. “We believe that users should be at the center of this evolution and we focused our efforts around that concept. With the advancements we’ve made, we’ve addressed the concerns plaguing current foldable phones — from durability to the center crease, to the software optimization, and of course, the camera.”

“But with the OnePlus Open, we feel that we’ve taken the best parts of OnePlus, our premium hardware and fluid software — and used them to create a foldable experience that will challenge the status quo and push innovation forward in this unique form factor.”

For mobile photographers, the Open’s impressive folding design, new OxygenOS version built from the ground up for foldables, and the phone’s impressive performance are great, of course, but the star of the show is the brand-new camera system.

Where other foldables have typically received hand-me-down camera systems that don’t even match a company’s best single-screen devices, the Open takes what worked in prior OnePlus devices and goes even further. Among the big new features is the 48-megapixel Sony LYT-T808 image sensor.

It is important to note that the LYT-T808 is different from the Sony LYT-808, which Sony Semiconductor has also released this year. The LYT-T808 sports a two-layer transistor pixel, also known as pixel-stacked technology, dramatically increasing full well capacity (FWC).

“This revolutionary camera technology dramatically increases the full well capacity of the ‘T’ sensor. FWC is a numerical measurement representing how much light is taken in and stored by the sensor’s photodiodes. [The LYT-808] almost doubles the FWC when compared to sensors without Pixel Stacked Technology,” Liu says.

“In this case, FWC of the Sony LYT-T808 sensor is rated at 40,000e, with the LYT-808 rated at 24,600e.”

“In regards to the benefits of the stacked design — instead of arranging photodiodes and pixel transistors side by side, the two are separated, with transistors stacked below the structure. This innovative approach allows for twice the light capacity (FWC),” Liu explains. “Ultimately this improves image quality, especially in environments that require a wide dynamic range. It results in true-to-life colors, details and realistic lighting and shadows.”

In PetaPixel’s OnePlus Open review, Ted Kritsonis writes of the device’s image quality, “I got better images with the Open than I did with the Fold 5, and the higher resolution gave me extra wiggle room for editing afterward.”

“While computational photography is crucial in today’s day and age, we employed imaging technologies that other foldable manufacturers have yet to explore. A perfect example would be the Sony LYT-T808 image sensor. Alongside proprietary HDR algorithms, the revolutionary sensor handles low-light and wide dynamic range better than most traditional [Sony] IMX sensors while allowing for a small physical footprint that slots perfectly into the OnePlus Open’s 5.8mm thin body,” adds Liu.

OnePlus and Hasselblad

The OnePlus Open continues the company’s strong partnership with Hasselblad, sporting the company’s collaboration and input within the entire image processing pipeline, and even some very nice color reproduction modes and Hasselblad-inspired lenses, complete with realistically modeled bokeh.

“The partnership with Hasselblad began during the development of the OnePlus 9 Series. OnePlus has always prioritized premium user experiences, and strives to significantly improve all aspects of mobile devices. With our top-of-the-line hardware and computational photography, and Hasselblad’s rich aesthetic knowledge and expertise with traditional photography, we partnered to usher in the next big leap forward when it comes to mobile photography,” explains Liu.

OnePlus Aims to Make a Mark with the Open

“The OnePlus Open embodies our brand mantra, ‘Never Settle,’” says Liu.

“Delivering iconic Hasselblad capabilities into the hands of everyone using a OnePlus Open, we’re proud to bring DSLR-level depth-tracking, bokeh, and flares effects. For photography enthusiasts who want a great smartphone device that can capture professional photos and videos while also being productive in their daily lives, OnePlus’ first foldable device is the right choice for them,” Liu concludes.

It remains to be seen if customers will agree and vote with their wallets. Still, there is no doubt that OnePlus entered the foldable space with a bang and has crafted the first folding smartphone that offers an uncompromised experience.

An auction of photography by John Witzig titled Endless Summer gives Australian surf fans the chance to hang some unique slices of surf history in their home. For the rest of the world, it is an opportunity to revisit the photographer, writer and designer’s immense contribution to early surf culture (the images are only available in Australia). 

Witzig’s career in surf photojournalism started with his first published article in Surfing World in 1963. From 1967 to 1969 he was editor of the now defunct Surf International magazine, and in 1970 co-founded Tracks magazine. He is perhaps best known for his “We’re Tops Now” article that appeared in SURFER in 1965. That was a response to the U.S. media’s dismissal of Australia’s rise to dominance after the 1966 World Championships that Matt Warshaw has called, “still the best, most righteous ‘fuck you’ surf article ever published.”

Witzig photography was however even more important. He was on hand for the exploration of Australia’s East Coast in the early 1960s and has the best documentary archive of the Australian contribution to the shortboard revolution from the mid-1960s. 

Esteemed Australian novelist Robert Drewe has said of his imagery, “Viewed simply as a representation of an alternative culture of the 1970s, Witzig’s photographs were valid and intriguing even back then. But viewed with today’s eyes, they seem almost impossibly innocent and idealistic, like looking at a remote tribe of wild-haired boys just discovered by anthropologists for National Geographic.“

I spoke with Witzig about some of his iconic images that are available for auction and asked to explain the stories behind them. 

Why the auction, and what do you hope people will get from owning these images?

What people get from buying my prints is one that I don’t really have an answer for. I understand that blokes my age can relate to them, but why younger people have an interest, I’m not sure. It isn’t nostalgia for something they’ve never experienced, but possibly an intuitive sense of the romance of a period that was less complicated than the world they’re faced with today.

As a collective of images, what do they make you feel now?

I am proud of my photographs as an accidental archive. Like everyone else who was taking pictures in the surfing world of the 1960s, I lost much of it. Magazines didn’t return transparencies or prints, and we didn’t treat them as having any real value. What images of mine that survived from the 1960s was due to good fortune, not good management.

It is easy to get misty-eyed at the past, but just how special was that time?

I see curating my archive – which is really what I do – as a contemporary exercise, and one that interests me… but I don’t get ‘misty-eyed’ about it. The 1960s in Australia was a terrific decade if you were a surfer. We were starting to explore our coastline. There was adventure and exploration and that’s a pretty good mix.

Editor’s Note: The following are extended captions from Witzig about a few specific images, beyond the gallery above.

Just how good was Wayne Lynch?

Wayne was probably the most gifted surfer I observed from a young age. He had a remarkable natural affinity with the ocean. Unquestionably he is one of the greats in my opinion. Wayne changed surfing.

This looks both beautiful and brutal. How tough was it living life on the edge?

I was only ever an occasional visitor to Cactus when my brother and his wife were living there in the second half of the 1970s, but “brutal” is a pretty good word to describe it. And it wasn’t just the elements that were tough. The “locals” were a feral lot, and fiercely resistant to any attempt to try and protect the fragile environment – which my brother was insistent on doing, and he did own the land. It is beautiful and a superb bit of the Australian coastal landscape.

Why is this one of the most iconic images in surfing?

What it is, is one of the most accidental of the photographs in my archive. It was simply a snapshot… I didn’t even wait for a good set. But to answer your question, it’s a combination of the fact that there is not a single surfer in the lineup, and then there’s the old car which helps immeasurably. If I was ever to offer advice on how to shoot an iconic photograph I’d say, “put an old car in it.”

How crucial was Angourie in Australian surf culture? And how much for a kilo of mullet?

HA… I forget how much Alex, who was a caretaker of the area, charged for his fish. Strangely, I don’t think that I ever bought it from him, and I did like mullet.

Angourie was one of the first of the really good New South Wales north coast surf breaks to be exposed in Surfing World magazine in 1963, but that doesn’t explain its almost mythical status in Australian surfing history. I think that Morning of the Earth, Albe Falzon’s seminal 1971 film, was responsible for that. Albe created a hero in David “Baddy” Treloar, and with that came his superb, adopted home break.

How was Europe in the 1970s? Just how much did that experience change your perspective on life?

I’d gone to Europe with my family as a teenager, so I’d had an early taste and had then gathered a fascination with France through reading (and drinking some of their wines). Both were good introductions to a country I came to love. It was 1976, a good time to be in Le Pays Basque, and I settled down for a while in the town of Guéthary.

Photographers have an insatiable appetite for new gear. The excitement of unboxing a new camera, lens, or accessory provides a rush of inspiration that compels us to get out and shoot. But why does acquiring the latest and greatest equipment motivate us so much?

In the latest video on his YouTube channel, photographer Pat Kay digs into the psychology behind what he calls “new gear inspiration.” He argues this phenomenon all comes down to novelty. When we expose ourselves to something new that energizes us, it sparks creativity by allowing us to make connections we couldn’t before. New gear gives us a novel experience that generates this surge of motivation and flow.

While new equipment can provide a short-term creative boost, Kay cautions buying gear constantly is unrealistic for most. And we can’t rely on new purchases to repeatedly inspire us forever. So, how do you keep finding novelty to feed your photography on an ongoing basis?

Kay offers strategies like exploring new places, doing photo challenges, and introducing constraints into your usual style. Changing your process, even in small ways, creates the novel experiences that drive creativity. Consistency over the long haul still matters, but regularly trying new things keeps your mind flexible.

If you find your photography motivation waning, this video offers insight into how novelty and new gear inspiration work. Kay shares ideas to kick-start your creativity without emptying your bank account. In the end, new gear isn’t the only way to spark inspiration through novelty, nor should it be the main way to do. Check out the video above for the full rundown.