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10K80 January 8, 2021
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Elise Swopes stays inspiring: 3 quick tips for creative directors

Creative director tips stand out as especially fruitful for people looking to break into their respective industries and for some insight we looked into Elise Swopes’ creative journey.

In the face of constant adversity in 2020 during the COVID pandemic, creatives especially, have felt the brunt of things amiss. Elise Swopes is a creative director with tips and advice for creatives yearning for inspiration and resolve.

In a year of hardship that has tested every limit, we thought we knew, Elise Swopes’ words remind us that a creative journey is meant to be difficult. And never predictable.

With that in mind, it’s important to remember that things can and do change, both in the world and in the mind. As bad as the situation is – it’s not the end of things.

That’s what New York-based (but Chicago-bred) photographer and graphic designer Elise Swopes has been telling people in interviews she’s conducted during the pandemic and lockdowns.

Elise Swopes is a different kind of “influencer”

Elise Swopes talks about being an “influencer,” not in terms of posting selfies and pictures of food in an endless hunt for likes, but in terms of the actual influence she has as someone with a significant social media following.

She got her start on Instagram posting photos she’d taken with her iPhone, and eventually became popular enough on the platform to gain brand sponsorships. She continues to give tips as a creative director to those mired in the difficulties of their own creative journey.

Creative director tips everyone should listen to

Now, as a popular figure on the internet for both her work and her personality, Elise Swopes tries to use her influence positively and to be an encouraging presence on the web. Her creative director tips go a long way to helping out creatives in situations similar to her past.

In an interview with Find your Grind, Swopes emphasized the importance of personal routines in a person’s life. She describes the brain as a muscle, emphasizing how in her own work she seeks to improve herself at all times.

During the lockdown, Swopes got into the habit of writing what she calls “daily reminders” – such as the Tweet above, letting people know to treat themselves well. Not just to assure themselves that everything will work out, but to actively make sure that it does.

While she leverages her popularity for sponsorships and works with major companies, she is not an “influencer” whose main claim to fame is being famous.

Swopes is a talented photographer, editor, and creator of websites. She pushes the envelope when it comes to high-quality art made using only a cell phone, much like those most people in the US have in their pockets.

Elise Swopes’ story is proof that creative journeys are meant to be strange

In early 2020, Swopes moved to New York from Chicago, where she grew up and built her career. The move marks a pivotal point in a long journey.

As Swopes talked about in her TEDX talk, “Child of the Internet,” she enjoys a great deal of personal and professional success now due to her art and her fame. But it wasn’t always that way.

The first time Swopes went to college, she dropped out in her first year and ended up in rehab due to prescription drugs.

She already had design talent. She had built her first website in sixth grade, in fact. And started doing graphic design as a child using a photo-editing program designed for kids.

The online world was something that Swopes could control, unlike her everyday life. She felt a lack of agency and belonging due in part to being mixed-race and being “never enough of one thing or another.”

The computer, and through it, the internet, was something she understood.

The creative director industry is not easy, but Swopes tries to make it more accessible

It was only after going through rehab, hitting her lowest point in life, that she started to get professional success. She was already very active online. A true “child of the internet.

But at some point, after she started taking more control over her own life, something changed. She started getting paid to post.

Since then, Swopes’ work has only continued to gain in popularity, and she’s traveled the world. Currently working on her doctorate, Swopes is at the same time mentoring younger students. As well as followers in an effort to make digital art, design, and culture more accessible.

Clearly, Elise Swopes likes to keep busy. And it’s no wonder her creative director tips on the industry seem to be having a positive impact.

Swopes hosts a podcast called “Swopes SO Dope” and can be found on Twitter or Instagram as @swopes.

Bruh January 4, 2021
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CGI vs. photography: Is there a market for both in the future?

Are CGI images destined to make real photographs obsolete, or is the CGI market not quite as robust as we think it is? CGI vs. photography: competition of the old and the new.

Technology marches on, and computer imagery is no exception. Computer-generated imagery, or CGI, has already had an enormous impact on the arts in more ways than one. Modern computer graphics technology can render CGI images that are photorealistic, even hyper-realistic.

Naturally, these technological advances are not only creating new possibilities for artists but also impacting the markets in which those artists operate. So what’s the deal with computer-generated images in the modern day, and what could they mean for the future?

Is CGI overtaking photography in advertising?

Over the past decade, the famous furniture outlet IKEA has shifted from photography to CGI for its advertising. In 2014, 75% of its catalog photos were CGI, and most people couldn’t even tell at first. A testament to the sheer power of CGI marketing.

The technology has advanced so much that taking elaborate, staged photographs isn’t necessary. The field of “product photography,” taking staged pictures for advertisements, is still going strong, but CGI is starting to make an entry.

Comment from discussion alllmossttherrre’s comment from discussion "Are any Product Photographers concerned about CGI?".
IKEA’s catalog is mostly CGI at this point, but that doesn’t mean photographers aren’t needed.

The furniture brand is even replacing human models with CGI in many of its advertisements, creating hyper-realistic graphics that look almost exactly like real people and environments.

Of course, this isn’t a simple process. CGI photography takes a long time to set up and a lot of computing power to render. Plenty of people’s labor is involved.

So while this isn’t automation putting people out of work, like in factories, it does represent a significant change to the medium and thus the art scene.

CGI in Entertainment & Design

CGI’s impact on the entertainment industry has been much more visible to the public and accelerated rapidly over the past decade. It is perhaps the clearest example of CGI vs. photography.

When a 2007 film re-telling of the story of Beowulf was made in CGI, it was experimental for a big-budget film.

This is all computer-generated – in 2007. And you can tell. It looks weird, right?

The film looked kind of uncanny, but the CGI used was state-of-the-art at the time. Even in retrospect, the imagery is pretty impressive.

Now, it’s more feasible to render near-photorealistic CGI video. Take the past ten years of video game graphics advancements as another example.

2020 graphics technology can provide hyper-real imagery like what you see above – and that’s incredible! But CGI is not the threat to live photography it might seem to be.

After all, more realistic CGI requires more use of references. Those references have to come from somewhere – from photographers! Thus CGI vs. photography is not as much a sparring battle as it is a symbiotic relationship.

Besides, where CGI shows its potential most isn’t in reproducing live photography and videography on a computer. CGI has the potential to show us images that can’t exist in real life, but with photographic precision. What makes this a step beyond paintings and drawings?

CGI can be interactive, that’s what.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU0ftu4ZG1c
Impossible environments like in Manifold Garden are a great demonstration of the potential of CGI in entertainment and the arts

The cost of it all

While the ability to generate hyper-realistic imagery is impressive, it is anything but simple and cheap. Creating high-quality renders like the ones in current IKEA catalogs takes teams of digital artists working to get every detail right.

When you’re aiming for photo-realistic, you need plenty of photos for reference, and each individual object in the frame needs to be rendered with care. This isn’t a case of artists being made irrelevant by automation – it’s actually a rich medium in need of talent.

In the case of furniture, CGI is the economical choice because it takes shipping costs out of the equation.

No longer must furniture be shipped to a facility where the photographs are staged and taken. Instead, each piece is carefully replicated – by digital artists – and placed in a virtual environment.

The work of digital art is time-consuming and painstaking, but at least you don’t have to ship bulky and fragile furniture halfway across the globe to make it.

The benefits of CGI marketing and the cost of CGI in entertainment

In advertising, not having to ship in physical materials may save money overall. But in entertainment, especially video games, advances in CGI technology, and the demand to keep up, have caused production costs to skyrocket for decades.

Computer graphics take the work of armies of artists, modelers, animators, and programmers. Not to mention the sound designers making more realistic sounds to match the more realistic visuals. The cost to produce games like Red Dead Redemption II and The Last of Us II? In extreme cases, upwards of a billion dollars.

That’s right, a billion. Advanced computing tech is expensive. Hiring hundreds of artists and animators is expensive. It’s all so very expensive that only massive companies can finance the kind of realism on display in CGI-based films and games.

What does the future of the CGI market look like?

While CGI is definitely disrupting the market for photography, it’s not the death sentence for photographers many would assume it to be.

With computer-generated imagery, somebody still has to produce the images. AI-created photos are possible but A) remain formulaic while producing unpredictable results, and B) require massive amounts of photo input to prevent some disturbingly bad results.

In fact, live photographers are being inspired by CGI to create new types of images. As we’ve found, CGI can produce impossible images – but what if they’re not impossible?

Photographers like Andrew Hall are responding to CGI by pushing the boundaries of live photography.

It’s true that CGI is making a splash in the photography world. However, at the end of the day, it’s just a new medium. It could continue to expand the possibilities for art, rather than taking opportunities away from artists.

Ekwe Msangi December 28, 2020
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‘Farewell Amor’ is a stunning portrait of family and love

Farewell Amor explores a topic all too familiar to most of us: family connection. Being that this film navigates the inner and arbitrary webs of immigration, and how it can affect a family, there is even more to unravel. Our interview with Director Ekwa Msangi sheds light on her specific directing techniques that brought this film to life.

Our review for Farewell Amor and interview with Ekwa Msangi focused principally on these themes of family and love, both lost and found.

ekwa msangi interview
Ekwa Msangi (Cred: IFC Films)

Ekwa Msangi’s feature film Farewell Amor, which premiered on December 11, 2020, is an exploration of family dynamics. Years create an emotional distance between the characters, yet over the course of the film, they learn to know each other again and become closer as a family.

Farewell Amor is brutally honest in its approach to the intricacies of family ties. The story begins with a family fraught with unease. In our interview with Ekwa Msangi, we learned that this narrative was not foreign to her, and also, there is always more to any relationship than meets the eye.

Farewell Amor follows a harrowingly-realistic story

The film follows a family of three. Walter, the father, has lived in New York City for 17 years while his wife and daughter remained in Angola. Esther, his wife, has just been granted a visa to join her husband in New York, along with their daughter Sylvia.

ekwa msangi interview
A shot from Farewell Amor (Cred: IFC Films)

Farewell Amor, in review, began as a “what-if” story. A real-life story inspired Ekwa Msangi, as she told me in our interview, to make the film.

In the mid-90s, a relative of hers got married in Tanzania. The uncle received a visa to come to the US, and intended to bring his wife and child with him. But ever since then, the family has been caught in immigration limbo – a cycle of visa applications and rejections.

In making Farewell Amor, Msangi asked herself what would happen if the visa was finally granted. Where would the family begin to reconnect and how would they come to know each other again after so much time?

“What kinds of things would need to be swept away in order to make space for this new family?”

Ekwa Msangi

Film is a community – especially with independent films

Like all good independent films in review, Farewell Amor was a labor of love for Msangi as well as the crew and NYC film community she worked with.

What began as a simple idea – an image, even, of her uncle going to the airport to welcome his family – did not simply materialize into a movie. The contributions of the crew and the collaborative, independent NYC film community made it all possible.

To Msangi, in review, that’s the power of independent film. “I have people that I’ve developed several projects with over the years… I’ve had people making food for me so I wouldn’t starve during pre-production and production. It’s a real family,” Msangi shared during our interview about the NYC film community.

Independent film reviews often laud the work of the entire cast and crew and community in crafting such a beautiful work of art.

“It’s a real family and I so appreciate that. [I] really think that’s important, for any filmmaker, any artist really, to have a community to support you.”

Ekwa Msangi

The precursor to Farewell Amor reviewed

Farewell Amor is not the first project involving Walter, Esther, and Sylvia. The project before was a prequel, a short film focusing on Walter’s experience before heading to the airport. That scene at the airport starts off the feature film, picking up right where the previous story left off.

independent films review
A shot from Farewell Amor (Cred: IFC Films)

Working with experienced actors on that shorter film helped Msangi develop as a director, making the feature film greater in turn. As she puts it, “It elevates the project, it elevates the experience, to work with people who know what they’re doing but who are also interested and able to spend their time to teach you and help you learn.”

While the two films are about the same characters, the short focused mainly on Walter and his own moment before greeting his family at the airport.

In the feature, Msangi didn’t want to focus only on Walter’s story, “but integrate the story of his wife and his daughter.”

Each character, while bound by family, has their own priorities and wishes. The thing that helps bring them together despite the tension between them? Dance.

Dance as connection

Msangi, a dance (and Angolan dance) enthusiast, decided to make dance a “third language” for the characters. This would then allow us, the audience, to see more beneath the surface of what they’re experiencing emotionally.

Each dance in the film tells us something about the characters, while staying true to the Angolan dance styles that inspired the characters’ moves.

angolan dance
A shot from Farewell Amor (Cred: IFC Films)

Walter and Esther dance a couple’s Angolan dance requiring a high level of connection. The two of them have difficulty connecting throughout the film, with almost two decades’ distance between them. That Angolan dance, therefore, stands in as a means for the couple to communicate.

“There is no regular dance pattern you can lean on, and I thought it was a really interesting metaphor for a relationship. These characters don’t have history together to lean on. They have to actually be connected to know which way they’re going.”

Ekwa Msangi

Traditional Angolan dance, with traditional Kuduro music

Sylvia, the daughter, has a very different dance style that drives her part of the movie’s plot. The Kuduro music and dance style she practices are intertwined, as Msangi explains.

“It’s a style that’s practiced by a lot of young people who don’t otherwise have a platform to speak about the things they’re concerned about.”

Ekwa Msangi

What better metaphor for Sylvia’s personal struggles depicted in the film?

“I thought that would be a great metaphor for a young African girl who doesn’t have the option of having a tantrum with her parents.”

Ekwa Msangi

At the end of Farewell Amor, there’s no great resolution. After all the conflicts between the three characters, there is no simple conclusion tying up all loose ends.

The family simply decides, together, to try and move on together despite the distance between them. That is what makes Farewell Amor feel as authentic as it does. The movie started on a note where the characters thought their problems were over. In the end, “we’re left knowing that this family will try.”

What is next for Ekwa Msangi?

Will there be a sequel to Farewell Amor?

“I never say never,” states Msangi, but a sequel is not in the works for now. People of African heritage “have such a backlog of wonderful stories that need to be told,” and now this one has.

While Msangi can’t reveal much about her next project, it is a new story she’s been hired to direct.

As bad as 2020 has been for so many, this film is a testament to Msangi’s creativity and perseverance. It’s a demonstration, as well, of the NYC film community’s ability to come together and support one another.

Our Farewell Amor independent film review must end the same way it began, with a robust appreciation for Ekwa Msangi and the authentic portraits of family connection and love she paints.

It’s hard to say what the future will bring. But for Msangi, we think she’ll keep telling stories that matter, in a way that only film can tell them.

Check out the trailer for Farewell Amor here:
Andre D. Wagner December 21, 2020
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5 photographers of color who are inspiring a new kind of Christmas card

Photographers of color and their stock photography provide us with some of the greatest and most useful photographs in our creative endeavors.

That fact is also perhaps never as important as it is around Christmas. Namely for the reason that Christmas cards jump off the shelves this time of year. And the honest, insightful, and reflective photographs taken by stock photographers of color lend themselves to people emboldened by the comforting holiday spirit.

From family portraits to city-scapes to the perfect tree, here are some of the photographers we’re keeping on our radar this Christmas.

Prolific Kid is highlighting Black East Coast creatives

Prolific Kid, as he is known on Instagram, captures mainly portraits of creatives of color.

This work has thus inspired him to create an interview docuseries titled From The Eastside With Love. The series aims to highlight Black artists as they dive into their world of creativity and artistry.

As before mentioned, Prolific Kid, or Kevin, captures creatives of color, but he also likes to set his focus on those from the East coast region. This means he is often shooting in New York, with Brooklyn and Syracuse being two examples.

Prolific Kid’s photographs stick with you, as they are honest portrayals of the subject, and how Kevin sees them. He is also switching the narrative, and representing stock photographers of color profoundly.

Jamel Shabazz is a BIPOC photographer using the past to inspire the future

Jamel Shabazz, a street photographer based in NYC, has spent this season looking back in time for his creative inspiration.

Shabazz started as a photographer in the 1980s intending to document life in NYC, particularly the culture of Black youth in the city.

He is an author of several books and currently very active on Instagram. Shabazz posts colorful, inspiring, and throwback photos for his over 125K followers to see.

He will also continue to create photographs that inspire a new kind of Christmas card. One that is more representative of the real feelings communities of color feel during the holidays.

J-F Savaria’s shots of Montreal are perfect for the new age of Christmas cards

There’s another photographer active on Instagram making a mark this December: J-F Savaria. While Savaria doesn’t appear to have a dedicated website as a professional photographer, he is a skilled and frequent poster on his Instagram page.

Based in Montreal, Savaria’s photos show unique views of the city, night and day. And during the Christmas season, that has meant pictures of displays of light, public parades, and street decorations.

Savaria’s pictures have also appeared in other publications, so clearly his skill as one of many stock photographers of color is getting some recognition.

Andre D. Wagner is one of many stock photographers of color inspiring change

Andre D. Wagner is a photographer living and working in Brooklyn. His photographs have been commissioned by The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Cut, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, WSJ, Time Magazine, and Vogue, among other publications.

Wagner even photographed iconic key images in the film Queen & Slim.

The point is that Wagner is a highly respected and accomplished photographer, and the portraits he captures of cityfolk teem with an honest fruitfulness. It’s as if he is behind the lens crafting, and the photo materializes before him. A talent that could be said for many stock photographers of color.

Yoselin Moreno is a student stock photographer capturing beauty in Memphis

Student photographer Yoselin Moreno looks to be gearing up for a winter of portrait photography in the Memphis, Tennessee area.

The photographer’s Instagram page is currently full of Fall- and Thanksgiving-themed pictures, mainly portraits but, also some creative assortments of seasonal-appropriate flora. We expect to see this budding photographer find some great shots this winter.

Stock photographers of color inspire us differently

All five of these stock photographers of color attack their work differently. But, in the same vein, their work all has something different to it. There is an authenticity, a visceral realness that you can feel in your stomach when you gaze into the light of their art.

Stock photography, or photography of any kind, is no easy profession. But photographers of color find a way to distinguish themselves with their honest and reflective work. And because of that, new Christmas cards and inspiration will be born.

Barry Butler December 14, 2020
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5 Chicago photographers going for the best winter photos

When it comes to winter photos, Chicago photographers are exceptional at capturing the beauty of snowy and caked-in-white winters.

The Windy City can be a snowscape like none else in the country, and thus, Chicago photographers have the unique task of capturing the beautiful landscapes present.

Chicago’s famously-cold winters might keep most people locked inside, but winter is a very special time for photography. Ever-present are snowy landscapes, covered-up architecture, portraits in the silence, and the snow.

Here are five Chicago photographers whose winter work we are looking forward to seeing this season:

Deirdre Hayes

Deirdre Hayes is a cityscape and travel photographer based in the Windy City.

She maintains a website and blog for her artwork, where in addition to photo portraits, there are plenty of exciting cityscapes, including high-quality action shots of snow where the frame is obscured by snowflakes and streaks.

Hayes is therefore a Chicago photographer perfectly adept at managing the cold winters and capturing the intense and exceptional beauty of the city.

It’s not the clean shots of snow on the streets you’ll often see with winter photography; these pictures capture the feeling of walking through the snow as it’s falling down thick.

It’s thus a truly unique approach to photos within the winter cityscape of Chicago. One that earns its spot here at the top of our list.

Barry Butler

Continuing the theme of photographers with a connection to both Chicago and Ireland, Barry Butler is a veteran photographer with over 20 years of experience whose work is all over the media.

Not only is he a renowned and experienced photographer in traditional media, with many published books, but he’s also quite active on his Instagram page and personal website, where you’ll find information about his work.

Daniel Moreno

Another photographer active on social media, up-and-comer Daniel Moreno captures a lot of long-exposure nighttime scenes.

In addition to his static daytime shots, the scale of his work runs the gamut from a pigeon on the street, to massive wide shots of the city streets and the night-time skyline.

Once the snow starts falling in Chicago, those night-time photos will bring the winter a new life.

Jacob Yeung

A photographer with an interesting mix of styles, Jacob Yeung‘s artwork runs the gamut from landscape photography to portraits. The long-exposure images of the city on his Instagram truly convey the energy of the city even with their subjects at rest.

Walter D Street

We’ve been talking about photography in terms of landscapes and portraits, but there’s no reason you can’t do both in the same shot. Just check out this snowscape portrait below:

Walter D Street’s photos on his Instagram have undergone a stylistic shift in recent years – from portraits and street vignettes to grayscale cityscape scenes, often empty of human activity.

It’s been some time since this account saw activity, but we like his style. And once winter really sets in Chicago: gray-scale snowscapes. Now that’s a photographic style we need more of.

Chicago photographers setting the tone for capturing beautiful winter photography

These five Chicago photographers truly create the mold for what it takes to capture exquisite winter photos.

There is something especially beautiful about the snowy Chicago streets, the snowflakes briskly fluttering past, and the buildings caked in white.

Whether specializing in portraits, landscapes, architecture, or anything in between, these artists are savants at what they do. And thus, are Chicago photographers whose work we will view forever.

Bruh December 10, 2020
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5 photographer horror stories that will make your skin crawl

Photographer horror stories can be some of the most chilling and eerie stories out there.

Any artist can tell you that the journey from great idea to great artwork is a long and difficult one. The road is full of difficulties and disappointments. Some mundane, some bizarre, and some just downright horrific.

It’s no different for photographers – there are some real horror stories out there. Over the years some photographers have shared their worst experiences in making art. Below are five of the worst stories we found.

And we don’t mean funny photographer horror stories. Being a photographer is about capturing visions of the real world.

Sometimes you run into, and then capture, stuff you just didn’t want to see.

Wedding photos for an abusive relationship

Comment from discussion [account deleted]’s comment from discussion "Photography horror stories mid shoot".

Sometimes you can have an experience so bad it puts you off wanting to pursue your craft. Maybe you even end up changing paths in life.

For one former photographer, now current driver (as of three years ago), there was one nasty gig as a wedding photographer that made him set the entire camera down. A pure and unbridled photographer horror story.

Professional photographers, especially portrait photographers, often end up dealing with unpleasant people. But encountering an abusive husband during the wedding? That’s a wedding horror story.

It’s unfortunate that seeing this would cause someone to put down their camera, but it is understandable. And it’s easy to see why someone like the former photographer in this story would lose his cool in that moment. It’s one hell of a photography horror story – and one wedding we can’t give our blessing to.

Losing precious equipment is a different kind of photographer horror story

Comment from discussion ZapGaffigan’s comment from discussion "Photography horror stories mid shoot".

The last story in this comment takes the cake when it comes to accidents costing you data and gear. Photography equipment is expensive and delicate.

Plus, advances in storage capacity mean that photographers will often have thousands of pictures stored on their camera’s SD card at any given time. If you lose that SD card, you’re losing countless hours of work – not to mention the camera as well.

In art, it is easy to grow emotionally connected to your equipment, even when you forget about the loss of work and funds. As far as we’re concerned, that moment of watching a camera fall in the river is a photography horror story all on its own.

Getting tricked into working for free is anyone’s worst nightmare

What are some of your freelancing horror stories? from photography

This story speaks for itself, and it’s a story all too familiar to creative workers. People who don’t understand your craft simply don’t realize how much work goes into it. And for the most part, they don’t care to learn.

This photographer really went through a mess for a truly thankless job. No doubt, it must have put some strain on the friendship, too.

A few quick tips for everyone out there buying art: Art is more work than you think it is. Photography isn’t just about pointing a camera and shooting a picture, and even if it were it’d still be unfair to expect free work. And you definitely don’t manipulate the artist into looking like they’re slacking off so you can guilt them into doing more work for free.

We’re starting to sense a pattern here with wedding stories and photographer horror stories. Get your bread and never let someone other than yourself tell you how much your work is worth.

Getting sabotaged by another photographer is a photography horror story you wouldn’t expect

Comment from discussion [account deleted]’s comment from discussion "What are some of your freelancing horror stories?".

It’s a dog eat dog world, man. A shame, too, since all of us creatives should just be supporting each other. But it turns out that some people are going to be petty no matter where you go.

The photographer in this story thought they were just covering for an unreliable colleague, and never had any intention of stealing any job. But, whether it was his plan from the beginning or he was just an opportunist, a certain Derek decided to take advantage and lose this freelancer a regular gig with a newspaper.

Not. Cool. This is the kind of dishonorable conduct you shouldn’t tolerate from anyone. A deep and sinister photographer horror story, as trust among those in your profession is something you really shouldn’t have to take for granted.

Literally witnessing an attempted murder on the job, just WTF

Comment from discussion kms1989’s comment from discussion "Family photographers of reddit, What are your horror stories?".

What do you even say to this one?

Some photography horror stories transcend the issues of photography itself and are just plain horror stories that happened to a photographer. The first story in this post is one of them.

Luckily, the dad survived, and no one was orphaned that day. But this one really puts things in perspective. Art is difficult, and it can even be dangerous sometimes, because you can’t just keep yourself locked up in a studio all the time.

And on that awful note…

After that horror show, you probably need a bit of cheering up, so here’s a nice photograph of a cat wearing a bow tie.

wedding horror stories
Image provided by Lina Kivaka (Pexels)
brick boys December 3, 2020
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NYC winter photographers who capture the sublime nature of the city

There is little beauty like that of what NYC winter photographers create.

As we enter the final month of 2020, we welcome the cold season, and the joy that is freshly-fallen snow. Winter weather may have to compete with Fall for the title of “most photogenic,” or even possibly Spring, but there’s no discounting the beauty of snow and ice either.

Photographers, naturally, are poised to capture this beauty in the best light and bring that art to the world. So without further ado, here are five NYC winter photographers capturing urban winter scenes that will dazzle you with inspiration.

Ray H. Mercado

A self-taught urban photographer hailing from New York, Ray Mercado’s photographs range in scale from the individual person on the street to massively wide aerial shots of the skyline and the city streets.

He shows the city both empty and bustling, at night and during the day.

Mercado shows an affinity for the personal and the broad in his subjects. With the way he’s captured weather and the seasons in his camera lens in the past, we should expect to see some great winter scenes coming up over the next few months. Ice and snow photography galore.

Especially as he’s stated that winter is his favorite season to shoot in Manhattan.

Idris Solomon

Idri Solomon is based in New York City like the other NYC winter photographers on this list, but he certainly doesn’t confine his work to just there.

His site features projects ranging from Harlem in New York to Accra in Ghana, where he earned a prestigious Fulbright fellowship to study hip-hop culture there.

His photos focus on human subjects, so there aren’t a lot of wide shots showcasing the weather, but of course the winter season means winter fashion.

Elias Williams

Elias Williams works through portraiture to honor underrepresented people in the US. 

Grabbing NYC winters by the helm, Williams is another portrait photographer, whose pictures tend to show people outside against natural backdrops – perfect for capturing the seasons along with the human experience of living with the weather.

Williams’ project Pandemic Class of 2020 is meant to highlight the accomplishments and experiences of Spring 2020 graduates, who have largely been cut off from traditional recognition of their scholarships.

Ashok Sinha

Ashok Sinha, creator of the photo book Gas and Glamor, is a photographer of architecture and design on both US coasts and around the world. His Instagram page spans countries and subjects, but his emphasis on the scenes of the city is perfect for the upcoming winter weather.

When it comes to cities in the winter, wide shots come to mind quickly. But there’s something to be said for the details of a winter landscape, from portraits in the snow to architectural shots showcasing how the city itself lives in the cold.

Vivienne Gucwa

To finish off our list, here’s a photographer who’s published an entire book of snow photography in New York City.

Vivienne Gucwa is a photographer and author with many years of experience and two published books – New York in the Snow (2017), and NY Through the Lens (2014).

Starting off with no formal training and a simple point-and-shoot camera, Gucwa started posting photographs to a Tumblr blog in 2009.

The NYC native quickly amassed an online following and achieved status as a professional photographer for her cityscapes and winter pictures.

Put some respect on NYC winter photographers

These five talented and illustrious NYC winter photographers capture the city in its most delicate state. The freshly-fallen snow photography makes the Big Apple look like a calmly-placed blanket. And for one moment, the city that never sleeps, looks like it’s taken a rest.

These photographers may specialize in different themes (fashion, architecture, landscapes), but when the winter season comes around, they all excel.

And that is no accident. NYC is the place for winter photography. And these dedicated and innovative photographers were built to capture the city in its white and snowy light.

Need to warm up? Check out California photographer Ace of LA, below

extreme photography November 27, 2020
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Chasing lava: The mystifying photography that continues to awe

When it comes to the extreme, lava photography requires an intense level of devotion, courage, and resistance, peering into the heart of a volcano and remaining all at once, at the mercy of something far greater than oneself.

“Liquid Light.” That’s how photographer G Brad Lewis describes lava on his website. There, he showcases dangerously close and incredibly beautiful pictures of molten rock. The stuff spurts up from inside mountains. It flows across the land in a half-cooled state, casting its glow into the very stars.

If lava is liquid light, it’s earned that name. Lava photography, as intense and mystifying as it is, is in large part that way because of how lava creates and interacts with light.

Lava photography: What does it entail?

The glow of lava is intense and it is mesmerizing. There’s no question that volcano photography has a secure niche in the world of extreme photography.

But how exactly does one get those shots of liquid light without getting melted?

Lewis’s own site notes that he wears a respirator to keep the fumes out of his lungs. Lava is so incredibly hot that even standing near it is extremely dangerous.

The cameras Lewis uses certainly aren’t resistant to the resulting damage, either. Taking pictures of volcanoes takes a toll on your equipment, and cameras are forced to be swapped in and out frequently.

Volcanic eruptions can be explosive events, coming with little warning, but they can also be slow and drawn-out. For example, Mount Kilauea in Hawaii, where a lot of volcano photography takes place.

Tap in: What is lava safety?

As long as you keep your distance from the lava, you’re relatively safe, but when you go up for a close shot you’ll need protective gear. In the video above, Shawn Talbot, another volcano photographer, reports that he feels the heat when standing on a boat twenty feet from the lava flow.

Once he decides to get closer, though, he has to cover his exposed skin for protection. Protective gloves and a gas mask help to prevent injury, but even then there’s a limit to how close you can get to lava.

In fact, what you see above is a fairly relaxed case – the lava is half-cooled, as you see in Talbot’s photographs, and is far from the source, which is why he’s able to survive standing so close to the molten rock.

A full-on volcanic eruption is many times more unstable. There is a good reason that only an expert extreme photographer should be capturing something so dangerous.

Be aware of side effects of a proximity to lava

End Of Days
End Of Days by tarotastic

It isn’t just lava that poses a danger to would-be photographers. Huge plumes of ash and steam burst up from the site of a volcanic eruption. The range for photographers is far greater than lava’s bubbling, and these phenomena are extremely and dangerous. Pyroclasts – airborne fragments of volcanic material – can pose a great danger to you as well.

Plus, there’s no avoiding the damage to delicate, heat-sensitive equipment that you’ll deal with. That includes not just the cameras and peripherals, but the clothes you wear. High-quality, insulated boots are a necessity for volcano photographers – plus the ubiquitous gas masks and thick, protective gloves.

Another quick safety tip: in Steve Talbot’s video, he stuck his hand into the water to test it while near a lava flow. Now, no doubt, Talbot (being an expert in lava photography) knew about how hot it was and was simply demonstrating for the cameras.

But if that lava had been closer, or there had been more of it, the water could have gotten hot enough to cause burns.

Modern technology aiding the pursuit of lava photography

Some videographers and photographers have been able to get close to lava even mid-eruption, though, with the aid of modern technology.

Camera drones are a gift to photography for many reasons – and perhaps most exciting is their ability to get extreme shots in dangerous places. No human is going to crawl down the bowl of a volcano’s crater to film the lava. But a drone? It doesn’t need to come back.

Lava photography requires an intense combination of safety, diligence, patience, and yes, even advanced technology. But more than anything, it requires a courage and perseverance nearly unrivaled in other professions.

Lava photographers, as in most daring pursuits, is only for the bold and creative. Risking everything — all for that perfect shot.

ACT November 24, 2020
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The standardized testing debate explored in Michael Arlen Davis’ new doc

The standardized testing debate has been argued for decades. Now, finally, with The Test and the Art of Thinking, we have a deep and honest exploration into whether standardized test are fair, accurate, and really, whether they even work.

Michael Arlen Davis has a message for high school students dreading the SAT, and other standardized tests used for college entrance in the U.S.

“You are not alone,” he says.

“If you think this test is strange, you are not alone. You are more right, maybe, than you know. And this test represents a very narrow set of skills, and they’re not life skills. It’s not determinative of what your life is going to be. I can almost guarantee you that you can’t imagine what your life is going to be right now. And it’s not determined by your skill set in taking this test.”

The SAT, the ACT, and standardized exams like these two, have been a part of the high school education system for over half a century. Yet these tests have come under scrutiny for their disconnect from the knowledge learned in class and the skills required in college.

The Test and the Art of Thinking

As Davis’s film, The Test and the Art of Thinking, explores, there are aspects of the tests which emphasize specific patterns of thought and approaches to questions. Priority is placed on these patterns, rather than general reasoning.

Tests like the SAT attempt to measure intelligence and predict a student’s future success in college, but the fact is that we cannot reliably predict future success with a simple test, nor evaluate something as complex as human intelligence.

Inevitably, the tests must measure something else – and that something else becomes worth measuring for its own sake.

What does the test, test?

What does the test really measure? Well, it measures test-taking.

Michael Arlen Davis did not set out to make an argument against the SAT and ACT tests with this film, but rather to shine a light on what goes on. He wanted to reveal aspects of the test that many people don’t know about or pay little attention to. He wanted to explore the standardized testing debate from every angle.

As Davis told Kulture Hub, “I don’t believe that the film in and of itself has an angle… I think that the point of the film is to reveal.”

And reveal it does. From the insight tutors give into how test prep works, to comments from those involved in creating the tests, the film shows that things aren’t as simple as they seem when it comes to entrance exams. Whether the documentary’s revelations will lead to a particular outlook on the tests is for the viewer to decide.

Michael Arlen Davis

Michael Arlen Davis became curious about the nature of the SAT/ACT tests when his children were going through high school. After his older daughter took the ACT, Davis started to wonder what it was that seemed off about the exams.

In trying to prepare his other children for the test himself (instead of looking for tutors or classes), Davis started taking practice ACTS himself. What he found was that the test did not connect to a process of learning. He found himself coming away from these practice tests thinking, “this is not education.”

As the film explores, this is a common feeling for high school students – the feeling that what it takes to succeed on standardized tests is disconnected from what it takes to really learn, or to succeed in class.

The testing-industrial complex

Despite this, when Davis started doing his research for the film, there was a surprising lack of independent research on testing. Most studies on the standardized tests came from either the College Board or the ACT, indicating a conflict of interest.

The problem, Davis suggests, is that “commercial interests have, in effect, taken over the tests.”

Kory McBride helps students with the college admissions process (Courtesy of Canobie Films Abramorama)

What the film shows about test tutoring backs this up. Tutors tell their students to always speed up, because the test requires speed. Of course, that works for some students, but many students will struggle under time pressure even if they do well in other situations.

From David’s observations, a large percentage, over half of students, come out of the test disappointed. That this appears true on such a large scale suggests some design flaw in a test that’s supposed to indicate someone’s “quality” as a student.

The art of thinking vs. the art of knowing

As the film explores, standardized testing in the U.S. is under a great deal of scrutiny right now. The standardized testing debate is robust, and not coming to an end soon. And when thinking about the future of testing, Davis is not optimistic.

“What I’m guessing is bubbling up? It’s not attractive to me.” While there is a growing test-optional movement, and schools including the most elite colleges in the country are joining in on test-optional admissions, there are concerns that this may not address the problems of standardized testing at all. Plus, what replaces the current tests may be even more concerning.

Michael Arlen Davis told Kulture Hub: “We follow the literature… and we’re seeing some assessment tools that are even less attractive. They appear to be on the surface benign, but they’re talking about doing assessments in 10 minutes of people’s ability.”

How do we fix the test?

There’s still the linking of intelligence to a sort of quick cleverness, mapping strategy, and seeing patterns – skills which are certainly part of human intelligence, but don’t represent “the art of thinking” as a whole.

So, then, what is the solution? As a film intended to reveal, The Test and the Art of Thinking has more to say about the nature of the problems than how to solve them. But, the way Davis has framed it, that’s the point – to spark a conversation that can eventually lead to solutions.

It’s clear – to the testing agencies as much as to high school students – that standardized tests don’t do what they claim to do, which is test a student’s intelligence and potential to succeed.

But with the scale of testing that happens in the U.S., it may seem tempting for boards of education to turn to other companies which will promise to test faster and better – maybe even with A.I. predictions to boot.

That’s the importance of this conversation – it will impact the lives of 80% of high school students.

The Test and the Art of Thinking is available on several major streaming platforms.

Bruh November 19, 2020
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Why storm chasing photography could be the deadliest profession on Earth

Storm chasing and photography.

The combination of words alone is enough to conjure images of thrill-seekers rushing into the heart of a deadly tornado for the sake of exciting photographs and video footage.

Shows about storm chasing tend toward the sensational, almost fantastical depictions of the storm-chasing profession. Storm chasing photography is in and of itself one of the deadliest professions possible, as photographers potentially risk everything, for that one perfect shot.

It truly is a dangerous job, in that you definitely should not try it without the proper training, equipment, preparation, or guidance.

But the entire job also requires much more than just preparation for constant danger.

Storm chasing photographers take the trophy for having the deadliest profession on earth

Storm chasing is a waiting game

Most of storm chasing, really, is about patience, perseverance, and caution.

Why do people chase tornados to begin with? The powerful wind storms – common in a region of the central United States known as Tornado Alley – are fearsome.

There is a season, typically from April through July, during which severe thunderstorms that can spawn tornados are extremely common. Staying out of the way and keeping watch is the safe thing to do. So why go out of your way to get closer to a tornado?

There is certainly some thrill to it. When a tornado is close, the sky darkens and you can feel the air shift. When there’s a potential storm coming on, you can just feel it. For storm chasing photographers, this exhilaration feeds them, but it is not a reckless hunger. Because without the proper patience and respect for Mother Earth, they would not survive to see another day (and storm).

And it isn’t just about the thrill of the chase itself. Nor is the excitement of being in sight of a deadly storm, but out of its reach, the only thing that’s important here.

Storm chasing photography

Tornados make for great photography. There’s simply nothing like them. That’s a big part of why tornado chasing photography is a real thing, and it’s also why people are so eager to see the work of storm photographers like Brian Barnes, the chaser behind Storm Chasers USA.

What does it take to be a storm chasing professional and stay safe?

Chasers will listen to the weather radio to help them identify storms that are likely to develop tornados. Why try to predict the weather unaided when there are professionals doing it for you? They’ll follow the clouds, watch for movement and wait for something to form.

It’s important to emphasize that this isn’t all about the excitement you’ll see in finished videos like on popular storm-chasing TV shows. That material is edited down for maximum excitement, and you’re only seeing the best videography moments.

Most of it is waiting, and you’re certainly not going to find a storm every day even when you drive all the way up and down tornado alley looking for them.

“It’s a lot of driving around and a lot of second-guessing yourself, second-guessing the weather.”

Brian Barnes

Tornadoes form quickly and are gone quickly, giving tornado chasers a particularly difficult task. Catching up to their targets is always a challenge.

Thankfully, you don’t need a tornado to get some great pictures and videos. Even thunderstorms that will never spawn a tornado, but which are severe enough to warrant a storm-chaser’s attention, can be the subjects of some truly stunning photography if you know what you’re doing. Lightning shots in particular stand out.

Into the eye of the storm, tho?

Most of the SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras that storm chasers use have a “bulb setting.” Use a wide-angle lens with the focus set to bring everything in sharp, and a timer-release.

Hold the button down for as long as you want, then release it. However, many lightning strikes occur when you have the shutter open, and that’s what will record into a single image. You can use that technique at night and expect some great shots.

The method is a bit reminiscent of light-painting with a camera in the dark. You can set up a long exposure in a dark room, turn on a flashlight or a glowstick and wave it around, and get some previously-thought-to-be impossible photographs.

Don’t be stupid

But make no mistake – storm chasing isn’t as safe as you might want it to be, it is possibly the deadliest profession. While you can predict the movement of a storm, and stay out of its way, the storm itself isn’t the greatest danger when you’re on the road with your video equipment. The greatest danger is other people.

“Traffic can become very dangerous when you have people trying to get away from the storm as well as those chasing after it.”

Sheena Koontz

For any major storm, you’ll have experts trying to predict the storm system’s movement in real time. The same care and attention is rarely paid to the traffic.

Other threats to the storm chaser’s safety include downed power lines, hydroplaning, and large hail.

Make no mistake: tornadoes are dangerous storms, for as brief as they are. The people who produce this marvelous art are not just great photographers, but experts in dealing with the storms themselves.

Listed as one of the deadliest professions on Earth it’s wise to not try this yourself unless you’re very sure of what you’re doing. And if ever in doubt, and facing a storm: put the camera away, and follow these guidelines from the Red Cross.