7 Tips for Photographing Senior Citizens

Tags: Photography for Beginners, Elderly, Photography

 

by David Peterson

You've probably seen all the articles on tips for photographing kids and teens. They're popular lens candy due to their smooth skin and expressive faces. But, senior citizens bring a totally different character to the lens that shouldn't be dismissed.

Kids tend to live in a state of wonder where seniors live in a state of wisdom. Life experience has given them that right. As a photographer, it's an ideal opportunity to capture that wisdom in their expressions, their wrinkles, and in their energy. Whether posed or candid, pulling those decades of experiences to the surface and through the lens is an art in and of itself.

In honor of the elderly generation, I'm providing 7 tips for photographing them.

In most cases, those who are elderly now have images of themselves as children that are black and white or sepia tone. They've either chosen to adapt to technology or they haven't. But, since you're the photographer, it's up to you to break down that barrier of potential fear of technology and make them forget there's even a lens.

Posed vs Casual Shots

Part of capturing seniors is tapping into their character. The best way to do this is through candid shots. Candid photos are always more natural and often more expressive. However, as seniors, they've probably had their photo taken hundreds or more times over the years, so it may feel quite natural to them to pose and still give you a great facial expression or gesture. Usually when someone sees a lens, they become camera shy or self-conscious. But with the wisdom of seniors comes an air of confidence.

If you do have a somewhat shy subject, and even if they're not, engage them in a conversation about their childhood. There's often no better way to brighten the face and eyes of an elderly person than to ask them about their childhood. While they're talking, you will be guaranteed the chance the capture some great expressions.

Bring in the Family

The blend of old and young is intriguing. If the people you're photographing have grandchildren, see if you can involve them in an activity together. This should open up the lens of opportunity to some great candid shots. You can certainly have them pose for more formal portraits as well. If you can get a multi-generational shot, that will be one for their records and photo albums.

Photograph Them In Action

The elderly these days are still extremely active and youthful. Go to a park or a coffee shop or an outside mall and observe them in action. You may be surprised by what you see, and could end up with some good street photography that involves seniors. There are senior leagues for different sports that would be worth stopping by. Or even better, many of the umpires for little leagues are retirees who do it because they love the sport and being around kids. The photo below is a great example.

 

Use Natural Light

No matter what portraits you shoot, it's always a good idea to avoid using a flash. For one thing, a flash is a big distraction to the subject. It can jar them and almost always ends up ruining the moment.

Studio lights are a good second option to natural light, since they are a constant light source. And soft, diffused lighting is a nice touch for the glowing skin of old people. Occasionally, a strong side light (natural or studio) and high contrast is effective for bringing out the details in their faces. Take your time to experiment with side-lighting, especially that of a window, and edge lighting to add drama to your images and details, even in the wrinkles!

Fill The Frame

Filling the frame is also an effective way to shoot portraits. By being up close and personal, you can capture the fine details like facial expressions, wrinkles, the ruggedness of hands, the sparkle in their eyes, and the depth and wisdom conveyed.

Note that just because wrinkles and age marks can add character, play around and try using a soft focus filter to help you smooth out the harsh details. The women will especially appreciate this.

Shoot In Color and Black and White

Mix and match your images in both color and black and white (which you can do in post processing). Even though shooting in color is known to be effective for creating mood and communicating the emotions, black and white can add a timeless and simpler impression. Some color images can be too busy, so black and white works well at toning that down and allowing the subject to stand out more. You can play with contrast and even color adjustments in black and white mode to enhance certain aspects till you achieve your ideal image.

Add Image Effects

While you're in Photoshop Elements or Adobe Lightroom (or whichever program you use), try some of the built in features such as sepia tone, nostalgic retro or an old classic vintage look to add dimension. The purpose of these effects is to revive a sense of history that your subject comes from in the first place. Play around with the filters and adjustments until you get the look and feel that best compliments your subject’s expression and the mood of the image.

If you need seniors to photograph, go where they are... parks, senior centers, and even places like aquatic classes! Think outside the box and you'll be sure to have a nice collection of senior portraits.

 

 

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PHOTOGRAPHY FREEBIE:

How to make money with your Photography even if you're not a Pro.

Copy & paste this link into your browser, click ENTER, and enjoy: 

https://mrdarrylt.blogspot.com/2020/01/how-to-make-500-month-from-your.html

                                                         or

https://www.photography-jobs.net/?hop=darryl54

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Visit me on Facebook and post your pictures.

https://www.facebook.com/Darryl-T-363867387724297/ 

 

Photos of Old People

 

 by Ben The Man

 

Taking the time to talk with them and building a relationship will help your subject relax. You will get more natural expressions with photos of old people and young people for that matter when they know you have an interest in them as a person and not just an old picture.

Pictures of the elderly often have more of an historical feel when they are shown as black and white.

In this black and white photo taken by Vit Hassan, this old woman's expression reveals a part of her character. The strong overhead lighting creates some shadow in her eyes, adding a bit of mystery to the photo. Studying pictures of the elderly makes me appreciate the amazing diversity of human beings on our planet. Often, our senior citizens provoke us to take a long term perspective that we would not normally consider in our day to day hustle and bustle.

Use good photo lighting to bring out the characteristics rather than to hide them. These first two photos are close up head shots. Including the environment where the portrait was taken can change the emotional impact of your photograph. 

Another is the thought that we have worked together to create an artistic rendering that will be cherished for years to come.

Make good use of the tips on taking digital photography in the articles elsewhere on this web site, such as photo composition, photo lighting, and avoiding photo mistakes.

Apply them to taking great photos of old people and make sure you have fun doing it. Life is too short not to enjoy whatever activity you are doing.  Share this article.

 

 

Seniors and cameras: Time for New Learning

   By Steven Hoffman

For seniors like me, the photography we grew up with changed dramatically about 20 years ago with the arrival of digital cameras.

Looking back to earlier times, it was like this: we bought a roll of film, placed it in our camera, hooked the tag to the advancer, closed the case and shot 12, maybe 24 or more, scenes. 

We took the spent film roll to the drug store, and in a few days returned to pay for the prints we had taken and a handful of dark negatives.

We hoped at the time they would be good, because when we shot scenes, we had no way to check. If they were bad, it was money lost.

Fast forward to the 21st century: We can see immediately what we shot, the images are free, and we can even take pictures with the new toys—our phones.

Still, for folks in their sixties and seventies, most of us still have remnants of those old habits hanging around and weighing heavily on our minds: Film, disposable flash bulbs and picking up prints at the drugstore.

Perhaps that is why, about 15 years ago, Andrea Durynski, who was then the Kennett Area Senior Center program coordinator, asked me to establish a photo club to help the members to adopt new skills. She tapped me not only because I had aged with the rest of her flock, but because, in my capacity as a newspaper editor, I had been forced to keep up with the changes in photography. 

My attitude helped as well. From my standpoint, I see most humans – no matter what their tools, age, or learning -- as natural photojournalists whether they are professional or not. The only qualification for the class I established was that they have a camera (or phone with camera capabilities), however humble. There was no need for a big SLR camera that cost thousands of dollars. 

With that invitation at the center, about seven or eight people joined, and thus began this more-than-decade-long adventure with cameras, pictures and shows.

Initially, I thought my task was to teach the members – pedantically – how to frame a shot, upload it to the computer and then adjust it with Photoshop.

I was wrong, because initially I failed to listen to their wants and needs: to capture a lovely sunset; to record a family gathering; and to memorialize the great features of last summer’s vacation. These seniors were happy that their cell phones could take pictures, and they had little interest in the fine points of elite photo correction programs, settings and expensive accoutrements. 

I came to realize that my task for them essentially involved three things: 

~ They needed to get the feel of the new cameras and know how to use them as their personal tools;

~ They had to open their minds to the vast array of subjects that would be fun to photograph;

~ They needed to expand their self-confidence and realize that photography is not an elite, expensive, or exclusive dalliance. The fact is, the minute they click on a scene, they are real photographers.

First of all, the tool: The cameras of today are not the cameras of yesteryear. There are buttons and accessories that bear little, if any, resemblance to the old days, and most of the point-and-shoot cameras are not much bigger than a can of sardines. Some are so amazing, however, that you can send an image to another person’s phone as soon as you shoot the picture.

We had to sit around and play with their cameras and the buttons. Everyone needed to see what happens, for instance, when they tap a button once, then again a couple times. They needed to see where you grip that little slider helps you zoom in or out. 

Unlike the cameras of the old days, the new cameras give no tactile feedback to the shooter about what is going on, so it must be learned.

“How do I turn the flash off and on? Which button activates the video? Can I keep it in a hot car over vacation?”

For example, one member, Carmela Contro, had a camera that apparently had a mind of its own and continued to switch from single photo to video without being prompted. She kept bringing in what she hoped were pictures, but they turned out to be movies. We called it “The Devil Camera” and finally told her to get rid of it.

Another issue was batteries. All of us at one time or another failed to keep the batteries charged and we show up missing shots the next day. The new habit they needed was setting those batteries in a charging block each night so they were ready for what would come tomorrow.

There was also the issue of all those little pieces of hardware. With the purchase of a new camera came little accessories (or needs for them), like flash drives, memory cards, tiny batteries and card readers. It was a daunting challenge to remember all those things, so we sat around, talked about them, had them in our hands and played with them over and over again until they were our friends.

My second challenge was opening our photographers to the multitude of subjects they could shoot and the angles they could shoot from – expanding their minds. 

Everyone likes to shoot a beautiful sunset and a rainbow, but in reality, just about everything is fair game.

Arlene Kolowski was intent on shooting an artsy picture of a covered bridge from a hundred feet away. Growing weary of that, she returned to her car and, as they drove through, took one more shot from the inside with her phone camera.

It was exquisite.

Contro, a passionate cook, happened to take a shot of her Thanksgiving turkey and warming Italian bread loaf in the oven. The picture was so compelling you could almost smell the dinner.

Bob Cossaboon happened to have his camera with him as he was walking up the steps at home. His dog was reclined at the top of the stairway. He took a shot when he was about four steps down from the dog. In effect he created a shot that captured the dog’s stare head-on because the camera and the dog’s eyes were on the same level.

Mary Webb had just taken her Thanksgiving turkey out of the oven and was letting it rest on the counter. There on the floor, looking up and salivating was her dog, Bobby. Quickly she grabbed her camera and caught the scene. It turned out to be a compelling shot of canine appetite.

You never know what’s going to turn out to be fantastic.

In that regard, we had to keep pursuing activities that offered more possibilities for fun shooting: 

Among other things:

We went to Longwood Gardens for flowers in the spring. We went to the park for autumn leaves in the fall. We photographed portraits of all the members of the senior center at Christmastime. We took Christmassy pictures and turned them into cards and ornaments, among other things.

My third task was to convince members of the class what I believe about anyone taking pictures: They are, indeed, photojournalists, from the ancient record-keeping petroglyphs of to the hot shot media shooters of the networks. The mere fact that they hold up their tool to a scene, push a button and want to share the image with others qualifies them for the title.

I was not surprised that when they came to the club with inexpensive point-and-shoots, they were in awe of professionals who had thousands of dollars in heavy camera gear. I told them they could aspire to that and the investments if they really wanted to, but it was not necessary. 

Even as the ancients carved their historical impressions on rocks for future generations to partake, my class members were similarly using their tools to record events for those who come after, or even to remind themselves of the beauty and excitement they were experiencing now.

For six years now, we have displayed the best of what we have on the wall at The Market at Liberty Place in Kennett Square, courtesy of owners Larry and Geoff Bosley. Each year, even in this horrific year of 2020, as we behold our work, we exhale a breath of satisfaction.  

Share this article.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PHOTOGRAPHY FREEBIE:

How to make money with your Photography even if you're not a Pro.

Copy & paste this link into your browser, click ENTER, and enjoy: 

https://mrdarrylt.blogspot.com/2020/01/how-to-make-500-month-from-your.html

                                                         or

https://www.photography-jobs.net/?hop=darryl54

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Visit me on Facebook and post your pictures.

https://www.facebook.com/Darryl-T-363867387724297/ 

“I Hunt for Photos Where the Photographer Captured Their Own World” – Interview with Fortepan Founder Miklós Tamási

Tags: Photography for Beginners, Photo Collection, Photo Archive

by: Péter Cseresnyés

Since its 2010 launch, Fortepan has slowly become Hungary’s most popular photo archive. 

The creator of the project, Miklós Tamási, launched the photo collection to document 

what everyday life was like in Hungary from the end of the 19th century until the 

democratic political transition in 1990. Today, there are not many people in Hungary 

who have never stumbled upon content from the online archive as dozens of articles 

and photo galleries are illustrated with pictures from here each and every day.

– Today Fortepan is the most widely-known and used photo archive in Hungary. 

There is almost no newspaper reader or internet user who has not come across 

photos from here. What is the key to its success, and how is this archive different from any other?

-For Fortepan to become such a popular and frequently used website, it needed pretty much two things. First, it is a free photo collection, so the images found here are free to download and publish. This is a huge contrast compared to any other photo archive. The other is that it is an assorted collection. Considering the usual practice of museums and archives, it is quite exceptional for someone – in the case of Fortepan, me – to point to a picture and say this photo is important and the other is not. But I do think this is unavoidable in today’s world due to the flood of pictures on the internet. You have to somehow draw people’s attention to the photos that are worth it. Sometimes, of course, you stumble upon pictures that are not particularly exciting, but culturally and historically still important.

Photo: Attila Lambert/Hungary Today

-Is there a period of the 20th century that you always found particularly interesting?

The history of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 has fascinated me since I was a student. It was a completely unspoken story in the mid-80s, while the revolution affected most of Hungarian society at the time in some way. I deliberately went to people who were part of the revolution to collect photos from them. From the time period of the revolution – today we already know – that thousands of photos have survived. Strangely, we know the least about October 23rd, the day the uprising started, as I guess on that Tuesday, people didn’t go to work with a camera in their hands. But there are darker days of Hungary’s 20th century history, where unfortunately there is no chance that we could come across any pictures.

–For example?

There are many among the horrors of communism. For example, we don’t know of any pictures about the most significant Hungarian labor camp, Recsk. Similarly, the photos capturing the operation of the Hungarian secret service from 1949 to 1989 are incomplete, and we barely have any pictures of the organization. But the most incomprehensible black spot in the 20th century history of Hungarian photography is the Holocaust. While the terror committed against Jewish people affected Hungary’s every village, town, and city, really society as a whole, even the farmlands, in comparison, we have a shockingly small amount of pictures of the ghettoization and deportation of Jews.

Photo: Attila Lambert/Hungary Today

-At the time Fortepan was born in 2010, 5,000 pictures were available; today that number exceeds 134,000. Could you have imagined at the beginning that the collection would grow so large?

The interest in archive photos (for some people the passion) could already be felt at the very beginning. But I would never have imagined that one day I’d be able to stand on my own two feet and get paid for the work I do at Fortepan. Around 10-15,000 pictures are uploaded to the website every year, mostly from family albums and negatives from private individuals. The only format we don’t deal with is the tourist slide strip. Lately, a lot of people have started throwing these out but we don’t have the capacity to process them. Unfortunately, our collection is strongly Budapest-centric, but we are trying to change that. It would be nice to get bequests for processing from other parts of the country or across the border. But it would be at least as important to show the foreign life of Hungarians who were forced to emigrate after 1956.

The name Fortepan comes from one of Hungary’s most popular photographic raw materials in the 20th century – the negative of the Forte photo factory in Vác that closed permanently in 2007. Right before the start of the archive in 2010, Miklós Tamási was searching for a name that sounded good even internationally, had no accent marks in it, and somewhat referred to the history of Hungary’s photography. The word Forte seemed a bit lacking, but he found Fortepan to be the perfect fit.

-The photo archive already set the time limits for the collection right from the beginning. What is the reason that only 20th century images appear on Fortepan? Why were the year limits drawn where they were?

The starting date is 1900, but some pictures from the end of the 19th century do appear on the site. The first decades of photography were studio portraits. Due to technical limitations, someone taking photos on the street rarely ever happened. Photographers started stepping outside onto the street since the 1890s but such pictures rarely make it to us. That’s why we chose the year 1900 as the starting point.
The end date of the collection is 1990, the time of Hungary’s political transition to democracy. This year was the last moment in Hungary that can be considered historic. Hungary has moved from state socialism to a civil democracy, which is perfectly reflected in the photos as well. We talk about not only an aesthetic, material, or political change, but a change in public life as well.

Photo: Attila Lambert/Hungary Today

-How do the images reflect this?

– Commercial capitalism has also stepped into photography with its brashness, replacing the stifled, seemingly timeless socialism.

The origin story of Fortepan begins with a teenager, who during the stifling Kádár regime in the mid-eighties, wanted to bring back Hungary’s civic past seen in films and photos. Hence, Tamási decided to visit garbage bins to collect old photos- an old habit he still does to this day. Later in 1999, he started working at the Central European University’s gallery, mostly on history exhibitions. The photos shown there represented a heavily edited viewpoint, typical for the world of press photos. Tamási felt the increasing urge to present the other side of this world: the reality seen through the lens of the family camera. He decided to create his own online photo archive in 2009, which finally kicked off ten years ago in 2010. This year, Fortepan even received the prestigious ’Pro Urbe Budapest’ award for its uniqe archival of recent memory, value creation, and community building work.

– If you look at the photos in chronological order, can you notice any change over the decades? What is the difference between them as we move forward in time?

20th century photography is partly a matter of technical history. From the 1930s with the spread of compact film cameras, photography became easier and cheaper. Amateur photography lived its first revolution during this period. With a lot of people starting to take photos, completely uninteresting images were getting created in large quantities. I hunt for photos where the photographer wanted to capture their own world, not made for order, only for himself. The personal, even dramatic, grotesque, or sociographic photos are the ones that resonate with me.

Photo: Attila Lambert/Hungary Today

-Do the photos of past times have an edge over today’s?

Analog film photography disappeared at the turn of the millennium with digital photography replacing it. Negatives, or photo albums, were objects that were kept as keepsakes by families. Today, we store photos in data format, on the internet, which makes it much easier to lose. I fear that we will have far fewer images of the 21st century. In addition, due to our privacy concerns, the traditional street photo, for example, is disappearing. Unfounded fears have been built into us about the use of photos. We might even reach a point where we will barely be able to show anything about the everyday life of today’s Hungary, only the press photos and the usually artificial images taken for social media. Those who decide to create a “21st Century Fortepan” will have a difficult task ahead. It will not be easy to collect photos about the everyday life of today that are legally appropriate, qualitatively decent, or even interesting, honest pictures.

-What are your future plans?

Our big plan for the next year is to develop a location-specific sightseeing and photography app called ForteGo.

While walking on the street, you can essentially browse archive photos on your phone taken nearby and use the app to re-photograph the archive locations. If all goes well, it will be possible to try ForteGo for the first time in Veszprém in the summer of 2021.  Share this article.

 

Nikon in 2020: What happened, why and where next for the Big N?

By Mike Harris 

Nikon waved hello to a new flagship and three new mirrorless cameras – but goodbye to its last ever 35mm film camera.

 

Ignoring the giant elephant in the room, Nikon fans will remember 2020 as a bumper year for full-frame cameras and Z-mount lenses. Despite challenges posed by the global pandemic, the Big N launched no fewer than five full-frame cameras across its DSLR and mirrorless systems, along with six Z-mount lenses, bringing Nikon’s total lineup of mirrorless glass to 16.

It was a comparatively quiet year for F-mount, but the release of the Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon AF-S 120-300mm f/2.8E FL ED SR VR was proof that the manufacturer is still delivering the goods for DSLR stalwarts. Alas, a positive year for releases was marred slightly by the recent news that Nikon will no longer manufacture cameras from its Sendai Nikon facility in Japan, with production set to shift to its satellite plant in Thailand. 

And yet with a maturing Z system and Z8 / Z9 rumors galore, there’s plenty to be excited about Nikon in 2021 and beyond.

Nikon hit the ground running with two cameras and a lens release straight out of the gate. The Nikon P950, D780 and AF-S 120-300mm f/2.8E were all announced on 07 January. The P950 boasted a meaty optical zoom – like any of the best bridge cameras should – and was remarkably the only Nikon camera release of the year that wasn’t full frame. The eagerly anticipated successor of one of the most popular Nikon DSLRs ever (the Nikon D750) was Nikon’s first full-frame launch of 2020. The D780 surprised the imaging world by pairing its traditional DSLR build with a 273-point Hybrid AF system for Live View shooting, pilfered straight from the excellent Nikon Z6. 

Nikon’s announcement that it was developing a fast, premium F-mount optic that would appeal to sports shooters back in September 2019 wasn’t surprising, considering that the 2020 Olympics was – then, at least – just around the corner. And by January 27 when rumors that a new camera registration was the long-awaited Nikon D6, the AF-S 120-300mm f/2.8E FL ED SR VR was the perfect accompaniment.

As expected Nikon’s flagship DSLR was confirmed on February 12 and boasted “the most powerful AF in Nikon history”. The laymen might have found the Nikon D6’s lack of headline improvements surprising, but the pro-spec camera was designed to be a rugged workhorse for working photojournalists and sports photographers specifically, not to mention a bastion of Nikon’s coveted flagship lineage.

The Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S and Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR were the first Z-mount releases of the year. On February 19 we delivered our Nikon P950 review, which scored three stars. We praised its quality EVF, ability to shoot 4K video, portability and mega 83x optical zoom. However, its image quality and launch price prevented it from scoring higher.

The month finished with news that the eagerly anticipated Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 Z had been delayed indefinitely. 

There was much rejoicing in May, with news that SanDisk CFexpress memory cards were finally fully compatible with the Nikon Z7 and Z6, broadening the full-frame mirrorless duo’s CFexpress support.

May was also the month the Big N gained plenty of cultural capital thanks to GQ's June/July 2020 issue, when Twilight superstar and the Caped Crusader himself, Robert Pattinson, used a Nikon DSLR to shoot his own cover.

Nikon was back with a slew of releases including two teleconverters and a standard zoom, but the big news was the surprisingly swift announcement of the Nikon Z5. The entry-level full-frame mirrorless camera featured a 24.3MP sensor, IBIS, provision for dual UHS-II SD cards and an almost identical form factor to the existing Z6 and Z7.

The accompanying Nikon Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3 kit lens was touted as "the shortest and lightest full-frame mirrorless zoom lens," by Nikon, weighing in at just 195g. Of the two new Nikon Z teleconverters announced, the Nikon TC-1.4x, boasted an increased reach of 40%, while the Nikon TC-2.0x, enabled users to double their lens’ focal length. At the time the teleconverters were only officially compatible with the Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S, which was still sitting in release date limbo.

The Nikon Z50 received a welcome firmware update that implemented Animal AF just like its full-frame Z camera siblings. This meant the DX mirrorless camera could detect the eyes and faces of dogs and cats.

As the world leaned into remote working in a bid to combat the coronavirus pandemic, Nikon announced its Webcam Utility software, enabling many Nikon users to use cameras as webcams. 

While the photographic industry continued its push towards mirrorless, and the world of 35mm film cameras shrank ever smaller, August was the month that the legendary Nikon F3 celebrated its 40th birthday.

On September 16 Nikon announced yet more mirrorless lenses in the form of the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S and Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S, two super-fast lenses from the manufacturer’s premium S-Line of optics. 

And the month drew to a close in the best of ways when a countdown timer appeared on its website for the Z6 II and Z7 II…

Only one thing was on the minds of Nikon fans in October: the dual release of the Nikon Z6 II and Nikon Z7 II. The full-frame mirrorless pairing’s headline specs included dual Expeed processors, better autofocus and – by popular demand – dual memory card slots. 

The well-rounded Z6 II was built to include a much higher maximum ISO, better low-light focusing and faster burst speeds. While the stills-focused Z7 II was armed with a mighty 45.7MP sensor and considerably more focus points.

In our Nikon Z6 II review we awarded the camera four stars and praised its dual card slots, improved burst shooting and boosted AF performance – though the camera’s hybrid shooter-targeted audience meant that we would have preferred a fully articulating screen and uncropped 4K UHD at 60fps. 

And yet the Z6 II’s refined rather than reimagined upgrade from its predecessor is a reminder of just how good the Nikon Z6 really is. The Z6 II is clearly the definitive offering out of the two, and when you consider its competitive pricing and all that lovely Z-mount glass, it comes highly recommended.

Our Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S review signaled the complete ‘holy trinity’ of fast Z-mount zooms and just missed out on top honors with 4.5 stars. Despite the hefty price tag we were mightily impressed by the lens’s “Stunning image quality” and “Excellent build and handling,” exactly what we’ve come to expect from Nikon’s excellent S-Line of lenses.

Nikon kicked off the festive season by updating the D850, D5 and D500 with CFexpress card support. CFexpress’s backwards compatibility meant it was only a matter of time until the trio of XQD-touting DSLRs got CFexpress Type B support… but did it spell RIP for the XQD format?

We then caught wind that the legendary Nikon F6 had been discontinued. Nikon’s last ever 35mm film camera was on the market for a staggering 16 years and, although the news wasn’t altogether surprising, it was definitely the end of an era.

Fitting of the festive season, Nikon Europe announced it would team with the NOOR Foundation to provide free training to aspiring documentary photographers. 

2020 has been a difficult year for the photography industry and the wider world in general. And yet when it has mattered, Nikon has delivered the goods. Despite the odds, the Big N managed to bring us six new cameras and a plethora of top-notch glass. As the manufacturer shores up its Z-mount lens line-up, and with rumors of a beefy Z8 / Z9 on the horizon, we await 2021 with bated breath.  Share this article.

 

 

Black Lives Matter: My year as an accidental anti-racism activist

Tags: Photography for Beginners, George Floyd,  Activist

By Kate Rimmington

 

  

In May, the UK was in lockdown and George Floyd was killed by US police officers, prompting a global outpouring of grief and anger - and an increased sense of urgency around the Black Lives Matter movement. For one black Welsh woman, 2020 changed her life.

At the beginning of the year, photographer Tash Jones had a full diary of weddings to capture, and her own marriage to plan.

Then the Covid-19 pandemic struck, preventing large weddings - and in May George Floyd was killed after being pinned to the ground by a police officer in Minneapolis.

The combination of events led to the mother-of-two from Denbighshire becoming an "accidental activist".

Born to a white, Welsh-speaking mother and a black Jamaican father, Ms Jones was subjected to sustained racist bullying throughout her childhood, once resulting in her hair being set on fire when she was a teenager, and excrement being left on her doorstep.

George Floyd's death and the social media reaction of many of her white friends and acquaintances pushed her into being more vocal about her own experiences and worries for her young children.

A mural in Oregon commemorates the death of George Floyd, which shocked the world in May

As her wedding jobs were cancelled, she found herself being asked to speak at virtual industry conferences, including one held by Looks Like Film, a large international photography platform.

"I was kind of thrust into speaking really. It wasn't really in my to-do list," she said.

She was also motivated by "how I felt about my children, not being represented, and having the same struggles that I had growing up in north Wales".

"That left me feeling really queasy because I know how hard it was and I don't want that for them. You always want better for your children."

Protesters took the knee outside Cardiff's City Hall as part of the Black Lives Matters movement

"I think because of lock down, and everybody having their jobs or their hobbies and their social circles taken away, [Black Lives Matter 2020] obviously got more attention because people were forced to watch it and couldn't look away.

"I was getting a lot of messages from clients, from old friends, from acquaintances and people I don't even know, asking me what they can do to be better, or what they can do to be anti-racist.

"And that was a massive pressure for me, and it was detrimental to my mental health because I found myself having to almost handhold everybody I know through a situation that was more harmful to me.

"It was hard to read comments from people that I thought were my friends, showing their true colors. That was so sad because I thought I was a good judge of character. Honestly so many people surprised me."

She started a Facebook group "Let's Talk with Tash", where she discussed other issues too, including mental health and plus-size, and also participated in a panel with Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP on mental health among wedding industry professionals during the pandemic.

i

Tash Jones' work won her a place on the Professional Photo magazine's top 50 UK photographers list

A high point of the year was to be named as one of Professional Photo magazine's top 50 UK photographers.

Partly to set an example to her children, she sent the story to a local paper.

Based on the experience of others, including black female MPs, she anticipated there could be a mix-up of her photos. She sent separate emails containing her own photo, and portraits of other black people.

But instead of picturing her, they mistakenly put her name against an image of one of her black clients, something she said seemed to happen much more to people of color.

For someone who had fought to be recognized, and endured lifelong racism, the mistake triggered painful memories.

"I was crying my eyes out. It was just a shock... It reaffirmed all those childhood thoughts that I had that I'll never be good enough, that I'll never be [recognized or] important. I can't tell you how massively that impacted me."

She said the mistake also upset other black people - the American client whose photograph was mistakenly labelled, the UK black female photographers network, and her young son, who said "we don't all look the same".

She said positive representation was so important because, during her childhood, cultural depictions of black people were overwhelmingly negative.

"In films, I would see [black] people who were on drugs or not very good in school and saved by somebody white, or on crack or leaving their kids, or the dads abandon them... I actually thought I didn't have a chance of doing anything."

She said the reporter who made the mistake was "mortified", and the paper issued a correction and apologized for any distress caused.

But the incident underlined her view that much more needs to be done by organizations to improve diversity and deliver sustainable change.

• 'My identity crisis over lack of black history lessons'
• 'Young black people need role models to see'
• 'More people need to be verbal about inequality'

 

"Couples in love" like these photos is the focus of much of her photography work

This applies as much to the wedding industry as any sector, she said.

As Black Lives Matters protests spread in the summer, big wedding blogs switched from featuring predominantly white people to black brides and grooms.

"All of those images that they all posted simultaneously for weeks and weeks and months and months - that content was available to them prior to George Floyd being murdered.

"Why weren't you posting it then? Why is it taking a worldwide tragic event in uproar for you to be posting diversity?

"That doesn't sit right with me... So people felt the need to perform, when really they should have been addressing why it wasn't like that in the first place."

One of Tash Jones' "Dŵr Du" series, which was part of an exhibition of black female photography

Going into 2021, she wants to capture more pictures of "love and life" again and diversify her portfolio, as she did earlier in the year when her series of images Dŵr Du (black water in English) was selected for the We Are Here exhibition, which showcased black female photography.

"Most of all I wish to have a relatively stress-free year... and see a real change in systemic racism and those in power taking this to heart.

"Change is long overdue and I hope that people don't forget what needs to be done."  Share this article.

 

              Free Photography E-books just in time for Christmas                                             
                                                                                

                                                                  
                                                                      

 

Thanks for stopping my blog today.  I hope you'll enjoy the Christmas Freebies I have listed for you below, and that you'll come back often.  If you're a newbie photographer, this blog and especially this post has you in mind.  Below are photography freebies.  Just copy and paste the URLs into your web browser, click enter and enjoy.  My Christmas gifts to you.  Enjoy, and have a Merry Christmas !

 

1. Depth of Field button explained

    https://mrdarrylt.blogspot.com/2019/02/depth-of-field-preview-button-explained.html?spref=pi 

 

2. Wild Flower Photography

    http://photonaturalist.com/free-ebook-on-wildflower-photography/

 

3. Five easy steps to shoot in manual

    https://docs.google.com/file/d/0By4lKYqAkAS5YTU0OTMzNGQtMjRmYS00NGJkLThhMWMtYjUzMDdmMzgwN2Nm/edit?pli=1

 

4. Ultimate Field Guide to Photography

    https://www.nationalgeographic.com/ebooklets/e_ultimate_photo_guide.pdf

 

5. The Shy Photographers' Guide 

     https://photographyconcentrate.com/shy-photographers-guide-confidence/

 

6. How to make $500 per month from your photography as an Amateur Photographer

    https://mrdarrylt.blogspot.com/2020/01/how-to-make-500-month-from-your.html 

 

Please share this page with your friends.  I suspect they will like getting free stuff too.                                                                                                                        

 

Photographer Chris Maggio Wants You To Think Objectively About Christmas Traditions

 Tags: Photography for Beginners, Photographer, Film Photographer 

 

  by: Pia Peterson

 

Photographer Chris Maggio is smart — the kind of person who can talk seamlessly about film, photography, politics, and capitalism without ever seeming to grasp for an idea. This may be why he captures photos in a way that makes even the most banal things — office lunches, parking garages — seem interesting and new. After going to school to be a filmmaker, Maggio found himself gravitating more toward his on-again, off-again hobby of taking pictures. He works as a professional photographer, and lives in New York City “with 8.4 million of his closest friends.”

Every holiday, I find myself looking to his Instagram for the funny, poignant, and sometimes tongue-in-cheek images that define an alternate take of the holiday. His work offers a real view of the hubbub at hand — the attempt at a questionable recipe on Thanksgiving, or the hope that the drug store’s brand of Valentine’s Day candy is better than it was last year.

We spoke to him about his work, the freneticism of the holidays, and when he stopped believing in Santa Claus.

Chris Maggio

It seems like you have a pretty dark view of, well, America and humanity in general. Do you want to confirm or deny that?

Chris Maggio: [laughs] I mean, I think there might be some darkness in there. If anything, I think it's more nihilist. But I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy. There's definitely a feeling of being alienated, being alone together, especially in such a massively dense place like New York.

Chris Maggio 

 

That’s a tough one to start out on. I really want to talk to you about your work on Christmas. They’re not really like anything else. How did you set out to photograph it?

New York has the reputation of being such a romantic place to experience the holidays, but objectively it’s such a bizarre tradition.

I grew up in a household where my mom is Jewish and my dad is Catholic. I was raised as a Unitarian Universalist — you know, the ultimate left-leaning, absurdly liberal religion. So I feel that looking at all the optics of the holiday season objectively is somewhat easy for me. Christmas in particular, it’s just so garish and funny and overwrought. It doesn’t look like any other time of the year, and the tropes are just so loud and extreme. It’s just a really fun palette to play with. The rush up to this big celebratory moment is just so hilariously frenzied and congested, but the madness is its own kind of tradition, and I have my own romantic memories of that.

 

When did you stop believing in Santa Claus?

It was either 3rd or 4th grade. I remember seeing my mom balancing her checkbook at the kitchen table and going through all these receipts from the holiday season. And I remember seeing a receipt that was for something that was distinctly a gift from Santa, like, the gift. The one we opened last. I looked at that receipt, and then our eyes met. And she just said to me, “Don’t tell your brothers.” The most indirect but direct way to say that “this isn’t real, but we’re going to preserve the tradition.”

Whose work did you look to the most? Who was doing the most important work for you at that time?

A big influence early on was looking at photography that now has the moniker of being called “cursed photography”: abandoned Flickr accounts and Photobucket accounts full of loose ends of people’s memories. There was a really prolific Tumblr called “internet history” that was curating exhibits of these found, vernacular photos of the digital age. Dis Magazine was the next step from that, and I’m still a huge fan of David and Solomon, two of the founders who have since become Torso Solutions. I’m obsessed with the idea of taking everyday, pedestrian concepts and extrapolating them to the degree that they almost become foreign and alien. Brad Troemel and the Jogging were big influences early on too.

I didn’t have any education in photography at all, but as I’ve learned more and more I’m fixated on artists who illuminate the absurdity of the domestic life I was raised in. I’ve always loved the work of Eva O’Leary, Chris Verene, Thomas Mailaender, and Erik Kessels, to name a few.

Chris Maggio 

 

Portland-based photographer Will Matsuda put it really well when he said in an interview that the Chris Maggio "worldview" is so distinct. I feel like the current pandemic couldn't have made it any more...surreal. In a way, it's like the issues that the Onion had with the Trump presidency; how do you spoof something that seems to be constantly spoofing itself? What has it been like photographing in the surreality of the last year?

It's been a really difficult challenge. It’s sort of stymied me a little bit. I think that photographers have a lot of fun needling the absurdity out of everyday life, trying to see something that others overlook, but the pandemic has laid everything bare. I think it’s a golden age for photojournalism, and there’s been so much incredible work on that front this year. For photographers like myself who are a little bit more conceptual, it seems like a time to take a backseat and think about our practice. Everything is so literal right now; it doesn’t feel like there’s a second layer to uncover visually.

I’ve been shooting a little bit but struggling to make something that speaks to something beyond the pandemic. The images that I take right now, I don’t know if I want all of them to have masks in them or plastic-wrapped cashiers or weird shanties outside of restaurants. I think time will tell what to make of all this — hindsight is 2020.

Folks seeing your Christmas images for the first time will get that this isn't an endorsement of the holiday. I'm not trying to goad you into acting the Grinch, but what do you want people to consider when they look at these holiday photos?

It should encourage people to think about the mechanisms and stories surrounding the holiday. The “Santas on Vacation” story for the Times is a really good example. Labor for the holidays is a year-round job, and the type of people who end up working in the [holiday] industry are fascinating. For Santas, specifically, it’s a time for senior citizens to shine. As you get older, your place in the workforce starts to erode, but … as a Santa, especially as a real, bearded Santa, which is like the top-tier position in the world of Santas, being a senior citizen is an advantage. It’s a job that you grow into as you age. That’s something that I had never thought about before, just the fact that the talent and the type of person that it takes to put the holiday together is so specific, and it’s only for that one month out of the year. I don’t want people to think of the photos as ugly or condemning; it’s about getting people to think objectively about the traditions surrounding the holidays.

Chris Maggio 

 

There’s a lot of shadow planning, or things that happen before the day, like the parking garage decorations that nobody notices but still take work.

To me, that’s the most endearing part. I love the fact that the staff at the garages, they all get together to decide who’s going to decorate and what’s going to be the aesthetic of it. Some of them go all out. There’s one garage on the Upper East Side that does a whole miniature village in it. It’s a type of creativity that you don’t see at any other time of the year. Like the houses in Staten Island or Dyker Heights that are famous for doing these insane light displays — for the mom or dad or whoever is decorating the house, that might be their only creative outlet for the year. It’s a kind of folk art, a creative voice that they may not even think about; it’s just an impulse.

Chris Maggio

You are still enamored with the things you photograph? You’re not disillusioned?

I’m not disillusioned. I take photographs of things that I love — things that help put me in touch with or challenge who I am as a person. Real life to me is the moments in between the big moments, the losses and the triumphs. I think, if anything, the whole COVID debacle has made us more aware of that in a way. What I’m going to remember the most about all of this is just the slog of everyday life and the ways in which that’s important. Running the errands, cooking, all the stuff in between. I want people to think about the simple routines and ridiculous habits in our lives and how those define us. It’s the whole arc of our lives, and it’s OK to laugh at that sometimes.

Chris Maggio

Are you planning on trying to get out and photograph this year?

I’ve done quite a bit of photographing the holidays in the past, so I don’t know if I’ll go out and do a full piece this year. I’ll definitely be shooting a little bit. I’m more interested in what comes next. There’s no stopping holiday tradition. Yes, we’ll see plenty of funny images of Santa behind plexiglass this year, but I’m curious how our traditions will be reformed in the wake of seeing how fragile they really are. 

Chris Maggio 

 

How are you spending the day this Christmas?

Just spending the day at my apartment and catching up with my folks remotely. My parents both work in public schools on Long Island, so we're trying to figure out a way to do something safely in person at some point, but it's proving to be tricky. I've seen people covering themselves with plastic painters tarps to hug one another, but that seems a little extreme to me. Maybe we'll bundle up and eat a meal on the porch.  Share this article.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PHOTOGRAPHY FREEBIE:

How to make money with your Photography even if you're not a Pro.

Copy & paste this link into your browser, click ENTER, and enjoy: 

https://mrdarrylt.blogspot.com/2020/01/how-to-make-500-month-from-your.html

                                                         or

https://www.photography-jobs.net/?hop=darryl54

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Visit me on Facebook and post your pictures.

https://www.facebook.com/Darryl-T-363867387724297/