Photography
- Peter Turnley
- David Turnley
- Paris Street Photography by Michael Erimo
- Nico Geerlings on Flickr
- Bruno Delavigne on Flickr
- Sophie on Instagram
- MagS on Instagram - Paris and travel photography She also has a nice color account on Instagram.
Wikipedia: List of photographs considered the most important
This is a list of photographs considered the most important in surveys where authoritative sources review the history of the medium not limited by time period, region, genre, topic, or other specific criteria. They are all considered key images in the history of photography.
Dorothea Lange at the National Gallery of Art, Washington
During her long, prolific, and groundbreaking career, the American photographer Dorothea Lange made some of the most iconic portraits of the 20th century. _Dorothea Lange: Seeing People _reframes Lange’s work through the lens of portraiture, highlighting her unique ability to discover and reveal the character and resilience of those she photographed.
Featuring some 100 photographs, the exhibition addresses her innovative approaches to picturing people, emphasizing her work on social issues including economic disparity, migration, poverty, and racism.
November 5, 2023 – March 31, 2024 - West Building, Ground Floor, National Gallery of Art
Results of the 2023 Ricoh GR Photo Contest
GR Photo Festival 2023: Three photos were selected by each of Ricoh’s ten judges from all over the world. There were about 7,000 total entries. This shows what a small camera can do in everyday life. There is no need to go to Mount Everest to make compelling photographs. The images are worth reviewing along with the comments of the judges.
A Nice WordPress Gallery Plugin
My hobby is photography and I’ve been looking for a WordPress gallery plugin I like to display image galleries in blog posts. I’ve tried many but they would not do everything I want or were cumbersome to use.
I just found GT3 Photo and Video Gallery Pro and it does everything I want it to do. It’s also easy to use. The free version does a nice job but the Pro version adds a lot of nice features and cost $19 for a one year license. This is an example of a gallery I created with the plugin. And I think the gallery looks great on mobile as well. All the settings are available in the block editor which I find ideal for me. This post includes another example a GT3 gallery.
’Photography is a way to be in life’
I have long admired the work of Sam Abell. This video is not just about promoting a new camera. It’s about life.
Abell is on Canon’s website as a Canon Explorer of Light so I was surprised to see him promote another brand of camera.
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress in Washington, DC is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, films and video, audio recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The Library is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.
Congress moved to Washington, D.C. in 1800 after holding sessions for eleven years in temporary national capitals in New York City and Philadelphia. Also in 1800, as part of an act of Congress providing for the removal of the new national government from Philadelphia to Washington, President John Adams approved an act of Congress providing $5,000 for books for the use of Congress—the beginning of the Library of Congress.
However, in 1814, the British burned Washington, destroying the Capitol and the small congressional library in its north wing. Former President Thomas Jefferson offered to sell his comprehensive personal library of 6,487 books to rebuild the Library of Congress. Congress accepted his offer in 1815. Jefferson’s concept of universality is the rationale for the comprehensive collecting policies of today’s Library of Congress.
The Library of Congress is among Washington’s top attractions. Every Library of Congress visitor must reserve timed-entry pass. Passes are available here. It’s worth planning ahead as slots fill up.
Sources: Library of Congress, Wikipedia
Lake Needwood, Derwood, Maryland
Lake Needwood is a 75-acre (300,000 m2) reservoir in Derwood, Maryland. Located in east of Rockville, in the eastern part of Montgomery County, it is situated on Rock Creek. The lake was created by damming Rock Creek in 1965 with the goal of providing flood control and reducing soil erosion. The Rock Creek Trail begins at Lake Needwood and can be followed along the course of Rock Creek, ending at the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. It’s a great place for walking, biking and running.
You can see more photos of Lake Needwood here.
Be Careful if You Travel with Expensive Stuff
If you travel with expensive equipment, please be extra careful. This photographer — Manny Ortiz — was the victim of camera theft ($16,000) on a train in Italy. I am glad Manny shared his story.
Flickr Explore: A Peak Behind the Curtain
I am a long time Pro member of FIickr. I wondered how photos are selected for Flickr Explore. The photos featured there inspire me.
In a 2020 blog post, Flickr explains that Explore uses an algorithm to display a rotating array of about 500 images from Flickr members every day. Flickr also explained what really matters in the selection process “is the amount of authentic, organic interactions in the form of comments, faves, and views your photo gets after being posted, regardless of how many followers you have.” Pro members are not prioritized.
You can see recent photos featured on Explore here.
JungleDragon: Sharing Wildlife Photos
JungleDragon is a social wildlife community for fans of nature. It’s mission is to facilitate the creation of the largest resource of nature imagery on the planet. The site offers an engaging, social and friendly way to find and contribute images and other content.
The site was created by Ferdy Christant, a talented photographer who also publishes trip reports and other interesting content on Medium.
The site is free to use. I just signed up and am enjoying it. If you’re interested you can follow me there.
Chicago at Night
Jim Hill is a Chicago photographer worth getting to know. He became fascinated by Chicago’s nighttime alleys and back streets during the pandemic:
I submerged myself in studies of how artificial lights penetrate the darkness of an urban environment. That darkness provided me comfort and cover from the events going on around me. The artificial lights transformed what is bland and ugly in the daylight into a beautiful hidden world, which is visible to those willing to risk the unknown, the shadows.
During the pandemic, fear and death seemed to permeate everything. Roaming forgotten places in the darkness to capture the hope of the light allowed me to confront the panic around me and gave me the strength to carry on. Ultimately, my work is about confronting fear and finding the beauty, which can emerge from the unknown, the darkness.
You can follow Jim Hill’s thought provoking photographs on Flickr and Instagram.
Vintage Images of Washington
I recently discovered the Streets of Washington blog and Flickr feed where you can find many vintage and hard to find images from postcards and other ephemera about historic places in the Washington, D.C. area. It is fascinating to see how the nation’s capital has evolved.
The author, John DeFerrari, is a native Washingtonian with a lifelong passion for local history. He is also a trustee of the D.C. Preservation League.
This is clearly a labor of love. These images are absolutely worth perusing and preserving.
Podcast with Julieanne Kost
Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop expert Julieanne Kost is interviewed on the Photocombobulate podcast. The topic is Lightroom Classic Tips.
Paris Photographers to Explore
Paris is a beautiful city and attracts many talented photographers. These are among the photographers who capture the essence of this extraordinary city:
I will add to this list over time and welcome suggestions of other photographers to add to this list.
Last updated: January 22, 2024
The Joy of Photography
Ferdy Christant, in a superb piece about Flickr, suggests that people who photograph for the joy of it should focus less on external validation such as likes or faves and more on what brings them joy:
For amateurs and enthusiasts, . . . first and foremost . . . enjoy your hobby. Enjoy photography itself as well as your topics, be they a landscape, a model or a freaky insect. Or even a Snowy Owl. This is your hobby and you should learn to enjoy it even if not a single other human being notices. Start with this. Your joy and self worth should not depend on others.
I’m serious. Look at people having other hobbies. Reading, hiking, tennis, wood crafts, brewing beer, collecting stamps, watching movies or playing Tetris…none of these people spend hours per day seeking validation as to whether their hobby is worthwhile or has meaning. It has meaning because it is your time and you enjoy doing it. None of them determine meaning based on others as if they are monitoring a stock market of self worth.
You can learn more about Ferdy in this 2015 interview.
Photography ‘Takes Me to Another World’
Patrik Seiler is a talented Swiss photographer who mainly makes photographs of landscapes and cities:
Every time I pick up my camera, I forget the time and everyday life. The camera and the pictures take me to another world. I concentrate on the moment and try to get the best out of that very moment, the conditions, the subject, the location, the light and so on.
You can follow Patrik on Instagram or Flickr. His photos are also featured here.
Photoshop Tip: Removing White Glows on Edges
In this short video, Scott Kelby explains how to get rid of those white glows around the outside edges of things. It’s not hard to do.