The post dPS Roundup: The Best Photos of October appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.
Welcome to a new segment we like to call “dPS Roundup: The Best Photos of the Month,” which is exactly what it sounds like:
We share a handful of some fantastic photographs that you have submitted to our weekly challenge!
Don’t know what our weekly challenge is? You can find the current challenge, as well as all of our previous challenges, right here. Feel free to work your way back through the archive and try them all!
Our themes for October were Minimalism, Iconic, Bicycle, Silhouette, and Grey (if you missed them, you can still post a photo).
So let’s take a look at the best photos of the month!
A stunning photograph from our #dPSMinimalism challenge comes from Chris Roe. What is minimalism as applied to a photograph? Well, it’s subjective, I guess. But it’s generally described as such:
“Minimalist photography is a form of photography that is distinguished by extreme, austere simplicity. It emphasizes spareness and focuses solely on the smallest number of objects in the composition process.”
Iconic was our second theme for October. Again, that subjective phrase comes into play; I guess things can be iconic for different reasons to different people! There were some amazing images, but this is one that jumped out at us by Peter. Maybe because it’s “our city” #dPSIconic – Flinders Street Station.
I may have chosen the #dPSBicycle theme as I had just picked up my new bicycle (an attempt to regain some fitness!) and was (and still am!) inspired! We had some fantastic images submitted for this theme, but the one we’ve chosen for the round-up is from Stamatis Iliadakis and combines some great aspects: leading lines, slow shutter, and “silly walks!” (if you know, you know). Well done, Stamatis!
This stunning photograph for our #dPSSilhouette theme is by Piotr Plaskon, and was a stand-out for me! If you want to try silhouette photography but you’re not sure how, take a look at this post to get some tips.
Our last challenge for the month of October was #dPSGrey, and our stand-out photo comes from Paula Gallagher Brown in our Facebook group (join, it’s fun!). Well done, Paula!
There are so many well-thought-out, perfectly photographed images every week! Thank you for joining in the weekly challenge, and we hope to see your photographs up here for November!
The post dPS Roundup: The Best Photos of October appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.
The post Dare to be Different With Your Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.
It’s estimated that over two billion photos are uploaded to the internet every day. We are deluged with images. So if you’re a photographer looking to stand out from the crowd, then going to the same iconic locations, framing up and shooting the same compositions, and looking to emulate the great images you might find from skilled photographers is not what you should do.
You need to dare to be different with your photography – by making the shot in a way people haven’t seen before. If the reaction you want is “Wow!” rather than “Meh,” you need to mix it up.
Not a bad photo of the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, but how different is my shot than the tens of thousands of other shots made from the same vantage point?
Where’d you shoot that?
I belong to a camera club, and we routinely show our images for review and critique. Something I hear too often when a great photo is displayed is, “Where’d you shoot that?”
I guess it’s a fair question. But I’m always concerned that the person asking it is thinking: If I go there, get the same light, perhaps use the same camera settings, and shoot from the same spot, I could make a great photo, too!”
But why would you want to be a copycat?
Sure, we all like to go to the iconic spots, but why not try to make a shot that is different and uniquely yours, one that stands out from the crowd?
No doubt millions of photos have been taken of this iconic location, so kudos to friend and fellow photographer Harold Hall, who found a unique perspective for this familiar New York City landmark.
To be seen, don’t be one of the “herd.”
Go where others don’t
I just got back from a trip to Yellowstone National Park. While I was there, I wanted to see the Grand Prismatic Spring, a very iconic spot and a natural wonder well worth seeing.
Upon reaching the overlook, I had to wait to even get to the edge as dozens of tourists took turns at the rail, shooting with their cellphone cameras, posing for selfies, even asking photographers like me, who were carrying obviously more sophisticated camera gear, if we’d snap their group photo with their cellphone.
Here’s a different abstract take at the Grand Prismatic Spring, and a shot more likely to be uniquely mine. Dare to be different with your photography.
I get it: They wanted a photographic souvenir of being at the Grand Prismatic Spring, a shot they could post on social media to share with their friends.
That’s fine, but what about you? Are you a serious photographer looking to make artistic photographs? Or are you a tourist looking for a snapshot?
Sure, I wanted to see the Grand Prismatic Spring. And yes, I took my camera and made a shot.
In fact, I’ve photographed next to other photographers at similar iconic locations. How could you not photograph the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park, or the Sydney Opera House in Australia (the list goes on)?
So hit the iconic spots, make the usual shot, and check it off your bucket list.
But then find ways to change things up. Go to the lesser-known spots and make some photographs others won’t have considered – images that are uniquely yours.
But how do you make shots that don’t look like the tens of thousands taken by others?
Let’s explore that.
Lots of photos have been done of the Oceanside Pier in southern California, so I tried to make my shot different by shooting a long, 30-second exposure during the blue hour.
I was literally shoulder-to-shoulder with maybe a hundred other photographers while waiting for a sunset that never showed at the Bass Harbor Lighthouse in Acadia National Park in Maine. I tried to be a little different with a six-second exposure to blur the clouds and waves. Canon 6D | Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM | 6s | f/11 | ISO 200
Seek a new perspective
Amateur photographers almost never use tripods. So they often raise their camera to their eye and shoot from a standing position.
Hence, the great majority of their shots are from a five- to six-foot, eye-level height, even when the subject suggests that something else might be better.
A shot of a small child is typically made looking down on the subject, as is a picture of a flower or some other shorter subject. If shooting with a standard digital camera, the great majority of images will be in landscape mode; if shooting with a phone, most shots will be in portrait mode. Little – if any – thought is given to rotating the camera to best suit the subject. The subject will typically be placed dead-center in the frame, so that if the photo is a portrait, then there is an excessive amount of headroom. This type of photographer has never heard of the rule of thirds.
Another iconic location with a couple dozen other photographers shooting at the Grand Fountain Geyser in Yellowstone National Park. Always look for how you can make your image dramatic and different than what the other photographers will make.
We expect student photographers to be a little better, right? They might shoot with a tripod. Yet I have been to plenty of photo workshops where the photographers are lined up like gunners in a firing squad, cameras on tripods but at that same eye-level height, all trained on the same iconic subject. How much different will their shots be? Maybe they ought to just buy a postcard in the gift shop.
“Sometimes, to stand out, you need to sit down.”
Anthony T. Hincks
I’m not sure of the context in which Mr. Hincks was speaking when he authored this quote. But appropriating it so that it applies to photographers, you need to consider various perspectives to better suit your subject and create images that bring new interpretations and compositions. Get up, get down, shoot from a bird’s-eye perspective or a worm’s-eye perspective. Shoot through objects that create natural frames. Try some point-of-view (POV) shots.
There are lots of things to try in order to explore new looks and create interest, excitement, and mood in your photos.
As a photographer, I expect you are more of a visual learner, so here are some shots to help communicate these concepts:
Get down to the ground and get a “worms-eye view” for a perspective the average photographer shooting from eye-level won’t get. The shot on the left is with an LG V30 cellphone.
For the image of the Snow Cone in Craters of the Moon National Park on the left, a cellphone camera was placed on the lava. For the shot on the right, the camera was directly on the stage at “foot level.”
Look down. Sometimes the shot is right at your feet.
Look up. Sometimes the shot is straight overhead.
A high vantage point allowed me to capture much of the long train in the first shot. The low angle for the Union Pacific 844 steam train (in the second shot) emphasized its immense power.
To get this unique angle when photographing the hot air balloons ascending from Ann Morrison Park in Boise, Idaho, you had to be in one of them. My photographer son Mark Ohnsman was, and he got this great shot.
Another way to get high-angle aerial shots is by shooting out the window of a commercial flight. I got these images with my LG V30 cellphone. The shot on the left was made somewhere over the Nevada desert; the shot on the right was made during the final approach to the Boise, Idaho airport.
Drone photography is yet another way to get a high vantage point. This could have been made with a drone (if I had one), but instead was done off a cliff near Cape Arago State Park in Oregon.
When shooting flowers or low vegetation, sometimes you want to get down in it. Get low with your camera and make shots others won’t get from an eye-level perspective.
The “near-far” look is done with a wide-angle lens and a small aperture so that objects from a few feet away to infinity are all in focus. Sometimes, focus stacking might be needed to ensure front-to-back sharpness. The technique produces images with great depth. Photo at left by Rick Ohnsman; photo at right by Dan Mottaz.
For getting low while keeping your camera steady, a tripod with no center column, a tripod (left) with a replaceable short center column, or something like the Gorillapod (right) is the ticket.
Think about “natural framing,” where you use things in the scene that frame your image as a way to make your shot different than what others might get.
Another way to make unique images others won’t get, and also to explore the wonders of an unseen world, is to try close-up and macro photography.
Work a scene, shooting wide, medium, and close-up shots. Digital film is cheap, so never take a “one-and-done” approach to your photography. I made the first shot here on Sand Beach in Acadia National Park. A little while later, I noticed and photographed the interesting patterns in the sand.
Explore various focal lengths and crops when making portraits. From left to right: close-up, medium-wide, medium, and ultra-close-up.
A great way to ensure your photos will be uniquely yours is to embrace abstract photography. There is no end to the possible subjects.
A picture is worth 1000 words, they say. What does your photo say? Try making photos that tell a story; this will better involve your viewer in the image.
Remember to turn your camera to a vertical (portrait) position if the subject dictates it. You’d be surprised at the amateurs who never consider this.
Diagonal lines add drama. When shooting cars, I like to employ a “Dutch tilt.” See if you can discover scenes where tilting the camera will make your images more unique and interesting.
When the weather gets bad, the photos get good. There’s nothing like some fog to add mood to a shot. If you want unique and compelling photos that are different from the rest of the crowd, brave the elements and get out when the weather keeps fair-weather photographers inside.
Morning fog and steam from nearby thermal springs made for the perfect moody shot in Yellowstone National Park.
Dare to be different when editing. This is the same shot of water drops on a lupine leaf, but as a monochrome positive on the left and a negative image on the right.
You can shoot differently when you know your editing options. Here, multiple images taken of the trees at the Boardman, Oregon tree farm were made at various focus points and then focus-stacked with Helicon Focus. Such depth of field would not have been possible in a single shot.
Sometimes, the way to make photos that are uniquely yours is to see common things in different ways. The key, as with all photography, is to look for the light.
Dare to be different with your photos: the next step
People might call me names, but as a photographer, there’s one name I hope never applies:Snapshooter. I consider a snapshooter to be the photographer who sees something that catches their attention, raises the camera to their eye, and takes a snapshot. That is the person who gives no thought to composition, angle, perspective, subject, storytelling, or concept. They don’t understand camera controls, exposure, depth of field, or ways to use the camera as a tool to communicate their vision. They probably don’t even grasp the concept of a vision. They don’t take the time to consider what they might do to make their photographs better or different. Can they even communicate what they are trying to say with their images?
But that’s not you, right? You have come to a place called the Digital Photography School, presumably as a person looking to learn how to make better images.
So I challenge you: Dare to be different with your photos. Make photographs that are intentionally creative, unique, tell a story, and show the viewer something in a way they may not have seen it before.
“You walk like others? You talk like others? You think like others? Then the world doesn’t need you, because others are already abundant in the world! Be original!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
The post Dare to be Different With Your Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.
Android Police is reporting that Google Photos has been asking its users to help improve its algorithms. While this is not Google’s first foray into crowdsourcing help in improving its recognition software, the latest survey, which is rolling out to users on Android, is asking for volunteers to label their images.
Last year, Google Photos asked users to identify faces in images to help improve its facial recognition technology. More recently, Google added a survey to the app, asking users to confirm the accuracy of search results. The latest addition to Google Photos takes it a step further. As Rita El Khoury at Android Police writes, ‘Basically, you’ll be doing some work for free, if you feel like it, and the end result is everyone gets better image and object recognition.’
Machine learning requires a large, accurate data set to help train algorithms. The more data, the better an algorithm can be tuned and trained. For Google Photos, the algorithm needs as many labeled images of as many subjects as possible. Further, not only do people have many different photos in their Google Photos library already, we all capture images differently. A proper training data set doesn’t just include many images, it includes variety of subjects, light, angle, color and more. Ideally, with the help of users, Google Photos will be able to produce more accurate search results.
Screenshots of the ‘Improve Google Photos’ option in the Google Photos app, used with permission from Dr. Rita El Khoury, Managing Editor at Android Police.
If you’d like to participate and help shape the future of Google Photos, you can find a dialog box at the bottom of the ‘Search’ tab in the Google Photos application. The text reads, ‘Help improve Google Photos’ and when you click on the box, you then ‘Get started’ by answering questions about your photos. Google Photos will present images to you and you type what you consider important in each of the selected images. The first batch includes 10 images, but you can skip images or do more if you’d like.
After the labeling exercise, you can participate in additional training exercises, including one in which you determine if certain photographs are worthy of being printed. This is an interesting task given that Google Photos recently began offering a monthly premium print subscription. This subscription sends users 10 photo prints per month for $ 6.99, shipping included. Another addition to Google Photos includes asking users to identify which photos show a certain holiday or event.
9to5Google links to a Google Photos Help document about the latest addition to the Google Photos app. In its document, Google states that ‘It may take time to see your contributions impact your account, but your input will help improve existing features and build new ones, like improved suggestions on which photos to print or higher quality creations that you would like.’ As of now, this feature is only available on Android devices.
For many in the northern hemisphere, winter’s cold grip is just around the corner. With the cold comes snow, a beautiful photographic subject. Few photographers capture snow quite like photographer Nathan Myhrvold. His microscopic images of snowflakes showcase extraordinary detail and natural beauty.
Of his snowflake subjects, Myhrvold says, ‘Snowflakes are a great example of hidden beauty. Water, an incredibly familiar thing to all of us, is quite unfamiliar when you see it in this different view. The intricate beauty of snowflakes derives from their crystal structure, which is a direct reflection of the microscopic aspects of the water molecule.’
Myhrvold faced numerous challenges when photographing snowflakes. They are small, fragile objects only a few millimeters across. Further, snowflakes of course melt, but they also sublimate. Both processes break down the structure of snowflakes and reduce their sharp edges and details. Time and temperature both acted against Myhrvold, so he had to come up with solutions.
‘No Two Alike’ by Nathan Myhrvold
Over about 18 months, Myhrvold designed and built a custom snowflake camera. His camera, which he states is the highest-resolution snowflake camera in the world, uses a 100MP medium format Phase One image sensor adapted to a microscope objective. Myhrvold designed an optical path to fill the image area of the large medium format sensor, allowing him to capture large, sharp images.
To slow down the natural melting and vaporization process of snowflakes, the microscope has a cooling stage, allowing Myhrvold to capture enough images to create a focus stacked final photograph. Further, the camera is paired with high-speed LED lights to reduce the heat output of the lights and allow Myhrvold to quickly capture his images. The camera has a minimum shutter speed of 500ms.
Building the equipment is only one part of the challenge, you must also have beautiful snowflakes to work with. Myhrvold shot on location in Fairbanks, Alaska and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. He says that some of the best snowflakes found were between -15° and -20° F (-26 to -29° C). In the images in this article, we see the following types of snow crystals: sector plates, stellar dendrites and fernlike stellar dendrites.
‘Yellowknife Flurry’ by Nathan Myhrvold
To view more of Nathan Myhrvold’s work, which comprises a wide range of subjects from landscapes to food and much more, click here. He also has galleries in Las Vegas, New Orleans, Seattle and San Diego.
Image credit: All photos captured by Nathan Myhrvold and used with permission
Google has announced that it is ending its unlimited free photo and video storage through Google Photos. On June 1, 2021, users will be capped at 15 GB of free ‘high quality’ photo storage per account. This change will take place alongside additional changes with Google Drive’s storage programs, including counting Google Workspace documents and spreadsheets against the same cap, per The Verge. Google will also begin deleting data from inactive accounts (accounts that haven’t logged in for at least two years).
While it’s unfortunate, if not understandable, that Google will be changing its storage policy, the company has given users plenty of time to determine if they are willing to pay for additional storage beyond the 15 GB cap or find photo storage solutions elsewhere. Further, any photos and documents you upload before June 1, 2021, will not count against the 15 GB cap. The cap will come into effect with files uploaded after this date. Additionally, it is worth noting that the existing storage is only unlimited for ‘high quality’ files, not ‘original quality’ files. Google has long been compressing photos and videos as part of its unlimited storage program.
Image credit: Google
As The Verge points out, the change takes away one of the best features of Google Photos. The website wrote an article in 2015 about the significance of Google Photos and how important the service’s storage solution proved to be.
Looking ahead to next June, how will Google Photos look relative to its primary competition with its 15 GB cap? As of now, Apple’s iCloud service offers only 5GB of free storage, so Google will maintain its advantage there. Google also claims that upwards of 80 percent of users won’t hit the new 15 GB cap for three years. For heavy users, a new alert system will help you stay aware of your free storage limit. Google offers a ‘personalized estimate’ to help users determine how long their storage will prove sufficient.
To help save space, Google Photos will incorporate tools allowing users to easily find and delete blurry and dark images. Image credit: Google
Google Photos will include new storage management tools, such as one that helps you locate photos you likely don’t want to keep long term. Google states, ‘This tool will help you review the memories you want to keep while also surfacing shots you might prefer to delete, like dark or blurry photos or large videos.’ Perhaps Google’s machine learning will come into play here as well, letting you find and delete more specific images.
If you own a Google Pixel smartphone and currently store images in ‘high quality’, today’s announcement doesn’t impact you. Google says that ‘Photos and videos uploaded in High quality from [Pixel 1-5 devices] will continue to be exempt from this change, even after June 1, 2021.’
For users needing more than 15 GB of storage, Google will be heavily pushing its Google One membership. Image credit: Google
If you want to continue to use Google Photos for your photo/video backup needs and need more than 15 GB, plans through Google One will start at $ 1.99 USD per month for 100 GB of storage plus additional benefits
The United States Navy Blue Angels have flown their last flight with their F/A-18A/B/C/D ‘Legacy’ Hornet aircrafts, which are being fazed out for the new F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. To commemorate the farewell flight of the 34-year-old planes, the U.S. Navy has released cockpit video and an array of images.
The final flight occurred yesterday, November 4, over the Hornet’s hometown of Pensacola, Florida, just as the sun was setting on the Florida coastline. Over the winter, the U.S. Navy flight demonstration team will enter its training period with 18 new F/A-18E/F jets that have been specifically modified for use by the Blue Angels, before showing off the new, larger ‘Super Hornets’ next year at its first show in Pensacola. The Drive has a fantastic deep dive into the modifications the U.S. Navy is making to the new Super Hornets for those of you interested in learning more.
An illustration showing the flight path of the Blue Angels’ final flight in the Legacy Hornet jets.
Below is a gallery of images from the final demonstration with the Legacy Hornet squadron, provided by the U.S. Navy:
The Blue Angels demonstration team is a popular attraction for photographers at airshows around the world, with their incredible coordination, dizzying moves and near-flawless execution. You can read more about the U.S. Navy’s shift to the Super Hornet on Navy Times.
Image credits: Photos courtesy of the United States Navy.
DJI has unveiled the DJI Mavic Mini 2, a second-generation compact drone that keeps the same look as its predecessor while improving performance in key areas.
On the outside, the DJI Mavic Mini 2 looks almost indistinguishable from the Mavic Mini. It features the same 249g weight (1g under the 250g weight limit that requires you to register the drone with the United States Federal Aviation Authority (FAA)), the same white livery and the same fold-up design that makes is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
Meet DJI Mini 2. With a 4K camera and OcuSync 2.0, Mini 2 is the perfect drone to make your moments fly – and yes, it still weighs less than 249 g.
Inside, however, the drone has received a number of updates, both in hardware and software. At the heart of the camera onboard the Mavic Mini 2 is a 1/2.3-inch sensor that can capture 12-megapixel photos and 4K/30p video at 100Mbps. In addition to the new 4K video capabilities, the Mavic Mini 2 can also capture Raw photos—something the Mavic Mini wasn’t capable of. When shooting video in 1080p, users can now zoom in 2x with lossless quality and 4x via digital zoom.
The Mavic Mini 2 now has DJI’s OcuSync 2.0 transmission technology, which increases transmission range by 150% compared to the Mavic Mini for a maximum line-of-sight range of 10km (6.2m). Upgraded motors in the Mavic Mini also improve the flight time, acceleration, top speed and wind resistance (capable of withstanding winds up to 38.6kmph (24mph).
No new sensors have been added, but that means the Mavic Mini 2 retains the basic vision and positioning sensors on the bottom of the device to help map out the terrain for the assisted landing function. Likewise, DJI’s array of safety features, including geofencing, Return to Home and Altitude lock are present.
The Mavic Mini 2 comes with a number of pre-programmed shooting modes for quick setting changes that make it easier to track subjects and apply movements with minimal user input. Below are the descriptions for each of the pre-programmed shooting modes:
QuickShots: Pre-programmed movements and image capture modes.
Dronie: DJI Mini 2 flies backward and upward, with the camera tracking your subject. Set a height limit of 40, 60, 80, 100, or 120 ft.
Helix: DJI Mini 2 flies upward and away, spiraling around your subject. Set a height limit of 40, 60, 80, 100, or 120 ft.
Rocket: DJI Mini 2 flies straight up into the air with the camera pointing downward following your subject. Set a height limit of 40, 60, 80, 100, or 120 ft.
Circle: DJI Mini 2 will circle around your subject at a constant altitude and distance.
Boomerang: DJI Mini 2 flies a boomerang-like oval flight path around your subject, starting and stopping video in the same place.
Panoramas: Capture a wider perspective with select pano modes.
Sphere: DJI Mini 2 automatically captures twenty-six images and stitches them together for a crystal-clear image.
180°: Captures seven photos for sweeping landscape images.
Wide-Angle: Captures a wide 3×3 image consisting of nine images.
Image modes: Different photo modes for different scenarios.
AEB Triple Shot: Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) takes three images of varying exposure and merges them for a vivid image. This can be edited further to bring out a High Dynamic Range (HDR) image in post-processing.
Timed Shots: Give yourself a few extra seconds before taking that photo with timed shots.
Additional accessories available for the Mavic Mini 2 include a 360-degree propeller guard, a DJI mini bag, a charging display case, a DIY creative kit for customizing the look of the Mavic Mini and a snap adapter for attaching an LED screen to the top of the drone.
The DJI Mavic Mini 2 surrounded by its optional accessories.
The basic DJI Mavic Mini 2 drone is available to purchase from the DJI online store and authorized DJI retailers for $ 449 while the Fly More Combo, which includes the Mavic Mini 2, three batteries, a charging hub, a carrying case and a remote control for $ 599. You can read our full review as well:
Winners of All About Photo’s AAP Magazine #13 Shapes competition
Earlier this month All About Photo selected 25 photographers from 11 countries as winners of its “Shapes” competition. Winning images appear in the 13th edition of AAP Magazine, which can be purchased here. The subject matter displayed in these works illustrates shapes and patterns found in place settings, architecture, abstractions, and more.
The top 3 winners, who were rewarded a $ 1,000 cash are as follows:
First place winner: JP Terlizzi (United States) Second place winner: Wendel Wirth (United States) Third place winner: Klaus Lenzen (Belgium)
The remaining mentions, whose images also appear in print alongside the winners are: Maureen Ruddy Burkhart (United States), Zak van Biljon (Switzerland), Hyun De Grande (Belgium), Hans Wichmann (Germany), Steven Raskin (United States), Fabrizio Spucches (Italy), Deborah Bay (United States), Donell Gumiran (United Arab Emirates), Marcus Trappaud Bjørn (Denmark), Kevin Lyle (United States), Songyuan Ge (China), Nicola Ducati (Italy), Axel Breutigam (Canada), Frank Lynch (Switzerland), Barry Guthertz (United States), Karine Coll (France), Francesco Pace Rizzi (Italy), Abdulla AL-Mushaifri (Qatar), Rosario Civello (Italy), Ursula Reinke (Germany), Golnaz Abdoli (United States) and Don Jacobson (United States).
All About Photo is currently accepting entries for their Solo Competition.
1st Place Winner: ‘Marchesa Camellia with Rhubarb’ by JP Terlizzi (United States)
Artist Statement About the Series: The Good Dishes integrates memory, legacy and metaphor with my response to loss. As I witness an early generation of family members pass, my cousins and I were each faced with the emotional task of cleaning out the family home. Sorting through the heirlooms, we would determine which items to toss, sell or preserve. Without fail, when it came to the family’s fine china, that item was always given to the person that most cherished its memory and sentimental value.
Growing up in a large Italian family, everything was centered around food and the family table. I remember vividly my mother’s vintage marigold stoneware dishes that she bought at the grocery store back in the early 1970s. She used them every day for as long as I could remember, and they had a life of their own. Along with my mother’s everyday dishes she had one set that she kept on display behind glass that only she handled, only she washed, and only she hand-dried; these were deemed ‘the good dishes.’ Whenever I heard, ‘I need to use the good dishes,’ that meant one of two things in our household: the priest was coming over for dinner or it was a very special occasion. Either way, the food presentation, table dress and table manners all changed whenever ‘the good dishes’ came out.
Eating is a physical need, but meals are a social ritual. Utilizing the passed down heirlooms of friends and family, The Good Dishes celebrates the memory of family and togetherness. It borrows the stylized rituals of formal tableware and draws inspiration from classic still life paintings. Background textiles are individually designed and constructed to reflect patterns found in each table setting while presentation, etiquette and formality are disassociated by using food and fine china in unconventional ways as metaphors for the beauty and intimacy that are centered around meal and table.
2nd Place Winner: ‘Wood III’ by Wendel Wirth (United States)
?Artist Statement: In the winter months, the muted horizon parades elemental forms; barns and grain elevators, cow houses, cowsheds, granges as they have been called.
3rd Place Winner: ‘Architecture Minimal I’ by Klaus Lenzen (Germany)
Artist Statement: The photo shows the contours of a cooking plant, seen in Duisburg in the Ruhr area in the western part of Germany.
Merit: ‘Triangle Theorem’ by Deborah Bay (United States)
?Artist Statement: Image from the Traveling Light series exploring the interaction of light and color with optical objects. The series follows in a long lineage of experimental studies that investigate the most elemental components of photographic processes: light and lenses.
Merit: ‘Working Class Virus’ by Fabrizio Spucches (Italy)
Artist Statement: Under the umbrella of Corona Virus, current matters such as integration, global warming, conspiracy theory, ecology are depicted through a series of portraits.
Merit: ‘City Waves’ by Hans Wichmann (Germany)
Artist Statement: Skyscraper in Vienna/Austria photographed upwards with light from the side. Edited with hard contrasts in Photoshop. The sky was photographed separately and then inserted.
Merit: ‘Untitled’ by Hyun De Grande (Belgium)
Artist Statement: Attendre dans l’espace de rien (wait in the space of nothing).
Merit: ‘City Center, Las Vegas, NV’ by Axel Breutigam (Canada)
Artist Statement: Buildings and structures are fascinating to me, in particular, modern and contemporary designs.
Exploring a building from all possible angles of view and finding the parts of the structure which lead to another layer of abstraction is what I am seeking visually. To do so it is often necessary to give space and put things into a reductive perspective.
Merit: ‘Shape of Desert’ by Donell Gumiran (United Arab Emirates)
?Artist Statement: Liwa Desert lies 155 miles Southwest of Abu Dhabi, and about 62 miles south of the Arabian Gulf. It’s at the edge of the Rub’ al-Khali, aka the Empty Quarter – a 255,000 square-mile desert that has more sand in it than the Sahara. The area has an assortment of villages and farms – situated along the top of the T – in the midst of the ‘endless landscape of undulating sand shape dunes.’
NASA has released pictures taken by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft that show the moment it touched down on the Bennu asteroid 200 million miles from Earth. The craft left Cape Canaveral a little over four years ago with the aim of intersecting the asteroid, and landed on the surface within three feet of the intended target on 20th October.
As the craft approached the asteroid its SamCam camera captured images at a rate of one every 1.25 seconds, recording the successful touch-down and the lift-off just six seconds later. While in contact with the surface OSIRIS-Rex used its Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) arm to collect samples of materials which it will bring back to Earth for analysis in March next year. The arm blasts the surface with pure nitrogen to force materials into the collecting chamber with the target of bringing back 60g of samples.
The aim of the mission and the sample collection is to help scientists learn more about the creation of the solar system and to see if organic molecules like those that make-up life on Earth can be detected. NASA says the value of this mission will be that it will be able to study materials that haven’t been subjected to the harsh process of entering the Earth’s atmosphere.
‘The O in OSIRIS-REx stands for Origins – understanding the origins of the solar system, which includes the origin of life on Earth. Bennu, the target of the OSIRIS-REx mission, will help us answer important astrobiology questions such as the role asteroids may have played in delivering life-forming compounds to Earth. It is a primitive carbonaceous asteroid that holds the record of our solar system’s earliest history.’
SamCam is only one of three cameras attached to the craft, the others being PolyCam which has an 8in telescope and was responsible for spotting the asteroid, and MapCam which checks the area on which the craft is to land.
The 82-image timelapse of the touch-and-go event shown here was taken over a five minute period, beginning when the craft was 82 feet from the surface and ending when it had backed away to 43 feet. It’s very cool but I have to say, if I’d driven all that way I would have shot it in color!
Here’s a video about how the craft approached the asteroid and mapped out the landing site.
For more information on the OSIRIS-REx mission visit the NASA website.
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