Behind the Viral Photo of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Daughter

#editorial #news #spotlight #judge #judgeketanjibrownjackson #newyorktimes #sarabethmaney #storybehindthephoto #storybehindtheshot #viral #viralphoto

Behind the Viral Photo of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Daughter

#editorial #news #spotlight #judge #judgeketanjibrownjackson #newyorktimes #sarabethmaney #storybehindthephoto #storybehindtheshot #viral #viralphoto

Behind the Viral Photos of Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars

#culture #editorial #news #assault #briansnyder #chrisrock #howitwasshot #oscar #slap #storybehindthephoto #viral #willsmith

How One Photo Changed the Lives of a Refugee Father and Son

#editorial #news #spotlight #handicap #lucaventuri #mehmetaslan #photoawards #photocompetition #photocontest #sienainternationalphotoawards #storybehindthephoto

‘The Stolen Scream’: Photographer Creates, Internet Copies, NFT Reclaims

#culture #news #copyrightinfringement #infringement #keevo #nft #ngrapht #noamgalai #phototheft #storybehindthephoto #thestolenscream

Photographer Spots His Doppelganger in a John Lennon Poster

When I first saw the photograph, I was a bit confused. One was Beatle John Lennon because his name was written in bold, but who was the other similar-looking person?

Well, it’s New York photographer Eric Kogan who is often traveling by foot in Manhattan. He loves street photography as it engages him with his surroundings, and he can see something new even in mundane or familiar places.

On the afternoon of October 25, 2020, Kogan was running errands. John Lennon was not on his mind at all when he dressed up to leave his house. New York was on a COVID-19 lockdown and how he looked or dressed was not of any concern.

At Houston Street near West Broadway in Manhattan, an intersection he passed very frequently, Kogan suddenly stopped in his tracks and did a double-take. Oh, yes, it was John Lennon, but…why does Lennon suddenly look so familiar? Of course, he spotted a resemblance for the first time!

“Seeing his portrait made me take a step back and have a good look at myself,” remembers Kogan of that day over a year ago. “I was alone at the time–which was good because I don’t think I would’ve embraced the moment as much as I did if I were in company–and it made me remove my mask to study my face.

“It felt like years had passed since I saw myself from the side and looked at my profile, and what began as a quick and funny coincidence grew into a tedious image to get right. I took it from many angles before arriving at the one you see here.”

It was taken with his phone with his arm extended to keep this versatile camera out of the frame.

“Most of my street photography happens with a camera and a 35mm lens, but the focal length proved to be too narrow this time, so composing on another device felt like a new and engaging experience,” explains Kogan. “It was tricky because he was so large, printed at least 25X larger than life-size. Standing near it would dwarf me, so I fought to find the perfect distance where, thanks to the illusion of foreshortening, we appeared to be equal in scale.”

And so, a very uniquely interesting self-portrait or a double portrait was born!

Eric Kogan was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1985 and lives in New York City. Kogan’s first experience with photography came in his early teens with a position at a photography lab. His first duty was processing film. He recalls his first time working in absolute darkness as a light turning on in his head as the one in the room went off. Getting creative with the medium didn’t start until college. In 2004, a fine art photography course brought him back into a darkroom.

About the author : Phil Mistry is a photographer and teacher based in Atlanta, GA. He started one of the first digital camera classes in New York City at The International Center of Photography in the 90s. He was the director and teacher for Sony/Popular Photography magazine’s Digital Days Workshops. You can reach him here.

Image credit: Photograph by Eric Kogan

#news #spotlight #coincidence #doppelganger #erickogan #howitwasshot #philmistry #selfie #selfportrait #storybehindthephoto #streetphotography

Photographer Captures a ‘3-Headed Deer’ Optical Illusion

Wildlife photographer Renatas Jakaitis was shooting in the forests of Lithuania when he managed to capture this unusual optical illusion photo of a "three-headed deer."

The image may appear at first glance to be the result of some clever Photoshop editing, but it was actually the result of good luck and perfect timing.

The Story Behind the 3-Headed Deer Photo

Jakaitis, a 45-year-old photographer based in Kaunas County, was stealthily and patiently hiding in the woods of Penevezys County back in 2014 when this special unexpected moment occurred in front of his camera. He had been slowly working all day to get close enough to the skittish animals before the opportunity arrived to photograph them.

"I spent hours trying to sneak up on them, so they didn't know I was there," the photographer told the Daily Mail. "I think my camera shutter gave me away, as they quickly looked up when I started capturing them."

Three European fallow deer were walking in a single-file line through a path in the snow in their natural habitat when the sound of Jakaitis's camera shutter caught their attention and made them turn around to see what the source was. One deer looked over its left shoulder, the other looked over its right side, and the third looked straight over the middle, leading to the curious pose and illusion.

"I was watching the deer, which were stood together in a group," Jakaitis continued. "I knew that in most cases during the winter, the animals are walking in paths one after the other, so I followed a group of wild deer, and I expected there would be something I'd like to photograph.

"I could never have imagined however that these three deer would all turn at the same time and look at me, and make such a funny image. I didn't plan it, and I never even thought about taking a photo like this."

Wildlife photographer Renatas Jakaitis shooting in the snow with his Canon DSLR and telephoto lens.

Immediately after looking back and seeing Jakaitis with his Canon EOS 1D Mark III DSLR and Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM lens pointed at them, the deer turned and hurried away, quickly disappearing from view.

"They must have been camera shy," Jakaitis says.

A Happy Surprise While Reviewing Photos

Jakaitis actually did not realize what he had captured in the heat of the moment while shooting the photos -- it was only afterward that he noticed the illusion while going through the images he had shot.

"When I took the picture I didn't even notice it, it was only when I looked back at the images on my camera that I realized," the photographer tells the Mail. "I thought, 'That's incredible!'

"It's very funny and very interesting. My timing must have been spot on. Many people are astonished when they see it, and thought it must be some kind of trick."

You can find more of the photographer's work on Facebook.

Image credits: Photographs courtesy Renatas Jakaitis

#news #spotlight #animal #deer #nature #opticalillusion #renatasjakaitis #storybehindthephoto #wildlife #wildlifephoto #wildlifephotography

Photographing Canyonlands in 1988: Land of Standing Rocks

In 1991, near the end of some book projects that took me on some lengthy photographic journeys through the American West by car for two years, I came up with the idea of creating posters of some of my black and white images for a few of our western National Parks.

My idea was to provide park visitors with a choice instead of the commonplace color posters. Some of those color posters were excellent but I felt there was a large audience who appreciate black and white. My idea, which I pitched to some of my favourite parks, was to provide the visitors with a "fine art" visual interpretation in black and white.

My original attempts were met with great interest by the various Natural History Associations. Most were already familiar with my photography because of various photographic projects such as magazine articles, gallery/museum shows, or word-of-mouth. I had completed a colour slide show for Capitol Reef National Park a few years before, and my black and white work was already known by some Natural History executives of Canyonlands and Death Valley National Parks.

In this series written for the ELEMENTS Magazine, I am discussing most of these posters. I'll give technical information where my memory serves me correctly, aesthetic considerations and some highlights of making the photographs on the scene. Please join me on this journey through the past!

Land of Standing Rocks. Canyonlands National Park, UT, 1988

In 1988 I resolved to make the journey into the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park. I knew it was a long, rough, daunting drive but my 1970 Ford Bronco was in good shape. I had driven the notorious Elephant Hill and S.O.B. hill years before and experienced difficulties (S.O.B. hill claimed a piece of my taillight) mainly due to my lack of "off-road" driving experience and carburetor issues, but now I felt I had better driving skills and the Bronco was up for the challenge.

My assistant Al Callju and I began our drive from the road near Hite Marina with a full tank of gas. The road from this direction goes through the famed and extremely rough Teapot Canyon but bypasses the fearsome Flint Trail and Golden Stairs. Our ultimate destination was the Doll House camping area and a hike into the "Fins." The difficult Jeep trail did not disappoint as it was slow going all the way from Teapot Canyon to the Doll House.

About five miles before the Doll House camp area, we were on a high ridge looking down at the maze of sandstone canyons to the north. On topographic maps this area is known as the "Land of Standing Rocks" and rightfully so; there are standing rocks or buttes near the road and in the distance. I noticed some thunderhead clouds in the distance which appeared to be directly above Candlestick Tower in the Island in the Sky district to the north. I decided this might make a good photograph but there needed to be another element in the sky. Fortunately, a curved band of clouds appeared to be moving from left to right. I recognized the potential for a good photograph here, but the clouds were moving quickly. Too quickly! In panic mode I focused my 4×5 view camera, attached a yellow #8 Wratten filter to my Schneider 121mm Super Angulon lens, calculated the exposure, and shot the image on Tri-X film. I turned over the film holder and made a quick, hasty duplicate exposure but then noticed a jet trail had already moved into the subject area. I really didn't know if the first exposure was good or if the second exposure recorded much of the jet trail.

Back home after developing the film, I found the first exposure was perfectly composed but about a stop too dense. After attempting to print that negative unsuccessfully I decided to treat the negative in Farmer's Reducer, hoping to cut down the high density and yield a more printable negative. It worked, but on a different negative I noticed how the reduction action of Farmer's Reducer was unpredictably quick. At least I had a better negative, but I never used that procedure again.

Because of the nature of this subject the print is very difficult to make. In order to satisfy my vision for the print I currently use a series of pin-registered film contrast masks. I use two Shadow Contrast Increase Masks, a type 1 Fog Mask and a type 2 Fog Mask. This is in addition to substantial burning and dodging as well as varying the paper contrast grade through the masking and burning steps.

I made a mock-up of this image and presented it to the Canyonlands NHA. Fortunately, they liked it and it became a poster to represent the Maze District of the park. I grew to like the image more and more over the years and I feel that it's a good representation of the great American West.

The article courtesy of ELEMENTS Magazine. The ELEMENTS is the monthly magazine dedicated to elegant landscape photography, insightful editorials and fluid, clean design. Inside you will find an exclusive and in-depth articles and imagery by the best landscape photographers in the world such as Bruce Barnbaum, Christopher Burkett, Chuck Kimmerle, Christian Fletcher, Charlie Waite, Rachael Talibart, Erin Babnik and Freeman Patterson, to name a few. Use the PETAPIXEL10 code for a 10% discount off the annual subscription.

About the author: Lynn Radeka’s professional photography career spans more than 50 years. Influenced in his early work by Ansel Adams and Wynn Bullock, both of whom critiqued his prints, he continues to pursue a technical and aesthetic mastery of the medium of photography. His love of the grand landscapes and intimate details of the American West was born on his first trip to Death Valley in 1966.

#spotlight #analog #canyonlands #elements #elementsmagazine #film #filmphotography #fineartlandscapephotography #landscape #landscapephotographer #landscapephotography #lynnradeka #storybehindthephoto #storybehindtheshot #travel #utah

A Lucky Photo of an Unlucky Duck

I should go out and buy a lottery ticket. Last week, I took advantage of Nikon’s 10% off sale on refurbished gear to get a great deal on their 500mm f/5.6 PF lens. Did I need it? No. But I’ve been lusting over its compact size and light weight since it came out, so finally pulled the trigger and bought one.

Yesterday afternoon I wanted to try it out with my two Nikon teleconverters, the 1.4x and 2x (which would give me 700mm at f/8 and 1000mm at f/11), so headed to a nearby lake to see if I could find some birds.

While sitting there waiting for a cormorant to do something, this happened: an adult bald eagle swooped in a grabbed a ring-necked duck from the water.

I can’t tell you how many miles and hours I put into photographing eagles last year, and this was 20-minutes from my house. Nothing like being lucky!

I was using my Nikon D500 and that lens with the Nikkor TC-14e III teleconverter for this photo, which gave me 700mm of focal length. As usual, I was in Aperture Priority with an ISO of 250, and 1/800 second at f/8 and EV 0.0.

If I’d had any idea I’d be shooting fast action, I would have raised my ISO for a higher shutter speed (the shots of it grabbing the duck from the water were blurred). I guess I’ll have to get the eagle to come back and do it again! Of course, finding another duck to play the same role will probably be more difficult.

About the author : Reed Hoffmann is a professional photographer and photography educator based in Kansas City. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. Hoffmann's career spans 30 years, and his clients have included USA Today, Getty Images, The New York Times, The Associated Press, One Ocean Expeditions, NBC, Children’s Mercy Hospital, EPA, Reuters, Nikon, Lexar, Lowepro, Eco-Challenge, and Mark Burnett Productions. You can find more of his work on his website, Facebook, and Instagram. This article was also published here.

#features #duck #eagle #lucky #reedhoffman #rightplacerighttime #storybehindthephoto #storybehindtheshot #wildlife

Dunes and Clouds: Photographing Symmetry in the Desert

In 1991, near the end of some book projects that took me on some lengthy photographic journeys through the American West by car for two years, I came up with the idea of creating posters of some of my black and white images for a few of our western National Parks.

My idea was to provide park visitors with a choice instead of the commonplace color posters. Some of those color posters were excellent but I felt there was a large audience who appreciate black and white. My idea, which I pitched to some of my favorite parks, was to provide the visitors with a "fine art" visual interpretation in black and white.

My original attempts were met with great interest by the various Natural History Associations. Most were already familiar with my photography because of various photographic projects such as magazine articles, gallery/museum shows, or word-of-mouth. I had completed a color slide show for Capitol Reef National Park a few years before, and my black and white work was already known by some Natural History executives of Canyonlands and Death Valley National Parks.

In this four-part series written for the ELEMENTS Magazine , I am discussing most of these posters (Read parts one and two). I'll give technical information where my memory serves me correctly, aesthetic considerations and some highlights of making the photographs on the scene. Please join me on this journey through the past!

Dunes and Clouds

The third poster I made for Death Valley is Dunes and Clouds. This was the second dunes image that was made into a poster. The Park thought my first image did not show the expansive range of the dune environment, so I proposed making a new image. I got up before sunrise at the Stovepipe Wells campground, drove a short distance, packed up my 4×5 camera which I routinely fit into my backpack for short to medium distance hikes (with the front and rear stages disconnected to fit), set my heavy Bogen tripod across the top, hung my trusty viewing cut-out card from the tripod head, and trekked into the dunes.

Shortly after sunrise I found this interesting symmetrical composition. The dunes were not sufficient to make this an expressive image but the clouds, filling the sky with patterns contrary to the foreground sand ripples, and even some clouds echoing the sand ripples, immediately made this the image I had to make. My records indicate I used a graduated ND filter in the lens shade hoping to reduce the brightness of the sky and clouds, bringing them under control in the negative. I made the exposure on TMax 100 film just as a slight breeze got up. I decided to expose a sheet of Ektachrome 4×5 color transparency film. Just as I finished the color exposure, the wind became fierce, whipping sand into my face and onto the camera. I hastily put the camera into my backpack, which was no easy task in the now raging sandstorm! I could barely see, squinting to prevent the sand particles from getting in my eyes. On the way back to the car I had to lean against the blowing wind and sand to maintain my balance.

I developed the negative N+1 (over-develop) to increase contrast, knowing that the graduated neutral density filter would prevent the clouds from blowing out and losing detail. I was surprised to see minimal dust spots on the film, and the exposure was excellent! All the desired image values were recorded well on the film. Even so, this was a difficult print to make. The values were uneven, so substantial burning and dodging had to be done to achieve a well-balanced clean image (something I feel is necessary for a symmetrical composition like this).

I showed a mock-up to the Park personnel and was given the "thumbs up" for a sand dunes poster. Fortunately, the poster was relatively easy to print. Using a high-density black ink and pms409 grey ink (which the printers nicknamed "Radeka Grey"), on glossy paper, it was mainly a matter of printing with enough black density to yield a visually satisfying image. My trilogy of posters for Death Valley was complete!

The article is courtesy ofELEMENTS Magazine. ELEMENTS is a monthly magazine dedicated to elegant landscape photography, insightful editorials and fluid, clean design. Inside you will find an exclusive and in-depth articles and imagery by the best landscape photographers in the world such as Bruce Barnbaum, Christopher Burkett, Chuck Kimmerle, Christian Fletcher, Charlie Waite, Rachael Talibart, Erin Babnik and Freeman Patterson, to name a few. Use the PETAPIXEL10 code for a 10% discount off the annual subscription.

_About the author: Lynn Radeka’s professional photography career spans more than 50 years. Influenced in his early work by Ansel Adams and Wynn Bullock, both of whom critiqued his prints, he continues to pursue a technical and aesthetic mastery of the medium of photography. His love of the grand landscapes and intimate details of the American West was born on his first trip to Death Valley in 1966.

Lynn Radeka’s Black and White photography has been featured in eight National Park posters and is represented by several galleries throughout the United States and Europe. He also has the honor of being a featured photographer in the recent book publication "World's Top Photographers: Landscape." Lynn Radeka currently leads photography workshops in Death Valley, Utah and New Mexico with many more locations planned for the near future._

#inspiration #analog #deathvalley #desert #elements #elementsmagazine #film #filmphotography #fineartlandscapephotography #landscape #landscapephotographer #landscapephotography #lynnradeka #storybehindthephoto #storybehindtheshot #travel