nex·us | \ ˈnek-səs \ :  CONNECTION, LINK a connected group

“There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.” ~Ernst Haas

The Sad Clown (aka Un Chien Andalou_Ode to Dali & Bunuel).
© Kimberly Schneider

Belly Dancer, © Richard Petronio

Color photography, as it is practiced today, has been with us for so long that it is hard to grasp that it was only released in 1935. Like digital, it took time for color photography to be accepted by the photo community at large. Very few professionals took it seriously. It took photographers such as William Eggleston, Saul Leiter, and Ernst Haas to show how it could be used.

One of the most influential pioneers of color photography was Ernst Haas. Beginning his career in 1946 at the age of 25, Haas was quickly accepted in the circle of ground-breaking photographers such as Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa.

Even though color photography was not taken seriously by the photo greats of the time, Haas refused to compromise his vision, saying that he saw the world in color and that is how he would record it.

During his lifetime, Haas' work had a profound influence on color photography and those who practiced it. His pioneering use of narrow depth of field, blurred motion, and selective focus, as well as slow shutter speeds, define him as a maverick who was not bound by the conventions of his time.

Ernst Haas

Think Tank co-founder, Deanne Fitzmaurice, has created a podcast / interview series in which she connects with some of the amazing photographers she's gotten to know over the course of her career to talk about how they got started in photography, the pivotal moments along their journeys, the backstories behind some of their most iconic photos, the projects they're most excited about right now, and to offer some advice for photographers just starting out.

The first in the series is an interview with award-winning, National Geographic, conservation photographer, Ami Vitale.

Venture-Observe-Connect

© Emily Sheffer

Photography is about communication. Your images express who you are and how you see the world in which you live. It begins with recognizing a moment in time and space and recording it in your camera. But it doesn't end until you share your vision on social networking, enter a competition, or hang it in a gallery.

Promoting your work is the most difficult thing most photographers do. To help and encourage you, LensCulture asked their network of photography industry professionals to offer their advice on photo competitions, portfolio reviews, and marketing for photographers.

Guide for Emerging Talent

Luna Sea, Lincoln City, Oregon, 2023. © Steve Anchell
iPhone 14 Pro with HDR

There's more to taking good pictures than just pointing and shooting. Here are five tips for better cell phone photography.

Tip #1
Avoid direct sunlight. Your subjects will be cooler and more attractively lit if they don’t have a sunbeam hitting them in the face. If it’s an overcast day, you’re in luck.

Tip #2
Stabilize your camera phone. In low light, camera phones slow the shutter speed to let in more light and have a longer opportunity to capture movement. Hold the camera phone with both hands and brace your upper arms against your body when you shoot.

Tip #3
Use the rule of thirds. When composing a picture, imagine two horizontal lines and two vertical lines crossing like a tic-tac-toe grid on top of it. Place strong lines and divisions like the horizon on the gridlines and let elements of interest fall on the intersections.

Tip #4
When the background of your picture is cluttered and the lighting is questionable, fill the frame of your camera phone by moving in closer to your subject.

Tip #5
Anticipate shutter lag. Get used to your camera phone’s timing so that when something interesting happens, you’ll have a good feel for the point when you need to press the shutter release to capture the most interesting moment.

Waves. © 2023 Ken Konchel

Deadline: October 24, 2023

The Chelsea International Photography Competition celebrates gifted, notable, and fresh talents in the world of photography. Professional and amateur photographers, at any stage of their careers, are invited to participate in the competition to be discovered and promoted professionally in the heart of New York’s art district.

With awards valued at more than $55,000, the CIPC aims to promote and showcase extraordinary and innovative art.

Chelsea Competition

Two Brothers. © Michael Knapstein

​DEADLINE: September 24, 2023

FotoNostrum Barcelona will once again host the exhibition featuring selected images from this edition of the Pollux Awards.

FotoNostrum has exhibited the creations of numerous artists who were recognized in previous editions of The Pollux and The Julia Margaret Cameron Awards. The gallery in Barcelona has served as the stage for a variety of exhibitions, featuring both emerging talents such as Rita Silen and masters such as Steve McCurry, Helmut Newton, Gideon Lewin, Richard Avedon, and Robert Doisneau. Through these exhibitions, FotoNostrum has cultivated a robust international presence and garnered significant recognition.

Don't miss the chance to submit your best work to this call for entries and be a part of the prestigious FotoNostrum community.

All selected award-winning photographs will be showcased in the pages of the FotoNostrum Magazine.

Pollux Awards

Nude and Ruined Sofa. © Albert George

The nude form has been portrayed in art throughout history, from the classical era to the enlightenment and the modern era. The nude figure in western art–specifically in photography–has expressed ideals of female and male beauty along with other human qualities including life, energy, and an array of complicated human emotions.

Praxis Gallery seeks the submission of photographic works that explore the nude in any of its varied styles including figure studies, environmental nudes and implied nudes–just to name a few of the many iterations of this genre. All capture types, genres, black & white and color, traditional and non-traditional photographic and digital post-production processes are welcome for submission.

Nude Geographies

Vaquero, Trinidad, Cuba, 2022. © Steve Anchell
iPhone 14 Pro; app: Tintype

The iPhone is one more tool in your toolbox. Beginning with the iPhone 12 the quality of the images has reached a level of excellence that rivals many handheld cameras, with the added benefit of creative apps you can use to expand and enhance your vision.

Most photographers are using less than 10% of their iPhone's potential. There are more controls available on the iPhone than most people are aware of. These include timelapse photography, hyperlapses, cinematic videos, slo-mo, live photos, loop & bounce videos, long exposure, motion blur, night mode, portrait mode, panos, selective focus, external lights, gimbals, and more!

If you want to discover the FULL potential of your iPhone camera join me on this 5-week online course, "Getting the Most From Your iPhone." Each session will be live and one hour in duration. You will be able to ask for clarification and ask questions during the course.

Each session will cost $100. If you register for all five you will receive a discount.

Using your iPhone Camera is not yet posted on my website. If you are interested in attending send me an email as enrollment is limited. The dates in 2024 will be announced.

Keep Me Posted

The Three Muses. © Steve Anchell
Holga Camera with flash and light leak.

September 13 to 15, 2024

Limited Enrollment

Sooner or later all artists begin to repeat themselves, their work, however good it might be, becomes predictable. When this happens, and it does for all of us, the way to reawaken your vision is to try something new.

Photography is dependent on technology, whether it is film or digital. Are you always using a Leica? Do you only use a Fujifilm digital camera? Are your images always sharp and in focus? Time to shake up your game.

In September 2024 we will spend one weekend photographing in the streets of Rome with a plastic Holga film camera. During the weekend we will develop the film using a Lab-Box and digitize it for enlarging and printing, creating images that are a melding of the best of film and digital.

You will be amazed at how this will change your vision and how much fun you will have.

As part of your tuition, you will receive a Holga camera.

The weekend workshop will be sponsored by ars-imago, a premier camera store in Rome. "Holga Weekend in Rome" is not yet posted on my website. If you are interested in attending send me an email as enrollment is limited.

Keep Me Posted

Siena, Italy

September 16 to 23, 2024

If you want to extend your stay in Italy and maximize your experience, immediately following HOLGA weekend we will have a free day in Rome before departing by train for the historic city of Siena in Tuscany. We will spend three days photographing in Siena and in the countryside. We will then depart for three days in Florence, home of Michaelangelo’s “David” and one of the world’s largest churches, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Florence is also known as an art lover’s paradise. On the last day of the workshop, we will take the train back to Rome.

If you enroll in Tale of Two Cities and HOLGA Weekend you will receive a discount on both workshops. "A Tale of Two Cities" is not yet posted on my website. If you are interested in attending send me an email as enrollment is limited.

Keep Me Posted