Category Archives: Photography

Artists such as painters, photographers and musicians often speak of the creative urge or passion – the sudden and overwhelming compulsion to create in their chosen medium. For Lungelo Ngubane, it’s photography.

In a previous interview with IOL Business, Ngubane said he redid matric at the age of 25 to improve his physical sciences results.

Yet, the creative urge had not left the Newcastle-born professional photographer, and he opted for a creative career instead of going into STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).

Enrolled at Vega School for a high certificate in videography and photography this year, Ngubane said he had always wanted to pursue the course to gain more knowledge and master his craft.

‘’It is my dream as I am unlocking my more creative side. I am very excited but, in the same breath, I am stressed about where I am going to get the funding for my studies,’’ he said.

Ngubane said he hoped to get a sponsorship or financial aid.

He had been contacting anybody and everybody who might assist with his tuition.

‘’If I don’t manage to acquire financial aid, another option I am looking at is that of seeking a job so that I may be able to pay it myself. I am even willing to work multiple jobs if necessary to achieve my goal.’’

Photography has been his passion since childhood.

‘’I had the burning desire to capture beautiful and timeless moments. I could always see the picture in my mind’s eye before I took it.

‘’Even before I could get my hands on an actual camera or smartphone, I was curious about the outcome of such a creation. I would borrow people’s phones and explore capturing and editing images. Then, I sought out phones with the best cameras and it proceeded from there.’’

Ngubane said he had taken numerous photographs he was proud of. One of them, a more recent one, of a cow, was his favourite.

The picture defined 2022 for him, he said, as it spoke volumes and resonated with him because of the power it exuded.

‘’I can’t even put it into words because it’s a picture I randomly took with my iPhone 7+. I was in a rural area at my lowest point and I was very depressed but, somehow, that image gave me hope.’’

“Serious art is born from serious play. Survival lies in sanity, and sanity lies in paying attention. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention. Progress, not perfection, is what we should be asking of ourselves. Creativity occurs in the moment, and in the moment we are timeless,’’ wrote Julia Cameron in her book, ‘’The Artist’s Way’’.

Ngubane draws inspiration from other photographers, among them Austin Malema and Trevor Stuurman, and is fascinated with the individual perspectives from which they capture the world.

His favourite international photographer is Jacob Webster who takes pictures of acclaimed rapper and singer Doja Cat.

“His work speaks to me; I love how he uses Photoshop, and takes Doja’s photos. There is a difference between just taking pictures and understanding the subject, model or muse that you’re working with.’’

Although he looks up to the creatives, the young man said he wanted to pave his own way and focus on his artistic style.

Ngubane added that he would chase his dream, achieve financial freedom and pass the torch by helping students who wanted guidance.

He urged those who also wanted to pursue photography to ask themselves whether they have the passion for it, a keen eye for photos and a different way of thinking that could set them apart from the rest of the pack.

‘’You should not want to mimic or imitate other people’s work. You need to see the beauty of your surroundings or human beings. People have perfect imperfections, find the creative inspiration in that.“

IOL Business

At the beginning of the year we announced the Camera Jabber Photographer of the Year (CJPOTY) competition which takes place over the 12 months of 2023. Now we’re ready to reveal the fabulous panel of judges who will award the overall prizes at the end of the year, they are:

Benedict Brain – Photographer, journalist & Sigma ambassador
Sophie Collins – Chief Marketing Office at MPB, Trustee of Royal Photographic Society
Donna Crous – Food photographer, author, Nikon Europe ambassador and Rotolight Master of Light
Ross Hoddinott – Landscape photographer, wildlife photographer, author, tutor, conservationist
Tracy Marshall-Grant – Arts Director, curator and producer
Denise Maxwell – Multi-genre photographer and lecturer
Carolyn Mendelsohn – Artist and portrait photographer
Paul Sanders – fine art photographer
Jemella Ukaegbu – Photographer & founder of UK Black Female Photographers (UKBFTOG)
Christina Vaughan – Founder of Cultura Creative, the home of inclusive stock photography

Here’s a more about each of our judges:

Benedict Brain

Sophie Collins

Donna Crous

Ross Hoddinott

Tracy Marshall-Grantt

Denise Maxwell

Carolyn Mendelsohn

Jemella Ukaegbu

Christina Vaughan

Paul Sanders

Entering Camera Jabber Photographer of the Year (CJPOTY)

The CJPOTY competition takes place over 12 months with a different theme each month. Every month the Camera Jabber team will pick one winning image and nine runners up. The photographer of the winning image will receive a voucher from MPB.com to the value of £500 which can be spent on anything from a huge range of kit from the World’s biggest platform for used photographic gear.

All 10 images selected each month then go into the shortlist (of 120) that will be judged by the esteemed panel of judges above. They will select the first, second and third-placed images. The photographer of the first-placed image overall, as decided by the judges, will receive a voucher to the value of £1000 from MPB.com as well as a trophy and the title ‘Camera Jabber Photographer of the Year 2024‘. The photographers who come second and third will receive vouchers worth £500 and £250 respectively.

This is the last day to enter the February round,the theme is ‘Close-up’ and we’ll be announcing the March theme tomorrow. You can submit up to three images for £2.00 plus payment processing costs (£0.26). To submit your entry visit cjpoty.com. 

Here are the 30 inspiring photos taken on the streets, as shared by this Instagram account “streetphotographersfdn”. Street photography is a style of photography that captures candid moments and scenes in public spaces, often depicting people, urban landscapes, and city life. It is characterized by its spontaneous and often unposed nature, capturing the unique energy and character of the streets.

The best street photographers always seek to capture the urban dwellings and the people living there from various perspectives. Turns out, there is an Instagram page called “Street Photographers” where various street photographers from all around the world gather together to share their magnificent shots. Here in this gallery you can find 30 best photos from that account.

Scroll below and inspire yourself. All photos are linked and lead to the sources from which they were taken. Please feel free to explore further works of these photographers on their collections or their personal sites.

More info about Street Photographers Foundation:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter

#1

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Caner Baser

#2

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Ilana Rose

#3

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Piergiorgio Branzi

#4

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Dave Paul Fusco

#5

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Jeremy Paige

#6

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: T. Shibata

#7

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Billy Dinh

#8

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Jovan

#9

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Vil Ravilov

#10

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Jl Taotao

#11

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Henri Cartier-Bresson

#12

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Henri Cartier-Bresson

#13

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Pedro Timo Lemmetti

#14

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Liu Heung Shing

#15

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: George Joe Tabacca

#16

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Steve McCurry

#17

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Mary Crnkovic Pilas

#18

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Cristina Rodero

#19

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Robert Doisneau

#20

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Tomas MD

#21

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Thanos

#22

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Paolo Tinari

#23

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Stan De Zoysa

#24

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Natali Voitkevich

#25

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Dev Reinhart

#26

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Don Scott

#27

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Sudharsan

#28

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Tavepong Pratoomwong

#29

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Rangefinderx

#30

Image source: Street Photographers Foundation

Photo By: Bruce Davidson

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Related Articles:

• Hard Core Street Photography (HCSP) Flickr Best Entries Of This Season
• Accidentally Brilliant Street Photography By Edas Wong
• Magic With Geometrical Patterns In Street Photography By Rupert Vandervell
• Winners & Finalists Of LensCulture 2021 Street Photography Awards

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Scroll down for your cheat sheet

Even if you’ve never changed the f-stop on your lens or through your camera, you’ve probably noticed this setting at some point. While its entirely possible to leave the camera to deal with this and never adjust it yourself, it’s arguably the most important thing to learn if you really want to take charge of your photography. 

Definition: What are f-stops?

Otherwise known as aperture size, the f-stop regulates the amount of light that can pass through a lens at a given shutter speed. Assuming nothing else changes, a small aperture (say f/16) will let in less light than a larger one (say f/4) , so it would take longer for the same quantity of light to pass through to the sensor. It works on the same principle as an hourglass, in that the size of the opening between the two chambers dictates how long a quantity of sand will pass from the top to the bottom.

So, the smaller the aperture, the longer the shutter speed you’ll need in a given scenario. You can see this for yourself by setting your camera to its Aperture priority mode and adjusting the aperture in either direction: the shutter speed should change with every click of the dial.

Something that confuses a lot of novice photographers is that small physical apertures have high f-stop numbers such as f/16 and f/22, while large (or ‘wide’) apertures have low f-stop numbers such as f/1.4 and f/2. The simple answer is that f/16 means one sixteenth, not sixteen. And f/4 is a quarter, not 4.

• Why do small apertures have large f-numbers?

F Stop cheatsheet

What the f-stop number refers to in fact is the width of the aperture opening – and you get this by dividing the focal length of the lens by the f-number. So with a 200mm focal length, an f/4 aperture has a diameter of 50mm (i.e. a quarter of 200mm)

So, what kind of impact does the f-stop, or aperture, have on your image? First, it has the potential to affect exposure, although whether it does so depends on the exposure mode you use. If you use the Manual mode, for example, and just change the aperture without also changing the shutter speed, your image will become darker or lighter depending on which you adjust this. In the Aperture priority mode, however, your camera will automatically adjust the shutter speed as you do this to keep the same balanced exposure at all times.

Whichever mode you use, changing aperture has an effect on depth of field. Depth of field concerns the extent to which different areas in the scene are rendered in focus, and a photographer will typically use a medium or small aperture to achieve more definition throughout. Depth of field does, however, also depend on other factors, such as where you focus in the scene. 

Read more: Cheat sheet: How to affect depth of field

There are issues with using both very small and very wide apertures, so you need to judge this from scene to scene to understand which setting is most appropriate. Wide apertures are great for isolating subjects from their backgrounds, but images can be softer at these settings due to an effect known as spherical aberration. 

Particularly wide apertures can also be tricky to use in bright conditions, as your camera may not be able to use a fast enough shutter speed to keep everything exposed correctly, which leads to overexposed images (unless you use an ND filter).

Small apertures, meanwhile, can make an effect known as diffraction more prominent, which also has a softening effect on images. These apertures are also harder to use when hand-holding a camera, as the smaller the aperture the longer the shutter speed you need – and at some point you simply won’t be able to hold it steady enough to produce a sharp image. Here, a tripod or an effective image stabilization system can help.

• More photography cheat sheets

• More photography tips

• Dictionary of photography terms

Take a good look at the sweet elderly lady artistically pictured above –  real or not real? It’s hard to tell, isn’t it? 

If you know anything about AI art generators already like openAI’s Dall-E, you probably know they can churn out fantastical art with frightening efficiency, but recently they have also been hitting the headlines for getting better at making photorealistic images, like a drone shot of surfers on a beach that won a photo contest.