March Showers Bring April Flowers: Walnut Creek Photo Of The Day

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WALNUT CREEK, CA — Patch reader Judy Mathieson sent in this lovely photo of a spring flower in Walnut Creek.

We looked up this pretty purple flower and it is called Cerinthe major Purpurascens, also known as Honeywort.

Thank you so much for sharing, Judy!

It’s Your Shot: Pictures You Take and We Share

Have you got the next incredible photo? If you have an awesome photo of nature, breathtaking scenery, kids caught being kids, a pet doing something funny or something unusual you happen to catch, we’d love to feature it on Patch. We’re looking for high-resolution images that reflect the beauty that is the East Bay, and that show off your unique talents.

So, bring ’em on. No selfies. Not here.

Send your photos to [email protected]. In your email, please be sure to include information about when and where the shot was taken and any other details about what was going on.

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American Soldier Photography | Index Magazine

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The mention of “Pedro” suggests the men were stationed at the Naval Air Base San Pedro, a Los Angeles facility in operation from 1927 to 1947. From the snapshot, we can glean little specific information about the identities of these men or the photographer. It is safe to assume, though, that one of them wrote the note to a family member, friend, or loved one to show how they were thriving, despite the everyday intensities of serving in the armed forces, probably far from home. The past tense of the handwritten text is striking, even if it might have been added retrospectively. Was their friendship confined to the navy ship? Was the writer mourning Patrick? What was their relationship like?

This image belongs to the vernacular genre of soldier photography, broadly defined in this article as photographs taken by soldiers who are not trained as photographers, or photographs by unidentified people that offer a window onto the experience of military service in an increasingly militarized world. While soldier photography is a global phenomenon that cuts across national boundaries and disparate settings of war and peace, this article concentrates on the American context, from roughly the 1860s to the 1960s.

This category of photographs served many social functions—from assuring loved ones of a soldier’s health and well-being, to showcasing their physical and emotional intimacies with peers, to accentuating their attractiveness and strength, to emphasizing their patriotism. The photographs can also operate as tools of state, reflecting the attitudes of the governments the soldiers serve. Over time, this genre became more professionalized, as evidenced by the Military Photographer of the Year Prize, awarded since 1960. It also became more diverse, particularly through its dissemination across social media in recent years.

A compulsion to perform soldiering—often inseparable from the desire to perform masculinity—tends to be the common denominator of the phenomenon of soldier photography, even if this takes many forms and sometimes turns on itself. Though this mixed, uneven, and patchy genre is infused with ideologies of the nation-state and constructs of white heterosexual virility, many images are sites of play, transgression, and questioning. In other words, the photographs are often more complex than they first appear.

Soldier Photography in the Collections: A Closer Look

In 2022, an archive of soldier photography was added to the Harvard collections through a generous gift from collector Peter Cohen. A selection of these photographs was recently on view in the galleries, in an installation related to the Black experience of military service.

Several examples of soldier photography, including those already in the museums’ photography collection and those from the Cohen gift, are explored below, as we trace the genre’s development.

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Just who is an undercover officer?

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Los Angeles police officers stand outside their department as crowds block Main and First Streets in downtown Los Angeles. ((Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times))


© (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles police officers stand outside their department as crowds block Main and First Streets in downtown Los Angeles. ((Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times))

As fallout continues around the Los Angeles Police Department’s release of undercover officers’ pictures, the question of who actually works undercover is far from settled.

Should it only be officers involved in the most sensitive assignments — embedded with drug cartels, terrorists and other criminal networks — who grow beards, dye hair, shed their identities?

Or should it also include those who only go undercover part time, busting johns who solicit sex or bartenders who sell alcohol to minors? And what about officers with fake online profiles?

The fraught and complicated issue of covert police activity has been made more so, as Los Angeles Police Department and police union officials try to claw back the images released in response to a March public records request. They argue that the danger such public photos present to officers who have assumed aliases to infiltrate the underworld overrides calls for transparency.

But some critics dismiss the LAPD’s claims as overblown and accuse the department of drumming up hysteria in the media as cover for its efforts to expand the definition of which officers’ identities should be kept from the public.

The photos’ release has raised fresh questions about just how much oversight there is of these undercover operations, given the LAPD’s “horrific history of spying” on and keeping lengthy dossiers on politicians, activists and others, said longtime civil rights attorney Carol Sobel.

“They had a Red Squad that infiltrated activist groups; the LAPD targeted the likes of Cesar Chavez [and former Mayor] Tom Bradley,” said Sobel. “To maintain their cover, undercover officers were known to have had sex with activists.”

The city released the images last fall in response to a public records request and related litigation by Knock LA journalist Ben Camacho. Camacho subsequently provided the images — complete with officers’ names, ethnicity, rank, date of hire, division/bureau and serial numbers — to the activist group Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, which published them online in mid-March.

Camacho has posted communications with city officials prior to the photos’ release in which they said the disclosure did not include any undercover officers. But after the photos were published last month, LAPD Chief Michel Moore and other officials began to suggest in news interviews that the photos of some undercover officers were accidentally released and posed a safety risk.

The disclosure has spawned several legal challenges, the most recent of which came last week when city officials filed a lawsuit against Camacho and Stop LAPD Spying over the photos’ publication. The city’s suit was roundly condemned by 1st Amendment and media rights experts who said it smacks of restrictions on free speech — particularly since the city itself provided the images.

Amid the unfolding controversy, LAPD officials have avoided the term “undercover.” Moore has repeatedly used the phrase “sensitive assignment” — a term that could encompass a broad variety of officers.

In a departmentwide email last week, Moore said he ordered an audit of officers in more sensitive roles whose personal information wouldn’t be released in the future. Certain roles, he wrote, “require this added level of anonymity to preserve officers’ safety and to ensure that investigations are not compromised if the identity of the employee as a police officer is revealed.”

“As employees of this Department and dedicated guardians of the City of Los Angeles, you deserve to feel protected and supported by your employer. I recognize that many of you feel that the Department did not meet this expectation. Apologies only go so far, and words must be followed by action,” Moore wrote.

He included a list of units and divisions whose officers’ photos would automatically be excluded from future public disclosures. Among them are: divisional narcotics enforcement details; vice units; gang enforcement details; the Gang and Narcotics Division; Major Crimes Division; Robbery-Homicide Division; Special Investigation Section; Special Operations Division; Crime Impact Team; Internet Crimes Against Children; all division or bureau-based surveillance teams; and officers who regularly serve on task forces.

Such exemptions could include officers working undercover only part time, Moore wrote.

Others who would be excluded from future public disclosures are officers who do online surveillance, work plainclothes details, conduct long-term investigations of violent offenders or networks, investigations that are of “such extraordinary or unusual nature that it creates an unprecedented level of threat to your safety.”

Also excluded, Moore wrote, are “any positions which require regular, repeated, or extended contact or exposure to violent criminal offenders, outside of the standard duties required of patrol officers” and “any position which would expose you to criminal offenders who have extensive financial and technological resources which could be used in retaliatory action against you or your family.”

A review of a recent LAPD roster shows there are at least 307 officers combined in the Gang and Narcotics, Robbery-Homicide, Major Crimes and Special Operations divisions alone. It was not immediately clear how many more are assigned to the other “sensitive” units mentioned in Moore’s email.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the Los Angeles Police Commission, William Briggs, commission president, said he remained concerned about the disclosure and asked Moore what was being done to ensure officers’ safety. He asked the department to look into whether “we can simply prohibit the release of certain identity information such as photographs because of the danger that it places department personnel in.”

After the meeting, Moore said in a news briefing that “to date, the vast majority of our operations, undercover operations included, have not been impacted by this.”

But, he added, “we know that the potentiality is there.”

Some longtime police observers said officials with the LAPD and Los Angeles Police Protective League have at times offered different definitions of what it means to be undercover officer.

“It’s anybody’s guess,” said Hamid Khan, of Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, a group that wants to abolish the Police Department and first published the photos on a website called, Watch the Watchers.

If anything, the department was using the controversy to be less transparent, Khan said, adding that this is particularly troubling given its history of surveillance of communities of color. Stop LAPD Spying tweeted Tuesday that the city appeared to be quietly deleting LAPD personnel rosters from its public data portal.

Khan said he doubted the city’s claims that officers’ lives were in danger because their photos were public. The site is only publishing information about officers that a judge ruled the public is entitled to — and not private data such as officers’ addresses, he said.

“Giving them the ability to retroactively redefine [undercover] is really dangerous,” said attorney Shakeer Rahman of the city’s lawsuit, which he called a clear attempt by officials to “intimidate community groups that are critical of LAPD.”

“One elected city attorney defines undercover in one way, and another comes in and says actually we’re going to define it much more narrowly,” said Rahman, who has represented both Camacho and Stop LAPD Spying in past legal actions against the city. “If they’re allowed to do that, that could really be ripe for abuse.”

Within the LAPD, officers who work in an undercover capacity generally fall into one of two tiers. Only about 50 or so officers are truly considered “off the books,” working on deep cover operations with outlaw biker gangs, terrorist groups or drug cartels. Their names are kept out of the department records and are known to only a handful of superiors. Most have changed their physical appearance and assumed fictitious identities, all the way down to a new driver’s license. Some are based outside the state.

Dozens, if not hundreds, more officers work in varying degrees of anonymity on a part-time basis, from doing low-level drug buys to running surveillance on chronic violent offenders. The department also maintains a secretive cadre of investigators, known as the Special Operations Division, which keeps an eye on other cops suspected of misconduct.

According to an LAPD training bulletin, undercover officers must submit detailed operational plans, outlining which department personnel and equipment will be involved and relevant information about the location, such as whether security bars or dogs are present.

Undercover officers are instructed to immediately identify themselves “and cooperate with any direction given by the uniformed officers and calmly explain the situation to the officers while continuing to follow instructions and commands.”

“More importantly, personnel assigned to UC [undercover] or surveillance operations should avoid making any sudden movements, which includes reaching for police identification. Such movements could easily be mistaken for a threatening gesture,” the bulletin says.

A former LAPD supervisor, who because of the nature of the work could not be named, said there are at least three dozen officers and detectives who have worked in the most sensitive types of investigation involving counter-terrorism. Such investigators usually work with other agencies with higher levels of security clearance, the supervisor said.

Dan Murphy, a consultant with the Minnesota-based firm 360 Security Services, said that photos spread online could be “potentially very dangerous to the lives and safeties” of undercover officers, who often go to great lengths to build and maintain their covers. To be effective, they have to earn the trust of the people they’re investigating — knowing that any whiff of their true identities could put them at risk.

“Underground criminal networks do a lot of work, they do a lot of background work, they make sure they know who they’re dealing with if they’re making money,” Murphy said. “There are many instances when [undercover officers] find themselves moving up the food chain in an organization, and they need to be covered in ways so that their identities can’t be revealed with a five-minute online search.”

An undercover LAPD veteran who regularly deals with Mexican drug cartels said they now use counter-surveillance. The cartels get photos and video of takedowns by the Police Department and its federal partners and compare the images to booking photos of suspects to identify undercover operatives. The release of officers’ photos makes that effort much easier, he said.

“This is the most serious compromise of undercover operations in decades,” said the investigator and supervisor. “We have had cartels come after specific detectives, but nothing like this that threatens so many of us. … They can put faces to names and compare images to those released.”

Murphy, a retired New York City Police Department detective sergeant who worked “many” undercover operations, said he recognizes that people don’t want to live in a “police state.” But, he thinks the push for “full transparency” around law enforcement ignores the fact that some investigations have to be carried out in secret to succeed.

Most police departments today have safeguards against abuses, having learned from past scandals in which questionable tactics eventually came to light, he said.

“If you make a criminal case, that all comes out in a courtroom,” he said.

Like most big-city departments, the LAPD has long maintained an intelligence-gathering wing.

In the 1980s, before Karen Bass became the L.A. mayor, she was part of a group of activists who — with the American Civil Liberties Union — sued then-Police Chief Daryl Gates and the LAPD for spying on them. In retaliation, Gates released information about Bass’ trips to Cuba and falsely asserted she had gone there to learn guerrilla warfare.

Until the program was shut down in the late 2010s, the department used to send undercover officers into schools to pose as students — a program that was popularized in the “21 Jump Street” TV show and movies.

But officers who conduct surveillance aren’t necessarily all undercover, said Sobel, the civil rights attorney.

“They order officers into uniform for all these large protests,” she said. “When they put officers in uniform at protests, it exposes them as officers.”

In 2019, the department drew fire after it was revealed that the LAPD’s Major Crimes Division sent an informant to secretly record the meetings of Refuse Fascism, an anti-Trump group. Civil rights advocates and other critics at the time blasted the department’s tactics for needlessly infringing on the group’s 1st Amendment rights, since it has rarely been linked to violence.

After that scandal, the LAPD implemented a series of reforms to provide oversight of such operations in the future, including requiring the approval from senior officials such as the president of the Police Commission.

But it’s exactly because of the department’s unchecked surveillance over its history that sites such as Watch the Watchers are needed, said Khan, of Stop LAPD Spying.

“For us, it’s extremely, extremely concerning about how vast this surveillance, spying and infiltration apparatus is,” he said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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K&F Concept Alpha 25L Backpack – Stylish new Photography and Videography Companion

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While your camera and lenses are undoubtedly your most important kit, a sturdy and reliable camera bag is also essential. The K&F Concept Alpha 25L Backpack looks to be a perfect solution for those who demand both style and functionality in their camera bag.

With its sleek and stylish design, the K&F Concept Alpha 25L Backpack is the perfect accessory for any photography or videography shoot. This backpack is stylish and practical and available in three different colours – yellow, grey, and black. Its exclusive magic bin design allows for a customizable 5:5 or 2:8 space structure, making it perfect for outdoor photography, urban street photography, outdoor portraits, and VIOG photography.

The backpack’s concealed internal support fibre reinforcement bars provide added stability and prevent equipment crushing, ensuring that your camera and lenses remain safe and secure during transport. The front width expansion and built-in independent stabilizer compartment also support a maximum 4L expansion capacity.

One of the standout features of the K&F Concept Alpha 25L Backpack is its top-and-side opening dual-compartment design. This enables quick and easy access to your camera and lenses, ensuring you never miss a shot. The backpack also features a 16-inch independent computer compartment that protects your laptop from direct bumps and scratches.

Whether you’re a professional photographer or videographer or just starting out, the K&F Concept Alpha 25L Backpack looks to be a great solution for your gear. With its stylish design, customisable space structure, and practical features, this backpack is the perfect companion for your next photography or videography adventure.

Visit https://www.kfconcept.com/KF13.105-k&f-concept-alpha-backpack-25l-single-&-double-shoulder-free-switch-photography-bag-fits-16%22-laptop-&-tripod-for-dslr/slr-with-raincover.html to learn more.

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Best photography courses, classes and experience days to try in 2023

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In this modern world, our first response to seeing something new or beautiful is to whip out a phone and take a picture of it. Be it a cute animal, a gushing river or an ancient building, you can guarantee that within seconds, it will be caught up in the endless cloud of selfies and pics. So, does that mean that today, all of us are photographers?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: There’s so much more to learn about the art of photography, from knowing how to work with angles and lighting to understanding the million-and-one settings in your camera. Plus, not everyone has a natural eye for what makes a great photo.

But it’s never too late to learn, which is why we’ve assembled this guide to the best photography experiences to do in the UK.

In this list we’ve put courses, classes and tours where you can better learn the art of the camera, covering a range of subjects including babies, dogs, buildings and mountains.

Whether you want to seriously learn the beginnings of photography, or just fancy dripping about with a camera for a few hours, there’s something here for you to snap up.

Have we captured your attention? Good. Here’s a list of the best photography experiences to try in 2023.

Best photography courses and experiences at a glance

  • Wildlife Photography Experience in Chester Zoo, £150
  • Edinburgh at Night Photography Workshop, £75
  • Two Hour Videography Course in London, £46
  • Astrophotography Online Course, from £29.95
  • London Street Art Photography Tour for Two, £40
  • Discover Smart Phone Photography Course, £49
  • Snowdonia National Park Photography Experience, £140
  • Full Day Photoshop Online Interactive Training, £32
  • Home Projects Eight Part Online Photography Course, £29
  • Action Dog Photography Workshop, £99
  • Online Portrait Photography Course, £49
  • Coastal Photography Weekend Breaks, from £725
  • Private Full Day Canon Lesson in Worcester, £150
  • Online Child and Baby Photography Course, £95
  • Online Flower and Plant Photography Course, £95

Best photography courses and experiences to do in 2023

Wildlife Photography Experience in Chester Zoo

chester zoo

Experience Days

Fulfil your dream to work with animals with this wildlife photography experience at Chester Zoo. Led by a passionate wildlife photographer, you’ll learn all the basics of camera settings and shot composition, and will get up close to orangutans, elephants, tigers and more. But be careful – they might snap back at you!

For more zoo days, check out the best animal experiences to try in 2023.

Buy Wildlife Photography Experience in Chester Zoo for £150 at Experience Days

Edinburgh at Night Photography Workshop

Edinburgh experience

Edinburgh roan-lavery | Unsplash

See the historic Scottish capital like never before with this Edinburgh at night workshop. Through the lens of your camera you’ll capture the twinkling lights, gorgeous views, and nighttime atmosphere of ‘Auld Reekie’. Plus, you’ll receive expert technical advice to help you cope with low and unnatural lighting – this experience is best suited to intermediate photographers.

More like this

Buy Edinburgh at Night Photography Workshop for £75 at Experience Days

Two Hour Videography Course in London

videography course

Virgin Experience Days

Cameras aren’t just about awkward posing and frozen moments anymore. In fact, videography is one of the most valuable skills you can learn if you want to advance in media, so why not try this two-hour course in London?

Perfect for aspiring filmmakers, you’ll start day learning how to handle and use a DSLR camera. Then, when you’re ready, you can plan spill out onto the streets and plan, film and edit your very own movie.

Buy Two Hour Videography Course in London for £46 at Experience Days

Astrophotography Online Course

Astrophotography

Virgin Experience Days

Is there anything more beautiful than the night sky? Although many of us try to capture its magnificence through our phones, the moon and stars are notoriously hard to photograph. Enter this online Astrophotography course. Over 16 lessons, you’ll master the task of photographing the stars while learning lighting and editing skills, plus you’ll receive feedback on your work from an instructor.

Buy Astrophotography Online Course from £29.95 at Virgin Experience Days

London Street Art Photography Tour for Two

London street art

Virgin Experience Days

On this tour, you’ll head into the artsy streets of east London in search of hidden gems, be it small pieces of graffiti or huge murals. While walking through the likes of Shoreditch, Hoxton and Brick Lane, you’ll get to appreciate and memorialise all of the unique art that gives the area its character. At the end of it all, you’ll also receive Banksy’s Street Art Book and a good set of photos.

Buy London Street Art Photography Tour for Two for £40 at Virgin Experience Days

Discover Smart Phone Photography Course

Smartphone course

Virgin Experience Days

Smart phone cameras have come a long way in the last few years, to the point that even professional movies have been filmed on a smart phone. So, to help you better understand this piece of kit we all own, try out this phone photography course.

With the option to take place in person or online, you’ll learn all the settings, modes and features your camera has. Led by an award-winning photographer, you’ll cover topics such as mood lighting, composition and portraiture, as well as going over Still Life and Landscape Photography.

If you want to check out one of the best smartphone cameras to date, take a look at our guide to the Samsung Galaxy S23.

Buy Discover Smart Phone Photography Course for £49 at Virgin Experience Days

Snowdonia National Park Photography Experience

Snowdonia

Virgin Experience Days

If you like to be thrown in at the deep end, you can learn the beginnings of photography while surrounded by one of Britain’s most majestic and photogenic settings: Snowdonia. It will be hard to focus on the techniques of photography when surrounded by the grandeur of this north Wales mountain range, but if you can pay attention, you’ll be able to hone your skills and come home with an incredible set of photos, as well as getting a view of a lifetime.

For more great days out in Wales, take a look at the best things to do in Cardiff in 2023.

Buy Snowdonia National Park Photography Experience for £140 at Virgin Experience Days

Full Day Photoshop Online Interactive Training

Photoshop

Virgin Experience Days

If graphic design is your thing, prepare to meet your new best friend – Photoshop. One of the most creative and useful tools available, you can learn the art of Photoshop through this intense one-day crash course. Taught by an Adobe instructor, your session will include all the essentials of the programme, plus it will be recorded so you can watch it back for reference.

Buy Full Day Photoshop Online Interactive Training for £32 at Virgin Experience Days

Home Projects Eight Part Online Photography Course

Online course

Virgin Experience Days

With this voucher, you’ll have access to eight online photography courses that will take you from beginner to pro. Across the seven hours of lessons, you can submit your photos for feedback, get support from a tutor and have access to the iPhotography community chat, which has over 100,000 photographers.

Buy Home Projects Eight Part Online Photography Course for £29 at Virgin Experience Days

Action Dog Photography Workshop

Dog photo course

cristian-castillo-Unsplash

Get up close to some very good boys with this dog photography workshop. In the woods of West Sussex, you’ll come across a group of highly trained working gun dogs and will get to chance to photograph them as they train. The pups, usually Setters, Springers and Labradors, will be jumping, running and searching as they perform a series of seek and retrieval exercises – so there’ll be plenty of action shots to capture, as well as some cute faces.

Buy Action Dog Photography Workshop for £99 at Into the Blue

Online Portrait Photography Course

Portrait photos

Into the Blue

This 18-module portrait course is currently having a major discount, with £100 off the price. Much like the other online courses, this experience will take you through all the skills and knowledge required to take a good portrait photo. It’s perfect for beginners, plus it can give you feedback, tutorials, and even a graduation certificate at the end.

Buy Online Portrait Photography Course for £149 £49 at Into the Blue

Coastal Photography Weekend Breaks

Devon coast

richard-brannen Unsplash

Get ready to leave it all behind and head down to the coast this spring with these incredible weekend photography breaks. In either Dorset, Devon or Suffolk, you’ll get a full package holiday complete with a hotel stay, meal reservations, and one-to-one tuition with a photography instructor.

Buy Coastal Photography Weekend Breaks from £725 at Into the Blue

Private Full Day Canon Lesson in Worcester

Worcester photo

Experience Days

This experience is unique in that it focuses on one particular brand of camera: Canon. It’s also one of the rare experiences that provides the camera for you.

Taking place in Worcester, you’ll meet your instructor Richard who has spent over two decades working in photography with a Canon camera. Under his guidance, you’ll learn about Canon’s auto focus system, metering, and exposure techniques.

Buy Private Full Day Canon Lesson in Worcester for £150 at Experience Days

Online Child and Baby Photography Course for One

baby photography

Red Letter Days

If you’re a parent, chances are you’ll be used to snapping photos of your little one – but what if you could learn to do it better? With the help of a professional, you can learn how to take some frame-worthy photos of your child as well as learning how to use and handle various cameras.

Buy Online Child and Baby Photography Course for £109 £95 at Red Letter Days

Online Flower and Plant Photography Course for One

Flower photography

Red Letter Days

Be at one with nature with this online plant photography course and learn how to see the beauty in everything, from the brightest bouquet to the garden weed. This course is currently discounted from £109 to £95, so don’t leaf it to the last minute to buy!

Buy Online Flower and Plant Photography Course for £109 £95 at Red Letter Days

We’ve got plenty more great Going Out content for you, from the best VR experiences and the best immersive experiences, to how to get cheap train tickets.

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30 Stunning Winning Photos Of The All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

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Here are the 30 stunning winning photos of The All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023. The prestigious photo competition, All About Photo Awards – The Mind’s Eye, organized by All About Photo is pleased to reveal the winning photographers of 2023.

Visionary photographers from around the world, both professional and amateur, shared their unique perspectives and competed for international recognition as the next “Photographer of the Year,” $10,000 in cash prizes and publication in the printed magazine Special Edition All About Photo Awards 2023.

Now in its 8th year, All About Photo Awards – The Mind’s Eye has become a reference for discovering new talents and celebrating outstanding photographers. The jurors selected 39 winners who come from 18 different countries and across 5 continents.

The winning image by Indonesian photographer Priyo Widiyanto feature the Indonesian National Wheelchair Basketball Team in the middle of an intense match where the decisive and winning shot is about to be thrown. In a dynamic composition where the action is frozen by the photographer, two opponents, almost symmetrical to one another, are lifting their wheelchairs with all their might in an attempt to stop the shot. It is a powerful image of resilience.

Congratulations to all the winners, scroll down and inspire yourself. Check the All About Photo Magazine website for more information.

You can find more info about All About Photo Magazine:

#1 All About Photo Photographer Of The Year 2023 by Priyo Widdi, Indonesia – $5,000 Cash Prize

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

Winning Shoot: They can do more than normal people. A shoot to get a meaningful winning.

#2 Second Place Winner by Haikun Liang, China – $2,000 Cash Prize

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

#3 Third Place Winner by Raul Cacho Oses, Spain – $1,500 Cash Prize

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

Tbourida, the final run: The equestrian show called “Tbourida” dates from the 16th century and has in Morocco it’s highest exponent. It consists of a staging of military cavalcades reconstituted according to ancestral Arab-Amazigh conventions and rituals.

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

Cruise passengers: A group of children dive into the port of Stone Town, a cruise ship in the background. A way to face, without pity, the drama of immigration from Africa to the European coasts.

#5 Fifth Place Winner by Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra, Spain – $500 Cash Prize

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

Diver and Guggenheim: Polish Diver Kristoff Kolanus RedBull Cliffdiving competition held in Bilbao, next to the Guggenheim museum. He jumps from a platform located on a bridge 27 meters above the Bilbao estuary. The photo is real, it is not a montage

#6 Merit Award: Deba Prasad Roy, India

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

INNOVATIVE WAY OF BOARDING TRAINS: The photograph was taken during a Muslim festival near Dhaka, Bangladesh. Electrification of Bangladesh Railway is yet to be done, so people dare to travel on the roof of the train. They are actually travel free of cost and are habituate travelers taking a bit of risk.

#7 Merit Award: Alejandro Martinez Velez, Spain

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

Funeral: Relatives of the Ukrainian soldier Taras Didukh, 25, mourn his body at a funeral held in the Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul of Lviv, Ukraine, before being buried at the Lychakiv Cemetery on March 11, 2022. The Officer Andrii Stefanyshyn, 39, and the Sergeant Dmytro Kabakov, 58, were also buried on the same day.

#8 Merit Award: Zola Chen, Taiwan

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

Did you see me: We can still stare at each other for 3 more seconds. Between my desire to the surface and the watch over from my mother, there’s still a bit of time.

#9 Merit Award: Joseph-Philippe Bevillard, Ireland

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

Rocky’s First Holy Communion, Tipperary, Ireland 2019: Irish Traveller Rocky sits on a plastic-covered couch on his first holy communion.

#10 Merit Award: Chapellier Guy, France

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

Guignol / Puppet Show: Children laughing at the popular French glove puppet near Eiffel’s tower.

#11 Merit Award: Muhammad Amdad Hossain, Bangladesh

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

Fatigue sleep on the boats: Many homeless people’s in Dhaka, Bangladesh have lost their homes and properties due to frequent floods, river erosion, and other natural calamities. They were forced to migrate to the city in search of a better future. These people have no place to take shelter in big cities. Their day starts in boats and ends in roads to nowhere. The boat’s is a flower bed for these refugees who practically do not have any identity. They live by working as street hawkers, boatsman etc.

#12 Merit Award: Laurie Freitag, United States

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

#13 Merit Award: Ingmar Björn Nolting, Germany

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

The Last Fight for Lützerath: Activists block the bucket wheel excavator at the edge of the Garzweiler II open pit mine on the outskirts of the village of Lützerath, Germany on January 08, 2023. Lützerath has become a symbol of the fight against the climate crisis after being occupied by activists for more than two years to prevent energy company RWE from mining lignite under the village. The occupation was cleared by the police short after.

#14 Merit Award: Klaus Lenzen, Germany

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

Statues: At first sight they may look like bronze statues, the participants of a “mud-run” in Duisburg (Germany)

#15 Merit Award: Mateusz Żurowski, Poland

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

Summer’22: Summer in Poland is always a unique adventure.

#16 Merit Award: Mauro De Bettio, Italy

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

HYENA MEN: They are the mysterious hyena men of Nigeria. They come from rural areas in the North, moving from city to city. They arrive in towns wrapped in snakes, trained monkeys and hyenas in chains. They perform a street circus with black magic (called “juju”) for the audience that believe that these animals have magical powers.

#17 Merit Award: Shahriar Farzana, Bangladesh

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023.

Change the thought: In a Islamic environment, it’s not common for a female teacher to take her students at the sea shore as recreation and to take selfies with them but time changes as well as people’s acceptance level. Now following all Islamic requirements, some women try to do what they are supposed to do not like what they are told to do. Things are changing at the course of time as well as peoples’ thought processes that have a direct positive impact on society.

#18 Merit Award: Gavin Libotte, Australia

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

First Wave: We are swimming in an ocean of Prana, a field of Energy. There is nothing but the One, non-dual Force. This is the Supreme Truth. Our human lives are part of something bigger.

#19 Merit Award: Supratim Bhattacharjee, India

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

SinkingSundarbans_002: A girl, standing before her tea shop, which is completely ruined by sea water in Namkhana Island. After Cyclone Aila struck the Sundarbans in 2009, it became clear that frequent cyclonic events will turn the residents of the Sundarbans into climate refugees. From May 5, 2019 – May 25, 2021, Sundarbans faced cyclones- Fani, Bulbul, Amphan & Yaas – each devastating enough to justify the fear of mass displacement.

#20 Merit Award: Frank Machalowski, Germany

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

Stadtbaum: This is a side project from the series multiexpo. ‘Stadtbaum’ means urban tree. It’s about urban trees and their resistance against the high urbanization level. You can find trees in the city everywhere but they are on the retreat. More and more the cities becomes a concrete desert. I wanted to seperate the individual trees and erect them a small monument. I use for this series a 35mm film camera. Here you can see a tree at The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin.

#21 Merit Award: Tony Law, Australia

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

Narrow Escape: Rodeo is very dangerous sport. This young cowboy was riding a strong cow, which bucked erratically and quickly threw him to the ground. The lucky cowboy quickly avoided the airborne cow before it fell heavily.

#22 Merit Award: Azim Khan Ronnie, Bangladesh

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

Drying t-shirt cloths: Rows of brightly colored fabrics shimmer in reflections as they are hung to dry above a field. Workers hang the vivid clothing on wooden frames as the colorful dyes set in the sun. The clothes will be used for t-shirts, Under-vest, trousers etc. making.

#23 Merit Award: Priyo Widdi, Indonesia

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

The Covid Victim: Covid-19 has changed the world and left many grieves in our earth. Hopefully our world will get better in no time.

#24 Merit Award: Tommaso Vecchi, Italy

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

TIME STOPS: After a weary and endless trek to reach Phuktal, one of the most ancient temples in the whole of Indian Tibet, and after listening to the religious morning prayers by Buddhist monks, I was on my way back when I met a wonderful group of children monks. They love spending their free time playing football. When the ball goes off the cliff it is astonishing how quickly they are capable of retrieving it. Whoever lets the ball drop has to get it while the others watch him. At this moment, I felt that.

#25 Merit Award: Tommaso Vecchi, Italy

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

BEFORE THE MIGRATION: Nenets are indigenous Siberian people whose traditional economy has long been rooted in nomadic reindeer-herding, fishing and hunting. They live in chums: small huts made of reindeer skins, in order to ensure a minimum of thermal insulation, especially during the winter. In this picture Roman looking out of the chum, with his red cheeks worn by the cold, -50°C.

#26 Merit Award: Pedro Jarque Krebs, Peru

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

Curious baby: Western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) – As soon as I pointed my camera at her, the mother gorilla turned around and turned her back on me. The baby couldn’t resist his curiosity and a few seconds later poked his head out.

#27 Merit Award: Baptiste Hugnet, France

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

War Scene

#28 Merit Award: Li Huaifeng, China

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

The dancing dream of the girl: The girl learned dancing in the county and went back to her hometown to dance for her grandmother on Sunday.

#29 Merit Award: Emily Neville Fisher, United States

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

#30 Merit Award: Mitchell Anolik, United States

All About Photo Magazine Awards 2023

The Shoreline


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Lifetime access to this AI photo editor is on sale for 80% off

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TL;DR: The Luminar Neo Lifetime Bundle is on sale for £63.96, saving you 80% on list price.

Anyone can take a picture, but for a while, you generally needed a professional if you wanted great-quality edits of your photo after the fact. Now, you can use the same type of technology that generates pictures from words to touch up and re-imagine a photo in moments. Luminar Neo is a Red Dot and TIPA award–winning AI photo-editing software that gives you control over the look and feel of your pictures without needing years of experience and a bunch of expensive software. If you want a lifetime of AI-powered photo touch-ups, then snatch a lifetime subscription to Luminar Neo while it’s only £63.96.

Luminar NEO is easy to use and can make some major changes to your pictures. Some of the tools that come built-in let you enhance landscapes and portraits, adjust layers, change lighting, and more. You can also make some major changes like replacing the entire sky, retouching someone’s skin, and even changing the entire composition. Don’t like that someone wandered into the frame in your holiday photos? Erase them. Luminar lets you seamlessly remove unwanted objects from your photos.

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Nikon’s Z series is the future of photography

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This month Nikon invited me, on behalf of N-Photo magazine, to attend an event at Printworks London, in the UK. This magnificent industrial building’s days of churning out national newspapers are far behind it and, if you know anything about the venue in its current guise, you might be wondering if Nikon had invited us to a rave – well, you’re closer than you might think. 

There were, in fact, neon lights, dancing and electronic music. However, rather than throwing my arms wildly in the air – face covered in glow-in-the-dark paint – I spent the afternoon and evening playing around with the very best Nikon camera tech (I’d take that over the former every day of the week). Almost all Z-series cameras and lenses were available to test throughout a veritable sandbox of studio portrait setups, complemented perfectly by the utilitarian, industrial location. 

• Looking for the best Nikon lenses to go along with your camera?

Nikon wasn’t leaving the purpose of the event up to interpretation, either. A seemingly excessive neon sign displaying the words “Nikon is the future” loomed over the proceedings but, as I held down the Nikon Z9’s shutter button and rattled off a 120-fps burst as a dancer sautéd in front of me, I realized that the Big N wasn’t laying it on thick – it was putting its money where its aperture is. 

I’ve made no secret that I’m a fan of the good ol’ fashioned DSLR, but over the past couple of years I’ve witnessed more and more pros commit to the Z system and not look back. The DSLR vs mirrorless debate is about as tiresome as reruns of The Simpsons nowadays, but this was the first time I’d got to play with Nikon’s entire Z-series roster in one place – and it made one thing abundantly apparent: the Z system is all grown up. 

Super-telephoto lenses, check. Macro lenses, check. S-line holy trinity, check. Pro-grade and vlogger-centric video capabilities, check. Dedicated DX lenses, enthusiast-to-pro camera line-up, cutting-edge mirrorless flagship, check, check, check!

Heck, I even got to play with the latest lenses to come out of Tokyo: The Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.2 S and the Nikkor Z 26mm f/2.8. The former is a super-duper-fast beefy prime that’s capable of silky-smooth background blur, and the latter has just received an impressive 4.5/5 stars on test – where we praised its impressive image quality, lightweight build and incredible 23.5mm thickness.

Nikon has long committed to the mirrorless revolution – and unless you’re thinking of switching to Pentax, it’s the same story across every other major manufacturer. And the good news is, we’ve reached a point where last-gen mirrorless tech is becoming increasingly affordable. You can pick up a used Nikon Z6 for the same price as a new Nikon D7500 (and a Nikon Z50 for nearly half!). 

My Nikon D800 ain’t going anywhere yet, but I firmly believe that Nikon is the future. And the future is Z mount.






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N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine is a monthly publication that’s entirely dedicated to Nikon users. For the best news, reviews, projects and more, subscribe to N-Photo today! 

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If you enjoyed this article, you might be interested in reading about the best Nikon Z lenses for FX and DX cameras. If you’re clinging to your DSLR you can also check out the best lenses for the Nikon D850, and it you’re embracing the revolution then take a look at the best lenses for the Nikon Z50.

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Rappers defends Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors’ intimate photo shoot after Cam’ron post

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Rappers defends Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors intimate photo shoot after Camron post
Rappers defends Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors’ intimate photo shoot after Cam’ron post

The rappers community came forward to defend Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors’ intimate photo shoot after rapper Cam’ron revealed he did not watch Creed III because of it.

On Saturday, Cam’ron shared on Instagram two photos of the Creed III stars from a photo shoot for their recent feature in The New York Times.

The first photo showed Majors hugging Jordan from behind as they both look forward into the camera. In the second image, the actors are resting their heads on each other.

“The reason I didn’t go see creed,” the Hey Ma rapper captioned his post.

While Cam’ron did not mention, whether this caption was a criticism of the intimate nature of Jordan and Majors’ photo shoot.

However, Award-winning songwriter and rapper Skillz hit back soon at Cam’ron’s line of thinking.

“We are our own worst enemies smh. I tell all my homies I love em…Why? Cuz I do! Sometimes it throws em off but Ion care, Ima keep saying that ish. Tomorrow aint promised. We all getting older man & death is definitley certain. Its already hard enough out here for black men as it is bro,” (sic) Skillz wrote in his own Instagram post.

Skillz added: “How come men cant have healthy relationships with other men without masculinity or sexuality being questioned?”

Rapper Masta Ace commented on Skillz’s post, “Well said Skillz…. !!!! I’m sharing this absolutely!”

Jarobi White, a founding member of the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, commented, “I think being afraid to show love to brothers because of being seen as gay is well…. Gay.”

DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia wrote “My brother missing out cause its an Amazing movie! I’ve watched it five times and I’m not just saying that because we had the theme song in the trailer.”

With its release on March 3, Creed III has earned $58.7 million in its opening weekend in North America and a further $41.8 million overseas, according to Vibe.

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I Stayed at Memories Aicha Luxury Camp in Jordan and it Blew Me Away

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Want to stay in a luxurious glass dome in the Wadi Rum Desert? Then Memories Aicha Luxury Camp should be at the top of your bucket list.

I visited Jordan by myself and spent 10 days exploring the country.

This is one of the most unique vacation destinations in the world.

There are dozens of surrounding camps and bubble domes, but none reach the standard of luxury and opulence that Memories Aicha does. It truly sets the bar for all other accommodation in the area.

Here’s what you need to know to plan your visit.

Where is Memories Aicha?






© Provided by Jen Ruiz


Memories Aicha Luxury Camp is located in the Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan.

Wadi Rum is a protected area. Only camps run by the local Bedouin people are allowed.

This is a favorite spot for Hollywood films, including Dune, Aladdin, Lawrence of Arabia, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. That’s because the landscape looks like it’s out of this world.

It’s often used as a substitute for Mars.

This is one of the few remaining untouched places. There is no light pollution. You won’t find cell phone towers everywhere or buildings obstructing the view.

It looks much like it did thousands of years ago, and that’s part of the charm. Come here to escape the pace of a big city and destress.

How do you get from Petra to Memories Aicha?






© Provided by Jen Ruiz


Memories Aicha is about a 2-hour drive from Petra, the site of a World Wonder and Jordan’s most famous attraction.

Since Petra will require hiking, I recommend you do it first so you can relax in the domes after.

It is a straightforward car ride on highway roads. I had a private driver which allowed me to rest between stops and more easily navigate the region.

You can choose to rent a car, book a taxi, take a bus, or get a tour provider to transport you.

Note, you’ll have to go through a visitor’s center when you’re entering Wadi Rum and purchase a ticket for 5JD to enter the protected area. If you’re with a driver, you may have some difficulty and need to pay for them, too.

Memories Aicha sent someone to meet me at the visitor’s center upon arrival. They have their own transport van.

They can also arrange for you transport to/from Petra should you need assistance.

What activities can you do in the Wadi Rum desert?






© Provided by Jen Ruiz


A lot of people were curious how I spent my time in the desert.

You have options!

On-site, you can do a nearby hike up a mountain to get a view from above of the camp.

The owner is also a very talented photographer and provides free nighttime astrophotography to all guests who book through Booking.com.

This service was incredible because you could see the full range of stars, including the Milky Way Galaxy that looked like a cloud in the night sky.

Off-site, there are various activities with tour providers.

I went on a camel ride and desert jeep tour of the main attractions. My tour included making a fire and having tea at the end, it was lovely.

We also visited scenic overlooks and a natural bridge.

You can choose to do a sunset tour if you’re looking for epic pictures.

How much does Memories Aicha Luxury Camp cost?






© Provided by Jen Ruiz


Prices can range from $200-$600 a night depending on the type of room you pick, season, and demand.

There are luxury tents, and then there are panoramic luxury suites. I stayed in the most expensive suite and lucked out with pricing, only $200/night.

The suites are impeccably furnished, fit for royalty. The dome is made of glass, not plastic. It’s soundproof and sustainable.

From the fabrics to the chandelier, everything is high quality.

There are massive, custom made curtains that block out the light completely and open fully if you choose to look up at the stars at night.

During the day, your dome is covered with a reflective cover to deflect heat and keep it cool.

There is electricity in the tents and private bathrooms. Mine came complete with robe, slippers, and hair dryer.

There is also hot water and air conditioning, two of my favorite things.

There is also a kitchen and separate dining area. Dinner and breakfast are included in the price of the room and are buffet style.

I was pleasantly surprised by the offerings. They were varied and tasty, with the chefs serving you and making sure everything meets your needs.

Lunch is available with an a la carte menu.

The dining room is stunning, with a mountain serving as one of the walls and decorations like throw pillows, ornate metal lamps, and beautifully detailed artwork.

Does Memories Aicha have WiFi?






© Provided by Jen Ruiz


There is no WiFi or cell service. It’s just hard to get signal out there. Once a day, I drove out past a big mountain adjacent to the camp and caught a bar or two.

The camp can arrange all of your day trips and transportation for you, just let them know ahead of time.

You will need a converter. There are multiple outlets available and Jordan uses C, D, F, G and J plug types. Bring a universal converter to make sure you’re covered.

If you’re someone who needs entertainment, I recommend coming with something already downloaded on your phone or computer since streaming isn’t a possibility here.

I also recommend letting your friends and family know you may be off the grid for a bit so they don’t panic if they can’t reach you.

Bring a flashlight with you when you go, it’s crucial in order for you to get around after sunset since it’s pitch black.

Regarding attire, while you’re not around very many people I would still aim to be respectful of the local culture and cover your shoulders and knees.

There is no alcohol served on site.

Is Memories Aicha worth it?






© Provided by Jen Ruiz


Memories Aicha Luxury Camp is unlike any other place I’ve every stayed and I truly felt like I had the best experience possible in Wadi Rum.

I left here feeling really good, completely detoxed from the stressors of everyday life.

I would love to return with a romantic partner and recommend this to anyone celebrating an anniversary or honeymoon.

I met a woman during my stay who was celebrating a milestone birthday on her own — you can’t go wrong there either.

If you’re considering a trip to Jordan, a dome at Memories Aicha Luxury Camp should be the first thing you book.

Click here to book your stay.

Till next time, safe travels!

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A Review of Memories Aicha Luxury Camp


© Provided by Jen Ruiz
A Review of Memories Aicha Luxury Camp



A Review of Memories Aicha Luxury Camp


© Provided by Jen Ruiz
A Review of Memories Aicha Luxury Camp



A Review of Memories Aicha Luxury Camp


© Provided by Jen Ruiz
A Review of Memories Aicha Luxury Camp

The post I Stayed at Memories Aicha Luxury Camp in Jordan and it Blew Me Away appeared first on Jen on a Jet Plane.

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