Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2023 i Lens Magazine

”I HAVE FUN BEHIND THE CAMERA, NO MATTER THE SUBJECT. THAT SAID, THERE IS ABSOLUTE FREEDOM WHEN SHOOTING PERSONAL FINE ART PROJECTS. I CAN STRETCH MY IMAGINATION AS FAR AS IT CAN GO; THERE ARE NO BOUNDARIES, JUST ME AND MY CRAZY IDEAS."ELENA PARASKEVA Elena Paraskeva is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning Conceptual Photographer and Art Director and, most recently, an official ADOBE instructor. In addition, she took a respectable position on the jury panel of international photography competitions, including at the latest years' reputable competitions, at the Florida Museum Of Photographic Arts IPC 2022, the New York Photography Awards 2022, and the European Photography Awards 2022. Cyprus-based photographer Paraskeva has exhibited her work in countless solo and group exhibitions around the globe. In her past life as a Marketing Executive…

”I LIKE TO TAKE PORTRAITS OF WOMEN WHO HAVE ALREADY REALIZED WHO THEY ARE, WHAT THEY WANT, AND WHAT THEY DON'T WANT. EACH OF MY MODELS IS A LIVING PERSON WITH A STORY OF VICTORIES AND LESSONS. PERSONALITY IS THE MOST EXCITING BOOK. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS STORED IN THE WRINKLES AROUND THE EYES, IN A BURST OF VIVID LAUGHTER. SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN'T DRAW WITH PHOTOSHOP AND INJECT WITH ANY INJECTIONS. BUT AUTHENTIC SEXUALITY FOR ME IS NOT IN A DEEP NECKLINE BUT IN AWARENESS AND RESPECT FOR YOURSELF. “THE FACIAL EXPRESSION OF A WOMAN IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN HER CLOTHES. BEAUTY IS IN THE DESIRE TO BE REAL.”- ELENA DUDAR Elena Dudar is a Ukrainian-based portrait photographer focusing mainly on mature, inspiring women. She aims to…

2 PROJECTS STORMY NIGHTS IN THE YARANGA SAGO PALMS AND THEIR WORMS In the winter, the days are short in Chukotka, and stormy winds sweep across the wide tundra in the far east of Siberia. The yaranga has provided the reindeer nomads with protection for centuries. It is kept open during the day and does not provide protection against the cold, but only against the wind. The structure’s concept is very old and stormproof. It consists of three thick wooden main posts, four shorter T-shaped poles, and a wooden ring attached at half height. About 50 reindeer skins, sewn together, are stretched over it. The tensioning ropes are additionally secured with weights against the strong storm winds. Overnight, the yaranga is locked, and a bucket is available for urgent needs.…

Tavormina’s still lifes are inspired by the Dutch, Spanish, and Italian still lifes of the Golden Age. But what the prototypes meant in the past remains in the past. We see the past only with eyes on the present. As T.S. Eliot said, "The past should be altered by the present as much as the present is directed by the past." The past cannot be relived but can be converted into meaning for the present. The human condition is incessantly evolving, trapped in the gravitation pull of the future. Tavormina’s still lifes are her poetic way of expressing respect for the human condition. Fiori del Giardino Flowers from the Garden Paulette Tavormina is an internationally awarded photographer and recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant. Tavormina lives and works in New…

AT THE LEICA’S CELEBRATION OF PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION, SINGAPORE ”I HOPE YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHERS DO BETTER AND TAKE PHOTOS OF IMPORTANT SUBJECTS! MANY OF THEM (THE YOUNG GENERATION) ARE VERY SMART AND WORK HARD. THEY'LL ALSO NEED TO LEARN HOW TO SHOOT VIDEOS WELL. OUR INDUSTRY HAS CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE PAST 40 YEARS, AND THINGS ARE MUCH FASTER AND MORE CONVENIENT NOW."-NICK UT NICK UT: A HOUSEHOLD NAME When I was just starting out in my photography journey, I was already familiar with Nick Ut’s work—"The Terror of War," a jarring picture depicting several children fleeing from a napalm bombing in the Vietnam war. In fact, many people who are not in the photography industry are familiar with this picture due to its sheer historical impact. After all, the picture is…

Portland, Oregon-based photographer Lissa Hahn specializes in food advertising, lifestyle, and stop motion photography supporting the culinary professional with over 20 years of experience. She has built a reputation for producing consistently clean and classic images working with agencies, chefs, cooking schools, and restaurants, as well as creating imagery for cookbooks. Hahn’s extensive knowledge in the industry and a keen eye for styling combine to create strong visual content for her clients while staying true to each company’s visual branding. The main purpose of food photography is to entice the viewer of the imagery into buying the product, whether it was commissioned for a supermarket advertisement or a restaurant menu. But how does a photographer create that desired result from the food items and dishes in front of their lens?…

HOLGER HOFFMANN Our ten companions enter the clearing. Barefoot, the Korowai skillfully balanced over the felled tree trunks overgrown with plants. On the other hand, although well shod, I have to concentrate strongly on the path. Nevertheless, I notice that the usual welcoming yodel is missing this time, with which the visitor announces the peaceful intention of his coming. Usman, our guide, answers my question by saying that no one lives in this clearing. My searching look up into the tree houses seems to confirm this. Wait, didn't something move up there at a height of 15 meters behind the house wall? I share my observation. Now everybody looks up to the tree house, which I suspect is a human being. It doesn't take long until one of our porters…

” PHOTOGRAPHY IS A CONDUIT THAT ALLOWS ME TO REVEAL THE DIVINE PRESENCE SURROUNDING US, OFTEN HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT. THROUGH THIS MEDIUM, I AIM TO REVEAL BOTH THE ETERNAL AND THE INVISIBLE TO THOSE CONTEMPLATING MY WORK."- ANGELIKA KOLLIN PROJECT: YOU ARE MY MOTHER / FATHER Angelika Kollin (b. 1976) is an Estonian Fine Art/Documentary photographer currently residing in Tampa, USA. She is a self-taught artist completing the Academy Fotografika 1.5 yearlong online documentary photography course in 2023. Angelika passionately engages with photography and art as a means to explore interhuman connections and intimacy. Her work is driven by a lifelong yearning to understand and gain a deeper perspective on human loneliness and suffering and faith’s role in overcoming these challenges. Angelika’s photography is characterized by its honesty and…

The Lesotho Kingdom is an enclaved country in southern Africa and the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 meters (3,281 ft) in elevation. Its lowest point of 1,400 meters (4,593 ft) is thus the highest in the world. Over 80 percent of the country lies above 1,800 meters (5,906 ft). The Basotho are a Bantu ethnic group whose ancestors have lived in southern Africa since around the fifth century. The Basotho nation emerged from the accomplished diplomacy of Moshoeshoe I, who gathered together disparate Sotho–Tswana origin clans that had dispersed across southern Africa in the early 19th century. Most Basotho today live in South Africa, as the area of the Orange Free State was originally part of Moshoeshoe’s nation (now Lesotho). Beautiful, culturally rich, safe,…

”BREAST CANCER IS MORE THAN A BRIGHT PINK SHADE. BREAST CANCER BRINGS FEAR, SADNESS AND DESPAIR WITH IT. BREAST CNASER CAN ALSO BE UNDERSTOOD AS A REBIRTH!” NEW SOLO EXHIBITION NEW EXHIBITION OF MANFRED BAUMANN CITY GALLERY, VIENNA | 04.04.2023TO30.04.2023 Leica photographer Manfred Baumann aims to raise awareness of breast cancer and public awareness of the disease through this unique series of works. Under the title "Rebirth," this exhibition is dedicated to the survivors and the permanently ill. The portraits are intended to express that cancer – as terrible as it may be – can be understood as a rebirth. After all, everything negative also contains something beautiful, powerful, and new. Every art subject conveys a message and has information content. The focus is on the essentials. The pictures should…

”I HAVE KNOWN WHAT IT IS TO BE AN OUTSIDER. A CHILD OF HUNGARY RAISED IN A KIBBUTZ IN ISRAEL, AND LATER AN ISRAELI IMMIGRANT IN NEW YORK. TRAVERSING THESE CULTURES AS A NEWCOMER WAS MADE MORE TENUOUS BY MY COMMITMENT TO LIVING UNAPOLOGETICALLY AS A QUEER PERSON. THERE IS A PROFOUND INJUSTICE IN BEING OTHERED BECAUSE OF A TRUTHFUL LIFE, BUT THROUGH MY ART, I HAVE FOUND BEAUTY IN IT.”-MATI GELMAN Mati Gelman is a self-taught commercial and fine art photographer. Born in Hungary and raised in Israel, he first pursued an education in Science, receiving a degree in Biochemistry from the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) and a Master’s of Science in Organic Chemistry from Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv. He transitioned to full-time photography after moving…

”WE CAN BE A PRISM AND NOT JUST A REFLECTION OF SOCIETY. THIS IS THE TRUE MEANING OF BEING AN ARTIST. WE CAN ALSO ENLIGHTEN PEOPLE THROUGH OUR WORK AND PUT MORE ATTENTION ON THE RETURN TO NATURE. WE ARE IN THE DARK AGES AND NEED ENLIGHTENMENT, A NEW RENAISSANCE."- DAVID LACHAPELLE 'LORENZO IL MAGNIFICO' LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FORTEZZA DA BASSO, FLORENCE | 17 OCTOBER, 2023 'LORENZO IL MAGNIFICO' LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FORTEZZA DA BASSO, FLORENCE | 17 OCTOBER, 2023 LaChapelle is honored as the recipient of the 'Lorenzo il Magnifico' Lifetime Achievement Award at the "XIV Florence Biennale. International Exhibition of Contemporary Art and Design," for his unparalleled influence, imaginative artistry, and profound social messaging that has inspired artists worldwide. The prestigious award ceremony will take place at the Fortezza…

” WITHIN THE FOUR CORNERS OF A PHOTOGRAPH, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CAPTURE THE RAW INTENSITY OF PEOPLE, TRIBES, AND CULTURES THAT HAVE MANAGED TO MAINTAIN THEIR CONNECTION WITH THEIR ANCESTRY. A DIGITAL TIME CAPSULE, IF YOU WILL."-BILJANA JURUKOVSKI Biljana Jurukovski is a Macedonian Australian acclaimed photographer whose artistic journey has taken her to different corners of the world, capturing the essence of humanity and shedding light on rarely visited communities. As a woman in the photography field, Biljana fearlessly breaks barriers and ventures into territories traditionally dominated by men. Her determination to push the boundaries of her craft has earned her global recognition and numerous awards. Biljana’s photographs have been showcased in galleries and festivals across the United Arab Emirates, Paris, New York, Berlin, Barcelona, and her homeland,…