#features

opensciencedaily@diasp.org

Poland’s rise to European PV heavyweight – Part 1


Given Poland is still firmly the largest hard coal producer in Europe, its attempts to decarbonise through renewables are critical for the climate mitigation agenda. With just 2GW of solar installed at the end of 2019, Poland has seen a meteoric rise towards becoming the third largest solar PV market in Europe in terms of installations. with 12GW installed […]
https://www.pv-tech.org/polands-rise-to-european-pv-heavyweight-part-1/
#econergy, #articles, #features, #difference, #reads, #featured, #long, #contracts


opensciencedaily@diasp.org

Swedish start-up claims algae innovation can boost solar module efficiency by 4%


As Europe struggles to build a domestic solar manufacturing industry, start-up Swedish Algae Factory is working on improving the efficiency of solar panels with a coating product that only needs to be applied once and is made in an eco-friendly environment.
https://www.pv-tech.org/swedish-start-up-claims-algae-innovation-can-boost-solar-module-efficiency-by-4/
#interviews, #shells, #diatom, #dssc, #features, #cells, #silicon, #solar, #crystalline


tpq1980@iviv.hu

Is Rishi #Sunak Prince Charles' son?

Sunak was conceived in 1979, when Prince #Charles was 31. The Prince is 5 foot 10 inches (1.78m) tall, Sunak is 5 foot 7 inches (1.7m). Sunak has the same ear #morphology as the Prince. Sunak has close-set eyes like the Prince. Sunak has thick eyebrows like the #Prince. Sunak has similar lip morphology to the Prince. Both the Prince & Sunak have ostensibly #ectomorphic #body types. Both the Prince & Sunak have similarly long #facial morphology. Sunak has a similar hairline as Prince Charles had when he was a #young #man. Major differences are nose shape & other more typically #Indian #features.

#princecharles #rishisunak #royals #royalfamily #isrichiroyal #royalrishi #uk #illegitimateson #biologicalson #rishisunakmp #rishi

opensciencedaily@diasp.org

The PV review, Q1 2021: Vietnam’s solar boom, US looks beyond Trump era, solar shifts to new scale era


As 2021 draws to a close, PV Tech is reviewing the year in solar, reflecting on some of the biggest stories and hottest trends of the last 12 months. Today we start in orderly fashion, analysing the headlines from the first three months of the year, as the industry got off to a roaring start.
https://www.pv-tech.org/the-pv-review-q1-2021-vietnams-solar-boom-us-looks-beyond-trump-era-solar-shifts-to-new-scale-era/
#donald, #features, #trump, #editors', #2021, #blog, #bloombergnef, #review, #heterojunction


opensciencedaily@diasp.org

How ‘transformative’ Build Back Better plan could supercharge US solar sector


The US solar sector could benefit from wide-reaching new policy support from President Joe Biden’s US$1.75 trillion Build Back Better (BBB) budget reconciliation package, currently being negotiated on by Senate Democrats.
https://www.pv-tech.org/how-transformative-build-back-better-plan-could-supercharge-us-solar-sector/
#energy, #acore, #domestic, #blog, #editors', #budget, #features, #reconciliation, #manufacturing


hq@pod.diaspora.software

A big hey! from diaspora*

You might have been wondering what happened to diaspora*. Well, although we’ve been a bit quiet, we haven’t gone away! In fact, some big things have been happening in the background that we’re really excited about, and now it’s come to the time for us to tell you about them.

API

The first is our API, created with a lot of the initial work done by Kent Shikama, completed by Frank Rousseau and @hankg@social.isurf.ca, and supported by core team member @jhass@diaspora.social. This was completed earlier this year, and it enables other applications to interact with the diaspora* software, giving a lot more flexibility in how it can be used, for instance in the creation of native diaspora* apps.

Account migration

One of the key features of a decentralized social network has to be the ability to move your account data from one node (we call them ‘pods’) to another. This has proved to be one of the most difficult things to accomplish properly, and consequently it has taken a long time! The back-end code to do all the hard work was completed by @senya@socializer.cc in a mammoth effort, and what remains is to create a ‘front-end’ interface so that it’s easy for anyone to access the feature via the account settings page. This is currently being worked on by new member @podmin@societas.online with support from core team members @fla@diaspora-fr.org and @supertux@nerdpol.ch. It is currently being reviewed and tested, and once this has been done we’ll be able to merge it.

Next major release

Once this has been merged, we’ll be able to release a major version containing both these features, plus a lot more. This will be a big step forward for diaspora*, and we can’t wait to bring version 0.8 to you. We would really love to release this before the end of 2021, but we must make sure all bugs in the new features are ironed out before we release them, so please be patient if we can't meet that deadline!

There is always a lot more work to do, and as members of our core team have had to prioritise other areas of their work, so development of diaspora* has slowed down. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We’re an open-source project, and we’re always keen to hear from prospective coders who want to help make diaspora* better. If you want to help us, get in touch! We’ll do whatever we can to support you.

#diaspora #development #release #features #accountmigration #api

petapixel@xn--y9azesw6bu.xn--y9a3aq

2021 Environmental Photo of the Year Shows Home Destroyed by Erosion

image

The Environmental Photographer of the Year (EPOTY) has announced the winners of its 14th annual competition, which highlights thought-provoking images that call attention to sustainability and human impact on the planet.

This year, the annual competition's winners were announced by the environmental and water management charity CIWEM, free streaming platform WaterBear, Nikon, and engineering consultancy firm ARUP at the 26th Conference of the Parties in Glasgow, Scotland.

The contest is open to both professional and amateur photographers and is free to enter for all ages. Participants compete for cash awards and prizes across eight categories -- The Environmental Photographer of the Year, Young Environmental Photographer of the Year, The Resilient Award, Environments of the Future, Sustainable Cities, Climate Action, Water and Security, and People's Choice.

The overall winner and recipient of the Environmental Photographer of the Year title receives a £10,000 ($13,580) cash prize, an award certificate, and features across different platforms and publications.

The People's Choice award allows the audience to vote on social media and choose their top pick with votes closing on December 1, 2021. The winner will also join the 2021 jury winners and be featured in the exhibition that showcases the finalists.

The contest received almost 7,000 entries from professional and amateur photographers in over 119 countries. The judging panel consisted of high-profile experts in the field of photography, climate justice, and environmental activism.

The Environmental Photographer of the Year



The rising tide sons, Antonio Aragon Renuncio, 2019

The top prize was awarded to Spanish photographer Antonio Aragón Renuncio for his photo, titled "The rising tide sons." The image depicts a child sleeping inside his house which was destroyed by coastal erosion on Afiadenyigba beach in Ghana.

The winning image shines a spotlight on the rising sea levels in West-African countries, which was forced thousands of people to leave their homes.

The Young Environmental Photographer of the Year

Inferno, Amaan Ali, 2021

Amaan Ali from India was crowned with this year's The Young Environmental Photographer of the Year title. His work, titled "Inferno," shows a boy fighting surface fires in a forest near his home in New Delhi, India.

According to locals, forest fires caused by human activity in the area are a common occurrence due to adverse living conditions.

The Resilient Award

Survive for alive, Ashraful Islam, 2021

The photo "Survive for alive" by Ashraful Islam received the award in this category. He captured flocks of sheep searching for grass amongst the dry, cracked soil. Extreme droughts in Bangladesh have created hardships for all living beings.

Environments of the Future

Flood, Michele Lapini, 2020

Michele Lapini shot the winning photo, simply titled "Flood." It depicts a house submerged by the flooding of the River Panaro in the Po Valley, Northern Italy, due to heavy rainfall and melting snow.

Sustainable Cities

Net-zero transition - Photobioreactor, Simone Tramonte, 2020

Simone Tramonte's "Net-zero transition -- Photobioreactor" captived the judges in the Sustainable Cities category. The photo shows a photobioreactor at Algalif’s facilities in Reykjanesbaer, Iceland. It produces sustainable astaxanthin using clean geothermal energy. The image shows Iceland's shift from fossil fuels to 100% of electricity and heat generated from renewable sources.

Climate Action

The Last breath, Kevin Ochieng Onyango , 2021

"The Last Breath" by Kevin Ochieng Onyango shows a boy taking in air from the plant next to him, with a sand storm brewing in the background. The photograph is said to show an impression of the changes to come.

Water and Security

Green barrier, Sandipani Chattopadhyay, 2021

Sandipani Chattopadhyay's winning image, titled "Green barrier," shows the algal bloom on the Damodar river, India, caused by irregular monsoon seasons and droughts. Algal bloom prevent light from penetrating the surface and prevent oxygen absorption by the organism beneath, which has a subsequent impact on human health and habitats in the area.

The full gallery of all winners and runners-up can be viewed on the EPOTY website.


Image credits: All photos individually credited and provided courtesy of the Environmental Photographer of the Year competition.

#features #inspiration #news #activism #climagechange #climate #environment #environmentalimpact #environmentalphotographeroftheyear #epoty

petapixel@xn--y9azesw6bu.xn--y9a3aq

Photographer Captures Beautiful Split Photos Above and Below the Sea

image

David Doubilet, known as a pioneering underwater photographer, has released a photo book that spans decades of his work and shows the symbiosis of the mysterious underwater world and the more familiar surface captured together in a single image.

Doubilet is widely acclaimed as one of the world's leading underwater photographers and has been a regular contributor to National Geographic for decades. Today, Doubilet has revealed his "Two Worlds: Above and Below the Sea" photography book which encompasses decades of documenting the ocean and the still largely unexplored underwater world.

Doubilet discovered his passion for outdoor exploration during a summer camp as a kid when he was given a mask and sent under a dock to pick up sticks and "meet the dreaded giant dock spider as punishment" because he did not want to hike. Since that moment, he has been mesmerized with the life underwater and at the age of twelve, his father used an anesthesiologist bag to create an underwater camera housing for Doubilet's Brownie Hawkeye camera, giving him a taste for what's to come later in his career.

David Doubilet on assignment among icebergs Scoresby Sund Fjord Greenland

He published his first story during his teen years and went to collaborate with National Geographic in 1971. Five decades and 75 stories later, Doubilet still sees every dive as a discovery.

"I still search for the elusive half and half image and I continue to nudge photographic boundaries to see where we can make technological advances," he says.

The idea for his Two Worlds projects arose early on; Doubilet has always been fascinated with the surface of the sea "as a door to a hidden world", he tells PetaPixel.

"Fast forward to assignments in the remote corners of the world where I began to slow down and look as I descended. I saw corals sloping upwards to the surface meeting rainforests tumbling to the edge. I began lingering at the boundary of surface and sea, recognizing it as our largest most important border on the planet."

This is where the experiments of capturing half and half images in a single frame began. For Doubilet it is a thrill, knowing that a person on the surface has no idea of the fascinating and rich life that can be seen just beneath the water.

The project includes images taken throughout Doubilet's underwater career and spans Papua New Guinea to Grand Cayman Island, from the icy waters of the Antarctic Ocean to the tropical Great Barrier Reef. He has captured rare sea creatures, corals, plant life, and the unique underwater landscape -- all of which help highlight important climate change and marine life conservation issues.

Although an exciting experience, it can be labor-intensive to create images like these. Doubilet uses a variety of Nikon cameras in SEACAM underwater housings which are equipped with a range of wide-angle Nikkor lenses, behind a 9.5-inch optical glass super dome. The dome corrects the 33-percent underwater magnification and spreads the boundary layer of the surface across the curvature of the dome.

When Doubilet shoots, he has to kneel or stand very carefully; sometimes he even floats with the housing and dome half in and half out of the water. He lights the bottom half of the frame with two or more Sea and Sea YS 250 strobes.

The most challenging aspect of this type of work is finding two compelling subjects in a single frame to illustrate the essence of the place that Doubilet is shooting in.

"Although I am driven to look for two world moments on every dive, the images themselves remain rare," he explains. "In five decades and 75 stories as a National Geographic photographer, I have only produced a few dozen of these images that I truly like."

"The largest border that impacts every single person on this planet is not etched in ink, it is the surface of the ocean. It is a portal into that other 71-percent of our planet. No matter where we live, coastal or inland, we depend on the oceans to produce oxygen and resources that we rely on."

As challenging as underwater photography is, Doubilet doesn't plan on stopping and hopes that his project connects people to the sea. The newly published book is an invitation for the audience to enter into this world: "to see, know, explore, connect with, and protect the oceans."

Doubilet's "Two Worlds: Above and Below the Sea" book is available for $60 and can be found on the Phaidon website, with more of Doubilet's photographic work available on the Undersea Images website.


Image credits: All images by David Doubilet and used with permission.

#features #news #travel #book #daviddoubilet #marine #marinelife #newbook #seacam #underwater #underwaterhousing #underwaterphotography #underwaterphotoshoot

dezeen@xn--y9azesw6bu.xn--y9a3aq

Brutalist buildings threatened by right-wing politicians as part of "attack on the welfare state"

image

Robin Hood Gardens demolition

Brutalist buildings around the world are in danger of demolition due to attacks from right-wing politicians, according to architecture historians.

Tim Verlaan, an assistant professor at the Amsterdam Centre for Urban History, said that an association between brutalism and left-leaning social policies has caused opposition to the architectural style from the right.

"Today, criticism on brutalism and modernism is mostly voiced by those on the far-right side of the political spectrum, precisely because of the association between modernism and the post-war welfare state," he told Dezeen.

Historian and author Barnabas Calder said the demonisation of brutalism is part of a broader, politically motivated shift towards more traditional styles of architecture.

"The Trump programme was explicitly attacking brutalism and seeking a kind of stage-set fascism," he said, referring to an executive order issued by the former president.

Trellick Tower in London by Erno GoldfingerTop image: Robin Hood Gardens was demolished in 2017 (Dezeen). Above: Trellick Tower (Steve Cadman via Wikimedia Commons)

"There are some very, very visible manifestations of the welfare state in brutalist architecture," Calder said, pointing to iconic structures including Trellick Tower, a social housing tower in London designed by Erno Goldfinger, and the Southbank Centre, a public art complex on the Thames.

Calder, who is the author of new book Raw Concrete and Architecture: From Prehistory to Climate Emergency, added that many brutalist buildings were built by private developers rather than the state. However, right-wing attempts to link the style to socialist ideals date back to the seventies and eighties.

In the UK at that time there was "a successful bashing of it in those terms under the Thatcher period by the right because, by that stage, these buildings were in a sorry state in many cases".

"There were lots of social housing built in that style, which was being deliberately run down and badly maintained," Calder added.

Brutalism criticism linked to "advent of neoliberal policies"

"There is a connection to be made between the advent of neoliberal policies and the attack on the welfare state from the 1970s onwards and the mounting criticism of brutalism," agreed Verlaan, who is also a former editor of online magazine Failed Architecture.

"To many critics, [brutalism] also came to stand for big government and the alienation of mass society," he explained.

"The association between brutalism and the left is not a true one historically, but I think it is a true one in people's minds today," added Calder. "So historically, an awful lot of the architecture that the economic right now dislikes was originally built by the economic right."

Paul Rudolph's Burroughs Wellcome buildingPaul Rudolph's Burroughs Wellcome building was demolished earlier this year

The purge of buildings built in the brutalist style is accelerating today. In 2018, the Robin Hood Gardens housing estate by British architects Peter and Alison Smithson was demolished, while buildings including the Derby Assembly Rooms by Casson, Conder & Partners and Swansea Civic Centre by CW Quick are under threat.

In the USA, brutalist buildings such as Paul Rudolph's Burroughs Wellcome building and Shoreline Apartments have fallen victim to the wrecking ball.

Elsewhere, landmarks such as Kenzo Tange's Kuwait embassy in Japan, the Hôtel du Lac by Raffaele Contigiani in Tunisia and Gerd Hänska's former animal research laboratory in Germany called Mäusebunker, have been scheduled for demolition.

Brutalist buildings in need of refurbishment

This wave of demolition is not always driven by political ideology. Brutalist buildings were often cheaply built and many are in need of refurbishment.

"In the natural cycle of building maintenance, [brutalist buildings] will be needing a complete redoing of all their services," said Catherine Croft, director of the Twentieth Century Society.

"In most cases, brutalist buildings are demolished because developers think they can put something bigger and more lucrative on the site," she explained. "The nature of the building on the site is really of not much relevance to them."

[

Read:

Robin Hood Gardens demolition is an "act of vandalism" says Simon Smithson

](https://www.dezeen.com/2017/08/10/robin-hood-gardens-demolition-simon-alison-peter-smithson-post-war-housing-estate-london-uk-news/)

Brutalism, characterised by bold monolithic forms cast from exposed concrete, is one of the 20th century's most controversial architectural styles. It soared in popularity in the 1950s during the post-war rebuilding of the UK, reaching its peak internationally in the mid-1970s.

Its name, which was coined by Alison and Peter Smithson, is a play on béton brut, the French term for raw concrete. But the negative connotations of the term helped make it easy to demonise.

"Brutalism is a relatively easy target, starting with the conflation of the term Brutalism with the adjective 'brutal', which many opponents of the style use in describing its buildings," said Deane Madsen, the founder of online brutalism appreciation society Brutalist DC.

Politicians advocating "return of traditional forms"

In place of brutalism, some populist politicians are today advocating a return to traditional styles of architecture, Calder said.

The UK government's Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission favours traditional architecture and is a "fetishisation of Georgian architecture," he said.

In America, former president Donald Trump's Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again executive order condemned brutalism and called for classical architecture to become the style for new federal courthouses. The order has since been overturned by incoming president Joe Biden.

[ The White House

Read:

"Traditional architecture has frequently been leveraged to support violent political agendas"

](https://www.dezeen.com/2020/02/06/making-federal-buildings-beautiful-again-opinion-phineas-harper/)

Similar moves are afoot in other countries, Verlaan said. "Right-wing critics, some of whom now have seats in parliament as in the case of Thierry Baudet in the Netherlands or are even in control of government as in the case of Viktor Orbán as in the case of Hungary, advocate a return of traditional forms and styles predating the twentieth century," he explained.

However, he added: "It should be noted that they rarely distinguish between brutalism, modernism and structuralism. All things modern are bad."

The post Brutalist buildings threatened by right-wing politicians as part of "attack on the welfare state" appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #architecture #features #brutalism

dezeen@xn--y9azesw6bu.xn--y9a3aq

Brutalist buildings threatened by right-wing politicians as part of "attack on the welfare state"

image

Robin Hood Gardens demolition

Brutalist buildings around the world are in danger of demolition due to attacks from right-wing politicians, according to architecture historians.

Tim Verlaan, an assistant professor at the Amsterdam Centre for Urban History, said that an association between brutalism and left-leaning social policies has caused opposition to the architectural style from the right.

"Today, criticism on brutalism and modernism is mostly voiced by those on the far-right side of the political spectrum, precisely because of the association between modernism and the post-war welfare state," he told Dezeen.

Historian and author Barnabas Calder said the demonisation of brutalism is part of a broader, politically motivated shift towards more traditional styles of architecture.

"The Trump programme was explicitly attacking brutalism and seeking a kind of stage-set fascism," he said, referring to an executive order issued by the former president.

Trellick Tower in London by Erno GoldfingerTop image: Robin Hood Gardens was demolished in 2017 (Dezeen). Above: Trellick Tower (Steve Cadman via Wikimedia Commons)

"There are some very, very visible manifestations of the welfare state in brutalist architecture," Calder said, pointing to iconic structures including Trellick Tower, a social housing tower in London designed by Erno Goldfinger, and the Southbank Centre, a public art complex on the Thames.

Calder, who is the author of new book Raw Concrete and Architecture: From Prehistory to Climate Emergency, added that many brutalist buildings were built by private developers rather than the state. However, right-wing attempts to link the style to socialist ideals date back to the seventies and eighties.

In the UK at that time there was "a successful bashing of it in those terms under the Thatcher period by the right because, by that stage, these buildings were in a sorry state in many cases".

"There were lots of social housing built in that style, which was being deliberately run down and badly maintained," Calder added.

Brutalism criticism linked to "advent of neoliberal policies"

"There is a connection to be made between the advent of neoliberal policies and the attack on the welfare state from the 1970s onwards and the mounting criticism of brutalism," agreed Verlaan, who is also a former editor of online magazine Failed Architecture.

"To many critics, [brutalism] also came to stand for big government and the alienation of mass society," he explained.

"The association between brutalism and the left is not a true one historically, but I think it is a true one in people's minds today," added Calder. "So historically, an awful lot of the architecture that the economic right now dislikes was originally built by the economic right."

Paul Rudolph's Burroughs Wellcome buildingPaul Rudolph's Burroughs Wellcome building was demolished earlier this year

The purge of buildings built in the brutalist style is accelerating today. In 2018, the Robin Hood Gardens housing estate by British architects Peter and Alison Smithson was demolished, while buildings including the Derby Assembly Rooms by Casson, Conder & Partners and Swansea Civic Centre by CW Quick are under threat.

In the USA, brutalist buildings such as Paul Rudolph's Burroughs Wellcome building and Shoreline Apartments have fallen victim to the wrecking ball.

Elsewhere, landmarks such as Kenzo Tange's Kuwait embassy in Japan, the Hôtel du Lac by Raffaele Contigiani in Tunisia and Gerd Hänska's former animal research laboratory in Germany called Mäusebunker, have been scheduled for demolition.

Brutalist buildings in need of refurbishment

This wave of demolition is not always driven by political ideology. Brutalist buildings were often cheaply built and many are in need of refurbishment.

"In the natural cycle of building maintenance, [brutalist buildings] will be needing a complete redoing of all their services," said Catherine Croft, director of the Twentieth Century Society.

"In most cases, brutalist buildings are demolished because developers think they can put something bigger and more lucrative on the site," she explained. "The nature of the building on the site is really of not much relevance to them."

[

Read:

Robin Hood Gardens demolition is an "act of vandalism" says Simon Smithson

](https://www.dezeen.com/2017/08/10/robin-hood-gardens-demolition-simon-alison-peter-smithson-post-war-housing-estate-london-uk-news/)

Brutalism, characterised by bold monolithic forms cast from exposed concrete, is one of the 20th century's most controversial architectural styles. It soared in popularity in the 1950s during the post-war rebuilding of the UK, reaching its peak internationally in the mid-1970s.

Its name, which was coined by Alison and Peter Smithson, is a play on béton brut, the French term for raw concrete. But the negative connotations of the term helped make it easy to demonise.

"Brutalism is a relatively easy target, starting with the conflation of the term Brutalism with the adjective 'brutal', which many opponents of the style use in describing its buildings," said Deane Madsen, the founder of online brutalism appreciation society Brutalist DC.

Politicians advocating "return of traditional forms"

In place of brutalism, some populist politicians are today advocating a return to traditional styles of architecture, Calder said.

The UK government's Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission favours traditional architecture and is a "fetishisation of Georgian architecture," he said.

In America, former president Donald Trump's Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again executive order condemned brutalism and called for classical architecture to become the style for new federal courthouses. The order has since been overturned by incoming president Joe Biden.

[ The White House

Read:

"Traditional architecture has frequently been leveraged to support violent political agendas"

](https://www.dezeen.com/2020/02/06/making-federal-buildings-beautiful-again-opinion-phineas-harper/)

Similar moves are afoot in other countries, Verlaan said. "Right-wing critics, some of whom now have seats in parliament as in the case of Thierry Baudet in the Netherlands or are even in control of government as in the case of Viktor Orbán as in the case of Hungary, advocate a return of traditional forms and styles predating the twentieth century," he explained.

However, he added: "It should be noted that they rarely distinguish between brutalism, modernism and structuralism. All things modern are bad."

The post Brutalist buildings threatened by right-wing politicians as part of "attack on the welfare state" appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #architecture #features #brutalism

petapixel@xn--y9azesw6bu.xn--y9a3aq

Nexus Panoramas: Two Landscapes Linked Together with the Milky Way

image

Photographer Geoff Decker has spent the last two years creating what he calls Nexus Panoramas: vertical photos that use the Milky Way to link two landscape foregrounds in a single image.

All images below can be clicked and viewed in higher resolution.

Decker calls the images Nexus Panoramas for two reasons. One, the term nexus is defined as "a connection or series of connections linking two or more things." He says he wanted to clearly define this type of images as a panorama where the Milky Way is used to link two lanscape forgrounds using a single series of images.

The second reason?

"Nexus honestly just sounds spacey," he tells PetaPixel. "It's used by a various number of space organizations and Sci-Fi material so it just fit the definition."

Decker says that he got the idea for these images in August of 2019 while going through old equipment. He came across an old Nodal Ninja, which is a spherical panorama head that was used to create "tiny planet" photos and virtual walkthroughs for realty companies before the modern methods used today became available. On that note, Decker says that about a month after he rediscovered his Nodal Ninja, the company announced it was closing its United States offices.

"At the time I was also practicing astrophotography, learning how to stack images to clean up noise and such. When I found it, a bit of inspiration just kind of hit that, in theory, I should be able to use this type of head to achieve a perfect vertical shot of the Milky Way," he says.

The idea made sense, but creating finished images was more of a challenge and revolved around his tripod setup and software issues.

"At the time, I was using an older steel Manfrotto tripod I had lying around. As I came to learn, the tripod was going to be pivotal to getting the image quickly and easily and this was not it. The thing, while sturdy, was impossible to level, and with these panoramas, you only have so long before the Milky Way is out of ideal alignment. I was still able to get my first Nexus Panorama the first go-around but it took a bit longer than what was ideal," Decker says.

"I went through a couple of test setups before I found the ideal one. I use a 3 Legged Thing Punks Brian as it's quite lightweight and fairly stable at its tallest setting (which comes in useful). I still use my Nodal Ninja, and between the Nodal Ninja and the tripod, I have a leveling base to expedite leveling the entire setup," he explains.

Decker says that on the software side, anyone who tries to stitch photos together for panoramas understands that it can be a pain. He explains that with this particular panoramic image, it is very easy for some of the automated options to get "lost" in the stitching process and as a result, fail. He says he took a lot of time finding the right software that wouldn't be terribly time-consuming but would also retain high image quality with minimum compression.

"At the time, Photoshop had a difficult time (and still does). Surprisingly, I found Lightroom’s Panorama function could resolve it most of the time. And any time I have a difficult one, such as the Tombstone panorama, I use Affinity with no issues," he says.

The time for an edit can take a while, and Decker says he's edited one in as little as a few hours while others can take a week or more to get right -- editing on and off during that span, of course.

Decker explains that the process for creating these images breaks down into eleven steps.

The process starts just as most typical astrophotography expeditions do:

  1. Find a location
  2. Check weather and cloud coverage
  3. Locate the milky way and locate an area with some nice foreground.

"With locations, it's hard to be picky because you have to be facing a very specific direction," he explains. "And honestly, I take a bit of a nomadic approach to astrophotography in general, where I find an area with a dark spot, travel there, and see what happens."

A good location for these photos means clear skies and low light pollution, which he says has been hard this past year in Colorado where he lives because of the smoke from forest fires.

"Next year, I do plan to experiment a bit more. Despite taken during a close to full moon, I do like the Tombstone panorama and plan on hitting up a few ghost towns to get some more interesting foregrounds."

After he has picked a location, next comes field planning:

  1. Figure out when the Milky Way will be directly overhead and verify you are in a location that shows it off well. You can use apps like Photopills to get an estimate, but its pretty easy to just observe the movement with either your eyes or your camera.
  2. Extend the tripod and level out the head.
  3. Attach the camera. Re-level the head.
  4. Move the nodal ninja with camera attached fully around. Make sure nothing shifts, make sure the lens does not hit the tripod. Knobs and platforms shift so it might be loose, it might not be set the same exact way you had it (or you put the camera on in the wrong position, ask me how I know).
  5. Set the camera up pointing to the core of the Milky Way. Test your astro exposure, focus, and foreground exposure. Adjust as needed.
  6. Once ready, point the camera at about 15 – 30 degrees down. Take one picture every 15 degrees (works the best for stitching), remembering to take two photos for the foreground photos (one at the astro ISO, one at a higher ISO to see the foreground). Step and repeat until you get all the way to the other side of the tripod.
  7. Review images.
  8. Import and edit.

Decker says that the number of photos he uses for his Nexus Panoramas varies depending on if he sets the camera in a landscape or portrait orientation. He says the landscape setup requires more images as it is a shorter image, but usually resolves better.

"At the Grand Tetons, I used 32 images in the session," he says. "Duplicates of the foreground were taken, one at the ISO used for the sky (1250) and one for a brighter foreground (4000)."

Decker says that ideally, the best medium to enjoy his photos is in print.

"I had one printed on metal this year for the annual Louisville Art Association National Photography show (won people’s choice award) and what's cool about these photos is that there is no right or wrong way to hang them. You can literally hang them on any side and each orientation makes it a different photo," he says. "You lose that in digital. Plus, they look really cool printed on metal.

"That being said, I bet they look great on ultra-wide monitors."

More of Decker's Nexus Panoramas and his full portfolio of photography can be seen on his website.

#features #inspiration #astronomy #astrophotography #fineart #fineartlandscapephotography #landscapephotography #milkyway #milkywaygalaxy #nodalninja #prints #space #ultrawide #vertical

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Photographer Sheds Light on Plastic Pollution with a Giant Floating Faucet

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Photographer Benjamin Von Wong -- known for tackling environmental issues in his photographic work -- has released his latest project that raises the discussion of plastic pollution in a creative and collaborative way.

In 2016, Von Wong's photographic work brought awareness to a diverse range of subjects and issues and encouraged others to join in. The most recent project -- "Turn Off the Plastic Tap" -- further amplifies Von Wong's dedication to creatively bring attention to a global issue.

Von Wong, who is "always looking for exciting ways to make the boring problem of plastic pollution more interesting," was approached by the Embassy of Canada in France and asked if he can build an and art installation to bring awareness to plastic production.

Photo by Philippe Boivin - philboivin.com

Von Wong excitedly took on the challenge and, with the help of like-minded community members, built a three-story-tall tap that look as though ti is leaking plastic. He tells PetaPixel that volunteers were found through social media and local community organizations like Ocean Wise.

Photo by Philippe Boivin - philboivin.com Photo by Philippe Boivin - philboivin.com

The project, as large as the tap itself, required the volunteer team to create a faucet, which was built from used ventilation ducts from a building that was about to be demolished. It was then cut, painted, and adapted to fit a manual forklift.

The participants organized and prepared the plastics by sorting them into three categories -- transparent, mixed, and black. The plastics were then tightly assembled -- using a rope that was made from plastic bottles - to create the water flow coming out of the tap.

Photo by Philippe Boivin - philboivin.com

The team photographed the art installation in several locations, such as a children's playground, container yard, recycling facility, landfill, and beach. Each one required volunteers to work closely together to help create the final shot.

For example, for the beach photo, it took the team five hours to assemble the tap along with two hours spent on capturing the image.

It wasn't an easy task to light it up so the team used mirrors to direct the light while a simple bee smoker came in handy to diffuse it and add a touch of mystery.

To further light it artificially, Von Wong and his team of volunteers brought whatever lighting they had on hand. Von Wong says that they used everything from speedlights to Godox strobes to top-of-the-line Broncolor Move Outdoor packs.

And, once the sun and clouds got into the perfect position, the shot was ready. Von Wong also used the Sunseeker app to predict the position of the sun while scouting the chosen shoot location at a beach in Oka, Canada.

The final beach shot was taken using Sony a7R IV with Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 lens at 1/250 s, f/11, and ISO 50.

Von Wong explains that the photo-taking stage took the team two weeks and the project was long from finished. They still had to pack up the installation and ship it to France so that it can be displayed in Paris on October 7.

The behind-the-scenes work such as editing, putting together press and marketing materials, building non-profit partnerships, and more takes a lot of work -- so for Von Wong, the project is still not done.

For anyone interested, Von Wong encourages artists and creative talents to participate by creating a remix of the original Giant Plastic Tap between October 4th and November 4th. Those who take part will be automatically entered into a $10,000 prize pool.

Detailed instructions on how to enter can be found here. More of Von Wong's work can be found on his website and Instagram, with additional information about the Giant Plastic Tap project available on the Turn Off the Plastic Tap website.


Image credits: All images provided courtesy of Von Wong Production 2021 and used with permission.

#features #inspiration #news #artinstallation #awareness #benjaminvonwong #environment #environmental #environmentalimpact #installation #plastic #pollution #vonwong

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Iranian COVID-19 Patient Photo Wins Nikon Photo Contest 2021

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Nikon has announced the winners of its Photo Contest 2020-2021, a competition that has been active for over 50 years. This year's winning image depicts a senior citizen in Iran who was admitted to receive treatment for COVID-19.

Nikon says that the winners of its Grand Prize, Excellence Award, and set of Special Encouragement Awards were selected from a total of 65,062 entries submitted from approximately 26,000 people from over 150 countries. As seen above, the recipient of the Grand Prize for the photo competition was a work titled “Radiance”, entered by Amin Nazari (Islamic Republic of Iran) from the Open Category.

The senior citizen pictured above was admitted to Razi Hospital in Ahvaz,Iran, in order to receive treatment for COVID-19.

Due to the coronavirus, the senior citizen was admitted to Razi Hospital in Ahvaz, Iran, for treatment to deal with the virus. The coronavirus spread to humans in December 2019, and entered Iran shortly afterwards. In the peak days of the virus in Iran, about 350 people died every day. The virus has caused serious problems for all social interactions, jobs, universities and schools, etc.

The Excellence Award was given to Ares Jonekson Saragi from Indonesia for his series on the pandemic in his country as seen in his photos below.

During this pandemic time, the funeral officer have buried at least 30-50 remains of suspects or those who were declared positive for Covid-19 in every day. There is no definite information for them on the number of remains that will be buried every day, they were asked to be always standby at the location most of the times and wait for the arrival of the hearses.

The Nikon Photo Contest also awards a short film, which was presented to Rei Kuroda from Japan for the film below titled "Escaping from Karma."

The plot is about trying to break free from the various constrictions of society, while dealing also with issues of feminism, race, and nationality. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced drastic changes in our lives. What we took for granted can no longer be taken for granted, and what we thought were unshakable have become increasingly uncertain. I created this film based on the notion that perhaps there will be liberation if the colossal systems that have been built up are transformed, or if we can escape from them.

The four Special Encouragement Award winners can be seen on the Nikon Photo Contest website.


Image credits: Photos individually credited and provided courtesy of Nikon.

#features #inspiration #news #competition #covid19 #covid19experience #covid19pandemic #nikon #nikonphotocontest #nikonphotocontest2021 #pandemic