Latest news with #portraits
CTV News
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘It's from the soul': Veterans share stories through photography project
It's a project that's been near and dear to Maurice Henri's heart for a long time. The renowned Moncton photographer has started a new project called Veterans in Focus that puts a spotlight on local veterans through portraits and stories. 'A lot of these people, especially the men, never really talk about it. So, it was my way of trying to get them to open up. To talk to them and hang out with them and honour them. The project is about honour,' said Henri. Arice LeBlanc Arice LeBlanc, a subject for the Veterans in Focus project. (Source: Maurice Henri) Henri and photography students from McKenzie College visit with veterans to document their lives, hear their stories and capture their images through black and white portraits. Not only does it honour the sacrifices of veterans, it's educational for the students, many of them are the same age now as when the veterans set off to war. 'There's a connection there age-wise, but a very disconnect in the sense of understanding the different generations,' said Henri. Eight students are involved and six veterans, men and women, have been interviewed. Some of them over 100-years-old. One of those students is Stacy MacKenzie who said she's learning more than just the technical aspect of portrait photography. 'He's teaching me a lot about storytelling and the images are more than just a picture. Being able to capture those moments and being able to find the humanity and the vision in the person as well,' said MacKenzie. Meeting the veterans was an overwhelming experience for MacKenzie who was deeply moved by the emotion in their stories. 'I was thinking that these stories would be sad. I'm overwhelmed by how happy these people are,' said MacKenzie. Hubert Smith Hubert Smith, a subject for the Veterans in Focus project. (Source: Maurice Henri) Henri is the founder of Cameras for Healing, a not-for-profit organization that helps people experiencing trauma, grief and stress deal with their pain through photography. Dozens of his photos from war zones around the world hang on the walls of his Moncton studio. Many of his photographs are people who have suffered from extreme Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and he recognized it with some of the veterans. 'A lot of these people, even when they were raising their families, were never talking about this. They weren't talking to their kids,' said Henri. 'A lot of them resorted to alcohol. A lot of depression, a lot of PTSD,' said Henri. He recalled one photo shoot with a 102-year-old veteran where the man's son came to watch. 'At the end when we were done and packing up all of our gear and we were walking out, he became quite emotional. He said to me, he pulled me aside and he said, 'I can't believe you pulled out some of these stories. I never heard them before,' he couldn't believe some of the stories his own father was saying for this project,' said Henri. Finding all the veterans has been quite a process for Henri and the students. They've had help from the Moncton Legion, the Veterans Association in Riverview and the public. Frederick Hawthrone Frederick Hawthrone, a subject for the Veterans in Focus project. (Source: Maurice Henri) The 67-year-old photographer can feel the emotion in the veterans when they share their stories. 'You can see the water in their eyes,' said Henri. 'The pride that they have still. Even though they're in wheelchairs and some of them have difficulty walking, but you can still feel and see that pride of what they did for us.' A mature student, MacKenzie spoke about how some of her classmates, many of them 18 or 19-years-old, can learn about this important part of Canadian history. 'So, for them to actually see and visualize for the first time maybe with a veteran is really going to help them see that it's from the soul. It's definitely from the soul,' said MacKenzie. Henri has the lofty goal of meeting and photographing 40 veterans before the exhibit will go on display in November in the lobby of the Hotel Beausejour in downtown Moncton. 'I want to put them on a pedestal,' said Henri. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- The Guardian
Derek and Quentin, twins from Indiana who live in the woods: Robin de Puy's best photograph
My first trip photographing Americans was in 2015, when I drove 8,000 miles across the country on a Harley-Davidson. I'd spent too long caught up in assignments and wanted to take some time off from commercial and editorial work to follow my own creative urges. America offered an opportunity to explore a landscape I didn't know, and was far enough away from my home in the Netherlands to ensure it wouldn't be easy for me to just go back if things got difficult. I think Europeans often don't understand how tough life in America can be. I wanted to show real, underrepresented people who are just trying to survive, while also drawing attention to how rich their lives can be. At a time when people seem increasingly polarised in their views, my images seek to challenge the assumptions that often divide people, and to focus on the common experiences that connect us. This picture is from a more recent series, American, which I undertook with my husband between 2022 and 2024. Again, I took portraits of people we encountered while driving from state to state and we also recorded interviews and documented their stories on film. I spotted Derek and Quentin from our car as we were driving through Elkhart, Indiana. They were wearing hoodies and their faces were hidden. I don't know what it is that attracts me to people, it's just this gut feeling – I see certain people and feel I need to talk to and observe them. So I jumped out of the car and ran towards them. I said something like: 'Hey, are you brothers?' They said: 'Yeah, yeah,' but they were not really looking at me. I told them I was a photographer and film-maker from Amsterdam, and when they heard the word 'Amsterdam' they were suddenly interested. I discovered they were 29-year-old twins who lived nearby in a tent, in woodland behind a friend's trailer home. These boys had never learned how to have a 'normal' life – how to organise everything, show up to a job, all the basic things. Their mom has a severe mental health condition and never stays in the same place for long and their dad died of an overdose a couple of years ago. Their grandma had taken care of them until they left and started living on the streets. But they have each other, and if you asked them, they would say they had a good childhood. This was where they felt at ease and wanted to live. If you didn't know their story, you could look at this picture and think they are maybe runners or cyclists. Then you see the tattoos – Quentin, on the left, has a little star under his eye. Their skin is white where it's been covered by T-shirts but their necks and forearms are tanned, and the colour of their skin and hair is echoed by the orange flowers in the background. They're also unconsciously mirroring one another in the way they're holding their hands. There's so much going on in this picture that it's a little confusing. But because of that, you keep staring, and that, for me, is a way to break something open – people who see this photograph are curious and always want to know more about these boys. I use a medium format camera because I love capturing the texture of people's skin and hair, and the twins were fascinated by that and the other tech we were using – the film camera and sound equipment. They're really into machines and electronics. You can see in their gaze that they're communicating with me, their posture is open. That's how I like to approach these portraits – they're a collaborative process. I love being in that moment where the subject is as completely focused on me as I'm focused on them and we're reacting to one another. Even when my work exhausts me, it's not something I can just park, or detach myself from. I always say that through my photography, I've created my own family. Just like Randy, who I formed a close bond with on that first trip across America and still speak to daily, I've stayed in regular contact with Derek and Quentin. They are very dear to me. Born: 1986, Oostflakkee, the NetherlandsTrained: The Photo Academy, 'Mary Ellen Mark, Egon Schiele, David Lynch, Richard Avedon, Larry Clark and Harmony Korine (I love Kids and Gummo). And many, many moreHigh point: 'The documentary about my work (directed by Simone de Vries, director of photography Maarten van Rossem) being nominated for an International Emmy; meeting and photographing Randy and all the other great human beings; the little road trip along The Loneliest Road of America to check out the billboards with pictures from American – with some of the people who were on the billboards; driving 8,000 miles on my motorbike through storms and sunshine, through cities and mountains to shoot one of my best series'Low point: 'There are low points often. Some worse than others. Most low points are the ones that I create in my own mind'Top tip: 'Don't be afraid to go back and do it again, make it better, try again, again and again' See more at American by Robin De Puy is published by Hannibal Books
Washington Post
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Former President George W. Bush draws inspiration close to his Dallas home in his latest paintings
DALLAS — Former President George W. Bush didn't need to look too far for inspiration for his newest works of art. The 78-year-old has brushed portraits of world leaders and people who immigrated to the U.S. But his newest collection draws on scenes much closer to home: his presidential library in Dallas.
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
A husband and wife kiss in a doorway: Baldwin Lee's best photograph
When I began my project photographing in the southern states of the US, I'd only recently developed the confidence needed to take effective portraits. Speaking publicly or talking with people used to make me very nervous. But I was mainly photographing architecture – I knew I wanted to change and make people my subject. So I simply forced myself to endure the anxiety. I picked locations where people gathered in public, such as beaches or parks, and would make myself walk up to them and ask for permission to photograph them. If you do anything long enough, you start to get good at it, and eventually I turned myself into a very assertive photographer. I'm not an intimidating person – I'm small in stature – and generally speaking people like me. On any given day, if I were to ask 20 people to pose for me, 19 would say yes. I'd moved to Knoxville in 1982 to teach photography at the University of Tennessee, and during the first exploratory trip from my new home I really did not have a specific objective. But when I got back and processed the film, the results confirmed what I'd started to realise as the trip had gone on – that my pictures of Black Americans were the most interesting. Over the course of a number of summer road trips throughout the decade, I continued to visit Black communities across the American south. During each trip, my first stop after checking into a motel would be the local police station. I would pull out a map of the town, explain that I had some very expensive photographic equipment and ask an officer if he would circle the places I should avoid. I knew those were the places I needed to be. I would walk around with my heavy, large format 4:5 camera already mounted on its tripod, in search of opportunities. When I sensed the possibility of a photograph, I'd approach the subject and explain that I thought he or she was somehow special, that this person was, as in the theatre, clearly the star, and that what I wanted to photograph was their star quality. As an Asian man showing up in predominantly Black areas, I was clearly an anomaly, and often people were surprised I didn't speak Chinese or broken English. Having the camera on a tripod allowed me to avoid a certain predicament that would occur with a handheld camera that you would hold in front of your face. In that instance, the subject feels as if they are undergoing a medical exam. They're being looked at, objectified, and the photographer has all the control, whereas the ability to stand beside the camera levels the playing field. It allowed me to have a direct conversation, and invite the subject to be a participant. Posing the subject was when the process became very interesting. The person I was asking to photograph was not a professional actor, nor was I a director. Whatever I asked them to do, they would interpret individually and do something different, often displaying themselves in a surprising and revealing way. That's what I wanted – to make a photograph of something that was a mutual discovery. This particular picture was taken either in Augusta or Valdosta, Georgia. I saw the woman in her yard, began a conversation and took several pictures of her outside, then asked if she would mind if I also photographed her inside. She invited me into her house and her husband was there. I asked them to stand next to each other in that doorway, then I asked them to kiss. I made a series of them together and this one turned out to be, I think, the best. I wanted a dialogue between the couple and the plaque you can see on the wall beside them, which is a relief carving of a man and a woman in a similar pose. I didn't ask about the hats – that wasn't the kind of questioning I engaged in. I just included objects that might allow the viewer to imagine possible scenarios. At the end of the process I would write down my subjects' addresses and send them a print. Sometimes I saw participants again on later trips, and they would show me where they'd put my picture up in their homes. On one occasion a woman tore the photograph to pieces in front of me. The majority of times, though, they were very pleased with the results. Born: Brooklyn, New York, 'With Minor White at MIT and Walker Evans at Yale.'Influences: 'Minor White and Walker Evans'.High point: 'Having been plucked from obscurity.'Low point: 'I thought I was retired but instead have been busier than ever!'Top tip: 'Teach yourself to have courage.' Baldwin Lee's photographs are on display at the David Hill Gallery stand, Photo London, 15-18 May.
BBC News
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
King and Queen unveil Coronation portraits at National Gallery
King and Queen unveil Coronation portraits 8 minutes ago Share Save Daniela Relph Senior royal correspondent, reporting from the National Gallery Share Save PA Media Artists Peter Kuhfeld (left) and Paul S. Benney (right) pose with the King and Queen in front of the portraits King Charles and Queen Camilla have unveiled their new state portraits at the National Gallery on the second anniversary of their Coronation day. The paintings will be displayed in the gallery's Central Hall before moving to Buckingham Palace in June. The portrait of the King shows him wearing the Robe of State alongside his naval uniform with medals, and the Queen is portrayed wearing her coronation dress. There was applause at the gallery on Tuesday as the couple pulled down coverings to reveal both portraits, before stepping back to admire the paintings. The King was painted by Peter Kuhfeld, who has known him for more than 40 years, while the Queen was painted by Paul S. Benney. The robe worn by the King is the one used during the first part of the coronation service. In keeping with tradition, alongside him is the Imperial State Crown. Alongside the Queen in her portrait is her crown and the Robe of Estate she wore as she left Westminster Abbey on coronation day. PA Media The King's portrait PA Media The Queen looks on at her portrait The King sat for Mr Kuhfeld at St James's Palace five times over a year and a half. There were also two separate sittings with just the crown. "I've spent quite a long time with him over the years so I'm used to being with him, " the artist said. "As a person he's very interesting, he is very understanding of what a painter needs to do the job." Mr Benney had six official sittings with the Queen in the Garden Room at Clarence House. He was also allowed to set up a studio there allowing him to meet the Queen informally many times. "The sittings were extremely pleasurable on my part," he said. "I like to talk when I'm painting… and so we had a lot of chat and stories which we told each other. "At times I would be holding my tummy from laughing so much. The Queen is very witty." What do the royals think of the portraits?
