Photographer Profiles

Last week we told you about an upcoming segment on 60 Minutes on renowned wildlife photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen. The story aired last night on CBS and it’s already up online.

Chris Burkard is an adventure photographer who travels the world looking for epic images of our untamed planet. He recently garnered a lot of attention for the once-in-a-lifetime shot above of a surfer in Iceland lit by the Northern Lights, and the video below gives you the backstory.

(In March 1986, the Least Bell’s Vireo, a bird species that Moose Peterson had volunteered to photograph, was listed as endangered, and Moose, who was just starting out as a photographer, was about to learn the power of a single image.)

Most of the photographers were set up at the front of the pool for the 100-meter butterfly final, but Jeff Cable decided to try for a different view of Michael Phelps in that event. You wouldn’t know it from the photo, but he was actually 20 rows up in the seats on the opposite side of the starting block.

(Editor’s Note: Exploring Light is a monthly Shutterbug column featuring tips, tricks, and photo advice from professional photographers in Canon Explorers of Light education program. This month's column is by Sue Bryce on how she regained her inspiration by putting a few things into motion. Sue Bryce Education is offering free access to dozens of online classes during the week of April 18-24. Register for free here.

We don’t subscribe to the notion of some so-called purists that “Photoshop” is a dirty word. After all, some of the best works of iconic film photographers owe their impact to a mastery of the darkroom. The before and after images you see here from young Russian digital artist Max Asabin show that he definitely pushes the envelope when it comes to the digital darkroom.

In 1955, armed with a couple of Leicas, several bottles of French brandy, and hundreds of rolls of film, the photographer Robert Frank set out on an odyssey to look for the soul of America. Behind the wheel of his black Ford Business coupe, he drove over 10,000 miles of endless highways and forgotten back roads; and made nearly 27,000 photographs. From these road-trip images he created a “photobook,” a work that has had a profound impact on photography and photographers ever since: The Americans.