Show Notes
Greetings, you’re listening to the Liam Photography Podcast, I’m your host Liam Douglas and this is Episode 434 for Thursday December 26th, 2024.
A photographer’s gruesome discovery inside an abandoned funeral home has sparked a police investigation after he took pictures of human remains on the site.
Traveling photographer Ben James found dozens of cremated ashes as well as a human fetus inside the Norman Medford Peden Funeral Home and Crematory in Marietta, Georgia.
According to local reports, six agencies are now investigating and looking for family members after James found bank statements for people who had paid for burials.
“I had no idea there were SO many boxes of ashes,” James tells PetaPixel. “I’m used to a few per place but this was over 30 boxes. Seeing the human fetus was quite surreal but that is the way of these places, you never know what you’ll find.”
After James shared his photos of the funeral home to Reddit, someone recognized the building and reported it to the police. “I never name a place or do external,” adds James.
The funeral home closed after a fire gutted the building in April and since then 35 boxes of cremains have been sitting inside along with death certificates and personal information.
“There are boxes, there are folders, file drawers. Everything you would imagine there to be in a fully functioning funeral home, embalming area, and a crematory, certainly there’s a tremendous amount of chemicals,” Marietta Police Officer Chuck McPhilamy tells Fox5 Atlanta.
“As far as I know, when it was closed it was deemed that nothing was inside as far as remains so it was a lie and they were embarrassed they were found out,” adds James. “The owner apparently fled with some money and can’t be found. Just a very cool but surreal explore.”
The authorities are now trying to track down the families of those affected while determining whether a criminal offense has taken place.
More of James’s work can be found on his Instagram and Tiktok.
These rare mugshots taken in December 1872 show Victorian thieves locked up at Christmas for seemingly trivial crimes such as stealing lumps of coal.
The fascinating photos were all taken around the same time by police in Wandsworth Prison, London, and are kept for posterity in the National Archives of England and Wales.
The offenders were found guilty of stealing items to keep them warm, such as woolen jumpers and coats. Others were locked up for stealing food, like 17-year-old Sidney Lowman who was sentenced to six weeks’ hard labor at Wandsworth for stealing “half a pint” of milk.
Of course, it’s entirely plausible that at least some of these people were purposely committing crimes so they could spend Yuletide behind bars. Although conditions in London prisons in the 1870s were harsh: the Victorian penal philosophy focused on deterrence and moral correction.
Worried about crime, the Victorians turned to the camera so they could record the likeness of an offender. The above photos were likely taken on a large format camera with bellows.
The mugshot wasn’t officially invented until about a decade after the Wandsworth Prison photos were taken when French police officer Alphonse Bertillon brought in standardized lighting and angles. Bertillon heralded an international standard that is still used to this day.
Darktable 5.0.0 is here, and it’s aiming to reshape how photographers approach free photo editing.
This open-source alternative to Adobe Lightroom has earned fans with its myriad features for years. However, it can sometimes be complicated for new users. The latest update doesn’t just promise improvements; it challenges the notion that free software can’t rival its paid counterparts.
Born in 2009, Darktable set out to disrupt the dominance of proprietary photo-editing software. As a RAW editor, it’s grown from an experimental project to a viable choice for budget-conscious photographers. While praised for its extensive feature set, Darktable has often had a steep learning curve and occasional inconsistencies. With the release of version 5.0.0, the developers hope to shift that narrative. This update introduces new tools, refines old ones, and claims to enhance speed and stability.
At the heart of this update is the new Diffusion module. Designed to replicate analog film effects like lens blur, halation, and blooming, the tool aims to capture film photography’s elusive warmth and imperfection. Photographers who have long sought to bridge the gap between digital precision and film’s organic charm will find this feature intriguing. The module offers a wealth of sliders and parameters, allowing users to fine-tune the effect to their liking. For those chasing a cinematic aesthetic, this addition could prove invaluable.
Another standout improvement is the overhauled Color Balance RGB module. Known for its powerful color grading capabilities, this tool offers more nuanced control and smoother transitions.
Performance upgrades are another headline feature. Importing and exporting RAW files is faster, and stability has seen marked improvement. Darktable has often lagged behind Lightroom in responsiveness, but the developers have taken steps to close the gap. Users working with large libraries or high-resolution files will appreciate the boost in efficiency.
Other enhancements include updates to the Retouch and Tone Equalizer modules. The Retouch module’s improved clone and heal tools make it easier to correct imperfections, while the Tone Equalizer now offers finer control over exposure adjustments. These changes are subtle but significant, addressing long-standing critiques about usability.
Darktable 5.0.0 also offers notable user interface improvements. The app provides new tooltips, clearer labels, and a more intuitive layout.
This release underscores Darktable’s evolution from a niche project to a serious tool for photographers. By blending innovation with practical improvements, it challenges the status quo. For those ready to invest time in mastering its features, Darktable 5.0.0 offers a robust, cost-free alternative. The software is available now on Darktable’s official website. A complete rundown of all the new features and improvements are available on Github.
While Sigma absolutely earned its title of PetaPixel‘s Photo Company of the Year in 2024, legendary German photo company Leica was not far behind. Leica was not only prolific across multiple camera system segments, but the company posted the highest revenue in its 110-year history.
Leica operates across a diverse range of segments. The company has its full-frame SL series interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras, M-mount rangefinders, premium all-in-one cameras (Q series), and even point-and-shoots (D-Lux). All four of these series were updated in 2024. Sure, we didn’t get a new V-Lux, C-Lux, or TL camera this year, but none of those have been refreshed since 2019 at the most recent (V-Lux 5).
Leica kicked off its busy year of new cameras in May with the Leica SL3. This full-frame L-Mount camera was the best high-res choice within the L-Mount system at launch and remains so today since neither Sigma nor Panasonic released a high-res camera this year.
Just a few weeks later, Leica made headlines again by capitalizing on the current compact camera trend with the D-Lux 8. Arriving more than five years after its predecessor, the D-Lux 8 didn’t change much on the inside. It still sports the same 21-megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor (only 17 of which are used to capture photos, by the way) and 24-75mm f/1.7-2.8 equivalent lens.
However, on the outside, things are significantly different. The D-Lux 8 ditches the 7’s design language in favor of cribbing Leica’s recent Q3 camera. The D-Lux 8 not only looks like a Leica Q, but it also has Q-like controls and a new user interface.
“You could cynically look at the D-Lux 8 as a relatively minor upgrade to an old camera that just seeks to cash in on the trendy resurgence that anything older is automatically cool again,” Chris Niccolls writes in PetaPixel‘s D-Lux 8 Review. “And you would be absolutely right. But I did have a serious case of Deja Vu using the D-Lux 8 and the memory that it brought back was a fun one.”
“Kudos to Leica for jumping on the bandwagon and hopefully inspiring other companies to do the same,” Niccolls concludes.
The Leica Q series received more love this year than just the D-Lux 8’s homage. Leica announced the Q3 43 in September, bringing a new APO-Summicron 43mm f/2 ASPH lens to the very popular 60-megapixel Q3 premium all-in-one camera. The only thing that changed is the lens, but that’s not a bad thing — not at all.
“I wish the camera was updated even a little bit, but I have to admit that I had more fun with the 43mm lens than I did with the previous Q3; and I really had fun with the previous Q3,” Niccolls writes in his Q3 43 Review.
The fourth Leica camera launched in 2024 is also a different spin on an existing product. Much like the Q3 43 takes the core of the Q3 and changes how it is used, the Leica M11-D offers the same core imaging capabilities of the Leica M11 released in 2022. However, the M11-D does so without any displays. This is a digital camera that embraces the analog experience.
This isn’t the first time Leica has done this — the company launched display-less digital cameras in 2014 (M Edition 60), 2016 (M-D), and 2018 (M10-D).
“With each new display-less digital camera, some photographers roll their eyes while others rub their hands together in anticipation. That’s just how it goes with much of Leica’s offerings — those who are into what the legendary German company does are really into it, while those who aren’t definitively aren’t,” PetaPixel wrote in September when Leica announced the M11-D. It’s as accurate now as it was then.
While Leica was very busy this year with new cameras, the company was unusually quiet in terms of new optics. While Leica released six new lenses last year, including four L-Mount lenses and two M-mount ones, only one new lens arrived in 2024: the Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 70-200mm f/2.8 ASPH.
The new lens completes Leica’s f/2.8 SL zoom trifecta, joining the Super-Vario-Elmarit-SL 14-24mm f/2.8 ASPH and Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f/2.8 ASPH. Like those lenses, astute photographers may notice that Leica’s f/2.8 SL zooms are pretty similar to Sigma’s lenses, which are also available for L-Mount, of course. The new Leica zoom is basically a custom-tuned version of the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG DN OS Sports with Leica’s styling.
Alongside this lens, Leica announced a new 2x teleconverter, too. It also seems like a Sigma design inside a Leica case, by the way, albeit at more than twice the price.
There was other interesting Leica news this year. The company is not only celebrating its 110th anniversary but also the 70th anniversary of the Leica M camera. To celebrate the occasion, Leica announced glossy black paint editions of its Leica M11 digital rangefinder and Noctilux-M 50mm f/1.2 ASPH lens.
Leica also announced the Leica M Edition 70 film camera in October to celebrate M’s birthday. This “unique collector’s item” is limited to just 250 copies worldwide and sets well-to-do Leica enthusiasts back $23,000. The camera comes with a Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH lens, at least, softening the blow to the bank account ever so slightly. It is undoubtedly a beautiful analog rangefinder camera.
Older Leica cameras made headlines in November for selling for wild sums. A one-of-a-kind Leica IIIg prototype camera sold at auction in China for nearly $3.8 million.
And in Vienna, another Leica prototype, a Leica M, sold for $2.14 million.
Although not a Leica-made product, accomplished photographer Hugh Brownstone and his friend, architect and passionate photographer Ed Palisoc, teamed up to create the incredible He3 handgrip for the Leica Q3. It’s a fantastic grip, and it proved so popular that Brownstone and Palisoc launched a version for the Q2 just a few months later, with more grips potentially in the works.
For many photographers, when the weather outside hits negative cold temperatures it’s a sign to stay indoors and hope that conditions improve.
Angela Boehm from Saskatchewan, Canada was of the same mindset. “I found myself grumbling about yet another day I couldn’t photograph because of the biting cold — it was minus 30 degrees Celsius outside,” she tells PetaPixel.
But as Boehm sat in her car waiting for a gap to appear on the highway, she had an epiphany that there was a “quiet beauty” in the scene in front of her that had been there all along. “That moment sparked something, and I started to photograph it,” she adds.
Boehm is from the prairies of southern Saskatchewan and knows all about harsh Canadian winters. She began to realize that minus 30 degrees Celsius winter landscapes are a metaphor for life, and she began her project, which has since turned into a book.
“The frozen prairie landscapes, while a subject in their own right, serve as a powerful metaphor for the deeper themes the book explores: loss, memory, and resilience,” she says. “What better environment to convey these ideas than a winter prairie storm?”
“The loss is embodied in the emptiness and biting cold,” she continues. “The memory, or its gradual fading, is represented by the snow obscuring the horizon, softening and blurring the scenes. And the resilience is in the solitary tree — a steadfast survivor of countless storms in this unforgiving landscape.”
Shooting in minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit) brings a unique set of challenges: for example, it is easy to blow out the whites while also dealing with the darkness that can envelop the landscape during a storm.
“I didn’t have a meter that could accurately read these conditions, so I had to rely solely on the histogram to figure the right exposures,” Boehm explains.
“Once I had that dialled in it became fairly straightforward. The histogram for these images is essentially flat, with one pronounced peak in the whites. This presented unique difficulties in ensuring the subtle tonal details translated well onto the page. It was a delicate balance, both in capturing and printing, to convey the nuance of these extreme conditions.”
Boehm used a Fujifilm GFX 100 for her project, a medium format digital camera, which she says held up well in the extreme conditions. Nevertheless, there were still difficulties.
“The biggest issue was keeping the camera cold,” she explains. “Once the camera acclimated to the freezing temperatures, I couldn’t bring it into a warmer space, like my vehicle, without it fogging up. As a result, I had to keep my vehicle cold, often leaving the windows down to maintain the same temperature as the outside environment.”
Another issue was battery life. In cold weather, batteries simply don’t perform the way they do in optimal temperatures. So, Boehm always had to keep spare batteries inside her jacket and try to keep them warm, or else they too would drain.
Boehm couldn’t wear a glove on her right hand while taking photos meaning she was constantly having to put her hand back in her pocket that was filled with hand warmers.
“I would put a mitten on while I walked and explored, but not while finding a scene and photographing,” she explains. “Gloves simply don’t work for pressing the shutter.”
Boehm’s resulting book, titled Minus Thirty, features essays by writers, including Brad Zellar. “The response has been incredible,” Boehm says of her book. The book is available here but is selling fast.
More of Boehm’s work can be found on her Instagram and website.
Preventable Photographer Death
The death of a motorsport photographer — who was killed by an out-of-control car at a rally event — was “preventable,” according to a coroner.
Veteran motorsport photographer Kevin Corin died while covering the Royce Watson Memorial Hanmer Rally in North Canterbury, New Zealand on September 1, 2018,
While photographing the rally, Corin was hit by a car that had lost control in what was described as “a freak accident” at the time.
The photographer, who had more than 45 years of experience, was pronounced dead at the scene just over an hour later.
According to a report by New Zealand news outlet Stuff, as an accredited photographer, Corin, had been allowed to take pictures of the stage in an area where spectators weren’t allowed to watch the action from.
In an inquest into Corin’s death six years later, a coroner has ruled that Corin’s death was preventable. The coroner also expressed concern that motorsport photographers were not subject to the same viewing restrictions as spectators.
Coroner Rachael Schmidt-McCleave says that this allowed Mr. Corin to position himself in a previously compromised area. She noted that while photographers bear some responsibility, the pursuit of a perfect shot can diminish situational awareness and ongoing risk assessment.
“I remain concerned, however, that it appears to be accepted that photographers are not subject to the same viewing restrictions as spectators, which led Mr Corin to choose to stand in a spot where an incident involving a test safety car had already occurred,” coroner Rachael Schmidt-McCleave says.
“While I accept that there is a degree of self-responsibility attached to this decision, especially as an accredited photographer who has signed a waiver, human nature means that ongoing risk assessment potentially falls away when the opportunity arises to take that one good photograph.
“I am also concerned that when a person is looking through a viewfinder of a camera to find the best shot, they may become less aware of hazards in their vicinity.”
At the rally event, a competing car lost control after becoming airborne while exiting a ford. The vehicle veered off-road, rolled, and struck photographer Corin, who was unable to evade it.
Spectators, including Corin’s son, provided immediate aid and freed him from the car, but paramedics took 25 minutes to arrive, and Corin was pronounced dead at 6:15 P.M.
Despite prior warnings and an earlier incident on the same course, race organizers did not implement additional safety measures. However, Corin decided to position himself where he did, knowing the risks.
“There was no direct action by any party that contributed to Mr Corin’s death but, rather, it occurred because of a number of factors and was preventable,” Schmidt-McCleave writes.
According to Stuff, Schmidt-McCleave says that many factors around risk assessment and safety planning, have been rectified by the Motorsport New Zealand since the photographer’s death. In addition, delays in providing medical assistance have been acknowledged.
“Mr Corin was clearly an accomplished sports photographer (I have viewed copies of his work) and a loved father, friend and family member,” Schmidt-McCleave writes.
“I offer my sincere condolences to his family and loved ones, and I thank them for their patience in awaiting this finding."
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