Nature's Vanishing Faces
Better Photography|March 2022
Johanna Rotko takes Conchita Fernandes through the process of her haunting, living portraits that are created with the help of live yeast cells.
Conchita Fernandes
Nature's Vanishing Faces
Nothing in this world is permanent. Photography is perhaps the only medium that has made it possible to immediately solidify the ephemerality of the world around us. However, in our quest to immortalise these transitory moments, we seldom forget that we are very much a part of these fleeting instances of time. It is this truth that informs Johanna Rotko’s photographs that are made in tandem with nature. Using living yeast cells to create what can best be described as “living portraits”, Rotko not only provides a new dimensionality to the way we create pictures but also reflects on our place in nature’s ever changing landscape.

“My artistic research explores my relationship with microbes and how the environment is affected by my actions, while also studying the perishability and disappearance of matter. Having said this, my thought process has changed over the course of time and research. I now find it very problematic to suggest that my work is the result of exploring my relationship with nature—relationship being the key word here. It suggests that we are separate from one another, when in fact we are one entity—a part of nature. It is this thought of being the other that has resulted in what has become a long, raging conflict with the environment,” she says.

The Birth of her Living Images

Bu hikaye Better Photography dergisinin March 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Better Photography dergisinin March 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

BETTER PHOTOGRAPHY DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Nikon Unveils Its Compact Super Telephoto Lens
Better Photography

Nikon Unveils Its Compact Super Telephoto Lens

Nike ikon revealed a lens for the full frames line-up-the Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S. It is roughly 48% lighter and 16% shorter than its F-mount, weighing in at 2385g and measuring 5.6in x 15.2in.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
OnePlus 10 Pro 5G A Versatile Performer
Better Photography

OnePlus 10 Pro 5G A Versatile Performer

Will the OnePlus 10 Pro 5G surpass its predecessor, the 9 Pro 5G? Nilofer Khan finds out.

time-read
6 dak  |
May 2022
One Nation Indivisible
Better Photography

One Nation Indivisible

Dorothea Lange is best known for the work she carried out for the Farm Security Administration, the Migrant Mother being one of the most iconic portraits to have come out of the Great Depression in the 1930s.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Debdatta Chakraborty Wins Pink Lady Food Awards 2022
Better Photography

Debdatta Chakraborty Wins Pink Lady Food Awards 2022

The Pink Lady Food Photographer Year recently concluded its eleventh edition of the contest.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
GoPro Unveils the Lightweight Hero10 Black Bones
Better Photography

GoPro Unveils the Lightweight Hero10 Black Bones

Gilbert oPro's latest addition to their line-up is Hero 10 Black Bones, a lightweight camera built to be mounted on FPV drones.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Camera Breakdown of the World Press Photo Winners
Better Photography

Camera Breakdown of the World Press Photo Winners

For those who are keen to know the cameras award-winning photojournalists use, Photolari and The Phoblographer have shared a breakdown of their list.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Canon Launches Cinema Excellence Suite
Better Photography

Canon Launches Cinema Excellence Suite

Саnon India announced the Cinema Excellence Suite, a unique platform to showcase its range of cinema imaging technology to cinematographers, DOPs, filmmakers, and production houses in Mumbai.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Sony World Photography Awards Unveils its Winners
Better Photography

Sony World Photography Awards Unveils its Winners

Sony World Photography Awards 2022 recently concluded its 16th edition. The grand title winner is Adam Ferguson from Australia for Migrantes, a series of black and white self-portraits of migrants in Mexico, taken as they waited to cross the border into the United States. He will be bestowed with a cash prize of USD 25,000 (approx. Rs. 19,13,082).

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Photojournalist Dirck Halstead Passes Away
Better Photography

Photojournalist Dirck Halstead Passes Away

Colie elebrated American photojournalist pivotal moments in U.S history, passed away at the age of 85, on 25 March.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022
Photomontage Pioneer Jerry Uelsmann Passes Away
Better Photography

Photomontage Pioneer Jerry Uelsmann Passes Away

Jenaerry Uelsmann, a surrealist photographer and photomontage pioneer passed away on 4 April, at the age of 87.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2022