Using Blockchain To Democratize Photography

NFTs or photography collectibles?

February 22, 2023

Good morning!

This is your weekly NFT photography resource bringing photographers and art enthusiasts together.

Here’s what we’ll be covering:

  • Collector Spotlight: Reginald De Le Grarbs

  • Don't Call It NFTs: NBA All-Star Baron Davis Wants to Democratize Photography Using Blockchain

  • Michael Woolery: NFT Photography Interview

Collector Spotlight: Reginald De Le Grarbs

Reginald De Le Grarbs, an art collector, was interviewed by SuperRare about art collecting, photography, AI art, the future of the CryptoArt space, advice for artists, collectors, and more.

These are the main takeaways:

  • Talking to artists and learning about their work is a great way to understand their future potential.

  • Emerging artists should work on their craft every day, grow their network on Twitter, talk to collectors, make their own path, not get hung up on price, support other artists, and contribute to the health of the space.

  • Collectors who want to enter the 1/1 art market should explore art, see what they like, and pay attention to the pieces collected by other well-known figures.

  • De Le Grarbs prefers 1/1s but also values limited editions. Even though he has mixed feelings about Open Editions, the collector is experimenting with them for his new project, The Sundays.

Photography and videography have always played an important role in sports, music, and entertainment.

However, two-time NBA All-Star Baron Davis believes these mediums are not respected enough and are being treated as commodities where photographers and videographers have to settle for unfavorable terms.

To tackle these issues, Davis is announcing SLiC Images, a rights management platform for photography and video powered by NFT technology. SLiC Images will allow creators to tag their works with unique digital signatures and license them for commercial use via a transparent bidding process.

The platform will be built with a $250,000 grant from Mintbase, an NFT launchpad creator studio that operates on the NEAR blockchain - allowing photographers to claim ownership in the channels, relationships, and partnerships that are created from their work.

SLiC Images is still in development, but a prototype of the platform is expected to be ready to show at ETH Denver at the end of this month.

Even if blockchain is the solution to photography's problems, Davis believes it could be a better idea to sell people a useful product rather than focusing on the technical aspects of it.

“I mean, it’s a photo. It's a collectible photo... That is definitely where we want to start, is just by explaining what it is, and the utility behind it, instead of trying to explain the technology. People tried explaining things from a technology standpoint, and culture hasn’t adopted it.”

Baron Davis, Decrypt.co

Photographer Michael Woolery is well-known for creating images with a strong sense of energy. Because of his dual residence in New York and Los Angeles, he is able to capture the essence of his surroundings in a very distinctive way.

A voyage via Woolery's lens is made possible by his unique style, which makes the artist stand out and draw the viewer in.

Woolery recently discussed his collaborations with some of the most well-known artists in the world and a new ALTA NFT collection on Exchange.art.

Here’s what he had to say when asked about what role he sees NFTs playing in the future:

Creative freedom and further potential for undiscovered & established artists, apart from some other traditional systems – how much? I’m not sure…All I know is that it is a vast amount.

Michael Woolery, nftculture.com

Read the full article here

I Am The Black Sheep by Pablo Chaco

"Digital photography, Photoshop, smartphones, and now? People can take pictures of something that doesn't exist?" asked Pietro Paoloni, a DRAWLIGHTS reader, reflecting on how the history of photography has been transformed.

With the advent of Artificial Intelligence, the previously invisible has become tangible. The question remains whether these AI-generated creations can be classified as photography, art, or anything in between. Midjourney's AI tools have produced impressive and eerie results.

Pablo Chaco, an artist, and photographer released a series titled "I Am The Black Sheep," which includes 20 digitally created images to honor those who feel like outcasts in their own families. By embracing the unique role of making their families truly fantastic, Chaco celebrates those who share this experience.

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