Chris Saunders has covered some of the most significant pop culture emerging out of South Africa in recent times. His work has done a lot to expose movements such as the Smarteez, pantsula dance and the radical Shangaan electro scene to the rest of the world.

There seems to be a fair amount of interest in African arts and culture at the moment, particularly from the West. It is this interest that Saunders is tapping into, becoming the go to guy for publications such as the Guardian, Colors and Dazed and Confused.

Africa has so much culture – positive and negative- to share with the world. It is in my opinion the darker, dangerous and unknown, which is more prevalent in all media. What Chris Saunders has done and what sets him apart from many photographers is his optimistic account of popular culture on the continent.

It’s been talked about for months now, and yet when I got home the other night and saw that Kodak had declared bankruptcy, I was still shocked.

Or maybe shocked is the wrong word—just intensely distressed. For as long as I can remember, I have had to deal on a regular basis with Kodak removing from production the products they made that I had come to rely on. Among the most depressing were losing reversal print stock just after I began working with motion picture film, meaning I was only able to have prints made of my first film; then of course shooting my last rolls of Kodachrome in a rush just so I could have them processed. Plus-x reversal stock was a beautiful film I was sad to lose, with only a couple of rolls remaining in my crisper drawer.

Anyway, no sense eulogizing yet, since, at least for now, things are “business as usual” until they restructure. But it’s pretty clear from the language of the press release, and really from the way the company has been led for the past decade, that film is not on their mind for the future. Hopefully someone will take the business from them, and keep these wonderful film stocks in production, and maybe even bring back some that have been senselessly lost.

Ironically, the same day the bankruptcy was declared, Variety published this article about how the Motion Picture Academy has issued a report about the extreme problems of storing digitally completed works. The most stable solution for storing these works is, no surprise here, not digitally, but on separation negatives on black and white film. If Kodak had a CEO that cared about their history and products, they would be more interested in aggressively pushing what they are good at, rather than trying to stake their future fortunes on … printers?

Natsumi Hayashi's "levitating" self-portraits breathe fresh air into the blogosphere.

She calls her blog Yowa Yowa Camera Woman Diary– which literally translates to ” a feeble woman’s camera diary”. The online journal features Natsumi Hayashi’s self-portraits as she looks serenely trapped in a moment, “levitating” across city streets, an open field, a train station, a telephone booth, among many other quirky locations. I think the impact she has made through this series of photos would be anything but weak.

It's all a matter of jumping at the right time to create that perfect shot, according to her blog

While her photos make it seem as if she’s always floating mid-air, she cites the concept of being “down-to-earth” as inspiration for these images. She feels that she is constantly under great stress due to a conventional society, and this led to the idea of breaking away from the gravity which held her back. “I feel as though I am not tied to many things and able to be my true self,” she says.

When she’s not busy “hovering” through Japanese streets, Natsumi works as an assistant for artist Hisaji Hara whom, according to her, has also been a big source of inspiration. “His pictures look like drawings, and this fuels my intuition.”

In Natsumi's case, choosing the right background is a big factor in coming up with truly amazing photos!

Now, how does she take all these amazing photos? Natsumi dishes out some tips on her blog on creating your own “levitation” photos, but she adds that she has been also been asking her friends to press the shutter for her in various situations, although shooting is also possible with a self-timer as well. She had invested all her savings in purchasing a camera and other equipment so she could start with this project last year.

Her goal, apart from continuing to post these self-portraits, would be to showcase them via exhibits and photobooks.  She has found the response to her blog rather overwhelming, as different people from various cultural backgrounds continue to be mesmerized by her images. She thinks this may be a sign that most many people today might feel the same way as she does, and that they yearn to break free from certain conventions of their own societies.

The way she expresses her insights, as well as her way of taking her own photos, are as exquisite as the effortlessly pure expression on her face as she glides through cityscapes. I cannot wait to see her photos on a bigger stage.

All images courtesy of Yowa Yowa Camera Woman Diary

The realm of fashion becomes a viable playground for young entrepreneurs who indulge their own creative juices in the process of designing and creating trends. Style Stalwarts are creative innovators in their own right, drawing inspiration from their own communities and looking forward to cast a wider net of influence, as they explore the prospects of showcasing their work on a global stage.

Today’s Style Stalwarts are among the 14 kinds of youth entrepreneurs featured in Culture Vulture, our new quarterly trends series that offers a global snapshot of current and emerging cultural trends, bringing fresh insights from around the world to inspire and ignite new strategies for brands.

The first edition of Culture Vulture seeks to explore and understand the Entrepreneurial Spirit of Gen Y and how the youth’s innovative ideas can help stimulate game-changing strategies for brands that aspire to become more enterprising in their outlook.

Download our FREE Culture Vulture iPad app from iTunes for an overview on the global growth of entrepreneurship as well as the different behaviors that embody youth entrepreneurs worldwide, along with tips for nurturing “entrepreneurial” attitudes for brands.

Don’t have an iPad? Then download the interactive PDF . Also check out all of our 14 videos showcasing the different types of youth entrepreneurs around the world.

Interested to know more? Visit the Culture Vulture page or email culturevulture@mindshareworld.com.

It’s a mixed blessing to live near a place that sells things that are increasingly hard to come by, that you want. On the one hand, the close proximity makes acquiring things when you realize you need them very easy. On the other hand, of course, it means you end up spending probably more money than you otherwise would. So it is with me and Freestyle Photographic Supplies.

I’ve been increasingly using my variety of 35 mm, 120 and Polaroid cameras, and processing black and white film by hand, and so naturally I need to make frequent visits to Freestyle. They carry a wide variety of films, are the US distributors of Holga cameras, and keep in stock all the chemistry you’re likely to need.

It’s a great thing to have a few blocks away, in a world where these things are increasingly difficult to find just by walking into a place in your neighborhood. They also have a gallery space off the sales floor, and for the next couple of months you can see work by the employees of Freestyle, all of whom are friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about everything from straightforward, traditional black and white photography to all manner of alternative photo processes.

Liz Glynn - ALEXANDRIA and other Losses

Since I’ve been spending all of my money on film and chemicals, I have less money to spend on one of my other major vices: books. So naturally, I’ve been going to the library more. Los Angeles’ central library is a beautiful place to visit, not just for the usual reasons, but also because up on the 2nd floor, outside the Art, Music, and Recreation Department, is a modest gallery housing the ongoing series Works Sited, curated by LAPL librarian Olivian Cha for the past few years.

The series invites artists to create work “with themes relating to the library’s collections and practices.” Right now, artist Liz Glynn has created an exhibition that combines work made from books withdrawn from the collection and on their way to the dump with ephemera from the 1986 arson that destroyed a large part of the collection.

Malgorzata Turczynska is a very young and extremely talented girl from Warsaw.  She is now on her way to bridge the gap between passion and professional success. So, without huge introductions I invite you to the world of Turczynska Malgorzata, who fell into photography after high school. Her friends persuaded her to create her own website, possibly thanks to her everyday snapshot portraits. As with every self-taught photographer she’s not bound by convention, and takes pictures in her very own style. Turczynska’s sensitive eye creates remarkable beauty shots,  but also high-concept atmospheric and unpretentious fashion photography.

Palesa Monakale, Buitenkant Street, Gardens, Cape Town, 2011

With galleries in Johannesburg and Cape Town the Stevenson gallery is home to some of South Africa’s most exciting artists including photographer and visual activist Zanele Muholi.

Muholi’s work deals with the representation of black lesbians, “mapping and archiving their visual history in post-apartheid South Africa”. Her show Inkanyiso (which means illumination in Zulu) recently opened at the Stevenson gallery in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. There was an incredibly resolute energy in the space as the gallery was choked with the gay and lesbian community, subjects of the series and a scattering of the usual arts aficionados.

Portraits of lesbians and “transfigures” formed a neat grid on one side of a gallery wall, while uncharacteristic color-portraits lined a lobby-like space preceding it.

The opening offered much more than a presentation of visual art as proceedings ended with a speech, which was of a traditional formality, where the artist thanked everyone in Zulu, after which she opened the floor to anyone with something to say.

Muholi’s courageous approach combined with her reverence for tradition is going a long way to bridging cultural schisms, not only in the arts but socially as well.

Funeka Soldaat, Makhaza, Khayelitsha, Cape Town, 2010

"Sunday Baptism" by Petunia Magwaza, grade 8, Diepsloot

Like most blogs I follow, Umuzi Photo Club publishes photography that relates to my interests in some way or another, whether it be fashion, documentary or fine art. What sets Umuzi apart though is the unique circumstances from which the images are derived.

I first heard about Umuzi when I met its founder David Dini – an American financial analyst/social activist/photographer who moved to South Africa and founded Umuzi Photo Club in January 2009. The organization teaches students from disadvantaged backgrounds to take photographs and to use photography as a means to raise social awareness around issues that are important to them.

So far workshops have been held in Hillbrow, Diepsloot and Soweto – three of the poorest and most notorious neighborhoods in Johannesburg. The imagery that has come out of these projects is honest, challenging, beautiful and aspirational. Some of the most compelling photographs were taken by grade eight, nine and ten pupils using disposable cameras.

The socio-economic significance of this project is undeniable, yet it is the creative expression of an otherwise marginalized youth that keeps me fixated on the Umuzi blog.

"Egoli-wood" by Mandla Mate, grade 10, Hillbrow

Oliver Rath wasn‘t always a photographer. His roots come from DJing and club culture, where he toured and played the clubs of the world.It was there that he got bored of what he was doing and constructed his new existence as a photographer. It was also there that he learned the basic skills of his profession as well as to train his eye to see what’s going on behind the curtain.

His pictures are mostly centred around the topics of sex, drugs and rock’n'roll and the tendency of our society to be inclined to hedonism everywhere and every time. Whether he’s hanging out in high society, with the likes of Karl Lagerfeld or at an after-party in his apartment with some random people he just met in a club.

This Thursday is the fourth (and final of 2010) edition of Haute Mess: a spectacular, bass thumping, ass shaking monthly dance party at King Plow Arts Center on the West side of Downtown Atlanta. Resident DJ’s Heroes + Villains (aka MEGANFOXXX), Mayhem and Dibase provide one of the most diverse crowds in the city with bone rattling dubstep, Southern rap and electronic music. Add an amazing stage & light display from Music Matters and photographic documentation by BLKOUT Photos x 335MM, and Haute Mess is an event definitely worth attending.

Granted, I may be bias because I’ll be emceeing the event but that’s neither here nor there.  Here’s video from the second edition in October.