In our new column, Friday Five, we spotlight weekly photography news, features and event updates that you may have missed the first time around. Here’s what caught our attention this week (Jan. 30-Feb.3) to help keep you informed.

WEEKLY PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS & EVENTS FROM FEB. 6-10, 2023

IKEA Focuses on Annie Leibovitz to Record ‘Life at Home’ Around the World (Retail TouchPoints)
Swedish furniture chain IKEA recently announced Annie Leibovitz as its latest Artist in Residence, “charged with traveling the world to capture the ‘nuances of life at home’ in seven different countries,” according to Retail TouchPoints. “I’ve been photographing people in their homes since I began. It’s a way to understand who a person is. The advice I give to young photographers is to photograph their families. It’s one of the best ways to start. I’m excited to partner with IKEA in 2023.,” said Leibovitz when the announcement was made. Read the full article on Retail TouchPoints here.

[Read: Viral Photo by Annie Leibovitz of Two Soccer Rivals is a Composite]

“Our Black Experience: Stories from Black Women Photographers” at Galerie Kitsuné
The exhibition takes place at Galerie Kitsuné in Brooklyn, New York, now until Feb. 26, by the Black Women Photographers (BWP) collective. “The Black experience is one of a kind,” says BWP collective founder Polly Irungu. “Our voices have been silenced for centuries, but now we are taking control of our narrative and how we are viewed. ‘Our Black Experience’ showcases four Black Femme-identifying photographers in the New York City area, each with a story that represents their experience and how they view their femininity.” Read more about the exhibit here.

[Read: ‘Black Women Photographers’ Network: Polly Irungu Talks Growth]

Getty Images is Suing Stable Diffusion for a Staggering $1.8 Trillion (PetaPixel)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and copyrights have been in the news a lot lately, as more and more lawsuits are being filed against AI image generators. The most recent lawsuit—according to PetaPixel—has been filed by Getty Images. The photo agency believes that “the AI image generator Stable Diffusion has stolen over 12 million of its copyrighted photos and has filed a lawsuit against the company and is seeking up to $150,000 per infringement, or up to $1.8 trillion.” PetaPixel writes that copyright experts have commended Getty’s case, including Andres Guadamaz, an AI and copyright specialist who describes Getty’s complaint as “very strong.” Read the full article on Petapixel here.

AI Image Wins Top Prize in Photography Contest…Again (DIY Photography)
An image of two surfers paddling out to sea at sunrise took top prize in an Australian photo competition but it turns out the image isn’t real and completely fooled the judges. “After winning DigiDirect’s monthly competition, the winners revealed that it was nothing more than a publicity stunt for their AI imaging company, Absolutely AI. They later returned the $100 prize money,” writes DIY Photography in an article on its site. “The image was entered under the name Jan van Eyck, a nod to the renaissance Belgian painter of the same name who allegedly painted the most stolen work of all time.” Read the full article on DIY Photography here.

[Read: U.S. Copyright Office: Randomly Generated Artwork Isn’t Protected]

Leica Set to Blur the Lines Between Professional Cameras and Smartphones (Digital Camera World)
According to Digital Camera World, Leica and Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer Xiaomi are teaming up to create a pocket-sized mobile device that can capture images as high-quality as that of a DSLR—the Xiaomi 13 Pro “This innovation would be an absolute game changer for those who prefer shooting images on a smartphone, but desire the same results as when using a ‘proper’ camera with a much larger sensor.” Read the full article on Digital Camera World here.

What weekly photography news or photo feature has caught your attention? If you have photography news links you think we need to know about, send them to: [email protected]