Canon 5D "Mark II"

A bunch of websites are claiming that Canon Germany confirmed that a successor to the EOS 5D will be announced at Photokina in Cologne during the last week of September. Since all these websites have predicted such a successor for quite a while, there's no reason to believe them now...or is there?

As far as I know, no one has published verifiable information as to what Canon is working on at this time, but my gut feel is that Canon will not allow Nikon take the lead with its recent products, including the D90 with its video capability.

While there are rumors that the 5D successor will be a 21.1 MP full-frame 5 frames per second machine, with LiveView and a 3.2" High Resolution Screen (LCD). However, I suspect that 21.1 MP is not reasonable as it would take away a very large chunk of market share from Canon's $8000 1Ds MkIII. I also happen to think that Canon may also feature a camera with video capability.

The Nikon D90's feature of recording cinematic-quality movie clips at up to 720p HD (1280 x 720 pixels) is an immense step in the right direction, and opens up all sorts of opportunities.

The merging of still and motion photography is what most photojournalists need to meet the industry's current challenges...and Canon will not let its supremacy slip away.

Wishful thinking? Perhaps.

Matt Wright-Steel: Texas Mountain Trail

Photograph Matt Wright-Steel-All Rights Reserved
I ought to post on more domestic photo essays and galleries, and Matt Wright-Steel's new portfolio titled Texas Mountain Trail allows me to do just that...beautifully composed (and large) images of typical Texan landscapes by a very versatile photojournalist. I particularly liked the photograph of the rusty crucifix in the old cemetery. I wonder whether Matt used Lightroom to enhance the images?

Matt uses large images to showcase all of his galleries, joining the ranks of photographers and photography websites that do not shy away from using this format to provide us with a better visual experience.

Matt Wright-Steel is a documentary photographer focused on culture and the human experience, and attended the recent Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Mexico City.

Digital Photo Pro Mag: Jeff Hutchens

Photograph Jeff Hutchens-All Rights Reserved
Digital Photo Pro magazine has published an interesting 3 page interview with globetrotter photographer Jeff Hutchens titled The Frozen Mood.

At a time when travel photographers are facing a diminution in work assignments and gigs, and existentialistic navel-gazing questions such as "is travel photography dead?", it's refreshing to see an in-depth article and interview with a young but well-established travel photographer.

Hutchens traveled to more than 40 nations in his 29 years and has had plenty of adventures and misadventures. He moved with his family to northeastern China when he was four, after his father was hired to teach English to Chinese students. He and his brother attended a Chinese preschool and learned Mandarin.

I liked what he said on his China photographs: “I always experience China the same way: the cacophony of Mandarin tones; blurring bicycles and black slacks; the barrage of reds turned oddly luminescent by the haze of the polluted sky.”

Jeff Hutchens' website

Angkor Photo Festival: 23-28 Nov 2008

For the fourth time, the Angkor Photography Festival will take place in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from the 23rd to the 28th of November 2008.

The program for 2008 includes six evenings of audiovisual presentations from around the world curated by the festival, the workshop tutors, as well as by two internationally renowned photography editors, Sujong Song and Christian Caujolle.

The 2008 festival will also host a series of free photography workshops, present its outreach programs and hold a fund raising photography auction for the Anjali children’s project.

Press Release with PDF of the Press Photos 2008

Does Size Matter? Yes It Does.

Photograph Joseph Rodriguez-All Rights Reserved
Realizing that viewers/readers are enamored with large photographs, two national newspapers have recently featured large photographs of current events. The size of these photographs are in the range of 1000 x 650 pixels (which is the favored size for displaying my own images on my web galleries, and certainly for my multimedia slideshows). The response to the Boston Globe's The Big Picture is phenomenal, and if you haven't visited it yet, you should.

Interestingly, the staid Wall Street Journal has followed suit with its equally attractive Photo Journal which features a photo essay on Katrina stories by photographer Joseph Rodriguez.

For anyone interested in photojournalism, these two websites ought to be bookmarked. The Big Picture's photographs from the Olympics are just extraordinary.

Nikon D90: Is This The Future?

On the heels of Canon announcing its new EOS 50D, Nikon has revealed details of the D90, which features a video mode.

Nikon claims that the D90 is the first mid-class DSLR to offer a movie function. It allows you to shoot movies in three different motion JPEG formats: 320 x 216 pixels, 640 x 424 pixels and 1,280 x 720 pixels. The video mode is compatible with Nikkor’s range of lenses.

Nobody should have doubts that this is the future for photography. Imagine the possibilities for photojournalists, travel photographers and others to have this function!

Just a caveat: The Nikon D90 link that shows off its video capabilities has a note that the videos shown were taken using D-Movie function, then converted to Flash Video format for ease of handling. Image quality varies from the original.

And if you want to hear the N90's shutter sound, knock yourself out by clicking here.

David Pogue has a friendly review of the D90 on the New York Times, which makes the point that the "era of the video S.L.R. has begun."

Magnum Workshops in NYC

Magnum announced that its Magnum Workshop New York on October 20-31, 2008 will be a five day practice oriented workshop taking place at MILK Studios, a New York photography studio, located in the heart of Chelsea and the arts district. Each workshop will have a maximum of 12 participants.

The following Magnum Photographers will be leading the workshops:

Session 1: October 20-24, 2008
Alex Webb (with Rebecca Norris Webb)
Bruce Gilden

Session 2: October 27-31, 2008
Constantine Manos
Chien-Chi Chang

For further details, visit Magnum Workshops

Joshua Broggi: Mali

Photograph Joshua Broggi-All Rights Reserved
From New England, Joshua Broggi traveled to over 30 countries to photograph and research. He tells us that his "focus is on non-western cultures and their distinct complexities in a post-colonial and globalizing world." I particularly liked Joshua's gallery of photographs of Mali, as exemplified by the above portrait of a young girl.

Due to increasing restrictions imposed by the Chinese authorities on foreign residents of Tibet, Joshua has recently returned to the United States.

New Canon 50D

Canon announced a new camera to its EOS series with the introduction of a mid-range digital SLR. The EOS 50D has a new 15.1 million pixel resolution CMOS sensor (with 1.6x crop factor), and is capable of shooting 6.3 frames per second. It's the first DLSR to have Canon’s new DIGIC 4 image processor.

While many see the 50D as an upgrade of the 40D, Canon says it intends to sell both cameras. The 50D also features Canon's 'Integrated Cleaning System' and a liveview mode, which also allows users to use three ways to auto focus - Quick AF, Live AF, and new Face Detection Live AF.

The 50D will be available at the end of September. The price is said to be $1400...not bad.

For a listing of the specifications, go to DPReview.com. The Wired blog also has a post.

Rubin Museum of Art: Bhutan!

My favorite museum in New York City, the Rubin Museum of Art, will be featuring Cham ritual dances in public spaces in and around New York City. These events will be free to the public, and a schedule will be posted shortly on the museum's website. As soon as I receive notification of the schedule, I shall post it.

The Cham dances will be performed in New York City by 13 monks from the monastery fortress of Trongsa in central Bhutan. Depending on the locations, these dances will be spectacular! Will one be at the Rockefeller Center? I hope so.

Here's my very own multimedia sideshows: Dancing Monks of Prakhar and The People of Druk Yul.

POV: What Is SEO?

Photograph Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
An interesting post appeared on Rob Haggart's blog, A Photo Editor (if you haven't been visiting his blog, you ought to!) dealing with Search Engine Optimization.

Haggart's post is very well thought out (don't forget to also check out the comments on his post), but reading it more than once to make sure, I was struck how my own entry about 18 months ago into the world of branding, blogging and website maximization followed his post's worthwhile recommendations. I only wish it had been written before...it would've saved me many hours!

For instance, blogging is now a must-do for photographers who seek to maximize their chances of being seen (and contracted) by photo editors, buyers and the public. Haggart goes so far as saying :"Who cares if no humans read your blog. The search engine benefits alone are worth it. "

Absolutely!

Most of the buying requests for my photographs in the months since I've started The Travel Photography blog have been made by buyers reading (or having seen) it, which they land on through Google. In fact, many of the new clients for my photo expeditions are readers of this blog...and since I've placed a subscription box for my email newsletters on it, subscriptions have jumped at least ten-fold.

More suggestions by Rob Haggart are: link the blog to one's website, and vice-versa, to exchange links with 2-3 peers in your specific industry (travel photography for me), and to make sure that the title of the blog reflects one's interest and specialization. Perhaps these are basic and fundamental to me now...but did I know all this some 18 months ago? No, I didn't.

As I said, a must-read post.

La Santa Muerte

Photograph Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
While participating in the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Mexico City this past June, one of the projects that my class was interested in was the cult of Santa Muerte.

The cult of Santa Muerte is unusual because it's the cult of the drug lords, the dispossessed, and criminals. There are many shrines to Santa Muerte in the capital city, but Tepito is where the most popular shrines are. Tepito is an infamous barrio and its tough reputation dates back to pre-Hispanic times. The neighborhood is a warren of mean streets and alleys, lined with auto-body shops and small stores. It's here that the prostitutes, drug dealers and petty thieves come to pay their respect to the saint. It's also where the common folk; housewives, cab drivers and street vendors come to make their offerings...tequila bottles, candles, money and flowers.

La Santa Muerte

Kevin German: Vietnam

Photograph Kevin German-All Rights Reserved
Kevin German studied photography and journalism at the Washington State University, and worked throughout the United States as a newspaper photojournalist until 2008 when he traveled to Vietnam to work on social documentaries.

Kevin's photo essays include transgenders in New York City, cock-fighting in Panama, the "Salt People" of Vietnam, and a lovely gallery of South East Asia Portraits. Under the section "Wander" is his travel gallery of Vietnam and the Philippines.

By the way, since I'm such a fan of controlled blurred images, there's one in Kevin's Vietnam gallery which is wonderful!

Kashmir Rumbles

Farooq Khan/European Pressphoto Agency-All Rights Reserved
The New York Times features an article today on the current civil unrest in Kashmir, where it seems that the bitter dispute between India and Pakistan has reappeared. It all started with a dispute over a 99-acre piece of land, which has for more than two months been encouraged by both separatist leaders in Muslim-majority Kashmir and Hindu nationalists elsewhere in India.

It is sad that this festering wound has not healed. During the first few months of the year, tourists were flocking to Dal Lake in Kashmir. Eric Beecroft and I were so encouraged by the improving political and civil situation that we announced a wonderful Kashmir: Paradise On Earth Photo Workshop.

In late April, we decided to postpone it following explosions in Srinagar's main markets, and at the advice of our fixers and agents who believed the situation would get worse. Nevertheless, both Eric and I still hope that calm will prevail, and an accommodation will be sought and achieved between the two sides of the conflict allowing us to schedule the same workshop next year.

Rick Sammon's Travel Photo Tips

Photograph Rick Sammon-All Rights Reserved
Photographer Rick Sammon offers some travel photography tips for getting those images that are frequently (or not) elusive for some of us. There are quite a number of such tips, ranging from Dressing for Success to Drag the Shutter to Create a Sense of Motion.

Most of the tips are aimed at part-time photographers, and I agree with all of them except the final one...and that's the one in which Rick suggests paying a small fee to adults in exchange for their picture. I seldom pay people for photographs unless they are performers who earn a living from their craft, and expect something in return. Naturally, we all have our personal techniques, and there are no absolutes...however I espouse a somewhat contrary view.

You can also read my POV: The Ten Commandments, which is the most popular post on The Travel Photographer's blog in terms of readership numbers.

(Via Imaging Insider)

Barbara Paul: Traditions of India

Photographs Barbara Paul-All Rights Reserved
“Traditions of India,” a photography exhibit by Barbara Paul, will be shown at the Ridgefield Library from September 3 to October 11, 2008.

Barbara Paul travels through some of the most remote regions of Asia and Africa with the goal of capturing and sharing the region’s customs, dress, festivals and way of life. She has a special interest in the fabrics and textiles of the cultures she visits. Educated at Wellesley College and NYU School of Business Administration, Barbara resides in Westport, CT. She has exhibited at the Thomas J. Walsh Gallery at the Quick Center at Fairfield University, Tibet House in New York City, Black Rock Art Center in Bridgeport, and many other venues in Fairfield and Westchester Counties.

The exhibit portrays rich and fascinating age-old traditions, from festivals swirling with color to daily activities in remote villages to religious rituals at sacred sites. All are invited to a reception on Sunday, September 14, from 2-4PM at the Ridgefield Library in Ridgefield, CT. For more information, call (203) 438-2282.

Nat Geo's David Griffin Speaks

A worthwhile lecture by David Griffin of the National Geographic Society on the impact of photography. David, the photo director for National Geographic, knows the power of photography to connect us to our world. In a talk filled with glorious images, he talks about how we all use photos to tell our stories.

I briefly met David during the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, and he came across as an extremely cordial man, and as befits a National Geographic photo editor, with a deep understanding of the current photographic environment.

Audrey Stein: All Over The Place Too

Photograph Audrey Stein-All Rights Reserved
Audrey Stein tells us in her biography that travel is in her genes, and she's absolutely right. Perhaps like many of us who are peripatetic travelers, her childhood's favorite words were Timbuktu and Kathmandu, and as the far corners of the world have always attracted her, she photographed in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, China, Nepal, India, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and South America.

She accompanied Nevada Wier to Ladakh, and Phil Borges to Dharmashala, and to Ollantaytambo, Peru. Audrey's images are in the collection of the UCLA Center for India and South Asia.

Her website is Passionate Traveler...I couldn't think of a more appropriate name.

Alex Sievers: All Over The Place

Photograph Alex Sievers-All Rights Reserved
Alex Sievers is a Dutch travel photographer, and an architect by trade. He travels on business but always carries his cameras and a tripod wherever he goes, and as a consequence has built an impressive body of travel galleries from virtually all over the globe.

I've had a hard time deciding which gallery I'd post on TTP, but because of the Olympics I've chosen Alex's China gallery...but titled it All Over The Place which is more descriptive. Do explore the many galleries on his website....A warning though: they're so many that it'll take you a while to go through all of them.

WP: Dying Days of Cockfighting In America

Photograph Carol Guzy/The Washington Post-All Rights Reserved
The Washington Post published a very well-crafted multimedia feature titled Dying Days of Cockfighting In America, with striking photographs by the veteran photographer Carol Guzy. I thought that not only is the feature well-crafted (despite its less than appealing subject matter), but it has palpable atmospherics to it. As a viewer of this feature, I felt transported to Louisiana among the cockfighters, to their homes and their clubs...that's the beauty of this well-crafted multimedia slideshow...very well done indeed.

The multimedia slideshow consists of three parts, and delves in the lives of cockfighters near Baton Rouge in Louisiana. These are the last days of legal cockfighting in Louisiana, and the cockfighters argue that the new law will drive cockfighting underground, like dogfighting rings.

One of the cockfighters, Clarence "Wooly" Bunch, says "I'm a God-fearing man....but this is what a rooster is made for...Dogs are your friend...Not to say I don't like my chickens, but they are not my friend".

Louisiana is the last state to outlaw cockfighting. In 33 states and the District of Columbia, it is a felony. Animal advocacy organizations applaud the closing of the final legal venue in the United States for a blood sport they view as cruel and barbaric.

Jake Price: Riding The Rails

Photograph Jake Price-All Rights Reserved
Jake Price is a documentary photographer who recently published Riding The Rails, an audio photo essay on the BBC website.

The photo essay is of the hundreds of people from South and Central America as well as Mexico's poorest regions who pass through Lecheria, a small factory town just outside Mexico City, on their way to the borders of the United States.

A number of participants in the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop produced similar photo essays: among them is Matt Wright-Steel with his Migrantes multimedia photo essay, and myself with Los Migrantes.

SoundSnap

SoundSnap is a free online sound library and community for sound designers and producers. People can upload sounds and share them with the rest of the public.

It's advertised as being mainly for Sound designers/recordists and music producers, filmmakers, web designer's and video game developers, but since photographers are increasingly getting involved in multimedia, I think we could find SoundSnap useful when needing a specific sound (or loop) for a slideshow. For instance, there are various train sounds in the library which could've been useful to photographers documenting the Central American migrants (see above post).

Is it cheating because it's not ambient sound recorded live by the photographer? Yes, perhaps some will see it this way...others won't.

(Via The Graphic Mac)

TV Host: Photography & Travel

Photograph © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
Is this the dream job or what? The travel photography answer to Anthony Bourdain's culinary travels "No Reservations"!

The following post appeared on Lightstalkers:

Host Needed for Television Series: Photography & Travel

Major Television production company seeks Professional Photographer with a passion for travel and cultures to host national television series. In addition to a great photographic eye, professional credentials and portfolio, must have a sense of adventure, fun and a real love of exploring other countries and cultures. Must be male, between the ages of 30 and 50.

Send C/V, samples of work, headshot and video of you on camera to…

Coordinator, Television Editorial Development
Attn: Photo Series Host
1145 17th St. NW
Washington DC, 20036

Oh, and what does my photograph of two brass band musicians in Antigua (Guatemala) have to do with this? Nothing...except that I like the expression on the face of the guy on the right.

Mike Hettwer: Lost Tribes Of The Sahara

© Mike Hettwer Photography-All Rights Reserved
In the last 10 years. Mike Hettwer's travels have taken him to 60 countries and on 6 expeditions. He's a documentary photographer who specializes in archaeology and dinosaur expeditions...in my view, a sort of an Indiana Jones holding a Canon instead of a whip. He has photographed on expeditions to the Sahara and Gobi Desert, as well as in Lake Turkana in Kenya.

His work has appeared in over 1500 magazines, websites, newspaper and books to include The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic, USA Today, The Chicago Tribune, Discover magazine and Science magazine to name but a few.

He also specializes in photographing unique cultures around the world, to include remote hill tribes in Myanmar (Burma), Wodaabbe festivals in Niger, voodoo ceremonies in Haiti, Hizbollah barbecues in Beirut, and the Shuar Indians of the Amazon (inventors of head-shrinking).

The National Geographic Society just announced today that the largest Stone Age graveyard found in the Sahara, which provides an unparalleled record of life when the region was green, has been discovered in Niger by National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and University of Chicago Professor Paul Sereno, whose team first happened on the site during a dinosaur-hunting expedition. The accompanying photographer? Mike Hettwer.

The website of the National Geographic Society has now published Lost Tribes Of The Sahara, an article on the discovery which includes this:

"Mike Hettwer, a photographer accompanying the team, headed off by himself toward a trio of small dunes. He crested the first slope and stared in amazement. The dunes were spilling over with bones. He took a few shots with his digital camera and hurried back to the Land Rovers.

"I found some bones," Hettwer said, when the team had regrouped. "But they're not dinosaurs. They're human."

I recommend you not only set aside time for the Lost Tribes of The Sahara, but also explore Mike Hettwer's various galleries...his People & Places gallery has excellent photographs of his various travels.

Asia Geographic: Photo Contest 2008

ASIAN Geographic magazine announced that it's looking for special photographs from photographers who have captured a striking image of Asia's land, people, architecture or wildlife. One winner and runner-up will be selected from each category.

An overall Grand Prize will be awarded to the best overall picture as judged by the magazine's panel of editors. The top photographs will be exhibited as part of an “Asia Without Borders” photography exhibit scheduled to be held in December, 2008

Terms and conditions of the Asian Geographic's Asia Without Borders Contest.

Note: As a general comment, and as in the case of all similar contests, make sure you carefully read the terms and conditions, especially since misunderstandings between organizers and contestants can sometimes occur.

Epson's New P-6000 and P-7000

Epson announced two new generation multimedia photo viewers designed with photographers in mind. The P-6000 and the P-7000 offer photographers the opportunity to download and view their photos on a 4-inch, 640x480 (VGA) resolution LCD screen.

The hard drive capacities are 80GB (P-6000) and 160GB (P-7000), and both come with a 4-inch LCD with new, exclusive Epson Photo Fine Premia technology, which displays over 16.7 million colors, encompassing 94 percent of Adobe RGB color space for superior color accuracy. Epson claims that these new models have faster download speed , of up to 35 percent faster than previous ones. Also included is a zoom function for closer inspection of images, and RAW and JPEG file support.

The new models will be available in September for an estimated street price of $599.99 (P-6000) and $799.99 (P-7000)

I'm not yet sure whether these models' new improvements over my P-4000 warrant the price, but it's an item that I might eventually pencil in on my Santa's list.

David DuChemin on his Pixelated Image blog has just written about three backup harddrive/viewers which include the Epson P7000, and tells us that he chose the Hyperdrive Colorspace O.

My thanks to Bob Krist, the legendary travel photographer, who emailed me making the important point that the newer models of the Epsons have the ability to back up onto another USB device (like a small hard drive). However, a FAT 32 formatted USB harddrive, and a small AC Adapter for the hard drive, are needed. This setup could mitigate the need for a laptop.

Bob has also written an article on this very topic in Outdoor Photographer.

National Geo's International Photo Contest

I must've been asleep at the switch since I had forgotten about the 2008 National Geographic's International Photo Contest. The contest is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia, United Kingdom, Canada (excluding the province of Quebec), Australia, Republic of Ireland, India, South Africa, and New Zealand.

The Categories for entries are: (1) People, (2) Places, and (3) Nature. National Geographic's lawyers must've had fun preparing the legal documents required from contestants, including PDFs of Personal Release, Artist's Release and Location Release. Sarcasm aside, these are useful documents to have just in case one needs them whether entering the contest or not, and are available from the contest's Rules section.

Note: As a general comment, and as in the case of all similar contests, make sure you carefully read the terms and conditions, especially since misunderstandings between organizers and contestants can sometimes occur.

Photographers in Focus: Colin Finlay

The monthly Photographers in Focus video interviews by LiveBooks feature photographers who share their personal vision, inspiration and beliefs. According to LiveBooks, these "enrich the photo community by providing a means for one photographer to share knowledge with others."

This month’s interview is with documentary photographer and photojournalist Colin Finlay.

A self-taught photographer, Colin Finlay is a four-time “Picture of the Year” award winner who has photographed wars, conflicts, genocide, famine, environmental issues, disappearing traditions, and has filmed several television documentaries. He’s circled the globe 27 times seeking compelling images that make a difference. When doing photojournalism, he often shoots with two camera bodies, using a 28mm lens on one and a 35mm lens on the other. He uses a Canon 1DS Mark II lately, along with Canon EF lenses, 35mm f/1.4L, 50mm f/1.2L, 24mm f/1.4L, and occasionally a tilt-shift lens.

However, he maintains, “the 35mm f/1.4L is how I see the world.”

The Um Kulthum Cafe (Baghdad)

Andrea Bruce/The Washington Post-All Rights Reserved
The Washington Post features a short slideshow of photographs taken in the Um Kulthum Cafe in Baghdad by Andrea Bruce. Unfortunately, the number (and choice) of photographs is insufficient to give the viewers the "feel" of an Arab cafe...the raucous atmosphere, the sense of family between the regular patrons, the sound of dominoes and backgammon, the smoky atmosphere, etc.

However, the most grievous omission made by whoever produced the slideshow is in not clarifying that Um Kulthum, the nightingale of the Arab world, was Egyptian. As it stands, the impression is left that since the Iraqi cafe is named after her, that she was an Iraqi...and that is blasphemy! Almost like saying that Elvis was Canadian...or English...or Australian...etc.

The few captions in the slideshow do not mention that Um Kulthum, the singer, was the unifying voice in the Arab world in an era of ardent nationalism. I recall that when Um Kulthum held her concerts, Cairo (and possibly the rest of Egypt, and indeed the Arab world) would come to a standstill.

Imagine how much this slideshow would improve if the producer & photographer got their facts right, had the sense of adding more pictures and a snippet or two of Um Kulthum's singing??? Too bad. A neophyte could have done much better.

Note: My thanks to Mike Morones for pointing out an accompanying article by Andrea Bruce which gives some background to the Um Kulthum Cafe slideshow, and which does mention that the singer is indeed Egyptian.

Brian Sokol: Asia & Nepal

Photograph Brian Sokol-All Rights Reserved
Brian Sokol is a photojournalist who's documenting Asia for more than a decade. Based in New Delhi, he's a fluent Nepali speaker and has covered various conflicts in the Himalayan regions.

His photographs appear in publications such as The New York Times, Time, Stern, and Der Spiegel. He is the recipient of National Geographic Magazine’s 2007 Eddie Adams grant and was recognized as one of PDN’s 30 Emerging Photographers to Watch in 2008.

Apart from his photo essays, his website features his Singles portfolio, which I encourage you to visit. His portraits, some candids and others more like environmental portraits, have a photo journalistic "flavor" to them...the one above of Nepalis makes a lovely use of shadows.

Brian Sokol was also featured in Geoffrey Hiller's excellent blog: The New Breed of Documentary Photographers.

My Show Off: Dochu La Pass

Photograph Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
Dochu-La (3,088m/ 10,130 ft) is a vital pass from western Bhutan to its east, and although the chortens were built a few years ago, it's an extraordinarily beautiful place. The chortens, mani wall and the prayer flags give the site serenity and an air of sanctity.

When the skies are clear, the many mountain peaks can be seen from this pass such as Masagang (7,158m), Tsendagang (6,960m), Terigang (7,060m), Jejegangphugang (7,158 m), Kangphugang 7,170 m), Zongphugang (7,060 m), and Gangkar Puensum, the highest peak in Bhutan at 7,497m. The impressive Himalayan range can be seen in my above photograph. (Click on it to see it in a larger size).

Dochu-La is an important transition stop on The Land of the Druk Yul photo-expedition's itinerary which I'm leading from October 3 to October 17, 2008.

Tatiana Cardeal: Prestes Maia Exhibition

Social documentary photographer Tatiana Cardeal is opening her solo exhibition of images made during the Prestes Maia occupation of a building in Sao Paulo from 2005 to 2007.

The site was considered the largest vertical occupation in Latin America. The building was an old textile factory abandoned more than 20 years ago, and the owners owe millions in taxes to the municipal government. Some 2.000 people were living there, members of the Downtown Homeless Movement, which is led by 10 women from various occupied sites in the city.

Solo Exhibition: Prestes Maia:
Opening August 9, 2008: 6pm to 8pm
August 9 to October 3 2008

Alegria Gallery
2737 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323.454.4200
9 to 5 MF

My previous post on Tatiana Cardeal and her social documentary photography is here, and some of her images from the exhibition can be found here

Kenzaburo Fukuhara: Blurb Book

This is an unusual post as I'm publicizing a book that I haven't read nor seen yet. However, I like what photographer Kenzaburo Fukuhara put together in a self-published book.

PAR HASARD is a collection of black & white portraits of peoples who passed by the photographer on his journeys on various Asian roads, starting in Osaka to Shanghai, to Lhasa, Mt Kailash in Tibet, to Kashgar, Dunhuang on the Silk Route and in a Yunnan minority village, as well as on the journey from Laos to Thailand.

Kenzaburo Fukuhara is a freelance photographer residing in Beijing, China. After having lived 5 years in Japan, he arrived in China at 2007. His work on the social and cultural subjects in Japan, are often published in European newspapers such a Le Matin, and La Liberation, and in magazines like ELLE, Médias, BILANZ, Figaro among others.

Planet Magazine Photo Contest

PLANET Magazine describes itself as a leading global culture lifestyle magazine blending the latest in contemporary art, music and fashion with coverage of distant cultures, unique travel experiences, and global awareness. It is announcing its 1st annual Global Travel Photo Contest, with a Grand Prize of a round-the-world ticket, open for one year (or $1000 cash prize), with a 10-page portfolio assignment.

According to the photo contest's blurb, it offers photographers the"opportunity to share their vision of travel, life, people, and sub-culture with our top editors and a distinguished panel of judges culled from the highest levels of New York’s international photography community."

Planet Magazine Photo Contest's terms and conditions are here.

My thanks to Asim Rafiqui for the tip.

***
Note: As a general comment, and as in the case of all such contests, make sure you carefully read the terms and conditions, especially that misunderstandings between organizers and contestants sometimes occur.

The Big Picture's Olympics

Photograph Mike Hewitt/Getty Images-All Rights Reserved
The Boston Globe's photography blog The Big Picture has published extraordinary images of the opening ceremony today for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The ceremony, held in Beijing's National Stadium known as the Bird's Nest, was attended by thousands, and watched by millions more on television.

This one (click it to see in full size) is probably the most spectacular.

Heather Anne Linquist: Tibet

Photograph © Heather Anne Lindquist-All Rights Reserved
Heather Anne Lindquist is a documentary photographer and photojournalist based in Chicago. In 2001, she founded Eyefoto and subsequently established a studio in Tucson, Arizona. She's currently at work on a book project showcasing her work in Tibet and China. Her travels have afforded her the opportunities to photograph people, places and events including underwater photography on Fiji, Mexico and Australia.

Her website has various galleries of her type of work, but what interested me is her travel portfolio which mostly showcases images of Tibet and China.

small Folio: Websites For iPhones

smallFolio claims that it's "a wicked-simple website solution for the iPhone and iPod Touch". It's essentially a service to create a web presence for photographers and other creative types that is specifically adapted for mobile devices.

smallFolio must have its benefits, but I'm skeptical that photo editors, for instance, will use their iPhones or iTouches to view photographers' websites...to do that, wouldn't they be better served at their desks facing a large monitor? As for a portable marketing tool, I'd prefer loading my portfolios through iPhoto/iTunes on my iTouch, and show them to buyers, clients and others that way.

I've written up the benefits of having one's portfolios on the iTouch in this earlier post.

Penni Webb: An American Past

A selection of photographs from Penni Webb’s The Beauty of Aging series are to be shown at Smith Andersen North Gallery in a solo exhibition shown as diptychs with a black and white photograph and a hand painted version of the same print side by side.

These photographs were taken on Penni Webb’s travels during the last twenty years. Her work has been exhibited in the Bay Area; Aspen, Colorado; Taos, New Mexico and Tucson, Arizona. She received her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in painting from the University of Arizona and worked on her Master’s degree in Printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute. Between 1995 and 1998, Penni Webb created etchings and monotypes at the Kala Institute in Berkeley. Her work has traveled to museums and art centers in Colorado and Arizona supported by the Western Commission for the Arts. In 1999, she was artist in residence at Magnolia Editions in Oakland where she worked with a master printer on lithographs from her photographs.

I have previously featured Penni's photography here

Penni Webb. An American Past.
Hand Painted Black and White Photographs from the Beauty of Aging Series:
August 19 - September 16, 2008.
Artist Reception:
Saturday, August 23, 6:00 - 8:30PM
Smith Andersen North, San Rafael

Bangladesh Indigenous Women: Mahmud

Over 50 different indigenous societies live in Bangladesh, and women are the most excluded from the rest of society. Mahmud, of MAP Photo Agency, has photographed these populations for the last decade. This exhibition of his work, co-hosted by ActionAid and the Bangladesh Indigenous People’s Forum will be held at Drik Gallery on August 7-13, 2008.

Venue:
Drik Gallery
House 58, Road 15A (New),
Dhanmondi Residential Area, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Tel: (880-2) 9120125, 8123412, 8112954

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find Mahmud's work on the web, but his image of the woman above is indicative of his talents.

Shiho Fukada: Kashgar

Photograph Shiho Fukada/The New York Times-All Rights Reserved
One of my favorite photographers, Shiho Fukada is featured in today's The New York Times in a slideshow featuring photographs of Kashgar, the town 2,500 miles west of Beijing, which is where local officials described as the worst terrorist attack in China's recent history occurred.

Kashgar is west of the Taklamakan Desert (isn't Taklamakan a wonderful mouthful of a name?), and is where both the northern and southern routes from China around the Taklamakan Desert converge...it's also not far from the legendary historic Silk Route.

The above photograph by Ms Fukada is probably my favorite of the feature. I had to sharpen it as the young boy in the front was very soft in the original...don't miss the child peeking from the staircase!

Viviane Dalles: India

Photograph © Viviane Dalles-All Rights Reserved
Viviane Dalles is a French photographer, who graduated from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie (Arles) in 2002. She subsequently traveled to Africa to work for the Festival of African Photography in Bamako (Mali), then worked for the Henri Cartier Bresson Foundation in Paris and with photographers from the Magnum agency, helping to edit and develop their archives.

At the end of 2004, she traveled to India and since then has covered stories in more than ten of its states.

Viviane is currently based in New Delhi. Her clients include LeFigaro Magazine, Le Monde 2, La Tribune, Paris-Match, Internazionale, Le Figaro, Le Monde, The Guardian, among others. She is represented by the REA agency (Paris).

I would highlight her compassionate coverage of the Tibetan communities living in exile in Dharmasala and Mundgod (Karnataka) titled Tibetans In Exile: Suspended Identity.

Canon Pro Network: Brent Stirton

Brent Stirton, a senior staff photographer at Getty Images and four times a World Press Photo winner, talks to Canon Professional Network's Mike Stanton about celebrity portraiture, dancing with his camera – and how he gained access to the Omo Valley in South Ethiopia, one of the most remote and volatile regions on earth armed only with an EOS-1Ds Mark III.

I've already posted about Brent Stirton's photography a few times on The Travel Photographer blog. The more recent post is here.

World Press Photo's ENTER Magazine

The 10th edition of ENTER, the online magazine of World Press Photo's Education Department is now online.

Four photojournalism galleries are included in this edition's line-up: the Thai photojournalist Rungroj Yongrit documents a clinic on the Thai-Burmese border, the Turkish freelance photographer Gülbin Özdamar went to the Czech Republic to document the discrimination against the Romany people**, José Chuquiure Alva had to climb to 3500 meters up the Andes Mountains in Peru to document a religious ceremony, and Manish Swarup of The Associated Press, shows us some of his coverage of major news stories of the last 20 years in Asia.

** Gülbin Özdamar says "that there is even a wall to keep the Romanies or "gypsies" apart from other people. She hopes her pictures can do something to help the situation". Isn't that what Israel is also doing to the Palestinians?

POV: The Ten Commandments

Photograph © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
I thought I'd post my ten travel photography commandments, sharing what I've learned over the course of the past years as to what helps make better travel and environmental (or on-location) portraits...or at least, what works for me.

I. Research Your Destination (or Subject Matter): It's elementary isn't it? Much before announcing details of my photo-expeditions via my newsletters, I research the destination(s) as thoroughly as I can. Whether it's perusing travel websites, newspaper articles, galleries of photographers, forums or guide books, destination research is the start of my workflow for personal photo projects and photo-expeditions.

I ask other photographers who've been to the area, and pepper local contacts with all sorts of questions...weather, events, roads and distances, accommodations, any cultural hangups, etc. The more research I do the better. I don't mean you need to become an expert on where you're going, but one needs to have advance knowledge of what and where one will photograph.

II. Engage Your Subjects: I sound like a broken record with this one...and repeat participants in my photo-expeditions have heard it so many times that they roll their eyes when I start preaching this...does it stop me? Of course not.

When I started travel photography in earnest a few years ago, I used a 70-200mm 2.8 lens which allowed me to photograph people from afar. Then I wasn't comfortable approaching people with my camera, and although I ended up with a lot of interesting candids (there's nothing wrong in candid photography), I wanted more of our "relationship" reflected in their eyes, on their faces, in their body language...so I came in closer and closer, and that taught me to get involved with the people I wanted to photograph. Now, I hardly use that lens any longer.

Sneaking up on people is not something I advocate, unless you must...depending on the situation. I also don't advocate shoving one's lens in people's faces unless and until a relationship is established first. It makes me cringe to see some photographers approach their subjects and just shove their lenses up close. This generally makes people "freeze up", and the ensuing photographs show it. Travel photographer Rick Sammon says it best: "For me, the key to getting a good on-location portrait is to fall in love—photographically—with the subject."

III. Unfreeze People: This commandment really depends on your personality and that of your subject(s). If there's chemistry (or "falling in love" as Sammon describes it) between the parties involved, it's a match made in heaven, as they say. Otherwise, chances are that the portraits will be flat and uninteresting...although the image of a scowling Buddhist monk may have its merits.

I usually have various methods to "unfreeze" people for natural-looking environmental portraits. The easiest is to show my potential subjects a gallery or two of my photographs which I carry on my iPod Touch. This arouses some sense of vanity...or the "me too" syndrome. However, one of my time-tested techniques is to initially photograph children or babies. This has the effect of immediately morphing you from being a scary farang into almost a family member. Naturally, if you're able to make farting noises while photographing the children, it will endear you even further and your prospective subjects will view you as a regular guy (or gal). What I'm after during a photo shoot are two things: being accepted and/or being forgotten...I want to go beyond the reflexive smile.

Once the people I'm interested in are "unfrozen", they'll either go about their business and forget me, or they'll be comfortable posing, and I'll be able to shoot as I wish. Perhaps I shouldn't say this but I've seen women photographers flirt with their male subjects to get the photographs they want and conversely, I've seen male photographers do the same with female subjects. Provided it's not seen as a cultural taboo or gets you into trouble...why not?

IV. Avoid Cliches: This is a tough one. It's easier said than done, unfortunately. I suspect with some high degree of certainty that Angkor Wat, as an example, has been photographed by thousands of photographers and anyone would be hard pressed to find a different angle. Here's where patience plays an important role. Waiting for the moment (and the right time of day) when saffron-clad monks walk pass the Bayon statues would provide a singular image. Conversely, traveling to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market of Bangkok in the hope of capturing a unique image of the vendors in their small boats is probably not such a great idea.

However, this where the importance of Commandment I comes to bear. Thorough research may unearth less frequented locations from which to photograph an oft-seen landmark, for instance. Serendipity also plays a role...I recall being in the old medina of Fez and told to ascend to the third floor of a crumbling building to photograph the neighboring smelly tanneries.

V. Have Your Camera On: How many times have I had the irritating experience of seeing a "decisive moment" kind of scene but my camera was off, with its lens cap on? Plenty. On a photo shoot, my favorite way of carrying my camera is strapped on the shoulder without a lens cap. Its settings would be pre-set to whatever the prevailing conditions are or, if I'm jet-lagged and tired, on automatic. Yes, automatic! I'd rather get the shot...wouldn't you? In fact, it's one of my early suggestions to members of my photo-expeditions at the outset of each trip. After an 18 hours flight to Asia, we're jet-lagged and exhausted....how many of us have erred in setting our cameras, and cursed ourselves for not being more attentive? In a day or two, we can revert to our favored settings once we've rested and we're more focused.

VI. Use Soap & Shampoo: This commandment will probably raise the hackles of many, but I occasionally use make use of these hotel freebies to thank people I photograph. In most countries, some hotels provide small bars of soap and vials of shampoo (and other stuff) in its guests' rooms, which come in handy as giveaways. I do not agree with the notion that this is akin to bribes or that it teaches children to beg. If I remember to take them with me, I give them to local children after I'm done photographing...this hopefully signals that it's given in thanks rather than a bribe.

VII. Be Culturally Sensitive: We all know and realize that it's critical that we exercise good judgment as to who, what and where we photograph...and I don't mean just refraining from photographing women in orthodox Islamic countries. Being culturally sensitive also includes not photographing scenes that in one's own country would be taboo...not only because that would cause offense to the locals, but also because it may put the photographer in danger. So don't do it unless you have specific permission from a family member or an official.

In Bali, cremations are traditional events where local families normally welcome foreigners, but I've witnessed many camera-wielding tourists who shove family members to get a shot of the deceased in the casket. This is disgraceful behavior, and may eventually lead the Balinese to curtail their traditional welcome. In Varanasi, a well known scam is to encourage gullible tourists to take pictures of cremations from a building overlooking Manikarnika Ghat. Once shutters click a few times, a couple of thugs materialize out of thin air, pretending to be grieving family members and ask for "donations". The alternative is unpleasant.

VIII. Know Your Camera But Get The Manual: Murphy's Law (or since I'm still in London, Sod's Law) states that "if anything can go wrong, it will." Believe me...your camera will probably act up when you're in Central Bhutan while photographing a once-in-a-lifetime (for you) Buddhist festival. So either have a backup camera, or know your camera very well (or have its manual handy) so as to coax it back to working order. Naturally, I'm speaking of technical glitches, not of breakdowns.

IX. Be Super Generous To Your Fixer: In my view, the most valuable person during the photo-shoot or photo-expedition is not the photographer...it's the fixer who makes it all possible. It's a no-brainer, isn't it? When fixers are treated with respect and generosity, it'll make all the difference in your photographs. Share your food with the fixer...and the driver and the assistants...invite them to sit at your table at mealtimes...include them in your joy when you get "the shot"...and thank them when they do a good job...and tell them when they don't and why. When tipping, remember that they're usually poorly paid, and rely largely on tips to support an extended family, which may include parents and grandparents.

Here's an anecdote: I was photographing a "possessed" woman at the shrine of Bahadur Shaheed in India, and didn't notice that she was about to throw a rock at me, but my fixer did, and whisked me away just in time to avoid injury. Generous tip? You bet.

X. Do What Salgado Does : Here's what I think ought to be Commandment I...Sebastiao Salgado was quoted as saying:

If you take a picture of a human that does not make him noble, there is no reason to take this picture. That is my way of seeing things.

And For A Bonus Commandment:

Scarf Up! : I kept the best and most important commandment for last. Wear a scarf...a keffiyeh, a krama...whatever style appeals to you. no self-respecting photographer would not have one.

Moises Saman: Displaced To Kabul

Moises Saman for The New York Times-All Rights Reserved
The New York Times has a multimedia feature of Moises Saman's reportage from Afghanistan, where a refugee camp is filled with families escaping the heavy bombardment in southern Afghanistan. The increasing amount of refugees coming here to the west of Kabul is a sign that the conflict against the Taliban in the south is worsening, and the population feel conditions in that area will not improve.

Displaced To Kabul is a slideshow of Saman's black & white photographs, and is narrated by him.

We'll be seeing more of such features which include the photographer's narration.

Vewd: A Documentary Photography Mag

According to its website, Vewd is a "documentary photography magazine aiming to continue the tradition of storytelling through a visual medium. We bring these important essays from up and coming, but largely unknown, photographers."

Vewd was started by Matt Blalock, seeking to provide a venue for new photographers to share their documentary essays.

Two of the latest essays caught my eye, and although I encourage you to explore the rest as well, there two are very good. Platform 22 is an essay by Nathan Golden documenting the street children who roam Howrath rail station near Kolkata, and the other is Why Go Home by Morgan Haggar, a photo essay on the ethnic Karen in Burma who are fighting to preserve what is left of their land, and in many cases their lives.

Vewd is interested in publishing documentary photo essays by emerging documentary photographers, and is seeking (largely) unpublished, in-depth story-telling, documentary photography.

Its terms and conditions are on its website, so you can read them before you submit your work. Payment for the submissions is based on the number of views (or hits) a gallery gets, so click away!