Thursday, December 31, 2009

PHOTOGRAPHY: 13 Half Or Completely Baked Ideas & Thoughts For Aspiring Photojournalists

Know every button on your camera!

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13 Half or Completely Baked Ideas & Thoughts For Aspiring Photojournalists

1. "If you’re afraid of rejection, find another line of work." - Michael Kamber, Photojournalist, Baghdad Bureau, New York Times.

2. "Learn every aspect of your camera, every button, every light, everything!" - Jason Pagan, former Special Projects Director at Black Star, New York, NY.

3. "A basic guideline with wide lenses is to mind your tilt. Instead of looking up or down at a subject, which massively increases distortion and the “ugly” effect, keep the camera level and change your elevation" - Alan Chin, Photographer/Bon Vivant, New York, NY.

4. “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you are not close enough.” - Robert Capa, (1910-1954) Photographer, Magnum Photos.

5. "KEEP YOUR COPYRIGHT, DO NOT SIGN WORK FOR HIRE CONTRACTS" - Every Freelance Photojournalist, Planet Earth.

6. "Have money in the bank. Next month's income is not always certain." - Morten Svenningsen, Photojournalist, Director of GAIA PHOTOS, Kathmandu, Nepal.

7. "When you get an assignment, never assume anything […] Discuss everything, assume nothing. Listen and ask questions." - Andy Levin, Photojournalist, Contact Press Images; Curator, 100Eyes E-Magazine, New Orleans, LA.

8. "As photojournalists, our life blood is the story and not the source." - John Robinson, Photojournalist, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

9. "Reporting is, in reality, a meticulous and accurate reconstruction of facts. In other words, it is the news in its entirety, as events actually occurred, presented in a way to make the reader feel as though he actually witnessed them." - Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Journalist & Writer, Cartagena, Columbia.

10. "If you do decide to work on a traditional theme — prostitution, drugs, crime, war, gangs — then be sure to reinvigorate the theme and breathe life into the clichés, because they have all been done to death." - Jon Anderson, Photographer & Writer, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

11. "Don’t rely on others to do what you think should be done. Just forget about the overall printed press. QUALITY printed press has become a luxury product." - John Vink, Photojournalist, Magnum Photos, Phnom Penh, Center of the Universe, Cambodia.

12. "To live happy, live hidden." - Antonin Kratochvil, Photographer, VII Photo Agency, New York, NY.

13. "Read your camera's instruction book and be sure to remove the lens cap" - John Brown, Photojournalist & Writer, Cambodia.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN DOCUMENTARY PHOTOJOURNALISM ?

Are you a person who is interested in documentary photojournalism and photography? If so, perhaps you'll be interested in viewing it through the eyes of nearly 60 photojournalists whose photography and text stories appear on Gaia Photos.

Based in 37 countries across the globe, the Gaia Photographers were brought together by Nepal based photojournalist Morten Svenningsen to promote quality and diversity in documentary photography.

The photographers' imagery has been featured in publications spanning the likes of Newsweek and Vanity Fair to Berliner Journalisten and Business Week.

If you'd enjoy intensifying your appreciation concerning the testing conditions we are facing together on this planet please visit us and subscribe to our new features page to keep track of new stories.

NEW FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

Gaia Photos has a new Facebook Fan Page. If you are using Facebook, sign up to get new features served on your Facebook wall automatically.

We all look forward to seeing you there….And Over On Twitter!

John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS
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PHOTOJOURNALISM GOES GLOBAL IN 2010 AT GAIA PHOTOS


Double your pleasure, double your fun with new friends at Gaia Photos!

Photo © John Brown All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

If by chance you're curious about the planet we all live on, perhaps you'll be interested in viewing it through the eyes of nearly 60 photojournalists whose photography and text stories appear on Gaia Photos.

Based in 37 countries across the globe, the Gaia Photographers were brought together by Nepal based photojournalist Morten Svenningsen to promote quality and diversity in documentary photography.

In just 1 year, the crew has filed nearly 100 stories from 50 nations about the world we live in, from Afghanistan and Iran to Haiti and Burma.

The photographers' imagery has been featured in publications spanning the likes of China Daily and Der Spiegel to Outside and The Economist.

If you'd enjoy intensifying your appreciation concerning the testing conditions we are facing together on this planet, or are just interested in daily life beyond your street, please visit us and subscribe to our new features page to keep track of new stories.

NEW FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

Gaia Photos has a new Facebook Fan Page. If you are using Facebook, sign up to get new features served on your Facebook wall automatically.

We all look forward to seeing you there….And Over On Twitter!

John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS
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WESTERN SAHARA LANDMINES: Documentary Photography From The African Desert By Paulo Nunes dos Santos At GAIA Photos


A landmine victim outside a medical center near Rabouni refugee camp
in the desert region of Western Sahara Africa.

Photo © Paulo Nunes dos Santos All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

Western Sahara: The Desert Of Landmines is a feature story by Ireland's Paulo Nunes dos Santos now appearing on Gaia Photos.

As photojournalist Paulo Nunes dos Santos explains, "Sixteen years of fighting between Moroccan and Polisario forces, from 1975-1991, has left Western Sahara contaminated by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). During the conflict Morocco constructed a 2500 km defensive wall, known as the Berm."

Further, Paulo Nunes dos Santos says, "Landmine and ERW contamination hinders safe movement throughout Western Sahara for the local population and United Nations observers. Landmine Action has documented instances of mine laying along roads and tracks and at water points. As long as this state of affairs persists, nearly 200,000 Saharawi refugees currently residing in camps located in Algeria will be unable to return safely to Western Sahara and the conflict will remain frozen."

Paulo Nunes dos Santos visited the desert region of Western Sahara Africa and shares the legacy of unexploded ordnance UXO in his photo essay Western Sahara: The Desert Of Landmines, now appearing on Gaia Photos, a new international photography source of nearly 60 photojournalists from around the world whose mission is to promote quality and diversity in documentary photography.

PLEASE LEARN MORE ABOUT Explosive Remnants of War, Cluster Munitions and Disarmament

Please visit us and see other photo stories on Gaia Photos by Paulo Nunes dos Santos. You can also search Gaia Photos for assignment photographers and subscribe to our continually updated new features page too!

NEW FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

Gaia Photos has a new Facebook Fan Page. If you're using Facebook, sign up to get new features served on your Facebook wall automatically.

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TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY: Respecting The Culture Of Buddhist Monks In Luang Prabang Laos


A line of novice Buddhist Monks receives alms at 6 am each morning in Luang Prabang, Laos.

Photo © John Brown All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

Located between the Namkhan and the Mekong rivers, Luang Prabang was established 1200 years ago, making it one of the oldest cities in Laos.

Due to its ancient Laotian mix of colonial style houses with the surrounding environment, Luang Prabang was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage City in 1995. The center of Luang Prabang features 445 traditional-style Lao houses, all of which combine to create a mystical, charming picture for visitors.

Set amidst this exotic environment, between Luang Prabang’s conservation zone and the Chomphet district across the river, there are over 150 Buddhist temples of diverse styles built throughout Luang Prabang’s long history.

THE LOCAL CULTURE

According to a report submitted to the UNESCO Office of the Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific by a local taskforce that interviewed 100 respondents, local people "Like to see the visitors go into the temples to take photos but they don’t like the way backpackers dress, wearing very little clothing and decorating their faces and bodies."

Furthermore, they disapprove of "women shaving their heads and men wearing long hair as well as hanging metal rings on ears, noses, tongues and stomachs."

FOR THE RECORD I DON’T CARE HOW DECORATE YOURSELF

Now that you have perhaps become a bit more culturally sensitive, you may enjoy visiting Luang Prabang, located about 10 hours by road north of Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

If you have a destination you want to promote in SE Asia, email me and maybe we can work something out.

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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

PHOTOGRAPHY: New Documentary Photo Essay From Russia Now On GAIA PHOTOS - Searching The Forrest By Alexey Pivovarov


Photo © Alexey Pivovarov All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

Russia: Searching The Forests is a feature story by Alexey Pivovarov now appearing on Gaia Photos.

Photojournalist Alexey Pivovarov begins his photo reportage, Russia: Searching The Forests, by reminding us that its been "68 years since Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union in the early morning of June 22, 1941. The war, referred to in the East as “The Great Patriotic War”, was to become the most deadly conflict in human history as millions of people lost their lives."

Alexey Pivovarov continues, "Today, the fate of hundreds of thousands of soldiers remain unknown, their unidentified bodies scattered in forests and fields throughout the vast country. Each year, Russian search groups set out to discover the remains of thousands of anonymous Russian soldiers who have yet to be properly buried, searching the forests, some of which are full of bones."

Please continue reading Russia: Searching The Forests, and view more of Pivovarov's imagery at Gaia Photos, a new international photography source nearly 60 photojournalists from around the world whose mission is to promote quality and diversity in documentary photography.

Please visit us and see other photo stories on Gaia Photos by Alexey Pivovarov.

You can also search Gaia Photos for assignment photographers and subscribe to our continually updated new features page too!

NEW FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

Gaia Photos has a new Facebook Fan Page. If you're using Facebook, sign up to get new features served on your Facebook wall automatically.

You can also Follow Me On Twitter.

John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS
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GAIA Photography and Photojournalism

PHOTOGRAPHY: Photojournalism is Dead - Long Live Photojournalism! Ezine Article By GAIA PHOTOS Director Morten Svenningsen


Is the light photojournalists have shed on the world's most vulnerable people slowly fading behind consumer's hunger for the free eye-candy of pop culture?

Photo © John Brown All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

GAIA PHOTOS Director Morten Svenningsen, a professional photojournalist based in Nepal, discusses the perplexing state of affairs currently confronting photojournalists in a recent article he wrote that’s appearing on Ezine.

Svenningsen begins by musing,

"It's ironic in a way that the rise of the Internet, a medium so perfect for photojournalism, is in fact putting professional photojournalists out of business in large numbers. How can that be? In short, there's two factors:

1. More photographers out there with easy access to market.
2. More media work ending up online for free.

In short, less revenue shared by more people!

Let's read a bit more of Photojournalism is Dead - Long Live Photojournalism!

Photojournalism is Dead - Long Live Photojournalism!

"It's both exciting and frightening to watch! On the one hand, there's more stunning photos being taken, of more subjects, by more talented photographers than ever before […] and it just ends up for free on the Internet!" He continues, "The traditional media outlets for photojournalism, magazines and newspapers, are struggling to stay afloat, most of them finding it extremely difficult to make the necessary profit to keep a staff of photojournalists and indeed to stay alive. These economic difficulties trickle down to the photojournalists, many of whom are now struggling to make a decent living from their work."

When discussing photojournalists' need to find a new way of connecting with their audience he points out, "When we're talking about sponsored and ad-driven photojournalism, the danger is that the ideals of photojournalism can start to crumble. Both in the selection and angling of the stories, things like objectivity and focus on significant but underreported themes may be set aside. But these tendencies for the media world to be populist and market-driven in their coverage are in fact already here."

Please continue reading Photojournalism is Dead - Long Live Photojournalism!

You can also Follow Me On Twitter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The article's author, photojournalist Morten Svenningsen, is also the founder and director of Gaia Photos, an international forum for global photojournalism online. With nearly 60 top photojournalists from around the world, Gaia Photos is your possibility to follow and comment on photojournalistic work, as it is produced and published!

John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS
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Kono Matsu Gives The Neophyte Bioeconomist A Grounding In The History And Impact Of The Current Money Paradigm


Kono Matsu wonders if we are passing a time bomb on to future generations.

Photo © John Brown All Rights Reserved

In these days of mortgage meltdowns, high joblessness, global warming and fossil fuel price fluctuations, I wanted to share an article written by Kono Matsu awhile back.

Essentially, the essay warns us that whether we read about emerging or developed economies growth figures, we should ask ourselves important questions regarding the economics of environmental sustainability. From China, Cambodia and Russia to the USA and India, should we blindingly believe the political hype?

Vaclav Smil, a highly respected China scholar at Canada's University of Manitoba pegs the environmental-damage rate in China at between 5 and 15 percent, with 7 percent a "solid, defensible figure." Smil says that shorn of hype, China's growth rate is also likely 7 percent, "so basically every year environmental damage wipes out the Gross National Product (GDP) growth."

As annual growth rates get tossed around in the media at the end of 2009, perhaps perspective will help us think about what it all means.

START

Kono Matsu Gives The Neophyte Bioeconomist A Grounding In The History And Impact Of The Current Money Paradigm

We might complain about the economy, but rarely do we question the underlying paradigm. Instead, we dance, enthralled by its imperatives, surging in a frenzy of prosperity, or stalled, unemployed, in a bout of paranoia.

The "science" of economics has us under its spell. We sway to its mystical incantations: GDP, interest rates, the monetary supply. We revel in its traditions, in its formalism, in its abstract and irrelevant models of the world; where air and water are free and forests grow forever; where the worth of vanishing resources are disregarded because they cannot easily be quantified; where the wealth of a nation goes up with every automobile accident, with every oil spill, with every newly diagnosed cancer patient.

Now, a revolution is under way in the profession of economics; a radical rethinking of the assumptions that drive Western economies. In the l960s, the science of economics was riding high in public esteem. Times were good and there was no reason why they shouldn't continue. Using their Keynesian theories and econometric models, economists pulled the big levers that shaped our lives -- taxes, interest rates, government spending, the money supply -- and like a mighty ship, the economy responded.

John Maynard Keynes, the guru of Keynesian economics, predicted that economics would eventually settle down into a nuts-and-bolts profession "very much like dentistry." And it seemed he was right. The profession was not only guiding the economy but fine-tuning it as well. A Nobel Prize was introduced for this promising new science. Keynes was featured on the cover of Time magazine in an issue celebrating an age of planned prosperity; economists would manage our future according to scientific principles. The boom-bust cycles that have plagued capitalism since the industrial revolution would become a thing of the past. Richard Nixon declared, "We are all Keynesians now."

This was heady brew for economists. Their science had suddenly come into its own -- and it was a real science! -- a cut above the social sciences like sociology or anthropology. Economics had precisely measurable entities like "GNP" and "Money Supply" and real laws like the Law Of Supply and Demand. Most importantly, it had mathematics, the universal language of science, to back its claims. The profession also had a mission: to realize the utopian dream of a society without economic misery and want.

Today that dream is forgotten. The profession has fallen from grace. Since the l970s its forecasts have been consistently off the mark and ridiculed in the media. "What Good Are Economists?" asked a Newsweek headline. "It's Back to Doghouse for Economists," declared U.S. News & World Report. "Economics is not a science; it is merely politics in disguise," writes Hazel Henderson, one of the many critics snapping at the profession's heels. "How long can current economic theories continue to lumber along on the wagon wheels of 18th century logic?" wonders Barrington Nevitt.

What happened after 1970? Why did the economics profession stumble and fall? Because it ignored one simple fact: all economic systems operate within the larger economy of planet earth. The economic theories did not work because they ignored such fundamentals as the depletion of natural resources, the long term costs of polluting the environment, and many of the other "externalities" of our industrial system. It's ironic that the economics profession ignored one of its own best known dictums: If you use up your capital, you'll be heading for bankruptcy.

Learning To Subtract

"Governments have yet to admit that degrading the environment is the same as running up a debt that must eventually be paid." -- Craig Mclnnes, The Globe and Mail

In 1988, federal government officials found dioxins in shellfish and ordered a portion of the commercial shellfish fishery in Howe Sound, British Columbia closed. This bit of bad news caused hardly a ripple among economists.

A few months later the closure was widened to cover prawn, crab and oyster in the whole of Howe Sound. It was a heavy blow to the communities along Howe Sound, but for the profession of economics, it was a non-event. A little later, Ottawa extended the ban yet again. Shell fishing was banned in nearly all coastal waters adjacent to pulp and paper mills. Was this calamity accurately reflected in our provincial or national accounting books? No. Would it register in the books if shell fishing on Howe Sound was banned and lost forever? No.

"A country could exhaust its mineral resources, cut down its forests, erode its soils, pollute its aquifers and hunt its wildlife and fisheries to extinction, but measured income would not be affected as these assets disappeared."-- World Resources Institute, Washington DC

The Tip Of The Iceberg

Besides the degradation of nature, many other important areas have traditionally been left out of our economic accounting books: the human costs of doing business, all barter transactions, illegal gambling and the drug trade; pretty well anything that is hard to measure in dollars and cents and feed into a mathematical model.

For example, a mother working at home raising children is not considered" a worker." She is treated as if she has no input or productivity to contribute to the "real" economy. Economically speaking, she doesn't exist. The abstract, logical, mostly male world of economic science has in fact less to do with the real world than the profession would have us believe.

"Women, by and large, understand what economics is really about; meeting the needs of their family, meeting the needs of their community. Men have turned economics into the sort of science where they say that there is no demand for food in India because people haven't the money to buy it. That's crazy! But in traditional economic jargon, that makes sense." -- Hunter Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute

The Economics Of The Last Hurrah

"Every time there is a car accident, the GNP goes up." -- Ralph Nader

Joe and Mary own a small farm. They are self-reliant, growing as much of their food as possible, and providing for most of their own needs. Their two children chip in and the family has a rich home life. Their family contributes to the health of their community and the nation... but they are not good for the nation's business, because they consume so little. Joe and Mary can't make ends meet, so Joe finds a job in the city. He borrows $13,000 to buy a Toyota and drives 50 miles to work every day. The $13,000 and his yearly gas bill are added to the nation's Gross National Product (GNP).

Then Mary divorces Joe because she can't handle his bad city moods anymore. The $11,000 lawyer's fee for dividing up the farm and assets is added to the nation's GNP. The people who buy the farm develop it into townhouses at $200,000 a pop. This results in a spectacular jump in the GNP.

A year later Joe and Mary accidentally meet in a pub and decide to give it another go. They give up their city apartments, sell one of their cars and renovate a barn in the back of Mary's father's farm. They live frugally, watch their pennies and grow together as a family again. Guess what? The nation's GNP registers a fall, and the economists tell us we are worse off.

"The social costs of a polluted environment, disrupted communities, disrupted family life and eroded primary relationships may be the only part of the GNP that is growing." -- Hazel Henderson

Destroy Economics?

How much will it cost to stop acid rain? How much to mend the ozone layer? How much to halt the global warming trend? According to Peter Passell writing in the New York Times, recent studies put the price tag at trillions of dollars through the next century. According to one estimate, the United States' annual price tag could rival the current level of military spending.

That's a pretty large time bomb to pass on to future generations.
Such estimates suggest that conventional economics has become not only irrelevant but destructive. What environmentalists and a few maverick economists are calling for is a paradigm shift, a change of atmosphere and mindset within the economics profession -- a new way of doing business. from the EC 101 classroom up.

"Economy," like "ecology," gets its meaning from the Greek word oikos; which means house or home. The real business of "economics" is to manage our home, which is of course the earth. Somewhere along the way, like most of us, the economists lost sight of that.

"I think there's is a tendency for economists to escape from reality by saying, well, here is an impersonal technical apparatus which protects me from any criticism, which protects me from any attack that I'm slanting the subject. And I regret that. I think we should be willing to face our critics.-- John K. Galbraith

It's time to create a more accountable system and profession of economics. We must learn to subtract as well as add to our GNP and create a national bookkeeping that reflects the real value of things. It's time for economists to come down from their ivory towers and grapple with the messy little problems of sustaining life on a fragile planet.

"Before economics can progress, it must abandon its suicidal formalism."
-- Robert Heilbroner

Scientific Revolution

"I horrify my friends who are professional economists by saying to them in a put-down kind of fashion. 'But your discipline is just a branch of psychology. isn't it?' And they say, 'My God, we are scientists, you know, we are not in the business of psychology.'" -- Paul Sieghart, human rights lawyer

A revolution is now brewing in the economics profession. Theoretical dissension and bitter infighting between competing schools are the norm. The profession is up for grabs. Is economics a science at all? Is it a rudder through turbulent times, or an outdated discipline that must be destroyed before we can move on?

Thomas Kuhn, in his now famous 1962 book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, describes how paradigm shifts in science are very much like political revolutions. They don't unfold quickly or easily or without the painful overthrow of the people in power. Thomas Kuhn's most profound insight is that, in the real world, contrary to the way scientific progress is supposed to happen, an old paradigm cannot be replaced by evidence, facts or "the truth."

It can only be replaced by another paradigm. In other words, the profession of economics will not change just because its forecasts are wrong, its policies no longer work, or because its theories are proved to be unscientific. It will only change when a new maverick breed of economists grab the old-school practitioners by the scruff of their necks and throw them out of power.

Up to now there has been lots of serious sniping at the profession of economics. However, no dissenting paradigm has managed to gain a foothold. The old school practitioners live on, reinforced by the politics of tenure, of who gets published and promoted, whose research gets funded, and who gets plucked out of academia for plum jobs when this or that political party wins an election. In the shadow of the green revolution, neo-classical economics hangs on by the skin of its teeth.

As author Robert Kuttner put it, "In the economics profession, the free marketplace of ideas is one more market that doesn't work like the model."

END

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PHOTOGRAPHY: Published Afghanistan War Photos Put Family Values In Opposition To The Public Quest For Truth


United States Marine Corps Sergeant Major Alan J. Kellogg Jr. - Retired, (wearing shirt, center) at a memorial service in Hawaii.

WAR AND A CONSTANT DIN OF NEWS

Whether they be NATO affiliated soldiers fighting in Afghanistan or innocent people caught in the crossfire somewhere else, soldiers and civilians will continue to lose their lives as the constant drumbeat of conflict rolls on in 2010.

The 24/7 news cycle continues to march alongside these occurrences, reporting events from the world's hotspots of the moment. Yet, Russian photojournalist Alexey Pivovarov, a member of GAIA Photos, reminds us with his photo reportage, Searching The Forests, that its been over 68 years since Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union in the early morning of June 22, 1941.

PHOTOGRAPHING EVIL ACTS OF MANKIND

Magnum Photographer Robert Capa once said, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you are not close enough.” What did he mean by that? Current official White House photographer Christopher Morris thinks perhaps Capa meant that, "This is the truth for good combat photography. I feel this statement was made for combat photographers, when they are trying to document the evil act of man trying to kill another man. To capture the true essence of this, you need to be close, very close."

Those thoughts by Christopher Morris beg the question; What good is trying to visually document "the evil act of man trying to kill another man" if no one sees the ultimate truth the photography tells us?

A SOLDIER'S DECISION

In war's heat of battle, there is little time for soldiers to ponder decisions. Reactions are the results of training and experience. This holds true for photojournalists documenting the chaos as well. When United States Marine Corps Sergeant Alan J. Kellogg Jr. threw himself on an unexploded grenade before it detonated in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, on May 8, 1970, he had little time to ponder his decision. The US government, after thinking it over, awarded Mr. Kellogg with the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery, as his actions saved several of his comrade's lives.

I am among thousands of others who were fortunate to have received training from Mr. Kellogg. He was our mother and our father, but his brand of love was tough because it's a serious endeavor. There is no "glory" in war and he made sure we knew it. He never mentioned even once that he'd received America's highest honor. After completing his distinguished USMC career, he began devoting his life to assisting homeless American military veterans in Hawaii, USA where he lives today.

DEATH OF A MARINE

All of us probably have thoughts about the casualties of war. We also deserve the truth about the agony it inflicts upon the fallen, their families, those who survived, such as Mr. Kellogg, and even us, the global civilization.

How do we assign a weight to the truth of war's catastrophic consequences and compare it to an individual family's wish to set the tone of their loved ones eternal legacy?

A recent article that appeared on bxpnyc titled Death of a Marine describes why answering this question proves to be painful and difficult.

As the article states, "On August 14, 2009, US Marine Lance Corporal Joshua “Bernie” Bernard was fatally wounded in an ambush in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. In the failing evening light, Associated Press (AP) photographer Julie Jacobson, embedded with his unit, 2nd Battalion/3rd Marine Regiment, photographed the prone and bleeding Bernard flanked by two comrades. Mr. Bernard was immediately evacuated, but later died from his wounds at a field hospital. He was 21 years old."

Conflicting opinions subsequently arose as to whether the photo includes enough of Lance Corporal Bernard’s face to establish his identity.

According to the article, an AP reporter went to interview the Bernard family and discuss the photograph. Bernie Bernard's father beseeched the AP representative not to run the photo. Nevertheless, AP chose to do so, along with other photos, in a story titled “Death of a Marine: A Photographer’s Journal”, making it available to clients who receive its “hosted” service. Such stories are typically fed automatically to AP clients that include newspapers nationwide.

ASSOCIATED PRESS DEFENDS ITS DECISION

AP issued a written statement defending its decision and Santiago Lyon, AP’s director of photography, stated, "We feel it is our journalistic duty to show the reality of the war there, however unpleasant and brutal that sometimes is.”

THE EMBEDDED JOURNALIST'S AGREEMENT: WAS IT VIOLATED?

An excerpt from the US "embed" agreement reads as follows, “Casualties may be covered by embedded media as long as the service member’s identity and unit identification is protected from disclosure until [the Assistant Deputy of Defense for Public Affairs] has officially released the name. Photography from a respectful distance or from angles at which a casualty cannot be identified is permissible; however, no recording of ramp ceremonies or remains transfers is permitted."

Seemingly everyone from US Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, to bloggers on sites such as Captain’s Journal, a conservative blog devoted to military affairs, "hammered AP" according to the article. In fact, Gates wrote a letter to AP’s president saying, "Why your organization would purposefully defy the family’s wishes knowing full well that it will lead to more anguish is beyond me. Your lack of compassion and common sense in choosing to put this image of their maimed and stricken child on the front page of multiple American newspapers is appalling."

However, as Stars and Stripes reported in August, 2009, journalists seeking to be embedded with Western forces in Afghanistan may be vetted to determine if their past work was favorable to US forces. The newspaper published an example of a profile showing a pie chart indicating whether a particular reporter's stories were positive, neutral or negative.

The profiles are generated by The Rendon Group, a Washington-based public relations firm, as part of a $1.5 million Pentagon contract. Stars and Stripes did not name any of the journalists who had been profiled, or say whether photographers were included. The International Federation of Journalists condemned the practice, saying it "compromises the independence of media." Read more at Editor & Publisher.

Please continue reading about US Marine Lance Corporal Joshua “Bernie” Bernard

WHAT IS THE ANSWER?

So what is the answer here? Do we seek the truth about war's hardship by perusing anecdotal evidence witnesses such as Alan J. Kellogg Jr. and people like him may or may not choose to provide after their return to civilian status?

Should media people such as Julie Jacobson, recent Pulitzer Prize winner Tyler Hicks and their organizations be allowed to show us the facts no matter how harsh the realty of war is or should people such as Bernie Bernard's father, as bereaved as he is, set the agenda regarding what we all learn?

Although I have experiences with people from "both sides of the fence", I realize that my opinion regarding these events don't matter to you and why should they for who am I to inject my own moral certitude into such a perplexing and serious affair? How would Mr. Morris, Mr. Pivovarov, Mr. Kellogg, Bernie Bernard or any of you weigh in? I have no idea.

Rather than opine, allow me to admonish all governments and warring factions by telling them to stop putting all of us between a rock and a hard place. I'm sure most of us will agree about that in 2010.

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Monday, September 28, 2009

DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY: Portugal's Vanishing Salt Production Industry By Joao Pedro Marnoto At GAIA PHOTOS


Still using traditional baskets known as "canastras", the Marnoto collect salt. Requiring great physical effort to carry, when completely filled, canastras weigh between 50 and 70kgs.

Photo © Joao Pedro Marnoto All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

Documentary photographer Joao Pedro Marnoto explains, "I start by emphasizing that this work on the Marnoto salt extraction has a deep personal resonance since it portrays an activity that most likely my ancestors had."

Joao Pedro Marnoto continues, "An ancient activity that was once of great economic and social importance, the last several decades have left less room for the economic survival of the Marnoto as expansion of global markets have led to greater competition in the salt industry. Soon this way of life will only appear in the social and cultural documentary records, and part of our collective memory."

Please continue learning about Portugal: Marnoto, from Sun to Salt, now appearing on Gaia Photos. Comprised of 52 photojournalists from around the globe, each photographer shares Gaia's united mission of promoting quality and diversity in documentary photography worldwide.

Please Visit Us and visit Joao Pedro Marnoto's website.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: The Audience Of The Present Will Give Way To More Evolved Viewers Of The Future


In the future, documentary photography will enjoy a higher viewing audience.

Photo © John Brown All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

THE REALITY

In advertising sales, the people doing the pitching are constantly reminded to know and understand "the audience". Conversely, to most freelance documentary photographers, "the story" trumps the audience. Provided the photographs are passable, today's editors determine whether a photo story is "editorially relevant" enough to be published. In this light, they share the same playbook as the advertising pitchmen.

WHO IS THE AUDIENCE ?

In an interview with American photographer Chris Jordan that appeared on Jörg Colberg's weblog Conscientious, Jordan told Mr. Colberg, "I think Americans in the first decade of the 21st century will be looked back upon by more evolved societies of the future as some of the most spiritually lost people in the history of humankind."

If Jordan is correct, it makes GAIA Photos member Alex Masi's question, "Are journalism and visual communication still effective tools that can achieve a constructive change in society?" quite impenetrable. The India based freelance photojournalist wonders further, "Have they lost their power to mobilize the people altogether?"

Masi answers his own questions by saying, “Well, it depends”. Some people will be moved by a report. Others might be led into action by it. Even more will not take notice."

Masi points out with realistic resignation, "This is the deal you have to sign to when choosing to be a reporter, whichever tools you use, a pen, a video/photo camera or even just your voice, by telling others what you have witnessed or learned." Nevertheless, "the deal" one signs up for today may look different in the future.

WHAT DOES TODAY'S AUDIENCE WANT TO SEE ?

Addressing readers’ priorities, Santo Domingo photographer and writer Jon Anderson has said, "I don't care if some teen idol gets more hits than a serious piece of reportage - that is a meaningless statistic that is always offered up as if it were somehow a revelation about our priorities. Bull."

He continues, "Of course inflated tits are going to get more attention - it is all about pleasure, as I have argued in the past. But there is pleasure and there is pleasure. Mature, adult pleasures have their place too. Aesthetic pleasure. Intellectual pleasure. People crave these too and will seek them out. Perhaps in fewer numbers, but so what?"

Anderson may be correct regarding the point of pleasure but "fewer numbers" translate to "editorial irrelevance" in the minds of ad pitch people and editors. One only needs to watch a few moments of American TV "news" programming to gain insight about the audience Jordan describes.

In that regard, I concur with New York photographer Preston Merchant when he says, "It is harder and harder for photography to be taken seriously as a mode of intellectual discourse as it proliferates cheaply and unremarkably through digital media. Photography is a niche concern. No one except photographers care." That's the state of affairs today.

WHAT DO PHOTOGRAPHERS DO ABOUT THIS ?

Without a doubt, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Masi and Mr. Merchant are all passionate about the work they do and the stories they tell. That each man perceives difficulty in crowd-sourcing an audience that shares their concerns about the world around them doesn't mean their stories aren't important.

Masi for example has filed reports regarding child labor in India and Anderson has profiled the lives of sugar industry workers in Haiti. India is a country where 460 million people live below the global poverty line of $1.25 USD per day while Haiti is almost totally reliant upon foreign aid as a failed state with severe poverty, endemic corruption, high unemployment, pervasive hunger and little access to health care. Life is a constant struggle for most Haitians, who face the most significant challenges of any country in the Western Hemisphere.

The current audience will keep running for the exits despite these circumstances but documentary photographers will continue to dance on stage with the assurance that the community Jordan describes will slowly be replaced by forward looking people who'll take the theater's marquee to heart.

"More evolved societies of the future" are the audiences who will share the passion of men and women documenting the world today. Future societies will voraciously consume our present day work as if it were the buttered popcorn in the show of life.

The sad part is, neither we nor the people we document will be around for the curtain call.

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Friday, September 25, 2009

PHOTOGRAPHY ACCESS DENIED - How Photojournalists Covered The First Cambodian Genocide Trial From A Distance


Prison cell doors are swung open at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Photo © John Brown All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

THE SITUATION

What if you were a photojournalist assigned to document an international news event but it's organizers denied you and your colleagues full access to the episode's main stage? How would you work around that obstacle yet show the world what's happening?

That's the conundrum that faced photojournalists at the recently concluded trial of former Tuol Sleng S21 Prison Chief Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, held at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Mr. Kaing Guek Eav was answering charges of "crimes against humanity" related to his role as a Khmer Rouge member during Cambodia's Pol Pot regime, which lasted from 1975 to 1979.

Peter Maguire, a specialist in international justice and author of "Facing Death in Cambodia" said, "I would put this [trial] under the category of therapeutic legalism."

PHOTOJOURNALISTS FORCED TO BE CREATIVE

Since photographers and cameramen were not allowed inside the courtroom during the trial, they were forced to snap from outside when the doors swung open.

Here is a look at how photojournalists, including Magnum Photos John Vink, produced photography without access to the theater itself while creatively capturing newsworthy imagery! As you can see from these reports appearing on Ka-set.info…..

they photographed everything from TV monitors to car window reflections. Mr. Vink even took pictures of a cow! As he explained to The Cambodia Daily's Michelle Vachon, " I hope that people will perceive that what I photograph is what I can leave to history, but that it will not really be conclusive as a report, as a story of what the trial is."

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Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

PHOTOJOURNALISM: 9 Things You Need Besides a Camera - Photography Tips On Ezine By GAIA PHOTOS Director Morten Svenningsen


Find out what you'll need besides a camera before embarking on a career as a photojournalist.

Artwork © Charles Bragg All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

GAIA PHOTOS Director Morten Svenningsen, a professional photojournalist based in Nepal, discusses what people contemplating a photojournalism career will need besides a camera in a recent article he wrote that’s appearing on Ezine.

Svenningsen prefaces his essay by saying, "You'll be wrong (and you won't be the only one) if you think that you just need to spend X thousand dollars on some top professional camera equipment, and then you're on your way to becoming a successful photojournalist. It takes a whole range of skills. So ok, what do you need? Here is a list of 9 things that are essential to making it as a photojournalist besides the camera!"

Let's have a look at Photojournalism As a Career - 9 Things You Need Besides a Camera.

9 Things You Need Besides a Camera

1. Flair for the visual

Goes without saying. You need to have some talent, be artistic and have creativity in the visual world. Some are born with a fantastic visual awareness, others need to develop it. We now live in a visually over-saturated world, so it's easy to find sources of inspiration.

Go to exhibitions, read photo books, look in magazines etc. Find out what style you like. Don't try and copy it, but use it as inspiration to create your own visual style. Everyone can take a picture of something. Professional photojournalists need to do it with style!

4. Money in the bank

If you're just starting out as a freelance photographer / photojournalist, you'll probably need to hang in some time before you have generated enough sources of income to keep you afloat. This might be anywhere from 6 months to 6 years. Depending on your talent, savvy, dedication and luck!

Even if you're working as a fairly established freelancer, next month's income is not always certain. Photo equipment is expensive, it needs to be maintained and replaced every now and then. So it takes a bit of capital to avoid going broke in the process of building your career.

6. Nerves of steel

In those dodgy situations, or when the adrenalin kicks in for whatever reason, you need to keep your calm, compose and time your shot, get the right angle, focus and exposure. In less dodgy, more everyday situations, you need to have the nerves to break the ice, get intimate with strangers, step away from the crowd and not to freeze up when you are finally face to face with the moment you've been waiting for.

Please continue reading about 9 Things You Need Besides a Camera

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The article's author, photojournalist Morten Svenningsen, is also the founder and director of Gaia Photos, an international forum for global photojournalism online. With a team of 52 top photojournalists from around the world, Gaia Photos is your possibility to follow and comment on photojournalistic work, as it is produced and published!

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Documentary Photography From Nepal Now On Gaia Photos Tibetan Crackdown Pays Off By Morten Svenningsen


Norbu Gualtsen Rangzen (28) sustained injuries on his head, arm and back from police beatings during March 10, 2008 demonstrations in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Photo © Morten Svenningsen All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

Nepal: Tibetan Crackdown Pays Off

Photojournalist Morten Svenningsen has been hitting the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal for over a year to document the ever changing state of political affairs.

As Svenningsen explains, "Since March 10th 2008, Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, has witnessed a series of anti-Chinese protests from the substantial community of resident Tibetan exiles."

Further, he observes, "The Chinese foreign minister pledged to promote Chinese business and tourism in Nepal, along with a check of 1.2 billion Nepalese rupees (20 million USD) in grant assistance. Minister Yang also expressed commitment to “provide equipment and necessary training to strengthen the security situation in Nepal.”

The pending 50 year anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s exodus from Tibet in 2009 “seemed to be a special concern for them,” said a Nepalese official who participated in the meetings."

To learn more about the circumstances shaping politics in Nepal, please view Nepal: Tibetan Crackdown Pays Off as viewed through photojournalist Morten Svenningsen's lens.

Please Visit Us and see other feature stories by Morten Svenningsen or visit his photoblog.

You can also search for assignment photographers at Gaia Photos, a place to explore and discover the issues facing the diverse population and locations of our world, both near and far and subscribe to our continually updated new features page too!

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Thursday, September 24, 2009

PATTAYA THAILAND: Tattoo Artists Draw Skin Art In Southeast Asia


A tattoo artist draws on a tourist's arm at a tattoo shop in Pattaya, Thailand.

Photo © John Brown All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

Do you have a tattoo or two?

From Buddhist monks young and old to visitors enjoying a holiday, Thailand is the perfect place to get tattooed. Professional tattoo artists are plentiful in Siam, from Bangkok and Chiang Mai to Ko Phi Phi and Phuket. Most shops offer hygienic service and superb tattoo art at rates significantly below many European countries and the USA.

Whether you are getting your first tattoo or your body is covered with art, a gaze through the window of the next tattoo shop you pass will offer a glimpse into the world of a long-standing Oriental art.

If you have a destination you want to promote in SE Asia, email me and maybe we can work something out.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: UNICEF Picture Of The Year Contest For 2009 Gives A Voice To World's Children


Photo © Alice Smeets All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

The photograph seen above taken in Haiti by Alice Smeets is one of a series of photos that she submitted to last year's UNICEF Picture Of The Year (POY) Contest. If the children's circumstances in this photo don’t make a person angry, I don't know what will. Nevertheless, some people still march to the drumbeat of indifference, sadly necessitating the world's children be given a voice by documentary photojournalists from around the world yet again this year.

In that light, the UNICEF POY for 2009 is currently soliciting entries. It's a contest that DOES NOT ask for an entry fee, unlike may others, and the exposure your subjects receive is top notch.

LAST YEAR'S WINNER ALICE SMEETS

Last year a 21-year-old woman from Belgium, photographer Alice Smeets, took the top prize with her photo of a young Haitian girl in the 2008 UNICEF "Photo of the Year" contest.

Although I like her award winning photograph for it's simplicity, its gradation somehow echoes Klavs Bo Christensen's richly saturated palette seen in a set of images he also captured in Haiti. Three judges disqualified his Denmark "Picture of The Year" entry earlier this year, so UNICEF POY entrants should be mindful of how far to push the envelope.

If you're a Lightstalker member, the following LS members can nominate for the award: Peter van Agtmael, Patrick Brown, James Whitlow Delano, Sherri Dougherty, Sheryl Mendez and Jake Price. To become eligible, please contact one of the nominators with your contest submissions for consideration.

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD ?

Are you curious about the world's children and some of the circumstances they face? Perhaps then you'll be interested in viewing the world through the eyes of 52 photojournalists whose photography and text stories appear on Gaia Photos.

GAIA Photos members have done well in the UNICEF POY competitions, with GMB (Golam Mostofa Bhuiya) Akash from Bangladesh taking 2nd place honors in the 2007 contest and Germany's Gordon Welters receiving honorable mention in 2008.

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Photography Guest Of The Week Laura El-Tantawy - Egypt


Photo © Laura El-Tantawy All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

Documentary photographer Laura El-Tantawy explains, "From India to the Middle East, women have traditionally adorned the veil, a sheer fabric to cover their hair and sometimes their face. While some wear it for purely traditional purposes, others will don it as a rite of passage when a girl grows from childhood to adulthood, as do women in Muslim cultures."

This ongoing documentary project about women living with the veil is the subject of her photo reportage Unveiling Women Behind Veils, now appearing on Gaia Photos. Comprised of 52 photojournalists from around the globe, each photographer shares Gaia's united mission of promoting quality and diversity in documentary photography worldwide.

Ms. El-Tantawy says, "The aim of this body of work is not to show the veil as a symbol of repression, but to “unveil” a portrayal of women that will reflect on their dignity and strong character while staying true to their femininity."

ABOUT LAURA EL-TANTAWY

UK born Laura El-Tantawy's photography bestrides the subtle distinctions between documentary and fine art photography. Her photos are inspired by her vision and a pesky persistence to see the world through a vibrant palette of color.

Raised in Egypt, Laura El-Tantawy's personal projects have taken her through Egypt as well as Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, Thailand, Senegal and the Gambia, France, Italy and England.

Her photography has appeared in several print and online publications including; Saudi Aramco World, Harpers, National Geographic, Thailand: 9 Days in the Kingdom, Bangkok 101, Burn Magazine, Eleanor Magazine and F-Stop.

Laura El-Tantawy divides her time between London, UK, and Cairo, Egypt.

Please Visit Us and visit Laura El-Tantawy's website.

You can also search for assignment photographers at Gaia Photos, a place to explore and discover the issues facing the diverse population and locations of our world, both near and far.

Please subscribe to our new features page to keep track of new stories too!

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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

DEMOCRACY IN CAMBODIA: Cambodians Warn US Congress - Khmer People Face A Grave Threat To Democratic Development


A partially paralyzed stroke victim who's a double amputee relaxes in his new home at a resettlement community in Cambodia.

Photo © John Brown All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

Human rights and freedom of expression are under grave threat in Cambodia today, a panel of Cambodian witnesses told representatives of Tom Lantos' Human Rights Commission, a US congressional body that monitors human rights norms around the world. The hearing took place earlier this month at the US Congress in Washington DC, USA.

TESTIMONY BY NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MEMBER MU SOCHUA

In prepared remarks obtained by the Phnom Penh Post, Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Mu Sochua testified, "I am one of the thousands of innocent journalists, trade union leaders, teachers and villagers who are tried by a judicial system that is well known for corruption, for incompetence and for acting under the control of the government and those who have political influence & money..."

Sochua continued, Cambodian democracy is "experiencing an alarming free fall." Sochua, having refused to pay court-ordered compensation to Prime Minister Hun Sen in connection with her defamation conviction last month, warned that she will be sent to prison in the absence of intervention by the US and other donor countries.

TESTIMONY BY DR. CHHIV KEK PUNG OF LICADHO

Testimony by Dr. Chhiv Kek Pung, President & Founder, Cambodian League for the Promotion & Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) stated, "The ruling party has embarked on a campaign to crack down on freedom of expression and suppress the parliamentary opposition, the news media, the legal profession and, to some extent, NGOs. At the center of the campaign is the government’s misuse of the courts to file unjustified criminal charges against its critics."

Dr. Chhiv Kek Pung's testimony continued, "The situation of the news media – which was already tightly-controlled, especially television and radio – has grown particularly dire. The pro-opposition print media is on the verge of extinction, with the editor of the last remaining major-circulation daily newspaper aligned to the opposition (Hang Chakra, of Khmer Machas Srok newspaper) serving a one-year prison sentence."

As for Cambodia’s justice system the statement asserted that, "Cambodia’s justice system fails to uphold the rule of law and on a daily basis deprives justice to countless victims of crimes and rights abuses. Corruption is endemic in the police and judiciary, as well as political interference. Impunity is rampant, and the gravest of crimes – including murder, (PDF 4.6 MB, pp 41, 85) torture, rape, and trafficking of woman and children –frequently go unpunished if the perpetrators have money or influential connections."

Mu Sochua echoed these criticisms, calling for visa sanctions on officials suspected of corruption and a suspension of US aid to the Ministry of Defense until a regulatory framework is established for mineral and petroleum concessions.

PLEASE READ DR. CHHIV KEK PUNG'S ENTIRE 4 PAGE TESTIMONY (PDF, 130 KB) TO US CONGRESSMAN TOM LANTOS

CAMBODIAN GOVERNMENT DENIES REPRESSION
The Cambodian Embassy in Washington released a statement defending its government's record on human rights, though it did not mention the congressional hearing specifically. Koy Kuong, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, repeated his criticism that the hearing was "unfair" because no representatives of the Cambodian government were invited.

"Like any democratic country in the world, Cambodia cannot allow the proliferation of voluntary public defamation and disinformation intended to create social disorder," the statement said.

"The opposition groups have never said anything good about the government," he said. "Whenever there is good news, they ignore it.", he added.

PLEASE CONTINUE READING ABOUT DEMOCRACY IN CAMBODIA

While I agree that the Cambodian government should have been invited to the hearing so the US congressional body could HEAR ALL VIEWS, so to should have Mu Sochua been allowed to speak on her own behalf on June 22, 2009 when the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) dominated National Assembly stripped her of parliamentary immunity.

Further, the June 22nd proceedings should have taken place out in the open with the international press, NGO's and human rights groups invited to attend. Instead, the Cambodian government's closed-door session effectively slammed Cambodia's door of democracy in the rest of the world's face.

After all, like any democratic country in the world, Cambodia cannot allow the proliferation of an atmosphere of government secrecy similar to that which has led to recent social disorder in China, Myanmar (Burma), Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and elsewhere.

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GAIA PHOTOS: Featured Photograph From Italy By Alessandro Vincenzi


The main occupation for young Moldovan women who've emigrated to Italy for work is taking care of elderly people.

Photo © Alessandro Vincenzi All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

The juxtaposition of foreground and background provides the element that portrays the contrasting lives of the youthful and aged in this thought provoking color photograph by Alessandro Vincenzi.

Please see the entire photo story, Waiting for Mom by Alessandro Vincenzi, at Gaia Photos, a global group of 52 photojournalists who share a united mission of promoting quality and diversity in documentary photography worldwide.

Stay tuned to see more pictures from one of the nearly 100 photo stories you can view at the popular documentary photography website.

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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

GAIA PHOTOS: Featured Photograph Of African Refugee From The Republic Of The Congo By Espen Rasmussen


"I went back to our fields to get some bananas. We are so hungry. But the rebels were waiting for us in the fields and they attacked us. I managed to get away from them but I don't know what happened to the others," says this man displaced by the violence.

Photo © Espen Rasmussen All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

This powerful black and white close-up of the man quoted above by Norway's Espen Rasmussen truthfully encapsulates the state of affairs in the Western African country known as the Republic of the Congo.

In 2008 Mr. Rasmussen, who hails from Oslo, Norway, was named to the Photo District News annual list of 30 photographers to watch from around the world.

Please view more photos from Africa's World War by Espen Rasmussen at Gaia Photos, a global group of 52 photojournalists who share a united mission of promoting quality and diversity in documentary photography worldwide.

Stay tuned to see more pictures from one of the nearly 100 photo stories you can view at the popular documentary photography website.

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