Photography Guest Of The Week Justin Mott - Vietnam

Truong Thi Nha, 51, stands in her cornfield in the village of Xuan Canh, near Hanoi, Vietnam. Standing just 4 1/2 feet tall, she explained that her growth was stunted by childhood hunger and malnutrition.

Photo © Justin Mott All Rights Reserved

International: Food Production

"Images in this collection are part of a 2008 series titled “The Food Chain” that I took while on assignment for The New York Times. In depth studies of assorted food production issues in 3 countries included palm oil shortages in Malaysia, inflated fertilizer prices in Vietnam, and the effect of drought on Australia’s livestock and rice production."

Those remarks by Justin Mott set the stage for his photo reportage, International: Food Production, now appearing on Gaia Photos, a new international photography source comprised of 41 photojournalists from around the world whose mission is to promote quality and diversity in documentary photography.

Presently a documentary, editorial and commercial photographer, Justin Mott was born in Rhode Island, USA. In 2008, his photographs of orphans living with the after-effects of the toxic chemical jungle defoliant commonly referred to as "Agent Orange" were recognized in the Photo District News (PDN) Annual, and he was awarded the Morty Forscher Fellowship for humanistic photography by New York's prestigious Parson’s School of Design.

Justin Mott lives in Hanoi, Vietnam and works throughout SE Asia on personal projects and assignments.

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John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS
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GAIA Photography and Photojournalism

Photography Guest Of The Week Lisa Hogben - Australia

At least 173 people died and over 2000 properties were destroyed in this February 2009 blaze.

Photo © Lisa Hogben All Rights Reserved

Australia: February Dragon

"Temperatures in the February inferno are believed to have been as hot as 1400 degrees Celsius and wind speeds were said to be in excess of 200 kms per hour at the height of the blaze. While scientists estimate that the energy released by the collision of the two fearsome fire-fronts known as the Kinglake Complex to have been equivalent to that of five hundred nuclear bombs the size of just one of which flattened Hiroshima, the human and environmental costs of the utter destruction of the area have yet to be finally counted."

Thus was the destruction Lisa Hogben visually describes in her photo reportage, Australia: February Dragon that appears on Gaia Photos, a new international photography source comprised of 40 photojournalists from around the world whose mission is to promote quality and diversity in documentary photography.

Lisa Hogben explains her relationship with photography by saying, “I think that the camera is a very simple tool. People seem to have the impression that great photographs are just the result of pressing a button at the right time, perhaps even at a random time. Nevertheless, I think that the art is the empathy that you have with your subject and the personal vision that you take with you when you point a camera in a particular direction.

The immediacy of the medium is what separates it from all others, it’s a very powerful connection that you can make when you communicate and react with your subject in the here and now. The fact that you can document that process while it is happening is the unique thing. I guess there are always going to be stylistic revolutions; I mean that when certain theories reign supreme you are always going to see adherents to those theories. However, to me it’s all about being there, the photo is just the by-product of the encounter. If I was a writer and I had nothing to say would I bother writing? So if being a photographer doesn’t involve me in the process why would I bother taking photos?”

Lisa Hogben has made the search for ‘little truths’ her life’s work. The daily lives of her subjects are intertwined into our own, spilling out with the ‘little truths’ of our being. Her photographs are a testament to her ability to see with tolerance, honesty and love.

Lisa Hogben is based in Australia and is available for assignments.

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Please view more of Lisa Hogben's photography and 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!

John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS
My Mondo Library Photography
My Photoshelter Photography Archive HomepageGAIA Photography and Photojournalism