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.

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Photography Guest Of The Week Bevis Fusha - Albania

Albania’s population is of mixed religious conviction, with Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox Christians living side by side.

Photo © Bevis Fusha All Rights Reserved

Albania: Religious Pilgrimage

"For almost 50 years, religious beliefs were forbidden in Albania. Since citizens were forbidden from observing their faith during the Communist era,. Albania was officially the first atheist country in the world. Albania’s population is of mixed religious conviction, with Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox Christians living side by side."

Those remarks by Bevis Fusha in his photo essay Albania: Religious Pilgrimage now appearing on Gaia Photos, explain the past in order to give meaning to today's Albanian religious pilgrimage of all faiths to the fabled shrine of St. Anthony of Padua in Lac, northern Albania, that takes place each June 12th.

Gaia Photos is a new international photography source comprised of 41 photojournalists from around the world whose mission is to promote quality and diversity in documentary photography.

Born into a family of photographers 1976, Bevis Fusha earned a degree in Philosophy-Sociology from the University of Tirana, Albania.

Dedicated to photography, Bevis has been teaching photojournalism at the University of Tirana while contributing to several photo festivals, exhibitions and book projects, including the 2008 World Press Photo Book, "New Stories".
Bevis Fusha lives in Tirana Albania and is represented by the Anzenberger agency in Vienna, Austria. He is also a member of Metrocollective, a photographic collective in Washington DC, USA and is available for assignments.

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Police Brutality: Ecuador Photojournalist Daniel Patiño Flor Assaulted By Police In Athens Greece

Here is some distressing news about Daniel Patino Flor, a fellow member of a now defunct photojournalism collective many of us belonged to over a year ago. He is a great guy and in the words of Morten Svenningsen, current director of the new Gaia Photos photojournalist group, Daniel Patino Flor is a "great talent".

Thank-you to LIGHTSTALKER Kat Christofer who translated the following story from Greek to English that appeared here.

START

Daniel Patino Flor arrived in Athens May 14 to photograph the city for 10 days. On May 22, Muslim immigrants were protesting the alleged event of a Greek policeman tearing pages of a Quor’an and throwing it on the ground. Greek police immediately appeared on the scene to begin a violent crackdown.

Flor was stopped, hit in the legs, handcuffed, had his camera inspected along with his passport and credentials, and was eventually released. Later, while observing the protest and arrests being made, he was jumped from behind, pushed into a van and taken to police detention with other detainees, including a 13-year-old boy.

At the station, Greek police took his camera and told him in English, “F#ck you, f#ck your mother” then drew a knife and said “I will cut off your b@lls & f#ck you in the @ss” in front of 50 other policemen on the elevator while everyone laughed and thanked him for the performance.

On a different floor, he was kicked in the ankles, stomach, chest, head and neck, which was repeated in between Flor’s requests to speak with a senior officer. Six hours passed and sometime after midnight, his camera was returned but the memory cards deleted.

Friends in Athens helped him reach the Embassy of Ecuador and a lawyer, who told him that his photos were saved on a DVD and he would likely be accused of “wreaking disorder” the next day, which he was.

In court papers, police claimed Flor was one of 12 people who incited the riot, but it was never mentioned that Flor was a photojournalist from Ecuador studying in Barcelona for his post graduate degree. Once these details were made known by his lawyer, he was released and his 24 hours in detention had ended. However, trial is pending this week.

END

If you'd like to offer your support to Daniel here is his email:

daniel_patino_flor@yahoo.com

Daniel Patiño Flor Beaten By Greek Police
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