Thursday, December 31, 2009

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

Know every button on your camera!

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

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
My Mondo Library Photography
My Photoshelter Photography Archive Homepage
GAIA Photography and Photojournalism
Follow Me On Twitter

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
My Mondo Library Photography
My Photoshelter Photography Archive Homepage
GAIA Photography and Photojournalism

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.

You can also Follow Me On Twitter

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

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.

Follow Me On Twitter

John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS
My Mondo Library Photography
My Photoshelter Photography Archive Homepage
Follow Me On Twitter