POV: In Praise Of Foundry Photojournalism Workshop

As this blog's followers and readers know, I attended the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Buenos Aires as a faculty member, and decided I'd jot down my thoughts as to how it progressed and developed.

I attended all four Foundry workshop (Mexico City, Manali, Istanbul and now Buenos Aires), and it was by far the best in terms of organization and infrastructure. Whilst there may be a difference of opinion among faculty members as to the strength of the students projects as presented during the workshops, we all agreed that the organization, the behind-the-scenes work and the two venues (Motivarte and Arte y Arte) were terrific.

The photographers in the faculty were lauded for generously sharing their knowledge and time, but I think the unsung heroes of Buenos Aires' Foundry were its staff, administrators and the local volunteers who made it a wonderful success.

Eric Beecroft, as the visionary force behind the Foundry Workshops, deserves singular praise. He had an idea 4-5 years ago, and made it a reality despite enormous obstacles. As they say, Eric pushed water uphill, and made it to the top. With him, and deserving many kudos for the success of the Buenos Aires workshop are Mansi Midha, Kirsten Luce, Gabriel "Morty" Ortega, Tiffany Clark, Jen Storey, and Hugo Infante. They are excellent photographers in their own right, and you can see their individual biographies here.

Despite their various bouts with tenacious flu, exhaustion and long hours, the staff and local volunteers worked around the clock, and deserve enormous credit for the success of this year's Foundry. Here's to you...and a standing ovation for a well done job!

The students' presentations were shown on the last evening, and having strict time limits for each made it much easier to appreciate. The audience was delighted to have seen such powerful, compelling, creative, imaginative and in a couple of cases, tongue in cheek work.

I will only mention the faculty by saying that, as usual, all instructors exerted tremendous efforts to share their technical knowledge with their classes and beyond. There were incredibly interesting panel discussions, and I, for one, was stunned at some of the instructors' candor in describing the toll their jobs have had on their lives...and yet, they participated in this workshop just because they want to give back.

Finally, a word about Buenos Aires...the combination of the best beef, lamb and chorizos (especially at Glumy and Criollo on Serrano square) in the world, excellent wine, bewitching tango music, and the seductive milongas...as well as some of the most attractive women (and I'm told, handsome men) I've seen, also contributed to it being such an unforgettable experience.

The 2012 Foundry Photojournalism Workshop will be held in Southeast Asia....Viet Nam is on top of the shortlist. Keep your eyes and ears open for the eventual details...and be part of it. You won't regret it.

Terri Gold: Into The Mists of Time

Photo © Terri Gold-All Rights Reserved

Terri Gold joined my Tribes of South Rajasthan & Kutch Photo~Expedition™ last year, and is now showing her terrific infrared images about life in Guizhou (China) in an exhibition entitled “Into the Mists of Time", of which the above image is part of.

Julie Keyes is curating and presenting the exhibition at 4 North Main Gallery, which is located at 1 North Main Street in Southampton, New York, and will be opened for viewing on July 30th, 12-7PM and July 31st, 12-5PM. 

From the exhibition's press release:

Terri Gold’s lifelong body of work “Still Points in a Turning World “focuses on Asia’s vanishing tribal heritage and has been widely published and exhibited. Recently, she was featured in aCurator Magazine and Lenscratch and was a winner in the Planet Magazine and London International Creative Competitions. Gold’s work is interpretive in nature and incorporates the use of infrared light and the invisible light spectrum. She is interested in the myriad ways in which people find meaning in their lives, how an individual explores his or her existence through their traditions.

So if you're in the Hamptons this week-end, don't miss it! Teri's images are unique and well worth your time.

Indu Antony: It's A Beautiful World Outside

Indu Antony attended the Buenos Aires Foundry Photojournalism Workshop which just ended a few days ago, and chose the incomparable Maggie Steber as her instructor. A wise decision...and one which speaks volumes about Indu's passion for photojournalism.

She also chose me to review her phenomenal portfolio...which I did, spending a very long time doing so, forgetting I had other photographers waiting for me. Her multimedia photo essay on the destitute and the homeless in a Bangalore shelter is so compelling and sensitive that I watched it twice...slowly. You will too.

"Indu, you should marry a dentist and open a dentist clinic and have two boys who will be successful dentists too!". I decided to disobey her and follow my dream of being a photographer. I have been chasing colour purple ever since through my images."

Indu hails from Bangalore and is drawn to documenting the unprivileged, the homeless and those who lack a voice.  Her It's A Beautiful World Outside was photographed in a Bangalore shelter which mainly houses psychologically ill people who, like us, have dreams and wishes.

From the sight-impaired to the physically handicapped, all believe they will one day walk out from that shelter into that beautiful world "Outside". In her multimedia piece, Indu fused their portraits to photographs of their dreams, and recorded their voices telling us of their hopes and wishes.

Powerful...emotional...and sensitive.

Jon Goering: Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity

Photo © Jon Goering-All Rights Reserved

I am certainly glad Jon Goering chose me to review his multifaceted portfolio during the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Buenos Aires a few days ago, and so will you when you view his black & white images of Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.

I guarantee you'll find these beautiful images very compelling, and extremely well composed.

Jon is a photojournalist living near Birmingham, Alabama and is the staff photographer for Shelby County Newspapers. He was awarded third place by the Hearst Journalism Awards program for News/Sports in 2008/2009 and honored for his photography of Ethiopia. At CPOY64 he was awarded two honorable mentions awards, one for International Picture Story for a story on the children of the Chinandega, Nicaragua landfill, and one for Portrait. The project was later selected by the photojournalism collective LUCEO as one of ten finalists for their student project award. Jon garnered other awards, and I predict he will continue to impress us with his future projects.

In Buenos Aires, my review of Jon's images (viewed on his iPad) quickly evolved into a conversation about Ethiopia and the profound religiosity of its people. I can't recall for certain if I told Jon this, but when looking at his images, the sinking feeling in my stomach signalled I had missed much by photographing only in color when I was in Lalibela during Timket...but it was in 2004 and what did I know then?!

So I'm happy Jon is smarter than I was, and did realize that black & white photography enhanced his visualization of Ethiopia's beautiful Christian rituals.

David Lazar: The Monks Of Burma

Photo © David Lazar-All Rights Reserved

After the 10 days or so I spent amidst photojournalism work, I thought I'd revert to pure travel photography through the work of David Lazar; a collection of absolutely gorgeous portraits of Burmese monks which are certain to thrill and impress the legions of photographers who traveled to this magnificent land, and who especially favor simple portraiture work. I know quite a number of those photographers, and also know of a few who will be traveling soon to see for themselves what Burma has to offer.

Not only are the portraits just spectacular, but the gallery's presentation is also superb. The gallery of large images is on the Visions of Indochina website.

David Lazar is a musician and photographer from Brisbane, and who loves traveling and capturing moments of life through photography. He has won a number of awards and recognitions for his photography which include Shutterbug Awards 2011, Kumuka Travel Photo Contest 2010, Lonely Planet Photo Competition 2010, Asian Geographic - Poetry in Motion Competition 2010, Intrepid Photography Competition 2009...and many more.

I'm not at all surprised. David's photographs are the type that win awards consistently.

Amy Winehouse: Unique Talent

Here's Amy Winehouse in an acoustic version of Love Is A Losing Game. She sang this sad song with only a solo guitarist, and it demonstrates her impressive range of vocals. She had a incredible future, but it was not to be.  

One of my favorites is her "Me And Mr Jones"....another great song.

(Via One Voice-One Guitar)

Gardelito, The Tango Performer Of San Telmo

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved (Click To Enlarge)

After the phenomenally successful Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Buenos Aires ended, and the raucous party(ies) waned in the wee hours of the night (or more accurately with the first rays of the sun), some sleep-deprived souls joined the Sunday throngs in San Telmo.

San Telmo is the oldest neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is a well-preserved area and is characterized by its cafes, tango parlors, antique shops on cobblestone streets, which are often filled with artists and dancers.

Mervyn Leong, Syed Azahedi, Mariana Castro and myself met in the San Telmo main square where we ambled for a few hours, photographing the stalls, the vendors, the customers and the flaneurs. To the side of the square, we stumbled on a solo tango performer who called himself Gardelito, presumably after Carlos Gardel who was a singer, songwriter and actor, and is the most prominent figure in the history of tango. For one of his songs, click here.

Gardelito is an old hand working the crowds, sings and plays the guitar quite well and knows how to market himself. He displayed his washed out photographs on a wall behind him, and claimed he was interviewed by all the world's major newspapers.

As a footnote, there's little doubt in my mind that the Buenos Aires Foundry Photojournalism Workshop was the best one organized so far since it was started by Eric Beecroft in 2008. I will post more on this in a few days.

Buenos Aires: The Tango Dancer Is Waiting

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Well, we're midway through the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, where the food and wine are remarkable, the women are gorgeous and the music is superb. A photojournalism workshop with intense classes given by top photographers, and interspersed with forays into the night life of this non-sleeping city! It can't get any better.

A group of us went last night to the Salon Canning on Scalabrini Oritz, where we witnessed some of the finest tango musicians, and impressive dancing from the patrons of the establishment.

Although I photographed the dancers, this image of a woman waiting to be asked to dance is the one that remains with me from last night.

New: Zoom H2n Handy Recorder

Since I'm about to start teaching my class Multimedia For Photographers at the incomparable Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, I am glad to have caught the news that Samson (Zoom) has announced the H2n, a portable audio recorder that incorporates five built-in mics, and one 3.5mm external mic input, for a variety of sound capture scenarios, and for the anticipated street of $199.

It will come with a bunch of accessories including an audio editing software, and an optional accessory pack with lots of goodies.

It may well be time to retire my Marantz PMD620 after all! But it will have to do until the H2n is released in September....which may allow me to get it before I travel to Kolkata on my Cult of Durga photo expedition.

Foundry Photojournalism Workshop Is Live!

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

I've been on Buenos Aires since Friday morning, and I've already seen tango street performers, as well as spent many hours at a genuine milonga observing the traditional rituals and procedures that govern the tango, the national dance of Argentina.

The Foundry Photojournalism Workshop 2011 has just been inaugurated by a lunch for the faculty, and approximately 130 students are converging towards Motivarte, where the official introduction of students-instructors is scheduled in an hour or so.

Eric Beecroft, in the manner of the Roman emperors, declared the workshop open by saying 'let the games begin'. He didn't really say that...but his speech was infinitely more eloquent.

I ought to get ready to meet my students.

Once Magazine: Photojournalism For The Mobile Age?

As I'll be on my way to Buenos Aires this evening for the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, I thought of posting this potential photojournalism opportunity about Once Magazine.

Once Magazine claims that it will publish three stories of about twenty-five full-screen photographs with captions, an introductory text essay, and interactive features. The magazine will allow photographers to tell their stories by using the iPad as one of the mobile platforms.

The magazine will split all subscription revenue directly with photographers, and its stories will be chosen for their "narrative appeal, journalistic insight, and photographic quality."

For further information and to submit stories and projects, take a look at the magazine's About page.

I wish Once Magazine's team success. I can't foretell its future but I'm sure many photographers/photojournalists ought to be rooting for it to succeed.

The Leica File: The Tourist & Magnolia Bakery

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy- All Rights Reserved (Click To Enlarge)

The West Village in NYC is not totally taken over by Wall Streeters, fashionistas, movie stars, pooping dogs and cranky old people....it also has its share of 'cupcake tourists'.

The Magnolia Bakery opened in 1996 at Bleecker Street (one of the most sought after retail streets in the city), and is said to have started a cupcake mania. I walk Bleecker Street often, and there are usually long lines of customers waiting to binge on cupcakes.  Most of the customers are either very large tourists from out of town (ie Texas) or real tourists from Europe and Asia. Those who emerge from the bakery with their (I'm told, overly sweet) cupcakes, brandish them triumphantly like trophies for their friends to snap their pictures.

But how can a tourist, if alone and with a cupcake, record such a historical life-altering event for posterity? Well, she could do what this young woman is doing. She has it in a paper plate...aligns it carefully with the bakery's store name, and clicks her point & shoot. There...her folks, friends back home will know for sure she's been at the "famous" bakery and had one of its confections.

I suppose I could stand there with my camera and offer my services, but I might get paid in cupcakes.

For more on my street photography efforts, go to The Leica File.

Foundry Photojournalism Workshop: Multimedia Class

I'm caffeinated at flying to Buenos Aires tomorrow evening to teach at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop (which this year is in Buenos Aires) in just a few days. I will be teaching, along with Rodrigo Cruz (and with Jessica Pons' assistance), a multimedia class that allows its participants to concentrate on the story, rather than on the application. It's structured to show photojournalists how to make quick work of slide show production, using their own images and audio generated in the field, to produce a cogent photo story under the simulation of publishing deadlines.

The Foundry Photojournalism Workshop is designed photography and emerging photojournalists hone their skills, have a chance to work with some of the world’s best shooters in the field, on real reportage projects, to create multimedia, to see some of the best work being done today, to collaborate, to make contact, plan future projects, develop your own vision and leave the workshop energized, exhausted, and more committed then ever to concerned photography, storytelling and to documenting the world through the lens.

If you're in Buenos Aires, interested in photojournalism and haven't enrolled yet...you'll be missing a unique opportunity! So get going!

Dede Pickering: Myanmar 2011

Photo © Dede Pickering-All Rights Reserved

Once again, Dede Pickering has just returned from her photographic travels and this time it's from Myanmar (Burma).  Having retired from the corporate world, she became a photographer, and traveled to Antarctica, Mongolia, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, China, Cambodia, Peru, Patagonia, Kosovo, Albania, Rwanda, New Zealand, Guatemala, South East Asia and has made multiple trips to Africa and India, as well as Cuba.

From the many photographs in Dede's Myanmar gallery, I stopped at the lovely one above of young nuns. Girls, as boys more commonly do, take vows during ordination, and practice the same activities as do the boys for monkhood, with the only visual being that they wear pink instead of red robes.

Dede's Myanmar gallery has 34 images, out of which 18 are verticals...an almost perfect balance with her horizontals, If it had been my photographs, the gallery would have been all horizontals!! It's always interesting to appreciate and study other travel photographers' points of views and compositional styles.

Rainer Hosch: Faces Of Udaipur

Photo © Rainer Hosch-All Rights Reserved

Rainer Hosch is an Austrian commercial photographer,and currently lives in Chelsea (the NYC one). His photographs appeared in magazines like i-D, Wired, Esquire, GQ and The New York Times, and he has worked on advertising for Nike, Microsoft and Hewlett Packard, among others.

He recently returned to NYC after traveling in Thailand and India, photographing an advertising campaign for an international outdoor furniture maker. I thought I'd feature some of his personal work such as Faces of Udaipur, a gallery of the photo shoot's cast, in order to highlight the work of a commercial photographer doing travel/location photography, and how it differs from documentary travel photography.  It seems Rainer has one of these furniture assignments in India, and it's locations were at the fabulous Lake Palace Hotel, and also in Deogarh.

You can also follow Rainer's other photo shoots on his blog: In Case You Were Wondering.

The Leica File: I Did The Right Thing After All

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved (Click to Enlarge)

As those who follow The Travel Photographer blog may know, I bought the Leica M9 and a couple of lenses (Elmarit 28mm and the Voigtlander 40mm) earlier this year, and I've been using it since for street photography in New York City...which was the main reason I decided to become a "Leica aficionado".

At the time, the decision to spend such a large amount of money on Leica gear seemed frivolous and unnecessary. Believe me, I went through periods of angst and head-scratching as to why I did buy it. At first, I tried to convince myself that I needed it...that it would speed up my photographic evolution...and then that I would enjoy it more than all the other cameras I use.

When I'm asked why I bought, or use, a Leica, I sometimes use this analogy: if I were to drive on the mountain roads in Europe; say between France and Switzerland, would I rent a super modern BMW X5, or would I choose (assuming it was available) a Series 1 Jaguar E Type with manual transmission? I would certainly choose the latter, to maneuver the curves the way they should be, and heel and toe downshift to my heart's content. The analogy is imperfect of course, but I would certainly enjoy the driving experience much more with the Jag...as I found I enjoyed photography with the M9 more than with the Canons.

"All I know is that I enjoy photographing with the Leica whether it's stuck to my face, or dangling on my waist/hip."

In an earlier post, I question if shooting from the hip (by the way, it's one of the most viewed/read post on this blog) was really photography. Many have said yes...I really haven't decided yet, although I confess that I don't care any more. All I know is that I enjoy photographing with the Leica whether it's stuck to my face, or dangling on my waist/hip.


To me, that's the bottom-line answer to my angst-ridden self question as to whether getting a Leica was a good idea. It was all about enjoying it....having fun with it. That's it. I am not a tech-head so whether the Leica is technically a better camera than the Canon 5D Mark II or the Fuji X100 is incidental. I just appreciate it for what it is... a solid, well-built, quirky, irritating, rewarding, reliable and a pain in the ass photographic tool. But to go gaga and weak-kneed over it like some do, is not one of my talents. And speaking of talents, I don't over-intellectualize photographs...whether mine or someone's else.


I like street photography in New York City (who doesn't?) and, emulating seasoned street photographers, I take my camera whenever and wherever I can. Sure, I make lots of mistakes when I use the shooting from the hip technique, which I probably wouldn't do if I had a Canon and an auto-focus lens. For instance, the photograph of these two women "Get Sweet On Salt" would have been better composed (no ice cream cone growing out of a head, for one thing) had I viewed it through a viewfinder, either with the M9 or a Canon. But their expressions (notice the pout by the woman on the left) would have been different....they would have noticed me for sure, and could have either smiled or scowled.

For further street photography in New York City, I have a separate gallery on The Leica File.

Pamplona, The Drifters & Hemingway

Photo © Eloy Alonso-Reuters/Courtesy In Focus

The Atlantic magazine's wonderful photo blog In Focus is featuring 36 large photographs of The Running of The Bulls during the Festival of San Fermin which attracts thousands of visitors to Pamplona, Spain. Over the course of nine days, the festival hosts bullfights, a carnival, fireworks, and of course, the encierro, or "running of the bulls."

"I was so buzzed up by the adrenaline rush I got by reading of the running to evade the bulls, that I vowed to participate..."

I first heard of the Running of The Bulls through books. Like many of my generation, I came across it while in my late teens reading Hemmingway's The Sun Also Rises. I also recall it described in James Michener's The Drifters, an epic novel about youths who drift to Torremolinos, Pamplona, Southern Africa, Morroco, and Portugal. I was so buzzed up by the adrenaline rush I got by reading of the running to evade the bulls that I vowed to participate...much to the disbelief of my friends and peers in Cairo, who probably looked at each other behind my back and rolled their eyes (or whatever the expression was at that time).

Ah, well. I never ran in Pamplona...and never will.

For those interested, between 200 and 300 people are injured during the run every year, although most of these injuries are contusions.

I think the above photograph is remarkable...it was probably photographed using remote triggers,  strobe slaves and empty soda bottles (see photograph #21).

Idris Ahmed: Holla Mohalla

Photo © Idris Ahmed-All Rights Reserved

Idris Ahmed is an environmental activist-turned-schoolteacher-turned-professional photographer, as well as a biker. His vehicle has taken him, at times, as high as 13,000 feet to photograph landscapes, monasteries and the people who inhabit these altitudes.

Five years ago, Idris was biking through the Kunzum La pass in Himachal Pradesh, and visited the Spiti Valley for the first time. The landscape was so stunning that he he has since journeyed to the valley every year, staying for a month each time.

Although most of his press coverage has been on Spiti: Daughter of the Sea photo exhibition in Delhi last April, I have featured Idris' gallery of the Sikh Holla Mohalla.

The Holla Mohalla is an annual Sikh festival, which usually lasts for a week and consists of  various displays of fighting prowess and bravery, followed by music, poetry and communal meals. It also is highlighted by a huge procession by the Nihangs, clad in their traditional dress and weapons, on the last day of the festival. It is held at the Indian city of Anandpur Sahib in Punjab, and it is estimated that over 100,000 Sikh devotees attend the Holla Mohalla.

Oskar Barnack Award 2011: The Winners

Leica announced the 2011 winners of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, and produced an 18 minute movie of their work. The movie was presented at the Arles Photo festival of 2011.

Jan Grarup received the Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2011 for his “Haiti Aftermath” series and Jing Huang won the Newcomer Award 2011 for his photo set titled “Pure of Sight.”

"Regular readers of The Travel Photographer's blog won't be surprised. I am not moved by most of the photo essays that won the Oskar Barnack Award 2011."

I've watched this movie three times, and readily confess that the majority of the photo essays left me indifferent, and even puzzled. I found that the exceptions were the two projects by Jan Garup; the Haiti Aftermath and Darfur (at the end of the clip) and a poignant photo essay by Carsten Stormer titled The Acid Survivors. I just wasn't moved by the remainder of the photo essays....largely because I just didn't understand what the photographs meant to convey.

That being said,  I generally liked the multimedia production of this movie. I found the varying sound tracks (although none were ambient) to be appropriate, slow and deliberate, and in keeping the theme of the photo essays. I also like the sobriety of the typography and the titles of each photo essay....with the technique of underlining the names of the photographers to accentuate their importance to the viewers.

The transitions were mostly simple, and the dissolves were kept to a minimum. The other effects kept to a minimum were the Ken Burns effect and the panning, but only for the first half of the movie. Subsequently, there was more reliance on the zoom in-zoom out effect, and it was unnecessarily  heavy handed. I also noted that the producer(s) used alternating of verticals on a single frame.

Tanya Habjouqa: Women of Gaza

Photo © Tanya Habjouqa- Courtesy Al Jazeera

I am always very pleased to see impressive talent from the Middle East such as that of photographer Tanya Habjouqa, whose Women of Gaza was just featured on Al Jazeera website.

Tanya was born in Jordan and educated in the United States, and is currently based in Jerusalem. She won a well deserved reputation for gaining unique access to sensitive gender, social and human rights stories in the Middle East. She received a number of awards for her work, and is published in The Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera, Washington Post, New York Times, Boston Globe and worked for various NGOs.

Her gallery of images on the Al Jazeera website documents the community spirit prevailing in the Gaza strip, which is maintained despite the ongoing Israeli siege and occupation. In her photographs, one clearly sees how the women in Gaza are continuing to live their lives as best they can...continuing to care for their families, working for a better future through education and careers.

Not only has Al Jazeera shown the US-based cable networks how to deliver news from the Middle East and elsewhere, but it's also supporting Middle Eastern photographers and photojournalists by featuring their work, and their projects. Would CNN or MSNBC have featured Women of Gaza? Not likely.  Well done, Al Jazeera!

Via Wendy Marijnissen Twitter feed.

The Leica File: Serendipity Or Decisive Moment?

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved (click it to enlarge)

Many interesting photographs are the result of serendipitous events that occur when the photographer is right there, while others are the result of the photographer anticipating the event, the gesture or the decisive moment.

In the case of the three women in the F train (which I titled "The Sleepy, The Anxious And The Bored"), it was certainly a matter of having these three distinctly different women sitting across from me, who being self absorbed in their own world, were oblivious of the M9 propped on my knee. Although I was conversing with Mervyn Leong on our way back from Coney Island, my peripheral vision allowed me to click the shutter when I "sensed" the scene you see in the photograph. I didn't see it...I just clicked...perhaps anticipating it because of their movements? I just don't know. I had taken a couple of frames earlier...and had no clue that I had really captured this scene until I exited the subway.

"I 'sensed' the scene you see in the photograph. I didn't see it...I just clicked.."

Human nature is so interesting. The Sleepy was very energetic when she boarded the train, but eventually slumped in her seat. The Anxious was serene for most of the ride...but suddenly became frazzled as you see her. The Bored looked bored all through the ride...and held that pose for most of the time.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved (click it to enlarge)

Now this one, which I titled "The Gawker" is different. It's a "shot from the hip" photograph at Union Square, and it is more of an anticipatory shot. The attractive Asian tourist was pacing up and down, waiting for someone, and I noticed the man approaching her, then setting down his delivery cart. I knew he would be looking at her (as I had been doing), and it's at that moment that I clicked the shutter. He had a bottle in his hands, and I just can't decide if he was gawking at her because she was beautiful, or whether he saw her drinking and decided he'd drink too...or both.

Erica McDonald: DEVELOPphoto

Erica McDonald is an institution. Yes, you read that correctly. She's an institution for a number of reasons; primarily because she's a damn good photographer/photojournalist, and also because she recently and single handedly initiated DEVELOP Tube, an educational resource on photojournalism.

If you need proof of her photographic talents, just drop by her website, and take a good look at her New York City Portraits, amongst her many galleries. You'll immediately agree with me.

And when you finish doing that...drop by DEVELOP Tube on YouTube and on VIMEO.

DEVELOP Tube features interviews, profiles, lectures, films about photojournalism, fine art, documentary photography, photographers, including multimedia productions which effectively incorporate the still photograph, and slideshows created to showcase powerful photographs, especially those concerning humanitarian issues: human rights, environmental sustainability and global health.

It's a veritable compendium of photography, and Erica must be commended for making all this trove easily available to the public. Bookmark it or follow it on Twitter @DEVELOPphoto

Erica has chosen two of my audio slideshows to add to DEVELOPphoto. White Shadows and Cham.

Anders Ryman: Rites of Passage

Photo © Anders Ryman-All Rights Reserved

Anders Ryman is a Swedish photographer and writer who has been published in a wide range of international magazines, including Animan, GEO and National Geographic Nordic. He specializes in people, travel and ethnic cultures.

The New York Times featured news of Rites of Life an exhibition of Anders' photographs in a development on the south bank of the River Thames, through September 6.

The photographer spent more than seven years on the project, and it won the support UNESCO. The article tells us that "images from Ethiopia, Spain and Micronesia illustrate birth customs; others, from Turkey, Thailand, Norway and South Africa, show various sorts of initiation ceremonies; still other highlight weddings in Nepal and Morocco. Finally, end of life rituals are captured Bolivia, India and Madagascar."

"I decided to focus of rites of passage as it is something which unites us as humans."-Anders Ryman

Also available through the Rites of Life website is Anders' 560 pages book which is for sale. The book portrays more than thirty rituals from all corners of the globe.  The rituals include the blessing of a newborn in a small village in Spain to a girl’s initiation into womanhood among the Apaches of Arizona; from the Xhosa male initiation ceremony in South Africa to the communion with the dead during Todos Santos in Bolivia; from a woman’s first chilbirth in Palau to the wedding ceremonies in the Shinto shrines of Tokyo.

It certainly looks like an exhibition I will try to visit when I'm next in London.  I would like to see these photographs in large format...unfortunately, Anders' website does not render enough justice to his photographs.

Fourth Of July....

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

In observance of the Fourth of July, I thought I'd feature a photograph of the barker at the Coney Island Circus Sideshow. After all, the fellow stands under the American flag and has the gift of the gab; a valued talent in the land of the free.

He's probably even busier today...the 2011 International Hot Dog Eating Contest is scheduled in Coney Island, Brooklyn, for the 4th of July. And its thousands of spectators will surely gravitate towards the Sideshow sooner or later.

Happy Fourth of July!!!

POV: The Perils Of Street Photography

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy- All Rights Reserved

Walking the streets of New York city and taking photographs of strangers can sometimes lead to confrontations.  I experienced this a few days ago, when I was photographing near Union Square close to Trader Joe's.

A garishly decorated van was selling what looked like delicious thin-crust pizza, when a dapper Wild Bill Hickok-look alike decided that he would order a slice. Thinking nothing of it, I snapped a few photographs of this guy, who spotted me (not too difficult as I was a few feet away from him, and wasn't shooting from the hip) and gave me the malevolent stare you see in the above photograph. Ah, if looks could kill!!! (Click to enlarge it)

Perhaps being peptic or having missed his morning dose of Metamucil, he suddenly strode over and spewed a litany of profanities, such as the classic that he would take my camera and shove it up my rear (forget my rear...this is the Leica M9!!!). I just smiled, stood my ground (he was a small man after all), and advised him to move along and enjoy a nice day. He was really choleric that I had taken his photograph, and it quickly crossed my mind that I'd feel somewhat guilty had he had a heart attack right there and then.

Naturally,  had he physically assaulted me in any way...he would have had serious trouble. I had seen police officers not too far from that spot.

I thought of explaining that the law is quite clear on this....but he was too irate. Since he was on public property (ie the street) and provided he had no reasonable expectation of privacy, I could photograph whatever I want. That's the law.

And it isn't a good picture anyway.

SacBee Does The Indian Monsoon

Photo © AP / Channi Anand-All Rights Reserved

The Frame of The Sacramento Bee featured over two dozen photographs by mostly Indian photographers of the monsoon rains in India. Travel photographers usually plan their trips to avoid the monsoon season which generally pans from June to September, and yet it's then that the light is at its most gorgeous.

I reacall being (unfortunately without a camera) in a rickshaw in Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi during the month of June, when the heavens burst into heavy downpour that lasted no more than 5 minutes. We were immobilized for that time but when the rain stopped, the light was just ethereal.

One of the participants in my forthcoming (at the end of September) Kolkata's Cult of Durga Photo Expedition™ wondered whether we would experience any laggard rains. I certainly hope so....!!!

Incidentally, one of the most entertaining books on the Indian monsoon is Alexander Frater's Chasing the Monsoon, in which he describes how he followed the monsoon, sometimes ahead of it....and at other times, staying behind it, and observing the impact this annual phenomenon has of the sub-continent and beyond.

POV: Two "Must Read" Blog Posts

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

I do not expect presents from Santa Claus at the height of summer, but these two posts are the equivalent of unexpected and incredibly useful presents.  I simply cannot encourage my readers (whatever their interest in photography is) in enough strong terms to read and enjoy these posts. Both are informative, well written, engaging...and useful to photographers, photojournalists and anyone remotely interested in this industry. My hat's off to both authors of these posts...very well done.

1. The War Photographers' Biggest Story: Themselves:

Benjamin Chesterton (of the Duckrabbit blog) has penned what I consider one of his best posts. He questions if the ‘best’ story a war photographer can provide these days is the one that will get the most space...ie themselves?

I won't attempt to summarize what he wrote, since it would do his writing and message a disservice, however those who follow the recent news on photojournalism, the loss of at least 3 photojournalists in Libya and the incarceration of others...will immediately appreciate (and if like me, agree with) the thrust of the argument. I touched on this with my own post Yes, I Have A Name. It's Mohamed Shaglouf!.

2. The Amazing Yellow-Bordered Magazine:

John Stanmeyer, the well known National Geographic (among other publications) photographer has started to write one of a number of monthly posts in which he will "demystify the experience, sharing insight and nuances on how such long-term projects originate until the National Geographic magazine arrives in your mail slot, starting now with a latest story I’m about to begin for them".

How incredibly wonderful is that???

Two posts...two gifts...two Pandora's boxes for aspiring photojournalists and travel photographers.

Tobin Jones: Healers of Kibera

Photo © Tobin Jones-All Rights Reserved

Here is a powerful photo essay by Tobin Jones on the healers of Kibera. Kibera is a slum of the Kenyan capital, and is home to over one million people but a handful of clinics, most of which are run by charities. Religious healers associated to the Christian church claim to be healers and offer their services to solve problems from relationships to sickness to exorcising demons. While 80% of Kenya’s population is Christian, traditional beliefs and customs influence most of Kibera’s African churches, forming a quasi-Christian religion quite different from Western forms of Christianity.

The photo essay appears on the BBC News website, and I suggest you view it there as the images are larger than on Tobin's website.

"Kibera residents go to healers for a wide range of reasons that include family disputes, theft, unemployment and curses, as well as possession by the devil."

Tobin Jones is a photographer of English and American descent, and he lived much of his life on the African continent, where he was born and grew up. He graduated from McGill University, with a major in International Development, as well as minors in Economics and Political Science.

Darshan: Photo Series On Indian Deities

Kickstarter is featuring Darshan: Photographic Series on Indian Deities, an interesting visual project by Manjari Sharma and for which a funding goal of $20,000 is hoped for.

The project aims to photographically recreate nine classical images of gods and goddesses that are of primary importance in the mythological stories in Hinduism. For Manjari,  the Darshan project is a mission to preserve her heritage by using the medium of photography.

"What is innovative about Darshan is that I am recreating these icons as photographs while maintaining their spiritual sanctity." - Manjari Sharma

The first photograph created for this project is of Laxmi,  the Hindu goddess of wealth and fortune, and Manjari's Kickstarter page for the project details the process in creating this first image, and how the 9 six-feet tall images will be displayed.

Manjari Sharma is a photographer based in New York City. She grew up in Mumbai, India and currently lives in Brooklyn. She holds a bachelors degree in Visual Communication from S.N.D.T University, Mumbai and a BFA in photography from Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio.

Disclaimer: I do not know Ms Sharma and to the best of my knowledge, nor do I know anyone who knows her. I found her project to be interesting and innovative...that's all.