POV: Is It "Visual Plagiarism"?

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights ReservedIt's rare for me to have an ambivalent view on anything, but I've stumbled across a "tweet" on my Twitter page (presumably from one of my 800+ followers addressed to another photographer) which prompts this post.I don't want to divulge more details than is necessary, so I'll use this hypothetical example:A travel photographer with...

Read More

Foundry PJ Workshop: Instructors Line Up

What more is there to s...

Read More

Thailand: Damnoen Saduak Market

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights ReservedThe troubling events in the streets of Bangkok reminded me of the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market near the capital, which is a must-stop for foreign and local tourists, as well as food lovers. I've visited it almost every time I stop in Thailand, when I'm en route to Bhutan, Cambodia or Bali.Yes, it's a tourist trap to a large degree...

Read More

POV: The Fact of The Matter...

The Marco Vernsachi & The Pulitzer Center "affair" seems to have somewhat calmed down after the considerable airing of divergent views, opinions and debate between photojournalists, photographers and journalists in the blogosphere. Some of these views were expressed on Lightstalkers, which is a popular no-holds barred forum for photographers. Going through the posts, I...

Read More

Ian Lloyd: Asia

Ian Lloyd is an Australian photographer who has undertaken commissions for magazines such as National Geographic, Time, Fortune, Gourmet and Conde Nast Traveler and multinational companies as diverse as ExxonMobil, Pepsi, Motorola and Singapore Airlines have commissioned Ian for commercial photography assignments. He has photographed 36 books on countries and regions around Asia including large format books on Kathmandu, Bali and Singapore and a four volume series on Australian wine regions.You'll see from the Spirit of Asia video that it's...

Read More

Diego Vergés: The Mentawai

Photo © Diego Vergés-All Rights ReservedPhoto © Diego Vergés-All Rights ReservedPhoto © Diego Vergés-All Rights ReservedAs I indicated in an earlier post on The Travel Photographer blog, Diego Vergés is back from his 4 months trip to Indonesia (and PNG) and its various islands, and is currently working feverishly on his inventory of images. He tells me that he has so far edited...

Read More

Hans Silvester: Omo Valley Fashion

The May-June issue of American Express' Departures magazine features the work of photographer Hans Silvester, a German photographer, who documents the extraordinary body painting of the Surma and Mursi peoples of the Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia. The Surma and Mursi tribes are body painters. They paint their bodies with natural pigments made from the earth. They paint themselves...

Read More

POV: So Whose Lapse In Judgment Is It?

Update evening of 4.25.2010: Both Marco Vernaschi and the Pulitzer Center For Crisis Reporting responded to the critics.I was pleased to read this final paragraph of the response (my emphasis):We do not suggest that the decisions involved in this reporting project are anything but difficult, as we hope was apparent in our statement accepting responsibility for what we believe...

Read More

Kevin Bubriski: Nepal

Photograph © Kevin Bubriski-All Rights ReservedKevin Burbriski arrived in Nepal as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1975, and spent about 4 years working in remote villages. He returned in 1984 as a photographer, and with a 4” x 5” view camera, a Nepalese photographic assistant, and two porters, he traveled the length and breadth of the country for the better part of three years....

Read More

Foundry Photo~Journalism Workshop: Istanbul

The Foundry Photo~Journalism Workshop 2010 is in Istanbul, and if your dream is to be coached by some of the best photographers and photojournalists available, do it now!The roster of instructors reads like a Who's Who in the world of photojournalism: Tyler Hicks, Lynsey Addario, Jared Moosy, David Bathgate, Jon Vidar, Anastasia Taylor-Lind, Rena Effendi, Ron Haviv, Andrea...

Read More

Ralph Childs: Bali

Photo © Ralph Childs-All Rights ReservedPhoto © Ralph Childs-All Rights ReservedAlthough Ralph Childs participated in my photo~expedition to Bali in summer 2007, he's once again joining Bali: Island of Odalan Photo-Expedition™ which I'm organizing and leading this coming August. Ralph is an active member of the Arlington Camera Club, and his photographs of a Balinese dancer...

Read More

Frontline: Dancing Boys of Afghanistan

On Tuesday night, I watched the harrowing Frontline: The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan which exposed an ancient practice know as as "bacha bazi" which, literally translated, means 'boys' play'. This illegal practice exploits orphans and street boys, and has been revived by powerful warlords, businessmen and military commanders in Afghanistan. These men dress the boys in women's...

Read More

WP: India In Motion

The Travel section of the Washington Post has featured a collection of short videos titled India In Motion. The videos are somewhat eclectic, and start with fast paced clips of Mumbai, then Udaipur, Jaislamer, Agra, Haridwar and Rishikesh. The videos are by Whitney Shefte, while the design is by Kat Downs. It's unfortunate that some of the music choices chosen to accompany...

Read More

POV: Marco Vernaschi & Child Sacrifice

Update: 4.25.2010: See my follow-up post So Whose Judgment Lapse Is it?Update 4.22.2010: Jon Sawyer of the Pulitzer Center responds, and within the response is this:"Yet we also believe, and Vernaschi agrees, that it was wrong to ask that the body be exhumed. It showed disrespect for the dead, and forced a grieving family to suffer anew. It also had the effect of focusing...

Read More

Canon's Digital Photo Professional

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights ReservedPhoto © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights ReservedAlthough I have a couple of international trips in the interim, my mind is increasingly getting focused on my forthcoming Bali: Island of Odalan Photo-Expedition™ in August, and to refresh my memory, I've been revisiting my RAW images files of my 2007 photo-expedition, and even processing some...

Read More

Ashok Sinha: Kashgar

Photo © Ashok Sinha-All Rights ReservedHere's another photo gallery of Kashgar and the Uyghurs by photographer Ashok Sinha, who traveled in China and was touched by their plight, which prompted him to document their disappearing ways of life. The photo essay is part of a larger project that is titled Life in Balance: The Human Condition in Xinjiang.Kashgar is a city of 3.4...

Read More

Terri Gold: Still Points in a Turning World

Photo © Terri Gold-All Rights ReservedTerri Gold's artistic creativity and energy were patently obvious during my Tribes of South Rajasthan & Kutch Photo~Expedition™ , as she moved from one photo shoot in a village to the next photographing with her two cameras; one "normal" like those used by the rest of us, and the second professionally modified to shoot infrared.She...

Read More

Stephen JB Kelly: Qi Lihe

Photo © Stephen JB Kelly-All Rights ReservedStephen JB Kelly is an English photographer, currently based in Hong Kong. He obtained a diploma in Photography from the London College of Communication, which was followed by a degree in Documentary Photography from the University of Wales, Newport.Aside from winning a number of awards for his photography, Stephen has been published...

Read More

Bali: Island of Odalan Photo~Expedition™

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights ReservedSetting up of the Bali: Island of Odalan Photo-Expedition™ has been completed for a while, and the participants will shortly have to advise me their flight schedules. Time flies!!The photo~expedition is especially structured for established photographers interested in documentary photography, ethno-photography and multimedia, and...

Read More

Matjaž Krivic: Mali (& Baaba Maal!)

Here's another post on Matjaž Krivic's work. This time, it's Mali that he shares with us in this lovely audio-slideshow-movie (he calls it multivision...not a bad name.).Matjaž just returned from an overland road trip from Slovenia to Nepal via Senegal (Dakar to Katmandu), which took him 13 months of living and photographing out of a 4x4 Nissan Patrol. For 20 years, he globe-trotted the world capturing the personality and grandeur of indigenous people and places, and found the time to be awarded many prizes, and recognized in various venues and...

Read More

Turkish Yogurt War: Image Rights

Photo Courtesy The BBCThe BBC reported that an elderly Greek discovered that his image was being used to sell Turkish yogurt in Sweden, and considered not only a personal affront, but a breach of his right to keep his image and likeness from being commercially exploited without permission or contractual compensation.Minas Karatzoglou claims that his likeness was used without...

Read More

VII Magazine

Photo © Ashley Gilbertson-All Rights ReservedThe announcement that the VII Photo Agency launched VII The Magazine has already been reported and blogged about for a few days already. The magazine is a syndicated online publication with photo stories and interviews with VII photographers. The beta version of VII The Magazine is presented in the Herald Scotland newspaper, and...

Read More

George Steinmetz: Aerial Views

The New Yorker magazine's online edition is featuring a video in which George Steinmetz discusses his career and techniques with Lauren Collins, who had traveled with him to Algeria. George Steinmetz is a photographer known for his explorations of remote deserts, obscure cultures, and mysteries of science and technology. He is regular contributor to National Geographic and GEO Magazines, and explored subjects ranging from the remotest stretches of Arabia’s Empty Quarter to the unknown tree people of Irian Jaya. He has won numerous awards for photography...

Read More

My Work: Ocotlán Matron

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights ReservedDuring my Oaxaca Mini Photo-Expedition™ a few weeks ago, we drove to Ocotlán de Morelos which is located 30-40 kilometers from Oaxaca, and photographed at its weekly market. I found it much more photogenic than those in Oaxaca proper such as the Abastos and Benito Juarez markets; perhaps more authentic is a better description. Notwithstanding,...

Read More

Francesco Lastrucci: Kashgar

Photo © Francesco Lastrucci-All Rights ReservedHere's the work of Francesco Lastrucci, an Italian freelance photographer who specializes in editorial stories. He's currently based between Italy, New York and Hong Kong from where he works on projects involving Europe, Latin America and East Asia.From Francesco's diverse editorial stories, including a story of the ubiquitous...

Read More

Canon 7D

I thought I'd post this advert for the National Geographic camera bags because it was entirely shot with a Canon 7D. Johnnie Behiri is the photographer who produced it.By the way, I just read that the producers of the Dr. House television series have shot a soon to be aired episode with the Canon 5D Mark II. Incredible!Another gem I found on Gizmodo is a $6 do-it-yourself thingamajig that allows rack focus (aka follow focus). I'll drop by Home Depot and see if I can make one for my 5D Mark II. A video of a similar project is also here.With a ATR6250...

Read More

MoMA: Henri Cartier-Bresson

Photo © Henri Cartier-Bresson-All Rights ReservedThe Museum of Modern Art in New York City is showing Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century" this coming Sunday April 11, 2010, and the exhibition's website is truly a delight.Henri Cartier-Bresson began traveling in 1930, at the age of twenty-two. For nearly half a century he was on the road most of the time, and the geographical...

Read More

POV: iPad, Toy or Tool?

Okay, I've now seen it, touched it and toyed with it for a while at the Apple store. Yes, it's beautifully designed, sleek and really cool...and I'd love to win it in a free contest (or something like that).However, I don't see its necessity for photographers as yet. Photoshelter's blog recently posed the question as to whether the Apple iPad will revolutionize the way photos...

Read More

Luciano Rodriguez Pena: Holi & Kumbh

India Khumbamela from SENSES on Vimeo.Here's a movie by Spanish photographer Luciano Rodriguez Pena, made during a recent trip to India. It features two main events during the first three months of this year: Haridwar Kumbh Mela and Holi. I liked the colors (as befits a country such as India) and the tremendous energy which the movie imparts. I wish there was a different soundtrack to it, but the stills and the movie make up for that.Luciano is a Nature & Travel photographer, and teaches digital photography in various photography schools in...

Read More

Jamie Williams: Tibet

Photo © Jamie Williams-All Rights ReservedHere's some really terrific imagery of Tibet by photographer Jamie Williams, who's based in Sydney, Australia. His biography is unfortunately sparse, and apart from dividing his time between photographing editorial and commercial imagery, and pursuing his own personal projects, we know that he won quite a impressive awards to include...

Read More

Matjaž Krivic: Earth Temples

Photo © Matjaž Krivic-All Rights ReservedMatjaž Krivic describes his whereabouts as traveling with his camera somewhere between the Sahara and the Himalayas...and having seen his portfolio of photographs, I believe him. He just returned from an overland road trip from Slovenia to Nepal via Senegal (Dakar to Katmandu), which took him 13 months of living and photographing out...

Read More

The Big Picture's Holy Week

Photo © REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi-All Rights ReservedThe Boston Globe's The Big Picture features photographs of the Holy Week, which starts on Good Friday, when Christians observe Jesus' crucifixion. Holy Week commemorates the last week of Jesus' life.Many of the photographs show what Christian penitents do to commemorate the crucifixion, either by reenacting it or be causing...

Read More

Julie Jacobson: Afghans' Opium Addiction

Photo © Julie Jacobson/AP-All Rights ReservedIt is estimated that Afghanistan supplies nearly all the world's opium, the raw ingredient used to make heroin, and while most of the deadly crop is exported, enough remains in it to feed a cycle of addiction among its population. It's also estimated there are at least 200,000 opium and heroin addicts in Afghanistan. It's a fact...

Read More

Aaron Vincent Elkaim: Jewish Morocco

Photo © Aaron Vincent Elkaim-All Rights ReservedOn the occasion of Passover, I thought of posting an interesting visual-historical-religious photo essay relating to the long Judeo-Muslim history of Morocco by Aaron Vincent Elkaim.Jewish history in Morocco dates back to over 2000 years, and Jews have lived in the country as a protected minority. Prior to the arrival of the...

Read More

POV: iPad

Photo Courtesy WIRED-All Rights ReservedI'm far from being a geek or remotely resembling one, but I still like gadgets provided they're useful and have a purpose...which brings me to the iPad. Unless you're traveling in North Korea, you must've heard that Apple is launching its iPad in its stores this coming Saturday. I live not too far from its 14th Street store and I intend...

Read More

The Sabarimala Pilgrimage: Asim Rafiqui

Photo © Asim Rafiqui-All Rights ReservedIt's always a pleasure to start off the month with a super interesting post. Here's a religious event/festival that not only fires up my adrenaline and imagination, but whose descriptive details I savor with relish, particularly as these are written by one of my favorite writers, William Dalrymple, and photographed by one of my favorite...

Read More

Paulette Waltz: Tibetans In Exile

Photo © Paulette Waltz-All Rights ReservedHere's an audio slideshow of black & white photographs of the Tibetan community in Manali by Paulette Waltz. There are 3 Tibetan monasteries in Manali; two of which are located in the main downtown area of Manali, while the third monastery is on the opposite bank of the Beas river. In common with other Tibetan communities, there...

Read More