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Digital Kids

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Adobe is doing the right thing, says Rich Glickstein on Aphotoaday.org.

The idea behind Adobe Digital Kids Club is something we should embrace: educating the next generation of the visual journalists. Granted, Adobe's aim is to do so through the use of digital equipment, and ultimately their product, but they're taking a progressive step stirring the pot and getting people excited about photojournalism through a new image recording medium.

We could all learn something (new) from this site. Bookmark it!

PhotoVoices

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Via NY Arts

The role of photojournalism today is to allow the viewer a up-close and somewhat personal look at subjects that are detached from the publics' everyday life, and to shed light on pressing issues. Visual language has become the main method of this intimate communication between subject and viewer, because words do not seem to be as effective or powerful anymore. This direct communication is extremely apparent at “Unbroken: Photography Subjects Speak Out,” a non-profit show at Denise Bibro Gallery in Chelsea.

The show is a collection of images from various projects done by the independent non-profit group Photovoice, whose outreach program sponsors training programs for people in need from underdeveloped nations around the globe (mainly children and minors) in photography and journalism. The projects of Photovoice incorporate the spirit and mind of the populations, allowing them to photograph themselves, determining the way they are depicted. This is a twist on traditional photojournalism, in the way that it is transforming the subject into the creator. These images serve as vehicles not only for knowledge, as many of the participants of Photovoice have aspirations of becoming professional photographers and journalists, but also for freedom, as many reside in refugee camps or nations where their basic freedoms have been taken away. The result is a collection of images that are not only aesthetically beautiful, but powerful and informative images of the world that is easily forgotten.

From the PhotoVoice web site:

Often seen only as subjects in photojournalism, Afghani and Vietnamese street kids from Kabul and Ho Chi Minh City, young Bhutanese refugees in Nepal and mentally and physically disabled students in Bogota, Colombia, use the medium of photography to “speak” about their lives. The result is a unique and powerful exhibition that captures the essence of hope, determination and the human will to survive. In Ho Chi Minh City, they sell lottery tickets. In Kabul, it's walnuts. In both cities, poverty has driven children to spend long days at dusty roadside tables to earn mere pennies. In Nepal, Bhutanese teens in packed refugee-camp classrooms have a near-perfect attendance – education is their only hope out of their transient circumstances. And in Bogotá, mentally and physically disabled students strive to present their vision in art and photography. The photographs in Unbroken have emerged from three PhotoVoice projects: Street Vision (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam), Bibin (Kabul, Afghanistan) and The Rose Class (UN run refugee camps in Nepal). A fourth project, linked to PhotoVoice, is a collaboration between students at K'ipay, a school for the mentally and physically disabled in Bogotá and New York artist, Anna Lise Jensen. There will also be an auction and exhibition of well-known photographers who support the organization.

Partho Bhowmick

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© Partho Bhowmick

Bhowmick's photography, all in black & white, clearly springs forth from somewhere deep within; not a knee-jerk reaction to what he just sees in front of him. The images in the gallery section of his site, especially Mirrors of Mumbai, are thought-provoking and sometimes tinged with irony. They also provide a very interesting and refreshing look at a bustling city that most tourists take for granted. The multiple reflections result in quirky juxtapositions of the classic clashing with the modern. With each image, the viewer is asked to look deeply by gently peeling away the onion skins of life. Some may make you even cry.

His email to me had the simplest and perhaps most striking mission statement I have read in years: “i'm a software professional and have a passion for photography.” Enuff said. Check out the rest of his portfolio here.

“Final Solution” Banned

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Via Aag News

The Censor Board of India recently banned Rakesh Sharma's internationally-acclaimed documentary – Final Solution. An online petition has been created by Anand Patwardhan to protest against the ban. The petition asks Central Government to intervene and revoke the ban immediately. As you may already know, under clause 6 and 9 of the Cinematograph Act, the Central Government is empowered to overturn any decision/ recommendation by the Censor Board.

People who have already signed the petition include Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Vijay Tendulkar, Shyam Benegal, Javed Akhtar, Aparna Sen, Karan Johar, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Farhan Akhtar, Rahul Bose, Vishal Bhardwaj, Mansoor Khan, Arundhati Nag, Sanjana Kapoor, MS Sathyu, Lekh Tandon, Dr Asghar Ali Engineer, Ram Puniyani, Yogendra Yadav, Sunil Khilnani, Harsh Kapoor and Teesta Setalvad among others.

Please extend your support by signing the petition online by clicking the following link Please forward the petition details to people in your mailing list asking them to sign and circulate the petition widely. Those who have seen the film – please add your comments!

Final Solution ( India; 2004; Digital Video format – miniDV; 209/148 minutes).

Final Solution is a study of the politics of hate. Set in Gujarat during the period Feb/March 2002 – July 2003, the film graphically documents the changing face of right-wing politics in India through a study of the 2002 genocide of Moslems in Gujarat. The film documents the Assembly elections held in Gujarat in late 2002 and records in detail the exploitation of the Godhra incident (in which 58 Hindus were burnt alive) by the right-wing propaganda machinery for electoral gains. It studies the situation after the storm and its impact on Hindus and Moslems – ghettoisation in cities and villages, segregation in schools, the call for economic boycott of Moslems and continuing acts of violence more than a year after the carnage.

Final Solution is anti-hate/ violence as “those who forget history are condemned to relive it.”

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Freelance Marketplace

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Via Reuben Abraham

We all want to make more than a buck, we want our work to mean something. But to connect with editors who make the final decisions on what will appear in their publications and who will produce that content is no easy feat. Laurel Touby of Mediabistro.com has begun a new service that proposes to connect freelancers to those editors. There is a fee, of course. But should it work, it could shake up the way the business of journalism is conducted. Perhaps now, the cream will indeed rise to the top.

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UNITY2004

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I am at the UNITY2004 convention in Washington, D.C. this week. 7000 journalists of all hues have assembled here.

My blog posts will be shorter than usual. I am standing in one of the great halls of the Washington Convention Center where the Job Fair is taking place. Two stacks of computers in the hall allow journalists to check emails and post stories. Will have a recap of what I have seen and done tomorrow.

Off to a party that is being thrown by ESPN.

International Adventures in Digital Storytelling

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Join Phil Borges, photographer Amanda Koster and the amazing children of Takaungu for an unforgettable workshop in digital storytelling. In this workshop our goal is to get past the “grab shot” and find a way to use our photography to creat images that tap into the spirit of those we photograph, while at the same time imparting meaningful skills to the communities we work in.

“We had an immediate connection with the children, and had access to their community in ways I never thought possible. It is such a gift to feel welcomed and connected to the people in a place you're visiting, and to combine travel, photography and volunteering.” Karen Church, Tibetan Children's Village Workshop, Dharamsala, India

Building effective commmunity relationships in remote and beautiful locations is the hallmark of Bridges workshops. The strength of Kenya's coastal history, its trading ports, its centuries-old Arab-Muslim influence, and its beaches make this Bridges workshop a rare chance to explore the rich landscape of the Kenyan Coast. You will work with internationally renowned photographers and students in the local community, taking your personal work to the next level while empowering a new generation of storytellers.

You will challenge your photographic skills in a new environment, develop familiarity with digital imaging at all levels, and build meaningful relationships with the communities you visit by engaging students in their own documentary work. Opportunities for remarkable image making will present themselves every day of this two-week workshop.

Dates: October 5-21, 2004
Cost: $3,475 includes workshop fee plus all in-country travel, lodging and most meals.
For more information click this, or call Kathy at (206) 275-3247

Nieman Narrative

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Via Mark Kramer

Online registration for this year's Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism at Harvard is now open.

Read The Narrative Journal to get a sense of what took place at last year's conference. It's always great to see a photojournalist included. This year Molly Bingham will be present. I hope I can take some time off of work to go check it out. Students should contact Mark Kramer (click on his name above) to see if they can register for a reduced price if they volunteer their time.

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