Whose eyes don't glaze over when the words “camera manual” are mentioned? I know mine do. While I do refer to my manuals, I have long depended on PhotoBert's CheatSheets for a quick refresher. Whenever I have needed to know which sequence of buttons to press for multiple exposures or where a certain menu is buried within the camera system, my “cheat sheets” come alive. I reckon they are sort of the Cliff Notes for the camera world.

On a whim, I drifted over to Bert Sirkin's site and was pleasantly surprised to see that he lives and operates his business about 15 minutes from where I live. I am going to have to go out and meet the man.

Via International Journalists Network

A grant competition organized by the Open Society Institute (OSI) will award grants of up to US$40,000 to innovative photographers worldwide. The proposal deadline is October 6. The Documentary Photography Project gives grants to photographers who partner up with news media organizations, NGOs, schools or other groups to publish documentary photography that works to stimulate constructive societal change.

Interested applicants must submit proposals that address a current social justice issue, especially those that relate to OSI’s work. Projects must use innovative strategies to present the work to the public such as: Web sites, podcasts, or traveling exhibitions.

OSI is a New York-based private foundation. It was launched in order to support former Soviet States transition from communism to democracies. It has since opened up projects in other areas of the world where the transition to democracy is of concern. Among the activities OSI sponsors are: grant making to strengthen civil society, education, human rights, legal reform, media and communications, arts and culture, among others.

For more information, or to submit a proposal, contact whjohnson@sorosny.org, or visit this site.

May be not school as we know it, but I am looking for a refresher. So today, I decided to register for two workshops.

I am heading to listen to photographer Kevin Ames at his Pro Digital Workflow seminar on October 22, in New York city.

Then on January 28, 2007, I will be attending the Epson Print Academy also in the Big Apple.

Will you join me?

I have two extra signed copies off Alive & Clicking, a memoir by the legendary Indian photojournalist T. S. Satyan.

Want one? Write to me. Send me a link to a photographer's site I should feature here but haven't yet mentioned. I'll pick two winners and mail them the books [in the US or Canada only please].

This book isn't, to my knowledge, available in the US or Canada. It's a terrific read about how a photojournalist from Mysore made a name for himself in India.

UPDATE: Stephen Voss, a Washington, DC based photojournalist has won the first copy of T.S. Satyan's memoir by sending me Jan Grarup's dark and brooding website, Shadowland.

UPDATE: Loki Muthuramalingam has won the second copy of T. S. Satyan's memoir by pointing me to Dr. Vivek M. Vivek, to the utter chagrin of his parents decided to give up medicine in favor of photography! The good doctor happens to coordinate a “photo enthusiast community” in Bangalore which has its own Flickr page here. Loki is no slouch. Check out his own amazing work here.

With all that has transpired over the last month in the photojournalism world one could easily turn cynical about the lost art of capturing reality as it happens versus making shit up in Photoshop. But photographers aren't grumpy curmudgeons are they? Nah. Check this link out thanks to Aphotoaday.org and this one at Userfriendly. I got a kick out of seeing both. Trust me, once in a while, we can laugh at ourselves.