Group items tagged

29 October 2008 James Nachtwey & the Campaign Against XDRTB ~ Caught in the Conventions of Photojournalism Family members provide much of the personal care at hospitals in the developing world. Photograph & Caption © James Nachtwey/VII Let's start with the obvious, since I want to talk about what I think are more important things. James Nachtwey is an extraordinarily talented photographer. In his work he has captured the dangers and depravities of war and famine and other forms of systematic, man-made devastation. And he's done so in ways that have proven both profound and powerful. It is perhaps only a slight overstatement to say that he is unrivaled. Yet, despite his own admirable aims, Nachtwey is operating within conventions that are highly constraining.

Here are three slightly different versions of the same story, "Mom Goes to War," which I photographed last summer with reporter Mark Brunswick while working at The (Minneapolis) Star Tribune. In the story, Maj. Patricia Baker, a helicopter pilot in the Minnesota National Guard, prepares to go to Iraq for her second deployment, and her son Zach talks about his mother leaving. The first version uses only natural sound, while the other two use loops from GarageBand. I did a limited amount of music editing to fit it to the video.

Welcome to the Lee Miller Archive. Lee Miller produced some of the most powerful photographs seen this century, from portraits of her friends such as Pablo Picasso, to her work as a correspondent with the US army in World War II. Beginning her own studio in Paris with artist Man Ray, she went on to work with Vogue, and in France, Egypt, and New York, being best remembered for her witty Surrealist images.

The Ethics of Mixing Music and Videojournalism Regina McCombs, a Poynter Institute visual journalism instructor, has created a powerful illustration of how soundtracks can affect a video story -- illuminating the debate as to whether they have a proper place in videojournalism. In her article, "See How Music Changes a Story," she shows three versions of the same video story, "Mom Goes to War" (featuring a pilot preparing for her second Iraq deployment and her young son). The first is with natural sound. The second adds a slow, somber keyboard track. The third features an upbeat guitar/percussion track. (Both scores are GarageBand loops -- demonstrating how easy and accessible it is for even someone with a tin ear to provide professional sounding music background.) McCombs poses the all-important question: how do the alternate versions change the way you react to, and feel about, the story?

MediaStorm produces 'Condition: Critical, Voices from the War in Eastern Congo' for Médecins Sans Frontières

Weighing the Moral Argument Against the Way Things Work 'We have covered Africa this year, so we won't be doing anything for a while.' A photo essay by Marcus Bleasdale A child's coffin awaits burial as an uncle negotiates payment with the undertaker. The child's father was unable to attend due to "military duties." Infant mortality in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is 128 deaths per 1000, according to the International Red Cross. Photo by © Marcus Bleasdale/IPG. More than three million people have died due to fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo over the past five years. At least another three million people have been forced to flee their homes. This messy conflict at the heart of the continent has often been referred to as Africa's first World War. Most of the deaths come from hunger and disease among a population of 55 million people struggling to scratch out a meager subsistence living in this vast nation covered by dense forests and jungle.

"A Lucky Shot Doesn't Make You a Photojournalist" Arab photojournalists should be recognized for much more than their contribution to war reporting, says Patrick Baz, Middle-East Photo Manager for Agence France-Presse (AFP) and one of the judges for the 2009 World Press Photo Contest. "That makes me think that either the Western world doesn't want to look at Arab photojournalists in a different way or that we do not have anything else to offer."

4 unembedded photogprahers in iraq

Frontline Club: Irme Schaber talks about Gerda Taro At last week's Photography event at the Frontline Club, Irme Schaber talked about the life and work of Gerda Taro. If you missed the event, here is your chance to watch the entire debate. Schaber is a writer and lecturer on the history of exile photography, photojournalism and print-media. She is also Taro's biographer and curator of the current exhibition at the Barbican. Next week, she will present and talk about a wide selection of Taro's work. Taro worked alongside Robert Capa, who was her photographic as well as romantic partner and the two collaborated closely. Her photographs were widely reproduced in the French press and incorporated the dynamic camera angles of New Vision photography as well as a physical and emotional closeness to her subject. While covering the crucial battle of Brunete in July 1937, Taro was struck by a tank and killed.

Remarks from James Nachtwey, the 2006 recipient of the Heinz Award. The Heinz Awards were created to provide a message of inspiration to each and every one of us regarding the power of the individual in American society.

AFN interview with GQ Photo Journalist Jim Nachtwey at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

Richard Whelan, Biographer/book, "Robert Capa: A Biography" [University of Nebraska Press]/Michael Hoffman, Philadelphia Museum of Art/book, "Robert Capa/Photographs"

Photographer and MacArthur fellow Susan Meiselas is best known for her work covering political upheavals in Central America in the 1970s and 80s. The International Center of Photography (ICP) is hosting the first U.S. overview of her work, "Susan Meiselas: In History." It's on display through January 4, 2009.