Poul Madsen May 30, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Multimedia, Romania.Tags: Bucharest, Multimedia, Poul Madsen, Romania
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From the series “Bucharest Below Ground” Romania 2008
Poul Madsen was born in Denmark in 1978 but has since lived in Belgium, USA and India. At the age of 24 he began photography and was accepted into the Danish School of Journalism. Since then his main focus has been documenting social and cultural issues and exploring new and innovative ways of presenting narrative story telling for the web. “I consider myself part photojournalist and part multimedia producer.” Poul’s awards include: Best of Journalism, National POY, China International Press Photo and China Humanity Photo among others.
About the photo:
“This picture was taken inside a sewer in downtown Bucharest. The hot heating pipes underground enables some of the city’s homeless to survive Romania’s brutally cold winter. With this project I wanted to focus on of the European Union’s newest members. The conditions for these children are horrible and the Romanian government does next to nothing to help them get a better future.” It’s well worth visiting the full screen documentary for the web and reminds me of the potential of multimedia story telling. See more projects from Poul and his partners at the Bombay Flying Club.
Justin Mott May 29, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Indonesia.Tags: Indonesia, Java
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Java, Indonesia. 2007
Justin Mott is a native of Rhode Island with a journalism background from San Francisco State University. Justin received the Greg Robinson Memorial Award, given to the College Photographer of the Year for San Francisco and the Bay Area. In 2007 he was accepted into the Eddie Adams Workshop in New York and the University Missouri Photo Workshop. Justin has been working in SE Asia since 2005 and currently resides in Hanoi, Vietnam. He is represented by WPN. Justin is also co-founder of On the Road Media with producer/reporter Laura Lo Forti. His personal projects and assignment work has been published in Time, Newsweek, New York Times, Business Week, Geo, The and various other international magazines. Justin recently won The Marty Forscher Fellowship Humanistic Photography Award.
About the Photograph:
“I was in Central Java on an assignment for the Times to do a story on Javanese Mysticism. While I was there we also covered the 100th bird flu case, Suharto’s funeral, and a story about two feuding princes fighting for the throne. The mysticism story was challenging visually because floating daggers and levitation is hard to come by. So I searched for symbols and objects that hold meaning. I came across an albino buffalo which is considered by some to be sacred. The manure is even used by people who believe it will yield successful crops.”
Editors note: Jason was one of the first photographers I contacted after beginning Verve Photo. His interview at The Travel Photographer is a candid account of his working methods in Vietnam.
Frederic Sautereau May 28, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in United States.Tags: New York, September 11th
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Ground Zero Aftermath, New York
Born in 1973, French photographer Frederic Sautereau is also director of the Oeil Public agency in Paris. His central themes are the dual notions of border and divide. Between July 1997 and April 2000 his work focused mainly on divided cities, namely Belfast, Nicosia, Mostar, Jerusalem and Mitrovica. The resulting series was exhibited at the Visa pour l’image festival in Perpignan 2001 and is regularly shown in the FNAC galleries of photography. From June 2000 to August 2003, he devoted himself to the Lisières d’Europe (The Edges of Europe) project. In 2003 he received the Fuji Prize for a work on the wall separating Israel and the West Bank. His work on New York in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks has been shown in France, Germany, Switzerland and Portugal and was published in book form as ‘N40°42’42” W74°00’45’ by Editions 779 in September 2003.
About the Photograph:
“This photo was taken in New York City at Ground Zero, ten days after September 11th. I was struck by the silence of the people who came to see the destruction. No one spoke. The story was no longer the smoking ruins in front of me but more about the faces of the people behind me looking at the ruins.”
Heather McClintock May 27, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Uganda.Tags: Heather McClintock, Uganda
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Akullu Evelyn and Akello Mildred, Abia IDP Camp, Uganda, 2006
Raised on a dairy farm in Vermont, Heather McClintock received her BA in photography from New England College in New Hampshire, and Arundel, England, then relocated to New York City to work in prestigious commercial studios. A growing discontent with studio work, along with a desire to pursue humanitarian relief work led to her involvement with documentary photography. Heather first visited northern Uganda in 2005, where she focused on the strength and grace of the Acholi people, ravaged by both mental and physical cruelties resulting from a brutal twenty-year civil war. She returned in 2007. Her Uganda work garnered several awards, including the 2006 Center for Photographic Art Artist Project Award and her partnership with Blue Earth Alliance
About the Photograph:
In February of 2002, the LRA attacked Abia, searching for food, supplies and children to abduct. Mildred was inside her home with her six children when the rebels set fire to all the thatched roofs in the camp. The civilians were then forced to choose between staying inside their burning homes, or being shot by the rebels while attempting to escape. After she and her children were burned, Mildred’s husband left her and found another wife.” (more…)
Christian Als May 26, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in India.Tags: Christian Als, India
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Golfing in Mumbai from “India Rising”
“My passion and interest in photography developed in the late nineties after extensive travels in third world countries, where I realized the urge to document my surroundings. I love to undertake social and humanitarian projects around the world, and like the journey a photographic project can turn into over time. Most of all I just love people and love photography.”
Christian Als was born in the countryside just outside Copenhagen, where he is based. Most of his work centers on ‘concerned photography’ and social issues all over the world. In 2006 he graduated from the Danish School of Journalism and soon won several International photo awards including BOP and was a finalist in Visa D’Or 2005 in Perpignan. His work has been published in Der Spiegel, Christian Science Monitor, Bücher Magazine, Urban, ARENA, and Surfer Magazine among others. Christian won the POYI feature story award in 2008 for his project on juvenile prisoners in Latvia and most recently the China International Press Photo Contest for the “India Rising”.
About the Photograph:
The urban extremes can be hard to take in the Indian mega cities. A new golf course has sprung up in downtown Mumbai, while new skyscrapers are being built in the background. Home to 19 million people, Mumbai is projected by 2012 to be the planet’s second most populated city, after Tokyo.
Maciej Dakowicz May 23, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Yemen.Tags: Maciej Dakowicz, Yemen
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Aden, Yemen. 2007
Maciej Dakowicz was born in Poland in 1976. He has been living in Cardiff, Wales since the end of 2004. He previously lived in Hong Kong while working at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University shortly after graduating from university in Poland with a Master degree in Computer Science. He is a member of the Wide Angle photo agency and a frequent contributor to Need magazine. Maciej has worked with various international NGOs and organizations and his photos have been published by numerous international magazines. He is planning to become a “full-time photographer” by the end of this year, after completing his PhD, which he started before getting into photography.
About the Photograph:
“The image with the head sticking out of the sand was taken on a beach in Aden, which is the largest port in Yemen. One of the things people do there, besides women swiming in full clothing, is that men like to be buried in the sand completely, I stayed a couple of minutes with one of them, a crowd gathered around and that’s when I got my photo. Yemeni men enjoy being photographed.”
“I went to Yemen in December 2007 for three weeks and hoped to get an assignemnt, but no luck, so I was just a traveler. Yemen is a wonderful country, definitely one of the friendliest and most interesting places I have been. There are very few tourists and people are concerned about their safety, but I felt very safe. The people are very friendly and welcoming. I felt like their guest.”
Cristian Movila May 22, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Romania.Tags: Cancer Patients, Christian Movila, Romania
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Cancer Patients in Marie Curie Hospital. Bucharest, Romania
I had the pleasure of meeting Cristian Movila at the New York Photo Festival a few days ago. In his short career he has completed several powerful essays. Cristian is 24 years old and divides his time between New York and Bucharest. Touched by the stories of Romanian children suffering with cancer he dedicated two years documenting their lives in a Romanian hospital for a project called Unfinished Dreams. In 2008 he launched an exhibition of this work followed by a humanitarian campaign in Paris and raised over two million dollars for the hospital in Bucharest.
About the Photograph:
Crammed into the old wing of Marie Curie hospital in Bucharest, 20 children diagnosed with cancer are fighting everyday for their lives. Living conditions in the hospital are harsh, with not enough beds and nurses, no proper medicines or medical instruments. “The current conditions in the hospital offer them only a 50 percent chance of survival,” says Cristian Scurtu a veteran doctor working in the hospital since 1984. (more…)
Burma: Grace Under Pressure May 21, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Burma.Tags: Burma
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Buddhist Nuns. Pegu, Burma 2000
With the help of musician/ethnomusicalogist Rick Heizman I photographed and produced Burma: Grace Under Pressure eight years ago.
BURMA DISASTER – AND WHAT WE CAN DO.
My good friend Rick sent this email. Please forward to your friends and family. (more…)
David Walter Banks May 20, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Guatemala.Tags: David Walter Banks, Guatemala
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David Walter Banks (b 1982) is an Atlanta based photographer specializing in editorial and commercial photography through conceptual portraiture and documentary work. David attempts to create images that transcend their everyday context and lean towards the surreal. David’s clients include The New York Times, Stern Magazine, Forbes Magazine, Fader Magazine, Golf Digest, Spin Magazine, XXL Magazine, Sporting News, and Interscope Records among others. When not on assignment, David can be found photographing personal work and hanging out with his dog Highland.
About the Photograph:
This photograph was made while traveling through Guatemala and documenting it’s people and culture for a month with photographer Kendrick Brinson. The image was taken during a religious processional around the Parque Central in Antigua, Guatemala. The processional followed a cacophony of firecrackers which covered the street of the town’s square. This old man playing the flute and young boy playing the drum led the the candlelit procession as they chanted and played instruments on New Year’s Day. David also documented the epidemic of childhood malnutrition in the country during the same trip.
GMB Akash May 19, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Bangladesh.Tags: Bangladesh, Child Labor
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“Today, I count myself blessed, having become a photographer. To be able to articulate the experiences of the voiceless, to bring their identity to the forefront, gives meaning and purpose to my own life”. So begins the introduction to Akash’s website.
Akash’s passion for photography began in 1996. He graduated with a BA in Photojournalism from Pathshala school of photography in Dhaka. In 2002 he became the first Bangladeshi to be selected for the World Press Photo Joop Swart Master Class in the Netherlands. In 2005 he was awarded Best of Show at the Center for Fine Art Photography’s international competition in Colorado, USA. In 2006 he was awarded World Press Photo award and released his first book “First Light”. His publication credits include Time, Newsweek, Geo, Stern, Der Spiegel, The Guardian, PDN, Marie Claire,The Economist, Asia News,The Sunday Telegraph of London and others.
About the Photograph:
Child labor is not a new issue in Bangladesh as children here remain one of the most vulnerable groups living under threats of hunger, illiteracy, displacement, exploitation, trafficking, physical and mental abuse. Although the issue of child labor has always been discussed, there is hardly any remarkable progress even in terms of mitigation. 17.5 percent of children aged 5-15 are engaged in economic activities. Many of these children are engaged in various hazardous occupations in factories. Owners prefer to employ children as they could pay them less and also able to keep their factories free from trade unionism. A child laborer gets 400 to 700 Taka ( 1 USD = 70 taka) per month, while an adult worker earns up to 5000 per month.
Susana Raab May 16, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Ohio University, United States.Tags: American Rituals, Florida, Ohio University, Susana Raab
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Watching the Battle Royal, Medieval Times, Kissimmee, Florida 2005
Susana Raab is a documentary photographer who began her career as a photojournalist in Washington, DC covering politics. She worked for the New York Times Washington bureau for four years before attending graduate school at Ohio University’s School of Visual Communications. Her two long-term projects: Consumed: Fast Food in the US; and Off-Season: America at Leisure have received recognition from the White House News Photographers’ Association, The Ernst Haas/Golden Light Awards, PhotoLucida’s Critical Mass, American Photography 28, The Santa Fe Center for Photography and Photo District News. Her work is widely exhibited, both nationally and internationally, most recently at the Arts Club of Washington, the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo in Madrid, and the Noorderlicht Photofestival in the Netherlands.
About the Photograph:
No one quite understood what I was trying to do, driving from Athens, Ohio to Orlando, Florida to explore tourist venues that market history, perhaps least of all myself. But this is often part of the process of any journey. At the Medieval Times, I enjoyed a leg of mutton-type repast with the P.R. lady, who waxed poetic about the queries she received from prospective patrons of the dinner theatre, which recreates a medieval battle for damsels’ virtue and knights’ honor. “Once someone called me and wanted to know if we actually killed people, ” she said, non-chalantly, while taking a sip from her stein of ale. As the crowd roared at the theatrics on the floor below, I got up to discover the allure of the battle. I was reminded of a girl I interviewed at a NASCAR event who said,” I love the smoke, the gas, the noise, the danger. Everyone loves it when they crash. Except, of course, when it’s Junior.” More about Off-Season: America at Leisure (more…)
Scott Dalton May 15, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Venezuela.add a comment
Caracas, Venezuela
Scott Dalton is an award-winning photographer and documentary filmmaker based in Bogotá, Colombia, where he has covered the civil conflict and drug war for the past eight years. His photography has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Time, Newsweek, Business Week, the Washington Post Magazine, and The New Yorker, among other outlets. His documentary film La Sierra (2005) won numerous awards and was broadcast by PBS, BBC, HBO Latino, and many other international broadcasters. Scott is a member of Metro Photo Collective.
About the Photograph:
The above photograph is part of series made in the barrios of Caracas while I was there covering the presidential elections in December 2006
Andrew Henderson May 14, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in India.Tags: Andrew Henderson, India
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Untouchables, India
Before attending Rochester Institute of Technology, Andrew Henderson was altered by the experiences he encountered during a two-month trip to South Africa and Botswana. Since 2001, he has worked on photographic essays in collaboration with organizations in Mexico, Uganda, Rwanda, and India. In 2007, he completed staff photographer internships at the Concord Monitor, The Virginian-Pilot, and National Geographic Magazine. Currently, Andrew attends Syracuse University, and will be interning at The New York Times in Summer 2008. Awards include: College Photographer of the Year, POYi, The Alexia Foundation, and PDN, among others. Publication credits include The New York Times, Newsweek, US News and World Report, The FADER, Washington Post Magazine, The Sunday (London) Times, and National Geographic Magazine. He is a member of aevum photo collective
About the Photograph:
The image is of a traditional Christian Funeral for Matiah Nalla, in a leprosy colony on the outskirts of Khammam, India. An elder who lost his hands and feet as a result of leprosy, his son Nathaniel is washing him as they prepare him for burial, which is uncommon for India because the skyrocketing land prices.
John Loomis May 13, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in England.Tags: England, John Loomis, London
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Aboard the London Eye flight, from the project “Tourists”
John Loomis began his photography career as a stringer for the local newspaper at just 15. A dozen+ years later again back in his native Florida, Loomis specializes in action, documentary, editorial, portrait, and travel work for a diverse group of magazine and advertising clients. Deeply passionate for long-term photojournalism, John is also the Editor in Chief of Blueeyes Magazine. Select editorial clients include: AARP, Architectural Digest, Audubon, ESPN the Magazine, Elle, Essence, FADER, Fast Company, Fortune, Mother Jones, New York Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, Outside, People, Rolling Stone, Smithsonian, and The London Sunday Times Magazine.
About the Photograph:
“The image of the London Eye flight at dusk struck me because of the metaphor turned physical reality of a group of tourists floating in a bubble above one of the world’s great cities. I think to a lot of people that’s how they want to travel… in a giant bubble that allows them to see everything but not get too close to experiencing something authentic or spontaneous, and even bring a bit of what is familiar to them along. What is of course a bit ridiculous about the image is that I’m in another bubble myself, photographing the other bubbles, instead of the sinking sun over the smoggy edges of the horizon.”
“The Tourists project explores how when people go on vacation the real work begins. Armed to the teeth with recording devices of every medium, the entire trip is spent in an intense effort to create an archive filled with proof that they were really there. From within their group travel package specials and double-decker tour buses, in Rome, London, Prague, New York City, or Tokyo, they tirelessly search for the right spots for their loved ones, or a willing stranger, me, to snap a picture of themselves crowned as emperor in their newly conquered territory. This is the beginning of an essay trying to understand tourism culture in America and abroad.”
Verve Photo- The New Breed of Documentary Photographers 