Tipping or not tipping that is the question

Tipping or not tipping that is the question. Many tourists that travel to other countries are not aware of the different tipping customs existing in different countries. So it is very important to get acquainted with those customs so that you can advise tourists wisely and avoid any uncomfortable situation. Please if you read the following presentation and you would like to comment on anything, write to me at maochoa35@gmail.com. Any comment is welcome.

How much do you tip?

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

Sanjit Das: Dongria Kondh

Photograph Sanjit Das-All Rights Reserved
Sanjit Das is a documentary photographer, specializing in social issues as seen through the backdrop of India’s changing social, economic and political landscape, and he's focused on documenting the lives and conditions of those who are being overlooked by modernization.

His work is published in books, book covers, newspapers and journals in India and overseas, including The Financial Times, The Independent, New York Times and the Washington Post. He also works for a range of UN agencies and NGOs.

From his wide array of photo galleries, I've chosen the one on the Dongria Kondh community of Orissa.

The indigenous Kondh tribes people have lived for generations in the forests of Niyamgiri hills, in Kalahandi and Raygoda districts of Orissa, surviving by foraging in the forests, raising livestocks and through agriculture. However, the arrival of a mining and refinery project on their ancestral domain is endangering their survival, and their tribal/religious identity.

Sanjit has also photographed the survivors of Cyclone Nargis in Burma in a remarkable slideshow photo-essay titled All They Could Carry. The photo essay is on the pages of the wonderful Foto8, the website of 8 Magazine, a photojournalism magazine.

Canon 5D II: 9.17.2008?

A well-established, reputable and very popular French magazine, Chasseur d'Images, has posted an article on its website predicting that the much-awaited successor to the full-frame Canon 5D will be announced on September 17 at 8:00 am.

It is expected to have a full frame, like its predecessor, but with 21 megapixel Digic IV processor, a magnesium alloy body, Live View and video mode, with a price of around $3,600.

Why was September 17 chosen? Well, if you check the Canon Evolution ad you'll notice that the silhouette of the new camera is emerging out of the shadows following the progressive phases of the moon, and full moon is due on September 17.

Via Slash Gear (link)

Andaman Rising

Courtesy Andaman Rising Org
Every now and then appears a visual project of such quality that I cannot wait to get its website on the virtual pages of TTP. Such a project is Andaman Rising, and is a project of UNC School of Journalism. A sensitive, and very well-put project by young journalists.

Three-and-a-half years after the Asian tsunami hit southern Thailand , a team of young journalists traveled to the seaside province of Phang-nga to document the lives and culture of people living by the Andaman region.

As per the introduction of Andaman Rising:

"By the salty docks of Phang-nga they found stories of determination. In Buddhist temples they found tradition. On boats and in schools and on the streets of tiny villages, they found surprises, sadness, laughter and hope.

Welcome to life by the Andaman Sea."

via The Click (link)

SanDisk: New 32 gb Compact Flash Card

SanDisk Corporation announced the 32-gigabyte (GB)1 SanDisk Extreme® III CompactFlash® (CF) card, the latest addition to its award-winning SanDisk Extreme III line. This new Extreme III CompactFlash has a 30MB/s (200x) read and write speed, and will retail for approximately $300 when it hits the stores in October.

Personally, I find such an uber-high capacity rather unnerving, since I'd be loath to rely on a single card during my photo-shoots. I much prefer using a handful of CF cards of 2 and 4 gigabytes to minimize risks of card failure.

However, let's not lose sight that new DSLRs with 20+ megapixels and video capabilities are expected to come to market. A 32 gigabyte card can replace videotape, and such a capacity means over 80 minutes of 100 Mbps, 10-bit, 4:2:2 HD video.

Jehad Nga: Somalia Through A Lens

Brightcove posted a 5th of September interview with Jehad Nga at the Frontline Club in London. Jehad is a talented emerging photographer who, for the last 3 years, worked in and around Mogadishu, Somalia.

In this video, he presents a selection of his images, and is interviewed by a rather verbose Rob Walker of the BBC World Service.

For more on Jehad Nga on TTP: (here) and (here)

Book: What Matters

I normally don't post about books that I haven't read, since I don't want any posts on this blog to be construed as advertising or being commercial, but I occasionally come across books (photography or otherwise) that I sense are too important to ignore. Such a book is What Matters.

What Matters features photo essays by James Nachtwey, Marcus Bleasdale, Paul Fusco, Anthony Suau and Sebastiao Salgado among others. Accompanying the photos are original essays by thinkers and leaders such as Samantha Power and Jeffrey Sachs.

The book was created by the New York Times bestselling author/editor David Elliot Cohen, and contains 18 socially-conscious essays by some of the best known photojournalists.

You can either buy the book directly from the website, or download a free PDF version of it (just clear the pop-up window blocker).

Michael Robinson Chavez: Dharavi

© Michael Robinson Chavez/LA Times
Although Dharavi is routinely called "the largest slum in Asia," and frequently "the largest slum in the world," this is not correct. However, Dharavi is certainly unique among slums. It's a neighborhood, a slum, of 3 square kilometers right in the heart of Mumbai, the economic heart of India that pulsates with energy and activity.

Michael Robinson Chavez is a photojournalist at The Los Angeles Times, who is currently working on a long term project about urbanization in the developing world. It's not surprising to me that Michael has produced this multimedia piece. Meeting him at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Mexico last June, he struck me as a forward-leaning individual, keen in trying new techniques to advance his craft...you'll see in this piece that he's using the continuous shooting to create a semblance of motion in his scenes...the so-called "flip book" technique.

I hope we see much more of Michael's work in this format.

For more from TTP on Michael Robinson Chavez, click here, here and here

Visa Pour L'Image: Philip Blenkinsop

Photograph © Olivier Laurent-Courtesy 1854/BJP
Philip Blenkinsop won the Visa d'Or News awards at Perpignan's photojournalism festival for his reportage of the China earthquake. The above photograph shows Diane Smyth of the British Journal of Photography (BJP) talking to Philip Blenkinsop (middle) and Stanley Greene (right) during the event.

1854, the blog of BJP, has a number of interesting interviews from the Visa Pour L'Image, and I've gleaned some snippets which I think are particularly food for thought...at least to me.

Philip Blenkinsop: "Photographers who expect to be paid for it (their work) are in the wrong business. You should be doing it because you’re passionate about issues and injustices and want to shine a light on them and give people a voice."

Brent Stirton: "We’ve created a 24-hour news cycle to feed an advertising machine. We’ve allowed our economic motivations to outweigh where we are as a civilisation in terms of documenting that civilisation. We’re not thinking about how long it takes to really think about issues. I don’t want to think about sensational pictures, I’m thinking about meaningful, intelligent images. But I also think that the internet is an opportunity for photojournalists."

Jean-François Leroy: "France is the cradle of photography. It gave photography to the world. This festival would not be possible anywhere else. I see photography attracting people in the US or in Italy, but it’s true that France is a bit of an exception."

island sempu

island sempu

leave in bighttime from surabaya wanted time around 3,5 clocks up to four clocks to achieve coast area sendangbiru, unlucky regency. trip in clear bighttime more saves time, because road lonely.
as free as unlucky city and pass by kepanjen, road not too wide, and begin many regions perladangan, with once in a while pass by rural district not too big. even less if trip in bighttime coincideds with full moon more will give beauty impression aloof.
approach sendangbiru road rather menyempit and then asphalt pavement finisheds correct at coast sendangbiru. if bring vehicle self can park it at that coast and direct open tent at coast area full of little leeboard boats, motorized occupant boat, and fieldsman ships. from coast sendang blue we can charter ship in the amount 40rb (return) to cross to island sempu with maximal capacity 15 person.
beauty other that can be met at island sempu how come swim at water very clear (at segara saplings) and for has hoby snorkling can spatially enjoy scenery under sea because this place ever so pembudayaan umbu cliff without having to wave trailing afraid.
at sempu found lake that called with segara saplings. this place is more resembles little lake that is surrounded tall reef that limit it with free sea,
sea south or big surging indonesia sea.
coast segara saplings
supply water to this lake comes from big perforated cliff at middle it, periodical present wave pounding water stains beautiful view that strike hard cliff. a part that water flows to step into segara saplings.
sea water place hole steps into segara saplings
besides swim at this giant pool, also can relax with play coast volleyball. for that like original nature atmosphere, far from modern life noise, island sempu give solution, only really don't expect there starry hotel, besides bed that brought self.
beside that also can climb cliff mengitari segara saplings, from on our cliff can see free sea wave pounding that scrapes off bing2 giant, very beautiful really.

New York Times: Talibanistan

Photograph Lynsey Addario-Courtesy NY Times
It's been a long while since I've seen an intelligent and interesting article published in the New York Times' Sunday magazine, but Talibanistan (Right At The Edge) by Dexter Filkins (accompanied by the black & white photographs of Lynsey Addario) in this week's magazine is really a chilling read. Naturally, I would've liked to see more of Addario's intense photographs (perhaps also in larger format), but this article competes with the best of the British or French photo journalistic magazines.

It's quite a lengthy article, which goes into details of the situation in Pakistan and its borders with Afghanistan, and sheds light on the double-play by Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies that are simultaneously helping the Taliban, and taking money and aid from the United States. In other words, we're being played for suckers.

In summary, the reasons for Pakistan's double-play are: (i) it sees Afghanistan as an area of competition against India, its main rival-adversary and sees the Taliban as a counterweight to Indian influence, (ii) the growing popular hatred of the United States, and (iii) the Pakistani army is really incapable (and unwilling) to fight an insurgency in the tribal areas. Why should Pakistan extinguish the Taliban factions in their northern provinces if their very strengthening presence keep United States money flowing in the country's coffers?

Now what I'd like to see is a similarly candid article on the situation in Iraq, where we're paying millions of dollars on a monthly basis to the Sunni tribes so they don't kill our troops. Shining a light on the pervading corruption in Iraq would also be welcome. Next week...Sunday Times Magazine?