India: The Bathing of a Saint

Eternal flame at Bahubali's Feet - Image Copyright 2002 Tewfic El-Sawy
The Mahamasthakabhisheka is an important Jain festival held once every twelve years in the town of Shravanabelagola in the state of Karnataka (India). The festival is held in veneration of the 18 meter high statue of the Bhagwan (or Saint) Gomateshwara Bahubali. The most recent anointment took place in February 2006, and the next ceremony will occur in 2018.

As the Mahamasthakabhisheka begins, consecrated water is sprinkled onto the participants by devotees carrying 1008 specially prepared vessels. The statue is then bathed and anointed with libations such as milk, sugarcane juice, and saffron paste, and sprinkled with powders of sandalwood, turmeric, and vermilion. Offerings are made of petals, gold and silver coins, and precious stones.

I did not attend the Mahamasthakabhisheka, but I traveled to Shravanabelagola in 2002, and experienced for myself how arduous it is to climb up (and eventually down) the endless stairs that the pilgrims take up to the statue. An incredible site of tremendous significance for Jains, and highly recommended when a festival is scheduled.

Michael Robinson Chavez, a photographer with the Washington Post, documents the unique festival of Mahamastakabhisheka.


Here's the Slideshow

John McDermott: Images of Asia

Image Copyright John McDermott
John McDermott has been photographing Southeast Asia since the early 1990s, and traveled extensively throughout the region. During these travels, he developed a strong interest in the many cultural heritage sites and ancient historical ruins spread across the continent.

He witnessed the total eclipse of the sun at Angkor in Cambodia in October of 1995, and seeing the monuments in the eerie surreal light of the eclipse, inspired him to use infrared film to render the subjects most closely to what he saw then. His superb prints combine the impressionistic, moody effects of infrared film with a subtle sepia tone to achieve this effect.

McDermott's gallery in Siem Reap is a must for anyone visiting Angkor Wat, who has an interest in beautiful imagery.

From his simple-to-navigate website, I've chosen his excellent Indochina gallery which showcases images from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia.

Here's Images of Asia; Indochina

Fado: Lisbon Journal

Image Copyright Michael Barrientos/NY Times
I haven't been to Portugal yet, but the fado, the closest it has to a national form of song, is one of my favorite music genres. The New York Times brings us a multimedia feature about fado, with the voice of Misi, the current fado diva, and voices of other fado singers in a Lisbon cafe. Misi's voice and status in Portugal reminds me of the late Edith Piaf...the quintessential voice of Paris.

Fado, or fate in Portugese, is characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor. The music and the songs speak to home-sickness, longing and nostalgia. Some musicologists believe it has its roots in Africa, and is influenced by Arabic music.

In the "Lisbon Journal" multimedia (slideshow) feature, don't miss frame #11. Photographer Michael Barrientos has perfectly captured the expressions of the restaurant's cooks as they watch the ongoing fado performance.

I'm curious as to why the New York Times hasn't graduated to more advanced slideshow viewers, and is still stuck to the rather dorky 'frame-by-frame' model. The "Lisbon Journal" would have been so much more effective had the NYT used Soundslides or similar software, and it would have been really a 'multimedia' experience. The audio edit could've been done better since the sound track stops almost abruptly.

Here's the slideshow Fado Feature

Here's the accompanying Article

Picture of the Year International

Image courtesy of POYI
POYI is in the process of announcing its awards over the coming three weeks. The above photograph (not yet attributed publicly to a photographer) was given the Award of Excellence in the Human Conflict category.

Here's the photograph's caption:

"ANGRY CHILD" An Iraqi boy looks out from a room where women and children are sequestered at Sgt.Trevor Warrior of the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment of the Second Infantry Division (the 'Stryker Brigade') December 2, 2006 in the tense Shulah neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq. Soldiers with the 1-23 were searching house-to-house for weapons or other insurgency-related items, and women and children of the house usually are placed in a separate room from men during these searches.

Here's what I would add to the caption: The child will not forget his anger nor his fear. The women will not forget the humiliation. No one in the Middle East forgets.

Picture of the Year International

World Press Photo 2007 Follow Up

Readers of TTP may remember my post of February 13, 2007 in which I offer my opinion on Spencer Platt's photograph of Lebanese youths cruising in a bombed Shia neighborhood of Beirut, and which was awarded first place by the World Press Photo 2007.

Well, it seems that these Lebanese youths have now been interviewed by a freelance journalist, and they certainly appear to be defensive about how their appearance in the photograph was interpreted by the rest of the world. Naturally, they profess that their driving in a convertible car in glamorous clothes was grossly misconstrued.

Here's their explanation as to the reason why they were dressed as they were:

"Hey, we're Lebanese," says Noor. "It's not like we dressed up like this to go visit the Dahiye. We dress like this every day. On any other day, nobody would have given us a second glance. It was the contrast with the destruction in the background that made the difference." There is something the world needs to understand about Lebanon, adds El Khalil. "Glamour is a very important part of life here. It transcends class. Even if you're poor, you want to look glamorous."

"Even when you're poor, you want to look glamorous". What a moronic statement. Has it occurred to these zombies that a lot of their compatriots died in the Israeli attacks?

Here's the full text of the article via PDN

Bruno Barbey: Morocco

Meknes, Morocco- Image Copyright Bruno Barbey
Bruno Barbey is a French photographer, well known for his uncompromising work and for being an early member of Magnum. Over four decades, he has journeyed across five continents and numerous world conflicts, and although he does not consider himself a war photographer, he covered the civil war in Nigeria, Vietnam, the Middle East, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ireland, Iraq and Kuwait.

His work has appeared in most major magazines in the world. A prolific author who often exposes and expresses himself in book form, he has frequently worked in Morocco, the country of his birth and childhood.

His website is not the most attractive, however I bring it to you for his splendid work on Morocco, despite the low resolution of the images. One of these images is made in Meknes in 1985 and is well worth your time. The yellow ochre walls of the mosque, and the hunched figure wearing the traditional Moroccan djellaba appearing through the archway, is simply a classic. Another one taken from above a public fountain is also delightful. His galleries number 9, 10 and 11 have panoramic style images of Morocco as well.

Bruno Barbey

Canon: Rumors Were Right

DPreview.com reports that Canon has today announced the latest generation of their EOS-1D series. The Mark III has a ten megapixel APS-H (1.3x FOV crop) CMOS sensor and can shoot at ten frames per second. It features the updated DIGIC III image processor, a new 19 area Auto Focus system, up to ISO 6400 and a 3.0" LCD monitor (with a live view feature). The Mark III should ship in April for US$ 3999.

I've been waiting patiently for such this announcement. Now, let's wait and see if it's as good as the press release promises.

DPreview

Format Pixel

Format Pixel is a new Flash-based online application that allows you to create 'page' based presentations, and to create your own online magazines, brochures, catalogues, portfolios and so on. Using the formatpixel online editor you can design page based projects, layout text, upload your own images, add interactivity and customise their appearance.

In my earlier post of February 16, 2007 I introduced Latitudes magazine, an attractive Italian travel "webzine", which is in all probability created by a similar program.

It's a very elegant way of presenting one's portfolio, however it's not as easy as it looks to set it up. I tried the free trial and was unsuccessful in changing image sizes once these were placed on pages. There's no guidance on the website that I could find. Maybe someone will test it and be more successful than I was.

Format Pixel offers a free trial version which allows the uploading of only 512k (which is an anorexic limit as it isn't enough to upload a high resolution image which this application really requires), and there are other paying versions starting from about $30 a year for 5 mb to $80 for 20 mb. Users are given their own URL to showcase their projects.

Although the application certainly produces beautiful results, I think that photographers will not bother with it. It's expensive, and there are other products available. My guess is that this business model will not survive a year.

Here's a sample.

The main website is: Format Pixel

Aaron Huey: Sufism In Pakistan

Uch Sharif, Pakistan- Image Copyright Aaron Huey
Aaron Huey is a professional photographer who has shot all over the world, from the religious schools of the Taliban, to anti-American protests in Iran, lost temples of Eastern Burma and the tribes of the Caucasus. He worked in New York City in 2001 as assistant to photographer Steve McCurry.

His photographs have been published in the December 2006 National Geographic, and further photo essays are scheduled to appear in the National Geographic Traveler (3 features in 2007), Smithsonian Magazine (2007), and GEO France (early 2007).

Huey's website includes many interesting galleries, and perhaps predictably, I've chosen his gallery "Sufism in Pakistan" for this TTP post. The above image of a Muslim Sufi at a grave in a Muslim cemetery is breathtaking. The luminosity and the composition of this image are wonderful, and it's no wonder that the National Geographic chose it to appear in its December issue. Also look for the colorful and expressive Sufi musician in the Sufism gallery. It's a shame that there aren't more (or larger) images.

In my view, there's no question that Huey has long left McCurry behind.

Aaron Huey

POV: Attitude

Badnor Village (Rajasthan)- Image Copyright Tewfic El-Sawy

I travel to many countries around the world which gives me the opportunity to photograph people of different and varying cultural backgrounds, but I've always grappled with the problem of how best to approach and photograph people to show the essence of their personality, without being intrusive and rude.

When I started off photography, I relied on a long lens such as the Canon 70-200mm almost exclusively. It gave me the ability of photographing people from a comfortable distance, and I could sneak off a few shots before being 'discovered'. I no longer use this technique as it isolates me from my subjects, removing any intimacy from the final photograph.

Some people don't seem to have any problems in invading personal spaces. In Bhutan recently, I saw tourists walk up to a monk in a monastery or to a farmer in his field, stick a camera in their face, looking down at the LCD to make sure they got the shot and scoot off without a word of thanks.

I now use short lenses such as the 28-70mm, or the 16-35mm, any of which I have on all the time on my camera. I approach people I wish to photograph openly and just ask permission to do so, using sign language if I have to. If it's a static situation, I always take the time to show them their pictures in the LCD, and even ask them to change the pose if I feel another is needed. I flatter the people I want to photograph, and that removes any inhibition they may have. If my objective is to photograph women, I start photographing their children if any are available, and I show them the pictures. Invariably, the women will accept to be photographed...their husbands may grumble but as I include them in the picture-taking, they relent.

Now, in certain cultures such as in the Middle East and other Muslim countries, this approach would get me into trouble. I got into such trouble in the souk of Marrakech while using my long lens, photographing an elderly man on the sly. Someone noticed what I was doing and tipped him off. The result was not pleasant. Another unpleasant experience was in a Sufi shrine in India, where I was photographing a woman in the throes of a trance at close quarters. She suddenly snapped out of it and grabbed a rock to throw at me. Needless to say, I left in a hurry and she missed.

The other tricky issue relates to whether a travel photographer should pay to photograph someone. I generally avoid doing that, and often refrain from photographing if asked for money. Some people advocate buying something from vendors (when they are the subject of the photographs), but I prefer promising 6x4 copies of the photographs...and I keep my word! In the event that my subjects are musicians or dancers, then I gladly tip them for sharing their art...but not for the photographs. A distinction which I make clear to them.

Finally, I always try to learn a few words in the local language...and thanking people in their own langugae is always appreciated...and gets you laughs.

Jasmin Shah: Everyday India

Everyday India- Image Copyright Jasmin Shah

Jasmin Shah is a young photojournalist, who graduated from the University of Montana in 1999. She worked overseas and currently freelances for the Chicago Tribune, among other publications.

She has a number of galleries on her website, but what attracted me the most is the freshness of her images in the gallery 'Everyday India'. The simplicity and, at the same time, complexity of her compositions, along with the images' saturated colors, are marvelous. In her 'Everyday India' gallery, one of the photographs is of a man on a rickshaw, throwing back his head to eat paan while a Mc Donald's restaurant is in the background. Isn't it just perfect? Her street photography is beautiful, and she makes judicious use of shadows in her images (as the one above).

Jasmin Shah

Partial Color/Sepia

Peeping Toms (Bali)- Image Copyright Tewfic El-Sawy

Here's a simple Photoshop technique to convert an image to sepia, and paint spots of color back into it.

1) Open your image file In Photoshop, and select Image>Adjustments>Desaturate to remove all color from the image. The image should be still RGB.

2) Your image will now appear in black & white.

3) Go to Image>Adjustments>Photo Filter, and choose Sepia. In the Sepia dialog box, Adjust Density to your liking and also check Luminosity. Click OK when you're satisfied with the sepia image.

4) Select the History brush from the tool palette. Choose a brush size appropriate to the spots you've chosen to color in, using the palette located just under the file menu bar. The brush hardness should be 100%.

5) Using the History brush you can now “paint” the color back where you want it. Don't paint all in one stroke, but stop and go so you can undo any errors without having to start all over again.

6) Continue the process until the area is complete. Save.

Jan C. Schlegel : Pain & Beauty

Tibetan Monks- Image Copyright Jan C. Schlegel
Jan C. Schlegel is a photographer from Germany, whose ethno-photographic work is in the tradition of Phil Borges. His black & white portraits are partially toned, rich in details and in depth.

His black & white photographs are made with a 4x5 field camera on T-max film, enlarged and printed on fiber base photo paper, and partially toned with chemicals of Schlegel's own mixture. The lengthy process is then finished by selenium toning the photographs.

His photographs are of children and older people in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Mali, Algeria, Pakistan and India. He assures us that no one in his posed portraits wear any make-up, nor were they asked to wear any special dress. Nothing was staged and nothing is fake.

I found the quality of these photographs to be remarkable. His website claims that he succeeds in not only creating artistic photographs, but in documenting the uniqueness of his subjects...the people who posed for him. Absolutely.

Jan C. Schlegel's Pain & Beauty

Film Loop Studio

Film Loop Studio is a free download and creates a a slideshow of any images or photos. It offers collages, title frames, text, tattoos, bubbles, frames and transparency tools to enhance story telling for both Mac and PC users.

I found it very easy to produce a slideshow of photographs, however there's no audio capability so far. The slideshow can then be added to a website, a blog, etc. The advertisements appearing on the side of the player are distracting but I suppose they have to generate some income after all.

World Press Network uses Film Loop for some of its photo essays. Here's a feature on India's Snake Charmers on the dying craft of snake charming in Orissa. The photographs are by Adrian Fisk.

WPN's India's Snake Charmers

Film Loop Studio

Katharina Hesse: The Stilt Walkers of China

The Stilt Walkers- Image Copyright Katharina Hesse
In recognition of the Chinese New Year, another highly talented photojournalist to grace TTP blog is Katharina Hesse, a photojournalist living in China and Germany. She holds a graduate degree in Chinese studies from the Institut National des Langues et Civilizations Orientales (INALCO) in Paris, and is one of a few foreign photographers who are accredited by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and lived in China for more than 13 years. In 2003 and 2004 she covered China for Getty ’s news service. Hesse is self-taught in photography, albeit with a temporary apprenticeship under Peter Turnley.

Apart from her sensitive work documenting the North Korean refugees in China, have a look at her photo essay on the stilt walkers of Yanqing. It seems that the tradition of stilt walking has virtually vanished from other Chinese towns and cities except in shows for tourists. Its relative remoteness has protected Yanqing's traditions, and farmers proudly continue their annual stilt walking performances that culminate in the annual contest for best costumes and performances among neighboring villages. Stilts were first used hundreds of years ago in China when farmers stood on stilts to pick fruit from trees.

Katharina Hesse

Beyond The Frame: Gotipua Dancer

Gotipua dancer - Image Copyright Tewfic El-Sawy

For the inaugural Beyond The Frame feature, I chose this image of a Gotipua dancer.

At the tail-end of a solo photo expedition in the tribal belt of central India, I stopped in Raghurajpur,a small village of artists and dancers about 20 miles from Puri in Orissa. I photographed Bibhuti Bhusan Champati, a young Gotipua dancer in front of his house in this small village, as he was waiting to perform. I had watched him, and others of this dancing group, expertly applying his make-up, under the watchful eye of their dance guru.

The tradition of Gotipua was introduced in remote villages of Orissa after the tradition of Devdasis was abolished following the Mughal invasions of India. Since women were forced behind purda during that period, dance masters trained pre-pubescent boys into the nuances of Devdasi’s dance to keep the tradition alive. The dancers wore feminine attire and applied make-up, but were not allowed to dance inside temples. Over a period of time their style of dance changed, and adopted many acrobatic elements. It was only after about 50 years ago that the Gotipua dancing style was admitted into the fold of classical dances of India.

Bibhuti's small house was painted in brilliant indigo, with intricate designs, dazzling in their colors, influenced by Hindu mythological paintings. After the photo shoot, his father asked for money for having allowed me, as he put it, "to use the colorful background' for his son's portraits. Bibhuti was at ease posing for my camera, probably used to tourists, foreign and local, who see him perform the Gotipua dancing in Puri and other major cities in India and even abroad.

EXIF: shutter speed 1/60 sec.- fstop 5.6 - iso 100 - focal length 70mm - flash fired.

Adobe CS2 Offer

For those who have Adobe Elements and $300 to spend, here comes an interesting and worthwhile offer from Adobe. Adobe Photoshop Elements customers are now entitled to buy Adobe CS2 software for $299, which is a saving of $350.00 off the regular price of $649.00.

All you need is the serial number of the Elements software. The CDs are in either Mac or PC versions. The offer expires on February 27. Once you install the CS2, you can try out the CS3 Beta as well.

Adobe CS2 Offer

Audio: Microphone Mount System

It was recently suggested by Bill Putnam, a photojournalist, that a solution to the problem of photographing and recording audio at the same time would be to use a Light Wave Mini Mount. Rather than switching his camera for his audio recorder and vice-versa to do so, he attaches the Light Wave Mini Mount to the camera's flash shoe for his microphone and does both. He uses a mono microphone with a narrow sound cone.

The downside to this system is that the microphone will catch the sound of the shutter, and possibly one's breathing...but it's an idea to be considered. I suppose it would be workable for ambient sound, by editing the shutter noise out...but that would not work for interviews.The other downside is that the mount is quite pricey at $165.

It's available at : B&H

Light Wave Systems