NY Times: Old Delhi

Image Copyright Tomas Munita for the New York Times
I usually think that the New York Times multimedia features are quite good, however this week's Sights & Sounds of Old Delhi is disappointing. The feature documents some of Old Delhi's chaotic neighborhoods, bazaars and narrow lanes.

The accompanying article by Jonathan Allen is informative and well-written. I like this particular paragraph:

"Much of Old Delhi life goes on unabashedly out in the open. Young men get facials in open-fronted male beauty parlors, or you might spot a gaggle of children getting bucket-washed in the courtyard of a haveli, a once-grand mansion sunk into decay. Some kind of encounter with goats is virtually guaranteed, many of them dressed attractively in ladies' sweaters during the winter. None of them seem even remotely alarmed at the sight of stalls piled high with severed goats' heads."

But back to the slideshow...the photographs are less than inspiring and the audio is terribly amateurish. Although I liked a couple of the pictures (the one of the car spare parts is hilarious....how on earth can they find anything in this mess is beyond comprehension), most of them are nothing to write about. I'm sure that the NY Times photographer, Tomas Munita, is an extremely competent photojournalist, but this feature is a dud.

Judge for yourself (you'll have to resize the opening window):

Sights & Sounds of Delhi

Pascal Meunier: Mauritania

Image Copyright © Pascal Meunier - All Rights Reserved
One of my favorite travel documentary photographers is Pascal Meunier, the French photographer, who specializes in documenting the Arab-Muslim cultures.

I posted about Pascal's wonderful imagery of the decrepit public baths in Cairo earlier on TTP, and now bring you another of his galleries depicting the oasis of Oualata in the Mauritanian desert. I have some favorites; the one above and another (#09 in the gallery) which contrasts the hennaed design on a woman's palm to the geometrics on a house...maybe a bit of a cliche, but I liked it.

Before you visit the gallery, here's some interesting background on Oualata: it's a an ancient town on a caravan route in south east Mauritania, near Mali.The city was founded in the eleventh century, when it was part of the Ghana Empire, and was destroyed in 1076 but refounded in 1224, and again became a major trading post for trans-Saharan trade and an important centre of Islamic scholarship.

Today, Oualata is home to ancient Qur'anic manuscripts, and is known for its highly decorative architectural style, evidenced by beautiful geometric designs on the red-clay inner and external walls of its houses. It is also a World Heritage Site.

Some of you may find that the concept and designs of Oualata similar to those found in certain villages in Rajasthan. The main difference between the two is the absence of the human form in those of Oualata, because of the Qur'anic prohibition of such images.

Here's Pascal Meunier's Oulata

Emerald Miners: Hindu Kush

Here's an interesting multimedia slideshow by Andy Nelson of the Christian Science Monitor. It documents the miners of emeralds in Afghanistan. High in the mountains of the Hindu Kush, far from Kabul, these miners dig for emeralds using unsophisticated methods. It's a departure from the usual fare we get out of Afghanistan; women issues, Taliban violence and poppy-field/opium cultivation.

I wasn't aware that the CS Monitor was involved in web-based multimedia journalism...and it's a welcome addition to the growing roster of national newsmedia that have the vision to do so. CS Monitor used the efficient Soundslides format for this multimedia feature. I wish CNN and the BBC -among others- did the same instead of using their lousy viewers/players.

The CS Monitor's Emerald Miners

Lens Hoods: Free!

From Great Britain (where else?) comes this website which provides easy-to-use PDF plans or templates of most lens hoods manufactured. These PDFs can be downloaded, and the templates printed, then cut/trimmed into a paper, card (or thin plastic) lens hood which you need. All the instructions are legible and easy to understand.

The advantages of these hoods are that they're disposable, replaceable, easy to pack and free. How they handle rain and wind is another matter.

If anyone is tempted to make and test one, I'd be interested to know if it works.

Here's Lens Hoods

Lorenzo Moscia: Havana

Image Copyright © Lorenzo Moscia
Lorenzo Moscia is an Italian photographer living in Santiago de Chile. His flash-based website is a trove of amazing photographs from various countries such as Cuba, Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia and even Zanzibar.

I recommend his galleries of Havana (his website has two of those) to readers of TTP. Although one may think that Havana has been overdone from a photographic standpoint, Lorenzo's images reflect the naked reality of how Habaneros live their lives in their wonderful city, despite the hardships, the dearth of necessities, and difficulties. His use of color, composition, the personality of his subjects, choice of the 'decisive' moment, all contribute to masterful work.

As I said, there are two galleries for Havana on Lorenzo's website...one is older than the other, and both have images that are breathtaking. For example, in the 'older' Havana gallery, my very favorite is image #003 of a man plopped on a mattress...a mattress supported by a pile of bricks. He's presumably watching television (unseen in the photograph), but an antique small electric fan is blowing air in his face.

And how about the one above this post; a woman cleaning a plateful of uncooked rice, watched by a child? How well this image tells the story! Personally, this image resonates. While growing up, I watched our family's cook do exactly the same thing.

Having visited Havana for a photography workshop, I can attest to the Cubans' spirit, creativity, generosity and kindness. How can anyone justify political isolation and impose economic sanctions on their own kin (or on anyone, for that matter) is beyond comprehension.

My hat is off to Lorenzo for his talents and sensitivity.

Lorenzo Moscia's website

Justin Mott: Cambodia

Image Copyright Justin Mott
Justin is a talented photojournalist currently based in Hanoi, Vietnam and works with the World Picture News agency. He discovered his interest in photography and photojournalism after attending a workshop in Siem Reap (Cambodia) with Gary Knight, a co-founder of the agency VII. Since then, Justin has documented social issues in Southeast Asia, and has done freelance work for Medecins Sans Frontieres.

To show his photographic style, I've chosen the above one from Vietnam. I very much like the composition; the out of focus subject on the center-right of the image, with the traditional Vietnamese hat, the texture of the well-worn yellowish wall behind her and the contrasting red color of the birdcage. For me, the composition and the color combination of this photograph is perfection...maybe I would've cropped the sliver of the window on the right, but maybe not.This image is from Justin's personal blog (available via his website).

However, I want to showcase his work on what he describes as the 'temporary monks of Siem Reap'. This is a subject matter I've worked on on a number of occasions, and I'm always interested in other photographs from the same area. I found a Soundslides production on his website, with background music and ambient sound (just click on Multimedia)....and a similar one as a FilmLoop slideshow from the WpN website (ie with WpN's logo on the side). Both links are at the bottom of this post, and readers can choose whichever they prefer. One of the images on the slideshow is of a monk (or novice) with a dog...another perfect candid composition from Justin. May he continue his excellent work.

Justin Mott's "Temporary Monks" slideshow (WpN)

Justin Mott's website

POV: Fixers

Mandalay, Burma - Image Copyright © Tewfic El-Sawy
My Point Of View this week is prompted by the recent release of an Italian journalist and his guide in Afghanistan.

By fixer, I mean someone local who helps you, whether photojournalist or a travel photographer, to get where you need to go, to translate, and who smoothes your way into making the photographs you need. You can call him a guide, if you like...but I prefer describing such a person as a fixer because that's what they are. They 'fix' stuff...so they're fixers.

I've had many fixers helping me during solo assignments and travels. When we first meet, I always spend at least an hour to get to know them better...and to see if they have what it takes to be fixers. I want someone who can watch my back when I'm busy photographing, someone to make sure that I'll get where I want to be at the right time...someone who has the flexibility and street smarts to suggest alternatives if something doesn't work for me...and to suggest what I haven't thought of.

On a recent project in Varanasi, I had the good fortune to hire a local person who had a solid network of connections, and who called on his contacts (whether official or unofficial) at street level to deliver what I needed. While photographing in a Sufi shrine, I was saved from probable injury when he quickly and literally pulled me away from an uncomfortable situation (I hadn't seen that I was threatened by someone wielding a stone) so i'm indebted to him for far more than just fixing. While photographing indian widows in Vrindavan, I had just the opposite...a fixer who was scared of his own shadow, and I was left to fend for myself when I got into some difficulty.

I know I'm preaching to the converted, but there's no harm in saying the obvious. A good fixer is an extremely valuable resource and for photojournalists, the relationship may need to be cultivated over many months or even years. I've had good ones, and had bad ones. The good fixers have considerable pride in their work...and develop a kinship with the photographer. I've often seen photographers treat their guides (or fixers) not as well as they should, and they end up being disappointed in the results of their assignments or projects. So fixers are of critical importance, and shabby treatment -be it shortchanging them or being too bossy- is counterproductive.

But the 'hard core' fixers are those who assist conflict photographers. Most of the photographs we see in the newspapers and in the rest of the media out of Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine were made possible because a fixer was involved to some degree, or at some stage. Some pay for their job with their lives...others are kidnapped. These are the real fixers. Some conflict photographers go on to win international and national recognition, awards and prizes...but most fixers stay where they are...earning modest wages to feed their families while surviving difficult situations. In my opinion, they certainly deserve part of the credits that are heaped on the photographers....are they honored when the photographers receive their well-deserved prizes, awards and recognition? I hope some are...they certainly deserve it.

What The Duck

Charles Traub: Advice for Photographers

Charles Traub is the chairman of the School of Visual Arts’s photography MFA program, and Popular Photography's blog has recently published his closing remarks from a panel discussion about photography at the Aperture Foundation in New York.

Among his advice to "young" photographers are these two gems; one is tongue in cheek, while the other is serious:

Do it sharp—if you can’t, call it art.

Don’t photograph indigent people—especially in foreign lands.

You can read the rest here.

Sebastián Belaustegui: Guardians of Time

Image Copyright Sebastián Belaustegui
Sebastián Belaustegui was born in 1969 and although from Argentine, is currently living in Tepoztlan, Mexico. He has been an independent documentary photographer since 1991, and dedicates himself to photographing the native world of Latin America.

Sebastián’s work is exquisite, and can be seen in his gorgeous book Guardianes del Tiempo (Guardians of Time), which group his photographs of indigenous peoples of Central and Latin America. My favorite is of a Peruvian couple sitting in their room, a hamster peeking at the photographer between their legs.

His photographs appeared in National Geographic, Camera Art, Planet, and Gatopardo, as well as in newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times and the Sunday Times.

His website is here, and I urge you to visit his Personal Work section and his Guardians of Time gallery. I expect his book is available at bookstores.

Beyond The Frame: Hard Core Sufi?

From The Sufis of the Darghas-Copyright 2007 Tewfic El-Sawy
During my photography travels, I constantly despair at the sight of local people wearing baseball caps (sometimes back-to-front!) and gaudy t-shirts instead of their beautiful native dress, and in so doing mar the image of their cultures and heritage. So imagine my joy when I saw Ali Shah Jalil Shams Uddin walking into the shrine of Nizzamuddin in Delhi, an impressive beard jutting out of his handsome face, head topped by a traditional turban, and bejeweled with bracelets and necklaces made of carnelian beads.

Yes! There was a man with a story to tell...a paragon of authenticity and most probably a genuine Sufi to boot. Barely containing my excitement, I approached him along with my trusted fixer in Delhi, Joginder, to photograph him during his prayers and for an interview. He had composed an ode to the saint Nizzam Uddin, and not a wallflower by any means, belted it out in the center of the shrine. Flattered by the attention, he jumped at the chance to talk especially since a small crowd, sensing an event of some sort, had now formed around us.

I photographed while Joginder asked him questions about his life and background. He revealed that he had been a devout Christian, but had converted to Islam over 25 years ago, and had since then lived as a recluse in a cave in Madras, dispensing Islamic sermons and advice to the faithful. He was a Sufi ascetic, who traveled to Delhi to visit the shrine of Nizzam Uddin and pay his respects to the preeminent Sufi saint in the Indian subcontinent. He told the attentive crowd that he frequently wore a vest made of chains and padlocks as penitence for the sins of mankind.

I was in heavens...photographing as quickly as I can, trying to capture his incredible expressions as he orated to the now awed crowd...my thoughts racing with images of his ascetic way of life...until I heard the ring of a cellphone. My initial irritation at being distracted by a cellphone owned by someone in the crowd was quickly replaced by utter disappointment. My expectations were compleltely shattered....it was none other but Ali Shah who had reached in his robe's pocket for a Nokia cellphone. According to Joginder, Ali Shah was having a conversation with his wife, who was still in Madras. You can even see the blue cord of his cellphone dangling from his neck, along with the rest of his necklaces.

Ah, well...at least he wasn't wearing a baseball cap.