National Geographic Traveler Seminar

The National Geographic Traveler has four seminars for the Fall 2007-Spring 2008 season that are held in various cities in the United States. These seminars are Travel Photography, Digital Photography, Adventure Photography, and Nature Photography, and are taught by various photographers expert in their fields.

The sessions are $195 each. The Travel Photography seminar in New York City will be held tomorrow, and I see that the online registration is already closed. However, this particular seminar then travels to other cities.

National Geographic Traveler Seminars

National Geographic: Bethlehem

Image Copyright © Christopher Anderson-All Rights Reserved
The National Geographic brings us a photo essay by the perceptive lens of Christopher Anderson of scenes of life in Bethlehem. I suppose the timing of this photo essay is to coincide with Christmas since it also appears in the December issue of the magazine.

By the way, for those who don't know the etymological origin of Bethlehem, it's the Anglicized version of the Arabic "Beyt Lahm" literally meaning House of Meat.

The feature starts with this: The birthplace of Jesus is today one of the most contentious places on Earth. Israelis fear Bethlehem's radicalized residents, who seethe at the concrete wall that surrounds them. A well worded sentence that says it all.

The accompanying and lengthy article by Michael Finkel while not novel by any means, is a reasonably equitable summary of the situation in Palestine and Israel. Here's a paragraph which ought to resonate with all fair-minded readers: "It (Har Homa) used to be one of the last open spaces in Bethlehem, a pine-shaded hillside where shepherds tended their flocks, and had done so since biblical times. Construction began in 1997; the land was shaved flat and stacked with apartment towers. Not one Palestinian who owned acreage was compensated."

I would urge TTP readers to read the captions under each photograph...these too are worth a read. The juxtaposition of the photograph of a seven-year-old daughter of an Israeli settler all dolled up for Passover dinner, and the many images of poverty-stricken disenfranchised Palestinian children is just jarring.

National Geographic's Bethlehem

Note: A reader, Dan Soley notes that the actual etymological roots of the word "Bethlehem" is misplaced, originally mentioned in the Old Testament in Hebrew, and thus meaning "House of Bread" -- beit, meaning house in both Arabic and Hebrew, but "Lechem" means bread. Keeping to true etymological form, its older entry in our knowledge to this day, dates back to this meaning, rather than "lachm" - "meat" in
Arabic.

One Shot: Anoop Negi

Image Copyright © Anoop Negi-All Rights Reserved
Anoop Negi is a photographer from India, whose above photograph of a Theyyam dancer in Kerala can only be described in my view as "National Geographic" quality. I found his work on Flickr, but his biography is sparse.

This photograph is of a dancer symbolizing a male deity in the dance form popularly known as "Theyyam". Theyyam is a popular ritual dance of north Kerala,generally performed in front of the village shrines, and also performed as ancestor worship with elaborate rites and rituals.

In earlier posts on TTP, here and here, I wrote this on Theyyam: Theyyam is a popular ritual dance of north Kerala, south India, particularly presented in the Kannur and Kasargode districts. It originates from centuries old traditions, rituals and customs, and as such embraces almost all castes and classes of Hindu religion in this region. The term Theyyam is a corrupt form of daivam or God. It is a rare combination of dance and music and reflects important features of a tribal culture.

Anoop Negi's Flickr page is here.

NPR: Nina Berman & Ashley Gilbertson

Four and a half years after the war in Iraq began, NPR's Leonard Lopate discusses the toll the war is taking on American soldiers, both on the frontlines and here at home. Ashley Gilbertson’s new book of photographs of the US-led invasion of Iraq is called Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Nina Berman has gathered images and stories of injured American soldiers in her book, Purple Hearts: Back from Iraq.

VUVOX

I'm always on the lookout for easy and innovative ways to showcase my photography on the web, and recently stumbled on VUVOX.

This is an easy to use production and instant sharing service that allows you to mix, create and blend video, photos and music into a visual display, be it on a website or a blog. Provided you're a Flickr (or other similar photo-sharing sites) user, you can create a simple slideshow in under 5 minutes. The nice thing about VUVOX slideshow is that it allows for full screen view, although one has to use higher resolution photographs so as to have them display properly.

There are some other neat examples of very interesting visual displays on VUVOX's website, including collages made into slideshows.

I've done some ferreting around, and found that VUVOX is used by the multimedia savvy MercuryNewsPhoto.com (San Jose Mercury News Photography Department) for some innovative multimedia presentations.

VUVOX

Mercury News Photo Blog

Haiti: Bon Bagay (Cite Soleil)

Image Copyright © Marcello Casal Jr.-All Rights Reserved
Bon Bagay is one of the first expressions that foreigners arriving in Haiti understand...it means "nice people" in Creole. It has become the symbol of friendship between Haitians and foreigners.

This is a multimedia feature produced by RadioBras (Agencia Brasil), and there's a version in English. The photography is by Marcello Casal Jr., and is produced by Aloisio Milani.

A combination of still photography and video, it's about Cite Soleil...the slum where over 250,000 Haitians live in abject poverty. It includes interviews with residents of the slum.

Bon Bagay is perhaps predictable but it is still solid photojournalism.

Bon Bagay

Martin Scholler at Hasted Hunt Gallery

Image Copyright © Martin Scholler-All Rights Reserved
Mary-Presley Adams sent me an email announcing a new exhibit of large format photographic portraits by Martin Scholler entitled "New Work" at the Hasted Hunt Gallery. The exhibit will run from January 8 to February 23, 2008 with a reception for the artist on Thursday, January 10th from 6 to 8 PM.

This new exhibit will showcase a specially commissioned group of striking, mysterious faces of the rarely photographed Pirahã people, an indigenous hunter-gatherer tribe that lives primarily on the banks of the Maici River in Brazil. Currently numbered at approximately 360, the culture is in grave danger of extinction. The photographs were specially commissioned by The New Yorker.

Hasted Hunt Gallery is at 529 West 20th Street,3rd Floor, New York,NY 10011 (212 627 0006).

Jake Warga: Lalibela

To lighten the mood of TTP's recent posts, here is independent producer Jake Warga who has always dreamed of taking the perfect photo. He tells this story from a recent trip to Lalibela in Ethiopia, where he tried -- in vain -- to duplicate a photograph he saw in National Geographic Magazine. The quality of the photographs is impaired by the video compression, but it's still enjoyable.

NPR: Thai Tattoo Tradition

Image Copyright © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
In July 2005, I was traveling to Indonesia and stopped en route in Bangkok. It is there that I heard of the famous Wat Bang Phro monastery just outside the city's limits. It wasn't easy to find, but I found Bannasad "Nai" Radabutr, a taxi driver, who knew where it was and who also spoke some English. Through his intermediation, I photographed the tattooing monks at the monastery, and was quite pleased with the results. The resulting Tattooing Monks of Wat Bang Phro is probably one of my preferred documentary photo essays.

So imagine my pleasure at seeing that a similar photo-essay by Scott Carney was published by NPR's website less than two weeks ago, and doubly pleased to see that one of the photographs was almost identical to mine...in terms of subject, of composition and viewpoint. Here it is:

Image Copyright © Scott Carney/NPR-All Rights Reserved

The NPR article tells us that Thai soldiers have covered their bodies in protective tattoos called Sak Yant, and that the ancient ritual is increasingly popular in Thailand and beyond, and people are flocking to master artists to have the powerful designs inked on their bodies.

Naturally, I would've been happier had NPR chosen my photographs to publish in this feature, but that's how it is. It'll be for another time.

NPR's Photo Essay

NPR's Thai Tattoo Tradition

NY Times: Forged Barefoot In India

Image Copyright © J. Adams Huggins/NY Times-All Rights Reserved
The New York Times brings us an interesting audio slideshow feature on the Shakti Industries in Haora (West Bengal)which produces manhole covers for Con Edison and for departments of New York City, New Orleans and Syracuse. Con Edison, for instance, buys a quarter of its manhole covers, roughly 2,750 a year from India.

The accompanying article states: "Seemingly impervious to the heat from the metal, the workers at one of West Bengal’s many foundries relied on strength and bare hands rather than machinery. Safety precautions were barely in evidence; just a few pairs of eye goggles were seen in use on a recent visit. The scene was as spectacular as it was anachronistic: flames, sweat and liquid iron mixing in the smoke like something from the Middle Ages.

Naturally, the reason for these manhole covers being manufactured in India is that they can be anywhere from 20 to 60 percent cheaper than those made in the United States, and the workers at Indian foundries are paid the equivalent of a few dollars a day, while foundry workers in the United States earn about $25 an hour.

This may raise peoples' hackles, but I don't totally agree with the notion that the buyers in the United States and elsewhere should stop buying these products from the Indian manufacturers until the standards of workers safety improve. Should that approach be taken, it'll inevitably be the workers who suffer the consequences.

The New York Times' Forged Barefoot in India

TTP: Recap of The Week

I'm fast approaching The Travel Photographer's first annual anniversary (annual anniversary...is that a tautological statement? Maybe not), and I've been thinking how to improve TTP's content for its readers.

I thought I'd introduce a weekly recap of the previous week's most viewed posts for those who may miss their TTP daily shot. So here's the first TTP Recap:

In order of popularity by being the most viewed for the week of November 18-24, the posts were:

Hands On The Canon 1DS MK III which is self explanatory.

Unsung: Extraordinary People. An inspirational book about Indians with ordinary backgrounds who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities.

Beyond The Frame: Puspa Wresti Dancers. A Beyond The Frame feature describing a background story to one of my photographs of Balinese dancers.

Micah Albert: Southern Sudan. The captivating photography of Micah Albert of Southern Sudan subjects.

WP: Cluster Bombs in Lebanon

Image Copyright © Jahi Chikwendiu/WP-All Rights Reserved

Okay...it's Monday and let's get back to some serious posting with this sad story.

Leena Saidi, a Lebanese journalist tells the story of Rasha Zayoun, a 17 year old girl whose foot was mangled beyond repair by an Israeli-dropped cluster bomblet which exploded in her home in South Lebanon.

The arresting photography is by Jahi Chikwendiu, a staff photographer for the Washington Post, and who won Best Portfolio awards from the White House News Photographers' Association and the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar.

From The Washington Post article, we learn that:

Rasha lost her foot after the summer 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, the radical Shiite militia. U.N. officials estimate that the Israeli military dropped between 1.2 and 4 million cluster bomblets on southern Lebanon -- 90 percent of them during the last 72 hours of the 33-day conflict. The Israeli military says it aimed only at military targets.

In early December, delegates from more than 80 countries are scheduled to meet in Vienna to work on the text of a new treaty to ban cluster bombs. The United States is not expected to attend.

This is a gut-wrenching photography from an unblinking photojournalist, who does an admirable job in documenting this sad story. You'll have to wait out the obnoxious advertisement ( note to the WP: no one watches these ads) which precedes the multimedia feature, but it's worth it.

The Washington Post's Cluster Bombs In Lebanon

PBase Magazine

PBase is a photo sharing website on the internet, which despite the competition from other photo sharing sites, remains a favored choice for professional photographers who prefer its simple interface.

It also publishes (in PDF) a free quarterly magazine titled PBase Magazine which features a PBase member, and has articles on photography and related software. It's very nicely done, and there are already 11 issues published, so happy browsing!

PBase Magazine

Sunday Rant II

Here's my rant for this sunny and cold Sunday morning...and it has nothing to do with travel or editorial photography.

Most of us know there's a shocking difference in terms of depth of coverage and intellectual content between CNN and CNN International cable channels, but the disparity is also evident on its websites as well.

It'd be too long to list disparities in the news items, but I thought its Quick Vote features illustrate this well.

Here's an example from yesterday's editions:

CNN International had these questions on its Quick Vote feature: "Do you think former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will be successful in his attempt to return from exile to Pakistan this time?" and another: "Will Australia's Kevin Rudd be a better prime minister than John Howard?.

For its American web audiences, CNN had this question on its Quick Vote feature: "Will you spend more, less or about the same for holiday gifts?"

God help us.

Flickr Places: Useful for Scouting?

Flickr has recently introduced an innovative feature called Places that allows anyone to scout out geographical locations through photographs. The photographs are combined with maps, geotags and groups, and these give you visual heads up of what the places you're interested in can offer.

For instance, since Kashmir is on my photo expeditions' "radar screen", I've used Flickr's Srinagar to look at various photographs of the town and its environs.

Flickr Places