Outdoor Photography Interview

I was pleased to see that Outdoor Photography published its interview of me in its February 2008 issue. The interview was conducted by Nick Smith, and features three of my photographs. The large photograph of Buddhist novices in Sikkim is amongst my favorites.

I just returned from London, where I was interviewed again for a much lengthier feature...hopefully to be published in summer.

51st World Press Photo Awards

The international jury of the 51st annual World Press Photo Contest selected a color image by UK photographer Tim Hetherington as World Press Photo of the Year 2007. The image shows a American soldier resting at a bunker near Korengal Valley, Afghanistan.

The annual World Press Photo contest is at the core of the organization's activities. It offers an overview of how press photographers tackle their work worldwide and how the press gives us the news, bringing together pictures from all parts of the globe to reflect trends and developments in photojournalism. The contest is open to all professional press photographers. There is no entry fee.

World Press Photo Contest Results

PDN's World In Focus 2008

PDN's World In Focus is described as "The Ultimate Travel Photography Contest:, and was contest was judged in six categories: Human Condition, Extreme Exploration, Urban Landscapes, Snapshots, Wilderness and Open Series.

PDN has announced the winners in each of the categories, along with additional photographs that received Merit awards. I'm somewhat puzzled by the Snapshots category and what differentiates its entries over the rest, but it works.

Although most of the photographs submitted were well chosen and showcased travel photography at its best, I preferred Charles Meacham's work on the Sikh Nihang warriors which won in the Open Series.

I've already featured Meacham's work earlier on TTP, and I'm glad that his series was awarded this deserved recognition.

Here's is PDN's World In Focues 2008

NY Times: Offering of Cleanliness

Image ©Nicole Bengiveno/NY Times-All Rights Reserved
The New York Times features a multimedia slideshow of photographs by Nicole Bengiveno of the cleansing ceremonies at the American Society of Buddhist Studies on Center Street in Chinatown, on occasion of Chinese New Year...the Year of the Rat.

The accompanying article by Ann Farmer has an interesting paragraph:

"One of the nuns, Sing Yeh See, 45, was born in Vietnam and worked as a nurse in California before deciding to move to New York. As a nurse, Ms. Yeh See said that encountering sickness and death made her more aware of how temporary life can be.

Two years ago, following Buddhist tradition, she had incense burned into the top of her scalp to create nine permanent bald spots. “It hurt,” she said, but added that it was an expression of her devotion."

The audio of the feature is of Buddhist chants...but they should have thought of also recording the voices of the many nuns working feverishly at the temple.

To my Chinese readers: Xin nian kuai le!

The New York Times' Offering of Cleanliness

Evelyn Hockstein: Ethiopia

Image © Evelyn Hockstein-All Rights Reserved
I'm in the "fermenting" phase for my upcoming 2009 photo expeditions (yes, it's starts that early with me), and one of the destinations I'm interested in is Ethiopia. I've been in 2004, and provided that its political situation remains stable, it'll be shortlisted.

In such a frame of mind, I thought that featuring Evelyn Hockstein's work on Ethiopia would be appropriate, and may fuel my enthusiasm for the possibility.

Evelyn Hockstein is a photojournalist based in Nairobi, from where she covers the continent as well as other international assignments. Her award winning photography work has been published in various international publications including The New York Times, TIME, Newsweek, Stern, L'Express, and U.S. News and World Report.

This is the second time that TTP features Evelyn's work. An earlier post featured her photographs of Yemen.

Here's her recent work on Ethiopia courtesy of Budget Travel's blog. I particularly like the photograph of the Ethiopian girl holding an injera cover on her head on the street in Lalibela. By the way, and at the risk of offending many Ethiopians...I found injera to be unpalatable. I was told it's an acquired taste, so I'll give it another try if Ethiopia is indeed a 2009 destination for me.

Evelyn Hockstein's Ethiopia

Nick Cobbing: Tibet

Image © Nick Cobbing-All Rights Reserved
Nick Cobbing is a photojournalist based in the UK, whose work focuses on the landscape, people’s relationship to it and to each other. His continuing association with Greenpeace International has had him sailing the seas and oceans, as part of a team that has become the keen eye of this global organization.

Cobbing’s work has been exhibited widely over the years. Amongst regular editorial users of his work are Time Magazine, Newsweek, Fortune, Figaro, all the UK press and several European daily Newspapers. He has also worked with many NGOs including WWF Worldwide, Actionaid, Christian Aid and UK Government agencies.

For TTP, I chose Cobbing's work in Tibet. His story "The Tibetans" show how China's policies of sinofication has impacted its culture and way of life. Exploiting Tibet's resources for its industrialization is a strategic and economic priority for China's government, which usually puts down manifestations of Tibetan identity with blunt force. I think that the above photograph speaks volumes as to the commercialization of Lhasa's Potala Square.

I haven't been to Tibet, but over the years I've seen how Tibetan culture and traditions are thriving in Dharamasala...may it continue to do so.

Nick Cobbing's The Tibetans

Yes We Can

Sunday Times Magazine: Mirella Ricciardi

Image © Mirella Ricciardi-All Rights Reserved
This week, The Sunday Times Magazine warmed this travel photographer's heart by featuring 10 magnificent black & white photographs of Africa by Mirella Ricciardi. The feature, Untouched Africa, showcases these photographs which are part of an exhibit of Ms Ricciardi's platinum prints at the Michael Hoppen gallery in London (February 22 to April 5, 2008).

It appears that the photographs had lain in a box in a family cellar for 40 years, and have now surfaced showing tribal life uncorrupted by the 20th century. Photographs of women of the Turkana tribe in Kenya, of Masai warriors, and women of the Rendille and Boran tribes will be shown at what promises to be a spectacular exhibit.

Having no idea who was this wonderful photographer, i discovered that Mirella Ricciardi is one of the giants of African tribal photography. Forty years ago, she traveled through Kenya and Sudan to photograph some of the unspoilt tribes of Africa and returned with a unique collection of instinctive photographs that appeared in her book Vanishing Africa in 1971, which eventually became an international bestseller.

She drove around Kenya in a second hand Toyota land cruiser, and spent two years instinctively capturing the simple rhythms of life and death, the joy, ceremony and beauty of African people.

A reviewer wrote that Mirella was "fuelled by an insatiable curiosity and by a hunter's thirst for images, she traversed the length and breadth of the African continent. She has traveled on foot and in canoes, on local buses and in Landrovers, in single-engine light aircraft, in hot air balloons and on the backs of camels and elephants in search of the images and the adventures that have shaped the life and work of this unique photographer.

The BBC website also informs us "that when she was in her 60s, photographer Mirella Ricciardi was dropped by light aircraft into the Amazon jungle armed only with her camera. Despite not speaking any local languages, she was able to gain the trust of three different Amazon tribes, the Kampa, the Maruba and the Yanomami and the photographs she took of them give an intimate insight into their daily life, ceremonial preparations and family duties."

This issue of The Sunday Times is certainly a keeper!

TTP Recap

For your convenience, here's the past week's (January 28-February 3, 2008) most read posts on TTP:

Leica M8 Forever?
Kash & Shabana
1 on 1: Jenny Jozwiak

Yamaha POCKETRAK 2G Audio-Recorder

Yamaha has recently announced the Yamaha POCKETRAK 2G Pocket Recorder. It claims that despite its diminutive size, this audio recorder contains a large 2-gigabyte memory plus advanced digital audio technology that "lets you record and playback with outstanding quality." The audio recorder weighs only 1.7 ounces including battery, and is only a half-inch thick.

In addition to a linear PCM recording mode that allows the recording of up to 3 hours of music, there are a number of MP3 modes that Yamaha claims provide significantly longer recording times. The supplied rechargeable battery can keep the POCKETRAK 2G running for up to 9 hours continuously when recording in MP3 mode. It also has a built-in USB connector that allows a direct connection to a computer for file transfer. The CUBASE AI digital audio workstation software is bundled with the audio recorder.

The estimated price is $449, and a bit more expensive than other similar products.

Is it time to retire my Micro Track audio-recorder? Compared to the Yamaha PocketTrak, it's really clunky.

More information from the website: Synthotopia

Sunday Rant VII

It's difficult to rant in London, while the sky is so blue and the sun is shining (albeit feebly) and where everyone is outwardly stoic, civilized and "stiff-upper-lipped", but here's a short one.

When I plan my photo expeditions, I thoroughly research my itineraries and discuss them with the local agents to ensure they are feasible, interesting and exciting. The feedback from these agents is invaluable, and I insist that they give me their honest feedback and their own ideas (the more off the wall the better), since cookie-cutter itineraries are not what I get excited about.

After circulating the itinerary to people on my mailing list, and filling most -if not all- of the spaces in the expedition, I then post the photo expedition's details on my website, without the detailed itinerary. In time, I get additional expressions of interest to join the expedition and requests for the full itinerary.

The itinerary is promptly emailed to them, and then....silence. No feedback, no replies, no reactions. By the way, the cost of the expedition is made public...the only added information they need is the day to day itinerary

Now, I realize that people change their minds, may not like the itinerary, they may find it too strenuous, they may find it too easy...a myriad of very valid reasons....that is not the issue. The issue is that these people seem to think that it's appropriate to email me a request for an itinerary, claiming to be a "world pilgrim", a "seasoned traveler", a "keen student of Asia"...and so on, but don't seem to understand that they should -out of civility- advise me that they are no longer interested. No, this behavior is both inappropriate and rude.

Is it an "itinerary grab"? Possibly...but why not grab the itinerary and email me saying that they changed their minds. Even if they're thieves they can be polite and courteous....that may even keep them in my good books. Heck, I might even send them future itineraries. Incidentally, if it's an itinerary 'grab'...good luck on getting the same price from the travel agents.

Quoting George Bush: "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."