Manali: Foundry Photo Workshop

Photo © Dhiraj Singh-All Rights Reserved

The Foundry Photojournalism Workshop is coming to a close this evening with a massive presentation of the various projects produced by the some 75 talented students. From what I've already seen, the work is of high quality, and span a range of styles.

One of the photojournalists attending my multimedia class (using SoundSlides) is Dar Yasin, a well known photographer from Srinagar who, as seen in the above photograph, is putting the final touches to his project. Yes, our classes were held in a hotel room! Nothing but the best for the Foundry staff and participants.

My Work: Manali Street Barbers

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
Alongside a participant (who's somewhat visible in one of the mirrors) in my multimedia class at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Manali, who's presenting a photo story about street barbers, I photographed some of them in one of the main alleys of the small town. It seems that these particular street barbers have been working on the same site for over 35 years, and they (as evidenced by the constant stream of clients) have a thriving business, despite their protestation to the contrary.

The Foundry Photojournalism Workshop is, by all accounts, a terrific success and its finale is today in the evening where some 70 students will present their work, after a face off with their instructors in a "friendly" game of cricket.

Peter Steinhauer: Viet Nam

Photo © Peter Steinhauer -All Rights Reserved
Currently based in Hong Kong, Peter Steinhauer is a fine art, editorial and advertising photographer living and working in Asia since 1993, and has exhibited his work in numerous galleries and museums internationally. He published two books on Viet Nam, and in 2007 PDN awarded his second book "Enduring Spirit of Viet Nam" Best Photography Book of The Year.

Peter's clients for his commercial work are Travel & Leisure, Prestige, Frank Muller, Dior, Chaumet, Periplus Books, Sofitel, Melia and Marriott.

There are beautiful galleries on Peter's website, whether categorized as fine art or Viet Nam. I chose his Ethnic Minorities of Viet Nam to showcase here on TTP.

(via Exposure Compensation blog)

And my thanks to Penelope Gan for reminding me that July has 31 days not 30 days.

Brent Stirton: Papua New Guinea

Photo © Brent Stirton-All Rights Reserved
Brent Stirton's work from Papua New Guinea is just superlative...have a close look at his series of images of PNG which highlights the uniqueness of its tribal culture and the ritual of dress and dance for which it is most famous.

Brient is the senior staff photographer for the assignment division of Getty Images, New York. He specializes in documentary work and is known for his alternative approaches, and travels an average of nine months of the year on assignment.

His work is published by: National Geographic Magazine, National Geographic Adventure, The New York Times Magazine, The London Sunday Times Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, The Discovery Channel, Newsweek, Le Express, Le Monde 2, Figaro, Paris Match, GQ, Geo, Stern, CNN, and many other other will known international titles and news organizations. He also received numerous awards from the Overseas Press Club, the Frontline Club, the Deadline Club, Days Japan, multiple P.O.Y USA awards, and awards from the World Press Photo Foundation and the United Nations for his work on the environment and in the field of HIV. In 2009, he received awards from the National Press Photographers Association, and the ASME magazine publishers award for photojournalism for his work in the Democratic Republic of Congo as published in National Geographic magazine.

Brent's work in Ethiopia's Omo Valley was featured in TTP.

Manali: Rajasthani Young Woman

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

After one of my classes at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, Dar Yasin (a photographer from Kashmir) and I went exploring the small tented settlement of Rajasthanis in central Manali. Most of the settlers are transient, and if my understanding is accurate, they spend around the 4-5 months of summer in the milder climates of Manali. Most of those we spoke to were from Kota, and have established small tented temples where they hold daily pujas. The travel takes them about 4 days by train, and they are regular visitors here. In common with such situations, the locals probably resent the intrusion, but I haven't seen any overt signs of it.

Jeffrey Chapman: Cambodia

Currently based in New York State, Jeffrey Chapman describes himself quite well by saying that he is a freelance cultural, humanitarian and world photographer. He also worked as a director for a World Bank project in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of western China, as an adviser to the Japanese government's JETRO office in Italy, and as an internationalization and strategy consultant working with corporate clients, presidents and prime ministers in Europe, Asia and North America.

Jeffrey is currently a member of the senior staff at the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees in Utica, NY, working as an advocate for refugees (primarily Burmese/Karen, Somali and Iraqi) who are resettling in the United States.

Most of Jeffrey's photographs are of Cambodia, although his second and third galleries feature portraits and scenes of Laos and Vietnam.

GAIA Photos

Gaia Photos is a platform and an opportunity for photographers to showcase their work to a broad audience, and it seeks to be a place to explore and discover the issues facing the diverse population and locations of the world. It also seeks to be where professional photo buyers will find international, in-depth, quality reporting from a vast pool of professional photojournalists who can also be contacted directly for commissioned work.

One of its declared objectives is to promote quality and diversity in documentary photography, especially in a time of dwindling editorial budgets.

Some of the photographers working with Gaia are Lisa Hogben, GMB Akash, M. Scott Brauer, Brent Foster, Alex Espinosa, Alex Masi and many others. Unfortunately, I haven't seen Middle Eastern (Arab) or African photographers on the list, and hope that this anomaly will be soon redressed.

Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park

Gunung Gede-Pangrango National Park, designated in 1980, is one of the first five national parks in Indonesia. However, its unique characteristics have made it a natural laboratory for researchers since long before this time.


In 1819, C.G.C Reinwardt was recorded as the first person to climb Gunung (Mount) Gede, followed by F.W Junghuhn (1839-1861), J.E Teysman (1839), A.R Wallace (1861), S.H Koorders (1890), M. Treub (1891), W.M van Leeuen (1911), and C.G.G.J. van Steenis in 1920 and 1952. They made a collection of plants which formed the basis for a book entitled "The Mountain Flora of Java", published in 1972.


Gunung Gede-Pangrango National Park represents a distinct diversity of ecosystems: a sub-montane ecosystem, a montane ecosystem, a sub-alpine ecosystem, a lake ecosystem, a marshland ecosystem, and a savanna ecosystem.

The sub-montane ecosystem is characterized by many large, tall trees like jamuju (Dacrycarpus imbricatus) and puspa (Schima wallichii). The sub-alpine ecosystem, meanwhile, is characterized by grassy meadows of Isachne pangerangensis, edelweiss flower (Anaphalis javanica), violet (Viola pilosa), and sentigi (Vaccinium varingiaefolium).

Among the endangered animal species that can be found in the Park are primate species which are now threatened with extinction such as the Javan gibbon (Hylobates moloch), Javan leaf monkey (Presbytis comata comata), ebony leaf monkey (Trachypithecus auratus auratus); panther (Panthera pardus), leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis javanensis), barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak muntjak), lesser Malay mouse deer (Tragulus javanicus javanicus), Asian wild dog (Cuon alpinus javanicus), southeast Asian porcupine (Hystrix brachyura brachyura), stink badger (Mydaus javanensis), and yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula).

Gunung Gede-Pangrango is widely known for its wealth of bird species: 251 of the 450 species in Java inhabit this Park. Among these are endangered species like the Javan hawk eagle (Spizaetus bartelsi), and the owl (Otus angelinae).

UNESCO declared Gunung Gede-Pangrango National Park a Biosphere Reserve in 1977, and it is a Sister Park to Taman Negara Malaysia, under a cooperation signed in 1995 between Indonesia and Malaysia.

This Park is surrounded by ancient superstitions and beliefs. Legend has it that the spirits of Eyang Suryakencana and Prabu Siliwangi guard Mt. Gede to keep it from erupting. Even now, at certain times of the year, people flock to the caves around Mt. Gede to meditate or hold ritual ceremonies. 


Interesting locations/attractions:
Biru Lake: a small lake, covering about five hectares, situated at 1,575 m asl. It is located 1.5 km from the Cibodas entrance gate. Its blue colour (and name) comes from a covering of blue algae.
Cibeureum Waterfall: 50 metres high, this waterfall is located 2.8 km from Cibodas and attracts a lot of visitors. Around the waterfall, it is possible to see a kind of red moss which is endemic to West Java.
Thermal springs: about 5.3 km, or a two-hour walk from Cibodas.
Kandang Batu and Kandang Badak: camping, and plant and animal observation. At an altitude of 2,220 m asl., this site is 7.8 km, or a three-to-five hour trip from Cibodas.
Summit and crater of Mt. Gede: a magnificent place to watch the sunrise or sunset; the towns of Cianjur, Sukabumi, and Bogor can be clearly seen, as well as unusual plants around the crater. It is also interesting from a geological point of view. At this peak, three active craters - Lanang, Ratu and Wadon - are united in a single complex, at an altitude of 2,958 m asl. The craters are 9.7 km, or a five-hour hike, from Cibodas.
Alun-alun Suryakencana (Suryakencana Meadow): a 50-hectare plain covered with edelweiss flowers. The meadow is situated at an altitude of 2,750 m asl., and is 11.8 km, or a six-hour hike, from Cibodas.
Mt. Putri and Selabintana: camping grounds which can accommodate 100 to 150 people.

Best time of year to visit: June to September.

How to reach the Park: Jakarta-Bogor-Cibodas, about 2.5 hours by car (100 km), or Bandung-Cipanas-Cibodas, about 2 hours by car (75 km).

Sexual Warfare: Congo

The Sydney Morning Herald has featured a superbly produced multimedia project titled Sexual Warfare: The Democratic Republic of Congo. The multimedia is produced by Kimberley Porteous
and Kate Geraghty.

From its website, we learn that sexual violence is a devastating weapon in the war-torn North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Congolese army and rebel groups systematically use brutal gang rape against their enemies, causing crippling injuries and spreading HIV.

Aid groups estimate one in three women in North Kivu have been raped. Over 30 per cent of these have been infected with HIV.

All across this devastated region – in every village, every camp and almost every home – a man-made plague is stealing and destroying the lives of women. In a scale never seen before around the world.

(Via Duckrabbit Multimedia: an always interesting and brave blog, which I encourage you bookmark.)