MoMA: Henri Cartier-Bresson

Photo © Henri Cartier-Bresson-All Rights Reserved
The Museum of Modern Art in New York City is showing Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century" this coming Sunday April 11, 2010, and the exhibition's website is truly a delight.

Henri Cartier-Bresson began traveling in 1930, at the age of twenty-two. For nearly half a century he was on the road most of the time, and the geographical range of his work is notoriously wide. Photographs of Asia (many of which are of China), North America, Japan, Africa, Europe, USSR, Middle East are shown arranged in themes, or chronology.

The New York Times has a review of the exhibition by Holland Cotter who, in the article titled A Photographer Whose Beat Was the World, writes this rather flowery sentence:

"The third and crucial constant in his career was, of course, a camera: in Cartier-Bresson’s case, a hand-held Leica, as neat and sleek as a pistol. Whether he was traveling as a journalistic eye for hire or sauntering through Paris of an afternoon, the camera went too."

I find it impossible to decide which is my favorite Henri Cartier-Bresson's photograph, but the one above of these Indian women in Srinagar (Kashmir) photographed in 1948 has always impressed me. Is it because none of their faces are visible, or is it because one of them appears as if she's holding a couple of clouds in her outstretched hands? It's described as Muslim women on the slopes of Hari Parbat hill as they pray while the sun rises behind the Himalayas, and was taken during a period of terrible violence in Srinagar. Magnificent.

Update: The New Yorker Magazine has an article/review on the retrospective at the MoMA.

From the article/review, I learned that the French title of HCB's best-known book, “The Decisive Moment, was “Images à la Sauvette”, which means “images on the fly". The French title implies something done somewhat furtively, and has much less gravitas than the English title.

POV: iPad, Toy or Tool?

Okay, I've now seen it, touched it and toyed with it for a while at the Apple store. Yes, it's beautifully designed, sleek and really cool...and I'd love to win it in a free contest (or something like that).

However, I don't see its necessity for photographers as yet. Photoshelter's blog recently posed the question as to whether the Apple iPad will revolutionize the way photos are presented and consumed? Various "pundits" responded, and I tend to agree with the views expounded by Stella Kramer, such as this one:

"From discussions I have had and demos I have seen, there is very little that excites me about translating the telling of stories onto the iPad."

I've seen that the iPad shows off photographs incredibly well, and the scrolling of web pages is intuitive and it's light and well designed, and it's...well, cool.

But being cool doesn't translate into it being a necessity nor a tool. Yes, there are some commercial photographers who will use their iPad instead of high end leather-bound portfolio books to show clients, and wedding photographer will certainly upload their work on iPads to give to their high-end clients (and build its cost in their invoice), but the rest of us into the story-telling business? Not much. Perhaps if we had $500-800 to spare and wanted a sleek platform (although the Mac Book Pro 13" display is phenomenal) to show off our photographs...

Redesigning many photography websites from being both Flash-based and iPad-ready may be a boon to web designers and website providers, but photographers can ill afford this additional expense at this time.

The iPad comes in three "flavors": 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive, so it may be useful to commercial and wedding photographers to have by their side on photo shoots, but other than that, I'm still scratching my head at its usefulness. Perhaps in the very near future, there will be really "must-have" applications ("apps") that will convert it from being a toy to being a tool, and while I completely agree that it's a harbinger of the future of internet browsing and more, it's not yet on my list.

It's been reported by a think-tank that 50% of all computers sold for children by 2015 will have touchscreens...perhaps touch is indeed the future, but until the iPad grows up from being a toy to a tool for photographers, I'll be happy to drop by the Apple store and just play with it whenever I feel like it.

Luciano Rodriguez Pena: Holi & Kumbh

India Khumbamela from SENSES on Vimeo.

Here's a movie by Spanish photographer Luciano Rodriguez Pena, made during a recent trip to India. It features two main events during the first three months of this year: Haridwar Kumbh Mela and Holi. I liked the colors (as befits a country such as India) and the tremendous energy which the movie imparts. I wish there was a different soundtrack to it, but the stills and the movie make up for that.

Luciano is a Nature & Travel photographer, and teaches digital photography in various photography schools in Madrid.

Holi is a festival of color and was recently celebrated all over India. It's an exuberant festival which aims at infusing fresh hope to people as it marks the end of the winter days and the start of summer. The Kumbh Mela in Haridwar is a three month-long bathing festival along the Ganges river which occurs every 12 years, and about 50 million Hindu devotees performing their prayers and washing away their sins in river's waters are expected in this holy city.

Jamie Williams: Tibet

Photo © Jamie Williams-All Rights Reserved
Here's some really terrific imagery of Tibet by photographer Jamie Williams, who's based in Sydney, Australia.

His biography is unfortunately sparse, and apart from dividing his time between photographing editorial and commercial imagery, and pursuing his own personal projects, we know that he won quite a impressive awards to include Honorable Mentions in Prix De La Photographie (Paris), and that he worked with many publications to include Australian Airlines Magazine, In Style, World Expeditions, etc.

There are quite a few of photographs in Jamie's Tibet gallery that I ought to mention; the juxtaposition of the prayer scrolls and the Mani stones images, the Tibetan woman with the prayer wheel in silhouette (above), the woman cradling a baby near a pile of Mani stones, and the woman walking underneath prayer flags in a village...just to mention a few. The gallery consists of 47 images, so you'll need a few minutes to enjoy them. And the photographs are big...really big! The size that photo editors want and like.

His travel galleries also include imagery from Nepal, India, Kashgar, Kyrgyzstan, his native Australia and Papua New Guinea.

The Hijras (Eunuchs) of Becharaji

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
Eunuchs, transsexuals, or transgender men are known as hijras in South Asia. They adopt feminine gender identity, women's clothing and other feminine gender roles. Etymologically, the word hijra is an Urdu word, seemingly derived from the Arabic root hijr or emigration in the sense of "leaving one's family, tribe or country," and it has been borrowed into Hindi.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
Many hijra live in all-male communities, and have sustained themselves over generations by "adopting" young boys who are rejected by, or flee their family. Many work as male sex workers for survival. According to estimates by health organizations, only 10% of hijras are actually castrated.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
During my Tribes of South Rajasthan & Kutch Photo~Expedition™ , we stayed at the immaculate and well-run Rann Riders resort in Dasada, and its knowledgeable owner Muzahid Malik, suggested we visited Becharaji where hijras frequented its temple.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
As I walked in to the temple ahead of my group, I chanced upon hijras who, upon seeing me, started to clap their hands and laughing. Not really catching on that this was their trademark way of announcing their presence and sexual persuasion, I imitated them and clapped in exactly the same way...one hand on the top of the other, rather than sideways. This drove them to raucous laughter, and eventually to self-consciously pose for our cameras.

There are many stories told about the hijras, and how they extort money by embarrassing shopkeepers and guests at wedding parties, but those we met at the Becharaji temple were friendly and obviously delighted that we took such nonjudgmental interest in them. Naturally, there was some posturing for the cameras, and much competition for the most suggestive poses.

Muzahid invited me to spend a couple of weeks in Dasada. Perhaps I will...After all, there's a hijra festival at Becharaji in late summer. Another potential destination for a photo~expedition?

For a book on hijras, read Zia Jaffrey's The Invisibles.

Matjaž Krivic: Earth Temples

Photo © Matjaž Krivic-All Rights Reserved
Matjaž Krivic describes his whereabouts as traveling with his camera somewhere between the Sahara and the Himalayas...and having seen his portfolio of photographs, I believe him. He just returned from an overland road trip from Slovenia to Nepal via Senegal (Dakar to Katmandu), which took him 13 months of living and photographing out of a 4x4 Nissan Patrol.

For 20 years, he globe-trotted the world capturing the personality and grandeur of indigenous people and places, and found the time to be awarded many prizes, and recognized in various venues and exhibitions. He traveled in Yemen, Mali, Tibet, North and West Africa, Iran, Mongolia, China, Nepal and India.

I particularly liked his lovely Earth Temples portfolio, which consists of over 60 photographs of various temples, places of worship and still (or silent) places in India, Tibet, Morocco, Bolivia, Nepal and Kenya...to name but a few. These are so beautiful that I wish they were twice the size to appreciate them even better.

Abode House Museum Bung Karno Bengkulu Tourism

Bung Karno, proclaimer of independence and first president of the Republic of Indonesia, before independence had exiled in Bengkulu. Long residence in exile is located at Jalan Soekarno Hatta and relics of his in there. Currently the house has a museum by the Ministry of Education and Culture

Marlborough Fortress In Bengkulu Tourism

Taken land has to contain magical element, therefore it has to be taken from sacred places. There‘s only two places assumed as the sacred places in Bengkulu, keramat tapak padri that is located in waterfront, nearby to the Marlborough fortress in the right corner of Bengkulu harbor, and Keramat Anggut which is located in public funeral of Pasar Tebek nearby monument of Hamilton, nearby to the coast of Nala. This ceremony takes place at night of 1 Muharam at around 22.00 p.m.

The taken land is stored in Gerga (center of activities/ group station of Tabot), formed like human being doll, and wrapped with white winding sheet, then put down in Gerga. The eldest Gerga in Bengkulu are only two, those are Gerga Berkas (Bind) and Gerga Bangsal (Barn). Both have been renovated and now they become a permanent building.

At both places, they put offering (sesajen) in the form of: red and white mushes, demerara, 7 sheets of sirih, 7 bars of smoke nipah, a cup of black coffee, a cup of irrigate serbat, a cup of curd (ox milk of murni raw), a cup of sandalwood water, a cup of sweet basil and water.

Bukit Kaba Volcanic Crater In Bengkulu Tourism

104 km from Bengkulu and about 19 km from Curup, Bukit Kaba lies 1,937 m above sea level. There are two immense sulfuric calderas with twelve active craters. Beautiful panoramic views and cool mountain air make this a pleasant stop for a couple of days. There are popular hot springs near Curup at Suban.

Bukit Kaba Volcanic Crater Pic

Rafflesia flowers arnoldi species name as Rafflesia Bengkuluensis Tourism

Rejang land at Bengkulu province, not only famous with Rafflesia Arnoldi, but have one species name as Rafflesia Bengkuluensis that discover by Agus Susatya Ph.D (Susatya, A., W. Arianto (LIPI) 2006), ecologist, of Department of Forestry University of Bengkulu, after long research on Rafflesia in Bengkulu, and helping by taxonom Prof. K. Mat Saleh from UKM Malaysia.

One of different is in the size. Rafflesia Bengkuluensis is smaller, and Rafflesia arnoldi more bigger. The image below taken at Rejang Land, Bengkulu Province where the Rafflesia Bengkuluensis exist in Nature (Januari 2009).

A Japanese with Rafflesia Bengkuluensis at left and Rafflesia Arnoldi at right site, near main Bengkulu - Kepahiang road, Bengkulu Province.

Fixed (preserved) flower of Rafflesia bengkuluensis. From the Flickr web site.

• Fixed (preserved) flower of Rafflesia bengkuluensis in longitudinal section

Beach From Bengkulu Tourism

Long beach location about 3 km from the city of Bengkulu. Around 7 km long beach with a width of 500m from the highway. Many public transportation to or away from the beach length. Pine trees shade decorated along the coast. Hotels and restaurants also included there. This beach also has a parking facility, swimming pool, cottages, and others who support the tourism there.

Suban Natural Hot Water Tourism

Suban is good for bathing of the source of natural hot water. The hot springs bubble out at some public bathing pools and also in many other spots mixed with the cool water which comes from the stream. The hot springs and waterfall at Suban are popular with weekend picnickers.

The hot springs are good for aching muscles after climbing hills. Near by the place, there are waterfalls on top and bottom of the small river’s current. Foreign tourists, especially white people that locally known as “bule” may be stared at by locals at very open baths. Alternatively, if you are not comfortable to be stared at by locals at very open bath, you can pay Rp 3,000 for a more private bath room which also has warm water runs from the hot springs. The ideal time to visit is during the dry season from March to September.

Admission to the main gate is Rp. 1,000 and another Rp. 1,000 at every spot you

Collection Museum of Bengkulu Tourism

Collection Museum of Bengkulu, at this time reached 6000 species historic objects placed in a two-story museum building. Head of the State Museum of Bengkulu Ahadin 6000 MM says, among other types of traditional houses, cooking utensils, farming equipment and clothing the people long ago.There 6000 historic objects owned by the museum of Bengkulu and is actually a huge asset to get to know the history of the region, he said in Bengkulu, Friday.Ahadin said that although the number of these historic objects belonging to many but his side still have belief that there are other historic objects in the local community.Not the requirement to deliver historic objects to the museum makes it difficult to collect the historical objects.;Regulations are not forcing people who have to submit a historic objects to the museum, its only menghibahkan, or entrusted with the agreement," he explained. Ahadin say things that deserve to be called historic and museum, among others, has more than 50 years of age and have historical value. It hoped that the people who have to deliver historic objects to the museum for the protection and maintenance is assured.There is a heritage item and should be owned by the family in question but should be left to the museum, because the treatment is clear,he said.Moreover, he said, in ten districts in Bengkulu no one have a museum that is believed there are still many historic objects owned by the community.Bengkulu Province State Museum was built in 1978. However, the new museum is enabled on the date of May 3, 1980. Initially, the State Museum located at Fort Marlborough Bengkulu before finally in place now.

The Big Picture's Holy Week

Photo © REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi-All Rights Reserved
The Boston Globe's The Big Picture features photographs of the Holy Week, which starts on Good Friday, when Christians observe Jesus' crucifixion. Holy Week commemorates the last week of Jesus' life.

Many of the photographs show what Christian penitents do to commemorate the crucifixion, either by reenacting it or be causing bodily harm to themselves. It reminds me of the Muslim Shi'as self flagellation during the day of Ashura, in mourning of Hussein ibn Ali's death, which is equally gruesome.

In the above photograph, the caption reads:

"The blood-covered leg of a penitent, resting on a bloodied step during a procession through the streets in the town of Verbicaro, southern Italy on April 2, 2010. The penitents, called "battenti", or beaters, hit their legs with a "cardillo" (a cork with attached pieces of glass) and walk, bleeding, in groups of three through the streets, stopping in front of all the churches and chapels in the town. The tradition began in the thirteenth century and serves as penitence for Christ's death."

Penitence for Christ's death? The mind boggles.

Julie Jacobson: Afghans' Opium Addiction

Photo © Julie Jacobson/AP-All Rights Reserved
It is estimated that Afghanistan supplies nearly all the world's opium, the raw ingredient used to make heroin, and while most of the deadly crop is exported, enough remains in it to feed a cycle of addiction among its population. It's also estimated there are at least 200,000 opium and heroin addicts in Afghanistan.

It's a fact of life that many rural areas in Afghanistan have no access to basic medicine such as aspirin, so whenever a villager needs a painkiller for a minor ailment, they are given opium instead.

Julie Jacobson is an Associated Press Writer and Photojournalist, who produced a video on opium addiction amongst a family in Afghanistan. In many of Afghanistan's remote mountain villages, opium addiction has infected toddlers to old men.

Julie has also written an interesting article published by Nieman Reports titled Crossing The Line: From Still To Video, which includes these four main guidelines:

"Some moments should be captured in photographs only. With those, be true to your photography and don’t worry about video."

"Remain as true to your photography while capturing video imagery. Make good “pictures” in your video".

"Some moments and events clearly call for video. But it isn’t possible to be everywhere and to get everything, so don’t try".

"When shooting stills and video, anticipate moments carefully. If they’re not there or time doesn’t permit, then make sure to be complete in shooting only one or both will suffer."

A worthwhile read to photographers and photojournalists facing this transition.