I'm in Houston for Labor Day weekend and will resume posts in a day (or two) depending...
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Houston: Taking A Day (or 2) Off
I'm in Houston for Labor Day weekend and will resume posts in a day (or two) depending...
Friday, September 3, 2010
Bo Jungner: Bali Island of Odalan
Bo Jungner is a first time participant in my photo~expeditions, and is the fourth to submit samples of his work made during the Bali: Island of Odalan Photo~Expedition ™.
Bo holds a MSc in Business Administration and Economics from the Stockholm School of Economics and works for a Swedish-based private equity company. He's also a photography enthusiast who joined my group whilst in Bali with his family.
When I first saw the above photograph of a Rejang dancer adjusting her headgear during a melasti ceremony, I told Bo that it was my favorite I had seen from his portfolio. I still think it is.
The second photograph may repel some of the viewers, but washing skeletons is what happens during the exhumation which precedes a cremation in Bali. The whole event is a joyous one for the Balinese as the cremation of the body leads to the release of the soul, and brings final closure to the families. We were photographing in a small village in the Gianyar Regency, and spent some 6-7 hours shooting non-stop under a merciless sun. It was one of the most intense photo shoots during the expedition.
This photograph is of a group of young Rejang dancers during a pre-cremation ceremony at a private house. We were welcomed, and feted like old friends by the family of the deceased, and welcomed by the whole neighborhood. The first dancer was really very comfortable with the cameras, and posed for us very professionally despite her young age.
Here Bo photographed the preparation for a cockfight which was to take place on a beach during a temple odalan. Normally, cockfights in Bali are illegal unless these are connected to temple ceremonies.
Burn: Lisa Wiltse: The Mennonites of Bolivia
In my view, one of the better photo journals on the web is Burn magazine, which is an online feature for emerging photographers, curated by Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey.
I've recently noticed a fantastic photo essay by Lisa Wiltse that documents The Mennonites of Bolivia who settled in eastern Bolivia’s farmlands more than 50 years ago.
Today, some 60,000 Mennonites call Bolivia their home, and they've come from Mennonite colonies in Canada, Russia, Mexico, Belize and Paraguay, to improve their lives, and live simply, dress plainly and refuse to use many modern conveniences. Similar in their lifestyle to the Amish, the Mennonites lead quiet, dedicated, religiously inspired lives.
Lisa Wiltse graduated from the Art Institute of Boston with a BFA in photography, and moved to Sydney, Australia in 2004 where she worked as a staff photographer for the Sydney Morning Herald. In 2008, she started her freelance career and subsequently moved to La Paz, Bolivia. Her work has been recognized by POYI’s, the National Press Photographers Association, the Sony awards, and others. She has recently been awarded The PDN Emerging Photographer award, and her work was published in The Fader, TIME magazine, GEO, Internazionale, Private Photo Review, The Sun Magazine, Marie Claire, The Australian Financial Review and The Sydney Morning Herald. She is currently a contributor with Getty Reportage.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
POV: Hypocrisy
This post has nothing to do with photography, but I've been thinking about the summer madness that enveloped us in the past few weeks; a madness that came to boil with the orchestrated (and well-funded) demonstrations against the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" and of course, our media's mendacious efforts to sensationalize all this even further...as well as the subsequent attack on a Muslim Bangladeshi taxi driver in New York City by a 21-year-old knife-wielding Michael Enright...and other acts of violence against Muslims in the Deep South and Upper New York state to name just some I've read about. This is against the backdrop of Mr Obama's enemies eagerly labeling him a Muslim...as if it mattered if he was.
In this frame of mind, I came across Stanley Fish's opinion in The New York Times (link further on), in which he writes:
"The formula is simple and foolproof (although those who deploy it so facilely seem to think we are all fools): If the bad act is committed by a member of a group you wish to demonize, attribute it to a community or a religion and not to the individual. But if the bad act is committed by someone whose profile, interests and agendas are uncomfortably close to your own, detach the malefactor from everything that is going on or is in the air (he came from nowhere) and characterize him as a one-off, non-generalizable, sui generis phenomenon." - Stanley Fish: We've Seen This Movie Before
How very (and sadly) true! Imagine the frothy headlines and cable news had this Michael Enright fellow been Muslim, and had stabbed a Christian, Jewish or even, dare I say it, an agnostic cab driver!
But in my view, here's what Mr Fish's excellent opinion piece left out:
Much hot air has been expended in calling on moderate Muslims to "rise" and "excoriate" the radical Muslims who commit acts of violence. Why should the large majority of the 1.6 billion Muslims, who are not fools, take that transparent bait? The radical Muslims who commit these acts do them as individuals, not as representatives of their faith, tradition or religion. They can say that they do so as loudly as they want...as much and as stridently as the right-wing radicals say that only they speak for real Americans...but they don't.
And whether the right-wing clowns like it or not, Mr Obama's statement at his inauguration is a fact.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth."
By the way, Muslims in America are responding to the intimidation by producing ads such as this:
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Sandy Chandler: Bali Island of Odalan
A third-time participant in my photo-expeditions (The Gnawa in Morocco, Tribes of Rajasthan & Gujarat, and Bali Island of Odalan), Sandra Chandler is a photographer and interior designer based in San Francisco. She tells us that color, smells and sounds drew her to world travel. Her city's Asian culture first enticed her to China in 1978 when the People’s Republic first opened. She then continued her exploration of Asia by traveling to Bhutan, India, Japan, Singapore, Nepal, Thailand, Tibet, and on to South America and Europe.
The above photograph was made at one of the many odalan anniversary celebrations in Bali during our trip. The musicians play traditional instruments such as the gamelan, and are called upon to perform at many functions, including weddings and cremations.
The above photograph was made during the Legong dance perfomance at the Ubud Place, and is of the Baris. The Baris is a traditional war dance of the island, in which a male dancer depicts the feelings of a young warrior prior to battle.
This photograph was made at an odalan held in a forest setting, near the village of Birta. Here, female pemangku are surrounded by incense (known as dupa) smoke used to appease the spirits and accompany offerings at all temple ceremonies.
The adorable grand-daughter of a wayang kulit (shadow puppet master) was a willing subject for Sandy's lens. We spent about 3 hours at the home of I Wayan Martha, the shadow puppeteer, in Sukawati where he and his assistants gave us a private performance of this traditional Javanese/Balinese tradition.
Sandy also published a book ‘Carnevale, Fantasy of Venice' of her beautiful photographs of Venice and its magical Carnevale.
Moises Saman: Iraq's Final Resting Places
A compelling photo essay titled Iraq's Final Resting Places by Moises Saman appeared in The New York Time's web edition. Probably as a sort of commemoration for the so-called official end of conflict in Iraq, the photo essay documents the graves and tombs of the thousands of unknown Iraqis killed since the invasion of 2003.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry estimates that 72,124 were killed since 2003, while at the morgue, it's estimated that at least 100,000 have yet to be identified. Other estimates differ in their calculations, but some reach over 1 million Iraqi civilian deaths since 2003.
Coincidentally, an op-ed by Paul Wolfowitz also appeared in the same edition, calling for the United States to stay true to its "commitment" to Iraq. You'd think these people would disappear in the holes from whence they came, but no...they still don't accept responsibility for our country going to war on false information.
We all know that Wolfowitz was a member of the cabal who vociferously influenced the Bush administration to invade Iraq on false pretenses. We also recall that Wolfowitz was acrimoniously removed from his post at the IMF because of shenanigans involving his girlfriend's pay.
If there was true justice in this world, I'd love to see Wolfowitz at the Cemetery of Martyrs in Najaf, and explain to Muhammad Jassem's mother, aunts and sisters (in the above photograph) why he was killed....and then do the same with the 4000+ US families who lost a family member in Iraq.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Nicky Loh: Tattoo Girls of Taiwan
Nicky Loh is a photographer with Reuters working in Taiwan, whose specialty is news, sports and feature photography, who's interested in documenting traditional art forms such as Chinese opera.
On his employer's blog, he writes of having had an assignment to cover the 2010 Taiwan International Tattoo Convention in Taipei which, while not newsworthy per se, offered him a good opportunity to produce colorful photographs.
He describes how he decided to set up an impromptu studio in one of the empty booths of the convention, and do portraits of women with fully tattooed backs.
Not only beautiful artwork, but also very attractive women...so a "twofer" as they say.
Global Post: Turkish Brothels
One of my favorite online news provider is Global Post, not only for its cutting edge news reporting and analysis, but also for its frequent "off-the-beaten-path" features such as the one of Turkish transsexual brothels by Nicholas Dynan.
It also periodically publishes Full Frame which features photo essays and conversations with photographers in the field (including myself).
The Turkish transsexual brothels which, we are told, can be located in the busiest streets of Istanbul, and are the work place of some of Istanbul's transgender and transsexual sex workers.
To the best of my recollection, only one attendee of the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Istanbul last June presented work relating to transgender issues. Pedro Gomes, who attended my multimedia class, produced Esmeray, an audio slideshow about a transgender feminist-sex worker-actor.
Monday, August 30, 2010
My Work: The Salt Maker of Kusamba
A few days before the start of the Bali: Island of Odalan Photo~Expedition ™ , I drove to the eastern shores of the island to photograph the traditional salt making in Kusamba.
I spent a couple of hours with Dewa Yoman Sanat; a traditional salt-maker (or more accurately, salt gatherer) in Kusamba. He guesses his age to be close to 70, and he works at gathering salt everyday under the scorching sun. On cloudy and rainy days, he remains home as a hot sun is needed to evaporate the seawater which leaves a thin film of salt, which is then gathered by Dewa.
He and his wife, Jero Sekar, who also helps him in this back-breaking work, have 7 grand children...none are understandably interested in continuing the salt making tradition. Dewa said that he gets about Rp 5000 (about 50 cents) for every 10 kilograms of salt.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Airline Reservations For Your Caribbean Vacation
In this day and age, with options available for countless tourists to book tours and hotels, even more important to pay attention to every detail. I have worked in customer service at both airports and hotel facilities and passengers observed not satisfied, just because they did not take the time to read the terms and conditions, or even believe in their logic of planning for the trip. You will be surprised to know that many people will appear at the airport without knowing what type of Air Jamaica reservations are made.The same is probably true of the hotel, because it is not uncommon to find visitors reach the island without knowing where the accommodation is located, how to get there, or even know the exact details of the reservation.
Not one of the biggest mistakes travelers make a check refund and cancellation policy before making reservations. For example, they assume that it's easy if the flight is canceled by the airline will not be responsible for the booking is made. In other cases, some people are asking to change the date of their arrival without even understanding what is meant by "non-volatile or non-canceled. For this reason, they are very angry if they can change the reservation.
Some will even get upset if the airline gives them a chance to change the date of arrival, but take a package discount will apply to the first plot. This is not unusual in the travel industry and the same thing happens with hotel reservations. For this reason, can not emphasize enough that passengers should always check the fine print and avoid paying the extra money they do not have or even satisfied with the airlines or hotels are not quite similar.
When it comes to booking your travel or accommodation, common sense is also important. For example, if you know that you are taking a vacation in eight months, there is no way you should make reservations to pay can not be changed or canceled. There are many things that can go wrong during this period and you will not be able to come after the date reserved. I know you're probably thinking, why should reservations made well in advance. But, if you are also aware that the same warning given to passengers, did not order or make a final decision before reading the terms and conditions.
There are many things that can go wrong and in the same way as the number of passengers and make mistakes when they visit foreign countries. There is never wise to assume the idea, just because you're getting cheaper and most importantly, if you choose to package pre-paid.
Vacation Reservations Made Easy
A family or group vacation can be stressful and expensive, especially if you travel overseas. A good way to make this easier to plan and carry out orders well before time and save documents accessible, yet secure setting. When you visit the Caribbean this year, make sure you check your vacations Air Jamaica reservations and save themselves from accidents.When you make a reservation, it would be a good idea to keep all that you do not confirm to tourism, hotel and car rental events in one place. This means you can easily verify that the transaction if you misplace one of them or if the customer representative made a mistake. Let's face it, anything can happen, and if you are prepared will save valuable time.
The first thing you should do when you go on tour with a lot of people to develop a plan. This includes a vacation spot that everyone wants to visit, travel budget, type of accommodation and places or activities that will give joy. Noting the small details may seem trivial at first, but would be happy if the current, especially when in different countries.
Another reason why you need to keep your documents safe for travel bookings to avoid confusion and frustration if you speak different languages. For example, if you are traveling to Jamaica who speak English and if you travel from the Spanish state with little or no knowledge of the English language altogether. After the printed copy with you actually make the process smooth and allows you to have a less stressful vacation.
So, if you start with Air Jamaica vacation reservations, you have to hold the confirmation email you receive immediately after you purchase the tour. Airline e-ticketing scheme that will allow you to print tickets from home. You should also check your e-mail confirmation to ensure that the total will be spent and other important information so that you will depart and arrival time and date are correct. Most importantly, you also want to get the correct number of tickets for everyone in the entourage.
When it comes to hotels or other types of accommodation you choose, make sure that the correct number of rooms are reserves, as well as a number of beds. When you receive a confirmation slip, see double the price and make sure you do not pay additional taxes. In addition, if you do not stay in hotels all inclusive, then you should also check whether you have breakfast for the price and whether free or part of the cost.
NYT: Pakistan Floods By Tyler Hicks
The catastrophic flooding of the Indus is considered as Pakistan's worst natural calamity, which has ruined almost every infrastructural aspect that connects the country together — roads, bridges, schools, health clinics, electricity and communications. The destruction is also estimated to set Pakistan back decades, will weaken its feeble civilian administration and add to the burdens on its military.
The New York Times has recently featured Tyler Hicks' compelling photographs of the disaster in Pakistan's Floods, as the one above of two young girls quenching their thirst at a water pump in Sukkur. It's said that 20 million people have been affected by the floods; a number of people equal to the population of New York State.
According to the New York Times, a joint study from Ball State University and the University of Tennessee, puts the total cost of the flood damage at $7.1 billion. That is nearly a fifth of Pakistan’s budget.
I sense an apathy amongst the Western and Islamic nations to assist Pakistan in its difficulties. Is it because of the widespread perception (or knowledge) that the Zardari's government is riddled with corruption and cronyism, and thus may divert some of the aid? Or is it Islamophobia? Or is simple donor fatigue after Haiti? I tend to think it's all of the above and perhaps more.
And while I'm on the subject, is it only me who now increasingly relies on foreign cable news like China Network Television (CNTV) and RT (the Russian 24/7 English-language TV) for in-depth international news??? The added bonus of course is that these stations have no interest in Glenn Beck and the repellent clowns of his ilk as does CNN, MSNBC, et al.
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