Stellazine

PhotoNOLA 2011 Wrap Up

2011-12-14T11:35:00.014-05:00

Now that I’ve settled back in at home I want to write about PhotoNOLA, one of the best photo festivals out there. It’s only a 3 hour flight from New York, so consider attending next year. You won’t be sorry.

I was there for the first time in 2008, and this year was so much better for me. I felt much more engaged, and by now, many of the other reviewers, and some of the photographers are friends, so I had a wonderfully social time.

I arrived Thursday for the fundraising gala, a party with fantastic food, music and great bargains on prints during the auction. It was my chance to hang out and meet new people while wishing I could own a lot of what was being sold.

On Friday I was able to go to the Insectarium, something I wasn’t able to do last time. I love insects, so it was a blast—I even got to eat some, which is something I wanted to do. The rest of the day was spent hanging out and eating, exactly what you expect to do in New Orleans.

Saturday and Sunday were all-day portfolio reviews. I saw some fascinating work and had a chance to meet other professionals I hadn’t met before. I know there is a lot of debate as to the value of portfolio reviews. I think they can be wonderful: a chance for photographers to get fresh eyes on their work, a chance to get face-to-face sit downs with high quality professionals, and a chance to meet and talk with other photographers. Yes, it will cost money. But aren’t you and your career worth it?

There are those who feel that reviews are a “pay for play” type situation, and you shouldn’t have to pay people to show them your work. I think it’s important to understand where that money goes. It goes to the organization that puts on the event (and putting together PhotoNOLA isn’t easy, and it isn’t cheap), and it goes to bringing the professionals to New Orleans. The reviewers are not paid, but their airfare and hotel are comped. I think that’s a pretty good deal all the way around.

Now if a photographer isn’t ready to be reviewed (their work is not far enough along), or they are not prepared with good work that is well presented, and don’t have both the ability to talk about their work and to hear what the reviewer says to then, then yes, maybe the reviews are not a good idea. But since most photographers work alone, in a sort of creative vacuum (especially if they are not in big cities), there is so much to be gained that I can’t support the review process enough.

Some of the work I saw that really stood out:

Patty Carroll’s study on domesticity:"Anonymous Women."

Christopher Chadbourne’s "State Fair"

Stephen Chalmers’s landscapes of serial killer murder sites

Alex Leme’s small town America project
Robert Llewellyn’s gorgeous "Seeing Flowers"
Calli McCaw’s boys jumping off the Coney Island pier

Sunday evening I was honored to be asked to moderate a panel called: “Picturing War,” which focused on the work of Sebastiano Tomada Piccolomini, Ashley Gilbertson and Jungeun Lee—three photographers showing alternate ways of depicting conflict. It was quite an emotional and engaging panel for all of us—panelists and audience. For my part, it was an unexpected and intensely emotional experience.

Ashley showed his work and featured the “Bedrooms of the Fallen,” a deep and moving portrait of the rooms of soldiers in the US and Europe who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. By projecting the work on a large screen you couldn’t help but feel as if you were in the rooms, and that made it all the more poignant. And Ashley’s fierce passion for his work and to the soldiers who struggle with returning to civilian life with PTSD, or who commit suicide brought us all to tears. You had to ask yourself: What am I doing to help these people?

Jungeun Lee’s "Silenced Suffering" about the Korean women who were kidnapped and forced to be sex slaves to the Japanese soldiers during WWII was extraordinary in its detail and execution. Jungeun had grown up in Korea never hearing about this—only when 200 of the estimated 200,000 women who suffered began to testify in public did she learn about it. Her anger was so intense, it took her a year to begin to figure out how to express it visually. Jungeun’s attention to detail, and talk about what she chose to focus on and how she came to it was incredible. I am in awe of her creative process and wish I could have seen the complete installation (I saw a portion of it on display in a gallery in town).

For the closing dinner we were invited to the studio of Josephine Sacabo, a gifted fine art photographer who specializes in the photogravure process. It was such a treat to see an artist studio while in town and it was the perfect end to the festival. I found myself sitting at a table across from Jessica Lange—not what I had expected.

So I have to thank everyone who put this wonderful festival together: especially the great Jennifer Shaw, whose book, "Hurricane Story" is one of my favorites. I had such a great time meeting and talking with, among others, David Bram, Brian Clamp, Jennifer Schwartz, Andy Adams, Bill Schwab, Holly Hughes, Bevin Bering Dubrowski, Kyohei Abe, Roy Flukinger, Charles Guice, Neil Harris, Maggie Kennedy, Alexandra Le Faou, Claire O’Neill, Gordon Watkinson, Ann Pallesen, Mary Virginia Swanson, Sasha Wolf and Gordon Stettinius. I wish I could have spent time with everyone.

So mark this on your calendar for next year, and I hope to see you there!

all photographs copyrighted by the individual photographers

"This Wild Idea"

2011-12-01T12:03:00.004-05:00

Day 123: 9475 miles driven; 7930 photos taken; 30 cups of coffee; 25 places camped; 70 folks met.

That’s the most current tally for “This Wild Idea,” photographer Theron Humphrey’s one year road trip around America to find, photograph and record the stories of the people he meets.

“The idea is simple, the goal is straightforward, but I need your help! I’m going meet 1 new person a day, everyday, for 365 days. The goal is to makes images that age well and increase in value over time; images that will become part of your family story, which we can pass on to the next generation.”

It’s long been my belief that Americans feel no one listens to them (just check out the Occupy movement for more proof of that) and they want to feel connected to others. That is exactly what “This Wild Idea” is about. It’s a fantastic example of what you can do by just stepping right outside your door.

As Theron says,

“One day I woke up and realized how amazing it would be to hear my moms voice before she had me, or to hear my great-grandparents voices. To see them living their everyday. And I’ve always admired folks who’ve traveled the country and photographed the world, a lot have done it. And done it better than me. But something that was missing for me were folks’ names, I wanted to know that the photographers loved their subjects, that they shook peoples hands and told ‘em that they matter. So This Wild Idea is me getting out there and doing it, living my dream.”

And you can become a part of This Wild Idea is you like.

“The cool part of the project that it’s alive now,” says Theron. ”It’s free to access and look at and remember. Anyone across America can “Change my Route” and become part of the project. That’s pretty powerful. Instead of folks just being voyeurs to a photo project after the fact, we wanted to use social media to connect folks now.”

All photos Theron Humphrey

Pepper Spray Meme Going Too Far?

2011-11-23T13:04:00.006-05:00

I’d like to think there is nothing more to add to the “Pepper Spray Cop” meme that’s floating all over the web. It was funny at first, as people rushed to show off their Photoshop skills by inserting Officer Pike into everything from a painting by Seraut to groups of Muppets. But then things turned serious, as he started appearing in iconic 20th century photographs.

When does something become unfunny? Is it when every aspect has been exhausted, or when it starts to interfere with our feelings about historical events and their importance?

Is putting him into the infamous Kent State photo, or Nick Ut’s photo of a screaming girl running from a napalm attack, or Robert Capa’s falling soldier going too far? Does it remove the meaning of these images and the events they portray in order to belabor a joke?

Pete Brook of Prison Photography tweeted:

“What does the pepper spray cop meme actually mean? Well, some of the mash-ups can be funny ... but some of them are distasteful. And by distasteful I mean they use a commonly recognised image to grab attention but then belittle the horror of the original event.”

Some think that this is a way to reach a younger audience who might be interested in then figuring out what the context of the photo is. I’m not so sure. I think there’s a point where you have to realize not everything is fodder for comedy. It belittles the people in the photos and the people who took the photos at great risk when they are so indiscriminately used for something that has already passed its sell date.

And even the website creator says:

“Lastly, I don’t want to post the one of the naked girl in Vietnam screaming in the road or the guy getting shot in the head so stop sending them. I literally have FIVE THOUSAND submissions of those two pictures. Arbitrary? Sure. Tough luck! Don’t like it? OCCUPY MY ASS. Figuratively.”

Enough already. I am waiting for the basket of kittens, though.

(top to bottom original photos: Bill Hudson, John Filo, Robert Capa)

FAMBUL TOK, A Film About the Power of Forgiveness

2011-11-07T11:06:00.004-05:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about forgiveness: of oneself, of those who have wronged us, and of all the little things we cannot let go of. Then yesterday I saw “Fambul Tok,” Sara Terry’s documentary about reconciliation and forgiveness in Sierra Leone, and I was humbled.

If you don’t remember, Sierra Leone was at war from 1991-2002. Rebel groups trying to overthrow the government committed atrocities including hacking the limbs of people, kidnapping children and forcing them to kill, mass rape, and other things too horrible to mention here. You may remember that "blood diamonds" were used to fund the war. The world captured and is prosecuting Charles Taylor for his role, but the government of Sierra Leone gave blanket amnesty to all but a handful of men who led the carnage.

“Fambul Tok,” or “family talk” involves bringing accuser and accused face to face before the community in order to heal. One admits their crime and asks forgiveness of the person wronged. If the person forgives, the community becomes whole again. For a war that broke communities apart, it is an incredible example of grace.

Sara Terry has been shining a light on what happens AFTER war for many years now with her work from Bosnia and her Aftermath Project. This is her first film. Along with cinematographer Henry Jacobson, they visited Sierra Leone at least a half dozen times in the company of John Caulker, the founder of "Fambul Tok," to let these African people tell their own story. It is at once overwhelming and beautiful.

None of us will ever experience anything even close to what the people of Sierra Leone have suffered. But the amazing ability of these incredible people to forgive brought me to tears over and over again. They have a strength I can only hope for.

I can’t let go of this film, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

The final showing is tomorrow, Tuesday Nov. 8 at 11:30, at the IFC Center in the West Village. Don’t miss this documentary. It’s extraordinary.

You can purchase a DVD and a book of the story here. To find out more, go here I recommend you do both, and then invite your friends to watch with you. This is what grace looks like.

Crusade for Collecting

2011-11-03T18:57:00.004-04:00

Jennifer Schwartz, Atlanta gallery owner and all around wonderful photo person, is trying to raise money to bring art directly to people around the country.

"I decided to take this show on the road. I am going to go on a ten-week, ten-city tour in a little over a year where I do pop-up shows featuring the work of incredible emerging photographers from across the country that are part of The Ten," she says.

The Ten is her highly curated monthly online exhibit of 10 exclusive photographic images promoting collecting. It's a unique idea and one that Jennifer believes in passionately.

So take a look at her clever video and consider contributing to make this happen. Be a crusader for collecting photography. Contribute here

Another Week Full of Events

2011-11-01T13:33:00.014-04:00

There's lots to see and do this week, so let's get right to it!

Tonight, Tuesday November 1:

Joni Sternbach will be talking about Surfland
Center for Alternative Photography
36 E. 30th St.
7:00-8:30pm
To register for this free lecture email info@capworkshops.org or call 917-288-0343

EN FOCO presents an evening of Art + Cocktails
The home of Sidney Baumgarten & Terry Paladini Baumgarten
Battery Park City
6:00-10:00pm
Food is courtesy of John's of 12th Street.
Tickets start at $75
You can find out more, and buy tickets here

Wednesday November 2:

Manjari Sharma introduces the newest works of Darshan
SVA Lecture Series
136 W. 21st Rm. 418F
7:00pm
Free and open to the public

Caren Alpert's "terra cibus" Magnified food photos (top: fortune cookie; bottom: sprinkles)
James Beard Foundation
167 W. 12th St.
6:30-8:30pm
RSVP:caren@carenalpertfineart.com

Gilles Larainne: IDOLS & House of Louda
Steven Kasher
521 W. 23rd
6:00-8:00pm

Thursday November 3:

Lori Waselchuk's amazing "Grace Before Dying" traveling exhibit will be showing at
Umbrage Gallery
111Front St. #208
Dumbo
6:00pm

Terri Gold "Into the Mists of Time in Guizhou, China"
Keyes Art Consulting
551 W. 21st 4th fl.
6:00=8:00pm

Karen Knorr: "India Song"

Danziger Gallery
527 W. 23rd
6:00-8:00pm

Mark Yankus "Call It Sleep"
Clamp Art
531 W. 25th ground floor
6:00-8:00pm

Max De Esteban "Proposition One"
Klompching
111Front St. #206
DUMBO
6:00pm

Simen Johan "Until the Kingdom Comes"
Yossi Milo
525 W. 25th St.
6:00-8:00pm

This Week In Photoland

2011-10-26T22:53:00.009-04:00

So we've come to the crazy week; the photo week extravaganza. I thought I'd run down some of the cool events planned.

We all know PhotoPlus Expo has begun, so let me take this time to tell you I'll be moderating a panel on Friday, October 28 from 1:30-3:30pm:
The New World of Online Magazines + Curator Websites.
Joining me will be Julie Grahame of acurator.com, Michael Itkoff of Daylight Magazine, and photographers Manjari Sharma and Sophia Wallace. It's going to be full of great information, so don't miss it!

Here are some other wonderful events this week, so get up and get out!

Thursday October 27:

Sony Worldwide Photography Awards
Chelsea Museum
556 W. 22nd
6:30-7:30
PARTY TO FOLLOW!
RSVP: VIP.RSVP4photo@bonniercorp.com

Laura Pressley & CENTER of Santa Fe are holding a get together at
The New Yorker Hotel
481 8th Avenue & 34th Street
6-8pm

Friday October 28:

Photographer Taj Forer has a book launch and signing for "Stone By Stone"
Bubble Lounge
228 W. Broadway #1
6-8pm

and then stay for the launch of Daylight Magazine #9, "Cosmos" also at Bubble Lounge from 8-10pm.

The Unseen Eye
A Life in Photographs and Other Digressions....a performance by W. M. Hunt
Aperture
547 W. 27th 4th fl.
Doors open at 6:30pm
Performance begins at 7pm
RSVP: RSVP@aperture.org

It's All Happening This Weekend

2011-10-20T16:24:00.011-04:00

There’s so much going on this weekend and next week that I’m sure I’ll miss something. Before we head into PhotoPlus Expo week I wanted to give a rundown of what’s in store this weekend in New York. So get out and circulate!

Tonight: Thursday, October 20

Brian Ulrich's book party is at Aperture 547 W. 27th, 4th floor 7pm-9pm

Bryan Denton's show of his Libya photographs (quite timely) opens at
721 Broadway at Waverly Pl. (the Gulf + Western gallery)
main floor, rear of lobby 6pm-8pm

Friday, October 21:
Book launch and signing of STONE BY STONE, photographs of Taj Forer
The Bubble Lounge
228 W. Broadway #1
6pm-8pm

Saturday, October 22:

Visions:Tim Hetherington
Bronx Documentary Center
614 Courtlandt Avenue
Bronx, New York
6pm-10pm

Misha de Ridder book launch and artist talk at
Printed Matter
195 10th Ave.
6pm
RSVP

Michael Kirchoff: "An Enduring Grace"

2011-10-17T10:54:00.000-04:00

“I remember watching black and white television in my room and seeing news reporters broadcasting from the center of Red Square in Moscow. That image of St. Basil’s Cathedral behind the reporter reminded me more of Disneyland rather than the evil empire of which he spoke. It was difficult to understand the contradiction between the harsh ideas Americans had of Russia and the whimsical nature of what I was seeing on television.”

So begins Michael Kirchoff’s statement about “An Enduring Grace” his show at Baange & Burne in Chelsea. (547 W. 27th St. #319)

The work is dark and beautiful. Through the use of Polaroid Type 665 Kirchoff allows the process to add a surreal and almost fractured sense to the images. Kirchoff shoots almost from a child’s-eye level that allows him to explore the dichotomy between the reality of Russia, and the politically created reality from his childhood. His photographs are silky and lush, seeming to hover between dream and substance.

We see Russia in a fresh way through Kirchoff’s photographs; as empty landscapes and steadfast architecture that defies time. The boldness and strength of these buildings, churches and monuments allows them to exist in the landscape devoid of people. They are spread out through the country, and do not need people to give them life. Unlike monuments and famous structures in the U.S., these buildings exist whether people visit them or not.

I was amazed to see the “Black Tulip” monument to those who died in the Russian debacle in Afghanistan in the 1980s. How unusual for that country to mark the deaths of their soldiers in that long war. But this monument is in the middle of nowhere, commemorating only those in the region who died. As moving as it is, “their Vietnam,” there are no people leaving mementos or tracing the names of the dead. For Russia has always had a reputation as a place of untold melancholy and fatalism. While Americans fetishize grief and remembrance, Russians seem to take it in and move on.

Unfortunately this show will only be up until tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct. 18. I urge you to go and see these photographs. Baange & Burne is a floating gallery, getting its initial funding through Kickstarter. Very cool.

Dear Photographer: Your Marketing Isn't Working for Me

2011-10-06T18:00:00.004-04:00

When I received the third promo card from a photographer in what seemed like three weeks, I decided to write about it. I find so many things wrong in this approach I just have to break it down. I don't want to name the photographer or show the work because I don't fell the need to subject this photographer to derision. Besides, I think what I have to say is valid for all. So here goes:

Dear Photographer,

Why are you sending these promos to me? I do not hire photographers, so why waste money and material on me? If you want me to look at your work, why not email me and let me know why you want to show me what you’re up to? At least then you are giving me the option to look or not to look. I like having that choice.

The next problem I have with your promo is that it’s sent in an envelope. So instead of saving money with a postcard, you spend more for the stamp and then leave the waste with me. I don’t think I’m alone in wanting to deal with less waste. In fact, I try my best to not get additional packaging if I can help it. By using the envelope you’re telling me you don’t care about the environment. That doesn’t go over well with me.

And the card itself doesn’t make sense. The images are printed on what seems to be photographic paper. There is no note or personalization at all. So why are you sending it? Has something changed since you sent me the last one (about a week ago)? There’s no way for me to know. And since you can't be bothered to write something specific to me (even just "hello"), your marketing is terribly impersonal. When you are trying to make a personal impact that is not the way to go.

In addition, you have your name, phone number, and URL on the front of the card, but not your email address. If I wanted to drop you a line I would have to search it out on your website. Why make it that difficult for me? In this day and age I want less steps, less clicks, not more.

Now let’s talk about the images themselves. There is always more than one image on the card, and yet it is hard to distinguish them. At first I thought it was a multiple exposure image. It was only after looking at the next one that I realized you were using more than one image. Well, the format doesn’t work. The images don’t jump out at me. In fact they don’t make me give the card a second look at all. If your aim is to capture my attention, it’s not working.

Now I don’t know how you came to this marketing plan, whether it was your idea or someone else told you this was the way to go, but I don’t think it’s either the best use of your resources, or the most productive. Your marketing should have a goal behind it. Exactly who do you want to reach, and why? Have you culled a smart, focused mailing list, or just emailed everyone you’ve ever met?

Your first impression when you do a marketing push is the most important, so you need to think very hard about how many cards you send, when you send them, and how you can make them most effective. Are you using the right paper? Is all the important information there? Am I spending my money most efficiently? And finally, are these great images I want to show which will separate me from the masses?

If you don’t ask yourself these important questions, you are just throwing yourself out into the world without focus. That will not get you closer to what you want. The more research you do, the more you question your own motives, the better chance you will have of reaching the people and places you really want to reach. Anything less than that is a waste of your own time.

Why Am I Using Facebook?

2011-09-29T13:03:00.001-04:00

The new changes to FB (and the ones to come) have once again made me wonder whether I want to or need to have a presence there. I put up a page in order to promote my business and connect with other photographers. At first I friended nearly everyone. But as time has passed I find myself unwilling to friend people I do not know—even if they are supposed “friends of friends.”

I also tried to keep my postings and my attention to my Friends postings to be solely about photography. I am not interested in sharing everything in my life, and my closest friends are not even on FB. But as time wore on I couldn’t resist posting about and commenting on politics—something I feel very strongly about.

Then came the cute photos of animals—always hard to resist. Then the personal news from people I really like—how could I not “Like” them? And now I find myself wondering what the point to all of it is.

When I posted to the Flak Photo Network: “Is anyone else thinking of leaving FB? I'm wondering what the point is with all the things I dislike and the feeling I'm getting further away from people instead of closer. What's the alternative? Thoughts?” I was interested in and appreciated the responses and reasoning from people I knew. That is one of the few things I really like about FB—talking with people not in New York in real time.

But I am so tired of the changes with no options, and the fact that I worry about the privacy issue (yes, I am old fashioned). I don’t want to be told I have no choice over how I participate, and how my information is used. And now that FB has formed a PAC to fight privacy rulings, I am even more concerned.

Now I’m not saying my privacy hasn’t already been curtailed in this day and age. But I like choosing where I participate online, whether it’s what I’ll buy or do or visit. I don’t want this one company making the decisions for me. And now to hear that they track me even AFTER I’ve left the site is just chilling. I know each person needs to make the best decision according to their own needs. And I know I need to do that myself. But I am overwhelmed by it all, and confess I don’t understand both how to use it in the best way, and how to make the changes I want to make. I need a tutorial on FB and everything else (Twitter, blog, etc.)

I would love to know what you think. I can use all the practical information I can get. What do I need to do (or not do) to navigate FB to my best advantage, and in a way that doesn’t drive me crazy?

How do you feel about being a part of something that you created (well the 750 million who joined), but have no say in shaping? How do you feel about the FB PAC committee and its political lobbying? Does anyone else look back nostalgically at a time when you actually had to meet up with and talk to people to find out who they were and what they were doing?

Let me know.

My September 11, 2001

2011-09-07T09:49:00.007-04:00

It took me five years before I could go a day without thinking of the Towers and crying. And as the tenth anniversary of the attacks approach I find myself right back there. And I’m crying again. How can it be this many years?

For a long time I didn’t want to think of anything else—I didn’t want to move on, because I thought if I did, if everyone did, we would all forget. And since the attacks were so personal to me as a native New Yorker, I thought moving on was sacrilegious.

I used to always tell people that I hated New Yorkers, but if anything was to happen, I didn’t want to be with any other people. September 11th and the days and weeks after proved me oh so right. My city was splendid. And it might have been the only time (the only time ever) I wasn’t hated for being a New Yorker by the rest of America.

People came from all over to find ways to help. They were drawn by a sense of patriotism I had never seen before. I volunteered, serving meals to first responders and met people from all over the country. They elevated me because I had been here when “IT” happened. I didn’t have to throw up my protective armor as a New Yorker. I could love the city I had grown up wanting to escape. I could be proud of New York and of being a New Yorker. That was an unusual feeling.

I was on my way to work at The New York Times that morning, and couldn’t believe the scar torn through the first building, flames blazing. By the time I arrived at the newsroom, the second building had been hit. There was a sense of disbelief. I just couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening. Then came the news of the strike at the Pentagon, and the plane crashing in Pennsylvania.

Everyone remembers how blue the sky was.

The newsroom was like an emergency room—a lot happening in a fast-paced place, yet an air of calm determination and professionalism. That was until the Towers came down. We watched it on television, and I felt dead inside. It was an audible sound inside of me. People were streaming into the Times with photos they had taken: tourists, people working or living in the area, and the New York Times photographers. They came in slowly, covered with the dirt and dust of the fallen buildings--almost unrecognizable. I was one of the photos editors who began editing film as it came in, grabbing it from the lab and looking through hundreds and then thousands of images.

Moments stick out: Photographers Jim Estrin and Ruth Fremson coming in coughing and covered in debris; working so hard, almost without looking up, as the company brought in catered food for everyone. They did that for days.

I remember how quiet the newsroom was. The air felt heavy. I think I left to go home around midnight, walking out into a deserted Times Square. The only cab I saw picked me up, but had to drop me at 23rd Street-not where I lived, below that. The city had been closed down, so I walked in the dark, in the silence, with the smell of death thick in the air.

I stayed up for hours, sobbing as I watched cable news play the story over and over. I thought of the people in those buildings. I recalled my memories of the Towers: the Fourth of July in the 1970’s, before Battery Park City was built, when the city let us sit by the edge of the water and watch fireworks over the Hudson, while lasers bounced off the façade of the Twin Towers.

I remembered when I lived a block and a half behind the Towers and spent so many nights walking the deserted concourses, seeing how far up in the building I could get. My bank was in there. I worked in Tribeca then, and could almost walk to work underground through those concourses. I thought of how much I loved standing on the top and looking out on the world with the wind howling and me screaming. I knew it so well. How could the buildings be gone?

The next workweek was a blur as each day led into the next. I worked long hours, looked at thousands of photographs, ate catered food, went home late, and stayed up for hours crying. I was part of the living dead: exhausted, overwhelmed and overwrought. I felt like I would fall apart at any moment. It was the daily phone call from my best friend in California that kept me together. I closed my windows to block the stench of death that hung over lower Manhattan. And I looked out the window at my southern city view, and couldn’t remember if I used to be able to see the Towers. That drove me crazy. I just couldn’t remember.

I do, however, remember the missing posters that sprang up around the city, and the people coming to the Times with those posters, asking if we could help. I remember taking a Xeroxed photo of Tonyell McDay from her parents when they came to the newsroom. And living across from Beth Israel hospital I saw so many of the posters. It was a haunted city where eyes stared back at you everywhere you went.

I am one of a small group of people who carry dozens and dozens of names in my memory. For nearly five months I gathered the photos for the “Portraits of Grief,” published in the New York Times. I spent my days cropping faces out from the wonderful moments in their lives to represent the horror of their deaths.

At first getting photographs for each profile was just a matter of professional pride, mixed with numbness and exhaustion from the attacks. But it quickly became critical to me to see that there was a photograph to run with each profile. I wanted "Portraits of Grief" to become personal for the readers. I wanted them to be able to look into the eyes of each person who died so that they were not reduced to an incomprehensible statistic--a number too great to be felt in the heart.

I worked on the "Portraits of Grief" every day until I honestly couldn't do it anymore. It broke my heart.

In the years since, politicians and opportunists have made their money and gained their power. War and torture and ‘extraordinary rendition’ and profiteering and no more privacy have twisted their roots deep into this country. As people jump in front of the camera, talk too much in the press, repeat images over and over, and tell us “what this mean,” I will think back to the actual day, September 11, 2001, and poke the scar so I can feel it again.

Tonyell McDay, Maria Abad, Eldelmiro Abad, Tariq Amanullah, Samantha and Lisa Egan, Dave Fontana, Susan Getzendanner, Jonathan Ielpi, Manny Del Valle, Ward Haynes, Terry Hatton, Rudy Bacchus, Moira Smith, Sean Booker, Beth Quigley, John & Joseph Vigiano, Godwin Ajala, Ricknauth Jaggernauth, Timothy Stackpole, Pat Brown, Christian Regenhard…....just a few of the 2, 749 people murdered in New York.

And most of those who died have never been identified.

Photographs by Jason Florio. Taken then, and at the same time this week.

Muhammar Loves Condi

2011-08-25T16:36:00.003-04:00

My favorite photo story of the week is about Muhammar Gaddafi (or Muammar el-Qaddafi) and Condoleeza Rice. It seems Gaddafi has what can only be termed a heavy crush on Condi, as shown by a photo album found by rebels when they overtook his compound in Tripoli.

Rebels leafed through the album Wednesday after finding it as they rummaged through Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound.

And while the State Department termed it, “deeply bizarre” and “deeply creepy, ” I think it’s deeply funny. Why Gaddafi fell in love with the neo-conservative Rice is for psychiatrists to determine. There has been no comment from Rice, but you have to wonder if she feels just a little bit flattered.

As Gadaffi himself said in 2007, "I support my darling black African woman," he said. "I admire and am very proud of the way she leans back and gives orders to the Arab leaders. ... Leezza, Leezza, Leezza. ... I love her very much. I admire her, and I'm proud of her, because she's a black woman of African origin."

For me it becomes not necessarily the photos of the uprising in Libya that is most memorable, but a simple photo album kept by someone with an attack of grade school puppy-love.

Check out photos taken of the rebels leafing through the album here

IN THE LOUPE Information

2011-08-11T10:41:00.002-04:00

I find it hard to get things done in the summer—too hot, people out of reach, no motivation. But I’ve found it is imperative to push forward anyway.

We have decided to set the premiere of IN THE LOUPE to after Labor Day. It’s almost like waiting for the new school year to start. People will be back in town--more focused and ready to work.

We are hoping to have work submitted to us here. If we like it, if we think it would be of interest to others, we’ll run it. But don’t just send us an email that says—“look at this.” If you’re want your work featured on IN THE LOUPE you have to take an active part in presenting it to us.

We’re looking for short films, Kickstarter and Emphas.is pitches, book projects, work that deserves a wider audience, and any good ideas you may have.

So even though it’s summer—start thinking about what you can do to get others to see your work. Become an advocate of your own photography, not just a bystander waiting to be noticed. It’s up to you! We’re just offering you the platform.

And check out the IN THE LOUPE blog

More About IN THE LOUPE

2011-07-14T09:51:00.003-04:00

One thing we are hoping to do with IN THE LOUPE is feature other people's work. And to that end we are hoping that photographers take an active role in promoting their work to us and sending us work we might include in an upcoming episode. So if you are doing interesting video (2-3 min) send it to us for consideration.

We're talking an active role in not only talking about photography, but reaching out into the photo world--here in New York and anywhere around the world where there is new interesting photography worth noting. We're calling on photographers to take an active role and let us know what you've got that you think the world should know about. And that includes motion work.

Send emails to us at intheloupetv@gmail.com.

And if you're looking to get involved with IN THE LOUPE--as a cameraperson, contributor, correspondent, or anything else, now is the time to jump in!

Announcing IN THE LOUPE!

2011-07-07T10:47:00.009-04:00

Stella Kramer, Julie Grahame, and Allegra Wilde are excited to announce IN THE LOUPE, a WebTV show that will premiere at the end of July. It’s TV with the three of us, talking about everything photography.

IN THE LOUPE has information, attitude, interviews, reviews and real photo news. We’re not shy about telling you what we think, and we’ll have special guests talking about their work. Nothing is off-limits. Agree or disagree, but you won’t be bored.

If you’ve got a project or a book coming out you’d like to promote, a show about to open, a Kickstarter or Emphas.is project you need to raise money for, or just have an idea or suggestions to make—let us know! If we think it’s interesting, we’ll put you on the air.

And of course, if you’ve seen some amazing work you think we should know about... tell us!

Should you want to sponsor or advertise with us, drop us a line.

We've got a Tumblr blog here and you can get a taste of what's to come by watching the trailer. IN THE LOUPE plans on being THE place for photography talk. Join us!

In The Loupe TV Preview from Julie Grahame on Vimeo.

Sheri Lynn Behr-NoSafeDistance

2011-06-23T12:40:00.014-04:00

Sheri Lynn Behr's work is eclectic, a career that has evolved over the years. Her most recent project, NoSafeDistance challenges our ideas of private and public existence. There are important questions being asked here, and the work forces us into realizing that we are all on show no matter where we are.

As Sheri says, "Today we live in a post-privacy world, an image-obsessed society where cameras are everywhere. With or without our knowledge, we are being photographed several times a day."

This invasion of our privacy has taken place without our implicit permission, and yet I know I still cling to a desire to stay private, even when I'm outside. By facing this dichotomy straight on, Behr's photos force us to acknowledge that we have no control of how we are viewed anymore.

"By cropping and enlarging the faces, which are often distorted by the window's reflections, and by removing the context, there is a certain ambiguity created. The images can reference mug shots, identity cards, missing persons, even paparazzi celebrity captures. More closely they resemble surveillance photos, which is what they really are. They are meant to challenge our expectations of anonymity and privacy."

Tell me about No Safe Distance. How did it come about? How do people react to you?
NoSafeDistance started in Chinatown. When I’d photograph into a store window, some people would turn away and hide, and others would smile and pose. And of course, the issues of immigration, terrorism, surveillance and privacy have really become important. What are the expectations of privacy when you are in a space with a large glass window to the street, and everyone seems to have a camera? How do you react when a stranger’s camera is pointed at you?

I’ve been shooting this project in big cities like NY and LA, and in small towns in New Jersey. I’d like to shoot more in other places, hopefully soon, both single images, and series of photos that track the subject’s reaction to the camera.

And no, no one has come out after me.

You seems to have a fascination with Chinatown communities—your book Lucky Cats speaks to that. How did that come about?
In 2004 I started a day job in a school in Chinatown that was supposed to last 2 months. I’m still picking up the occasional part time job there, in part because I’m still shooting there. As I said earlier, I have a need to take pictures when I’m somewhere new, and I photograph a place until I come to terms with it. I’ve created a number of Chinatown portfolios, but I’m still not finished there. It continues to surprise me.

The Lucky Cats project started in Chinatown, but it has moved beyond it to other places and taken on a life of its own. Part of the fascination for me in the beginning was that despite being in shop windows all over Chinatown, Lucky Cats are actually Japanese. In a way, they became a metaphor for the kind of photography I do.

Tell us how you came to photography
I come from a family that took a lot of snapshots and home movies. My mom had a lot of photo albums. I think the earliest pictures I took myself are from when I went off to camp at 14. They were the start of my need to take pictures when I was somewhere other than home. Later on, when I started taking photography classes after college, I realized how much I just wanted to be taking pictures, looking at pictures. All the time. So I do.

Who influenced you? Whose work do you admire?
The list is endless. It probably starts with Edward Weston’s peppers. How such a mundane object can look so beautiful. I just saw one at AIPAD that I had never seen before and found I could still be amazed by them.

These days, I’m really very eclectic in my tastes, and I appreciate so much of what I see, old and new. Eggleston, who I didn’t like much at the beginning, but whose work I’ve grown to love. Lucas Samaras’ manipulated Polaroids. Lately, I’ve been really loving the work of Michael Wolf, Jeff Brouws and Phil Toledano.

You spent many years photographing music. How did that come about? When I was taking classes I wanted to keep photographing for myself and not just for class. I didn’t want to do street photography, so I started shooting concerts. It was much, much easier back then.

One day I tried to get into a sold-out concert in Central Park with my camera around my neck, and ended up meeting the record company’s publicist. He let us in, but also asked if I had a portfolio, which I had been putting together. He gave me my first official photo pass to see the Jefferson Starship in Central Park. Shooting backstage, on stage and at the party afterward was just amazing. I definitely wanted to do more.

What made you leave that?
The music business was changing, and some of my favorite places to shoot were closing down. And bands like the Police (who I had photographed a few years earlier at the Hotel Diplomat in Times Square with maybe 50 people in the audience) were suddenly asking for the right to approve all photographs. That’s unfortunately pretty common now, with artists like Lady Gaga trying to own the photographer’s copyright. But it was pretty rare at that time.

Also, I had just started working with a Polaroid SX-70. I liked what I was getting from that camera, and I was really tired of using my tiny bathroom as a darkroom. It was really time to do something new. I love getting new cameras, new technology, it always has an impact on my work.

What are you working on these days?

As usual, I’m juggling several projects. I’ve been scanning and printing the rock and roll, trying to get it out in the world again (a photo of Deborah Harry of Blondie was auctioned off for Housing Works at their yearly benefit in May), I’m writing a blog so I can get the stories written, and eventually, I’d like to do a book and have another exhibition of the work.

The Lucky Cats is at a new gallery space in LA now, and I’ve been showing NoSafeDistance at portfolio reviews and online. And one day, I will get the Chinatown project edited and finished, whatever that means. My motto is not enough hours in the day, not enough days in the week.

In terms of business, I’ve always made sure to always have some kind of day job, because I never wanted to have to depend on photography to support me. When it came close to that, and I had the opportunity to do rock and roll photography full time, I realized I didn’t want to lose the passion in the need for a paycheck.

What is the best/worst thing you’ve seen (heard, thought, etc) recently? Don’t get me started on crowd sourcing.

What else do you want to tell us? Photography can be a journey, not just a job. Explore, experiment and see where it takes you. And enjoy the ride.

If you're in LA, be sure to go to the Artist Reception/Book Signing for "Lucky Cats-To Bring In The Money" on Saturday,June 25 at No Roses Gallery, 13624 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks from 6pm - 9pm.

Check out more of Sheri's work here:
Rock:
Blog
Lucky Cats
NoSafeDistance and the Chinatown projects

Tonight In Photoland

2011-06-16T10:55:00.009-04:00

There's lots happening tonight, Thursday, so let me run down some standout events. Time to get your photo strut on!

Jill Greenberg has two bodies of work, "Glass Ceiling" & "Horses" opening at Clampart 521 – 531 West 25th Street, Ground Floor NYC from 6pm - 8pm.

Consider purchasing a ticket here to support NYC Salt, and help raise money to continue this program of helping high school students through photography. There will be fantastic food, music, wine and a chance to buy the student's work. At NEO Studios, 628 Broadway at W. Houston 4th floor from 7pm - 11pm. Tickets are $50 at the door, and tax-deductible.

Exhibition opening and Japan Benefit Print Auction at Calumet 22 W. 22nd Street 5pm - 8pm. Here's a chance to see some wonderful work and contribute money towards Japan's earthquake relief.

The SVA MFA Thesis show opens tonight at their Visual Arts Gallery 601 W. 26th St. 15th fl.

This is a Time for Creativity

2011-06-09T10:05:00.003-04:00

I’m back home after the Flash Forward festival in Boston, and I thought I’d talk about inspiration and innovation rather than write an account of the final panel on “The Future of Photobooks.” The photobooks panel is on Flak Photo's Vimeo so if you missed it last week you can watch it there. I don't need go in to detail about it.

But I do want to talk about the whole concept of the photo book. It seems that people cannot get over the old paradigm that “book” and “gallery” somehow make you more important, or will validate you as a professional. Can’t you see that isn’t true anymore? What might have been two of the stepping-stones towards professional accolades and esteem is no longer a sure thing.

Photo books were never moneymaking ventures for publishers as few people buy them. But for the creative person, it did elevate you to a level of importance, because why else would a publisher put out your work (if it wasn’t valuable)? But just like the fact that people are expected to work for free, and making a living as an editorial photographer is harder than ever, things have changed. And isn’t that obvious?

We live in an amazing time of opportunity, where a person can take much more control over the direction of their life and their career. So instead of thinking that change is bad, try thinking that change is the best thing that could ever happen to you.

More and more photographers are publishing their own books, reaching out and growing an audience for their work and ideas. Instead of waiting for someone else to do everything, photographers all over the world are making a direct impact. And that’s what real creativity is like. It burns so hot that you have to find an outlet for it. So you do it yourself.

I find myself drawn to those who keep moving forward, blazing new paths for themselves and for the rest of us. Photographers are shaping the world of photography right now. Not magazines, or newspapers or any other old media. Through crowd funding projects, self-publishing, creating new methods of collaboration between corporations and photographers, or NGOs and photographers, the way is being lit for all of us. But you have to want to be a part of that.

Many photographers are floundering, unable to let go of what they once thought to embrace what is. The result is frustration, panic and simply depression. I can understand that. When the earth beneath you shifts, and all you expected and planned for falls away, or changes, it is hard to regroup. But I have found that moving forward is the only answer.

It is no longer necessary to exist in a bubble of your own making. Collaboration seems more possible than ever, and the smartest solution to the situation today. If I don’t know how to do something, I can find someone who does know, and will maybe join with me. If I have an idea I need to flesh out, there are people out there I can talk to. Here’s how you can use social media: put your questions and concerns out before the international world on the Internet, and see what happens.

I have always had to steer my own ship, whether by choice or necessity. But the older I get, the more I realize that choosing my direction and not just doing what’s expected is part of my DNA. And so, rather than bemoaning the way things turned out for myself, I have seized the opportunity to be even more creative in my life.

As a photographer, you choose to work in a creative field. But I wonder if there are some who don’t realize that it is just that creativity that should set them free. You don’t have to go to school, get a job, and settle into your life. You can do and try anything these days, because the boundaries have fallen.

We are all experimenting right now. Or we all should be. The steps that might have led to a comfortable career are fading, and if you’re waiting for the dust to settle, and someone else to determine what’s next, I’m afraid you’ll find it too late for you. I want to be shaping whatever is to come next. That to me is the real creativity.

The Currency Is Ideas and Imagination

2011-06-03T14:13:00.004-04:00

Stephen Mayes of VII Photo Agency considers himself a dreamer, and an optimist (or as he said, an optimist is really a pessimist who just doesn't have all the facts). I think he is a forward thinker who has a point of view I fully agree with.

Today is changing our relationship with information due in part to the Internet. But photography itself is changing. Because of the technical shift from film to pixel we have shifted from the "fixed" to the fluidity of the image. Pixels are malleable and fundamentally fluid. There is no reality there, it's just your choices. Digital lives online, so the context changes all the time--at no point is it static. And so we have to redefine ourselves and out practices.

"This is a moment of invention rather than dismay," says Mayes. "We have to rethink what we do and how we do it. There is still value in the image, we just haven't figured out how to monetize it."

Mayes spoke about how we are part of a streaming culture now which is different from what what he calls the "unit concept" (essentially the unit is an image printed). But hanging on to old constructs like getting a magazine assignment, or getting into advertising is holding photographers back. Now is not the time to guard your property (your images), but to share.

Now that might seem like heresy to many photographers, but Mayes talks about how VII has partnered with Doctors Without Borders and LG to shoot and promote the idea of malnutrition. By partnering and sharing strengths, the possibilities of what their photographers could do was enhanced. By building on the idea of integrity, which VII photographers and the agency can claim as their brand, there was value for both of those others to partner and create something new.

Mayes spoke about something I believe fervently, that large organizations or companies (in this case examples like Time magazine, The New York Times, etc.) are actually obstacles in that they shape the work done for them, and thus the photographer has to conform. He believes it is better to be small than big because you are more fluid than big media is. You can easily create new ways of promoting your work and ideas and can be more mobile than they can.

Because there is an infinity of distribution opportunities, the currency is ideas and imagination.

The old thinking of how to drive viewers to your website is slow and expensive. By being a publisher (which is what VII is, and what individual photographers are) rather than a supplier (working in the old model of photography) you can attract partners in a much different way. Trying to replace one monolith--advertising based photography--with another monolith won't happen. He advises photographers to think expansively and take risks. "The bigger risk is standing still, locking yourself into the old system," Mayes said.

I couldn't agree more.

Flash Forward Day One

2011-06-02T22:04:00.009-04:00

Last night's reception was a chance for people to meet before heading to the Group Show exhibition opening. We were welcomed by MaryAnn Camilleri, the festival director. There was great finger food and a chance to meet my fellow panelist Chris Churchill. Also talked to Paula Tognarelli of the Griffin Museum (which I hope to visit on Saturday), and Andy Adams.

Then it was upstairs to see the Eye Buy Art exhibit, where I listened to photographers Georgie Friedman, Robert Watermeyer, and Marc Dimov talk about their work. Most of the prints were selling for $50, which prompted a discussion among Chris, Kristina Feliciano and I about how were photographers going to make a living selling prints if prints were being priced so low all over. Definitely a subject I intend to talk about more.

EYEBUYART.com is the sister organization to Flash Forward, selling limited-edition photos created by past and current Flash Forward winners. Saw a print of Gabriela Herman's work--a lovely photo and an unexpected surprise.

Marc Dimov has been photographing fish in silhouette, looking to bring attention to overfishing. He spent several years as the in-house photographer for Wild Edibles, and sees his work as,"making a simple photograph in order to suggest a bigger idea." His formal fish portraits have a classic sense to them, and I like his intent to create images about the effects of our eating habits on the environment.

Robert Watermeyer, a South African photographer talked about two photographs from his series, "This Land," photographing the American West. He spoke of the "sublime splendor" he found, and said the project, "allows me to contribute something to the dialog of the American West."

Georgie Friedman showed her grid-based "Flight Series," which deals with the concept of time, in the flight progression of high-altitude balloons.

Then it was off to the group show in a large open space. It was well hung and featured interesting work by emerging photographers from the US, Canada and the UK--the raison d'etre of Flash Forward.

The work of Shanghoon Jeong of Canada, Indre Serpytyte and David Plummer of the UK really stood out for me.

Indre Serpytyte's work shows small black & white houses, like doll houses to represent "Former NKVD-MVD-MGB-KGB Buildings" and makes her comment on the political history of the Cold War. In 2007, the British Journal of Photography wrote about Serpytyte's work:

"Rather than representing the buildings themselves, or showing the inhabitants or victims directly, Serpytyte uses commissioned, hand-carved wooden models, based on archival research and site visits to comment on both the physical and humanitarian scale of the conflict and to enunciate the echo of the memory of the events as they have faded over time. The houses seem like cold corpses, sculptures symbolic of the empty spaces where their real selves once thrived, and where memories are slowly dying. They are sealed, containing their stories, and their entity becomes placeless."

The images are stark, small on a large, bland landscape and bloodless, even as they depict places where terribly bloody things occurred.

I loved the still life of a burning flower from Shanghoon Jeong. Turning something as beautiful as a flower into something dangerous and bordering on ugly intrigues me. Instead of the natural death, he incites it's death through fire.

David Plummer's work was a series of portraits of a man suffering from an incurable neurological disease. By photographing the man straight on, we see the slow and sometimes imperceptible paralyzing end. The subject's courage to be photographed is honored in the unsparing and unfussy way Plummer presents him to us.

There is a lot of good work there, and if you're in the area I encourage you to come by and see the work for yourself. I'm looking forward to the rest of the festival, and the panel I'm on tomorrow.

I'm going to keep blogging through Sunday, so come back and read more.

Flash Forward comes to Boston

2011-06-02T08:21:00.004-04:00

If you're in Boston or somewhere nearby, come to the Flash Forward festival today through Sunday. I'm on my way there today, traveling by train with Kristina Feliciano, the blogger of Stockland Martel's fabulous photo blog

We're on a Friday afternoon panel, Cut through the Noise: Smart Marketing Strategies for Photographers moderated by Alison Zavos of Feature Shoot.

I plan to be blogging from there, so stay tuned.

More On Photographic Plagiarism

2011-05-23T11:11:00.014-04:00

(l) Jason Florio for AARP (r) Matthew Mahon for Fast Company

If one writer steals another’s words it’s called plagiarism. If it happens at a magazine, a newspaper, during a speech, or anywhere it’s public, the plagiarizer is called out and usually loses his or her job. The company moves quickly to regain credibility.

Why is it wrong to steal someone's words, but not equally wrong to steal a photographer’s signature visual aesthetic? I can’t claim Hemingway’s words as my own, why should one photographer claim another’s work as their own, or be willing to copy it? For me the problem is both with photographers cannibalizing each other, and lazy (or worse) creatives (photo editors and art directors) who seem to have a strange view of right and wrong.

I bring this up again because there is more to tell about this issue--that Fast Company had hired photographer Matthew Mahon to shoot in the exact signature style of Jason Florio.

After my first post there was some back and forth with photographers on FB and in comments to the post. Some didn't think it was a big deal since it happens "all the time." One photographer said, "I thought it was irresponsible to point a finger at him without getting feedback from Fast Company. As it is now, everywhere that that Mahon guy goes, there's now a black cloud over him. That's all that anyone remembers. No matter the truth, "the Mahon guy ripped off someone else"; that's all that anyone remembers."

I don’t know if that’s true, but I had emailed the photographer, hoping to hear his side of the story—he never responded. I also emailed the agency he works for (Redux), and the photo editor of Fast Company (Leslie Dela-Vega). Marcel Saba of Redux asked me to speak with the magazine.

Leslie Dela-Vega emailed me back and said, "Just so you have all the facts, Matthew was directed to shoot with this background and this was in no way his idea. Thanks for your concern." (abbreviated for relevance)

I spoke with Florian Bachleda, the Creative Director of Fast Company after he spoke with Jason Florio (at Jason’s request). What Bachleda said was this: “We screwed up and got careless and sloppy. There was no intent to harm Jason intentionally. He’s good with us and we’re good with him. Hopefully we’ll be working on a project with him.”

I spoke in detail with Jason Florio and he wrote this:

"As photographers we want to be known for our voice, our vision..that is what makes us unique as artists and makes us not just mere widget makers.

So when I was told by a fellow photographer that a style and particular visual technique I am known for, (published globally, acquired by a museum, won awards for...)had been been directly copied for a magazine story, I felt gutted.

But hey, as artists we are influenced by and inspired by predecessors and peers. But, I also thought, what the hell is the point of creating a personal style when an art director/photo director can just tell another photographer to "copy this"?

Legally as photographers we don't have much to go on as far a recompense. In this instance, although the damage is done, I was able to get some insight and closure by talking directly with the photo and art team at Fast Company. They admitted that they had seen my work in Resource Magazine and directed the photographer to copy it.

One part of me was flattered and the other irate, but they put their hands up to appropriating the style and admitted for them it had been a quick visual solution for their story. They said they were unfamiliar with my work until this point. Now they are interested in working with me.....

So although I can't get Alan Dershowitz to represent me and sue for millions, there may be a silver lining in all of this by acquiring a new client."

I guess one of the dirty little secrets in the industry is that photographers are asked to copy other photographers, they agree to copy other photographers, and photo editors/art directors see nothing wrong with doing this.

Photographers fear being branded as troublemakers. Other bloggers have raised this issue when it applied to commercial or fine art photography, but this was the first time I was made aware of plagiarism as it relates to editorial photography.

There is a difference between “influenced by” and “copying of” and we all know it. We are all a sum total of everything that we experience, see and consume. But the whole point of being a creative person is to digest it all and come up with your own individual expression.

Picasso was influenced by Matisse. But you would never confuse the two.

As a former photo editor I am angered by that same lazy thinking. It’s not as if Fast Company asked Jason Florio to do the shoot, and because he was busy they had to go to someone else. And for the photographer to not propose an alternative that fit more squarely with his own style is sad. If you’re just going to regurgitate what you’ve seen, or copy what others do, what is the point?

For the photo industry to survive and thrive it is important not to cannibalize each other’s work. If getting a job is more important than putting your unique point of view out there I feel sorry for you. Why are you a photographer? If you’re in a creative industry be creative. Your integrity should not be for sale.

What’s the Value of News Photos?

2011-05-12T09:43:00.000-04:00

Someone recently posted a link on my Facebook page pointing to a humorous Slate piece called “Cats of War.” I figure it came from the articles written about the SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden, and how they brought a dog with them. But I didn’t have the the same reaction as others.

I did not find it funny at all. In fact, I wondered how Getty could sell news photos to Slate when they were going to be Photoshopping cats into the photos. Now Slate labeled the photos as “photo illustrations,” bit I was curious why Getty would allow that to happen.

In the days when I was a photo editor there was a sense that news photos were objects not to be played around with. In fact, before you used a news photo from an agency like Getty you asked where it had or had not appeared before. Doesn’t it devalue the photos now that people have seen them with cats added into the action?

One of the images is by Darren McCollester, and shot with night vision in either Iraq or Afghanistan (I believe). How do the Getty photographers feel about risking their lives for photographs that will be sold in order to be Photoshopped for a joke? That’s a photo that cannot ever be used again for a news story.

If it was a Chris Hondros photo would that be alright? Is it that the photos don’t matter to Getty, or the photographers, so they don’t care if cats are added to the photograph?

I emailed Pancho Bernasconi at Getty about this but have yet to hear back. I know that Getty has a lot to deal with, and is reeling from the death of Chris Hondros in Libya. But I do think someone needs to speak out about this, and someone else needs to answer. If I ever get a response I will report it here.

What do you think?

Appropriating Another Photographer's Style

2011-05-05T16:01:00.014-04:00

(l Jason Florio, r Matthew Mahon)

The question comes down to this: How can you justify ripping-off another photographer’s style? It has come to my attention that Redux photographer Matthew Mahon took Jason Florio’s well-known way of shooting portraits and copied it for a Fast Company shoot.

It seems to me to be a direct rip-off of Florio's way of shooting. All the more surprising since Jason Florio is a multi-award winning photographer, whose portraits and style is well known. His Gambia work has appeared on the cover of PDN, been awarded a Lucie and more. In fact, he was asked to use that specific style for the AARP shoot. Why does one photographer think they can just appropriate another photographer's visual style for their own?

I have posed the question to photographer Matthew Mahon and the Photo Editor of Fast Company as well as Marcel Saba of Redux (since the shoot is featured on their website and Mahon is one of their photographers), and will report any and all responses.

The full look at Jason's AARP

And Matthew's Fast Company

I’d be interested in knowing what you think.