Travel Photographer

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Anders Ryman: Rites of Passage

Anders Ryman is a Swedish photographer and writer who has been published in a wide range of international magazines, including Animan, GEO and National Geographic Nordic. He specializes in people, travel and ethnic cultures.

The New York Times featured news of Rites of Life an exhibition of Anders' photographs in a development on the south bank of the River Thames, through September 6.

The photographer spent more than seven years on the project, and it won the support UNESCO. The article tells us that "images from Ethiopia, Spain and Micronesia illustrate birth customs; others, from Turkey, Thailand, Norway and South Africa, show various sorts of initiation ceremonies; still other highlight weddings in Nepal and Morocco. Finally, end of life rituals are captured Bolivia, India and Madagascar."

"I decided to focus of rites of passage as it is something which unites us as humans."-Anders Ryman

Also available through the Rites of Life website is Anders' 560 pages book which is for sale. The book portrays more than thirty rituals from all corners of the globe. The rituals include the blessing of a newborn in a small village in Spain to a girl’s initiation into womanhood among the Apaches of Arizona; from the Xhosa male initiation ceremony in South Africa to the communion with the dead during Todos Santos in Bolivia; from a woman’s first chilbirth in Palau to the wedding ceremonies in the Shinto shrines of Tokyo.

It certainly looks like an exhibition I will try to visit when I'm next in London. I would like to see these photographs in large format...unfortunately, Anders' website does not render enough justice to his photographs.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Fourth Of July....

In observance of the Fourth of July, I thought I'd feature a photograph of the barker at the Coney Island Circus Sideshow. After all, the fellow stands under the American flag and has the gift of the gab; a valued talent in the land of the free.

He's probably even busier today...the 2011 International Hot Dog Eating Contest is scheduled in Coney Island, Brooklyn, for the 4th of July. And its thousands of spectators will surely gravitate towards the Sideshow sooner or later.

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

POV: The Perils Of Street Photography

Walking the streets of New York city and taking photographs of strangers can sometimes lead to confrontations. I experienced this a few days ago, when I was photographing near Union Square close to Trader Joe's.

A garishly decorated van was selling what looked like delicious thin-crust pizza, when a dapper Wild Bill Hickok-look alike decided that he would order a slice. Thinking nothing of it, I snapped a few photographs of this guy, who spotted me (not too difficult as I was a few feet away from him, and wasn't shooting from the hip) and gave me the malevolent stare you see in the above photograph. Ah, if looks could kill!!! (Click to enlarge it)

Perhaps being peptic or having missed his morning dose of Metamucil, he suddenly strode over and spewed a litany of profanities, such as the classic that he would take my camera and shove it up my rear (forget my rear...this is the Leica M9!!!). I just smiled, stood my ground (he was a small man after all), and advised him to move along and enjoy a nice day. He was really choleric that I had taken his photograph, and it quickly crossed my mind that I'd feel somewhat guilty had he had a heart attack right there and then.

Naturally, had he physically assaulted me in any way...he would have had serious trouble. I had seen police officers not too far from that spot.

I thought of explaining that the law is quite clear on this....but he was too irate. Since he was on public property (ie the street) and provided he had no reasonable expectation of privacy, I could photograph whatever I want. That's the law.

And it isn't a good picture anyway.

SacBee Does The Indian Monsoon

The Frame of The Sacramento Bee featured over two dozen photographs by mostly Indian photographers of the monsoon rains in India. Travel photographers usually plan their trips to avoid the monsoon season which generally pans from June to September, and yet it's then that the light is at its most gorgeous.

I reacall being (unfortunately without a camera) in a rickshaw in Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi during the month of June, when the heavens burst into heavy downpour that lasted no more than 5 minutes. We were immobilized for that time but when the rain stopped, the light was just ethereal.

One of the participants in my forthcoming (at the end of September) Kolkata's Cult of Durga Photo Expedition™ wondered whether we would experience any laggard rains. I certainly hope so....!!!

Incidentally, one of the most entertaining books on the Indian monsoon is Alexander Frater's Chasing the Monsoon, in which he describes how he followed the monsoon, sometimes ahead of it....and at other times, staying behind it, and observing the impact this annual phenomenon has of the sub-continent and beyond.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

POV: Two "Must Read" Blog Posts

I do not expect presents from Santa Claus at the height of summer, but these two posts are the equivalent of unexpected and incredibly useful presents. I simply cannot encourage my readers (whatever their interest in photography is) in enough strong terms to read and enjoy these posts. Both are informative, well written, engaging...and useful to photographers, photojournalists and anyone remotely interested in this industry. My hat's off to both authors of these posts...very well done.

1. The War Photographers' Biggest Story: Themselves:

Benjamin Chesterton (of the Duckrabbit blog) has penned what I consider one of his best posts. He questions if the ‘best’ story a war photographer can provide these days is the one that will get the most space...ie themselves?

I won't attempt to summarize what he wrote, since it would do his writing and message a disservice, however those who follow the recent news on photojournalism, the loss of at least 3 photojournalists in Libya and the incarceration of others...will immediately appreciate (and if like me, agree with) the thrust of the argument. I touched on this with my own post Yes, I Have A Name. It's Mohamed Shaglouf!.

2. The Amazing Yellow-Bordered Magazine:

John Stanmeyer, the well known National Geographic (among other publications) photographer has started to write one of a number of monthly posts in which he will "demystify the experience, sharing insight and nuances on how such long-term projects originate until the National Geographic magazine arrives in your mail slot, starting now with a latest story I’m about to begin for them".

How incredibly wonderful is that???

Two posts...two gifts...two Pandora's boxes for aspiring photojournalists and travel photographers.

Tobin Jones: Healers of Kibera

Here is a powerful photo essay by Tobin Jones on the healers of Kibera. Kibera is a slum of the Kenyan capital, and is home to over one million people but a handful of clinics, most of which are run by charities. Religious healers associated to the Christian church claim to be healers and offer their services to solve problems from relationships to sickness to exorcising demons. While 80% of Kenya’s population is Christian, traditional beliefs and customs influence most of Kibera’s African churches, forming a quasi-Christian religion quite different from Western forms of Christianity.

The photo essay appears on the BBC News website, and I suggest you view it there as the images are larger than on Tobin's website.

"Kibera residents go to healers for a wide range of reasons that include family disputes, theft, unemployment and curses, as well as possession by the devil."

Tobin Jones is a photographer of English and American descent, and he lived much of his life on the African continent, where he was born and grew up. He graduated from McGill University, with a major in International Development, as well as minors in Economics and Political Science.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Darshan: Photo Series On Indian Deities

Kickstarter is featuring Darshan: Photographic Series on Indian Deities, an interesting visual project by Manjari Sharma and for which a funding goal of $20,000 is hoped for.

The project aims to photographically recreate nine classical images of gods and goddesses that are of primary importance in the mythological stories in Hinduism. For Manjari, the Darshan project is a mission to preserve her heritage by using the medium of photography.

"What is innovative about Darshan is that I am recreating these icons as photographs while maintaining their spiritual sanctity." - Manjari Sharma

The first photograph created for this project is of Laxmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and fortune, and Manjari's Kickstarter page for the project details the process in creating this first image, and how the 9 six-feet tall images will be displayed.

Manjari Sharma is a photographer based in New York City. She grew up in Mumbai, India and currently lives in Brooklyn. She holds a bachelors degree in Visual Communication from S.N.D.T University, Mumbai and a BFA in photography from Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio.

Disclaimer: I do not know Ms Sharma and to the best of my knowledge, nor do I know anyone who knows her. I found her project to be interesting and innovative...that's all.