Javier Arcenillas | Winner of 1000 for 1 Photo Competition

Photo © Javier Arcenillas. All Rights Reserved

Javier Arcenillas has been nominated as the winner of 1000 for 1′s first International Photography Competition. The photography contest was completely India-centric, and asked for the best photographs that truly represented the spirit of India.

With his wonderful photograph of a young girl in a small village called Noapara near Kolkata, Javier will be the proud owner of a Canon 5D markIII or a Nikon D800; which was the top prize offered to the winner of this competition.

There are three honorable mentions that were in the running for the first prize. The photographs by Massimo Ferrero, Laurent Nicourt and Matteo Imbrianti will receive a free entry in 1000for1′s forthcoming photography contest.

I was very pleasantly surprised at the high quality level of the short listed submission, are featured on 1000 for 1's website. I urge you to click on the thumbnails, and admire the quality of the large sized photographs.

Javier Arcenillas is a freelance photographer, member of Gea Photowords. He is a psychologist at the Complutense University of Madrid. He was also featured on The Travel Photographer's blog here.

I certainly don't wish to double guess the judges's decision since Javier's photograph is lovely, but since I have to live to my opinionated reputation, I will readily admit I would have had enormous difficulty not to recognize Massimo Ferrero's photograph of the silhouetted  ghat bathers (below).

Photo © Massimo Ferrero. All Rights Reserved

The photography competition 1000 for 1 is the brainchild of Italian photographer Matteo Vegetti, who describes himself as a traveller, a photographer and a writer. He photographed in the Middle East, the Balkans, India, Turkey, Europe and the Far East.

Drop by Matteo's website, and you'll be amply rewarded with wonderful travel photographs such as this one of an elderly Chinese man wearing phenomenal eyeglasses (I'd buy a pair in a heartbeat!)....and many more.

Photo © Matteo Vegetti. All Rights Reserved.

Jake Verzosa | Tattooed Women of Kalinga

Photo © Jake Verzosa. All Rights Reserved

The Province of Kalinga is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the region of Luzon, and due to
its mountainous terrain and its warrior-culture, its inhabitants, also known as Kalingas, were able to maintain their traditions despite the attempted occupation of the Spaniards, Japanese, and Americans.

Jake Verzosa photographed the last few tattooed women of Kalinga in an effort to preserve this vanishing art through his photographs. For the women of Kalinga, tattoos are not cosmetic, but symbolize women’s strength and fortitude. This traditional tattoo are indigenous body art, and are still practiced following the ancient methods.

According to Wikipedia, the word "tattoo" was brought to Europe by the explorer James Cook, returning in 1771 from his first voyage to Tahiti and New Zealand. In his narrative of the voyage, he refers to an operation called "tattaw" or "tatau". Tattooing has been practiced for centuries in many cultures, particularly in Asia, and spread throughout the world. Japan, Taiwan, Berbers of North Africa, the Hausa people of Northern Nigeria, and Māori of New Zealand have facial tattoos.

For interesting photographs and the back story of the last tattooed women of Kalinga, drop by Verzosa's About page.

Jake Verzosa is a freelance photographer based in Manila. As a fashion and commercial photographer, he has also expanded his craft and traveled extensively around Southeast Asia. He considers his documentaries and portraits as his personal work. His works have been exhibited in Manila, Tokyo, Singapore, Amsterdam and Paris.

Leandro Viana | Bolivianos

Photo © Leandro Viana. All Rights Reserved

It's not often that I feature work of South America, but these portraits of Bolivians by Leandro Viana should go some way to redress this omission.

Leandro photographed Bolivian people, musicians, dancers, families on the 8th of August 2010 on the occasion of the Bolivian Day of Independence using 10 rolls of Tri-X and a Rolleiflex. These are economic migrants seeking better opportunities and the hopes of a new life in the city of São Paulo.
Thousands of Bolivians arrive in that city on a daily basis, and many are forced to accept any kind of work.

However, when wearing their national dress on the occasion of the Day of Independence, their pride transcends the difficulties they may face in their daily lives.

Leandro Viana is a Brazilian photographer currently living in New York City. He graduated from  School of Sociology and Politics of São Paulo, and started his research and photographic documentation of Latin American immigrants in São Paulo.

This project is included in the Chobi Mela VII Photography Festival in Bangladesh.

Travis Jensen | 96 Hours In NYC

Photo © Travis Jensen. All Rights Reserved

I haven't yet done much street photography in New York City with my iPhone, spending whatever time I have roaming some of its streets instead with the M9 or the X Pro-1, but it's a tool I intend to eventually use, and use as well and as comfortably as I use my cameras.

So I was very glad to have found Travis Jensen's A New York Minute: 96 Hours in the Big Apple, a collection of candid street scenes and street portraiture made in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. The photographs were shot with an iPhone, using the Hipstamatic application’s John S. Lens and Blackeys Supergrain Film combo. No other effects were applied. The collection was featured on the Hipstamatic's iPad magazine Snap.

Travis Jensen's website has a number of lovely photo essays apart from the one of NYC, including a number of street photographs made in his adopted city of San Francisco.

He started his career as a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, and taught himself teach photography.  His photographs were primarily made through the lens of his iPhone, but he didn't really take up smartphone photography until he discovered Hipstamatic, the popular iPhone app....which I much prefer to its main competitor Instagram.

He adopted the John S lens and BlacKeys Supergrain film, and (I didn't know that)  this combo has been widely adopted by the Hipstamatic community for street photography.

You may want to view this 5 minutes video which features Travis in his element...photographing in the streets of San Francisco.

POV: The Travel Photographer's Business Philosophy

I've been asked a number of times to share as to how it is that my Photo Expeditions-Workshops are consistently sold-out within a few weeks of being announced.

There are a number of reasons for that...some are no-brainers and others are more complex...these take dedication, research and commitment. But let's start at the top:

1. It's About The Brand.

There's the optics such as the brand name and trademark. I chose to become known as The Travel Photographer which is easily remembered, and perfectly describes what I do, leaves no room for confusion and is anyway easier to pronounce (at least for Americans) than my own name.

"Everything I do with my photography carries The Travel Photographer brand."

I've been using The Travel Photographer brand name, and its accompanying logo (simple, sober and solid) for about 8 years, so it's been in the public domain and has widely been around. It's not at all unusual for me to be accosted by other photographers who ask me "aren't you The Travel Photographer?"....and that's good....very good.

Everything I do with my photography carries The Travel Photographer brand...everything. The websites, the blogs, the galleries, and the photo expeditions-workshops...and of course, my newsletters.

I was perhaps the first who described what was originally peddled as 'photo tours' or 'photo trips' as 'photo-expeditions'. Semantics for certain, but it strengthens the branding impact of one's business.

Over and above the logo style, which as I described as sober, solid, and simple...like the logo for a well-established newspaper or bank for instance, the color schemes of my websites and blog also follow the same style. I believe it's not only my photographs and my style that defines me, but also the 'packaging'... there's a sort of consistency there, but without letting things go stale. Stylistic change is good, provided it's intelligent change.

2. It's About The Time.

I've been leading photo expeditions-workshops for more or less 10 years...and really worked at getting off the ground. As I wrote much earlier on this blog, it took off without me asking for favors, for free advertising, for referrals...I never did any of that. What I have accomplished is completely self-made and self-started.

I see many very experienced photographers suddenly getting involved in offering photo workshops, but  having difficulty in filling them up, despite their excellent body of work. It won't work without expensing the time, and effort to get a track record in leading such expeditions and/or workshops.

"What I have accomplished is completely self-made and self-started."

Yes, one has to use all the different types of social media...be it Twitter or Facebook, etc to spread the brand's visibility. However, I don't think I got a single participation from either of these two. Twitter and Facebook generate friends, a fan club or followers...but not necessarily clients.

The single-most source of participants for my photo expeditions and workshops is my blog, which is in its 5th year. Day in and day out...I post, keeping a tangible and intangible link with my current and future participants.  I've posted just over 3000 posts and reached the enviable (for a specialized photo blog like The Travel Photographer) number of 2 million readers since it started. That took time, effort, dedication and resolve.

From this blog, photographers subscribed to my newsletter, and are therefore keen to get details of my future photo expeditions-workshops. These are not followers, nor fans, nor friends asked to "like" my Facebook page, or Twitteratis. No, there are, for the most part, just interested in joining me on a photo expedition-workshop.

When I announce a photo expedition-workshop, I am mindful to keep a few 'seats' for past participants, aiming to have a 50/50 mix between past participants (I call them recidivists) and new participants. This ensures that about 50% of my groups are already familiar with my style of leadership, what to expect and what not to expect on the trip. It also gives confidence to the new participants that the group include people who've been on one or more trip before.


3. It's About The Research And The Niche.

I set up photo expeditions-workshops where I would want to go had I been a participant. I set up photo expeditions-workshops that aim at documenting an event -or series of events- that I am interested in. My forthcoming The Sufi Saints of Rajasthan & Ajmer Photo Expedition-Workshop is a case in point. At its core is the Ajmer Sufi celebrations which, in contrast to the over hyped Kumbh Melas, are unique authentic religious events, never offered to photographers through a photo trip. As I am personally interested in documenting Sufi culture in South Asia and elsewhere, this type of photo expedition-workshop is one of my trademarks.

My intellectual interest in religious and cultural events in South Asia and South East Asia is my niche, and it puts me in a different light from other photographers.

I research my destinations very carefully beforehand, and absorb whatever I can on the prevailing political climate affecting where I'm about to head off to. This is not a one-time thing...but a continuing exercise. I keep track of the news for India via Indian newspapers, as well as news of Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc. This is an invaluable necessity that I must spend time on. I do not claim expertise, but I keep myself abreast of important local developments that may affect my decisions.

"...but I really want to photograph at other more interesting venues."

Generally-speaking, I now infrequently lead 'touring" photo-expeditions-workshops. Going from one destination to another with no specific religious or cultural event(s) on the itinerary may be photographically productive, but I find it intellectually-wanting.

I also avoid the popular religious/cultural events; the Kumbh Mela and Pushkar Fair are two examples. It would not be hard at all to fill photo expeditions for these two specific venues in no time at all, but I really have no intellectual interest to attend either of those. I've done them, and enjoyed them...but I really want to photograph at other more interesting venues.

4.  It's (Also) About The Bottom Line.

I don't use middlemen in the United States to set on-the-ground facilities for the itineraries I research and decide on. It might be the easy way, but it's also the most expensive. I  employ a handful of travel agents (or hotels operators) in India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and elsewhere that I trust and can rely on...and  with whom I've dealt for a long time. I try to get the best possible deals for the participants in my photo expeditions-workshops, as I would if I was on my own. I  have a fiduciary responsibility towards my groups, and I take it very seriously.

Nicole Tung | Old Kashgar

Photo © Nicole Tung-All Rights Reserved

Beijing has been pouring billions of dollars into Kashgar, which was designated as a special economic zone back in 2010, and one of only half a dozen such zones in China, with the intent of transforming it into the transport hub of old - opening up markets in Central Asia and beyond. In the process, many of its historic buildings were demolished....and an old way of life is fast disappearing, raising the anger and discomfort of local the Uighur community.

I thought of featuring Nicole Tung's Old Kashgar Renewed photo essay, which is about 3 years old, which perfectly captures the spirit and ambiance of Kashgar. I haven't come across any recent photographs of the impact of Kashgar's "Sinification".

Kashgar is a important hub on the Old Silk Road, a vibrant Islamic centre within Chinese territory, where over a thousand years ago, traders from all over Asia, sold and bought their goods on its streets. It is the largest oasis city in Chinese Central Asia and 90% of its population are Uygur.

Nicole Tung graduated from NYU after studying journalism and history, and freelances for The New York Times and other international newspapers. Her work has been recognized by the International Photography Awards, the Maybach Foundation, the Hearst Foundation, and the NYPPA. She won the PX3 silver award (war reportage professional category) for her work in Libya in 2012. She was also widely exhibited in various international venues.

A recent interview with Ms Tung on her work from Syria was published here.

POV: Creation Of A Tintype Photograph

Readers of this blog know of my current flirtation with the wet plate look, so I'm glad to have found this short movie describing the rather finicky process of creating a tintype photograph. Bob Shimmin is the photographer describing this process, and he makes it look simple...and it isn't. It's slow and deliberate, part science, part alchemy and art. He has been working in the little used photographic process of wet plate collodion for a number of years.

This video is part of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum special exhibit - Remember Me: Civil War Portraits. You can also watch how Shimmin got involved in tintype photography on this documentary.

I learned from scouring the web that tintypes were introduced in 1856 as an alternative to the daguerreotype and the albumen print, the tintype was widely marketed from the 1860s through the first decades of the twentieth century as the cheapest and most popular photographic medium. It differs from the wet plate because the light sensitive material is coated onto a piece of iron rather than glass...but the process is similar.

I've also found Penumbra Foundation Center, which is a New York City organization dedicated to preserving historical and emulsion based photography, and which offers tintype (and other alternative processes) workshops.

Of course, if that is too cumbersome or complex, there's always the Hipstamatic Tinto 1884 App or the Alt Photo App for the iPhone! My gallery of portraits made using desktop version of the latter app is The Digital Wet Plates.

NewYorkers | Shīfu Shi Yan Ming

Update: It appears the producers of this video belatedly decided not to allow other blogs to embed the documentary. I think it's a tad silly but it's their prerogative. As I mentioned at the bottom of this post, the video can be viewed on its Vimeo page.

It's not difficult to acknowledge that New York City is the repository of some of the most interesting and diverses characters in the world...and this proves it.

One of my very favorite multimedia projects was the well known 'One In 8 Million' series by The New York Times which was a series of personal profiles of New Yorkers presented as two-minute audio slide shows with photographs by Todd Heisler. I regretted it came to an end after only a year...but I used some of the audio slideshows in my classes at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop.

I am very glad to have found a similar and very well done effort by New Yorkers; a project conceived by the partners (all native New Yorkers themselves) of Moonshot Productions (a full service production company in NYC). They describe the intent of this effort is to "create a recurring short documentary series highlighting New Yorkers from all walks of life told through the prism of each person’s vocation."

I was interested in the story of Shīfu Shi Yan Ming, a Shaolin Warrior Monk, who defected to the United States in 1992 and established a Shaolin temple, teaching philosophy and martial arts to youngsters and celebrities. The Shaolin temple teaches Chan philosophy through the disciplines of martial arts or action meditation such as Gongfu (Kung Fu) Taiji Quan (Tai Chi) and Qigong (Chi Kung).

More details on the Shaolin Warrior Monk is on The Atlantic. You can watch the documentary on Vimeo as well.

Two footnotes: New Yorkers also features Colin Huggins, the well known Piano Man, who I see often playing his instrument in Washington Square Park, and Phil Mortillaro, the locksmith, whose tiny store is in my neighborhood.

Yes, very well done! And an inspiration for my own NYC street photography and multimedia.

Christophe Legris | Buzkachi

Photo © Christophe Legris-All Rights Reserved

The Taliban banned the popular Afghan sport of buzkashi but it has returned with a vengeance. It is also a popular sport (or game) amongst the south Central Asians such as the Uzbeks, Hazaras, Tajiks, Kyrgyz,Kazakhs, Turkmens and Pashtuns.

The rules are simple but brutal, and are not dissimilar to the game of polo. Two teams on horseback endeavor to carry a slaughtered goat around corner posts, then back into the center circle in which it was first placed, all the while steering their horses away from the whips of the opposing side.

Here's a photo gallery featuring buzkachi by the French photographer Christophe Legris. He's a French and Latin literature teacher, a writer, a media producer and a promoter, living in Kabul after spending 9 years in Istanbul, San Francisco and New York and currently in Thailand.

His website has numerous galleries including Thailand, Afghanistan, New York and India. I also liked his gallery of the Kuchis,  who are nomads and semi-nomads in Afghanistan, who mostly keep sheep and goats.

For further buzkashi coverage, the trailer of Buzkashi Boys makes for compelling viewing.

Colin Corneau I China

Photo © Colin Corneau-All Rights Reserved

So I'm returning to this blog's roots and raison d'être today by featuring the work of Colin Corneau, and specifically his photographic work of China, which he showcases in both color and monochrome.

His website will please those who -like me- appreciate images that fill up the real estate of large monitors. For instance, the image I feature on this post is truly spectacular in its large size....almost as if the viewer was actually in the same location as the monk and the prayer wheels.

Colin Corneau is a Manitoba based photographer who's interested in using photography to connect with, understand and convey other people. His interest is centered on – but not limited to – film-based, black-and-white photography. He has exhibited his photographs in shows at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, Brandon University and galleries in Winnipeg and Edmonton.

You may also want to drop by his iPhone blog, C-this-C-that, on which he posts various photographs of daily life. You'll see he uses the new Hipstamatic Tinto 1884 filter as well.

POV: Aluminum "Wet Plate" Test

Fail.

That's not what I expected.

I used the Polaroid Fotobar's Metal Art service to try to duplicate the look of wet plate collodion photograph, by choosing to have one of my photographs of Bhutan printed directly onto a 1/8 inch double bonded aluminum sheet. The intention was to emulate the look of a wet plate on a photograph processed using the Exposure 4 software, and was uploaded directly from my desktop to Polaroid.

I chose a square size of 12 x 12 inches for the photograph, which would fit nicely on a 1/8" double bonded aluminum sheet.

Sure enough, the metal print arrived within the time frame promised by Polaroid, however it was disappointing, and it didn't look as I expected it to be. 

Don't get me wrong. The quality of the product is fine. The photograph was well printed on a polished satin finish aluminum sheet, but it didn't look like a wet plate at all. It looked like a monochrome photograph printed on a metal sheet, without the sort of wet (or glossy) feel tin types usually seem to have have.

So it's back to the drawing board. Damn.

Daniel Maissan | Streets of India

Photo © Daniel Maissan-All Rights Reserved

I recently was directed to Daniel Maissan's A Man With A Leica blog in which he writes of his love for the Leica Monochrom whilst photographing across the length and breadth of India. He tells us that he was tempted to use his M9 to capture the powerful colors of the country and its streets, but when he did, he ended up converting the photographs to black & white with Silver Efex Pro.

As I chose to do during my workshop during Kolkata's Durga Puja in October 2011, the absence of color from his photographs made in India frequently make them more compelling, and less distracting...of course, it all depends on what's being photographed.

Also take a look at Daniel's Streets of Old Delhi (which include a few photographs made in Varanasi and Amritsar) which are mostly in monochrome. His imagery is wonderful, but the one I really found fantastic is of the woman in a white sari (possibly a widow) on the banks of the Ganges.

I like his gallery's layout...large photographs with a horizontal scroll bar. I've read somewhere that this is the minimalist web gallery layout preferred by photo editors/buyers as it's simple and very effective.

Daniel Maissan is a freelance photographer based in Haarlem, The Netherlands, who's in the process of exploring the transition from a DSLR camera to a Leica M9 (and a Monochrome) with only a 35 mm Summicron f2.0 and a 75 mm Summicron f2.0 lens. 

POV: Going Overboard With Wet Plate Look?

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy (iPhone)

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy (iPhone)

I've been bitten by the "wet plate look" bug. Yes, I have...I admit it.

And it's been made worse by the recent announcement by Alien Skin Software that its Alt Photo iPhone App was available for free.

Just yesterday, I made a bunch of such photographs in my neighborhood using my iPhone. On Hudson street, I snapped a can collector as he walked past me, and of Mémé, a neighborhood popular restaurant with a delicious menu.

I don't know the reason for this infatuation, which seems to be concentrated on the wet plate and tintype look. So far, the remainder of the Alt Photo classic, retro and vintage film styles don't exert the same pull on me.

In my travel photography, I'm a purist...seldom, if ever, cropping my photographs, for example. While photographing the streets of New York City, I do crop since I normally shoot from the hip, and my framing is therefore not always accurate or satisfactory. All my post processing was done on Photoshop and/or Lightroom.

But upon my accidental discovery of Alien Skin's Exposure 4 software, and subsequently its iPhoto app, I've let my hair down and enjoy using them, hardly worrying about what wet plate purists may or may not think.

I scour my hard drives, looking for photographs (all portraits so far) that lend themselves well to the 'wet plate'/tin type look...I've even set up a new photo blog and named it The Digital Wet Plates to showcase these portraits.

With the Alt Photo App, I am certain that my iPhone will be an integral part of my gear while on my The Sufi Saints of Rajasthan & Kashmir Photo Expedition-Workshop. I am certain I will be able to capture many photogenic Sufi portraits that'll look almost authentic!

Note: I have no relationship with Alien Skin Sofware and/or Alt Photo App other than being a consumer.

Gary Draluck | Burning Man

Photo © Gary Draluck-All Rights Reserved

"Trying to explain what Burning Man is to someone who has never been to the event is a bit like trying to explain what a particular color looks like to someone who is blind." www.burningman.com

For those who are not familiar with Burning Man (I had heard of it, and seen some of its photographic coverage, but not much more),  Gary Draluck attended the festivals a few times and features many of his candid photographs on his website. It will give you an excellent overview of this unique festival, which rivals many others in terms of exoticism. Having viewed Gary's photo essay makes me wonder if the Burning Man is not our reply to India's Kumbh Mela.

The Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada. The event begins on the last Monday in August, and ends on the first Monday in September, coinciding with the American Labor Day holiday.

It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on the week's Saturday evening. It's described by many participants as an experiment in community, art, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance.

I met Gary during the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Chiang Mai last summer. He's a California-based photographer, and is enamored by tango (as I am). 

Arif Iqball | Maiko & Geiko

Photo © Arif Iqball. All Rights Reserved

The work of Arif Iqball was recently featured in Burn Magazine, and showcased a photographic essay on the traditional Geishas in Kyoto. Arif is well qualified to document this often misunderstood and mischaracterized tradition as he completed a Masters Degree in Japanese Studies with an interest in Japanese Literature and the visual aesthetic of old Japanese movies.

Exploring Arif's own website revealed a lovely monochromatic photo essay on these Geishas; more accurately referred to as Maiko and Geiko. In his words, they are women who are living art as well as the pinnacle of Japanese eloquence, good manners, style and elegance and are highly respected in Japanese society as artists.

A Maiko is an apprentice geisha in western Japan, especially Kyoto. Their jobs consist of performing songs, dances, and playing the shamisen (three-stringed Japanese instrument) for visitors. Maiko are usually aged 15 to 20 years old and become geisha after learning how to dance, play the shamisen, and learning the dialect of Kyoto. A Geiko is another name for geisha, and usually used refers to geishas from western Japan, which includes Kyoto.

Arif is an avid travel photographer, who is attracted to traditions and artists who are fading away in this modern world. When completed, his interim work on the Geiko and Maiko in Kyoto will be presented both as a book, and as an exhibit.

His Japan related photographs have appeared in the Washington Post, Lonely Planet, and in children books.

MediaStorm | Luv Shtick

"I do love her...but she's annoying."

"I don't take prisoners...I'm from the Middle East.

"Start spreading the Jews...er news"

I really loved this multimedia portrait of Dani Lev (aka Dani Luv), who's a musician, singer and comedian at Sammy’s Romanian Restaurant in New York. Dani likes to sing Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong classics as well as Israeli songs, and entertains the restaurant's patrons with his in-your-face shtick.

A wonderful narrative salted with typical New York Jewish humor and occasional trite cliches, Dani is also afflicted with ADD,  and has an on-off relationship with his girlfriend. So it's a funny and sad insight into the life of one in eight million NewYorkers. An authentic character...the type of person that makes New York what it is.

If this wonderful short multimedia piece doesn't make you want to drop your dinner plans and go to Sammy's, I don't know what will.

It was produced by Lukas Augustin, Jillian Kitchener, and JT Thomas who participated in a MediaStorm Storytelling Workshop.

As I said, extremely well done. I watched it a few times already. You will too. Guaranteed.

The Frame | Voodoo Festival

Photo © AP / Jon Gambrell-Courtesy SacBee's The Frame

The Frame, the Sacramento Bee's photo blog, features photographs of the exciting Benin's Voodoo Festival. This is certainly one festival I would have loved to attend, but it completely fell off my radar. Perhaps next year? It appears it's held every January 10th. There are also a number of travel companies that can arrange for tourists (oh, no!!) to attend the festival.

But who knows? Perhaps a future destination for one of The Travel Photographer's Photo Expeditions-Workshops?

Ouidah, on the Atlantic coast of Benin, is where voodoo began, and the launching point for its voyage to the Americas with the boatloads of African slaves. It is also the mecca for the spirits and gods worshipped by practitioners of Voodoo, or Vodun, a recognised religion in this former French colony in West Africa that is home to 9 million people.

According to the accompanying write up on The Frame, local banks and the post office closed as Ouidah celebrated this annual festival,; which is increasingly drawing curious foreigners. With its mix of beliefs and traditions, the Voodoo practiced here shows both a clash of cultures and the ability for ancient traditional beliefs to adapt to modern life.

Voodoo, or Orisha, as it is practiced today, originated many hundred years ago among the Yoruba people who live in the region of modern-day Togo, Benin and parts of Nigeria. Followers of voodoo believe in an unapproachable god and an array of spirits who serve as intermediaries. Slaves, forced to leave Benin's sandy shores in their millions, took such beliefs to the U.S. and the islands of the West Indies, where they spread and formed the basis of religions like Candomblé, Macumba, Santería and Umbanda.

POV: Digital "Wet Plate" On Aluminum

As promised to my readers and followers earlier,  I want to share my initial thoughts on my digital "wet plate" picture fused on a 4x4 inch aluminum sheet by PostalPix. (The picture above is lousy...and doesn't render it justice).

Due to its end of year backlog, the company took 2-3 days longer than I expected to deliver the finished product to me. It was quick in alerting me of the expected delay, and advised me of the delivery date, along with a USPS tracking number.

The aluminum-fused photograph was well packaged, and came with a double-sided mounting tape for wall hanging, and an adhesive magnet for the fridge if required. It cost me nothing since the Company offered my a $15 coupon. Normally, a 4x4 aluminum photograph would cost $10, while the 8x8 costs $25. By the way, everything to start the process was done on my iPhone.

So the question is "does it look like a real wet plate (on aluminum)?" The answer is "Sort of". It's the most honest answer I can think of...however it won't fool anyone in thinking it's the real thing. It looks too "modern". That said, it's glossy, and boasts a scratch-resistant surface, and it does look very good.

However, the reproduction of the Rebari herdsman on the aluminum sheet is a little too dark for my liking. I should've lightened it up in post processing.

Now the question is...what can I do with the "wet plate" concept? After all, I've got quite a few on my The Digital Wet Plates gallery. Perhaps go larger...and try the 8x8?

Kenro Izu: Where Prayer Echoes

Photo © Kenro Izu-Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery

"In the last 10 years, I am more interested in the humans who go into these structures. That is where the spirit is. Without the people who pray or offer flowers, it’s just a structure.” Kenro Izu

I recall briefly meeting Kenro Izu a few years ago at the exhibition of his work at the Ruben Museum in NYC, and he and his photographs of sacred places left a distinct impression on me. After all, I was on my own photographic "journey" covering religious rituals and ceremonies because it's where people are at their most authentic, where there are no artifices and no make-believe. So I'm not surprised that he gravitated with his fabulous artistry to include people in his platinum prints.

So a selection of these platinum prints from Kenro Izu's trips to India opened at the Howard Greenberg Gallery (The Fuller Building, 41 East 57th Street, New York), and include include landscapes and portraits of people who follow various religions, from Hinduism and Islam to Sikhism and Jainism.

Kenro Izu is a Japanese-born photographer based in the United States. He spent two years working as a photo assistant in New York City, and subsequently established his own studio, specializing in still life photography. Since 1979, he began travelling the world to capture the sacred ancient stone monuments in their natural settings. He traveled and documented Egypt, Syria, Jordan, England, Scotland, Mexico, France and Easter Island (Chile). Most recently, he focused on Buddhism and Hindu monuments in South East Asia: Cambodia, Burma, Indonesia, Vietnam and India. 

With a custom-made, 300-pound camera, Izu creates negatives that are 14 inches high by 20 inches wide. The resulting platinum palladium prints are widely recognized as being among the most beautiful prints in the history of the medium. 

An extremely interesting article/interview with Izu is on The New York Times' LENS blog, in which he relates the reasons for his current interest in people portraiture/photography.

RODE iXY Microphone For The iPhone

It certainly appears the iPhone is becoming the all-in platform for multimedia photographers with the newly announced RODE iXY microphone by the Australian company. The press release claims that this stereo microphone for the iPhone (and iPad) with  the 30- pin connector allows high quality recording at sampling rates up to 24-bit/96kHz,  and that it's the only microphone on the market to do so.

The iXY is supplied with a foam windshield for outdoor recording as well as a reinforced protective zip case, and is sold for $199 on the RODE Store. The initial launch stock has sold out at the time of writing this post, but the company is expecting further shipments soon.

There are two apps available from Apple's iTunes for the RODE iXY microphone. The free version and the $5.99 pro version. The latter allows audio recording features such as gain, input, boost levels, high/low-pass filter options, equalization effects and much more.

I'm not sure how this device will fare against the stiff competition from the TASCAM PCM iPhone app and much cheaper Tascam iM2 microphone ($30), or against the portable audio recorder TASCAM DR-40 ($135) or the ultra cheap Zoom H1 ($90). Perhaps the fact that users won't have to carry two devices (iPhone and audio recorder) and its high sampling rates will be determining factors.

That said, I view the iXY more as a microphone for DSLR videographers than as a handheld audio recorder.

Note: I have no relationship with TASCAM (nor with RODE for that matter) other than being a consumer.

Shannon Jensen | Imbalu

Photo © Shannon Jensen-All Rights Reserved

Here's another compelling photo essay out of Africa, titled Imbalu and is by photographer Shannon Jensen.

The ritual of circumcision amongst the Bagisu tribe of Uganda is called Imbalu, and they believe that one's voyage to manhood begins with ithat ritual, with the whole community participating in it. This involves walking around the circumcision candidates' village, visiting religious sites to appease the gods, singing and dancing to folk songs that praise these gods.

The tribal elders say the origin of the practice is mysterious, even to them. But there are various conflicting legends associated with the necessity of males having to undergo the circumcision.

Circumcision seems to have been common practice in the Arabian peninsula in the 4th millennium BCE, while the earliest historical record of circumcision comes from Egypt, dating to about 2400–2300 BCE. Circumcision was done by the Ancient Egyptians possibly for hygienic reasons, but also was part of their obsession with purity. 

It is a prominent feature in the Hebrew Bible (possibly because of the Ancient Egyptians) with over 90% of Judaism adherents having the procedure performed as a religious obligation. Although not mentioned in the Qur'an, circumcision is considered essential to Islam, and is universally performed among Muslims.

Shannon Jensen is a documentary photographer based between East Africa and Washington DC. She has a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. She attended the 2009 Eddie Adams Workshop and is currently featured on the Emerging Talent roster of Reportage by Getty Images. Her clients include The New York Times, Die Zeit, German GEO, Newsweek, Monocle, MSF, Oxfam and the National Geographic Society.

Jacquelyn Martin | Tribe of Ghosts

Photo © Jacquelyn Martin-All Rights Reserved

"The genetic condition known as Albinism can be a death sentence in Tanzania."

Jacquelyn Martin, a staff photojournalist with the Associated Press (Washington DC) is featuring a compelling audio slideshow on her website, titled Tribe of Ghosts.

The East African nation of Tanzania is a particularly dangerous region to be an albino. Albinism is a defect of melanin production that results in little or no color (pigment) in the skin, hair, and eyes. And in Tanzania, as in other African countries, albinos are discriminated against, and their murder has been reported. They are hunted for their flesh, a horrific result of superstitions and the desire of witch doctors to make "magic". A common belief is that albinos don't die, but vanish like ghosts.

Tanzania has one of the highest rates of albinism in the world — nearly 1 in every 1400 people as compared to about 1 in 20,000 worldwide.

Jacquelyn Martin's work has been recognized with awards from the White House News Photographers Association, NPPA, and the Women Photojournalists of Washington.

NPR has also featured Ms Martin's photographs along with an article by John Burnett, along with an audio story and her still photographs of Tanzanian albinos on ThePictureShow blog.

In Focus | National Geographic Photo Contest 2012

Photo © Ulrich Lambert/National Geographic Photo Contest

In Focus, the photography blog of The Atlantic, has just announced this year's National Geographic photo contest. I prefer featuring In Focus than the National Geographic's because its images are much larger (up to 1280 px).

The contest received more than 22,000 entries from over 150 countries, and In Focus showcased the winners from the three categories of People, Places, and Nature, with the captions provided by the photographers. 

Readers of this blog know my antipathy for photography contests, but I always keep an eye on two; TPOTY (The Travel Photographer Of The Year) and The National Geographic, which I think are the most legitimate of all the contests out there.

I took a look at the submissions and the results, and since this blog is all about my pontifications, I won't disappoint you. My favorite to have won the overall contest, in my judgment, should've been Ulrich Lambert's Sri Lanka's traditional stilt fishermen, which was made in Midigama, a surfer's paradise at the southern tip of the island.

Istanbul-City of Millions | The Film Artist

"Constantinople! Constantinople!...C'est l'empire du monde!." - Napoleon I, 1807

Here's a very well filmed and produced 12 minutes documentary on one of the most interesting, historically and culturally, cities (or megalopolises) of the world...Istanbul. 

Perhaps superfluous, but here's Istanbul's description from Wikipeida: It's Turkey's economic, cultural, and historical heart, and has a population of 13.5 million.  It's a transcontinental city, straddling the Bosphorus between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Its commercial and historical center lies in Europe, while a third of its population lives in Asia.

The Film Artist is another of the Vimeo featured talented and passionate videographers, who's neither a professional or commercial film maker.

This documentary reminded me of my start as a part-time travel photographer in 1998 or so. My very first solo trip with only travel photography in mind was to Istanbul. A city I had never visited, and had no knowledge of except for what I had read in guidebooks. I marveled at the incredibly beautiful majestic mosques such as Sultan Ahmet's answer to the Hagia Sophia, the Suleymaniye, the Yeni mosque,  the Eyup mosque and my favorite, Rüstem Pasa. I had become an "expert" in Ottoman architecture, and was utterly discomfited when no one in Istanbul understood me when asking directions, I'd pronounce "Camii", the Turkish word for mosque, as Kami instead of 'jami'.

And my best culinary experiences were its adana kepap, grilled hamsi, doner, lokum, Turkish coffee (I acquired a taste for this delightful sweet, as well as its bitter coffee in my native Egypt), and of course anything having pistachios in them.

Chiaroscuro | Vitùc

This is a gem.

I've posted a few times about Hipstamatic's new Tintype SnapPack...which consists of the Tinto 1884 Lens, a D-Type Plate Film and a C-Type Plate Film, and how much I liked it....and what I plan to do with it.

But Chiaroscuro, by the very talented Vitùc (who by the way, describes himsself as a passionate non-professional filmmaker) with his use of an iPhone and Hipstamatic App / Tinto 1848 + D-Type Plate, is taking this to new heights.

Hardly travel or documentary related, this is a time lapse of many frames made with the Tinto 1884 lens and the monochrome-ish D-type film. I read that Vitùc uses his iPhone to make almost 2500-3000 photographs and assembles them in a time-lapse to produce the kind of movie such Chiaroscuro.

2500-3000 Hipstamatic photographs! I've tried to sequentially shoot as many as photographs as possible using the same lens and film, and managed to squeeze about 8 or 9...and I then get a message that the "film" is rewinding....which probably means that the photographs are still being processed, and no more can be snapped until they're moved to the phone's camera roll.

Do watch it...it's less that two minutes, and will open up your lateral vision to what can be done with these apps...and with patience.

Myanmar | Patrik Wallner

Here's a extremely well filmed and intelligently produced short documentary on Myanmar by Patrik Wallner, a well known skateboard videographer, as well as a photographer, which ought to convince any remaining recalcitrant to visit this gorgeous country, and meet its lovely people, before the grip of Westernization takes hold and changes it forever.

The short movie capture beautiful scenes from the perspective of a hot air balloon, and from ground. I found the sequence with the captivating Bagan's temples to be the best.

I frequently dislike the musical soundtrack of such documentaries...sometimes added without regard to the ethnicity, culture and traditions of the country involved, however I think the soundtrack by Jean-Claude Vannier used on Myanmar is an excellent choice.

Some of Wallner's photographs of Myanmar are on this website. The Myanmar video can also be viewed on Vimeo.

Introducing The Digital "Wet Plates" Photo Gallery!

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
The Digital Wet Plates Gallery

I took advantage of the lull during the past few days to work on a personal (and fun) project I've been wanting to do for a while...and made some progress in it. .

I've been quite public with my recently found affection for the Hipstamatic's new Tintype SnapPack and it's accessory films, and if the weather hadn't been so cruelly cold in New York City, I would've indulged in much more street photography using this combo last week. I've also been very impressed with Alien Skin's Exposure 4, which allowed me to process some of my photographs to look like pseudo-Daguerreotypes or wet plate images. It was especially effective when I produced Hilltribes In The Mist; a multimedia piece featuring my photographs made in Vietnam's Sapa and Bac Ha regions.

So it was a natural progression to start The Digital Wet Plates; a new blog-based website of a collection of travel portraits I made during my numerous photo expeditions. Not all the travel portraits lend themselves well to being processed in that fashion, and it's hit and miss with many of them...so I have to process the photograph and then decide whether it looks authentic or not.

This gallery is far from being complete, and I'll go as far as possible in my inventory of photographs. I will eventually organize these portraits in pages according the regions.

Oh, and another thing...in a previous post I mentioned a company called PostalPix who fuses iPhone photographs on thin aluminum sheets of varying sizes, and I thought that it may duplicate not only the wet plate look, but also its feel. The company responded and sent me a discount coupon to try the service out. I emailed back the photograph of the Rebari Herdsman you see in this post, and we'll see what it looks and feels like when it's returned to me.

Note: I'm not compensated in any way by Alien Skinware, nor by PostalPix (except for the $15 coupon it sent me).