Ed Kashi At The World Financial Center

Photo © Ed Kashi-All Rights Reserved

Purely by happenstance, I stumbled on Ed Kashi's two exhibitions at the World Financial Center Courtyard Gallery. Ed's large photographs of his work Madagascar (in color) and Aging In America (black & white) were hung in two connected galleries on the second floor of the magnificent building in NYC's Battery Park. The exhibits are free to the public, and are sponsored by American Express and a bunch of the financial institutions.

Leaving aside Aging In America (a social issue not within this blog's purview), I liked a number of photographs in the Madagascar exhibit which "delves into environmental concerns, documenting the delicate balance between economic development and ecological preservation in the lush island nation."

The one photograph that appealed to me the most is the one illustrating this post. Its many layers and shadow are framed just perfectly. It's of a water collection point on the island. Another one (I couldn't find it on Ed's website) is of a banana stand; the fruit protected by an umbrella, and a woman vendor in a flowery dress.

Ed Kashi is a well known photojournalist, who's represented by VII. He's been recognized for his complex imagery and its compelling rendering of the human condition.

Foundry Photojournalism Workshop: 3 For 2

Seriously...I don't know what anyone is waiting for...Foundry Photojournalism Workshops are extending its "three-for-two" deal until May 15th.

As announced by Eric Beecroft, the rules are:

1. Deal is good now thru May 15, 2011.
2. You get THREE FULL TUITIONS/student slots for the PRICE OF TWO.
3. You MUST have three persons sign up together.
4. You must pay for the two at the same time, via PAYPAL (preferred) or Western Union.
5. Latin American Tuition- $950 for 3 students (instead of $1425).
6. All other students- $1950 for 3 students (instead of $2925).
NO MIXING AND MATCHING- locals sign up with locals only, non locals with non locals.
7. We need all three person’s NAMES and EMAIL ADDRESSES to get you registered- send them with payment, at the SAME TIME.
8. If you like, you can use The Foundry's Facebook Page to make a request to find partners to get this deal.

Zite: An iPad App

Having noticed that a fair chunk of visits to The Travel Photographer blog come from a Zite.com source, I looked it up and discovered that it's a free new iPad app called Zite, a personalized magazine that accurately targets your reading preferences.

I tried it yesterday, and I'm quite impressed with it. I chose Photography and Photojournalism as two of my sections on it, and it pulled out some interesting articles from a variety of source...including from The Travel Photographer blog. In fact, a bunch of my recent posts appear under both the Photography and Photojournalism sections...and this one will probably make it as well.

Here's a review on the Wall Street Journal.

ps. I have no connection with Zite. It's just an app that I happen to like.

Kickstart Trunk Magazine!

Trunk Magazine is a travel magazine that has launched its first issue in November 2010. While its founders are pursuing the capital required to sustain Trunk indefinitely, it requires funding to publish its next issue, Fall 2011, and needs help help to do so, and maintain the momentum of the first issue which is available through Barnes & Noble..

Kickstarter has listed it to expand its funding reach as widely as possible. It has a funding goal of $85,000 to reach by May 14, 2011.

I thought of giving Trunk some space of The Travel Photographer blog as it's a travel magazine, and should it publish successfully, it will provide an additional avenue for travel photographers to sell their work....and boy, do we need it! So if the concept appeals to you, drop by Trunk's Kickstarter page, and make your pledge.

David Cicconi is the founder, publisher, and creative director of Trunk. Previously, he was the photo director at Travel + Leisure.

The Revolution Thru The Lens of Fady Ezzet, An Egyptian Photojournalist

I've featured the work of young Egyptian photojournalists working for the local newspapers, who not only documented the Tahrir uprisings, but who also participated in the revolution.

For why I'm doing this, you can read my earlier post The Revolution...This Time Through The Lenses Of Home-Grown Egyptian Photojournalists.

This is the fourth and last part in the series, and is the work of Fady Ezzet, an Egyptian photojournalist who also works for El Shorouk Newspaper. He graduated from Cairo University, and is a full time photojournalist.

Having followed the series, I noticed that Fady's images are more in the thick of violence than the others. I presume being a male allowed him to take more risks than the other three women.

For each slideshow in the series, I chose the popular "Enta Omri" or "You Are My Life" from the repertory of the legendary Um Kulthum, the Egyptian singer who was the incomparable voice of her country. I owe the idea to a wonderful multimedia essay titled Spring by Shirin Neshat in the New York Times, who also used it as a metaphor for the revolution.

My Work: The Possessed of Hazrat Mira Datar

The most powerful and challenging traditional rituals I've experienced in India are the exorcisms and trances that frequently occur in its Sufi shrines. This is by far the most emotionally draining project I've undertaken so far...photographing it, editing it and producing it.

The Possessed of Hazrat Mira Datar is an audio slideshow of stills, movie clips and audio made during my during my recently completed In Search of the Sufis of Gujarat Photo Expedition™ when I visited this Sufi saint's shrine near Unawa in Gujarat.

I've always been interested in, and drawn to, India's multi-layered religious-cultural identities. Sufism "walked" into the sub-continent from Iran and Afghanistan, and wherever the Sufi acetic teachers lived and died, shrines were built to commemorate their teachings, deeds and legacy. They eventually became saints, or pirs as they're called in the subcontinent. It is at one of these shrines that The Possessed of Hazrat Mira Datar was made.

For those who don't mind reading, a journal/blog accompanies the audio slideshow and has more photographs (in color this time). It was a difficult decision as to whether color or black & white would be more appropriate for this project, and in the end I decided to use both, but separately. I think I was right.

My Work: The NYC Piano Guy & His Fan

M9/Elmarit 28mm-Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

The "Piano Guy" of New York City was giving a performance in Washington Square a few days ago, and I photographed him entertaining a lady fan. She was standing there enjoying the music for perhaps more than 10 minutes, while he was banging away at the keys. No, she's not his mother. Click the picture to enlarge it.

The piano player is quite a fixture in some of New York City's parks and squares. He's been seen in Union Square, Father Demo Square, and now Washington Square. He's been featured in The New York Times in an August 30, 2008 article titled "The Real Piano Man".

His name is Colin Huggins, and he's a classically trained pianist. New Yorkers know him as "the piano guy". He uses four well-used pianos, which he keeps in storage units around the city. Each unit is close to a favored busking spot, and the pianos are moved on dollies. You can read the rest in the linked article.

Only in New York City!