“This is war”, the legacy of Gerda Taro

Gerda Taro by Robert Capa

In 1933, the photographer then known as Andre Friedman met Polish photographer Gerda Taro in Paris. They created the identity of American photographer “Robert Capa,” and sold Friedman’s work under that name. The newly-created Capa travelled to Madrid to cover the Spanish Civil war in 1935, and took this photograph of Taro during the battle of Brunete in 1936. Taro was killed in Madrid on July 25, 1937.

Interesting article in the New York Times on the exhibition at the International Center of Photography [New York City] of the work and life of Gerda Taro, photographer and partner of Endre Ernö Friedmann [Robert Capa], that has on her the credit to “create” the name that will become a historic figure in photojournalism, Robert Capa. On her own, she had a short career that consisted almost exclusively of dramatic photographs from the front lines of the Spanish Civil War, becoming a casualty of war during the conflict.

She died on 27 July 1937, the day after being severely wounded on the front, when a Republican tank collided with her car during the retreat from the Battle of Brunete. On August 1, on what would have been her 27th birthday, the French Communist party gave her a grand funeral in Paris and buried her at Le Père Lachaise Cemetery.

Born Gerta Pohorylle in Stuttgart in 1910, she left Germany in 1933 after being held in custody for associating with anti-Nazi activists. In Paris she met Capa, born Endre Friedmann in Hungary but calling himself André after moving to Paris (by way of Berlin). In spring 1936 the pair invented the persona of Robert Capa, whom they promoted as a “famous American photographer,” and she changed her name to Gerda Taro. Driven as much by political sympathy as by photographic ambition, they traveled south in August of that year to cover the Spanish Civil War for Vu magazine. – from the New York Times.

Gerda Taro. Photographer unknown.

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Angela Strassheim

© Angela Strassheim

From forensic photography to fine art. Angela Strassheim has developed a style remarkably original in its obsessively careful compositions and lighting, in its uncanny sharpness . Angela Strassheim grew up in a family of ‘born-again’ Christians, who came to their present faith as the result of a conversion experience after childhood. With the series Left Behind (2005, book) she examines the world of these Christians. You can hear the photographer speak about this work.

“I learned to pay attention to detail through that job, like how you have to consider the entire frame, how something that’s way off in the back corner–it’s still part of the image. If this goes to court you can’t have a person back there, you can’t have a bloody knife in the background. So I think it was just learning to pay attention to the entire frame and the composition that you’re looking at.” – Angela Strassheim

© Angela Strassheim

© Angela Strassheim

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“The cult of Leica”

Henri Cartier-Bresson behind the Leica

Interesting reading in the last New Yorker issue about the legacy of Leica.

Reading this article made me think about the new digital cameras. It is a matter of fact that we move beyond pure mechanics into electronics, from analogue to digital, so I keep wondering if this generation in photography will be able to make enduring cameras. Difficult to be sure, but given that today’s leading cameras become obsolete in 4-5 years time frame, it is difficult to foresee a lasting camera in the future. Will there ever be a Leica series M in the digital era?

I have never abandoned the Leica, anything different that I have tried has always brought me back to it. I am not saying this is the case for others. But as far as I am concerned it is the camera. It literally constitutes the optical extension of my eye. –Cartier-Bresson

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Red de Leon

I like the simplicity of the work of Red de Leon.

© Red de Leon

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Good morning. Have breakfast?

© John Huck

Via Photojojo I found the work “Breakfast Project “by Californian photographer John Huck. John Huck documents the eating habits of more than 100 of his friends by taking pictures of both them and their breakfast at the start of the day. Happy breakfast!

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A grant/stipend and a unique workshop offered by David Alan Harvey

I thought some of you may be interested in knowing that iconic Magnum photographer, David Alan Harvey, is offering a grant/stipend of $5000 (US dollars) to an “exceptional” photographer to help support their personal work.

I announce now, to the readers of this forum [Road Trip], the offering of a $5,000. (u.s. dollars) stipend/grant for one exceptional photographer to help support their personal work…..this will be based on the photographs being sent to me now…. the deadline for sending work will now be extended to November 15, 2007….this will be based entirely on work produced between July 15, 2007 and the closing date…..the stipend will be awarded by December 15, 2007…Merry Christmas!! (David Alan Harvey).

David has become a very active blogger, running a number of blogs related with his work and photography (Road Trip, Workshops, Work in Progress, and Family/Friends). No only his blogs are a source of knowledge and inspiration, but they have created a community that is driving his interest in creating a non-profit fund to help young photographers execute their dream personal work. Good luck to you if you decide to submit your work!

as you know, i am in the process of creating a non-profit fund so that i can provide funding for some of you to go out and do the work you love….so, this symbolic stipend is coming backwards from the way i eventually want to work…this stipend is coming at the end for many of your projects, rather than at the beginning…but, i just wanted to do something now…it just feels right, that’s all… (read more at David’s blog).

If this is not enough, David is teaching a workshop in Bangkok with another legendary photographer, James Nachtwey, between November 24th to November 30th, 2007. Quite a unique opportunity to learn/work with two of the best documentary photographers of our time.

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Genuine portraits by James Frank Tribble and Tracey Frances Mancenido

© Tribble & Mancenido

Recently I had the opportunity to learn about the work of two photographers, James Frank Tribble and Tracey Frances Mancenido-Tribble and I have to confess that I am very impressed about the genuine portraits shown in their portfolios. These portraits are somehow raw but in a way they show the people with a depth of sincerity that usually you can’t find in portrait photography. They have a very well designed website where you can enjoy their work and their very interesting and creative BIO. Both James Frank and Tracey Frances are married and work together as a duo, alternating the role of assistant and photographer depending on the level of comfort of the subject :

We do work together and are a married photo duo. All of the work on the site are personal projects we have been working on. When it comes to our process and the question of authorship’s, we find that shooting in tandem further enhances both our artistic and creative outlets while helping us engage more with our sitters. Every shoot without fail a sitter is drawn and more comfortable with one of us, and we use that as best as we can to capture what we see as well as put the model at ease and more comfortable with our presence. The sitters generally have never had a formal portrait taken and pretty sure never had two cameras pointing at them at one time. It’s more than a rewarding pleasure to work with your partner.

© Tribble & Mancenido

Their personal projects are very much driven by their curiosity to learn about people:

Our curiosity of people drives us to create portraits as a collective glimpse of where we live. During moments of passing and obligation do we find inspiration in our subjects. These images are an extension of the only time we manage to share together, working different schedules while fulfilling our desire to create work as our own routine. They are portraits of strangers, co-workers, passerby and friends. As an ephemeral survey of our daily encounters, we hope to stir the same familiarity and curiosity for one another and influence similar moments of friendship.

© Tribble & Mancenido

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Noor, a new photo agency. Telling what happens in the world, no matter how depressing it is.

 

by Jordi Bieber (Agency Noor)

Nine renowned photojournalists have created a new photo agency called Noor. The mission: to tell what happens in the world no matter the restrictions for publications no matter how how hard it is to learn about it. It is refreshing to see that these values lead the work of photojournalism.

Noor is: Samantha Appleton (United States), Jodi Bieber (South Africa), Philip Blenkinsop (Australia), Pep Bonet (Spain), Jan Grarup (Denmark), Stanley Greene (United States), Yuri Kozyrev (Russia), Kadir van Lohuizen (The Netherlands) and Francesco Zizola (Italy)

As a collective with a non-profit arm, Noor has high ambitions. Its members hope the arrangement will give them time and freedom to tell important international stories, work on collaborative projects, explore non-traditional avenues of funding, and get the work seen – beyond the constraints of magazine assignments.

But following a gory, despair-laden presentation of previous work by its members, the agency was already fielding questions about whether it can find a market for this intense – and intensely depressing – storytelling.

“We don’t apologize for ruining your day and making you think hard about things,” said Noor photographer Samantha Appleton, answering the complaints about the presentation. “Some people probably will have a problem with that, and those are the people we’re trying to reach the most.” – from PDN online

Samantha Appleton (USA, 1975): Samantha Appleton has worked on self-motivated projects primarily in the Middle East and Africa, and on migrant workers in North and Central America. Samantha participated in the
2005 World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass, was one of the “30 Under 30” photographers featured in Photo District News and has won a first place award for feature photography from “Pictures of the Year”. Her two main clients are Time magazine and The New Yorker. Samantha resides in Portland (Maine) and New York.

Jodi Bieber (South Africa, 1966) – Jodi is best known for her body of work on the youth living on the fringe of society in her own country, South Africa, and her recently published book featuring this project, Between Dogs and Wolves – Growing up with South Africa. She has also worked extensively in other parts of the world. Jodi has won eight World Press Photo Awards, lectured in photography and participated in exhibitions internationally. Jodi is based in Johannesburg.

Philip Blenkinsop (Australia, 1965) – Since arriving in Asia in 1989, Philip’s name has become synonymous with forgotten conflicts. From weeks spent traversing the mountains of East Timor with Falintil
guerrillas, to tribal war and cannibalism in Borneo, to the tragic plight of Hmong Veterans and their families lost deep in the heart of Laos’ forbidden zone. Philip’s most recent reports have been with the New People’s Army in the Southern Philippines and Thailand’s Southern insurgency. When not in the field, Philip resides in Bangkok.

Pep Bonet (Spain, 1974) – Pep’s work focuses on African issues and long-term projects. His work on social issues such as HIV/AIDS has led to two photography books and 35 exhibitions worldwide. His most known work is “Faith in Chaos”, an ongoing photo essay on the aftermath of the war in Sierra Leone. Pep is currently finishing a project on Somalia. He was the 2005 winner of the Eugene Smith Humanistic Grant, in addition to other international grants and prizes. Pep lives in Mallorca.

Jan Grarup (Denmark, 1968) – Over the last 18 years, Jan has traveled the world documenting many of the defining moments of history. From the fall of the communist regime in Romania to the current occupation of Iraq, he has covered numerous wars and conflicts, including the genocide in Rwanda. He has documented daily life on both sides of the intifada with his stories “The boys from Ramallah” and “The boys from Hebron”. In 2006 he published the book Shadowland. Jan is a recipient of numerous awards and resides in Copenhagen.

Stanley Greene (USA, 1949)– Stanley Greene has worked extensively all over the world. His most well-known body of work is his coverage of the war in Chechnya. He is a recipient of the Eugene Smith Humanistic Grant and numerous other awards. Stanley is based in Paris and New York.

Yuri Kozyrev (Russia, 1963) – Yuri has been a photographer for the last twenty years. He has covered conflicts in the former Soviet Union, the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and has lived and worked most of the past five years in Iraq, working for Time magazine. He has received the International Center of Photography’s Infinity Award, as well as the
Olivier Rebbot Award for best magazine story. Yuri is based in Bagdad and Moscow.

Kadir van Lohuizen (Netherlands, 1963) – Kadir has covered conflicts in Africa and elsewhere, but is probably best known for his projects on seven rivers of the world and the diamond industry. He has received numerous prizes, including two World Press Photo awards. He has twice been a World Press Photo Contest jury member, and has published four photo books. Kadir is based in Amsterdam and New York.

Francesco Zizola (Italy, 1962) – Francesco has photographed the world’s major conflicts and its hidden crises. His latest book “Iraq” published with Amnesty International (2007), document the beginning of Iraq II, a never ending war – a war without witnesses, a war which has become off limits for photographers. His book, Born Somewhere (2004), was the result of 13 years covering the situation of children around the world in 28 countries. His book, Born Somewhere (2004) was the result of 13 years covering the situation of children in 28 countries around the world. He has received numerous international awards and prizes, including, the World Press Photo of the Year in 1996, documenting the tragedy of land mines in Angola, seven World Press Photo awards and four Pictures of the Year Awards. Francesco lives in Rome.

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Getty Images: Winners of 2007 Grants for Editorial Photography

Telling a story with images. The work of the three winners of the Getty Images Grants for Editorial Photography in 2007: Jonathan Lowenstein (Chicago, USA), Jonathan Torgovnik (New York City, USA) and Leo Maguire (Bristol, England, UK). Each will receive financial and editorial support enabling them to pursue new documentary photography projects. The photographers received the grants Thursday at the Visa pour l’Image festival. Besides the winning projects the three photographers have excellent websites displaying a broader range of their excellent work.

©Jonathan Lowenstein

“Shadow Lives USA” by Jonathan Lowenstein. Documenting six different issues facing those trying to enter the United States across the US-Mexico border. In a highly polarized environment, Lowenstein proposes that it is crucial to insert nuanced and sensitive depictions of undocumented workers’ experiences into the debate about US immigration policy. His extensive travel and long-term commitment to document the plight of illegal immigrants, enable him to build lasting connections with the men and women who reside in the shadows of US society. He plans to complete the project by June of 2008 with the help of his Getty Images Grant for Editorial Photography.

© Leo Maguire

“Lords of the Lane” by Leo Maguire. The documentary will focus on the world of Gypsy bare-knuckle fighters in England. His Getty Images Grant for Editorial Photography enables him to examine the romance and tradition of a culture based on brutal values, where fighters would rather die than lose face or money. Maguire will explore the pressure these fighters experience to stay on top, how they maintain their entourage and interact with family, lovers and more traditional society. Their scene includes dog fighting, hare coursing, drinking and betting, providing opportunity to document exotic and unique experiences found literally in the photographer’s backyard.

© Jonathan Torgovnik

“Intended Consequences” by Jonathan Torgovnik. The photographer seeks to follow 50 women who were raped during the Rwandan genocide 13 years ago, and who have children as a result. Torgovnik will build his project largely through a series of narratives constructed from environmental portraits, audio interviews and textual reflections. He plans to use his Getty Images Grant for Editorial Photography to photograph and interview survivors and their children, and to use his images to create a social justice campaign aimed toward international advocacy efforts. Especially now, as history repeats itself in the Darfur region in Sudan, Torgovnik feels strongly that these Rwandan voices must be heard and that the victims and survivors of that genocide are never forgotten.

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The Fine Art of Hiroshi Sugimoto

Hiroshi Sugimoto is one of the pioneers of fine art photography in the 1070s. You can see several interesting videos and interviews with Sugimoto during his visit to the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts. I like specially his series of architecture and seascapes.

 

by Hiroshi Sugimoto from the series “Seascapes”

One New York night in 1980, during another of my internal question-and-answer sessions, I asked myself, “Can someone today view a scene just as primitive man might have?” The images that came to mind were of Mount Fuji and the Nachi Waterfall in ages past. A hundred thousand or a million years ago would Mount Fuji have looked so very different than it does today? I pictured two great mountains; one, today’s Mount Fuji, and the other, Mount Hakone in the days before its summit collapsed, creating the Ashinoko crater lake. When hiking up from the foothills of Hakone, one would see a second freestanding peak as tall as Mount Fuji. Two rivals in height—what a magnificent sight that must have been! Unfortunately, the topography has changed. Although the land is forever changing its form, the sea, I thought, is immutable. Thus began my travels back through time to the ancient seas of the world.-Hiroshi Sugimoto

by Hiroshi Sugimoto from the series “Architecture”

Early-twentieth century Modernism greatly transformed our lives, liberating the human spirit from untold decoration. No longer needing to draw attention from God, all aristocratic attempts at ostentation have fallen away. At last we avail ourselves of mechanical aids far beyond our human powers, attaining the freedom to shape things at will. I decided to trace the beginnings of our age via architecture. Pushing my old large-format camera’s focal length out to twice-infinity—with no stops on the bellows rail, the view through the lens was an utter blur—I discovered that superlative architecture survives, however dissolved, the onslaught of blurred photography. Thus I began erosion-testing architecture for durability, completely melting away many of the buildings in the process.- Hiroshi Sugimoto

Below there there are also a couple of interesting video interviews with the artist revieweing his carrer and his views of art.

 

 

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Lori Nix Photography

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Some photographers like to invent reality to the extreme of building it in the studio. It looks to me like a mix of cinematography and photography combined. Lori Nix makes her own reality, an artist who bends the line between truth and illusion in her photographs. The video clip from Cool Hunting shows a tour of her studio.

I was doing room–sized installations when I was in grad school. Once I left grad school and lost my studio space, I was living in a small attic apartment so I started working on table–top models. It was something that I could do in my little attic. I kind of wanted to explore my childhood of growing up in Kansas, but didn’t necessarily want to travel to Kansas. I’m not the kind of person who likes to drive around and photograph. I’m much more hands on. So I decided to recreate certain aspects of my childhood that I remembered (actually kind of fondly) that were natural disasters—like tornadoes and the insect infestations. – Lori Nix

 

by Lori Nix

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