AmericanSuburb X
A fantastic amount of great photography
Wendy Kozol’s The War In-Between
2 weeks ago
Wednesday 3 February 2010
Monday 20 April 2009
Interview // Judith Burrows - her project
Judith Burrows is a portrait and documentary photographer.
She has done a documentary series about ’Les Amazones De Guinée’, a womens military band in Guinea.
In this interview she talks about how she researched and prepared for the shoot.
She has done a documentary series about ’Les Amazones De Guinée’, a womens military band in Guinea.
In this interview she talks about how she researched and prepared for the shoot.
Saturday 18 April 2009
Documentary // BBC Genius of Photography
I have to recommend this brilliant documentary series in six parts called
'The Genius of Photography' by BBC.
The series show the start of photography and how it evolved, war photography and commercial photography, photographic journeys, photographers potraying 'the home', the worth of photographs and the future for photography. It gives you an insight to a large amount of different photographers.
The documentary combines interviews, photographs and archive material in a well-composed way making it interesting all the way through. That's your PSB licence fee well spent !
Here are some clips from it on BBC's playlist on youtube.
'The Genius of Photography' by BBC.
The series show the start of photography and how it evolved, war photography and commercial photography, photographic journeys, photographers potraying 'the home', the worth of photographs and the future for photography. It gives you an insight to a large amount of different photographers.
The documentary combines interviews, photographs and archive material in a well-composed way making it interesting all the way through. That's your PSB licence fee well spent !
Here are some clips from it on BBC's playlist on youtube.
Is it real ? // Arthur Rothstein
In 1936 the American photographer Arthur Rothstein photographed a steer's skull lying on a cracked and waterless earth. It is taken during the depression in the 1930's where Rothstein was hired by FSA (Farm Security Administration) to photograph the state of the rural America. The photo is a famous symbol of the crisis in the agriculture at that time.
'The bleached skull of a steer on the dry sun-baked earth of the South Dakota Badlands'
Arthur Rothstein ©
But Rothstein took two photos of this skull and the other photo show the skull lying on a strecht of grass, a much less symbolially powerful place. Rothstein admitted to having moved the skull a few metres to obtain the more dramatic effect with the cracked, dry earth.
Opponents in the press and Congress seized on this to attack the agency's credibility, calling the picture a fake.
The interfearance of the photographer makes up the question of wether this is documentary photography or not. Rothstein wanted to give his picture a more debt when moving the object to a background that would have more affect on the viewer. By doing so, is he taking away the documentary aspect of his photo ?
His picture turns into his own opinion, even though all photos have a certain amount of the photographers opinion, and he choses how we should interpret the photo.
'The bleached skull of a steer on the dry sun-baked earth of the South Dakota Badlands'Arthur Rothstein ©
But Rothstein took two photos of this skull and the other photo show the skull lying on a strecht of grass, a much less symbolially powerful place. Rothstein admitted to having moved the skull a few metres to obtain the more dramatic effect with the cracked, dry earth.
Opponents in the press and Congress seized on this to attack the agency's credibility, calling the picture a fake.
The interfearance of the photographer makes up the question of wether this is documentary photography or not. Rothstein wanted to give his picture a more debt when moving the object to a background that would have more affect on the viewer. By doing so, is he taking away the documentary aspect of his photo ?
His picture turns into his own opinion, even though all photos have a certain amount of the photographers opinion, and he choses how we should interpret the photo.
War Photography today // James Nachtwey
"I have been a witness, and these pictures are
my testimony. The events I have recorded should
not be forgotten and must not be repeated."
-James Nachtwey-
El Salvador, 1984 - Army evacuated wounded soldiers from village football field.
Romania, 1990 - An orphan in an institution for "incurables
Rwanda, 1994 - Survivor of Hutu death camp.
© James Nachtwey
James Nachtwey b.1948 is an American war photographer. He has taken photographs in war zones in the Eastern Europe, The Middle-East, Asia, Africa and Northern Ireland. He has covered issues not only of war, but also of aids, famine, industrial pollution, crime, drugsmugling and 9/11.
(Photographs from James Nachtweys homepage)
Here is the trailer for the War Photographer documentary featuring James Nachtwey. It is directed by Christian Frei and received an Acadamy Award nomination for best documentary.
Here is a clip from the film:
As I imagine how it is like to be out there in the battlefield, I feel both a wish to do the same, to get out there and report on the evil of warfare, still at the same time I feel afraid of seeing people and places that I cannot help. Can a photography make a change ? Can it stop the war?
I do hope that it can be a part of it. It seems as the world will never be free of wars, but the images from the wars show us what is really happening out there. That we must never forget how horrible it is and do everything we can to stop it.
my testimony. The events I have recorded should
not be forgotten and must not be repeated."
-James Nachtwey-
El Salvador, 1984 - Army evacuated wounded soldiers from village football field.
Romania, 1990 - An orphan in an institution for "incurables
Rwanda, 1994 - Survivor of Hutu death camp.© James Nachtwey
James Nachtwey b.1948 is an American war photographer. He has taken photographs in war zones in the Eastern Europe, The Middle-East, Asia, Africa and Northern Ireland. He has covered issues not only of war, but also of aids, famine, industrial pollution, crime, drugsmugling and 9/11.
(Photographs from James Nachtweys homepage)
Here is the trailer for the War Photographer documentary featuring James Nachtwey. It is directed by Christian Frei and received an Acadamy Award nomination for best documentary.
Here is a clip from the film:
As I imagine how it is like to be out there in the battlefield, I feel both a wish to do the same, to get out there and report on the evil of warfare, still at the same time I feel afraid of seeing people and places that I cannot help. Can a photography make a change ? Can it stop the war?
I do hope that it can be a part of it. It seems as the world will never be free of wars, but the images from the wars show us what is really happening out there. That we must never forget how horrible it is and do everything we can to stop it.
Doc Photo Magazine // 8 Magazine
Eight Magazine is a photography magazine feauring photojournalism, focusing mostly on independent reporting. The magazine has photo stories and features by some of the world's leading photography talent, together with essays and columns by established writers.
Here is their blog / FOTO8
My photo projects // Two sisters in East London
One assignment in my documentary photography class was to take a black and white portrait and we had to choose a black and white portrait that we would base our picture on.
I choose Diane Arbus as my inspiration for the shoot. I like how she shows a lot in frame and how these wide shots of people tell so much about who they are.
'Jane Jacobs with her son, Ned'
This is my picture where I try to use Arbus's style to fill the frame with information.
'Two sisters in East London'
If you want to see it in a larger version, click here
The two women are sisters. They grew up in East-London and have lived there all their lives. For the last 50 years they have been living next to each other. They are in their 80s.
I choose Diane Arbus as my inspiration for the shoot. I like how she shows a lot in frame and how these wide shots of people tell so much about who they are.
'Jane Jacobs with her son, Ned'This is my picture where I try to use Arbus's style to fill the frame with information.
'Two sisters in East London'
If you want to see it in a larger version, click here
The two women are sisters. They grew up in East-London and have lived there all their lives. For the last 50 years they have been living next to each other. They are in their 80s.
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