Undocumented Illegal Aliens & The Republican Party Campaign Ads. (via Clean Living Under Difficult Circumstances.)

What happens when your images are used out of context?

    About 6.30 this morning, a series of persistent pings on my iphone woke me up. It was  half a dozen emails from friends in America every one of which had a link attached. Each link took me to a different website but it was the same story each time. One of the e-mails was from Sanji … Read More

via Clean Living Under Difficult Circumstances.

The bloke from Visa – ‘Let them eat cake.’

This one has been sitting un-published for a while, so apologies for it being rather behind the curve of trending topics.

As photographers we all know the AFP/Morel situation to be completely reprehensible and that we all hope (and need for the sakes of the industry and common sense) for said photographer to win his case against the agency, lets face it photojournalism is in a state of flux with some of the oddness enveloping it,

What really narked me about the situation were the comments made by the organiser of Visa Pour l’Image, a certain Jean François Leroy.  Visa is seen by most as the world’s premier photojournalism festival so you would think that his thoughts would reflect the industry and those within it? Right?  Oh no!

Leroy has decreed (in an interview with the BJP) that he does not support Morel, in fact this mess is all Morel’s fault!  That we, as photographers, should not be using the likes of Twitpic and flickr to post our work online.

In a strange twist, within the same article Leroy also professes to fighting for the rights of photographers for 30 years.  Of course, as with all human beans, he is titled to his own opinion, but good grief what a backward opinion it is.

In a world where the internet must now dominate business plans and marketing strategies for anyone working in the photographic world his comments sound like that of someone who really isn’t living in the real world.  Does he realise how much of a struggling industry his own beloved photojournalism inhabits?  Social media and all it’s nuances are a part of the world, they are there to be used as extended marketing tools beyond those traditional types previously used, ignoring that and saying that photographer should not use them is burying your head in the sand and trying to wish away the effect the internet has had on our industry.

All of us need to get as much exposure as possible, we need to get ourselves out there, showing the world we are creating new and interesting content, hopefully steering potential clients and viewers to our work and if that includes throwing that amazing picture onto the internet via social media we should be safe in the knowledge that the media industry will respect our rights (just as we try to respect theirs).

In some ways Leroy’s comments are along the same lines as the supposed quote by Marie-Antoinette, who upon hearing that the peasants were starving uttered the now famous words, “Let them eat cake.” One could suggest that Jean François is as out of touch with the very photographers and industry he professes to champion, just as the Marie-Antoinette was with the French population she ruled over.

Maybe Jean François is happy, he is, after all, the organiser of the worlds largest photojournalism festival, but maybe, just maybe he should step outside his Ivory Darkroom and sniff the same realistic air that we all breath, day in, day out and have look at what’s really going outside.

Your mum

So, this is a rather self indulgent rambling ‘what’s going on’ post, to get me back into the blogging thing, so lets get on with it and get it out of the way!

I’ve now been a smelly sightly and old mature student* for one full academic year.  It seems to have flown by at a rate of knots!

With the course not living up to my expectations in content and the location being far from ideal I am now no longer a student at Newtown University, instead I have transferred to the university in London where I wanted to be last year.
Obviously this didn’t go down well with the course director at Newtown who became rather derogatory during a chat about my intentions.**

But really that’s quite enough on Newtown Uni, it would be quite easy for me to go further, but I shall resist the urge.  As a whole it’s been a quite pleasant experience and a gentle easing in to the ways of higher education***; as such I present to you a quick list of nonsensical drivel that I’ve picked up over the year:

• Ethics, although a hot topic, is not always understood, some students on the course felt that staging a picture (Capa’s Fallen Soldier was used as an example) to signify something that happened is viable as photojournalism.
• Before I went to university I didn’t understand the significance of the word ‘procrastination’ I now realise that most students can, and will, procrastinate at levels that may yet see it introduced as an Olympic sport.
• Students prefer the Unknown Snapper to smoke. The Unknown Snapper is apparently very grumpy when giving up smoking and his sense of humour becomes even more irreverent.
• Burning out the capacitor on Elinchrome lighting when continually shooting bursts of images and will mean that the technician in the stores refuses to speak to you for at least two weeks.
• Nothing of any newsworthy value happens in the area around Newtown. Ever.
• When something is referred to as ‘sick’ does not mean that it is unwell, and suggesting that someone should get well soon will be met with smirks.
• Students will leave everything to the last minute and will expect Photobox to process their order, print and deliver the results ready for a hand in on a Monday morning; even though they only finished editing their images at 12pm on a Saturday afternoon.
• The day you get a call asking you to trot to somewhere to take some pictures will be the day you have a module hand-in.
• Some students can and will try to spend a whole year taking photo stories, essays and projects that involve nothing more than family and close friends.

Stoodents; there's always one...

• When someone asks you, “What’s Normal Exposure? It’s f8 right?” I should hold my tongue and walk away, quickly.
• In the same vein, I should also walk away when a student asks, “Does this printer print landscape pictures too?”****
• The glasses needed to watch Avatar in 3D only have two purposes a) to give you a raging headache over the duration of the movie and b) to make everyone look like Joe 90.
• Some photography students really don’t know who Don McCullin is.
• When asked for an opinion on an image of Hilary Clinton, and not really paying attention to a lesson, it is a faux pas for me to suggest that she is a MILF to deflect the question, no matter how bad I think the picture is.
• Students will moan about having no money, but will then say that they don’t need/want to get a job.
• Saying, “Your mum.” will instantly win any argument.  Knowing how to say it in another language is, apparently, even better.

Next!

Right now I’m back in ‘good old’ Pantsville, I’ve a few weeks of preparation (and some shoots) to get on with before I can move down to London and start university take 2.  I’ll spare you the details, but, please, stay tuned!

*Honestly, not only was I tagged on facebook in pictures as ‘a pensioner at uni’, but I was also mistaken for a tutor on several occasions.  Including once, when I was talking a few students through workflow in the library, where someone thought I was taking a lecture…

**Apparently I have never taken a good picture.  Ever.  This was said despite him not actually interviewing me for my place on the course and not actually seeing any of my work from outside the course (apart from six images in a presentation that he praised).

***Yup, my first essay in 15 years was a shocking piece of work – just as this post is!

****I’d forgotten about this one, but had my memory jogged by someone during a recent conversation (many thanks Lego Head!)

New start – new blog

So, the posts have been migrated, the widgets installed, I’m slowly settling into the new unknown snapper blog on wordpress and it’s not actually that bad, I’m now wondering why I chose to use blogspot to start off with.

With much going on I hope to start posting bits and bobs very soon.

P.S. I know that the change seems like a dose of overkill for the sake of just two readers, but I just thought it would be easier for you to read; you’re both getting on and black on white is probably easier for you to handle…

Don Who?

Even though I’ve been doing my best to become a recluse and hide away from the world in my shoebox type room in Newtown, somehow I’ve managed to get out and about for once!

The other week I jumped on a coach full of (mostly) not so eager uni students making their way to the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester to visit the eagerly awaited (by me anyway) Don McCullin exhibition*.

It was my first time visiting IWMN and as we pulled up I was surprised at the architecture of the building**. For some reason someone seems to have decided that a museum dedicated to allowing present and future generations the chance to understand war and it’s ramifications within an avant-garde monstrosity! Listening to a quick introduction from a museum representative, she explained that the architect had taken his inspiration from a broken teapot, that the ‘shards’ were there to represent conflict in the air, on the ground and at sea. It was also mentioned that the space inside of the museum was designed to disorientate and confuse the visitor, making them understand more about the ‘chaos of war etc etc etc’.

What a bunch of balls! The majority of the visitors will not bother to check why the building was deigned the was it was, nor will they understand about the building’s chaotic nature and the parallels supposedly drawn with chaotic nature of war… If anything the way the building is set out and the non-linear nature if the main exhibition hall will put people off and detract from the museum’s intentions. I can understand the concept, but it goes way over the head of most (including a lot of the students)***.

The exhibition itself was absolutely brilliant; each section had a filmed piece with Don McCullin talking about that relevant period in his life and enough text to keep even the most avid bookworm’s attention. Visually the exhibition consisted of intricately printed black and white images, punctuated every so often by large light box lit images. Also present were the paraphernalia associated with such a long career in photography, showing his helmet, boots, passports and the Nikon F that caught a bullet in Cambodia.

Though in mostly chronological order, the museum really doesn’t lend itself to displaying imagery of this type****. It felt as if the earlier years (The Guvnors, Vietnam, el Salvador etc) languished with room to spare, whilst the photographers later work (including his landscapes and still life imagery) were packed in at the end, this led to the feeling that the museum was only really interested in his formative years, packing the newer work in on a whim. Obviously this should definitely not be the case, all of Don McCullin’s work is important, it shows the path he has taken through life as well as the way he tries to deal with his demons; surely every aspect of the exhibition is important?

That aside, the exhibition was absolutely brilliant, to be able to view McCullin prints at length and at that size was such an amazing opportunity; well worth the trip ‘oop north’ and I urge anyone with an interest within photojournalism to get their arses up there.

*To set the scene, before the trip various videos and bits of documentary footage had been presented to the class, to allow them to know a little bit more about one of my favourite photojournalists. Before playing the first documentary, one of the tutors asked who hadn’t heard of Don McCullin, his jaw dropped when two students put their hands up (they may not have been the only ones, the class can be a bit hesitant to express anything approaching an opinion at times).

**Someone said it looked like one of the alien ships from Independence Day; I have to say I agree!

***OK apologies for this rather long piece of procrastination. I have to admit that after smoking for many years I’m doing my damnest to give up… unfortunately this has the effect that it makes me rather odd(er than normal) and prone to going off on more tangents than usual…

****Point to note, low lighting, lightbox images and reflective glass in frames are NOT a good combination… bit of an amateur mistake!

Few interesting links:
More on the show from the Guardian
Don McCullin talking about his photography (also from the Guardian)
Interview with Don McCullin on the BBC website
Audio-Visual show (again BBC) with images and the photographer talking about his work

Photographer, NOT a terrorist

Honestly, I am!

As per a couple of my older posts, the photographic world is still dealing with the lovely piece of legislation that is section 44 of the prevention of terrorism act, much ‘fun’ has ensued over the past months with photographers getting detained and arrested (and even a film crew covering the story of a photographer being detained!).

Despite numerous triumphs of common sense, wandering around taking pictures is still perceived by those who honestly should know better as a more than slightly dodgy thing to do (yes you’d probably still get pinged as carrying out a hostile reconnaissance if you put down a tripod, metered for the the light conditions and start kerchunking away with an 5×4 piece of photographic antiquity).

As such (and it’s been going a while now – better late than never on my part I suppose) a campaign called I’m a Photographer, not a Terrorist (PHNAT) has been set up to enable photographers to work together and combat the ongoing attack on, what is already, an industry with enough problems.

With quite a bit of useful information on their site, including a bust card detailing your rights as a photographer if you are subject to stop and search under section 44, a map showing places where photography is likely to be a problem and even an online shop where you can buy some very fetching I’m a Photographer, not a Terrorist branded clobber.

As part of the campaign a mass photo gathering has been set up to take place in Trafalgar Square at 12pm on Saturday 23rd of Jan; so far, according to the facebook event 1,050 people have expressed an interest in being there, including yours truly.

Supporting this campaign is extremely important, whether a photographer or not. I’m not one to harp on about civil liberties, usually I like to remain detached so I can look at things in an objective light, but we should all be doing our best to ensure that something gets done about a rather stupid piece of legislation that effects us all, from the tourist with the point and shoot, right up to the professional photographer working on assignment.

You can also find PHNAT on facebook.
Or keep up to date with the latest news via the @phnat Twitter stream.

If you’re there, maybe you can find the unknown snapper (play spot the bloke with a paper bag on his head)?

Quick post – first of 2010

Happy New Year to both of you!

A very quick post, I’m up to my eyeballs in university work for the next two weeks, but have some bits and bobs lined up to post after.

Just found a video I’d been looking for for some time, but somehow managed to miss on Google.

New York Times photojournalist Tyler Hicks files from southern Afghanistan (link to video is below the paragraph).

Filmed by Prof. Bill Gentile, the 13 min piece of video shows how Tyler Hicks files his images back to the US from Afghanistan in very basic conditions. A very informative piece that’s well worth a watch.