The power of photography: time, mortality and memory

In the Guardian there is a really interesting article featuring a selection of artists, writers and photographers showing a photograph and talking about it’s importance and the importance of photography to them.

We take thousands of pictures nowadays, but do we still cherish them? We asked writers and artists, including Grayson Perry and Mary McCartney, to pick a shot they treasure – and tell us the role photography has played in their lives

Grayson Perry in his Camden squat in 1985, making a Super 8 film

When I was about five, my mother made a bonfire in the back garden and burned a suitcase full of family photos taken by my father. He had been a keen photographer with his own dark room. I don’t know why she burned them, but it coincided with them getting divorced and my stepfather moving in.


For the rest of my childhood, no one in the family possessed a camera, so I have very few photographs of myself before art college. Family snaps are somehow celebratory of the good times so there was little motivation to record our lives. As soon as I could afford it, I bought a clunky Russian Zenith SLR….read more of what Grayson Perry and the other contributors say here

The Guardian has followed up this article with a space where mere mortals can share their most important pictures,

Photography – share your most precious photo

Share with us your most memorable photograph with a line to tell us what or who we are looking at and why the image is so special to you

You can do that here

Pictures of the Week: April 29, 2013

From the Denver Post:

A Bangladeshi woman survivor is lifted out of the rubble by rescuers at the site of a building that collapsed Wednesday in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, April 25, 2013. By Monday, the death toll reached over 350 people as rescuers continued to search for injured and missing, after a huge section of an eight-story building that housed several garment factories splintered into a pile of concrete.

Honor guard stand in front of caskets prior to a memorial service for first responders who died in last week’s fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, Thursday, April 25, 2013, in Waco, Texas. Firefighters and other first responders were among those killed when a fire at the plant erupted in an explosion last week. Hundreds of people were injured.

Pictures of the Week is a Denver Post Plog that gathers the strongest photojournalism from around the world.

A Bangladeshi woman survivor is lifted out of the rubble by rescuers at the site of a building that collapsed Wednesday in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, April 25, 2013. By Thursday, the death toll reached at least 194 people as rescuers continued to search for injured and missing, after a huge section of an eight-story building that housed several garment factories splintered into a pile of concrete.(AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) #

TOPSHOTS This photo taken on April 23, 2013 shows children saluting rescue workers with banners reading “thank you” along a street in Lushan county of Yaan, southwest China’s Sichuan province. Tens of thousands of homeless survivors of China’s devastating quake are living in makeshift tents or on the streets, facing shortages of food and supplies as well as an uncertain future. AFP PHOTOAFP/AFP/Getty Images #

Pro gay marriage activists pose during a gathering at Paris 4th district city hall after French lawmakers legalized same-sex marriage, Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Paris. Lawmakers legalized same-sex marriage after months of debate and street protests that brought hundreds of thousands to Paris. Tuesday’s 331-225 vote came in the Socialist majority National Assembly. France’s justice minister, Christiane Taubira, said the first weddings could be as soon as June. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) #

A Pakistani girl, who was displaced with her family by 2010 floods in Pakistan’s Sindh province, lies on a bed next to the rubble of her makeshift home, after it was destroyed along with other homes by the Capital Development Authority for being built on illegal lands, on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 23, 2013. Many slums which are built on illegal lands have neither running water or sewage disposal. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen) #

See so much more here

Andrea Gjestvang wins L’Iris d’Or at Sony world photography awards

Norwegian photographer, 32, holds off competition with poignant portraits of Anders Behring Breivik massacre survivors we read in The Guardian by Sean O’Hagen

Andrea Gjestvang has won the L’Iris d’Or at the 2013 Sony world photography awards.

The 32-year-old Norwegian photographer beat over 62,000 competitors from 170 countries in the professional competition with One Day in History, her poignant series of portraits of the young survivors of the massacre on the Norwegian island of Utøya on 22 July 2011.

On that day, 69 young people who were attending a summer camp organised by the ruling Norwegian Labour party were killed by a lone gunman, Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old rightwing extremist. Around 500 young people survived the massacre.

The series was commended by the judges for its “dignity and beauty” and described as “a quiet, thoughtful and ultimately powerful voice for the children and survivors of the massacre in Norway

A picture from Andrea Gjestvang’s One Day in History, L’Iris d’Or winner at the Sony world photography awards 2013. Click to enlarge. Photo: Andrea Gjestvang/Momen

Adam Pretty, Australia
Category: Professional/Sport
Melissa Wu of Australia practices during a diving training session ahead of the London Olympic Games on 25 July 2012

Alice Caputo, Italy
Category: Professional/Lifestyle
Series: Summer Family
The images show the photographer’s family on a seaside holiday in Liguria in the summer of 2012

Klaus Thymann, Denmark
Category: Professional/Fashion and Beauty
Series: i-D Iceland
This shot was taken on the slowly moving edges of a glacier

See more images and read the Guardian article here

Photography Graduate Summer Shows 2013

Seeing graduates work is often extremely valuable as it can show where the industry is going. Images created by artist photographers with access to equipment, knowledge and support but without the commercial concerns of working photographers can produce truly ground breaking work.

Photofusion is a great supporter of emerging artists, and have always enjoyed seeing the new and exciting selection of work by graduates in the local university degree shows. Therefore, we have compiled a list of upcoming Photography Graduate Summer degree shows that we think will definitely be worth a visit.

Arts University Bournemouth: Higher Education Show

Dates: 21 – 30 June (closed Sunday)

Location: Arts University Bournemouth, Wallisdown, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5HH

More info: http://bit.ly/10iAu5M

University of Brighton – Faculty of the Arts Graduate Show

Dates: Saturday 1 June – Wednesday 12 June | PV: Friday 31 May (invite only)

Location: Faculty of Arts, University of Brighton, Grand Parade, Brighton, BN2 0JY

More info: http://bit.ly/15kCnUo

Camberwell College of Arts, featuring BA Photography

Dates: 15– 22 June 2013 | PV: Monday 17 June (invite only)

Location: Camberwell College of Arts, Peckham Road, London SE5 8UF

More info: http://bit.ly/12VdWd1

Central St Martins: Show 1, featuring MA Photography

Dates: Saturday 25 – Monday 27 May | PV: Friday 24 May (invite only)

Location: Central Saint Martins, The Granary Building, 1 Granary Square, King’s Cross, London, N1C 4AA

More info: http://bit.ly/15pDxBQ

Kingston University: Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture show

Dates: 16 – 21 June | PV: Saturday 15 June, 1 – 7pm

Location: Kingston University, Knights Park Campus, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2QJ

More info: http://bit.ly/lCasVb

London College of Communication

MA Photojournalism & Documentary Photography Degree show

Dates: Monday 13 – Friday 17 May 2013 | PV: Wednesday 15 May 2013, 6-9pm

Summer Show 1, featuring BA Photography

Dates: Saturday 1 June – Wednesday 5 June 2013 | PV: Monday 3 June 2013

Location: LCC, Elephant & Castle, London, SE1 6SB

More info: http://bit.ly/KEcHYi

Portsmouth University, featuring BA Photography “Show 2013″

Dates: 14 – 18 June 2013, 12 – 7pm | PV: Thursday 13 June, 7 -10pm

Location: Candid Art Gallery, 5 Torrens Street, London, EC1V 1NQ

More info: http://bit.ly/10q6iGJ

Royal College of Art MA Degree Show

Dates: 20 – 30 June, 12 – 8pm (closed 28 June)

Location: Royal College of Art, Howie Street, London, SW11 4AY

More info: http://bit.ly/15pHJSk

Free Range: Graduate Summer Shows

Featuring work from universities including: Westminster / Roehampton / Edinburgh Napier / Nottingham Trent / UCA Farnham / De Montford / Falmouth / Lancashire / Derby and many more

Dates: 29th May – 15th July

Location: The Old Truman Brewery, 91 – 95 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL

More info: http://bit.ly/13i1Hee

 

Act of Terror: arrested for filming police officers – video

When police carried out a routine stop-and-search of her boyfriend on the London Underground, Gemma Atkinson filmed the incident. She was detained, handcuffed and threatened with arrest. She launched a legal battle, which ended with the police settling the case in 2010. With the money from the settlement she funded the production of this animated film, which she says shows how her story and highlights police misuse of counterterrorism powers to restrict photography

I’m a photographer not a terrorist

Native Americans: Portraits From a Century Ago

From the pages of the Atlantic we find these touching images

In the early 1900s, Seattle-based photographer Edward S. Curtis embarked on a project of epic scale, to travel the western United States and document the lives of Native Americans still untouched by Western society. Curtis secured funding from J.P. Morgan, and visited more than 80 tribes over the next 20 years, taking more than 40,000 photographs, 10,000 wax cylinder recordings, and huge volumes of notes and sketches. The end result was a 20-volume set of books illustrated with nearly 2,000 photographs, titled “The North American Indian.” In the hundred-plus years since the first volume was published, Curtis’s depictions have been both praised and criticized. The sheer documentary value of such a huge and thorough project has been celebrated, while critics of the photography have objected to a perpetuation of the myth of the “noble savage” in stage-managed portraits. Step back now, into the early 20th century, and let Edward Curtis show you just a few of the thousands of faces he viewed through his lens.

Left: Koskimo person, Kwakiutl, wearing a full-body fur garment, oversized gloves and mask of Hami (“dangerous thing”) during the Numhlim ceremony. ca. 1914. Right: Hamasilahl, Kwakiutl, ceremonial dancer during the Winter Dance ceremony.(Library of Congress/Edward S. Curtis)

Left: Ben Long Ear, ca. 1905. Right: Hastobiga, Navajo Medicine Man, ca. 1904. (Library of Congress/Edward S. Curtis)

Left: Bird Rattle, Piegan, ca. 1910. Right: Nesjaja Hatali, medicine man, Navajo, ca. 1904. (Library of Congress/Edward S. Curtis)

Portrait of a Native American named Big Head, ca. 1905. (Library of Congress/Edward S. Curtis)

See all of the images here

Kodak – a sorry story

This article by Jonathan Eastland was found in the BJP and titled Kodak: The fading of the Old Yeller

©Keith Barnes

Never mind what the loss of “Old Yeller” may mean to the wider public; for photographers weaned on its iconic yellow box film and printing paper, Kodak’s financial problem feels like the dying of a dear friend. In this camp, there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth. In the late 1990s, Eastman Kodak’s share price was up in the mid $90s. Just before it filed for bankruptcy protection in January, the price crumbled to a few cents. How did it all go so wrong?………

Enter digital

By the early 1970s, the writing was already writ large on the wall. Itek Corporation’s Earth Resources Technology Satellite mapping cameras used high-resolution electronic systems. The Philips laser video disc of 1974 and laser printers a year later were a sign of more to come. Sony’s Mavica of 1981, the 1986 Nikon/Panasonic SVS and Fuji/Toshiba’s R&D on memory cards were a clear sign of Japanese intent; by 1990, every major Japanese electronics firm had a video stills camera on sale……….

Read more: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/opinion/2154237/kodak-fading-the-old-yeller#ixzz2PtKAA6nd
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Henri Cartier-Bresson International Award opens for entries

The Henri Cartier-Bresson International Award rewards “a photographer who has already completed a significant body of work, a talented photographer in the emerging phase of his or her career, with an approach close to that of documentary”, says the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation.

The €35,000 cash prize must be used to carry out a project that would otherwise be hard to accomplish within the normal conditions of his or her activity.

While all photographers can enter the contest, they should be nominated by a photography institution. “The range of potential institutions is broad and has no geographical boundaries: museums, photographic societies, photo agencies, art schools, universities, galleries, magazines, festivals, publishers,” say the organisers.

Entries will be accepted from 01 March to 15 April, with the winner announced in June. Eighteen months later, the winning photographer will present an exhibition of his or her work at the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation in Paris.

In 2011, the Henri Cartier-Bresson International Award went to photographer Vanessa Winship.

For more details about the award and to download the application form, visit the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation website.

The Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation and the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès are happy to announce their exclusive partnership for the Henri Cartier-Bresson International Award. This agreement is in effect for the next three editions of the competition, in 2013, 2015 and 2017.

Presented by the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation, the HCB Award is a prize to stimulate a photographer’s creativity by offering the opportunity to carry out a project that would otherwise be difficult to achieve.

It is intended for a photographer who have already completed a significant body of work, a talented photographer in the emerging phase of his or her career, with an approach close to that of documentary. The prize is of 35 000 Euros and is awarded every other year.

Eighteen months after the reception of the prize, the winner will have an exhibition of his work at the Fondation HCB in Paris and a catalogue will be published. The HCB Award is made possible with the partnership of the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès

Read more: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2243546/henri-cartierbresson-international-award-opens-for-entries#ixzz2Pt8wjJy2
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Practical experience for photography students – Oxford Playhouse

We don’t usually promote people asking for photographers unless they are offering some pay, we all have to eat but a good cause requires some support and the Oxford Playhouse is a good place and a good cause so here goes

Oxford Playhouse is currently looking for a photographer who’d like some practical experience and build up their portfolio for one of our Playhouse Play’s Out Productions.

 From 3 – 12 May, we’re presenting an interactive family show for children ages 5- 8 and their families in a specially converted bicycle workshop on Osney Mill Marina. Full details on the production can be found by clicking here.

 The show will be rehearsing at The Story Museum on Pembroke Street and we’re looking for someone who can photograph the actors and creative team in rehearsal on Mon 22 April as well as photograph the dress rehearsal on the afternoon of Thurs 2 May.

 Unfortunately we don’t have the budget available to pay anyone, but we’re happy to cover reasonable expenses for travel and food, credit the photos to whoever takes them on the programme and wherever we use them on our website etc, as well as providing references.

 If you’re interested in this opportunity or require any further details, please contact Bethan James (Marketing & Press Officer): bethan.james@oxfordplayhouse.com or01865 305388.

 

From our man (still) in Damascus, John Wreford words and pictures

Our great friend John Wreford is sticking it out in Damascus for the time being, it is his home and has been for 10 years. To many his reluctance to leave would seem to be verging on the insane but John is a man of great fortitude. When I had the chance to travel with him through Syria in 2009 I found that everywhere we went he was greeted like a brother. People would stop him in the streets to say hello and embrace him, hotels we stayed at refused to take payment treating him like family, it didn’t seem to matter where we were there was someone who knew him. I guess that is why he is still there. This piece he has written for Roads and Kingdoms, here are the opening passages…

All photos by John Wreford

 

Damascenes have long told themselves that their city is where all journeys, all religions and all civilisations begin and end. We who live there now also know that Damascus will be where the final battle for control of Syria will be fought.

Rebel forces are gathered just a few kilometers from the stone walls of the Old City, and inside the walls for almost a year now we have lived with the terrifying sounds of war, the scream of fighter jets, gun battles raging and shells flying overhead. War on our doorstep.

For me the only journeys I ever take these days are around the souks and alleyways of my neighborhood. On these walks I am not only trying to get a sense of the situation, but also a bit of the reassurance that comes from seeing the market busy with shoppers and children heading off to school. I drop in on friends and get updates on the crisis. Often it’s only gossip and rumor, but there are few other reliable sources of information. I check to see what food is in the market and at what price, as there have been days when fresh food and bread have been scarce. Those are the things on my mind as I slam the heavy metal door of my house and head out into the warren of passageways tucked in a corner of the Old City between the ancient gates of Bab Touma and Bab Salam.

Outside my door all is quiet. The street cleaner has collected the rubbish and the cats have retired for a morning nap in the shade of satellite dishes on the wonky roofs. A hose pipe peeks out from behind a door and a woman sprays water over the dusty cobbles. The alley here is no wider than an arm’s length. It doglegs a couple of times, ambles down a few stone steps and underneath an archway, past a small local mosque with a pretty courtyard dotted with potted plants. Despite most of the neighborhood being Muslim, few seem to visit this Mosque. Another couple of steps and another arch and then I see the first sign that life here is not as it used to be: there’s a checkpoint, not military but civilian…..MORE