insights into photography
If you have ever had the opportunity to visit The Taj Mahal you will know that everywhere you point a camera there are pictures you want to take, and at the same time every picture you see has already been photographed by someone else. This can be frustrating, trying to find something new from one of the most photographed buildings in the world. But then you shoot anyway because whatever you capture is yours. Interestingly the towers on the corners are built leaning but look straight from a distance, at least that was what I was told by a guide, then again he could have been having a laugh at my ignorance. These pictures are not groundbreaking but are a good selection of what can be achieved from the obvious to the inventive. From those nice people at Light Stalking What these pictures prove is that a photographer requires patience and planning. Planning to be at the location when the light is just perfect and patience to wait.
Travel photography always acts as a great push for me, that saying “a photographer needs to see as a child or as a tourist….for the first time” is always easier in another country. Last year I went to Syria and here are some of my pictures, you may be interested, this year I am off to Libya to see Leptis Magna. If you doubt my reasons for Libya have a look at the pictures
Strange that I had not heard of Karen Knorr before as she is certainly celebrated. Serious stuff often beautifully crafted with purpose and intent. This series of images from India had her using large format film cameras to capture the sumptuous palaces in Rajasthan and then photographing animals in nearby zoos and digitally combining the images. Can you see the join? Fun and beautiful. Her website has a number of other series of works worth investigating
It may seem strange that we feature pictures of the week from months before, but great pictures are always great. The news stories that they illustrate, like the story lines in The Archers, just keep repeating themselves. The people, countries, wars, floods, festivals just keep rolling on exchange one natural disaster or war for another and sadly the stories are the same, awful, desperate. It is the images that stay with us and fortunately organisations like the Denver Post show us the very best pictures that inform and scandalise us for not doing more.
The Denver Post Pictures of the Week puts together a collection of images, chosen from thousands, of the strongest photojournalism from around the world.
An Indian youth dangles from a power line before diving into the floodwaters of an overflowing Ganges river in Allahabad on August 6, 2013. The monsoon, which covers the subcontinent from June to September and usually brings flooding, accounts for about 80 percent of India’s annual rainfall.
A supporter of Egypt’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi chants slogans during a protest outside Rabaah al-Adawiya mosque, where protesters have installed a camp and hold daily rallies at Nasr City in Cairo, Egypt.
An Indian youth dangles from a power line before diving into the floodwaters of an overflowing Ganges river in Allahabad on August 6, 2013. The monsoon, which covers the subcontinent from June to September and usually brings flooding, accounts for about 80 percent of India’s annual rainfall. AFP PHOTO/ SANJAY KANOJIA
TOPSHOTS
Hundreds of Indonesians wait to receive “zakat”, or alms, given to poor people during Ramadan at a tabacco factory of Gudang Garam, Indonesia’s biggest clove cigarette manufacturer, in Kediri in East Java province on August 6, 2013. Each person received 10,000 (1 USD) or up to 20,000 rupiah (2 USD) cash from company in a tradition of giving charity to the poor during Islam’s holy month of Ramadan. AFP PHOTO / M. ANDIKAM
In this photograph taken on August 7, 2013, an Indonesian man with his son pray after offering flowers on the dried volcanic mud for family members who died during a volcano eruption in Sidoarjo in eastern Java island, as Indonesians mark Eid al-Fitr with pilgrimages to cemeteries to remember their dead. The May 2006 disaster killed 12 people, displaced nearly 50,000 and buried 13 villages. AFP PHOTO / M.ANDIKAM
TOPSHOTS
A Bangladeshi passenger (R) climbs on top of a train as other passengers (R) look on from a compartment window as they rush home to their respective villages to be with their families ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, in Dhaka on August 8, 2013. The Eid al-Fitr, the biggest festive Muslim event, marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. AFP PHOTO/Munir uz ZAMAN
See all of the images from the first week of August on The Denver Post here
Last month the world heard the tragic news that more than a thousand people working at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, were killed when the factory they were working in collapsed. Steve McCurry one of the greatest working photographers has put together this selection of his images themed around work, you can see all of the set here
all images © Steve McCurry
This week Hindus around the world celebrated Holi, the Festival of Colors. Holi is a popular springtime celebration observed on the last full moon of the lunar month. Participants traditionally throw bright, vibrant powders at friends and strangers alike as they celebrate the arrival of spring, commemorate Krishna’s pranks, and allow each other a momentary freedom — a chance to drop their inhibitions and simply play and dance. Gathered here are images of this year’s Holi festival from across India. From The Atlantic
A Hindu devotee, face smeared with colored powder, leaves the Banke Bihari temple during Holi celebrations in Vrindavan, India, on March 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Indian Hindu devotees throw colored powder at the Radha Rani temple during the Lathmar Holi festival in Barsana, on March 21, 2013. Lathmar Holi is a local celebration, but it takes place well before the national Holi day on March 27.(Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images)
Indians throw colored powder during Holi festival celebrations in Hyderabad, India, Wednesday, March 27, 2013.(AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
Hindu men rest during Lathmaar Holi celebrations on March 22, 2013 in the village of Nundgaon near Mathura, India.(Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
A transgender Hindu devotee dances during Lathmaar Holi celebrations on March 21, 2013 in Barsana, India.(Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
Colored powder is thrown on Hindu men from the village of Nandgaon as they sit on the floor during prayers at the Ladali or Radha temple before the procession for the Lathmar Holi festival, the legendary hometown of Radha, consort of Hindu God Krishna, in Barsana, India, on March 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
Hindu devotees play with color during Holi celebrations at the Banke Bihari temple on March 27, 2013 in Vrindavan, India.(Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
An Indian child reacts as colored powder is smeared on her hair during Holi festival in Chennai, India, on March 27, 2013. Holi, the Hindu festival of colors that also marks the advent of spring, is being celebrated across the country Wednesday. (AP Photo/Arun Sankar K)
Can you resist seeing the rest of these joyful images, if not go here
The wedding season in India lasts for four months. During wedding celebrations the bridegroom’s family normally hires a brass band service to play at the wedding procession, in which the groom’s family dances all the way to the wedding venue where the bride’s family waits to receive them. The members of the band come together during the wedding season to perform and earn $10-12 per wedding
Singh, member of a brass band, pauses as his other members perform during a wedding procession in New Delhi
Members of the brass band play as fireworks are set off during a wedding procession in Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi December 11, 2012. Picture taken December 11, 2012. REUTERS/Mansi Thapliyal
Atar Singh, 45, a member of a brass band, pauses as his other members perform during a wedding procession in New Delhi December 7, 2012. Picture taken December 7, 2012. REUTERS/Mansi Thapliyal
From the ever excellent pblog on the Denver Post website comes these images from last week. Always surprising, captivating, painful and enlightening, you should bookmark The Denver Post as a must view blog
Air Force One, with President Barack Obama aboard, taxis on the runway under a heavy rain before departing at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012, en route to Charlotte, N.C. for the Democratic National Convention. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) #
In this Friday, Aug. 31, 2012 photo, food remains in the damaged kitchen of a Syrian house, one of more than a dozen homes destroyed in a Syrian government airstrike on August 15, 2012, that killed more than 40 people, in Azaz, on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria. Over the past week, survivors and relatives have returned daily to collect from the rubble what can be salvaged as they also relive the day of the airstrike. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen) #
A Hindu devotee performs evening rituals on the banks of the River Ganges in Allahabad, India, Friday, Sept. 7, 2012. Allahabad, at the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, is an important Hindu pilgrimage center. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Heriberto Pacheco stands still as someone rolls suntan oil on his skin before competing in the Mr. Mexico and Miss Perfection bodybuilding contest in Mexico City, Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012. The body building competition attracts more than 500 participants from around the country for the three day event. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) #
A relative of Ihab and Akram al-Zaanin, two Palestinian brothers who were killed by Israeli fire, is comforted by family members as she mourns during their funeral in Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip on September 6, 2012. Three Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the northern Gaza Strip, raising to six the number killed in the past 12 hours, medical sources said. AFP PHOTO /MAHMUD HAMSMAHMUD HAMS #
“An Indian man dances amid a cloud of colored powder during Holi celebrations in Gauhati, India, Thursday, March 8, 2012. Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, also heralds the coming of spring.
Jerry Vonderhaar, left, comforts Charles Kellogg after severe weather hit the Eagle Point subdivision in Limestone County, Ala. on Friday, March 2, 2012. A reported tornado destroyed several houses in northern Alabama as storms threatened more twisters across the region Friday.
Quarterback Peyton Manning, who will be released by the Indianapolis Colts, speaks during a news conference in Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 7, 2012. Manning, 35, who missed all of last season after a series of operations on his neck, has been the Colts’ staring quarterback for 13 seasons, won a record four MVP awards and the 2006 Super Bowl.”
From the pblogs of The Denver Post
Members from a military band perform during the rehearsal ahead of the opening ceremony of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People on March 3, 2012 in Beijing, China. The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference opens on March 3 in Beijing. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images) #
Afghan National Army soldiers walk up a hill as they arrive for a training session at the Kabul Military Training Center, KMTC, on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, March 8, 2012. The Afghan National Army will be tasked with providing security throughout Afghanistan after the last international troops pull out in 2014. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus) #
Phaidon Press have contacted me and asked that I let you know about a new Steve McCurry book they have just published called “Iconic Photographs” this is large format and by the look of it expensive but almost certainly a beautiful book with outstanding images. Here are some bits of information about the book and Steve McCurry
These pictures provide a glimpse into the everyday lives of normal people around the world. The acts of praying, sleeping, laughing, fishing, cleaning and sheltering – all the vagaries of human life – are elevated in poignantly beautiful stills; while stunning landscapes immerse the viewer in blazing sunsets, torrential rains, and dusty arid days. McCurry’s most famous portraits of serene monks, bearded elders, excitable school children and the striking ‘Afghan Girl’, are reproduced life-size so that the viewer can meet them eye-to-eye.
The Iconic Photographs transcends lifetimes and cultures, chronicling urban hustle and bustle, agricultural toil and the peaceful isolation of the wilderness in an unforgettable collection that spans an exceptional career.
here is a link to their page about the book
There are also links to a video where Steve talks about one of his most appreciated pictures Steve McCurry shares the story behind his iconic photograph: ‘Beggar Girl, Bombay, India’ (1993) and on the same page many other links to stories and videos about this master photographer
You may not know the name but you will know his most famous image.
Steve McCurry is one of the greatest photographers working today, his website is full of the most amazing images
Steve’s biography starts….. “Steve McCurry, recognized universally as one of today’s finest image-makers, has won many of photography’s top awards. Best known for his evocative color photography, McCurry, in the finest documentary tradition, captures the essence of human struggle and joy. Member of Magnum Photos since 1986, McCurry has searched and found the unforgettable; many of his images have become modern icons. Born in Philadelphia, McCurry graduated cum laude from the College of Arts and Architecture at the Pennsylvania State University. After working at a newspaper for two years, he left for India to freelance. It was in India that McCurry learned to watch and wait on life. “If you wait,” he realized, “people will forget your camera and the soul will drift up into view.”…more here
Steve also runs expeditions, I guess photographic workshops, what more could you ask for than to trail a master of photography around somewhere fascinating and take pictures, his website says the next is
MYANMAR EXPEDITION 13 DAYS, 12 NIGHT TOUR January 23-February 4, 2012
Steve writes a blog also which is worth following as much as ours
What more can I say, one of the truly great photographers with a beautiful website where you can see and buy his pictures
Oxford School of Photography 