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Oxford School of Photography
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Tag Archives: Magnum
Stuart Franklin: how I photographed Tiananmen Square and ‘tank man’
Posted by on June 5, 2014
Back in the day, as they say, Stuart Franklin was a member of the Photographers Workshop. We had darkrooms and studio for hire and were the photographic hub of Oxford. Any photographer who needed processing facilities and wanted to be part of the photographic family ended up at The Photographers Workshop. Stuart was a lovely man, the most famous of our clients but always happy to talk to anyone about photography. “As a photographer, the objective is to crystallise the emotion of an event and communicate that as effectively as possible. My pictures follow the different efforts I made to come to terms with the events as they were unfolding, to tell the story even as it was changing.”
In the Guardian Stuart talks about one of his most iconic images and tells the story of Tianamen Square
The ‘Tank Man’ stopping the column of T59 tanks on 5th June 1989. Photograph: Stuart Franklin/Magnum Photos
A student on hunger strike gestures in Tiananmen Square, 1989. Photograph: Stuart Franklin/Magnum Photos
The Magnum photographer tells his story of the 1989 protests, from peaceful demonstration to bloody crackdown, the iconic ‘tank man’ – and how hamburgers gave him his big break, read the full story here
Master of Moments: Henri Cartier-Bresson
Posted by on February 24, 2014
From the rather wonderful Faded + Blurred
The decisive moment. If you have studied photography even in the slightest bit, you will likely have heard that saying. Just about every hobbyist and professional knows that you always need to be on the lookout for the precise second when you know you should press the shutter. It has become a philosophy, particularly of street photographers; an idiom to live by. What’s ironic is the man to whom that saying is credited to didn’t actually like it. The phrase, “The Decisive Moment”, came from Henri Cartier-Bresson’s book, Images à la Sauvette, which, when published in America was renamed. The actual translation means “Pictures on the Run”. Cartier-Bresson, while known for his spontaneous shooting style, didn’t particularly care for the saying because he thought it was used to pigeonhole him. He just did what he did, and although he would agree that there is a certain decisive moment, he did not want that to define who he was. He said, “Photography is not like painting. There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative. Oop! The moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever.”….READ MORE
The Vatican City by David Seymour
Posted by on March 13, 2013
Magnum Photos, the famous photographers agency and picture library, regularly sends out selections of images that might be used in editorial articles. The latest to land on our desk is by David “Chim” Seymour, one of the founder members of Magnum along with Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and Robert Capa
This picture essay is from the Vatican in 1949
All pictures by David Seymour, Magnum
Magnum Photos
Posted by on October 24, 2012
You probably know about Magnum Photos or if not you will have heard of some of the photographers who are associates of this world important photo agency.
As the Magnum website says: Two years after the apocalypse that was called the Second World War ended, Magnum Photos was founded. The world’s most prestigious photographic agency was formed by four photographers – Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and David “Chim” Seymour – who had been very much scarred by the conflict and were motivated both by a sense of relief that the world had somehow survived and the curiosity to see what was still there. They created Magnum in 1947 to reflect their independent natures as both people and photographers – the idiosyncratic mix of reporter and artist that continues to define Magnum, emphasizing not only what is seen but also the way one sees it. If you would like to read more of the history go here
Henri Cartier-Bresson said of the starting of the agency: “Back in France, I was completely lost,” legendary photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson explained in an interview with Hervé Guibert in Le Monde. “At the time of the liberation, the world having been disconnected, people had a new curiosity. I had a little bit of money from my family, which allowed me to avoid working in a bank. I had been engaged in looking for the photo for itself, a little like one does with a poem. With Magnum was born the necessity for telling a story. Capa said to me: ‘Don’t keep the label of a surrealist photographer. Be a photojournalist. If not you will fall into mannerism. Keep surrealism in your little heart, my dear. Don’t fidget. Get moving!’ This advice enlarged my field of vision.” We are so lucky he didn’t end up working in a bank.
FRANCE. Paris. Place de l’Europe. Gare Saint Lazare. 1932.
The list of great photographers encompasses the very best in the world
Abbas, Christopher Anderson, Eve Arnold, Olivia Arthur, Micha Bar Am, Bruno Barbey, Jonas Bendiksen, Ian Berry, Werner Bischof, Rene Burri, Henri Cartier-Bresson Chien-Chi Chang, Antoine D’Agata, Bruce Davidson, Carl De Keyzer, Raymond Depardon, Thomas Dworzak, Nikos Economopoulos, Elliott Erwitt, Martine Franck,
Stuart Franklin, Leonard Freed, Paul Fusco, Cristina Garcia Rodero, Jean Gaumy, Bruce Gilden, Burt Glinn, Jim Goldberg, Philip Jones Griffiths, Harry Gruyaert,
Philippe Halsman, Erich Hartmann, David Alan Harvey, Tim Hetherington, Thomas Hoepker, David Hurn, Richard Kalvar, Josef Koudelka, Hiroji Kubota, Sergio Larrain,
Guy Le Querrec, Erich Lessing, Herbert List, Alex Majoli, Constantine Manos, Peter Marlow, Steve McCurry, Susan Meiselas, Wayne Miller, Dominic Nahr, Trent Parke,
Martin Parr, Paolo Pellegrin, Gilles Peress, Gueorgui Pinkhassov, Mark Power, Raghu Rai, Eli Reed, George Rodger, Moises Saman, Alessandra Sanguinetti ,Lise Sarfati,
Ferdinando Scianna, Jerome Sessini, David Seymour, Marilyn Silverstone, W. Eugene Smith, Jacob Aue Sobol, Alec Soth, Chris Steele-Perkins, Dennis Stock,
Zoe Strauss Mikhael Subotzky Nicolas Tikhomiroff Larry Towell Peter van Agtmael John Vink Alex Webb Donovan Wylie Patrick Zachmann Cornell Capa
Robert Capa, Inge Morath,
Magnum are good at showing their work and the website is a joy, I would definitely bookmark this and go back there regularly to see what is new, I visit their site at least once a week, go here to see what is on offer today
Magnum also publish excellent books and I would recommend any of them, these are some of my favourites
This special and important photography book presents, for the first time, the very best contact sheets created by Magnum photographers. Contact sheets tell the truth behind a photograph. They unveil its process, and provide its back story. Was it the outcome of what a photographer had in mind from the outset? Did it emerge from a diligently worked sequence, or was the right shot down to pure serendipity a matter of being in the right place at the right time? This landmark publication provides the reader with a depth of understanding and a critical analysis of the story behind a photograph, the process of editing it, and the places and ways in which the selected photographs were used. For anyone with a deep appreciation of photography and a desire to understand what goes into creating iconic work, Magnum Contact Sheets will be regarded as the definitive volume. With 435 illustrations in total, 230 in colour, including over 3,600 frames on 139 contact sheets.
Here the photographers of Magnum, 50 years after the legendary group began its documentary mission, address the world following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989; a period which has seen the triumph of US capitalism at one extreme and the resurgence of ancient blood feuds at the other. The book is built around photo-essays selected and introduced by the photographers, many shot especially for the book. From Henri Cartier-Bresson to Magnum’s newest recruits, each photographer navigates the issues of history in their own way – some tackling the dramatic changes in the world head-on in the traditional manner of the “concerned photographer”, others choosing subjects and aesthetic viewpoints which are entirely personal. The result is an album of contemporary photography about the world today. “Magnum” is introduced by historian, broadcaster and cultural commentator Michael Ignatieff, linking the substance and pace of change in the post-Cold-war world with the historic role of the Magnum witness and image-maker. This is a book about history and humanity, journalism and art, and revealing the photographers of Magnum entering a new era.
Founded by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Magnum Photos is an iconic international photographic cooperative whose members have captured the major historical events of their times, as well as private and intimate moments. A year’s worth of these images is offered in this beautiful book that features full page reproductions organized to reflect what Cartier-Bresson himself declared a ‘community of thought, a shared human quality, a curiosity about what is going on in the world, a respect for what is going on and a desire to transcribe it visually.’ Nearly 70 photographers are represented with five to six images and the current Magnum members have selected the photographs that they consider to best represent their own output. Opposite each photograph is a page reserved for special dates, reflections, and notes. Published in an appealing and impressively-sized format, running more than 700 pages, this book includes images that make history both individual and universal.
‘Does Magnum Photos still make sense?’ A report
Posted by on July 5, 2012
This report by Olivier Laurent in the BJP is interesting in the way that there seems to be a re-evaluation of what it now means to be a photographer. This section from part of the report makes me wonder how possible it now is to make a living as a photographer, if Magnum photographers have to consider whether it is food on the table or pursuing photography is there much left for the rest of us.
“If you want to pursue your personal projects, you have to give up other things,” says Majoli. “You have to reduce the cost of your life and dedicate a lot of time to what you want to do. It’s a compromise you have to find within yourself – the family you live with and within the market and the resources you can find in that market.” In his case, Majoli has to apply for grants and accept commercial jobs to put money aside for his personal projects. “I have to reinvent myself every day.”
When you take the economics out of the equation, though, things aren’t so bad, says Anderson. “This is going to sound strange, but speaking just as a photographer and not as someone who makes a living from photography, I feel happy because, in many ways, I feel more free from the chains of the press.”
He adds: “As a photographer making images, I feel less controlled by making images for a market. The other side, the professional side, is much more difficult to make a living in and make ends meet. But, purely from the point of making images, it’s somewhat liberating that there’s no market left.”
But however you juggle the money issue, the deeper question is what it means to be a photographer, says Meiselas. “How do you find the work that engages you and sustains you? What do you contribute? Because the landscape is so much broader now, we see a lot, but it doesn’t necessarily last long. For me, it’s those dialogues. It really is the relationship with the subject that sustains me.”
Wylie agrees. “I think one of the priorities today, especially for a young photographer, is really engaging with your own voice. How do you find your own voice? Photography has changed dramatically since its beginnings. [Now we have Google Earth and cameras everywhere], so we ask ourselves, ‘Why photograph?’ You photograph because you want to make work. It’s like writing a novel. You make work that has layers, that contributes to a collective history, a broader history. The challenge is to get to that point.”
Magnum celebrates its 65th Annual General Meeting in Arles. Image © Rene Burri / Magnum Photos.
Magnum Photos celebrated its 65 years by holding its annual general meeting at Rencontres d’Arles. It was an opportunity for photographers to come together to discuss Magnum’s future in an ever-changing market. Olivier Laurent reports from the conference….READ MORE HERE
Read more: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/report/2189345/-magnum-photos-sense-report#ixzz1zlePVdks
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Subscribe to BJP and save money. Click here to save 29% today.
Magnum’s Professional Practice event comes to Bradford
Posted by on June 27, 2012
Magnum Professional Practice: Bradford
Workshop
Jul 28 – Jul 29 2012
Jul 28 – Jul 29 2012
by Mark Power
Originated as a response to the changing nature of the photography market, Magnum’s Professional Practice events deliver impartial guidance from a wide range of visual imaging industries. With access to key individuals working in editorial, commercial, cultural and publishing industries, Magnum is well placed to advise the next generation of photographers.
In a series of weekend lectures, leading figures of the photographic industry will deliver presentations and advice on the best means for engaging with and working in these sectors. Eight speakers from a variety of industries, including the advertising & corporate, editorial, gallery, NGO, museum, publishing and rights sectors will each give presentations on their subject of expertise, with plenty of time for questions and networking opportunities.
This event is aimed a wide range of photographers at different stages of their career: professional photographers working in a particular discourse but wanting to explore other avenues; emerging photographers who require practical, vocational training; or semi-professional photographers wishing to make the commitment to full-time practice. Each of Magnum’s Professional Practice lectures is tailored to deliver the best impartial advice and provide the opportunity to meet with key industry specialists. Places on Magnum’s Professional Practice course are limited and successful candidates will be chosen on the perceived benefit to the applicant’s career.
The next seminar will take place at the National Media Museum, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD1 1NQ on 28-29 July.
Magnum’s Professional Practice events are produced in collaboration with their educational partners, IdeasTap. Through the generous support of IdeasTap, 10 photographers under the age of 25 are given the opportunity to participate in this event for the heavily subsidised rate of £50 plus VAT. If you are eligable for a bursary, apply here.
1000 photography links, tutorials, photographers, new camera reviews – posts
Posted by on June 22, 2012
Would you believe that in the last 20 months we have made 1,000 posts about photography, wow seems like it was only a few weeks ago we dipped our toes into the world of blogging. Urged on by our favourite music blogger The Recommender to get stuck in, to share our knowledge and passion about photography; to spread the word and to bring the best photographs, photographers, tutorials, camera reviews, information about exhibitions and the wonder of the world of photography to those who care, you. Since October 2010 we have had over 120,000 views, our highest day was 957, I guess we must be doing something right some of the time.
©Steve McCurry – this is probably The Great Steve’s most famous picture but you should go and see his other work start here
We have had a look at our stats and rather encouragingly find that there is as much interest from you in the fantastic photographers we have brought to your attention as there is in cameras and tutorials. A good healthy mix we think.
Here is a list of the top 12 posts the highest has got over 6,000 views
https://oxfordschoolofphotography.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/top-10-compact-cameras-2011/
https://oxfordschoolofphotography.wordpress.com/2010/12/14/light-painting/
https://oxfordschoolofphotography.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/duane-michals-sequences/
https://oxfordschoolofphotography.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/best-superzoom-bridge-cameras-2011/
https://oxfordschoolofphotography.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/nikon-d800-review/
https://oxfordschoolofphotography.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/cecil-beaton-photographer/
https://oxfordschoolofphotography.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/20-free-photography-ebooks/
The top aggregated photographer, that is the most views across all the posts we have made is Steve McCurry this link should get you to all the articles where we have mentioned Steve
The interesting thing we have found is how many of you are interested in the less obvious photographers, Duane Michals comes top for visits to a single post, Cecil Beaton, Nan Goldin and Dorothea Lange all feature heavily, I am sure you never thought you would see those 4 names in the same sentence.
Top camera before and after it’s release was the Nikon D800
The most viewed tutorial was on Light Painting
Our most favourite sources for finding the best photography on the web, and in no particular order are:
Lightstalking, fantastic for tutorials, tips, ideas, features
Digital-Photo-School similar to Lightstalking and also from Australia
Cambridge In Colour for the most sophisticated and intelligent tutorials
The Denver Post for some of the best photojournalism around
The Atlantic, same as The Denver Post, fantastic images from around the world
The British Journal of Photography, just the most complete magazine for photographers
The Pixelated Image blog, David DuChemin is just the man, what a photographer an eye with soul
Photo Tuts for Photoshop and Lightroom tutorials
DP Review, where you find out about cameras, the best review site
Steve’s Digicams, as DP Review a great place to find out about cameras
Tripwire Magazine, we like this for general articles on photography
Magnum, the world’s most famous photo agency, we love this bit Magnum In Motion
Photography Served, a place for finding new photographers with great work
Photography Now, such a beautiful site showcasing the works of the masters of photography
There are undoubtedly lots more we could include here but if you are a regular to our site you will know who we love as inspiration and as a source of great articles.
We have had such great response to the articles we post, the sharing is the thing, finding what is wonderful and putting it out there. We greatly appreciate hearing from you and would welcome more ‘finds’ from you, would consider articles or portfolios you may wish to share with the thousands of like minded people we reach. Here is to the next 1000 posts
James Nachtwey
Posted by on February 3, 2012
“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–
James Nachtwey grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from Dartmouth College, where he studied Art History and Political Science (1966-70). Images from the Vietnam War and the American Civil Rights movement had a powerful effect on him and were instrumental in his decision to become a photographer. He has worked aboard ships in the Merchant Marine, and while teaching himself photography, he was an apprentice news film editor and a truck driver.
In 1976 he started work as a newspaper photographer in New Mexico, and in 1980, he moved to New York to begin a career as a freelance magazine photographer. His first foreign assignment was to cover civil strife in Northern Ireland in 1981 during the IRA hunger strike. Since then, Nachtwey has devoted himself to documenting wars, conflicts and critical social issues. He has worked on extensive photographic essays in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza, Israel, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Rwanda, South Africa, Russia, Bosnia, Chechnya, Kosovo, Romania, Brazil and the United States.
Nachtwey has been a contract photographer with Time Magazine since 1984. He was associated with Black Star from 1980 – 1985 and was a member of Magnum from 1986 until 2001. In 2001, he became one of the founding members of the photo agency, VII. He has been exhibited all over the world
(c) Antonin Kratochvil. All Rights Reserve
James Nachtwey TED Talks Lecture
James Nachtwey Time Photos September 11 2011
“When the attack first started, I was in my apartment in the South Street Sea Port, directly across Lower Manhattan. I heard a sound that was out of the ordinary. I’m far enough away so that it wasn’t alarming but it was definitely out of the ordinary. It came from the direction of the World Trade Center so I went to the window and saw the tower burning.”………..MORE Digital Journalist by Peter Howe
Afghanistan, 1996 – Mourning a brother killed by a Taliban rocket.
SeeJames Nachtwey’s astonishing images on his website here
Associated links : http://vsmeets.wordpress.com/2011/07/13/as-close-as-it-gets-james-nachtwey/
Associated links Empty Kingdom
Photojournalist James Nachtwey is considered by many to be the greatest war photographer of recent decades. He has covered conflicts and major social issues in more than 30 countries.
Why you should listen to him:
For the past three decades, James Nachtwey has devoted himself to documenting wars, conflicts and critical social issues, working in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza, Israel, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Rwanda, South Africa, Russia, Bosnia, Chechnya, Kosovo, Romania, Brazil and the United States.
Nachtwey has been a contract photographer with Time since 1984. However, when certain stories he wanted to cover — such as Romanian orphanages and famine in Somalia — garnered no interest from magazines, he self-financed trips there. He is known for getting up close to his subjects, or as he says, “in the same intimate space that the subjects inhabit,” and he passes that sense of closeness on to the viewer.
In putting himself in the middle of conflict, his intention is to record the truth, to document the struggles of humanity, and with this, to wake people up and stir them to action.
He is the winner of the 2007 TED Prize, awarding him $100,000 and one wish to change the world. This was his wish: “I’m working on a story that the world needs to know about. I wish for you to help me break it in a way that provides spectacular proof of the power of news photography in the digital age.”
On October 3, the story breaks … and we would like you to witness it.
“Reticent about discussing his own life beyond the basic facts, he’s clearly one of those rare characters who focus singularly on their work with a missionary-like sense of purpose.” — Salon.com
There is a job to be done…to record the truth. I want to wake people up! – James Nachtwey
I want my work to become part of our visual history, to enter our collective memory and our collective conscience. I hope it will serve to remind us that history’s deepest tragedies concern not the great protagonists who set events in motion but the countless ordinary people who are caught up in those events and torn apart by their remorseless fury. 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 – International Center of Photography Press Release
I used to call myself a war photographer. Now I consider myself as an antiwar photographer. – James Nachtwey
I want to record history through the destiny of individuals who often belong to the least wealthy classes. I do not want to show war in general, nor history with a capital H, but rather the tragedy of a single man, of a family. – James Nachtwey
It is very hard to say where you’re going until you get there. That kind of thing is based very much on instinct. As a photographer, one of the most important lessons I have learnt is that you have to learn to listen to and trust your own instinct. It has helped to guide me – this far at least. – James Nachtwey – “World Press Photo 1996 Yearbook”
Martin Parr to create instant exhibition
Posted by on May 24, 2011
People who attend this year’s Port Eliot Festival in Cornwall will stand every chance of being featured in a new exhibition by Magnum photographer Martin Parr.
Martin Parr’s rich colour photography has long revealed the character, eccentricities and humour which exist in everyday life. Now he will turn his attention to the life of a four-day festival, examining the goings-on as several thousand people converge to perform, work and relax alongside each other.
Martin Parr will spend the four days of the Port Eliot Festival shooting and documenting all aspects of the event at the ancient estate in south-east Cornwall. Along with his studio team, he will produce The Pleasures of the Immediate, an exhibition of around fifty photographs which will be evolving and updating constantly as the festival continues. The exhibition will take place in the basement of the house at Port Eliot, the oldest continually inhabited dwelling in the country..…more from Photography Monthly
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