Peter Turnley: A Life In Photography

Photo © Peter Turnley -All Rights Reserved
Peter Turnley just penned an introspective published on The Online Photographer, which he describes as one of the few times he so exhaustively expresses his connection to the passion of seeing and photographing.

Here's one of the most insightful excerpts:

"People often ask me how I keep my spirit from becoming cynical, jaded, and pessimistic about the human condition after having witnessed so much despair, so much suffering, and so many conflicts. I try to respond honestly and truthfully, that there are many actions of man that sadden me, distress me, and challenge my optimism. But each time I mentally calculate the sum of what I have seen, I am reminded of the many times that I have seen people of all kinds persevering despite tremendous adversity, and their example leaves me with hope."

A couple of months ago, I met Peter Turnley over a tapas dinner hosted by my friends Wink Willett and Neal Jackson in a neighborhood West Village restaurant. The conversation was interesting; mostly about photojournalism and its ethics, spiced with some of Peter's experiences. All I knew about him at the time was that he was a celebrated photojournalist, having published his work in publications that were and still are household names. I also remembered that he had a twin brother; fact that frequently confused foreign authorities when they showed up to cover the same story.

I also had a flashback to a moment after September 11, 2001 when, finding that I couldn't bring myself to photograph at Ground Zero, walked back through Tribeca and saw Peter (or perhaps it was his twin David...or perhaps even someone else with some resemblance to the Turnleys) on his way to photograph the site. Having a bunch of cameras dangling from our shoulders betrayed us as photographers, and we looked at each other for a second or two, perhaps with a flicker of recognition...but we each went our separate ways. I forgot to mention it to Peter.

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Outside Magazine: Antonin Kratochvil

Photo © Clay Enos-All Rights Reserved

"Antonin detests the notion of self-aggrandizement that photographers make a living off of," says Gary Knight, a colleague of Kratochvil's and co-founder of VII.

That's a statement that made me pay close attention to the interview with Antonin Kratochvil published by Outside magazine. I've been gnashing my teeth and rolling my eyes at this very attitude which is exhibited by so many photographers these days; especially those who are deemed to be "conflict" or "war" photographers. And here's a interview which tells us that Antonin rejects the "war photographer" label outright and hates the self-promotional concept of bearing witness that's in vogue among some photojournalists....a feeling just up my alley.

A very unusual man, with an interesting history. I won't repeat the details here, but encourage you to set enough time to read and savor the interview. You'll enjoy it.

Antonin Kratochvil's website.

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Interview on James Robinson's Blog

I'm privileged to have been interviewed by James Robinson for his outstanding blog, which you can find here.

Thank you James for including me on your roster of photographers.

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Simon Norfolk: Future of Photography

My apologies for spoiling your Sunday, but here's a sobering interview by Simon Norfolk on the World Press Photo website.

I would say that two of his predictions for the future are ones that forward-looking photographers have certainly realized for a while, and have acted upon already. There are quite a number of "masterclasses" that have sprung up recently, such as Gary Knight and Philip Blenkinsop Master Classes for instance. I have no idea if these are aimed at "wealthy orthodontists" or not, but that's the general idea.

Simon Norfolk:

"So my predictions for the future? More "name" photographers will be cashing in their reputations to teach "masterclasses" to wealthy orthodontists.

None of us will be saying "no" to wedding photography or lucrative teaching posts which sell to young students the rarely-realized dream that they’ll one day have jobs as photographers."

Some of us will perhaps deem Simon Norfolk's view as being too pessimistic or cynical. I, for one, see it as realistic.

However, let me also point out there are some of us who accept short-term teaching posts for no pay...such as those who have lined up to teach at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop.

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NPR: Reza: War And Peace

Image © Gerard Rancinan-All Rights Reserved
Reza Deghati is one of the world's eminent photojournalists, who traveled the world for nearly 30 years, bearing witness to wars, unrest, great leaders and the courage of ordinary people trapped by history. He has won countless awards, working for publications such as National Geographic, Newsweek and Time.

NPR has an interview with Reza, to publicize his latest book, Reza War and Peace: A Photographer's Journey. It is "a retrospective of that work, drawing on his own tale of exile and giving voice to those he met along his journey, those without means or audience, who suffer the injustices of war and disaster".

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Véronique de Viguerie Under Fire

A couple of weeks ago, a group of Talibs in Afghanistan killed 10 French soldiers (attached to the NATO forces), and were subsequently photographed by Véronique de Viguerie, a photographer working with the French news magazine Paris Match, wearing the French soldiers' uniforms.

A firestorm erupted in France following the publication of the photographs in the Paris-Match magazine, finding it indecent for a French magazine to show such images. Accusations that payment was made to the Talibs by the photojournalist were made, but rejected as false.

In the above clip (in French), De Viguerie explains her meeting with the Taliban fighters. 'It took some time, and we used some of our contacts out there'. She used a fixer/interpreter to get to the Taliban fighters, who will only meet with women reporters as they believe that men could be spies.

In her thirties, de Viguerie says that she wasn't too comfortable meeting them. 'But, when you follow the rules and when you have the authorization of their leaders, we become their guests'.

I'm not sure why it's Véronique de Viguerie who's under fire. Isn't it the decision of Paris-Match editors to publish?

Via The British Journal of Photography's blog (link)

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Nat Geo's David Griffin Speaks

A worthwhile lecture by David Griffin of the National Geographic Society on the impact of photography. David, the photo director for National Geographic, knows the power of photography to connect us to our world. In a talk filled with glorious images, he talks about how we all use photos to tell our stories.

I briefly met David during the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, and he came across as an extremely cordial man, and as befits a National Geographic photo editor, with a deep understanding of the current photographic environment.

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Photographers in Focus: Colin Finlay

The monthly Photographers in Focus video interviews by LiveBooks feature photographers who share their personal vision, inspiration and beliefs. According to LiveBooks, these "enrich the photo community by providing a means for one photographer to share knowledge with others."

This month’s interview is with documentary photographer and photojournalist Colin Finlay.

A self-taught photographer, Colin Finlay is a four-time “Picture of the Year” award winner who has photographed wars, conflicts, genocide, famine, environmental issues, disappearing traditions, and has filmed several television documentaries. He’s circled the globe 27 times seeking compelling images that make a difference. When doing photojournalism, he often shoots with two camera bodies, using a 28mm lens on one and a 35mm lens on the other. He uses a Canon 1DS Mark II lately, along with Canon EF lenses, 35mm f/1.4L, 50mm f/1.2L, 24mm f/1.4L, and occasionally a tilt-shift lens.

However, he maintains, “the 35mm f/1.4L is how I see the world.”

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Epson: James Nachtwey Interview

Epson has put together a new website called Focal Points which features a number of stories, both written and in video (mov format) showcasing a number of photography's leading professionals, as well as their work with Epson products.

There are quite a few photographers' interviews, but I chose the James Nachtwey interview to feature here.

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Outdoor Photography Interview

I was pleased to see that Outdoor Photography published its interview of me in its February 2008 issue. The interview was conducted by Nick Smith, and features three of my photographs. The large photograph of Buddhist novices in Sikkim is amongst my favorites.

I just returned from London, where I was interviewed again for a much lengthier feature...hopefully to be published in summer.

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PDN Interview: Steve McCurry

Image © Steve McCurry-All Rights Reserved
PDN just published an interview with Steve McCurry. I can't say there's anything new or exciting to be learnt from McCurry's answers, but I found this one to be right on the money:

"When asked what those two years of travel taught him, McCurry says simply, “Just because someone’s wearing a turban, doesn’t mean it’s an interesting photo.”

PDN's Steve McCurry: An Interview with PDN

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Canon 1Ds Mark III: Video Interview

If you're interested in this sort of thing, Chuck Westfall of Canon USA gives a video interview on the merits of the new Canon 1Ds Mark III.

Click on Canon 1Ds Mark III

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Article by Ed Kashi: "In The Thick Of It All"

Image Copyright © Ed Kashi-All Rights Reserved
Digital Photo Pro magazine brings us an intelligent article by well-known photojournalist Ed Kashi. The article is essentially Kashi's take on the evolution of photography and on what he defines as the "nest-generation photojournalist". He describes himself fundamentally as a storyteller, amd how the new digital tools have enhanced his craft. I've heard many established photojournalists bemoan the end of the film age and ranting against this 'new wave', so it's refreshing to hear otherwise from a photographer at the height of his career.

Here are some excerpts that I found to be very relevant...for instance, Kashi writes: "I can’t escape the fact that the new digital tools—along with the Internet as a distribution system for images, video and multimedia stories—has the potential to overshadow traditional print media because of its potential to reach more people and have a more powerfully engaging message. This is to take nothing away from still pictures, but in today’s world, things are changing very rapidly.”

Another: "There are mid-career photojournalists like myself who have reached the top of their profession and could just as easily become a dinosaur tomorrow if they don’t adapt. Even though I’ve established a great reputation, I could fall off the face of the Earth if I’m not careful. Except for the National Geographic, who wants to publish serious, nonfiction photojournalism? The New York Times Sunday Magazine rarely, if ever, publishes serious reportage photography anymore. There are European publications that publish serious photography, but they don’t really pay a living wage.”

And finally...a statment that I wholeheartedly agree with: “Photography is a world of variables. I’ve always been a believer that the way for me to be most effective is to reduce the variables to the smallest number so that I can focus most of my energy, my heart, my soul, my vision and my brain on the subject, on making images, and on telling stories. So, for me right now, I could go on making images forever with iView MediaPro and Photoshop on the Mac platform and my Canon EOS 5D. It has reached a level of quality and efficiency that’s ideal for me. Sure, it could be made better, but for now, for me, it’s great. But the reality is that I know I can’t do that. The technology will change and I’ll once again have to change with it.”

I'm happy to say that I'm of the same persuasion...I'm satisfied with my current hardware and software, and have no compulsion to acquire new cameras or lenses just because they're available. The setup I currently have works for me, and until the time when it's really surpassed in quality and efficiency, I will stay with it.

For the whole article, visit the excellent Digital Photo Pro Magazine website: In The Thick Of It

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James Nachtwey: Talk

James Nachtwey talks on being a documentary photojournalist, and about the the power of documentary photojournalism. He shows his work and discusses the world events he photographed in a superb-quality 24-minute QuickTime video of his acceptance speech for the 2007 TED Prize.

Be patient...it takes time for the QuickTime to load in full.
 
Courtesy of Rob Galbraith's web site, here's the link.
 
 

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John Stanmeyer

Image Copyright John Stanmeyer/VII
I met John Stanmeyer at his beautiful home and studio in Bali where he was conducting a photojournalism workshop. He is the co-founding member of VII and a contract photographer with Time Magazine since 1998. He has spent over 7 years focusing on Asian issues and has been working on a book about AIDS throughout Asia, as well as continuing his photographic documentation for a book on the radical changes in Indonesia since 1997.

For this workshop, he sponsored two Indonesian photographers who would not have been able to attend otherwise. In an interview, he said “They were taking brilliant pictures with busted equipment but they never photographed enough. At the end of the day, they only showed us a few photos. Finally, I discovered they couldn’t afford flash cards and were using only one 256 mg card. How do you support these talented people who try to communicate in difficult situations under difficult economic conditions? Their homes are in the places that we can afford to fly into and then can leave while they must stay and try to keep communicating.” The last sentence is also applicable to us, as travel photographers...don't you think?

A remarkable photographer, a wizard at photo editing and a genuinely nice guy, here’s John on Apple’s Aperture. I chose this multimedia feature because it shows him at work in his Bali home studio. He was working on that particular photograph when I was there as well!

John Stanmeyer on Apple Aperture

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