Job Opportunity
Photographer
(Vacancy NºASM/10/022)
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Cambodia Country Office, is seeking to hire a qualified Photographer for a consultancy assignment in Cambodia to provide professional photographs to illustrate an information package (Country kit) for UNICEF Cambodia‘s new country programme.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Take best quality photographs to illustrate five thematic booklets providing information on the main issues affecting children and women in Cambodia.
2. Take a series of photographs to illustrate a funding overview for UNICEF Cambodia and individual funding outlines for each of UNICEF’s areas of work in the new country programme.
3. Take quality photographs for the production of two posters (A2 size, 42cm x 59.4cm) illustrating some of UNICEF Cambodia’s key priorities.
4. Establish an image bank of photographs and captions through a database and/or CD-rom.
Minimum Qualifications and Experience:
1. Advanced university degree in a relevant field of study (photography, graphic arts, design).
2. 5 years direct relevant professional experience.
3. Fluency in English required.
Competencies required:
1. Excellent demonstrable photographic skills.
2. Ability to write detailed captions in English.
3. Knowledge of UNICEF brand, design and imagery guidelines is desirable.
Duration of Contract: 15 days
Submission of Applications:
Applications will be considered only if accompanied by an updated CV and P11 form, as well as the two most recent performance appraisals or performance evaluation reports to: UNICEF Cambodia, Human Resources Unit, No. 11, Street 75, Sangkat Sraschark, Phnom Penh, Cambodia; or via email to cbdhrvacancies@unicef.org
Please include the title and vacancy number of this notice in all correspondence. The Personal History Form (P11) in MS Word format can be downloaded from www.unicef.org
Regret letters will only be sent to shortlisted candidates. All applications are treated with strict confidentiality.
The deadline for receipt of applications is 30 July 2010.
UNICEF is a smoke-free environment.
UNICEF is committed to gender equality in its mandate and its staff.
Well qualified candidates, particularly women, are strongly encouraged to apply.
Well well...
I quit my career as a lawyer in Greece, I moved to UK, I did my MA in photography and I have been applying to all kinds of 'work experience', 'graduate internship' and 'volunteer wanted' posts. No result. What else do I have to do? Maybe I need a manager...
Any advice is welcomed, please have a look at my website www.evavoutsaki.com and my blog evavoutsaki.blogspot.com
I work as the art director of a London based magazine and I am currently looking for a photographer working in India to do a shoot mid August. We are looking for someone who either lives and works in India or who will be traveling there during this time as we do not have the budget to fly a photographer over there.
Please let me know if you are interested.
Radio is the most visual medium...
Fellow Lightstalkers: I was asked to write about my Iraq embed experience for the public radio website Transom.org "How to Embed and Why Not"
http://transom.org/
In it I detail my experience, offer advice, play fun audio-clips (riding in a Black Hawk, test-firing weapons, etc) and showcase some pieces that will be airing on BBC, PRI and NPR. There's also a discussion page for anyone who would like to participate.
I credit lightstalkers for the fantastic advice I received before going and offer this as mine in return. Thanks gang.
Hi there, I am working since a while on the plan of doing freelance photography full time. But one of the reasons that I did not do it yet is a lack of funding. From your own experience, what would you suggest how much should I save up to have a smooth start?
As the first person to get this fellowship I HIGHLY recommend applying for it. Get your ducks in a row, the deadline isn't till August but please apply, it is a great opportunity...
*********
Created: 2005-06
Affiliation: MuseumsQuartier Vienna
Length: 2 months: March and April 2011
Application: Deadline is August 2, 2010
http://catalog.cies.org/viewAward.aspx?n=1152
Assignment: Located in the center of Vienna, the MuseumsQuartier Vienna is one of the ten largest cultural complexes in the world. It has a special interest in the promotion of contemporary arts and provides the infrastructure for a wide variety of museums, concert halls and other cultural institutions. quartier21 is an organization that provides support to over 60 institutions and autonomous cultural and artistic initiatives situated in the MuseumsQuartier, focusing its program on media arts, contemporary music and fashion and design (consult http://quartier21.mqw.at/kulturanbieter.html for details).
The purpose of this award is to give creative artists of all contemporary media, including but not limited to publishing companies and radio and TV broadcasters, media and projection art, electronic music, game culture, comics, film analysis, sound architecture and light art, an opportunity to work in residence with one or more of the cultural providers associated with quartier21.
A project proposal that describes the artist's planned contribution to quartier21 activities and that specifically mentions one or more quartier21 project partners of interest should be submitted with the application. *A letter of invitation from an appropriate MuseumsQuartier host is strongly recommended.*
Benefits: Euro 1,250 per month, accident and health insurance, a travel grant for the grantee only (Euro 800). The MuseumsQuartier will provide studio housing and other benefits associated with the quartier 21 artist-in-residence program.
Contact: Alexandra Squitieri
Council for International Exchange of Scholars
3007 Tilden Street NW, Suite 5L
Washington, DC 20008
Tel.: (++1) 202 686 6244
e-mail: asquitieri@cies.iie.org
For application procedures and eligiblity questions, please visit the CIES website:http://www.cies.org/
I am curious what peoples experience is with Tumblr blogs? It seems like a lot of people are moving their Blogger and Wordpress blogs over to Tumblr. What is so great about it, it your opinion?
Reasons to Use: http://www.tumblr.com/why-tumblr
Free Themes: http://www.tumblr.com/themes/recent
hi. maybe we can start a thread on deadlines for contests and grants, exhibitions etc. I'm always spacing out on these.
off the top of my head.
aug 8 is the deadline for PDNs digital imaging contest.
I am desperately looking for a translator to work with me for 10 days in NE Brazil. I will fly them from wherever in Brazil. Expenses paid and compensation. I need someone from the 29th or 30th of July until the 8th or 9th of August. There is likely future work available.
It is a fascinating project and will provide some amazing experiences. I am shooting stills and short video to be part of a documentary film.
Email me with contacts or for more info...any advice or resources on translators would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Cori
As an Alum I *highly* recommend LSers apply for this fellowship...
******
AKADEMIE SCHLOSS SOLITUDE RESIDENCY PROGRAM
WILL ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FOR THE RESIDENCY PERIOD 2011–-2013
STARTING ON: THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2010
APPLICATION DEADLINE (POSTMARK): SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2010
For the thirteenth time in 20 years the international residency program Akademie Schloss Solitude – located in Stuttgart, Germany – is granting approx. 65 residency fellowships of six to twelve months in duration. A public foundation opened in 1990 and funded by the State of Baden-Wurttemberg, the Akademie Schloss Solitude operates an international residency program awarding live/work fellowships to artists. More than 900 artists from around 100 countries have developed and advanced projects at the Akademie since its opening in 1990, creating a close-knit, global network of Solitude alumni that expands from year to year. The Akademie persues an intense exchange between artistic and scientific disciplines. With the art, science & business program the transfer of knowledge and experience between the arts, the sciences and economics can be deepened to create new synergies of creativity, inventiveness and management.
International artists are invited to apply from the following disciplines: Architecture (design, landscape architecture, urban planning), Visual Arts (including performance art), Performing Arts (stage design, dramatic texts, dramaturgy, musical theater, performance, direction, drama, dance), Design (fashion, costume, product and furniture design, visual communication), Literature (essay, criticism, poetry, prose, translation), Music/Sound (interpretation, sound installation, sound performance, composition) and Video/Film/New Media (including video installation). Furthermore, scholars, scientists and professionals from the disciplines of the Humanities (including social sciences), Jurisprudence/Labour Law and Economics (individually or suggested by a business) are invited to apply.
Persons up to 35 or if older who have completed a university or college degree within the past five years are welcome to apply. Currently enrolled university or college students (at the time of application) will not be considered for selection. Each fellowship recipient is granted Euro 1,000 per month, in addition to free lodging. The independent jury consists of a jury chairperson and specialist jurors who independently allocate the fellowships for their respective disciplines.
The jurors for the thirteenth application round are: Louisa Hutton/Matthias Sauerbruch (Architecture), Tacita Dean (Visual Arts), Xavier Le Roy (Performing Arts), Stefano Mirti (Design), Jalal Toufic (Literature), Berno Odo Polzer (Music/Sound) and Elia Souleiman (Video/Film/New Media). For the art, science & business program: Patricia Falguières (Humanities), Halton Cheadle (Jurisprudence/Labour Law) and Eduardo Gouthier-Macedo (Economy).
Application deadline is October 31, 2010 (Postmark). As of July 1 (0.00 CET), application forms can ONLY be downloaded from the application website http://application.akademie-solitude.de.
THE APPLICATION WEBSITE WILL BE ACTIVATED ON JULY 1ST, 2010 (0.00 AM CET).
for my own sake, I started a spreadsheet of contests and grants and organized it by month. I know there's stuff I missed, so feel free to comment to let me know.
I know these lists tend to get started and then the info is out of date or the contest stops happening or whatever, but hopefully it's a useful resource. http://jasminedefoore.com/resource-photo-contests-and-grants-calendar/
A small faith-based NGO recently approached me, requesting that I complete a photo essay on poverty in village in Mexico to help raise money for their foundation. I have worked with NGOs in the past, but often it has been for free with expenses covered.
I'd like advice on how much I should charge this NGO, as they are willing to provide a rate and cover expenses. The photos will be used to promote their foundation in a traveling exhibition in print and multimedia form to create awareness and raise money.
Normally a project like this (in my opinion) could take years to complete. But I'm thinking if I'm shooting consistently, two weeks is enough to spend? What should I charge for a day rate? And post production, esp if I have to print the images, will also be time-consuming... so that needs to be in the budget as well.
Any thoughts?? Thanks!!! Erin
hi;
i am starting a new grant supported project in ukraine this september and i need someone to work with me on the ground with translation and transport.
i have never worked in ukraine and don't really have any contacts there.
could someone point me towards people who could help?
thanks all
asim rafiqui
I'm sending a link to a long, rambling, very interesting interview I did with Stanley recently. It is up on the NYT lensglog site. We touch on many subjects that I think will be of interest to the people here. Regards, Mike
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/shoptalk-7/
Hello!
Could you suggest me movies about Photographers please? I am interested in full spectrum of photography because I am teaching visual story telling to young generation of photographers and movies are very useful tool to stress the point.
Thank you very much!
Janis Pipars
Hello everybody. If you have a moment tomorrow, I will be interviewed about the "Death of the Colorado" essay on NPR's "Marketplace". Please tune in tomorrow (7/23) between 4 and 4:30 PDT for the segment. Thanks for your support.
Does anyone have a suggestion for a reasonably-priced travel agent (USA based) who can coordinate flights / book tickets / sit on the phone with airlines? I find that I waste so much time doing this (and I am not very good at it either... I always find something cheaper after I book a ticket). Do agents charge a percentage or a flat fee? I would pay someone to do this just so I don't have to endure the headache...
Thanks!!!
Using https to secure the Web for journalism
By Danny O'Brien/CPJ Internet Advocacy Coordinator
From today, you now have an alternative web address to visit the CPJ website. As well as our usual http://cpj.org/ address, you can visit our site securely at https://cpj.org/. We’ve turned on this feature to help protect our readers who are at risk of surveillance and censorship, and as part of a wider advocacy mission to encourage social networking and media sites to do the same.
Traditionally, websites have only served a few pages securely. Your bank almost certainly uses a secure Web page to give your account details; your favorite websites almost certainly will send you to a secure page when they ask you to log in. You can tell when they do because the address of the page starts with “https” rather than “http,” and most browsers will show a padlock icon when this happens.
But the vast majority of web pages use “http” and are sent unencrypted and insecurely. Even websites like The New York Times and Washington Post that do offer complete “https” versions of their sites often do not publicize this secure alternative to their main address. Sites like Facebook and Twitter have secure versions, too, but they have been prone to breakdowns.
What does this mean for at-risk journalists? Unsecure, unencrypted Web pages can be monitored by anyone who can tap Internet traffic as it passes over telecommunications infrastructure. The online journalists we document at CPJ are targeted by organizations or individuals with either local regulatory power, or criminal influence, to do exactly that. If these journalists are communicating using social networking sites or commenting on media stories via unencrypted sessions, they are vulnerable to surveillance and exposure by the lax default security of the majority of websites.
Securely served websites have another advantage in the fight against state censorship of the press. Currently, the biggest pressure on governments who decide to block key websites from their populations is the clumsiness of those blocks. Citizens may be unaware of journalist intimidation and censorship in their own countries, but if a regime has to block all of YouTube or Facebook or a local social site to prevent damaging news from spreading, the wired part of their public quickly recognizes and frequently rebels against such a blatant trampling of their free speech.
But as we’ve noted before, Internet censorship is getting subtler. Without https, it’s possible for regimes to target and block individual Web addresses rather than whole sites. They can also block pages on an ad hoc basis, filtering on the basis of the presence of certain phrases on the page, such as the name of an opposition leader or a rebellious province.
Sending Web pages securely stops both of these techniques. If you can’t spy on Web traffic, you can’t scan for keywords. And if you can’t see which Web page a person is visiting on a site, you can’t selectively block. If more sites used https, censorship would remain clumsy—and visible.
Historically using https came with a cost: in computer processing time, and in unavoidable delays encoding and decoding the data. These days, those costs are far smaller, and the risks far greater. Google, a company for which the smallest increases in processing demands and transmission delays can cost millions, has begun to switch to serving secure Web pages. After the attack on its servers by China, it turned on secure Web pages by default for all of its Gmail users. It now also offers an encrypted version of its search engine, at https://encrypted.google.com/. Its engineers have proposed new techniques and standards that would make wider use of https easier for other companies. And while journalists are in the frontline for surveillance and censorship, the amount of private or valuable content revealed by everyone through unsecured Web traffic is growing.
Switching to https is not without its challenges (our Web developer John Emerson led us through the process), but the rewards are worth it. It’s time for more companies to turn on https for all their traffic: and it’s time for technologists to make it easier for them to do so. Doing so will make the Internet safer for at-risk journalists and a free press, but it’ll also make it more secure and private for us all.
21 July 2010
Take action!
Urge authorities to release journalist Fahem Boukaddous, ensure he receives medical care
International PEN's Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) strongly protests the imprisonment of Fahem Boukaddous, correspondent for Al-Badeel news website and TV journalist, whose four-year prison sentence for his reports on social protests was confirmed on appeal on 6 July 2010. Boukaddous was unable to attend the appeal hearing due to acute respiratory problems which required hospitalization and his lawyers were reportedly denied the right to present any defence. He was jailed on 15 July, the day after he was discharged from hospital, and remains in urgent need of medical treatment. The WiPC calls on the Tunisian authorities to release Boukaddous immediately and unconditionally and to ensure that he receives the medical care he requires.
See http://www.ifex.org/tunisia/2010/07/21/boukaddous_jailed/ to read a statement issued by the IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG), of which the WiPC is part.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Please send appeals (preferably in French) to the Tunisian authorities:
• Calling for the immediate and unconditional release of journalist Fahem Boukaddous on humanitarian grounds and in accordance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and People's Rights;
• Seeking reassurances that Boukaddous will receive the medical care he urgently requires;
• Calling for an end to the use of the Tunisian judiciary to stifle free expression and punish critical journalists.
APPEALS TO:
President
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
Palais Présidentiel
Tunis, Tunisia
Fax: +216 71 744 721
Minister of Justice and Human Rights
Lazhar Bououni
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights
31 Boulevard Bab Benat
1006 Tunis - La Kasbah
Tunisia
Fax: +216 71 568 106
Email: mju@ministeres.tn
Salutation: Your Excellency
And copies to WiPC and to:
Directeur général des prisons
Rue 8003, Appartement -L-
Espace de Tunis Monplaisir
Tunisia
Fax: +216 71 904 472
The Tunisian Embassy in your country.
See: http://www.tunisia.com/tunisia/travel/tunisian-embassies
Please contact WiPC if sending appeals after 19 September 2010.
hi there,
i am a german aid worker based in uzbekistan right now. will be here for some time and would like to meet photographers who are from uzbekistan as well as those coming to uzbekistan for a visit. looking forward to hearing from you.
easiest to catch me is via email: catch_katja@yahoo.de
see ya around,
katja
Accusations that Jews control the media, banks, world government, etc have been at the heart of anti-semitic rhetoric for centuries.
Accusing CNN of making a bad call, or even of being anti-Muslim, in firing this editor is fine. Calling CNN 'zionist' is absurd.
I'm not interested in starting a long discussion about Israel and its relationship to its Arab neighbors, Zionism or the history of anti-semitism. But if LS is to be a place for discussions among serious professionals, I hope we can avoid this sort of name-calling in the future.
I'm putting together a list of companies that offer template-driven photographer portfolio website products.
It seems that all of them claim to have great SEO, to offer iPad and iPhone friendly html mirror sites, etc... I would love it if you all could comment on the list and add feedback from a user's perspective (and also let me know what companies I overlooked).
I'm hoping this will be a useful resource for people navigating the many options out there.
http://jasminedefoore.com/photographer-portfolio-website-products-compared/
thanks!
jasmine
I'm planing to write a story about Croatian soldiers in UN, based in Western Sahara for Croatian newspapers. I'm stuff photographer for news papers but this would be my "private project", so I have to organize and pay everything my self, so any advice how to save money would be most welcome.
So far I got a permission from Croatian ministry of defense to talk to soldiers, and I'm still waiting for permission from UN.
If I get the permission from UN, I was wondering if someone can give me few tips what can I expect in UN mission?
What is allowed to photograph, and what is not allowed? How to behave?
What kind of permission are they giving, only for couple of hours, or can I spend couple of days in mission? Who determines the time I can spend within mission? If I get permission to spend more than one afternoon, is it possible to sleep inside mission, or I need to find accommodation outside mission?
Thank you!
Changing Ideas is a new charity that wants to help photographers to effect measurable change. We are currently seeking applications and further details can be found at "www.changingideas.org":http://www.changingideas.org
Advice for young photographers:
10 June, 07
I am writing this from the Baghdad bureau of The New York Times where I am on assignment.
I have received dozens of queries from photojournalists starting out in the business. I am writing this in response, partly so I can refer others to it in the future and not spend time on lengthy replies.
Some beginners ask for advice on gear, others on how to get started finding assignments and selling their work. I will describe my own path into photojournalism here and give some general advice that may be useful.
This is not definitive in any way. It is simply my experience and opinion formulated from twenty years experience as a photojournalist. No doubt others can weigh in and improve this with their comments and ideas.
I started as a photojournalist by going to art school. I thought I would be a fine art or landscape photographer, but I took a photojournalism course and was quickly hooked. When my money ran out after a year, I dropped out of school, but continued to work as a teaching assistant for photojournalism classes. I may have learned more in this way than I did as a student. I received no credit, but photography is a meritocracy. In over 20 years, I have never been asked for my degree; in the world of photojournalism, your portfolio is your degree.
I also learned a great deal from spending days in the library, reading about photojournalism and looking up, and discovering, each new name that I chanced upon. In this way I found Robert Capa, Robert Frank, Larry Clark, Alex Webb and dozens of others.
If you are going to be a photojournalist, you should have a good working knowledge of the history of photojournalism, and of the medium’s iconic images. You can show me nearly any often published photograph from the 20th century and I can tell you who took it and where. I’ve studied the pictures carefully and memorized details about them. This is extremely useful and will help you later as you shoot.
As you study images, you should think about where the photographer is in relation to the subjects, study how he or she has managed the light and the angle of the camera. Is the photo effective because it is compressed with a telephoto, or opened up with a wide-angle lens? And how did they get access, how will you gain access to a similar situation?
I believe that the written word, still photos and film are connected. Artists in the above disciplines are telling stories, whatever the medium. It is important for those in one area to study the work of documentarians and artists in the others. At the bottom of this page is a list of recommended writers, photographers and filmmakers—all personal favorites.
To be a photojournalist, you should be informed. I’m was appalled at a group of photographers who showed up in Haiti a few years ago, but did not know who the Duvalier’s were, or know even the most rudimentary history of the country. These countries are not there for you to practice photo-tourism and have an extended holiday. These are people’s lives you are documenting. Be knowledgeable and show respect.
At the very least, you should read the front page or lead web stories each day from either the Washington Post, LA Times or NY Times. The New Yorker has the best long-form journalism in the English language. I read it every week.
A second language is probably the most important skill you can acquire—far more important that the latest camera gear or a diploma from a photo school. It takes time, but you should speak at least basic French or Spanish in addition to English. Arabic, or a language spoken in China, would be an excellent choice also, especially as I write this in 2007.
I began my “careerâ€* by photographing street demonstrations in New York and taking the pictures around to newspapers and wire services. There was easy access to what was happening, which is important when you’re starting out. And even the pictures I was not able to sell helped me to build a portfolio. I also began, almost immediately, to work on long-term projects.
I cannot overstate the importance of long-term projects. Rather than run around taking hundreds of pictures of dozens of subjects, it is much better to spend a few weeks or a month with a family, or a group of people and get to know them. Your pictures will reveal your commitment as subjects become comfortable with you. Choose your projects carefully. There are hundreds of important projects out there waiting to be discovered and photographed. Photo editors know the commitment behind this kind of in-depth work, and they respect it. A good photo-essay on one project will be remembered and will help to get you assignments.
You are going to have to promote yourself and your work. If you’re afraid of rejection, find another line of work. You have to take your work around, or send it out to editors constantly. Most will turn you away. That’s the nature of the business. Get used to it and don’t take it personally. I was crushed in 1985 when Fred McDarrah, an editor at The Village Voice, spent 30 seconds flipping through a portfolio I had spent months creating, then dismissed me with a flip of his hand. It took me a long time to get my courage up again, but I eventually did “break inâ€* to The Village Voice, then a major photo publication.
So you must be persistent. And remember that editors are extremely busy. Expect them to take a few minutes to see your work, not more. They don’t need to see hundreds of photos on many subjects. Show them 20 or 25 photos they will remember and you’ll be much better off.
Notes on technique:
When I am photographing, I often approach my subjects and explain what I am doing, then ask permission to take their picture. In the ideal situation, I will spend hours or days with a subject; they become comfortable with my presence and I can capture what I want. Sometimes I will carry a small album with my pictures, which I will show to people. This helps them to understand who I am and what I’m working on--there is some give and take. People always want to feel that you are not there to exploit them. Be sensitive to this.
In a news situation I never ask permission, nor do I do anything to alter the situation as it is happening. Likewise, if I am on the street and see a moment in time that would be destroyed by my asking permission, I shoot without asking. I feel that this is my art and I have the right to practice it. I do not pay my subjects--it is unethical and makes it impossible for those who come after you to work without paying also.
Notes on equipment:
There is no magic camera that will make you take great pictures. Use what works for you. Develop a system that is reliable and that you are comfortable with. Never, under any circumstances, go on a major assignment with brand new equipment that you have not used. I don’t care if it is the latest and greatest. Often there will be glitches and growing pains, you don’t want these when you’re under the gun.
For two decades I used primarily Leica rangefinders. I’m now doing a lot of work with Canon digital EOS models, mostly a 5D and a 24-70 zoom lens. In Africa, where I’m based, I always have a Hasselblad for portraits and usually a Leica as well. I still believe in film but have to acknowledge that for a newspaper photographer, it is impractical at best.
I’m a bit of a “techie,â€* I carry a lot of gear when doing long assignments and am always experimenting with some new piece that will give me an edge. I know photographers far better than me that walk around with one battered body and a single lens and do great work. I hate flash and avoid it at all cost. Other photographers who I admire shoot with flash all the time. There is no right way to do it. I would say that a low light lens, preferably a wide-angle f1.4, or at least an f2, is a good investment. I shoot at night frequently, and here in Baghdad I am out with soldiers on night raids inside homes—flash is out of the question.
There are exceptions to what I wrote above: in a combat situation, I do not carry a lot of gear. Usually one camera and one lens. Under fire is not a time to be fumbling with gear. Shoot what you can with what you have.
I will update this as I get new ideas and suggestions and post it on my website, Kamberphoto.com
Some of my recommended materials:
Photo books:
Eugene Richards, Cocaine True,
Luc Delahaye, WinterRiesse
Robert Frank, The Americans
Gilles Peress, Telex Iran
Mary Ellen Mark, anything by her.
William Klein, anything you can find.
Movies:
Harlan County, USA, a documentary movie by Barbara Koppel
My American Girls, a documentary video about a Dominican family
Anything by the Maysle brothers.
Anything by D.A. Pennebaker.
Journalism:
Joseph Mitchell, Up in the Old Hotel,
Joan Didion, anything she’s ever done.
Michael Herr, Dispatches,
Guy Trebay, In The Place to Be,
William Finnegan, Cold New World,
Anything by Charlie Leduff or Barry Bearak in the New York Times.
George Orwell, anything he’s ever written; Down and Out in Paris and London, and Homage to Catalonia, are particularly good.
There have already been a number of posts here regarding non-payment from Kelly Price at Rapport Press. I have spoken to a number of photographers in this situation and have seen the agency's name recently appear on the NPPA's Good, Bad and Ugly list. I am interested to know how many are actually involved? Are you waiting on payment/s from the agency? Feel free to PM or email if you would rather.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia-AP
Forensic tests will be conducted on what two searchers believe are the remains of photographer Sean Flynn, son of Hollywood star Errol Flynn, who disappeared during the Cambodian War 40 years ago.
Forensic tests will be conducted on what two searchers believe are the remains of photographer Sean Flynn, son of Hollywood star Errol Flynn, who disappeared during the Cambodian War 40 years ago, the U.S. Embassy said Monday.
At least 37 journalists were killed or are listed as missing from the 1970-75 war, which pitted the U.S.-backed Lon Nol government against the North Vietnamese-supported Khmer Rouge.
A number of journalists were known to have been captured by the Khmer Rouge and probably executed.
U.S. Embassy spokesman John Johnson said that Australian David MacMillan and Briton Keith Rotheram handed over the remains Friday, and they were sent to the Hawaii-based Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, or JPAC, which deals with accounting for missing Americans from past wars.
"Obviously there is nothing conclusive and tests need to be conducted," Johnson said. "Each case is different so it is difficult to speculate on how long the analysis may take."
The search for Sean Flynn and a close friend, Dana Stone, began not long after their disappearance in the province of Kampong Cham in 1970, notably by a colleague and Vietnam War-era photographer Tim Page.
Freelance "bone hunters" have also taken up the search for both missing journalists and U.S. servicemen listed as missing in Indochina. Some proved to be swindlers who demanded money from grieving families of the missing.
"Over the years a number of us have tried to resolve the fate of our mates. Not only have fellow media been on this quest, but officials from the U.S., Japan and France," Page wrote in an e-mail to friends last week.
Page, who urged the duo to turn over the remains to U.S. authorities, also expressed concern over how MacMillan and Rotheram allegedly conducted their search.
"It was not a forensic dig: they used an excavator and uncovered a full set of remains, which they removed from the site," Page said. He noted that nine foreigners, mostly journalists, were thought to have been held in the same area as the excavation at the time of Flynn's disappearance.
Flynn, an actor who turned to photojournalism, covered the wars in Vietnam and Cambodia before his capture at the age of 28. Several documentary films and books, including "Two of the Missing," have appeared about Flynn and colleagues who suffered the same fate.
His Australian-born father was a leading star in romantic and swashbuckling films of the 1930s.
___
Associated Press writer Denis D. Gray in Bangkok contributed to this report.
Arabic version will be available in 24 hours on http://cpj.org/ar/
http://cpj.org/ar/ النسخة العربية من هذا البيان متاحة بعد 24 ساعة على
CPJ condemns prison term against Tunisian TV journalist
New York, July 6, 2010—An appeals court in Tunisia today upheld a criminal conviction and prison sentence handed down to Fahem Boukadous, a correspondent for the satellite television station Al-Hiwar al-Tunisi, in connection with his coverage of violent labor protests in the Gafsa mining region in 2008.
Boukadous faces a four-year prison term on charges of “belonging to a criminal association” and spreading materials “likely to harm public order. “
In an interview with CPJ, Boukadous said he is suffering from acute asthma and had been admitted to Farhat Hached Hospital in Sousse on Friday. He said he was unable to attend today’s appellate court hearing in Gafsa. Boukadous told CPJ that Tunisian police had unsuccessfully pressured hospital officials to discharge him in time for the hearing.
“We condemn the appeals court decision, which punishes our colleague Fahem Boukadous for reporting the news,” said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney. “We’re also troubled by reports that authorities may have pressured the hospital to discharge Boukadous. Tunisian authorities should halt their constant harassment of independent and critical journalists.”
Defense lawyers were prevented from presenting an argument before the appellate court, said defense attorney Ridha Raddaoui, who called the hearing politically motivated. Boukadous called today’s outcome a "pre-prepared political sentence issued by the court against a journalist who covered events" that were unfavorable to the government.
Boukadous, reporting for Al-Hiwar al-Tunisi, a Tunisian television station that broadcasts from Italy, had covered demonstrations against corruption and cronyism among government and labor official in the south of the country.
Boukaddous is the third Tunisian journalist to be sentenced to prison in less than 10 months. Zouhair Makhlouf and Taoufik Ben Brik were sentenced respectively to 3 and 6 months.
Dear members of this forum,
My name is Moshe Shai, I have been a press photographer for more than 25 years in Israel and for many years until today I have been working with many of the leading newspapers and magazines in the world.
I would like to inform and warn you about the Rapport Press Agency in New York and its owner Kelly Price. She has opened the agency about a year and half ago after she was fired from Polaris Agency due to unpleasant reasons (which were unknown to me at that time, those of you who are interested I will be happy to tell you about it). I was her photographer in Israel and also collected photos from other photographers to her agency. This work in addition to many events including the war in Gaza which I have covered for her have required me to spend a lot of time and money in order to supply her with thousands of pictures.
Many of those pictures have appeared in newspapers and magazines worldwide, but until today I got no money from her except for 500$ which she have paid after many dozens of emails and phone calls. She still owe me much more and apparently I'm not the only photographer in this situation. She gave me all the possible excuses for that but the bottom line is that I haven't been paid for more than 8 months.
I would like to inform you about that so you won't repeat my mistake. If there are other photographers on this forum who are in the same situation as myself and have problems with Kelly Price I would be happy to hear from you so maybe we can find out a solution how to deal with that collectively. In the meantime just know that it is ain't worth it to work with her.
Regards,
Moshe Shai
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
Summer 2010 Feature-film Production Grants
San Francisco, CA - June 30, 2010 - In its continuing effort to promote original filmmaking by individuals from around the world, the Global Film Initiative is pleased to announce a call for the Summer 2010 cycle of its feature-film production grants program. Applications will be accepted until July 15, 2010, and decisions will be announced in September 2010.
Global Film Initiative production grants are awarded twice a year, in winter and summer, to filmmakers whose work exhibits artistic excellence, authentic self-representation and accomplished storytelling. The granting program furthers the Initiative's mission of contributing to the development of local film industries while offering audiences a variety of cultural perspectives on daily life around the world. Monies received through the Initiative's granting program are used to support completion of film production, and to subsidize post-production costs, such as laboratory and sound mixing fees and access to modern editing systems.
This year, the Global Film Initiative will award production grants of up to $10,000 each to select applicants during its summer granting cycle. These funds are made available following the Initiative's evaluation of an applicant's completed screenplay and early film-footage, and may include a pre-sale option for exclusive U.S. distribution of an applicant's film by the Initiative. Individuals may submit more than one film for consideration per granting cycle but please note that only applications from qualifying countries or regions will be considered and that production grants are not available for documentary or short films.*
The Global Film Initiative strongly believes in supporting narrative storytelling traditions from around the world and invites all qualified applicants to submit their work for granting consideration. For Applications & Guidelines, please visit: www.globalfilm.org/granting.htm.
Application deadline: July 15, 2010
*The Global Film Initiative accepts grant applications from countries in the following regions: Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Asia (excluding Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan), and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand).
The Global Film Initiative
The Global Film Initiative is a U.S.-based not-for-profit organization specializing in the support of independent film from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Founded in 2002 to promote cross-cultural understanding through the language of cinema, the Initiative awards numerous grants to deserving filmmakers from around the world each year, and supports a touring film series entitled Global Lens. For more information about the Global Lens film series and Global Film Initiative programs, please visit: http://www.globalfilm.org.
forwarded message:
Dear All,
Just 3 months to go until the 2010 International Conference on Crisis Mapping (ICCM 2010)!
Shortly after the earthquake in Haiti, Secretary Clinton pointed out that the technology community had set up interactive maps to help identify needs and target resources. Crisis Mapping has also received extensive media coverage this year, ranging from CNN and NPR to the Washington Post and New York Times. ICCM 2010 will bring together the who's who in the crisis mapping and humanitarian tech space, policymakers, disaster response experts, scholars and donors to learn from Haiti and prepare for the next emergency.
This year's Conference will take place on October 1st, while the Annual Meeting of CrisisMappers will happen on October 2-3. Both events are being held in Boston and the agendas for both are available here. Like last year's ICCM 2009, the public Conference will feature an exciting set of Ignite Talks, a Tech/Analysis Fair and a special Keynote. The Tech/Analysis Fair will provide a space to demo and discuss the very latest humanitarian technologies in the field. The Annual Meeting (by invitation only) will include Roundtables, Self-Organized-Sessions and other dedicated sessions.
Need another reason to participate in the Conference? Check out all the great things that last year's participants had to say! We now have over 700 members in our network, so please join us if you're new.
Be sure to register for the conference early to secure your space at ICCM 2010. We'll soon be sending out information on how to apply to give an Ignite Talk and where to sign up for a space to demo your projects at the Tech/Analysis Fair. So please stay tuned, spread the word and don't forget to register!
We look forward to seeing you all in Boston!
All the best,
Jen and Patrick
http://www.crisismappers.net/page/iccm-2010-haiti-and-beyond
http://www.events.harvard.edu/profile/form/index.cfm?PKformID=0x1691177ba
by AK Kimoto / Cartoon(Panotphorn Changlek) Visual Collaboration and Reinterpretating the Badakhshan, Afghanistan Series:
Date: May 1st to 12th
Opening reception: 6pm, Friday May 7th (*Auction of exhibited works is planned on the opening day. Part of the proceeds goes to the family who AK Kimoto photographed)The digital flier is available from http://bit.ly/IDO-FLIERYOUR RSVP ON FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/i-do-ak-toon
This collaboration is a celebration of the combined talents of two people who were as close as individuals could be. We lost AK Kimoto suddenly at the end of March. I say “weâ€* because he touched so many people’s lives in his brief time in this world and he represented so much promise to the photography world.
The loss to friends and the photography world compare little to the loss to his family and his partner in life, and painter, Cartoon(Panotphorn Changlek). Cartoon has selected photographs of AK’s and created something entirely new in her powerful, bold and vivid paintings. When two people come together, they inevitably witness the world in a different way but their vision can complement and almost exist simultaneously as matter and anti-matter, in balance and free from friction or conflict. They can stand on their own and yet feed off the energy taken from the other, given back to the other. Cartoon’s work takes AK’s vision and filters it through a different cultural context and different wave length while leaving from exactly the same point of departure.
It makes one wonder what could have been and how this seed could have flourished. Still, this project speaks louder than anyone of us ever could.
http://www.rethink-dispatches.com/photo-essay/in-memory-of-a-k-kimoto/http://bit.ly/i-was-there-ak
Date: May 1st to 12th
Opening reception: 6pm, Friday May 7th (*Auction of exhibited works is planned on the opening day. Part of the proceeds goes to the family who AK Kimoto photographed)
Venue: At Hof art gallery
http://www.hof-art.net/eng/file/contact.php
More information:
Yumi Goto g.youme@gmail.com 081 206 9973
Kosuke Okahara kosukeokahara@gmail.com
Cartoon 087 055 9407 (English and Thai)
Hof Art gallery hofartinfo@gmail.com 089 926 2196
http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/index.php?id=contest2010
Terms in short:
9) Upon WWC’s request, each entrant must be prepared to provide (within seven calendar days of receipt of WWC’s request) a signed release from all persons who appear in the photograph submitted, and/or from the owner of any material that appears in the photography entry, authorizing WWC and its licensees to reproduce, distribute, display and create derivative works of the entry in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest, in any media now or hereafter known.
This is ok, but how about this second one after:
10) Photos submitted remain the property of the photographer. The photographers hold the copyright to the pictures submitted, but WWC retains the unlimited right to use submitted photos for non-profit public information purposes (website, brochures, reports, Internet, press, flyers, Cds) at no cost, in which case the photographers will be acknowledged.
Does it mean....they can use/sell and whatever to the images even if not directly connected to the competition you think?
Best wishes,
Alex
www.alexmasi.co.uk
Nokia’s Growth Economy Venture Challenge
http://www.callingallinnovators.com/venture_challenge.aspx
s Your Biggest Idea Worth $1 Million? Find out now. Act quickly – submissions are due by 31 July 2010.
Nokia's Calling All Innovators competition has always been designed to inspire creativity and change. This year, Nokia's CEO is taking the competition to a whole new level with the Growth Economy Venture Challenge.
The challenge:
Submit your best idea for a new mobile product or solution designed to improve the lives of people in the developing world.
The payoff:
The winner of Nokia’s Growth Economy Venture Challenge will receive a $1 million (USD) venture capital investment and support from Nokia to help turn the idea into reality.
"We've seen what the tech community can do when it focuses on problems that are also opportunities. We want to channel that energy toward improving lives in the deveoping world." said Nokia's CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo. Bear in mind, this is not a gift, grant or prize. It's an investment aimed at creating a strong, vibrant business that will also improve people's lives.
We're looking for one idea that stands above the rest:
* An idea that could truly change the way people use Nokia mobile devices.
* An idea that demonstrates how mobility can dramatically improve the lives of people who live in areas where the average income is under US$5/day.
* An idea that recognizes a good business opportunity can also contribute to "doing good."
There can only be one winner in this competition, but the winning idea will make people stand up and take notice.
And let’s be clear, this Venture Challenge is about more than just mobile apps. The winning idea might be hardware, software, or a new service opportunity.
Criteria for the winning proposal
The winning proposal in the Growth Economy Venture Challenge will meet the following criteria:
* It must include a clear mission statement; and provide a product or service plan that will undeniably raise the standard of living, and/or enhance the lives of people living in emerging market countries today.
* The initial target market must be located in a region with per capita income significantly lower than what is found in industrialized nations today (e.g., sub-$5 per day).
* It must include a viable business model that has a high likelihood of providing a strong return on investment for the venture funding provided.
Download and complete this application form. Then submit your proposal to Nokia’s Growth Economy Venture Challenge.
NOTE - Deadline Extended:
Submissions for this unique investment opportunity will be accepted through 11:59 pm PST 31 July 2010. The winner will be announced on 15 September 2010 at Nokia Developer Summit in London.
For more information, see the complete Rules for the Venture Challenge.
Want sources of inspiration for your own ideas?
Take a look at the Progress Project, where Nokia and Lonely Planet are showing the world how mobility is connecting people to what matters. For instance, Nokia Tej in Kolhapur, India, is demonstrating how mobile phones can be used to increase sales efficiency and productivity in the textile industry.
Another excellent example is Nokia Life Tools, which is helping farmers in places like Maharashtra, India, to use their mobile phones to get the latest market prices for their crops, as well as weather forecasts and governmental advice on modern farming techniques.
PhotoPhilanthropy Activist Awards: Increases Professional Award to $15,000. http://www.photophilanthropy.org
PhotoPhilanthropy promotes and connects photographers with non-profit organizations around the world to tell the stories that drive action for social change. The PhotoPhilanthropy website provides a space for photographers, photo enthusiasts and non-profits to come together for collaboration, inspiration, and action. Each photographer whose work is accepted receives a page on the website and exposure to a growing audience of concerned and committed global citizens. The PhotoPhilanthropy Activist Award identifies outstanding work done by photographers in collaboration with non-profit organizations worldwide. The professional award has increased to 15,000 this year. In the first year, over 200 photographers from 63 different countries submitted work. This year, PhotoPhilanthropy will be honoring professional, amateur, and student photographers, and a new category for community-based organizations. The 2010 submissions are open-- apply now! http://www.photophilanthropy.org/awards_guidelines.php
INTRO
If in 7.7 we put a headline to this interview, here above would read: "I don’t like photojournalism". Bruce, besides being a master of street photography and one of the stars of the Magnum agency, has a particular vision of how to take pictures, why and for what. It’s very enlightening when you see him in action: walking down the street, he see´s a character, he stop´s at mid-meter, and shoot´s a single photo with flash. There is zero interaction, with great results and a lot of detractors and admirers of his method. Bruce is this: a man with a vocation for polemicist with a unique style making photojournalism, which is what he denies.
http://www.7dot7.net/
Tomorrow, July 1, is the deadline to enter for the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards for excellence in broadcast and online journalism. We are looking for outstanding multimedia news programming that appeared online btw June 30, 2009 and July 1, 2010.
Enter online at www.dupontawards.org/entrypage.
Questions? Call us at 212-854-5047.
A couple other photographers and I have started an image wire service that offers a very specific type of imagery: business photos (economy, transportation, green, economy, jobs, energy, washington, etc).
We are a coop of sorts: we will have only about six shooters. We are looking for photographers in NYC and Washington DC.
This is spec type work, but with the coop-like small cadre, we split proceeds 70/30. We want a talented, motivated, BALL BUSTING photojournalist who can cover events in these cities at least twice a week. Must be motivated!
Must have wire or newspaper on-deadline experience. Please have a website, and if you write, please give me that link. Must have drive and passion! (and please be prepared to describe that motivation to us).
If interested, please make contact, along with link to work and a little bit about you. In return I’ll fill you in on our website, business plan, background, etc.
Contact me at robert at_mark robertbenson dot com
Wired magazine, italian edition.
I am looking for a documentary photographer realy good with artificial light.
The shooting will be inside od a university lab.
He has to have a real contemporary image,clean, not a havey post production,really good in portraiting in location and also able to take detayls or stills.
It's a really good story and we need a really good photographer.
Please reply only at fmorosini@condenast.it
Saw this on USAJOBS:
Job Title: Photographer/Videographer (Afghanistan)
Department: Department Of State
Agency: Department Of State
Sub Agency: Civil Service Personnel-Civil Srvc and Iraq Jobs
Job Announcement Number: ASO-2010-0045
SALARY RANGE: $74,872.00 - $115,742.00 /year
OPEN PERIOD: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 to Wednesday, July 07, 2010
SERIES & GRADE: AD-1001-03/03
POSITION INFORMATION: Full TimeTemporary Excepted Appointment NTE 13 Months
PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 03
DUTY LOCATIONS: 1 vacancy - Washington DC Metro Area, DC/TDY to Afghanistan
WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED: Open to all U.S. citizens.
JOB SUMMARY:
This is a temporary position located in the Afghanistan Support
Organization (ASO), which is a temporary organization within the
Department of State. ASO was established at the direction of the
President to support executive departments and agencies in
preventing Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorists,
facilitating Afghanistan's progress to self-sufficiency, and
maintaining an effective diplomatic presence in Afghanistan.
Photographer/Videographer (Afghanistan)www.susanmhall.com
PWP 35th Anniversary Women’s International Juried Photography Exhibition 2010
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 30, 2010
Professional Women Photographers (PWP) invites all women artists working with any photographic process to submit images. Submission deadline is September 30, 2010. The exhibition jurors, Elinor Carucci and Stephen Perloff will award $3000 in cash prizes, a group show in Manhattan’s SohoPhoto gallery, an online exhibition and the cover image of IMPRINTS Magazine Fall/Winter 2010 issue.
CATEGORIES:
Winners will be selected from four categories:
People
Places
Nature
Abstract
EXHIBITION AND AWARDS:
· Selected artists and their work will be seen by an international audience of collectors, curators and others who appreciate fine art photography in a group show, an online exhibition and in IMPRINTS Magazine. Awarded images and Jurors’ Selections will be included in a two-week group show at Manhattan’s SohoPhoto gallery from June 1-14, 2011. Awarded images, Jurors’ Selections and Honorable Mentions will also be included in PWP’s online gallery for six months from October 15, 2010 through April 15, 2011.
· Grand Prize: One photographer will receive $600 and have their image on the cover of IMPRINTS Magazine 2010 Fall/Winter Issue. IMPRINTS Magazine, the official publication of PWP, is published in hard copy and online editions. Their image will be in the SohoPhoto gallery show and the online exhibition.
· First Prizes: 4 photographers (one in each category) will receive $300 and their selected images will appear in an article in the Fall/Winter issue of IMPRINTS Magazine. Their image will be exhibited in the Soho Photo gallery show and the online exhibition.
· Second Prizes: 4 photographers (one in each category) will receive $200 and their images will appear in an article in IMPRINTS Fall/Winter issue. Their image will be exhibited in the SohoPhoto gallery show and the online exhibition.
· Third Prizes: 4 winners (one in each category) will receive $100 and their images will appear in an article in the Fall/Winter issue of IMPRINTS. Their image will be exhibited in the SohoPhoto gallery show and the online exhibition.
· Jurors’ Selections: 20 additional images will be included in the SohoPhoto gallery and the online exhibition.
· Honorable Mention: 37 additional images will be included in the PWP online gallery exhibition.
ELIGIBILITY: This Call for Entries is open to ALL WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS; NON-MEMBERS AND MEMBERS, AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL. PWP invites women photographers working in all mediums, styles and schools of thought to participate. Experimental and mixed techniques are welcome. Only 2-D work is eligible and must be limited in FRAMED SIZE to 24 x 30 inches.
ENTRY FEE:
The entry fee is $35 for the first three images. Additional images may be submitted for $10 each. The same image may be submitted to more than one category and there is no limit to the number of images submitted.
JURORS:
Elinor Carucci is an internationally recognized photographer and educator whose photographs are in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Brooklyn Museum of Art and the Houston Museum of Fine Art.
Stephen Perloff is the editor of The Photo Review, which he founded in 1976, editor of The Photograph Collector, and editor of Focus Magazine. He is also a curator and photographer.
For complete prospectus, go to:
http://www.pwponline.org/calls/individual.php?which=2010-06-10-1
I want to cover the oil spill in the Gulf currently happening in the Gulf of Mexico. I'm looking on suggestions on outlets for the photos and story, along with any and all feedback and suggestions on the story as a whole.
Hi all,
I am looking for a new / used Digital point and shoot... something I can just carry around on hand to take snapshots with. Last year, I had Canon PowerShot SX110 IS, which I loved (it went missing in Afghanistan). Only set back is that it did not have a traditional viewfinder (only a large LCD) and it did not shoot Raws. I've been looking at used Canon G9s, but I've heard they have a slight shutter lag. So basically, here's the criteria that I am looking for:
-A Digital point and shoot, new or used
-NO shutter delay / lag
-A traditional viewfinder (not just an LCD)
-Shoots RAWs
-light, easy to carry around
Any suggestions? Thanks!!
Hey folks, here's a very long interview I did with Tim Hetherington, who is arguably the most successful multi-media journalist working today. (He won the grand prize at Sundance Film Fest, the World Press Photo grand prize and the Rory Peck award for combat cinematography, all in the space of about 18 months.)
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/behind-44/
The interview is about his upcoming Afghanistan film, Restrepo, and his book and multi-media projects. Much of the interview is about moving beyond traditional photojournalism. Tim talks about how he juggles photo and video and uses various platforms to get his experiences out to the public.
I consider Restrepo to be the best war doc I have ever seen. It premieres in NY and LA on 25 June.
Please give the interview a look and leave a comment if you find it useful or not. Thanks, Mike
Hi folks,
I thought you might be interested in, and perhaps interested in commenting on, a recent victory of ours at First Amendment Project. Thus I'm posting it here rather than the "alerts" section.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/21/AR2010062104479.html
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_15344358?source=rss
Best,
Geoff
Seems to be some misinformation here on Lightstalkers... Our 2011 application will be online sometime in mid-August. You can sign up for our email newsletter (on our website) if you're interested, and you'll automatically be notified when it's available.
All the information on the Web doesn't seem to satisfactorily answer this question, as I am unhappy with the scans from my Nikon 4000, especially for B+W. (color is more or less OK)
So I am in the market for a new scanner.
35mm mostly, some medium format need. Both color + B+W. but especially B+W, have to be good!
What do y'all think of Imacon 343 vs. Nikon 9000 vs. Nikon 8000 vs. Epson V750?
Thanks!
Hey all. i just wanted to introduce a new project I just launched called California is a Place. it's an ongoing series of short documentaries about California, each with its own accompanying photo essay. Produced/Shot/Edited by myself and filmmaker Drea Cooper. anyways, if anyone has time to take a peak, the link is below. many thanks. Zack
www.californiaisaplace.com
I am picture editor at Penguin Books in London and am currently looking for photographs for a book cover. I would welcome submissions which exactly fit this brief - I'm afraid much as I would like to I cannot look through portfolios which are too wide ranging.
Brief:
Photograph of beautiful landscape in Kashmir - predominantly land not water based - stunning light. Can be unpopulated by figures, or can have a male or males of Kashmir origin (preferably young adult) in photograph. My dream photograph is of a green or dusty valley, surrounded by mountains, taken from low angle and with figure of young man walking away from camera in middle. beautiful light. remember this is for a book cover.
thank you
Lesley
Visa Application and Legal Issues for Immigrant Artists
This workshop will give an overview of the legal options for immigrant artists seeking to pursue an artistic career in the United States. It will cover basic immigration law and visa procedures in addition to unique legal options for artists.
Presented by Audrey Carr, Legal Services NYC and Charles Printz, Teplen and Associate.
Date: May 13, 6:30-8:30
Location: 20 Jay Street, 7th Floor Brooklyn NY 11201
Admission: Free
Space is limited.
RSVP: http://visalegalissues.eventbrite.com/
For additional information please email i.outreach@nyfa.org.
Part of the Spring 2010 Cultural Community Workshop Series of NYFA Immigrant Artist Project.Funded in part by The New York Community Trust.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF ENTRY CONDITIONS FOR THE XIV EDITION OF THE LUIS VALTUENA HUMANITARIAN PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD.
This is the fourteen consecutive year in which Médicos del Mundo Spain has held the Luis Valtuena International Humanitarian Award. The prize is dedicated to the memory of the four members of Medicos del Mundo who were murdered in Rwanda and Bosnia Herzegovina, and is today one of the premier competitions for humanitarian photography.
Send your original before the 15th October. You can find all the information in the database, formats and dates at www.premioluisvaltuena.org. For questions contact premioluisvaltuena@medicosdelmundo.org
Hello all,
I am just curious to know why some you still use film cameras.
It is because - you don't trust DSLR
- you'r too old to change
- DSLR quality too low compare to film
- etc...
Thank you
Yves
FOUNDRY PHOTOJOURNALISM WORKSHOP ISTANBUL 2010 proudly announces Jason Eskanazi as new faculty member for this years workshop. All class slots for his course are open. If interested contact us and/or register ASAP!
Looking for photos of different types of IEDs. From simple to sophisticate. Individual shots preferred without people. Please feel free to email me directly at zana@wired.com.
Prix Bayeux media award for conflict and defence of freedom and democracy
http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/prix-bayeux-media-award-for-conflict-defence-of-freedom-and-democracy
deadline june 7
OSI audience engagement grant
http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/osi-audience-engagement-grant
deadline Friday, July 23, 2010, by 5:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time)
Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travel Grant (UK citizens)
http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/winston-churchill-memorial-trust-travel-grant
Reynolds Journalism Initiative Fellowships
http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/reynolds-journalism-initiative-fellowships
Hello,
I will be in Kashmir in June - July.
I wound appreciate suggestions regarding accommodation options and fixers.
any additional wisdom is appreciated
Thanks , Suchitra
Dr. Irene Wu, a researcher at the Federal Communications Commission, is seeking feedback from journalists that would help with the agency's Future of the Media project.
http://reboot.fcc.gov/futureofmedia/
Wu is compiling a list of datasets that investigative reporters would like to have. This would be ideally be data that is supposed to be public, but in practice is difficult to get in searchable electronic format.
Wu wants to understand not just which types of government data are in demand but what kinds of problems reporters are encountering in trying to obtain data. FCC cannot compel the release of data, but the agency could make recommendation on how to improve the situation.
To submit your government data wish list and complaint list, e-mail Irene Wu.
Irene.Wu@fcc.gov
One of my lens was stolen from my checked in luggage during my flight from Nairobi-Mumbai by Kenya Air. I didn't noticed it until I got home and opened my bag. The airline said that they are not liable because I didn't report it before I left airport. I am wondering if there are anything I can do. Does anyone have similar experience or know how to deal with cases like this? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
Hi guys,
So this is not a photo question and maybe some of you have seen this already, but it's important! My partner's school friend Dermot Tatlow (a fellow LSer)'s son has relapsed with a high risk type of Leukemia (APL). There hasn’t been a donor match for him and they are starting an urgent donor drive as the boy only has 11 weeks to find a bone marrow or cord blood match, in order to have a life saving transplant.
If you are of mixed South – Asian/European ancestry,or know someone who is, you can send a sample of your saliva or swab of your cheek to see if you are a match. To receive a kit for the sample test where you live, and read more information, please visit http://www.matchdevan.com/. You can also find a link on Facebook
Please feel forward this and hopefully someone can be found. Cheers, Haris!
Delhiites and Expats,
I'm in the process of moving to Delhi and I'd like to catch up for a beer or a tea or a lemonade. Anyone in? Next weekend would be nice.
Cheers
Daniel
Hello all,
I was playing around with integrating my Photoshelter site into a Wordpress site with Visual Society/Graph Paper Press yesterday. Is anyone using this service with VS/GPP? I noticed some photographers on LS are using professional designers to make their WP/PS sites and hosting on their own servers I assume, but are any using the VS/GPP's themes and hosting on their site? Any advantages/disadvantages to this? Thanks!
Hi all:
So wondering if anyone else has been faced with the same problems of buying the duo-core i-mac and not being able to use their Nikon scanner anymore. I tried to download the software and even called Nikon and they told me that they haven't been able to make software compatible for this mac. Glad I have now a beautiful expensive computer and can't use it to scan. Grrrrr.
The rude tech mentioned something like silver fast, but that's a program you have to purchase. Has anyone else done this or come up with some other way to make the computer recognize the scanner. Mine is a Nikon Coolscan 8000. Have a ton of work I need to get done and stuck!
Thanks!
The Julia Dean Photo Workshops is pleased to announce The 2010 Berenice Abbott Prize for an Emerging Photographer. Deadline: July 17, 2010. Juried by David Fahey of Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles. One person is selected for this prize and is given a one-person, all expenses paid exhibition at an LA gallery (TBA), an exhibition book, plus a Canon EOS50D/E 28-135 Kit. The winner also receives a spread of the winning work in Rangefinder magazine.
What constitutes an Emerging Photographer?
An emerging photographer does not mean a young photographer, though a young photographer can certainly enter. Rather, it means that you have an accomplished body of work that has not yet been exhibited or published widely.
For more information: http://juliadean.com/contests/berenice-abbott-prize/
http://blog.humanrightsfirst.org/2010/05/security-clearances-identified-as.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+humanrightsfirst%2FiDnl+(Human+Rights+First)
"...The List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies recently issued a new report finding that U.S. efforts to bring U.S.-affiliated Iraqis to safety still fail to meet the needs of tens of thousands of Iraqis at risk because of their work with the U.S. government or U.S. organizations and media outlets.
The List Project’s Kirk Johnson warns that a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq that does not contain a serious and comprehensive contingency plan to ensure the protection of U.S.-affiliated Iraqis is both strategically and morally shortsighted. The group is urging the Obama administration to plan for a potential evacuation of these U.S.-affiliated Iraqis...."
Over the past year I have been emailed frequently by photographers inquiring the "how to's" of embedding to Afghanistan, especially those who are first-timers. I wrote very similar emails like this to very experienced colleagues (such as Alan Chin, John Moore, and Teru Kuwayama, to name a few) before I embedded for the first time in 2009. To save us all a lot of trouble (those asking the questions and those having to repeat the advice) I decided to compile a document entailing a list and series of frequently asked "Q and A's", as well as information given to me from these colleagues in the field; without their help my embed would have been much more difficult. Each section of advice is listed under the photographer's name who gave me that particular advice. (If you find your name listed in the following document, and you prefer to NOT be listed here, please email me and I will remove you). Otherwise, I think this will be rather helpful for everyone, as it covers a variety of topics including, gear, mobility, terrain, contacts, etc. It is quite long, so may need to be sifted through to pick out the best parts. Please feel free to also add your own advice, and THANK YOU to all of the photographers who helped me before my embed. All best, Erin Trieb
TIPS FOR AFGHANISTAN / EMBEDDING
The following is compiled information and advice from various photojournalists on embedding / traveling to Afghanistan. All information was compiled from emails written from the spring of 2009 – summer 2009. Some information might be outdated, depending on the conflict and army regulations, etc.
JOAO PINA
South is were the temperatures get to insane levels. I just spent 3 weeks there, and it was February and it was like 75ºF during the day and 30's during the night.... imagine it in July! Every where outside of Kandahar/Helmand you shouldn't be at so much risk and so much heat. And it's very hard to say were you will see some action, depends on many things and I haven't seen much there.
Kandahar is much worse then in 2007. There are no foreigners outside of the military bases and you ARE a target. I did spend a day out of the KAF, it was fun, but I looked a lot like a Pashtu. If you are a women, not using a burka on the streets should call a lot of attentions there, but saying that I know women who did it last year.
For flak jackets and helmets, Reporters without borders in Paris do give you one if you give them a deposit for about 900€ and when you return it, they will give you the deposit back. It might be an option. Lightstalkers might be another. Be aware that man flak jackets are different from women's
I haven't dealt with this company before, but their prices look real good. they list surplus kevlar helmets starting at $40. I also see a german flak jacket for $70 or so - you would still want plates/plate carrier for high velocity rounds, but I won't go into ballistic fine print. you're from texas, you probably know more about guns than me.
http://gunnyssurplus.com/kevlar-helmet.html
EROS HOAGLAND
Regarding gear to buy at PX. Don't rely on the PX anywhere to have what you need in stock. While they usually have something usefull at the large bases. Think about buying eyepro, camel back etc before you come. Usually they will have it at PX though, and at a better price than stateside for many items. Earth colored body armor, clothes, helmet. Anything else will be like a beakon for the Talibs to aim at.
I HAVE FULL BODY ARMOR FOR RENT IN KABUL. Kit includes a light plate carrier with level IV plates (one size fits all), also a full flack vest,level IV w/ neck protector (spartan II - full battle rattle, size Large fits between 5'9 and 6'2, 165 - 190 lb man) and a brand spanking new MICH helmet size large (fits most men, sorry ladies). All kit is basically new, but worn enough not to be stiff and shinny new looking. Presently the kit lives in Wazir Akbar Khan hood of Kabul. Contact me for details.
mailto:eroshoagland@gmail.com
Hostile environment training: Unless its free, screw it. If you need to be told how to hide from gunfire or how not to step on an IED, this is not the job for you. Better to take a first aide trauma course instead of paying ex SAS guys to tell you what the kill radius of an RPG is.
Bring a healthy dose of patience and small 500 gig hard drives if you are a still photog. Bring an extra power cord if you use MAC. Make friends with PAO's. They work thier asses off, and if you piss them off too much, you will get no love. Behave yourself. Dont be sneaky, ie, don't set an audio recorder up when a bunch of soldoers/marines are sitting around bullshitting without telling them first. Dont be a demanding ass, and MOST OF ALL BE FAIR IN YOUR REPORTING. If you see a 19 year old soldier lift a pack of smokes from an abandoned shop, dont make a big deal about it. In the scope of war, this is not important. We have a job to do, but when you go out of your way to publish something minor ignoring the big picture just for the ooooohh factor, it screws us all. The military is already largely suspicious of the press at best, and this usually comes from either prejudice, or the fact that some reporter miss represented a situation, or of course, that many times the truth hurts and the military just doesnt dig what we have to say. But at least we can report in a fair manner. Think Big Picture, what is the core of your reportage?
BE FIT. WORK OUT. If you cant keep up, dont go on patrol. The rest you'll figure out along the way. At the end of the day, this shit can kill you, or worse. But so can an auto accident back home. Lif is dangerous, but to quote Michael Herr quoting a GI in Vietnam: "You gotta' bring some to get some."
TERU KUWAYAMA
Regarding "intense conflict areas" - there are areas that are traditionally hairier than others, anything along the pakistani border would be included, including paktika, and all the trends in Afghanistan are negative, so expect Kandahar or anywhere else to be worse now than in 2007 or 2008. that said, it would be bad thinking to expect that because mazar-i-sharif, bamian, herat, etc have been relatively (and it is all relative) safer that they will stay that way. think like an insurgent and expect them to strike where they have not struck before and there are softer defenses. (put sun tzu's art of war on the reading list too).
Q: Do you carry multiple bags? you mentioned duffel bag... do you have a backpack for clothes, a camera bag and a spare bag for armors and such?
yes, I carry an extra duffel bag - when traveling overseas on planes, etc, I put the backpack inside the duffel bag (will protect the straps from getting ripped off, easier to lock up, etc, and will keep more dust/dirt out). When you are stationary, in a hotel, military base, etc, you have an extra bag to lock up your extra gear in, etc. I also carry a small chain/cable to lock the bag to something).
Another thing that I find useful is a small hardcase (like pelican, etc) to put fragile items inside - like hard drives, card readers, etc - I'm talking about pretty small cases, that cost $20 - then you can use small pieces of styrofoam packing material or plastic bags, etc to pad the items - when you are traveling by road, or by helicopter, etc, your bag will get thrown around and banged up - so try to get your gear protected inside - the cases will also help keep dust out.
also useful is a duffelbag – they fold up really small when empty, but you can use to carry your body armor, extra gear, etc, and can use it to stash and lock the stuff you
are not carrying on your person.
here's a backpack I've been meaning to try out - waterproof, looks rugged, but not military - waterproof isn't necessary, but not bad - almost more useful for keeping out dust than for water, although falling into a river and killing all your digital gear is always a
possibility too.
http://www.thewaterproofstore.com/animasblk.html
For getting to Bagram - it's not too dangerous to go via Kabul, although there is always a risk - it's really a question of what you want to do. if you want to go straight to Bagram, you might as well just go directly by DFS - if you skip the afghan visa and car ride to bagram, its not really going to cost much more to go direct.
For luggage - I'd take a daypack, a medium sized back pack, and a duffel you can haul the backpacks and extra stuff, like body armor, etc - when you're on the go, you duffelbag becomes your storage depot whereever you're staying. That could be a tent, a base, who knows - generally speaking, your stuff should be safe while you're embedded, but it's the military, not the boy scouts - so not a bad idea to have a bag you can lock, even chain to a bunk, etc...
DANFUNG DENNIS
Don't expect world war III. I was embedded for a month and only saw one fire fight. And even that was at night so didn't see much. At the same time, you should have level IV body armor, medical insurance, and ideally a surviving hostile environments training course under your belt.
Don't expect to sell anything either unless you have a commission lined up before you go.
Basically the situation is that the Americans and NATO have reached a military stalemate. NATO are so thinly spread they can only hold the ares they have now and are not push into any of the Taliban safe havens. Until the new troops arrive, there is only one unit that conducts real 'kinetic ops' (army talk for fighting) and that is the British 42 Commandos.
I was most recently with the US 2-2 Infantry in Maiwand District. They are the only other US unit besides the Marines in RC-South. It was a real hassle getting an embed with them as it goes through ISAF approval. Just so you know what to expect, in the 7 months they have been there, the Colonel said he could count the numbers of times of direct fire on one hand, but it was probably the first or second most heavily IED'ed area in the country. The main FOB (forward operating
base) is Ramrod- barren place in the middle of the desert with only route clearance operations. There are two small outposts called Terminator and Hutal where they conduct dismounted operations. I was at Hutal and there are Taliban in every direction, but I didn't see any action in the couple of days I was there, but two soldiers were killed two weeks before by a suicide bomber.
So, not sure if I recommend it as on top of that, transport out there and to the smaller bases is terrible. It is not uncommon to get stuck for two weeks. Then again, there is more activity Kandahar province than any other province except Helmand. I also spoke with the Marines, who are in Helmand and that was an option, but they were only doing route clearance and building bases, so it sounded very boring.
Don't wear anything synthetic, as in a blast it will melt into skin and make burns much worse. I wear nomex which is fire resistant. You must have your own body armor, helmet, and ballistic eye wear. The army provides transport, food, and a cot. I have insurance that covers medical evacuation from Afghanistan, going there without it really rolling the dice.
Civilian flights are the most reliable way to get into afghanistan. use the taxi company afghan logistics to get yourself to bagram airbase. I usually give myself a week to get to a location and a week to get out, so by doing that many embeds in a row, you will be spending a lot of time traveling. Better to choose one and stick with it. The units are in different regions and have different embed procedures, so that adds to the hassle.
Have good Level IV body armor and be inn excellent physical shape. Be prepared to carry everything you need for several days in extreme heat (50+ pounds in 120 degrees). If not, you will be a liability to yourself and the soldiers.
Wear nomex clothing to prevent burns
(http://www.ninaberman.com/index3.php?pag=prt&dir=marine).
Have insurance that covers medical evacuation from afghanistan. The military will stabilize you if you are wounded, by after that you are on your own.
DANFUNG Q & A
1. Outside the wire: How often do you get to go outside the wire and
how long do these trips last.
i give myself usually a week to reach the small outpost and to actually start shooting. there are usually patrols everyday and they range from a couple of hours to several days.
2. Gear: How much gear would you pack for a 3-4 weeks embed? What do
you pack for an extended patrol outside the wire (assuming it does
happen)?
I have attached my gear list. for an extended trip carry the miniumn-sleeping bag, sleeping mat, batteries, and camelbak. I would say insurance that cover war zones is probably the most important thing to have.
3. Filing photos: Is it easy to file photos from whenever you are based or do you have to bring your own transmission equipment?
there is internet on the bigger bases, but is very slow. Most journalists bring a BGAN satellite modem for filing from in the field.
4. Security of personal equipment on base? Lockers, etc?
Security is good. I sometimes use locks on my bags, but usally don't and never had anything stolen.
5. Availability of body armor in Kabul?
none
6. How cold is it right now in the mountain areas of the eastern regions?
google weather for kabul. its above freezing at night now, and warmish during the day. khost is warmer than everywhere else.
7. Visa extension. Are these easy to obtain and is Kabul the only
place to do that?
I have done it before in kabul and it was a pain. you will need a fixer, cash and a couple of days to get it sorted, but it can be done.
CHAD HUNT
Suggested Packing List:
-tan pants, muted, colors to fit in with landscape, make sure your helmet or vest is not blue.
-converse special forces boots ( or good boots you like)
- make sure you can carry everything yourself
- the px at bagram sells almost everything . Go there and buy a camel back and a good pocketknife when you arrive.
-petzel headlamp with red filter
- Ballistic glasses ( you can get these at the px as well) a must have !
The PAO people at bagram will help you with as many questions that you have but i would think of them as a speed bump on your way to the real people you want to impress. i mean, the people at FOB shank are teh ones you need to get to really know and get to trust you. Bagram is a horribly boring place and the sooner you get to FOB Shank the better. There is a USO building that has free wi-fi ( although it is slow! ) and you can watch movies there as well to pass the time. ask your PAO guys to show you where it is. The PX ( army store)is a great place to get supplies, soap, toals, flashlights, knives, books) They also sell camel backs and stuff like that... so dont worry about packing too much because you can get it there if you forget it. Definately buy ballistic eye protection glasses and wear them when you get on and off helicopters. There is A LOT of rocks and stuff flying around from the wind and you will be happy that your eyes are protected.
There is a ATM on bagram but it hardly ever works so make sure you have cash, the PX will only give back $20 in change. for each purchase if you use a debit card. There is a cell phone store near the PX, you can go there and buy a cheep cell phone with a afghan number, it will cost roughly 80 bucks and you also will need to buy a few cell phone cards to "charge up " your phone with minutes.
it was EXTREEMLY HELPFUL to have a phone. Actually now that i think about it, it was one of the most important things i purchased while there because if a flight changes or moves the PAO people can call you and tell you to hustle to make it out, so get a phone, give your PAO guys the number..., it should also work at FOB shank too.
Another thought... I know a woman who teaches at bagram, she is a civilian but shoul be there for a while. she is really nice and helpful. If you like i can put you in touch so at least you will have a friend to have coffee with while you are there (but hopefully you wont be at bagram long)
AND ... i dont want to alarm you but sexual assualt is a HUGE problem on bagram. It is a fact that no one talks about and doesnt get reported but it is real and you should be aware of it.
My first trip was entirely self funded. I spend 5k of my own money to go. IF you fly to Kabul I can put together a LONG list of thoughts, including where to stay, etc. My recommendation though is to NOT fly to Kabul. On my first trip I was detained by the airport police for having the wrong visa stamp. It’s a scam where they stamp your passport with the wrong info when you enter and shake you down for cash when you leave.
I had to bribe security at every checkpoint to even get INTO the airport. Seriously, it was one of the worst experiences ever and it’s not worth it. I dont think it is TOO dangerous, but traveling to Kabul adds a risk that is really unnessicary given that you can fly straight to Bagram and cut out all the potential problems. Also keep in mind that you will have to pay for someone to take you to a guest house, and to Bagram, as wel as the rent for a guest house while in Kabul. Another thing about Kabul, it is like the New York City of Afghanistan but it is STILL AFGHANISTAN. Women are treated like crap and as a blond American you will certainly stick out as a target.
I would not advise walking around the streets of Kabul unless you have a trustworthy guide and make sure to cover your head with a scarf.
This website is a good place to get info, post questions, etc.:
http://www.kabulguide.net/
Its helpful to sign up for updates and then you will get emails from the website as other people post questions and answers.
My advice is to fly to Bagram directly with DFS. Go to shank and then have the PAO people there get you out to a nearby COP (combat outpost) or go on patrols in the area of Shank. Focus on doing the kind of photography you are good at and building relationships with the unit you are with at Shank and you will be fine.
I don’t think getting ISAF credentials is necessary unless you are hoping to go to a specific area in the south for a specific story. To be honest, both areas will present themselves with the same types of images ( soldiers in an environment ) but one is more newsy.
One bag for vest and helmet. Make sure vest and helmet has your info on it and have a copy of your embed forms attached to them. When you get to Dubai the security guys will take it and hold it till you get to your next gate which is in a different terminal. Once you get there you have to find a security gaurs to get it for you. When they take it they give you a form, don't loose that form. When you arrive at bagram you can take the vest out and wear it and ditch the bag, them mail it home when you are done
I'll have to look it up. I had 3 bags,
- one duffle that fit my vest and helmets with plates ( and they are ceramic but not the kind that breaks so you can check it )
- one medium - large bag for my cloths, etc
- one medium backpack that held my cameras and laptop.
When I got there I ditched the duffel that held my armor. When you get to the base they will give you a room or tent and you can leave your gear there. One tip though... When you are at bagram keep your stuff packed an ready to move. If they call you suddenly about flying out you don't want to miss the helicopter because you new to pack. Roll up your bag everyday and pack it away.
When I went out with troops on patrols I brought my backback with 2 camera bodies, a camel back and extra food. I also had a fleece and a rain coat.
When you get to Dubai they will take your armor at customs and give you a receipt for it ....don't loose it.
Make sure you have a copy of your embed approval and flight info to leave with your vest so they know when you are leaving. When you show up at the terminal ( a different terminal than you arrived at) find security and have them get your vest. They will bring it to you and you are set. Make sure you arrive super early at the terminal for the flight from dubai to bagram. And at the bases there is gravel everywhere so you won't be able to use your rolly suitcase. I used a "3 day assalt pack" and made sure I had extra space in it so if needed I could throw my camera with lens into it quickly.
If you have time mail I back . Here is why ; having the right gear sends an instant message that you know what you are doing, soldiers will respect you more if you are aware of the enviroment.
A blue vest in a sea of tan makes a great target to aim at. Also - why not go on patrols? What's the point of embedding if you sit on base? and if you are the only person wearing a blue vest the bad guys don't think you are a journalist, they think you are in charge... Tan vest, tan helmet.
My advice is to get to a small fob as fast as possible and get away from bagram. Bagram is a waste of time and like a american city.You will get nothing interesting there.
Q&A WITH CHAD HUNT
Were you embedded with ISAF or CJTF?
I was embedded with ISAF on my first trip and CJTF on my second and third trip. I wanted to go to helmand province in the south on my last trip and had clearance to embed with a great unit there but I didn’t do it because to embed with ISAF you need ISAF credentials that can only be obtained in Kabul. So logistically that would have been a nightmare. The taxi takes about an hour and a half from Bagram to Kabul one way. I simply didn’t want to add that risk onto my trip when I worked so hard to get a flight straight to Bagram.It seems silly to me to have to go to Kabul to get credentials but that is the way it works. I did it on my first trip while I was in Kabul but those credentials have expired. I am guessing that the Marines will not be at the Forward Operating Base where you are going and if they are you will not be permitted to go on patrols with them if you are embedded with an Army unit. Don’t worry though, get to know the people around you and ask about going out and it will happen.
Also, up until now I have thought that i need a level IV vest to get on the base. Is this correct?
If there is a solid plate in the front and back of the vest then it is more than likely a level 4. The plates look like this:
http://www.diamondbacktactical.com/Ballistic-Plates--C45.aspx
if the vest is soft it is more than likely a level III.
Most vests are level three, then they become level IV by inserting the plates.
This is my vest. It has level III inserts, and Level IV plates.
http://www.diamondbacktactical.com/Praetorian-Rapid-Cutaway-Body-Armor-P2859C31.aspx
To be honest, all you REALLY need is a plate holder with level IV plates. Level III will slow down and stop shrapnel and bullets from pistols but plates will stop an AK-47 bullet. So if you are wearing a level III vest and get hit with an AK-47 round it will go right through. The army wont check it though so really it doesn’t matter.
If you are just riding in a humvee or MRAP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MRAP_(armored_vehicle))
You will want to wear it all because in a blast it will help.
Travel?
Almost all travel is done in MRAPS , NOT HUMVEES, and you should avoid riding in humvees as much as possible, actually don’t ride in one at all. Because if you are in a MRAP and hit an IED you will live.
Can you use a credit card at the Bagram px store?
Yes. Bagram is VERY far from nitty gritty and in fact you cant even carry your camera around unless you are escorted by a military person. Think of it as a weigh station that you have to go through on your way to the real story.. I am pretty sure that you can just get a SIM card there but I am not sure because I just bought the whole phone. The cell phone store is in a separate kiosk close to the burger king ( yes , there is a burger king)
You can buy the glasses at the Bagram PX but I am not sure what they carry… most of them look pretty silly. I had these ones and like them a lot ( mine were clear)
http://www.opticsplanet.net/ess-cdi-sunglasses.html
But really you just need something simple. Like this
http://www.opticsplanet.net/ess-ice-sunglasses.html
How long did you have to stay at Bagram? Meaning, were there long waits in between patrols that you went out on... did you have to wait a week or just a few days? Did they fly you most places or did you have a take a HumV? What posts / areas were you in mostly?
I was only at bagram for a short time on all my trips. Make it clear to your PAO that you want to ge to Shank as soon as possible. You might wait a week or more to get off bagram depending on the weather. I was at FOB Kamdesh (called keiting now) , and The Korengal outpost, and FOB Orgun-E.
I'll be gone about 6 weeks and I am hoping that is enough time to make a good story. I was there for six weeks on my first two trips and 2 months on my last trip.
You mentioned sexual assault on the bases for women?
The woman I know who teaches there has a student who was raped and she told her that there were 20 assaults in the last month. I don’t know if its true or not but I know that at the smaller bases they are “blacked outâ€* which means only red lights at night time so its easy to get away with it.
Also – if you go on a patrol ask your doctor friends to give you an "IFAK," which is a personal first aid kit.
http://www.armyproperty.com/Resources/NSN-Listings/IFAK.htm
Get a canvas duffel for your vest and helmet, after you finish your embed mail it all home from bagram the case will cost 20 bucks ( a plastic foot locker from the px) and shipping is 20 bucks
Super easy. As for your cloths bag. Think light. You will wear your vest and carry everything else.
Your friend will do alright at Shank. I landed there a couple of times enroute someplace else last year in choppers--to refuel. Never got a chance to do anything there. But it's a really new FOB and has been made a major Battalion HQ, I believe. It's grown twice or three times just in the past year. She'll be in Logar, and if she can arrange it, tell her to try and get out to the smaller COPS in and around the other big one up there.
QUESTIONS TO BE CONSIDERED
- Should there be a reliable way for me to charge my laptop/camera batteries/mobile phone during the embed (generator,vehicle dc, etc)?
-Judging by the mobile network coverage maps ive been able to find I guess I will need to rely mostly on satellite for communication and transmitting my pictures?
-Is there any chance at all of pinching a bit of bandwith from the troops' connection to check email/upload a few quick pics or do I need to start scouring the internet looking for a cheap used BGAN terminal?
-For the transport would you recommend taking a civilian flight to Kabul and working it out from there or trying to sort a military flight into Bagram?
-Regarding the embed application: I am hoping to do 3-4 embeds in succession (2nd Expeditionary Marines, 5th Stryker/2nd Infantry, 82nd Airborne Combat Aviation), in your oppinion would it be better to apply for them all at once or separately?
-And finally, I was planning on sending the application to kabul-presscenter@cfc-a.centcom.mil and bagrammoc@swa.army.mil but would you possibly happen to have a more direct contact?
NICK MORRIS
My Cam gear and Armor I don't check. I carry it on because if it gets lost you can't go on. As for clothes... nothing synthetic. Only cotton and also no ink prints of any kind like picture art. Just solid color cotton clothes. You may have to wear long sleeve. Check with the unit your assigned to. Some require it. If you can afford to go to an Army Surplus and buy BDU's. Not tops just bottoms. Some military officers have issues with civilians wearing complete uniforms. BDU bottoms are acceptable. If your with the Army they have new under garmet shirts that are way cool. I'll try to find a link. There like a long sleeve BDU shirt with camo arms and t-shirt torsos. Boots. DO NOT buy a new pair and go. I HIGHLY recommend a pair of Merrell Continium. They will glove fit right out of the box and work awesome. Take at least two pair. I recommend 3 but it's your call. You can always sell them there. Socks, socks and socks. Did I say socks? Beware thick boots and thick socks will result in crappy feet. It's hot and you'll sweat. Merrells are awesome with medium thickness socks. It will get COLD at night. Not sure if you be out and about but at least prepare for it. Buy a few pounds of hard candy too. It's great for the kids there. Hope this helps.
JOHN MOORE
you guessed it - most of the things your friend will need will be obvious ones. and besides, the PXs at both Baghram and Kandahar are very good for most of the extras. bgan and body armor/eyepro aside, i find that the headlamp, babywipes, extra socks, camelback and small tubes of sunblock and mosquito
repelant all make my life over there a little less miserable.
JOE RAEDLE
Depends on where she is going. some places are all decked out with showers and stuff like that. others like this place are just getting on their feet. so, we are sleeping on the ground. I would say a bivy sack sleeping thing would be important as well as a red filter for headlamp. having a light day pack is also pretty important. she could end up going out on a day or two mission with just the essentials. also, if she comes down here I hope she is in great shape :-)
JOHN GOODMAN
It is the fighting season over here, sooo... duck, and move fast. The threat isnt really IEDs as much as small arms, but that really is determined by the specific area you are at. Logar might be more IED plagued, but I am not sure about the particular province. If you should find that your area has more of a problem with small arms fire and your unit plans to be dismounted, then you really only need plate carriers with some ceramic plates. Explosions might make you want to get more body coverage with more Kevlar, but it is really hot, and can slow you down when you dont want to be slow. The new armor that is slowly trickling down to the soldiers is just the plate carriers. It took the army long enough to figure out that is all they needed. But I digress.
Yeah, level IV is what you need. The difference between a plate carrier and a vest is that a plate carrier only has plates, no kevlar. This doesnt give you the same coverage as a full vest but it will stop anything that will come at you out here. But only against you vital organs. In an IED blast larger surface areas are effected and potentially you could bleed out despite non-vital organs being hit. Hence more coverage with Kevlar is an advantage. A lot of the special forces move on the ground and dont worry about IED's and would rather have lighter body armor to help them move quickly, so they go with the plate carriers. But the choice is yours.
Also, I have a buddy who has a set of military issued body armor, level IV, size small, complete with plates, and he has a nice helmet that should fit you. He said that he is really just looking to sell it, but I talked him down on the price, for a Baubauite. It is expensive gear, but he says he will get it all to you for 800 bucks. Actually he is having me get it to you. It is his extra gear, but he was worried about selling it, since he can keep it but not really sell it, so I ended up comforting him by saying I would do it all in his place. I can have it mailed back to you asap if you want it. The mail here is surprisingly quick, so I think I could get it to you fine. Also there is a new camel-back for it that he says you can have too, as well as a "Combat Life Saver" medical kit ( gauze, tourniquet, blood clotter stuff )
ALAN CHIN
Should I check my Kevlar / Armor Vest?
Definitely, check it in. You can just leave the plates in the vest "flip" one half of it if you can so both sides curve the same way put in duffel bag type bag, cushion with your clothes definitely keep it to two bags. Do NOT carry too much on an embed. you want to be able to travel light. If you can get it down to 1 bag, that's the way to go, maybe, with the flak jacket just in a duffel bag that folds up and fits in the other bag once you're there and either wearing or carrying the flak jacket flapped around your back most of the time.
ERIN TRIEB
Here are a few tidbits of info that I wish I had known before I had embedded in Afghanistan in 2009. I embedded only with the Army in Eastern Afghanistan, so my advice might not be applicable to those embedding with marines:
Prepare Early:
Fill out your embed application at least a month (if not longer) before you would like to travel. Some areas, such as RC South with the Marines, can take up to 5 months to get into since they are so popular with journalists.
-Become friendly with your PAOs (Public Affairs Officers). True, they can be a bit clueless when it comes to what makes a good photo. And some of them will try to discourage you from shooting firefights to instead shooting soldiers handing out candy to kids. But in the long run, I have found that there are a good number of PAOs who do support good journalism and can point you in the right direction. And ultimately, if you have their good graces, their authority supersedes that of unit that you are embedded with. Meaning, if your PAO says “we approveâ€*, in which case you would have been approved by the Colonel of that Task Force, very few can argue with this. Also, if you have a chance to meet any of the army’s photographers, do this as well. They usually know were the action is, what units are good to embed with, and can be very helpful with advising. And finally, for each different unit you have to apply for an entirely new embed with a different / separate Task Force and PAO. So make sure you prepare accordingly if you plan on visiting different COPs (Combat Operating Post)
Talk directly to those in charge:
-About half way through my embed I was setting up a few trips to and from Kabul, and various other locations, etc. This took up to a week to coordinate with my PAOs and there was a lot of red tape involved. However, I found out who the Captain was in charge of transporting people on birds (Army terms for helicopters or planes). I introduced myself and spoke directly to this Captain instead of going through the customary channels. Soon we had a system worked out where I could come to him the DAY BEFORE to put in a flight request, and he would make it happen. This worked out great and I ended up getting rides to Kabul, would disembed for a few days, and then fly back to the base (which was basically unheard of). So, again, it helps to make friends with those in charge!
-Know your terrain and units: I cannot stress how important this is. Before I embedded I was clueless on “who does what and where they are locatedâ€*. So for weeks, I spent time with an FA unit (Field Artillery) unit who for the most part patrolled in MRAPs, which means you are stuck in the back of an armored vehicle with no windows for about 8 hours a day = no photo opps (this is not true with all FA units, just the one I was with). THEN, I embedded with a unit who saw action, but 95% percent of it was IEDs and no firefights. IEDs can make for good news coverage but are also a lot scarier and more dangerous, meaning, you are more likely to also get injured. Finally, my last embed in Afghanistan was with a unit who saw firefights daily, and if you are looking for “actionâ€* photographs (which most photographers are) this was the type of unit I found that was best to be with. I spent 6 weeks with a medical unit in Afghanistan and about 85% of the patients who came in injured in combat were victims of IEDs, not small arms fire. IEDs are very dangerous and if I could I would avoid them completely. So know what regions see what you want to see, whether that be action, training, patrolling, community building, etc. Know what units are where (which can be found out on the ISAF website), and what the terrain is like (is it flat, is it mountainous?) This info will help determine what your patrols will be like. In my experience, the smaller the COP, the better the story. Unless you want to do a story on a unit based out of a big FOB, such as a aviation or medical unit.
Somewhere on this site it lists what units are in what areas of Afghanistan:
http://www.isaf.nato.int/en/media-visit-information-embed-request.html
Make friends with the Chain of Command: Also very important and something I learned late in the game. The officers, especially the CO (Commanding officer of the company, the Captain) and the XO (the Executive Officer, the lieutenant under the CO), along with the NCOs (the Non Commissioned Officers) basically set the mood of the unit you are embedding with. I have been told time and time again by the soldiers themselves that they are taught to be suspicious of the media… especially the infantry more than any other unit type. So you will already be stigmatized when you get there. If the NCOs don’t like you / are suspicious, the lower ranking soldiers will follow suit. Because ultimately, at the end of the day even if you have the soldiers’ favor and approval, they will not give you any of their time if their NCOs won’t either. So humble yourself to win their trust and favor. Bring cigarettes (esp American Marlboro Reds, Lucky Strikes, or Newports) or sodas or red bull energy shots to hand out to the soldiers and you will make friends quickly.
-Socks and Underwear and Hygeine: Socks are important, especially if you are not going to be at a big FOB (Forward Opporating Base) with washing facilities / running water. I had some “Smart Woolâ€* socks that I loved and that kept my feet warm and dry. And I bought some ExOfficio underwear, that basically was made of a mesh, synthetic material, which was great. I could wash them with bottled water and soap, and in the arid, desert temperatures they would dry outside in about 15 minutes…Much better than cotton undies. ☺ Babywipes are a MUST over there (to avoid itching in places you don’t really want to itch), but instead of packing 100s of these, you can always buy them at the PX once you are there. Even some small COPs have babywipes for sale at the local Afghan shops (but don’t count on this). When you run out, the soldiers should have some that they might share with you. When I was at a remote COP, the soldiers got so many babywipes in the mail they were throwing entire cases in the trash (1,000s of babywipes went to waste)… so I would just hang around and ask if I could have them before they got thrown in the trash ☺
Prepare With A Course:
Before I left for Afghanistan, it was stressed to me by several colleagues to take a “Conflict zone training courseâ€*, which I ended up receiving a bursary to attend from the Rory Peck Foundation. Basically, this is a course that preps journalists and NGO workers who want to travel to dangerous places in the world. It teaches how to handle being kidnapped (not much you can do if that happens in Afghanistan, though), how to look for IEDs or landmines, how to handle firefights, and most importantly FIRST AID. I can’t say that I wouldn’t have learned most of these skills on the ground once embedded. However, the course I took (with Centurion Risk Assessment Inc) helped me to become much more comfortable while I was there, and helped me feel confident that if a soldier was injured and there was no one around to help (or if I was injured) I would know what to do. Here is a list of website’s who offer these types of courses:
www.Rorypecktrust.org
http://www.centurionsafety.net/
www.ake.co.uk
www.objectiveteam.com
Pack Light: At the end of my embed I did not use HALF of the clothes equipment that I had packed. So my advice: pack once, then take out half and pack again. Do this twice. You need very, very little over there to get by and anything that you do not have, most people will give you / let you borrow if you ask politely.
Things I did not need:
-Thermorest. If you are going on long patrols with infantry units you might be walking 5 – 10 miles a day. Unless it is really cold outside, the thermorest (which typically, when put under your sleeping bag provides extra padding and insulation) won’t make a difference and will just add extra weight that you have to carry. At the end of the day you will be so exhausted you will pass out regardless of how comfortable the ground is.
-Kevlar: It’s hot, uncomfortable, and heavy. As it does not stop bullets, it’s unnecessary if you are in firefights. It does stop shrapnel, but so do plates, so my advice would be to wear a simple “Plate Carrierâ€*, which most of the army is currently switching to, anyhow. Because let’s face it, if something blows up 5 feet from you the Kevlar is not going to do too much to stop it. Though plates will block flying shrapnel just as well as bullets. However, pate carriers do NOT provide any protection for your neck and sides.
Things I wish I had packed:
-Boots. I did pack mine, but because I did not break them in before hand they were very uncomfortable, and I ended up wearing my running shoes the entire time which did not offer a good foothold when patrolling through the mountains. Buy boots and break them in a month before your embed. Do this by soaking them in warm water and them walking a few miles in them while still wet. This will help break them in and mold them to your feet.
-A light scarf. Not just to look like a cool photojournalist ☺. But more importantly, you can use it to cover your face and camera when a bird lands and kicks up dust (this happens more times then you would think, and the dust and wind are so great, it will literally knock you over, not to mention, can potentially ruin lenses). On really hot days, you can dip the scarf in water and put it under your helmet to cool off. And if you wad it up, it can serve as a pillow on overnight patrols.
-Sunscreen (at least two bottles). Unless you want to look like a raccoon and get skin cancer and wrinkles.
-Eye-pro. This is like an advanced pair of sunglasses. They serve as normal sunglasses by blocking light but also have the added feature of protecting your eyes if something explodes near by. And sunglasses are a MUST unless you plan on blinding yourself the entire time.
-A headlamp with a “red lightâ€* feature. A MUST!
-A Gerber knife. I found that at least ONCE a day I had to cut or sever something, whether it be 550 cord to tie something down or an MRE package. The soldiers all carry these and I felt annoying after asking them time and time again to use theirs.
-A Small backpack. This can be used for many things. I found that when I went out on small overnight patrols, it was very helpful having a small backpack. You will be expected to transport your own possessions, so the back pack you bring needs to be big enough to fit a few MRE packages, water bottles and your sleeping bag (which you will be carrying on small patrols) but small enough that you can hike 10 miles with it without it becoming a burden.
-Medicine: All COPs have medicine and a medic or a Physicians Assistant, so you will never be sick and not have someone to help you. However, if they tend to be low maintenance (meaning, if you go to them with a cold, they will just give you Sudafed) so if you are a med-head like me, come prepared. The dust over there is very bad and can cause severe allergies which really dampens your mood and distracts you from your work. Muscinex, Sudafed (the kind you get BEHIND the pharmacy counter) for nasal decongestion, and Nyquil are helpful. Also, this is a bit gross, but also if you already have digestive problems maybe some type of herbal laxative tea or fiber supplements. Easting MREs for days on end can really cause your stomach to get clogged up (some of the soldiers told me they didn’t go number 2 for five days at a time, ech).
Assignments:
Some of the best advice I received before my embed was to NOT expect to sell my images unless I already had an assignment and NOT to expect anyone to send me over there. I know this sounds harsh, but I found it to be true… esp if you are a freelancer who is traveling and embedding on your own dime and who thinks you are going to make it big by shooting the same thing that every other photographer over there is already. Magazine editors are inundated with photojournalists’ “My trip to Afghanistanâ€* pictures which, unfortunately, mostly consist of images of soldiers pointing a gun or running through the desert. Most editors are not interested in these, especially given the current climate of our industry. They already have experienced photographers (who have been in the field for 20 plus years shooting combat) who are consistently in Afghanistan who can provide them with these types of photos, or, the alternative is that they use stock images. My best advice: Come up with an ORIGINAL AND UNIQUE story idea and pitch it before you go. If you already have a close relationship with a publication, perhaps they might even offer a guarantee. But the story needs to be good… think about pictures that you have NOT seen coming out of this war: soldiers installing water treatment facilities for a village, soldiers teaching at a near by Afghan girls school, etc. Surprise them with what you come up with! OR, shoot the same boring pictures that a lot of photographers are shooting, but shoot them better than everyone else, sell them, and prove me wrong ☺
Internet: is more available than you would imagine. Though it is usually very slow. All FOBs have an MWR, where soldiers can use computers and the internet. They also have phones you can buy “minutesâ€* to use. The army will provide you with a pin number that you type in before making a call. I paid about 20 dollars for about 20 hours of phone time to the states, amazingly cheap. However, most of the computers in the MWR are “government restrictedâ€* which means you can not download anything from them / or plug in a hard drive to transfer images. Best advice: find an area on the FOB that has wireless internet and use your lap top (which most FOBs do have wireless internet, you just have to find it). When it comes to COPs, most of them also have computers, especially in the TOC. However, again, probably won’t accept a hard drive. An alternative would be to have a satellite phone, if you most shoot for news wires and need to get images out quickly, but I never tried this.
And most importantly, RESPECT YOUR SUBJECTS AND THE SOLDIERS:
This is an obvious one, but can be tricky, having a few gray areas that I would like to address, and that I wish I had paid more attention to before these circumstances arose:
-Respect the authority and knowledge of the NCOs and officers. If they say "Don't go into that building" listen to them. You could end up unnecessarily jeopardizing your own life and the lives of others.
-I knew of several journalist who were thrown out of their embeds in an INSTANT by shooting something that was questionable. I am not saying that you should restrict yourself on what to shoot, but if you are shooting something questionable, move quickly and discreetly. Use discretion when moving your work to publications. For instance, I know of a journalist who photographed plans for a future operation (like images of maps, Afghan terrain, army tactical plans) and moved his photos to the wires. The next day he was kicked out of the country. Ultimately the PAO and the contract that you signed at the beginning of your embed should outline and address specifically what you can lawfully photograph. However, if you don't have the approval of the Platoon sergeant or Company Commander, or they don't like your attitude or what you are photographing, they have the authority to throw you off their COP (and they WILL do this in a heartbeat).
-Do not exploit the soldiers, and use careful judgment and journalistic integrity when moving your work to publish. If you photograph an injured child or an Afghan civilian who was caught in a crossfire, make sure you indicate in your caption the DETAILS of the event: how did this person get injured? Was it US troops or an insurgent who shot the civilian? Be thorough. There is nothing more that soldiers hate--and nothing that will make it more difficult for future embeds and photographers--than inaccurate information being published, which unfortunately happens more often than we'd like to admit.
-If an NCO tells you to back off, show humility and respect, but continue to shoot if you believe that it is an important moment. THIS WILL HELP YOU IN THE LONG RUN. Explain to them why it is important for you to photograph that moment. Again, it might outline that it is lawful for you to shoot specific situations in your contract, but if the NCOs think that you are jeopardizing the welfare of their soldiers, they will make your job very difficult.
-Show your appreciation. Whether you agree with the war or not (and most of us journalists do not) do not go into a unit with an extremely liberal or arrogant attitude. Be open-minded, do not going in thinking that "US troops are baby-killers" which I have heard some journalists say. This will get you nowhere. Soldiers can read your attitude immediately, and ultimately it will hurt your relationship with them and your ability to work effectively if you have preconceived notions about them, just as it hurts our work when they have preconceived notions that all journalists are “biased and anti-militaryâ€*. Regardless of your political stance, realize that the soldiers are still risking their lives on a daily basis; most of them are straight out of high school, inexperienced and scared. Do what you can to earn their trust, and protect that trust.
-Finally, PROVIDE THEM WITH PICTURES. If they are giving you the privilege of photographing them, then the least you can do is send burn a CD or upload images to their hard drives before leaving their unit (And they ALL have Hard drives so this should not be a problem).
Learn your acronyms:
The army LOVES to abbreviate everything. When I first arrived to Afghanistan, and since I knew no one in the military prior to my embed experience, speaking with soldiers was literally like interpreting a foreign language. I had to keep asking, “What does that stand for? What does that mean? Come again?â€* It helps to familiarize a bit with what I call “Armyeseâ€* for the sake of being able to talk fluently with military personnel. Here is a list of acronyms that are used in everyday spoken military language:
-MOS: Military Occupational Specialty: Ones’s job in the military
-FOB: Forward Operating Base: A larger base where units refit and re-supply with ammunition and gear. FOBs tend to me quite large and centrally located, having washing and dining facilities, beds, MWRs, etc.
-COP: Combat Operating Post: remote posts where infantry and some FA units operate from. These are usually remote, more dangerous than FOBs, frequently are attacked (depending on what area you are in). Most do not have running water, or high-maintenance facilities / supplies
-OP: Observation Post. The most remote “baseâ€* you can go to. Usually situated on top of high terrain and serves as an overlook point, consisting of 5-10 soldiers (or a squad) and is a shack made of plywood or hescos.
-MWR: Morale, Welfare and Recreation. A room / tent / area for the soldiers, usually has TV, books, computers, etc. Good place to check email.
-MRAP: Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle. These replaced Humvees and if you are on a patrol or convoy you will most likely be riding in one. They are the safest vehicle you can ride in
-NVGs: Night Vision Goggles
-ASV: Armored Support Vehicle. The army does not typically convoy in these, but just in case the opportunity arises, I would highly recommend that you NOT ride in one. I saw several of these after they blew up and just like Humvees they basically incinerate on the spot, unlike MRAPs
-NIPR and SIPR: Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network and Secret Internet Protocol Router Network, the two internet / phone systems that the army uses. These two lines cannot make outside calls, but you can call military personnel on SIPR
-TOC: Tactical Operations Center, the nerve center of a unit at any base, which has the phone system, radios, maps, computers, etc. On a COP it’s where the officers, the CO, XO, and Headquarters Platoon work. A good place to get coffee, supplies, ask questions, and transfer images
-Outside the Wire: Outside of a the base
-MRE: “Meal Ready to Eatâ€*, highly processed food in a bag, what you eat on long patrols
-ANP: Afghan National Police
-Wash Rack: A washing facility that may include but is not limited to water treatment, water recycling, or the washing of industrial and or commercial equipment.
-Hesco: A type of fence the army builds around Cops, made of chicken wire, sand, and thick cardboard. These are safe-ish to hide behind if the COP gets attacked.
-IOTV: Improved Outer Tactical Vest. Basically, the army issued Kevlar soldiers wear. These are soon to be replaced with plate carriers.
-Mic: minute
-Click: kilometer
-TIC: Troops in Contact (being shot at)
-Bird: aircraft, either helicopter or airplane
-Chinook: Cargo helicopter, usually used for carrying large loads of supplies or people
-Blackhawk: Utility helicopter, transporting soldiers, wounded, or supplies
-Apache: Attack helicopter
-M4, The Saw, The 240: All times of weaponry. M4 is the most commonly carried. The Saw and the 240 are machine guns.
-FlashBang: a non-lethal grenade that is used to scare the enemy, usually makes a big sound and a flash of light, imitating a grenade. I haven’t seen these used in Afghanistan, but they are talked about.
-NCO: Non-Commissioned Officer: they are in charge of the privates and specialists
-CO: Company Commander, the Captain of the company
-XO: Executive Officer, the Lieutenant in charge of the Company, ranks directly under the captain. Go to
him if you need supplies
-Hot A’s: A hot meal on a tray: aka: Grub, chow
-Defac: Dining Facility, aka: chow hall
-Tracking: What soldiers say when they are following what you are saying. “I’m trackingâ€*
-Redeploy: Returning to the states from Afghanistan. It’s a bit counter-intuitive, it does not mean going back to Afghanistan. It should be “Dedeployâ€* or “Undeployâ€* if you ask me.
This is a list of more comical yet slightly vulgar and derogatory acronyms that I wrote about in my blog; funnily enough, these are actually used quite often by infantry soldiers:
-Grunt: An infantry soldier (usually derogatory but infantry soldiers also call themselves this)
-FNG: F**king New Guy (new soldiers)
-Cherries: New soldiers
-BCGs: Birth Control Glasses. Basically, these are big, thick glasses some soldiers have to wear under their eye-pro. It is said that these are a form of “birth controlâ€* because no woman will sleep with a soldier if he wears these.
-Fobbit: Military personnel who live or reside on a FOB (Forward Operating Base)
-Leafeater: Another term for Fobbits.
-Pog (originally spelled “Pogue): An acronym standing for "people other than grunts", referring to any military personnel who are not in the infantry. SEE Leafeater and Fobbit
-Piss Pipe / Piss tube: A long pipe usually made of pastic that is secured in the ground surrounded by Hesco, providing a discreet way for infantry soldiers to urinate
-Highspeed: a term soldiers use referring to anything or anyone that is “coolâ€*
-Monkey Butt: A condition that occurs when an infantry soldier has not washed their genitalia or changed under garments for long durations of time, resulting in one sounding monkey calls while jumping up and down and grabbing their buttocks.
-Swamp Ass: A serious condition of Monkey Butt.
-Burn-shitter: A temporary latrine typically housed in plywood, designed for large amounts of waste which is then periodically dumped and burned near infantry housing.
-Battle Rattle / Full Kit: Full body armor attire which may include but is not limited to IOTV (improved outer tactical vest) ammunition, weaponry, helmet, eye protection and gloves
-Haji: Infantry soldiers favorite word used to refer to Afghans.
-Dune Coon: A derogatory term used to refer to Hajis.
-Moon Dust: A fine, chalk-like dust found in most areas of Afghanistan. Penetrating clothing and difficult to remove from hair and skin, moon dust is usually 6-8 inches deep and especially prominent on paths that are necessary for traveling.
-Manjamas: A term formed by the combination of the words "Pajamas" and "man", used to describe the pajama-like day attire worn by most adult Afghan men.
-Broke off: Describes the condition of infantry soldiers after long and exhausting physical exertion, such as climbing up a mountain
-Smoked: 1. SEE "Broke off". 2. Also referring to the punishment infantry soldiers receive from NCOs, usually involving long periods of exercise. 3. A term also used to refer to the condition of the enemy after he / she is killed in action by an infantry solider.
Some good reads before / embedding:
-War Reporting for Cowards, Chris Ayres. A hilarious account of an inexperienced journalist embedding for the first time during the invasion of Iraq
-On Killing, Dave Grossman. Gives an interesting look at the psychology behind soldiers and war
-Decent Into Chaos, Ahmed Rashid. The entire history of Afghanistan and why it is in its current state.
-The Art Of War, Sun Tzu
This is all I can think of for now. I am not the most experienced person to give advice, as I have only embedded once. But I was there for 3 consecutive months so I did learn a lot! For more information (and for a few stories) you can check out my blog that I kept while embedded: www.erintrieb.blogspot.com. Good luck and Have fun!
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/05/19/politics/Bangkok-Warfare-Day-6-30129738.html
still waiting on ID
hope all are safe
watch it out there fellow pjs...helmet and vest up at a minimum
Hi all,
Looking for a waterproof (up to 10 meters) digital point & shoot camera for river rafting. Any experience with the Canon powershot d10 or olympus stylus tough 8000? Other suggestions? Would be nice to have video capability as well.
Thanks
I like to share with you one case that I think as a turning point in the debate of ethics in conflict and social photography in poor countries.
I´m referring my self to Mr. Marco´s Vernaschi´s story of Human Sacrifice in Uganda
I´m a brazilian/norwegian photo and video journalist working now in a documentary project in Uganda about Human Sacrifice for the Brazilian television network SBT. I decided to come to Uganda and cover this story for my television channel, after I saw the photo documentary produced by Mr. Marco Vernaschi, with support from the Pulitzer Center.
On January 25th 2010 a 10 years old girl named Babirye Margret was found killed by the police in the Katugwe village, with a part of the right leg and the whole left arm cut off. Three suspects including the caretaker, his wife and a traditional healer have been arrested to help in the investigations and later charged with murder. The investigations were conducted by Mr. Moses Binoga, head of the Anti Human Sacrifice and Trafficking task force and after the police closed the investigations the little girl´s body was returned to the family for burial.
The members of the NGO RACHO (the same organisation that was helping Mr. Vernaschi in Uganda) told me that Mr. Vernaschi was not present at the day the police found the body, neither he was present at her burial ceremony.
So I asked how could he than have taken the pictures of that case. They informed me that Mr. Vernaschi and his crew decided to go to the village where the body was buried and by means of payment and promises of help from the international community, Mr Vernaschi convinced the family to let him to violate the grave exposing the mutilated cadaver for him to photograph and film it. They affirmed that Mister Moses Binoga was aware of the case what I immediately decided to confirm. In my meeting with Mr Moses he confirms that he knew it and that he had a meeting with Mr. Vernaschi and the ROCHA´s members. I asked if this action was legal in Uganda and he answered that the action was illegal. I asked why Mr. Vernaschi and the members from ROCHA were not arrested and he answered that he decided not to do so and being wrongly accused by the international press community for obstruction of free press.
I exposed his methods in a debate on Facebook where several other journalists were enquiring him about this particular story. After that, Babirye Margret´s pictures captions were changed from the original caption; Jessica, a 12 year old girl, was first raped before being mutilated and killed in a horrific way. They chopped off her arm and leg, cut out her heart and removed her brain from the skull with a machete – to Babirye Mergre, a 10 year old girl, was first raped before being mutilated and killed in a horrific way. They chopped off her arm and leg, cut out her heart and removed her brain from the skull with a machete.
He called me as defamatory and promised he would come out with a series of articles that would prove that I´m a lier.. Today he published at the Pulitzer Center a series of articles. In his article, Mr. Vernaschi is just confirming everything I said about this case. Just that in his text he uses a flamboyant lyric. He promised help if the family showed him the body. And he says “I explain to them that this evidence will be crucial in several ways;â€* So I ask; What kind of ways? It is easy to be in front of a mourning, poor and traumatized family as the strongest part promising help that he cannot guarantee. Why is the evidence produced by him crucial? The case was documented before by local journalists. Crucial for what?
He payed for it. He just don´t say how much but I suppose it was a substantial value since he says “making sure this amount will be enough to hire a lawyerâ€* choosing to explain like “the chief of the community ask me for a “contributionâ€*. I’m a bit surprised, and I ask what this would be for.â€* With such engagement have he ever asked the lawyer´s name? I´m sure that a good journalist would like to have his contact and find more facts that could bring better light to the case.
If Marco Vernaschi´s ethical lines on how to document a murder turn to be a new trend, places like Bosnia could have their ground looking like the moon, with photographers violating graves after “visual evidencesâ€* of suffering.
My position is clear. I have no personal feelings regarding Marco, and I disagree with his working methods where he sacrifices ethical values in favor of graphic power. The girl had been photographed before by local journalists. He can feel that he is a better or more important photographer than the local ones, but it does not give him the right to violate a grave to prove it.
I have no personal feelings regarding Marco, and I disagree with his working methods where he sacrifices ethical values in favor of graphic power. We all, as humans will constantly face situations where we will need to confront our values and believes. Moralism and pre conceptions are not the best sources of inspiration during this moments, but ethics, respect and even admiration for the diverse ways of being are fundamental roots for good understand and criticism. Mr. Vernaschi sacrificed those values in profit of his story and to enhance the graphic power of his pictures. Good and denouncing journalism is a crucial element in the work to find this trend an end (not just in Uganda)
I also like to inform that The Pulitzer center was the first I ever contacted in concern with this case. I strongly believe that any person acting professionally in any field, has the moral obligation to expose fellow colleagues abusing their position in their own benefit or in prejudicial ways to others. I never received any answer from the Pulitzer Center but Marco confirmed that they forwarded my e-mail to him. I´m curious to see how their ethical opinion about this case.
A journalist´s work is public and its methods must be confronted publicly if necessary. At the Facebook talk I was not the first to criticize Marco, just that I have privileged information since I have been in the field where he was and presented to facts that I feel must be part of an profound ethical debate.
What do other professionals think about those methods? Is it ok to break the law and violate a grave to photograph a dead child? And if, when is it ok?? Why does Pulitzer Center stand behind and defend something that is obviously must be in conflict with their vision
I would like to propose a debate. I´m sure that Mr. Vernaschi would be more than happy to expose his thoughts here and to debate it with other photographers.
The Aaron Siskind Foundation offers a limited number of fellowship grants of up to $5,000 each for individuals working in still photography and photography-based media. Grant recipients and award amounts will be determined by a review panel on the basis of accomplishment to date and the promise of future achievement in the medium in its widest sense.
There are no restrictions on the subject matter or processes of past or projected work. However, applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States. We do not accept applications sent from outside the United States. The Foundation must receive completed applications by ordinary first-class mail, postmarked no later than October 15, 2004.
1. A maximum of ten 35mm slides of representative work.
2. A slide list,
3. Three copies of a one-page Resume/Career Summary with your name, address and phone number at the top.
4. Three copies of a brief (one-page maximum) Statement of Plans for Future Work
5. A signed copy of the 2004 Application Form/Acceptance of Terms and Conditions.
6. A self-addressed, postage-paid envelope/container suitable for the return of your slides.
The Foundation will return slides only, by ordinary first-class mail.
Website: www.aaronsiskind.org
Send to:
Aaron Siskind Foundation
c/o School of Visual Arts, MFA Photography
209 East 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010
Hello all,
I am the photo editor for Middle East Report, a quarterly magazine published by a small non-profit, non-governmental organization. (see us here: www.merip.org)
Below is a list of topics I am looking for. Please contact me if you are interested in submitting photos. We pay $100 for one-time only use inside the magazine at any size (usually 1/2 page) and possible use in the same context online.
My deadline is Friday, May 14. Please send low-res samples by email or direct me to a website.
Thanks for your good work!
Best,
Michelle Woodward (mwoodward@merip.org)
---
Iraq and Afghanistan:
- soldiers handing out soccer balls and American cultural items (video games?)
- soldiers making "Arabic" hand signals (like "slow down")
- US military courses on how to interact with Iraqis or Afghanis
- soldiers trying Iraqi or Afghani food (or smoking water pipes)
- March elections in Iraq
Israel/Palestine:
- must'arabeen (Israeli units who dress up as Arabs and speak Arabic to infiltrate Palestinian society)
- Undercover Israeli police in Palestinian demos
Egypt:
- teacher protests for living wage
- overcrowded and disorderly classrooms
- private tutoring
- "investment schools" (schools run by businesses for profit) that have popped up in new cities like New Cairo and 6th of October City
Berkeley, CA:
- BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) activists at Berkeley
fwd'd message:
My feature film, CHAIN, (2004, 99 min. with Miho Nikaido and Mira Billotte) is screening at the Museum of Modern Art, as part of their celebration of Creative Capital's first decade.
There are many extraordinary shows up at MoMA just now, but I particularly recommend the amazing William Kentridge show, which ends on May 17th!
Thanks, Jem
“An uncategorizable hybrid of social critique, poetic essay, and haunted travelogue…
This is vital, boundary-pushing film making." Sukhdev Sandhu, London Daily Telegraph
“a haunting portrait of two women who embody the alienation, abandonment and grudging optimism of the 21st-century economy. But it's also about the ineffable, even mystical connections and transferences that occur within that denatured landscape, and the way fortunes tick upward or downward, like dominoes, with the slightest blip in the globalized economy.â€*
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
“Cohen is concerned with the things that hold us together and keep us apart in the modern world. CHAIN is impressive not only for the way it integrates documentary into fiction but also for the more difficult task of using fiction to articulate things seem by a documentarian’s eye.â€* Alice Lovejoy, Film Comment
“Heartbreaking and trance-inducing at once." Luc Sante
Independent Spirit Award, 2005
Hi,
I'm a student who will be traveling to mainland China for two months and am looking for some advice from some of you who have traveled to China to photograph.
This will be the first time back in the country since my first visit as a child 12 years ago. I'm aware that the government is very keen on censorship and questionable towards foreign media.
I was born in the United States and my parents previously had Chinese citizenship but have renounced that citizenship and have had United States citizenship for quite a while.
Although I am a student, I'm studying to be a photojournalist, and I'm also worried that my educational background might trigger a few red flags as well.
I'll be carrying my Canon 7D and about 3 lenses into the country. I'm thinking of bringing my laptop so that I can store my RAWs, etc.
If anyone has advice or would like to share personal experiences, I'd greatly appreciate it. It'll help me not to make bad mistakes. Thanks!
If all goes right I will be making my first embedded trip to Afghanistan in August. I have two questions.....
1. I have searched previous posts within lightstaklers as well as the web and come up with a partial list of what to take. Does anyone have a good checklist complied that they would be willing to share ? Things like personal items, equipment, types of transport cases etc.
2. I am looking to talk with someone offline who has made an embedded trip within the past year and hear there experiences along with do's and don't. Anyone willing to help can send me a message through lightstalkers.
Thanks in advance,
Harry
Hello!
I am asking for your advices on how should I present my photos to Magnum's jury. Which qualities do they search for in each portfolio? Do they found series more powerful than singles or it depends only on the photos, not on the jury's traditional methods?
Thank you in advance!
My blog “shooting from the hipâ€* is migrating to the Chicago Tribune website.
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/shooting-from-the-hip/
The move, preceded by a lot of hard work by Tribune photo leaders Torry Bruno and Robin Daughtridge, is a wonderful thing.
My new home safely within Trib Nation allows me to share both published and unpublished photos, display my images large and hopefully, expand my reach into the non-photo world.
My personal project work from my ongoing Common Ground essay will be moving to a new site, too.
http://commongroundtheblog.wordpress.com/
In addition to “shooting from the hipâ€*, the new Chicago Tribune blog site will also host fellow Tribune photographer Alex Garcia’s blog- “Assignment Chicagoâ€* and the aforementioned Robin Daughtridge’s blog- “Trib Photo Nationâ€* which will highlight other Tribune photo staff work.
Please stop by and check out our new digs.
Hey,
I'm right now in Beirut and need urgently a fixer to help me get the accreditation with hezbollah straight to be allowed to shoot in the southern suburbs. I"m working on a project on Islam and Youth. The fixer should have experience in dealing with Hezbollah and preferably organised the press credentials for other journalists / photographers before. Does anybody have any recommendations?
best,
CLaudius
anyone have any tips on where to find one? a friend of mine got a bike for 35 bucks but cant remember the place....
anyone know of people who put bikes together out of random parts?
hello-
Im just wondering if anyone has sold any images listed with mondolibrary, the stock/agency/whatever they call themselves that specializes in providing images to NGOS and the UN and the like. Any experiences you could share would be great...
Hopefully in August I will be doing my first embedded trip to Afghanistan. In doing my research I a seeing that some recommend a second passport. I am seeing that the state department does not always grant this. Does anyone have experience with this ? Or do you even recommend it ?
Thanks
Magnum "iPhone/iPod Touch app":http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=369022308&mt=8&utm_source=iphone&utm_campaign=ae6903f9f0-MAG_iPhone_0507105_7_2010&utm_medium=email available for 2.99 plus 0.99 for additional stories on iTunes/App Store/ Photography/ MAGNUM PHOTOS...
http://wearemjr.com/2010/05/06/mjr-film-grant/
THE GRANT
So we want to try something new. Something more hands-on… We want to remain connected with the our community and provide support in the best way we know how.
The MJR Film Grant is our effort to try and put those sentiments into practice.
We want to help you realize your project and we understand the level of commitment it takes to keep pushing the analogue medium. So, in addition to supplying $500 worth of film, we want to start a conversation. This is where the information/drinks evening, portfolio reviews and the winner’s event come into play – it’s all an opportunity for us to get to know you and for you to get to know the wider photographic community.
Shooting film takes commitment – a commitment we at MJR understand and appreciate. That is why we want to help you realize your project. Not another faceless competition where JPGs fly through the air and winners are announced in helvetica, MJR is actually proposing that we meet. Connect and converse.
PLEASE CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK FOR A PDF OF INSTRUCTIONS, GUIDELINES AND FINE PRINT.
http://www.wearemjr.com/clients/mjrgrant.pdf
+ A proposal outlining the work to be undertaken or continued with the grant, saved as a PDF. Please include a short bio and personal statement.
+ 7 to 12 images, analogue capture only, that either support the proposal or showcase your work to the best of your ability. This may be a collection of single images or a more formal collection.
+ Files must be 1200 pixels on the longest side @ 72dpi.
+ Deadline for the competition is June 1, 2010
+ Please email submissions to ling@wearemjr.com
Please title your images: Surname_First name_sequence number.jpg
Please title your proposal: Surname_First name_proposal.pdf
Please title your artist statement: Surname_First name _statement.pdf
Sorry to start yet another post on this topic, but the flight situation seems to be changing frequently.
I've had a last min assignment come up and it looks like I need to book a flight to Kabul for this weekend. I've been researching options and I'm considering flying Chicago-O'Hare to Frankfurt, then taking Safi from Frankfurt to Kabul. Is this a fair approach?
I'm not familiar with Frankfurt and baggage policies there. I will be traveling with a large hiking backpack (50+lbs) containing my armor and living supplies (will be checked), a backpack with camera gear and laptop (carry on), and 1 additional small Domke satchel (carry on.) Will this be acceptable?
Any advice is appreciated, booking this last minute is a little stressful.
The digital flier is available from http://bit.ly/IDO-FLIER
YOUR RSVP ON FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/i-do-ak-toon
This collaboration is a celebration of the combined talents of two people who were as close as individuals could be. We lost AK Kimoto suddenly at the end of March. I say “weâ€* because he touched so many people’s lives in his brief time in this world and he represented so much promise to the photography world.
The loss to friends and the photography world compare little to the loss to his family and his partner in life, and painter, Cartoon(Panotphorn Changlek). Cartoon has selected photographs of AK’s and created something entirely new in her powerful, bold and vivid paintings. When two people come together, they inevitably witness the world in a different way but their vision can complement and almost exist simultaneously as matter and anti-matter, in balance and free from friction or conflict. They can stand on their own and yet feed off the energy taken from the other, given back to the other. Cartoon’s work takes AK’s vision and filters it through a different cultural context and different wave length while leaving from exactly the same point of departure.
It makes one wonder what could have been and how this seed could have flourished. Still, this project speaks louder than anyone of us ever could.
http://www.rethink-dispatches.com/photo-essay/in-memory-of-a-k-kimoto/
http://bit.ly/i-was-there-ak
Date: May 1st to 12th
Opening reception: 6pm, Friday May 7th (*Auction of exhibited works is planned on the opening day. Part of the proceeds goes to the family who AK Kimoto photographed)
Venue: At Hof art gallery
http://www.hof-art.net/eng/file/contact.php
More information:
Yumi Goto g.youme@gmail.com 081 206 9973
Kosuke Okahara kosukeokahara@gmail.com
Cartoon 087 055 9407 (English and Thai)
Hof Art gallery hofartinfo@gmail.com 089 926 2196