Agriculture and Manufacturing field in maldives:

Agriculture: Coconut, banana, breadfruit, papayas, mangoes, taro, betel, chilies, sweet potatoes, and onions are the subsistence  crops grown in Maldives . Almost all food, including staples, has to be imported. Agriculture provides about 2.0% of GDP.

Manufacturing: Traditional industry consists of boat building and handicrafts, while modern industry is limited to a few tuna canneries, a bottling plant, and a few enterprises in the capital producing PVC pipe, soap, furniture, and food products. Multi-Fiber Arrangement (MFA) that had set quotas on developing country garment exports to developed countries. The loss of these factories has not proven an insurmountable hurdle, however, as most of the profits were returning a person back to one's place of origin or citizenship and most of the labor was temporarily or permanently residing  in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing or legal residence. The manufacturing sector provides less than 7% of GDP.

Durga Puja: The Idol-Makers Of Kumartuli

Photo © Dibyangshu Sarkar—AFP/Getty Images

It's less than a month to my forthcoming photo-expedition/workshop Kolkata's Cult of Durga Photo~Expedition & Workshop™, whose primary aim is to photograph the innumerable rites associated with the Durga festivities, documenting some of the ornate pandals (platforms on which the deities are displayed), and ultimately their immersion in the city's Hooghly river.

Coincidentally, Time's LightBox featured the above photograph of artisans work on semi-finished clay statues of the Hindu goddess Durga in Kumartuli, a neighborhood of Kolkata famed for its clay idols. It seems that ongoing monsoon rains have made it hard for idol makers to finish on schedule.

Also coincidentally, the Photo Blog of MSNBC has a gallery of photographs by AFP photographer Dibyangshu Sarkar , who paid a visit to Kumartuli, the village of the idol-makers in Kolkata.

It seems that in the past, wealthy families would invite the idol-maker artisan to their homes and fashion the idol there, instead of at a workshop. According to the narrator, "the most intriguing part would be the painting of the third eye of the Goddess. The artisan would sit in meditation sometimes for hours and then suddenly in one swift stroke of his paint brush, it would be done."

In April, I posted Chhandak Pradhan's The God Makers, a gallery also documenting the clay artisans of Kumartuli in Kolkata.

Washington Deluxe bus now high on hygiene

With the recent outbreak of swine flu and other such viral disease, the bus companies have stepped up their effort to keep a hygienic environment so that the passengers can have a healthy and safe travel. These passengers that are often travelling long distances complain about the state of hygiene in the busses which has sometimes been quite troublesome. Therefore Washington Deluxe has doubled their efforts to maintain a cleaner environment to travel in with all their deluxe range busses. This also means that the bathrooms that are available inside the busses for the passengers are well maintained.  What a relief would it be to see toilets as clean as our home ones? Enjoy a hygienic trip to DC and NYC now on!

This is a welcoming change for most travelers as it is quite troublesome to travel long distances without going to the bathroom with the fear of the going there due to its condition. Passengers can now ride with a peace of mind when they know that the busses that they are travelling in have taken that extra effort to be hygienic and clean for their added comfort.

Washington Deluxe Bus - Daily Express Bus Services Between BUS DC TO NY.  Most Popular Bus Services in North East USA.

What's between NYC and DC?

Who will say No for a vacation in NYC and DC? When you plan to visit these two places, you might want to know about the places that you could visit on the way. Would you miss the natural beauties and places of importance that lies on the way from NYC to DC? Many of us prefer to take a flight straight to our destinations, enjoy the sights there and return home with those memories. The main enjoyment of a trip to a place actually lies in the travelling. You get to see and feel a lot of places and their specialties.  If you try a NYC to DC bus service and spend a little extra time travelling, you could see a lot of scenic beauties on the way. There are numerous NYC TO DC BUS services these days that makes things even easier. You don’t have to struggle finding one or have a bad road travel as all those services are able to provide a high class service.

The above suggestion was for the ones who don’t want to step out of the bus or stop in between while travelling if they happen to see something interesting. One of the most enjoyable methods to take full advantage of a trip is by getting down in between and it might turn out to be a trip full of adventures. When you decide to take an unplanned vacation along with your friends and family that does not involve children or elderly these unplanned trips are pleasant. When you want a happy unplanned trip that allows you to get on and get off wherever you feel like, it is advisable not to take children along with you. Children cannot adjust long tips and tiring journey and might spoil the whole vacation mood. When you want to have an unplanned trip to NYC to DC the best thing that you could do is to note the place that you could stop by or could visit that lies between them. These iconic American Cities are separated by about 225 miles approximately. If you are all set to enjoy the scenic beauties that lie between these two cities, road ways is the only best choice here. Here is a list of places that you can visit during your trip through the various NYC to DC bus services that are available.

1. If you wish to get a glimpse of American history, you need to visit the Independence National Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Here you will also love to see the Bowman Hill's Wildflower Preserve which is the house of nature lovers.

2. Wilmington, Delaware is there to offer an exciting pirate sail on board Wilmington's Kalmar Nyckel. Wilmington Blue Rock's Frawley Stadium and Brandywine Zoo are the other places to visit here.

3. Baltimore, Maryland is where you can find the remarkable American Visionary Art Museum. You could also enjoy hiking or biking in the 15 miles long Gwynns Falls Trail.

THE ECONOMY OF MALDIVES BASED ON TOURISM AND FISHING:

Economic growth has been mainly empowered by tourism and fishing, the strength of the economy, and its spinoffs in the transportation, communication, and construction sector.

Tourism: Cultural tourism will continue to make a significant contribution to the economy of maldives. Maldives has successfully marketed its natural assets for tourism beautiful, unpolluted beaches on small coral islands, diving in blue waters abundantly with tropical fish, and wonderful sunsets. The Average tourist stay is 8 days. GDP is used to indicate the countries economical status. The expansion of GDP id Gross Domestic Product. Tourism and related services contributed 29% of GDP in 2010

Fishing: Fish export earning is main source for the economic development of the Maldives . The fisheries industry, including fish processing, traditionally contributes about 7% of GDP.The use of nets is illegal; all fishing is done by line in Maldives. Production is increased mainly by the skipjack tuna fish is the largest fish. More than 40% is exported, largely to Sri Lanka, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the European Union. Fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted, and canned tuna exports account for about 90% of all marine product exports.

POV: Is Leica Making A Micro Four Thirds?

I am not in the prediction business, and I'm not a technophile...I'm just a camera user, who just a few months ago, bought a Leica M9 as a street photography tool, and use a Panasonic GF1 for everyday photography. I'm also a long time Canon cameras user, but those I use for my travel photography business.

Having laid down my iron-clad qualifications for being an "fallible predictor", I read with interest many of what has been written in blogs by people with more industry insight and technological expertise than I, and who predict the advent of a Leica M10 (and possibly a new series of more advanced M lenses AF capability) and others who say that a smaller new mirror-less design is in the offing.

I throw my hat with the latter. The electronic viewfinder interchangeable lenses cameras offer the image shooting quality and flexibility of a digital SLR and the portability of a digital point and shoot....and have been a huge hit with consumers, pro-consumers and professionals. Why wouldn't Leica seek to enter that market?

The current line-up for Leica digital cameras are the S2 DSLR ($23,000), the M9 rangefinder ($7000), the X-1 ($2000), the D-Lux 5 ($800) and the V-Lux 30 ($750). I can see a gap between the X1 and the M9 in terms of price point...a $3500 Micro Four Thirds could fit very well in that gap.

Naturally, it would require a couple of new AF lenses...could they'd be manufactured in Japan? I know. That's the weakest link in my predictive chain.

That being said, I really feel there's an enormous market for such a camera in Leica's line up. It would not cannibalize sales from the range finder crowd, and would induce the buyers of the point and shoot models to spend more to acquire a more versatile tool.

How much would I bet that Leica will announce such a product at Photokina? About $5.

Darkness Visible Afghanistan

I occasionally post on projects that I believe ought to be supported by the public at large, and one such project is Darkness Visible Afghanistan by photojournalist Seamus Murphy, whose aim is to raise $10,000 to create a documentary movie based on his many years traveling and photographing in Afghanistan.

"My mission is to promote an understanding of this mysterious, complex and fascinating culture."

Seamus Murphy has been photographing Afghanistan since 1994. He published a book, also titled A Darkness Visible: Afghanistan, as a chronicle of the country and its people over those tumultuous years. For two decades, Seamus has also worked extensively in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America and most recently, America. He has won 7 World Press Photo Awards and a World Understanding Award (POYi) for his work from Afghanistan.

Of the book Darkness Visible, Afghanistan, Philip Jones Griffiths wrote that "Seamus Murphy was a poet with a camera who captured the essence of life in one of the oldest countries in the world. It is a humanistic view of a misunderstood country and a rare glimpse into the nation's soul."

Many of the documentaries on Afghanistan that I've read about are focused on war, on the Taliban and its excesses...so I'm happy to dedicate a post to Mr Murphy's project...a documentary that hopes to promote its culture, its history and its people.

Charlotte Rush Bailey: Nominee B&W Spider Award

Photo © Charlotte Rush Bailey-All Rights Reserved

I am very pleased to report that Charlotte Rush Bailey was presented with the 6th Annual Black and White Spider Awards Nominee title in the category of "Amateur - Portrait" for her image of Mother India at the Nomination & Winners PhotoShow watched by 40,000 online viewers who logged on live from 154 countries to see the climax of the industry's most important event for black and white photography.

The Black and White Spider Awards is in its 7th year, and is a international award honoring black and white photography. This event shines a spotlight on the best professional and amateur photographers in a annual competition and globally webcast event, reaching photo fans in 154 countries.

The judges reviewed the entries online for eight weeks before making their final nominations and Charlotte's "Mother India," which they described as an exceptional image was honored by nomination of the Jury.

The image was made during my Tribes of South Rajasthan & Kutch Photo~Expedition™ in which Charlotte participated.

For more of Charlotte's talented photography, be sure to visit her website.

Monsoon...

Photo © AP / Manish Swarup

With all the hoopla about Irene and its impact on New York City (this post was written yesterday evening before the big 'hit'), I thought I'd feature another gallery of monsoon photographs as shown on The Sacramento Bee's photo blog, The Frame.

I chose this particular photograph because of the man clutching the bag...his expression is just priceless. Enlarge it by clicking.

That's all I have time for...

The Big Picture Does Janmashtami

Photo © Altaf Qadri-All Rights Reserved

The Big Picture featured a gallery of photographs covering the festival of Janmashtami, a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Krishna, an avatar of the god Vishnu, and is one of the most popular festivals in the Hindu Religion.

Houses are beautifully decorated, and sweets are offered to the deity. Many of the devotees fast for that day and break it after the birth of Krishna at midnight. People also make child footprint marks using some flour mixed with water in the entire house and sing devotional songs.

The Big Picture site tells us that children and adults dress as Krishna and his consort Radha in bright, elaborate costumes and jewelry, while human pyramids form to break a large earthenware pot filled with milk, curds, butter, honey and fruits.

Dark Light: Abbas & Melisa Teo

I'm glad I stumbled on Dark Light, a joint exhibition by Abbas (Magnum) and Melisa Teo, who traveled for 3 years documenting the spiritual traditions of Buddhism, Shamanism and Hinduism.

It's an interesting contrast of styles: the black & white photojournalistic photographs of Abbas and Melisa's more abstract, color-filled and blurry images. The contrast between the sharp black & white imagery by Abbas and the colorful intentional (or not) photographs by Melisa shows that there is ample room for either and both disciplines and styles.

I liked Abbas' relaxed conversational narration, probably honed through years of public speaking, while Melisa's is somewhat stilted and strained. Photographers usually make awful narrators...but Abbas did his very well.

The exhibition is held in Singapore from September 1 to 23rd, 2011. Further details are available here.

A few days ago, I expressed my POV that travel photographers could learn from fashion photographers, and that having such a two-way exchange of ideas, concepts and techniques is a good thing for both types of photography. It's the same for the styles espoused by Abbas and Melisa.

In a part of the narration, Abbas tells us that he would photograph a wide angle documentary image of the Ganges, while Melisa would choose a small flower floating on it...the whole versus the part. Similarly, on some of my photo workshops, I had the experience when shooting alongside photographers who have a fashion or interior design background...they see less in documentary style and more in abstract terms....or the whole versus the part.

About the Culture of maldives

Cultures, that a marked effect has been left in the Maldivian people, the language, beliefs, arts, and attitudes.



The looks of the Maldivian people may differ from one atoll to the other, attributing to the genes passed on by South and Southeast Asians, Africans, and Arabians. The language, Dhivehi, differs in dialect in some regions in the south of Maldives, possibly due to the secluded nature and subsistent ways of island life. Maldivian beliefs have been very much based around religion and superstition, often used together in matters of significance but given separate positions in society. In matters of faith, Islam dominates, but influence of the supernatural still continues to play a major role in most island communities, possibly giving credit to the folklores and Buddhist traditions of the islands’ first settlers before conversion to Islam in 1153 AD.



The mixing of cultures is very much seen in Maldivian arts. The music played with the local bodu-beru (big-drum) resemble that of African drumming. The dhoni (a unique Maldivian sailboat) is an art form itself built with skilled craftsmanship, with significant similarities to the Arabian dows. The fine artistry of Maldivians, seen in the intricate details on wooden beams in antique mosques, represents what we have gained from Southeast Asian architecture. Then there is the undefined: the distinct geometric designs used in mats woven from local materials, the embroidered neckline of women’s traditional dresses and their ornaments too, expose another story brought in from an unknown culture that has escaped in to Maldivian society.



Maldivians are quite open to adaptation and are generally welcoming to outside inspiration. The culture has always continued to evolve with the times. Locals still eat fish and fishermen still spend days out at sea, but tourism now takes a standing prominence. Most Maldivians still want to believe in upholding unity and oneness in faith, but recent waves of reform in the country have created a whole new culture of new ideas and attitudes. The effects of the modern world are now embraced, while still striving to uphold the people’s identity, traditions and beliefs.

Maldives Resort Islands

The resorts in the Maldives are separate entities with their own amenities occupying whole islands. These provide the visitors the perfect opportunity to spend their holidays in a secluded place far from any maddening crowds.



All resorts have their own electricity, fresh drinking water and waste disposal facilities. Enjoy your stay in Maldives resorts with lush vegetation, pure white beaches and the azure blue lagoons typical of the Maldives.



Luxury Resorts:

In deed the luxury traveler is blessed for choice among the most well known tourist destination in the world. No doubt the ever expanding list of destinations on offer for luxury travel among glittering modern cities, buzzing metropolis and grand historic cities is endless.



But that’s the list everyone seeking an indulgent break is looking at! So why don’t you look somewhere else? Somewhere special and unique - where not even a memory of bustling cities can reach you!



Certainly, a luxury traveler must pamper oneself with the deluxe amenities, incredible service and benefitting style. You can now enjoy all this at one of the world’s most secluded island getaways – the Maldives



Cruise Boat Holidays:

A holiday on a cruise boat in the Maldives is often said to be the best way to truly experience the unique glory and peace of this tropical paradise. Holidaying on a cruise boat makes it possible for you to sample many varied dive sites at different atolls and locations and lets to sample island life, visit virgin uninhabited islands and appreciate the unique beauty of different resort islands. Most of these vessels are equipped with professional diving equipment and staffed by qualified diving instructors. While some vessels offer standard accommodation and facilities, others offer luxury accommodation with all the modern amenities

POV: A Leica S2 As A Travel Camera?

A recent post on The Luminous Landscape seems to have prompted my good friend Eric Beecroft to suggest I should get one. Perhaps made half seriously half jokingly...but his suggestion got me thinking and now prompted this POV.

I tend to distill all such suggestions by using a return on investment yardstick. Pretty basic, huh? According to B&H, the price of the S2 is $23,000 (the more posh S2-P is $28,000), while a Leica Summarit-S 35 mm f/2.5 ASPH Lens is $6,500 and a Leica Summarit-S 70mm f/2.5 ASPH Lens is $5,000. The grand total for this hardware is $34,500...excluding tax.

So what do I get for a capital investment of over $35,000? Well, The Leica S2 is said to provide imaging quality of digital medium-format, and create 37.5 megapixel files. It produces 72.5 MB RAW or 106.6 MB JPG files, which open to images over 16 x 24" at 300 dpi.

There's no question that the Leica S2 is a phenomenal camera, but in my view its price point and technical specifications are aimed at commercial photographers, not travel photographers. The return on an investment of that magnitude for travel photographers is tough to justify (unless they're one of the celebrity travel photographers), especially in the current industry doldrums.

The most expensive Canon is the EOS-1Ds Mark III SLR Digital Camera with a price tag of ("only") $7,000 and it provides 21.1-megapixel full-frame images. The more modest Canon 5D Mark II, and a favorite of travel photographers, has a comparative paltry price tag of $2,500...half the price of the Leica Summarit-S 70mm lens mentioned above.

"the computer sez no"

A travel photographer would need to sell 10 photographs at $250 each to recoup the investment in a Mark II, and almost a 100 photographs just to recoup the investment in the Leica S2. Would the S2's image quality do that for me?

Simplistic? Sure...there are many other tangible and intangible factors that also enter in this logic. That being said, this is more or less how CFOs and CEOs decide on capital expenditures.

So in reply to Eric's suggestion: "the computer sez no", as the famous line in Little Britain* goes.

* A classic British comedy tv series.

Yuri Kozyrev: On Revolution Road

With the fall of Libya's regime, I thought I'd feature Yuri Kozyrev's On Revolution Road, a reportage on the past months' uprisings in the Middle East against the sclerotic and despotic regimes that governed these countries for decades.

Kozyrev's focus was on the youthfulness of the revolutionaries, their clever use of social media websites, their embrace (for the most part) of nonviolent protests as a political tool.

As an award-winning photojournalist for the past 20 years, Yuri Kozyrev has covered every major conflict in the former Soviet Union, including two Chechen wars. Immediately after September 11, 2001, he was on the scene in Afghanistan, where he documented the fall of the Taliban. He spent much of the past eight years based in Baghdad, as a contract photographer for TIME Magazine. He has traveled all over Iraq, photographing the different sides of the conflict.

AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini

I also thought I'd feature this priceless image of a man, wearing a t-shirt with the design of U.S. flag, taking part on Friday prayers at the main square of the rebel-held town of Benghazi, Libya, on August 12, 2011. It's part of a larger gallery in The Atlantic's In Focus.

Shankar Laxman: The Beedi Factory

Photo © Shankar Laxman-All Rights Reserved

Shankar Laxman describes himself as a "multimedia journalist working towards helping socially conscious organization visually illustrate their causes" but his biography is rather sparse, except for telling us that he seeks to make an impact and foment understanding through the use of new media techniques. He has been traveling throughout India documenting social issues pertaining to the lives of rural and urban population.

I chose to feature Shankar's photo story The Beedi Factory , which was photographed in Mysore, Karnataka. Beedis are thin cigarettes, filled with tobacco flake and tied with a string in one end. They are considered the poor man's cigarettes, and tend to be associated with a lower social standing and account for about half of India's tobacco consumption.

According to Wikipedia, workers in the industry roll an average of 500-1000 beedies per day, handling 225-450 grams of tobacco flake, and inhaling tobacco dust and other volatile components...causing a high degree of respiratory and other ailments.

Libya...Final Throes

Photo © AP/Alexandre Meneghini

In Focus, the photo blog of The Atlantic, is one of the first to feature the Libyan rebels in the Libyan capital. More will follow shortly.

Having Al Jazeera on NYC's cable news line-up is wonderful. No other US cable news comes even close to its coverage. In fact, MSNBC finally woke up from its slumber on Sunday early evening and hastily cobbled some footage, frequently quoting Al Jazeera. CNN tried its best, but there's no room for second place in breaking news coverage.

Heida Helgadóttir: Ethiopia

Photo © Heida Helgadóttir-All Rights Reserved

Heida Helgadóttir is a 35 years old photographer based in Lisbon, Portugal as well as Reykjavík, Iceland. She started out as an apprentice for a portrait studio photographer, and started working as a full time photographer in 2004. She worked as a staff photographer for Fréttablaðið, Iceland’s largest newspaper, from 2004 to 2007 and for Birtíngur the largest magazine publishing company in Iceland, from 2007 to 2010. She recently moved to Portugal as a freelance photographer, and continues to do freelance work in Iceland.

I liked her portraits of South Ethiopians...presumably all from the tribes of Omo Valley, such as the Mursi, Hamer, Daasanach, and the Karo. All are black and white photographs, and are beautifully composed.

The survival and way of life of the tribes of South Ethiopia are under threat by various projects planned for the area, especially a massive hydroelectric dam that affects the Lower Omo River.

Heidah also has a gallery of portraits of Nepalis, which brings me to this little anecdote. A few weeks ago, I pay for a couple of Cokes at the corner store near my building, and I tell the cashier  she could be a Nepali from Katmandu. She smiled and told me she was born in Mustang!!! Mustang!!! She was born in the remote Kingdom of Mustang, now part of Nepal, and not exactly easily accessible. My mind marvels at how someone born in Mustang would now be working in a corner store in New York's West Village. Incredible! I'll have to spend some time with her to find out how that came about.

POV: Can Travel Photogs Learn From Fashion Images?

Not only is there a wonderful feature on Esperenza Spalding, the young jazz singer, in this week's T Magazine (The New York Times' Style Magazine), but there's also a lovely Hermes advertisement of a model pirouetting, showing off what I presume are clothes from its Fall collection.

I frequently leaf through T Magazine to look at the fashion adverts. Not only to admire the beautiful models, but also to study how fashion photographers set up their shoots, the postures and poses adopted by the models, the color schemes and the lighting. I hesitate to say that these photographs inspire me, because I think it would be an exaggeration, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if my leafing through such pages doesn't leave a visual residue which I reach for when I'm photographing in India, Bhutan or Bali...for example.

"Is it uncomfortable for a self-described 'mensch' like me to admit this? Perhaps... a little."

The imagery of the Hermes advert reminded me of my own photo gallery The Dancing Monks of Prakhar, which features Cham dancers in Bhutan. The dancers are generally monks, and wear elaborate costumes and masks. I am certain that looking at fashion spreads must've influenced my aesthetics in some way. Is it uncomfortable for a self-described mensch like me to admit this? A little.

There's absolutely nothing wrong in that...quite the opposite. In fact, fashion photographers set up photo shoots in exotic locales, taking a page or two from travel photographers' handbook. So having a two-way exchange of ideas, concepts and techniques is a good thing for both types of photography.

Some of my photo-expeditions participants have backgrounds in either fashion or design industries, and their photography is consistently different in style and aesthetic from those who don't have that background...they have a whimsy, an airy look to them that the rest don't have.

Raw File: Wired: Assignments

RAW FILE, Wired magazine's blog, has started a new series of posts called Assignment Wired, where the magazine will hand out photo assignments to its readers, and then eventually choose some submissions to publish and critique. I thought it was a brilliant idea, and said so in an earlier post....ignoring the naysayers and the skeptics who commented on RAW FILE.

Its first assignment was The Corner-Store...the goal was to document the place where you buy your Gatorade and clove cigarettes and introduce us to the people who work and hang there. And the first round of submissions for that project have be in, and a few were selected to be shown on RAW FILE, and critiqued.

The three essays chosen to be shown in their entirety are far from being professional, but they clearly show an intent to learn and grow....and for that, they are to be commended. The critiques are light-weight, and are just cursory observations...and should've been deeper, giving tips on storytelling and sequencing as an example.

The next assignment is The Family, which requires participants to profile a family member by following them around on their daily routine, and dig into their history to report the most interesting and relevant info from their background.

Trekking To Shiva In Kashmir

Global Post featured this short video of a pilgrimage trek performed by devout Hindus to a shrine in Kashmir. It si to one of the most revered pilgrimage sites of India hidden in the Himalayas. Amarnath is only accessible for a few months during the year, and where an ice stalagmite is said to represent a Shiva lingam.

The Amarnath cave is located at a distance of 86 miles north east of Srinagar, at a height of 13000 feet above sea level. Tradition has it that in every lunar month, the icy stalagmite begins to form, on the first day of the bright half of the month, and reaches its fullest size on the full moon day, and then begins to wane and disappear on the new moon day. This process repeats itself each month.

Delhi Photo Festival 2011

The Delhi Photo Festival has now a Facebook page, which is listing all the details of workshops, lectures and exhibitions.  You can read details on the involvement of Raghu Rai, Asim Rafiqui, Sohrab Hura and myself on this Facebook page which is being updated all the time.

I will be participating in the festival, where I will teach a short multimedia module on October 15 aimed at photographers and photojournalists to produce audio-slideshows that rivals in quality and content then the more elaborate multimedia productions. It will focus on how to make a quick slide show production, using photographers' own images and audio generated in the field, and produce a cogent photo story under publishing deadlines.

Rodrigo Abd: The Mayan Queens

Photos © Rodrigo Abd_All Rights Reserved

Here's an interesting project undertaken by Rodrigo Abd, an Argentine photographer with AP currently based in Guatemala. He traveled to Coban to document the indigenous women competing to become this year’s National Indigenous Queen of Guatemala. The event was held during the Rabin Ajau National Folkloric Festival in Coban, Guatemala.

Abd used a 19th century style wooden box camera he had bought in Afghanistan, which required the women to hold still for up to two minutes as Abd exposed the images directly onto photo paper. The photo paper is plunged into the developer then into a fixer liquid inside the camera body. A negative image of his subjects appears. Later on, he photographed these negatives to produce the positive versions.

“It’s about having this connection with people I’m portraying because they have to be totally quiet and spend some time only with me, looking at me with my camera.”

This project certainly attracted the attention of the blogosphere, as it appeared on OregonLive.com (much larger photographs) of The Oregonian, and in The Guardian.

The same process was documented by Frances Schwabenland in her The Photographer of Jaipur.

Carolyn Beller: The Mississippi Delta

Photo © Carolyn Beller-All Rights Reserved

I've featured Carolyn Beller's talented work of Oaxaca on The Travel Photographer blog a few months ago, and she comes back here with an equally impressive body of work from her time spent photographing in The Mississippi Delta, a gallery of 15 photographs.

Carolyn started her photography work in earnest as recently as 2006 with an established background in art, interior design and pottery, as well as in teaching art. She took up photography so it would serve to document the lives and culture of various indigenous people she came in contact with when she worked on pottery projects. She traveled to Nepal, India, Burma, and Rwanda, and will revisit India this coming January.

As in her Oaxaca gallery, I thought her Mississippi Delta gallery had traces of David David Alan Harvey's and Alex Webb's influence, especially in terms of composition and shadow play. Carolyn is a gifted photographer with a keen eye for capturing 'tableaux" which tell stories in themselves.

Speaking of which, I was imagining viewing Carolyn's Mississippi Delta's photographs, with a song by Howlin' Wolf or John Lee Hooker (as only two examples) blaring in the background. Naturally, her already compelling photographs coupled with a sound track by local musicians, and interviews would make a remarkable audio-visual package.

The Leica M9-P

I'm on self-imposed downtime today, but I thought I'd show you Darren Rowse's video review of the new Leica M9-P. Leica's M9-P is priced at $8000, or $1000 more than the price of the standard M9. The changes are purely cosmetic, and I (and others) suggested that a few inches of black electrical tape, and a plastic LCD screen cover, would convert your M9 to a M9-P for pennies.

Unless you're an orthodontist or a hedge fund manager.

Canon Does Holga

Southampton Tomatoes-© 2011 Tewfic El-Sawy

When the heavens open up to a deluge of rain upon a Long Island summer house, what does one do? Well, in my case, I find still life to photograph with my new Holga lens attached to my Canon 7D, which I had the foresight of bringing along just in case.

Whilst in Buenos Aires, my friend Mervyn Leong won one of the Holga lenses during a quiz session at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop. Having seen some of his test photographs with it, I bought one from B&H a few days ago, and I am liking it a lot.

Southampton Fruits-Photo © 2011 Tewfic El-Sawy

The results look as if they were made with a classic analogue toy plastic camera, it has soft-focus properties, produces more Holga-like vignetting, and opens up a new dimension to my photography. In a few weeks, I'll be in Kolkata leading a photo expedition and teaching a workshop, and I intend to take it with me and try it out on its streets. I have a few projects in mind while there, which involve portraits...and having this attachment will add a different style. I'll be interested to explore its video results as well.

This reminds me that John Stanmeyer published a wonderful book Island of Spirits, which he photographed using analogue (ie real) Holgas.

The main drawback with a Holga lens is that it needs a huge amount of light. That being said, I prefer an underexposed look for the images made with it, so a manual setting is preferable.

Canon 7D With A Holga Lens f8

Fifth Annual FCCT Photo Contest 2011

The Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand and OnAsia, one of the leading photo agency in Asia, are soliciting participations in the Fifth Annual FCCT Photo Contest. All photos must be taken in the Asia-Pacific region, and photographic submissions in the following four categories will be accepted:

* Spot news: for the best single image photograph taken at a news event in the Asia-Pacific region. No more than five photographs per photographer may be submitted in this category.

* Feature photography - for the best single-image non-news "feature" photograph taken in the Asia-Pacific region. No more than five photographs per photographer may be submitted in this category.

* Photo essay - for the best collection of up to 12 photos on a single topic taken in the Asia-Pacific region. No more than three photo essays per photographer may be submitted in this category.

* Environmental Issues - A special category, sponsored by Delegation of the European Union to Thailand, for the best single photo or photo essay of up to 12 images focusing on environmental topics, including issues such as natural resources and waste; climate change; nature and biodiversity; and the environment and public health. No more than five single images and/or three photo essays per photographer may be submitted in this category.

* In addition, the judges will select one Photographer of the Year to recognize either the best single image, photo essay or the most impressive collection of work submitted by a single photographer in 2011.

Submissions can be published or unpublished work but MUST have been created between Sept 1st 2010 and the contest submission deadline, Sept 23rd 2011. First-place winners in Spot News, Feature Photography and Photo Essay will each receive: $1,000 cash and one round-trip ticket for economy-class air travel in Asia,

I'm generally not fond of photographic contests, but this one may be more interesting than the others I've seen. I will review its terms and conditions before committing to participate. I think I have a photo essay that would suit this contest perfectly.

CPN: Gary Knight: Advice To Young Photographers

Canon Professional Network has featured five Canon Ambassadors – photographers Michael ‘Nick’ Nichols, Gary Knight, Ziv Koren, Frits van Eldik and Paolo Pellegrin, and asked them what they’ve learnt from their years of experience and what advice they would offer to young photographers starting out on their photographic careers.

I thought I'd feature Gary Knight's interview here...this is purely a personal choice based on what he advocates "keep it simple...and don't think too much"; advice which I always follow and advocate, and since I met Gary in Bali some years ago...I know his advice is not a fluff piece, and that he speaks his mind. So his interview is highly recommended to young photographers.

"...keep it simple...don't think too much..."

Gary Knight began his photographic career in Thailand in 1987 and he lived and worked in the Far East until 1992. In 1993 he moved to the former Yugoslavia and documented the civil war there. In recent years he has covered the invasion of Iraq, the occupation of Afghanistan, the civil war in Kashmir and the Asian Tsunami. One of the founders of the VII Photo agency in 2001 his work has been published by magazines all over the world and he has been a contract photographer for Newsweek since 1998. He is one of the founders of the Angkor Photo Festival, a registered charity in Cambodia; a board member of the Crimes of War Foundation and a trustee of the Indochina Media Memorial Foundation.