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Amy Helene Johansson: A Lost Revolution?




"My heart is beating for this project and it would be wonderful if as many people as possible see it and get enlightened about the situation. " -Amy Helene Johansson

Prior to the boom in the garment industry, almost no women in Bangladesh worked outside of their family or marital homes, and had few opportunities to earn money. However today, the female garment workers are the backbone of the Bangladeshi economy in an industry that generates billions of dollars each year. It should be a women’s revolution, but is it?

While academics and economists agree to some extent that Bangladeshi women are in the midst of a revolution, they are still not empowered financially or socially. And are not strong enough to demand a fair remuneration. Multinational companies such as Nike, Levi Strauss and H&M are generally unaware of the life situation of sewing machine operators; their housing conditions, family structures, and food provisions.

Amy Helene Johansson is a photojournalist who studied film and theatre theory before earning a BA in fashion design. However, after a decade of working for H&M as a fashion designer, she discovered photography. Her work has been published in leading broadsheets and magazines in the UK and Sweden, including the Sunday Times UK, Dagens Nyheter and Sydsvenska Dagbladet. Her work has been awarded Asian Geographic Magazine ‘Faces of Asia Award’, the Foundry Emerging Photojournalist Award and the Swedish Picture Of the Year ‘Multimedia Category’ and been shortlisted for ELLE commission award and a National Geographic award.

She's also a Foundry Photojournalism Workshop (Manali, India and Istanbul) alum. A Lost Revolution was produced in collaboration with the Bombay Flying Club. 

Filitheyo Resort In Maldives


Stunning Filitheyo is that the solely resort island within the remote North Nilandhe coral reef. It's an a good looking and classy resort that provides a really high normal of accommodation in attractive and spacious rooms. Filitheyo may be a medium sized island, simply 900m by 500m, with a densely vegetated interior of palm trees, rubber trees, mangroves and Scaebola trees.

The resort of Filitheyo lies between 2 channels on the jap aspect of the coral reef. the good advantage of its secluded, exclusive position lies within the unknown reefs that provide excellent diving for guests staying on this remote resort. The triangular formed island, with its white sandy beach and turquoise laguna, has been developed with careful thought for the surroundings and is ideal for diving and snorkelling. Filitheyo Island Resort remains a wonderful alternative for making those sorcerous vacation recollections, that may stick with you for years to come back.

Your Accommodation choices

Superior Villa

There ar ninety four Superior Rooms engineered round the fringe of the island simply set back from the beach however at intervals the treeline. All rooms ar semi-detached and provide a very wonderful normal of trendy accommodation. The cool rooms ar elegantly provided with massive four poster beds and enticing hardwood piece of furniture.

All rooms ar equipped with a well-stocked mini-bar, telephone, safe safe-deposit, tv and CD stereo-player. The partly out-of-doors bogs ar virtually as massive because the bedrooms and have twin sinks, desalinated hot and cold water shower and separate WC. All bogs have hairdryers and bathrobes ar provided.

Deluxe Villa

The fifteen Deluxe Rooms ar placed on the south west beach and every one rooms ar detached. likewise as providing all the facilities of the Superior Rooms, the Deluxe Villas feature a bigger rest room that includes a tub likewise as a shower.

Water Villa

16 luxurious Water Villas are engineered on stilts round the south of the laguna. These provide the peak of luxury together with double doors that open out onto an outsized shaded sundeck space. From here, there ar steps leading down into the laguna and an extra platform provides many space for sunbathing.
The Rooms have four poster beds and also the massive bogs have a whirlpool tub.

Mark Carey: Muay Thai In Black & White

Photo © Mark Carey-All Rights Reserved

Here's a gallery of monochrome photographs of Muay Thai training made in Bangkok by the talented Mark Carey. These appealed to me as they were photographed away from the glitzy lights of the top Muay Thai arenas in Bangkok, but show the rather edgy side of the sport...as I tried to do in my recent photo essay of the Muay Thai ring in Loi Kroh Road in Chiang Mai. 

Mark Carey is a London-based documentary photographer, who tells us he never had an interest in photographing posed or set-up shots, whether for his wedding photography or during his travels. I think he somewhat bent his rule with some of the frames of the non Thai fighter in the Muay Thai series, but these are the exception and are well worth adding to the gallery...the fellow looks absolutely fierce.

Muay Thai is a combat fight practiced in Thailand, and referred to as the "Art of Eight Limbs" because it makes use of punches, kicks, elbows and knee strikes, thus using eight "points of contact".

By the way, I credit Mark's Vietnam gallery (which I posted about earlier this year) as being one of the catalysts for my forthcoming/imminent Vietnam Photo Expedition-Workshop.

Roger Anis: The First Stone





"He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." 

Roger Anis is a photojournalist at the Egyptian daily newspaper Al Shorouk, and is based in Cairo. He graduated with a degree in Fine Arts, and was awarded a scholarship for the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, during whch he attended Hemrik Kastenkov's Storytelling For An Online Audience class.

His project is titled The First Stone, inspired by the passage in the Bible in which Jesus confronts the Pharisees over whether an adulterous woman ought to be stoned. 

The project was filmed and photographed in Loi Kroh Road, a well known area in Chiang Mai where bar girls can be seen plying their occupation, providing company (and more) to Western tourists. The story is of Un, a 36 year old bar girl, who agrees to be featured in Roger's project and opens up about her life and her future.

I find it remarkable that Roger was able to gain the trust of Un and others to make this project in such a short time. Filming, photographing and editing this 5 minute movie was made over less than a week...in less than ideal conditions, and under constant pressure. It's a testament to the dedication and perseverance that Roger, and the rest of the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop attendees, bring to it...and succeed.

Roger is thinking of smoothing some of the frames in The First Stone, and even translating it to Egyptian Arabic. That would be interesting! I think the title of the project is particularly smart...the perfect title. 

Miguel Candela: Living In Darkness

Photo © Miguel Candela-All Rights Reserved

“If I could go to another place, marry someone who would know nothing about my past, maybe I could escape this shame that I feel”
In Bangladesh, on the banks of the Padma River, is Faridpur. It is here that the largest brothels in the country thrive. The sex workers have usually been kidnapped by gangs, sold by their families or step families or tricked with promises of good jobs. It's estimated that there are 100,000 women selling sex in Bangladesh despite Muslim strictures on sex outside marriage.

Brothels: Living In Darkness is a photo essay by Miguel Candela, a Spanish documentary photographer currently based in Hong Kong.

One of the most touching captions underneath an equally compelling image of a sad young woman is this "Society has forced them to live in darkness while men love them and hate them in equal measure, demanding their services while trying to get rid of them permanently."

Miguel Candela is interested in documenting the human drama of life, and to that end has traveled extensively to various countries in order to photo-document the people and their community way of life in Mali, Kenya, the Philippines, Bangladesh and across China, and in his current base of operations in Hong Kong.

His photographs have been published in CNN, CNNGo, South China Morning Post (SCMP), Grupo Vocento, Piel de Foto, La Voz de Galicia among others.

David Lazar: South Asia Collection

Photo © David Lazar-All Rights Reserved

It's not the first time that I post about David Lazar's excellent work on The Travel Photographer's blog. Far from it. But he has just revamped his website, and it has vastly improved the layout of his many collections.

He suggested that I feature his new Kenya gallery which he titled Wildlife & Warriors which has photographs of Masai tribal people, but since I have recently had a post about the Masai, I thought I'd choose his South Asia Collection gallery to headline this post instead.

David is a travel photographer and musician from Brisbane, who is drawn to locations with rich cultural backgrounds, and is especially interested in portrait and landscape photography. His work is frequently published in photography and travel magazines, and in 2012 he won the Travel category in the Smithsonian Photography Competition.

He has been travelling annually since 2004, the year in which he became interested in travel photography.

No two ways about it....this is travel photography in the very sense of the word!

Ian Terry: Bangkok Offerings



Here's Bangkok Offerings, a short movie (with very nice time lapses) by Ian Terry, a Seattle-based documentary photographer and journalist, as well as an alum of Henrik Kastenkov's multimedia class at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop*.

Alms giving ceremonies around Bangkok involving thousands of monks are held to celebrate certain auspicious dates in the Buddhist calendar. However, on regular days monks take to walk along the streets of towns and villages on their alms round. This is done throughout the year whatever the weather.

You may also want to view Ian's photographs of a cockfight in Mae Khue, a small town in rural Thailand. According to his entry, the fights he witnessed were not to the finish, and ended when one of the roosters either lost interest or was too exhausted to continue the fight. This is different from those I've seen in India or Bali...where cockfights end with the death of one of the combatant birds.

* Bangkok Offerings wasn't produced for that class.

Sasson Haviv: The Jewish World

Photo © Sasson Haviv-All Rights Reserved

Sasson Haviv is an Israeli photographer, currently living in New York. He is passionate about people and their life stories, and delves into rarely seen cultures and religions through his lens.

His website galleries include photographs made in the bars of New York, of the Occupy Wall Street movement, A Sikh community kitchen, an Orthodox Jewish family, and The Jewish World; a collection of images which Sasson describes as documenting the unique Jewish Orthodox world.

In this gallery, he sought to capture the intense spirituality and beliefs of the Orthodox people, and using a mix of fine art and documentary styles, these photographs depict the traditions of an extremely devout and spiritual community. The images were taken both in Israel and New York.

NB: It's pure coincidence that my recent posts were of monochrome photography. Color will shortly return!

Christina Malkoun: 'Loun' Steve




Christina Malkoun is another graduate of my Multimedia For Photographers class at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop held in Chiang Mai, and possibly influenced by the successful multimedia series One In 8 Million of the NY Times, she produced an exceptionally touching human interest story titled Loun (Uncle) Steve during the workshop.

The audio slideshow is a personal insight into the life of an American expatriate living in Chiang Mai, afflicted by Tourette disease and Huntington's Disease who, because of these genetic diseases, is unwilling to have children on his own, and consequently adopts a local family.

Getting up close and personal in the short time given to the participants on the Foundry Workshop is singularly tough, but Christina was able to do so very successfully with Steve and his family. It's not easy for anyone to be so open as he was, especially in circumstances such as his. This 'connection' is how and why human interest stories attract us as viewers.

Christina is Art Director at ELLE Magazine in Beirut, and is a graphic designer with over 7 years of art direction experience.

You can watch 'Loun' Steve on Vimeo as well.

The Leica Monochrome...And Other B&W Thoughts



Through the PetaPixel blog, I viewed the video of Chris Niccolls from the Canadian camera shop The Camera Store who was able to test a pre-release Leica Monochrome M, and which shares his thoughts on the camera. He also reveals a new feature in the Leica MM which delays the shutter sound camera for stealthier street photography.

For further technical specifications, there's also DPReview's webpage.

This gives me the opportunity to share brief thoughts on the monochrome capabilities of the Fuji X Pro-1, and compare these to the Leica M9's color photographs converted to black and white. As the Leica M is rumored to be released at the end of this month, I don't know how the monochrome photographs generated by the Leica MM will compare to those altered by the traditional post processing, nor to those made in-camera by the Fuji X Pro-1...but I thought I'd post two monochrome photographs made during my recent trip to Chiang Mai.

One of these photographs (the top one) was made with my Leica M9, and post processed in monochrome in Photoshop, while the bottom one was made using the Fuji X Pro-1, and using its B&W film simulation setting, then sharpened (with some added contrast) in Photoshop. Click on the photographs to enlarge.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved


Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved


I pass no judgement at this stage on the merits of the Leica Monochrome, and whether its $8000 price tag is justified or not. For a few photographers, it will be...for the majority of us, it certainly isn't.

However what I can say is that I'm extremely pleased with the Fuji X Pro-1's film simulation settings, as I am pleased with the Leica M9's images when converted to monochrome. I found shooting monochrome with the X Pro-1 to be a cinch, and enjoyed every moment I used that setting. I didn't think I would before doing so in Chiang Mai's streets. But seeing the monochrome images on the X Pro-1's screen helped my visualization process, and reassured me that my camera settings were correct.

Nicolas Lotsos: The Masai Typology

Photo © Nicolas Lotsos-All Rights Reserved

"Photography is my motive for travel."


The Masai Typology is one of the many gorgeous photo galleries of Africa by photographer Nicolas Lotsos. I'm not much of an African wildlife aficionado, but his fine art galleries of photographs of the handsome Masai, of Zanzibar, or of the African slums and townships are lovely exemplars of monochromatic imagery.

Nicolas Lotsos is  a fine art photographer (and in my view, a travel photographer as well) and a basketball agent. He co-runs a sports agency representing some of the top sports figures in Europe. He has been a photographer since he was 16 years old, and specializes in photographs of wild life and nature.

He also won an impressive number of awards, to include Gold Winner at the 2012 Grand Prix de la Photographie, Outstanding Achievement at the Spider Award 2012, the 2012 Veolia Wildlife Photographer Award, including two awards by the Travel Photographer Of The Year (TPOTY), amongst others.

A Nilotic group in East Africa, next to the Indian Ocean, the Masai society is patriarchal, and elder men decide most major matters for each group. A full body of oral law covers many aspects of behaviour. The Masai are monotheistic, worshipping a single deity.

Manafaru Resort In Maldives






The island sits at the foremost northerly tip of the Maldives, within the pristine, lagoon-ringed Haa Alifu coral reef, very little explored by foreigners and all un-polluted by the noise of passing speedboats. What many of us don’t understand is that that more north you go, the additional lush and inexperienced the islands become. therefore whereas Manafaru is fringed by those exquisite, powder-white beaches that the Maldives square measure notable, it additionally includes a jungle-filled interior ripe for exploration.

The island recreates the fashion and charm of ancient Maldivian welcome, whereas seamlessly mixing Asian traditions of simplicity and class to its overall charm. The resort offers tier of serenity unexceeded within the Maldives.

Sleek, up to date and attractive, The island offers unequaled luxury to the discerning few. every villa and suite offers a non-public pool, complete privacy and a private pantryman to pre-empt and exceed your expectations. best culinary art from all corners of the planet combined with numberless on- and off-shore recreational facilities pull together the actually supreme character of the The house at Manafaru Maldives.

Location

The beautiful island is found within the North Atolls within the Maldives, Haa Alifu coral reef. From Hulhule aerodrome you wish proximately forty five minutes by Airline transfer time. On the Island Hanimaandhoo the powerboat can transfers you in half-hour to your dream vacation.

The house at Manafaru - Maldives - Accommodation
   
Once ashore, guests can create their target one among The Beach House’s sixty eight luxurious villas wherever they'll relish full reign of their own non-public pool, in conjunction with the services of a pantryman World Health Organization can tend to their each would like. All villas feature each trendy technological convenience, while ancient Maldivian vogue is widely known in subject details from the outdoor  en-suite style to the thatched roofing.

Accommodations embrace sixteen Beach Villas (1647 sq. ft. or 153 sq. m.), twelve Beach Suites (2422 sq. ft. or 225 sq. m.), thirty eight Over-Water Villas (1572 sq. ft. or 146 sq. m.) one Grand Water tent (4510 sq. ft. or 419 sq. m.) and a Grand Land tent (7459 sq. ft. or 693 sq. m.). every land accommodation will have its own non-public collapsible shelter, in addition as natural parts incorporating the landscape.

Exotic woods, vaulted ceilings and comfy furnishings mix for engaging “beachy” interiors, whereas over-water villas are going to be outfitted with diaphanous flooring to reveal life to a lower place the ocean surface. every villa will be set with up-to-the-second conveniences, as well as high-speed wireless web access, LCD TV, DVD/CD player, luxuriant tub amenities, and in fact impeccable service.

Water Villa With Pool - (21 rooms / units)

The Maldivian-style villas stretch out into the lake and square measure alert over water. These intimate and furnished  villas feature ample decks with time edged pools, breathless views of the Indian Ocean with glass wainscoted floors that permit quiet observation of the marine life throughout the day or within the evening moonlight. Steps leading directly into the soft sandy lake give immediate access to the tantalizing crystal clear waters. partly out-of-doors bogs with Jacuzzi bathtubs complete the Maldivian ambiance of the Water Villas.

 Beach Villa With Pool - (16rooms/units)                                                                                               

Leisurely unfold throughout the island’s lush vegetation, the thatched-roof Maldivian-style villas square measure all liberally sized and elegantly embellished. Soft silhouettes, exhilarating surroundings and easy unpretentious class capture the ambiance. out of doors bogs feature low lying outsized bathtubs, out-of-doors rain showers and a deck with cozy loungers. every Beach Villa boasts a non-public collapsible shelter directly on the beach for whiling away the hours and enjoying the scenic lake with its soft white sands.
Ocean Villa With Pool - (17 rooms / units)

This can be a replacement area class, same because the water villas, further facilites that square measure out there includes steam room, steam and hydro shower.

Beach Suite With Pool - (12 rooms / units) 

The Beach Suites are designed to boost the whole vacation expertise with best comfort and opulent class. These suites square measure encompassed with the luxurious vegetation of the island permitting guests to sink into a quietening tropical reverie. Separate areas for coming together, feeding and sleeping give all the comfort and area one might need. out-of-doors bogs feature lavish Jacuzzi bathtubs and rain showers while every Beach Suite additionally boats a non-public beach collapsible shelter.

Grand Water tent a pair of sleeping room - (01 rooms / units)

The Grand Water tent represents the foremost refined and exclusive pedigrees of style, vogue and class. Immersed in unpretentious and chic décor, this tent offers sweeping panoramas of the Indian Ocean, 2 bedrooms, pool, sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi, non-public area, a spacious lounge with 40’’ digital display TV and enormous non-public deck.

Grand Beach tent a pair of sleeping room - (01 rooms / units) 

The Grand Beach tent options the last word in privacy, luxury and repair. 2 bedrooms, feeding area, separate dressing space, 2 outdoor  bogs, sauna, steam room, massage health facility, Jacuzzi, 2 swimming pools and state-of-art recreation enhancements as well as a 40" digital display TV create the Grand Beach tent the last word accommodation expertise.

Multimedia Or Make Up Your Own Audio In Your Mind?


As my readers know, I've been privileged to attend the annual Foundry Photojournalism Workshop for the fifth consecutive time, every year teaching Multimedia For Photographers class.

But for those who don't know; the purpose and aim of this class is to show photojournalists how to make quick work of slide show production, using their own images and audio generated in the field, to produce cogent photo stories under the simulation of publishing deadlines, rivaling other multimedia forms in terms of quality.

At the end of Workshop, the instructors and staff gathered to discuss and suggest ways to improve it. The length of the multimedia presentations was one of the issues that came up.

As background, the majority of the remaining classes involved visual storytelling in one form or other, only two during the Workshop were actual 'multimedia', meaning they required photo (or video) essays AND field recordings gathered by students.

That said, this post deals with my class only..so back to the discussion.

One of the suggestions dealt with the length of my multimedia class presentations during the final evening of the Workshop. Although only averaging just over 2-1/2 minutes per project, it was felt by some that this was unfair, as the remaining non multimedia presentations were much shorter, causing the students not enrolled in either of the two multimedia classes to remark that they were shortchanged (that's my own interpretation) by being given less time to show their still photographs.

Looking back at the conversation, I have a couple of thoughts about this.

1. Setting aside other obvious differences for now, but audio slideshows (my kind of multimedia, and which is what my class is all about) provides much more 'magnetism' to photo essays/projects produced by my class participants. The audio carries the still photographs in a way that still photographs on their own cannot...especially with a large audience such as the presentation evening had. I certainly sympathize with the photographers who worked hard to present their very best photographs, but whose impact was lessened because of the absence of a meaningful aural accompaniment...an absence I call a "vacuum". To be honest, a part of me silently screamed my disappointment when I viewed a wonderful photo story with no sound to move along its linearity.

I highlighted the word meaningful in the preceding sentence...and that's a key word. There's an immense difference between the impact that ambient audio, as an accompaniment, adds to a photo essay....and just any kind of audio plucked from iTunes or elsewhere. I've viewed many wonderful photo essays spoiled by incongruous soundtracks that have absolutely nothing to do with the still photographs...and when that happens, my first reaction is always "huh?" then "noooo!".....certainly not the reaction the authors-creators of these projects hope for.

For presentations to a large audience, as the Workshop's last evening was about, I believe the projects with ambient audio will always steal the show. Being accosted by no less that two dozen photographers after the presentations, and told that they wanted to put their still photography work into a multimedia format and start ambient audio recording, not only reaffirmed this belief, but was also personally gratifying.

2. As for the duration of the audio slideshows, it has to be understood that it's determined by the story arc and/or theme...and by the logical pace of the project. It'd be foolish to force the pace of a story...and snip the audio down to a collection of incoherent babble clips just because the multimedia projects had to fit a cookie-cutter time frame. Editing an audio slideshow with no careful regard to the logical and measured pace of the project would be self-defeating, and impractical....and that is not going to happen in my class.

As I wrote in an earlier post: multimedia (whether as audio-slideshows -with ambient sound- or more elaborate productions) is the future, and photographers must hop on its train if they want to remain on the cutting edge of their industry, and retain the attention of viewers.

Unless, of course, they prefer to follow Yoko Ono who famously said: "All my concerts had no sounds in them; they were completely silent. People had to make up their own music in their minds!"

The Art Of 8 Limbs With the Fuji X-Pro 1

Photo ©2012 Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Before going to Chiang Mai for the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, I researched locations and venues for muay thai (the Thai kickboxing), and the most prominent ones were unappealing for what I had in mind.

Despite its ancient history as a self-defense martial art akin to kickboxing, I had read that muay thai had gone through a rough patch. It was revived some years ago as a popular glitzy sport activity and held in large modern arenas...but it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted the bouts that had been relegated to seedy areas, surrounded by gambling and other nefarious activities. It was this side of muay thai that I had in mind.

It wasn't difficult to find what I wanted...the area known as Loi Kroh Road was the setting: a rundown gym with a decrepit ring amidst a "mall" of girlie and ladyboy bars, the boxing ring patched up with duct tape and tarted up with adverts for Jack Daniels Whisky, play-acting fights, the actual smell of sweat and the ambience of the sex for hire, ...and of course, shady nak muay, as the sport's pugilists are known.

I bought a front seat row for my first evening there, and subsequently discovered I could have a drink at one of the bars instead, walk a few steps to the ring and photograph at will. At some point, I wasn't very popular with a half-sober and rather beefy European spectator, who (rightly) claimed I was in his (and his -possibly underage- girlfriend's) line of vision, but the tense moment soon passed.

So here's The Art Of Eight Limbs, a collection of monochrome photographs made at the Loi Kroh arena, and made with the Fuji X Pro-1.

I've said it earlier, but I'm very pleased with the Fuji X Pro-1's performance, especially under the conditions I was shooting under. As one can imagine, photographing a fast-paced sports such as muay thai in dim conditions and under uneven lights is tough for any camera, but the X Pro-1 didn't let me down, except for an occasional slip with its slow focusing or because its auto-focus was fooled by the action.

Anthony Pond: Faith, Frenzy...



Readers interested in unique religious and cultural events will like this. I guarantee it. Not the faint-hearted though.

Following his participation in my The Oracles Of Kerala Photo Expedition-Workshop in March, Anthony Pond has been a frequent contributor to The Travel Photographer blog, and his Faith, Frenzy multimedia essay is the most recent of his many audio slideshows I've already featured.

Not only is it his most recent, but I wager it's his best production so far. Tony used a Canon 5DMk2, audio recordings were made with a Zoom H1, and was edited in Lightroom, Audacity, and Final Cut Pro. I'm not a huge fan of merging stills with video footage, but Tony succeeded in merging these two mediums quite seamlessly.

The Oracles of Kodungallur celebrate their festival in the Bhagawati temple, which usually occurs between the months of March and April. It involves sacrifice of cocks and shedding of the Oracles own blood, to appease the goddess Kali and her demons who are said to relish blood offerings.

Anthony Pond worked for more than two decades in the criminal courts in California as an attorney for the Public Defender’s Office. Now pursuing his passion for travel and photography, he travels repeatedly to South East Asia and India, amongst other places, to capture life, the people and the culture.

Lisa Kristine: Bhutan

Photo © Lisa Kristine-All Rights Reserved

Lisa Kristine has been in the news with her recently published book Free The Slaves, and her talk at TEDxMaui about her photographic work. She has worked over the past 28 years documenting indigenous cultures in 70 countries on 6 continents around the world, and involved with Free the Slaves, an organization whose goal is to end slavery.

Notwithstanding the undeniable virtues of her involvement in using her photography to document the scourge of modern day slavery, I feature instead her lovely work of Bhutan which is representative of the best of  ethnographical fine art photography. Toned to perfection, these images are just superlative and were made with a large-format 4″x5″ field view camera.

2012 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest Finalists

Photo © Cedric Houin-All Rights Reserved

In Focus, the superlative photo blog of The Atlantic, features the winners of the 2012 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest in a much more satisfying format than the National Geographic. The finalists' photographs are shown in a 1280 pixel size; a size that will fill the largest monitors.

The winners consist of a group of 10 photos plus one Viewer's Choice winner. These images were chosen from more than 12,000 entries submitted by 6,615 photographers from 152 countries. The winners are from four categories: Travel Portraits, Outdoor Scenes, Sense of Place, and Spontaneous Moments.

First place went to Cedric Houin with the above photograph of the inside of a family yurt in the Kyrgyz lands of the Wakhan Corridor. We are told by the photograph's caption that the tribes living in the area are weeks away from any village by foot, and although located at an altitude of 4,300 meters in one of the most remote areas of Afghanistan, solar panels, satellite dishes and cellphones are prevalent.

It's not often that I agree with results of photography contests, but the judges' choice in this one is spot on. The richness of the reds of the yurt's interior, and the facial expression of the main protagonist along with the smaller details make a story out of that photograph. 

Cedric Houin is a French & Canadian documentary photographer, and a visual storyteller.

As for the Wakhan Corridor, it's an area of far north-eastern Afghanistan which forms a land link between Afghanistan and China. It's a long and slender area, roughly 140 miles long and between 10 and 40 miles wide. It also separates Tajikistan in the north from Pakistan in the south.

Narratively: Stories Of New York



Living and photographing in New York City when I'm not traveling means that projects such as Narratively never fail to turn me on.

Narratively describes itself as a digital platform devoted to original, true, and in-depth storytelling about New York, through writing, photography, documentary video, animation and interactive media. And the best is that Narratively is on the lookout for interesting stories and talented contributors.

And this sounds especially compelling:

Each week, we’ll explore a different theme about New York and publish a series of connected stories — just one a day — told in the most appropriate medium for each piece. We might feature a longform article with portrait photos on a Monday, followed by an animated documentary on Tuesday, then a photo essay, an audio piece or a short documentary film. Every story gets the space and time it needs to have an impact. We’ll bring you weeks devoted to New York’s waterways, hustlers, sexual subcultures, obscure pastimes and countless other themes.

What's not to like? So drop by Narratively's Kickstarter's page, and if the concept also turns you on, consider supporting it.

Shooting From The Hip On LK Road

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
Whilst teaching at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop the past week or so, I've also managed to set aside some time to fit some of my favorite style of photography, and shooting from the hip with the Fuji X Pro-1 has been high on my list to do, especially at night.

Here's LK Road, a collection of street photography scenes made in one of the grittiest mainstream streets in Chiang Mai; Loi Kroh Road. The photographs are grouped under the title page of Katoey Or Not?, but I chose not to title this post with that particular name to avoid having visitors being referred to it by search engines for purposes other than photography.

Loi Kroh in Thai means "washing one's troubles away", and it's one of Chiang Mai haunts for tourists principally for the preponderance of girlie bars on its approximately one-mile length...some of these bars are staffed by young women, and/or ladyboys known as katoeys.

Apart from the bars, Loi Kroh Road hosts some restaurants, massage parlors for tourists with aching legs and feet, and tattoo shops. That said, I found its ambiance a little sad and melancholic despite the blaring large screen television sets then showing some Olympics sport event, the occasional clicks of billiard balls, the forced laughter of the young women (or ladyboys) working the bars and the ubiquitous and hopeful "sawasadee...massage?" yells at every corner.

The areas seemed to me to be way past its prime...perhaps it was the off-season as well...but the bars were less than half-empty, even when there were muay thai fights held at the seedy boxing ring. Most of the fights seemed (at least to me) to be staged, with spectators generally consisting of drunken middle-aged European men.

I was asked why I chose to shoot from the hip on Loi Kroh Road, and if it was because it was risky. Not at all...although I imagine some of the bar clients wouldn't relish being photographed. The real reason is the same as whenever I choose to shoot from the hip: it allows me to capture the subjects unawares with natural expressions.

Lastly, the ladyboy in the above photograph, extroverted and very "sociable", reminded me of Ru Paul. I was super prompt in buying her a drink to get rid of her unwanted and rather heavy-handed attentions.

Finally, the Fuji X Pro1 performed extremely well at night, and I have nothing but praise for its performance. Its auto-focus let me down a few times, but its overall performance at high and very high iso is nothing short of spectacular.

Maika Elan: Ain't Talkin', Just Lovin'

Photo © Maika Elan-All Rights Reserved
Here's the work of Maika Elan titled Ain't Talkin', Just Lovin', which -in my view- is one of the three photo projects that attracted me the most during the final evening of the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Chiang Mai.

Maika attended Maggie Steber's (known as "the incomparable Maggie") class The Power of Images in Today’s Media, and presented a photo essay depicting individuals living in Chiang Mai with close bonds to their animal friends. Whether these were cats and dogs, or exotic snakes, the mutual relationship and dependency between the two were brilliantly captured by Maika's lens.

While this photo essay most certainly stands firmly on its own two (or is it four in this case?) feet, I somehow wished it had been accompanied by an ambient soundtrack; perhaps a short snippet of a conversation between the young man and his cat purring...as an example. Imagine that!?

Maggie Steber used a wonderful phrase in one of our recent email exchanges...we (the photographers) need to go beyond the tyranny of the photographic boundaries. Yes, we do. Very much so. And adding ambient sound collecting to our panoply of skills is one way of doing it.

Maika will be soon working with me during my Vietnam Photo-Expedition-Workshop, and I'll make sure she's up and running insofar as multimedia is concerned.

The other two projects I particularly liked during the final Foundry Workshop presentation were Ulises Baque's Oui Nan, and Cheryl Nemazie's Night At The Naga.

Ulises Baque: Oui Nan, 93 Years Riding



As per my latest blog post, the presentation evening ending the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop showcased all of the students' work, and I highlighted three projects which I thought were the best. Two of the three were multimedia, and here's one of these. Extremely well made and edited, this short multimedia piece elicited much praise from the audience.

The project was made and edited by Ulises Baque, a videographer based in Thailand. It was made for Henrik Kastenskov's multimedia class, and is about the oldest samlaw cyclist in Chiang Mai.

I intend to write a bit further about this, but the dichotomy of the multimedia and the non-multimedia projects during the Foundry's evening presentation could not have been more stark. Although some of the non-multimedia were interesting and compelling, few could compete for the audience's attention as powerfully as those presented from two classes: Henrik Kastenkov's Storytelling For An Online Audience or my own Multimedia For Photographers.

In short: multimedia (whether as audio-slideshows -with ambient audio- or more elaborate) is the future, and photographers must hop on its train if they want to remain on the cutting edge of their industry, and retain the attention of viewers. I heard this point of view over and over from students after the presentation night...wanting to put their still photography work into a multimedia format and start ambient audio recording.

Makunudu Island Resort In Maldives


  
Wondered recently if one thing known as privacy ever existed during this world? bored with living on the sting all the time? verbalise the phone for ne'er ceasing to ring? fed up staying in impersonal edifice rooms with all the amenities however no real human warmth? wish one thing genuine? Makunudu Island is strictly the place for you. set within the North Male' coral reef of the Maldives, the island of Makunudu - all six acres of it - may be a haven from the world's endless pressures and a really divine creation of nature.

Makunudu has been designed to preserve its unaltered  beauty whereas providing the type of service you're accustomed and additional. Careful attention has been paid to depart nature's work untouched by human effort. A comprise between nature's beauty and man's creativeness offers Makunudu the simplest of each worlds - natural beauty, increased by a classy and delicate magnificence that is rarely obtrusive. In fact, nothing is obtrusive or loud regarding Makunudu.

Makunudu is your island, the manner you see it, the manner you expertise it, and also the manner you reside it - is entirely up to you.

Location

Makunudu Island is set within the North Male' coral reef of the Maldives. Fifty 5 minutes speed boat ride from the Male' International flying field (Hulhule) can bring you to the current island wherever tall palm trees sway within the heat tropical breeze and also the sandy white beaches dazzle your eyes within the sun.

It shimmers, this miniature isalnd paradise is associate degree exclusive hideaway of shining beaches and seltzer. Discover six acres of witching wonderlan. Paradise unveils itself, a distinct worldview prevails. Tension fades, and true rest awaits. A contemplative calm sets in, close your entire being.

Accomodation

Deluxe Bungalows

Unique Bungalows set within the lush tropical vegetation and right the ocean front that ar designed and stocked with during a ancient vogue reflects the native character and tone of the island atmosphere. A bed area with twin or queen size bed and personal sitting space. out-of-doors non-public garden toilet with shower and contemporary hot & cold water, Hair Dryer, Mini-Bar, Personal Safe, IDD phonephone, Writing table, Wardrobe and Dressing space, WC and Shower.

Activities 

At Rannalhi, there’s forever one thing happening... night and day. cluster activities semiconductor diode by friendly, dynamic animators, building theme nights... water sports and beach action by day, music, saltation and recreation in the dead of night. although if you would like to search out a quiet place to relax and simply slug, we've lots of those, too...

Makunudu Diving faculty

International diving faculty of the very best commonplace providing PADI Courses.

Riya Water Sports Centre

Snorkeling, Waterskiing, Windsurfing, sailboat and Dhoni Sailing, Glass bottom boat.

Other Sports

Volley Ball, Badminton, table game, and indoor table games.

Excursions

Excursions to different islands & fishing village, Sunset fishing, snorkel diving journeys, dolphin looking, picnic on a desert island, full-of-the-moon barbecue and trip to the capital island - Male'.

POV: The 5th Foundry Photojournalism Workshop

Photo © Mervyn Leong-All Rights Reserved































During the long flight from Bangkok to London, I thought I'd write up a personal POV on the Fifth Annual Foundry Photojournalism Workshop (FPW) which was held in Chiang Mai from July 29 to August 4, 2012. This will be the closing post on the Workshop.

As my readers know,  FPW is an annual photo event held in various international locations, bringing well regarded photojournalists together to teach to emerging photographers and students who normally would not be able to afford workshops.

Firstly, as I always do, I tip my hat to Eric Beecroft, the visionary (he hates it when I describe him as such, but it's the truth) co-founder of the workshop, and the staff he assembled to support the logistics that such events require to function smoothly.

In my view, FPW Chiang Mai was the best organized of all the workshops that preceded it, although I have to stress that it shares that distinction with last year's FPW Buenos Aires. The availability of the very impressive (jaw-dropping, actually) facilities of the Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Arts were really a phenomenal attribute to this year's workshop.

I don't know if the other classes fared as well, but the two multimedia classes (Henrik Kastenskov's and mine) of the workshop were given large computer labs with about 50 iMacs, all connected to the internet, color balanced projectors and sound systems. Heaven on earth! Thank you, Chiang Mai Uni.

The choice of Yantarasri Resort as hotel accommodations for the instructors and staff was brilliant, as it was comfortable, posh, lovely and well run...plus within walking distance from the University where the classes and presentations were held....and I'm told it has a beautiful swimming pool. Its proximity to Nimmanhaemin, Chiang Mai’s most fashionable street, made it doubly better. After all, I got my daily fix of mango smoothies from a cafe a few steps away.

The location of Documentary Arts Asia for the portfolio reviews was grumbled about, since it wasn't very easy to find (at least for some map-challenged instructors), and it was space restricted as well. However, the availability of food, drink and masseuses during and after the portfolio reviews made up for the minor shortcomings.

More importantly, I have to laud the accomplishments of my class members. I don't really know how they managed it, but they were the fastest class I've ever taught in grasping Audacity and the concept of audio editing. I was taken aback at their speed/ease in using the nature of sound tools, so breathed a huge sigh of relief much earlier than I expected. 

Alycia-Ray Down, Ahmed Shajee Aijazi, Adelina Abad-Pedrosa, Cheryl Nemazie, Amean J. and Christina Malkoun in my class produced disparately-styled audio slideshows, reflecting their interest and individual personalities. From the faith-based to the human touch, they all shone...not only with the quality of their productions  but also with their enthusiasm and single minded approach. My style is perhaps different from other instructors in as much I don't dictate what sort of projects my students ought to produce. They make the choice, and provided they feel for it and like it, I go along with their choices.

Here's where I may get into trouble, but this is my blog and I answer to no one anyway: in my view, the best three projects were Maika Elan's (Maggie Steber's class) Ain't Talkin' Just Lovin' (a lovely photo essay on young people and their pets), Ulises Baque's Oui Nan, a touching web-documentary on 93 years-old rickshaw driver in the Old City (Henrik Kastenkov's class), and Cheryl Nemazie's Night of the Naga (in my own class), a web-documentary of a small tattoo parlor. Yes, the latter two are multimedia projects...and I am certainly biased. Multimedia is the future...whether as web documentaries or as simpler forms of multimedia.



Finally, I was very touched in getting this sweet thank you card from my class. I always learn more from my class participants than they do from me...so it was I who should've given them thank you cards...but I did share a bottle of excellent red Merlot wine sent to me by Nadim Bou Habib all the way from Lebanon. I also have to express my appreciation at the lovely scarf that Christina Malkoun gifted me, and which I wore in the group's photograph.

In closing, all I have to say is that I was glad to renew/refresh my friendship with so many of Foundry alums, and equally happy to make new friends amongst the students...and look forward to seeing all of them in the future.

Chico Sanchez: La Guelaguetza

Photo © Chico Sanchez- All Rights Reserved


As part of the celebrations in honor of the Virgin of Carmen, residents from Oaxaca state's eight regions travel every year to the capital to offer traditional dances, while the residents from Carmen Alto and Carmen Bajo neighborhoods participate in banquets, offerings and processions throughout the city....and this is how Chico Sanchez describes his latest audio-slideshow Deep Friendship.

The Guelaguetza is an annual indigenous cultural event in Mexico that takes place in the city of Oaxaca as well as in nearby villages. The word Guelaguetza means "offering" in the Zapotec language, but its means much more. In traditional Oaxacan villages, people attending the festivities bring food, alcoholic beverages, etc. Each person's offering, or "guelaguetza" triggers a reciprocal exchange, and enables the reinforcement of social ties.

Chico Sanchez is far from being a stranger to The Travel Photographer's blog. His audio-slideshow work has been featured on it on many occasions.

He is a freelance photographer based in Mexico City. Chico worked in Venezuela, collaborating with Reuters, European Pressphoto Agency, Agencia EFE, and freelances for various newspapers and magazines.

The Travel Photographer's Presentation At The Foundry Photojournalism Workshop

Photo © Insiya Syed-All Rights Reserved

The Travel Photographer (Me) Presenting The Cult Of Durga...A Multimedia Photo Essay On Kolkata's Durga Puja...During The Foundry Photojournalism Workshop.

The presentations were held at the very impressive facilities of the Chiang Mai University.

As you read this, I'll be on my way to London.

Ahmed Shajee Aijazi: Under The Ramadan Moon

Photo © Ahmed Shajee Aijazi-All Rights Reserved

Ahmed Shajee Aijazi is another graduate of my Multimedia For Photographers class at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop held in Chiang Mai. Titled Under The Ramadan Moon, it's Ahmed's personal take on how the Muslim community in Chiang Mai observe and experience the month-long fast during Ramadan.

This is one of the three multimedia projects that were made in color, and Ahmed exerted much effort to gather its image and audio files despite fasting himself. Difficult under any circumstance, but Ahmed persevered, and completed a worthwhile project he ought to be very proud of.

Ahmed Shajee Aijazi is a Karachi-born photographer, with a formal background in art and design. Known as Shajee (Arabic/Urdu for "courageous"), he has been involved with professional photography for over five years now. His works have received regular press coverage in reputed papers like Dawn, Express Tribune and AAJ News.

Holiday Island Resort In Mladives


 On vacation Island, you'll savor the luxurious seclusion of the Maldives. Here, you'll discover your own tropical island paradise, with lacy palms, white soft sandy beaches, crystal clear water and plenty of sun-shine. This lovely Island is that the ideal retreat for people who be and want a vacation aloof from the frenzy of the most stream. vacation Island has 142 Luxury beach-front guest rooms with trendy facilities. the most building offers Western and Oriental preparation with wealthy and delicious buffets. additionally the 24-hour coffee-shop and also the bar serves sorts of a la' card meals and drinks around the clock.

When you explore what this resort must supply and compare the value you'll obtain it, you want to conclude that it's one amongst the most effective price for cash resorts within the country. it's massive and doesn’t look notably "Maldivian", however it's all the ticks all told the boxes, and for pretty much all our guests the services they received from "Holiday Island" is second to none.

Though the island is quiet massive, once the resort is full you're not getting to get the beach to yourself either, however on the opposite hand you'll ne'er be incommodious because the beach extends most the means round the island (some erosion within the northeast corner). The south facing beaches ar notably smart and, in fact has the sun all day. The side could be a series of little beaches between little, low groines. The lake is simply too massive for access from the beach however there ar four visits each day to the reef edge and one every week any a field for snorkellers.

 Location

 vacation island settled on the southern tip of South Ari coral reef is haven of peace and tranquility. Its 97km from the landing field. it's a gorgeous island with white talc beaches all spherical it.

Accomodation

All 142 rooms ar identical and ar individual bungalows aside from eighteen place along in pairs, with Associate in Nursing neighboring door, for families. they're every spacious, well engineered and dead maintained. fine quality fixtures and fittings (from Singapore) ar used throughout. there's a mini-bar, a hairdryer, a phonephone within the area and also the rest room and a broad television system with massive speakers. tubroom|the toilet|the lavatory} has Associate in Nursing alfresco dispense with a robust hot shower duplicated within the within bath. sadly the only painting within the area is of dubious style.

The building has 220V-240V A/C 50Hz all told sockets within your area. we tend to advise you to not drink water within your bogs and faucets, since its desalinated water.

 Superior Deluxe Beach area - (142 rooms / units)

  One door from the area opens to the beach and another opens onto the winding path that runs all the means round the inside the island. within this made-up path ar rigorously tended shrubs, flowers, palms and different mature trees and everyday a gaggle of ladies from neighboring Maamigili ar brought over to comb the planet pristine white sands.

 Facilities And Amenities:

Air-Conditioned,  Ceiling fan, mini bar Balcony, Hair Dryer, alfresco bathtub area bathtub tub       Hot & Cold H2O, Safe Bidet, IDD phonephone, Tea / occasional Cable / television

Cheryl Nemazie: Night At The Naga



Here's the multimedia work of Cheryl Nemazie, a photographer who attended my Multimedia For Photographers class at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Chiang Mai.

She singlehandedly produced this impressive audio slideshow and spent hours, not only photographing at the Naga Tattoo parlor on Loi Kroh Road, but also with her laptop in class and elsewhere, adjusting the linear sequence of her photographs, syncing her multi layered audio track to the photographs, and preparing her photographs as best she could to preserve their integrity. During her first visit, since the tattoo parlor 's music system played the music of Johnny Cash, the employees obliged her during her subsequent photo shoots by playing it again, so as to have the same soundtrack for her project. During the project's various showing in class, we pumped up the volume so as to enjoy "Ring of Fire" and "I Walk The Line".

Cheryl attended the very first Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Mexico, then the one in Buenos Aires last year. A successful art director and graphic designer for an international hotel chain, she decided to embark on a second career as a documentary and fine art photographer. Her recent exhibitions include Children Raising Children, Living in the Wake of AIDS, Lessons from the Ring: Main Street Gym.

Night At The Naga can also be seen on Vimeo.

Presentation Night: Foundry Photojournalism Workshop


Well, the Saturday evening presentations of the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop were held at the Chiang Mai University, and I can confirm that the evening was a total success.

My Multimedia For Photographers class presentations started with Near Sky, a monochromatic photo essay documenting the production of the Chaw Fah (symbols atop the spires of temples) by Alycia Down,  followed by Close Encounters of the Foundry Kind by Amean J...consisting of clips of Foundry students expressing their expectations from the Workshop, then followed by Loun Steve, a personal insight into the life of an American expatriate living in Chiang Mai, afflicted by Tourette disease and Huntington's Disease by Christina Malkoun.

Then it was Ahmed Shajee Aijazi's turn for his personal take on Muslim life in Chiang Mai with his Under The Ramadan Moon, which depicted the Islamic tradition of fasting during Ramadan, and this was followed by Aroy May? by Adelina Abad-Pedrosa, a photo essay of the vibrant street food culture in Chiang Mai, which was followed by Cheryl Nemazie's Night At The Naga, a monochromatic look (complete with the foot thumping music of the legendary Johnny Cash) of a tattoo parlor on Loi Kroh Road.

Three of the audio slideshows were in black and white, and three were in color. All of them different from a visual standpoint and content.

NB: It is indeed a small world. I met a photographer who turns out lived on the same street I am on now in New York City...she moved a few years ago, but what are the odds of that happening? And another photographer who saw me on Sudder Street in Kolkata last October...she also stayed in a nearby hotel and ate at some of the same restaurants. Incredible isn't it?

Most of the photographers with whom I spoke to were following my The Travel Photographer blog...which chuffs me a lot.

Almost Finished....Foundry Photojournalism Workshop

Photo © Ahmed Shajee Aijazi
Well, the week passed by like a flash! The hard work during my Multimedia For Photographers class (yesterday -Friday-, my students and I spent around 12 hours non-stop in class putting the finishing touches to the multimedia projects) paid off, and the projects are very well done, imaginative and personal.

Tonight is the night when all the students attending the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop will be presenting their individual work...and I bet some haggard-looking people will be walking around like zombies by the end of the day.

Despite spending long hours in class, I find that reviewing portfolios is the most difficult and exhausting of all the tasks I do during the Workshop. It's challenging to provide honest but candid yet constructive opinons about the work presented by the photographers...much of the work I've seen during the portfolio review session was thoughtful, interesting and some outright beautiful...and all was needed was a few suggestions here and there.

My Work: I'm Getting Serious Now....Muay Thai

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved


























I was very glad to have attended a late night Muay Thai at the Loi Kroh dingy and grubby boxing ring. I had access to wherever I wanted to go, which included chatting up the bar girls (and the ladyboys) who work at the bars and drinking spots surrounding it. The most incongruous was a store selling Muay Thai paraphernalia such as gloves and shorts at the entrance of the area, and owned by a veiled Muslim woman. She didn't seem to be fazed by the going ons at the abutting girlie bars.

I had my Fuji X Pro1 fitted with the 18mm lens, and used it whenever the fighters came close to the edges of the ring such as the one above. I also had my Canon 7D with a 70-200 as reserve when I needed the reach.

I am buzzed by the scene in that area....the hardness of the Muay Thai fights and the "softness" of the bar girls...two extreme, and probably motivated by the same thing; the need to make money.

Tia And Thom Of Loi Kroh...And The Lovely Bar Girl



All Photos © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
Loi Kroh Road is an interesting byway in the Old City of Chiang Mai, and a section of it in particular has been a magnet for the type of street photography I do.

Lined with girlie bars with television screens and billiard tables, it also has its shares of tattoo parlors, Texas-style saloons, and fortune tellers. It's also where I met Thom who's a bartender/bouncer at one of the girlie bars in an alley that leads to a grubby Muay Thai boxing ring.

I also meeting Tia, a little person, who supposedly is a Muay Thai fighter but is more of a clown (as I discovered later on). He is a very effective poser...and looks fierce in his outsized gloves.

As for the lovely young woman who was tending bar at one of the many establishments, I assured her that by placing her photograph on my blog would bring her not only luck, but many suitors.