Kalachakra via The Big Picture

Photo © Altaf Qadri/AP-All Rights Reserved

Damn! Why haven't I been to Bodh Gaya?!!! Afer seeing these wonderful photographs of the Buddhist event in the northern state of Bihar as featured by The Big Picture, what else can I say?

Kalachakra is an ancient ritual that involves a series of prayers, meditations, dances, chants, vows and the construction of a large sand mandala - all with the aim to bring world peace. It refers to the philosophies and meditation practices contained within the Kalachakra Tantra and its many commentaries. Bodhgaya is one of the holy Buddhist pilgrimage sites where the Buddha manifested enlightenment.

In 2012, the event began on January 1 and lasted for ten days in the northern Indian state of Bihar. The present Dalai Lama has given over thirty Kalachakra initiations all over the world, and is the most prominent Kalachakra lineage holder alive today.

Anthony Pond: On Yangon's Wharf

Here's an audio slideshow of black & white stills by Anthony Pond on the porters at Yangon's wharf. It's his first attempt to use SoundSlides and Audacity, and I am impressed.

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 traveled repeatedly to South East Asia and India, amongst other places, to capture life, the people and the culture.

His photography website has galleries of his work from Laos, Nepal, India, Burkina Faso, Mali, Cuba, Mexico and Cambodia, as well as others.

Anthony is joining me on my The Oracles of Kerala Photo Expedition/Workshop™ this coming March, and I certainly look forward to be working with him during it.

Mitchell Kanashkevich: Orthodox Christmas In Lalibela

Photo © Mitchell Kanashkevich: All Rights Reserved

 "Lalibela is Ethiopia’s answer to Jerusalem."

Most of my readers will know who Mitchell Kanashkevich is; either because they read his blog as well, or because they're read some of my posts about his work.

He's currently in Northern Ethiopia, whizzing along its bumpy roads on a motorcycle (yes, he's hardcore in that way), and has attended the Orthodox Christmas celebrations in Lalibela, which he correctly describes as the Ethiopia's Jerusalem. During his stay there, he made gorgeous photographs which are on his blog.

Lalibela is one of Ethiopia's holiest cities, second only to Aksum, and is a center of pilgrimage for much of the country. Unlike Aksum, the population of Lalibela is almost completely Ethiopian Orthodox Christian. The town is famous for its churches hewn out the rock, which are thought to have been built in the 12th and 13th centuries. All told, there are 13 churches, assembled in four groups. Orthodox Christianity became the established church of the Ethiopian Kingdom in the 4th century through the efforts of a Syrian Greek monk.

Reading through Mitchell's blog entry, I pause at his statement that tourists' behavior, such as giving out of money for photos, is leading some devotees to beg for money after being photographed. Having been in Lalibela and Northern Ethiopia in 2004, I was relieved then that this was not my experience...devotees, deacons and priests welcomed my photographing them with no demands. However, I am not surprised at all this has changed with all the influx of tourists who don't know any better...or don't care.

Like Mitchell, I refuse to hand out money for photographs...unless (and that's an important qualifier) I specifically ask the subject(s) I want to photograph to go somewhere else with me, and there set them up for a photo shoot. In this case, I consider these people as models whose time I've taken, and some modest monetary payment ought to be in order. Now, like Mitchell as well, I mostly photograph documentary-style, so this is the infrequent exception.

POV: The "Leica" Marketing Of The Fuji X100

You'd think there's no world recession!

Fujifilm is emulating long standing Leica's marketing tactics by introducing the Black FujiFilm X100 Limited Edition which will be limited to only 10,000 cameras.

This slick and glistening dedicated website for the new X100 is designed to make us salivate at the prospect of spending $1700 for this "limited issue" model, which is a $500 premium over the regular model.

Leica is well known to make its products as desirable as possible...by giving these the allure of being limited or exclusive...and obviously charging for the privilege of owning one. The recent launching of the M9-P is a classic example of Leica's marketing tactics (or techniques, if you prefer).

While I consider a $500 premium excessive for what is essentially a paint-job, I leave it to its eventual the end users to decide whether it's worth it.

And here's a clincher thought: Fujifilm and Kodak were in the film-making business, and competitors. Why aren't we seeing Kodak digital cameras as exciting as those by Fujifilm?

The Oracles Of Kerala Photo Workshop: Preparations

Well, the final touches on The Oracles of Kerala Photo Expedition/Workshop™ are being done, and with some of the participants having booked already their flights to India and even to Kochi (where the workshop actually starts), it won't be long before we meet on March 12th for its two weeks' duration.

I was advised by our agent in charge of logistics et al, that the dates of the two main festvals we were slated to document may have been changed a tad. These festivals are based on the Malayalam calendar, so this is not unexpected. If this is indeed the case, it means little in terms of the overall expedition/workshop, except that we will stay in one place a day longer, and a day less in another place.

The Thirunakkara Arattu festival and the Kottakal Pooram festival are the highlights of the expedition/workshop, however I have included photo shoots at a Kathakali academy, a Vedic school and hopefully during an obscure Sufi festival held at the Maulang Shah Auliya shrine, which we are still tracking.

In reality, this is one of the most enjoyable phase in setting up photo expeditions/workshops such as this. One needs to expect the unexpected, remain flexible and be able to change tack if need be.

As the Romans used to say...let the games begin!

Amy Helene Johansson: 88 1/2

I'm extremely pleased to feature Amy Helene Johansson's evocative new work titled 88 1/2; a 5 minutes film which revolves around Jack O'Connell, an eccentric film director who lives in Manhattan and who recalls his days with the greats...Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni.

Reminiscent of the fabulous New York Times' One In 8 Million series (which sadly have been discontinued), Amy's terrific short film has captured the very essence of this film director...she directed, filmed and produced it after spending 3 weeks with Jack in New York this past fall, and tells me she has much more material to work on.

Amy Helene Johansson studied film and theatre theory before earning a BA in fashion design. Witnessing the power of photography to tell the stories of people without voices, Amy ditched her pencil and paper and bought her first ever professional camera and embarked on a successful career as a photojournalist.

She was published in leading broadsheets and magazines in the UK and Sweden, including the Sunday Times UK, Dagens Nyheter, Sydsvenska Dagbladet, Amelia and Omvärlden. She also picked up first prize in Asian Geographic Magazine “Faces of Asia Award”, and won the “Foundry Emerging Photojournalist Award. Her work has taken her all over the world covering topics as wide-ranging as Burmese refugees to the Cabaret culture in Denmark. Her work has been displayed in solo and collaborative exhibitions in Bangladesh, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the UAE. She is currently exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

What's with these alum of the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop??? Both Amy and Agata (yesterday's post) produced brilliant work!

Agata Pietron: War Songs (Part 1)

Here's the powerful, technically well-made and intelligent multimedia work by the talented Agata Pietron.  It's about teenagers who live in one of the most dangerous places in the world: in the two Kivus in East Democratic Republic of Congo, where war lasted for two decades. These young men and women experienced the influx of Rwandan refugees into their homeland of South and North Kivu, which caused political instability, genocide and eventually civil war.

These young people want to rebuild their lives by embracing hip-hop, rap and R&B as musicians, and take American monikers such as  Dangerous, Young Boys, B2K, Kashmal, Lille Cent, Peace Life, Victory etc. They speak in French, but the audio slideshow is subtitled in English. Excellent pacing, top notch audio...enviable resolution.

Agata Pietron is an independent photographer and journalist, currently based in Warsaw. She graduated from Cultural Studies at University of Warsaw, studied at European Academy of Photography and Academy of Film and Television. Now she works mainly on social projects. Her works has been exhibited in Poland and abroad. Her clients (among others) are: Orange, Unicef, RR Donnelley, Sotis, Lego, Natura, Lyreco, Fundacja Pomocy Dzieciom Niepełnosprawnym, Fundacja Synapsis.

She's also an alum of the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop...which she attended a number of times; last of which was in Buenos Aires. She worked in the DRC; covering many social issues that put her safety at risk on more than one occasion.

A real pro. What else can I say?

Fuji X Pro-1: Hands On Previews

Here are Part 1 and Part 2 of a hands on review of the new Fuji X Pro-1.

Jelle Oostrom: Morocco

Photo © Jelle Oostrom-All Rights Reserved

Jelle Oostrom is a travel writer and photographer based in the Netherlands, and has interesting photo galleries of his journeys to Morocco, Andalucia, Thailand, Portugal, Italy and Indonesia.

In common with most photographer who travel to Morocco, Jelle's gallery of this country is predominantly of streetscapes, landscapes and, with a couple of exceptions, of people from a distance (as most Moroccans dislike being photographed for cultural reasons).

I especially liked Jelle's photographs of Chefchaouen; the well known "indigo blue" town close to Tangier and the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Aside from Chefchaouen, the Morocco gallery of 45 photographs features Marrakech, Essaouira, Ouarzazate and possibly Fez.

Jelle also authors a Tumblr blog.

The Trams Of Kolkata

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved (Click To Enlarge)

On the penultimate day of the Kolkata's Cult of Durga Photo Expedition/Workshop this past October, some of us rode one of the famous Kolkata trams on one of its routes. As far as I recall, we chose the Esplanade to Shyambazar route, which is about 5 kilometers. Kolkata is India's only city to have a tram network, which is operated by Calcutta Tramways Company.

These are slow-moving cars, battered from many years of hard service. There are 170 trams running on the streets of Kolkata on a daily basis. The cars are single-deck articulated cars and can carry 200 passengers. When we rode ours, it was off-peak and seats were readily available.

At the Shyambazar depot (end of the line), I photographed the conductors (who were amused by my presence) in their small restroom, while they were having tea and cigarettes. I explored the idle tram cars and photographed inside the cars. The engine was made in Japan by Fuji Electric. All my exploration and photographing was observed by one of the conductors seen in the photo above.

I haven't decided yet if I ought to produce a photo gallery of the Kolkata tram "project"...perhaps an audio slideshow since I managed to record some great audio of the traffic, the clang of the tram's bell, etc.

Taylor Weidman: Mustang

Photo © Taylor Weidman-All Rights Reserved

"Mustang is arguably the best-preserved example of traditional Tibetan life left in the world."

And so says Taylor Weidman in the recently featured article on NPR's website.

The title of the article is Can Photos Save A Vanishing Culture? especially as the younger generation in this Kingdom is becoming increasingly disconnected from its traditions, because those who can afford to go to school leave for neighboring Kathmandu or India, and do not return.

I do not believe that photographs can save a vanishing culture, but if "save" means and is used in the context of preservation, then yes...they do. In the case of the Omo Valley tribes, as an example, the literal influx of tourists and their cameras has impacted the traditions of these proud people. I have seen (and featured) a number of photographs of Omo Valley tribes people wearing all sorts of headgear and dress that are not indigenous to their culture...and were more akin to avant garde fashion models, set up that way by over imaginative photographers. This type of photography is not 'saving' but exploiting.

Taylor Weidman is a photographer and founder of the Vanishing Cultures Project. He worked with a number of magazines and NGOs, and his photographs were exhibited in Geneva, Montreal and New York. Graduating with a Master's in Photojournalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Communication at Syracuse University, he worked at The Christian Science Monitor, then completed a long-term photography project about the Tibetan Kingdom of Lo as a Fulbright Fellow in Nepal.

POV: Fuji X1-Pro1: Is It A Threat To Leica?

The blogosphere is abuzz with the news that FujiFilm will be launching a new mirrorless camera soon, and its tech details were published in a French magazine as having a custom 16MP CMOS sensor, use Fujifilm’s EXR processor technology, feature a second-generation hybrid viewfinder, and will be available with 3 fast prime lenses (18mm f/2, 35mm f/1.4, and 60mm f/2.4). More details here.

"...the smart money ought to be on the new mirrorless cameras."

I certainly hope the rumors and the leaks are accurate, so we have more of the so-called “Micro Four-Thirds” and “EVIL” cameras such as the venerable Panasonic GF1 and the newer GX1. If the Fuji X1-Pro1 is indeed a reality, street photographers and others will be sorely tempted to buy it, certainly if its price point is reasonable. The French magazine article claims that its price in Europe (in Euros) will be equivalent to $1700 including a sweet 35mm f1.4. The remaining two lenses are said to be priced at the equivalent of $780 each.  Since European prices are usually higher than those in the US, perhaps the  street price here will be around $1400 (about the price of a Canon 7D body).

I am convinced the era of the bulky DSLRs will wane very soon, with the future belonging to theMicro Four-Thirds cameras, and certainly not for bulky cameras whose bodies were built for film transport, and have not changed since. Nikon and Canon can launch and hype their newest DSLRs until they're blue in the face, but the smart money ought to be on the new mirrorless cameras.

And that's why I will not be upgrading my Canon 5D Mark II nor my 7D. As for my question as whether the Fuji X1 being a threat to Leica...I think the answer might well be a qualified yes...and here's some more red meat for the naysayers... I still think Leica will come up with a mirrorless iteration at some point soon.

UPDATE: As Per Leica Rumors, It now appears that Fuji will release a Leica M-mount adapter for the X-Pro 1.


UPDATE 2 (January 8) Via Steve Huff: Amazon Taking Pre-Orders On The Fuji X1 Pro1 Lenses (but Not The Camera Yet)


UPDATE 3 (January 9) Via PDN: Official Press Release And Specs For The Fuji X1-Pro1

POV: Street Photography In Old Delhi

The Quizzical Guy. Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

The Coco Seller. Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

The Don't Photograph Guy. Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Old Delhi is one of my favorite locations for street photography, and is a must stop for me when I'm in India for my photo expeditions/workshops.

I produced a short documentary audio slideshow on the Spice Porters of Khari Baoli of Old Delhi, but on my way through Chandni Chowk, I started photographing with my M9. While some of my photographs were made by shooting from the hip, most were not. Chandni Chowk, as any other market and public place in India, is a dream environment for street photography since it teems with living tableaus.

Notwithstanding, most photographers are bound to be noticed and stared at. Now, this is a problem because the essence of street photography, as told to me many years ago by Costa Manos, is that no one must see the photographer. In other words, if any subject in one's street picture is seen looking at the camera, the photographer has "failed" in capturing the moment. Perhaps extreme, and very difficult to achieve in India where people are alert, curious and have no problem at dropping what they're doing to stare at whatever and whoever interest them.

It takes a little more speed, sometimes stealth, and certainly patience to work around this. We all have our techniques, but I find that a lot patience and "fading in the background" works best. Eventually, the most curious loses interest and I have free rein in photographing as much as I care and need to.

Here are some examples of the street photography "obstacles" I faced during my latest trip in Chandni Chowk.

The top photograph is of someone I describe as "The Quizzical Guy". He saw me photographing, and just froze alongside some mannequins, and kept staring at me for a while...trying to figure out what I was doing. So I photographed him.

The middle photograph is of someone who's the exact opposite of The Quizzical Guy. He probably saw me photographing The Coco Seller, but didn't care and just walked through. If he didn't notice me, he's probably a rarity amongst the crowds of Chandni Chowk.

The bottom photograph is of the "Don't Photograph" fellow. The man had absolutely nothing to do with Khari Baoli, but thought he had authority of telling me not to photograph. I get this type of people quite often...and I tell them quite firmly they ought to move on and find something better to do. He must have been a retired police officer who missed his authority. He wagged his finger at me, and quickly left.

Brazil's ArcaPress Collective

I usually don't mention photographers collective on this blog, but I found that ArcaPress (started in May of 2010) which highlights Brazilian culture and covering such areas as religion, indigenous people, economic issues, urban reality, environment and wildlife.

I was particularly drawn to Between Faith And Fever by Guy Veloso, and Maracatu by Celso Oliviera.

Maracatu is the name of performance genres found in northeastern Brazil and in its northeastern state of Ceará. Maracatu describes the music style that accompanies these performances. Maracatu has close ties to Afro-Brazilian religious ceremonies, and these performances are secular manifestations of these cults.

POV: iPhone's Google Translate As A Fixer?

I recently jumped ship from Blackberry to iPhone, and was glad to see how its various photography apps such as Instagram and Hipstamatic were ice-breakers during my trip to Cambodia. Even elderly and normally reserved Buddhist monks were excited to choose the filters to apply on the pictures I took of them with the device.

A few days ago, I downloaded Google Translate, a free iPhone app, and realized it would very useful whilst photographing in a country where I needed an interpreter. I am not suggesting it'd replace a fixer or an interpreter, but it will certainly help out in situations where I am either on my own or when my fixer is unavailable or helping someone else.

For instance, if I'm in India and require assistance in asking permission from people to take their picture while my fixer is elsewhere, I'd rely on the app to provide me with a reasonable translation (both in writing and spoken). In the picture above, you'll see I typed "Can I take your picture?" which is translated as "Maiṁ apanī tasvīra lē sakatē haiṁ" in Hindi. The cool thing is that the app can also 'speak' the translation.

I don't know if this is the precise grammatical form (I'm sure my friends in India will eventually let me know), but I know the word tasvīra is to photograph...so I'm sure that I'd get across with that phrase much more easily than repeating "tasveer tikke?" like a parrot as I normally do.

I've tried the same phrase with the three languages I know well...French and Spanish (it's spot on), and with Arabic (it's very close). So I'm quite sure it'll do well in the available languages, especially if the phrases are simple...such as "Stand here"..."Relax"..."Be natural",  "Where's the bathroom?", etc.

All I need to do before traveling to India (as an example) is to make a list of the common phrases I could need....enter these in Google Translate and save the translations. Whenever needed, I'll just need to access my translation history and voila!

No, it'll never replace a fixer or interpreter...but in a pinch, it'll be very helpful...and would be an added icebreaker.

I know...the picture of my iPhone above is crap. I'm too lazy to do a proper lighting set up.

POV: TIME's Lightbox 365 Photographs

Photo © Amr Abdallah Dalsh/ (Reuters)

LightBox, the blog by TIME’s photo department, is one of my daily photography pilgrimage stops, and it ought to be yours as well. It has just compiled a 2011 yearbook, picking a photo for each day of the year.

Since I am always pleasantly surprised when I particularly like a photograph from various news sources and it subsequently wins an award of some sort, I will try my luck with the 365 photographs picked by the TIME photo editors. I have to say it was a tough call as the editors have done a really terrific job in choosing these photographs.

Nevertheless, out of these 365 photographs, I chose 5 that most appealed to me both from an aesthetic standpoint, and for the subject matter they cover.

My first choice is the November 22 photograph (shown above) of an Egyptian protester tossing a tear gas canister, which had been thrown by the riot police, during clashes near Tahrir Square in Cairo. The photograph is by Amr Abdallah Dalsh (Reuters). In my view, this photograph ought to garner many photojournalism awards.

Photo © Moises Saman-All Rights Reserved

My second choice is this magnificent image of September 9 by photographer Moises Saman of Libyan Eyadea Elspaie visiting the gravesite of his son, Tareq Elspaie, who was killed by Gaddafi loyalists in August. The sorrowful posture of this father, under a dramatic sky, is just a Biblical scene.

Photo © Abir Sultan-EPA-All Rights Reserved

My third choice is the August 17 'penumbra' photograph by Abir Sultan-EPA of a Hasidic community member praying in a cave of an old Arab house in Lifta (Jerusalem), Israel. The man's stance in the darkness, and the shaft of light on the man's tallit or prayer shawl, may perhaps be interpreted in different ways, depending on one's political agenda. For me, its just a great picture.

Photo © Matt Dunham/AP-All Rights Reserved

My fourth choice is the October 19 photograph by Matt Dunham—AP of an Irish traveler in front of a burning barricade during evictions at the Dale Farm travelers site, near Basildon England, 30 miles east of London. This was a huge story in the United Kingdom, and being in London at the time, I recall that it was wall-to wall coverage of this rather localized issue. Here again, a very well composed Biblical scene. I also nod my head at the fact that the upper right hand corner was left untouched...even with what appears to be an electrical or telephone cable.

Photo © Spencer Platt-Getty- All Rights Reserved

My fifth choice is the September 30 photograph of the OWS movement by Spencer Platt (Getty Images). The photograph is of a Wall Street protester from upstate New York, holding up a sign in New York City. I've seen many of the OWS photographs, and this one in particular resonated with me...perhaps because the protestor is masked by the poster? It was a faceless movement after all.

There they are...my five choices. Will any of these go on and win awards? We'll see.

A 2012 Welcome

Photo © Amit Dave/Reuters- All Rights Reserved

Rather than featuring a photograph of fireworks or of New York City's Times Square crowds, I thought this one of an Ahmedabad resident having his beard trimmed to welcome the new year is more interesting.


It's one of the photographs featured by The Guardian newspaper in it's How the world prepares for New Year's Eve - in pictures.

My very best wishes for a wonderful 2012 to this blog's readers, friends, followers and supporters.