99% of people just walk on by. If you just watch the above video, that’s what you will of seen. Maybe it was more than 99%. Incredible beauty in the everyday was walked passed, ignored, momentarily noticed and then forgotten.

I’ve often felt that about photography, in that, when photographers go out and take images, we are trying to see unique and special moments in the ordinary. But those moment aren’t ordinary. They are quite incredible and often breathtaking. The way the light is falling. The drama of shadows. The excitement of colour. The serendipitous  juxtaposition of people in the street as they pass oneanother. The texture and depth of emotion caught between people in the briefest of moments.

These are moments that are are not noticed by 99% of people, even though they are right there infront of them.

For me though, these are the most important things in life to see and recognise. This is why photography is so special.

The music is everywhere. Stop and listen.

Read more about the violinist Joshua Bell and the fascinating experiment in the video here

So, to start with, here are 5 tips for finding great stories from a photography/journalism perspective:

1. Go Local – You don’t need to travel half way across the world to find a great story. Look in your backyard and you will find many great leads and potential subjects. If you are interested in a larger issue, look for one or two people in your local community who represent that issue and tell the story through them. Perhaps the story is health related and you are interested in doing a piece about rising national levels of heart disease. It shouldn’t take you too long to find someone in your community who is affected. Tell the story though individuals on a local level, to represent the bigger picture.

Struggling for Ideas?

2. Read, Read, Read – One of the best things you can do, whether you are working on a story at a local, national, or even international level, is to read. Whether you are consuming your news through the printed press or online, you can immediately gauge what people are talking about by being aware of what if being printed in the news. Keep tabs on story/subject trending and write down/bookmark ideas, or cut out articles to help you remember potential story ideas. Don’t just read the news though. Great stories can be found by breaking out of your comfort zone and consuming new magazine articles, scientific journals and novels.

3. Stay Connected – Your contacts and connections, on a personal and/or professional level, can prove to be an invaluable source of ideas. These connections do not have to be photography/journalism related. Talk to people in the community you are working in and listen to what they have to say. Are there any recent events, activities, incidents etc., that might relate to an interesting story? Are people talking about issues that haven’t appeared in the press recently? You can get many great ideas just from listening to what’s happening on the ground. Be personable. Make friends. Keep connected.

4. Get Inspired – Don’t lock yourself away in the world of photography and journalism. Break out and immerse yourself in the worlds of film, music, art and science. Get out of your comfort zone again and explore and discover new ways of storytelling through watching movies, listening to great music, taking in an art or science exhibit at the local museum or gallery. Search for new ways to be inspired and it will directly filter back into your photography and/or writing.

5. Look in the Mirror – What do I really care about? This is one of the first questions you should ask yourself. Find a subject matter that you are genuinely passionate about, or interested in. Perhaps the subject matter is directly related to your life experiences, or connected to an interest you have outside the world of photography and journalism. Avoid choosing subject matters that you believe others will take you seriously for, should you cover it. The best work comes from working on subject matter that you genuinely care about and you will put in the extra effort for.

What has worked for you? Please feel free to share your story-finding ideas below!

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Burn

The Emerging Photographer’s Fund is an evolution from discussions on David’s old blog ‘Road Trips‘. Road Trips was David’s first foray into blogging and became and intimate community of people keen to learn from David’s experience as a professional photographer for National Geographic and Magnum.

The appearance of blogging has, I feel, been a gift to aspiring photographers as more and more established professionals have gone online to openly and candidly share their thoughts and experiences with their followers. As a young photographer starting out, one of the things I craved was learning from pro-photographers and learning how they approached their careers and their work. Road Trips was a goldmine for any young photographer looking for information and/or advice. It still is a goldmine, although Road Trips is no longer, and has evolved very successfully into Burn. As I have evolved too as a photographer, making the first forays into the beginning stages of my professional career, I still value the Road Trips/Burn community as much as before.

Road Trips

In the summer of 2007, David announced the idea that he was giving out a grant. He challenged the readers of his blog to find a photo-project which they would ultimately submit and he would consider for further funding. I had been sitting on the idea of photographing the issue of desertification (the gradual expansion of deserts and arid land) for some time but hadn’t found the right time to get the project going. The challenge from David was to be my impetus to start.

I packed some clothes and my camera and booked a flight from Beijing to western China to a place I knew was suffering from desertification. At that time, the trip was funded out of my own pocket and I realistically knew that my chances of being awarded a grant were very small, due to the fact I was sure many good photographers would be entering too. It didn’t really matter to me though, as it was a project that I had wanted to cover for sometime and the challenge was enough to make me want to start. My aim was to get the project started and if I was lucky, get it infront of David on a computer sometime and get a few pieces of advice. I didn’t expect anything else. It’s important when you enter competitions or grants that you don’t expect anything. Continue with your work anyway. If you get any kind of recognition, it’s a bonus. You still need the passion for the subject to continue with it, even if it doesn’t pick up and awards along the way. They should never be your goal.

On new year’s day in 2008, I turned on my computer and went to the Road Trips site checking to see if the winner’s had been updated. To my complete astonishment, there was my name listed as the recipient.

Road Trips

For me, the biggest impact of winning the grant at such an early stage in my career as a photographer, came in terms of confidence. Young photographers are often unsure in their work. Unsure and daunted by the sheer amount of photographic talent there is out there and how they will find a foothold in the industry. Having come from a non-photographic background, my worries about whether photography was the right place for me were completely allayed from that point.

As a result of winning the grant, I also invested in attending two of the major photo-festivals in 2008, Visa Pour L’image and Look3. Attending these festivals was very special for me, as I began to connect with many of the people who I had only known online previously. The encouragement I gained from these individuals was amazing and many of them are now good friends and people whom I regularly seek advice from.

At the end of the day though, if you are a young photographer reading this, the money that the grant awards should not be the motivation. It’s the subject that should be the motivation. If you have found a subject that you really care about, are really passionate about, then this is what is going to make you stand out. If you win the grant, then it’s a bonus. A big bonus, for sure.  Edit tight. Edit to show your vision. Edit to show your feelings. Even if nothing comes from entering, this may be a great chance to really sit down with your work and try to think about it. Talk to others about it. Understand it. Move in the right direction.

Click Here

There will be lots of good photographers entering, but you have to put your work in the proverbial mixer. You’ve got to be in it to win it.

I hope this has been helpful to anyone thinking of applying. Good luck!

<<Return to the Learning Zone Last weekend, I was invited by Beijing based eco-group Greening the Beige to give a workshop at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art. We had a great turnout, with many students and photography enthusiasts all keen to see images from my environmental work in China over the past few years and learn about some of the thought processes that go into tackling these realtively large issues. We had such a great discussion, so I thought I would post my presentation here on my blog and highlight/elaborate on a couple of the key talking points. I hope this might prove useful for anyone who wasn’t able to make the event.

The aim of the workshop was to help people understand how I approach taking on large scale subjects, aiming this message at many of the students, from both the fields of photography and journalism, who were in attendance. The first question we tackled was: How do you find story ideas?

Take a look at slide 6 and then come back. It says it all really. I remember asking the question above to one of the senior members of staff when I was interning at Magnum Photos during 2004-2005, and the word on that slide was the answer they gave to me. I follow it religiously now.

Courtesy of (c) Lap Li

I like being informed. I think most photographers/journalists do. They are naturally inquisitve people. An important note though, which I emphasised to the workshop participants, was that it is so important to read not just a diverse mix of western press but also be familiar what the press is saying in the country you are reporting on, in our case China. It’s no secret that the media stance between the west and from within China can be very different sometimes. Whichever side you lean towards, you still have to very aware what the other side is saying. Only then can you take a step back from everything and start to try and filter what is truth, what is not, what is skewed, what isn’t etc. etc.

For those who were thinking of taking on environmental issues, I also emphasized the importance of being familiar with the scientific literature on the subject. I am lucky in that I come from a science background, so am comfortable reading scientific papers which can be daunting to those not familiar with them. Magazines such as Nature and Science are aimed at the educated layman and are very accessible. It’s absolutely key to get to grips with what the scientists are saying about your issue.

Simplify the Issue (Slide 7)

When I take on large-scale subjects such as desertification or wetland disappearance, simplifying the issue is crucial. I can’t visit every single desert or wetland in China. I could, but it would be pointless when instead I can try to isolate key areas that represent the core issues. I normally break the issue down into its most important isuues and then try to find the best places to go to to (visually) illustrate those points.

Put a face to the issue. Tell stories through the individuals, families and communities being affected. (Slide 8/9)

This is one of the key points, especially with environmental issues. Sometimes, these issues can be complex, diverse and hard to visualise. By finding people who are being affected by the issue, you can put a human face to the issue and as a result help your audience/viewers better connect with the subject matter at hand. Your audience will have a much better connection towards your subject if you are able to show the way in which other human beings are being affected.

What would be the aims of your project? Why are you really interested in it? Do you REALLY care? (Slide 20)

By presenting these questions to the participants, I wanted to emphasise the importance of finding an issue that you are genuinely passionate about and determined to cover. I warned of the dangers of choosing a subject, motivated by the reasoning that others in (and maybe outside of) your profession would take you seriously as a photographer/reporter just because you chose that particular subject matter. That’s a dangerous path to follow. Finding a subject that you have a connection to, a subject you are passionate about, a subject that only you would spent long periods of time on when others may give up, is key.

Courtesy of (c) Lap Li

How do you fund your story? (Slide 21)

The two major options I gave were either getting a grant or my pairing up with an NGO. There are of course other ways, from personal savings, private investments and commissions from news outlets however for me personally, grants and partnerships with NGOs have been my most successful. They have also allowed be to spent long periods of time on these issues. If it’s a complex issue, you will need time to work on it and do it justice. Grants and working with NGOs allow you to do this.

How do you distribute your story? (Slide 29)

I believe we are in a really exciting time at the moment in terms of the new ways in which we can distribute our work. Yes, old outlets have shrunk drastically but there are many new ways to get our stories out to new audiences. There are more opportunities now than ever before.

Embracing social media is one way of reaching new audiences, as is producing work that is deliverable in a variety of mediums i.e. having the ability to produce still images, video, multimedia, audio and writing. Each has its place and possible outlets. Most can be combined. If you have the ability to do a number of these, then to possibilities for distribution are wide. You can still try traditional distribution such as magazine publication, print exhibitions, maybe a book but you can also embrace online videos and multimedia, viral marketing of those pieces through a unique website and blog, online photo galleries, multimedia installations. A combination of some, or all of the above!

At the end of the workshop, we had an open Q&A session. One of the questions was; “Why do you do what you do i.e. covering these issues? What are you aims and how do you hope your images affect people?” It’s a question I have been asked by others, and asked of myself, a number of times. I thought would be useful to try to answer it here too.

I am a photographer and videographer. My skill (and that of other visual professionals) lies in my ability to visualise the world in a way most people do not normally do. My educational background focused on the sciences, especially in the biological sciences, so I have a natural interest in these issues. Many of these issues, I know, are difficult for many people to understand and visualise. I really hope that my photographic and video work can act as a bridge between some of the complex issues surrounding the environment and global climate change to help people understand them better. I hope the images can inspire contemplation, deeper understanding and maybe action depending on the social group and age of the people that sees them. I am just one photographer trying to raise visual awareness of these issues. Change will not just come from me. It will come from the worlds of science, government, business, media and everyday people acting together. If my images can help people visualise the seriousness of the environmental issues we currently face and I am able to help them contextualize them too, through various visual media and educational speaking engagements, then I am playing my small part in trying to effect positive change in society.

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That’s a quick summary of the major talking points of the presentation. I really hope that it was useful to the participants who were able to make it on the day. I also hope that it has been useful to you as you read this now, wherever in the world you may be. As ever, if you have any thoughts or feedback on the above points please feel free to post them below.

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Event Poster

For anybody who is in Beijing this coming weekend, I will be giving a workshop at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art on Saturday 20th November from 4:30 to 5:30. I’ll be talking about ways to photograph large-scale environmental issues and trying to give participants help in helping form and shape their own ideas for approaching these issues.

Here’s the general outline:

“UCCA welcomes two-time Pulitzer Center Grant recipient Sean Gallagher, who has spent the past two years traveling across China documenting the country’s fight against desertification and disappearing wetlands.

Having the ability to visually communicate overarching themes, theories and ideas is essential to helping the public understand sometimes complex and seemingly disjointed issues.

Gallagher’s workshop will focus on the art and science of effectively photographing large-scale environmental issues and conveying eco-stories through imagery. He will also provide participants with useful advice about identifying themes and stories, and offer tips about the process of eco-filmmaking, from shooting to distribution.”

If you think this might be of interest please come along. Entry is free and there are many other events on throughout the day, all along ‘green’ lines. Hope to see you there.

Click Here

So, I decided to spread some photographic love/respect/links and point you in the direction of what I believe are ‘Probably the Best Photography Blogs in the World’ – please insert tongue in cheek here.

In absolutely no discernible order, and without any official criteria, these are my favourite photo-related blogs that I visit on a pretty regular basis. Why do I visit them? Because they consistently deliver useful, fun, stimulating and interesteing information that enriches my life.

Once you have visited the blogs below, please do remember to come back to mine though

1. Burn - Curated by Magnum and National Geographic Photographer, David Alan Harvey, Burn is one of the best of the best. Showcasing new photo essays every few days, it introduces readers to an eclectic mix of photography. Comments regularly run into the 1000′s and are often insightful, entertaining and emotional.

2. Duckrabbit – I love Duckrabbit’s tagline, “We produce beautifully crafted multimedia”. They do exactly what they say on the tin and also throw in a daily updated blog full of witty and sometimes acerbic viewpoints and comments on the world of photography and multimedia. This UK based team’s fresh approach pulls no punches.

3. A Photo Editor – A stalwart of the blogging scene for some time now, Rob Haggart, former Director of Photography for Men’s Journal and Outside Magazine, offers readers a glimpse into the inner workings of magazines and gets you inside the minds of today’s photo/picture editors. An essential read for aspiring photographers.

4. Photojournalism Links – Finnish photographer Mikko Takkunen has created his own form of blogging resource by using ‘the link’ as his content. He trawls the web for the best of photography and photojournalism and puts all the links in one convenient place, so you don’t have to do anything but click. Hats off to this man.

5. Lens – Showcasing the finest of photography from it’s own photographers and the work of many other freelancers, agency photographers and wire photographers around the world, Lens delivers quality photography day in, day out. Its sleek slideshow format means pictures effortlessly glide in front of you. No page reloading. Just a stream of great pictures.

6. Classroom 1416 – Hosted by Ren Yue, photojournalism lecturer at Beijing’s Renmin University and recipient of the 2008 Howard Chapnick Grant for the advancement of photojournalism. She is at the forefront of showcasing new Chinese talent in photography. She also promotes international photography to her Chinese audience, creating an essential dialogue between east and west. Her blog is in Chinese but don’t let that deter you. That’s what they invented Google Translate for.

7. DSLR News Shooter – If I ever need a tech-fix, I head to this website. Headed by the likeable Guardian staff photographer, Dan Chung, this blog will teach you about every piece of kit you will ever need to know about. You will discover new pieces of equipment that you have never heard of and never knew existed. Videos then show you exactly how pros are using all this technology to make stunning stills and video around the world.

8. National Geographic Blog Central – Well, National Geographic needs no introduction whatsoever. Their blog is updated daily with articles, dispatches and photos that are all of the level that you would expect from this renowned organisation.

9. Telephoto – The photography blog of the UK Telegraph newspaper, ‘telephotography’ offers readers a good insight into the happenings in the gallery world of photography. Keep track of exhibitions, talks and speaking events through their news and events section which contains an impressive up-to-date list of events.

10. ________ – The last spot is all yours. I’d like YOU to fill in this last one. Are there any other vital photo blogs that I’ve missed? Please let us know in the comments below.

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As the climate for photographers, journalists, media creatives etc. has changed (mostly for the worse) in recent years, it has forced the respective industries to look at themselves a lot closer and try to redefine who they are, what they do and how they do it. Photography has been no exception, with many photographers struggling in a market where the venues for distribution have all but run dry. This is not really news for anyone.

Old logo (top) and new logo (bottom)

Recently however, I was trying to come up with ideas about how to start to redefine my ‘brand’ and make sure I was completely clear in who I was and if that’s what everyone else thought I was too. I am not a marketing expert, so everything I know has come from trawling through websites of people who are experts on the subject and trying to pick-up as much as I can.

As I started to write down a list of my recent projects, subject matters etc. I started to see that I had made the natural movement towards multimedia and video. This was not a completely unconscious decision however the image I was projecting was still only that of a photographer and not of someone who was able to also provide multimedia and video too.

In a meeting one day with a client, I mentioned that I did video and multimedia, as well as photography. They turned to be a said, “but your website says you only do photography”. The penny dropped. I wasn’t doing the simple thing of telling people what I was and what I could do right from the start.

I decided to start with a new logo. Something simple and unique which enabled people to quickly see who I was. The only problem was, I was (and still am not!) a graphic designer. I certainly didn’t have the budget to hire a designer just for this project, so I started to think of other ways to achieve what I wanted.

Zara Arshad - Designer

A couple of weeks earlier I received an email from a friend of mine in Beijing, asking if I knew someone who could do head-shots. This friend was Zara Arshad, a designer from the UK. CHECK OUT ZARA’S WEBSITE HERE. It seemed obvious to me that we could do a ‘skills-exchange’ for the benefit of both of us. I contacted Zara with the idea of me providing her with a set of head shots and in exchange, she would come up with some ideas for a new logo. I was delighted when she jumped at the chance.

Over the next week or two, we bounced ideas of each other for her head shots and for my logo and in the end both created something that we were both happy with and both thought was a fair exchange.

The point of this post is this. As our industries change, we need to find new ways in which we can survive and work with one another. As our social networks increase and we become connected more, the number of opportunities are increasing. Of course, many of these connections will be linked directly to increasing our business’s commerce but other connections can lead to the sharing of resources and skills for each party’s mutual benefits. This is especially true if the connection is a friend and the dialogue is naturally open and the exchange is fair and equal.

One thing I must say is that this is not an endorsement of the old “we’ll print your photos in exchange for exposure” addage. I don’t believe this is a fair exchange, at all.

Sharing skills is a different way of looking at our contacts and connections and seeing what we can share for our mutual benefit. Maybe you have a friend who is a musician who could write a simple track for your next multimedia piece, in exchange for some promo shots? Perhaps you have an acquaintance who is a marketing expert who can help you design your next campaign, in exchange for some images?

The possibilities are varied and are there to be found. Just remember, it must always be a fair exchange with both parties leaving the table happy and feeling satisfied that there has been an equal and fair sharing of skills.

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Recently, I have started to venture more into the video world and this summer, I will have a project which will allow me to start to really produce more video-work. As I start to add the moving image to more of the work that I do, I start to look more to the video world for inspiration. If I am honest, I always did this anyway as I am a huge movie and documentary fan and drew inspiration from these for many many years for my still work. Now, I am starting to watch videos, movies, documentaries in a different way, mainly trying to visualise in my mind how they were conceived, shot, edited and created.

This week I was blown-away by two videos, actually advertisements, that I caught online. You can get inspired by advertisements? Seems a little odd I guess, for a photographer who concentrates mainly on documentary subjects, but the answer is yes. Each of these videos is quite different, but they both have their own sense of ‘wow’ factor about them. Clever ideas and beautifully shot.

[youtube width="600" height="385"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hPm1p0Q3xA&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Now I must admit, that with the first video I am slightly biased as I am a big football fan, however I think the video is just beautiful and the editing is really very good (watch out for the hilarious inclusion of Homer Simpson). Now, in the second video I will never use the techniques they employ (this will become obvious after you watch it) but I really like it because it’s nearly impossible not to want to watch it a second time to figure out what you just missed! It made me think a lot about our perception of scenes we view quickly. Don’t want to give too much away though!

What did you think? Which do you prefer?

CHINA. Beijing. Muslim men worshiping at Niu Jie Mosque during Eid ul-Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan. 2005

<<Return to the Learning Zone During our workshops over the past few months, I have often been asked the question “Where is the best place in Beijing to photograph….?” Now, you can insert pretty much anything you like into the last part of that question, as queries have come in to me about a myriad of different things. So, I thought it would be interesting to start a new series of posts that answers some of these questions about where I think are the best places to photograph in Beijing.

I have chosen Beijing for this focus, purely because I have lived in this city for nearly 4 years and like to think I have a good idea where things are and where are the best places for taking pictures. I would like to expand this concept to other cities in China, but I’ll start with my ‘home’ city first.

So, for the first part of these new posts, I answer the question “Where is the best place in Beijing to photograph…religion?”

CHINA. Beijing. A woman selling Muslim clothing in the area 'Niu Jie' during Eid ul-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan. 2005

I decided on this question as the first for this series because it immediately struck me as the one with the most obvious answer… Niu Jie (牛街), or in its literal translation, cow street, is the center of Beijing Muslim community and is one of the most interesting and eclectic areas of the city.

I first discovered this area in the autumn of 2005, on my very first trip to Beijing. I was staying in a hostel in the central hutongs south of Tiananmen Square at the time and found out about this area through a member of staff at the hostel who I had befriended (on a completely different note, always make friends with local hotel staff as they will invariably provide you with interesting tips about places off the beaten tourist path…I digress). My new friend from the hotel told me of this very unique area within walking distance that I should try to visit, if I wanted a different Beijing experience.

With map in hand, I headed out to find this area. Located directly south of ChangChun Jie (长椿街) subway station, ‘cow street’ was very easy to find. As soon as I turned a corner into the street, I was welcomed by an array of vendors selling snacks and treats from the back of their 3-wheeled bicycles slash mobile mini-stores. What struck me first was their appearance in that they were all wearing pleated hats, typical of Muslim men.

CHINA. Beijing. Muslim men at Niu Jie Mosque during Eid ul Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan. 2005

As I walked through the area, I peered into local shops with Arabic writing daubed above the doorways and started to tentatively take pictures. I say tentatively because photographing in areas where religion is very evident, demands a respectful and sensitive approach. You must gauge quickly whether people are happy to have their photograph taken and observe carefully when it is not welcomed. Saying this, I found most people to be more than happy to be photographed as long as I smiled, made eye-contact and approached people in an unthreatening manner.

Luckily when I was there, it was during the festival of Eid ul-Fitr, a festival that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. At this time, hundreds of Muslims celebrating the end of fasting for the month, throng the streets. It made for a wonderful spectacle and experience for me walking and photographing amongst the people in attendance.

CHINA. Beijing. Muslim women at Niu Jie Mosque. 2005

As an added bonus for myself, I was welcomed into Niu Jie Mosque, maybe the most famous of all mosques throughout China, to photograph on that day. How did I manage this? Just by befriending a local who saw my camera and gestured to me  to enter the mosque, an action I would not have taken had I not been invited. Once inside the mosque, I wandered amongst the worshipers as they went about their prayers and celebrations. In this situation you have to keep your presence down to a minimum, as much as possible. You make small movements, you move slowly, all in a way not to disturb at all the people and events that are taking place.

In this post you can see many of the pictures that I took at Niu Jie. It really is a fascinating area in Beijing, which isn’t visited as much as many other spots. If you have time and are looking for a somewhat different side to Beijing, Niu Jie is well worth an afternoon of exploration.

Have you visited Niu Jie? What were your experiences? Are there other areas of interest like this in Beijing?

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So, in light of this, I have decided to give my blog a little bit of a new look. I hope you like the revamped design. I’m still in the stages of tweaking it, so please bear with me while I get this new format up and running. I have a backlog of ideas for new and interesting blog posts, so please do stay tuned and come back soon as there are going to be plenty of new updates.

Please let me know what you think of the new layout and design!

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