SEAN GALLAGHER VISUALS blog » inspiration

Must Watch: Sebastiao Salgado: The Photographer as Activist

Sean Gallagher — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:59:20 +0000

I came across this video over the weekend which I felt compelled to share here on my blog. It’s a panel discussion with the great Sebastiao Salgado, whose work I greatly admire. Salgado has taken documentary photography to another level, pushing the role of photographer beyond being merely a witness and into an agent for change. The above video is nearly an hour and a half in length but it is well worth the time to sit down and take in some of the great discussion.

“What I want is the world to remember the problems and the people I photograph. What I want is to create a discussion about what is happening around the world and to provoke some debate with these pictures. Nothing more than this. I don’t want people to look at them and appreciate the light and the palate of tones. I want them to look inside and see what the pictures represent, and the kind of people I photograph.” – Sebastiao Salgado (from PhotoQuotes.com)

What are you Missing? Stop and Hear the Music

Sean Gallagher — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:59:01 +0000

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

Quote of the Week: Alex Webb

Sean Gallagher — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:59:29 +0000

“I only know how to approach a place by walking. For what does a street photographer do but walk and watch and wait and talk, and then watch and wait some more, trying to remain confident that the unexpected, the unkown, or the secret heart of the known awaits just around the corner.”

- Alex Webb, Magnum Photos

*Update – 24th February* – Came across this video today released by Magnum and Leica about Alex Webb’s work in Chicago…

Quote of the Week: Ansel Adams

Sean Gallagher — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:59:57 +0000

“There are worlds of experience beyond the world of the aggressive man, beyond history, and beyond science. The moods and qualities of nature and the revelations of great art are equally difficult to define; we can grasp them only in the depths of our perceptive spirit.”

- Ansel Adams

Learn more about the life and works of Ansel Adams in this excellent PBS documentary…

Quote of the Week: Joel Meyerowitz

Sean Gallagher — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:59:12 +0000

“It comes down to risk, again and again. If you risk coming out, if you risk making pictures that aren’t good, you might discover something in a photograph that is the key. The very doorway to your own interest.”

- Joel Meyerowitz

Quote of the Week: Ernst Haas

Sean Gallagher — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:59:57 +0000

“Style has no formula, but it has a secret key. It is the extension of your personality. The summation of this indefinable net of your feeling, knowledge and experience. Take colour as a totality of relations within a frame…colour is joy. One does not think joy. One is carried by it.”

-Ernst Haas – Colour Photography

Here’s a really interesting interview between Aidan Sullivan of Getty Images and Ernst Haas’s son, Alex Haas. Well worth a listen…

Quote of the Week: Michael Nichols

Sean Gallagher — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:59:24 +0000

“If you say you really want my job, okay, here’s the deal. There are no more hobbies, no more fun. You can have fun doing the work, but you have to be completely obsessed with it. I think 99% of the people think that professional photography is travel and adventure, and they forget that photography is very, very hard work. You’re “on” all the time. When you go out the door to take pictures, nobody cares about any of the excuses about bad weather or logistics, or how the authorities wouldn’t let you do your job. All that matters is what the photos say, how much money the magazine spent on that time, and whether or not it’s a successful coverage. Most people don’t really want that.”

- Michael Nichols / National Geographic

Check out more from Michael Nichols in this fascinating video how he made his famous tree image for National Geographic…

5 Tips for Finding a Great Story Idea

Sean Gallagher — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:54:37 +0000

During my time speaking at universities and schools across China and in the US, I am often asked how I find stories to work on. I thought it was time I jotted down a few of these ideas here on the blog and incorporate them into my new Learning Zone which will be a hub for more informational posts aimed and helping readers here get a little bit more of an insight into professional photography and journalism.

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!

Aurora seen from the International Space Station in Orbit

Sean Gallagher — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 04:30:06 +0000

Is this the most beautiful timelapse ever? Quite possibly. Just watch…

“I will be a hummingbird” – Wangari Maathai

Sean Gallagher — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:59:31 +0000

It was a very sad day for the environmental movement yesterday, learning that Wangari Maathai had passed after losing her battle with cancer at the age of 71. This inspiring lady who was a Nobel Laureate and founder of the Green Belt Movement, was one of the leading world figures in raising awareness about environmental issues.

The above video is a perfect message for all of us who try to figure out what we can do, as individuals, to contribute to protecting our planet. Please spread the word…

Thanks to Elizabeth Conley for posting this link on Facebook