<<Return to the Learning Zone

Back in September of 2010, I posted an article called ‘Probably the Best Photography Blogs in the World‘. It was a casual listing of some of my favourite photography blogs which I visit on a fairly regular basis for inspiration and thought-provoking dialogue. The post itself has been one of the most popular on my blog, so I thought it was time for an update in response to reader suggestions and new blogs I have stumbled upon.

So, as in the last list, in no discernible order and with no official criteria, here are what I think are probably the best photography blogs in the world….part 2.

1. Photoshelter - I’m not quite sure how I missed this blog the first time around but it one that anyone with a remote interest in photography should check out. It is especially suited for those who are working as photographers, or aspiring to do so. Titled ‘A Picture’s Worth’ it covers topics including photography workflow, technique, SEO analytics strategies, photo-industry news amongst others. An essential resource for serious photographers or those thinking of taking photography more seriously.

2. TIME – Lightbox - This is a great new photography showcase by one of the industry leaders. Featuring high-quality reportage photography from some of the world’s leading photojournalists, as well as a sprinkling of other types of photography, it has already become a favorite amongst photo-aficionados, ranking with the New York Times’ Lens blog which was featured in my first list. This site is overflowing in quality photography.

3. Prison Photography - ”To bring to attention things previously unsaid. To bring attention to things said but unrecorded”. Pete Brook states from the outset his intentions in his manifesto on his blog. Don’t be led to think that this is just a blog about orange jumpsuits and prison bars though. Pete offers his intelligent and deeply thoughtful views about the world of photography and its role on a global cultural level, often through the views of incarceration. For those who wish to go to a deeper level in photography.

4. BBC In Pictures – Formerly ‘Viewfinder’, BBC Picture Editor Phil Coomes has recently rejigged the layout of his blog but still retains the quality content that is falling on the desk of one of the world’s busiest news/picture desks. “We can receive more than 8,000 pictures from the news wire agencies each day”, comments Phil, however he and his team filter through them to offer updates from the world of photography from a news perspective.

5. Reuters – “What makes a great picture?”, is the tagline on Reuters’ photography blog. If you are an aspiring news photographer, or want to find out more about how wire photographers go about covering breaking news around the world, then this is the site for you.  Updates from Reuters’ hundreds of photographers dotted around the globe will keep you informed of the challenges associated with recording many of the most current images that make it into newspapers on a daily basis.

6. Conscientious – For those of you who lean more to the world of fine art, or if you like to escape the travel/photojournalism worlds of photography once in a while, Jorg M. Colberg’s site might just be for you. Book and exhibition reviews, photographer profiles, guest articles can all be found here. Keep up to date with the happenings in the world of contemporary photography.

7. Lens Culture – This contemporary photography online magazine/blog focuses on a diverse mix of photography, photography-related news and has a myriad of styles represented. My personal favourite part of this blog is the audio/video archive which contains a host of interviews with many leading photographers and photo-related professionals. A great resource.

8. Foto8 – This magazine needs no introduction. Foto8, established by Jon Levy, has become an institution in the world of photojournalism and for good reason. It is a source of the finest in the world of photojournalism, presented beautifully in their monthly magazine. The blog reflects what is being published each month, as well as offering updates from the world of photography. Updates are more weekly than daily on their blog. But, as always, foto8 is about quality, not quantity.

9. 1854 - Another stalwart in the world of photography. The British Journal of Photography offers news, thoughts, analysis, product reviews, photographer profiles and more, on the online manifestation of their magazine. This is an essential blog to keep up to date with many breaking stories and the latest industry news.

10. So, is the sequel better than the original? Have I still missed any other great blogs? Please feel free to write suggestions below!

<<Return to the Learning Zone

This is a really nice little video/slideshow if you are looking for a little inspiration today and insight into the mind of one of the world’s leading photographers, Maggie Steber. I first became aware of Maggie and her work when I was lucky enough to listen to a presentation of hers, when I attended Look3 in 2008. It was a really interesting talk and I wanted to take this opportuntiy to share this video here and share some of her insights into photography.

Thanks to the ever thought-provoking Duckrabbit for posting this over on their blog earlier this week.

A quick post today to share with you a great video from a TED talk by David Griffin, former Director of Photography, at National Geographic. It’s a few years old now but it’s well worth your time to watch, in case you missed it the first time around.

From TED: “The photo director for National Geographic, David Griffin knows the power of photography to connect us to our world. In a talk filled with glorious images, he talks about how we all use photos to tell our stories.”

Philip Jones Griffiths | (c) Alice Smeets | Used with Permission

Tomorrow marks the 3-year anniversary of the passing of Philip Jones Griffiths, one of the leading photojournalists of the 20th Century. Born in the small town of Rhuddlan, in Wales, Philip became a member of Magnum Photos in 1971 and was most famous for his work in Vietnam, most notably for his book Vietnam Inc., a seminal piece of photojournalistic war reporting on the Vietnam War which was credited as helping change the tide of western opinion on the conflict.

Philip was one of my heroes. It’s not often that people get to meet their heroes. It is less often that they ultimately can be able to call them a friend. I am lucky that I can, if only for a short period of time. On this anniversary, I wanted to share a couple of thoughts about my time with this inspiring photographer and man.

Vietnam Inc.

I first discovered Philip’s work in 2003, whilst undertaking a 1-month internship at Magnum, in their London office. I spent my brief internship filing slides and cataloguing prints. It wasn’t glamorous but I had fortuitously gotten the job when I rang Magnum by phone to see if they had any internships. I was fresh out of studying a Zoology degree and I was looking for any chance to learn about photojournalism. Another intern had just cancelled and they asked me if I could start two days later. I jumped at the chance.

As I stood there filing slides, I became distracted however by the bookshelves which contained many of the photographers’ books. One of the first books I picked up was Vietnam Inc. The book took my breath away. I had never realised the real power of photojournalism until I picked up this book. Leafing through the pages, every image captivated me. Philip’s witty and intelligent captions intrigued me and brought about another level of relevance and importance to these images. I was entranced.

In 2004, I was invited back to Magnum to undertake their 1-year paid internship. This was a wonderful year, which allowed me to spend time with many of the wonderful staff and great photographers. I was most excited though when the opportunity arose for me to meet and spend time with Philip, whose work I had been pouring over since my first encounter with Vietnam Inc. the previous year.

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Very excited to announce here on the blog the launch of a new partnership with tour agency Tibetan Connections, offering photography workshops and tours in western China on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Tibetan Connections, a small grass-roots company, have been based on the plateau for a number of years and are actively involved in encouraging responsible tourism in the region. Their ethos is to work with and hire local Tibetan people and visit communities to help support the people of the region through ethical tourism. They will be our logistical partners on the trip, looking after travel, guides and accommodation for us.

Our first collaboration begins in June with a 5-day tour from June 10-14, around the Eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, focusing on the monastic lifestyle and rituals in this region. I visited this region in November of last year and it really is a stunning part of the country, relatively unexplored compared to many other regions in China.

Below is an outline of the June tour. Be sure to check out the Tibetan Connections website for more information and to confirm your place on this trip.

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This week, David Alan Harvey announced the deadline for the Emerging Photographer’s Fund 2011. Having been lucky enough to be the recipient of the first grant in 2008, I wanted to jot down a thought or two about how the grant has impacted me as a photographer.

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.

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Bruce Lee Statue in Hong Kong. 2008

Last Saturday (November 27th) saw the 70th birthday anniversary of Bruce Lee. As a belated birthday tribute, I decided to write this post not just as a personal homage to a movie star who had a big impact on me growing up, but to also relate some of Bruce Lee’s thoughts on martial arts and how they can be transferred to photography. “Seriously?” you might ask. It was Alex Majoli of Magnum who started me thinking about this many years ago when he said “We should think of a photographer as a Samurai who makes rituals, moves and gestures in order to develop his techniques and his instinct.” Now, Bruce Lee was not Samurai, however bear with me as I take you through some of his writings and thoughts and think how they can be easily related to our practice as photographers.

Bruce Lee 'the photographer?'

I discovered Bruce Lee, as did most my age, as a teenager watching movies such as ‘Enter the Dragon’. I was inspired to take up martial arts and practiced them throughout my teenage years. Whilst acquiring a certain discipline that comes from studying martial arts, it also planted the seeds of interest in Asia for me. Bruce Lee was from Hong Kong, which obviously drew my attention to China. I now find myself having lived in China for 4 years and am sure those early seeds of interest were planted in my teenage years.

So, what can photographers learn from Bruce Lee? Well, as well as a widely popular movie star, Bruce Lee was also an extensive writer and philosophizer on martial arts, notably culminating in his book ‘the Tao of Jeet Kune Do’. This book was a cronicle of physical and mental methods in practicing the style of Wing Chun Kung Fu which he developed himself. Below, I have jotted down ten of my favourite quotes from this book and other sources. I don’t think it’s too difficult to relate these to photography. Try to think how they might relate to you and your approach to photography.

1. “When there is freedom from mechanical conditioning, there is simplicity. The classical man is just a bundle of routine, ideas and tradition. If you follow the classical pattern, you are understanding the routine, the tradition, the shadow – you are not understanding yourself.”

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[slideshare id=5869543&doc=ucca-101123001230-phpapp01]

<<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?

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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.

Recently, I’ve read with interest a couple of lists that have emerged about the best photography blogs out there. It seems we’re all blogging now and it’s hard to find ones that consistently deliver great content. It’s a tough job. Blogging takes a lot of effort in both time and resources which makes it impressive when material is regularly updated, especially from individuals working alone.

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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.

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