Lens Culture: Munem Wasif

Photo © Munem Wasif -All Rights Reserved
Munem Wasif is a Bangladeshi documentary photographer, who started his photographic career as a feature photographer for the Daily Star, a leading English daily of Bangladesh. In 2007, he was selected for the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass in the Netherlands, and subsequently won International Award "F25" of the Fabrica and "City of Perpignan Young Reporter’s Award". His work is exhibited at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, at the International Photography Biennial of the Islamic World in Iran, at Fotofreo, the festival of photography in Australia and at Visa Pour l’Image in Perpignan. He is represented through Agency VU in Paris.

The superb Lens Culture blog brings us exclusive audio interviews with Munem, who spoke of the ecological and personal disasters in Bangladesh caused by a vast influx of shrimp farming.

Another interview with Munem appeared on TTP here.

via The Click

NPR: Nina Berman & Ashley Gilbertson

Four and a half years after the war in Iraq began, NPR's Leonard Lopate discusses the toll the war is taking on American soldiers, both on the frontlines and here at home. Ashley Gilbertson’s new book of photographs of the US-led invasion of Iraq is called Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Nina Berman has gathered images and stories of injured American soldiers in her book, Purple Hearts: Back from Iraq.

Rick Sammon's Travel Tips

Image Copyright © Colleen Wheeler-All Rights Reserved
The O'Reilly Digital Media website brings us a podcast of a conversational interview with travel photographer Rick Sammon by Derrick Story in the O'Reilly Media booth at PhotoPlus Expo 2007 in New York City.

I haven't heard anything really new in the podcast, however I was not surprised to hear Rick's take on wearing a photo vest to circumvent airline restrictions on carry-on luggage. I fill the pockets of my Orvis safari jacket with lenses and a flash when I'm faced with check-in agents who insist in weighing my carry-on. It was interesting to hear both interlocutors laud the Canon 70-200mm IS f4. They describe the lens as one of the best Canon has ever manufactured.

The podcast's length is about 16 minutes.

Rick Sammon's podcast

New York Times: Khmer Torture House

Image Courtesy Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide
The New York Times brings us an article on a Cambodian photographer Nhem En, who was on the staff of the Tuol Sleng prison, the most notorious torture house of the Khmer Rouge regime, which caused the deaths of 1.7 million people from 1975 to 1979. Nhem En was called to be a witness at a coming trial of Khmer Rouge leaders, including his commandant at the prison, Kaing Geuk Eav, known as Duch, who has been arrested and charged with crimes against humanity.

Mr. Nhem En’s career in the Khmer Rouge began in 1970 at age 9 when he was recruited as a village boy to be a drummer in a touring revolutionary band. When he was 16, he said, he was sent to China for a seven-month course in photography. He became the chief of six photographers at Tuol Sleng, where at least 14,000 people were tortured to death or sent to killing fields. Only a half dozen inmates were known to have survived.

A chiiling must-read. The article is by Seth Mydans.

The article: Out From Behind a Camera at a Khmer Torture House

The podcast: Back Story

External link: Photos at Tuol Seng Prison

David Alan Harvey

Here's an interesting snippet of video showing the legendary David Alan Harvey mentoring a student photographer (Thanks for the heads-up, Eric)

Podcast: The Art of Tea

This is not really about travel or editorial photography...well, maybe it is. Jennifer Sauer, a photojournalist and photographer, decided to document the most intriguing tea lounges and tearooms in the San Francisco Bay Area, and to introduce you to the world's top tea experts, who explain how to judge quality teas, and explored tea cultures from around the world in a book titled The Art of Tea.

In this podcast (courtesy of The Digital Story via Imaging Insider), Jennifer tells us how she thought of her project, how she put her photographs and text together...and gives us tips to publish such a book in the current publishing environment. It's well worth a listen.

Podcast (mp3)

WNYC: Photographing Conflict

WNYC's The Leonard Lopate Show (well, a stand-in for Lopate) interviewed photographers Jonas Bendikson, Alec Soth and Magnum's director Mark Lubell. Although the interview is primarily aimed at a general audience, it's an interesting listen (click on small arrow on the left of the player).

Complexities of Conflict Photography

On February 23, The International Center of Photography held an event titled Taking Sides in Conflict Photography, and three of the panel joined Leonard Lopate of WNYC to discuss the challenges of covering the conflicts there, and the ethical questions of photographing events in the region. They also talk about whether their own backgrounds and ethnicities factor into their work. Isa Freij was born and lives in Palestine.

Isa Freij, a cameraman for CBS and a documentary filmmaker, Shaul Schwartz of Getty Images, and Heidi Levine of Sipa Agency are all currently working in the Middle East. Isa Freij was born and lives in Palestine. Shaul Schwartz was born in Israel and lives in US. Heidi Levine was born in Boston and has lived in Israel for 20 years. I wouldn't describe any of these three people as particulalry articulate. There's some stumbling and hesitation in their replies, but on the other hand I also think that it's refreshing to hear unrehearsed/unprepared responses on major media outlets.

This is the first podcast on TTP. Click on the icon to download the WNYC mp3 to your iTunes: 


VII Agency: Podcasts

Some members of the photo Agency VII have video podcasts of their lectures at the Pasadena VII Seminar last April. James Nachtwey and Ron Haviv's video podcasts were my favorites.

Here are VII Video Podcasts