A few words on various press photos

Encouraged by many voices of approval and very positive acclaim after my first post and the perspective of three days off I decided to share a few remarks that got into my mind recently with a broader public.

Heroes of Ike

When another hurricane struck the coasts of the USA, to be honest, I didn’t pay much attention.

Jamaica Beach Volunteer Fire Fighter David Cangelosi, Galvestone, Texas, September 2008 (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Nick de la Torre)

What interested me was people’s reaction to it afterwards and the way it was presented in the media. My favorite report on this was made by a guy called Nick De La Torre, photographer for Associated Press. I found it on Polish news portal, Gazeta.pl. I liked the stills not only for their subject matter but also the quality and the light there. I don’t know how much posed they are but defintely, this looks good. As the most interesting example I chose this shot of the fireman, David (In the light of recent elections I think I would rather call him Joe rather than David but it doesn’t matter). What is important is that this material show the whole array of people taking part in cleaning the mess. This is America and all Americans help each other, irrespective of their vocation. And that I find beatiful.

All of the stills of the Heroes from the report can be found at the Houston Chronicle website, toghether with their personal comments on helping the victims of the hurricane.  In my opinion this a great example of how can internet be used in journalism. It’s far more than just news. At the same time, this is soooo American.

An office worker in Singapore, October 2008. REUTERS/Vivek Prakash (SINGAPORE)

Another shot, still in the mood of photojournalism is this one.

The trick is simple but the effect is amazing. This confirms truism about photojournalism that you have to be at the right place in the right time and have right skills. Maybe it is the instinct one needs?

Another photo that drew my attention was this shot from Beijing. I like the concept and the composition. It’s more than just dumb-ass shutter-clicking, even if it was unintentional.

Beijing October 7, 2008. REUTERS/David Gray (CHINA)

A Japanese member of the Agon Shu in Jerusalem, September 10, 2008. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

One of the most powerful shot is saw was the one on the right. Having seen this photo I made a research on its author, Tara Todras-Whitehill. I pretty much enjoy her work (even though she has never responded to an email I sent her expressing my admiration).

I dare say this photo deserves a longer description:

A Japanese member of the Agon Shu is seen through the smoke of a ceremonial fire during a ceremony in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008. The ceremony which focused on a ceremonial fire into which wooden sticks with wishes for world peace were thrown was held in honor of Israel’s 60th anniversary and in order to promote Japanese tourism to Israel.

This photo is both a piece of art and journalism, I love this effect.

The last photo I will kindly comment upon is the portrait of a Polish astronomer. I take for granted it’s not a photomanipulation and dare say it’s really ingenious.

Proffesor Aleksander Wolszczan's sunglasses reflect the 30 meters-long radio telescope, the biggest one in Poland.Astronomical Observatory at Mikolaj Kopernik University in Piwnice near Toruń, June 2000.

In the beginning, there was the word but I got speechless.

Grand opening.

Who is this cyrylski guy anyways?

So, this is all about photography and other areas I’m interested in. Expect photos, expect works of art and expect my subjective commentary.

However, the first photo I stumbled upon is definitely not art and I surely wouldn’t promote it if had not been for the fact that it’s showing common ignorance in it’s whole grace and glamour and the perverse nudity of stupidity. Besides, it gives me creeps…

"Sweet photo!" says one of the comments under the original photo published on a private blog.

Here we have a teenage girl posing for a photo in a crematory oven in former Nazi Majdanek Concentration Camp in Poland. To be honest, I can’t really blame the kid. Instead, I’m trying to understand why didn’t she know what could possibly be wrong with this while taking a picture. It’s rather a sad thing that people do not know so basic things like what was going on there during the World War II. For me it’s rather obvious school knowledge (or: should be). The answer that she “just might not have known” does not satisfy me. Sad but true.

I don’t wanna demonize anyone, but there IS something wrong with this situation. Is it the school that’s is not teaching kids properly? Is it the ignorance of the adults who don’t give a damn about things we shouldn’t ever forget? I don’t know, but that’s terrifying. A chilling topping to this is a comment given by one of the girl’s friends saying “sweet photo”. 

The alarm bell should ring now.

And now for something completely different: 

The Wickis family are ones of few highland settlers who have been maintaining the tradition of the natural process of charcoal production over generations.

I like this portrait pretty much. It belongs to a series of photos being a part of photo reportage about Wickis family, charcoal manufacturers. Here I like the angle and cropping. The photo has a clear message and I know exactly what I need. A miner – you want it or not – you see him. There is also a story behind this man, the lips tell it (even though they’re tight together) and there is experience on his face.

Willy Roeoesli, Wickis family relative, is helping with work.

Let’s skip the technical details of coal production and focus on the composition of the second one. There is something to it, some stilness and calm. I dig the colors and the delicate light.

Both photos were taken by Michael Buholzer from REUTERS.

I played in a little bit of stalking and I found some more pretty nice pictures. Most of this is sports reportage, I dig a few of these, really:

South African Oscar Pistorius's shadow is cast on the track as he runs during a training session for the international European Athletics Association (EAA) athletics meeting in Lucerne July 15, 2008. Double amputee Pistorius, who runs with carbon-fibre blades attached to his legs, will try for the third time to reach the Beijing Olympics 400 metres qualification time of 45.95 seconds at the international EAA athletics meeting in Lucerne on Wednesday. REUTERS/Michael Buholzer (SWITZERLAND)

 

South African Oscar Pistorius puts on his running blades during a training session for the international European Athletics Association (EAA) athletics meeting in Lucerne July 15, 2008. Double amputee Pistorius, who runs with carbon-fibre blades attached to his legs, will try for the third time to reach the Beijing Olympics 400 metres qualification time of 45.95 seconds at the international EAA athletics meeting in Lucerne on Wednesday. REUTERS/Michael Buholzer (SWITZERLAND)

I guess that’s the part of the job to be in the right place at the right time.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica (C) sprints to the finish line winning the men's 200m race event ahead Brian Dzingai of Zimbabwe (R) and U.S. Shawn Crawford at the IAAF Super Grand Prix athletics meeting in Lausanne September 2, 2008. REUTERS/Michael Buholzer (SWITZERLAND)

That’s what I dug out of 57 search result pages at Reuter’s website. The rest is boooring.