pj-doc

Lecture: Christopher Anderson

2007-10-08T00:34:00.000-04:00

In conjunction with the World Press Photo 07 exhibiton in Toronto, World Press Photo 07 winner and Magnum Photo member, Christopher Anderson will be speaking.

Tuesday, October 16
Ryerson University
7:30pm - Free Admission
George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre, Ryerson University Theatre 103, 245 Church St @ Gould St
Presented by Canon Canada
Hosted by Ryerson School of Image Arts

Projection: Agence VU @ IndexG

2007-10-08T00:21:00.000-04:00

Denis Darzacq, France, Agence VU

In conjunction with the World Press Photo 07 exhibition in Toronto, IndexG will be showing work from Agence VU, including the winning images by Denis Darzacq.

Admission is Free
Saturday, October 13, 5:30pm (Limited seating so arrive early)
50 Gladstone Ave, just north of Queen St W

October Digital Journalist

2007-10-08T00:03:00.000-04:00

Digital Journalist
Robert Capa is acknowledged to be the icon of conflict photography. From the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, through his famous coverage of D-Day, to his death at age 40 in Indochina in 1954, he was on virtually every front line for over two decades. However, as the expression goes, "behind every great man stands a great woman." For Capa, that woman was his collaborator and lover, Gerda Taro. A strongly influential force in his early career, Taro was with him in Spain, often photographing at his side. Sadly, her life was cut short in Spain when she was crushed by a tank. She was only 26 years old. For the past 70 years, her life and work have remained largely unknown to the public. But thanks to a remarkable exhibition currently at The Center of Photography in New York on view alongside a show of Capa's work Gerda Taro has finally been given a chance to emerge from the shadow of her legendary partner. We are proud to present highlights of these exhibits as this month's cover story, along with an appreciation by Ron Steinman.

If you have viewed the World Press Photo 07 exhibit, you will find the DOUBLE BLIND Paolo Pellegrin story of particular interest. Paolo received this year's First Prize Single News.

In the summer of 2006, Paolo Pellegrin and writer Scott Anderson covered the carnage in Lebanon. They both found that this was a different war from any they had ever experienced. The battlefield shifted daily. Waiters who brought them coffee were shooting rockets at Israeli positions a few hours later. Pellegrin and Anderson have recently published a book, DOUBLE BLIND, which testifies to the horrors of a war that Pellegrin claims "is a harbinger of the 'modern' wars to come." Pellegrin, who is a member of Magnum, the agency that Capa co-founded, was awarded the 2007 Robert Capa Gold Medal for his work on this story. View his compelling B&W photo gallery in this issue and you will see why.

Kodak Lecture Oct 19 - Keith Calhoun & Chandra McCormick Calhoun

2007-10-07T23:17:00.000-04:00

Documentary photographers Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick Calhoun speak October 19 at the Kodak Lecture Series, Ryerson University.
The Calhoun's were featured in Spike Lee's 2006 documentary film When the Levees Broke after having lost their home and their studio in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Toronto - The Kodak Lecture Series is pleased to announce that documentary photographers Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick-Calhoun will give a lecture about their work on Friday, October 19, at Ryerson University in Toronto.

Born in New Orleans in the 1950's, the Calhoun's have been chronicling the everyday life of the city's Lower Ninth Ward for more than a quarter of a century. From documenting pleasure clubs to bluesman, clockworkers to churchgoers, the Calhoun's have made their career through capturing the vibrancy and culture of the neighbourhood they grew up in.

When Hurricane Katrina swept across the Gulf Coast in August 2005, Keith and Chandra would lose both their home, and their historic storefront photography studio. In the aftermath of the storm, and after salvaging what they could of their life's work, many individuals and organizations are helping the Calhoun's to rebuild. They include Architecture for Humanity, House by House, the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans and Shelter Architecture.

The Calhoun's have been exhibited at the Aperture gallery in New York City, the Smithsonian and the Brooklyn Museum. They will also be featured in the landmark compilation Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers, 1840 to the Present by Deborah Willis. Having been exiled from their home, they are currently living in Texas with their two children.

Friday, October 19
7:30pm - Free Admission

Ryerson University
Vari Engineering and Computing Centre
Lecture Theatre 103
245 Church Street (just north of Dundas St. at Gould St)

Lectures are webcast and archived at www.ryersonlectures.ca

Alexandra Boulet Dies

2007-10-07T23:08:00.000-04:00

After suffering an aneurism in June and being in an induced coma, Alexandra Boulet passed away on October 5 in Paris.
A great and sad loss to the international photojournalism community.

Kenji Nagai: Death of a Journalist

2007-09-29T00:17:00.001-04:00

The shooting of Japanese videographer Kenji Nagai in Myanmar was captured on video and clearly shows the Nagai was not accidently shot, but was shot at point blank by a soldier.

Read letter from Canadian Journalists for Free Expression sent to the President of the People's Republic of China.

Depth of Field: Modern Photography at the Metropolitan

2007-09-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

The innaugral exhibit, in the new photo gallery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has just launched and will be on display throught to March 23.
New York Times article.

Censorship or Pornography?

2007-09-28T23:39:00.000-04:00

A Nan Goldin photograph, owned by Elton John, was removed from a exhibition in the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in the UK.
CBC Article

This is the image.

View a selection of other Nan Goldin images.

Ruth Kaplan in New York Group Show

2007-09-23T22:48:00.000-04:00

Lisette Model and Her Successors
Exhibition on view: September 7–November 1, 2007

The broadest and most enterprising survey of its kind, this group show brings together for the first time a selection of vintage works by Model-one of the last century's most significant photographers-and thirteen of her successors.

Lisette Model, Diane Arbus, Bruce Cratsley, Lynn Davis, Elaine Ellman, Larry Fink, Peter Hujar, Raymond Jacobs, Ruth Kaplan, Leon Levinstein, Eva Rubinstein, Gary Schneider, Rosalind Solomon, and Bruce Weber

Aperture Gallery
547 West 27th Street, 4th Floor
Between 10th and 11th Avenues
New York, New York

Hours
Tuesday-Saturday:
10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

Louie Palu: George Eastman House Lecture

2007-09-22T11:26:00.000-04:00

Louie Palu

Alway a good place to visit, George Eastman House in Rochester, NY offers a Fall lecture series.
Louie Palu will be speaking on Sunday, November 11 @ 2pm.
Louie's book on the miners of Northern Ontario Cage Call: Life and Death in the Hard Rock Mining Belt will be published October 15.

Photolucida - Critical Mass 2007

2007-09-22T01:25:00.000-04:00

Registration for Photolucida's Critical Mass 2007 is now online! Registration will be open for a month.
Critical Mass is an annual juried competition sponsored by Photolucida. It is a valuable addition to Photolucida's popular in-person Portfolio Reviews, and offers an online submission and selection process. Participants receive tremendous artistic exposure at a fraction of the cost of in-person reviews. The aim of Critical Mass is to provide participants with career-building opportunities and to promote the best emerging and mid-career artists working today. 2006 is the fourth year of Critical Mass.

NOOR - A New Photo Agency

2007-09-22T00:52:00.001-04:00

A bit late with this post, but a new photo agency launched at Perpignan this year...
Noor.
Noor has been created by 9 photographers who have left agencies where they worked for many years.

Samantha Appleton (U.S.)
Jodi Bieber (South Africa)
Philip Blenkinsop (Australia)
Pep Bonet (Spain)
Jan Grarup (Denmark)
Stanley Greene (U.S.)
Yuri Kozyrev (Russia)
Kadir van Lohuizen (The Netherlands)
Francesco Zizola (Italy)

As when VII was launched in 2001 at Perpignan, it is quite exciting to see what these photographers will do with the freedom and challenges a new, small agency offers.

PDNonline posts this story.

Nuit Blanche

2007-09-22T00:44:00.000-04:00

Nuit Blanche, the all night art fest takes place on Saturday, September 29 beginning at 7:30pm and ends at sunrise on Sunday the 30th.
Experience downtown Toronto like never before. Definitley a fun night to go gallery hopping with friends.

Phantom Shanghai Book Launch & Party

2007-09-20T21:13:00.000-04:00

The Official Canadian launch of Greg Girard's book & exhibition Phantom Shanghai.

The party takes place on Saturday, September 22, from 7-11pm, at Monte Clark Gallery and Tappo Restaurant & Wine Bar
A limited number of signed First Editions will be available for purchase.

WEEKLY TORONTO PROJECTION: John Vink: The Quest for Land

2007-09-06T00:50:00.000-04:00

Saturday, September 8th, 5:30pm

John Vink: The Quest for Land

For details

Index G+ and LeeKaSing Galleries
50 Gladstone Avenue (just north of Queen St W across from Gladstone Hotel)

World Press Photo 07 in Montreal

2007-09-06T00:31:00.001-04:00

For the 6th consecutive year, the World Press Photo exhibition will be on display in Montreal. August 31 - September 30.
Along with World Press Photo, 2 other exhibits will be showing.
60th Year Anniversary images of Magnum Photos and RESPECT as series of aerial photos of the Canadian boreal forest.
Admission is $9.

Just for Laughs Museum
2111 Saint-Laurent
514-845-2322

Métro Saint-Laurent

Rita Leistner: Portraitscapes of War: Lebanon 2006

2007-09-05T20:16:00.000-04:00

Portraitscapes of War is an on-going body of work, of which Lebanon 2006 is the first installment. These diptychs of portraits and landscapes were made in Lebanon during, and in the aftermath of, the Hezbollah-Israel conflict last summer (July 12 - August 14, 2006). Merging journalism with artistic practice, these portrayals of the impact of war raise questions about the relationship between individuals and the contexts in which they find themselves -- between citizenship and inhabitancy. People are both a part of and apart from the land. Caught in a place where there are aggressors on more than one side, victims of war may be defined by the conflict and denied their self-identities. They become so-called collateral damage. It is all too easy to forget that, like us, they are just ordinary people, but unlike those of us blessed with peace at home, they inhabit extraordinarily unfortunate lands. Here, I wanted to show the scale of destruction, but not take away from our ability to identify with the people. I was in Lebanon during the war, but I could just as well have made these kinds of images in Israel, or Chechnya, or Sri Lanka, or Iraq.

Opening reception at Harbourfront Centre, York Quay, Friday, September 14, 6-9pm
www.ritaleistner.com

Lana Slezic Exhibit, Book Launch & Talk

2007-09-05T20:11:00.000-04:00

www.lanaslezic.com

Mary Ellen Mark Exhibition & Lecture

2007-09-05T19:32:00.000-04:00

Mary Ellen Mark
Ward 81

September 8 – October 6, 2007

Stephen Bulger Gallery
1026 Queen St W
Toronto
416-504-0575

In conjunction with the exhibition of Mary Ellen Mark’s series Ward 81, there are two special events:

Ryerson Kodak Lecture: Mary Ellen Mark
Thursday, September 27, 2007 at 7pm
Location: Ryerson, L-72. limited seating, first come first served.

Free Saturday afternoon film screenings at CAMERA (located at 1028 Queen Street
West) 1pm and 3pm, every Saturday from September 8 – October 6th.

The gallery is pleased to present the first solo exhibition of work by Mary Ellen Mark in Canada. Since the early 1970’s, Mark has traveled extensively to make pictures that reflect a high degree of humanism. Today, she is recognized as one of our most respected and influential photographers. Her images of our world's diverse cultures have become landmarks in the field of documentary photography. Mark’s portrayals of Mother Teresa, Indian circuses, and brothels in Bombay were the product of many years of work in India. Moreover, Mark’s photo essay on runaway children in Seattle became the basis of the academy award nominated film Streetwise (1985), with her husband, Martin Bell, as director and cinematographer.

Our exhibition, Ward 81, will showcase work from one of Mark’s earliest series. In 1975, she was assigned by a magazine to do a story on the making of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), which was shot on location at the Oregon State Hospital. While there, she briefly got to know the women of Ward 81.

Ward 81 is the women's security ward of the hospital and is the only locked ward for women in the state. The women on this ward are considered either dangerous to themselves or to others.
In February of 1976, Mark and Karen Folger Jacobs, a writer and social scientist, were given permission to live on the ward in order to photograph and interview the women. They spent thirty-six days on Ward 81. A monograph of this work was published by Simon and Schuster in 1979.

In 2005, Phaidon released Mark’s 15th book, Exposure, which was a compendium of her iconic portraits of America. She has exhibited internationally for over 4 decades and her work is found in the permanent collections of most major institutions. Amongst her many awards and grants, she has been the recipient of: the Cornell Capa Award from the International Center of Photography; the Infinity Award for Journalism; an Erna & Victor Hasselblad Foundation Grant; a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship; and the Dr. Erich Salomon Award for outstanding merits in the field of journalistic photography.

New on MediaStorm: Finding the Way Home

2007-08-29T00:30:00.000-04:00

By now, the initial images are familiar: rows of city blocks flooded past the horizon, crowds outside the Superdome begging for help, hundreds stranded on highways looking for somewhere to go.

Two years after Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana on August 29, 2005, the story is no longer about leaving. It's about coming home. For many, that process has not been easy. Tens of thousands of houses still remain empty, a majority of them belonging to the poor. In New Orleans alone, most of the 77,000 rental units have not been rebuilt.

As staggering as the numbers are, though, they cannot do justice to the emotional turmoil left in the hurricane's wake. Just what does it take for a family to start over? How does one survive not only the loss of a house, but the very real economic hardships of paltry insurance payments and lack of jobs, housing, and so many basic needs.

Photojournalist Brenda Ann Kenneally, originally on assignment for The New York Times Magazine, documents the seemingly endless struggles some families face as they set about Finding the Way Home: Two Years After Katrina.

MediaStorm

...and the last time I checked the cost of the US involvement in Iraq, it was, $456,106,134,100 making Katrina even more tragic.

New Book: WHERE WAR LIVES

2007-08-23T15:13:00.000-04:00

In 1993, Paul Watson was a photojournalist for the Toronto Star working in Somalia. In Mogadishu, he took the photograph of the body of the dead American soldier, Staff Sgt. William David Cleveland, being dragged through the streets. It was a picture that both changed the US and earned Paul the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News.
This book is Paul Watson's personal and historic journey from Mogadishu through Rwanda to Afghanistan and Iraq.
Read Toronto Star story.

TIFF Announces Line-up

2007-08-22T23:42:00.000-04:00

Toronto International Film Festival, Sept 6 - 15, announced their full line-up today.
Details on the TIFF site, but the CBC.ca story gives a good overview.
....and don't forget about Darfur/Darfur nightly projection.

CNN Special GOD'S WARRIORS

2007-08-20T15:05:00.000-04:00

For 3 nights, Christiane Amanapour will be reporting on God's Warriors.
The website offers added insight to the shows.
Monday, August 21 - 9pm - Jewish Warriors
Tuesday, August 22 - 9pm - Muslim Warriors
Wednesday, August 23 - 9pm - Christian Warriors

CNN must think quite highly of the series, as it is bumping Larry King Live :)

pdn PHOTOPLUS Expo

2007-08-19T21:37:00.000-04:00

Annual event sponsored by PDN. Takes place in New York, but can be well worth the expense.
Registration allows free access to the tradeshow. Workshops and Special Events cost per session. Offers worthwhile networking opportunities.
Details

Multimedia: Crisis in Darfur Expands (E)

2007-08-13T00:24:00.000-04:00

Crisis in Darfu Expands by Travis Fox and the Washingtonpost.com
Multimedia working at its best offering accessible, powerful and engaging visual resources for World Issues teachers.
The site offers panoramic images showing a 360 degree perspective of scenes and situations, short videos, resources offering historical and present context, as well as regularly updated information about the region.

Missing AP Photographer in Iraq

2007-08-09T19:15:00.000-04:00

The Associated Press says one of its Iraqi journalists, photographer and news contributor Talal Mohammed, has been missing since July 28 and may have been kidnapped.

article on PdnOnline.

Committee to Protect Journalists lists all journalists who have been abducted, jailed, injured or killed in Iraq this year.

TIFF to Show DARFUR/DARFUR Projection

2007-08-09T18:12:00.000-04:00

Brian Boyle/ROM

The Toronto International Film Festival will be spilling out of cinemas and into Toronto galleries and exhibition spaces this year.

Nine video installations and multimedia projects will be displayed throughout the city in conjunction with the festival, running Sept. 6 to 15.

As part of the program, images from war-torn Darfur will be projected on the Royal Ontario Museum's new Crystal addition, and the Power Plant will be devoted to an exhibit of the works of Italy's Francesco Vezzoli.

The DARFUF/DARFUR exhibit features photos by former U.S. marine Brian Steidle and photojournalists Lynsey Addario, Mark Brecke, Helene Caux and Michal Safdie. Media Release

article on CBC.ca

A Vanity Fair story, including projection pictures of DARFUR/DARFUR

INDEXG Saturday Night Projection

2007-08-06T15:16:00.000-04:00

Saturday, August 11
6:30pm - Free Admission
The Quest For Land
Photographs of John Vink
Curated by Robert Black

Cambodia is essentially a rural society with 80% of its citizens making a living from farming. The possession of land is essential for survival for a vast majority of them. The constant migrations of hundreds of thousands of people within and outside the country during the years of turmoil from the last 50 years, the destruction of land registry during the Khmer Rouge regime, and the spectacular economic growth since stability has returned to the country have triggered a general and ruthless scramble for land....
Complete details

50 Gladstone
Toronto
... just north of Queen St W...basically across the street on Gladstone from the Gladstone Hotel

The Digital Journalist

2007-08-06T09:09:00.000-04:00

The August issue of the online Digital Journalist is now posted.
This month's image gallery includes the 'Best From Visa Pour L'Image' and a video interview with the heart and soul of Visa, festival director Jean Francois Leroy.

Visa Pour L'Image

2007-08-05T23:25:00.001-04:00

The Visa Pour L'Image in Perpignan, France is the preeminent festival of photojournalism.
View dozens of exhibitions of photo stories you are unlikely to see elsewhere. View amazing 3 story high outdoor projections. Have the opportunity to meet, one on one, with editors and agency representatives who assign and publish work. All in the south of France, where the weather is wonderful and the cafes are even better.
A festival every photojournalist should experience at least once.

Noorderlicht Photography Festival

2007-08-05T23:11:00.000-04:00

The 14th annual Noorderlicht International Photography Festival takes place in Groningen, The Netherlands
September 16 through October 28
The theme of this year's festival is 'Act of Faith'.

PDN Photojournalism Editorial Issue

2007-08-05T22:54:00.000-04:00

August is the Photojournalism / Editorial issue of PDN.
Check out the featured articles in the issue.

Distorted Picture (E)

2007-08-03T01:04:00.000-04:00

The American Journal Review has published this article. A useful resource for the classroom, and a fascinating read.

Distorted Picture
Thanks to Photoshop, it’s awfully easy to manipulate photographs, as a number of recent scandals make painfully clear. Misuse of the technology poses a serious threat to photojournalism’s credibility...

Recommended reading and has some wonderful links including this site showcasing many of the classic examples of clandestine manipulation - showing both the original and the tampered image.

One of the classics...

iReports on CNN

2007-08-02T23:41:00.000-04:00

Watching CNN last night, their coverage of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis offered mostly images shot by non professionals submitted via iReport.
Have a look at the non pro and pro shots.
CNN - iReport
Washington Post Camera Works
Time
Newsweek - MSNBC

...and here is an interesting article on PDNonline about Newsweek buying some of the first images of the bridge collapse from a student who was quickly on the scene with his camera. Today, Newsweek gave him an assignment.

I had to smile when I read the response he gave to the last question...

PDN: Did you think you were shooting these for any particular publication, or did you know they'd be of some value?
Worrall: No. I just did it because I figured someone would want to see them and at the very least I would post it on Facebook or something, share it with friends anyway. I was just purely shooting to document the event.

Yes, today there is always Facebook.

INDEXG Saturday Night Projection

2007-08-02T19:56:00.000-04:00

Saturday, August 04, 2007 6:30 pm, free admission
Photography by Oculi (Australia)
Curated by Robert Black
Tamara Voninski, Dean Sewell, Tamara Dean, Nick Cubbin, Nick Moir

In 2001, nine award-winning photojournalists, united by their commitment to documentary-storytelling, formed Oculi.com.au. This unique photo agency reveals real lives and real stories that are overlooked by the mainstream media.
Complete Details

50 Gladstone
Toronto
... just north of Queen St W...basically across the street on Gladstone from the Gladstone Hotel

Interview with Spencer Platt (E)

2007-08-02T19:32:00.000-04:00

Spencer Platt, USA, Getty Images

Getty Images CEO and Co-Founder Jonathan Klein recently sat down with Getty Images photographer Spencer Platt to discuss what it is like living a life behind the lens. This year Spencer received first place honors at the prestigious 2007 World Press Photo Award in Amsterdam for his image of a group of young Lebanese driving through a South Beirut neighborhood devastated by Israeli bombings. In his career at Getty Images, he has covered subjects such as 9/11, the Southeast Asia tsunami and the war in Iraq. His work has appeared in publications such as Time, Newsweek, Stern and the LA Times.

...and if you would like to read more concerning the controversy about this World Press Photo of the Year, click on PDN and Speigel Online.

Inside the Surge: Video by Photographer Sean Smith (E)

2007-07-27T19:08:00.000-04:00

Sean Smith / Guardian

The Guardian's award-winning photographer and filmmaker Sean Smith (2006 Britsh Press Photographer of the Year) spent two months embedded with US troops in Baghdad and Anbar province. His harrowing documentary exposes the exhaustion and disillusionment of the soldiers.
Click to View

I saw this piece on the CBC National news the other night. It is so difficult to watch and not feel anger to the core and ask for what.

In the World Press Photo exhibit this year, there is also a series of stills taken by Peter van Agtmael as he follows American soliders as they raid homes searching for insurgents.

New Photo Gallery for the MET

2007-07-26T09:49:00.000-04:00

New Gallery for Modern and Contemporary Photography to be Inaugurated at Metropolitan Museum in September
Inaugural Installation: Depth of Field: Modern Photography at the Metropolitan
Opening: September 25, 2007

The Metropolitan Museum will inaugurate the Joyce and Robert Menschel Hall for Modern Photography on September 25, 2007, establishing for the first time a gallery dedicated exclusively to photography created since 1960. With high ceilings, clean detailing, and approximately 2,000 square feet of exhibition space, the Menschel Hall is designed specifically to accommodate the large-scale photographs that are an increasingly important part of contemporary art and the Museum's permanent collection. Photographers represented in the collection include such modern masters as Thomas Struth, Andreas Gursky, Thomas Ruff, Jeff Wall, Richard Prince, Cindy Sherman, Doug Aitken, and Sigmar Polke......

Complete Media Release

My Toronto Video Contest

2007-07-23T23:36:00.000-04:00

Do you think you can make a commercial for Toronto that’s better than those ad agency campaigns? Toronto has always been a hard place to sum up -- slick marketing campaigns are often criticized for not getting to the heart of what makes this city great and why people should visit. Now you have the chance to make your own commercial for Spacing’s My Toronto video contest.

Over the summer, put together your own 30-second commercial for Toronto. Use your camcorder, camera phone, or even a still camera. Edit it, animate it, set it to music, or give it a voice-over. Be creative. When you’re done, upload it to our YouTube group. Famous places like the CN Tower are fine, but in making your commercial, you should think about the subtle stuff in your neighbourhood -- from Malvern to Kensington to Long Branch -- that makes Toronto unique. The commercials will be judged both by jury and by popular vote, and the best will be shown at a public event.

If you know of a budding filmmaker that loves Toronto but might not reading Spacing, please let them know. Help us spread the word to all corners of the city.

My Toronto Video Contest
DEADLINE: Friday, September 7th with an exhibition to follow.

Saturday Night Photo Projections

2007-07-22T20:15:00.000-04:00

For those in Toronto, many will be aware of the innovative work Holly and Ka-Sing Lee are doing with IndexG - galleries, Gzine, Gnews, Gbay auction and GoodEdition, to name some of their initiatives. Info may be found on the site IndexG site.

The galleries are located on 50 Gladstone, just north of Queen St W...basically across the street on Gladstone from the Gladstone Hotel.

But now, they are offering photography and art lovers something new....free Saturday evening projections and discussion. The first screening was held last night and showed work from the European photo collective 'Smoke'. Bob Black, who is curating the projections, will introduce viewers to international photographers we might not otherwise see in Toronto....including photojournalism and documentary work.

The projection was only about 30 minutes, but the hope is discussion within the group of attendees will emanate from the work shown. If this event catches on, the possibilities are quite exciting. So, if you are looking for something informal yet stimulating to do on a Saturday evening, come out to these free projections and help support a new photo initiative in the city.

POWERHOUSE ARENA: New York

2007-07-21T12:24:00.000-04:00

POWERHOUSE ARENA - A laboratory for creative thought. Home to world-renowned art book publisher POWERHOUSE BOOKS, the Arena is a gallery, boutique, book store, performance, and events space located at 37 Main Street, in New York City’s scenic DUMBO neighborhood. With soaring 24-foot ceilings on the 5,000 square foot ground floor (with over 175 linear-feet of glass frontage and arena-style seating), the POWERHOUSE ARENA showcases a series of landmark exhibitions, performances, and controlled mayhem fusing the worlds of art, photography, design, fashion, pop culture, advertising, music, dance, film, and television into a glorious whirlwind of captivating spectacle.

Photo: Martha Cooper

Summer At The Skylounge
July 19 - August 26, 2007
Work from the powerHouse Collection, features a dynamic selection of emerging and established artists.

ALSO: See June 22 posting 'NEW PHOTO FESTIVAL SLATED FOR 2008' - a partnership between powerHouse and VII Photo Agency

Conservatives Increase Canada Council Funding

2007-07-20T15:28:00.000-04:00

CBC.ca reports....Heritage Minister Bev Oda has announced a permanent $30-million increase in annual funding for the Canada Council for the Arts.

The May 2006 federal budget raised the Canada Council's funding by $20 million in 2006-7 and $30 million the following year, but the increase was not guaranteed in future.

Oda, appearing in Toronto on Friday, announced the funding increase would be rolled into the Canada Council's budget, raising its annual total to $180 million a year...
Complete Article

'Sicko' Night in America

2007-07-20T14:18:00.000-04:00

If you are still thinking about seeing Michael Moore's 'Sicko', this might be the weekend to go.

...And, to show my thanks to all of you who'll go see "Sicko" this weekend, I'm going to send one of you and a guest on a free weekend to the universal health care country of your choice! That's right. You'll get to pick one of the three industrialized countries featured in the movie where, if you get sick, you get help for free, no matter who you are. All you have to do is send us your ticket stub (make sure it says "Sicko" on it and has the name of the theater and this weekend's date on it -- Friday, Saturday or Sunday - July 20th, 21st, 22nd). Attach the stub to a piece of paper with your name, address, phone number and email and send it to: 'Sicko' Night in America, 888c 8th Avenue, Suite 443, New York, NY 10019. (Yes, you have to use that old 18th century device called the U.S. Postal Service, and it has to be postmarked on or by Tuesday, July 24th). First prize is a weekend in the city of your choice: Paris, London or Toronto. This includes airfare, hotel, meals and, most exciting, a representative from their fine universal health care system who will give you a personal tour so you can see how they treat their fellow citizens. You'll meet people who pay nothing for college and citizens who are in the fourth week of their six-week paid vacation. Oh, and you'll have time to see the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben or whatever they have in Toronto that is old and tall. (funny guy that Michael, he obviously has not seen the new lighting on the CN Tower!!!)

Canadians who are reading this -- you're probably thinking, "Hey, what about us? Where do we get to go?" Quit complaining! You're already there! But just to make it up to you -- and to prove we don't hold it against you for smugly walking out of a hospital with the same amount of money in your wallet that you went in with -- we'll let you participate in the drawing, too....
Complete Details

Group Exhibit: Jaret Belliveau, Marco Bohr, Scott Conarroe

2007-07-20T11:51:00.000-04:00

AT LEISURE
A Group Exhibition: Jaret Belliveau, Marco Bohr, Scott Conarroe
July 26 - September 1, 2007
Opening Thursday, July 26 from 5 - 8pm

Stephen Bulger Gallery
1026 Queen St W
Toronto

Photographer Lauren Greenfield Nominated for Emmy (E)

2007-07-19T23:38:00.000-04:00

Photographer Lauren Greenfield has been nominated for a 2007 Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming for her powerful and important HBO documentary Thin.

Eating disorders affect five million people in the U.S., and more than 10% of those diagnosed with anorexia nervosa will die from the disease. Seeking to put a human face on these sobering statistics, acclaimed photographer Lauren Greenfield went inside a Florida treatment center to tell the stories of four women who are literally dying to be thin. The devastating HBO documentary THIN reveals what she found there - and explores the issues underlying their illness.

Thin is available in dvd and book formats on Amazon.ca.
Book
DVD
Other Lauren Greenfield books on Amazon.ca

Montreal Photographer Wins $64K Infringement Suit

2007-07-19T19:08:00.000-04:00

PDNonline reports...

A US federal judge recently awarded Robert Burch a $63,866 judgment against a New York City travel agency, finding that the site used four of Burch's photographs on its Web site without permission.

Burch, who is based in Montreal, Quebec, specializes in travel photography from African countries, particularly Ghana. He posts his images on his own Web site and licenses them to a number of companies, including other Web sites.

But Burch claims he's counted 474 Web sites that have infringed on his work since 1997. Most are in Ghana, but some include American businesses and schools. He says he has filed 29 lawsuits in Ghana, which has tough copyright laws because of its music industry. But Burch has had little luck with the legal system there, having been awarded a total of $1,200 and collecting none of it so far.
Complete Article

Exhibition: Morden Yolles in Conversation with Ed Burtynsky

2007-07-19T10:39:00.000-04:00

Morden Yolles: A structural engineer and photographer. The Yolles Partnership projects included: The Benvenuto Apartments, Toronto; Champlain College, Bata Library and The Reginald Faryon Bridge at Trent University; the Indo-Malayan and African Pavilions at the Metro Toronto Zoo; the World Financial Centre, Battery Park, New York; and Canary Wharf, London, England. Morden Yolles was appointed a Member of the Order in 2003

Toronto Image Works
Ed Burtynsky

Exhibition: *a Light unto the Nations

2007-07-19T09:55:00.000-04:00

Gilad Benari - coEXISTence

*a Light unto the Nations* showcases eight photographers -- four Muslims and four Jews who have submitted images, mostly from the Middle East arranged around the theme of tolerance and the consequences of intolerance. Hezbollah, Neo Nazi Parades, ethnic, social and religious imagery with the underlying theme “we can teach our children to love, or we can teach our children to hate”

Tamara Abdul Hadi
Aasil Ahmad
Anthony Asael
Gilad Benari
Kitra Cahana
Lamya Gargash
Steve Simon
Sawsan Yassine

Jacobs Lounge Visual Arts Space – Miles Nadal Centre
750 Spadina Avenue (at Bloor)
Toronto

July 18 - August 31

Opening Reception
Thursday, July 26th
4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Gallery Hours
Monday - Sunday
10:00 am - 10:00 pm
416-924-6211

Lana Slezic to Speak About Her Afghan Women Photographs at Congressional Briefing in Washington

2007-07-19T01:38:00.000-04:00

As a documentary photographer, it may seem lonely with your topic, shooting and feeling like you are in a vacuum, wondering if anyone will be interested enough to showcase or even buy the work. But as much as the goal is to make some kind of return on the time and funds outlayed, it is the dedication to the need to tell the story that seems to be the main drive for many the documentary photographer.

Well, here is a motivating story to help keep the drive going...

This September, Lana Slezic will see her first book published. Forsaken: Afghan Women A book presented with committed passion to the women of Afghanistan. For two years Lana lived in Kabul and documented the women she met.

...but more on the book in upcoming posts. This post is about what is happening on July 24.

In this issue, July/August, of Mother Jones, Lana's photographs are featured in the story, The Hidden Half. How Afghan women have fared since the Taliban's fall.

On July 24, Lana will be a speaker at the Mother Jones sponsored Congressional Briefing in Washington - The Hidden Half - Women in Afghanistan, a Story in Pictures.

"The morning discussion will feature the difficult yet honest photographs of Lana Slezic as a means of understanding the harsh and repressive reality that persists for most women in Afghanistan. Though the Taliban may be gone from the halls of power, its cultural legacy of oppression continues. The burka is more common than before, a majority of women experience domestic violence, and honor killings are on the rise. Some statistics consdiered in 'The Hidden Half' include:

- Afghanistan suffers the 2nd-highest maternal mortalitly rate in the world: 1 mother every 28 minutes

- Female students attend schools at half the rate of male students.

- An estimated 2 million women are widows and many must turn to prostituion to survive.

In addition to Lana Slezic, speakers at the event include Co-Editor of Mother Jones Clara Jeffrey, and award-winning journalist and CNN Terror Analyst Peter Bergen. They will provide commentary on the importance and power of photography, media and politics in addressing the plights of women in Afghanistan."

If you would like to learn more about the situation of women in Afghanistan - RAWA

Panel Discussion: Future of Photojournalism in a Digital World

2007-07-18T19:41:00.000-04:00

A panel discussion on what's next for photographers, photo editors, and designers
Photojournalism is changing quickly. Ever-improving image technology, multi-platform photo presentation, and radical business models all guarantee that the future of professional photography will look very different than the present. What do photographers need to know? How should photo editors and designers prepare? This panel will address the latest thinking on issues including high-definition video, online slideshows, ethics, and marketing.

How much of what news photographers produce will eventually go to video, and what does this mean for large news organizations and freelancers?

How does the popularity of online slideshows change how photographers approach assignments and how organizations deal with payment? What are the emerging standards for presenting slideshows?

Digital photography presents new and sometimes troubling ethical implications for photographers and editors. Where do you draw the line between photo and photo illustration? When does 'color correction' become 'color enhancement?' How should altered photos be captioned? Is it ever OK to change a photo to respect community standards?

Panelists will include:
- James Estrin, photographer, The New York Times
- Travis Fox, The Washington Post
- Spencer Platt, photographer, Getty Images (World Press Photo winner)
- Jonathan Wells, bureau chief, SIPA Press
- John Smock, moderator

WHEN Tuesday, August 7, 7-9 pm. Reception to follow.
WHERE Cooper Union, 51 Astor Place, New York, NY
PRICE $25 (additional $5 fee when paying at the door)
CLICK FOR REGISTRATION

Format:
- 90 minutes of fast-paced panel discussion
- 30 minutes of audience questions submitted in writing
- Reception to follow

Update: Photojournalist Alexandra Boulat

2007-07-17T19:49:00.000-04:00

PDNonline reports that VII photographer, Alexandra Boulat has been transported to the neurosurgery department at Lariboisière Hospital in Paris.

She is breathing on her own and in stable condition. Her prognosis remains unclear, though doctors were to monitor her condition and make an assessment this week.

Boulat, who is one of the founding members of VII suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm while stationed in Israel and underwent surgery at a Jerusalem hospital on June 21.
Complete Article

Doc Soup Tickets

2007-07-16T17:48:00.001-04:00

July 20 is the last day to purchase discount for Hot Docs, Doc Soup series tickets.

2007-08 DOC SOUP SUBSCRIPTION
$125.00 + GST (After July 20 - $140.00 + GST)

SUBSCRIPTION INFO:
* one ticket to each Doc Soup selection (early or late screening)
* ten screening tickets for the 2008 Festival

DOC SOUP DATES: October 3, November 7, December 5, January 9, February 6, March 5 and April 2. All dates feature two screenings, 6:30 pm and 9:15 pm.

DOC SOUP VENUE: Bloor Cinema, 506 Bloor Street West.
Single tickets for a Doc Soup screening are $12.

One Step Forward | One Back

2007-07-15T15:07:00.000-04:00

As a women, some days I just wonder how far we have progressed. This weekend, I saw two articles referencing the departure of Chatelaine magazine Editor In Chief, Sara Angel.
Apparently it was a sudden departure, so assume why the media interest.

Below are the two article headlines, links to read the full articles, and quotes from the articles in reference to this post.

As you read the articles, consider this question...if Sara Angel were a John Angel, would the fact he was a new father with 2 children be mentioned in the context of the story, when reasons for the departure are not known? I think not. Yes, personal matters may play a part in anyone's decision, but at this point it is all surmise. I feel that children and parenting references would not have been mentioned in early stories about a man in a similar situation.

GLOBE AND MAIL Article:
Headline: Chatelaine Editor Abruptly Resigns by James Adams

In a brief interview yesterday from her home in Toronto, Ms. Angel, 37, said she resigned Thursday "for personal reasons . . . that I can't get into now. But I do want to stress that I do have very positive feelings toward the magazine."
Ms. Angel, who gave birth to her second child last fall, said she has no new job. "At this stage, I'm looking forward to taking a hiatus in my career and some time off."

CBC.CA Article
Headline: Chatelaine Editor In Chief Steps Down
(byline - CBC Arts, but seems to be reworked from Globe story)

The 37-year-old mother of two told the newspaper that she left her job Thursday "for personal reasons" but declined to divulge details. Angel gave birth to her second child last fall.

So why One Step Forward | One Back....well, it seems women in the workforce are not allowed to escape from their reality of being a mother. I just feel that a man's reality of being a father is seldom positioned in public, in fact or conjecture.

Rita Leistner: Portraitscapes of War: Lebanon 2006

2007-07-15T00:46:00.000-04:00

Rita Leistner: Portraitscapes of War: Lebanon 2006
C-Print, 45 x 98 inches
open July 14 -- close August 12

This detail from Rita Leistner's photograph of Bilal Haider is from her series Portraitscapes of War: Lebanon 2006. The Portraitscapes are juxtapositions of portraits and landscapes she made during the Hezbollah-Israel conflict last summer. Journalism and artistic practice merge in Rita's efforts to show the human side of war.

Rita Leistner's Portraitscapes of War: Lebanon 2006 is opening at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto on September 14 and running through November 4.

Titus Nemeth's award-winning Nassim typeface is shown for the first time in Canada at convenience in collaboration with Portraitscapes of War. Rita and Titus met while studying Arabic at the University of Damascus.

Nassim is a typeface family which supports typesetting in the Arabic and the Latin script. A harmonious appearance and equal prominence in bi-script setting were among the main considerations during the design process. Both scripts were developed as independent and authentic, yet matching, designs that achieve harmony while preserving their respective characteristics. For more info

convenience
24/7 window gallery
58 Lansdowne Avenue, Toronto ON M6K 2V9
(at Seaforth Avenue, one block North of Queen)
www.conveniencegallery.com

Contact: Rita Leistner
rita@ritaleistner.com
www.ritaleistner.com

Support of the Toronto Society of Architects is gratefully acknowledged.

Anne Frank Photo Contest for Youth (E)

2007-07-13T23:48:00.000-04:00

Sources of Inspiration: How Do You See the World

Freedom, goodness, giving, courage, happiness, humanity, usefulness… Anne Frank wrote about these things in her diary. But how do you see them?

Visualize one of the themes with a photo and explain why you took the photo. What inspired you? Looking for original and personal photos that tell a good story.

Contest is open to youth around the world ages 10 - 18.

Deadline: October 1, 2007.

For complete details visit the Ann Frank website.

Chief of CBC News Leaves With Final Blog

2007-07-13T19:15:00.000-04:00

Today was the final day of Tony Burman's helm as Editor and Chief of CBC News. Burman had been with CBC for 35 years and parts with a worthwhile read on the CBC Inside Media Blog.

Ian Parry Awards - Canadians Honoured

2007-07-13T02:32:00.000-04:00

The annual Ian Parry Scholarship and Award definitely had a Canadian connection for the past few years, but this year Canadians receive 2 of the 5 awards.

University of Wales, Newport student Ivor Prickett received this year's Ian Parry Scholarship for his work on war-displaced Serbian Croats returning to Croatia.

Runners up were Liz Rubincam (highly commended), Gareth Phillips (commended), Liz Hingley (commended) and Dominic Nahr (honorable mention).

Both Liz and Dominac are Ryerson Image Arts grads. Liz has spent the last year in New York studying at ICP.

The Ian Parry site lists the photographer links and will shortly showcase their winning stories.

The annual Ian Parry Scholarship awards £2,500 (about $5,080) to support the winner's project, plus £500 worth of vouchers to the winner and £250 (about $508) to runners up. Sponsors are The Sunday Times, Getty Images and Canon Europe.

The scholarship recognizes photographers who are under age 24 or attending a full-time photo program. It is named in honor of Ian Parry, photojournalist who died at age 24 while covering the 1989 Romanian revolution for The Sunday Times.

In 2006, Kitra Cahana (Montreal) received the "Highly Commended" award.
The 2005 Ian Parry Scholarship winner was Arantxa Cedillo, who is presently living and freelancing in Toronto.

VII Agency Looking for New Members

2007-07-13T01:37:00.000-04:00

Following info is taken from the VII site...

VII Membership
July 11, 2007
VII PHOTO IS SEEKING NEW MEMBERS
VII is welcoming applications for membership during its forthcoming semi-annual meeting in California in November 2007.

Anyone may apply for membership, but membership will be offered to a small number of motivated photographers who we believe will enhance and strengthen the body of work that we currently produce; to photographers whom we believe we can work with in the management of VII; and to photographers whom we believe have high standards of integrity.

As VII is solely owned by its members, it comes with shareholder responsibility. New members will spend at least one year with VII before full membership is offered. All members will be obliged to purchase shares, attend shareholders meetings and contribute dynamically and responsibly to the business of the agency.

Candidates are considered by the existing members only during the VII annual (or semi-annual) meetings and should submit work on DVD or CD in Jpeg Format compressed at level 8 and at a size no greater than 100 dpi x 16 x 12 inches. No more than 40 images should be submitted and each image should have caption and contextual information embedded in it.
Each photographer should submit a brief biography, and tell us what their future intentions are professionally and what motivates them to want to join VII.

The submissions should be delivered to one of our bureaus in either
New York, or Paris by September 30th, and clearly marked "SUBMISSION FOR VII MEMBERSHIP"

For more information, please visit our website at www.viiphoto.com

Magnum Photos Membership Update

2007-07-13T00:45:00.000-04:00

Following their recent annual meeting, Magnum Photos announced news regarding new member status and new nominees.

Member status was voted for: Trent Parke, Mark Power
Associate status was confirmed for: Christopher Anderson and Christina Garcia Rodero

New Nominees:
Allessandra Anguinette - 38 years old, Argentinian
Jacob Aue Sobol - 31 years old, Danish
Mikhael Subotzky - 25 years old, South African

Larry Towell is now Vice-President New York.

Inge Morath Award Winner

2007-07-13T00:15:00.000-04:00

This $5,000 annual award is given to a female documentary photographer under the age of 30, in memory of the late Magnum Photos photographer Inge Morath.

This year's winner is: Olivia Arthur (London, UK), in support of her project “The Middle Distance,” documenting the lives of women along the border between Asia an Europe. Information and images on www.ingemorath.org. Runners up : Rena Effendi (Azerbaijan) and Newsha Tavakolian (Iran).

Inge Morath Foundation to learn more.

Reuters Photographer and Driver Killed in Iraq

2007-07-12T10:14:00.000-04:00

An Iraqi photographer and driver working for Reuters in Iraq were killed in Baghdad on Thursday, the international news and information company said.

Photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and driver Saeed Chmagh, 40, were killed in eastern Baghdad at a time when clashes had been taking place between U.S. forces and militants in the area.

The cause of their deaths was unclear, although witnesses spoke of an explosion in the area. Iraqi police said either a U.S. air strike or a mortar attack had occurred.

The deaths take to six the number of Reuters employees killed in Iraq since U.S.-led forces invaded the country in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein.
Full Article

Committee to Protect Journalist site lists the number and information about the deaths of journalists killed, worldwide in 2007.

Book Prices to Fall

2007-07-12T09:56:00.000-04:00

A hopeful heading on CBC.ca - Book Prices to Drop This Fall as Loonie Strengthens, but after reading the article still feel Canadians are getting the bum deal when buying books. Our loonie continues to rise, yet the price difference between US & Canadian shown on the book cover is still significant.

As the Canadian dollar picks up against its U.S. counterpart, retailers and readers are noticing there is still quite a difference between the Canadian and American list prices on books.

Publishers set the prices and print them on new books, often months or more than a year before books hit the shelves.

But Steve Budnarchuk, past president of the Canadian Booksellers Association, said Wednesday that ongoing negotiations between publishers and booksellers over the past year are starting to result in lower prices on new books.

Books coming into Canadian stores last fall and winter were about 25 per cent above the U.S. list price, Budnarchuk said, which was acceptable, given the exchange rate at the time. With a strengthening dollar, he said, he's expecting to see lower prices this fall.

"We'd like to see a price point of no more than 20 per cent above U.S. list, in order to be fair, and to have the consumer be able to accept the pricing," Budnarchuk said.

Full Article.

A Liberal Promise for the Arts

2007-07-12T00:51:00.000-04:00

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion met with a group from the Toronto arts community on Tuesday and spoke these word....A Liberal government would reverse the Conservative government's $11.8-million cut to cultural diplomacy, and add another $11-million to promote and tour Canadian artists abroad.

We can only hope.

Here is the full article from the Globe and Mail...

Dion's gamble on culture
VAL ROSS
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
July 11, 2007 at 3:46 AM EDT

Normally an oppressed-looking demographic, Canadian writers - at least, those eight senior literary types faces drinking beer in the lounge of Toronto's Drake Hotel late last week - were in an unaccustomed state of cheer. They'd just had an in-person session with Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion, and he'd told them something they wanted to hear: A Liberal government would reverse the Conservative government's $11.8-million cut to cultural diplomacy, and add another $11-million to promote and tour Canadian artists abroad.

"The meeting with Dion was a huge relief," said Susan Swan, chair of the Writers Union of Canada. "We got a feeling of being on the same page with a politician after months of trying to have a dialogue with the Harper government."

The Liberal leader is on a charm offensive with Canadian artists and arts leaders and has had face time with artists and leaders from the music industry, theatre, museums and dance in Montreal, Winnipeg and Toronto. He is gambling that culture matters to urban voters. Whether or not that's true, "it's a weak spot for this Conservative government," says Peter C. Newman, one of the writers at the Drake. "With globalization, we've lost the battle for economic independence, but cultural nationalism is our saving grace."

This time, however, the Liberals aren't chanting old mantras about "We need Canadian culture to tell Canadian stories." Dion has a more pragmatic formulation: "The way to be strong economically is to be creative." He also argues that the cuts have undermined Canada's international image: "Compare this to what other governments are spending - the Germans through their Goethe Institutes, the French through their Alliances Françaises," Dion says. "To cut this [cultural diplomacy] is beyond understanding."

Since the Harper government assumed power last year, the foreign service has become more narrowly focused, or "instrumentally minded," as staffers put it.

Gone is most discretionary money for embassies and posts to host book-promotion readings and concerts, contact local media, buy blocks of tickets, top up performers' fees, help with tour logistics and generally prime new markets.

However, there is money to promote Canada's multicultural image, advance the war on terror, and leverage big names into useful political connections. Next month, the Canadian high commission in London is throwing a party to salute the world premiere of Margaret Atwood's Penelopiad at Stratford-Upon-Avon.

But Atwood is one of those most alarmed by the cuts, which she first heard about while attending a party at the American embassy during the Festival Amérique in Paris. Why was she at the U.S. embassy? "Though Canada was the festival's featured country," explains Atwood, "we had no money." Things have become more dire since then, staff at the Canadian embassy in Paris complain privately.

In Berlin it's worse. The new $90-million Canadian embassy that opened in 2005 was built with concert hall and exhibition spaces. Much of the time they appear to be empty.

Canadians in London recall when the high commission would make concert recording space available for artists such as pianist Angela Hewitt, and then throw black-tie receptions for local cultural leaders - such as the novelist Ian McEwan, who had mentioned Hewitt in his novel Saturday. "The cuts have hammered the life out of Canada House," says Judy Harquail, former tour director for Les grands ballets Canadiens. "The public face of Canada has taken a huge hit."

Staff at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International trade rightly point out that the Arts Promotion Program budget to help artists tour has remained untouched at $4.4-million.

But the Liberals hope to score points with Dion's promise to more than triple that.

Of course, Liberal promises of support for culture are just promises. But with Canadian cultural exports (including advertising services and film production) totalling almost $5-billion a year, Dion's pragmatic arguments may win new voters, and won't alienate artists already angry with Ottawa.

"Dion sees culture and the arts as part and parcel of a creative, innovative society," says the Writers Union's Swan. "Now he just has to get himself elected."

Reuters: Teens Have Little Interest in News

2007-07-11T16:26:00.000-04:00

Recent study completed at Havard, found "War and politics are largely ignored by American teenagers, according to a Harvard University study released on Tuesday, which found that 60 percent of them pay little attention to daily news."....and it seems current affairs on the internet is not generating much interest either.
Full article.

Recognize this is a US study, and I would venture the numbers are not quite as low in Canada, but would estimate not much better.

New on MediaStorm (E)

2007-07-10T11:46:00.000-04:00

Black Market is Patrick Brown's in-depth look into the wildlife trade, the third largest illegal trade in the world. A driving force behind the trade is the ancient belief that animal parts contain "magical" properties. Although science has largely disproved these superstitions, these illegal practices continue.

In Ivory Wars J. Michael Fay and Michael Nichols take us to Zakouma National Park in Chad, one of the last places on earth where thousands of elephants roam together. As perennial rains arrive to replenish the desert landscape, some 3,500 elephants seek better forage outside the park perimeter where poachers await them.
MediaStorm

John Szarkowski: Photographer/Curator Dies at Age of 81

2007-07-09T23:58:00.000-04:00

John Szarkowski, who was influential in raising the status of photography in the world of fine art, died on Saturday at the age of 81. His many writings play an important part in the study of photography, and his curated exhibitions at the MOMO, became a key catalyst in the validation of photography as an art form.

CONTACT - 2008 Theme

2007-07-08T21:24:00.000-04:00

The 2008 Thematic Focus is Between Memory and History.

The enormous impact of technology was clearly evident in much of the photography presented in this year’s festival on the constructed image. While we questioned whether the increasing popularity of constructed modes of working was leading to the demise of traditional photography, we celebrated the great effects to which constructed images could address major events of global significance. It is quite relevant that this years theme developed from the thematic focus of our last two festivals, Questioning Truth in Photography and Imaging a Global Culture, which both clearly revealed how constructed image making was a vital tool for so many.

Now we look towards next year and take our inspiration from some of the great works in this year’s festival. While of course they utilized various constructed modes of working, they also explored a variety of the most basic of social subjects – from private experiences to family histories. So it appears that our focus on the global has brought us back to the importance of the personal. Whether based on fact or molded through fiction, these images have reminded us of the fundamental splendor of photography to “capture the moment”.

Is this reinvention of social documentary as a constructed fiction challenging our relationship with the photographic image as a receptacle for the storage of memories? How do these constructed images co-exist with those that continue to represent “real” social situations? These questions invite a consideration of the evolution of the tradition of social documentary photography. Here too we now find a renewed interest in exploring personal and collective societal issues. To what extent do these subjective images contribute to a new contemporary reality, and at what point does personal observation become history?

The rapid pace of technology continues to diversify the ways in which we encounter and negotiate photographs on a daily basis. Images are transmitted to a global audience at record speed via the Internet, while cell-phone cameras are commonplace at every social event we attend. We are overwhelmed with images of our daily life, yet somehow depictions of the everyday remain a fundamental source of inspiration and pleasure for all of us. These great contrasts in the ways the ever-multiplying technologies of photography are utilized to document our personal and collective experience, call for an investigation of photography’s relationship to the forms of memory produced through these different types of social documentary. It is with these issues and questions in mind that we have entitled the thematic focus of CONTACT 2008 Between Memory and History.

This theme will undoubtedly enable us to explore the richness and complexity of imagery depicting social relations and provide fertile ground for discovery, discussion and debate - from explorations of photography as a surrogate for memory to reconstructions of history through photographic representation. We welcome your participation and look forward to once again showcasing the great community efforts that continue to grow in scope and scale and have made the CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival the great success it is today.

Further details will be distributed and posted on the CONTACT website in the weeks to follow.

Lecture on Documentary Photography

2007-07-08T14:21:00.000-04:00

Danish large-format documentary photographer Jesper Sorensen will be showing images and speaking about his photo-documentary project "Endurance" on Tibet, and Toronto physician Mark Nowaczynski will be speaking about his House Calls photos.
The idea is to experience the process and thinking that goes into long-term documentary projects, and the understanding between photographer and printer.

Free Event
Tuesday, July 10
6-9pm
Space is Limited
RSVP - info@elevatordigital.ca
Elevator Gallery
42 Industrial St
Toronto

Travelling: Photography Worth Seeing

2007-07-07T23:08:00.000-04:00

Museums and galleries to consider if interested in viewing some photography exhibits in your travels.

Art Gallery of Ontario -
A Couple of Ways of Doing Something
Photographs by Chuck Close, Poems by Bob Holman
to September 16

National Gallery of Canada
Modernist Photographs
to August 26
Cheryl Sourkes: Public Camera
to October 21
Platinum and Photogravure
August 17 - November 12

International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York

George Eastman House - Rochester, New York

Arles 2007

2007-07-02T23:11:00.000-04:00

Rencontres d´Arles begins July 3 and runs throughout the summer. If travelling in France, worth the visit.

The DigitalJournalist

2007-07-02T22:26:00.000-04:00

July issue of The DigitalJournalist is posted. www.digitaljournalist.org

Features include 'Death of a Soldier' by Michael Kamber and 10 years of the 'Burning Man' festival documented by Barbara Traub.

If new to the site, be sure to check out previously featured documentaries.

Shoot Nations 2007 Student Contest

2007-07-02T20:53:00.000-04:00

Received this e-mail today regarding, what looks like, a worthwhile photo contest for youth.

*******

Hello, I am writing to make you aware of SHOOT NATIONS 2007, a free Global Youth Photography & Drawing Competition for 11-24 year olds, and to ask if you could kindly spread the word of the project to your network.

Winning images will be showcased at the UNITED NATIONS international headquarters in New York, for International Youth Day on 12th August and the exhibition will travel to five other countries around the world - so this is an exciting chance for participants to become an internationally exhibited artist!

Judges will include professional photographers & cultural 'bigwigs'.
Prizes include a digital SLR camera worth £1,000 and more!

Working in association with Plan UK and Tate Modern, our aim is to help promote the voice of young people around the world, and provide them with a genuine un-biased opportunity to be heard on a global level. The theme of the competition is GOVERNANCE (more 'youth friendly' information on the meaning on governance can be found at www.shootnations.org/main/governance) and we are keen to receive a broad range of submissions - we are aware that you have a strong photography movement, and would like it to be represented in the competition.

Photos must be scanned and submitted as a JPEG by Friday, 20th July 2007.
Interested people can sign up at:
www.shootnations.org

We believe that this is a truly fantastic opportunity for young people in many ways, so please feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Please find a press pack and photos here - www.shootnations.org/presspacks

SHOOT NATIONS - A global photography competition for young people aged 11 to 24. Prizes to be won, photos to be exhibited in 5 countries plus at the UN headquarters in NYC.

Google News

2007-06-28T19:36:00.000-04:00

Maybe it is just me, but feel the new manner in which Google News US is presenting news headlines seems a bit off. Something just does not feel right about using an image as thumbnail, clicking and 'pop', up comes the text story. All the tiny images, boxed in their neat rows, with content behind the click, feels very game show like. Google Canada has yet to do this, but I'm sure it will be not long.
I would like to buy a vowel please...

'Storm Porn'

2007-06-26T17:46:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend, the national news coverage showed quite a few compelling videos of the tornadoes that struck Manitoba. A number seemed to be shot my storm chasers, but many were also shot by residents who seemed very close to the tornado.

This story ran on CBC.ca today "This is not about getting the best YouTube video. I really want to put forward that tornado safety comes from recognizing that they appear to move fairly slowly, but they are unpredictable. "It's almost what I've called 'storm porn,' " David Phillips, one of Environment Canada's top weather experts, told CBC News.

Storm Porn?

Not to make light of a serious situation, but did find this video somewhat amusing. The fellow was getting so excited he kept standing in front of the camera.

Non Photography Day: July 17

2007-06-26T01:27:00.001-04:00

When travelling or at a concert, do you ever look about and count the number of people with cameras to face? It is a bit scary actually. We are all so busy framing the image in the camera, are we even digesting what we are seeing and experiencing? Digital cameras have made picture-taking so easy, and now almost priceless in the dollar sense.

Well a British photographer Becca Bland feels it is time to slow down and take a day away from the capture devices. In 2006 Becca begun, what she hopes will become a global initiative each July 17, Non Photography Day. If nothing else, have a read of the site, and on July 17 if you choose to take pictures, think about Becca's comments before pressing the shutter.

SICKO Projects onto Buildings

2007-06-25T17:27:00.000-04:00

The marketing machine of Michael Moore's SICKO brings a new twist to promotion. Tonight, on buildings throughout the US, including in Times Square, the doc will be projected. The twist being, the buildings are all close to the head offices of major HMOs. Go Michael!!!

View the preview on YouTube. Opens everywhere June 29.

Photo Festival Sites

2007-06-25T15:22:00.001-04:00

Today, there is seldom a country that does not offer a major photography festival. Contact just finished in Toronto, and the bi-annual Mois de la Photo will be taking place in Montreal this September.
These sites offer links to some of the larger festivals.
Festival of Light
Photo Festival Union

WORLD PRESS PHOTO 07 (E)

2007-06-25T00:13:00.000-04:00

Spencer Platt, USA, Getty Images

This year World Press Photo shows all the winning images with text on their site. Of course, not the same as viewing live, but it is a nice opportunity to view the images if the exhibition does not come to a city near you.

Canadian dates:
Montreal: August 31 - September 30
Toronto: October 2 - 24 (note, the 07 Toronto exhibit details will begin showing in mid July)

The World Press Photo site also includes video interviews with some of the winning photographers offering interesting insight into their images.

Podcasts & Video Essays (E)

2007-06-23T23:03:00.000-04:00

These are a few sites I am always checking for new postings. Not exclusively, but a number of the podcasts and essays showcase documentaries that inform and educate about humanitarian and social issues in our world.
Mixture of podcasts and video essays. All free and easy to view or download.

Podcasts:
-MediaStorm
- Magnum Photos: In Motion Podcasts
- Marcus Bleasdale

Video Essays:
- Magnum Photos: In Motion Essays
- VII Photo Agency: Multimedia

Podcast: Kingsley's Crossing (E)

2007-06-23T21:59:00.000-04:00

Last year, the World Press Photo 06 exhibit, Contemporary Issues First Prize story introduced us to Kingsley, a young Cameroonian whose journey we follow as he travels into Europe, as a clandestine immigrant ... looking for his perception of that better life. Olivier Jobard is the photographer.
Only 6 images from Olivier's documentary, Kingley's Crossing were shown, however it was a series that engaged viewers, especially students.
A few weeks after the exhibit came down, I was at the Great White North Workshop and Geo Perdis handed me his video ipod and said to go somewhere quiet and view/listen. It was the full documentary podcast of Kingley's Crossing.
It was my introduction to photo podcasts and I found it to be incredibly moving. Oliver's photographs and Kingsley's own voice and words tell a powerful and engaging story that is not easily forgotten. The story offers a powerful insight into what is experienced around the world by far too many Kingsleys each year.
Kingley's Crossing should be required viewing in every Politics / World Issues classroom in the country.

The podcast is hosted on MediaStorm and may be viewed free. It is about 22 minutes and promise it will be worth your time.

Kingsley is a 23-year-old lifeguard from the West African coastal town of Limbe, Cameroon. Though he longed to be a professional footballer, French soldiers trained him to become a lifeguard, and Kingsley soon found himself working at an upscale hotel giving swimming lessons to visiting Europeans. He earned just 50 euros a month, enough to pay for food and the rented two-room house he shared with his parents and seven siblings.
"Most families in my country want their children to go to Europe," Kingsley says. It is in Europe—the new El Dorado—that African immigrants can vastly increase their incomes while also providing for their families back home. So, in May of 2004, Kingsley left Cameroon on what he calls "his mission." What followed was an excruciating six-month journey across half of Africa.
Kingsley's Crossing is the story of one man's willingness to abandon everything—his family, his country, and his friends—in the hopes of finding a better life abroad. Award-winning French photojournalist Olivier Jobard documents the passage.

James Nachtwey Ted Awards Speech (E)

2007-06-23T02:16:00.000-04:00

James Nachtwey is not a big fan of the lecture circuit, so this video of his talk at the March 2007 Ted Awards is definitley worth a listen.

Nick Ut - 'A Far Cry From Vietnam'

2007-06-23T01:59:00.000-04:00

You may have read about the Nick Ut images taken of Paris Hilton. Nick is the photojournalist who received a Pulitizer Prize for the Vietnam War image of Kim Phuc. He is no longer shooting conflict, but working in LA for AP and photographed Paris crying in the car as she was being returned to prison.
There was an interesting piece in the New York Daily News (Gossip Section!) about this entitled A Far Cry From Viet Nam. It also includes the referenced images.

Ottawa Photography Festival

2007-06-23T01:42:00.000-04:00

Photography festivals seem to be sprouting everywhere these days. In September, the Ottawa Photography Festival will join the circuit.

A Month of Photography

2007-06-23T01:23:00.000-04:00

DEADLINE – June 25, 2007
....yes a bit late with the info, but to obtain a submission form, learn more about the event or just be added to the mailing list, contact Fausta: orangegirl@sympatico.ca

Some Changes at Indigo

2007-06-22T21:34:00.000-04:00

An interesting story in the Financial Post about Canada's favourite chain of book stores :) Heather is creating a "green theme, and going multimedia with an in-store television station, a documentary film and the launch of a social-networking Web site catering to book lovers." Ok, but will they be selling more photo books?
My favourite bookstore in Toronto is Pages opposite Much Music on Queen West. Pages offer an eclectic selection of photo books and magazines....and open late!

Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Documentary Prize

2007-06-22T19:12:00.000-04:00

Yet another award for Montreal photojournalist Roger Lemoyne. In May, Roger received the Prix de la Photographie Paris award...see May 8 posting.
Roger and his writing partner Kurt Pitzer received the 2007 Lange-Taylor Prize. Their project After War, will explore questions about the lasting effects of war on ordinary civilians of the former Yugoslavia.
This is the second consecutive year a Canadian photographer has received the award. In 2006 photographer Don Weber and writer Larry Frolick were honoured.

New Photo Festival Slated for 2008

2007-06-22T18:44:00.000-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
powerHouse Books and VII Photo are pleased to announce the launch of
New York Photo Festival 2008
May 30, 2007, New York—

powerHouse Books and VII Photo are pleased to announce the launch of the New York Photo Festival 2008, featuring the best in contemporary photography. The event will debut next May 2008 in DUMBO, Brooklyn.

Led by its co-chairmen, Frank Evers (VII) and Daniel Power (pH), the festival has partnered with Dumbo developers and philanthropists, Two Trees Management, David & Jane Walentas, and Jed Walentas. The group has already started the process of locking in exhibition spaces, major sponsors, event partners, the advisory board and the festival jury. The festival jury will operate independently and will be made up of the best curatorial talent available within the world of fine art, publishing and photography.

The festival intends to spotlight the best in contemporary photography. Using multiple large-scale venues throughout DUMBO, the festival plans to take over the entire area for four days in May 2008. In addition to photographic exhibitions, there will be several evenings of programming featuring awards, performances, visual presentations, and high-profile speakers. The festival is aimed at the general public and photography aficionados. The New York Photo Festival will pay tribute to the photograph with an annual event that begins in 2008.

This joint commitment to contemporary photography promises to deliver a dynamic, high-quality event in what is arguably the photographic capital of the world. The festival will celebrate both contemporary photography and the raw, indomitable, creative, and inspirational talents of those who produce this work. Photography, one of the most important media of our lives, is surprisingly uncelebrated, particularly in the United States.

VII Photo was named the third most important entity in photography by American Photo (April 2005). It is considered one of the most prestigious photo agencies, and its members are many of the best photojournalists in the world. Formed as a photographic collective just a few days before the tragedy of 9/11, VII has since documented a world in turmoil, and has done so for most of the world’s leading magazines. The creation of the New York Photo Festival is the newest addition to VII’s public education programming, which includes VII seminars, VII workshops and lectures. For more information, please visit www.viiphoto.com

Now located at 37 Main Street in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn, powerHouse Books—the world renowned publisher of cutting-edge and classic art, photography, advertising, and pop culture books—is housed in The powerHouse Arena, a 10,200 square-foot laboratory of creative thought offering a gallery, boutique, performance space, and community center, and selected as one of the 50 most important people and places of the next decade by Wallpaper*.

VII Agency Photojournalist Alexandra Boulat Suffers a Brain Aneurysm

2007-06-22T17:29:00.000-04:00

The notice was posted on the PDN site today.
It is always a surprise to learn when a photographer, known for their work in conflict regions, lies in a critical condition not caused by an external injury.
As noted in the PDN story, updates on Alex's condition will be posted on the VII site. There will also be info posted with details as to how to financially support Alex during her illness and hopefully, through to a full recovery.
Those who freelance often live without health benefits, and the stress of an illness or injury can be compounded due to the lack of long term disability benefits. Hearing of an illness like this often causes our own fragile reality to hit home.

Update: PhotoSensitive Cancer Project (E)

2007-06-22T17:01:00.001-04:00

The PhotoSensitive Cancer Project is now dedicated to the memory of June Callwood, the wonderful Toronto social activist and humanitarian who passed away from cancer in April.
Toronto Star article

Prix de la Photographie Paris

2007-05-08T15:35:00.000-04:00

Roger Lemoyne has been Awarded: First Prize in category BOOK (Cover 4 Inside Images) for the entry titled, Details Obsurs. The jury selected 2007’s winners from thousands of photography entries from over 85 countries.

Winning entries from each major category (Advertising, Photojournalism, Book, Fine Art, Nature, and Portraiture) are exhibited in Paris at the prestigious 13Sévigné Gallery in June/July 2007 and published in the high-quality, full-color Px3 Annual Book, which is distributed to galleries, agencies, publishers and bookstores worldwide.

The Prix de la Photographie Paris (Px3) strives to promote the appreciation of photography, to discover emerging talent, and introduce photographers from around the world to the artistic community of Paris. Winning photographs from this competition are exhibited in a high-profile gallery in Paris and published in the high-quality, full-color Px3 Annual Book.

Details Obscurs may be ordered on Amazon.ca

PHOTOSENSITIVE: The Cancer Project

2007-05-07T19:14:00.000-04:00

PhotoSensitive invites Canadian photographers to participate in the The Cancer Project. Students, amateur and professional photographers are all invited to participate and capture an image of you or someone in your life who has been touched by this disease. Your picture will be added to the face of cancer in Canada.
The result will be an exhibition, book and web launch in April 2008 during the Canadian Cancer Society, Daffodil Month.
All details are on the PhotoSensitive site.

Eradification of Disease in Africa: A Student Conference

2007-05-07T17:35:00.001-04:00

Avondale Alternative High School presents a free conference for students who are interest in issues surrounding Eradication of Disease in Africa.

Thursday, May 24 - 9:30am - 1pm
Noor Cultural Centre
123 Wynford Drive
Toronto

Keynote Speaker is DR JANE PHILPOTT, founder of the Give a Day to World Aids program.

Also involved will be CARE Canada, the Ontario Hospital Association, Médecins Sans Frontières, IDRF, the Catholic Register, Africa Files, Africans in Partnership Against AIDS

This event is an opportunity for high school students from across the GTA to engage in dialogue with experts in the filed on issues such as access to treatment, equality and responsibility.

If interested in bringing your students contact: michelle.meyer@tel.tdsb.on.ca

Canadian Photog News

2007-04-26T00:03:00.000-04:00

Don Weber is a recipient of one of the 07 Guggenheim Fellowships for Photography. Don has been working in the Ukraine for stretches of time for the past few years documenting the harsh world faced by so many in the Ukraine. The fellowship will allow him to go deeper with his study, documenting the 'Underclass And Its Bosses' in both the Ukraine and Russia.
In 2006, Don received a World Press Photo Award, plus along with writer Larry Frolick, he shared the Lange-Taylor Documentary Prize.
Receiving a Guggenheim Fellowship is an important validation, showing faith in the potential of the project. The funds offer a financial freedom seldom offered for documentary projects.

Barbara Davidson is moving to work at the Los Angeles Times this June. She has been working at the Dallas Morning News where her work has been honoured with the POYi Newspaper Photographer of the Year in 2006 and a shared Pulitzer with her colleauges at the paper for their coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

New Photography Festival

2007-04-25T23:40:00.001-04:00

The Festival is a not for profit celebration of photography –— created by photographers. With a program of exhibitions, workshops, interviews, outdoor screenings, and special events, the Festival will attract professional and amateur photographers from around the world to Charlottesville's (Virginia) picturesque historic downtown.
Definitely worth a check.

CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival

2007-04-25T23:22:00.000-04:00

CONTACT Toronto's month-long annual festival of photography begins May 1.
Couple of dates of note....May 4/5 - Free Lectures with Magnum photographers including Jim Goldberg, Elie Reed and Susan Meiselas.

WORLD PRESS PHOTO 07

2007-04-17T22:29:00.000-04:00

World Press Photo of the Year 2006
Spencer Platt, USA, Getty Images
Young Lebanese drive through devastated neighborhood of South Beirut,
15 August

View thumbnails of winning images - click on Winners Gallery 2007

The exhibition will be returning to Toronto for the 6th consecutive year this October in the beautiful Allen Lambert Galleria in BCE Place.

Look for 07 exhibition and event details to be posted on the Toronto exhibition website in the coming months.

There has been some controversy re Spencer Platt's Photo of the Year....Some saw the image as a symbol of how war affects rich and poor, while others saw the subjects as callously indifferent to the mayhem around them. (from PDN article)
Both PDN and Speigel Online have articles.