Back Online and Two Award Announcements

After an extended stay offline as I travelled to Charlottesville, Virgina to attend the Festival of the Photograph and then to Mexico City to participate in the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, I finally made it back to Barcelona in one piece. 

I also returned to some exciting news as I was informed that I had been included in the FOTO8 Award and Summer Show to be held at the Host Gallery in London on July 22nd. A day later I was notified that I came in second place at the PX3 in the non-professional photojournalism category for my story on the daily lives of African immigrants in Barcelona entitled 'Living in the Shadows.'

Both Look3 (Festival of the Photograph) and Foundry were great experiences and I highly recommend them to anyone who might be interested.  At Look3 I attended a project criticism class with Mary Anne Golon (formerly of Time) and Maggie Steber. They were both positive, helpful and master editors. You really should have seen them work, editing stories down in 2-3 minutes. And they were not the only stars. The class was chock full of fantastic photographers, many not well known but definitely worth tracking. My favorites were Oscar Hidalgo, Steven Voss, and underwater specialist Thomas Peschak. 

From DC I flew to Mexico City where I spent a week with many other aspiring photojournalists. It too was a fantastic experience with class time, portfolio reviews, evening slideshows and of course some hard work. Here, Guy Calaf, was my inspiration as he is a veteran at the ripe old age of 30. The class was small, which was ideal and Guy was really generous and honest about the state of photojournalism, so it was an encouraging experience. On top of that he's a really down to earth person who leaves the ego at home.

Convergence Convergence Convergence

Another big announcement today! Yes the mother ship, National Geographic, has entered the assignment business with the announcement of a new business National Geographic Assignment. Under the helm of Alice Keating, a NG veteran, they will begin be representing 27 photographers covering all facets of assignment photography, even fashion.

Back in the fall, World Picture News, announced that they were changing their business model to focus exclusively on assignment work, so it looks to be more than a trend.

BBC PUBLICATION

After emailing and calling, calling and emailing, and being close a few times with publication, I finally got my immigrant story on the life of Sub-Saharan Africans in Spain published on the BBC web site. If you'd like to take a look here it is.

The Stories Behind the Stories

World Press Photo just announced a new section of their site with interviews with some of the winners from 2007 and 2008. 

Dispatches Magazine Debut

The long awaited debut of Dispatches Magazine finally happened today. VII founder, Gary Knight, is behind the magazine that hopes to break the mold of photojournalism oriented media.  Just read the mission statement as it's a criticism of the current news media an argument for more independent news.  I wish them all the success.

A Real Inspiration

Check out this YouTube clip on the work of Philip Blekinsop. It's truly inspiring!

Ron Haviv Interview on Charlie Rose

I came across this video the other day trolling around some other photography blogs. It's a great interview with Ron Haviv on Charlie Rose back in February 2001. Here he tells the stories behind some of his most iconic photos from conflicts he witnessed in Panama and the Balkans.

Bombay Flying Club

I just came across this link today as I was reading one of my favorite blogs, The Travel Photographer. I don't know much about the group, but I will say that I like the site put together by the Bombay Flying Club. It looks something like MediaStorm, which has quickly become THE site for multi-media content.  I especially enjoyed the piece on Romanian families living in the sewers of Bucharest.

As I have mentioned before, I really think that this is the future of photography. As radio, television and print media continue to converge, I think we will one day go to NPR, National Public Radio in the U.S., or the New York Times Channel to watch short photojournalism oriented documentaries on demand. It makes perfect sense.

More Good News

After spending ten days in the Sahara desert without my cellular phone, email or any other outside world contact, I arrived on Monday night to some good news. I won a scholarship to the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Mexico City in June. 

I found out I was a finalist before I left for Libya, but the best part was to find that VII photographer Ron Haviv chose the scholarship winners is a incredible honor.

SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION

Yes, sad it is, but I won my first major photography competition, Travel Photographer of the Year, and everyone likes a little recognition.

Here's an article from the Times online and the photos at TPOTY.