Photojournalism – Peter Turnley: Moments of the Human Condition

December 6, 2009
Peter Turnley: Moments of the Human Condition – 1972-2009: Photographs by a Renowned International Photojournalist

I’m not usually a crier, but the passion and heart that Peter Turnley puts into his photographs and the way he explains the very Human moments when photographs were taken had me choking back the tears.  When I walked into the room, I saw a middle-aged man, jeans, basic jacket and shoulder length blond hair and glasses.  Not assuming.  Reading this book by its cover certainly would have been deceiving. 

It was the basic famous photographer’s lecture, to start off with.  He reviewed how he started in the business and who inspired him and showed some pictures from his earlier work.  The work was good….community based stuff during the civil rights era.  I laugh that I even have the nerve to judge.   This man’s work has graced the cover of Newsweek Magazine 43 times!  Truthfully, I didn’t know who he was before I walked into the room.  I do now and his work and heartfelt passion and experiences are indelibly marked in my photographers experience. 

He noted that he had never spoken for a full two-hour lecture and diligently checked his watch every so often to be sure that he was talking long enough.  Luckily for his captivated audience, he was forced to share some stories of danger and human moments that occured while capturing some the worlds best photographs.  He has visited more than 90 countries and has photographed uncountable political figures such as Obama, Gorbatchev, Yeltsin, Putin, Mandela, Arafat, Schroeder, Chirac, Clinton, Reagan, Bush Sr, Lady Diana, and Pope Jean Paul.  He has dead bodies and crying faces in his photographs, power, fallen power and devistation.  He was one of the very few photographers to capture the scene right after 9/11 and told us the story of how he was in Boston when the towers were hit and then he immediately felt that he had to travel to Manhattan to photograph.   The story was particuarly touching when he told us of a phone call from his twin brother’s girlfriend saying that the brother grabbed his own camera equipment and dashed off to the World Trade Center to photograph and that she hadn’t heard from him since.  Peter thought he may have lost his twin that day.  Later we find that, being one of perhaps three photographers to make it into the restricted area, he was walking out after a long morning of photographing and saw a group of photographers waiting to get in … among them… his brother.  That was only one of the touching tales.

What strikes me often when sitting through lectures of truly accomplished photographers is that they often will go back and try to find the people in their photographs…. years later.  Peter had several stories of finding people and of people finding him.  It seems as if much of the satisfaction is to, someday, learn what the people in the photographs were thinking at the time the shot was taken.  Once the story is known, some of the pieces of the mystery of the Human Condition can then the put in their proper place.

I was very pleased I attended this lecture.  I will attend again, if get the chance.  Peter gives photography workshops all over the world.  So, I’ll have to pay attention to catch him.  Here is his info, if you’re interested. 

http://www.peterturnley.com/

Computers under $500 – Quick Note

If you’re planning on buying one of these cheap computers, do your research first.  They won’t run heavy programs such as Adobe Photoshop and the like.

They are, however, great for people who only do basic word processing and surf the internet.

If you find a heafty computer that you think will run the graphics programs, make sure you check on the maximum RAM you can upgrade to and the unit should not have a generic no name graphics card.

I’m Alive When I Photograph with Antonin Kratochvil

I’m Alive When I Photograph with Antonin Kratochvil, Sponsored by Canon Speaker: Antonin Kratochvil

Amazing seminar by Antonin.  He certainly IS alive!  This delightful Frenchman has travelled the world as a photojournalist for greats such at Time Magazine, The New York Times, Fortune Magazine, Vanity Faire and many others.  He has some of the most touching and horrific photographs that I’ve seen ranging from Aids in Zimbabwe to despair on Wall Street.  Antonin has captured so much.  View his work at:  http://www.antoninkratochvil.com/ . 

I really can’t remember laughing so much during a seminar before.  This man was a total delight!  He takes a real interest in people and travels the world a lot, often returning to the places he has photographed to find the people in the photographs and see what they’re doing now, or if they are still alive.  Many are not.   He has many books, one on the human condition.  He is one of the only photographers to have the rare opportunity and permission to photograph Venezuelan prisons. 

On the lighter side of things, he has photographed numerous celebrities such as Johnny Depp, Rod Steiger, William Defoe, David Bowie, Liv Tyler and countless others.  Funny though, he can hardly remember any of their names…. celebrity doesn’t impress him. 

He doesn’t shoot film anymore, but actually prefers digital after a period in his life, he tells us, where he thought that digitial had ruined his life, his career.  “I thought I was a dinosaur…. not anymore,”  he told us.  After looking at digital another way, he saw how powerful of a tool it could be and now loves working only in digital. 

He has been arrested for taking photographs and spoke of often being eyed with suspicion, noting one occassion when the secret service told him he took photographs in a different ways than other people and so he was “….being watched.”   He explained that he takes picutres differently because he is a professional photographer.  He was also arrested by homeland security on that occassion.  It was very interesting to hear of his run-ins with authorities in this country or that…. simply for taking a photograph. 

He also spoke of being an embedded photographer in Iraq and his method for getting photographs to the newspaper he worked for.  On the technical side, he uses the Canon 5D and a 2.8 mm lens.  When he wants to blend in better, he uses a point and shoot, the G10 or G11. 

He teaches for Maine Media Workshops and told us that his students often come with 70 lbs of equipment to which he tells them “Hey, you’re not a Marine!” and says that he doesn’t like to carry a lot of equipment when he photographs, preferring to be light and have movement.   That was our last bit of laughter for the day. 

Do I recommend him?  YES!  Great stories and, best of all, a good time!

Photo Expo! The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Alas, out of the 1,000′s of square footage packed with enticing camera equipment, I only found one super sales guy.  I’m going to write about his very interesting product next week.  He sold me.

Skilled sales people were lacking in record numbers.  The worst offense?  The lone table with no pamphlets or products with a sad-looking sales person sitting directly in the center of the table with a big sign hanging behind them.  I always approach these tables because I’m a sucker for the lonely kid on the playground.    All three times I approached, the salesperson looked terrified that they’d have to interact with someone…… mystery solved. 

The next violation was a guy who was selling online video services.  “Vincent Laforet” uses our services!” he exclaimed with big smile (my first thought was to wonder if Mr. Laforet knew they were using his name to sell their products.)  I responded by taking the guy’s card and asking if he knew why it was so significant that Vincent used their services.  “Do you know why he is known so well?” I asked ……. The rep replied that he did not and then realized that I was not going to stick around to share. 

The Tunnel Vision Violation:  Three people are standing at your booth looking for your attention, but you only notice and talk with one……. FOREVER.  I can kind of forgive this one if you really have a juicy worm on the hook, but usually when I listen in on the conversation as I wait, that isn’t the case.    Worst violator:  Wacom. 

Next violation:  Two sales people talking about some drama topic together standing in front of the brochures (young women).  When I excused myself to reach between them to grab a brochure they both shot me a dirty look.  How dare I interrupt their conversation to grab the sales materials they were there to promote.  Violator:  Spyder.  The other problem I saw at that booth in the short time I stopped by was a sale’s demonstration where the sale’s guy didn’t know how to use the program well enough and ended up searching within the program for a good three minutes.  I gave the benefit of the doubt for a minute, but then just walked away like the other two people did.  Their problem:  I really wanted to see how their product worked.  Their magazine advertisements and word of mouth had enticed me enough to stop for a few minutes and spend time interacting with their product. 

Who brought their A Game?  Nikon and Canon had packed seminars running all day.  Nikon brought some bikes and models so people could actually pick up their cameras and use them.  Loved it!  And, of course, B&H dominated the floor.  No one can touch their efficiency and you really have to admire their ability to rake it in.  As a note, many of the sales people at other kiosks actually recommended that their product was always available at B&H.

Jim’s kiosk was way in the back, on a busy corner.  I was not particularly interested in his product, archivable DVD’s, but I glanced over briefly.  Jim made eye contact and was very friendly.  He took my second of interest and offered me a little more.  He never pushed, but shared the excellence of his product.  As all good sales people often do, he really “believed” in his product.  The kiosk was set up very nicely for being so little.  They brought a good size screen with a great video of their product and an explanation of how their product was constructed and why it made it so much better than other archivable disks.  He treated me as if he already knew how intelligent I was (which is so true, except on Tuesdays) and gave me the information I would have wanted to hear if I was, in fact, looking to purchase his produce.  He created value from a glance.   I will bring his info into my department and make people aware of it.  Nice job Jim.  His company name is Millenniata (Slogan:  Write Once, Read Forever)  www.millenniata.com .

Second prize goes to the woman selling the hot swappable raid units.  Excellent sales person.  Excellent product.  Great kiosk demonstration and setup.  However, no sales brochures or business cards (maybe she ran out).  She did scan my badge though.  So, eventually, I’ll be able to tell you who she is …. if I remember. 

Third place and a very warm shout out is to the Maine Media Workshops.  www.TheWorkshops.com I’ve taken classes with many of the instructors that teach for this workshop and they have ALL been top of the line.  Check them out.

Fourth.  Photoshop User Magazine.  The guy at the kiosk saw my eyes glaze over when I read the words Photoshop and he immediately went back and grabbed me a free magazine.  We simply gave eachother a knowing look, never spoke as I was in an Adobe Photoshop daze…..

Even my dog is on the computer! Get with the program!

No statement on earth inspires silent brain screams like “I don’t know anything about computers, but you’re a wiz, so can you e-mail something for me?”
…………………
All the computer geeks out there are shaking their heads in agreement…. I can feel the rumbling now.

It is one of the most frightening statements a geek can hear.  Second, however, to “I have a small computer question.”

My thought’s today were brought to you by my friend X, who I won’t embarrass, but who will never see I’ve written about him because he thinks a blog is something that’s wrong with my sink.  “Yes,” I say, ” I was working on  my blog today.”  He responds: “You really ought to hire a professional plumber to do it right the first time.  Every time I talk to you , you’re working on that damn blog again!!!”   Ahhhh.  Gotta love it.

The next thing that happens after the small requests is sudden exponential growth….. like you just threw some magic beans in the ground and the bean stalk keeps growing bigger and bigger…. “Wait for me, Jack,” I exclaim, hoping to hide from the next computer favor….. Alas, I am too late.  My friend’s mom needs someone to help her get her 3,000 pictures off of her camera and reduce them so she can e-mail them to the grandkids……  While unloading the mom’s pics, the neighbor just happens over for tea….. “ohhh, my computer is so slow.  While you’re here, maybe you could look at it…..” exponential growth….

Eventually, my day makes the parting of the red sea seem like child’s play.  “Oh yea Moses?…. Now reformat and partition a hard drive, reconnect my neighbor’s sound card, magically decrease the picture size of my cousin’s dog and upload my grandmother’s knitting website to the new server…. and DO IT ALL BEFORE LUNCH!

Eventually, my tasks are done and I have a few minutes to myself before falling asleep only to get up and do it all over again.  I was going to make my new motto “Just say no.”  But, I’ve decided to keep on giving in hopes that more people will actually take the time to learn technology so they won’t have to call on me all the time.  Both of my parents now take full control of their computers and they are doing great!  So, I know it can happen.  Now, we just have to get the rest of the world on board.  After all, when dogs and cats are on Facebook and you can’t even press the on button, it’s time for some reevaluation!

Have a great night everyone.  Time for me to sleep!

Ralph Lauren, Retouching and Photoshop Disasters

Not really sure how I “weigh” in on this topic.  As a sometimes photoshop editor, I feel like I have to put myself firmly on the fence.  Ducking my head, of course, because Ralph Lauren and blogs such as Photoshop Disasters and sites in the likes of Boing Boing will be throwing huge mudballs over the fence….. wait…. maybe I shouldn’t be holding a “white” flag. 

So, what’s the big deal, you ask?  Well one of the retouchers apparently photoshopped a model and made her waist thinner than her head…..errrrr….. or, her head bigger than her waist….. or something like that.    Anyway, the model proportions were criticized publicly….on a blog and Ralph got upset and filed a complaint with the DMCA…… No, it’s not a trendy punk band.   It stands for Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) which basically says you can’t reprint “steal” someone elses stuff.

Feminists groups have been hot on the attack of models and those who “objectify” women in advertising.  Dove Soap has campaigned for more natural bodies in advertising.  However, I know the editor who knows the editor for those ads.  So you can draw your own opinions how natural they are.  I, personally, would prefer models with a few extra rolls to keep it in their clothes.   Downing photo retouchers also encourages popover bellies with half shirts during the summer…..ewww.  Now there’s an image.

Frankly, I don’t have a problem with touch-ups.  I also think that if a designer wants to portray his/her fashion image in a certain way (s)he should be able to do so without some activist telling him he has to show her flaws.  It’s the clothing we care about, not the model’s head.

Remember that Steve Madden advert where ALL the heads were obviously and grossly out of proportion?  where was the criticism there?

On the other hand, anorexia and bulimia are very important topics that are often overlooked due to oversaturation by overzealous young activists.  However, that is someone else’s blog.  I am all about the media.

I’d like to take a few inches off certain places and smooth out others.  I say, photoshop me baby!