A newspaper without photos

Photo:  BJP

Further to a post some months back regarding an American newspaper's decision to release its photography staff, the French newspaper Libération yesterday printed an issue sans photos to demonstrate the importance of photography.

More at the British Photography Journal here.

On the one hand certain stories seem to require professionals (although the story of Fujimoto-san suggests there may be amateurs out there willing to have a go even at the dangerous stories).  On the other, cameras have become so common it is difficult to convince the public that professionals may be required.  Perhaps once they are all gone, we can appreciate their contribution.

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22 Nov:  I see this news item has now been added to the OCA blog.

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DPP: Exercise 5: Linear Capture

The purpose of this exercise is to demonstrate the interpretive ability of the camera’s software by looking at what the sensor captures and comparing it to what software renders.

To do this we are asked to take any JPEG or TIFF and first convert it to 16 bits per channel using Photoshop.  I did a bit of googling to find out how to do this in Lightroom before posting to the OCA Photography forum for clarification.  It turns out LR processes in 16 bit and exports JPEG at 8-bit.  JPEG bit depth cannot be adjusted (so far as I can tell), but TIFF can be set at 8 or 16.  So for the purpose of this exercise I exported a 16-bit TIFF.  This is the image, a souvenir collection from a student who went to Mecca for Hajj.

UAE photography has become more precarious

The UAE government this week announced that it is now illegal to publicly display images of anyone - still or video - without the subject's permission. Presumably, prosecutions will occur only after complaints are lodged by the offended and aggrieved.  Those found guilty face up to six months in jail and fines of up half a million dirham (US$140,000).

This is the apparent result of a case this summer in which  film taken on the side of the road showing an Emirati citizen beating a South Asian expat was uploaded to Youtube. The Emirati claimed defamation, the case was dropped, and no one was prosecuted.

To read more about this new law, have a look at some of the press links.  And happy shooting.  Just don't share your photos while visiting the UAE, eh?

Arabian Business
International Business Times

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Book Review: Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century, MoMA, 2010

With a generous 462 images across 375 pages, this hefty, 2.5 kilo, 2010 exhibit catalog seems like a fine introduction to the photographic career of Henri Cartier-Bresson.  Many of the images are familiar, others not, but what really impresses in this volume are the small details: a chronology of the photographer’s travels, complete with maps; a bibliography of periodicals;  a chronology of exhibits and books; a filmography; and a bibliography of selected critical and academic writings.  Also worthy of note is the informative and engaging 65-page essay by Peter Galassi, chief photography curator for the Museum of Modern Art (who retired about the time this book was published).  Readers without the historical or critical background will appreciate Galassi's unaffected style and the near absence of academic art-speak.  Those interested in more detail will enjoy combing through Galassi's 217 footnotes (across ten 31x25cm pages).

Like Galassi, I found my expectations of Cartier-Bresson confounded.  My encounters with the photographer have been through photography histories highlighting “the decisive moment” in his pre-war work.  What I don’t much recall is discussion of his career as a photojournalist or his name linked to magazines such as Life, Time or Fortune. But the latter makes up the bulk of his work and in fact many of his most famous photos from the 30s  - the man leaping across the puddle, the fat man strolling through a crowd of children, the families enjoying lunch on the river bank - made their first public appearance at the 1947 MoMA exhibit.

Waking Up at WalMart: Nolan Conway

I had no idea WalMart has a policy regarding customers sleeping in their parking lots.  I may have to do this on my next visit to the US and see what I can see.  Maybe even replicate Conway's project for evidence of regional variations.  As my relatives might say, What a hoot!

The central arc in the photo above appears to pinch the image and is interesting not only for its geometry, but also for its strong interior light.  My guess is the  image out-of-the-camera didn't reveal nearly as much.  

The NYTimes magazine ran a feature a month ago, and one of the paper's blog writers followed with an interview.  Conway's website has a few additional photos not included in the feature.

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DPP: Assignment One: Workflow: Tutor Report & Reflection

Financial Centre Station (corrected)

The tutor’s report is in and contains a good bit of useful advice.

Overall a solid first assignment with no major issues and some promising visual approaches to creativity.

At first I thought there wouldn't be much in the way of specific guidance, but the tutor didn't let me down.  To view the original assignment, follow the [link].