Archive for January, 2008
Moments and missives from our world
January
26
2008
Capa’s holy grail
Modern war photography’s raw material found a safe home in New York last month. Robert Capa’s negatives from the Spanish Civil War made their way to the International Center of Photography, which was founded after his death by his brother Cornell.
The journey took about 70 years, saved from Nazi destruction by a darkroom manager named Cziki, on through Marseille, and ending up in Mexico City. Word emerged in 1995 that this “Mexican Suitcase” of film might exist, and a series of diplomatic negotiations allowed the return of these lost negatives.
ICP chief curator Brian Wallis called these negatives the “holy grail” of Capa’s work. “Capa established a mode and the method of depicting war in these photographs, of the photographer not being an observer but being in the battle, and that became the standard that audiences and editors from then on demanded,†he said. “Anything else, and it looked like you were just sitting on the sidelines. And that visual revolution he embodied took place right here, in these early pictures.â€
Two photographs hang above the monitors in my office, and one is Capa’s Falling Spanish Soldier, which I have owned since 2002. It was not made from the original negative, but was authorized by Cornell and approved by the estate. Now I know why it was not made from the original… it had disappeared
January
23
2008
The moment matters
The White House News Photographers Association has just released its annual contest results, and Jay Clendenin was bestowed with political photo of the year. Before relocating to the District, Jay was on staff with The Hartford Courant – a newspaper whose staff members helped to jump start my growth as a photographer nearly two decades ago.
The rise in digital photography has resulted in an explosion available imagery, with everybody on the planet seeming to have a point and shoot. Magazine and newspaper photojournalists are competing with one another using the same lenses, cameras and laptops. What makes Jay’s image great? It’s the moment. Fleeting, there for all to see, yet none of the 50 photographers in the chamber that night were able to see it as Opie did. But seeing and nailing real moments is a skill that has been around since Uncle Bob was working.
One of Robert Capa’s mantras for story telling was “if your photographs are not good enough, then you are not close enough.” That holds for both physical proximity and emotional proximity. Capa liked people, and let them know it by engaging with his subject and pouring his heart into his work. When people ask me about my photographic influences, Capa is at the top of the list. He only lasted 40 years on the planet, dying after stepping on a land mine in 1954. In that time, he created a body of work which even now is relevant and current and powerful. It’s the moment, not the mechanics.
January
19
2008
An expensive burger
On Friday, the Zimbabwe government issued Z$ 1 million, Z$ 5 million and Z$ 10 million banknotes. The wire reports that a burger at a simple cafe is now costing Z$ 15 million.
Just under ten years ago, I spent a month on assignment in this beautiful and diverse land, photographing everything from cricket matches to politics and daily life. At that time, Z$ 100 was about USD $4. In a decade, that’s 100,000% inflation. One Hundred Thousand percent. The economy has been in free fall for many years, and the Zimbabwean people are the ones getting hosed.
January
10
2008
Sir Edmund and Mister Kodas
Sir Edmund Hillary has died at 88 . He and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay were the first two men to stand at the top of this planet, and reported back to a fellow climber upon his descent, “Well, George, we’ve knocked the bastard off.” Gotta love that “quintessential Kiwi” sense of style.
My friend Michael Kodas is about to publish High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed
I have not read the book, as Michael’s signed copy has not yet arrived for the Zielenbach archives, but I am sure it will be a fascinating read. Michael is a passionate soul who is an incredibly determined and dogged reporter, and when he digs into a project, the results are worth your time. The book will be released on 5 February. Buy some books… Michael needs to add another climbing wall in his home.
January
08
2008
Savannah Magazine Cover
Savannah Magazine just published their annual wedding issue, and I was honored that their art director selected this image of mine for the cover.
Megan and Stephen married in Savannah in May, and it was my pleasure to document their wedding weekend. The couple live in Dallas, and about 100 friends and family traveled to Savannah to celebrate their union. Megan was moved by photographs of mine which she had seen on my site , and as we met about a year before the wedding, we clicked.
Building a relationship and sense of trust is an integral component of what I do. Couples commission me to create the visual history of this once in a lifetime gathering. The finished photographic essay becomes the couple’s first heirloom, and I hope the photographs will evoke emotions in future generations.
January
05
2008
January
03
2008
Meanwhile in Nairobi
The son of Kenya and Kansas has won the Iowa Caucus for the Democratic Party. More than 2500 journalists were trying to tell us what it all means, while simultaneously try not to get whacked unconscious by the surrounding spin.
Half a world away, a much smaller group of journalists were trying not to get whacked as they covered riots which continue to spread across Kenya. Nairobi and other cities in this beautiful land have been engulfed in a week of mayhem following an election filled with, ah… er, irregularities. More than 300 have been killed in the past four days.
Have a look here to see some views of a Thursday in limbo, courtesy of some talented men and women trying to tell a story. An intrepid scribbler found a way to tie the stories together at the source. From the piece in the Times, “Senator Obama’s father, a goatherder turned economist, grew up in Nyangoma-Kogelo and was buried there in 1982 after a fatal car crash. When Senator Obama, Democrat of Illinois, visited Kenya in August 2006, he received a hero’s welcome here by residents, who consider him a role model and a symbol of American opportunity and multiculturalism.” The chaos of that visit was documented by Gary Knight, a member of the photojournalist’s cooperative called VII.