Archive for May, 2008
Moments and missives from our world
May
31
2008
May
23
2008
Cornell Capa, R.I.P.
Cornell Capa died on Friday at his Manhattan home, after 90 years. His peaceful passing came two days short of the 54th anniversary of his brother Robert’s untimely death. Cornell’s own work as a photojournalist has always been overshadowed by his older brother’s legendary career. Cornell’s professional mantra revolved around “The Concerned Photographer,” yet his lasting legacy also involved a monument to preserving the moments that have been photographed.
Lifted from the obit: The Concerned label would “describe any photographer who was passionately dedicated to doing work that contributed to the understanding and well-being of humanity and who produced “images in which genuine human feeling predominates over commercial cynicism or disinterested formalism.†He also was the driving force behind the founding of the International Center For Photography, one of the most important homes for preservation and study of “concerned photographers” on the planet. Keeping his brother’s legacy and work relevant was certainly on his mind in founding the center.
After Robert stepped on a land mine in the prime of his career, Cornell was “haunted by the question of what happens to the work a photographer leaves behind, by how to make the work stay alive.â€
I spent about 30 seconds with to Cornell a decade ago, at an exhibition opening at the ICP. After the co-founder of my photo agency introduced us, Cornell put his hands on my sides and shook me. “You’re too big… you’ll never make it,” shooting me an impish smile while leaving me speechless. Dusted by an under appreciated legend… who will be buried next to his brother this coming week… 54 years after they last saw one another.
May
22
2008
Kendra and Brian, in Hilton Head, SC
A slide show from the wedding day can be seen here.
May
22
2008
Learning more about the moments
The World Press Photo Foundation champions photojournalism around the world. In addition to their annual awards at the Amsterdam Headquarters, which are comparable to an Olympic gathering, the foundation conducts a series of classes for young and upcoming photographers in the developing world.
I have been fortunate to be involved with the Foundation in the past, and it is a group which believes in the power of the still image. For the past two years, award winners have been interviewed about their work, allowing us a peek into the circumstances beyond the rectangles. This LINK shows a gallery of winners, ranging from a rare portrait of Vladimir Putin to violence in Kenya and Zimbabwe, to the funeral procession of a Silverback in the Congo and land jumping in Vanuatu.
John Moore photographed Benazhir Bhutto’s final rally, and his descriptions of the scene and his sheer fortune to be alive after the explosion ripped mere meters from him are chilling. It’s also, in a macabre way, the epitome of keeping a cool head in a horrifying situation. It’s the first image in the row named stories. Some of the scenes depict violence and turmoil which may be difficult to view.
May
17
2008
Liz and Patrick marry at the Ribault Club, Amelia Island
Watch the celebration unfold here.
May
15
2008
May
08
2008
Staci and Sam, marry in Charleston
See a selection of photographs from this wedding here.
May
06
2008
A Hoosier perspective
My friend Sam Riche, better known as Stick Boy, has spent the past few weeks trailing the Democratic candidates as they crossed Indiana. Sam is a damned fine photographer and has been working with the Indianapolis Star for years. He’s also on the bleeding edge of new technologies as photo staffs learn to adjust to new demands and paradigms.His photographs of Barack, Hillary and their supporters from the past few weeks can be seen here.
Sam and I met in Assembly Hall in Bloomington, home of the Indiana Hoosiers basketball squad. That was in December of 1990. He’s got a pair of boys, who I last saw about 18 months ago when I was photographing the wedding of a mutual friend in Indianapolis. We each studied under the late great Will Counts in Bloomington, and Sam’s first boy is named Will.
Have a look at what Stick Boy has seen. Photographing a candidate “on stage” can be a bit monotonous, but keeping the eyes open for those revealing moments in what can be fluid situations is a photojournalist’s job and responsibility.
May
06
2008
What Bruce can teach CEOs
27 April 1994 is remembered by some as the date that Richard Nixon was put to rest, and also the day that South Africans voted in the first all-race elections. 27 April 2008 is when I experienced Bruce Springsteen and the boys on E Street for the first time in concert.
OK, dork alert… yes, I grew up in the Northeast, with my Dad growing up in Jersey. I am an unabashed Springsteen fan, and have been known to drop lyric references into conversation. No, our next son will not be named Bruce, but Clarence… we shall see. What does this have to do with me and my approach to what I do?
Last October, Rick Newman blogged on S’News’ site about “What Springsteen can teach CEOs.” Some very salient points about marketing a brand which is getting more seasoned. In any case… here’s what I learned from watching Bruce and the band:
Change is good… opening the show with a powerful “Souls of the Departed” which took on a heavier meaning in the wake of Danny Federici’s death.
Paying attention to what the customers / fans wanted: The show was in Charlotte, so a reference to Darlington County was not unexpected. However… Bruce went into the song after a young girl held up a sign that said “I like you more than Hannah Montana. Darlington County Please!!” So, for the chorus of “sha-la-las,” said young lass was pulled on stage to sing with the man who was 5 decades older than she was. Very sweet, very touching, I got verklempt.
And the man can still move around a ton at 58. Amazing. Inspiring. Freaky. Since it’s release in 1975, I can only imagine that “Born to Run” has been sung thousands of times. But for me, and for anybody else who tossed a Franklin into the coffers for a seat, it did not matter what had come before. This was the first, and possibly last time I would hear it live.
How does this affect what I do? Each wedding is different. Each portrait I shoot, or each family I work with is unique. I do not have a set formula, preferring to let the natural moments tell the stories. But the time that I spend with each couple, or family, or group, or private commission must be thought as a one off, existing only in it’s own universe… not compared to what I have shot before.
My style will remain consistent… just as Bruce will not expect tramps like us to sit through Born to Run on bagpipes. But what has come before should be seen as the basis for understanding from where the work will evolve. OK, it’s late and I may not have made any sense.
But here’s the nut of the theme: Give it your all, love what you do, and then what you create will be the best that is possible. We only get one shot at life, and that is something I force myself to remember each morning.