Workshop Goals

First of all, I am hoping to really learn a lot and absorb ideas from all the talented photographers who will be at the workshop. I want to be able to learn and find new ways of shooting assignments and new ideas of how to approach assignments. I am hoping that I will also be able to learn more about using audio, video and still photos to tell a single story. I have been experimenting with video and have done a little audio, so I am hoping I can further my learning in that area. 

Crystal LoGiudice 

A nice surprise in Berlin

We were looking for coffee.  We found Leonard Freed and Sebastio Salgado--or at least a brilliant exhibition of their work.  

CO-Berlin had a wonderful show hanging, and we spent a few hours there.  

I have been familiar with, and enjoyed Freed's work for years. 

 He was with Magnum, among others--and let me go free association here for a minute and suggest that any of you who have not read Magnum--Fifty years on the Front Line by Russell Miller--should.  

Freed was the epitome of the documentary photographer.   

The term documentary photographer remains useful to describe, in a quick way, the difference between those who set up things to be photographed from those who try to seize some aspect of reality.  

Photojournalism today demands not only immediacy in the capturing of events but immediacy in the showing of them as well.  That forces motion where stillness may be the best course.  

I found a lot to love in his images.  They drew me in.  Showed me things I needed and wanted to see.  Beautifully composed, technically perfect, and containing breathtaking moments.  Right there, then and now.  Wow.

From the first Freed knew what he wanted to do, and his vision remained true for his entire career.

Talking about his first work he said:

" What I know now of making pictures I knew then.  I do not think of making progress.  It is the relationship of one photograph to another for my complete life.  From the first to the last picture I will ever make."

This was a marathon, not a sprint.  A life, not a job.  

Acute vision, discipline and determination are required in equal measure to make images like he did.   

His thoughts, his pictures.  Few are so gifted.  Something to reach for.  

I have a new respect for an old favorite.

 www.magnumphotos.com/leonardfreed

Laura, again.    Notice she isn't carrying anything. 

Bill

goal!

My primary goal is to immerse my self in the WORKING METHODS of photojournalism. I know it's a short stint, but I'm interested in getting a good grasp on story finding, access, on the ground research etc.

I'm interested in seeing how these play out in the final images and story as well. I've tended to work solo and intuitively in the past, so bringing to light the way I create photographs and getting a sense of how others create photographs will be very helpful.

And I really look forward to meeting a bunch of people who are obsessed about photos and storytelling.
-Blake

Goals

My goal with this workshop is to soak in as much as I can from both the stellar staff but also the impressive pool of students. The talent coming through EA this year looks to be pretty good and having looked at a lot of their work, I've already been inspired to try new ideas and different approaches. I can only imagine what it'll be like come October.

I'm interested in rounding out some rough edges, getting a feel for some new perspectives and walk away with enough swirling around in my head to last me a few months. Someone once said "be water" and in many respects, this is my goal: flow through new ideas and let everything soak in.

Thinking about technical and the good light

I spent the better part of last week in Cologne at Photokina with the guys from Bogen.  Will and Mark will be helping you extensively at the workshop, along with Kriss who will be at the farm but not as much just with us.  Really, really encourage you to ask them about lights, supports, and photography.  Kriss has a degree in photography from RIT and is incredibly knowledgeable.  No one knows more about the Elinchromes than Mark.  Will is the Man--I

 do love to bust on him because he is Canadian, and really he can't help that.  He will go so far over and above for you, appreciate it and share his knowledge and enthusiasm.  These guys aren't here to sell you product they are here to pay back to the industry and enjoy photojournalism.

 Anyway, saw lots of new toys.  Acquired some of them.  Played with a lot more.  

Came away with the same thing each time.  If you use the technology to do things you couldn't do before, it's valuable.  If you use it to simply make your life easier then you are lazy and don't deserve to have it.

Tech talk makes Laura's head hurt.  She just wants to make images that sing, and push the boundaries.  Can't say that I blame her in either case.  But somebody has to know how to make the cameras work.........

 

Bill

Hot Pink Goals

My main objective at the workshop is to expand my vision.

I'd like to further develop my narrative and editing skills while soaking up all the inspiration possible to be able to venture out to a new chapter in my career.

Bring on the knowledge!
amelia

Goals and Favorites

I'm just going to get both of these done at the same time. First the older one. It's a hard question. There are many photographers i think are amazing for different reasons. Just like everyone else said. I definitely have to agree with W. Eugene Smith. Definitely one of my all time favorite photographers from when I first saw "Lambarene, French Equitorial Africa." But nowadays I'm looking at portrait photographers work, i guess because that is the type of work i do more now. so as far as favorites I'm going to throw out two, one i think could possibly be my overall favorite photographer, and that's Irving Penn, and the other is Frank Ockenfels III. Penn's images are timeless to me, and his light is simple and beautiful. Ockenfels' light is just different and very much has his own way of taking photographs.

But now, I'll try to tie this in with the first part of the post, and that is what to accomplish while at the workshop. Simply, to break out of the way I'm taking photographs now and try a different approach, and then not do away with the current way I photograph, but to use it to break away from the current limitations I put on myself. I hope that by trying something radically different and being surrounded by a different group of people, it will change the way I currently approach doing portraits of people. The point I am trying to reach is growth. One way or the other. I think this workshop will be the perfect platform for that. And I'm really looking forward to this weekend.

Goals

What I look to get out of the workshop is some inspiration at a time when I feel I am shooting the same things day in and day out and seeing the same sites. I am really looking forward to being around such a talented group of photographers and editors and hope to learn from each person there.

I am in need of some positive thinking about the state of the industry, at a time when all I am hearing is doom and gloom.

Where I am currently, there is no one to look over my work and give me feedback so I am looking to get as much out of that as I can, and of course have fun and make new friends.

-Chris

Pink

The main thing I see myself doing at EAW is connecting with all the photogs/professionals, sharing ideas and thoughts and sucking some inspiration out of everyone. Each time I go to a workshop or conference I leave inspired to keep telling stories and pushing my abilities.

I'm also looking forward to shooting for myself and looking more at the periphery, which I sometimes don't concentrate on enough. I love small town life and the welcoming people that follow.

Also, I'd like to have some fun.

Goals

While life in small town Indiana is a thing of wonder sometimes, I can't wait to get out.

I want a break from cute kids and farm animals. (Not that I don't love both) I've finally started on some long-term stories here, and I want to exercise those muscles. I want to take pictures that aren't so literal. I want to be around people doing completely different things. I don't need every picture to be a feature. I want to stay up late and wake up early.

KINDA RAMBLING

As you guys get to know me a little better you will see that I go off on long winded tangents. Have no worries. At the end of it all there is a point. I am just trying to stay connected with you guys and give you some insight in to my personality and such. To that end. I expect no less from the rest of you. 

A little over a year ago I started covering the presidential campaigns. I am currently taking a break as it costs a shit load of money and no one wants to put a stringer on it until the final push in the last two weeks. Budgets being what they are everyone is tightening their belt even on a story as important as this one.

This works to my advantage for two reasons. First I get to have all the time I need to produce for our team, research new assignments that I have not had a chance to in past years, and get reacquainted with the folks in Sullivan County. Secondly I get to keep my sanity. After 20 months and what is most likely thousands of stump speeches I am tired and really bored.  At 5 to 6 stops a day hearing the same stories, lines, and jokes over and over, I found myself delivering the punch line to Obama's jokes before he did.

Even still I find campaign stuff everywhere I can't seem to escape it. I see Obama and McCain everywhere; in shop windows, newspapers, flyers, spray painted on the scaffolding next door to my apartment. God I hate viral advertising.

If ever there was a time for a break this is it. It is my last chance. Two days after the workshop I am back out on the road until election night. 

I will spend the next week nailing down the remaining assignments, meeting people in with people in town, and touching base with the vendors that will loan us equipment. It's a lot of long hours on the phone and in the car. All of this and it's three weeks before any of you will take a frame for this workshop.

This will be the seventh time I have produced and it's still one of the best things I will do all year. After four days of little sleep from doing the workshop I tend to be more relaxed and motivated than when I started.  So with that in mind I hope to get back to the campaign with fresh eyes and inspiration. With any luck the Senator will have new jokes too.

Carhenge

Getting Laura some culture at Carhenge.

This is just funny.

Bill

The Sandhills

Here is a picture of Bill on a highway outside of his hometown in western Nebraska.  During the shoot in Arthur we commuted 135 miles each way for 4 days to sleep at his mom's house.  

Laura Heald

Kings of Arthur

Laura and I just spent 4 days in Arthur, NE, producing a multimedia piece for SIKIDS.com (www.sikids.com/video/sixman).  SI ran it as a Leading Off and SIKIDS is following with a photo act in that magazine.

This is probably similar to the format we will use at the Farm.  We change it up every time but this will give you an idea of the possibilities.

Arthur is a terrific place.  145 people in the town, 34 kids in the High School, grades 9-12.

We had a great time.  Here are some production stills from the shoot.

Bill

Favorites, Penn Relays select

Caption: Jamaican athletes running during High School Boys 4x400 relay competition.

I don't have a lot of personal favorites in my work, so it was real tough to pick just one photograph to show here. This picture is from an essay I did on the Penn Relays track and field competition. It's held annually at the University of Pennsylvania, drawing tens of thousands of spectators across the last weekend of April to watch teams from across the United States compete in some of the most physically taxing areas of athletics: track and field.

When I set out to do this essay, I really wanted to challenge myself: I'd done plenty of sports assignments for newspapers and but did not find the straight forward expectations to be fulfilling. And so, to pursue my own personal vision while telling a story I sought to exemplify the essence of the subject matter--in this case, pure athletic power--and went about reducing my gear to just two vital lens' and a single goal of moving out of my comfort zone.

So, in the spirit of the athlete's and their desire to push themselves to their own limits and beyond, I found my own inspiration.

This segues into the next topic: photographers.

I'm drawn to Luc Delahaye and his ability to use his photographs as pieces of a grand puzzle that he invites the viewer to construct in their own mind. It's hazy and possibly Impressionism, but in his work--notably Russia--I find something magical.

While a different style entirely, Trent Parke keeps me coming back for more. His personal experiences reflect in his work, something I find personally true. His casual regard to his tools and primary focus on strength of individual photographs seems both carefree and down to earth.

But hands down, I'm a big fan of Chris Anderson. I can't even begin to list the photographs I've seen and been rocked back on my heels. From Haiti to Bethlehem, Lebanon to Wall Street, his vision is the one I enjoy the most.



Copyright Christopher Anderson/Magnum

Playing Favorites

It's hard for me to have a favorite photographer. I agree with Bill with how my taste varies with who's work I really like. I may have a different opinion next week for all I know.

Right now I am a big fan of David Burnett. I've had the pleasure of meeting David over the last year of campaign coverage. He's been a gent and his work is what inspired me to cover presidential politics in the first place. It's funny. It's intimate. I have never seen so many great pictures come out of what can be redundant and mundane pretty quickly. The fact that he has such a unique vision says a lot about him as an artist.

I also love the work of Tom Stoddart. His book iWitness was a gift from Bill a couple years ago and has been inspiring ever since. It's one of the books I open when I am about to go on the road and need an inspirational shot in the arm. 

To round it out I have to agree with Amanda. Danny Wilcox Frazier is a hell of a photographer. His work is personal and intense. Driftless is his love letter to his home of Iowa. The best thing I can say about Danny is that I can call him a friend. When me and the rest of my little motley crew moved to Iowa he looked out for us like a big brother. He's true blue with a big heart and it shows in his work.

Keith

Masters of light

My list of favorite photographers is long and varied.  But there are three that I always come back to.

Jean Loup Sieff.  Incredible sense of style, timing and composition.  He never fails to make me smile.  

Jim Nachtwey doesn't make me smile very often, but he always makes me feel and think. 

W. Eugene Smith.  The first time I looked at a book of photographs it was his work and I've never forgotten his message.  

Bill

Picking Favorites

I like looking at work that it totally different from mine-- photographers who are masters at layering and taking chances and making puzzling and complicated images. Lately, I've loved the work of Larry Towell, and specifically his book "The World From My Front Porch," where he writes about his relationship to landscape and the importance of photographs that "paraphrase" the non-news event. That pretty much sums up working for a small paper in Indiana-- lots of non-news events that yield wonderful situations. I also love Danny Wilcox Frazier's work, specifically his Iowa images, because they're personal and emotive and sometimes kind of elegantly messy, which I wish I could be:

For the past week I have been asking myself who is my favorite photographer, and I still can't come up with who is my favorite. When I was first starting out I wanted to do nature and wildlife photography so I think the photographers who have most inspired me to start taking pictures were photographers like David Doubilet and other environmental and nature photographers at magazines like National Geographic. I have always enjoyed the beauty in their images. Now, I think I find inspiration here and there from different photographs at different times whether that be from the photographers I work with here in Baton Rouge and New Orleans or from images I have seen through NPPA's Best of Photojournalism, other contests or magazines. Like many other photographers, I also admire the work of Dorothea Lange and of course Ansel Adams.  

Crystal LoGiudice

Jim Richardson

Just like everyone else keeps writing, I find it hard to find my one favorite photographer.  So, I have picked a photographer that not only inspires me but is someone who I have been turning to for inspiration and ideas lately.  For the past 2 years I have dedicated much of my time to documenting my family farm in Kansas.

Jim Richardson is from Kansas and does a good deal of work on the land and lifestyles in Kansas.  I admire his dedication to his work and the amount of time that is spent researching.  I am consistently amazed by his ability to photograph something and present it in a way that I have not seen before.  For myself it has been one of the most challenging things that I have encountered while documenting my family farm.  Mainly in the sense that everything is so common to me and it proves to be difficult to see as something important or story-telling. Often times I will pass moments or scenes by without giving them a second thought.  However spending a lot of time observing Richardson's work, along with several other photographers, I have really began to see the moments and scenes from their work and relate them to what I am working on with my family farm.  This kind of observation has been incredibly helpful for me in developing my story and trying to present it in a new way.  

LL Cool J

trying to find my favorite image is a hard task for me, because around the time I finish retouching an image i usually hate it. even if i felt good about it before. i'm never very content with my work. almost all of what i do are portraits, very set up and always using strobes. and i'm excited to work in a journalistic style for eddie adams. i like breaking out of my little photographic box. this image can be my favorite image i've shot for now. they were shooting LL Cool J's video for the single off his new album, and i was there to get promo portraits of him. i ended up shooting while they were filming as well, and came up with this while they were in the gym, i think they had just finished a take. i have a weird feeling about this photograph because i didn't light it myself, i used the lighting from the film shoot. something about that seems weird to me because i'm used to meticulously setting everything up, so it kinda feels like i cheated making this image. but all cheating aside, i still like this image. so yeah. favorite photo i've taken. for now. it'll probably change in the next few months. but shouldn't it?

Pig Hunt

I took this photo earlier this year for a photo essay project covering my family farm located in North Central Kansas. Hunting and fishing has always been a large part of their lives. The man holding the knife and preparing to skin out the wild pigs is my father and the little boy, age 8, is the son of a family friend.

The reason this is one of my favorite photos is because I can relate to the little boy so well. Basically it just reminded me of myself at that age. Even though at this age I was too young to hunt, I was introduced at a young age what hunting was all about. My father always involved my brother and I in almost everything he did.

Also I enjoy the photo for its graphic nature and lighting.

cary herz

Bette Davis
New York City 1979
Photographed by Cary Herz


I have a pretty long list of photographers I admire and look to for inspiration (when I was in school everyone knew me as the girl with the stack of photography books towering over her head), but I can't say there is a single favorite.
The other week a friend of mine, Cary Herz, passed away after a long battle with cancer. She had a strong spirit and was always working on something new despite her difficult health issues.
In the early 70s she documented the women's movement and covered women in sports. She volunteered to photograph children in Guatemala before and after cleft palate surgery, and AIDS victims in Thailand. After a decade of research, her most recent book, New Mexico's Crypto-Jews: Image and Memory, was published chronicling the descendants of New Mexico's crypto-Jews.
Cary was always aiming to inform the world about people they might not know about. She was a great friend and will always be an inspiration.
"Don't ask so much what the world needs. Go out & do what makes you come alive; what the world needs most are people who have come alive."
---Howard Thurman: Theologian, Quaker, Author, Activist

Amelia Phillips

I can't say I have a favorite photographer, but I do find inspiration from a plethora of journalists. Most recently, I've been looking at a lot of Danish photographers. Eric Refner is one. A lot of the work I've seen from the Danes has been very refreshing after shooting for daily newspapers. There seems to be something so pure and raw about their work that intrigues me. They all seem to share a similar style (like many American photographers do).

There are a lot of Danish photographers featured here. Also, I'm motivated by a lot of multimedia work, especially MediaStorm. But I'm sure all of you have scoured their Web site. They worked with us during the DNC to produce an overall piece. Go here to see it.
I did a lot of the protest coverage.

Manufactured Landscapes

Damn these 'favorite' questions - it's quite tough to pin down one. But my stab at a favorite photographer is Edward Burtynsky. I only opened the door on his work about a year ago, but it continues to haunt me.

I studied landscape architecture, am active in the outdoors, love the sublime, but find the vast majority of landscape photography quite cliche. My photography evolved along those lines, and confronted that conundrum. Edward Burtynsky did as well - he saw himself as a Canadian looking north to this expansive primal landscape (as Americans sometimes look to the West) and he realized he could go on creating images bound for postcards and calendars or he could strive to develop thoughtful images that had something to offer the people of his time (here and now).

"Nature transformed through industry is a predominant theme in my work. I set course to intersect with a contemporary view of the great ages of man; from stone, to minerals, oil, transportation, silicon, and so on."

The conceptual and technical skill of his images are astounding. The concise and insightful way he speaks about his work is amazing. He skillfully straddles the line of art and documentary, repulsion and beauty, offers something insightful while adhering to photographic traditions. I could go on...

Sunset Over Alex Box Stadium

Choosing a favorite image is not easy for me. I really don't know if I have an absolute favorite image but I think this one is as close as I can get. 

There had been storms building around the area all afternoon, though it never rained, and as the sun started to set the colors in the sky were just beautiful. The image is also special to me because it reminds me of why I started shooting in the first place. When I first started shooting my goal was to capture the beauty of nature. Now of course my shooting interests has evolved to other things.  So it kind of combines the two things I love: nature (or weather depending on you want to look at it) and sports. 

-Crystal LoGiudice

Victory

The University of Texas baseball team celebrates their college World Series victory over the University of Florida at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb. 

Though its a fairly old image this one is one of my favorites. I love the expressions on each of the players faces and the shape of their bodies falling. 

Lurlena

caption: In her new dress in the back of the car on her way home from the Sturgeon Carnival, Lurlena cries, having lost the competition for Carnival Princess. The title was given to the girl whose parents bought the most votes, in an effort to raise money for the elementary school. The Furlongs, with a single income and five children, spent eight dollars towards tickets for Lurlena, but the loss is still tough for her to accept.

I worked for eight months with a family in Sturgeon, Missouri with no definitive story in mind-- just an irresistible connection to these people I met accidentally while out enterprising for the paper. The Furlong children-- six in all, including a cousin-- had a wild experience of childhood, completely free to roam their town of under a thousand residents, but were somehow, at various moments, solemn beyond their years. At the end of my time in Missouri, with a few weeks left of graduate school, their daughter Lurlena, 8, entered the Sturgeon Carnival Princess competition at her elementary school. I was there when she put on her new dress from Kmart, did her hair in a broken mirror near the doorway to their house, and while she competed. When she lost because her parents couldn't afford to buy enough tickets (what a terrible way to decide these things) I followed them all to the car. I love this picture because it represents the apex of intimacy I had with the family, and because it gets close to showing both how beautiful and how disappointing life might be for all of these kids. It says what I can't say about the heartbreaking part of their lives (though it's not all heartbreaking).

I truly loved this family, and will photograph their eldest son's wedding next year, when his girlfriend turns 18. It is an ongoing story that feels collaborative, and that's a great feeling as a photographer that I try and live up to with the stories I work on here in Jasper.

NoDak portrait

First off, I'm really excited to be immersed in intense photojournalism world of EAW as I don't normally operate there, though my work is documentary in nature.

I'm going to continue with our theme of picking an image that speaks to us now, rather than an all out favorite. I've been thinking a lot about environmental portraiture lately and I keep thinking about this image I made in February. I took this shot of a farmer in North Dakota while I was covering some adventurers and their snowkite traverse of North Dakota (promoting wind energy along the way). I've been focusing on editorial work and that story was published in Outside.

It's has a very quiet tone, and allows the viewer ample time to gaze. It's the light, the visual context, the texture on the subject mirroring the texture on the ground. It's slightly more formal, but occurred in the spur of the moment (while trying to capture the snowkiters with the last amount of light, I glanced over and saw an image I had to get - "Can I take your picture real quick? OK - stand there. Thanks").

I'm developing a project where I'd like to shoot more pictures like this and interested in the relationship that happens once you break the line of merely observing. Alec Soth comes to mind and I just came across a project by Jonas Bendiksen (Magnum) documenting people urban inhabitants in some of the most densely packed places on the planet.

from the magnum site:
"I love working on stories that get left behind in the race for the daily headlines - journalistic orphans. Often, the most worthwhile and convincing images tend to lurk within the hidden, oblique stories that fly just below the radar."
-Jonas Bendiksen

I'm going to go find more of his stuff now.....

Anarchy at the DNC

Like Keith, my favorites also change constantly to the point that it's hard for me to admit that something is my favorite. It all changes with my mood, mindset, food in my belly, hours of sleep, etc. So, I just looked through some of the photos I shot this past week during the DNC in Denver. I had spent some time building a relationship with a group of anarchists from Denver and spent the convention covering them as well as other protesters.

This image was taken on Monday night, during the protest with dozens of arrests. This is before the police pepper sprayed the group for the second time. During the second standoff I was between the line of police and the line of anarchists. As the standoff ensued, the sun burst through a gap in the buildings lighting a small portion of the anarchists with soft orange light.

I don't necessarily like this image because of certain 'elements' that people look for in photos but because of the way it makes me feel and how it relates to the feeling of that moment, the time before the 'war.' The guy in the center, looking straight at me, I feel has such a look of dismay. He looks lost being wrapped up in this but at the same time is at the front line of the anarchists.

Thanks for looking,

Tim

SLUGGISH IN THE TWIN CITIES

I promised all of you I would post since I am on your backs to do the same. It's been a rough week for me since I left Denver after covering the DNC to head to Minneapolis for the RNC. I have had about two hours of sleep a night for the last few days. 

We wanted to know what your favorite picture was and why. Well for me, that changes day to day. This week my favorites it the on below. I wanted to make a picture that captured the spotlight of the moment when Obama accepted the nomination. I like the backlighting. It may not be my favorite picture, but it's my favorite this week.

Cheers,

Keith