August 31, 2012

Friday 31 August Round Up


This Friday's Round Up 

Features a couple of festivals I am very excited about, a new photography magazine for iPad, an interesting portrait project and the highs and lows of running your own photo agency. Click on the Friday Round Up Tab for this week's stories. 

Enjoy the weekend wherever you are!


Raining in Melbourne today, but am heading to the sun next week!
(C) Alison Stieven-Taylor




August 29, 2012

New Pro Photo - Hot Off The Press

The September issue of Pro Photo has just landed on my desk and the cover story is Fujifilm's X-Pro1 featuring my interviews with six photographers - Michael Coyne, Jack Picone, Megan Lewis, Christian Fletcher, Dan O'Day and Samm Blake - and their use of this fantastic retro style camera.


Fujifilm's New Blog Live Now

Fujifilm has launched a new website and blog for professional photographers. I have been fortunate to be a guest blogger for a number of stories featuring photojournalists Michael Coyne and Jack Picone, social documentary photographer Megan Lewis and others. 

Today the article I wrote on Timemachine is live. Timemachine is a quarterly online photography magazine published by Australian photographers Lee Grant and Sarah Rhodes. To read this story and others, please check out the Fujifilm blog here.

Copyright Lee Grant - Shot on Fujifilm X100



August 24, 2012

Friday Round Up

On today's Friday Round Up - fantastic bookshops housed in extraordinary spaces, 1970s photographer Carol Jerrems - A Celebration, an iPhone essay from Michael Christopher Brown shot in the DRC from Time LighBox and The 19th Noorderlicht International Photofestival Terra Cognita catalogue presale.  Click on the Friday Round Up page for all the information.

Bookstore Holland

























August 23, 2012

Editions Bessard - Photography Zines Collection


Boutique photography book publisher Editions Bessard in Paris has released a Photography Zine collection. Each Zine is a limited edition of 100 copies, and comes with a high quality coloured print signed by the artist.

To date Editions Bessard has released four Limited Edition Zines – Australian social documentary photographer Claire Martin was the first (see photo below). Pablo Ortiz Monasterio, one of the most influential artists in Latin America also features along with internationally acclaimed Australian photographer Max Pam and Zhu Mo, a young Chinese artist.

The Zines cost only 35€ and are an important addition to any collection. To purchase or find out more information please email Pierre Bessard at contact@editionsbessard.com

Claire Martin's Zine


August 22, 2012

Masterclass with Jack Picone & Stephen Dupont

AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN FROM THE MASTERS

I've just uploaded the first feature article for my blog (Please click on the Features Article tab above). This piece is on the Masterclass Workshops that are run by internationally renowned and award-winning photojournalists, Jack Picone and Stephen Dupont. Most recently the pair, along with visual journalist and multi-media specialist Ed Giles, ran an intensive six-day workshop in Luang Prabang, Laos...click here to read full story and see photographs.

August 21, 2012

A new view of high rise living

These houses are built on the top of an eight-storey shopping centre in Zhuzhou, China. Check out this photo and others from Time LightBox here

August 17, 2012

New Friday Round Up

You may notice I have a new tab on my blog - Friday Round Up. Today is the first post...please check it out - Friday Round Up

August 16, 2012

Join Darren Jew & Les Walkling on Orpheus Island Workshop

Award-winning underwater photographer Darren Jew joins artist, educator and photography master Les Walkling for the second time at this year’s year residential photography workshop on Orpheus Island September 30 – October 5. 
Les Walkling (below) has been running the Orpheus Island Residential Workshop for eight years. Last year Darren Jew joined him for the first time to run the underwater photography component – Orpheus Island is situated within the Great Barrier Reef marine park and provides an ideal location for underwater photography enthusiasts and professionals. 

This intensive Workshop is run over five days and held at the Orpheus Island Research Station where accommodation is limited to 40 guests.

“Each day commences with lectures, demonstrations and presentations, followed by hands on work after lunch and into the evening. Aspects of fine art printing, advanced editing, camera craft, raw processing, pictorial design, colour management, marketing and business planning are highlights of the workshop. Each year Les is supported by five very experienced tutors to ensure that the knowledge participants acquire is immediately translated into real-world imaging skills and new ways of seeing. The workshop also offers underwater photographers of all levels the opportunity to develop their skills in an unmatched creative environment. Certified divers* enjoy two days of quality diving led by Darren Jew and Divemaster Michael Cranfield, with additional boat trips to the outer Great Barrier reef, visiting Bramble, Trunk and Rib reefs, and other dive sites”.

* Minimum dive qualification requirement is Open Water Diver Certification. Tanks and weights are included in the package. Other personal dive equipment to be provided by the participants.

To book for the workshop please visit Orpheus Island Residential Workshop




August 09, 2012

Dying to tell the truth

According to a report commissioned by the International News Safety Institute (INSI) in the last six months more than 70 journalists have been killed doing their jobs.

"Journalists are more than ever in the cross-hairs of the enemies of freedom," said INSI Director Rodney Pinder. "Despite some encouraging international political moves to halt the murder, the gun and the bomb remain the favoured method of censorship in far too many countries. Each and every killing chokes the free flow of information without which free societies cannot function."

In a press release announcing the findings, it was revealed that "the great majority of news media deaths around the world are in peacetime. Forty-three journalists died in countries officially at peace, victims mostly of vicious criminals, often abetted by corrupt security forces, politicians and business interests. Most of the dead were shot or bombed, but some suffered appalling ends - beaten, tortured, strangled, stabbed or decapitated. The rate of impunity for murder of a journalists has remained constant at around 90 per cent globally for the past 10 years - undoubtedly fuelling more of the same. Scandalously, most of the killers of journalists continue to get away with it. In the first half of this year only one person was identified in connection with 47 targeted killings worldwide".

Please take a moment to consider the sacrifices that journalists and photojournalists make on a daily basis to report on events that impact all of us. Thank you.

August 07, 2012

Samm Blake on the X-Pro1

Here's the last post on the Digital Show interviews with photographers using the Fujifilm X-Pro 1...

Samm Blake, wedding photographer - “The more my subjects see of my face the greater the connection. It becomes a dialogue between us rather than a piece of machinery between our faces”.

“My style of wedding photography is very intimate, personable, and honest. I still use my DSLRs, but I also like to capture very quiet moments and the X Pro 1 helps me to achieve this because it is not as intimidating as holding a big camera up in front of someone.”

She continues. “I also use it a lot at the receptions where I am trying to get photos of people laughing and having a good time. With a big camera with a big flash they see you coming and give you ‘cheesy photo face’, whereas I go into more stealth mode with this camera. I get a lot more shots that I can use to tell the story of their wedding day in a more photojournalistic style”.

“There’s nothing I don’t like about it. It definitely takes you back to the roots of photography where we all started, that’s one thing I really, really enjoy about this camera. I find it really refreshing…shooting with a new camera that’s where I find new work,” Samm concludes.

Copyright Samm Blake 2012



August 06, 2012

Dan O'Day on the X-Pro1

Wrapping up my posts from my interviews at the Digital Show in Melbourne earlier this year photographer Dan O'Day talks about the ease of travelling with the Fujifilm X-Pro1, a fab little camera that has turned the market on its head...

Dan O’Day, fine art and wedding photographer - “When I’m travelling taking my digital SLRs out with me all the time is a real pain, but the X-Pro1 is very easy to carry so I am not missing out on anything”.

“Portability is a big thing for me travelling and working on my own projects, and this camera is so easy to carry around,” says Dan who is also impressed with the quality of the prints.

“The problem I’ve had with compact cameras before is that the files aren’t good enough for fine art prints. I really like the fact that I can get a serious body of work that I can put in a book or show in a gallery from this camera.”

He says the X-Pro1 is also a great asset with his wedding clients. “In a wedding environment I am using it for the ‘getting ready’ stages of the day and at the reception. The X-Pro1 is so unobtrusive and it is a nice way for me to ease in”. Below are some recent photos Dan took using this camera.



Copyright Dan O'Day 2012

August 01, 2012

Jeddah Diary - Olivia Arthur on Saudi Women

Magnum Photos Olivia Arthur's latest book, Jeddah Diary, gives viewers an insight into the private lives of Saudi Arabia's women. Behind the abaya and the headscarves are women who love fashion and hanging with their girlfriends. Arthur has taken the time to get to know these women over several visits, gain their trust and then capture their lives to give outsiders a more rounded view of a culture few of us know very much about. You can see more photos from Jeddah Diary at Daily Beast

Copyright Olivia Arthur 2012