Month: September 2019

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Photoville was definitely a nervewracking experience for me, primarily because I was surrounded by many people who knew how to use their equipment and I didn’t. I never visited Dumbo or went to any photo exhibition events before, so I didn’t know what to expect from going by myself. But despite my hesitance, I found myself captivated by the many photographers and their photographs being displayed. Most of the photographs were presented placed in large, shipping containers; however, once you stepped inside of them and saw how beautiful the photographs were, it made you feel like you were in a museum. The passion that was displayed in these photographs was captivating and you could really tell that the photographers love what they do: capturing places and people through a lens to tell a story.

One one of most eyecatching displays is this photo of a twelve-year-old soldier demonstrating how to use a weapon at a camp. I felt this photograph was thought-provoking and gives us an insight into what is happening in another part of the world because not everyone knows what’s going on. Many people tend to focus on their country or state primarily and not have any idea of what’s happening globally. The fact that a young teenager has to hold a gun and witness casualties, along with hearing bomb explosions is a lot to process. The risk of them having PTSD is high without proper help.

This photograph of a sixteen-year-old who lost a hand by picking up a landmine that he thought was a toy. The first question that was raised in my mind was ‘why were there landmines just laying around near homes or why were the citizens not notified about them?’ According to the photographers’ note, there were also three other children affected by the landmines, thinking they were toys for them to play with. Homes should not be war zones.

This photograph spoke to me through the contrast in the sky’s colors and the ground the boy stood on. This display was located in the photojournalism motivations and the photographer who took this photograph was ‘Gabriel Romero’. He explains that photojournalism isn’t a profession to him, but a lifestyle and one should put their heart into the process. To tell a story is to also take risks and remember that the photographs aren’t about you, but what you’re showing. I found this thought-provoking and inspirational because most of the time, people forget to put passion into what they do. Without passion, you can’t produce the perfect results you want.

 

Seven years in America and i have never been to Dumbo. Main reason for that is because i live in Long Island, so the commute is very time consuming to go there (Also, because i don’t know how to get there in Subway :D).

It was my firs time and i did like the Experience. Well, I chose photos featuring Lynsey Addario OF LOVE AND WAR. I chose these specific photos because of the emotions and message it represents. As Americans, we will look at it and show how much we “care” about our soldiers by saying “Thank you for your Service”.

But, we should also think, that  why are we putting our soldiers in these wars. Are we in it, because of the so called freedom, or we don’t know how to get out of Afghanistan now. The war which has been costing us billions/trillions along with the human cost. Do, we really need to be in it anymore? Folks, who make war decisions, needs to be questioned that our Military Budget is $700 Billion, still our veterans suicide. WHY?. Suicide of even one soldier related to economic or health issues exposes government’s hypocrisy. The pain in these photos should be felt, not just said in words.

Are soldiers just props to be used on political rally’s?

I visited Photoville on two occasions. The first time I, the professor introduced us to Ryan Jones, a photojournalist who has worked with the New York Times. Ryan has been covering the opioid epidemic for several years. His installation focused on his recent work in New York City. He talked about how to approach the story without exploiting the people in his images.

Pictures with people shooting up drugs and or under the influence can sometimes feel like exploitation. His pictures depict serene moments of compassion, regret, and accomplishments. Ryan also talked about journalism language that surrounds stories. he was careful not calling people, subjects or even using the word “shot” when it came down to snap pictures. He respected the wishes of the people he was covering. He mentioned that one person didn’t want their name attached to his pictures because she feared that in the age of the internet she would have trouble finding a job in the future once she got cleaned.

Another exhibition I enjoyed was the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality. This nonprofit advocacy organization wants to shine a light to the human rights violations and displacement of the Arab-Bedouin in Palestine. This project consisted of pictures taken the Arab-Bedouin woman.

Maryam Abu Al-Qian is one of the few women photographers who were able to attend this event due to the current immigration laws in the United States and Israel. She says that there are too many hurdles for people like her to travel abroad. Even if they are educated like her. Aside from the pictures, there is a video of a scuffle between Israeli forces and her community playing on repeat. She mentions is the day her cousin was murdered by an Israeli soldier. It becomes too hard for her to watch so we step out. All she can do is pray her village does not get displaced in the near future.

Tal Avrech is Jewish Israeli and one of the organizers of the project. She says that it is important for her a woman with a privilege to bring attention to this subject. Tal was surprised to find out this was happening in her country. Israeli education or the government don’t mention these type of incidents. It wasn’t until she traveled abroad that she learns about the huma rights violations that are happening in her native country. She hopes this gallery serves as a means to educate other Israeli Jews living in New York City as it did to her.

The second and last time I went to Photoville was to see “For Sama”, a documentary film about the war in Syria. This film was produced in 2016 as Donald Trump was taking office. The film follows Waad Al-Kateab, a freelance journalist and her husband, who happens to be one of the last doctors during the uprising in Aleppo.

At the end of the film, Lucy Wescott with the Committee to Protect Journalist(CPJ) conducted a Q&A with journalist and activist writing about Syria. This might have been the highlight of Photoville for me. It was a powerful film and an amazing panel. I hope to catch Photoville next year as these projects have raised the bar for my journalism career.

Notable Mentions: The Bronx Documentary Center.

Scores of people pour into Photoville for the final days of the infamous photo celebration. The displays were so many and so interesting that I had to visit twice to see just half of the collection. The collections of photos on display captured the true essence of life. Many of these pictures were so rich in nature they told a story by themselves. They were so interesting, diverse in quality and texture that they captured the attention of a highly diverse audience. No matter who you are, whether you’re interested in photography or not you are bound to find a display suited for your taste.

One of the most interesting displays for me was the “No Wahala” display Which displays pictures photographed by Adama Delphine Farwundu. Affectionately known as Delphine. Delphine is a Brooklynite with parentage from Sierra Leone and Guinea. She is a graduate of the Columbia University School of Fine Arts. This accomplished artist has been photographing hip-hop culture for more than twenty years. Her many awards include a Rema Hart Mann Emerging Artist Award. Delphine was really patient and took time out of her busy schedule to explain the essence of her work. She emphasized that her work is meant to capture the spiritual aspect of hip-hop culture. Her work features a wide diversity of hip-hop artists from all around the world (more information about her work can be found at www.delphinefawundu.com).

Delphine work sparks interest for both photo enthusiasts as well as curious onlookers. One of these curious onlookers is Miss Ayana Riviera. A Brooklynite whose Rastafarian hairstyle captured the attention of many photographers. Her interesting style seems to highlight the theme of hip-hop culture represented by Delphine’s display. In a quick drop-in, she graced the lens of my camera and fit perfectly in front of the backdrop of an exciting Photoville display.

Walking into Photoville, I wasn’t entirely sure what I would be in for. I’m rarely in Brooklyn and never go to DUMBO as it’s a pretty far trip from the Bronx. But as I walked in, I was greeted by friendly and welcoming staff who were more than eager to help me navigate the various booths and installations. And it was such a gorgeous day for it as well.  Walking through the event, there were so many interesting perspectives and stories being told I didn’t know where to begin.

The first set of photos’ that really caught my attention was Abbas Wiswall’s portraits of students in Bangladesh. As can be seen in the photos, the students are filled with such immense gratitude for being able to receive an education. The opportunities for education and social mobility is something people take for granted in richer countries and I thought it was really cool that he shed a spotlight on that. His use of the rule of thirds and layers really helped to make for some cool shots as well.

Covering a Crisis: Media Representation of Overdose in America featured some of the most personal, heart-wrenching and hopeful stories and photos at the event. Specifically, Monica’s story of being 2 years clean from a debilitating heroin dependency was particularly inspiring. In addition, Jordan Gales “It Is What It Is” journey from hard-partying to self-reflection and the portrayal of life in Cedar Rapids, Iowa was particularly poignant.  Something that impressed me is the photographers intent to not seem exploitative but come from a place of compassion. It’s important that they’re stories are told, so viewers can see that they’re real people behind the numbers and statistics shown in the media. They’re not just telling these stories but humanizing them as well.

 

 

 

 

 

Photoville was an extremely rewarding, insightful, and inspiring event. From the beautiful scenery to all the fascinating exhibitions displaying several esteemed photographers current pursuits, many gravitating towards raising awareness to many global issues the world faces today. There were also exhibitions that predominantly focused on photographers lifelong muses.

An example of such is Adama Delphine Fawundu’s incredible collection of hip hop legend photographs, diving back deep into the nineties as to what is considered the golden era of Hip Hop. Taking incredible photos of iconic rappers such as Busta Rhymes, Notorious BIG, Nas, T.I, and many more. What was more amazing was the ability to actually meet and conversate with  Adama. I got insight on as to how important networking is and how back then communication was key and the hustle was essential to be a successful hip hop photographer.

On the docket today:

• Go over how to post your photos and captions in Exposure.
• Finish looking at your scavenger hunt images.
• Talk about Photoville and some of the projects you chose to focus on for your assignments.

Exposure:

1. Select “Create your first story.”
2. Give it a title and subtitle.
3. Upload a cover photo.
4. Start adding photos and text. I recommend adding your captions AS text, not with a “caption” option.
5. If you leave “Group Title (Optional)” empty, it will disappear when you publish.
6. Add any links if relevant.

Upcoming dates:

Wednesday’s class 9/25: Production day on your photo essays

Monday 9/30: No class

Wednesday 10/2: Photo essays due by class time

Monday 10/7: Pitches due for radio stories.

Brooklyn exists in New York as a borough richly saturated with artists and artistic excursions that serve those with an itch for creation, innovation, and discovering new things. When arriving at Photoville this past Saturday, it was clear that the scene flourished with artists. Though, upon observation, people from all walks of life and interests came together at this event to observe and celebrate photographers and projects that they’ve been working on. While grazing the scene and visiting various storage containers that encased each artist, I fell upon two specific projects that intrigued me.

Robin Schwartz, a talented photographer and mother, showcased a series of photographs spanning most of her daughter’s life titled: Growing up Amelia. Schwartz’ project revolves around photographing her daughter with animals in order to emulate the connection we share with them and to state that animals have welcomed us onto this Earth and not the other way around. The photographs begin from Amelia as a small child to her currently as a young adult. The photographs captured raw and authentic encounters with Amelia and various animals, including a monkey, dog, and deer. Schwartz’ vision is not inherently linear and compartmentalized in the sense that some photos were spontaneous and candid and some were posed and directed. Though the photographs varied in terms of candidness, the translation of the connection between humans and animals stayed consistent and prominent.

The next project I found inticing was called ‘Waterkeeper Warriors’. The series showcases images of members of the Waterkeeper Alliance, an organization that unites over 300 waterkeeper groups around the globe that all contribute to fighting against environmental injustice and pollution. I found the series to be significant not only because the photographs were grabbing and raw, but also due to the fact that I felt their purpose was significant and brave.