Photo MA Show in Pingyao

Photo MA 2007 graduates showed their work at the Pingyao International Photography Festival in China. Here Boris Austin poses for a picture taken by Dalian Course Leader, D J Clark.

Canon Ruled by Marketing

Canon engineers held back by marketing department's "megapixel race" ...more

Photoshop CS4 Launches

"Adobe has confirmed that the anticipated update to its Creative Suite line of products will be launched later this month.

On 23 September, coinciding with the Photokina trade show held in Cologne, Germany, Adobe will release CS4, which is expected to include a series of new features to Photoshop.

The previous suite, CS3, was launched in April 2007 in six different editions....more

We can watch you but you can't watch us says Google

Google photographers claim at being photographed as they go about photographing everything on the planet? ...more

The Last 20 Years

Jean Francois Leroy the director of the Perpignan Festival talks about how photojournalism has chnaged over the past 20 years....more

A stunning new twist in the story of Capa's iconic war image

"The camera never lies. But photographers can and do
A stunning new twist in the story of Capa's iconic war image shows that authenticity is more than just an artistic criterion." ...more

New James Nachtwey Story breaking on October 3

Dalian Debate - The Future of Photojournalism?

Every year the Photo MA programme in Dalian, China invites experts from around the world to discuss a key issue relating to photojournalism. The Future Of Photojournalism? (The Multimedia Challenge) was held July 2nd 2008 with the following guests,

Chair: Professor David Campbell (Durham University)
Panelists: Dan Chung (The Guardian), Dirck Halstead (The Digital Journalist), Brian Storm (Media Storm)

A higher resolution version of the video plus an ipod downloadable version and free publicity pictures are available ...HERE

Adam Projects at Perpignan

Photo MA graduate Adam Dean had a projection of his Bhutto Assassination, Sichuan Earthquake and Burma Cyclone images on the large screen at Perpignan last week.

Also along with 4 other photographers from Bloomberg he got the Honorable Mention in the SOPA awards for his coverage of Bhutto's last few months.

Category: Excellence in News Photography
Honorable Mention: Bloomberg News - "Bhutto"
Comment: Stunning images, striking moments
...more

Media companies 'rely on NGO news'

'NGOs are increasingly responsible for international news reporting as media organisations shut down their foreign bureaux, according to a TV journalist-turned-academic.

Charlie Beckett, director of Polis, part of the journalism and society department at the London School of Economics, said dwindling investment in news reporting had left media companies increasingly reliant on NGOs for material'. ...more

Caroline Shows at Lourdes

Current Photo MA student Caroline Edge is showing her second term work on mediums alongside five french photographers in various venues including the Palacio and Chateau Fort in Lourdes, France. More info on the show ...HERE and on her blog.

BORDER COUNTRY by Melanie Friend

Image: The Visits Room, Haslar Immigration Removal Centre (near Portsmouth)
© Melanie Friend

The Well Gallery
London College of Communication
Elephant & Castle
London SE1 6SB

The exhibition runs until 24 October 2008
Monday – Friday 10.00 am – 5.00 pm

New Photography Journal Launched

Photography and Culture, a new academic journal is launched with issue one being offered free online. ...more

Forget The Megapixel Wars, The Lens Wars Are Here

"Photographers wary of the megapixel wars—the constant onslaught of higher-and-higher resolution cameras—might be about to get a break, as 20-plus megapixels become common. But it seems like a new war is brewing, and this one's going to be much more important for photographers." ...more

Sony Weighs into the Professional Camera Market

Sony launches 24.6 million pixel full-frame DSLR - Updated

Two years after the introduction of Sony’s first digital SLR, the Alpha 100, the firm completed its line-up with the launch of its flagship model – the full-frame Alpha 900. Olivier Laurent was in Edinburgh to test the camera. ...more

Leeson to Leave Dallas Morning News

"My business card will say filmmaker, but photojournalism is what I do," says Leeson, who joined The Dallas Morning News in 1984. One of the pioneers of video in the newspaper business Leeson believes that long term serious documentary projects sliced up into short videos for the newspaper sites is the way forward if serious photojournalism is going to survive. ...more

Video Postcards

For those who have never been, PDN supply a series of one minute videos on The Visa pour l'Image photojournalism festival in Perpignan, France. ...more

Latest on the Red Camera - Coming Soon!

"Not content with turning the movie industry on its head with a revolutionary (and controversial) high-resolution digital video camera, RED has upped the stakes with a second model -- and has revealed plans for a digital SLR still camera."...more

BJP International Photography Award

The British Journal of Photography is calling for entries to its fourth International Photography Awards – a juried competition with a total prize fund worth more than £13,000 ($25,000/€16,500).

This year photographers have TWO chances to win a Canon EOS 5D camera kit – worth £3250 – because we have TWO separate categories.

As in previous years, we are calling on photographers with A SUBSTANTIAL BODY OF WORK to enter their series. This winner will stage a solo show, printed by Spectrum Photographic, at a leading London gallery, plus the Canon EOS 5D camera kit.

But in addition, we’ve added a SINGLE IMAGE CATEGORY. The winner will show their image, also printed by Spectrum Photographic, at the same London gallery, and pick up a Canon EOS 5D camera kit.

Anyone of any country or any age can enter. We don’t dictate a theme. Entry is £20 (or $40 or €27) for the series category, and £5 (or $10 or €7) per single image. Deadline is 25 September 2008....more

Last year Mexican photojournalist Carla Verea won the IPA with a series on Guatemalan bodyguards. Image © Carla Verea.

"Ethics, I have no Ethics"

Bruce Geldon on the streets of New York "it's like a war zone" ...more

PDN Article on Working with NGO's

Current Photo MA student Charly Cox usefully pointed out this article. Although it is from 2004 it still seems useful for many photographers seeking contacts with NGO's ...more

Esquire 75th Anniversary Cover 'a Beginning'

"After months of anticipation, Esquire unveiled its 75th anniversary issue — complete with E Ink technology on the cover — this morning at Borders in Columbus Circle. In a cutout on the front, the words "The 21st Century Begins Now" blink in various configuration." ...more

0.5 Senior Lecturer in Photography Practice

LCC are offering a photography 0.5 post for anyone interested ...more

MA In Newsweek

Newsweek mention's the Dalian MA programme in an article about Chinese students taking Arts courses at UK Universities....more

Nick Danziger Covers the food crisis in East Africa

Photojournalist Nick Danziger travelled to East Africa to cover the food crisis and talks to ITN about his experience ...more

Superhero Photographer

Video of photographer talking through the process of putting on a Superhero exhibition in Covent Garden and printing a book. ...more

Blenkinsop wins Visa d'Or News for Earthquake Coverage

"Philip Blenkinsop has won the Visa d'Or News awards at Perpignan's photojournalism festival for his reportage of the China earthquake.

The emotional announcement was made on a Perpignan street after the official award ceremony was rained off. Jean-François Leroy, Visa Pour l'Image's director, went directly to Blenkinsop at the Le Divine restaurant where the Noor photographer was dining." ...more

Jehad Nga at the Frontline Club

Jehad Nga showed his work and spoke with BBC Africa correspondent Rob Walker Friday evening (5 September, 730pm) as part of a series of conversations about Somalia at the Frontline Club. The talk can be viewed HERE ... (62 minutes).

World In Focus Competition

Travel Photography competition with deadline of 8th September....more

Plus just in Expose Your World competition ...more

Freelancers hostage in Somalia

"Four media workers have been held hostage by an unknown group roughly 12 miles (20 kilometers) west of Mogadishu. Freelance journalists Amanda Lindhout, Nigel Brennan, and Abdifatah Mohamed Elmi, along with driver Mahad Clise, were returning from interviews with Somali refugees at Celasha Biyaha when they were kidnapped along the Afgoye-Mogadishu road. The Australian Federal Police and Australia and Canadian diplomats are working with the Somali government to help with hostage release efforts". ...more

Mark Seliger Speaks on Video

Mark Seliger speaks about his work at Vanity Fair ...more

Sense of Place

“A Sense of Place”
Location based workshop 8th to 14 September 2008.
Saddleworth museum and art gallery Uppermill.

Overview
A series of workshops with intended outcomes of an exhibition, a multi-media presentation and a publication within a week.

Aims
Involvement and collaboration of MA students in a community based project.

Outcomes.
Exhibition – starting with the work done by MA photo students of this years Whit Friday band competition- the exhibition will be developed over the week by the addition of the landscapes and portraits produced in the workshops. Text and poems will also be added.

Presentation – all the work will be edited and produced as a multi-media presentation to be projected at the weekend- possibly to the accompaniment of a local brass band.

Publication- this is the most ambitious aim of the week- to produce a book in 5 days. All the words and images will be edited to form a coherent narrative of a sense of place.

The Workshops

Words and Images
Monday 8th Sept 10-1700
Led by visiting Professor Ian McMillan an exploration of the relationship between words and images – with reflections on dialectic poets and their contributions to a sense of place. An analysis of their interpretations of the communities and landscapes they wrote about.

The Land
Tuesday 9th Sept 10-1700
Led by Ian Beesley – as a response to and collaboration to the poems of Ian McMillan and Ammon Wrigley. A days location shooting – Saddleworth on the edge of the Pennine moors and Peak district contains some of the most dramatic and emotive landscape in England.
Workshop will include a large format session.

Book design
Weds 10th Sept 10-1700
Led by Ian Beesley and Terry Speake - Editing words and images to form a coherent publication. Basic design and layout structure and style. At the end of the day we hoped to have created a PDF of the majority of the book.

Portraits
Thursday 11th 10-1700
Led by Ian Beesley – AM. Large format studio portraits
By Invitation a selection of Saddleworth subjects to be photographed
PM action portraits working with a local primary school, football/rugby team plus any willing volunteers a series of action portraits based on Phillip Halsman Jump photo book.

Multi-media
Friday 12th 10-1700
Multi-media presentation editing/construction of a narrative
Led by Ian Beesley.
Book goes to print – exhibition fettling etc.

Book Launch (possibly)
Saturday 13th 1400-1600
Book launch –projection of multi-media

Media Storm and RockyMountain News Cover Democratic Convention

At the Brain Storm workshop in Dalian, July 2008, Storm told Photo MA students he was hoping to start covering major events with Media Storm. The Democratic convention is the first MM of its kind and can be viewed online HERE