Six Photo Essays, 20 November 2013
In case you missed them, here are six recent photographic essays I’ve read in the last few weeks, and reasons why you also should have a look.
Disappearing Cultures, Vanishing Tribes
I’ve an immense respect for those who make photographs and tell stories of people in a variety of locations. They’re at least a hint of, if not a spotlight on the human condition and our place in the world. Photographer Jimmy Nelson spent 3 years in atolls, deserts, jungles, mountains, and tundra all over the planet, and time with over 30 tribes under the threat of vanishing. We must ask ourselves: are these cultures worth saving? A small gallery appears in The Guardian’s Travel section; for more on Nelson’s photos and book, he has a website.
Queen of the Curve
Zaha Hadid’s architecture invokes either praise or criticism; her work is never short of commentary. It’s important to understand the reasons for her work, her vision, and how her life’s work arrived to a point in 2004 when she was the first women to be awarded architecture’s highest honour, The Pritzker Prize. Recently, in The Guardian’s Art & Culture section, Hadid was featured: “Zaha Hadid: queen of the curve”.
“In Love With My Planet”
Recently at a book store in Berlin, I found a copy of Sebastião Salgado’s latest work/opus. Over a period of years, he traveled to all corners of the planet to look for and photograph any and all remaining elements which seem almost timeless in nature. His latest work is appropriately called “Genesis” and a part of his work appeared earlier this year in a NY Times’ feature called “In Love With My Planet”.
Serious Gender Inequality in Nepal
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been “in love” with the large-format Lonely Planet book on Nepal by Richard I’Anson; his images are filled with colours, people, and the grand scale of the Himalayas. I know I’d like to see in person some of the world’s highest mountains, even at a distance. But thoughts of romanticism are tempered with another kind of reality, one which is often ignored. That’s the focus of the latest NY Times’ Lens photo-essay by Marie Dorigny: “High in Nepal, a Lowly Status for Women”.
Women Breaking the Rules in Nepal
Staying in Nepal, Spanish photographer Arantxa Cedillo met with and photographed several women who are breaking boundaries and “expected gender roles” in the country. Her portraits include ” … a former sex slave, an elephant trainer, a swimmer, and the first female pilot in the country.” Coburn Dukeheart wrote the following story for NPR News.
Simplicity of the Everyday
To end on a lighter note, Javier Pérez has taken everyday items to make creative sketches and themes. His story got covered on Petapixel here; his photographs will get you to chuckle. The maxim “simple is good” seems well justified, as his Instagram shows.
This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com
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2 Responses to “Six Photo Essays, 20 November 2013”
Awesome! I like to call myself an amateur photographer because I love to take photos and enjoy experimenting with my camera. Love your essay, makes things clear and gets me inspired even more to take nice photos and combine them with my [sometimes] extraordinary travels! Keep up the good work =)
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Hi, Milene. I’m glad you liked this post. At times, I’ve been posting on my FB page very interesting, sometimes curious, photo essays from around the world. I figured it was also a good idea to wrap up a few of those essays into a single monthly post here on my website, because I wanted to share the work by these great photographers. I’m not saying the photo-essays will be liked by all, but I am saying there are good reasons why they’re important. Thanks for reading, and for your kind comment, and yes, keep clicking away!
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