Rich-Joseph Facun: Darshana Ganga

There are a couple of images captioned "moksha" on Rich-Joseph Facun's Darashana Ganga gallery that are certainly disturbing, but the remainder of his gallery show us Varanasi and its streets at its grittiest, and being one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, it is a gritty city. This is a work in progress, and I suspect that more images will be forthcoming.

For centuries, Hindus have sought "moksha", the release from the cycle of life, death and reincarnation by dying in Varanasi or having their remains cremated on the ghats alongside the Ganges. Hindus from across India and beyond, often choose to live out their last days in this 5,000 year-old city.

Rich-Joseph Facun is a photographer based in Abu Dhabi, who specializes in documentary projects dealing with personal Independence, pursuit of dreams and the discovery of self-identity. He studied photography at the School for Visual Communication at Ohio University.

He documented the life of a Navajo family in 2001; a project that gained him a Pictures of The Year award. He was also named as one of PDN's 30 New and Emerging Photographers amongst other numerous awards. His work has been published by various publications ranging from The New York Tines to FADER magazine.

Amongst Facun's many galleries, I particularly liked Merchants of Main Street, a collection of very nicely toned photographed of stores from all over the USA.

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Posted in: India,Photographers: Photojournalists

WSJ Photo Journal: Pushkar Mela

Photo © Kevin Frayer/Associated Press-All Rights Reserved
The WSJ Photo Journal with a photograph by Kevin Frayer has reminded me that the Pushkar fair (or mela) is taking place from October 30 to November 2 this year. It is one of the world's largest camel fairs, and is held in the quaint town of Pushkar. At that time, hotel rooms and other accommodations are available at a hefty premium, especially at the venerable but ideally located Pushkar Palace.

While it's famed for its camels, the fair is also a marketplace for livestock including the reputed Marawri horses. It has recently become a magnet for tourists, both local and foreign, with tour agencies setting up itineraries centered around the fair itself as the main attraction. Photo trips also abound, since the camel traders, the sand dunes of the Thar Desert and the setting sun prove irresistible to photographers hoping to capture the Rajasthani essence.

Although a one-time-must-see event, the Pushkar mela itself has become a tourist event rather than a genuine tribal camel trading occasion. The actual trading itself takes place days before the start of the event, and by the time tourists arrive, most of the trades have been competed, and only the stragglers are left.

You can read my take on Pushkar fair in an early (and acerbic) post on this blog under the title "Reheated Itineraries".

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Posted in: India,Pushkar Fair

Coming Soon: Bhutan Galleries!

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
I'll be soon posting two galleries of some of my work made during my Bhutan Photo~Expedition a few weeks ago.

One is a multimedia photo gallery of Monks' Debates at the Kharchhu Sangha in Bumthang (which has already been seen by subscribers to my newsletter), while the other will showcase some of the dancers at the Jambhey Lakhang tsechu in Chamkar.

So watch this blog!

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Posted in: Bhutan,Photographers: Travel,TTP Show Off

My Work: Bhutan Monks, A Cat & TV

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
This photograph (click it for a larger version) was made at the Wangdichoeling Palace in Jakar, Bhutan. Built in 1857, it served as the principal summer residence of the first and second kings of Bhutan; Gongsa Ugyen Wangchuck (1862-1926) and Jigme Wangchuk 1905-1952). Virtually dilapidated, it is now occupied by monks and novices who use some of its rooms.

It's within a stone's throw from the Bumthang Amankora Resort, whose daily rate for a single suite is $1300!

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
This photograph (click it for a larger version) captured two novices clandestinely watching a Bollywood movie at the Chimi Lakhang. The temple is dedicated to Lama Drukpa Kuenley, who is colloquially referred to as the Divine Madman, and is popularly considered to be a temple of fertility.

Footnote: I'm immensely gratified to have been mentioned in Lou Jones' excellent Marketing Travel Photography: Portfolio and Identity on Photo.net.

Under the paragraph titled Editorial Portfolio, Lou writes:

"Take a look at Magnum’s David Allen Harvey online magazine. He has some of the best talent working in the genre represented on his web site. Tewfic El-Sawy’s thetravelphotographer.blogspot.com has a unique vision with his site."

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Posted in: Bhutan,Photographers: Travel,TTP Show Off

April Maciborka: India

Every now and then I stumble on a website that, to my mind, reaffirms the essence of what a travel photographer is, or should be, all about. So I hope you will agree that April Maciborka is one of those who carry that particular torch.

Her style, as evidenced by her various portfolios, matches my own visual philosophy: "travel photography meets photojournalism". Other travel photographers showcase lovely photographs of posed and smiling people...but that's not what this style is about.

The range of April Maciborka's work is certainly impressive. She seems to hail from Toronto but traveled and lived in South and Southeast Asia (as well As Africa) during the past four years, after graduating from Sheridan College with a degree in Photography. Her photographs have been published by American Photo Magazine, PhotoLife and PDN (where I first saw her work).

Take your time in exploring her many galleries and portfolios...it will take you quite a while. But if you prefer the type of travel photography in which ethnic minorities smile stiffly for the camera against the background of a perfect blue sky, you may want to look elsewhere.

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Posted in: Asia,India,Photographers: Travel

Mariela Furrer: Timket, Ethiopia

I'm often asked to lead a photo-expedition to Ethiopia and I always demur, citing the infrastructural difficulties (mostly in the South) of setting up such a trip, and the concomitant high costs. However, as can be seen in Mariella Furrer's Timket gallery, Ethiopia is one of the most visually and culturally magnetic countries in the world. These images bring back the emotions I felt when hearing the beautiful chants at dawn during the Timket festivities.

Mariella Furrer is a photographer and photojournalist who has lived in Africa her whole life. She attended the Documentary Photography & Photojournalism Program at the International Center of Photography in NYC, and has since been working as a freelance photojournalist based between Kenya and South Africa.

Mariella has been awarded grants from the 3P Foundation, France and the Hasseleblad Foundation, Sweden. She has received an Honorable Mention from UNICEF Photo of the Year 2005 and has been nominated for the Santa Fe Prize for Photography 2006.

Timket is the Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of Epiphany, and is celebrated on January 19 or 20.

For my own photographs of Northern Ethiopia, including those of my few days in Lalibela during Timket, drop by Footsteps in North Abyssinia.

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Posted in: Ethiopia,Photographers: Travel,Photojournalism

Canon 7D: Shadow Image?

Photographers seem to have discovered a flaw in the new Canon EOS 7D, which results in a shadow of the preceding frame showing up in the following image when the continuous shooting mode is chosen.

The flaw was confirmed by Canon in Japan and elsewhere. Canon announced that it "is currently investigating and analyzing the cause of this phenomenon, and we are planning to release a firmware update to address this issue."

Canon USA actually has this on its website:

In images captured by continuous shooting, and under certain conditions, barely noticeable traces of the immediately preceding frame may be visible. This phenomenon is not noticeable in an image with optimal exposure. The phenomenon may become more noticeable if a retouching process such as level compensation is applied to emphasize the image.

This just reaffirms the wisdom of never buying the first edition of any camera (or computer, for that matter). Waiting for the bugs to be discovered by the impulsive (or impatient) buyers always pays off for those of us who prefer to wait.

It should be said though, that as far as I've read so far, no one has been able to replicate this flaw in the cameras supplied for testing.

Update (November 5): Corrective Firmware from Canon is now here.

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Posted in: Hard Gear