Conrad Louis-Charles: Brazil

I met Conrad Louis-Charles at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Mexico City, he briefly described his background, but it wasn't until I returned that I discovered his work, and that the adage that still waters run deep is certainly true in his case. Conrad is an independent photographer and cameraman currently based in Philadelphia and Sao Paulo in Brazil. He worked with various corporate clients, and he specializes in travel, documentary and editorial photography...making him a perfect candidate for the pages of TTP. He's represented by Getty Images. His website showcases work from mainly Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Brazil. However, I was impressed by his Work-In-Progress gallery, which has a large number of his sensitive photograph of religious rituals and pilgrimages in northern Brazil. I'm not too fond of mixing color and black & white photographs, but Conrad kept the color photographs bunched together on his gallery, so it's not really mixing. Explore his other galleries as well, and compare his Haiti work to that of the earlier post.

Business Day Thursday: Is Professional Wedding Photography Dead

Priests, Ministers, and Rabbis have just about had it with wedding photographers - that is - since the advent of digital. Last week, we were having dinner with a group of photographers from the Lexington, Kentucky area. The subject of weddings came up, and then things really took off. One of my buddies made a remark about many of the churches in the area were instituting much stricter guidelines for wedding photographers because of the gross miss-conduct of so many of the new breed of shooters. Folks, those are their words, not mine.

Let me also be clear at this point, that I am not referring to the majority of shooters out there. Most of us know what we are about and are constantly trying to do our best job for our clients. I'm referring these comments to a much smaller element of wedding photographers whose non-professional roar is having an impact on our businesses.

Here is the story - it's scary, makes me embarrassed for my profession on one hand, and angry on the other. The photographer shoves the minister out of the way to get the shot of the bride and groom exchanging rings. Another minister sees a wedding photographer crawling along the floor on his elbows "marine like" getting in position next to the wedding couple to get his shot from the floor. Rabbi's are complaining about obnoxious behavior from photogs at wedding ceremonies. Photographers dressing in a less than professional outfits. These are not made up incidents. I have personally been told these stories from clergy I have worked with here in Cincinnati, Ohio.

What is happening these days? In so many cases it's a total lack of professionalism from a newer crop of so called professional photographers that think it's more important to get the shot at the cost of total disrespect and irreverence to the location, the Priests, Ministers, and Rabbis, the guests and wedding clients. Well, they've got it all wrong. They should be kicked out of the church and in many cases the churches are setting policies that will cause that to happen. The down side is that the clergy are lumping true professional photographers into this same insidious group of non-professionals.

So many of these photogs see themselves as the "artiest" and heck be darned if they can't get their shoot. What's the problem here? The problem is clear - it's about the photographer and not about the client, the event, or the location. My suggestion to those photographers - leave your arrogance at home and perform your job with the professional manner it demands. If that's a problem for you, change jobs - we don't need you or want you in a profession that always has demanded the best professional demeanor possible.

We need to interact with all sorts of personalities on the wedding day - from a stressed mom, frazzled bride, nervous groom, etc. and it behoves us to be the physiologist of the day helping it be a wonderful occasion for all concerned. If we take on a self-centered attitude like we are the most important person of the day, we are taking the non-professional approach to the shoot.

We always need to be looking at the big picture and working diligently and pro-actively to make the day go the best for all involved. And, wait there's more, we need to leave the affair with the most positive impression of ourselves with all other professionals in which we interact with during the wedding day. That means no arguing with the bridal consultant, no removing of floral arrangements, no flashing of the videographer, no removing of the church lady into the closet...... Is there anybody other than me that thinks that might be good for business? I hope so.

I once had an event in a church only hours after another photographer had worked in the same location. As per my custom, I checked in with the priest at the rectory and when I met him, I was "reamed a new one" if you get my drift. He proceeded to tell me how the previous photographer had brought his little dog into the church to accompany him with the shoot. I was horrified. The minister was fit to tied.

I wish I could find the issue of Cincinnati Magazine featuring the wedding pros in the city. Florists got a good wrap, jewelers got a good wrap, but wedding photographers were referred to as overbearing and obnoxious. Can anybody else see the writing on the wall? It's too bad we have this "element" operating in our profession. We must constantly guard against it in our own behavior, and continue to remain a true professional to the core.

How does the true wedding professional counter such an ugly wedding photographer's impact in our market. I suggest being totally pro-active in approaching the Priests, Ministers, and Rabbis in your community. When we book a wedding in a certain location, then let's contact the Priests, Ministers, and Rabbis and coordinators, and notify them that we are going to working there in the upcoming months. Send a PR packet guaranteeing your professional behavior/decorum. It should list who you are, your list of credentials and references - be sure to include references from other priests, ministers, and Rabbis, too. It should spell out your commitment to working with and respecting the location where you are working and the people you will be working with. You get the idea. This assures and relieves the churches of some of the angst they have built up against some of these "jerk" photographers.

Folks, this is an important issue and we all need to stay vigilant in stemming the negative tide of what is happening in our recent times in wedding photography. It's always about being a true professional all the time - no exceptions. Take a peek at this nicely written article on the same point with many suggestions on how to conduct ones' self during a liturgy. Here is the link right here.

Uraguay Here I Am

Uraguay--what a place. My perceptions of this country--one where I've always wanted to go--are vastly different than how this country really is. Getting there in a ferry was a comfortable snap. I rode from Buenos Aires to Colonia, a quaint little town just an hour away. When I walked on the boat a huge lobby with a fully supplied duty free shop shocked me--this was by far the most luxurious ferry I'd ever seen. I felt like a passanger on Carnival Cruise line when my feet were cushioned as I walked on the red carpet. When I lined up for the full course meals from which you could choose in a large serving area, it was not the sight of the food, but the smell that made feel I was in a country kitchen. After I saw Colonia and now that I'm in Montevideo, I've found out my perception of places I've never been aren't usually valid. I can confirm that my mind was full of it. It being sterotypes of South Americans and false assumptions of modern South American life. My Perceptions of Uraguay 1. Third World 2. Poor People 3. Cars from the 50s and 60s like they drive in Havana. 4. No good coffee or coffee shops 5. Rough-and tough neighborhoods noone would want to walk through The Reality of Uraguay 1. Awesome colonial architecture 2. Mid and early century cars, but not used for driving, instead, they are used as flower pots and outdoor sculptures. 3. Food as good as, if not better, than any European country 4. Cheap, but not as cheap as Buenos Aires. 5. Beautiful landscaped downtown and neighborhoods (okay, not all of them, but many)

Frederic Courbet: Lamu (Kenya)

To highlight the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop starting in Mexico City this coming Monday, I will focus this week's The Travel Photographer blog posts on various photojournalists and their work. I start off with the work of Frederic Courbet, a Belgian freelance photographer currently based in Nairobi, Kenya. His biography tells us that he started work in Africa 4 years ago, and had had ihis images published in The Guardian, The Mail on Sunday, Der Spiegel, The Observer and other international publications. He has also worked for various NGOs including CARE in Nairobi. Courbet is represented by the London-based Panos Pictures. I liked Courbet's imagery...and his galleries are well worth spending time on. For instance, look out for the wonderful image in his Somalia gallery of a multi-colored tent and clothes hanging in the wind. However, my favorite are his photographs of Lamu in Kenya. I didn't know that Lamu is Kenya's oldest living town and port, and was one of the original Swahili settlements along coastal East Africa. It has existed for at least a thousand years, and was an important center of the slave trade. The town's architecture is a mix of African and Islamic styles with inner courtyards, verandas, and elaborately carved wooden doors.

Kate Orne: Pakistan Brothels

To highlight the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop starting in Mexico City this coming Monday, I will focus this week's The Travel Photographer blog posts on various photojournalists and their work. This is the second in the series. Kate Orne is a New York-based photographer who worked amongst the neediest people in Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past seven years. Her mission was to use her craft to fight against indentured slavery and to support the wellbeing of women, children and animals. She worked on several essays on indentured laborers in South East Asia, on victims of domestic abuse, on Kabul orphanages where children lack basic facilities, maternity wards without basic care and imprisoned women. Her website has a number of galleries, documenting the brothels in Pakistan, the maternity hospital and orphanage in Kabul, refugee camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the red light district in Mumbai. I thought her work on the brothels in Pakistan as her most powerful and thought-provoking, as it highlights the paradox that exists between the sex industry and Muslim fundamentalism in this part of the world.

Succulent with Light Purple Flowers

These purple flowers can carpet areas near the beach all over California. They're flowers of a succulent plant, which I don't know the name of. Some of these succulents have bigger flowers that are yellow. If anyone has more info on these succulents, please comment. This photograph is part of a larger one that I cropped out. The picture was taken with a Canon 5D with a Canon L series 24-105mm lens.

"Starry, Starry Night"

"Starry, Starry Night"

This image is a variation on a theme from Wednesday post. The late evening, a cool breeze, crickets chirping everywhere. It's getting late, almost time to turn in. What does the image say to you? Read the post below to see why it was made. Be sure to view the image in it's larger version by clicking on it to see the stars in the sky. Camera specs - same as Wednesday - Nikon D1X fitted with Tamron 24-135mm lens at 24mm, F4.5 @1/60 second, ISO 400.