Star P (Philippe N.)

picturedept: The Cataracts by Andrew McConnell Here in The...

Thu, 31 May 2012 05:34:04 -0400

The Cataracts by Andrew McConnell

Here in The Cataracts, Irish photographer Andrew McConnell braves the rapids of the Congo River to document the amazing Wagenia fishermen going about their daily catch—a livelihood that goes back centuries. Andrew takes the viewer into the midst of this drama: he is literally in the churning water, and in some pictures captures the perspective of the fish being caught.

For some of the shots I used a waterproof housing so that I could get low in the water and get a different perspective. I didn’t use the housing when I was on the tolimos because it made shooting very difficult. And after a while I didn’t use it in the pirogues (wooden canoes) either because, even though we were navigating some heavy white water, I found that the fishermen were so skillful at steering through the rapids that I never felt worried about capsizing—in fact, I barely got wet. Much to my astonishment a fisherman would sometimes dive into a raging torrent and just as I’d be thinking, my God we’ll never see that guy again, he would pop up beside a pirogue 30 yards away.

Andrew has traveled extensively, and his work covers a range of subjects. His enigmatic portraits, called The Last Colony,” document Sahrawi refugees and won the World Press Photo award for Portraits in 2011. Surf’s Up in Gaza ran in Newsweek International and won the Society of Publication Designers award in the category for Feature: News/Reportage.

For Andrew’s full account of shooting “The Cataracts,” read an interview here. And visit our Tumblr’s page to watch a wonderful short film he made about this project.

SIGNAL BOOST: MEDIA IGNORE THEFT OF PHOTOGRAPHER’S WORK DOCUMENTING BLACK LESBIAN LIVES

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:15:49 -0400

SIGNAL BOOST: MEDIA IGNORE THEFT OF PHOTOGRAPHER’S WORK DOCUMENTING BLACK LESBIAN LIVES:

Painful. Really painful!

openforum2012:

Laura Reynolds

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:52:52 GMT

An award winning photographer who has devoted her working life to documenting the lives of black lesbians has had five years worth of her work stolen.

Zanele Muholi, described by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa as “one of the country’s foremost artists”, had more than 20 external hard drives stolen from her flat in Vredehoek, Cape Town on April 20.

The hard drives contain stills and video footage, including photos from the funerals of victims of homophobic hate crimes. It is thought that the burglars were targeting Muholi’s work, as little else was taken from her flat, and back up hard drives were also taken.

Muholi’s partner Liesl Theron, with whom she shares the flat, said that her possessions were left untouched, except for a laptop which was stolen, further fuelling belief that Muholi was the intended target of the crime.

The work taken had been captured across South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Malawi, according to the Cape Times. Also stolen was work due to be shown at an exhibition in July, which Muholi believes she will now have to cancel.

Despite the volume of work stolen and the imminence of the planned exhibition, Muholi’s plight has been largely ignored by the media. It is believed that the lack of publicity is due to the nature of her work, which shows a different side to the black lesbian community than that usually represented in the mainstream media.

“I’m not myself. I can’t even sleep at night since I’ve heard about the burglary,” the devastated Muholi told DIVA. She has appealed for anyone who knows the whereabouts of the hard drives to return them.

Queer photographer Del LaGrace Volcano said of the theft; “Zanele’s work is, in my not so humble opinion, some of the most important work being produced, not just in Africa, but anywhere. I consider her a dear friend and mourn the loss of her archive as if it were my own.”

Zanele’s supporters are fundraising to help her replace the stolen equipment. Donations can be made online at IndieGoGo.

The investigation into the burglary is ongoing, according to a police spokesperson.

via navigatethestream

eeloom: Moto-polo is fast-paced, with drivers revving their...

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:17:45 -0400

eeloom:

Moto-polo is fast-paced, with drivers revving their motorcycles to 45 miles per hour as players jab at the ball. “I play with no fear,” said Chameleon Ngirimana, above driving, one of the sport’s best players.

Read more.