Magnum Blog

The Future of the Magnum Blog

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:55:49 -0500

Dear Magnum Blog readers,

In recent weeks we have been working behind the scenes on new interactive channels for the Magnum Photos website. One of the main focuses is building stronger community portals and creating a more engaging experience with our website. The greatest asset of Magnum is the high standards of quality in regards to our content, and showcasing this work on the blog can be very limiting, so as an online destination we want to offer more to our audience and build a strong community portal. We would like to bring you better ways to view new work and engage with it on a regular basis so we will be reformatting the blog and building coherent photographer channels to integrate the community with activities beyond blogging and we are looking forward to a more productive and mutually beneficial discourse. While we do this we ask for your patience and understanding. Soon there will be so much more for you to enjoy on our website.

We will be leaving our blog archive online but for now you won't see any updates until we launch the new platform. For up to date news on Magnum and Magnum events follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our newsletters.

First Impressions: Portfolio Review London

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:42:18 -0500

Be prepared to make your best First Impression at this unique portfolio review with Magnum photographers.

First Impressions will provide keen amateurs and emerging professionals wishing to take the next logical step in their careers with an honest evaluation and critical analysis of their photographic work. Reviews will be 20 minutes each with a 5-minute changeover period. Each participant will be reviewed by 3 different Magnum photographers and you will be able to state your preference of reviewer in the application process (review organisers reserve the right to allocate the times of each session). Reviewers will be Christopher Anderson, Stuart Franklin, David Alan Harvey, Costantine Manos, Susan Meiselas, Mark Power, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Larry Towell, Alex Webb and Donovan Wylie.

Live Questions & Answers with Paul Fusco on Twitter

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:05:07 -0500

USA. A portrait of Magnum photographer Paul Fusco editing photographs. © Paul Fusco/Magnum Photos

After our live interviews with Bruce Gilden, Larry Towell and Peter van Agtmael on Twitter we have another exciting Twitterview coming up this Thursday.

Paul Fusco will take your questions for an hour. Check out his Portfolio page, his moving Magnum In Motion essay "Chernobyl Legacy", "Bitter Fruit" or any of his major features and prepare some questions. Make sure to use #fusco somewhere in your Twitter message as this is the only way for us to see your questions.

Where: Magnum's Twitter Page
When: June 4, 2009
Time: 10:30am EDT
Hashtag: #fusco

The Young Photographer in the Caucasus Award

Wed, 27 May 2009 09:51:52 -0500

The June 15 deadline for the for the 2009 Young Photographer in the Caucasus Award from the Magnum Foundation is not far away. The Award, with a $5000 first prize, recognizes outstanding documentary photography on a matter of social importance by a young photographer living in the Caucasus region.

Eligibility
The Award program is open to all photographers born after June 1, 1975, living in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Republics of the North Caucasus in the Russian Federation (Daghestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, North-Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karatshaevo-Tsherkessia, and Adigey Republic) and the Russian Federation regions of Stavropol Krai and Krasnodar. Existing United Nations standards on nationality and borders will be utilized for purposes of determining eligibility.

Submission Requirements
Applicants must submit up to twenty (20) images from a single documentary project situated in the Caucasus (as described above) in digital format, together with a one-page written statement (in English, French, or Russian) describing the project and providing a short biography and the contact information of the photographer.

All entries must be submitted using this form or sent to the Magnum Foundation, c/o Magnum Photos, 19 rue Hegesippe Moreau, 75018 Paris, France, and received by June 15, 2009. Please note « Caucasus Award » on the envelope.

Judging
A short-list of entries will be reviewed by a jury composed of the members of Magnum Photos in late June 2009. The jury will propose a winner and two honorable mention recipients to be confirmed by the Board of Directors of the Magnum Foundation. The winner and honorable mention recipients will be notified by the Magnum Foundation by telephone or email and will be publicly announced at an awards ceremony in Tbilisi, Georgia, on September 19, 2009.

Award
In addition to the $5000 first prize to support an ongoing documentary project, the winner will receive a statute presented by a Magnum photographer at an awards ceremony held in Tbilisi, Georgia, on September 19, 2009.

The portfolios submitted by the winner and honorable mention recipients also will be featured on the Magnum Foundation’s website and projected at the Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie in Arles, France, and at an R.I.P. Arles-Tbilisi event in Tbilisi, Georgia.

» Detailed information and submission requirements

Detroit: The Troubled City

Wed, 06 May 2009 10:35:11 -0500

Photographs from Bruce Gilden's Magnum In Motion essay "Detroit: The Troubled City". © Bruce Gilden/Magnum Photos

My work on foreclosed homes in Detroit has actually been a continuation of a project that started in Fort Myers, Florida in September 2008. For me the major concentration of the work is on the houses or what’s left of the houses. I chose to photograph them mostly straight on like my street work in a very blunt fashion. To let the houses speak for themselves.
After going to Florida and continuing in Detroit I realized that foreclosure is one part of a circle. There is homelessness, job loss, economic difficulties, etc, etc, etc. In Detroit the problem is not only a subprime problem it’s a problem of people who lost their jobs. And this has been going on for many years. So it’s a much more serious situation. When I went to Detroit - even though I had known that the city was pretty desolate - I was amazed that a major city in America in 2009 can look like this.

Certain areas look like Berlin after World War II or like Beirut. Something is wrong here. Recently I have read books and articles and watched television shows on the foreclosure problem. How can you have a trillion dollar industry that’s not regulated? This was a scam from the beginning - that’s not to say that some homeowners aren’t at fault also, one of the problems is giving mortages to people who have a history of no credit or of bad credit. A big problem in Detroit was people refinancing their morgages and not being able to keep up with their monthly payments. Something is very wrong with a policy like this. But when I arrived in Detroit I saw a city government that does not take care of its people and a lot of those people have stopped caring. I mean I don’t care what the excuse is - how do you leave so many buildings that are almost totally destroyed standing. Kids can get hurt playing in them, it’s a breeding ground for drugs and prostitution. Property values go down, nobody wants to live in these areas, To me it almost seems like they are left standing so that one day they drive everybody out and grand new subdivisions can be made.

What was really sad for me in Detroit was that many of the destroyed houses were well made and beautiful houses at one time, they were like Grande Dames. Detroit at one time had the highest standard of living for blue collar workers because of the auto industry. It’s all gone. This makes the destruction even sader, it’s not like a dilapidated trailer in ruins. There was an elegance here - the houses were beautiful - it’s so sad. There were serious memories in these houses, people lived there for 50 - 70 years. When these houses were built there was pride in craftsmanship and you saw it in the houses. It’s sad.

Links
» Bruce Gilden's Magnum In Motion Essay "Detroit: The Troubled City"
» Bruce Gilden's Magnum In Motion Essay "Foreclosure"
» Bruce Gilden's Magnum Portfolio
» Bruce Gilden's Books (Signed from the Magnum Store)
» Bruce Gilden's Magnum In Motion Essay "Coney Island"
» Bruce Gilden's Magnum In Motion Essay "The Rat Story"
» Bruce Gilden's Magnum In Motion Essay "Fashion Magazine"

Where were you on June 8th, 1968?

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:32:36 -0500

On Saturday June 8th, 1968 the body of Robert F Kennedy was carried by a special Funeral Train from Penn Station in New York City to Union Station in Washington DC.

Bobby Kennedy’s last words before he lapsed into unconsciousness after he was shot in Los Angeles on the night of June 5th, 1968 were: “Is everybody alright?”

Oscar winning documentary maker Jon Blair is starting work on a ground-breaking documentary based on the memories of those who watched RFK’s funeral train go by. The film will be focusing on the extraordinary photographs taken from the train by Paul Fusco, combined with interviews with some of the tens of thousands of Americans who lined the tracks.

We recently spoke with Francisca Fuentes, the researcher for the project, to learn more about the film. She had this to say:

Announcement: Your Magnum Edit competition winner

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:12:39 -0500

I am pleased to announce that the winning edit in the 'Your Magnum Edit' competition was Edit #3 from Raabia Wazir. Raabia will be receiving a set of vintage Magnum Photos posters including one signed by Elliott Erwitt. Her edit will also be used to create a Magnum In Motion video essay and she will be able to participate in the production of that video.

The criteria for the contest was to make an edit of 10-14 images from the Magnum archive based on the following quote:

"A man's face is his autobiography. A woman's face is her work of fiction." - Oscar Wilde

01: © Richard Kalvar, 02: © Martine Franck, 03: © Chien-Chi Chang, 04: © Elliott Erwitt, 05: © Guy Le Querrec, 06: © Bruce Davidson, 07: © Philip Jones Griffiths, 08: © Constantine Manos, 09: © Alex Majoli, 10: © Elliott Erwitt

Congratulations Raabia!

Studio Visit at Alec Soth's

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 02:12:29 -0500

inside the photographers_studio from andrew hetherington on Vimeo.

Mr. Jackanory (Andrew Hetherington) recently visited Alec Soth's studio in Saint Paul, Minnesota to film the fourth episode of his "inside the photographers_studio" series. Originally posted on Whats the Jackanory.

Your Magnum Edit: The Three Finalists

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:12:58 -0500

UPDATE: Voting has now ended for the contest. We will tally the votes and announce the results tomorrow afternoon, 21 April 2009. Thank you to everyone that participated.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The three finalists of our first photo editing contest are in. The criteria for the contest was to make an edit of 10-14 images based on the following quote:

"A man's face is his autobiography. A woman's face is her work of fiction." - Oscar Wilde.

Our panel of Magnum photographers and staff members selected the edits of Chuck Fowler, Michael Fazio and Raabia Wazir as our finalists. Now it's up to you to vote for the winner. The winner will receive an amazing set of vintage Magnum poster prints, including one signed by the legendary Elliott Erwitt.

Take a look at the edits and vote for your favorite. Voting will close at 12noon EDT, Monday April 20th 2009.

Edit 1 by Chuck Fowler:

01: © Christopher Anderson, 02: © Martin Parr, 03: © Bruce Gilden, 04: © Constantine Manos, 05: © Jean Gaumy, 06: © Alessandra Sanguinetti, 07: © Bruce Gilden, 08: © Alessandra Sanguinetti, 09: © Alex Majoli, 10: © Patrick Zachmann, 11: © Ian Berry, 12: © Paolo Pellegrin, 13: © Bruce Gilden, 14: © Stuart Franklin

Edit 2 by Michael Fazio:

01: © Bruce Gilden, 02: © Elliott Erwitt, 03: © Bruce Gilden, 04: © Bruce Gilden, 05: © Richard Kalvar, 06: © Bruce Gilden, 07: © Richard Kalvar, 08: © Henri Cartier-Bresson, 09: © Peter Marlow, 10: © Eve Arnold, 11: © Peter Marlow, 12: © Martine Franck, 13: © Philippe Halsmann

Edit 3 by Raabia Wazir:

01: © Richard Kalvar, 02: © Martine Franck, 03: © Chien-Chi Chang, 04: © Elliott Erwitt, 05: © Guy Le Querrec, 06: © Bruce Davidson, 07: © Philip Jones Griffiths, 08: © Constantine Manos, 09: © Alex Majoli, 10: © Elliott Erwitt

New Competition: Your Magnum Edit

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 09:30:00 -0500

The photographer Elliott Erwitt. Photograph by Marion Wedekind. 1991

UPDATE: Contest is now closed. Thanks to everyone that entered. We will post the results next week and the finalist will be notified.
______________________________________________________________________

It's time for a new competition on the Magnum Blog! This time, we ask you to be a photo editor. The competition's theme is a quote and we want you to dig into our archive and create an edit of 10 to 14 images that illustrate the following quote.

"A man's face is his autobiography. A woman's face is her work of fiction." - Oscar Wilde

Think about sequencing, about the flow of your edit, about what it says and how it illustrates Oscar Wilde's quote. Be creative, give your best. The final winner will receive an amazing set of vintage Magnum poster prints, including one signed by the legendary Elliott Erwitt.

Once you are sure about your edit go to this form, enter your Name, your E-Mail address and the image numbers of your edit in the order you would like them to appear. (Image numbers appear to the right of the image in the following format: PAR12345, NYC12345, LON12345, etc.)

The deadline for your entries is Friday, April 10, 2009 at 12pm EDT.

A group of Magnum photographers and staff will then select the three best and most creative of your edits. We will feature those three finalists on the blog and our blog viewers (yeah, that is you, you and you) will be able to vote on their favorites. The edit with the most votes will win the prize.

It's as simple as that, it's fun and a good practice for your editing skills. Start editing now!

Getting too close?

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:12:54 -0500

When I am asked about my work, one of the questions that often comes up is 'How much difference does it make that I am a woman?' And I have to agree that it does make a huge difference, that plenty of the situations I have been in would not have been accessible to a man, or if a man had been present the atmosphere would have been very different.

Right now I am working in Saudi Arabia and for the first time, in a strange contradictory way, it seems actually to be a disadvantage to be able to get so close. I will try and explain...

Much of society here is still deeply conservative and lots of places and events are segregated, including weddings where two separate wedding parties are held. So when you are invited to a gathering at someone's house, all the men are kept away so that it can be a women- only event. As the women arrive they take off their abayas (the long black gown all women have to wear here), their headscarves, and niqab (the face covering that many also choose to wear) to reveal fancy clothes underneath. But, they only do this because there are no men present and so taking photographs for anything other than personal use is strictly forbidden. At wedding halls they even ban cameras altogether from the party because, due the ease of sharing digital photographs, there is a fear that men might see pictures of the women uncovered and dancing.

If a man turns up at an all-women gathering, everyone will grab something to make sure that they are suitably covered for the eyes of men. This happened every day at the photography workshop that I was giving when the male caterers came in to bring the lunch. Any pictures taken at other times during the workshop would have to be for personal use only.

This led me to the strange conclusion that it would actually be easier to be taking photographs as a man, because that way you could be sure that the women were covered as much as they would want to be for the eyes of men (there are also some women who don't choose to cover their clothes and their hair in mixed company). As a man the limits are clearly defined, but for me the lines between my personal and professional relationships with the women I meet are blurry.

Not wanting to abuse the trust of the women who have allowed me to see into their private world, I am faced with an unusual dilemma of how to take pictures of it.

Magnum Awards and Submission List

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:34:37 -0500

It seems as though we keep posting about a new award or submission every few days so I thought it would be a good idea to create a handy list for everyone to keep track.

Magnum Awards and Submission Opportunities

Magnum Photos Membership submission: Magnum Photos is a co-operative owned and run by its members/photographers. They meet once a year during the last weekend in June to discuss the organization's affairs. One day of the meeting is set aside for looking at and voting on potential new members' portfolios. Successful applicants will be invited to become a "Nominee Member", a category of membership which presents an opportunity for Magnum and the individual to get to know each other. Deadline: May 31, 2009

Magnum Expression Award: The Magnum Expression Photography Award was established by Magnum Photos and HP with the goal of raising awareness and inspiring change through campaigns using photography as an expressive medium. The judges are searching for revealing imagery that illustrates a dedicated compassion and intensity using photography as a medium. Deadline: September 30, 2009

A Taste For Life Competition: The makers of Tanqueray gin have teamed up with legendary photographic agency, Magnum Photos, to capture the rich, intense flavour of Tanqueray. The winning photographs from ‘A Taste for Life’ will be exhibited at Liberty of London later this year and your photograph could be there. ‘A Taste for Life’ is a celebration of rich, intense moments in life. The judges are looking for you to capture your own rich, intense moment in life which epitomises the taste of Tanqueray gin. It could be anything from a celebration, an adventure, or an expression that captures Tanqueray’s rich intensity. Deadline: April 12, 2009

Recently Announced Foundation Awards and Grants

Emerging Photographer's Fund: A $10,000 grant will be awarded in early 2009 to a worthy emerging photographer whose work is on the highest level. Funding would be designed to support continuation of this photographer’s personal project. This body of work may be of either journalistic mission or purely personal artistic imperatives. Deadline: April 1, 2009

Inge Morath Award: The Magnum Foundation and the Inge Morath Foundation announce the sixth annual Inge Morath Award. The annual prize of $5,000 is awarded by the Magnum Foundation to a female documentary photographer under the age of 30, to support the completion of a long-term project. One award winner and up to two finalists are selected by a jury composed of Magnum photographers. Deadline: April 30, 2009

Henri Cartier-Bresson International Award: Presented by the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation, the HCB Award is a prize to stimulate a photographer’s creativity by offering the opportunity to carry out a project that would otherwise be difficult to achieve. It is intended for a photographer who have already completed a significant body of work, a talented photographer in the emerging phase of his or her career, with an approach close to that of reportage. The prize is of 30 000 Euros and is awarded every other year. Deadline: March 31, 2009

W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography: The W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography is presented annually to a photographer whose past work and proposed project, as judged by a panel of experts, follows the tradition of W. Eugene Smith's concerned photography and dedicated compassion exhibited during his 45-year career as a photographic essayist. Deadline: May 15, 2009

Live Questions & Answers with Peter van Agtmael on Twitter and on our blog

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 15:04:09 -0500

USA. Wisconsin. 2007. Raymond plays with Star Wars lightsabers with his sons Brady and Riley. © Peter van Agtmael/Magnum Photos

After our first two live interviews with Bruce Gilden and Larry Towell on Twitter we have yet another exciting Twitterview coming up on Monday. Peter van Agtmael agreed to stop by the Magnum New York office on Monday to chat with you and answer your questions. The time for the Question & Answer session is 12pm EDT.

This time around we introduce a fancy new feature to these live chats with our photographers. You'll be able to ask your questions via Twitter and receive your answers via Twitter. Business as usual... But what about people who do not use Twitter? Are they left out? Not any longer!

The Twitterview will be broadcasted live and direct on the Magnum Blog too. As soon as the live session starts questions and answers from Twitter will show up in a special chat window on the blog in real time. Blog users can ask their questions by typing them into a text field and Peter will reply to them directly as well. Start preparing your questions! You can see the chat area that we prepared after clicking the continue reading link.

Magnum Scavenger Hunt

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:58:03 -0500

UPDATE: Contest is now over! Congratulations to the three winners Olivier Laurent, Martin Nicholls and Byron Edwards! The answers are posted below with each clue.

Today we have a special treat for our blog followers. We are having a contest. What is the prize, you ask? Well, it's a signed copy of a publication you will encounter along the scavenger hunt. Intrigued? I bet you are.

The way this will work is you will begin on the home page of Magnum Photos and by reading through the poetic clues below you will be taken from one place to another, clicking on the link included in those pages that you suspect is the next step of the puzzle. In the end, if you’ve followed each clue correctly, you’ll be able to answer the final query and submit your answer. The hunt will run until 12noon EDT March 19, 2009, or until three people submit the correct answers.

Good luck!

Mothers and Children

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:55:00 -0500

Recently I was sent a copy of a new book from National Geographic, entitled 'Mothers and Children'. Our publishing department had worked with them to produce the book and it contains quite a few photos from Magnum photographers. At first glance I thought it would be one of those last-minute grab-near-the-cash-register kind of books but then I thumbed through it and found the selection of images quite interesting, not your run-of-the-mill heart-wrenching glorified look at motherhood but a realistic everyday look at good ol' Mom. As you can see from the slideshow above it's definitely worth checking out: Mothers and Children