Vienna

So how is everyone doing this weekend? Here in Vienna it looks to be warming up so you know that means lots of street shooting for me! In other news I may have even found a darkroom so keep your fingers crossed. I am setting up some shoots for next week which will hopefully include the Vienna City Council. As usual things tend to come together after a few weeks on the ground which is why it is so important to take your time (and have the time to take) when you are in a new environment. Well enough about me, tell me about your adventures and while you do here is your HCB Quote of the Week!


Everybody loves the sunshine. © Damaso Reyes

You are asking me what makes a good picture. For me, it is the harmony between subject and form that leads each one of those elements to its maximum of expression and vigor. - Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Best of Popular Photography by Harvey V. Fondiller Page: 272

Vienna

Some of you may remember my good friend Albert Somma. While I was back in New York last month I took the train out to visit him in New Jersey at the rehabilitation center he has been living at. Two and a half years ago he was riding his bike through Riverside Park after work and had an accident in which he suffered a severe neck injury. To say the least it has changed his life. He has regained a lot of his movement and mobility over the past two years but it has been a long road full of struggle for him.

I have to admit it was tough seeing him in a wheelchair at first. He was among the most fit and active people I knew, biking or rollerblading nearly every day. And of course he was an incredible singer. That’s actually how we met; he was performing at a club I used to frequent downtown called Torch (which ironically burnt down). He sang the very jazz standards that I loved so much and I ended up shooting the cover photograph for his CD.

In addition to being a great singer Al is also quite a poet. We have been talking for years about doing a poetry/photography collaboration and recently he sent me several haikus. I present them below, matched with some images from the Schomberg Kinder Klinik I shot last year. Let me know what you think….

Nursing Home Haiku
By Al Somma

A caretaker washes my hair
I assent, head
cradled in her hands


© Damaso Reyes

I resent the intrusion
Of the nurses, yet call
When I need them


© Damaso Reyes

Help and helplessness
Living side by side,
Bedfellows in the
Yin, yang


© Damaso Reyes

Vienna

So I did some more walking around the city today. One of the things that I love about Vienna is the contrast between its new and old architecture. The entryways of buildings are especially interesting because many of the older ones have stone carvings above them and are protected by beautifully crafted wrought iron. At some point I will take the digital camera around and show you some of what I am talking about.



But yesterday I went to the Haus des Meers, the local aquarium. The building itself has a lot of history, used during WWII as an anti-aircraft tower. In the stairwells of the building they detail the building’s past including posters from the era and photographs. I didn’t go there for a history lesson however, I came for the fishes, and that they had! While not as big or fancy as the New York aquarium, the displays were still impressive and I got to see some lovely animals.

Well without further ago here are your Photography Jobs & Opportunities!

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Visiting Artist Residency at New Jersey City University during the month of April.
DEADLINE: January 31st
TO APPLY: email the following to artresidency@njcu.edu 1) 15-20 images of recent works with complete captions (72 dpi jpeg, less than 8×8 in). For video use .mov or .wmv format 2) 2-page resume 3) A proposal of a four-week residency (Please include possible subjects of workshops with students) 4) Artist Statement (less than 150 words) 5) Contact information Awarded artist will have access to their new state-of-the-art facilities, and is required to conduct a workshop in their area of expertise, a lecture, and a student critique session. The honoraria is $1,500 For further information, email bgustafson@njcu.edu

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The Morning Journal wants you!

If you’re a talented still photographer with the training and desire to craft online slideshow and video presentations, The Morning Journal, an award-winning daily newspaper in Lorain, Ohio, wants you.

The ideal candidate would be a detail-oriented team player with excellent news judgment, strong technical skills and the ability to work well under deadline pressure.
The Morning Journal places a strong focus on local news and sports in a highly competitive five-paper market. Action sports from prep to pro is a big part of the job. We are looking for a shooter who thinks visually and has the talent to deliver time and time again. The ability to ask questions, take notes and compose information with accuracy and decent grammar will be expected. Skills in graphics are a plus.

The paper provides Nikon D2Hs and D1H bodies, flash and a variety of lenses. Other pool equipment is available. Candidates should be familiar with Photoshop. QuarkXPress or Alpha experience is a plus. Night and weekend shifts are expected. Candidates must have their own reliable transportation.

Lorain rests on the shore of Lake Erie, 30 miles west of Cleveland, offering candidates a uniquely diverse opportunity in coverage. Regional candidates are encouraged. A bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field is desired.
To apply, please send resume, cover letter and CD portfolio to April L. Elliott, Managing Editor, The Morning Journal, 1657 Broadway, Lorain, OH 44052. Portfolios will NOT be returned.

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Internationale Journalisten-Programme--German-Vietnamese Fellowship 2008

The IJP offers a unique opportunity for 5 talented journalists from Vietnam to come to Germany in September/October 2008. Five German journalists will work as fellows in Vietnam (October/November). The IJP is a German NGO that is sponsoring fellowships for journalists from 11 regions of the world. Funding for the ‘German-Vietnamese Porgramme’ will come exclusively from the “Mercator Foundation” in Essen/Germany. The successful candidates will get the chance to work for a couple of months at a media branch of his/her choice in Vietnam. The fellowship will offer a lump sum of Euro 3.300, You should be between 28 to 38 years of age, have a minimum of 5 years experience in print and/or on-line journalism or TV/Radio. You should be fluent in English and have good basic knowledge of the German language.

How to enter: Please write a 1000 word essay addressing your motivation to work as a journalist in Germany. Please also include a one-page resume, your standard of German and English (copies of certificates), plus 3 copies of articles written by you (and if possible published in English), a journalistic reference from your editor and a passport photograph Deadline for application is January 31st, 2008. Write to: IJP/ Mr. Ulrich Bruemmer/ bruemmer@ijp.org Wilder-Mann-Str. 51 01129 Dresden, Germany For further details about IJP please visit: www.ijp.org

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Dorothea Lange–Paul Taylor Prize

The year 2008 marks the eighteenth anniversary of the Dorothea
Lange–Paul Taylor documentary prize, a $20,000 award given annually by the Center for Documentary Studies. First announced a year after the Center's founding at Duke University, the prize was created to encourage collaboration between documentary writers and photographers in the tradition of the acclaimed photographer Dorothea Lange and writer and social scientist Paul Taylor. In 1941 Lange and Taylor published An American Exodus, a book that renders human experience eloquently in text and images and remains a seminal work in documentary studies. The Lange-Taylor Prize honors their important collaborative work.

The Lange-Taylor Prize is offered to a writer and a photographer in the early stages of a documentary project. By encouraging such collaborative efforts, the Center for Documentary Studies supports the documentary process in which writers and photographers work together to record the human story.

Applications

Images can originate in any format, but must be submitted digitally on cd. (No e-mail submission of images is accepted.) All written materials should be compiled in the order requested below on white 8 1/2 x 11 paper with the writer's and photographer's last names at the top of each page. The writing sample should be double-spaced, while all other written materials should be single-spaced.

CDS has a small staff, so it is very important that you adhere to these guidelines. Do not staple your materials; use paperclips only. And please, no folders, plastic covers, or other binding for written materials. Books, prints, newspaper clippings, or any other additional materials will not be seen by the panel. Any additional material will be donated to the CDS library.

As part of our policy, we do not review or comment on applications, and we do not release prizewinning applications from past years.

Submissions should include:

• Application form

• Self-addressed, stamped postcard for notification of receipt of materials by CDS

• Application fee of $35

• One-page proposal letter describing the project and outlining work planned

• One-page statement about the collaboration of the writer and the photographer. This statement should consider how the writer and photographer plan to work together on a joint project. Consider also in the statement the relationship of the project's photographs and words. John Szarkowski observed that in Lange and Taylor's work, "the words and images . . . supplement[ed], [did] not repeat . . . each maintained its own integrity."

• Writer's ten-page sample (double-spaced) on the proposed topic and in the style intended for project. If no work at all has been done on proposed topic, the writer should provide a sample demonstrating how the subject will be developed and written in the form and style of the final project (i.e., edited oral history, descriptive narrative, poetry, etc.).

• A brief curriculum vitae or résumé, no longer than five pages, from each applicant

• Budget, no longer than one page, outlining how the prize money would be spent. This may include stipends for project personnel, supplies and support materials, travel costs, and other expenses related to fieldwork.

• Twenty images from photographer demonstrating the ability to build a body of work. Images should be in jpeg format, saved at the highest jpeg setting, and sized at 72 dpi with the longest side of the image set at 21 inches. Each jpeg should be titled with the photographer's last name, photographer's first name (abbreviated as needed), and image number, for example: doe_john_01.jpg. Color images should be in RGB Color mode. Compact disc and case must be clearly labeled with the photographer's full name.

• Caption list for photographs

• Self-addressed, stamped 9 x 12 envelope for return of materials (please indicate on envelope which materials you would like returned, and be sure to include adequate postage). Without an SASE the Center for Documentary Studies will assume the right to retain or dispose of all materials as it chooses.

Enclose all materials in a 9 x 12 envelope and send to:

Dorothea Lange–Paul Taylor Prize Committee
Center for Documentary Studies
Duke University
1317 W. Pettigrew Street
Durham, NC 27705

Deadline
All required materials must be submitted under one cover during the month of January and postmarked no later than January 31, 2008.

Vienna

You’ll be happy to know that I have been getting the itch to go out and shoot more and more. I have a few destinations in mind here in Vienna and I will let you know how things develop. I do have to say that I have been enjoying shooting the Leicas quite a bit though I am still trying to adjust shooting two of them and the digital SLR. It is my firmest wish to stop shooting with my SLR by the end of the year, hopefully by then I will be able to afford a digital rangefinder, we shall see.


Longing for Kosovo. © Damaso Reyes

In other news Jimmie and I are sending out our Kosovo proposal once again in the hopes that we can get an American newspaper or magazine to sign on. If you know a foreign editor or happen to own your own publication, feel free to drop me a line. We are aiming to head out around March or April, which would work well with my schedule. Well, with further ado, here is your HCB Quote of the Week!

We often hear of “camera angles” (that is, those made by a guy who throws himself flat on his stomach to obtain a cetain effect or style), but the only legitimate angles that exist are those of the geometry of the composition. - Henri Cartier-Bresson

Vienna

So I have spent the last three days or so finally checking out a bit of the city. I haven’t gotten that far but I have liked what I have seen. It has finally warmed up a bit here, the bitter wind which filled the streets last week has died down and even our friend Mr. Sun has made a few appearances through the clouds.


I bet it's warm inside... © Damaso Reyes

Now some of you may wonder why I am so sensitive to the cold, after all, didn’t I grow up in New York, not exactly known for its balmy winters (although it did get up to something like 15 degrees Celsius yesterday)? I usually reply that I didn’t like the winters there either! The two winters I spent living in Indonesia were wonderful and I didn’t miss the changing seasons at all. But there is a deeper reason for my dislike of the cold, one that has its roots in my childhood.

I grew up poor. Not lower middle class or working class but honestly poor. There were times when I couldn’t get new clothes for school, times when there wasn’t enough to eat, we ate government cheese and living in subsidized housing with thin, single paned windows and heating that we couldn’t control. All that meant that in winter the apartment was cold. We piled up blankets when we slept, which was fine at night but during the day there wasn’t much we could do.

I remember actually sitting on the radiator cover when I was a child whenever the heat would come on in an attempt to let it soak in to help keep me warm for the hours when the temperature would drop while the heat was off. I remember sitting with my grandmother in front of an open stove, our hands up against a huge pot of water that we used to try to keep things a little more bearable. I remember taking long, hot showers and baths and dreading the minute that I had to go back into the cold of my own home. I suppose this is where my love of saunas comes from.

So for me being cold isn’t simply about being uncomfortable, it is a reminder of hunger, of poverty and not being in control of the most basic parts of your life. So when the wind howls and the temperature drops I prefer to stay indoors, thank you very much.


Sketches of Wien... © Damaso Reyes

But as of late I have gone outside and today I took some photos. More like sketches really, which is how I think of the digital camera. I also took along my Leica and a new 75mm lens I brought just before I left (thanks Fulbright money, thanks!) you will see those photos as soon as I can find a darkroom to work in. So here are the first of what I hope will be an ongoing series of impressions of the city…


Store cows. © Damaso Reyes


Lights and Wires. © Damaso Reyes


The Museums Quartier, where I live. © Damaso Reyes


Around the Bend. © Damaso Reyes


Crazy like a Fox. © Damaso Reyes


Down the steps and into the MQ. © Damaso Reyes

Vienna

So the internet is all about interactivity, right? Well part of the reason I started this blog was to interact a little more with people. As a photojournalist the usual model of interaction is one way from me to you when you see my photos in a newspaper or magazine. Of course you can post comments (which you haven’t been doing by the way) or send emails (ditto). Now it’s time to take it to the next level!


"Beer is God's way of telling us that He loves us and wants us to be happy." Benjamin Franklin © Damaso Reyes

So I would like to start having a virtual happy hour. The idea came to me a week or so ago but since I have Skype, I figure it would be a lot of fun to use it not just to chat or talk but to have a drink. This is the concept: we get online at the same time and you drink a beer, or wine or scotch or whatever… The key is that you have to have a webcam that way we can drink, talk and see each other! What do you think? I am currently taking reservations… in the meantime here are your Photography Jobs & Opps of the Week!

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Knight International Journalism Fellowship- New Media in Latin America

Knight International seeks an experienced multimedia journalist or journalism professor to develop a digital media center at a Latin American university. The Fellow will develop a curriculum, recruit participants and faculty, teach some courses, and oversee the center, which will work with professional journalists and media organizations to increase digital-media capacity across the region.The Knight International Journalism Fellowships program sends international media professionals to key countries where there are opportunities for meaningful and measurable change. Working with partner organizations on high-impact projects, they build skills and enhance the standards of independent news organizations.Qualifications and Skills:- Minimum of 10 years professional journalism or academic journalism experience required - Experience in digital media required - Fluency in Spanish required - Management skills preferred - Experience in Latin America preferred - Fellowship open to any nationality - Fellowship duration is a minimum of 18 months Application: To apply, please send a letter of interest and your resume to knight@icfj.org. For more information, please visit our website at http://knight.icfj.org/GetInvolved/Fell ... ault.aspx.

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CALL FOR WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS

On March 1, 2008, in honor of Women’s History Month, Humble Arts Foundation, in collaboration with Ladies Lotto , will present “31 Under 31: Young Women in Art Photography,” a month-long exhibition celebrating 31 of the most innovative young women in emerging art photography under the age of 31. No entry fee.
Contact:
Humble Arts Foundation
http://www.3rdwardbrooklyn.org 31@hafny.org

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The HOME NEWS is looking for a chief photographer

The HOME NEWS, an award-winning group of eight community papers covering the suburbs of Las Vegas, is looking for a chief photographer to shoot and oversee a staff of full-time photographers and stringers.

This position is about half shooting and about half management, coordinating photo assignments, editing and working with photographers and editors. Our photographers do it all, news, sports, features, portraits, sometimes all in the same day. We pride ourselves on strong community journalism and high-quality photography.

For the last two years, Suburban Newspapers of America has recognized HOME NEWS papers as among the best weeklies in the United States. And our photographers are routinely recognized for their work in state and national competitions.
Applicants must possess strong technical and editing skills and be able to contribute to a story with descriptive photos and cut lines. Must be organized and detail-oriented. We prefer a candidate with some management experience, but will consider a strong shooter looking to advance in their career.

A degree in photojournalism or a related field is preferred. Greenspun Media Group offers excellent benefits: medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401K, tuition reimbursement and more.
Interested candidates, please submit your resume, cover letter and salary requirements via email to Jobs@gmgvegas.com

Greenspun Media Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Vienna



So before I left the States I did an interview with Inside Digital Photo Radio. I know, I mostly shoot film but I got a chance to talk about how digital and analogue systems can complement each other. Click on this link to go to the page with my interview (you can hear me in the second half) and click the play icon to hear yours truly!

Vienna

In case you were wondering it is still ridiculously cold here in Vienna but I managed to wake up early to go to the flea market, which as it turned out was walking distance from the MuseumsQuartier. There actually weren’t that many vendors, not surprising given the weather but there was a very nice market where I brought some nice fresh pasta as well as tea. Sorry, no photos but you can use your imagination. Afterwards I met up with a local photographer Daniel K. Gebhart who actually has a studio here at the MQ. Well I plan on spending the rest of the day inside my warm studio but here is you HCB Quote of the Week!


Italian Hands in Switzerland. © Damaso Reyes

The photograph itself doesn't interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality. - Henri Cartier-Bresson

Vienna

It is COLD here in Wien but it was very hot yesterday in Iowa! I still haven’t ventured very far, just out shopping and wandering a bit but this weekend I will head out to the flea market and snap some pictures and hopefully have more impressions to give you but at first blush I can say that the Austrians are much more laid back and relaxed than the Germans, which is a nice change of pace, I guess it must be because they are Southerners!


The future is now.

So as you all know by now Senator Barack Obama won the Iowa caucuses last night by a wide margin. Of course there is still a long way to go but it was a victory that a lot of people did not count on. People questioned his experience, they wondered if he was ready. They felt that it would be better to go with the safe choice but it seems that more people were inspired by his message of hope and change than Hillary Clinton’s message of experience and stability. Many of the Germans I talked to in the past few months felt that America would never vote for a black man. But Iowa, a state which is mostly rural and 95% white voted for Obama. As I said to a German many years ago “America is not a place, it is an idea.”

I guess that is why I connect with Obama. My whole life people in power said I was too young, that I wasn’t ready, that there were more qualified people out there and then were amazed when I accomplished what I set out to do. And their criticisms where often right: I am too young, there are more qualified people out there but what I have, and what I think Obama has, is vision and passion. And those too qualities are sorely lacking in the world we live in right now. I have a vision of the world which can be better than it is. I believe that we have more in common than we do things that divide us. Finally I hear someone in public service saying the same thing.

And the man can speak.

If you don’t believe me then listen to his victory speech from last night and tell me if it doesn’t move you. Here is one passage that I particularly enjoyed:

“For many months, we've been teased, even derided for talking about hope. But we always knew that hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path.

It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it and to fight for it.”

The future is here and his name is Obama.

Vienna

Hallo vom Wien and happy new year!


Memphis celebrates in Brooklyn. © Damaso Reyes

I left JFK international airport on the last evening of the year with some reservations. As some of you know traveling does stress me out, especially when I am going to a new city and country. All the unknowns and things you can’t predict tend to weigh heavily on my mind; not to mention trying to get everything done before I head out. I also had a great month in New York. I got to see friends that I had been separated from for a year and spend time in my hometown. I was getting really comfortable but time waits for no man and so I got on my SwissAir flight and took off into the unknown.

The flight itself was fine though I didn’t manage to get any sleep. I landed in Geneva where I had a short layover and then took a tiny turboprop that was so small my head touching the cabin ceiling to Vienna. Snow streaked the runway as we touched down and I already knew from checking the weather that it was going to be much colder than in NYC but I was prepared. The taxi ride into town gave me a chance to glimpse the industrial landscape on the outskirts of town which looked quite peaceful covered by snow.

It took a while to find the right entrance but I finally made it to the MuseumsQuartier where my apartment is. The guard on duty looked a little flummoxed but after consulting several sheets of papers and signing various documents I got my keys and was shown into my apartment. Again I didn’t know what to expect but it is well lit and spacious, I will be very comfortable for the next two months!

Once I unpacked a bit I wandered around the complex, checking out the territory. One nice thing about this fellowship is that I will be in the heart of the city, where in Solitude I was surrounded by natured and had to commute to the city. I am looking forward to doing as much street photography as I can, though it will be pretty cold.

Tomorrow I will go shopping and run some errands so I hope to give you a little better sense of the city. Until then, bis bald!

Brooklyn

The end is here!

The end of the year, the end of my time in New York, everything seems to be coming to a close right about now. It has been an incredibly productive year and I wonder what 2008 will be like. Will I finally settle down and find a place to live in Europe? How many countries will I visit? Will I find more funding? These are just some of the questions on my mind as I begin to pack up my life once again and head out to a foreign country. The next time I post I will be in Vienna but until then, here is you HCB Quote of the Week!


Beauty and Truth. Paris 2007. © Damaso Reyes

Reality offers us such wealth that we must cut some of it out on the spot, simplify. The question is, do we always cut out what we should? While we're working, we must be conscious of what we're doing. Sometimes we have the feeling that we've taken a great photo, and yet we continue to unfold. We must avoid however, snapping away, shooting quickly and without thought, overloading ourselves with unnecessary images that clutter our memory and diminish the clarity of the whole. - Henri Cartier-Bresson

Brooklyn

I hope that all of you are warm and surrounded by people you love. Merry Christmas!!!!!!



Damaso and Mariela making cookies! © Damaso Reyes

Brooklyn

It is Christmas eve so here are some presents in the form of photography jobs and opportunities….


More, Please! © Damaso Reyes


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Knight International Journalism-Health

Knight International seeks an experienced journalist with a background in health journalism to lead a high-impact, results-driven Fellowship in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Knight International Journalism Fellowships program sends international media professionals to key countries where there are opportunities for meaningful and measurable change. Working with partner organizations on high-impact projects, they build skills and enhance the standards of independent news organizations.Qualifications and Skills:- Background in health reporting required - Strong leadership qualities - Training experience is a plus - Experience in Africa a plus - Minimum of 10 years journalism experience - Fellowship open to any nationality - Fellowship duration is a minimum of one year Application: To apply, please send a letter of interest and your resume to knight@icfj.org. For more information, please visit our website at http://knight.icfj.org/GetInvolved/Fell ... fault.aspx

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Grants for Artists in Central and Western New York State, Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts

The Constance Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts annually awards grants of $5,000 each to writers and visual artists who live in the central and western counties of New York state. Grant recipients have used these grants in a variety of ways, including buying materials, preparing works for exhibit, and taking time to create new work. Grant categories change annually. For 2007, the categories are: painting; fiction; biography, autobiography, or memoir; and printmaking. All grant applicants must be at least twenty-one years of age and must reside in one of the following New York counties: Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chenango, Chemung, Cortland, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates.

http://www.saltonstall.org/

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Astraea Visual Arts Fund

http://www.astraeafoundation.org/PHP/Gr ... rants.php4

The Astraea Visual Arts Fund aims to recognize the work of contemporary lesbian artists by providing 10 support to those who show artistic merit and whose art and perspective reflect a commitment to the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice’s mission and efforts to promote lesbian visibility and social justice. This year, Astraea will award three $2,500 cash awards to lesbian visual artists.

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Residencies, Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL

http://www.atlanticcenterforthearts.org ... _sched.htm

The residency program brings together three Master Artists from different artistic disciplines: visual arts (painting, sculpture, photography, film/video), architecture, music (composition and performance), literature, modern dance, performance art, and theater for interdisciplinary dialogue. All Associate Artist applications are forwarded to the appropriate Master Artist. Master Artists personally select between 8 and 10 applicants to participate in the residency. The program includes master classes, individual critiques, opportunities for collaboration, and private studio time. The essence of the program is to provide a collegial environment for artists where they can engage in meaningful interaction and stimulating discussions, while pursuing individual or group projects. It is an ideal setting for the exchange of ideas, the inspiration for new work, and the cross-fertilization of disciplines. Multiple deadlines check website for schedule.

Brooklyn

Once again time seems to be moving far faster than I am. I can only say that I am glad that I have a month here in New York because anything less just seems like not enough. In some ways I suppose it is like a dream: every time I return to New York it is like slipping on a pair of old gloves. This city is perhaps the only place in the world where I feel totally comfortable; completely at ease. And now that feeling is slowly slipping through my fingers as I prepare to head to Vienna.

The German word for foreigner is Auslander. But it can also mean, and its root really is, outsider. It is a perfect word because that is very much how one feels there. The luxury of growing up in New York, the most diverse of all cities does not prepare you for the looks, stares and hostility. There is no fading into the background, slipping into anonymity for me; I am always on display. I suppose that is why the camera is so comforting; it allows me to return the stare. I suppose that I why I also have a number of images in which the subject is looking directly at the camera: I want the viewer to experience for a moment what I go through every day…


They Never Stop Looking. Berlin August 2007 © Damaso Reyes

"What is photojournalism? Occasionally, a very unique photo, in which form is precise and rich enough and content has enough resonance, is sufficient in itself - but that's rarely the case. The elements of a subject that speak to us are often scattered and can't be captured in one photo; we don't have the right to force them together, and to stage them would be cheating... which brings us to the need for photojournalism." - Henri Cartier-Bresson. American Photo", September/October 1997, page: 76

Brooklyn


Stay on the scene, (get on up), like a sex machine, (get on up) © Damaso Reyes

One of the nice things about holiday time are all the holiday parties you get invited to. It’s a chance to catch up with people that I otherwise only interact with over email or on the telephone. I went to the Women’s eNews party last night and had a great time catching up with the editors there and meeting some new people. I always have a hard time striking up a conversation in a room full of strangers but the champagne definitely helped!

I spent the afternoon shooting with my new Leica around town. Kodak gave me a few rolls of their new Tmax 400 film so I decided to take it for a spin in Manhattan. Until yesterday it had been too cold to shoot for a while but it wasn’t too windy yesterday so I walked up Broadway, photographed in Union Square and then took the train up to Times Square just as the light was beginning to fade. I will share the results with you next week.

In other news, my friend J. Jioni Palmer declared yesterday International Talk Like James Brown Day. He wrote: “As we approach the one year anniversary of the passing of the Godfather of Soul, I can think of no finer tribute to his memory. Whatever you say, say it loud!”

So, as the Godfather would say, Get on up!