Stuttgart

So as I sit here, scanning my negatives into the computer so that someday soon you can see what I’ve been doing, fat, fluffy snowflakes are falling outside my window, transforming the landscape into a monochrome world of precipitation. I know it seems like I complain about the weather a lot but I was expecting the first buds of spring, not the last gasps of winter. Ah well, at least the white is covering the brown which fills the forest. It also gives me a good excuse to stay inside and work through the dozens of negatives that I have produced over the past two months. Early reports look good, stay tuned!


The view from my window. © Damaso Reyes

Stuttgart

Well it does feel good to be back. I spent the afternoon at the sauna and feel much better after my long train ride from Vienna. Of course as I left Vienna the clouds rolled in and the rain began. As the sun dawned I thought to myself “Ah, I really am back in Germany!”

In all seriousness it is good to be back here at Solitude. I have gotten to see a few of the old fellows that know as well as the staff. I am looking forward to doing a great deal of editing as well as some shooting. Back in America Tuesday is a big day for politics as Texas and Ohio vote for the democratic nominee for President. In the meantime here is your HCB Quote of the Week!


Asylum seekers for Obama. © Damaso Reyes

Avoid making a commotion, just as you wouldn’t stir up the water before fishing. Don’t use a flash out of respect for the natural lighting, even when there isn’t any. If these rules aren’t followed, the photographer becomes unbearably obtrusive. - Henri Cartier-Bresson American Photo", September/October 1997, page: 76

Vienna

It is my last day here in Wien and I am already missing it! Well I still have a few more hours but the weather has been spectacular during the past week and I have really been very productive, so much so that I still have to do some packing. But don’t worry, I will get it all done in time. I really hope I have a chance to come back soon to continue the work I started here. Time, as always, will tell.

In the meantime here are some images of asylum seeker, teacher and university graduate Alisa and her three daughters. She came here almost ten years ago from Chechnya and has been trying to make a life for herself, against all odds, ever since.

“I wish that just once I could feel like a human being.”


A strong woman.© Damaso Reyes


Still happy. © Damaso Reyes


A hidden truth. © Damaso Reyes


Edges. © Damaso Reyes


Living history. © Damaso Reyes

Vienna

My time here in Vienna is growing short. I have to say that I have really enjoyed myself since I arrived here on the first of January. I have shot well over forty rolls and am not done yet!


Smiling through the hard times. © Damaso Reyes

You know it’s funny but so far this year I have gotten a number of rejections from various grants and fellowships that I have applied for. At the same time I feel like I have been doing some of my best work over the past two weeks while I have been photographing asylum seekers here in Vienna. Of course I wish I had more time here but I have made a good start and I hope I can find a way of returning at some point later in the year. While I still have a few days left here in Wien my focus is slowly starting to shift back towards Stuttgart where I will be for March. I hope to catch up on some of what I didn’t get to shoot last year but at the same time I will use the time there as an opportunity to meditate a bit on what I have been doing as well as edit what I have shot so far. Without further ado, here are some portraits and your HCB Quote of the Week!


Hope. © Damaso Reyes

As time passes by and you look at portraits, the people come back to you like a silent echo. A photograph is a vestige of a face, a face in transit. Photography has something to do with death. It's a trace. - Henri Cartier-Bresson


Self portrait. © Damaso Reyes


Mass media. © Damaso Reyes


I want my MTV. © Damaso Reyes

Vienna

Well it’s official, Kosovo finally declared independence from Serbia yesterday. It had been a long time coming and is not without controversy but the die has been cast and the people of Kosovo, who are 95% ethnic Albanians, have chosen to move forward after nine years of U.N. supervision.


Pristina, Kosovo 2005. © Damaso Reyes

When I traveled to Kosovo in 2005 the people there were very much in favor of independence and hated the limbo that came with the United Nations. The people I spoke with very much wanted to have a future in which they controlled their own destiny and they felt that could not happen until Kosovo was a sovereign nation. The question now is who will recognize their independence and what will Serbia and Russia do? I hope to get back to Kosovo at some point this year or next because for me the story is just beginning…

Vienna

Working on this story about asylum seekers is really kicking my butt. Sometimes as a photojournalist you feel helpless because you cannot actively help people the way a doctor can. You just have to sit back and document their struggles without being able to do anything about it. Now of course I hope that my images can help in the greater sense of being able to change the way that people see the world but when you see individuals, one of which you could easily be but for an accident of birth and timing, it is hard to keep the distance you need to do the work that must be done. Knowing that the world is unjust on an intellectual level is much different than confronting that injustice on a daily basis. To say the least it makes me uncomfortable, which is only fair since that is the feeling I hope to impart to my viewers.


Found in an asylum seekers center. © Damaso Reyes

In photography, the smallest thing can become a big subject; an insignificant human detail can become a leitmotiv. We see and we make seen as a witness to the world around us; the event, in its natural activity, generates an organic rhythm of forms. - Henri Cartier-Bresson "American Photo", September/October 1997, page: 76

Vienna

So every day this week I’ve been taking the train to the Ute Bock Center. It is a place where people seeking asylum can come for counseling, legal advice and even housing. The small staff there does wonders with the few resources they have available and they have opened their doors and allowed me to photograph at the center.


Everyone is a foreigner somewhere...

The first day I have to say I was pretty overwhelmed. Many of the asylum seekers come to the center because they are having a problem which can range from an upcoming legal procedure to being threatened with arrest or deportation. They often have to wait for hours before they can see someone and the sense of frustration with the asylum system is palpable.


Waiting...

I haven’t made too many photographs yet, much of the past few days has been about observing and getting comfortable but the more time I spend there the more I see and begin to understand. For the next two weeks I will probably work on this project exclusively, I hope I can do justice to the stories I encounter.


Karin, a staff member. © Damaso Reyes


Frau Bock herself. © Damaso Reyes


Looking for answers... © Damaso Reyes


Waiting for mail. © Damaso Reyes


Thinking. © Damaso Reyes

Zürich

Yep, I’m in Zurich for the weekend for a meeting and a little downtime with my friend Philippe. I haven’t been blogging much because I’ve been in the darkroom every day this week processing film. 48 rolls down, less than 20 to go! Of course I still have to scan and edit all that. Plus next week I think I will finally get to start working on the immigration theme of my project, something that may very well take up the rest of my time in Vienna.

While I was in NYC back in December I got to shoot some of the new Tmax 400 film from Kodak. Here’s a snap of my hometown to go with your HCB Quote of the Week!

In photojournalistic reporting, inevitably, you’re an outsider. - Henri Cartier-Bresson
"American Photo", September/October 1997, page: 76


23rd street looking north. © Damaso Reyes

Vienna

Another week, another ball! I know, it’s tough going from one formal ball to another but hey, I made a commitment to document the changing face of Europe! On Thursday I went to the TU Ball, which was conveniently located about five minutes from my door. It was a little more traditional than the Regenbogen Ball (I even had to buy a bow tie) but it was still fun. The Fulbright Commission got a table and we all went to a fun evening of dancing and music. The ball was held at the Hofburg, and it was lavish to say the least.


The name is Reyes, Damaso Reyes

Often while working on this project I feel like an anthropologist but instead of hacking through the jungles of New Guinea I get to don a jacket and tie and hunt the elusive Wiener. It is fun getting a chance to visit these other worlds. I suppose that is what I like most about the camera: it acts as a passport allowing me to enter places and see things that I would otherwise not be able to. With that, here is you HCB Quote of the Week and some photos. Enjoy!

One has to tiptoe lightly and steal up to one's quarry; you don't swish the water when you are fishing. - Henri Cartier-Bresson


Everybody dance now. © Damaso Reyes


One step forward... © Damaso Reyes


On the sunny side of the street. © Damaso Reyes


Folk music. © Damaso Reyes


Dancing cheek to cheek. © Damaso Reyes


Eye contact. © Damaso Reyes

Vienna

Well I have indeed been a busy little bee! In addition to shooting again at the Vienna City Council it is ball season here in Austria. So I have been doing my waltzing lessons and trying to find some dress clothes. Today I attended my very first ball which was the Regenbogen Ball (Rainbow Ball) which is the largest gay and lesbian ball here in Vienna.


Absolutely Fabulous! © Damaso Reyes

Well my goal was to show how diverse this city is and I feel like I have made a good start. The evening was full of elegant men and women of all orientations dancing and celebrating life. While I am not overwhelmed by the results of my digital photographs I have much higher hopes for the black and white. In all honesty I haven’t been shooting much digitally (just for you and I hope you appreciate it!) because well I don’t have to. Sometimes I just take my two Leicas out when I shoot but I thought you might enjoy a quick snapshot of the night. So after your HCB Quote of the Week enjoy some more photographs of Viennese politics and my first ball!

The creative act lasts but a brief moment, a lightning instant of give-and-take, just long enough for you to level the camera and to trap the fleeting prey in your little box. - Henri Cartier-Bresson , Photography Year 1980, LIFE Library of Photography , Page: 22


Private Discussions. © Damaso Reyes


Dancing Cheek to Cheek


Working in the Shadows. © Damaso Reyes


Swirls. © Damaso Reyes


Stand and Deliver.


Grand Entrance. © Damaso Reyes


As I was Saying... © Damaso Reyes


Whispers. © Damaso Reyes


A Little Light Reading. © Damaso Reyes


Applause. © Damaso Reyes

Vienna


Politics Time! © Damaso Reyes


In the Halls... © Damaso Reyes

I spent the morning taking photographs at the Vienna City Council (special thanks to Green Party member Marco Schreuder for arranging the visit). Housed in a beautiful 19th century gothic building the City Hall is the nicest municipal building I have been in. The city council, which also serves as the state parliament since Vienna is a city and state, is also remarkably open. Unlike other parliaments or city halls, including New York’s, I didn’t have to be searched nor put my bag through an x-ray machine. It was only when I was actually photographing in the chamber itself did the occasional inquisitive public servant ask to see my credentials.


Overwatch. © Damaso Reyes


In the Shadows. © Damaso Reyes

As usual people were surprised to hear that I was from New York and found it strange that anyone from there would be interested in the Vienna City Council. It’s funny but almost no matter where I go in Europe, or for that matter the world, people are surprised that I would leave New York to come and photograph wherever I happen to be. I guess it must be the effect of all those movies and television shows that are shot in New York (Vienna has The Third Man but can you think of any other famous movies shot here?) which have made the city seem like the place to be. Granted I love New York but there is a big world out there and all of it is interesting it its own way.


Waiting His Turn. © Damaso Reyes


The Conversation. © Damaso Reyes

The only problem I had this morning was that since the council president was a bit of a stickler for protocol I was only allowed to shoot for a half hour during the question hour. As you know I hate working under pressure but all of those years of shooting press conferences and on deadline have at least come in handy. I wandered around the room, photographing the representatives as well as their aides and those supplicants who vie for a moment of their time.


Behind the Scenes. © Damaso Reyes

The more time I spend photographing in the halls of government the more that I realize that the real governing doesn’t happen during the question time or the vigorous back and forth debates that are shown on television or quoted in the newspapers. They happen off to the side, out of the view of the cameras (except for mine!) and the reporters. This is a little bit of what I want to show. Some would say that this is the problem with much of modern government. The U.K.’s parliament is expected to ratify the Lisbon treaty and the fact that the public will likely not get a chance to vote on what will more or less become the E.U. Constitution has sparked a great deal of outrage in that country.

Tomorrow I will return and I hope to spend most of the day photographing various members as they go about their day and give you a little bit of an impression of what political life here is like. Stay tuned…

Vienna

Once again I am celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day abroad. I suppose that the day takes on an added significance for me here in Europe because were it not for King’s dream and the hard work he and millions of other put into realizing it I would not have accomplished what I have modestly been able to do. Here in Europe millions of immigrants are also struggling every day to gain recognition, equality and acceptance and I hope that my project can play a role in that struggle.

If you haven’t heard the famous I Have a Dream speech I suggest you watch it in its entirety. It is the best speech ever given in the English language. Take some time out to read it as well. Note the metaphors he uses and the powerful imagery his words convey. They are every bit as powerful today as the day they were spoken and just as meaningful.




But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

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!

***

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

***

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.

***

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

***

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.