Dense Smog Hovers Over Chinese Cities

Photograph of dense smog outside the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. Smog in Beijing was “Beyond Index” recently, forcing even state-run media to run articles about it. Credit: Weibo.com

More than 30 cities, including Beijing, have been covered in dense smog over the past several days.  One of Beijing’s worse round of air pollution kept school children indoors and sent coughing resident to hospitals on January 14, 2013.  The wave of pollution peaked on Saturday with off-the-charts levels that covered Beijing’s skyscrapers in thick gray haze.

Air pollution in Chine is a major problem due to the country’s rapid pace of industrialization, dependence on coal power, explosive growth in vehicle ownership and disregard for environmental laws, with development often taking priority over health.  The pollution typically gets worse in the winter because of an increase in coal burning.

Pollution is more than an annoyance for China’s city residents.  A study released by Greenpeace and Peking University’s School of Public Health found that exposure to ultra fine particulates helped cause 8,572 early death in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Xian in 2012.

The official reading for the most dangerous particulates—known as PM25—has recently soared as high as 993 micrograms per cubic meter in Beijing, the highest level since Chinese environmental officials started releasing measurements a year ago.  The World Health Organization says anything over 25 is unhealthy.

In severe situations like these,  environmental activism comes to the rescue.  We are all aware of the destruction caused by global warming and other human-caused events, that are creating havoc around the world.  In some places, the environment has been polluted to such a degree that living creatures dwelling in these areas, are going completely haywire.

Recently I viewed thirteen video presentations dubbed, “Video & Photo Mojo,” produced by TED Talks, which depicted how the power of images were used by photographers and film producers to arouse consciousness about social problems of our times.  They understood the power of images and the connection to the viewers.  When man loses his moral compass, it is necessary to shake the tree and bring him back to his senses.  Connecting people through images can do that by using today’s technological tools.  I was impressed how movies were intentionally produced to inspire social change (e.g., Ghandi, Lawrence of Arabia, The Hurt Locker, and Charlie Wilson’s War, among others.)

Below is a list of the passionate social activists which participated in the series about the power of images and its use to correct or mitigate social issues around the world:

1. James Cameron
2. Deborah Scranton
3. Ryan Lobo
4. Beverly & Dereck Joubert
5. David Griffin
6. Tayrn Simon
7. Jonathan Klein
8. Ed Ubrich
9. Shakhar Kapur
10. Jehane Nvujaim
11. Jarreth Merz
12. Sharmeen Obaid
13. Jeff Skoll

If you can squeeze some time to enjoy these videos, it will be time well invested.  I’m sure we can all take part in changing our small corner of the globe by betting on good people doing good things.

It’s highly possible that somebody out there is using powerful images to scale down the smog problem in China, even as we speak.  Good Day.

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The Emotional Pictures of Steve McCurry

“Most of my photos are grounded in people.  I look for the unguarded moment, the essential soul peeking out, experience etched on a person’s face.”—Steve McCurry

An outstanding photograph of a twelve-year-old Afghan girl whose haunting eyes and a tattered garment depict the horrors of surviving in a refugee camp in Pakistan in 1983. Photo by Steve McCurry

This is a stunning picture shot by Steve McCurry, an American photojournalist best known for this specific photograph of the “Afghan Girl” originally published in National Geographic magazine.  This girl with green eyes of fire sinks deep into our inner soul like a piercing dagger.  Such is the emotion stirred by the image.  The image has a life of its own and definitely evokes a story using time.  Such are the characteristics of a fine picture.

Roland Barthes’ book, “Camera Lucida—Reflections on Photography” explains that there are two main factors of excellent photographs; those that emphasizes studium and those that accentuates punctum.  Let me expand on both Latin terms.  Roland Barthes in his personal—subjective—examination of multiple photographs, proceeded to notice a duality that was characteristic of certain photographs: a ‘co-presence of two discontinuous elements’—what he terms, the studium and the punctum.

The studium refers to the range of meanings available and obvious to everyone; it is unary and coded, the former term implying that the image is a unified and self-contained whole whose meaning can be taken in at a glance (without effort, or ‘thinking’).  The studium speaks of the interest which we show in a photograph, the desire to study and understand what the meanings are in a photograph, to explore the relationship between the meanings and our own subjectivities.  In layman’s term these are picture which can be called “likables” or pictures that we enjoy or like.

On the other hand punctum (a Latin word derived from the Greek word for trauma) inspires an intensely private meaning, one that is suddenly, unexpectedly recognized and consequently remembered (it “shoots out of [the photograph] like an arrow and pierces me”); it ‘escapes’ language; it is not easily communicable through/with language. The punctum is a detail or “partial object” that attracts and holds the viewer’s (the spectator’s) gaze; it pricks or wounds the observer.

You’ve guessed it; the “Afghan Girl” is a quintessential example of a photograph with punctum.  Your eyes are unable to detach themselves from the penetrating green eyes of the girl.  This is what Steve McCurry captured in this spectacular photograph.  McCurry focuses on the human consequences of war, not only showing what war impresses on the landscape, but rather, on the human face. “What is important to my work is the individual picture.  I photograph stories on assignment, and of course they have to be put together coherently, but what matters most, is that each picture stands on its own, with its own place and feeling.”

Steve McCurry’s career was launched when, disguised in native garb, he crossed the Pakistan border into rebel-controlled areas of Afghanistan just before the Soviet invasion. When he emerged, he had rolls of film sewn into his clothes. Those images, which were published around the world, were among the first to show the conflict. His coverage won the Robert Capa Gold Medal for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad, an award dedicated to photographers exhibiting exceptional courage and enterprise.

McCurry continued to cover armed conflicts, including the Iran-Iraq War, Lebanon Civil War, the Cambodian Civil War, the Islamic insurgency in the Philippines, the Gulf War and the Afghan Civil War. His work has been featured worldwide in magazines and he is a frequent contributor to National Geographic.

After working at Today’s Post in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania for two years, he left for India to freelance. It was here that McCurry learned to watch and wait on life. “If you wait,” he realized, “people will forget your camera and the soul will drift up into view.”

I have selected for this blog post, an awesome video prepared by Koosje van Maaren, a Dutch photography student, entitled, “Steve McCurry Photography Presentation”, depicting Steve McCurry’s emotion-stirring images divided in five general topics:

1. War Pictures
2. Africa Pictures
3. Children Playing
4. Landscape Pictures
5. Portraits

These extraordinary images are difficult to describe in printed words.  You have to view them and try to interpret what they mean to you.  The images narrate a dramatic story; they don’t need words, for their message is visual, strong and unequivocal.  Good Day.

Additional Reading:  Studium and Punctum – George Powell Photography:  Exploring The Photographic Aesthetic

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Cinemagraphs: The Art of the Animated GIF

A cinemagraph, a.k.a. cinegraphs is a still image that moves, developed by photographer Jamie Beck and visual graphics artist Kevin Burg.  The idea for cinegraphs came up when the pair was preparing for Fashion Week. They wanted to tell more of a story than a single frame but didn’t want the hassle of creating a video.

These two outstanding artists have may have finally found a way to elevate the animated GIF to a level approaching fine art, with their “cinemagraphs”—elegant, subtly animated creations that are “something more than a photo but less than a video.”

Credit: Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg.

A cinegraph that pretends to be a video, looped footage endlessly repeating, is somewhat less interesting.  However, this image of New York City subway cars continuously passing through a station; a train that never ends is absolutely mesmerizing.  I had never seen anything like it before.  For more awesome images of cinegraphs, please click here. 

Good Day and remember that you should never go out without your camera tied up to your waist.

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Hush…A Baby is Asleep

Yesterday it was Sunday, a day of rest and a day to visit friends and relatives.  Indeed, the youngest “Twister” came home for a short visit.  Let me correct that, the youngest “Twister” was brought home yesterday for a short visit.  The correction was necessary because the “Twister” can’t walk; she’s only 33 days old.  In a little more than one month, Paola has gained two pounds.  She currently weighs 11 pounds.

The rest of the “Twisters” couldn’t make it home—Abdiel and Karol.  They were busy attending a Birthday Party somewhere in their neighborhood.  Needless to say, they were greatly missed.  Even though they mess everything up when they come to visit us, their presence is always appreciated.  The twisters mean so much to us.  And I guess, in their own little minds, they know it.

Shortly after reaching our house she immediately began to toss around in her little baby cradle.  Her mother knew it was time to give Paola the “teta” (the breast).  That’s what small babies do: suck milk from their mother’s breast, sleep, cry, grow, and other messy stuff (e.g., pee and poo).

Shortly after sucking the “teta,” baby Paola went to sleep.  Under the soft light of an adjacent living room window, she was the perfect subject for my ole Birthday camera.  Before she woke up, I made a beeline to my Situation Room and fetched my compact camera.  This is the scene I captured.  Take a look.

Snapshot of Paola in deep sleep in the living room of our home yesterday afternoon. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

A closer look at Paola "hitting the sack" after a delicious liquid lunch from her mother's breast. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Sweet Paola counts the sheep in her deep sleep after drinking her lunch. Sleeping is part of her baby duties for the time being. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of Paola's minuscule hand after being retouched with a soft "Sepia" color effect. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

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Quotes

“The difference between a picture and a snapshot?  There is no difference. A good picture is a good picture. I call them snaps because it’s an appropriate name and it’s something that you do quickly and then move on to the next thing. 

Go snap and gone…there is no difference. The only difference is between a good and bad picture, or a boring picture. A picture that engages you, that makes you think, that gives you some kind of emotion, makes you laugh or cry. That’s a good picture.”

Elliott Erwitt

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Composition in Black and White

Photograph of a water fountain in front of the House Museum of the Banco Nacional de Panamá in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

“Composition in photography is the strongest form of seeing.” — Master of Photography Ansel Adams

Originally this picture was shot in full color.  After analyzing the beautiful tones of black, white and grays, I decided to use PhotoFlexer, an image edition software, to switch to black and white.  The change was dramatic.

I’m presently reading and enjoying the magnificent and visually stunning prints created by famed Ansel Adams and Minor White. Both were passionate in the use of black and white photographic techniques in their work.

Ansel Adams talked about “visualization” in the art of photography.  He said visualization was seeing the picture in your mind’s eye before tripping the shutter of his camera.  He shared his views about his work, saying that his pictures were feeling in black and white.

In the future I plan to learn and develop my skills in shooting photographs in black and white.  Their visual impact is absolutely spectacular.  Expect more pictures in black in white in tomorrow’s post.   Good Day.

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Polishing My Photographs

Another of my New Year’s Resolutions is to improve the quality of my photographs.  I’ve taken 2,422 photographs since December 16, 2008.  That’s the date I started shooting pictures.  Some of them have been included in Lingua Franca and the rest—most of them—were thrown to the  trash can.  This pragmatic exercise helped me understand the basic skills needed to take decent photographs.  Now the time is ripe to start studying the art in a more systematic manner.

This is why I recently purchased online a photography book through Amazon.com. The title of the book is “Langford’s Starting Photography:  The guide to creating great images – 6th Edition” written by Michael Langford & Philip Andrews.  This photography introductory  book was recommended to me by Michael Moore, who is a professional photographer in Dallas, Texas.

The Table of Contents of the book is:

• Part 1:  Picture Making
• Part 2:  Camera, Sensors and Film
• Part 3:  Creative Use of Camera Controls
• Part 4:  Tackling Different Photographic Subjects
• Part 5:  Controlling Light
• Part 6:  Photographic Workflow
• Part 7:  Digital Processing and Printing
• Part 8:  Experimental and Constructed Images
• Part 9:  Presenting and Assessing Your Work
• Part 10:  Trouble Shooting
• Appendices
• Glossary
• Index

I paid $17.79 for the book and $3.99 for shipping charges within the U.S. and $13.44 from the U.S. to Panama City, Panama.  The total cost of the book was $35.22.  It’s a lot cheaper than taking a photography course which costs about $450.00 in this part of the world.

I took a couple of pictures of unpacking the book for my records and for this specific post.  This is what I saw through the lens of my Birthday camera.  I received the book from Mail Boxes Etc. on January 29, 2010 at 8:31 a.m.  Here we go.

This is the cardboard package prepared by Amazon.com at Lexington, KY. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

Picture of the book inside the box with a soft bubble cushion in to back to protect it. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.

Picture of the photography book recently purchased from Amazon.com. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

A closer view of Michael Langford's photography book with a lovely child reaching for the sky. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

Please be patient with me.  Don’t expect spectacular pictures immediately.  Photograph is an art that takes time to develop.  How much time?  I wish I knew.  Good Day.

Book’s Photograph:  Cover photo courtesy of Stockphoto, asiseeit, image #5995651

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Photograph of the Day Has Been Discontinued

The segment Photograph of the Day had been one of my favorites for several reasons.    The main reason is that it gave me the opportunity to promote those photographs which in my opinion showed quality.  Whenever possible I gave credit to the photographer to spread the word of his or her creations.

The Web site that best served the photographers’ purpose was Pixdaus.com. Everyday this site included spectacular photographs, which in my opinion, should be shared with other persons who enjoy photography.  Pictures have a special way to influence your spirituality.  Some photographs often brought mist to my eyes; they are very powerful message carriers.

For this reason, my photographs of the day were selected from Pixdaus.com. I thought I was acting legally; that is, not breaking any copyright legislation.  Pixdaus.com even promoted the use of their photographs.  For example:

“Host and bookmark beautiful nature photography with Pixdaus! The more beautiful the image, the more exposure it’ll get, unless you’d like to make your favorites list private, which is cool too. Share your photos with other people who are passionate about nature and the environment by embedding photos in your blog, linking to them and sharing them with family and friends. Please don’t violate copyright laws. Give credits. Be nice. Let’s be conscious of the world we live in.”

That was until yesterday afternoon when I read something that brought a halt to my intentions about my favorite segment.  This is what I read at Pixdaus.com:

Important! Please do not upload copyrighted images. You run the risk of being banned permanently from Pixdaus and photographers taking legal action against you. If you wish to upload an image whose copyrights do not belong to you, it is vital you contact the photographer first. Should the photographer not grant you permission, you are forbidden to post the image(s) to the site.

In view of the above, I researched the subject of copyright material, just to make sure I made the right decision about posting photographs from Pixdaus.com. or not.    I found the following explanation about a copyright myth, which I feel is correct:

Myth:  “If it doesn’t have a copyright notice, it’s not copyrighted.”

“This was true in the past, but today almost all major nations follow the Berne copyright convention.  For example, in the USA, almost everything created privately and originally after April 1, 1989 is copyrighted and protected whether it has a notice or not.  The default you should assume for other people’s works is that they are copyrighted and may not be copied unless you know otherwise.

There are some old works that lost protection without notice, but frankly you should not risk it unless you know for sure.”

The message was clear—crystal clear.  Stay away from Pixdaus.com photographs before you get in trouble.  It was never my intention of breaking the law posting other people’s creations.  I thought I was promoting their work and not benefiting or creating a profit by doing so.  Lingua Franca is not a profit-oriented blog.  There are no ads in my blog as you all know.

In view of the above, starting today, Photograph of the Day has been discontinued.  I’ll try to take better photographs in the future, and if I find them appropriate, I might identify them as Photograph of the Day. If not, then I’ll keep on practicing photography to develop my picture-taking skills.

Sorry about this folks, but the law is the law.  Good Day.

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Quotes: Great Photographs

Great photographs reveal humanity’s truths through the use of subject, depth, texture, and emotion. Here’s a revealing quote I selected from Cedric Canard:

“A good photograph reveals a story. A story that may be long, that may be short, that may be different to the story intended by the photographer. Does it matter? It might tell me something about the photographer, it might tell me something about the subject matter, at the very least it will tell me something about myself.”

Source:  2009 January « dig-n-dash

Blogged with the Flock Browser

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Amazing 3D Pavement Art

Some artists use the street the same way others use canvas to create unbelievable images which have raised more than one eyebrows.  I’m referring to artists such as Julien Beever or Edgar Mueller.

For example, Edgar Mueller is a master of street painting who uses streets as canvas.  If one looks from the right spot, its three-dimensional painting becomes the perfect illusion.

He paints over large areas of urban public life and gives them a totally new appearance, thereby challenging the perception of passers-by.

Below is a 3D street apocalyptic paint called, Lava Burst. It was painted by Edgar Mueller for the 30th anniversary (August 9-10) of the international competition of street painters in Geldern, Germany.  This creation elevates 3D chalk pavement art to a new level.

Enjoy.

Photograph of an awesome chalk painting created by Edgar Mueller, called "Lava Burst", for the 30th anniversary of the international competition of street painters in Geldern, Germany. (Credit: Scene 360 illusion.com)

Source:  Edgar Mueller – 3D Street Art

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