Reportage

Posts Tagged ‘Photojournalist’

Dzemil Hodzic | Bosnian Survivor

In Ethics, Photography, Random Moments on August 14, 2020 at 3:28 PM

‘A camera doesn’t lie’: Documenting besieged Sarajevo

25 years on, a Bosnian survivor is on a mission to keep memories alive with his Sniper Alley project.

Rewriting history has become commonplace within a contemporary context but not if Dzemil Hodzic is going to have anything to do with it.
Dzemil is using still photographs [ SniperAlley Sarajevo ] from photojournalists who covered The Siege Of Sarajevo to counter revisionists fictional writings that are masquerading as fact.
Read Mersiha Gadzo heartbreaking tale of two brothers here. One can’t not be emotionally wounded after reading Dzemil’s tale of his older brother Amel’s death at the end of a snipers bullet delivered squarely to his chest.
Dzemil’s and Mershia’s account is accurately written for posterity. It counters the revisionists’ versions that perpetuate untruths, and are drowning in political malfeasance.

 

The view from my room at The Holiday Inn. Sarajevo 1995.

Avoiding Serb sniper fire by taking the back streets to school. Sarajevo 1995.

[Jack Picone] DO NOT USE
Under Serb sniper fire, mother and child run for their lives along ‘Sniper Alley’ in Sarajevo in 1995 

 

 

 

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RWANDA PEACE VII/F The VII Foundation

In Photography, Photography News on April 16, 2019 at 12:58 PM

April 2019 is the 25th anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
As you read this, Rwandan people are midst 100 days of mourning.
The final number of people who died (and maimed) in the most violent, base and horrific of circumstances has never truly been quantified. Educated estimates place the death toll, conservatively, at one million people. Previously unknown mass grave sites are still being discovered, today. The depth and breadth and vast scale of death solicit inevitable comparisons of the wholesale slaughter of the Jewish community during the second world war and the Cambodian genocide in South-Esat Asia.

In 1994, I documented and reported on the genocide as it unfolded. After crossing the border illegally from Uganda with fellow photographer and friend Stephen Dupont we quickly realized that we had easily, too easily, walked through a door into hell on earth. In front of us was; a burnt, blighted, broken, bomb and a bullet-scarred landscape peppered with the dismembered dead. We ricochet across Rwanda in the back of pick-up gun trucks with the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). At times we crossed paths and interviewed the RPF’s leader Major General Kagame (now President Kagame) as he led his men and pushed towards the capital Kigali to regain power, he saw was theirs. During the battle for RPF to regain power, Rwanda spiralled into a politically toxic and human abyss. Rwanda almost fell off the edge of the world. Such was the heightened level of destructiveness, horror and carnage dispensed by both Tutsis and Hutus it is not implausible to suggest that Rwanda may have never been seen again. It was on the cusp of annihilation.

Fast forward >> to the Twenty-First Century; The VII Foundation is examing countries now at peace (like Rwanda in this case) critically and with rigour and by dispatching leading photographers and writers of war to those countries where they first reported from during the conflict to consider them contemporarily.
Some of the other countries and regions included in the series include; Iraq, Cambodia, Bosnia, Colombia and The Middle East.

I have recently returned from Rwanda working with The VII Foundation VII/F documentary film crew making a feature-length documentary film re-tracing the dark journey I made in 1994. I was assigned by VII Foundation Directors Gary Knight, Ron Haviv and Directed and collaborated with Fiona Turner. On the
ground in Rwanda, I collaborated with the erudite VII Cinematographers and photographers, Christopher Morris and Maciek Nabrdalik our translator and Rwandan all things cultural ambassador was Gadi Habumugisha. Peter Klein the legendary Producer, Director and Founder of The Global Reporting Centre kept us all flying at a high altitude and being the best we could be.

As quintessentially important and necessary as it is documenting war, media is often absorbed with documenting wars as they unfold. The distinction here is, the VII Foundation Peace Project is innovative in adjusting the balance by extending the documentation and the conversation to be more inclusive of the aftermath of war. It is an exploration of countries previously ravaged by war, considering the legacy and impact of war upon their specific culture and country. It is rooted in reflectively making an attempt to quantify the ‘quality of peace’ in post-war time and most importantly – maintaining peace.

Our Rwanda at Peace documentary is in the editing suite for a while yet but as soon as I hear of a release date. I’ll make a post about where and when it can be viewed for those interested.
I have attached a random précis of photographs made during the 1994 genocide (as historical documents) and some contemporary photographs of Rwanda in 2019 – at Peace.

 

Rwanda April 1994

 

An RPF rebel soldier advances towards Kigali during the Rwandan genocide, Rwanda.

 

Rwanda February 2019

Alice Mukarurinda (right) and the genocidaire Emmanuel Ndayisaba (left). Emmanual viciously attacked Alice during the genocide cutting her hand off and leaving her for dead. Against all odds, both have reconciled with each other and now teach reconciliation to fellow perpetrators and victims caught up in the 1994 genocide.

Ecotourism (above and below) is a major contributor to Rwanda’s growing economy. In these photographs, Rwandans perform for foreign tourists at The Guardian Village an Eco lodge in Ruhengeri.

Belancila (Laurencie Nyirabeza’s close friend who was murdered during the genocide) Taba, Kigali.

Poignant and pervading photographs installation at the Kigali Genocide Memorial of Rwandans who were slaughtered in the 1994 genocide.

Ruth Mukankuranga mid-class at Karushaka, Prefecture, Kigali. Pre the 1994 genocide many teachers imparted discrimination against ethnic Tutsis via anti-Tutsi writings within school textbooks.

Agnes Nyiransabimana (red headdress) Pyrethrum flower farm owner with her workers harvesting Pyrethrum flowers outside of Ruhengeri (or Musanze) a city in northwest Rwanda.

 

A one on one interview (Jack Picone green jacket) with The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame (blue windcheater). Producer, Peter Klein (far right).

Dairy cow shepherds care for their cows, Rubavu (former Gisenyi), Rwanda.

“Bringing in the wheat” (and below) outside of Ruhengeri (or Musanze) a city in northwest Rwanda. It’s the gateway to Volcanoes National Park, home to mountain gorillas and golden monkeys.                       

 

This is “Umuganda,” a community cleanup held on the last Saturday of every month. It is the reason that Rwanda is known as the cleanest city on the African continent. Kigali, Rwanda.

Daily life in and around Kigali’s CBD.

Daily life in and around Kigali’s CBD.

Dairy cow shepherds care for their cows, Rubavu (former Gisenyi), Rwanda.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~JP

Perfect for you?!

In Photography, Photography News, Workshop News on September 26, 2018 at 2:57 PM

If you can, pick up a copy of Australia’s contemporary and clever photography Magazine – [capture]. It is available in both print and online.

 

I am featured along with several noted Australian photographers [contacts below] concerning what our perfect camera would be.

Novel idea.

Below is an extract from the feature article inclusive of my thoughts about what my perfect camera might look like.

News Flash! We still have some places remaining on our up coming photography workshop in Havana, Cuba. If you are interested in going us view the details here and ping me an email  with any questions you might have.

 

 

 

~ Ends

 

 

Aperture

In Photography, Photography News on May 17, 2018 at 8:54 AM

The wee figure on stage is me during the recent Aperture Conference at Sydney’s International Conference Centre. It was an inspiring and affirming weekend. I was inspired both by my co-speakers:
ALEXIA SINCLAIR
MURRAY FREDERICKS
EUGENE TAN
KEN DUNCAN
GARY HEERY
KRYSTLE WRIGHT
MEGAN LEWIS

…and also the audience. The audience’s insightful questions was a highlight and a catalyst for further thinking surrounding what is philosophically and politically important concerning still photography. Glenn Mckimmin the brainchild behind Aperture is going to do it again. This time in 2019 stay tuned for destination and date.
News Flash!
Also, a reminder that Stephen Dupont and myself are taking bookings for our Cuba 2018 and workshop. Please visit Reportage [here] https://reportage.xyz or further details and/or direct message Stephen and myself on Instagram.

 

Katoomba Photography Workshop: 8th-12th Dec. 2017.

In Photography, Workshop News on October 7, 2017 at 4:30 AM

We are taking bookings for Reportage Photography Workshops next workshop in Katoomba, Australia, 8th-12th Dec. 2017.

Update: We are happy to announce this workshop is now priced in Aus$ representing a discount of Aus$520!

Join Stephen and I (Jack) for an unforgettable experience in photography, place, and space.
         © iPhone Photograph by Jack Picone
View from a graffitied train window in the Blue Mountains en route to Katoomba. ‘Graffiti’ is based on the Italian word graffio (which means ‘scratch’).
Entrancing Katoomba is 110 kilometers west of Sydney at an altitude of 1,017 meters. It is situated in the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains, including Katoomba, is the traditional land of the Gundungurra people and indigenous habitation of the Blue Mountains dates from around 22,000 years ago. The name ‘Ka-toom-bah’, is thought to have emanated from local indigenous people and when translated is said to mean ‘place of many waterfalls.’
It is a popular destination for day-trippers from Sydney and international travelers both lured there by its country town main street, cafes, galleries, and antique shops. But for a photographer, Katoomba is much more than that.
Katoomba is a spiritual and visual mother lode; palpable indigenous peoples ancient history, white man’s recent history, a kaleidoscope of architecture from Federation to now. Local people, who have ‘creativity’ as an in-common gene, bewitching light, impossible mountain landscapes, old trees that reach for the sky, all of which make your heart miss a beat and ask, ‘why has it taken me so long to be here.’
Workshop Overview: This workshop is open to photographers who practice any genre and are at any level. We promote, support and are all inclusive of female photographers.
Award-winning documentary photographer Jack Picone will work in tandem with workshop partner Stephen Dupont, the acclaimed photographer, and filmmaker. Both Stephen and Jack will critique and edit participants’ work one-to-one, and also take part in evening projections and discussions.
Individual and group sessions are held to dialogue intensively on topics such as photographic composition, portraiture, basic camera techniques, how to research ideas and tell an original story, how to market a body of work, and how to hone your style. The workshop is very project based as opposed to technically driven.
The aim is to produce a photo-essay with a striking visual narrative, to be projected on the final evening of the workshop.
The workshop’s schedule will be demanding but highly rewarding.
Application: The workshop is strictly limited to 12 participants. A AUS$500 deposit will be required at the time of booking to secure a place. This will be a popular workshop; please book early to avoid disappointment.
Tuition Cost: AUS$1950
Cost includes all workshop sessions. Cost is not inclusive of travel and accommodation.
To receive further information or to request a registration form, please contact: Jack Picone: jack@jackpicone.com or Stephen Dupont: stephendupont1@me.com
Links:
Jack Picone
Stephen Dupont

A Nation Continues To Mourn

In Random Moments on November 11, 2016 at 7:54 AM

jackpicone_king_reflection-lr-1

                                                                                                      Photograph by © Jack Picone

Above: A digital screen playing historical video of  King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand who died on 13 October 2016 after a long illness is reflected in rainwater near Bts Chong Nonsi, Bangkok.

The private sector has canceled all entertainment activities planned for the upcoming Loy Krathong, Christmas and New Year. Though the government has indicated that these activities can be resumed after the ending of the 30-day mourning period on November 14.

Censorship

In Photography News on August 18, 2013 at 8:28 AM

Reportage Festival Director Stephen Dupont and photographer Jack Picone discuss how censorship by Tourism NSW, impacted on Reportage Festival.

Screen Shot 2013-07-24 at 3.31.30 PM

View here:

For an more in-depth report concerning censorship during Reportage’s documentary festival and censorship in general in the Arts in Australia; Please read this report by RICHARD PHILLIPS: Photojournalists, artist censored by Australian authorities.

TIME Picks the Most Surprising Photos of 2012

In Photography News, Random Moments on December 25, 2012 at 1:29 PM

Interesting edit of some of the more unusual and offbeat images from 2012 by  TIME

Worth the peruse!

June 12, 2012. Fraymaris Arias, widow of Cuban boxer Teofilo Stevenson, gestures in front of the coffin containing the body of her late husband during his wake in Havana, Cuba.

Franklin Reyes—AP

Cuba Teofilo Stevenson Funeral

Living Buddhism

In Random Moments on July 30, 2012 at 6:25 AM

Eclectic and random vignettes (all images made on the Fujifilm X-Pro-1) of ‘living Buddhism’ on the streets and in the temples of Bangkok made over the last several days. All images are concerned and connected with the the central theme of ‘Buddhism’ and it’s ubiquity and universality  in contemporary Thai life.

JP                                                                                                                                                                    

* Click on ‘Living Buddhism’  heading above, to go to the next window and view the slideshow in a larger format.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

10 Photographers You Should Ignore

In Photography News on May 11, 2012 at 2:25 AM

WIRED are hot wired on this one. Too funny and clever not to read.

                                                                                                                                                                            © Photograph by Diane Arbus