James Nachtwey

 

 

from TED Prize website:

Photojournalist James Nachtwey is considered by many to be the greatest war photographer of recent decades. He has covered conflicts and major social issues in more than 30 countries.

Why you should listen to him:

For the past three decades, James Nachtwey has devoted himself to documenting wars, conflicts and critical social issues, working in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza, Israel, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Rwanda, South Africa, Russia, Bosnia, Chechnya, Kosovo, Romania, Brazil and the United States.

Nachtwey has been a contract photographer with Time since 1984. However, when certain stories he wanted to cover — such as Romanian orphanages and famine in Somalia — garnered no interest from magazines, he self-financed trips there. He is known for getting up close to his subjects, or as he says, “in the same intimate space that the subjects inhabit,” and he passes that sense of closeness on to the viewer.

In putting himself in the middle of conflict, his intention is to record the truth, to document the struggles of humanity, and with this, to wake people up and stir them to action.

He is the winner of the 2007 TED Prize, awarding him $100,000 and one wish to change the world. This was his wish: “I’m working on a story that the world needs to know about. I wish for you to help me break it in a way that provides spectacular proof of the power of news photography in the digital age.”

On October 3, the story breaks … and we would like you to witness it.

“Reticent about discussing his own life beyond the basic facts, he’s clearly one of those rare characters who focus singularly on their work with a missionary-like sense of purpose.” — Salon.com

recovery media strategies

Interesting post about recovery media strategies here by  Rob Haggart.

new website

My new website is up. Check it out !

blason

Quality/Price ratio is a figure wine merchants/producers seem not to take into account anymore. I was used to seeing high prices for a bottle of good wine in the U.S. and other countries but Italy. For years now the price for a bottle has increased considerably in my native country.

I discovered Blason during my trips to Friuli Venezia Giulia, a north east region where my mother-in-law lives and my reconciliation with wine producers took eventually place.

I will not bother you with a review about his wine (and prices!): if you google his name you’ll find some interesting ones along with the merchants who sell his wine in the U.S. and few other countries.

P.S. I am not the author of Blason’s website photos.

olive trees in apulia

Some years ago I traveled Italy to take photos for a book by Joyce Goldstein (Chronicle Books). I knew a relative of mine, an agronomist living in the area, was making a research about olive trees parasites and asked him to help me finding olive-groves to take pictures of.

The areas covered were those near the town of Taranto.

Here are some wonderful centenarian olive trees whose beauty is stunning.

back from a 2 week sailing holiday in Croatia

Just back from our usual 2 week summer holiday, sailing along the Dalmatian coast, Croatia.

Here are a few pics:

We visited the Krka river falls. Went up the river from Sibenik for about 16 km. We couldn’t reach them by our sailboat but had to make port at Skradin and then take the park motor boat to the falls.

Descending the river, we anchored in an inlet just before the estuary to spend the night.

Nice, uh !?

Prvic, nice little port.

Here the four of us ate a 1.7 Kg Dentex washed with Malvazija.

We then celebrated the event with 3 slivovitza each … .

Still don’t remember how we went back to the boat … .

Another nice place: tiny little port of Luka, Dugi Otok.

Barbara’s waiting for her first morning espresso just in front of the bar.

We also sailed in the Kornati archipelago.

Anchored in the cove of Striznja but slept little, due to the Burje (Bora in Italian), a north-east wind.

ACI Marina Piskera on the islet Panitula

The last night was spent in the cove of Vrulje, Kornati again.

A view from the restaurant Robinson (good!).

Back at work, now !!