National Geographic : The Photographic Seminar by Jean-François Leroy
As far as I can remember, it’s never been so cold during the National Geographic Photography Seminar. But the atmosphere was nice and warm. The participants—by invitation only—have never been so numerous.
Sarah Leen opened the seminar with a tribute to Robert Gilka, one of the magazine’s iconic photo directors, who passed away last summer.
Not long after September 11th, Hasan Elahi was falsely accused by the FBI for having explosives in a storage unit. Months of investigations and interrogations followed. They made his life miserable. Hasan decided to provide the FBI with more surveillance data than they could ask for. He kept them informed of his every move. “I’m here in the bathrom, it’s 10:43 AM. I’m eating a hot dog, it’s 12:17 PM. Back to the bathroom at 2:02 PM.” It’s a very thoughtful, astute work on the relationship between the monitors and the monitored. And it’s all done with a healthy dose of humor, a real treat. He’s even created a website where you can trace his movements yourself: http://trackingtransience.net.
Then came Wayne Lawrence and his portraits of Orchard Beach. This captivating series was a unanimous favorite among the participants. In any case, everyone agreed on Lawrence’s charisma and the way he is able to photograph communities like no one else.
Newsha Tavakolian is a young and very talented Iranian photographer. She explained her somewhat chaotic beginnings as a photographer in Iran, her success with newspapers and international magazines, the difficulties of being a female photographer under the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and her evolution from a photojournalist into a “concept-photographer.” Regardless of how one feels about her more recent work, the way she speaks about her singular journey is thrilling. Congratulations, Newsha!
Tyler Hicks is one of the greatest photographers of his generation. His work on Afghanistan, Libya, and the recent massacre in a Nairobi shopping mall are peerless. But it’s his way of discussing his work, always with just the right distance, that makes him one of this century’s giants of photojournalism. The public was staggered, and rightly so.
After lunch, National Geographic editor-in-chief Chris Johns said that in his 32 years of experience, he had never experienced so rich and varied a morning. Then he introduced us to Vince Musi—a real case of the biter being bit! Vince Musi has been the talented emcee of the seminar for the past eleven years. Every one of his presentations is masterfully crafted and always entertaining. But now he was presenting his own portraits of animals. It’s a funny work, but it raises many questions: what makes us think we can adopt a wild animal and domesticate it without any problems? Vince is a real showman. If I were in charge of a TV station, I’d hire him immediately!
The work of David Maisel is very troubling. His abstract aerial views showing the ravages of pollution and mining are surprisingly beautiful. They are proof of what mankind can do to nature. It’s a remarkable work, but above all a frightening one.
Many of us expected a lot from the last discussion between Danny Lyon and Julian Bond, who was one of the greatest American civil rights leaders of the 1960s and 70s. Bond and his friends founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, for which he photographed the posters and communication material.
Unfortunately, Julian Bond didn’t have the chance to say very much. Danny Lyon’s presentation was very disappointing. There were too few photographs and too much on the theme “Me, Myself and I.” It was poorly received. Everyone regretted not being able to hear more from Mr. Bond, and Danny Lyon’s off-handedness is often criticized. No one can dispute his talent, but many in the audience were hoping to revisit his work or, for younger members, discover it for the first time. It was truly a missed opportunity.
But apart from that, it was a great day in Washington. Thank you everyone, and until next year!
Jean-François Leroy (Directeur de Visa pour l’Image)
National Geographic : The Photographic Seminar by Elodie Mailliet Storm
There is no better way to start the year than with the National Geographic Seminar, one of the most diverse and thought-provoking photography events of the year, a day that always leaves you filled with inspiration and new perspectives on photography.
Here are some of the words that stuck with me:
“Good luck taking the film now that pictures are instantly up there.” — Hasan Elahi on surveillance no longer being a one way street with the advent of social media.
“Going from photojournalism to art photography allowed me to avoid having a life without creativity.” — Newsha Tavalokian on finding her voice after she was no longer allowed to photograph in the streets of Iran.
“Every photojournalist’s goal is to become invisible. That’s when you find truth in your photograph.” —Tyler Hicks reflecting on his career as a war photographer.
“Beauty can be a tool for investigation” —David Maisel on his ethereal aerial photographs
Elodie Mailliet Storm (Senior Director of Photography Getty Images)
http://www.nationalgeographic.com
