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In the Blink of an Eye: Mark Rebilas

Published December 1, 2008 Documentary , Photojournalism , Sports photography 24 Comments
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Ever since I witnessed Michael Jordan launching himself from the foul line to slam home the NBA’s 1988 dunk contest, I’ve been a huge fan of sports photography – and this is way before I figured out that I had even the slightest bit of passion for photography.

As a child I collected every Sports Illustrated that featured MJ’s high-flying escapades, fixated by the beauty of these images while wondering where they had come from and wishing I could dunk like my idol. With the ability to touch a 10-foot rim by age 14, but unable to draw all that well, I had my mother buy me some tracing paper and colored pencils to create my own images of MJ posterizing some flat-footed sixth man. For hours I would hover over my desk, palms stained with lead and meticulously copy the SI covers, patiently and carefully following each meandering line as though I were a surgeon.

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This week I was in childlike awe once again as I discovered Mark J. Rebilas’ website. As a professional sports photographer and son of motorsports photography legend Gil Rebilas, Mark’s images have appeared in ESPN Magazine, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times and on the top sports websites in the country.

What I find most fascinating about Mark is not the fact that he’s funny, self-deprecating and able to capture such beautiful images in the blink of an eye, but that he’s so willing to share his experiences with others while working in one of the most competitive fields in photography. Finally, I no longer have to wonder where images like the ones I worshiped as kid come from.

They come from Mark Rebilas.

And the Chicago Tribune Is Now Onboard

Published November 20, 2008 Photographers' Rights , Photojournalism , Police Harassment Leave a Comment
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Looks like the hometown paper finally picked up the Mike Anzaldi story. Now we’ll likely see some results.

(As much as certain people decry it – i.e., politicians, cops, Fox News – when a major news outlet covers a story, it matters. It’ll be a sad day when newspapers are officially dead.)

Chicago Photographer Arrested Again – CPD on the Warpath

Published November 18, 2008 Photographers' Rights , Photojournalism , Police Harassment 53 Comments
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bond2Monique Bond, CPD Spokesperson

UPDATE: Mike Anzaldi has been cleared of all charges. Read the post here.

We checked back in with Mike Anzaldi, the freelance photojournalist who was arrested by the Chicago Police Department October 22 at a crime scene. Thinking we’d hear about the status of his arrest, we were shocked to learn he’d been arrested again – and the second offense is even more outlandish than the first!

As we posted before, Anzaldi was arrested and his equipment was confiscated, and about 500 images were deleted from his memory card, when the Chicago police decided that he wasn’t allowed to film a crime scene from a neighbor’s private property. He was charged with obstruction and resisting arrest and his status hearing is set for November 19.

On November 3, Anzaldi responded to a report of shots fired at a church. When he got there, it turned out a man had brought a plastic gun into a shelter and there was no crime after all, but Anzaldi decided to shoot a few minutes of footage just in case. As he was doing this, he was approached by an officer who told him he couldn’t stand where he was standing and then asked to see his credentials.

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This officer called his name into the dispatcher – here’s where it gets weird – and the dispatcher apparently told her to detain him. The officers on the scene were confused and clearly not in the loop, but nonetheless were following orders from above. After some back and forth with higher-ups, the officer told Anzaldi that there was some sort of problem with his ID but the computer in her car was broken, so she asked him to come to the station to clear things up. They promised it would take 15 minutes and they’d return him to his car. Anzaldi admits it was foolish of him to willingly go with them, but understand it from his point of view – it was not a crime scene, he had done nothing wrong, it was not a confrontational situation, and he never imagined anything would come of it.

Continue reading ‘Chicago Photographer Arrested Again – CPD on the Warpath’

Update: Arrested Photog’s Photos Recovered

Published October 24, 2008 Photographers' Rights , Photojournalism , Police Harassment 5 Comments
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Photo by Mike Anzaldi

In regards to freelance photojournalist Mike Anzaldi’s brush with the law earlier this week: Yes, he has recovered all the photos the Chicago Police Department erased from his memory card.

While journalists don’t always have their rights, they do have technology.

Photographer’s Journal

Published October 21, 2008 Photojournalism Leave a Comment
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Photo by Max Becherer/New York Times

Today the New York Times’ Baghdad Bureau introduced the Photographer’s Journal, a regular feature that aims to give some insight into shooting in Iraq, from the photojournalist’s perspective. The first one is “The Gap: Haifa Street 2004 and 2008” by Max Becherer, who describes the circumstances behind two Haifa Street photos four years apart. One is chaos; one is calm. Becherer explains what the photographer’s prized “gap” is:

The gap is the moment of time after something catastrophic happens but before everyone reacts to it. It is a solid gold moment for any photographer, be it in a war zone or in New York City, with a news photographer trying to beat the police cordon.

Article via New York Times.

To see more of Max Becherer’s work, go here.

Social Impact Workshop Begins at Venice Arts

Published October 1, 2008 Documentary , Photojournalism 1 Comment
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Photo by discarted

If you’re a passionate and dedicated photographer with the intention of making photography more than just your weekend hobby, it’s almost certain that you have taken a class or two throughout your time shooting.

Held at Venice Arts in Venice, CA, the Social Impact Workshop is a brand new long-term documentary program run by acclaimed photojournalist and three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee Jim Hubbard.

Meeting every other Saturday and ending in late February for a total of 12 classes, the workshop will use presentation, discussion, work sharing, and personal shooting to help students explore their chosen subjects more deeply. And with that, see the depth and quality of their work expand over the length of the class.

Other topics that will be covered include but are not limited to accessing subjects, ethical and legal considerations, and equipment selection. At the end of the workshop students will share their work with the public via an exhibit hosted by the Venice Arts Gallery.

With the combination of Jim’s expertise and an eclectic group of talented people (consisting of all skill levels and one child psychologist) to poke and prod for critiques and advice, there isn’t any doubt that each of us will learn something new and likely incorporate another photographer’s way of working into our own camera bag of tricks.

Photojournalist’s Snaps of Spill a Security Risk?

Published July 30, 2008 Photojournalism , Police Harassment Leave a Comment
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Photo by GODa

They do things differently in Texas, but in terms of photographers’ rights, they’re right in line with most states … in squashing them. Galveston County Daily News photographer Kevin M. Cox was taking photos of an oil leak at the Marathon Oil Co. when he was detained by police who questioned him for 45 minutes and asked to see his photos.

In an article in the Daily News, Cpl. Tom Robison defended the Texas City Police Department’s actions, saying it is policy to stop anyone photographing chemical plants so that police can assess what threat, if any, the photos pose to national security. Yes … but: What security risk could a photo possibly present when everything in it is visible to the naked eye from the street? (Cox’s vantage point.)

Robison said it’s not their policy to confiscate photos and they usually work nicely with the press. But they do detain news photographers — documenting news events — for 45 minutes. Go figure.

It’s that pesky constitution thing again. For all those Texans who are staunch defenders of the 2nd amendment that enables them to bear arms, well, they have to respect the 1st too.

Article via The Galveston County Daily News.

Photojournalist Grapples with Famous Photo

Published July 16, 2008 Photographers' Rights , Photojournalism Leave a Comment
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In this article in Sunday’s Washington Post, former Army Times photographer Warren Zinn writes about learning that the subject of perhaps his most famous photo had killed himself. In 2003, Zinn took a photo of Army medic Joseph Dwyer carrying a wounded Iraqi boy that was hailed for its power and message of heroic sacrifice. Dwyer, 31, who was battling PTSD, died of an overdose on June 28. That lead Zinn, who is now attending law school in Miami, to do some soul-searching of his own. As he writes:  

Did this photo have anything to do with his death? News reports said he hated the celebrity that came with the picture. How much, I wondered, did that moment — just 1/250th of a second when three lives intersected on a river bank in Iraq — contribute to the burdens he’d brought home with him? If I’d never taken his picture, would he have ended up as he did? 

After four rotations in Afghanistan and Iraq, Zinn decided the risk wasn’t worth it anymore. He heard from Dwyer via email intermittently, the last one in 2004 saying, “Now looking back on it, it’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever done. I hope you feel the same about what you have done. I truly believe you played an important role in this war. You told everyone’s story.”

 

But Zinn seems circumspect about that role and his notoriety, writing: 

I’m a little embarrassed when people call the photo iconic or compare it with other famous photos. I was a photojournalist doing my job, just like hundreds of others in Iraq. There were countless pictures produced during the invasion that were better composed, better exposed and more compelling.

 Article from The Washington Post. 

They Do Not Mess Around in Greece

Published July 8, 2008 Assault , Harassment , Photographers' Rights , Photojournalism , Police Harassment 2 Comments
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You do not want to get caught taking unauthorized photos in Greece.

Olivier Jobard, an award-winning French photographer working for SIPA Press agency, was arrested and beaten on July 4 for taking photos of a port in the Greek town of Patras. He was working on a story about immigration and didn’t have a permit to photograph the port, which is required by Greek law, although he had been shooting the previous day – and had been stopped twice by guards and allowed to continue.

From the Reporters Without Borders release:

When Jobard was unable to produce a permit, the guard escorted him to a public toilet, pushed him inside, handcuffed him and hit him several times in the face. He then pulled out a knife, cut the strap of Jobard’s camera, threw the camera to the ground and smashed it with his foot.

Reporters Without Borders fully acknowledges Jobard’s need for a permit but condemns the use of violence. Agreed … anyone with half a brain would say it sounds excessive and unnecessary.

Jobard has filed a complaint against the police for assault and battery, meanwhile the Greek media has apparently come out against Jobard, criticizing him while only relaying the “official” (i.e., government) version of the story.

Talking to…Photojournalist Anthony Karen

Published June 29, 2008 Documentary , Interview , Photojournalism 96 Comments
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Photos courtesy of Anthony Karen

Whether it’s humility, patience, diligence or daring, New York-based photographer Anthony Karen has a personality that’s ideally suited to a photojournalist — because somehow he infiltrates enclaves and subcultures that are notoriously closed off, among them the Ku Klux Klan, shantytowns in Haiti and one of the few surviving leaders of Cambodia’s murderous Khmer Rouge regime.

After listening to a recent NPR interview with Karen, we were curious to know more about his start, his style and his process.

Interview by babydiscarted and discarted.

Why do you take photos?

I used to take photographs because I wanted to; now I also take them because I need to. I have to express myself in some creative way to feel alive — photojournalism allows me to do so many things. It fills my soul to experience the gift of being allowed into someone’s most private moments and the trust they give me to try and capture what’s going on the best that I can. It’s the beauty of creation, going home and seeing what I’ve captured on film. It’s not always a great image, but it’s a moment of time that I’ll always have access to. I can make that experience last forever. And I like to make people “feel” — hopefully it’s not a feeling to blog [about] me and say my images suck, but photography is so subjective. So what can ya do!

Continue reading ‘Talking to…Photojournalist Anthony Karen’

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