Wednesday September 1st, 2010
Our Austin-based photographer Matt Rainwaters has a fascinating series of photos on his blog, which show the process of cleaning up oil-soaked birds in Louisiana.
Getting to the site of the Gulf oil spill was somewhat difficult, as it has been for other media; Matt says that “most of the trip was spent just trying to get access, trying to get through red tape, and battling the bureaucracy in charge of wrangling the media.”
The pictures were taken for the Telegraph (UK), which described the scene vividly:
Workers from the department of fish and wildlife, wearing white contamination suits, paddle in kayaks among this patchwork of low-lying barrier islands, bayous and creeks, approaching the shore when they see birds that have been contaminated.
The healthy birds take off and the heavily-oiled ones attempt to join them, but are unable to do so. “We then pick them up and rescue them that way,” Mr Baker said.
Below is a poster Matt designed to express his sentiments, and perhaps those of the birds.
Tuesday August 31st, 2010
A group of us at Wonderful Machine decided to lend a hand to a community in need, so over the weekend we volunteered for our local Habitat for Humanity.
From left, top: Ed Cunicelli, Peter Clark, Cassie O'Connell, Asad Haider, Henry Randolph; bottom: Jess Dudley, Paul Stanek, Heather Astorga, Daniel Buschmann.
We spent the day priming the entire interior of a house under construction in North Philadelphia, with the patient supervision of full-time Habitat workers Cassie and Henry. We got covered in latex, and Peter’s back is still sore.
How many WM staffers does it take to paint a wall? (Photos by Bill Cramer/Philadelphia)
Since the spirit of giving is in the air, I thought that this would be a good time to share some of the charitable work that our photographers have been doing.
Ed Cunicelli
Our Philadelphia-based photographer Ed Cunicelli not only joined us on our Saturday painting session, he has been working hard as a volunteer with organizations that support Native American youth. It started when Ed did some work for the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health. His travels to the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation and various towns within the Navajo Indian Reservation were an eye-opening experience. “I hit the history books and asked a lot of questions,” said Ed. “I soon realized that there has been a systemic culture of one letdown after the next. I didn’t want to be a part of that and looked for ways to start doing something.”
That opportunity was Native Vision, a camp for Native American youth. Ed volunteers his time and his photography to Native Vision, and has started to teach the kids there about photography. “Working with Native people has changed my approach to the way I make pictures,” Ed said. “I now take my time and think of what why I’m making certain descions… I now understand the importance of knowing when to put the camera down… and I also never take a picture I don’t give back.”
Ed hopes to someday publish the work he has done with Native American youth.
Kevin Brusie
Many of our photographers work with Flashes of Hope, an organization that provides children with life-threatening illnesses with portraits taken by professional photographers. For example, Steve Williams in the Orlando area, wrote about a recent shoot on his blog, and he told me it was “a really great thing to provide photos of these brave kids to their families. ”
Kevin Brusie, who is based in Boston, was so inspired by the work of Flashes of Hope that he decided to bring it closer to home. He worked with the Cleveland-based organization to bring the project to Maine’s Camp Sunshine—since 2008, he has organized photographs for approximately 190 children and their families.
For Kevin, this work is the “ultimate test” of his ability as an environmental portrait photographer, working to make the children and their families comfortable without knowing their condition. “You come away with an even finer sensitivity to your subjects,” Kevin said. “It makes us all better photographers, and people.”
Lynton Crabb
The third story brings us to Australia, where Lynton Crabb has been working with the organization Alzheimer’s Australia. “Working with the organisation is especially important to me, as my father was a long time sufferer of early onset Alzheimer’s until he passed away 5 years ago,” Lynton explained. “It is special for me to be involved and feel a kinship with other people who have had the same experience.”
Lynton has produced several portraits that have been used for ads, posters, corporate literature and a traveling exhibition. For Lynton, the goal of this photography is “increasing awareness of Alzheimer’s disease in the community, recognizing the [caregivers] and projecting a respectful image of the Alzheimer’s sufferers.” Because of the personal importance of this subject, Lynton says, “I would be proud if the Alzheimer’s images were viewed as one of the defining parts of my body of work in years to come.”
This is just a small sampling of our photographers who do charitable work, and we’re excited to hear about all the others in the future.
-Asad Haider
Monday August 30th, 2010
This week Mark Murrmann, Photo Editor at Mother Jones, gives us five little slices of his life.
-Asad Haider
What makes a photo great?
Technical qualities—good light, composition, all that—only take a photo so far. What makes a great photo is an image that not only conveys some kind of information, but also works on an emotional level. It can be punch-you-in-the-gut direct, it can be more subtle, something that pulls you in slowly and allows you to wander around the image, keep coming back to it even if you aren’t sure why; it can be funny, witty, wry; it can be something that elicits a feeling of remembrance, something that reminds you of your own life; it can be horrifying, or gratifying. But it has to do something; it has to connect with the viewer. Of course, this is extremely subjective… and a really hard question to answer. There are plenty of good photos out there, even a lot of really good photos. But truly great photos are rare.
A good photo can punch you in the gut, but this guy got punched in the face. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Washington DC)
How did you get to your current job?
I was freelancing (and handing out camera equipment at a local art school photo supply room) when a friend who works at Mother Jones tipped me off they were looking for an art intern. I applied and got it. There was no photo editor while I was interning, so I stepped into that role, helping the then-art director (and current creative director) Tim Luddy with photo researching, looking for photo essays, eventually assigning. When the internship ended, I got offered the job of Associate Photo Editor. I’ve been here for about three years now.
What’s the best way to get your attention?
First, simply, have great, well-edited, work that is suited for the magazine. Or more, work that fits the magazine but pushes the boundaries of what people expect to see in Mother Jones; that always catches my attention.
If you work in an area outside of New York, LA or San Francisco, I am likely to spend a little more time looking at your work. We don’t have the budget to fly photographers around, so I’m always scoping out good photographers within a day’s drive of an assignment.
Coming in to show your book helps put a face to the work, and those personal interactions are good. But I don’t often have time to meet with photographers in person, and when I do have the time, I really prefer doing it in a more informal setting—over a coffee or beer, getting to know you and your work a little better than the typical in-and-out book showing.
Beer increases productivity in meetings. (Photo by Brian Kuhlmann/Chicago)
What annoys you the most?
Oh, I guess the usual photo editor stuff annoys me. Cold calls are near the top the list. I’m not into people who email or call again and again about whether or not I’ve received their promo or pitch. If you send me a pitch and it’s something we can use, you can be assured I will get in touch with you.
Let me just say, even if it’s not something we can use, I try to reply to as many emails as I can. I’ve been on the other side as a photographer, so I know how much time goes into not just shooting the work, but in the pitch. It’s really frustrating to not hear anything back. I try to write back as often as I can, even if it’s just a sentence or two. Sometimes it takes me a long time (like months) and sometimes I just don’t have time. But I do keep pitches (and bookmark sites) I think we could possibly use down the road, or that might fit with a story, or that I just like. So, just because you might not hear from me, or if I turn down a proposal that doesn’t mean I didn’t see it or that I didn’t like it. I always tell photographers to keep in touch and I mean it.
But really, the most annoying thing is when I reject a proposal and the photographer argues with me about it. That takes even more time out of my day and it shows a real lack of professionalism. There are many reasons I might reject a photo essay, none of them should be taken personally. I get anywhere from two to ten photo essay proposals each day. We run maybe six photo essays a year. It’s just hard to get work in the magazine. And that’s really one of the worst parts of my job, seeing so much really great, truly amazing work and not being able to get it in the magazine. It can be really frustrating.
What’s the most satisfying part of your day?
It doesn’t happen every day, but I really love getting in work from a photo essay or photo shoot and going over it with the photographer, getting their feedback, then showing it to the art department and editors and seeing the layout and everything all coming together just right, with the photographer really loving it (among everyone else). That is exceptionally satisfying, especially after all the work that goes into getting a significant body of work in the magazine.
