NYTs: Documenting the Decade

Time Magazine called it the “Decade From Hell.” New York Magazine termed it “One Wild Decade.” We want to hear from you. Help us document the decade by picking five important moments from the last 10 years — possible subjects include news or political events, culture and entertainment, business, sports or technology. Send us photos that you have taken that help illustrate those moments, plus short personal essays that explain how they define your decade. Subjects might include signs of the recent recession in your community, an event such as the Sept. 11 attacks or the 2004 tsunami, yourself at the World Series or Olympic Games, or the impact of a recent technical invention on your life. Post your photos and story.

iChaos ?

Above is a demonstration of what a magazine might be like in the future. As Apple prepares to launch its rumored “i-tablet” device due out in January we ask “will this interactive format replace dying print media?” Fred Ritchin, author of “After Photography” blogs about it at http://afterphotography.org.

About “afterphotography.org”: Given the emergence of the digital, few appear to be exploring whether more effective and expansive media strategies can now emerge. This site is a forum on possibility, launched in conjunction with the publication of Fred Ritchin’s book After Photography in December of 2008.

Is Your Electronic Gear Funding War in Congo?

Posted by Holly Hughes on December 9, 2009

In the past two weeks, media coverage of a UN report about the funding of rebel groups in the eastern Congo has highlighted the connection between the trade in minerals used to make laptops, cellphones and digital cameras, and the ongoing violence that has killed more than 5 million people.

Articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and elsewhere. A report on CBS’s 60 Minutes last Sunday reported that the armed militias terrorizing civilians in eastern Congo are fighting for control of the area’s wealth of minerals, such as gold, tin, tantalum (also known as “coltan”), and tungsten which can be used in a variety of electronic devices.

In this month’s PDNews article “Would You Switch Digital Cameras If It Could Save Lives?”, John  Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project, an anti-genocide initiative, describes his organization’s campaign to get electronics makers to eliminate so-called “conflict minerals” from their supply chain and offer consumers a way to buy certified “conflict-free” electronics.

Prendergast believes that, just as furor over “blood diamonds” cut off the biggest incentive for fighting in Sierra Leone, Angola and Liberia, consumer demand for “conflict-free” electronics could do more to stop rape, murder and the displacement of civilians in the eastern Congo than peacekeepers have managed to do. READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

SF Camerawork’s 2009 Benefit Auction of Photographic Prints

Lot 81: Library of Dust 1829, 2005/2009, from the series Library of Dust, c-print, 14 x 11'', AP, signed on verso of mount. © David Maisel

SF Camerawork’s 2009 Benefit Auction of Photographic Prints
Auction: Saturday, December 5th, 1 pm

Preview Exhibition, November 10th – December 5th
Preview Exhibition Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 12 – 6 pm

Please join us at SF Camerawork for our annual benefit auction of vintage and contemporary photographic art. All proceeds support SF Camerawork’s exhibitions and educational programs.

SF Camerawork is proud to present the Preview Exhibition for its Annual Benefit Auction opening Thursday, November 10th – December 5th. SF Camerawork’s Benefit Auction of vintage and contemporary prints is truly a collector’s paradise. Admirers of vintage and contemporary photography can view works during the preview exhibition and bid on them at the December 5th auction. Works by more than 200 artists are featured, including such luminaries as Robert Mapplethorpe, Edward Weston, Alfred Stieglitz, Richard Misrach, Catherine Opie, Catherine Wagner, Todd Hido, Larry Sultan, and Michael Light.

Auction Catalogue Online (absentee bidding accepted)

SF Camerawork   |   657 Mission Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105   |   Ph: 415.512.2020 Fax: 415.512.7109

Everyday Timesavers: Photography – Adjustments and Masks Panels | Adobe TV

more about “Everyday Timesavers: Photography – Ad…“, posted with vodpod

You’ll be amazed how much faster you can fine tune your images with the new Adjustments and Masks Panel in Photoshop CS4. Julieanne Kost shows you how.

Meet The Next Best Street Photographer: Google – The Picture Show Blog : NPR

more about “Meet The Next Best Street Photographe…“, posted with vodpod By Claire O’Neill

By Claire O’Neill

Has Google joined the ranks of Robert Frank and Helen Levitt? Can Google capture what Cartier-Bresson referred to as the “decisive moment“? Does Google have the cool, objective perspective that photojournalists strive to attain? Jon Rafman might argue so. By scouring the street view offered by Google Maps, he has culled dozens of image that Google can add to its art portfolio.

In 2007, Google dispatched a fleet of cars — each one bearing a pole with nine cameras — with the goal of documenting the streets of the world. The images taken by these cameras have been available on Google Maps for a while, but Rafman took it upon himself to find the views worth looking at.…READ THE ENTIRE STORY