All posts tagged: kerri macdonald

To Borrow a Title, Revolution: A User’s Manual

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In 2006, I attended an event at the New York Public Library, “Revolution: A User’s Manual,” with Adam Michnik, Baltasar Garzon, Giaconda Belli and G.M. Tamas and moderated by Christopher Hitchens. It was my first encounter with Michnik; we would meet again a year and a half later one October day in his Warsaw office to discuss German MP Erika Steinbach’s efforts to build a Center Against Expulsions in Berlin and the prickly question of monuments and historical memory. A partial reading, watching and listening list relevant to the craft of revolution since the manuals are being rewritten yet again. Links to source material from this and past revolutions is provided when available free and online: 60 Minutes/CBS News, “Wael Ghonim and Egypt’s New Age Revolution.” Airdate: February 13, 2011. Al Jazeera English, “Egyptian Actor Supports the Protesters.” Airdate: February 1, 2011. “They think they can hijack 85 million voices saying ‘enough.’” – Khalid Abo Al-Naga The Atlantic Tumblr, “The Most Subversive Protest of All: An Egyptian Protestor [sic] Kisses a Riot Police Officer.” January …

Holiday Print Sale, FotoWeek DC, Fortnight Journal, Turning Point Concludes

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Newsletter went out yesterday afternoon: Greetings! I would like to announce a holiday print sale of a select series of 17 prints for $75 each. Every print is from a 6 x 10 inch file and is printed on 8 x 10 inch paper and students who order from a .edu e-mail account receive a discounted price of $50. The holiday print sale is to fundraise for my upcoming trip to Hungary to cover the aftermath of the alumina industrial accident in Ajka that sent toxic red sludge pouring into neighboring villages when an industrial reservoir ruptured. VIEW THE 17 PRINTS FOR $75 to order: send a request that specifies which print and includes your name and mailing address to amanda.rivkin@gmail.com. — Two of my fellow Sarah Lawrence alums, Samantha Hinds and Adam Whitney Nichols, launched Fortnight Journal an online literary journal of art, prose and contemporary culture. VIEW SLOVENSKO FOR FORTNIGHT JOURNAL to see my first of six contributions. — The New York Times Lens Blog “Turning Point” series concluded last week after showcasing …

The New York Times Lens Blog Turning Point Series: Kirsten Luce on Ami Vitale

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Finding Pictures When You’re Not Looking By KERRI MACDONALD AND AMANDA RIVKIN October 27, 2010, 3:39 pm Kirsten Luce, a 28-year-old photographer living in Brooklyn, is a regular contributor to The New York Times. She spent two years photographing along the Mexican border and has freelanced in Mexico City and Atlanta. She is the coordinator for the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, a nonprofit program for emerging photojournalists. Amanda Rivkin’s conversation with Ms. Luce has been edited. Q. Where and how was this picture taken? A. It was taken at a ranch in rural northeastern Mexico. I was living in McAllen, Tex., on the Mexican border, and I was invited to watch a bullfighting practice session. This young matador-in-training was suited up and anxious to begin, but the rest of the men involved were taking their time, socializing. I think it’s important to document everyday life along the border. With the violence occurring in the region, we see a steady stream of dramatic imagery. It is easy to forget that the border is home to millions of …

The New York Times Lens Blog Turning Point Series: Peter van Agtmael on Mark Steinmetz

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A Large Worldview From Small Details By KERRI MACDONALD AND AMANDA RIVKIN October 20, 2010, 12:30 pm Peter van Agtmael, who is represented by Magnum Photos, has spent the last four years documenting America at war. In 2006, his work from Iraq won second place in the general news category from World Press Photo. His book, “2nd Tour, Hope I Don’t Die,” was described on Lens (Nov. 3, 2009). His conversation with Amanda Rivkin has been edited and condensed. Q. How was this picture taken? And how has it changed the way you work? A. It was taken on my second trip to the Three Gorges Dam. It hasn’t really changed the way I work. It was just one of many different moments of happiness and satisfaction toward photography I’ve encountered along the way; just a particularly potent one at the time. I wouldn’t be very excited if I took that picture now, but that’s a good thing. Inspiration: Mark Steinmetz Image: “Knoxville, Tenn.” Early 1990s. Q. When did you first come upon this image? …

The New York Times Lens Blog Turning Point Series: Matt Eich on Rich-Joseph Facun

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Finding Clarity in Ambiguity By KERRI MACDONALD AND AMANDA RIVKIN October 13, 2010, 1:30 pm Matt Eich, a freelance photographer based in Norfolk, Va., is a founding member of Luceo Images. Mr. Eich, who was born in 1986, focuses on the sense of identity found within communities. This year, he was named one of PDN’s 30 emerging photographers to watch. He has also received awards from Pictures of the Year International. His conversation with Amanda Rivkin has been condensed. Q. How was this picture taken? A. I was in Amsterdam for the Joop Swart Masterclass last November. It had been a week of crazy discussions with photographers from around the world who all speak a slightly different version of this visual language. You could always get interpretations of your work and ways to view your work. We were all sort of reeling from these conversations we had been having. Toward the end of the week, we all went out to a bar and I snapped a few pictures, one of the back of this guy’s …

The New York Times Lens Blog Turning Point Series: Justin Maxon on Antoine D’Agata

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Multiple Realities, Multiple Exposures By KERRI MACDONALD October 6, 2010, 1:55 pm Justin Maxon was born in California in 1983 and attended San Francisco State University. In 2007, at 24, Mr. Maxon won first prize in the World Press Photo Daily Life category. Two years later, in 2009, PDN called him one of 30 emerging photographers. Mr. Maxon’s conversation with Kerri MacDonald has been edited and condensed for space. Q. How was this picture taken? A. While working on a long-term project in Chester, a small town outside of Philadelphia, I was besieged in witnessing issues weighing on the lives of the community. I grew frustrated that my work didn’t have the dimension or complexity I felt was necessary to unfold the overlapping issues. So I took a bold leap and began experimenting with multiple exposures. Placing interrelated moments next to each other, I attempted to create images that had layers of understanding in them, where one could see more of the true complications of life in Chester. People must endure a tremendous amount of …

The New York Times Lens Blog Turning Point Series: Mustafah Abdulaziz on Richard Avedon

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Finding Reality, Through a Lens By KERRI MACDONALD AND AMANDA RIVKIN September 29, 2010, 3:23 pm The Brooklyn-based photographer Mustafah Abdulaziz, 24, was born in New York City. Mr. Abdulaziz, who works as a contract photographer for The Wall Street Journal, has been a member of the photo collective MJR since 2008. His work focuses on people and cultures in transition. In 2009, Mr. Abdulaziz was named one of Magenta Foundation’s Emerging Photographers, and this year he was nominated for young photographer at the International Center of Photography’s Infinity Awards. His conversation with Amanda Rivkin has been edited and condensed for space. Q. How was this picture taken? A. The Mural Arts Program of Philadelphia commissioned me to do a series of portraits during the installation of a mural on the side of a methadone clinic in North Philadelphia. People who were on methadone worked on the mural — some contributing poetry and writing for the muralist, James Burns; others putting it together in the basement of the clinic. This portrait of Peggy was taken …

The New York Times Lens Blog Turning Point Series: Ed Ou on Finbarr O’Reilly

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Waiting and Waiting for the Perfect Moment By KERRI MACDONALD September 22, 2010, 5:24 pm Ed Ou, 23, was born in Taiwan and grew up in Vancouver, Canada. He spent the last four years in the Middle East, Africa and the former Soviet Union. On June 13, his photographs of very young fighters accompanied “Children Carry Guns for a U.S. Ally, Somalia,” by Jeffrey Gettleman. Mr. Ou has been based in Nairobi as a photographer for Reportage by Getty Images and is soon to begin working as a photo intern at The Times. His remarks have been edited and condensed. Q. How was this picture taken? A. I was doing a story on victims of Soviet nuclear testing in Kazakhstan [“Under a Nuclear Cloud”] and I found this kid. His name is Nikita. He was 18 at the time. He can’t move. He was born with infant cerebral palsy due to radiation but he was one of the most animated people I’ve met. He could only move his head. He couldn’t control any of his …

The New York Times Lens Blog Turning Point Series: Maja Hitij on Kevin Carter

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The Face of Fear in Hebron By KERRI MACDONALD AND AMANDA RIVKIN September 15, 2010, 12:10 pm Maja Hitij, 26, has worked as a freelancer in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip since 2008. She is a native of Slovenia. Her photos have been published in The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, The Guardian, The Washington Post and Süddeutsche Zeitung. In 2009, she was an intern for The Associated Press in Berlin and Jerusalem. Her conversation with Amanda Rivkin has been edited and condensed. Q. How was this picture taken? A. I went to Hebron with a friend, Ed Ou, with whom I really like to shoot. We were walking around the old city when we saw the soldiers. We were just following them and observed the situation. I tried to focus on how Palestinians react when they see solders guarding the place. This was when I saw this little girl hiding. And at the same time as these young boys — soldiers — were doing this job, I could feel …

The New York Times Lens Blog Turning Point Series: Newsha Tavakolian on Shah Naser al-Din (1848-1896)

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When the Shah of Iran Took the Pictures By KERRI MACDONALD AND AMANDA RIVKIN September 8, 2010, 5:30 pm Newsha Tavakolian, 29, has been covering Iran for Polaris Images since 2001 and has freelanced for The Times since 2004. She discussed coverage of last year’s political upheaval in “Covering Tehran” (June 17, 2009) and shared her photographs of women singers in “A Quiet Song, With Feeling” (June 11, 2010). Her conversation with Amanda Rivkin has been edited and condensed. Q. How was this picture taken? A. This was a news event, a demonstration next to the shrine of the founder of the Islamic Republic. It was extremely busy. I decided not to make a cliché picture of angry people shouting, “Death to America.” Instead, I entered the shrine. Men and women are separated there. The women’s section was more quiet. I saw mourning, crying mothers, who held portraits of their sons. The draperies against the walls intrigued me, so I mixed those with the portrait. Both mother and son resembled each other, but the face …