The David, Florence, Italy

Always happy to be back in beautiful Italy, prepping for the Intimate Tuscany Workshop and Tuscany Village Tour with Drake Busath.  I thought I would warm up a little bit in a city that cradles its art.  Of late, I have had an interest in not necessarily photographing works of art for their own beauty, but photographing the interactions of people with them.  I had envisioned this image for sometime, as I wanted to show the absolute madness of our society for this particular statue.

Granted, it is quite breath-taking.  It is massive in its own right, but combined with the aesthetics of the sculpture, The David by Michelangelo evokes a grandeur and beauty of the human spirit.  I sat for awhile sketching out his other, unfinished statues in the hallway leading to the David and also watched people’s reactions as they turned the corner and could see the statue centrally placed in the rotunda of the Gallerie dell’Accademia.  Many people were visibly taken aback, and many tour groups who were forced to listen to the didactics of their guides on other works of art simply could not look away from it and anticipated moving closer.

My goal was produce a black and white image which emphasized the statue as subject, but which clearly showed the immensity of the crowd that is often thronging the statue.  I often wonder if art would be as popular if not institutionalized, brought into the museums and charged large fees for it.  If The David were still standing outside in the rain, would we give it as much attention, make it a destination spot from all over the world.  It seems hard to think otherwise, as the sculpture seems to speak for itself.

www.joeladdams.com

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Now on Apple iTunes: eBook “Power of the Glance”

It’s a great day when you see your own book finally available on a ubiquitous distributor of eBooks.  Apple accepted my eBook Power of the Glance: Travel Portraits in Black and White for distribution and is now searchable under Art and Photography Books.  It can be previewed and downloaded for US3.99 here:  http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id583665473.

Cover and Back of “Power of the Glance: Travel Portraits in Black and White” by Joel Addams

EBOOK – POWER OF THE GLANCE: TRAVEL PORTRAITS IN BLACK AND WHITE

This ebook has been a long time in the making, with photographs that started in 2005 and 2006.  Some of my first images of people came from Peru in Iquitos while working with the fabulous Hope Alliance.  I can remember that I felt completely nervous and wasn’t quite sure how to approach people.  I think I was nervous about people yelling at me.  That turned out to be silly because as I asked a few older men if I could take their picture, they seemed like it was a privilege.  One of those images is on page 40; the man with the horizontally striped shirt.  It seemed basic at the time, and even now, but I still feel like it was compositionally sound and natural.  Further down the street that day, a young man and his father were running a taxi service and had stopped for a break in the square.  Tucked away in the back was the boy’s young brother who peered at me through saucer-like eyes.  Unwavering dinner plates, actually that just stared at me from a few feet away.  He didn’t move as I lifted the Canon 20D with a fixed 60 mm lens up and focused on his eyes.  It remains one of my favorites, and is on page 46.

“The portrait became more interesting to me after having reviewed the work of great travel photographers and even some commercial photographers who saw in the person, and especially in the face, a wealth of complexity.  The human experience can be played out in no better place that in the human itself, and the study of it can become as exciting as unlocking a riddle or discovering the double meaning of words in a poem.  People seem to hide their experiences, their emotions, and even their desires in the weight of their gesture, in their wrinkles, and of course in their glance.  And this is where the power of the interpreter of the human condition lies, for if one can determine the meaning of the glance, one will know the intentions of the subject.  The careful observation of the mouth, the arms relaxed by one’s side, the desperate nonchalant tension around the eyes all are clues to the meaning of the poetry that makes up a person’s life, but nothing surpasses the power of the glance.”    - Introduction, Power of the Glance

Girl, Terai Region, Nepal. Page 19

HARDBACK EDITION

I had initially considered a hardback edition of this book.  I am disappointed that the costs of publishing something that should be kept and well considered as an art are so incredibly high.  They make the costs to the public unreasonably high.  Even though some of the world’s best and most well known art photographers are selling limited editions of their art books (say, 500) at very high prices (say, $585), I don’t this is yet feasible.  I will continue to look for a publisher of the work, as their quality to cost ratio is much higher and would make a fine art book more affordable.

Until then, please enjoy the eBook on iTunes for iPad, iMini, and iPhone for US3.99.  I would appreciate any feedback on the images, layout, experience, cost and delivery methods at joel@joeladdams.com or on this thread.

Thank you all for continuing to follow my work,

Joel

NGOs THAT I SUPPORT

Tissue Banks International
Himalayan Cataract Project
Hope Alliance

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Camino de Santiago Images in Germany’s MERIAN Magazine

Image from the Camino de Santiago by Joel Addams/Aurora Photos/Getty Images

Image from the Camino de Santiago by Joel Addams/Aurora Photos/Getty Images

Image from the Camino de Santiago by Joel Addams/Aurora Photos/Getty Images

MERIAN MAGAZINE – GERMANY

These are a couple of the images from the Camino de Santiago that were recently published in the online version of the German travel magazine, MERIAN.  Still searching for the cover where there is an additional image, but I don’t think I will be in Germany before it is off the shelves. Check out their online version here.

Pottery Making in Baktapur, Nepal

Pottery making in Baktapur, Nepal by Joel Addams

Pottery making in Baktapur, Nepal by Joel Addams

Pottery making in Baktapur, Nepal by Joel Addams

Pottery making in Baktapur, Nepal by Joel Addams

Pottery making in Baktapur, Nepal by Joel Addams

BAKTAPUR, NEPAL

Pottery making seems to me to be one of those fundamental projects in life that is still used out of necessity in many parts of the world and for art in others.  The funny thing is that for whatever reason people do it, it still seems to be art.  The craftsmanship of making something useful and artistic provides that double functionality that seems to make the sum total more than the parts.  Mud + hand spinning a wheel + molding + drying = something really cool.  I photographed this gentleman in the clay capital of Nepal, Baktapur.  He “threw” all day, probably everyday…and for long hours.  He cranked through pots that, visibly inspected, did not seem to have flaws.  Maybe he hit his 10,000 hours about five years ago.  I enjoyed the forms of the pots and the motion, yet again frozen in a single still image. (I’ll post the video soon)

Camera: Canon 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon 50 mm f/1.2 on the blurred backgrounds, Canon 17-40 mm L on wide shots, Canon 100 mm f/2.8 Macro
Settings: Variable, but you gotta slow the shutter speed on the spinning wheel down…
Filters:  B + W UV filter
Other: Postprocessing, Black and White Conversion, some curves/levels adjustments

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Favorite Portrait – Nepal

A sadhu or holy man of HIndu participates in rituals in Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal by Joel Addams

KATHMANDU, NEPAL

I have finished editing all of the still images from the recent trip to Nepal, mainly because I was shooting video 95% of the time.  I found the favorite portrait that I took of one of the sadhus, the holy men of the Hindu temples.  Working on the edge of the light has always been my favorite since it naturally isolates the subject.  I love Richard Avedon’s work, but the whiteness would kill me eventually.  Also, this picture represents a different placement of the subject for me, as the focus is farther away than the closest point, which destabilizes the image slightly.  Overall, it’s one of my favorites.

Camera:  Canon 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon 50 mm f/1.2
Settings: ISO 200, f/1.2, 1.250th of a second
Filters: B+W UV filter
Other: Handheld

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The Nepal Eye Bank – Kathmandu

An odd title, I agree.  Yet three gentlemen make up a small history of an institution that is fascinating on so many levels.  The Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology is itself quite a feat, founded by Nepali doctor Sanduk Ruit and supported to an extent by USAID, Australia’s Fred Hollows Foundation, and the Himalayan Cataract Project (US).  The Nepal Eye Bank manager, Sankha Twyana and later the technician Bhola Khitri, were trained both in Nepal and in the Czech Republic, thanks to extra help by the international tissue non-profit, Tissue Banks International (Maryland, USA).  These two gentleman spent years working on both an individual level and a larger social level in Nepal (accompanied by Ruit and corneal surgeons such as Dr. Reeta Gurung) to overcome the barriers of tissue donation in Nepal.

Shankha Twyana is the Nepal Eye Bank’s manager and first technician by Joel Addams

While it has been an uphill battle, many Nepalis now believe that donating one’s corneas (the thin, clear front portion of the eye) can be much more beneficial to them in the next life, an idea that was not always in vogue in Nepal.  With a country that is 80% Hindu and about 20% Buddhist, many in previous generations were not interested in donating their corneas, believing that they would be blind in the next life.  This has changed somewhat as corneal extractions by these eye bank technicians have moved from the hospitals to the sites where families bring their loved ones for cremation:  the Buddhist Temples and the Hindu Temples.  There is the intersection of medicine and religion, when families are met by these three men to discuss — in the middle of the funeral — if they would consider making the donation of their loved one’s corneas.  It can be a tense and intense time, where some families are willing and understanding, others can be rude and quite angry.

Bhola Khitri was the second technician at the Nepal Eye Bank (and still loves his green tea) by Joel Addams

It doesn’t help, either, if you look too young when approaching families about such a major donation.  The young Bala, the newest of the technicians, is in his mid-twenties and as most Nepalis do, he looks a bit younger.  There’s no scorekeeping when it comes to successful approaches to families, but Bala and I were turned down many, many times when approaching families.  The authority of the more elderly and therefore wiser (?) individual may be what is preventing a higher success rate for the technician, but he pushes ahead, knowing that he is doing a good thing.  So many people are waiting for corneal transplants in Nepal and the tissue is never enough to meet the demand currently.

The Nepal Eye Bank technician Bala by Joel Addams

I’ve provided a few images of these three gentlemen.  May they continue well on their way!

If you’d like to support any of these great institutions, I can think of none better who run more efficiently and effectively as they do:

TBI (Tissue Banks International, Baltimore, Maryland)
Himalayan Cataract Project (Burlington, Vermont)

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“Grand Mosque” in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

The Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque is the kingpin mosque of the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi by Joel Addams

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

While on a layover in Abu Dhabi, my friend Josh was kind enough to drive over from Dubai, pick me up, take me to see this great mosque and crash at his pad before my next flight into Nepal.  We photographed the night side of this fantastically large mosque honoring the father of the nation (if my memory serves me correctly).  Immediately, I noticed the mix of warm and cool colors that were intentionally in place by the designers.  The lights gave a very fascinating hue to the building, with a very pure white light mixed somewhere in the middle.  Exposure can be a little tricky on these night shots, so it is important to check your LCD/histogram and see what’s happening.  Depending on how much light is in the frame (as opposed to dark sky), the camera will want to do a lot of different things.  I usually try to get the midtones right, and let the extremely highlights blow out a little bit, giving a bit more of a dramatic effect.  In post, I usually have to add back some of the color, as it is lost trying to get the correct exposure.  In this case, I fixed the blues back to where they were in the scene.

Camera: Canon 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon 17-40 mm @ 17 mm
Settings: ISO400, f/4, 1/25th of a second
Filters:  None
Other: Cable Release

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What’s Selling: June 2012

So the mystery with using a stock agency or distributor is that sometimes they don’t have time to tell you where your images are being used. That’s where you come in. As before, those who want to spend a few moments searching the country they’re in or even the web should be entitled to a reward. Can you find these?

“Walk of the Faithful” Kathmandu, Nepal. This is on the cover of a magazine in Japan currently or in the next month.

“Dinner in Marrakesh, Morocco” by Joel Addams. This is on a cover of a book in France and in the interior of magazine in Russia.

“On the Camino” by Joel Addams. This is on the cover of a magazine in Germany. Help a brother out.

Can you find a copy of any of these things?  We can definitely work something out, since I would love to have a copy (even digital) of any of these images in print.

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Campaign Launch! “From the Eyes of Buddha” Documentary

Screening camp by the Tilganga Eye Institute, Kathmandu, Nepal. Photograph by Joel Addams

KATHMANDU, NEPAL

Check out the trailer on YouTube

I am excited to announce that the trailer has been made for my documentary project, “From the Eyes of Buddha,” and we are launching a fundraiser campaign on Kickstarter.com (visit the YouTube link currently) to raise the funds so we can followup with recipients of cornea transplants in their own homes to see them in their productive lives of farming, tending water buffalo, and continuing their education.  The campaign end April 27, 2012 at 7 p.m.  You can donate as little as $1 and there are sweet rewards for $10 or more!

I was initially interested in this project when I went to the Tilganga Eye Institute in 2006 and wrote an 80-page book on developing an eye banking system in developing countries.  The Nepal Eye Bank managers were fabulous to work with, and they were great again when I showed up with a couple of video cameras in July 2011 to start filming.  We followed the corneas that were extracted on the funeral pyres in the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu into a special solution and then into the recipients in surgery.  One recipient was a perfectly healthy girl from the Indian border who became progressively blind during her youth.  This happened from a genetic problem, and her education, ability to help her family, and marriage prospects (a major part of the Nepali culture) were finished…until she made her way to Kathmandu and the Tilganga Eye Institute.  We filmed her second surgery, but now we need to return to see her new productive life at home, thanks to brave donor families and innovative Eye Bank personnel and skilled Nepali surgeons.

This is a story of changing and a story of hope.  Join us in the campaign by supporting for as little as $10 or simply repost the campaign on your Facebook, Twitter account, or personal blog (the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjMUy6mmAUk&feature=plcp).  Any exposure will help!  Thanks for your interest.

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Young Monks, Kathmandu, Nepal

"Young Monks," Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal by Joel Addams

KATHMANDU, NEPAL

There will be some new announcements concerning Nepal this week, so as a teaser, I thought I would focus on the Kopan Monastery in northwest side of Kathmandu.  I was with some local Sherpas, so they were able to ask if I could slip into one of the classes and take a few pictures.  I didn’t want to disturb their course, so I went in doing the army crawl on the knees.  It’s inevitable that kids are going to get distracted, and when one did, I was hoping to have my camera up and ready to fire.  The bokeh on this one helps out quite a bit, thanks to the Canon 50 mm f/1.2.

Camera: Canon 5DMarkII
Lens: Canon 50 mm f/1.2
Settings: ISO160, f/1.2, 1/100th of a second
Filters:  B + W UV Filter
Other: Handheld

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