Multimedia workshops and Journalist Massacres

January 30, 2012 – 11:54 pm

I’ve been lucky enough to escape the freezing weather of Beijing for the Philippines specifically, Davao the main city of Mindanao in the south of the country. I’m here to teach a multimedia workshop at Ateneo one of the top universities in the Philippines as part of a World Press Photo sponsored project that will be launched shortly.

Ateneo de Davao

I’m here to train of photojournalists to start producing stories for multiple media platforms. So one journalist could in theory create a video for broadcast and online use, photos for print or online galleries/slideshows and a short print article. We are getting the photojournalists to work together with local NGO’s and a media partner to try and get more Mindanao issues into the mainstream media in the Philippines.  This trip I was training the photographers who would be running the project.

Alex and BJ working hard editing their footage

It went well and we even managed to produce a short video about tricyboats. Small three wheel tricycles powered by out board motor engines kind of crazy but interesting. I should have an edited video once the interviews have been translated later on in the week so watch this space!

Roger the mechanic and Tricyboat builder

Our Tricyboat driver who was kind enough to show us around Davao

Whilst making the short video for the Tricyboats we stumbled upon a huge mansion just outside Davao city which we were told by the driver belonged to the Ampatuan family.

Ampatuan Mansion on the outskirts of Davao

That not mean much to you but they are supposedly responsible for the Manguindanao massace. Which if you still don’t know about you should. In 2009, 58 people were killed including 34 journalist which according to the CPJ (Committee to Protect Journalists) is the worst single attack on the press since records began in 1992.

The killings occurred as two powerful political families feuded as one family  dared to register in an election to stand against a member of the Ampatuan family which controlled Maguindanao. He ended up losing his wife two sisters aides and lawyers. I knew politics was dirty but not this bad.  Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the massacre

“The Maguindanao massacre, also known as the Ampatuan massacre after the town where the mass graves were found,[2] occurred on the morning of November 23, 2009, in the town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao province, on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. While the victims were on their way to file a certificate of candidacy for Esmael Mangudadatu, vice mayor of Buluan town, they were kidnapped and brutally killed. Mangudadatu was challenging Datu Unsay mayor Andal Ampatuan, Jr., son of the incumbent Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan, Sr., in the forthcoming Maguindanao gubernatorial election,[3] part of the national elections in 2010. The 58 people killed included Mangudadatu’s wife, his two sisters, journalists, lawyers, aides, and motorists who were witnesses or were mistakenly identified as part of the convoy.
 
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called the Maguindanao massacre the single deadliest event for journalists in history.[4] At least 34 journalists are known to have died in the massacre.[5] In a statement, CPJ executive director Joel Simon noted that the killings, “appears to be single deadliest event for the press since 1992, when CPJ began keeping detailed records on journalist deaths.”[4] The CPJ further noted that, “Even as we tally the dead in this horrific massacre, our initial research indicates that this is the deadliest single attack on the press ever documented by CPJ” 
 

It’s a scary thought that people believe themselves to be above the law to that extent ordering mass executions and believe there will be no repercussions. That is exactly what happen though and to this day they have been no convictions in the case and the trial is still ongoing and doesn’t seem to be moving very quickly.

Entrance gate to the Ampatuan Mansion located just outside Davao City

The mansions looked a little run down and I tried to get a look into the place and found a little gap just tall enough to stick my camera underneath the gate and get a few shots before making a hasty retreat these aren’t the kind of people to mess around with and I didn’t want to be caught photographing their properties.

Weeds cover the entrance to the Ampatuan Mansion located just outside Davao City

Luckily according to our driver there is only a caretaker who lives there and we weren’t spotted. After reading up on the trial, I was disappointed to hear that no convictions have been made since 2009, and the trial is still ongoing with the victims families losing confidence in the legal system’s ability to deliver justice.  Its such a shame and I can’t begin to understand how the victim’s families must be feeling after two years with no closure.

A Cyclist passes by the Ampatuan Mansion on the outskirts of Davao City

I’ll be heading back to Davao next month so hopefully will be able to explore the place a bit more as I only saw the hotel, the university and a few places whilst shooting the video. Hopefully next time I’ll make it to the beach. Keep checking the blog as I’ll have a new post soon about a little boxing project I have going in Manila.

Tricycle driver,Davao City

By Admin | Posted in Multimedia, Travel, Video | Comments (0)

Jiuzhaigou China’s Wintery Wonder

January 17, 2012 – 11:46 am

It’s been a long time since I updated the blog and one of my new years resolutions will be to blog once a week. We’ll see how that goes, but hopefully I can stick to it. 2011 was a good year and so far 2012 has been equally good. For the first week of the year I headed to Jiuzhaigou National Park, located in Northern Sichuan Province high up on the Tibetan Plateau.

Sun breaking through the clouds, Jiuzhaigou, National Park

So my first job in 2011 was to photograph Jiuzhaigou National Park, with a number of other photographers in China. (thanks Jonah) We were there to photograph Jiuzhaigou National Park in Northern Sichuan, a beautiful place high up on the Tibetan plateau. I managed ok with the altitude just feeling a little fuzzy headed and a little short of breath when walking up slopes but I was blown away at how pristine the landscapes were. I’ve always seen beautiful places in China on film or in pictures but never really seen it first hand.I’ve travelled to many provinces but nothing comes close to the natural beauty of this place.

Ice and water in Jiuzhaigou, National Park

We were tasked with photographing the landscape which is not really my strength but it was an easy place to shoot as the scenery was stunning everywhere you looked.

Reflections on mirror lake, Jiuzhaigou, National Park

Trees above and below the water, Mirror Lake, Jiuzhaigou, National Park

Despite being located in Sichuan on the Tibetan plateau (the airport is 3500m above sea level) Tibetan culture and influence was everywhere to be seen as lets face it it brings in the tourist dollar. At the opening of the festival Tibetan culture was present with Tibetan dancers, costumes and monks.

A Miss Jiuzhaigou contestant

Dancers in Tibetan Costumes at the opening ceremony of the Frozen Waterfal Festival

According to our guide all the Tibetan people living in the villages are rich and happy and when we did eventually visit a village they looked nice enough but we were not far from Aba where monks are setting themselves on fire and protesting. This nagging issue was always at the back of my mind when photographing there and was the only taint on the spectacular setting.

Fresh snow on a tree in Jiuzhaigou, National Park

Despite the cold weather -5/6C and the altitude Jiuzhaigou was stunning and I will definitely come back during a different season to photograph and walk. I think I’ll avoid the summer though as the National Park receives around 20-30,000 people a day which is not my idea of fun!

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Dhaka, Ipods and Rickshaws

November 18, 2011 – 5:20 pm

This week I’ve been in Dhaka teaching a group of photo journalists how to shoot and edit video on the ipod touch at the amazing photography school Pathshala, in Dhaka Bangaldesh, with DJ Clark. I knew a few of the photographers from this school but as I dug deeper it became apparent that the school produces some incredible work and would give just about any other photography school on the planet a run for their money in terms of the prizes their students have won. Almost every year they have a photographer winning a prize at World Press Photo and numerous other awards. It’s an amazing place.

There isn’t much to the school just a small building with 3-4 classrooms amd a Mango tree but lots of the ex students stay on as teachers and there is a always a number of photographers hanging around chatting and discussing photography. The Vice Principle of the school explained Pathshala to me using the Mango tree as a metaphor explaining it was central the the Pathsahal ethos.

“One half of the mango tree which faces the school is always bare as many of the students pick and eat the mangos. The other half of the tree which overhangs an adjoining building is always full of mangoes. So in Pathshala the students don’t always have many resources but we are always telling them to find a path to a place which has resources. “

It’s amazing to think that there are so many prize winning photographers have come from a small school with relatively small resources.I’m here to teach a video workshop with D J Clark teaching local Bangladeshi journalists how to shoot and edit video on an ipod touch. Its a relatively new project and shooting video on the ipod is relatively controversial in the media world. Some advocate the use of a small device but it really does have limitations and if the journalist is going to take the footage onto a computer to edit, it makes much more sense to use a DSLR. The only really sensible reasons to use an ipod or iphone to shoot video is either

a) You have no other camera device with you and news breaks or

b) You have a very small budget to purchase equipment. This is precisely the reason we are training the photographers here. For 300 dollars we have equipped them with a small tripod (nobody likes watching shaky video) a microphone and anipod touch

The aim is to build up a rural network of journalists who can shoot stories for the digital platform, a 2-3 minute video, a photo essay of 10-20 images and then a script which can be rewritten for a print story. Its amazing what can be done with limited resources but talented photographers. The progress they made from the first day to the last was really something.

D J Clark helping the students get to grip with the ipod touch on the second day.

This is my first time in Bangladesh and to be honest I wasn’t sure what to expect. I have travelled quite a bit in South East Asia but not South Asia. So far its been very very good, people are so friendly and everyone is really happy about having their photograph taken which makes it a great place to shoot. I managed to get out for a full day shooting for one day and hopefully will be editing together a short video about rickshaws in Dhaka a major part of the transport system but are gradually being phased out as the government looks to the car and possibly developing a mass transit system. Its a bit of a mess at them moment but I’ll leave that for the video. Here are some of my favourite pictures from my trip.

Security Guards at Pathshala

Compresed Natural Gas (CNG) Mini cab driver

Bus passenges on one of the few buses that have to transport 15 million people in Dhaka

Dhaka the City of Rickshaws

Rickshaw drivers in old Dhaka

Insa, a Rickshaw driver in old Dhaka

You've got to love the hair and beard

Freshly dyed hair and beard

 

A young girl in old Dhaka isn't sure what to make of a big foreigner taking photos

An old man stands on a balcony overlooking an alley in old Dhaka

Dhanmondi Lake a little oasis of calm from the hustle and bustle of Dhaka's streets

A Rickshaw puller with passengers in the rickshaw lane along the busy Mirpur Road

A young street seller along Mirpur Road

Makeshift shops line both sides of Mirpur Road, a main artery of Dhaka

A Tea stand on the busy Mirpur Road, Dhaka

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The Perils of Apartment Hunting in Beijing

November 10, 2011 – 11:13 am

The dreaded apartment search, something I’m sure everyone can relate to and one that nobody enjoys. Usually this process is made somewhat easier by using an agent, or so I thought. After spending a couple of hours on several websites looking through hundreds of adverts I found 4-5 that looked interesting and so made appointments. Whilst looking I did see some fantastic adverts that were blatantly fake unless they had hired some professional photographers to shoot the interiors.

Out of interest I gave them a call, and to be fair, they admitted the pictures weren’t real and offered to send us genuine photos of apartments they had for rent. This I can understand and I’ve been in China long enough to expect people trying to attract business by not being entirely truthful with their wares. What really annoyed me is calling up and making appointments with agents who then took me to a completely different apartment not the one I called up about but were shocked when I told them that this isn’t the same place advertised. This happened with almost all the agents, who all pretty much had the same spiel “inviting” me to look at more places that were just as good if not better than the advert I’d seen. Being dragged around the city looking at apartments I have no interest in is not my idea of fun and is a complete waste of mine as well as the agents time. Luckily I did see some potential places and hopefully will decide on a place soon.

Whilst I don’t know where I’ll be living next month I do know that I’ll be moving from Heplingli. Close to Ditan Park for a nice morning stroll in the park my place is 2 minutes walk from the subway (I can see the subway as i type this) and located just a kilometre or so outside the 2nd ring road and close to Lama temple and some of my favourite places in Beijing. I will really miss this place

Ditan Park

I’ll also miss my local shops and the people who own them who I’ve got to know over the past year or so.

The lovely couple who sell vegetables in my compound

My hair dresser

My local noodle joint

I’ve had nothing but fond memories here in Hepingli an area I knew very little about before moving to. I’ll be back every now and again for noodles, a wonder around Ditan Park and to say hello to people but I’m looking forward to exploring a new area of the city.

PS one thing I won’t miss is the sometimes unreliable and slow internet connection. Now I’m no expert in networks but this can’t be conducive to good internet speeds.

This is where my internet comes from (mobile phone pic)

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Tour of Beijing

October 12, 2011 – 12:12 pm

I’m a keen cyclist and was lucky enough to get my hands on a VIP ticket for the final stage of the Tour of Beijing (Thanks Shannon and Liman). Now I wasn’t expecting too much but having watched the penultimate stage on BTV, I  was surprised to see big names such as David Millar, Nicolas Roche and Time Trial World Champion Tony Martin racing.

Despite the less than cooperative Beijing weather, the morning of the final stage my twitter feed informed me that the air was in fact hazardous not quite what a pro tour cycling event needs on its final day in the middle kingdom, I headed to Tiananmen Square where the race would start. I got a chance to speak to some of the Chinese cyclists who were overjoyed at being on Tiananmen square one of the most important places in China starting in an international cycle race, all of the Chinese team were lapping up the attention and enjoying this opportunity.

I really do hope that the Tour of Beijing starts to make an impact on the Chinese public and encourages more people to cycle. The traffic is abysmal in Beijing and by far and away the best way to get around the city is by bicycle. However the car is a huge status symbol in China and many young Chinese would rather sit in a car in traffic for an hour then cycle twenty minutes to work. I’d also really like to see the Chinese Government invest in the sport and try to raise the public profile that way. The only way the Chinese public is going to embrace the sport of cycling is if they have a successful cyclist. Currently there is investment in the track cycling but not quite the same in road cycling.

Apart from the weather it was an excellent day. There were decent enough crowds all who seemed very enthusiastic. Some good racing a breakaway group almost kept away but were caught in the final few kms. The tour was won by the time trial world champion Tony Martin (above in red)  who has led the tour since the opening stage. Team Sky the British team won the team event. All in all everyone seemed pretty happy with the event and I for one will be looking forward to next years Tour of Beijing. On other cycling news. Mark Cavendish joins Team Sky which is great news for British cycling. Mark is  arguably the biggest name in cycling and now riding for a British team should do wonders for cycling in Britain and also help British 2012 Olympic team.


 

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Food Photography at Maison Boulud Beijing

October 5, 2011 – 2:07 pm

Once a month I get to indulge and photograph food at a top Bejing restaurant for an exclusive mobile phone company. It’s one of the highlights of my month and something I really look forward to as I’m a huge foodie (my gf and I have food blog here) This month I headed to the French Restaurant Maison Boulud.

Maison Boulud was opened in 2008 by  by the celebrity chef and restauranteur Daniel Boulud. It’s located in the former legation quarter in the old American Embassy building just off Tiananmen square.  The interior is every bit as elegant as the building itself.

I was lucky enough to meet Brian Reimer  the head chef and he introduced the dishes. First up was a lovely crab dish

Avacado wrapped dungeness crab green apple glee crushed hazelnuts and celery salad. The green apple gelee was really nice tart enough to cut through the rich avocado and the sweet crab.

Next up was baby pig cooked two ways. The first was the belly perfectly roasted with gorgeous crispy skin on a bed of lovely daikon sauerkraut and the second way was confit with a delicate apple coleslaw the mustard jus rounded the dish off nicely.

Im not much of a dessert fan but this was lovely i’ve never really had cranberries other than in juice or with turkey so it was nice change and the sorbet was just right sweet but not overly so.

A nice surprise and the perfect way to end the shoot were the freshly baked madelines which went down very well with some coffee.

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Beijing

September 13, 2011 – 3:36 pm

This is a video project I’ve been working on and off for over a year. Clear skies are something of a rarity in Beijing so I had to be patient. I love Beijing it’s a fascinating place ever since I first came here in 2005 I couldn’t believe how much was changing and the pace at which buildings went up and down and the city changed

I came to live here two years ago and started playing around with time-lapses of the city. I wanted to try and capture the new and the old which describes much of Beijing. There were modern buildings I wanted to include the Birds Nest and the CCTV tower which have become icons of the new Beijing. I could not though leave out the hear of Beijing the hutongs which are lanes of housing small communities within the city. Many were torn down before the Olympics and more recently for the construction of the ever increasing and expanding subway.

Beijing from Peter Carney on Vimeo.

So this is my Beijing in under three minutes, 2700 images part tourist, part old and part new.

 

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Time lapse from Creators Project Beijing

August 18, 2011 – 2:01 pm

Deep Screen by Muti Randolph: the Creators Project Beijing from Peter Carney on Vimeo.

I finally got round to editing and putting together a time lapse I shot at last years Creators Project Beijing. The installation show is Deep Screen by the Multimedia Artist Muti Randolph. The music is by Amon Tobin At the end of the day. Its 399 photos thrown together at a frame rate of six images per second which was slow enough to try and capture the changing patterns and images on the bulbs. Hope you enjoy and stay tuned as I’ll be uploading a much longer time lapse from Beijing in a few days time.

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Zhang Cheng School for the Blind

August 15, 2011 – 2:53 pm

I have been photographing the blind in China on and off for three years. As a photographer I value my sight more than most and find blind people and their courage and determination very inspiring. In 2008 as part of my MA in photography I followed a number of blind professionals working in China and produced a book “Beyond Sight” to try and break the negative needy stereotype of the blind. I tried to show blind people living their daily life working and contributing to society. Recently I have started to photograph and shoot video at Zhang Cheng School for the Blind just outside Beijing which offers free education to any blind or visually impaired student in China. Zhang Cheng is passionate about education for the blind and I’m trying to help him raise awareness and through photography, video and the students writing Im hoping we can  give people an insight into life for the blind in China. Im hoping to do all this through a website (currently under construction) which I hope will go live in the next week so stay tuned for details.

Zhang Cheng School for the Blind is a unique place in China where blind students can receive 2-3 years of massage and traditional Chinese medicine training for free. Zhang came up with the idea to start a school as during his own training some of his friends could not afford the tuition fees and so he decided to try and set up a training school so less fortunate students could receive an education and thus gain employment and live an independent life. Zhang is passionate about education and thinks it’s essential for blind people to try and better themselves and lead independent lives. Currently though it is very difficult for blind students to find schools that will properly train students and  so many drop out of school early and try to look for work or end up on the streets busking. Education is key as it leads to independence although the Chinese government may not agree as according to Zhang ( I have not verified this) blind students can’t take the gaokao the university entrance exam as currently their is no braille version of the test. Zhang has petitioned and tried to raise the question several times but the only response he was given was that a braille version of the test would lead to students cheating.

I made a second trip to the school for the blind on Saturday where I hoped I would get some more footage and pictures for the website I am building for the school and I also got the students to introduce themselves.


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It didn’t quit go to plan and to be honest I’m pretty glad. I think i may have pushed a little too much too soon and rightly the students didn’t feel comfortable on camera straight away. This isn’t surprising as all of the students have visual impairments and some are completely blind and have previously been taken advantage of by photographers and organisations in the past. If you are living in China this will come as no surprise that money donated to charities and organisations is not getting to those that need it most. The government is also very reticent to oversee or allow \ any organisation or body that it can’t control gain public support. Even the state backed Red Cross has come in for a lot of criticism as huge amounts of money were donated to both the Sichuan and Qinghai earthquakes but rumours persist as to where and how that money has been spent. So I decided not to push my luck and  we ended up having a good 15-20 minute conversation. I tried to find out how best I can help them and how they feel about expressin their many emotions through writing/blogging or keeping a diary on the website. They are a bit nervous but hopefully together we can help the school attract new donors and also highlight the plight of blind people in China.

If anyone wants to help out by volunteering or donating please don’t hesitate to get in touch and as always feel free to leave a comment.

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Migrant Models: Part Two

August 8, 2011 – 10:50 am

If you haven’t already seen my previous post about my ongoing portrait project then make sure you check it out. It’s been a long time in the works almost three years but I’m now finally making progress and pretty pleased with the results so far.

I recently made another round of hair salons for my migrant model portrait project. Im happy with the way the project is developing and hoping to show the real variety of places and people working in the hair industry in China. There were a few highlights of the days shoot, first up it has to be Mocca, a dark, black gothic salon which provided  an interesting backdrop for images.

One salon which provided probably my favourite images of the day both stylists were wearing baby t-shirts which was quite amusing.

For the best named salon I’d have to go for the England Hair Design Salon which was interesting as British photographer to see. Not the most original of names but interesting none the less.

This salon had the best uniforms sleek black with Burberry trim for the lesser qualified staff with full on Burberry shirts for the top sylists.

As always please leave a comment and let me know what you think about the project and the images. If you know of any interesting salons or salon workers please get in touch and I’ll do my best to take their photographs.

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