I’m back from Madagascar where I spent a month before the holidays, discovering the island for a TV show called “Maritime Africa”. It will be a five-part documentary series about the islands around Africa. SWR/ARTE (German and French public TV) and twelve other European stations will air the show that will be about the islands, their people and the distinct cultures as I document it for a coffee table book. It was a privilege to work with this incredibly talented group of people. Check out their website: http://www.filmquadrat-dok.de/ Images will follow soon!
Category: photography
Sierra Leone: Where every pregnancy is a gamble.
Some of the images in this video are graphic and viewers may find them disturbing.
Sierra Leone has among the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. In 2009, it is estimated that one in eight women died during pregnancy. To get some perspective, one in 47,600 women die in pregnancy in Ireland. The reasons are complex but in part it is due to an insufficient health care system. In the capital of Freetown, one doctor has to serve more than 100,000 people. Getting drugs and equipment is expensive and the country is in desperate need of more trained doctors. Yet there may be hope since the government announced it will give free health care to pregnant women and children from April 27th, 2010 but they need help from the international community to make it sustainable.
Your Website: Tools for the Freelancer
As a freelancer, you have to stay on the cutting edge and rely on your equipment and good people to help you to succeed. Cameras, computers, designers, fixers, translators, archiving and distribution tools are some of the things I must be able to trust in order to spend my time concentrating on creating images and telling stories. Over the course of my career, I’ve been able to establish relationships with several key people, and it’s my intention to share my contacts with you through this blog.
For independent photographers, the website is the single most important tool after a camera. The content is critical but there are a lot more things to consider than just design. Taking the time to research and explore the options available are critical before you choose a design and the infrastructure supporting it. The first question you need to ask is, “Who is this website for?”
Very often photographers make the mistake of trying to make their website for everyone and in fact, they may end up trying to be too many things for too many people. Trying to be a wedding photographer, a fashion photographer and a sports photographer is a tough thing to do but if you have managed to do all of these well, I would encourage the designer to create separate sites rather than cramming everything together in one site. The truth is, specializing and creating a niche rather than attempting to be everything is far more powerful than being a generalist in today’s media environment.
I use WordPress and PhotoShelter together and every time I add new images to my online archive, they are updated to my website using WordPress. Back in the day, I never had time to update my website because it was too work intensive. I would have to resize images and upload them in addition to writing captions and stories. I literally stopped updating my website for 6 years because it was just too time consuming. The combination I chose has streamlined my workflow and it works seamlessly with my online archive that is housed with PhotoShelter. After I have uploaded the images to PhotoShelter, I can send them instantly to a variety of clients through their system. All the work is transmitted through their network and server, and this means it is distributed much more quickly and economically than trying to individually transmit images one by one to different clients.
I know the people behind PhotoShelter and believe they care about independent photographers. If I ever have a question of any kind, I can always pick up the phone and get an answer. This type of personal relationship is critical for my business.
I am using the built-in shopping cart inside of my PhotoShelter archive to sell very high quality fine art prints. Richard Jackson from Hance Partners is my printer, and he creates the high-end limited edition prints that customers buy directly from my website – without any work on my part. Since there is no work involved in processing the orders, it’s a win-win situation for everyone. I can sell prints even when I am on assignment, away from a computer or phone, and the customer gets a print I know will be beautiful because Richard works so meticulously on every detail.
The photographer’s business model may have changed but the nature of our work has not. I still work on the stories I feel passionately about but I do all of the planning, pitching ideas, production and transmission from my laptop. I can be almost anywhere on the globe and pitch ideas, send images, sell prints, give online critiques and much more.
Why am I excited about the future? It’s exhilarating because we can ultimately create our own future. I can work independently, produce creative documentaries and touch audiences whose numbers eclipse what radio or television ever was able to reach. I have the tools that allow me the freedom to create and now the ability to also distribute to a global audience. Sure the future of journalism is going to be different but I believe with creativity and commitment, we will find new ways to make this work.
Grover Sanschagrin, Founder of PhotoShelter, recently visited Miami. He conducted a little video interview with me that explains why I think PhotoShelter is such an important tool for independent photographers.
If you are interested in giving PhotoShelter a try, using this link will give you up to a $30 discount when you join.
Return to Sierra Leone
I am leaving tomorrow to Freetown, Sierra Leone filled with feelings of anxiety as well as hope. The last time I was there was just a few months after the brutal civil war ended in 2002 that claimed tens of thousands of lives and left more than a third of its population displaced. Yet it is the unspeakable atrocities that are so haunting. I remember back in 1999, Miguel Gil Moreno de Mora, a friend and extremely committed journalist, who was later killed covering the conflict, told me stories of rebels offering their victims the choice between a “long sleeve” or “short sleeve” just as they were about to hack off their victims’ arms. When I arrived, three years later, I saw faces devoid of expression, weighed down by these horrific memories. The goal was not just to kill people but to terrorize an entire population.
Today security and the politics are steadily improving but there is a quieter battle still going on. One in eight women are dying giving birth. The government recently announced free health care to pregnant women, breast-feeding mothers and children under five beginning on April 27. With only about 170 doctors for more than 5 million people, this will be a daunting task. I hope this documentary can raise awareness, promote change and help. The doctors, health workers and government are working hard to change the statistics.
If you are interested in learning more about this or want to donate, the following links are to organizations working there.
Flight for Survival: How it happened?
They are huge but gentle, lumbering beasts and there are only eight left on the entire planet. Scientists believe the magnificent Northern White rhinos are nearly extinct. There are rumors of some, a few at best, in Southern Sudan but none have been seen for many years now. These eight, two in the San Diego Zoo and six in the Dvur Kralove Zoo in cold, snowy Czech Republic are all we know of the second largest land animal on earth.
In a last ditch effort to save this species from extinction, the Lewa Conservancy in Kenya cut a deal to airlift the last four breeding age animals from the Czech Zoo to live “free” on the savannas of Kenya, not too far from Mt. Kenya. The hope is that Africa, the temperance of the climate and the room to roam will entice them to breed and establish a nucleus for the future re-population of their former Central African range. If that does not work, then breeding them with Southern Whites can help preserve their genes.
I heard about the plans and immediately visited them while I was in Prague for a workshop last October. The story captured my heart instantly. It is a story of hope and of a second chance, something rarely seen in the environmental movement. Surprisingly, no one was interested because it was not a visual story. The rhinos would be in wooden crates for the entire journey and to most editors, it justifiably was a lot of expense for a story that would be difficult to tell. In today’s economic climate, no one can afford to risk investing in a story that might not work.
Yet, I could not let go and wrote another more impassioned appeal for help to get me there. This move was a last ditch effort for saving this entire species and I did not want to miss the opportunity to document it. It was more than a story of flying rhinos 4000 miles across the globe. It was a story of conservationists feeling confident enough with Africa to bring back a critically, endangered animal. The animals are getting old and they would not live long in the Eastern European zoo, under smokestacks and snow. I could not imagine a more poignant picture.
Thankfully, several organizations pitched in. None could afford the entire costs but each was willing to help. Organizations like National Geographic, MSNBC.com the Knight Center for International Media and The Nature Conservancy supported me to tell this great story of hope and reversals. I am so grateful to them and the people that allowed me access, specifically the wonderful, generous people of Dvur Kralov Zoo and Ol Pejeta Nature Conservancy. There are so many people to thank and the woman who made it all possible is Elodie Sampere of Ol Pejeta. I am eternally indebted to her for her persistence and generous spirit. Berry White and Pete Morkel are the veterinarians who were incredibly patient as I followed them in what must have been one of the more sleep deprived moments of their lives. There are so many people to thank for allowing me the privilege to witness this incredible moment.
On my last day, moments before I was set to drive back to Nairobi, the skies darkened and it felt like a monsoon in the middle of the savannah. Within minutes, the rhinos responded like children, running as fast as they could and then flopping their 2 ton bodies into a belly dive in the most glorious mud bath. Sure I don’t want to be too anthromorphic about such things, but they looked like they were smiling. That moment alone was worth all that it took to be there. The fact that this is the beginning of a renewed interest in keeping and repopulating parts of Africa with this magnificent species, whose only curse was to be born with a price on its head, is all the inspiration I need.
The rhinos are doing well and adapting quickly. If you want to keep updated on how they are or find out how to visit them, go to Ol Pejeta’s website.
Flight for Survival: Rhinos go back to Africa
View the story at msnbc.com
They are huge but gentle, lumbering beasts and there are only eight left on the entire planet. Scientists believe the magnificent Northern White rhinos are nearly extinct. In a last ditch effort to save this species from extinction, the Lewa Conservancy in Kenya cut a deal to airlift the last four breeding age animals from the Czech Zoo to live “free” on the savannas of Kenya. You can read more about the trip in my blog.
Micronesia
The Pacific islands and Micronesia in particular have to deal with the constantly rising sea levels and many fear their small atolls and islands will be washed away in the near future. This image was taken under a wave for the Nature Conservancy for an exhibit titled ” Design for a Living World” on show at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York until January 4, 2010. It will travel for another five years in cities around the United States.
Where can I find interviews about your career?
This is a blog for Nikon Professional Services where I talk about my style and equipment used on assignment.
http://nps.nikonimaging.com/members/ami_vitale/
The talented Steve Casimiro, a photographer and editor for National Geographic’s Adventure magazine has created a wonderful blog called the Adventure Life. I was honored that he invited me for this interview.
http://www.theadventurelife.org/2009/07/ami-vitales-beautiful-cultures-and-powerful-documentary/
Field Notes from a National Geographic story I did on the Rickshaw Pullers of Kolkata, India.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/04/kolkata-rickshaws/vitale-field-notes
This is an advertisement I did for Nikon using the D300s camera and video capabilities.
http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/lineup/microsite/d300s/special/en/index.html#
Here is an interview I did about convergence of stills and video for the Poynter Institute. http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=172745
This is an interview by Susan Markisz for the Digital Journalist, a virtual online almanac for visual journalists created by Dirck Halstead. It was written when I was just beginning my career as a photojournalist in 2003.
http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0301/av_intro.html
Blueeyes Magazine is an online documentary photography magazine devoted to publishing new long-term project work. It is a labor of love created by a dedicated group of people including John Loomis, Chris Vivion, Matthew Ratajczak, Seth Bro and Jill Thomas.
http://blueeyesmagazine.com/index.php?/essay/indiv/portfolio_vitale/
This was one of the very first interviews I gave for Photobetty.com, which was a true labor of love started by the legendary and lovely Stephanie Sinclair and carried on by Serena Stucke, who is also an incredibly dedicated and talented photographer and editor.
http://www.photobetty.com/amivitale
This is a comprehensive gallery of many fine art gallery photographers exhibited together along with photojournalists.
http://www.pixiport.com/Gallery-GC66.htm
James Robinson is a passionate photographer and has some wonderful interviews here.
http://jrphoto.wordpress.com/spotlight-interview-photojournalist-ami-vitale/
Eight Ways to change the World, A photography exhibition on the Millennium Development Goals by Panos Pictures, in association with seven charities.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/millenniumgoals/graphic/0,,1563959,00.html
Lumen Dei Workshop in Ladakh, India
Just back from Ladakh, India where I had the privilege of working with David Duchemin, Matt Brandon and 8 extremely talented photographers. We explored the bustling back streets of Old Delhi, the Sufi shrine of Nizamuddin and then headed up to the Khardungla Pass to cross the worlds highest motorable road at 18,380 feet. The road is situated on an ancient trade route from Leh to Kashgar in Central Asia, and it is also the gateway to the beautiful Nubra Valley. Some of the guys did it on motorcycles which looked spectacular but I’m a wimp after living in India for so many years. After witnessing the insanity that ensues on their roads, I’d prefer to make the journey on a camel. Yet, they were intrepid travelers and it was a delight to be able to work with such a spirited group. I can honestly say that we all learned from each other and I believe everyone became better photographers on this journey. I’ll be posting photos soon but I’m on my way to Prague.
Frontline: Kashmir
View Project at PBS online here: http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/flash_point/kashmir/
Over the past 60 years, the beauty of Kashmir has been overshadowed by tension and violence. Despite the wishes of Mahatma Gandhi, regarded as the father of Indian independence, the sub-continent was divided along religious lines and two nations were born: the secular but Hindu-dominated India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
