I have used Nikon bodies and Nikkor lenses since I began and am currently using the D4, D800 and Df. My choice of lenses really depends on the nature of the assignment. If I am shooting wildlife, I need longer lenses like the 400mm with an extender or the 80-400mm. Most of my work is close and intimate so my workhorse is the 24-70mm or the fixed 24mm 1.8. I like to travel light and often bring just 1-2 bodies with a wide and a longer zoom, two SB-910 speedlights, radiopoppers, a gold reflector and my Manfrotto tripod. If I’m going to a remote place, I carry Goalzero solar panels and am now using the F-stop backpacks for most of my travel. I’ll usually buy medicines in country as they are always cheaper there. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, I like to bring gifts. It is the minimal that I can do to bring small tokens of thanks for the countless people who give so much to make sure that I am safe and travel well.
Category: photography
Israel/Palestine
A young teenage Palestinian couple defy a curfew and dance together during their wedding ceremony in the West Bank city of Nablus. A British non-governmental agency recently reported that Palestinians are currently living in a state of extreme, worsening poverty and fear for their future. Almost three-quarters of Palestinians now live on less than US$2 a day, below the United Nations poverty line.
Kushti Wrestling
Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as “Kushti”, a form of wrestling, in its traditional form in Kolhapur, India. In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. Wrestlers continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication to the sport.
Guinea Bissau
Adema Balde washes near her family’s rice fields in the village of Dembel Jumpora located in the West African country of Guinea Bissau.
New Beginnings
Thank you Jayson Singe of Neonsky.com for helping me design my original website which was created almost nine years ago. Nine years… eternity in the world of the web. I am grateful for his immense talent, sensibilities and innovative ideas. The site helped launch my career as a photojournalist and also became a prototype for many of the online flash portfolios that photographers and artists use today. It has taken me much too long, but with help from another wonderfully talented designer, Mike Schmidt, www.mohawkstreet.com, I have a new design that fits my needs in today’s ever changing online world. One of the main considerations was to use HTML and the challenge was to design it elegantly without the slick capabilities of Flash. HTML can be inflexible; the confusing array of screen resolutions makes design imprecise and often frustrating. Mike managed to find ways to merge WordPress with Photoshelter.com, an online archive, and I have a site that I hope will engage you. I’ll be adding more material weekly so please check back and thanks for taking the time to look! Please feel free to send back ideas, criticisms and suggestions.
The W. Eugene Smith Howard Chapnick Grant
The Howard Chapnick Grant was developed to encourage and support leadership in fields ancillary to photojournalism, such as editing research, education and management. The annual $5,000 grant may be used to finance any of a range of qualified undertakings, which might include a program of further education, research, a special long-term sabbatical project, or an internship to work with a noteworthy group or individual.
