No competition results for ages then three come along at once..!!

More good news from what is fast becoming the most popular image I have taken recently in terms of recognition. The same image as the AOP Open image below from Mongolia has been selected for The Press Photographers Year 2009 exhibition and book. Again, it is a privilege to be included in a select amongst some of the best photographers working for the UK press so well done to all the winners and please have a look at all the selected images here. It is easier if I just copy and paste what they say about the competition and exhibition dates:-

The Exhibition

An edit of 146 pictures has been made by the jury from the 7,877 submitted and 16 prizes have been awarded. All these have been selected to represent the extraordinary variety and standard of the entries received. The complete edit will be featured in an exhibition which runs in the Lyttelton foyer of the National Theatre on London’s South Bank from 4th July to 31st August. Open

Monday to Saturday from 9.30am till 11pm. Admission is free.

If you get the chance pop along and have a look then please do so as the organisors really make an effort with the presentation and layout of the pictures and the small images you see on the website really come alive.

FOTO8 Summer Show & Awards

Also, the same image has been selected as a finalist in the Foto8 Summer Show & Awards 2009. This competition took a slightly different format and 120 images have been selected out of 2,300 images entered to be exhibited in the well respected photography gallery HOST in Honduras Street, London. It seems to be a great opportunity to network and have a few beers with fellow photographers in a big street party on the opening night. You don’t have to be a finalist to come along and tickets at £5 can be bought here so if you fancy seeing some great work and lots of beers come along..!!

A bit more about the awards:-

The Entrants

The 2009 Summer Show saw an overwhelming response, with over 2,300 images entered from 44 different countries, including Bangladesh, Iran, Mexico, Thailand and Turkey. The final selection of photographs, chosen by Foto8 editors, will all be on display, entered into the awards and available for sale to the public. Honduras Street, EC1. The Summer Show will run from 25 July – 5 September 2009.

If you don’t already look at Foto8 then now is the time. With new picture stories, industry news and blogs updated daily it is a great photographers resource..

I’m just recovering after a very busy few weeks with the Amnesty International Human Rights Festival which went exceptionally well this year. For me the highlights were meeting Moazzam Begg, a British former prisoner of Guantanamo Bay who spoke eloquently about his experience in captivity. Then there were two photographers Teru Kuwayama and Balazs Gardi who not only gave an amazing presentation of their work in Pakistan and Afghanistan but who were also incredibly nice guys. Just talking to them was both inspiring and educational and personally helped me with which direction I want to take my work in the near future..more of that later..!!

For now though I received some good news that one of my Mongolia pictures has been selected for the Association of Photographers AOP Open Awards exhibition in London. This is an image I’m particularly proud of as for me it encapsulates the extremely difficult conditions these boys and others live in whilst the world just continues around them oblivious and indifferent to their situation. If you feel moved by this image then you can vote for it in the Public Choice Award. My image is on Page 7. Details of which are below.

Munkhbat (15) & Altangeret (15) have lived down this manhole in Unur district of Ulaan Baatar for over 3 years. Violence is commonplace and their manhole has been petrol bombed by rival street children 3 times in the last few years.

The exhibition runs from July 29th so if your in London pop in to have a look at all the entries.

Thanks..Rich…

Hi there,

It’s been a few weeks since the last post so a quick review of what has happened since then. I entered the picture below into the Canon Professional Network Editor’s Choice a few months ago and it was chosen as one of the best pictures out of over 4,314 photos by well known picture editor Aidan Sullivan. Aidan is now vice president of photo assignments at Getty Images and has been a pic ed on the Sunday Times as well as being a photographer so it was quite a compliment. If you click here you can scroll down to a multimedia presentation where Aidan explains why he chose his favourite 36 images.

As a photographer editing is one of the most important and difficult tasks and deciding between keeping the picture story in colour or making them black and White is a tricky one. I originally thought this Mongolia project would be a BW project but after much discussion with fellow photographers and my wife (a very harsh critic of my work..!) I decided to stay with color which is what Aidan liked about it so thanks for the good advice guys..!! I’ve attached both versions below to see what you think..please feel free to make any comments about the decision or if you prefer the BW image..thanks….

Munkhbat (15) & Altangeret (15) have lived down this manhole in Unur district of Ulaan Baatar for over 3 years. Violence is commonplace and their manhole has been petrol bombed by rival street children 3 times in the last few years.

Munkhbat (15) & Altangeret (15) have lived down this manhole in Unur district of Ulaan Baatar for over 3 years. Violence is commonplace and their manhole has been petrol bombed by rival street children 3 times in the last few years.

The last part of the Mongolia assignment and it’s a story I feel very close to. On assignment you meet some incredibly inspiring people. No matter what they’re going through they are always open, welcoming and happy for you to enter their world..albeit for a short time. With all the bad press about teenagers at the moment, maybe they should all see what conditions their equals are coping with in other parts of the world. Munkhbat (15) & Altangeret (15) are two incredible young men who are wise way beyond their years. What impressed me most was their resilience to the huge pressure to give up on life. Many street children start drinking cheap vodka from a young age. I met one 17 year old just out of rehab. These boys however still believe in a future. Forced to leave school despite high grades, had their mothers not abandoned them they would undoubtably have become a great success. With the help of a local charity the aim is support them in their futures if possible. Please feel free to ask any questions and comments about the story..Rich….

It’s been a while since I last put a multimedia presentation together so it was pretty much a case of relearning everything again..! This is Part 1 of 2 from Mongolia with the 2nd hopefully being completed in the next few days. Whilst they take a long time to put together hopefully the extra effort is worth it. Capturing audio, storytelling and taking pictures all at the same time, often in difficult conditions is a challenge but ultimately worthwhile. 

I hope you enjoy this and I’ll keep you posted when the next one is complete….

Rich…