Jan Schlegel: Pain & Beauty Redux

Photo © Jan C. Schlegel-All Rights Reserved

Oh, followers and readers of The Travel Photographer blog will like this!

Ethnophotography, traditional process, photographs made with a 4x5 field camera (Ebony SV45 Ti) on Kodak Tmax 400, and negatives developed in Kodak D76 Developer 1+1 dilution...then selenium toned. What's not to like?

"None of the people photographed wear special make-up or were specially dressed before the photos were taken. They were all captured in their own habitat — at the market, in the village square, or simply on the roadside." Jan Schlegel

Jan C. Schlegel is a German photographer, whose ethno-photographic work is in the tradition of Phil Borges.  In 1998, he began traveling throughout Asia and Africa with the objective of photographing diverse people groups and tribes, and has so far traveled to 61 countries and is still in pursuit of the beauty and diversity of the nations.

The quality of these photographs are just remarkable. His website claims that he succeeds in not only creating artistic photographs, but in documenting the uniqueness of his subjects...the people who posed for him. Absolutely.

And I have a lot of respect for a photographer who doesn't follow the fad of making demeaning portraits of Ethiopian tribal people wearing ridiculous ornaments. Speaking of ornaments, take a look at the magnificent jewelry of the Himba women...and don't miss the beautiful eyes of the Kalash women.

I had posted Jan's work some years ago here, but it seems he changed his website, and added much more work.

Visit to Chateau Siaurac, Bordeaux

A visit to Chateau Siaurac, Bordeaux by Kitchen Delights Roving Reporter.

A short drive away from the centre of Bordeaux, I continued my journey of wine exploration to Chateau Siaurac.

Set in 60 hectares of beautiful grounds, this family run chateau which is steeped in history and brimming with character, offers a unique wine experience. 

Dating back to 1832, the family is proud to have carried on the tradition of making wine, continually innovating to produce the very best. On the day of our visit, we were able to see the cellars where the wines are kept in French oak barrels and also taught about the daily working life within the vineyard. 

Afterwards in a private tasting session, we sampled exquisitely made food and had great fun pairing food to wines. The key lesson here was to appreciate how a wine can taste so different when paired with different foods, all of which is of course subjective.

For lunch, there was the option to eat from a gourmet style lunch box containing brioche style rolls, soup and a crumble, or you could opt for a VIP lunch and enjoy a more formal dining experience in a private space (I could have spent all day eating – feast your eyes on the divine chocolate dessert in the photograph).

This vineyard is special because it is accessible to everyone. For young families with toddlers, you can opt for a package which allows you to taste wines, and also explore the grounds and historic chateau with an activity pack (you may even discover little Babouche the puppy pictured). Whilst for groups of friends, you may choose the food and wine pairing workshop or the VIP package. With so many chateaux to choose from in Bordeaux – I recommend putting this one at the very top of your bucket list.

To find out more about the packages available email vivrelevin@chateausiaurac.com or visit www.baronneguichard.com

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A huge thank you to Carey, Rosamund and Natasha at R&R Teamwork.

Disclosure:  The trip was funded by The Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB) www.bordeaux.com/uk

POV: The Subway Picture

Appalling and disgusting. How else can anyone describe this? The New York Post, known for its sensationalism, and one of the rags belonging to Rupert Murdoch, has deservedly earned the opprobrium of every sentient being.

What does it have to do with travel and documentary photography? Nothing, other than it involves a so-called "freelance photojournalist", who through his action in taking this horrific picture, sullied the profession's reputation...which wasn't that stellar in the first place.

I saw a post on Facebook linking to an article published on Gawker bearing the title of Would You Have Taken The Subway Photo? asking that question to a bunch of Pulitzer-winning photographers.

I don't give a rat's ass what the Pulitzer winning photographers think, or what they would have done. Does winning the Pulizer prize bestow upon them more morality than the rest of us? This has nothing to do with taking a picture. This has to do with being a human being. And don't take me for a fool by saying that it was the duty of a photojournalist to document such an event.

I can only judge others' action by what I would have done had I been in this "photographer's" shoes.

I would've been frozen in my tracks at the horrifying scene unfolding in front of me over the course of 20 seconds...there's an infinitesimal chance that I might have run towards the man in a doomed impulse to do something...but I suspect I would've been transfixed at what I was about to witness. The last thing on my mind would've been to raise a camera and take a picture.

But let's pretend my nerves are made of steel, that I'm a hard-core photojournalist on the NYC subway beat for a while, and that I took the picture. I would have never given the picture(s) to the New York Post. Never.

But let's assume that I had to...perhaps because I'm a hardened hard-core photojournalist, or because of a contractual obligation that prevented me from deleting pictures, or because I felt the need to give them to the NYPD.  I would have refused to take a red cent for it.

But let's pretend that I lost my moral compass for a moment and took the money. I would regain it and give the money to the victim's kin to defray the burial cost, and try to cleanse my soul.

Yes, Mr R. Umar Abbasi...you need to cleanse your soul. And don't describe yourself as a "photojournalist".

As for The New York Post...you know what you are. I won't waste time telling you what you already know.

Judge Thermal Gravy Pot - Review

Images courtesy of Judge Cookware

The Judge Thermal Gravy Pot has arrived at my home in time for the Christmas frenzy. This fabulous pot has a 500ml capacity, double wall insulation to keep liquids either hot or cold, a hinged lid, pours well (no drips), and will earn its place on the dining table.

Keeping extra gravy hot is always a struggle and the thermal gravy pot will be used over the Christmas holiday, alongside my regular Sunday roast, and at other times when I need to keep liquids hot.

After Christmas Dinner the gravy pot will be washed and then filled with custard, to serve with my Christmas pudding. Later in the day the thermal pot will make another appearance, but this time as a cream chiller.

RRP £15 Available from Amazon.

Thank you Pam and Judge Cookware for the review sample.

Ian Ruhter: The American Dream Project

If I'm to believe my blog's statistics, posts dealing with photographic alternative processes are hugely popular...as popular as comparisons between the Leica M9 and the Fuji X Pro-1.

So here's one about photographer Ian Ruhter (whose website's front page describes him as an "alchemist"...I think a well deserved self accolade). He processes his large format photographs using the collodion wet plate process, a photographic process used in the 19th century. He also authors the Silver & Light Tumblr blog that has some of his images. By the way, the above video on Vimeo registered some 104,000 plays.

Ian Rihter is traveling across the United States photographing the people and places with a delivery van that he converted into a giant camera. This collodion wet plate process was the fashion during the Civil War era and creates unique images on metal plates. Each plate is hand-coated, exposed and then hand-developed. The plate becomes both the positive and the negative, so each image can only be produced once; creating a singular photograph that can't be replicated.

Photo © Ian Ruhter. All Rights Reserved