Photo by wilde108

One of my fondest childhood memories is the field trip. Not only did you get out of classes for the day, but nine out of ten times the destination was an interesting one. This month I invite you to take a field trip with me into the world of Black & White HDR photography.

Are you good enough?

There are many levels of expertise when it comes to photographic technique, and I am no exception. I do not consider myself an “expert” in anything, whether it be parenting or photography, as I am continually learning just like you. When I was thinking about what to write about this month, I decided to pick something I know very little about, and perhaps using the basic tools and techniques we can take this project on together.

Please, no pushing or shoving, and let’s board the HDR bus single file and be on our way!

Photo by Edinator

What is HDR, and why should I use it?

HDR or “High Dynamic Range Imaging,” is nothing more than another way to take a “flat” photo and bring it to life. Much like “Tilt Shifting,” which is gaining immense popularity, or Panography which are wide-angle pictures composed of several individual photos manually stitched together, it all comes down to manipulating a photograph to give it a unique look, and if done correctly, can result in images that take your breath away.

HDR in Color

Photo by va-guy

Color HDR photographs are stunning, but when you see a black and white HDR done correctly, it is downright amazing.

HDR in Black & White

Photo by holala830

I invite you to take a walk just down the road to the Flickr HDR black & white pool, in fact, I am making it a mandatory part of our field trip, trust me, you will see HDR in an entirely new light.

What tools will I need?

To create an HDR image, you will need special software, which some of you may already own. Below is a short list of the more popular programs, however, for those of you who like myself may be unemployed or just short on cash, I have included some free or “trial basis” programs as well.

1. Photomatix

2. Dynamic Photo – HDR

3. GIMP (FREE) and yes it does HDR ~ See Here!

4. PTgui

5. Adobe Photoshop CS5

Your Assignment, should you choose to accept

Photo by xTheSpaz

Now that we have learned a bit about what HDR is, have the tools, and have seen some examples of the possibilities, I invite you to join me in creating our first black and white HDR together. This is my first time using this technique, so consider this a field trip into a new realm of photographic technique.

Your assignment, as well as mine, is to begin uploading your HDR black & white photos as you feel comfortable, and continue uploading throughout the month, but do not take your originals down as that will defeat the purpose of progress. Remember, this is NOT a contest, but rather a timeline to learn from each other. I ask that you upload a minimum of one new black and white HDR photo every week regardless of the quality. Should you have questions or comments feel free to post them hear, or if you prefer one on one communication you can contact me via Twitter by direct message, or head over to my blog and drop me a line via my contact form.

For your convenience I have created a Flickr pool exclusively for the readers of Fuel your photography’s “Zero Saturation,” which can be accessed at this link. When uploading images I recommend using your initials or first name so, we can keep track of everyone. Lastly, if you are proficient with HDR, this group is not for you, and I would ask that you respect the group policies. Please Feel free to engage in the comments below, but please do not upload any photographs.

Remember we are ALL in this together, and I truly believe that we can help one another become better photographers in the end, and who knows,  you may just get out of a few classes.

I will see everyone back here next month for part two of this series.

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Next to the birth of my child, this was the most beautiful scene I had ever laid eyes on. Most people are uncomfortable in a cemetery during the day, and would not even give a second thought to venturing out at night, but I am not most people, and for that I am grateful.

Since my earliest childhood memory, I have always been drawn to the “darker” side of life. Although looked down upon by family and peers, it is this very thought process that introduced me to the world of black & white photography, and ignited my imagination which is made evident in my writing and music.

This month I have decided to showcase five extremely talented photographers from France, Poland, Portugal, Thailand, and Bangladesh.

They have agreed to share their work, techniques, and inspiration with the readers of Zero Saturation, and although the photographs are not all “dark,” in the sense of “gloomy” or “unnatural”, they portray their work from a perspective that most of us will never comprehend, which is still a form of dark photography.

Below each biography are links to the photographer pages and social networks, to which I implore you to visit, as you will not find this caliber of work and imagination elsewhere.

“La mare aux fées” by Bloody Countess (Sylvain)

“La mare aux fées” by Bloody Countess (Sylvain)

This photo was taken in the forest of Fontainebleau, near Paris, France, where Sylvain calls home. When translated, La mare aux fée means “The Pond Fairy.” Sylvain, or “Bloody Countess” as he is known on Deviant Art has always had a passion for photography and is influenced by the works of Doisneau, Arbus, Caron and Marsden.

“I love the thought of being transported beyond the image, and freeing my imagination and emotion much like that of a painter,” expressed Sylvain.

The photograph was taken during a walk in the forest using an Olympus Reflex with an objective 14:42mm lens. The photo went through very minimal light and color adjustments in Photoshop, so what you see is very true to the original photograph.

If you would like to learn more about Bloody Countess, or Sylvain as we know him, please take the time to visit his Deviant Art site, as well as his MySpace page where he works artistically with many bands.

“The Place of the Devil” by by Maciek Mutwil

“The Place of the Devil” by by Maciek Mutwil

This photo was taken in the city of Bytom, Poland at an old workers area. Maciek or “breathofindustry” as he is know on Deviant Art was born In Katowice, Poland, which is an industrialized area. He has been interested in photography since the age of four, however, in 2009  Maciek decided to take it up a few notches and pursue it on a more serious level. His focus is industrial landscapes and anything closely related such as workers settlements, cities, and urbanization in general. A secondary interest is photographing people, and his work can be divided into two groups, Reportage and Turpizm.

The photograph was taken two and a half years ago in a section of the city typically known for abandoned industrial buildings. He noticed a stray dog walking by, however, the movement made it a difficult capture due to the camera setup. Maciek could have easily tossed the photograph due to the blurred dog, but instead decided to remove the color, add some texture, adjust the channels, and add a pinch of gray. This became “The Place of the Devil,” and in the photographers own words, “When I look into the picture, I see this as a place that the devil could manifest or perhaps take up residence.” A Minolta Z5 was used for this and many other photos, however, Maciek’s choice of camera is the Canon 30D with an array of lenses for different effects.

Maciek is going to create his own website this summer, however, in the mean time you can find his photography at Deviant Art. He is also a musician, and describes his music as “Ambient sounds which compliment his photography.” If you are interested in checking out his music, you can visit his Myspace page.

“Rossio” by João Neves

“Rossio” by João Neves

This photo was taken in “Praça D. Pedro IV” (usually known as Rossio) in Lisboa, Portugal. João or jpgmn as he is known on Deviant Art was born in 1975, and is a professional software developer. His first camera was a basic “point and shoot,” however, nowadays he wields a Nikon D80 as his camera of choice. If we were to peek inside his camera bag, we would see a Nikkor 18-70, 50mm, 1.8D, 70-300VR and Sigma 10-20, as well as a SB600 flash, a Slik Pro 340DX tripod and some square Hitech filters. João considers his style of photography to be “urban.”

The photograph was taken in April of 2009 when his wife’s parents came to visit and wanted to visit Lisboa. A few weeks before, he had purchased a new filter and been eager to try it in an urban scenario. The filter was a 10 stop ND (neutral density) filter, which is known for long exposure in broad daylight. This type of exposures would allow him to capture the clouds movement for example. He packed up his gear and headed to Lisboa. The objective was to capture the cloud movement and “erase” the people from the street. João admits The 10 stop filter is a bit tricky to use and admits that he is still learning how to use it, however, the picture turned out better than expected. To read the entire story behind this photo, head over to http://thestorybehindmyphotos.blogspot.com/2009/12/rossio.html

This particular photograph was shot with a Nikon D80 / Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC /  Hitech 85 ND 3.0 filter / Shutter Speed: 30/1 second / Aperture: F/22.0 / Focal Length: 12 mm and an ISO Speed of100.

If you would like to see more of João’s work, his main galley can be found at http://jpgmn.deviantart.com. “The Story Behind The Photos” can be found at http://TheStoryBehindMyPhotos.blogspot.com

“Shattered” by Sa’ad Abd Ar Rafie

“Shattered” by Sa'ad Abd Ar Rafie

This photo was taken on the photographers study desk in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Sa’ad Abd Ar Rafie or “sarboom” as he is known on Deviant Art is 16 years old, and has been shooting for two years. He is currently preparing to finish his GCE A level examinations.

The photograph was a result of “fiddling with my camera” according to Sa’ad. He goes on to explain that he was in the living room one day when he noticed this blue colored flower vase on the coffee table. It is one of his mother’s favorites and was of the contemporary glass look with the shatter or crack as part of the piece. Sa’ad  thought it would be good for a still life photo so he took it to his desk and shot a few random stills. He then changed the settings on his camera to black and white and placed a table lamp at the neck of the vase so that the interior was illuminated. At that same moment his sister turned off the room lights giving the vase a completely different look. He took a few shots with the camera set on black & white, which became the photo “Shattered” that you see above. The photo was a series of events he was not planning on, however, it gave him a beautiful photograph that wold have never happened had it not been for the events that tok place.

Sa’ad Abd shot this photo with a SONY DCS-W120 5mm / Shutter speed 10/1 second / Aperture F/7.1 and an ISO speed of 125. He made some minor adjustments to the contrast/brightness and saturation, but nothing more.

You can find out more about Sa’ad and his photography by visiting him on Facebook, Deviant Art, or on his personal portfolio located at http://saadabdarrafie.daportfolio.com/

“The Orchestra” by Pansa Sunavee

“The Orchestra” by Pansa Sunavee

This photo was taken at Baray (huge pond) at the front of Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia on 30 December 2006. Pansa Sunavee or PansaSunavee as he is known on Deviant Art was born in Saraburi, Thailand, and has participated in five solo exhibitions and more than 40 group exhibitions. Educational accomplishments include Faculty of Art, Lopburi Technical College, and Diploma of Thai Art, Poh-Chang Institute. B.A. Philosophy, Ramkhamhaeng University.

The photograph as described by Pansa:

It was my second visit to Angkor Wat because of the magnificent architecture which was honored as one of the World’s man-made seven wonders. Everything was so fabulous. All the travelers stared to the buildings, regardless of the environment around Angkor Wat. On that day, I woke up in the early morning with the determination to see the sunrise on the top of the palace.

I took a rest under a huge tree besides the Baray. The atmosphere was unusually calm and serene despite the amount of travelers walking nearby, so I took advantage of the quietness and closed my eyes to meditate. When I photograph, I normally calm myself down with meditation which ultimately leads me to see hidden beauty all around.

When I opened my eyes and looked at the surface of the pond, it appeared to be waving in a circle shape as leaves and branches fell around the circles. The meditation had emptied my mind of distractions, and I could now hear sounds coming from the pond. The circles were waving and harmoniously making a melody like an orchestra. The pond was the musician while the surrounding branches were the audience. I felt an unexplainable happiness and couldn’t help taking photos of what was happening in front of me.

I took 5-6 shots with Olympus E-500 and 14-54 mm., ISO 100, and 1/60s F.4.5 as I did not need much in depth of field. I changed the photo to B/W with Gradient Map command in Photoshop CS3 that I normally use because of its contrast level. I like adding the vignette to the photo but, for this one, I decided not to do it as I wanted it to be as much natural as it could be. I selected the most two favorite photos for combining. I did not consider merging the photos  initially, however, using only one photo would not convey the feelings I felt that day so I merged it with another in the series. I was both surprised and amazed, when the two photos merged perfectly without any adjustment.

The reason I decided to make it black & white was due in part to the color photo not staying true to what I actually felt and saw. The black & white also entices the audience to use their imagination when viewing the photograph. When we see the color photo, we may not challenge ourselves to ask questions, however, as a black and white, the photo arouses our thoughts to ponder the photograph, which is why I love creating conceptual photographs in black & white.

For me, photography is a way to bring reality to life through my eyes. It’s so much fun to seek for the hidden beauty and not limit myself to any specific “form” of shooting. All of my work has been created naturally, depending on what message I am trying to relate to the viewer.

You can find out more about Pansa by visiting his personal portfolio at www.pansa-art.com, http://pansasunavee.deviantart.com, or http://photo.net/photos/Pansa

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Black and White by NegativeFeedback

There is a cover up so big that it rivals Watergate, Enron, and the Iran-Contra Affair put together. It has caused an uprising of photography circles across the nation, and has even sent a small clan of rouge photographers on a rampage to destroy evidence at any cost. I speak of the “Black & White Conspiracy,” which has proven that black & white photography is a myth and does not exist as we perceive it!

I smell the makings of a blockbuster film set to hit theaters this summer grossing millions of dollars and . . . . OK, maybe not, but hey, everyone has a dream!

But I digress.

My introduction might have been a “tad” dramatic, however, the truth remains that in reality, or our perception of reality, Black & white “photography” does not exist. What does exist is the absence of color, which when manipulated correctly and then removed, can create a stunning black & white photograph, or a stunning absence of color photograph. I think I will stick with black and white. To produce a stunning black & white photograph, you must first produce a stunning color photograph that will compliment it. I am going to go over my workflow for producing a quality black & white photograph, however, please keep an open mind, as this is MY workflow and may not be yours. This is merely a springboard for you to devise your own workflow, and if you feel so inclined, share with others.

Let me begin by stating that it does NOT make a difference what flavor of software you use to process your photos; Remember, Ansel Adams had no software, and produced beautiful photos. I use Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop in conjunction with each other to process my photos, however, this is by no means the be all, end all workflow. It took many years of experimenting with various programs until I finally decided on this combination.

I begin by bringing my photos directly into lightroom as DNG files, or digital negatives. DNG is an archival format, so in the event that TIF or JPG formats go away 20 years from now, I will still have access to the raw data. Explaining this format would encompass an entire article, so I highly suggest checking out Adobe’s informative article on the DNG format at the Adobe Products Page.

Black and White by mariemadame

From this point, I begin to work my way down adjusting temperature and curves to contrast and tonal adjustments. I find the best black and white photos are the result of good tone, contrast, and exposure settings. Again, this is something you will need to experiment with; Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as THE “formula.” Sometimes, if you are lucky, the photograph needs little or no processing at all, which is always a good thing.

There have been hundreds of books and videos released that claim to have the magic potion for the perfect black and white photograph, however, I don’t want a perfect photograph; I want a one of a kind Bryan J Zimmerman photograph. Now before I get flamed from authors and instructors, there are some excellent books and video on “technique” and “tips,” but as far as THE black and white photography resource is concerned, it doesn’t exist. If you really want to learn black and white photography, stare at a photograph from Ansel Adams, Dmitri Baltermants, Henri Cartier-Bresson, or Don McCullin for a few hours, and I guarantee you will learn more than any book or video can teach.

Once I am happy with the overall photograph in Lightroom, I continue editing in Photoshop where the real magic happens. The nice thing about using Lightroom and Photoshop together is how they work together seamlessly and non destructively. In Photoshop, I take my image to the next level using channels, and doing any burning or dodging. It is best to make sure that all of the goodies are out of the way before preparing for the transformation to black and white.

Black by simplyspoken

The final step for me is to create a color adjustment layer, and begin de-saturating, or removing color from the photograph. Once I have it just the way I want it, I choose “Save” (not “Save As”), and it saves the new black and white photograph that I manipulated in Photoshop right next to the original image in Lightroom. The Lightroom image is still in the original DNG format and has not been damaged in any way, so if I wanted to, I could start over and produce another black and white without ever changing the properties to the original. The great thing about this feature is you can make as many manipulations as you want, compare them and choose the best out of the bunch, all the while retaining the original image along with its RAW Metadata.

There is a ton of software on the market that will convert your color image to black and white with the push of a button and a few minor adjustments, but as I mentioned earlier, you are using settings that a developer “thinks” are the best for your project, which translates into giving up a piece of your creativity for the luxury of speed and ease. Some photographers do not have a problem with that, however, speaking for myself, I want complete control over my photograph right down to the last pixel.

Below is an example of a recent photo I took and converted into a black and white (removed the color), and as you can see the original is crisp and vibrant which resulted in a very fine black and white. Had I not made adjustments to the color photo first, the black and white would not have the look I was going for. As a side note, I did my dodging and burning after the conversion as the building to the right of the mausoleum was very bright as you can see in the color photo.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and a place for the quick and easy software. You may have to present a photograph, or many photograph’s in multiple formats to a client on a strict timeline. For this type of situation, software solutions like the ones mentioned above are awesome. Perhaps after you have made the transition to black and white, you may want to add some additional effects. In these cases, third party software is a viable solution.

Now get out there and shot some awesome color photography so you can come back to your studio and get rid of it!

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From my earliest childhood memories, I have had a caliginous outlook on life, which is evident in my music and poetry. The story you are about to read is how black and white photography completed my multimedia triad.

In 2007 I went back to school to pursue a degree in Visual Communications. I had been a freelance web designer/developer for close to ten years. Unfortunately, no design firm would entertain an interview for full time employment without a degree, so back to school it was. Little did I know that my reason for going back, and the newfound passion upon graduating would be night and day, or in my case, black & white.

The first day of photography class is engrained in my head as if it happened just yesterday. My professor, an established and well respected photographer in the metropolitan area where I live, handed each student a photography “kit” as he called it, and said nothing more. He never explained the contents and had no intentions to do so until we were ready. “Ready for what” we all wondered?

After four weeks of excruciating classes on photographic terminology and technique, everyone began to wonder if we would ever shoot an actual picture or if this was merely a twisted joke to gain a few credits, however, the moment we had all been anticipating came on week five – the contents of the box and an explanation – we could hardly contain ourselves.
Inside each box were three rolls of film, a small notebook, and three small envelopes. The content, simple as it was, would change my artistic life forever. As the professor began to speak, I watched as deans list students were transformed into intoxicated zombies incapable of forming a complete sentence. It was humorous to say the least.

“Before anyone in this classroom entertains the idea of using a digital camera, you will first use the three rolls of film in your kit. The envelopes are for you to develop your work, and the notebook is for documenting your camera settings so we can match up the photographs when they come back from the developer”

“This guy out of his mind!” We thought. Film? Envelopes? Processing? The professor had surely gone mad! Yet there we were, each with a rented SLR camera provided by the school, and our assignment, should we choose to accept it, was to shoot specific subject matter armed only with what we had learned in the previous weeks leading up to this moment. I still chuckle to myself when I think back to some of the student frustrations trying to load film into the cameras. As expected, many exposed rolls needed to be replaced until it was all said and done.

After a week of shooting at various locations, manually adjusting settings depending on the subject matter, logging everything into my notebook, and a few prayers to the gods of the dark room, it was time to put my film in its capped cocoon and slide it into the envelopes.

The next evening, much to everyone’s horror, we were informed that developing would take a week, and we would review the photos at the next class. “A week!” One student exclaimed, “Are they developing the photos in a cave?” As expected, laughter followed along with a second explanation of the development process by our professor, for those students that were not paying attention during the previous weeks. The laughter stopped, and the room became silent.

The next class finally arrived, and everyone anxiously fidgeted in their seats like a bunch of preschool students waiting to get the toys out and start playing. Our professor called us up one by one and handed back our envelopes now filled with actual photos. I was last to receive my precious cargo due to the alphabetic nature of how our names were called. Whoever created the process of going alphabetically must have had a last name that began with the letter A, but I digress.

I pulled the first envelope out of the rubber-banded packet, and slid the photos into my hand. They were from the black and white roll, and I must have stared at the first picture for what seemed like the remainder of the class. This was the most beautiful photograph I had ever seen, not because it was an amazing photo, but rather the fact that it was void of color, yet vibrant with every color I could imagine, and some that I could not. That one photo changed the way I viewed photography and impacted my artistic life from that point forward.

My professor pulled me aside at the end of that class and told me something that did not make an immediate impact, but would eventually create another life changing impact on my photographic future. He told me that my work was reminiscent of Ansel Adams, to which I replied, “Thanks,” all the time wondering whom Ansel Adams was, and why I should care?

I think back often on the Ansel Adams reference, and realize it is possibly the highest form of praise a black and white photographer can receive; praise that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

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My photographing style developed from working with my daughter, Alison.  The “Alison Series” began as a father/daughter activity.  I thought of the project as a gift for my daughter, and it wasn’t until I had photographed her for fifteen years that I considered exhibiting the body of work.

Alison was my first collaborator, and she felt free to participate in any photographic decision. Our sessions were short, casual, and frequent.  I would occasionally leave the lights set up in our home to take advantage of special occasions.

Crucial to the project was my desire to make photographs of Alison that depicted her life without my intervention.  If she had a friend who annoyed me, or had a romance with someone I disliked, I still documented the moment.  When I caught her smoking, I was very upset (this was particularly difficult, because her mother and I were former smokers who had struggled mightily to quit). Rightly or wrongly, I made the decision to include the ever-present cigarette and cup of coffee in the series.  (These situations highlighted the difficult issue for me of parental disapproval and intervention vs. my desire to objectively and artistically document the everyday “in-between” moments of her life over time.  Happily, Alison today is a non-smoker, as well as a musician and artist, who lives in Virginia with her husband and enjoys excellent relationships with her parents.)

What began as a simple father/daughter fun activity of “making images”, eventually blossomed into a years-long wholly collaborative effort resulting in seven three-inch binders packed with negatives of Alison.  They are a catalog of my memories. When I think of Alison as a young child, I immediately think of my photograph of her sleeping on Cape Cod (“Alison Sleeping, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1978″).  As she grew older and declared her independence, I think of “Driving Lessons, Columbia, Maryland, 1990”, or the image of her writing poetry with a friend in a local café (“Alison and Bean, Daily Grind Café,  Baltimore, Maryland, 1992“).  When I think of our trip to Ireland, my memories are triggered by the photograph in our Dublin bed and breakfast (“Alison in Dublin, Ireland, 1994”).

It was through my work with Alison in the early years, that I gradually came to a career decision that was pivotal:  I decided that what was most important to me was to photograph my subjects over an extended period of time.  I began using a 50mm wide-angle lens for my Hasselblad camera, which afforded me the opportunity to get as close as 12 inches to my subject, thereby creating an atmosphere of intimacy in the image.

The Alison project was the springboard which led to the development of many other long-term series.  My process for the ongoing documentation of lives is to make appointments with my subjects usually two or three times a year.  Despite the fact that we might not have seen each other for months, or sometimes as much as a year, the sessions are relaxed.  It is something like spending time with an old friend, but the focus of the meeting is always on the subject.  I now use a medium format Mamiya 645 and studio strobes with stands and umbrellas for the sessions, and there is almost a ritual in loading the camera with film and setting up the equipment to create a studio on location.  If there is any initial tension or discomfort on the part of the subject, it usually dissipates during this process.

I usually ask if the subject has a preference for a location for the shoot.  Lighting for a location is critical to the success of the images.  My objective is to create an “available light” look, so that the lighting source is not obvious.  I achieve this by using multiple light sources, e.g., by mixing ambient light with that from strobes bouncing off environmental surfaces.  The location is thus transformed into a studio, and becomes its own universe.  It seems counterintuitive, but the lighting creates an illusion of safety and comfort, where the subject feels free to be spontaneous. At the end of an approximately two hour session, when the modeling lights are turned off, the mood abruptly reverts to reality.

About the author:

I was born in New Jersey in 1940.  I received an undergraduate and master’s degree in sociology.  I taught myself the basic photographic process in the Marines and completed advanced studies at the University of Maryland. In 1975 started to concentrate on the portrait.  I currently live in Baltimore City.

To see more of Jack’s work, please visit www.behance.net/JackRadcliffe

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“I’ve given this land back to god,
Though it was never really mine.
I’ll pay the taxes and be its steward,
While I’m alive and feeling fine.
I hope the next taxpayer will be its steward,
And let God keep his land when I’m dead.
So come sit and see God in all his glory,
And reflect on what I’ve said.”

–Just another Steward…
In the year of our Lord 2004, June.

The above quote summarizes my body of work entitled Native. Eastern North Carolina is home to a wide array of people who shape the very landscape they live in. From farmers to fishermen, my grandfather was one of these people, and through the use of panoramic landscapes, I’ve tried to capture an environmental fingerprint of sorts to show his humble origins and that of others like him. I’ve photographed without the physical presence of people, yet captured clues of their presence. The use of the panoramic format and long exposures helps show the passing of time and the expansiveness of the area, and how its fellow stewards shape it.

I was inspired to do this body of work because as soon as I arrived in eastern North Carolina, I felt a sense of belonging to the area. I was intrigued by the history in the area, the small communities, and the overall vastness of the land in the region. I felt limited by the standard 35mm frame and ratio; there was so much more I wanted to fit in the frame. I felt a long vertical or horizontal panoramic format would be the best solution. The project also served as a means to explore part of my heritage. All of the images in this series were shot with a Nikon d200 with a 24mm lens with distortion correction. I used a polarizer and a solid neutral density filter combined with an f22 aperture on a tripod to achieve long exposures, that way I could pick up movement. Each image is made up of 4 or more photographs that were stitched together manually in Photoshop, then toned in black and white. The final images are around 13”x50″ inches give or take. The final image in this series (the dog with the makeshift sign) was taken in Stumpy point, North Carolina, A small remote fishing village near the outer banks, and also the hometown of my grandfather. I felt the sign itself perfectly summed up what I was trying to say with this body of work. The quote at the beginning of my artist statement is taken directly from the sign.

About the Author:

Todd is a recent graduate of East Carolina University located in Greenville, North Carolina. He Received his BFA in Photography. As a child he was always creative, and has a twin brother who is a photojournalist. They both inspired each other’s creative endeavors when they were younger. When his brother picked up a camera, Todd eventually did as well and he has been at it for around 6 years now. Growing up, he lived all over the south and southern themes and imagery frequently show up in his work.

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Image by Mikkel Bache

Image by Ibai Acevedo

Image by Victor Eredel

Image by Shoot Me Photographers and Production

Image by James Craig

Image by Rengim Mutevellioglu

Image by Michel Rajkovic

Image by Rengim Mutevellioglu

Image by Carsten Jamrow

Image by Ibai Acevedo

Image by Magdalena Kmiecik

Image by Ibai Acevedo

Image by Anotnio Saba

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I never planned to find myself wearing a bulletproof vest, standing behind an armored vehicle in the middle of Port au Prince ducking for cover. But one morning I received an IM from a friend working for the United Nations in Haiti during the 2004 crisis, and she offered me a week under U.N. auspices. I had to make a decision on the spot because within the week they would close down access for journalists. I paused to take in the offer as I stared at the blinking curser in the dialog box…This trip would not have been possible without the help of Myrna Dormit and photographer Sophia Paris.

I arrived in October of 2004, the year Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted from office, and shortly after Hurricane Jeanne reaped its destruction. Aristide’s administration was wrought with charges of human rights violations, corruption and severe poverty. Haitian society had been crippled for months by heavy violence from a former gang called the “Cannibal Army” now operating under the name of “The National Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Haiti”. While there I spent time traveling with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), going on patrol in Port Au Prince with the Brazilian Marines to the pro-Aristide slums of Cite Soléil and Bel Air and flying in a Mi-8 into Gonaïves, and Cap- Haitian. During this time I also visited an orphanage on the outskirts of the city and spent a day walking through Port-au-Prince on my own.

I had never traveled to a war zone, but I chose to pack light and simple. I packed 15 rolls of Ilford HP 400, 10 Fujichrome Velvia, 2 Nikon N8008 bodies, 22mm lens, 33-105mm and 2 red filters. I prefer shooting 35mm.

Our movement was restricted and any travel outside of U.N. areas had to be authorized and provided with proper security. When on patrols with the marines we generally had to stay in the vicinity of the troops or within the perimeter of the secured area. This hampered my normal process of shooting because I wasn’t used to working under such conspicuous conditions. Not only was I wearing a bright blue helmet and Kevlar vest but I was surrounded by young men with big guns standing in front of even bigger armored vehicles. Normally I like to affect the least amount of change possible on my environment by assimilating into it, shooting intimate moments when people lower their guard. To accomplish this I hide in plain sight, so to speak. I try to move through the streets as any local would, occasionally engaging with my environment and never pressing for a picture, blending into my surroundings.

When traveling to foreign countries, especially in areas of poverty or economic duress it’s easy to stick out and be perceived as a possible victim or a threat, both of which aren’t conducive to taking intimate and observatory photography. Your body language becomes very important and feeling (or at least seeming) comfortable in your surroundings goes a long way in easing tensions, especially when you aren’t fluent in the local language. Sometimes I’ll spend ages in one location, sitting near one subject just to get the right shot, other times I walk away when the camera creates a tension between me and the subject that I do not like in my work.

Although I shoot primarily on manual, I keep my camera set to automatic and at f5.6 in between shots. Theoretically this allows me to be ready for those fleeting moments we always regret missing. Tensions were naturally high among locals when
we were around. I tried to portray the discomfort that our presence created but was amazed at how adverse people became at having their picture taken as opposed to when I travel by myself. I stopped being a bystander and a casual observer, and to my dismay became an intruder documenting with force. People became victims of my camera rather than me becoming a witness of their struggles. When observing humanity pushed to such extremes your emotions are all over the place, like a roller coaster plunging and climbing, rarely reaching hope. In its place, adrenaline keeps you going when energy fades. I found few cues for optimism until I joined the Canadian CivPol at an orphanage on the outskirts of Port au Prince. Here I finally saw what I was looking for: a little hope, a reason to not give up and forsake humanity. I saw in the children an innocence that had not had the opportunity to be polluted by fear, violence and poverty. Their ability to feel joy and hope, to play and dance reminded me that there was something left to save and it was hiding within the children. This was the highlight of an exciting and eye opening experience.

About the Author

Marlon Krieger has been documenting humanity around the globe for ten years covering everything from war zones and refugees to celebrities and nightlife. His  work has been exhibited in group and solo shows in New York, Hamburg and London. He is currently working on the production of his first book based on his series “Island in the Stream- a story of Cuba”. Marlon resides and works commercially in New York City.

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