"My Homeless Project" by Steve Huff

(Retrieved from http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/who-am-i/so-who-am-i/, on 05.04.2015)

For this week's post, we are given the freedom to write about anything related to photojournalism. Therefore, we have decided to talk about a well-known photo story by a well-known photojournalist. And which famed photo story project that we have chosen this time round? It is none other than "My Homeless Project"  by photojournalist, Mr Steve Huff.

Firstly, let's start with a little background story about Steve Huff. Steve Huff has been a photographer for over 25 years. Photography has long been a passion of his, and he is known to take images of all kinds including pictures of family, strangers, events, street life, weddings, studio portraits, concert images and friends. Over the years, Huff has used about 100 different cameras to snap all the photos in his collection.

Besides just taking photos, Huff also manages his own website (www.stevehuffphoto.com/) where he shares his experience using camera gears, processing tips, photography tips, and photo projects with readers. Through these few years, he has helped many of his readers in photography by sharing his reviews on the latest cameras and gears. Today, from his website, readers can not only view the photos that Huff has taken, but they can also garner useful tips and knowledge about photography.

"My Homeless Project" by Steve Huff

We've decided to talk about this project today because we feel that the cause and outcome of this project are both equally heart-warming and meaningful. Many photojournalist care only to shoot above sensationalised topics, but only a few would bother to look around them and document about life that happens on the street everyday. And Steve Huff is one of those few photographers.

Steve Huff decided to start this project one day in year 2006 when he realised that the homeless population where he was living at was increasing. As a photojournalist, he then realised that besides giving the homeless people food or blankets during the winter, he could also help the homeless by documenting their lives. For every homeless person that he met, Huff would sit down and talk with them; exploring the ups and downs of their lives. According to Huff, the homeless project was a learning experience for him. Instead of walking by and staring, and snapping photos which would have been disrespectful, Huff spent his time getting to know each homeless person and documented each of their story. “The text that accompany the photos is the text I wrote right after shooting the photos,” Huff said.

“My Homeless Project” by Steve Huff touched our hearts as he shared the lives of homeless people through their pictures and their stories. He made us realise that every single person in the world, whether or not that person has a roof over his or her head, has a unique story to tell. As long as we have lived, the pens of our lives would have started writing, and each of our story is colourful, different, but yet interesting, just the same. Huff saw this when he saw the homeless people on the streets, and thus he started this project.

The photos from “My Homeless Project”, combined with the insight and commentary from Steve Huff’s interviews, are very touching and powerful. It makes us all realise that we should not take for granted the life that we have as things can change for the worse in a blink of an eye. We have chosen a few of the photos (including an excerpt from Huff's write up about each photo) from "My Homeless Project" to be featured in this post, below:

"I saw Gary on the street holding his sign looking for help. I pulled over and approached him. He 1st asked if I was a cop and said the cops always chase him away. I told him I was just a photo student working on a project and soon he was at ease and I asked if he was doing ok. He said he was hungry and a bit cold at night as the day before someone stole his blanket. This was Phoenix AZ but winter time which means it gets pretty chilly at night."

"I met Rodney on November 19th 2006. I saw him walking out of Walgreens, limping. He soon roamed in to an alleyway and sat down. I noticed a hospital band around his arm and approached him to make sure he was OK. He had a pretty nasty cut on his head and he looked very dirty. As I approached he smiled and he said he was fine…"

"He is 54 years old and has been on the streets since he was 36. He said he has been everywhere and was born in Louisville, KY. He said he liked Phoenix for its warm climate and he also told me he goes around to businesses after hours to collect their garbage. This is why his cart is so packed with stuff."

This photo story is more than mere pictures. Through Huff's compassion and empathy, these shots he produced show deeper and more intimate emotions of the homeless population and somehow humanises them, taking them out of the cruel social context of being 'dirty' or a 'nuisance'. These photos make the homeless people look somehow more hopeful, cleaner and shinier.

All in all, we really admire Steve Huff as his photography does not only excel artistically but its contents are usually fascinating, personal and indicative of his personality as a compassionate and empathetic person. Through his photos, he documents the realistic and imperfect parts of the world around us, but this, somehow, just makes the world we live in look a little bit more perfect.

References

SteveHuff Photo. Com .(2015). My Homeless Project. Retrieved from http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/who-am-i/my-homeless-project/

Photo Exhibition at NSTP - Bazuki Muhammad

Last Thursday, as part of our Photojournalism course assignment, we paid a visit to the photo exhibition by Mr Bazuki Muhammad at New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad (NSTP).

From what we gathered from his official website (www.bazuki.com), Bazuki Muhammad is an international award-winning photojournalist who has covered assignments for Reuters, Knoxville Journal, Maryville Times, Daily Reveille and New Straits Times for 30 years. His works have been featured in publications such as Newsweek, Life, Asiaweek and Time. Bazuki won Publish Asia’s Best in Sports Photography for two consecutive years in 2002 and 2003. Bazuki covered London Olympics, cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, U.S. President Bush in Japan, war in Afghanistan, tsunami in Thailand, Hajj in Mecca, Thailand’s political turmoil, troubles in southern Thailand and floods in Bangkok. Bazuki is currently a contract photographer for AP Assignments and an Adviser to the New Straits Times Press in Kuala Lumpur.

(Obtained from: http://bazuki.com/portfolio2015/)

Before we explored the exhibition which displayed many photos taken by Bazuki Muhammad, we first signed the guestbook and saw that many other UM students also came for the exhibition.

We saw that this exhibition displayed many shots taken by Bazuki Muhammad, ranging from different genres, themes, events, and incidents. There were photos of beauty pageants, weddings, politicians, natural disasters, protests, sports and many other interesting shots.

From the array of photos that we saw, we decided to each pick one photo which struck our interest the most and write about our comments and feelings about that particular photo. And here are the photos we have selected:

1. By Goh Ee Vonne

This is a photo taken by Mr. Bazuki Muhammad, a famous photojournalist in Malaysia capturing the condition of women from a third world country. This is a mid-shot showing only the upper part of the body. The background of this photo was taken with motion blur effect in order to focus on the main subject of this photo which were the women.

2. By Joyce Yeap Woan Jie

In the photo above, photojournalist, Mr.Bazuki Muhammad combined different shots of photo regarding circumcision from different boys' experience in a village at Batu Caves. Mr.Bazuki used establishing shots to show the occasion; closeup shots to show the boys' emotions and feelings; mid range shots to feature different angles of the event. As audience, we can feel the atmosphere of fear through the photos.

3. By Tan Jo Yee

In the photo above, a couple set to be married is seen sitting on a boat while other people, presumably guests and family members are seen pushing/pulling the boat away from the riverbanks. This is a establishing shot which displays the atmosphere and activities of a wedding in the rural areas of Malaysia. I choose this shot to be featured as it reminds me that happy weddings do not necessarily need to be held luxuriously, and a simple and traditional one as shown in the photo can also be as meaningful and joyful. Even though there weren't special props or signage which indicates that this was a wedding, the audience can tell that it was just by the clever positioning of the similarly-dressed couple in the middle of the photo, surrounded by a crowd who is clearly there to celebrate their happy union. 

All in all, this visit to this photo exhibition is an eye-opening experience. We come from a background where we have zero experience or skills in photojournalism and yet, through Mr Bazuki Muhammad's photos we can see professionalism and passion. We can only hope that, one day, we will be able to produce shots as simple yet meaningful such as those we saw in the exhibition of Bazuki Muhammad's photos.

Feature Photos & Portraits

3 Feature Photos from Daily Newspapers

1. Tokyo Fashion Week Features Disabled Model in Wheelchair

Source: 

The Star Online > Home > Lifestyle > Women > Fashion

Published: Tuesday March 24, 2015 MYT 1:45:00 PM 

Updated: Tuesday March 24, 2015 MYT 7:04:23 AM

URL: http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Women/Fashion/2015/03/24/They-see-me-rollin-Tokyo-Fashion-Week-features-disabled-model-in-wheelchair/

The photo above features a model who heads down the runway in a rather unique way: in her wheelchair. While models are usually known for their tall figures and long legs, this photo shines light on a different type of model, a girl who is disabled from her waist down. This photo thus fits the criteria of being a feature photo as it is not only interesting and timeless, it also resonates with human emotions such as heartfelt feelings, symphathy, and pride. We also like this photo because the disabled girl is juxtaposed with a guy who is walking alongside her on the same runway, with the same purpose of modelling clothes, which symbolises that being disabled does not mean that one cannot be on par with others who are not disabled. 

2. Paying Last Respects

Source:

Photo taken from New Straits Times cover page on 25^th March 2015.

On 23 March 2015, the whole world was saddened by the news of the passing of a prominent man of politics, the first Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. This feature photo we choose shows Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Malaysia's current Prime Minister signing the condolence book in front of Lee Kuan Yew’s portrait as a sign of respect. As Prime Minister, his acknowledgement represents that of the whole of Malaysia as well.

3. Tears and Pain

An Afghan woman was being wrongly accused for burning a bible and was stoned to death for her alleged crime. This feature photo manages to capture the raw emotions on the faces of those present and also the chaotic atmosphere of the incident. We choose this photo because it successfully brings out the emotions and expressions of other Afghan women who felt helpless when their friend was being punished without having to display the face the woman who was stoned to death.

2 self-taken Feature Photos 

1. Occupational Hazard

A construction worker is seen working under the scorching hot sun on the fourth-storey of a new building without a safety harness in University of Malaya on March 15 2015.

We choose this photo to be a feature photo because it is interesting as it is common; as it portrays a part of our everyday life, but with a twist. The construction worker could just be like any one of us, running errands and taking care of our responsibilities daily but what stands him out from the rest of us is while his task on its own is already a dangerous one, he further pushes the limit of safety by standing at a level as high as the fourth-storey of a building without any safety precautions or safety harness.

2. What's in Daddy's Bag? 

A man, presumably the father of the child, is seen standing next to his wife carrying a bag pack which does not only hold their travel necessities, but also their baby on a holiday in Bangkok, on 19 January 2015.

We chose this photo to be a feature photo as it is interesting and evokes human emotions of love and warmth. When on holiday, we usually travel with a huge bag pack on our backs, to ensure that we have the space to carry all our necessities, but for this couple it seems like their bag pack could also double as a baby carrier. For all it's worth, the baby does look comfortable and safe mounted on the back of his father. Besides that, we also took notice of the fact that the father was the one carrying the baby on his back. This was a nice change from the social norm which usually dictates that mothers should be the main care-givers of their children.

2 self-taken Portraits

1. What's cooking?

A man of a family who sells boat noodles at the Floating Market in Bangkok.

Sitting cross-legged in front of a big pot of hot soup and an array of colourful ingredients which make up a steaming hot bowl of delicious boat noodles, this man displays his way of maintaining his livelihood in the most interesting way.

2. Choose a Job that You Love and You Will Never Have to Work A Day in Your Life

Associate Professor Dr Shanthi Thambiah, a lecturer of the Gender Studies Programme in University of Malaya, during class on 19th of March 2015, showing her students the longest genealogical chart she has ever made for one of her research works. 

We choose this to be our portrait photo because it is amusing to see how satisfied and enthusiastic Dr Shanthi feels about her work. Besides, it also shows how passionate a person can be about an incident even though it has happened a long time ago. This picture brings out the emotions of pride and satisfaction.

Different Shots of Life

ESTABLISHING SHOTS

Title: Contemporary View of KL City

Contemporary city view of Kuala Lumpur in November 2014 from Feugo Sky Dining restaurant, G Tower. Kuala Lumpur is home to the tallest twin buildings in the world, the Petronas Twin Towers, which have become an iconic symbol of Malaysia's futuristic development.

Title: A Line-up of Elegance

A photo taken on January 2015 of the spacious runway of the new klia2 airport in Sepang which is built to replace the former low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT). The neat line-up of the air crafts depict the new terminal's promise for organisation and elegance. 

(Information retrieved from WMKK - KL INTERNATIONAL/SEPANG at Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia "klia2 opens to public"27.03.2014, on 15.03.2015)

MID-RANGE SHOTS

 Title: Spring in South Korea

People from all walks of life enjoying a peaceful garden stroll by the Seokchon Lake, Seoul on March of 2013. Spring in Seoul typically starts on the first week of March during which it is best to enjoy the natural beauty of  the blooming of cherry blossoms.

Title: Royal Guard of the King's Palace

Pictured above is a member of the Royal Calvary Guard at the new King's Palace in Kuala Lumpur on March 6 2015. Mounted on a horse under a shelter at the front of the palace gates, and donning British-style guard uniforms, this guard's attire stays true to Malaysian elements with its traditional check-pattern sarong wrapped around his waist, woven using gold and silver threads to give it its shimmery texture.  

(Information retrieved from "National Palace". Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia. 2003. on 15.03.2015.)

CLOSE-UP SHOTS

Title: A Photo within a Photo

A framed photo found at a little corner of my grandmother's room during the day of her funeral. It was a well-kept photo over the years, but when the time came, it would be cremated together with its owner.

Title: A Woman of Art

The picture shows the artwork of a Henna artist in Batu Cave who has had to practise for more than 10 years to be able to produce such a delicate work of art in less than 5 minutes. However, among the hundreds and hundreds of hands that she has drawn on, probably only a handful of the owners of those hands will truly appreciate the blood, sweat, and tears that she has poured into perfecting her drawing skills.

Steve McCurry - Shooting Emotions

“What is important to my work is the individual picture. I photograph stories on assignment, and of course they have to be put together coherently. But what matters most is that each picture stands on its own, with its own place and feeling.” by Steve McCurry.

Photograph by Steve McCurry  
(http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photographers/photographer-steve-mccurry/)

In class, this week, we were introduced briefly to the basics of what makes, or in fact, what it takes to be a photojournalist. First, let’s break down the term ‘photojournalist’.

Now, we all know what a photographer is; a person who captures scenes or art professionally to produce a visually aesthetic as well as meaningful photograph. We also do know what a journalist does – summarising an event or an occurrence into text, making sure the reader is intrigued and informed. Put those two together and you get a profession which combines the skills of both the professions stated above, which is to produce aesthetically pleasing and intellectually-stimulating photographic pieces of information which appeal to the public audience, also known as, photojournalism.

Sounds easy? Think again. It actually takes a lot to become a photojournalist, let alone a good one. Let’s take the famed ‘Afghan Girl’ photographer, Steve Curry as our example for today. 

McCurry's famous photograph, "Afghan Girl," on the cover of National Geographic
(http://photowings.org/steve-mccurry-biography/)

Steve McCurry is an American editorial photographer who was born in Philadelphia. He graduated from the College of Arts and Architecture at the Pennsylvania State University with a degree in cinematography. After working for a local newspaper for two years, he then travelled to India to freelance. It was when he was there in India that he discovered his passion and interest for this fulfilling and dynamic field of photojournalism.

Throughout his career, McCurry has covered many areas of international and civil conflict, including the Gulf War and those in Beirut, Cambodia, the Philippines, the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and Tibet. He stands out among his peers with his signature style of producing photographs which focus on the human consequences of war, meaning not only showing how war is reflected on the landscapes but also on the human face.  

McCurry's photographs are known to portray moments of daily life be it struggles or joy. In essence, McCurry's photographs work as a tool of communication among people from all walks of life and also between the world and humans. McCurry’s works have made many impacts in the world. One of his best-known photographs, the “Afghan girl”, has successfully raised awareness on refugee issues by capturing a portrait of a young refugee (Sharbat Gula) whose eyes tell the story of hardship and suffering. As Michael Zhang (2012) noted, “…On the subject of married women, cultural tradition is strict. She must not look—and certainly must not smile—at a man who is not her husband. She did not smile at McCurry. Her expression, he said, was flat. … (Cathy Newman, 2002)”. This picture does not only tell story of the refugees living hard lives in Afghanistan, but it also pictures how women are oppressed in a patriarchal country. This is because women in rural parts of Afghanistan are not allowed to have any emotional contact with guys other than their husbands.

McCurry's "Afghan girl" photograph has successfully informed the society on an invisible issue that is happening around them. This significant photo creates a bridge between feminists and the society to converse with each other. In most countries, women’s voices are often ignored and their problems are seen as norms; even the feminists find it hard to inform people on women’s issues. Therefore, McCurry’s photographs work as a tool to help pass the messages of the subordinates to the superiors.

Besides that, McCurry influences photographers to follow his footstep by being a good role model. From an interview with McCurry by Graeme Green (2012), he said, “I’m not saying “How can I make this beautiful?” Of course, we all see things in different ways. We all have different sensitivities to things like shape and form and light. It’s how you use photography; you tell a story and put a vision out there of what you’re trying to portray.” According to McCurry, taking photographs is not about how beautiful the photos should be taken, but it is about how the photographs can tell story of the vision in the photographer’s mind. It is very important for a photojournalist to know the purpose behind why he is taking a photograph and not merely blindly taking photos everywhere with no sense of direction. McCurry has become a good icon who has these important criteria, making him the influential photojournalist he is today.

In terms of his style, mention McCurry in the photojournalism industry and you will hear that he is known for his affinity for capturing photographs which are rich and dynamic in colour that show life.

As of today, McCurry has been a photojournalist for over 30 years. His unique photography skills, together with his passion to produce photographs which evoke emotions, has made him the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the Robert Capa Gold Medal, the Magazine National Press Photographers Award, for Olivier Rebbot Award (twice in his lifetime), and four first prize awards in the World Press Photo contest. McCurry's work has also been published in every major magazine in the world and frequently appears in National Geographic.

From spending his days in war-torn areas to capturing the lifestyles of the often neglected community in the world, McCurry has undoubtedly sacrificed a large part of his life to pursue his dreams of being a good photojournalist. But what stands him out from other photojournalists is not just his technical expertise and determination to tell a story, rather, it is his insistence of capturing emotions and displaying what makes us humans that makes him unique. 

To conclude, it can be simply said that, in our opinions, Steve McCurry represents the epitome of what a good and respectable photojournalist should be like.

References:

Steve McCurry. (2015). Retrieved from http://stevemccurry.com/biography

Time Light Box.(n.d). Retrieved from  http://lightbox.time.com/2013/08/28/30-years-20-passports-untold-stories-of-steve-mccurrys-photographic-life/#1

National Geographic (2015). Retrieved from
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photographers/photographer-steve-mccurry/

Steve McCurry. (n.d). Retrieved from http://photowings.org/steve-mccurry-biography/

Zhang, M. (2012, Nov 14). Afghan Mona Lisa: The Story of the Girl Whose Eyes Captivated the World. PetaPixel. Retrieved March 6, 2015, from http://petapixel.com/2012/11/14/afghan-mona-lisa-the-story-of-the-girl-whose-eyes-captivated-the-world/.

Green, G. (2014, Sept 2). Steve McCurry on conflict zones, the Afghan Girl, James Foley and whether photos are worth risking your life for. Curious animal. Retrieved March 6, 2015, from http://www.curiousanimal.com/steve-mccurry-interview/