Ukraine and Mila

We left Milan for Kiev, a 3 day drive. The 750km from the Ukraine/Hungary border to Kiev took 11 hours and 3 police stops, 1 for speeding, 1 for overtaking on a solid line and the 3rd one on the outskirts of Kiev I didn't stop to find out.

We are staying with Ukrainian photographer, Mila Teshaieva while in Kiev.

all photos © Mila Teshaieva

Rear View Mirror

Last Friday in Milan a beautiful new Italian photography magazine was launched called Rear View Mirror, published by Postcart.
It features 4 reportages, Pieter Ten Hoopen, George Georgiou, Marta Sarlo and Agnes Dherbeys
1 Portfolio, Alisa Resnik

1 retrospective, Massimo Sciacca

and a couple of interviews including Guy Tillim

Conversations with Vanessa Winship and Dana Popa

Over on the excellent Conscientious blog are interviews with Vanessa Winship and Dana Popa.
Conscientious is well worth checking out, there's a lot of interesting interviews, reviews and links to photographers.
















Photo © Dana Popa

National Portrait Gallary

I sent 2 portraits to the Talyor Wessing prize and the first was selected for the exhibition.

Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize

The short list for the National Portrait gallery Tayor Wessing prize was announced, details on the BJP blog 1854. Vanessa Winship is one of the finalist with an image from her new work from Georgia, as you would expect, I hope she wins.
In order, Vanessa Wnship, Michal Chelbin, Paul Floyd Blake and Mirjana Vrbaski.

Prospekt Gallery opening

Last Thursday Prospekt opened their new Gallery and Studio space in Milan with a Prospekt photographers group exhibition, with great food, wine and music. Well over 500 people attended and it was agreed by all that it was a great success.
Here are the exhibition profiles, later I will post images from the preparation and party.

Fault Lines in the Sunday Times, UK

These are the 4 pages in last weeks Sunday Times magazine.

Serbia/Kosova in Diario magazine, Italy.

Diario magazine in Italy took the unusual and brave step for a magazine of first taking my photographs from Serbia and Kosova to mark the 10th anniversary of the war and then looking for a text to complimented the photos. I am happy to say that they used an extract from the book of Bosnian author Elvira Mujcic "and if Fuad had had dynamite".
An interview with Elvira can be found on Peace reporter

Screening of Georgia at Perpignan

Tonight I have a screening of "Georgia: In the shadow of the bear" at Perpignan. The selection and slideshow was made sometime before I completed the last part of the work by the people at Visa. When I got back from finishing the work I contacted Visa to see if they could replace some of the images with the newer ones. Not such a difficult task, but no it wasn't possible, the slideshow had been produced and that was that. So much for championing photojournalism and the integrity of the work and the author. I was going to pull the work but I wasn't the only one involved, I had to think of the position that would leave my French agency in, so left the decision to them.

Georgia June 2009

Fault Lines in Gioia Magazine Italy

Fault Lines published in Gioia magazine earlier this year

The Sunday Times Magazine

It's been a long time since my last blog. I had all these intentions of blogging on the road, photographing some of the book and magazine editors I met in Paris and Milan, to show some of the process of trying to make things happen.
And then photographs from the new work as I was shooting.
But during summer, days are so long, that by the time I would get back to where I was staying, it was enough just to download the pictures and spend a little time with whoever we were staying with.
Then back in London, the rest of the summer disappears in a darken room doing post production.
In about a week I will hit the road again, this time I will try to make more of a effort.

This Sunday, the Sunday Times magazine will feature the Fault Lines work over 4 pages. They are partly using my grid design with 21 photographs over a double page.

Photography class, Ukraine, May 2009.

On the road

We have been away for about a month now. The first 20 days were taken up by visiting our agencies in Paris, a few days in Cannes, where Vanessa had an exhibition of new work during the Sony World photography awards and a week in Milan meeting with my agents Prospekt for the first time.