Overall, I think the Magnum website is well designed and easy to navigate. I think one of the most interesting aspects of the site is that they promote not only the work their photographers produce for Magnum but their commercial work as well. For example, as I was browsing through the “latest stories” section of the website, I noticed a series by Alec Soth called Unselfies. The description reads “Soth Alec Soth recently explored the notion of the “selfie” by creating a series of “unselfies” for The New York Times Magazine”. The photos are, I assume, of Soth himself, but with his face distorted in some way. These photos stood out for me because they seemed so “un-magnum” as they are probably better defined as art photography rather than photojournalism. To me,this is a representation of how Magnum aims to promote the works of their photographers rather than the agency itself. Is it also show how the agency has adapted to the modern day. In the past, many of the Magnum photographers were repelled by the idea of doing commercial work. Toda
USA. 2015. Unselfie.y however, doing commercial work is essential to the survival to magnum photographers.
I also really like the themes tab of the website. This part of the website organizes photos from many different photographers in categories as different as “Cuba”, “water” and “the laugh”.
USA. 2015. Unselfie.
I like this because it allows the viewer to see a wide range of photographers work in a manageable way as well as see how different photographers approach similar subject matter. Overall, it seems that the most universal aspect of this varied group of photographers is a serious towards their subject matter and a desire to do so in an aesthetically pleasing way.
GREECE. Lesbos. 2015. Refugees and migrants arriving on Lesbos island are transferred to Moria refugee camp to registration from authorities before they can move on.
FRANCE. Paris. November 14, 2015. The day after the terror attacks.
YPJ members during their daily training in their base in Serikani.
SYRIA. Semalka Border. Rojava. Torin Khairegi, 18, in Zinar base.
“I joined YPJ about seven months ago, because I was looking for something meaningful in my life and my leader [Ocalan] showed me the way and my role in the society. We live in a world where women are dominated by men. We are here to take control of our own future. We are not merely fighting with arms; we fight with our thoughts. Ocalan’s ideology is always in our hearts and minds and it is with his thought that we become so empowered that we can even become better soldiers than men. When I am at the frontline, the thought of all the cruelty and injustice against women enrages me so much that I become extra-powerful in combat. I injured an ISIS jihadi in Kobane. When he was wounded, all his friends left him behind and ran away. Later I went there and buried his body. I now feel that I am very powerful and can defend my home, my friends, my country, and myself. Many of us have been matryred and I see no path other than the continuation of their path.”
I was also really drawn to the work of Newsha Tavakolian who is an Iranian photographer born in 1981. She is a self taught photographer who was working professionally for the Iranian press at the age of 16. She became a Magnum nominee last year. She recently did a series called The Women Taking the Battle to ISIS. One photo I really liked shows member of the YPJ (Kurdish Women’s protection unit) on base during training. The photo is taken far away and shows the women standing in the circle. What I like about the photo is that because of the way it is composed, there is something very mysterious about it. It makes you wonder what the women are up to and what they are discussing.
Also as part of the series, Tavakolian took several more formal portraits with the women in the unit. These photos have extremely long captions like this one which reads SYRIA. Semalka Border. Rojava. Torin Khairegi, 18, in Zinar base.
“I joined YPJ about seven months ago, because I was looking for something meaningful in my life and my leader [Ocalan] showed me the way and my role in the society. We live in a world where women are dominated by men. We are here to take control of our own future. We are not merely fighting with arms; we fight with our thoughts. Ocalan’s ideology is always in our hearts and minds and it is with his thought that we become so empowered that we can even become better soldiers than men. When I am at the frontline, the thought of all the cruelty and injustice against women enrages me so much that I become extra-powerful in combat. I injured an ISIS jihadi in Kobane. When he was wounded, all his friends left him behind and ran away. Later I went there and buried his body. I now feel that I am very powerful and can defend my home, my friends, my country, and myself. Many of us have been matryred and I see no path other than the continuation of their path.” I really like this because it gives more context to the photos, as well as displays magnum’s desire to have more control than many news photographers about how their work is used and misused.
Dear Maddy,
As we dig deeper into the photography, you’ll see that plenty of photographers veer toward art whereas others veer toward a more strictly journalistic practice. And many consciously combine artistic aesthetics with journalistic content. Some of this came up already through the reading and in discussion, and you’re seeing it in play on the website.
A few other thoughts…
Really nice reading of the photo of the Blackberry! What does this suggest for the kinds of images that will be most meaningful or powerful for us going forward, especially as relates to current events stories, the kinds of stories we’re likely to learn of from our devices? And in light of this, what do you make of the fact that you’re drawn to two images that, in ways, represent competing perspectives? On the one hand, the mobile device offers only a small-size image and, despite an online publication having a full article, we know that the tendency of many people is to skim, or read just the first few paragraphs, or even just look at the photo that fronts the article. On the other hand, you’re pulled in by an image with a very long caption. That portrait photo “takes you close” to the subject and the text gives you a good amount of context.