Tortuga Photo Workshops

Tuesday Tips: How To Take Candid Pictures of Strangers – Assignment Chicago.

“Um, excuse me, could I take a picture of you praying and singing?” Not the easiest request to make at such a personal moment. Years after picking up a camera, walking around with two on my shoulder in a public space still can make me feel self-conscious because of my ability to stick out and intrude on such moments.

There’s the self-consciousness of being watched or judged, but also what it means for the process. When you stick out, it’s harder to take candid pictures because everyone is too aware of you. Moreover, if you want to capture the real moments you can find, you can’t really stop and ask permission before taking each picture because you’ll lose the candid emotion that…   Read more about “Tuesday Tips: How To Take Candid Pictures of Strangers” »

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The camera is a simple tool: do not get carried away with gadgets.”

via Ten tips for budding photojournalists | The Times.

I had the amazing opportunity to carry around another of David Burnett’s camera bags at Obama’s inauguration and to see how he used some of this same gear. (In fact, I got that bag caught behind me in the automatic closing doors of the Metro car and he had to rescue me, or at least rescue his gear) That was one of the coldest, hardest, most miserable / absolute best days of my life, and I’d do it all over again in a heart beat.

Now I’m not that big on folks who geek out too much on camera gear, but this is a little different. I know Dave could kick my butt with a cell phone camera, but I love the ways he keep trying to separate from the pack, to find a fresher way to see.

Part of the reason for using the Holga to teach a a workshop is to show people that nearly any camera can be used to create great images if you know how to get the most out of it. But good prime lenses doesn’t hurt.

Steve

“A lot has changed since those early days… But thankfully, Burnett hasn’t – he’s still innovating, still experimenting. Still pushing himself to go beyond the typical, the obvious, the routine.”

In The Bag with photographer David Burnett from PhotoShelter.com on Vimeo.

via In The Bag with Photographer David Burnett – A Picture’s Worth | PhotoShelter.

Tips for Photo Workshop Students from Foundry Workshop on Vimeo.

“Maggie Steber and Kael Alford kicked off the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop this year with a David Letterman-style Top 10 countdown of tips for the students at the workshop. They are such good advice, though, that we wanted to share them. ”

via 10 Tips for Photo Workshop Students | Foundry Photojournalism Workshop.

One month from today we will be offering our first Holga workshop in Albuquerque NM. There is still space and time to sign-up. Follow this link for more information. It’s a great deal, especially if you’ve never worked in a real analog darkroom before. It’s magical, and you get to keep the camera when it’s over for only $105, $90 for Harwood members.

Here are some images Roberto shot with the Holga when Lance Armstrong was in New Mexico for the Tour De Gila. Don’t worry, we didn’t photoshop anything on his shirt. That would be some lame B.S.

Go sign-up now! We can neither confirm or deny at this time if Mr. Armstrong will be in attendance.

As our photo workshop approaches on the island of Meanguera it is a good idea to get a sense of what your camera
is capable of doing. Every situation offers different lighting therefore, knowing how to approach that scene with a specific mode setting can mean the difference between a snapshot and creating an image. Read this article for it will start to raise questions you might have about your own cameras.

“It’s a question I’ve gotten before that often frustrates students and also frustrates me, because it’s both a seemingly simple question and a complicated answer. At the same time, with sufficient experience the answer can seem pretty simple because you do many things without having to think about them, which is one of the reasons it’s a frustrating question for me—trying to remember everything that needs mentioning. So I want to try to answer it here, for everyone who might be interested.

The question was roughly, “When you go out to shoot, what settings do you start with?” The answer is, “It depends.” The things to think about, the questions to ask yourself, are pretty much the same every time, but the responses will be different depending on circumstances—what are you shooing, what kind of light do you have, etc.”

via What Settings to Start With :: Musings :: Blue Pixel.

This is a great read, and if you don’t know Atntonin Kratochvil, check out his work.

“There is a division in photo reportage. There is photojournalism and there are photo documentaries: Identical mediums, but conveying very different messages. Documentary photographers reveal the infinite number of situations, actions and results over a period of time. In short, they reveal life. Life isn’t a moment. It isn’t a single situation, since one situation is followed by another and another. Which one is life?”

via Nieman Reports | Photojournalism and Documentary Photography.

The just released issue #8 of finitefoto focuses on Photojournalism and features an interview with our own Roberto Rosales.

“David Ondrik sat down with Roberto Rosales, a staff photographer at the Albuquerque Journal, to discuss photography, teaching, blogging, and film.”

Finite Foto (formerly Flash Flood) is a new media collective that investigates and promotes the intersection of photography and culture in the state of New Mexico.

(They) are dedicated to bringing awareness to the global art community about both historical and contemporary photography from all regions of the state.

via finitefoto.

“In just the past seven days, residents of Guatemala and parts of neighboring Honduras and El Salvador have had to cope with a volcanic eruption and ash fall, a powerful tropical storm, the resulting floods and landslides, and a frightening sinkhole in Guatemala City that swallowed up a small building and an intersection. Pacaya volcano started erupting lava and rocks on May 27th, blanketing Guatemala City with ash, closing the airport, and killing one television reporter who was near the eruption. Two days later, as Guatemalans worked to clear the ash, Tropical Storm Agatha made landfall bringing heavy rains that washed away bridges, filled some villages with mud, and somehow triggered the giant sinkhole – the exact cause is still being studied.”

via A rough week for Guatemala – The Big Picture – Boston.com.

We at Tortuga are committed to educating the next generation of visual storytellers and helping them fulfill their vision. In that spirit we are thrilled to announce a new scholarship opportunity for current students or recent graduates of any public university in New Mexico. The scholarship will provide up to $2,000 off our Meanguera Island El Salvador photographic workshop in August.

Deadline: Completed e-mail applications must be received by June 15, 2010

Application requirements:

1. Letter of intent: Include a statement about your development as a photographer and how the workshop will help you reach your goals.

2. Resumé: Include your education, work history, and contact information.

3. Portfolio: A web URL submissions where we can see your work is all that is required.

4. Application Fee: There is no fee to apply.

Completed applications and/or questions: tortugaphotoworkshops@gmail.com

Scholarships are awarded as credit that apply to workshop tuition and fees only. Recipients are responsible for additional expenses such as travel and required inoculations. No cash awards will be issued. For more information on the workshop, please visit: http://tortugaphotoworkshops.com/blog/index.php/current-workshops/