While We Were Out

Dogwood

Although The First 10,000 was on a bit of a hiatus until recently, we’ve still been following some of the goings-on in the wider world of photography. Below is a bit of what you may have missed — news and other interesting things — from the last couple of months.

Obituaries: Award-winning photographer Rémi Ochlik was killed in Homs, Syria on February 22; the same attack took the life of British journalist Marie Colvin. Photojournalist Stan Stearns, whose photo of John F. Kennedy Jr. saluting his father’s coffin was one of the best-known images of the 20th century, died on March 2 at age 76. Finally, after a long, sad saga of financial struggles, Kodak’s camera business finally breathed its last, announcing on On February 9, 2012 that it would no longer manufacture digital cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames; they are continuing strictly as a photo printing business that will license its name to other manufacturers for various photographic products. The Economist took the opportunity to question — then answer — why Kodak failed, and rival Fuji thrived.

Backward Glances: NPR’s The Picture Show blog (which you should see posthaste, if you haven’t already) has appreciations of two overlooked photographers. Robert Adams gets his due here, and Jack Robinson, who chronicled the cutting edge of New York culture in the ’50’s and ’60’s, is remembered here.

Politics: According to Salon’s Alex Pareene, everyday people weren’t the only ones caught up in the NYPD’s pervasive spying on mosques and anywhere else that Muslims congregate. Photographers, according to the NYPD, just might be terrorists. Of course, protest New York’s Finest, we’re only keeping an eye on Iranian photographers:

Authorities have interviewed at least 13 people since 2005 with ties to Iran’s government who were seen taking pictures of New York City landmarks, a senior New York Police Department official said Wednesday.

Just out of curiosity, how are they deciding who is, or looks, Iranian? That SLR might leave you answering some uncomfortable questions…

One Reply to “While We Were Out”

  1. Hi Paul,

    Please do me a favor by emailing me back. I kept getting failures to send you a message on the contact page so I left my comment here.

    I would like to discuss with you how to cite your beautiful photographs properly on our academic journal.

    Thank you very much!

    Jeff

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