Around the World with TPN

Members of Travel Photographers Network (TPN) have collaborated to create a photo-book of juried travel images called "Around the World with TPN". The images in the book were selected by 6 judges (including Kah Kit Yoong, and David duChemin) and the books layout was created by professional graphic designed and photographer Sarah Clarehart.

Some of the 50 photographers with work presented in the book include Marsel van Oosten, Matt Brandon, Kah Kit Yoong, Chris Wilson, Paul Prince, Troy Feener and Nick Hall.

Proceeds from the book are going towards an overhaul of the TPN site which is owned and operated by Jim White out of London. This is a worthy effort to enhance the work of dedicated and quality travel photographers, many of whom have been featured on The Travel Photographer blog.

Alessandra Meniconzi: Hidden China

I now have Alessandra Meniconzi's new book Hidden China, which I've enthusiastically perused all last week. As I previously posted, this book explores some of the most remote regions of China and brings to life a world far removed from the great metropolises, a world nearly forgotten, where the people continue to live their traditional lifestyles largely undisturbed.

If you are interested in minority ethnic and traditional cultures of Asia, this book ought to be on your bookshelves. It's available at all major bookstores, and on the on-line book retailers as well. You'll be glad you did.

Alessandra Meniconzi is a Swiss photographer fascinated by the lives and traditions of indigenous people in remote regions of the world. After many years of working in Asia, she traveled in Iceland and became interested in the Arctic. She is the sole photographer for the books Hidden China (2008), Mystic Iceland (2007), and The Silk Road (2004), and she is currently working on the new book about Tibet, Arctic and Himalaya.

POV: Mentorships

Photo ©Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
A recent spate of photography mentorships and scholarships have appeared on my radar screen...and for obvious reasons, some more than others.

For instance, the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops recently announced that it offers the opportunity "of working with a mentor to expand your photographic knowledge and skills, and to refine your photographic personality.". The mentors are from a group of photography "titans" such as Nevada Weir, Sam Abell, Mary Virginia Swanson and others.

The cost for the long-distance (ie telephone/online) mentorship is $4,500 for a 12-month (17 sessions) Photography Mentorship, $2,200 for a 6-month Photography Mentorship (8 sessions) and $375 for a single session of 60 minutes.

Regular readers of The Travel Photographer blog will recognize what I'm thinking of whilst writing this post....so I'll leave it unsaid (or unwritten).

But hallelujah! Not everything requires a Wall Street bonus in the world of photographic scholarships and mentorships!

We have the stellar example of David Alan Harvey's generosity as just announced on the Magnum blog, and which describes a $10,000 grant which comes under the non-profit umbrella of the Magnum Cultural Foundation.

We also have the brilliant example of the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, whose faculty of 20 or so photojournalists/photographers are not paid for tutoring the 100+ students expected to attend the workshop in north India.

Yes, there are some bright spots after all.