Michael Robinson Chavez: Dharavi

© Michael Robinson Chavez/LA Times
Although Dharavi is routinely called "the largest slum in Asia," and frequently "the largest slum in the world," this is not correct. However, Dharavi is certainly unique among slums. It's a neighborhood, a slum, of 3 square kilometers right in the heart of Mumbai, the economic heart of India that pulsates with energy and activity.

Michael Robinson Chavez is a photojournalist at The Los Angeles Times, who is currently working on a long term project about urbanization in the developing world. It's not surprising to me that Michael has produced this multimedia piece. Meeting him at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Mexico last June, he struck me as a forward-leaning individual, keen in trying new techniques to advance his craft...you'll see in this piece that he's using the continuous shooting to create a semblance of motion in his scenes...the so-called "flip book" technique.

I hope we see much more of Michael's work in this format.

For more from TTP on Michael Robinson Chavez, click here, here and here

Visa Pour L'Image: Philip Blenkinsop

Photograph © Olivier Laurent-Courtesy 1854/BJP
Philip Blenkinsop won the Visa d'Or News awards at Perpignan's photojournalism festival for his reportage of the China earthquake. The above photograph shows Diane Smyth of the British Journal of Photography (BJP) talking to Philip Blenkinsop (middle) and Stanley Greene (right) during the event.

1854, the blog of BJP, has a number of interesting interviews from the Visa Pour L'Image, and I've gleaned some snippets which I think are particularly food for thought...at least to me.

Philip Blenkinsop: "Photographers who expect to be paid for it (their work) are in the wrong business. You should be doing it because you’re passionate about issues and injustices and want to shine a light on them and give people a voice."

Brent Stirton: "We’ve created a 24-hour news cycle to feed an advertising machine. We’ve allowed our economic motivations to outweigh where we are as a civilisation in terms of documenting that civilisation. We’re not thinking about how long it takes to really think about issues. I don’t want to think about sensational pictures, I’m thinking about meaningful, intelligent images. But I also think that the internet is an opportunity for photojournalists."

Jean-François Leroy: "France is the cradle of photography. It gave photography to the world. This festival would not be possible anywhere else. I see photography attracting people in the US or in Italy, but it’s true that France is a bit of an exception."

New York Times: Talibanistan

Photograph Lynsey Addario-Courtesy NY Times
It's been a long while since I've seen an intelligent and interesting article published in the New York Times' Sunday magazine, but Talibanistan (Right At The Edge) by Dexter Filkins (accompanied by the black & white photographs of Lynsey Addario) in this week's magazine is really a chilling read. Naturally, I would've liked to see more of Addario's intense photographs (perhaps also in larger format), but this article competes with the best of the British or French photo journalistic magazines.

It's quite a lengthy article, which goes into details of the situation in Pakistan and its borders with Afghanistan, and sheds light on the double-play by Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies that are simultaneously helping the Taliban, and taking money and aid from the United States. In other words, we're being played for suckers.

In summary, the reasons for Pakistan's double-play are: (i) it sees Afghanistan as an area of competition against India, its main rival-adversary and sees the Taliban as a counterweight to Indian influence, (ii) the growing popular hatred of the United States, and (iii) the Pakistani army is really incapable (and unwilling) to fight an insurgency in the tribal areas. Why should Pakistan extinguish the Taliban factions in their northern provinces if their very strengthening presence keep United States money flowing in the country's coffers?

Now what I'd like to see is a similarly candid article on the situation in Iraq, where we're paying millions of dollars on a monthly basis to the Sunni tribes so they don't kill our troops. Shining a light on the pervading corruption in Iraq would also be welcome. Next week...Sunday Times Magazine?