In his project summary, Andy shares the following, “I first came to Kashmir in the early spring of 2007 at the end of a motorcycle trip across India and simply fell in love with the region, the people, the light and the atmosphere of this remote place of the world. But as much as I love it, I struggle with the political situation of the valley. Currently there are two conflicts in Kashmir, tightly woven into each other. The more known one is the international, atomically loaded border dispute between India and its archenemy Pakistan about the affiliation of Kashmir between the two states. The other, less known and the one I’m trying to document, is the inner-Kashmiri conflict on the Indian side of Kashmir, which is two-thirds of the complete territory.”
He also shares how the Getty Images Grant has enabled him to continue his work on documenting the lives of the those living in the Kashmir conflict. “I think the most exciting and impressive stories are always those which are made out of personal interest or dedication to a country, a region or a specific issue and not necessarily the stories that have a high news value in the international media. For me, Kashmir is one of those personal stories I feel is important to tell. My work is visual documentation about how these people cope with their life in a conflict zone and my attempt to share one part of our modern history,” said Andy.
To read the rest of Andy’s summary, go to Getty Images.
Packing for the Winter Olympics is sort of like packing for summer camp. You just have to be prepared for a little colder weather. As well, with a single hotel room, I don’t have to worry about sewing my name into all my clothing. But for me, the weather doesn’t seem like a huge problem since my main shooting venue is the warm and friendly confines of GM Place, the home of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks.
Twenty-five days doesn’t exactly fit into one 50 lb airline bag. And the thought of the hotel boasting about having ONE washer and ONE dryer on premises for all 232 hotel rooms filled with guests on extended stays, doesn’t bode well for getting laundry done easily. I think back to my first European trip for Getty Images where I packed for half of the twenty day trip which timed out well for the midpoint extra night in Berne Switzerland. So I dumped off all my clothes at the desk and had them back the next day. When I scanned the bill at check out time, I noticed that there was a line item for $175.00 which simply read “lingerie”. I wasn’t thrilled with the translation and guessed that it would be my last trip for the company. So time permitting, I’ll handle doing my own “lingerie”.
But of course, that’s just the clothing part. The equipment part is a whole different story.
Months of planning boils down to February one — when it’s time to put pedal to the metal and actually start laying out equipment and packing up cases. Everything has been tagged with name/Getty Images and a local phone number where I can be reached. While packing I am keeping in mind the airlines extra bag charges and weight limitations vs. Federal Express fees vs. what I am physically capable of carrying and keeping an eye on.
Because of the vast amount of equipment for this trip, this all just doesn’t seem to mesh. So I slowly sort through the equipment and second guess myself whether each item will actually be needed. Then I match up size and weight to minimize transportation charges, keeping in mind that there is a nice seven day cushion in between when I arrive and when I shoot my first game. These are preparation days where I will set up remote cameras and get a better feel for navigating the arena.
The basic gear will be carried on board to get me through any simple shooting needs in the first few days I arrive. Checked baggage will include other camera bodies, lenses and a small assortment of remote camera triggers and clamps. Shipped via Fedex will be the heaviest components of clamps for placement of remote cameras in the rafters as well as for netcam (the camera in the hockey net), extra laptop and a wide assortment of wires, triggers, adapters, tools, backup lenses and camera bodies.
Each of the five remote cameras with corresponding remotes and hardware will be packed as standalone items. This minimizes unpacking and setup at the other end. As well, should a bag disappear for a few days, several remotes will still be completely usable.
In addition, with one day shipping into Canada, loaner equipment available from Nikon and Canon, and our own GI pooled gear, all photographers have a vast safety net should equipment disappear or malfunction.
Now, can someone with a van drive me to the airport?
At the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards Rihanna wore an Elie Saab Haute Couture gown that seemed to have found inspiration from 16th century Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603). The gown incorporated both an elaborate high collar and fabric draped from the hips adding to the impression of a small waist. Click here to see other stars wearing elaborate collars and hip swags.
Getty Images conservator Lenny Hanson has spent eighteen painstaking months conserving the original Royal Studio Lisa job books. Spanning thirty years and three generations of royals, each album contains contact prints numbered with their corresponding negative and in some cases marked with comments direct from Buckingham Palace – an “X” or simple “NO” rejecting a less than flattering picture.
In recent years there’s been a strained, sometimes hostile, relationship between press photographers and the royal family but things weren’t always so tense. Queen Victoria and her beloved Albert were immediate fans of the new medium of photography and amongst its earliest sponsors. Later Victoria cultivated photographic studios like W&D Downey to circulate her image and reconnect with subjects alienated by the long, dark years of mourning following Albert’s death. Downey’s fresh and natural photograph of beautiful, fashionable Alexandra, Princess of Wales – the Princess Diana of her day in more ways than one – was their bestselling image.
Top: 1867: Princess Alexandra (1844 – 1925) carrying her first-born daughter Louise on her back. (Photo by W&D Downey/Getty Images). Bottom: 1986: Princess Diana carries Prince Harry on her shoulders at Highgrove. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images).
However as magazine and newspaper circulations grew so did the demand for more and more candid imagery and the relationship between Palace and Press became more cautious. For those photographers outside “The Family” circle – (which included photographers such as Lichfield and Snowdon) – access was often reduced to the jostling scrum of the Royal Rota – where press passes are awarded on a strictly controlled basis and photographers herded together into one prime position.
Photographers await the first glimpse of Diana, Princess of Wales and her newborn son Prince Harry, September 1984. (Photo by John Downing/Getty Images)
And that’s what makes the work of Studio Lisa so unique. Lisa Sheridan, with husband Jimmy’s technical backup and her young daughter Dinah – yes, the actress – as a model, began earning money photographing for women’s magazines in the 1920s. In 1936 Lisa was offered a sitting with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor at the Royal Lodge in Great Windsor Park. It was the beginning of a long and close relationship with the soon to-be-crowned George VI and his family. Lisa was allowed unprecedented backstage access to the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret as they grew up, and in turn to Elizabeth’s children Charles, Anne, Edward and Andrew.
1941: Princess Margaret plays Cinderella to Princess Elizabeth’s Prince Charming in a royal pantomime at Windsor Castle.
1940: Princess Margaret Rose on the sofa at Windsor Castle accompanied by Jane the corgi.
1954: Prince Charles with a corgi dog in the grounds of The Royal Lodge, Windsor, Berkshire.
Lisa Sheridan was still receiving new commissions from the Palace right up to her death in 1966 at the age of 72 leaving a legacy of intimate, personal and revealing portraits – a far cry from the massed ranks press photographers that follow the royals today.
Press Photographers surround Prince William as he greets the crowd at Sighthill Community Education Centre, Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)
Post authors: Justyna Zarnowska, Bob Ahern, Sarah McDonald
Singer Katy Perry adorned her forehead with a bindi at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on January 31, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. Gwen Stefani made the same style statement at both the 39th and 40th GRAMMY Awards in 1997 and 1998. Do you think Katy Perry can bring the bindi back? To see more click here.
Kevin Mazur/WireImages/Getty Images – Ron Wolfson/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
SWITZERLAND – JANUARY 15: Shinsuke Tayama of Japan tries to gain control of his sled during the Men’s FIBT Skeleton World Cup Round 7 at the Olympic Bobrun on January 15, 2010 in St Moritz, Switzerland. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
I slide at dawn….
With the 2010 Winter Olympics less than a month away now it’s time to sharpen up those winter sport skills that get put away for most of the year (not photographic skills, but the ability to romp around hilly venues wearing multiple layers of clothes to keep warm and not ending up in a waist deep snow drift).
As I will be based at the Whistler Sliding Center during the games, I find myself in Europe’s uber ski resort of St. Moritz for the 7th round of the FIBT Skeleton/Bobsleigh World Cup. Skeleton, or insane athletes sliding head first down a bob track on a tea tray, is fast becoming one of Great Britain’s serious medal hopes at the Olympics. Shelley Rudman who got Silver in Torino 2006 and Kristian Bromley who has won the World Cup series in recent years are up there again this season and nearly made for a very special double win on the Olympia-Bobrun at St. Moritz as the pair have a 2yr old child together.
Rudman came from behind to put in a 2009/2010 track record in the second run to pinch her second victory in this World Cup season. Bromley set the quickest time in the first run, but problems with the ice and several competitors struggling to keep their sleds under control at the start (great for pictures) meant the run was cancelled, and the event reduced to a single run shoot out where Kristian again set a very quick pace, only to be just pipped to the top spot by Eric Bernotas of the USA.
Bobsledding takes over now for the remaining days of this world cup meet, and I’m looking forward to getting some great images and ideas I can work on to put into place for Vancouver to bring our clients the best imagery possible. Stay tuned!
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