Blue Earth photographer Robert Semeniuk is opening a new exhibition this September at the viewPoint Gallery in Nova Scotia.  “Among The Inuit” features a series of 70 photos Semeniuk took during his time living with an Inuit family while engaged on an assignment for National Geographic.

His work is known for telling the human story behind larger global issues.  The World Health Documentary Project, his current project at Blue Earth, is another example of this focus.  In the series, Semeniuk puts “faces and personalities on the overwhelming statistics” of an international health crisis.

Be sure to visit the gallery if you are in the area.

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

Over sixty prints featuring work form many internationally recognized photographers have been donated to the Blue Earth Annual Lottery this year.  Amongst good company and many fine photographers, we are very fortunate that Phil Borges is participating again in the lottery.

Sisi and Norsum ©Phil Borges

Phil’s works has been “devoted to the welfare of indigenous and tribal people.”   With his photographic expertise, he seeks “to help bring attention to the value these cultures represent and the challenges they face.”  This donated print is from his well-received Tibetan Portrait collection documenting his travels in Tibet, northern India, and Nepal interviewing Tibetans and Tibetan refugees.

This year’s lottery will be held September 18th at the Palace Ballroom in Seattle.  All proceeds from the lottery go to support our mission sponsoring documentary photography highlighting endangered cultures, threatened environments, and vital social concerns.

If you would like to attend the lottery, and maybe even take home Phil’s print above, you can purchase tickets today via our web site, by mail, or over the phone.  Don’t miss out – lottery tickets are selling quickly!

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

Blue Earth is proud to be the 2009 recipient of the North American Nature Photography Association’s “Community Recognition Award.”   This award is given to acknowledge contributions to the field of nature photography.  Criteria for the award include such items as “length of service,” “service to the nature photography world beyond what one might expect,” and “special programs or products that have revolutionized nature photography.”   Past recipients include the Eastman Kodak Company; National Geographic Society & Canon USA, Inc.; National Wildlife Federation - Publications Division; and The Nature Conservancy.

We are honored to receive this award and wish to thank all our members, supporters, and project photographers as well as the NANPA for this honor.   The award will be presented to Blue Earth at the NANPA’s Fifteenth Annual Nature Photography Summit and Trade Show, February 18-22, 2009 in Albuquerque, NM.

NANPA’s mission is to “promote the art and science of nature photography as a medium of communication for nature appreciation and environmental protection.”

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

A widow in Bosnia examines body bags. ©Sara Terry

Sara Terry’s project Aftermath followed rebuilding efforts in Bosnia as the nation slowly recovered from the war that devastated so much of the land in the 1990’s.  Her work in the series focused on the terrible consequences of this conflict.  She strongly believes that it is vital to tell “the other half of the story,” the story of the people and communities attempting to reestablish their lives.

We are pleased to report that Terry’s efforts did not end with her work in the field.  After completing her long-term project in Bosnia, she founded a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about the consequences of war so often ignored by mass-media.

The Aftermath Project is a non-profit organization committed to telling the other half of the story of conflict — the story of what it takes for individuals to learn to live again, to rebuild destroyed lives and homes, to restore civil societies, to address the lingering wounds of war while struggling to create new avenues for peace.

In addition to its promoting its own programming, The Aftermath Project will be giving two grants in the amount of $25,000 and $15,000 in 2009 for photographic projects furthering its educational mission.  Photographers can find information on applying on their web site.

If you are in the Chicago area next month, the organization will also open its inaugural exhibition at the Gage Gallery at Roosevelt University on September 11th.

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

Errol Morris this week published a fascinating blog entry on the use (or misuse) of photography entitled “Photography as a Weapon” in the New York Times.  In our work at Blue Earth, we promote truth-telling, the use of photography as a tool of enlightenment and social change.  Our project photographers often work at great risk to speak truth to power by capturing the reality of the everyday world in the lens of a camera.

But power can have its own agenda.  Only a short time ago, Colin Powell used photographs at the UN to prepare the way for an invasion.  Morris notes how grainy, low resolution images of buildings in Iraq, even without digital manipulation, became a powerful weapon.

There is a larger point.  I don’t know what these buildings were really used for.  I don’t know whether they were used for chemical weapons at one time, and then transformed into something relatively innocuous, in order to hide the reality of what was going on from weapons inspectors.  But I do know that the yellow captions influence how we see the pictures. “Chemical Munitions Bunker” is different from “Empty Warehouse” which is different from “International House of Pancakes.”  The image remains the same but we see it differently.

As individuals working for positive social change, it can be disheartening to think of our photographs potentially being used for destructive ends.  The simple act of taking the picture can never be the end of the story.  An image can be arresting, but the caption can make the difference.

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

We are very pleased to recognize the honor Blue Earth photographer Gary Braasch has received in the selection of his work for the new United Nations global warming stamp set.  This stamp set, released as part of the United Nations Year of Planet Earth, uses images from his book Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming is Changing the World.

The American Stamp Dealers Association will highlight the release of the stamp series on October 23rd as part of their Fall 2008 Mega-Event at Madison Square Garden in New York.  If you are in town for the Photo Plus Expo that day, be sure to stop by and see the unveiling.

Additional images from Gary’s project can be viewed in a slide show on our web site.

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

Tammy Cromer-Campbell will open the exhibit POWER this coming Tuesday, August 12th at the downtown Longview gallery, located at 207 N. Center St. in Longview, Texas.  The exhibit will run through September 26th, 2008 and will also include selected historical pieces from The Gregg County Historical Museum Archive.   In this series, she wants to “encourage viewers to reflect on current sources of power, future possibilities, and the need for informed choices.”

Subhankar Banerjee’s individual show “Resource Wars” at the Sundaram Tagore Gallery, 9606 South Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills, California ends soon on August 17th.  In the words of gallerist Sundaram Tagore, “These photos show the majestic within the wild. Yet they focus on places and indigenous cultures that are disappearing.”  If you are in the area, be sure to head to the gallery before the exhibition closes.

Work from the book Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Alusio will be on display until August 16th in Portland, Oregon at the Oregon Historical Society.  In September, the Leeds City Museum in Leeds, UK will feature the special exhibit “Eating Creepy Crawlies” from September 13th through December 14th, 2008.  This show will highlight images from their book Man Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects.

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

A substantial new award was launched in 2008 to promote photography focusing on global issues of sustainability.  I use the word “substantial” because the single winner of this award will receive approximately $100,000 (depending on the Swiss franc/US dollar exchange rate).  The sad truth is that issues of climate change are often overwhelmed by statics and jargon in the public sphere.  Sharing the goals and values of Blue Earth, the Prix Pictet attempts to recognize the importance of photography in promoting public education on the very real effects of global warming and environmental degradation.

The shortlist of nominees was recently made public and includes some impressive work.  The first winner of this new award will be announced October 30th, 2008 at a dinner at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

For several years, the small community known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Texas has been in the news.  This summer, over 400 children were removed from their families by state officials, only to be returned soon after by the court.

Blue Earth photographer Stephanie Sinclair recently had the almost unique opportunity to spend time in the homes of the people involved documenting their lives.  Her work is featured in the New York Times Magazine in the article “Children of God.”  Accompanying this article are two slide shows of Sinclair’s images from the daily lives of the women and children of this community.

The phrase “beyond the headlines” is perhaps a bit worn; nevertheless, it really applies to this fascinating series providing a brief moment in the lives of individuals facing an uncertain future.

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager