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Finalist-Luis Valtuena, Medicos del Mundo

Posted 15 December 2009

I’ve just found out the Mongolia project has been chosen as a finalist in the Luis Valtuena Fotografia Humanitaria competition in Spain which is great news as the subject will again receive wider awareness. The winning images are to be exhibited in Spain and around Europe. The aim of the competition is stated below and one of the main reasons for me entering:

“In these thirteen editions, the award has become a reference for humanitarian photography and its role in bringing a reality, sometimes hopeful, sometimes frightening, but to which one can not remain indifferent.”

The selected final images are, as always, of a very high standard. It is interesting to note maybe that the vast majority of images are either black and white or desaturated images..maybe this is what the majority of entrants submitted or it reflects the preference of the judges or maybe an indication of what Spanish photojournalism prefers..?

The winning images can be viewed here www.medicosdelmundo.org/luisvaltuena

Munkhbat and Altangeret (both 15) have lived in this manhole together for over three years under the streets of Ulaanbaatar, the coldest capital city in the world. Spending time with them I witnessed what a tough, lonely and violent existence they have to endure in temperatures reaching -40c. They were forced into this situation by divorced and deceased parents but they still hope and strive for a better future. For me this image encapsulates the extremely difficult conditions these boys live in whilst life continues around them, oblivious and indifferent to their plight.”

Travelling……

Posted 12 December 2009

Hi there,

It’s been just over two months since I last blogged..seems like 5 minutes but much has happened inbetween. Terese and I finally made it to Australia after a hectic last month in Jersey preparing to leave . Thankfully all my computer equipment, hard drives, books and everything else a photographer needs to work with turned up intact in Perth just after we arrived which was a great relief..! The only problem I had was my body armour has been seized by Australian customs who have become all excited over it. Still negotiating this a month later so any suggestions welcome..!!

This will be a short post as I’m currently in Koh Chang, Thailand on a supposed very late honeymoon (1 year late actually..!) We’ve spent the last 5 weeks travelling through Laos, Cambodia and Thailand which has been great fun and just what we needed to relax after the last year. I only brought my 5D with a 24mm lense which I’ve hardly used so most of the pics below are shot on an old Canon G9 which is still a great little snappy camera..(will buy the G11 if I ever start work again..!) They are just snappy pics but Laos is such an amazing country you don’t have to work to hard to get nice pics…

Will update some more a bit later but this really is downtime so don’t expect much..what can you shoot on a beautiful Thai beach anyway..!!

Rich…

Life on the Mekong-Luang Prabang-Laos

Boatman Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang, Laos

Backpacker heaven or hell..!!..Vang Vieng, Laos

Vang Vieng, Laos

4000 Islands on border of Laos-Cambodia

4000 Islands-Laos

Australia bound..!!

Posted 6 October 2009

It’s been a while since the last post but a lot has been happening….

By far the most important and certainly the most exciting is I took voluntary redundancy from the Jersey Evening Post and I’ll be emigrating to Perth in Western Australia in about 5 weeks..!!

It was a tough decision leaving a fantastic full time newspaper job (during a recession..!!) but the time was right and my wife Terese was keen to return home. It’s going to be a steep learning curve setting up a new photography business and all the hassles of being freelance but it will be a great challenge and hopefully rewarding.

The plan is to concentrate on my foreign assignments and humanitarian work over the next few years and also make contact with the various newspapers over there..I’m still very much a newspaper photographer at heart..!

The last 8 years at the JEP have been amazing. I was incredibly fortunate to be offered the job in the first place. There is very little movement in the department so when a position comes up it is always hotly contested. I had little experience then but bags of energy and enthusiasm which sometimes counts for a lot. I’ve leant an enormous amount and the opportunity to work on foreign assignments as well as the day to day work was great.

I’ll miss the crack with the other guys who are a great bunch and it has been a real privilege to be part of that. The last few weeks where typically busy and varied so below are some of jobs I did…

I’ll keep you updated with any more news but for now it will be the occasional freelance job and lots of packing..!!..

Jersey Live 2009. Dizzee Rascal on the Main Stage. (Jersey Evening Post)

Armed police surround the Royal Court at the start of the trial of one of the UK's most notorious drug criminals. (Jersey Evening Post)

Jersey International Air Display 2009. RAF Red Arrows. (Jersey Evening Post)

Gladys Manning and her sister Christine Manning who claim to have seen a UFO in their back garden in Gorey. (Jersey Evening Post)

Jersey Now Autumn Fashion. (Jersey Evening Post)

5th Amnesty Jersey Human Rights Festival

Posted 7 June 2009

With only a week to go we are putting the final touches to the exhibition and generally getting very excited about the festival. This is our fifth year hosting the Jersey Amnesty International Human Rights Film Festival and it has come a long way since its conception.

Considering Jersey has a very limited audience base with a population of 90,000, the attendance figures in previous years we think are exceptional with up to 250 people (a full house) paying to see and hear what is happening to people beyond our little Island. This proves to us that there is an appetite for hard hitting documentary films in Jersey that will challenge the audience and that people are willing to engage in human rights issues.

We hope this year will be equally well attended.

We have extended our program this year to include even more high profile speakers and for the first time, two guest photojournalists. I’m particular excited that two of the best photojournalists working today, Teru Kuwayama & Balazs Gardi have given up their time to come to Jersey to give us an insight into how they operate in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have both just returned from Pakistan so their first hand knowledge and experiences of what is happening in the region will be fascinating.

With them they are bringing their highly acclaimed exhibition Battlespace which will be on display at the Jersey Arts Centre from June 15th for two weeks. This exhibition comprises of images from over 20 photojournalists who have worked in Iraq and Afghanistan and aims to show the public an unsanitised view of what is happening in these continuing conflicts. Alongside this will be my recent work from Mongolia looking at the effects of rapid urbanisation on the capital Ulaan Baatar and the street children who struggle to survive the bitter winter there.

Couple that evening with film directors, Oscar winning documentary films, prominent human rights lawyers and Moazzam Begg, a former British prisoner of Guantanamo Bay who will talking about his experiences there, it’s sure to be an insightful, challenging but rewarding week.

We hope to see you there…

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