Picture Stories by Stephen Alvarez

Sinking of the Rabaul Queen

I received a terrible email this morning informing me that the Rabaul Queen has sunk while sailing between New Britain and the main land of PNG. Hundreds are feared dead. This tragedy got me thinking about ThePhotoSociety's Reality Check section. How many boats and airplanes have we been on that later sank or crashed?

I've not been on the Rabaul Queen, but have been on a sister ferry that later sank and a freighter out of Rabual that later sank. It gives me pause. But then if you actually live in Rabaul, or New Guinea, or Africa, or the Philippines sinking ferries are a fact of life. If you are a journalist interested in working in those places sinking ships become part of your landscape too.

One of the best night's sleep I have every had was on the deck of this freighter out of Rabaul headed toward Jacquinot Bay. The air was warm and the sea was gentle, every now an then a deep shudder would run down the ship. I slept like a baby on deck. I was later told the ship went down shortly after dropping us off in Pomio.

My heart goes out to the victims of the Rabaul Queen.

 

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

Just bought my first ipad photo app, Gerd Ludwig: the Long Shadow of Chernobyl will the ipad replace photo books?

I've been reluctant to purchase an Ipad. Mostly I saw them as an answer to a problem I don't have. However, I have to show clients some work later this month and it is the portfolio of choice these days. Much to my delight I read about Gerd Ludwig's new App "The Long Shadow of Chernobyl" on ThePhotoSociety. So same day I picked up my Ipad, I bought my first photo book replacement. It is a great App. Lots of pictures, interviews and information. I'd still like Gerd to publish a traditional print book, but until then I am happy to have his app with me.

So my question is "Is the Ipad going to replace traditional photo books?" 

Stephen Alvarez

reviewing pictures for my PhotoSociety page

I've just been reviewing some photos for my PhotoSociety page. Its been fun to go back and review some of my iconic images and try to decide what to put up in the page's slide show. Take a spin through the member pages. There is some incredible work by wonderful photographers. 

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

Hell and Back Again, a film by Danfung Dennis

HELL AND BACK AGAIN Trailer from Danfung Dennis on Vimeo.

A little more than 2 years ago I posted a very short piece about the work Danfung Dennis was doing in Afghanistan with the 5D MK II. The film he has produced is wonderful. Look for screenings here.

 

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN 

Please support 99%, the film

 

There are a lot of films drifting around on kickstarter, this one is worth paying attention to. 

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

National Geographic Photographers launch The Photo Society

This week the photographers of National Geographic launched The Photo Society. It is a web site independent of NG that explains what it is like to be a National Geographic Photographer. Everyone involved has shot a story on contract within the last 2 years. As far as working photojournalists go there are some very heavy hitters here. Take a look at the Reality Check page. A signed print to anyone who can guess all of the catagories under It's a Glamours Life I fall into. Post your guesses in comments.

One hint, this video explains one of the incidents

 

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

Interview with Ira Block on PhotoDeck

There is an interesting, short interview with photographer Ira Block on PhotoDeck (here).

Canon has just announced a 4k DSLR and the C300 cine camera

2 big announcements from Canon today.

They  just announced development of a new DSLR with 4 K video capture (here). That is a big step up from the 1080 that most of us are shooting now. No word on delivery date

Canon also announced a new motion picture camera the EOS C300, and a whole set of Cine Lenses.This compact video camera accepts PL and EF mount lenses, has a super 35mm sized sensor and delivers 29.97 1080p video at 50mb/sec in a new Canon XF 4:2:2 codec. Complete specs are here. Best guess on price is somewhere are $20,000 and delivery in January 2012. It is a very interesting looking camera. Compact and takes the lenses that canon shooters already own. It is priced and featured to compete with Sony's PMW F3.

Not surprisingly Vincent Laforet got his hands on the new cine gear first to produce his Mobius short (below). Engadget has some photos of it in use here.

Mobius from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

Gold drops below $1700 an ounce briefly today

Along with "Bank of France", "Gold Reserves" is one of the most popular search terms on my archive. As far as I know, I am the only photographer with recent images of the 2,500+ tons of gold stored under 31 rue Croix des Petits Champs. I am still not sure why they let me in last year. Maybe to prove to the world that France still had its gold down there?

The Bank has elaborate security, but one employee told me that the gold is mostly secured by its own weight. "It is just too heavy to steal." Each bar weighs 11 kilos.

2 months ago an ounce of gold was worth almost $1900, today it is worth $1700.

Gold has always been used to sooth fears during uncertain financial times. I have never really understood why. Can someone explain why gold is any more intrinsically valuable than a fiat currency. You can't eat it, you can't live in it, you can't burn it in your car, it is too heavy to carry around. If any central bank decided to liquidate its gold reserves today the price would plummet. Aside from some narrow industrial uses it seems to be valuable just because because we all agree that it is. 

There was a time that we all agreed Yahoo was worth $40 a share, Icelandic banking was unstoppable and that a lot of the $90,000 houses around Detroit were worth over a quarter million. So why is Gold different?

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee

Rush Limbaugh embraces the Lord's Resistance Army

above, Oketa Nicholas lost both ears and his lips in attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army

It isn't going to come as a surprise to anyone that I disagree with Rush Limbaugh. I can't stand the shocking degree of calculated ignorance and hate that pours from him. He has become extremely wealthy peddling viciousness.

His insanity reached new heights last week when he denounced the US deploying troops to Uganda to fight the Lord's Resistance Army calling them "Christian freedom fighters" battling muslims in South Sudan. Where do you start with that?

"No in fact the LRA spent the better part of 20 years being funded by the Islamic Government in  Khartoum to fight a proxy war against Uganda?"  

"No in fact they are some of the most brutal people on the planet kidnapping children and victimizing christians in Northern Uganda, South Sudan, Congo and CAR?"

I've spent years covering the LRA in Uganda and Sudan. I've interviewed countless survivors of their attacks, I've seen the utter destruction that their assaults leave in their wake, I have seen the thousands of "night commuters" who enteered fortified towns in Northern Uganda every night for fear they would be kidnapped. If I can say one thing about the LRA, they are not Christian Freedom fighters they are viscous opportunists. In that they have much in common with Mr Limbaugh. Vicious, unprincipled, interested ultimately only in their own power.

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN