Archive for the 'Editorial' Category

Barack Obama’s Victory: One photojournalist’s view

Published by brianwedge on November 5, 2008 in Brian Wedge Photography, Editorial, News, Photojournalism, Uncategorized and inspiration. 4 Comments

    Today was a day for images.  A day of images.  Think about it…

    The Kenyan women celebrating, the jubilant mob in Times Square, Jessie Jackson crying, the incredible lines of voters, the American Flags… these enduring images carried the day.  No matter how you heard the news, no matter where you were; what followed was a steady stream of incredible images that said more than words could.

    As someone who knows the work, skill and effort involved in capturing enduring, meaningful images, I thought I’d take a moment today to recognize my fellow photojournalists out “in the field” bringing these incredible moments directly into our lives and our living rooms.

Newspapers turned their front pages sideways, to allow for more room for images.

    The work truly is grueling.  It’s physical, it’s tedious, it can be frustrating and it’s always challenging.  Too often their work goes unrecognized.  Their names hidden by the shroud of media sources like the AP, Reuters, or Getty Images.

Around The World…

    Today I wanted to bring one of those anonymous photojournalists into your lives.  Her name is Scout Tufankjian, and she’s a friend of a friend, as well as a fellow member of the National Press Photographers Association with me.  Scout embodies the true work involved in photojournalism.  Scout has been with Barack Obama for TWENTY THREE months.  Not a photo op here, or a press briefing there… but 23 months.

    Her work, much like some of my documentary work, isn’t the type of thing that you get to come home at night from.  It requires true endurance, tenaciousness and dedication.  Behind each of those images you saw over the past few days, there was some talented person working hard to capture it for us.

Click Scout Tufankjian’s image above to go directly to her site documenting Obama’s campaign.

    If you get a chance, go check out Scout’s site (the secret service gallery is my favorite).  She’s amazing… and is one of the many photojournalist’s whose names and faces are often hidden from view, but whose talents make historic nights everlasting.

    To those in the field…. Thank you!

Back from Baja…

Published by brianwedge on August 13, 2008 in Brian Wedge Photography, Editorial, News, Photojournalism, Social Responsibility and Uncategorized. 6 Comments

I’ve been back from Baja for about a week now and have been slammed with shoots, print requests and the everything else that kept moving right along while I was shooting in the Pacific.  I have learned over the years to hold on to precious images until the timing is right… until the editing is just right, and the accompanying text is “just right.”

The gasp of a loggerhead sea turtle fighting for the surface…

But thanks to my amazing wife Christine, I have also learned that I am a perfectionist… and sometimes the timing is never ideal.  With that said… everyone keeps asking to see some of the images from Mexico.  I wanted to hold off because there’s an important story here that even I didn’t fully comprehend until I was there… seeing the effort, the waste, smelling the smells and witnessing the hope of some incredibly dedicated researchers.

After wrestling the turtle aboard, it is weighed.

Turtle skull on shell… and sadly there’s hundreds more in every direction.

With the important disclaimer that there IS an amazing story and many more interesting images “in the vault” that will be released as soon as I come up for air, I offer up a little taste of what’s to come.  Stay tuned.  And to Hoyt and the team down in Baja… thank you for the opportunity… more is on the way.

Hauling the remains off the beach.

Another stranded turtle is discovered.

Note: wild sea turtles are not happy when caught, and despite the tranquility of this scene… that turtle was mad, and has it’s mouth open to defend itself against foolish photographers who dare come too close.

Once caught, scientists weigh, tag, measure and take blood samples.

About to be released…

The turtle cemetery.  The Mexican government didn’t quite believe researchers when shown evidence that turtles were being killed at such an incredibly high rate.  Mass graves are used to document the numbers of turtles killed.  All these turtles died during my one week visit.

Who says biologists can’t tear it up?

Shark fins drying at a subsistence fishing village.

Those wonderful Mexican smiles…

After 12 hours out on the boat… the fishermen clean their catch for 4 more hours.  Everyday.  (everyday).

Local girl.

“Rodeo” is the act of cruising in a boat at 10 knots until a turtle is spotted, and then jumped on before being wrestled onto the boat for study.  Here’s Hoyt showing All Star Rodeo form.

The release.

 

The Mexican Press Pool… covering the Governor’s crowning of the Turtle Beauty Queen.  Had to take it!

Assignment: Sea Turtles of Baja California Sur, Mexico

Published by brianwedge on July 21, 2008 in Brian Wedge Photography, Editorial, News, Photojournalism, Social Responsibility and Uncategorized. 3 Comments

    I’m off on an editorial assignment to cover the plight of the critically endangered Pacific Loggerhead Sea Turtle off the coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico.  The amazing conservation efforts by researchers and local fishermen is truly inspiring, and one that warrants publicity, support and documentation.

A Sea Turtle Assignment in Costa Rica a few years back…

    The Loggerhead sea turtles (or caguamas in Spanish) stop in Baja during their migration from Japan and Hawaii to a specific series of “hotspots” in the Mexico. During their time in Baja California Sur, thousands are killed every year accidentally by shark and halibut gill-netting fishermen. The local fishermen are not intentionally killing the turtles but their nets consistently produce a “bykill” of caguamas every year.

Brian Wedge Sea Turtles

I’ll be bobbing around in a small boat about 35km off of Baja California Sur…

    My old college friend, Hoyt Peckham is a PhD candidate studying these populations, and has spearheaded an incredible campaign to educate, inspire and engage local communities to protect these turtles.  Watch Hoyt’s FANTASTIC (and entertaining) short video to get a sense of the problems facing the caguamas and the communities that are rallying to protect them.  Much more to come!

    In addition to making consistent financial contributions to the environmental organizations and community groups we believe in, we also commit one week a year to photographing for the causes that are making a positive difference in this world. If you’re part of an organization, you believe in a cause or you know of a worthy story that could use our help, let us know!

Take it all back… Photographing The Tour

Published by brianwedge on July 2, 2008 in Brian Wedge Photography, Editorial, News, Photojournalism and Uncategorized. 2 Comments

  I’m a Boston kid, born and raised.  I follow all of my hometown teams with great loyalty, but you just couldn’t pay me to watch an entire game in one sitting.  An October night at Fenway… sure.  The Beanpot in February, maybe.  But to be perfectly honest, I would probably be doing as much people watching as anything else.  I just don’t think I can sit through 9 innings, 3 periods or 4 quarters with constant attention on “the game.”  My brain wanders to the folks in the skybox seats, the players in the bullpen, the construction of the rafters in the ceiling and the guys buying peanuts seven rows to the left. 

The Tour de California Coverage

  So how is it that a Yankee hater like me loves editorial assignments involving cycling?  Or in the case of the Tour de France, how is it possible that I can gleefully watch 3 weeks of chartreuse spandex clad cyclists, hurtling through the countryside with rapt anticipation and genuine interest?  It might be because the Tour de France has always read like a soap opera, complete with bad acting, deceitful affairs and agonizing defeats.  The tour is about the backstory, the strategy, the intrigue, the human suffering.

Prelude Criterium at Tour de California

 Last year’s Tour was marred by drug doping, blood doping, cheating, lying and more lying.  A whole new era starts on Saturday… and this video is great.  It’s all about “taking back” the past behavior, the false victories and the fake competition.  Heroes step off podiums, remove their yellow jersey… and everything starts anew.

Click to See The Video

  The Tour is certainly more than a bike race… it’s a punishing journey filled with tradition and intrigue.  I’ve personally witnessed and photographed the spectacle that is The Tour de California, and found the same strange fascination.  I don’t completely understand it myself, but beginning this Saturday, I’ll be on the edge of my seat watching another saga unfold.