New Days

I haven't written much on my blog for a while, I feel that most people on the course are also quiet.

This time from Sep to December seems to quiet and a bit like 'limbo'.

With the fact that we are supposed to be working on the Citizen Journalism project and 'thinking' about our group project?...

I am feeling frequently more distant from the other students on the course and I may have ostracise myself anyway...but the lack of dialoug and discussion about ideas and projects intended for the 'group project' is worrying and at the same time disheartaning.

I seem to have too many ideas and directions when I really want to just find some purity and simplicity in my work now. I am also worried about the lack of exposure of new 'good' photographers etc...

I am working on my Immigrants project and today I had a real shock!...a flatmate of mine from Brazil who i'd being photographing was taken away by Immigration today, up to 15 people came into my house, banged around and opened bedroom doors!....they asked me for my passport, then interrogatted me!.....I never saw hinm go..they just said: well you wont see him again, I said who? they said youre friend .....then tried to get more information out of me....they were polite I guess and didnt destroy anything..its just a shock! and a bite of reality., I didn't get to say goodbye and I was made to feel like he was just like a drug dealer or something !.....

Ideas for Citizen Journalism projects

1) Citizen Journalism In Russia

2) Representing the Dead (Citizen Journalism as a witness)

3) Russian Nationalism

http://www.gauravonomics.com/blog/citizen-propaganda-in-contemporary-conflicts-the-case-of-israel-gaza-russia-georgia-and-china-tibet/

After a fact-finding trip to Georgia, Ivan Sigal talks about the phenomenon of information vertigo –

In an environment where primary sources of information are opaque and of uncertain reliability (and perception is key here), we encounter the phenomenon of information vertigo.

Information vertigo is the sickening feeling you get when you recognize that nothing reported can truly be verified. Mass media, ostensible eyewitness reports, images, video, documents: all blends into a mush of hearsay when root sources of information have been corrupted.

In the absence of a sense of what to trust, we develop a frantic, aggressive assertion toward what we think we know. It is not just citizen propaganda, but an attempt to establish clear positions in a world void of facts.

Citizen media relies on professional journalism and access to official data, as well as online mechanisms such as comments for verification. In the absence of legitimate information sources, it’s difficult to presume that citizen media could or should have filled the gaps.

Chechnya

http://www.kavkazcenter.com/

This link was given to me by Chechen refugees at Bielany when I was there doing my photo story for Unit 1:1.

Often I was shown by random youths images of violence and Chechen troop action y mobile phone, although most of the young men who were trying to talk to me never took part in the action, they may have seen or experienced the violence and action first hand.

So even though the refugees were escaping the trouble in their homeland they were quite proud to show for example: the rocketing of a civillian car in the mountains of chechnya, telling me profundly that it contained Russian perssonell only. For me I couldnt see that, It could have been Russian civillian refugees or journalists escaping for all I knew; there was a ceartain glee in the faces of the refugees as they showed me these images, leaving a contridiction and a bad taste in my mouth.

Does violence breed violence and hatred breed hatred? or is it always there showing itself in blind. Nationalism on both sides,.

Of course I saw Chechen NGO magazines showing the bodies of tortured young men and women from the 2nd Chechen War to the present Mafia state, and of course we see the TV footage of the anniversary of Beslan and the Theatre sieze on the Russian Channels.

Which is truth, which is propaganda or do they both blur?...in the end maybe its the images we see most of that pertain our truth, and then it must be the Russian and Western media because I can only imagine that unless one visits the refugee camps In Poland etc or is working with Chechen and Russian NGO's in the Caucusses' we don't often see their view of the situation,their impressions and anger, their images of the violence.

The old cliche of war: 'the winners always write history'seems to still be justified at least in the Russian-Caucasus conflicts.

CITIZEN JOURNALISM OR CITIZEN PROPOGANDA?

Ethan Zuckerman, the co-founder of the citizens’ media project Global Voices, notes an interesting angle to the Russo-Georgian Conflict:

Part of the reason this war is such a riddle is that we’ve entered a new phase in contemporary conflict: the world of citizen propaganda… What may be less expected is that citizen media accounts - blogs of eyewitnesses, jouralists [sic] writing in a personal capacity, the writings of people who know and are passionate about the region - are actively engaged in rhetorical warfare as well. Georgian, Russian and Ossetian bloggers - whether off-duty journalists or ordinary citizens - all want the suffering of their group acknowledged on a global stage and are all presenting the conflict from their personal perspectives. These perspectives sometimes include troubling eyewitness accounts, and sometimes include amplification of rumors, usually ones that support that author’s interperative [sic] frame.

CITIZEN JOURNALISM 2009

Citizen war-reporter? The Caucasus test

Evgeny Morozov, 18 - 08 - 2008

The Georgia-Russia war has exposed some of the flaws in the idea of citizen journalism, says Evgeny Morozov.

18 - 08 - 2008

o watch Russian leaders and media make the public case for war with Georgia when the conflict was still in its infancy was also to wonder why at that point there was still so little factual evidence - particularly photos and videos - from observers on the ground in South Ossetia's capital, Tshkinvali. The Kremlin's spokespersons wanted the world to believe that the city had just suffered a Stalingrad-like devastation - though there was as yet no visible proof of the thousands of victims claimed.

It seemed a golden opportunity. After all, Time magazine had famously proclaimed "you" - that is, all of us - its "person of the year" in 2006. Surely news of the award, and the technology to act on it, had reached South Ossetia - so that at least one person would produce a conclusive account of how much damage had been inflicted on the city and its inhabitants. Where, in short, were the citizen journalists?

The screen of war

As the Caucasus war unfolded, those traditional media organisations that still had bureaus anywhere near that exotic part of the world struggled to fly in professional reporters. The Kremlin already had a head-start in winning its domestic public-relations battle: in the absence of much evidence to the contrary, its claims of more than 1,500 victims of "Georgian aggression" found a ready, and outraged, audience. Only later did humanitarian organisations such as Human Rights Watch release reports suggesting that the true number of casualties was much lower and that level of destruction had been greatly overstated; few in Russia seemed to be paying attention by that point.

http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/citizen-war-reporter

' Letter to myself '

hi all

we would like you all to write a 'letter to myself' on your blog to sum up where you think you are at present an where you want to go in the future. This should be an an honest assessment of what you have learned so far on the course, and what areas you are stronger in, and what areas you need to work on developing more - like a strengths and weaknesses assessment exercise
this will help us and you to concentrate on developing your practice more effectively
if you can do this in advance of your first tutorials it would be a great help

thanks paul

Paul Lowe

(could you all please post

a link to your 'letter' to the tutorial slot you are having with john so he can easily find it)

t

I have been asked to write a 'Letter to myself'

I need to manage my time on the course more productively and leave as much time and effort for producing the work as for writing and presenting the finished work.

I am disappointed in my essay for unit 1:1 I know where I went wrong and yet still handed in the work.

Although I did pass and also believe I came up with some original thought and analysis I realise that without backing this up with academic support and sufficient referencing It has no merit.

I did not really do very well in my BA dissertation either, although I think I express my views,influences and arguments well in person and especially In my mind I have a problem really putting this down on paper in a professional academic way. I need to spend as much time on text as I do with my photographs & research.

Grammar and poor referencing let me down. In small defence I did reference In my text and numerous times within my Bibliography, also my word count was correct, but I did not include the Quotes and title etc.

I was pleased with the mark for my Photostory 'Five floors in Bielany' I worked very hard on this document. The mark was justified I think, just my final presentation etc pulled the mark down, this was In part because I thought that we had to present the work on 'Photoshelter'.

I also edited & scanned the work In the last two weeks left to finish both assignments; I should have left more time to edit and develop the work, but as this work, to me is the most marketable and related In part to my essay I decided to use my work on Chechen refugees In Poland for my Unit 1:2.

In need advice In writing critical texts and referencing etc, but I can spend more time researching and practising this, It is important for applying for funding,Grants,competitions or teaching.

In regard to the Photography and story telling,I do believe I have something to say In a original style, which still leans towards the foundation of documentary photography. This is backed up by the great feedback from my peers and teacher.

Not including the difficulties of getting new work from emerging photographers published, I feel at my age I need to be told the truth about my professional prospects and I need help with brutal editing. So far In my photography career since leaving Newport in 2006 I have had good feedback about my work and no reason to feel disheartened, but everything seems to come only to middle distance.

If its possible I need to know how to improve my presentation and images to become more successful, I think a brace editor or agency might see something worthwhile In my work, but how do I convince them so?

Don't get me wrong I have confidence and belief that I am a good photographer with a different and strong idea of the world and its modern,complex issues. I also feel their is a pressure to conform and commercialise my images in some way to gain more recognition and work in today's industry; compromise.

Also I know I only changed career Five years ago, graduating three years ago, so although I'm over 30 I am still beginning.

But I have to face the facts that If something doesn't move for me In this career; be It a commission, agency acceptance, competition etc (I could consider teaching, but I feel I need more success and experience first) then I will have to consider changing career again and continuing my practise possibly in an amateur way only, I cant afford to struggle anymore. Its been Five years now where I have sacrificed nearly everything for photography.

I don't want this to sound like self pity etc; but It is amazing if people like my work,see something different and believe 'I have something' but without getting any work shown or published its hard to take my opportunities seriously.

I shouldn't jump the gun we are just at the start of the course, I enjoy 99% of all aspects of the course and try to participate In as much as I can. I have more chances than most because I am not working most of the time, making great contacts,listening and being helped by great recognised editors and photographers is what makes Paul's course at LCC so worthwhile. I am really looking forward,(despite the bickering) to the group project.

It is still strange 'online' still feels abstract, and even when I see Paul or John at LCC I feel that I couldn't talk to them now, with all their time taken up by us and the full-time course.

I wish that we could at least all meet in person or at least 1-1 with our tutors if we had the chance, at least 2 or 3 times in the two years. Their is still a detachment I feel, but If it wasn't for the online course I wouldn't have been able to attend at all, so in reality I shouldn't complain, I just hope that we have the same opportunities available to us at the end of the course as the F/T students.

Ive wrote and waffled too much already, so to sum up as Paul suggests my aspirations and purpose for the rest of the course and its conclusion:

I have learned to listen more and strengthen my ideas and purpose from my peers and tutors comments.

I'm more tolerant of other photographers their views and practise even If I don't believe In their images, purpose and ideals. I hope I'm less arrogant and more empathetic.

I need to develop better editing & writing skills and experiment with platforms and the web to bring my purpose and images to a wider audience.

I need to back up original thought with facts and accepted academic ideas.

I am a natural photographer and I can gain trust and connection with my subjects, I need to work on this and gain more confidence.

I need the real help of my course tutors to realise this.

Everyone has different experiences and different perspectives on life using photography but with Paul & Johns help if they can help me find out 'where I am' ,'I can find out where to go'.

Towards the end of course I would like to have produced a saleable book on my 'Chechen' work,an exhibition worthy to be examined by the industry experts,at least one published story and gained one commission and a portfolio good enough to apply for Agence Vu.

Thanks

Four Floors In Bielany (Viewbook Video)

A Chechen Diary (Day 1)

Bielany Hotel is a Refugee centre in Warsaw housing mostly refugees from Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan.
There are 368 Rooms and Four floors,
There are about 100 family groups sharing up to three rooms per family.
The other rooms are occupied by single men, living together in up to groups of ten people. There are is also one Armenian family and one man in an isolated room because he is H.I.V positive. I have been told there are also a few Russian families pretending to be Chechen.
Some families have been living in these rooms for up to five years awaiting refugee status with the oppertunity to work in Poland or leave for another country which may accept them.
I visted first in January 2009 with a Photojournalist friend from the Sputnik group and a Warsaw based Journalist,and used a 35mm film camera and a 120 6x6 Yashica Med format camera.
This time i used a translator who spoke Russian, Polish and English and visited in July 2009, this time i used a digitial camera (which i ahted) and my 35mm film camera again.
I cropped everything down to 6x6 or letterbox to keep with my ideals and style for the work. I took notes from the families and individuals i inteviwed,often had tea and lunch with them and spent about one-two hours with each of them. Often i spent 4-5 hrs at the centre arriving from 10 am because the residents hardly ever woke up early.I talked to the director when i arrived (who came across surprisingly as an instituionalised racist?)...so in all i visted the Hotel seven days. Its a hard place and the children and residents drain you, harrowing stories,brave people,frustration and apathy.
I take and promise, i give them copies of my work at the end but they all need something 'solid!' what do i give them back?..will i return can i?...i need to find someone to publish the work to at least do these tortured people some justice by my work, what a waste if the work is never seen or continued, (if i can get funding) the project feeds me, but it has still left a bitter and ethicial taint in my mouth.

A Chechen Diary

After reading the amazing book 'Open Wound' by Stanley Greene i have decided (and i hope not to pretensiously) in homage to Greene;i will post some slivers of my Contact sheets and notes from the days and notes i took while visiting the 'Bielany Refugee Camp' in Poland this month for my Unit 1:1 Project for the online course in Doc Photography and Photojournalism at LCC.
I am hoping that after feedback from Course leaders for the work i will be able to develop the work further and with advice approach Magazines and UK newspapers with the idea of publishing the work.
This project i hope will form part of my final project for the course.
Any feedback and advice with useful critic welcome:

Poems & Inspiration

Lost 2009

Who am I?

who eats birds,

who washes his face in

the Cholera of Days

Ghost, 1983

I felt soft fingers at my throat
It seemed someone was strangling me

The lips were hard as they were sweet
It seemed someone was kissing me

My vital bones about to crack
I gaped into another's eyes

I saw it was a face I knew
A face as sweet as it was grim

It did not smile it did not break
Its eyes were wide and white its skin

I did not breathe I did not weep
I raised my hand and touched its cheek

Update: The Excelsior :http://pa.photoshelter.com/gallery/Excelsior-Days/G0000BwkfQqYj9vk

Lightstalkers

I have updated my lightstalkers page with extra gallaries.
I hardly ever recieve any feedback on lightstalkers or replies to my posts etc, i feel it is very U.S.A dominated.
This will serve as a temp website until have the time and money to produce a better on than my old clickpic site.

http://www.lightstalkers.org/kirkellingham

News

Be more positive!!!

1) I have a group exhibition at the Queens Park Arts Centre in Aylesbury Bucks from the 29th of June until the 6th of July.
It will be an display of my two students on the basic photojournalism and documentary photography course i ran in March 2009.

2) I will have my work "all about her" published in a book with criticial essays on the them the : Pursuit of Happiness.
There will also be an exhibition in London this Autumn, location to be confirmed

3) Ive applied for a group funded project for a Belarus Youth Magazine, i will hear the results by the end of June.

4) I have applied for the Royal Photographic Societies MA Bursary and forwarded the Teacher accreditation from John or Paul to be returned

I will post more news on these subjects when i have them.

End of May

Well its the end of May and i am still floating around in a state of flux. I havnt taken many photographs for my projects in the last few weeks apart from a trip to St Ives with my girlfriend.
I am starting to lose a conecction with the other people on my course, my ideas, style and perspective on photojournalism etc seems different to many of the people on the course.
This is mostly my fault as i havnt attended many base camps, but although there are 30 people on the course i still havnt seen many peoples work or blogs and only a few projects have inspired me, (i hope that doesnt sound arrogant)....
The best components for me on the course have been a few lectures and the tutorials with John, although i belive that i should show my work to Homer as well to get 2nd opinions and a different perspective on my ideas and styles.
Its a pity there arent more Teachers to show work to and bounce ideas off, as the other students on the course dont have that much time to comment on work/ feedback etc, myself included.
I am still confused with the hand in dates for the essay?..will it be July the 24th the same as the extended story deadline.

I will travel again to Warsaw to work on my Chechen Refugee/Migrant project from the 1st of July-14th..so this work will probobly be too late for my extended story hand in. So i haver to make a choice between the Excelsior Days project or Polish Away...both OK work but for me a hand in for July is too soon to produce a strong enough work from these images, for a July deadline, but does this matter?.....as for presentation im still not sure, i would like to show the work in a new imaginative way, but im not that techinicial...but even so i dont wont to get hung up on all the techinicial issues..final cut, multimedia concepts, flash like some people on the course... Blah..balah blah....if the images are strong maybe they will stand up on their own?.......
when i look on media storm i see great projects..but it looks like you have to add a lot of dross images to a slideshow to make it work.....to fill in the gaps, for time etc with a lot of repetition to make the story work as a per a moving image presentation/film....dumbing down from good photographers..because 15 amazing images isnt enough to make a slideshow..there are expections such a sthe story on Rwandian wome and their children; the legacy of rape. Id much rather see text, sound, music maps etc and dialouge interview fill the spaces rather than generaic transistion images.

Wiki Essay/Blog feedback/ Magnum Award

1) Wiki, essays
Whats the point in the wiki?...will anyone read it apart from the teachers and a few studentslike these blogs maybe the teachers should add comments as i hope we do get marked for these as i noticed that not many people have added posts...(maybe not my opinion,but a statement)
The subjects are good if not broad....and im glad its only 2,500 words...as i have a nerve injury that cause me to make many typing mistakes and take me ages to write much..so when i write i really try, but excuse the spelling mistakes.

2) Blog feedback
Not much really, i would like to add more but i seem to have aproblem adding comments to other peoples blogs; also now people havnt replied to my feedback (even though they have been small) and advice etc..but i belive many people are working on stories and working...shame though as i think peer feedback and positive critic should be more prevalent...People are too nice! of course our peers and teachers dont wont to dishearten us but we/i need criticism ..however hard..harder the better!..to move on grow and get better...no?....

3)Magnum Expression Award
I was dissopointed with the amount of dialouge concerning the idea to have a critic of work to a view of producing a group submission for the Magnum expression award..only Grey Layachek replied..maybe our two works wouldnt be compatable?..but i thought it could be a relavent idea and a way of making some more connections that may last until further projects and collabarations, group agency projects?....
It could be wrong or it could be right; but the first impression i could draw from this, is that people dont really like my photos or belive that my work is compatable in a project like this side by side with their own images?....in a way i would prefer to read this criticism, than presume it!

Magnum Expression Award, intended submission.."Remember Us" Chechen Migration
Copyright Kirk Ellingham

Extended Project ( Collabrative project ideas)

COLLABRATIVE IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE
JUMPING THE GUN (Online magazine for the MAPJD09 GROUP)

1) URBAN & RURAL ISSUES
2) THE MOVEMENTS OF PEOPLE
3) MODERN JOURNEYS (The Photographic Journey/ its history and relavance as a document in todays instant spot-news saturated world?)
4) One Week in my World (multimedia online document on one week in the life of a subject in a country such as another photojournalist or reporter in a foreign country such as a doppledonger of ourselves?, area, job or establishemnt that has lacked media attention over the years)....
It should be set as a commission based idea as if set by an agency or paper and proposed and guided by on eof out tutors, such as John, Paul, Ed,Homer or Adam Broomberg etc
5) Natural Resources & Envoirement (cliched but relavant)


Extended Project:Part One


1)I have some ideas for my extended project:
I am going to return to Warsaw in July to continue work on the Chechen Refugees, also travelling to the border with Belarus to document the border and the train from Belarus to Warsaw.

2) Also hopefully i will travel into Belarus to find the Chechen Refugees that are travelling to Poland.
With the hope of selling the work, i will visit some friends of friends in Minsk to document the Kupalla Pagan Festival and also document some daily life/travel in Belarus with aview to returning in the Winter.
Possibly i can supply some images of Summer in Belarus through Demotix etc..any advice and outlets that may publish the work and any links to photographers who have made work in Belarus appreciated.

3) Continue with Excelsior Days and Polish Away for my own personal use and maybe i will be able to use it for projects on next years terms.

Extended Project Part Two/Presentation Ideas:

If anyone is interested and Paul says its possible?.....
i am thinking of a collabrative presentation for the extended project hand in...maybe im jumping the gun?......
But if 2-3 people have inter-related projects as mine....can we or could we produce a group hand in, in the form of a web page or a book through on of the book producing websites and share the costs?...
Possible i can bring this up on the Next Base Camp session....


Last Point:

I will raise this as a discussion on Ning, but all these extra web based applications such as Diigo and Twitter etc.....what exactly is the purpose and implementation of these applications for our MA course etc?....
Honestly i still havnt got around understanding the use and relevance of these applications in relation to our studies yet!...call me a fool or just a ageing luddite, but could someone explain it to me please!......
If any of them will for go the need to write a horrendously boring and tediouse dissertation for this course, im happy?......

New Term: April onwards

OTHER FIVE PICTURE STORIES & ONGOING PROJECTS

What to drop and what to continue with?

Chechen Refugess in Warsaw




The Polish Away:

Polish migrants living in the UK : Will be better as a Portrait project i feel













FAR EAST UK (Lowestoft,Suffolk)

Lowestoft, the most easterly town in the United Kingdom, was established as a fishing village in the early 14th century but the decline in the fishing area has seen a substantial decrease in the number of vessels fishing from our town.
Lowestoft has had a tough time in recent years. Growing population and the growing shortage of jobs has put a strain on the local economy. Numerous regeneration projects have seemingly had little affect on a town with growing apathy from it's residents.

Five Picture Stories: Excelsior Days

I had a very rewarding tutorial with John on Tuesday; the work that i started on my first ' Person at Work' project has developed into a project that i would like to continue in the UK.
As John said there are some good pictures,but i need to start approaching the customers for portraits, dialog etc to gain a more intimate insight and produce a stronger project.
Even though the owners gave me permission intialy, they have been hestitaint about photographing their customers, one of the long term waiters 'Kosta' is very interested in my project.
John said i should approach them with some pictures of my work and put the idea of making a project on them (the owners) and the cafe. I need more access and less secret type images.
I wanted to ask the other teachers and students about the ethics involving paying for subjects in these projects?
Any advice feedback appreciated.............
I know many photographers do; Pieter Hugo,Ed Kashi (even though he expressed a dislike for this approach)
the problem is, how to approach the subjects in a paid manner, an advert in the window or through the owners?
as many of the customers are people with drug and alcohol addiction problems as well as sufferers of mental and addiction related illnesses.....where will the money go?...what image, idea willl that project to them about photographers,students etc?......plus many of these people have been tolerated,if not liked by the owners over the years and it is one of the few places on the Cowley Rd that will even let them in....so the advantage of being paid by me, may lead to trouble with the owners?.....but i know many of these customers struggle to buy a coffee, so maybe i can buy them a meal or a coffee...but without patronising them?......a dilema.
I have taken portraits of homeless in the past, but only a few particpated, but they didnt want money,they belived i was genuine and trusted me...even though this often left me feeling guilty when i walked home to my comfortable flat in Cardiff,while they smoked crack and slept under the railway bridge!
This project alowys me to be much more removed than that.....
AGAIN AND ADVICE AND FEEDBACK ON THE WORK AND ADVICE ON HOW TO PURSUE THE WORK AND INFORMATION AND ADVICE ON THE ETHICS OF PAYMENT FOR SUBJECTS PLEASE

The Excelsior Cafe

Andeas and Georges Koumy
emigrated from Cyprus to the UK in 1954.
They opened the 'Excelsior' in 1961.
It hasnt changed much since the 60's but now its dark confines seem to attract clientale who live on the fringes of modern society.
I wanted to record the ambience of the cafe, its age and the characters that sought a brief shelter within its melancholy confines.