ciapannaphoto

GENESIS – shooting Sebastiao Salgado

alessandro ciapanna — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:40:14 +0000

I went to a photo exhibition. Not just any photo exhibition, but the worldwide premiere of Sebastiao Salgado’s latest work: Genesis. If it comes your way, i strongly advise not to miss it; it is a real eye-opener.

The show was held in the exhibition hall of Rome’s Ara Pacis Augustae, a modern monument sheathing an ancient one which i have previously ragged on in this column. Read all about that here.

If truth be told, the spaces were exceptional, as was the cleanliness and the illumination. Above all, the photography is sublime. Many, many prints impeccably printed nice and large. All in all, an exceptionally organized event – congratulations to all those involved in bringing this spectacular show to life.

Last but not least, the master himself was present, smiling, answering questions, autographing books, shaking hands. Sebastiao Salgado, you are the man!

Sebastiao Salgado, as he signs a fan’s copy of his rewrite of the Genesis.

Hope you enjoyed the virtual tour.

Alessandro Ciapanna

PUERTO ANGEL – Oaxaca, Mexico

alessandro ciapanna — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:47:02 +0000

There is not much in the quiet hamlet of Puerto Angel, near Pochutla, Mexico. A quiet, crystal-clear bay, a sandy beach dotted with elegant fishing boats. And a large concrete pier from which to take all the views in…

Hey, Amigos, Raton Mickey is in town!

The smile is the real life-saver.

Lean-to, with view.

And it’s warm, too.

At peace, together.

At peace even while at work.

Pier to peer.

Spot the blowfish?

Always weird when something dead looks at you.

View from the road.

Off to make some tacos.

There may not be much in Puerto Angel. But there is light and there is life. As far as this street photographer is concerned, there is everything that really matters, in Puerto Angel.

Hope you enjoyed.

Alessandro Ciapanna

LIGHT AT THE MUSEUM – Rome, unseen

alessandro ciapanna — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:35:08 +0000

I went to a photo exhibit. In a museum. Which was actually a market, in Roman times. Some market!

The photo show was mostly ho-hum. Bits and pieces dipersed here and there among busts and other archaeological finds. The museum itself, in the Mercato di Trajano, however, offered glimpses on a Rome i’d never seen portrayed quite this way. Please, enjoy!

Roman mall, converted to a museum, shot through a plexiglass window. See the pigeons?

The ” Vittoriano,” as seen through a hole-in-the-ancient-wall window.

Old glass.

New glass.

I’d say this glass is half full. At least.

New world order, a reflection.

I’v been framed – in a window in the sky…

Yes, it’s crazy to go to a museum to see a photo exhibit, then largely ignore the photos. And then, even largely overlook the many lovely artefacts on display, only to focus on the light, filtering through the modern plexiglass panels, through the old windows, through modern ones, through holes in the walls. Filtering the light, bending it, channelling it, distorting it. With it, the city outside.

Irresistible, and made all the more so by the “No photography!” signs hanging here and there. Ha! No photography? And keep all this light to yourself? Not when this photographer is in town…

Alessandro Ciapanna

GIBRALTAR – tiny nation, grand illumination

alessandro ciapanna — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:16:35 +0000

One look at the light in this set ought to clear any doubt as to why many a person might choose to leave the rain of England behind and settle in the sunny little appendage of the UK that sticks out like a sore thumb into the Mediterranean Sea from the southernmost bit of Spain, that fiercely independent, fascinating, proud and quite unique country of Gibraltar.

Lamp post blog post.

Note to self: buy lens shade..

Crisis? This busker claims he easily raises one hundred pounds a day.

Narrow alleys, long shadows.

Patchy light by the Trafalgar Cemetery.

Follow me, family – i’m the one with the map…

Oh, hi! Yak, yak, yak…

Some only half joke when they claim there are more tunnels in Gibraltar than in the rest of Britain combined.

“Hey, chief, this Leyland bus is so old, it doesn’t look good in ‘The City’.”
“You’re right. Pack it up and send it to Gibraltar…”

The crazy part of this photo is not the shank of light; it’s the fact that she was actually writing postcards…

The Moors left the tiles, the Spaniards left the Madonna. The British took it all.

Even in a place as tiny as Gib, different peoples tended not to mingle too much. This street is called Irish Town. And, what – still no lens shade?

The light, fantastic

Child chases the final rays of sun in Casemates Square.

Photo essay taken in August 2012, files edited May 2013.

Alessandro Ciapanna

LA ROYA – affects people, too

alessandro ciapanna — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:44:27 +0000

La Roya, or leaf rust, is spreading like wildfire through Central America, badly attacking coffee plants and therby affecting the livelihoods of individuals from all walks of life. This color photo essay focuses on the very hard work the coffee culture provides in and around San Pedro de la Laguna, Guatemala. Each and every one of these workers, and the economy as a whole, will take a severe beating unless a solution is soon found to this terrible airborne fungus.

Elias, coffee farmer and small landowner stands among the plants of his small plot holding up a coffee leaf badly affected by “la roya” or leaf rust, an epidemic that has recently been sweeping through the region, decimating production and badly affecting growers.

Young coffee picker seen through boughs so laden with ripe coffee beans that they are drooping under the weight.

An individual coffee picker brings his daily sack of beans to the local mill, where it is weighed and payed cash.

The lady on the right is a “buyer” who purchases coffee beans from the pickers in the mountains, drives them to the mill in her pickup truck, and resells it for a premium.

When the mill is started, a strong jet of water is sprayed through the beans, allowing them to flow to the mill, which is at a lower level.

The belt-driven mechanical mill separates the red sugary husks from the whiteish beans. These will be left to ferment overnight and then washed and sun-dried.

After a night in large concrete tanks, the coffee beans are pumped – with large amounts of water – into long narrow troughs. The water washes the beans and separates the better ones (which are heavier) from the lower-quality ones.

There are no wheelbarrows or other carts: all the coffee is carried on the back. In case of wet beans, this means hoisting quite a hefty load: upwards of sixty pounds. In the background, an operator washes the fermenting beans towards the pump that will propel them to the washing troughs.

For drying, the wet coffee beans are spread out on large plastic tarps held in place by large rocks.

The sacks of wet, fresh beans are dumped onto the plastic tarps and then spread into a thin layer by means of hand-made rakes, in the foreground.

In order to ensure proper, speedy drying, the coffee beans must be turned over with a rake every few hours. Complete drying requires a few days, and the coffee must be sacked every night.

A large expanse of sun drying coffee beans on the shores of Lake Atitlan, in San Pedro de la Laguna, Solola’, Guatemala. An operator is raking the beans for ideal drying.

Traditionally, coffee beans are dried with the husks still on the beans, as here, in the streets of San Pedro de la Laguna, Solola’, Guatemala.

The husks are a by-product of coffee production. Rich in sugar, they ferment rapidly, giving off steam in the cool early morning air. They are recycled as compost.

In San Pedro de la Laguna, all available space is dedicated to the drying of coffee beans, such as this empty lot.

Top quality beans are a light straw yellow in color when dry. The beans will need to be milled again to remove the final, thin, husk.

When the coffee beans are dry, they are rounded up and sacked. If the drying is on a concrete floor, handmade wooden spatulas are used. This is “segunda” (second) quality coffee: the beans retain a few more husks and on the whole appear slightly darker even though thoroughly dry. Segunda coffee beans are not for export and are consumed locally.

Once the coffee beans are dry, they are placed in sacks and the sacks are sowed shut with needle and thread.

The dry coffee beans are driven to Guatemala city, where the final de-husking will take place. Toasting, grinding and perhaps blending will follow.

Several coffee mills – as this one – have been abandoned and now stand, idle, collecting leaves and dust. One of the early victims of “La Roya.”

I had published some of these before, in monochrome and in instalments. This is a set i put together to apply for a grant. The reportage was of a geographic/editorial character when i shot it – aiming to describe the various phases of labor intensive operations behind our daily cups of coffee. The call for entries to apply for the grant, however, explicitly asked for a report concerning a social issue. Any social issue, taken in any date, on any topic. To be told in no more than twenty pictures, carefully arranged in a meaningful sequence.

I only had two photos on the roya proper, and many on coffee production, but i’m hoping strategic placement – as the opening and closing images to the set – will help convert this into a “social” photo essay. What do you think – is this too gimmicky or might it just pull it off?

How effective was the ploy? I don’t know yet, but if i pull it off, you’ll be among the very first to know…

Alessandro Ciapanna

OMBRELLO – Rome streets in the rain

alessandro ciapanna — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:10:30 +0000

It’s been a rainy spring in Rome. Which is a good thing, as it makes those cobblestones really shiny. Watch out, though – rain makes them slippery, too… Monochrome street photography, a photo essay.

Taken from the covered part of Ponte Milvio, where i was taking shelter from a downpour.

Ditto.

Ditto (Aw man, is it ever going to stop?).

Praying for it to stop on a public bus.

Yes, it is raining and no: you can’t stay home from school…

What – i have to throw ANOTHER coin into the fountain? Oh, i wish you’d just press the shutter button at the right time!

And you thought you were the one who hated the rain… ?

Taken in a piazza called Campo de’ Fiori; which means “flowery meadows.” Yeah, right.

Fare play – one way as good as any other to kill time waiting for your next passenger.

The first three are recent, as is the very last shot. The others are from a few months ago, reprocessed.

The last shot in particular, provides clear evidence that one should always carry a camera, even when the last thing on one’s mind is to take photographs. You just never know exactly what wondrous unscripted opportunity may unfold for the benefit of your lens. Another thing this picture seems to support is the idea that Italians really do know how to have fun. This one taxi driver most certainly did.

Thanks for looking,

Alessandro Ciapanna

TRAIN DRAMA – the fine art files.

alessandro ciapanna — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:41:22 +0000

It’s not unusual to be a little suspicious of self-proclaimed “fine art photographers”. It’s also perfectly acceptable to not give the issue much thought. Until, that is, someone contacts you offering the opportunity of hosting an exhibition in an art gallery.

So it was a matter of choosing one strong portfolio, and processing the very best images to give them the “fine art feel”. Below is a selection of dramatic photographs from – yes, again – the incredible train cemetery on the outskirts of Uyuni, Bolivia.

Such is life.

Dead end.

Locomotive skeleton.

Off track.

Out of steam.

Loco no motion.

Let’s do it.
No, let’s wait for the photographer to leave, first.

‘nother couple.

Rusty canvas.

Tipsy?

Things could be worse – it could be raining…

Final destination.

Daydream.

All – no, most – of these photos have been blogged before. So, rather than on the content of the images (or the silly captions!), what i would really enjoy is hearing your opinion on the dramatic, red-filter effect i introduced during processing. Is it dramatic to good effect, or is it simply over the top? How would you react if you walked into an art gallery that was exhibiting these, printed nice and large?

All and any feedback will be dutifully pondered and much appreciated – thanks!

Alessandro Ciapanna

UYUNI, BOLIVIA – ghost train town

alessandro ciapanna — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:59:53 +0000

Please follow me as we tread into a truly one-of-a-kind place: the train cemetery just outside Uyuni, in Bolivia.

Believe it or not, grownup Bolivians come here to play hide-and-seek.

As with the last post, i am revisiting old files. Hope you enjoyed the splash of color.

Alessandro Ciapanna

UYUNI, BOLIVIA – views from the salt flats

alessandro ciapanna — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:36:37 +0000

A few from the middle – or right around the edges – of the world’s biggest salt flats.

What is an emu doing roosting on the salt flats? I asked, but he didn’t answer.

We got a long way to go (and a short time to get there…)

Great pose, dear!

Ok, now all we need is the pepper.

One day all of this will be yours…

Free hugs.

Jeep tyres taste a lot better, when encrusted in salt.

Hola amigo!

I am back in Rome, and am currently busy trying to arrange my huge photo archives into something orderly and meaningful. While this does keep me away from the streets and from my camera, it also provides a few unexpected surprises. Like finding the above shots, taken a few years back, some of which i’d never even seen/opened/noticed and/or “developed” before.

Location Bolivia; the Uyuni salt flats and Incahuasi – the cactus-covered rocky outcrop. You can click on the images for a better view.

Alessandro Ciapanna

ROMAN REFLECTIONS – street photography

alessandro ciapanna — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:53:10 +0000

Monochrome street photography from springtime, Rome.

I just love looking at tourists, all day long, every day…

Chilling on Via del Corso.

Buy buy, Rome…

Ok – where’s the next trendy shopping street?

Hey dad – can i sit on that travertine ledge?

Hey mom – can i climb that fountain?

Hey guide – can i drink the water?

No dad, no mom, no guide around… Know what i’m gonna do?

Everyone just carry on with whatever they’re up to. I’m going to order me a nice carbonara. Or maybe an amatriciana…?